#Treehouse Brewing

[inkandpaper1]

Perfect Design Fitting for People Who Love Tree House Brewing Stickers . It Can Also Be Given as A Birthday or Christmas Gift to Your Best Friend, Relative, Boyfriend or Girlfriend Who Also Love Tree House Brewing Stickers

[babyleostuff]

[ 💿 ] . . . TAPE 12

우리에게 필요한 건 / 달콤한 내일이잖아 / 헹가래 하늘 향해 / 위로 위로 위로 위로

☁️ "left and right" by seventeen

being loved by vernon chwe means comfort, peace, and gentle love. vernon isn’t the biggest romantic soul, nor is he the biggest on stereotypical relationship stuff, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have his own ways of showing off his love. being with him is so… easy. he’s great at communicating. he’s great at managing fights if they happen. he doesn’t hold grudges. he is always understanding, and tries to see your perspective on things. it doesn’t mean that you never argue, and that your relationship is like a fairy tale because that’s not how it works. but vernon never tries to make things harder, and the effort he puts into your relationship shows exactly how much he cares about you.

being loved by vernon chwe means having a best friend and a boyfriend in one. besides the kisses, hugs, and cuddles, all the privileges that come with a relationship, vernon is your best friend. he knows you like no one else - your pet peeves, your comfort movies, what you like eating on fridays, and what you absolutely hate about tuesdays. he could list the most random facts about you that no one would even think of coming up with like it’s nothing, that’s how well he knows you. and for vernon it’s the biggest reward - uncovering the next layers of you, while knowing that he is one of the few that you feel comfortable enough with to share parts of your soul with.

being loved by vernon chwe means having someone who’ll always make time for you. he is a busy guy, with a job that expects a lot from him, both physically and mentally, and it’s nothing new for him to sleep over at the company. still, no matter how busy or tired he is, vernon always makes sure to make some time for you - even if it’s only thirty minutes, he makes sure to ask you how you’re feeling, how your week is going - just to make sure you’re truly okay. he also insist on having at least one stay at home date, so you could spend some proper quality time. vernon always makes sure you know he’s there for you, no matter the hour, and no matter how busy he is.

being loved by vernon chwe feels like the smell of freshly brewed coffee, like the moon shining on a cloudless night, like sitting on a swing with your best friend at night, like silent adoration.

“you are sunlight through a window, which i stand in, warmed. my darling.” - the miniaturist, jessie burton

taglist (if you want to be added, check my masterlist): @jeonghansshitester @weird-bookworm @sea-moon-star @hanniehaee @wonwooz1 @byprettymar @edgaralienpoe @staranghae @itza-meee @eightlightstar @immabecreepin @whatsgyud @hyneyedfiz @honestlydopetree @vicehectic @dkswife @uniq-tastic @marisblogg @aaniag @daegutowns @carlesscat-thinklogic23 @embrace-themagic @ohmyhuenings @nidda13 @hrts4hanniehae @k-drama-adict @isabellah29 @f4iryjjosh @bangantokchy @mrswonwooo @bangtancultsposts @lllucere @athanasiasakura @onlyyjeonghan @haecien @caramyisabitchforsvtandbts @hannahhbahng @valgracia @ohmygodwhyareallusernamestaken @mirxzii @hhusbuds @wonranghaeee @rosiesauriostuff @gyuguys @tomodachiii @veryfabday @lilmochiandsuga @asasilentreader @mrsnervous @bewoyewo @sharonxdevi @wondipity @gyuguys @raginghellfire @treehouse-mouse @waldau @wonootnoot @hellodefthings @dokyeomkyeom @sourkimchi @bbysnw @hoichi02 @aaa-sia @haneulparadx @minvrsev @zozojella @wonootnoot @kimingyuslover @wntrei @honglynights @jihoonsbbygirl @uhdrienne @bloodcanbehot 

[pineapple-downside-up-cake]

TF!141 but they don't go to the bar together; not on purpose.

They're wound too tight, have seen the bad end of one too many bar brawls, to let loose with booze in public.

Instead there's one of those cozy coffee shop/bar type places not too far from HQ. It's not open all night, but it's open as long as you need it.

Mismatched furniture, plush but ugly, the lighting low and disarming - run by the vet behind the counter. She only plays soft acoustic tracks; nothing with a hard bass.

The team usually goes their separate ways, but they tend to end up there, trickling in throughout the night when the days are rough.

When the nightmares keep them from sleeping, or being alone with their thoughts is too much.

There aren't rules, necessarily - but it's unspoken that this is not fucking therapy. They don't talk about why they're not in bed, asleep. Everyone's got reasons.

Instead, they abuse the furniture, shut down in a place where they won't be alone.

Soap tangled sideways in his chair with a coffee - don't look at him, he wasn't getting shut-eye anyway - listening to podcasts in one ear, sketching idly on a napkin.

There's a collection scattered across the wall, his and others', and the owner let's 'em hang.

Gaz with a blanket on his lap, feet on an ottoman and an earl grey nearby that he never drinks, but orders anyway. He spends most of the time on the phone, but he holds the cup in his hands until every last vestige of warmth seeps into his skin.

The barista will refull his mug until the teabag brews clear. No questions asked.

Price sits in an armchair with the lone vintage telly on mute, watching football reruns and fishing championships. He drinks whiskey and a damned good thing someone does. They mostly stock it for him.

He thinks it helps him sleep, and some nights it does - sometimes he falls asleep in the stupid purple chair and wakes up with a blanket over him at closing.

Ghost sits on the floor. He's most comfortable there, with his back against the sofa, and the carpet is plush enough for someone like him. He drinks herbal tea, usually mint, let's the smell clear his head while he reads.

He reads the same two books on the loaner shelf until the spines break and pages start to fall from the binding, and one day they're replaced with the full series.

He realizes he actually likes reading, doesn't have to pretend just for something to do with his hands, and starts bringing in his cast-offs to swapout and take home.

They don't always make it there at the same time, or even on the same nights. Sometimes weeks go by without any of them showing up, when things are good or when they've been gone...

But they know they are always welcome to seek solace at The Treehouse.

[my-castles-crumbling]

insurance - October 14th - jegulus - @taylorswiftmicrofic - word count: 200

"....you also have the choice of many optional insurances, including life insurance at different levels, higher coverage for medical insurance, and personal injury insurance," the bored-looking Ministry employee droned on, looking like she quite needed a nap.

Considering, Regulus tilted his head to the side. At first, his reaction was to say that it wasn't necessary. He hadn't been sick in years, and he could brew most potions to heal himself.

But then, he remembered who he was married to.

That he'd had to take James to a mediwitch just this week because he and Sirius had drunkenly decided to try to create their own flying carpet and had both broken multiple bones. That last month, James had had to stay overnight at St. Mungos because he and all his friends had tried to make a Muggle treehouse, but they didn't know they needed nails, resulting in matching concussions for all. That in Hogwarts, James had known everyone who worked in the Hospital Wing on a first-name basis.

"I'll take lot," Regulus sighed, signing Regulus Potter on the line at the bottom of the paper the employee offered him and reminding himself that for some reason, he loved his husband.

[moonlitcelestial]

Chapter 17

Beyond the Lens - Logbook Videographer!Reader x OT8 Ateez

W/C 14,207

🎥 Series Masterlist 🎥

☽ Masterlist ☾ 

Inspiration Pictures

Pinterest Board Masterlist

Previous Chapter (Chapter 16)

Disclaimer: This story is purely a work of fiction. It is not meant to assume or mock anything about Ateez, Atiny, or anything relating to what I do not know about being a videographer.

Contains she/her pronouns.

The logo in the center is mine. Please do not reuse or copy.

I strongly recommend looking at the inspiration pictures and the Pinterest boards (which will be updating as the story goes on).

General Warnings: slow burn, cussing, conflict, angst, fluff, and obliviousness. 

CHAPTER WARNINGS - Cuteness, mentions of cooking knives

Author's Notes - Lots of links in this one (they are not necessary to read this but I wanted to add them for the ambiance). Also I couldn't help myself with some of the references. I highly recommend checking out the Inspiration Pictures to be able to see the layout clearly. Let me know what you think and if you want to be added to the taglist! <3 Moonie

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

The morning sunlight was filtering through the curtains. You took in your surroundings and smiled at the two you were cuddled up with. Looking around further you noticed Toothless lying stretched out on Seonghwa’s legs. You stretched yourself away from the two boys and peeked out the window above your head. The light of day was just barely shining over the trees in your backyard. You rolled and got out of bed not so gracefully and grabbed your glasses and phone. Determination set into your bones with a mission to cook your boyfriends a large breakfast. Slipping your slippers on you made your way out of the room and you smiled at the sleeping forms in the other bedrooms. They were dead to the world. Mocha had taken up residence in the bend of Yeosang’s legs. Beans was curled up on San’s chest and you chuckled at her, an attention whore at its finest. 

After the short trip to the kitchen you grabbed several ingredients out of the fridge. You set the ingredients on the counter and grabbed your Beats to turn on some music. Generally you would have had it blasting on the speakers scattered throughout your house but the boys were sleeping and you knew they needed it. You shuffled your playlist that mostly consisted of Ateez, Xikers, some Stray Kids, and some other rock artists from the states. As the music flowed through your ears you turned on the coffee maker and brewed a full pot for everyone to partake if they wished. Remembering that some of the boys had been fairly gone last night you grabbed your spare bottle of pain meds and set it on the higher part of your island.

You knew it would be nice out today so you moved to open some of the windows. As soon as the giants heard the clicks of you unlocking the windows they all came running down the stairs, leaping across the pedestals along the wall to get to their favorite spots. You opened the window next to the island and you cracked open the window you could reach behind the large cat treehouse. Mocha and Beans were already on their favorite perches on the treehouse. Toothless was sitting in his hammock on the window in the kitchen taking in the fresh air. Moving back into the main portion of the kitchen you made your way toward the pantry where you grabbed the dry ingredients for waffles and pancakes as well as the waffle iron. Setting everything down you moved to the sink and washed your hands. 

You moved with a fluid grace around the kitchen, which came with years of helping your mom. The boiled eggs were already done and resting and you had already made several pancakes and waffles for the boys. Now you move onto cutting up some fresh fruit between batches of the sweets. You were so into your music that you hadn't realized Yeosang came down the stairs. He appeared in front of you at the island and you almost cut yourself with the knife you startled so hard. You set the knife down and pushed the button on your headphones. Taking them away from your ears and setting them onto the island counter you smiled at him with a sheepish smile. 

“Good morning Sangie, did you sleep okay?” You briefly looked up at him and returned to cutting your strawberries. 

“Surprisingly well, although I have a mild headache.” You laughed lightly at his answer.

“Parties at my house tend to have that aftereffect. Thankfully for you I have a good hangover cure. There is some coffee over in the pot if you want some, if you want sugar it is right next to the coffee maker and creamer is in the fridge on the door. If you don't want coffee you are welcome to my tea collection above the coffee maker, if you choose tea all you have to do is push the button for the size you want and dunk the tea bag in. There are also some fruit drinks in the fridge, and pain meds set out on the counter. Make yourself at home.” You motioned to everything while you spoke.  

You paused your cutting when the small alarm went off for you to take out the waffle. Making your way over you opened the small waffle maker and grabbed the chopsticks to take it out and set it on the plate. You stuck the plate into the smaller part of your oven so it would keep warm. The stack of pancakes was fairly tall already so you had momentarily stopped cooking them so you could focus on cutting the fruit. As you moved around the kitchen you watched Yeosang out of the corner of your eye. He was leaning against the counter closest to the coffee maker holding one of your mugs in both hands, a tea bag handing over the side. He looked so content just standing there watching. 

Smiling at the small idea that just popped into your brain you approached Yeosang. His eyes widened at you comically as you put your hands over his and moved his hands to sit the cup on the countertop. You stood there smiling at him. He was looking over you curiously, his head tilted to the side and you could see the cute birthmark right next to his eye. His hands had dropped to his side as he froze while the gears were turning in his head. You took a step closer to him slowly and lifted your hands to cup his cheeks, you gently turned his head to the side so you could place a kiss to the birthmark. As you pulled away you looked at him. His eyes were practically bugging out of his head and he was trying so hard to suppress a small smile. His face was almost as red as his birthmark. He reached up to touch the spot you just kissed and then tried to hide from you. 

“I have always wanted to do that, and now that you are one of my eight boyfriends I can do it all I want.” He peeked out from between his fingers to look at you. He dropped his hands to the side and moved just a little closer to you to see if he heard you right. 

“What?” He blinked at you owlishly. You giggled at his response. He seemed like he was still completely processing the words that just came out of your mouth. 

“One of my boyfriends doesn't seem to process very well in the morning, it's a good thing he is a pretty doberman.” The responding smile that lit up his face was blinding as he took in the words the second time. He grabbed you and pulled you to him. Your arms immediately went around his middle while your heart started beating just a little quicker. You let out a breathless giggle as he squeezed you, resting your head on his shoulder he squeezed you tighter almost enough that you couldn’t breath. You heard a set of steps coming down the stairs. No matter how much you wanted to look to see which one of your boyfriends it was Yeosang didn't release you. 

“Good morning my moon and Sangie,” just from the one sentence you knew exactly who it was. His footsteps approached the two of you and you felt him plant a kiss on the back of your head. Yeosang seemed to have recovered from his bout of cuteness aggression and released you. You took a step back and turned to look at Seonghwa. His hair was a little messy, you reached up and fixed it gently. He smiled at you and pressed a quick peck to your lips. You let your face split into a grin as he stepped past you and gave Yeosang the same treatment. 

“Hwa, there is some ice in the freezer and a special setting for iced coffee if you want some.” He smiled fully at you, you pointed above your head to the cupboard full of cups and mugs. He grabbed the Star Wars one and moved to the fridge for the ice. Once you helped him figure it out you herded the two of them to sit at the island while you prepared the breakfast. 

The three of you chatted idly as you moved around the kitchen. You had finished cutting up the fruit and arranged it on one of the large wooden charcuterie boards you had. Once you were finished arranging the fruits you wrapped it up in cling wrap and stored it in the fridge. Throughout the process of setting it up you caught Seonghwa on more than one occasion snagging some of your cut strawberries. You left him some out and he immediately started snacking, feeding a couple to Yeosang as he went.

Once you were satisfied by the amount of both waffles and pancakes you started on the more savory side of things. You grabbed the bacon, steak, pork, and chicken out of the fridge. Seonghwa’s eyes got wide at the amount of food you just pulled out. Yeosang’s eyes got wide when you pulled out the chicken. You laughed at them as you started preparing everything, you sliced the steak first, threw it into one of your pans, and moved onto arranging the bacon to cook. This time the three of you turned to look to see who was coming down the stairs as soon as the first step creaked. Wooyoung came around the corner releasing a loud yawn. You waved to him with the chopsticks in your hands and started prodding the bacon around as it cooked. What you missed was his wide eyes at the smell of food and possibly because of you.  

You gave him your coffee and tea spiel without even looking up at him to see his reaction. He made his way past you and evaded you as you took a step to the side to set down your chopsticks and toss around the steak. You heard him hum as the first sip of coffee slipped past his lips. A smile broke out onto your face as you looked at him. He returned your smile with a cute sleepy one. 

“Do you need some help with anything, Noona?” He set his cup of coffee to the side and looked at you curiously. 

“If you could grab one of the other packages of meat and cut it up for me that would be great, this batch is almost done and I have a lot of mouths to feed.” He slipped past you and made his way to the station you had previously set up. 

“There should be clean cutting boards for each kind of meat in the cupboard below you.” He nodded and diligently started cutting the other various meats. When you turned around next he had all of it separated and waiting for you. A large grin split across your face as he looked at you with a small smile while leaning against the counter with his cup of coffee. You turned back and started plating the meats on the large platter you set out. The steak and bacon were looking great, you stepped back to open the larger portion of your oven. Wooyoung was already there and he opened it for you. You set the meat on the middle of the rack and turned to him with a smile. 

Glancing over to the other two at the bar to see them leaning together and basking in a quiet moment, Yeosang had peered up at you through his lashes and raised his eyebrow at you. You winked at him. You kind of wanted to destroy the quiet moment, your inner Wooyoung tendencies were trying to shine through; courtesy of your close proximity to him. Turning back to Wooyoung who was looking at you already, you smirked and stepped closer. His smile widened but it stopped growing when he noticed how close you were. You quickly grabbed his face and placed a quick kiss on his lips. You stepped back and his eyes were so wide you worried they might fall out of his head. You put a hand over your mouth to stifle the huge smile that was attempting to worm its way onto your face.

“Yah?!” He paused looking between you and the other two at the island; he was trying very hard to process what just happened. The other two were looking at him like he was crazy after he startled them. 

“Yah!!” He shouted again, his brain must have crashed and required a yelling restart. He looked back at you and pointed between him, the other two, then to himself again, and finally to you. 

“Wait, aahh!! I'm going to get in so much trouble, Joongie said not to do anything until he talks to you!!” He ran a couple of steps away from you toward the nook and hid himself behind his hands as he crouched down. You snorted at his panicked reaction, he wasn't thinking the situation completely through. The other two were stifling their reactions and you could have sworn Yeosang was recording the entire thing. 

“Shhhhh, our other boyfriends are sleeping.” You were trying to keep a straight face as you held your finger up to your lips. You felt your face twitch from the amount of effort you had to use to keep your face neutral. He peeked out from between his fingers and you knew that he had picked up that habit from Yeosang. “Surprise?” you shrugged finally letting the smile split across your face. 

He immediately straightened and marched over to you getting close like you had earlier. He grabbed your face and quickly brought his lips to yours. Your eyes fluttered closed as you smiled into the burning kiss. His lips were slightly chapped and he tasted faintly of the coffee he was sipping earlier. You settled your hands on his waist and you gave him a light squeeze. He tilted his head and you could feel his smirk as his mouth worked against yours. He was entirely in control of the kiss as he tilted your head back just barely. You pulled him closer by the waist and you heard a noise of surprise. The both of you broke apart slightly panting and looked at the person who was standing behind Seonghwa and Yeosang. Of course leave it to San to walk into you and Wooyoung’s antics. His eyes were comically wide.

“I need coffee to even process this,” he muttered. You laughed and stepped away from Wooyoung to grab him a cute mug. You missed Wooyoung’s celebratory motion behind you, the only indication something happened was the twin snorts that came out of Yeosang and Seonghwa. Grabbing the pot of coffee you poured him a cup and set it down in front of him at the island. You grabbed the sugar tin and made your way over to get creamer. After you had secured the goods you returned to him and set them in front of him. He looked up at you with a small smile. You returned the gesture and stepped to the other side of the island to grab the remaining meat and another pan. If he needed time to wake up and process you would let him have it. Wooyoung walked over to stand beside you at the large stove.

“You are a minx, I cannot believe that you just did that to me.” You felt his arm snake around your waist and gently squeeze your hip. 

“I took a page out of your menace book, I figured it was about time you got a taste of your own medicine.” He pinched your side and you let out a small yelp. He was lucky you were not holding a spatula or spoon otherwise he would have gotten smacked. Instead you opted for snapping your chopsticks at him. He grabbed the other pair you set aside for the pork and did the same. You turned to look at him with your head tilted, a silent challenge. 

You stepped away from the stove and took up an almost fencing-like stance. You raised your other hand and waved at him to see if he would join you in a battle of the chopsticks. He mirrored your posture and you lunged at him snapping your chopsticks right close to his face. He evaded you by leaning back and he counterattacked by snapping his close to your sides. You let out a laugh and leapt back and taunted him to see if he would do it again. He tried again and you leapt around him narrowly avoiding the countertop. He turned toward you and before he could react you started a flurry of attacks alternating sides effectively backing him up to the edge of the kitchen close to the open window with Toothless. You booped his nose and turned on your heel to walk back over to the stove. A loud laugh erupted from somewhere near the stairs. Yunho was standing at the base of the stairs laughing at the two of you. 

“How in the world do you two have this much energy?” He asked, stepping past the rest of the boys and into the kitchen toward the coffee pot. You shrugged at him and tossed around the chicken. 

“Woo, you need to flip the pork otherwise it is going to burn.” He came over to your side and wrapped his arm around you as he did so. He skillfully tossed the pork with the pan and set it back down. You smiled at him and he kissed your cheek. Instead of reacting like you usually did, which was to playfully push him away, you just smiled at him.  

Yunho looked to the three other boys to see if they saw what happened, each of them gave him some noncommittal answer or a shrug of their shoulders. They knew at this point you would be telling each of them in your own special way, even though San may have spoiled that for himself. The two of you were standing in front of the stove and listening to the other four chatter while keeping an eye on the meat. Wooyoung seemed to just be content with holding you close. Stepping back you moved to grab one of your oven mitts and grab the tray you had put into the main portion of the oven. Wooyoung had clocked your intention and immediately moved to open and close it for you. You drained the grease out into a small jar you had set aside and put the chicken onto the platter. Wooyoung had cut it up into the perfect strips. You rearranged them with your chopsticks to make sure you had enough room for the pork which was still cooking. Picking up a piece of chicken, you held your hand under it and approached Yeosang. 

He looked at you with wide eyes and you opened your mouth to show him your intention. He hesitantly opened his mouth and you gave him the piece of chicken, he covered his mouth as he chewed. You heard him let out a hum of approval and you did a mental celebration that he likes your cooking. You turned around and went back to the platter carefully stepping around Wooyoung who was finishing up the pork. You grabbed a piece of steak and did the same thing with Seonghwa. He was smiling at you the entire time you approached. When you got close enough he opened his mouth for you and you gave him the bite of steak. He threw his head back and groaned, you were two for two at this point. You approached San with a piece of pork Wooyoung had just sat down and offered it to him. He still seemed like he wasn't quite awake yet. He gently took it from you and hummed with a nod. Next was Yunho, you grabbed a piece of chicken and offered it to him. He crouched down to your height and took it from your chopsticks. As he chewed his face split into a grin. 

“You did wonderfully Y/n-nie, this tastes really good.” He said, covering his mouth.

“Thank you,” you paused considering the words you were about to say. “Also I'd prefer if you called me yours or your girlfriend,” You smiled up at him and watched as his face went from smiling to shock. Before you could blink he had picked you up and spun with you. You let out a loud giggle and snuggled your head against the crook of his neck. Once he was done celebrating he set you back down on your feet. His smile was contagious. You squeezed his arm and moved away from him to go back to the stove. You still had to make the eggs. You grabbed them off the counter and started cracking them into a bowl to make scrambled eggs. Once you had put at least fifteen in you grabbed the milk back out of the fridge and poured a little in the eggs. Seasoning it with salt and pepper and a couple of other things you started mixing it. Once you were satisfied that the mixture was thoroughly combined you poured it into a pan. 

“Could one of you loves set the table outside pretty please? The silverware and chopsticks are in the drawer closest to the dishwasher and the plates are in the cabinet closest to the pantry, the cups are above the coffee maker.” You kept your eye on the mixture and heard a couple of chairs scrape against the wood floor. A couple of people gently maneuvered themselves around you and someone pressed a kiss to the side of your head. You looked down just slightly at the affection. This was something that was going to take some getting used to. The other three boys had made their way out of the kitchen. You waved San over to you so you could keep an eye on the eggs. He got up and slowly made his way over to you. When he got close enough you set down your chopsticks and grabbed his hand. 

“Hi Sannie, I'm sorry if I have overwhelmed you. I know walking down the stairs to see one of your boyfriends kissing another person must have been a little weird.” You looked down a little in embarrassment, you really hoped that you didn't screw this up on your first official day of being with them.  He squeezed your hand. 

“Y/n-nie, can I be completely honest with you?” You nodded at him and squeezed his hand back.  

He took a deep breath, “I was the first one to develop feelings for you. My first thought when I saw you walk into the waiting room of your studio was that you were gorgeous and magnificent, I couldn't believe you were real. After a little bit of getting to know you I expressed my growing feelings for you to the boys and was so worried that I would mess things up with them if I had feelings for you. When Joongie asked us a couple of days later about adding you to our relationship I was so excited. Coming down the stairs to see you kissing Wooyoung made my heart soar because I would finally get to do this without repercussions.” He gently grabbed your face and pressed his lips to yours. His kiss was the opposite of Wooyoung’s, he was gentle but sure. He moved his hands to your hips while you melted into the kiss. You let your eyes flutter shut while you brought your arms to rest on his broad shoulders. His hands slid around to the center of your back pulling you impossibly closer. You could taste the faint notes of coffee on his soft lips, he sighed through his nose as you moved your hands to play with the hair at the nape of his neck. He pulled away from you and rested his forehead on yours. He was grinning like he just won the lottery, his dimples on full display. Your eyes flicked over to the eggs and you grabbed the chopsticks and absentmindedly shuffled them around. 

You heard Toothless meowing, moving to look around San, you saw him sitting at the back door looking pitifully at the three men that were sitting outside basking in the morning light. You tried to step away from San but he pulled you into a hug. 

“I am so glad we have you Jagi,” (sweetie) He muttered against the skin of your neck. He placed a gentle kiss there before letting you go. You stepped toward Toothless and smiled as he meowed up at you. You opened the door and let him out, you may as well leave the door open at this point. He rushed outside and started rubbing on Seonghwa and Wooyoung. He was definitely going to love having the boys around more. You turned back to head to the kitchen and watched as San was taking care of the eggs. Approaching him you slid your hand around his tiny waist and bent to press a kiss to his bare shoulder; bless this man’s obsession with tank tops. He turned to look at you with a smile. 

“They should be done, could you grab a pot holder and take it outside to our other boyfriends while I grab the rest of the things.” He nodded and grabbed the pot holder that was laying on the counter not too far from him. You made your way to the fridge and pulled out the fresh fruit tray. Unwrapping it you threw away the cling wrap and brought it out to your boys. The three who hadn't been awake when you were preparing it exclaimed at the artful way everything was displayed. 

“There is plenty more where this came from. If you find that you want more of a particular fruit let me know and I'll grab it.” You went back into the kitchen and grabbed all of the toppings you could think of setting them on the counter. You grabbed everything and set it on another carrying tray. Bringing it out you smiled at the boys who almost snatched the whipped cream can from you before you even sat the tray down. You shook your heads at them and went back in to grab the pancakes and waffles, once you made it back you balanced both large plates that were stacked high with the sweets and made your way outside. The boys cheered for you as you set the plates down. You went back in for drinks and the large meat tray, you felt eyes on you and you turned to see Jongho standing there rubbing his eyes. 

“Hi Aegiya (baby), breakfast is being served outside if you would like to go take a seat.” As soon as you spoke he looked at you with the large tray balanced in your hands and the several juice drink cartons under your arms. He wordlessly grabbed the large tray from you and walked outside to set it on the table. Smiling at him you readjusted your drinks, moved to grab the boiled eggs instead and made your way back out. You set all of the drinks and eggs down and placed your hands on Yeosang’s shoulders, he leaned himself into you as best he could with the back of the chair in the way. The only thing that was missing was two of your boyfriends. 

“I am going to wake the other two up. You go ahead and start eating, if you need anything while I am gone you are welcome to snoop around until you find it.” You smiled at each of them and walked back into the house. Making your way toward the stairs you looked up and saw Mingi heading down. He smiled warmly at you as he made it to the last step. 

“Good morning, breakfast is outside with the rest of the boys, go start eating. I will be back, I am going to wake Joongie up.” He nodded at you and placed a kiss on your hairline before walking away. He was such a giant sweet princess, and he didn't even know you were dating yet. You walked up the stairs and made your way to your room. There was a lump under the covers at the center of your bed, on top of said lump was Mocha. She must have lost interest in everything downstairs and retreated to the quiet of your room; Hongjoong being a heat source was just a bonus for her. You approached cautiously and crawled up onto the bed. The only thing you could see was Hongjoong’s face amidst the blankets. You gently shifted Mocha to get off him as you got closer. 

You started placing gentle kisses all over his face, he let out a small groan and scooted away from your assault. You chuckled and started running your fingers through his hair to partially tame it. “Joongie, breakfast is ready for you downstairs.” He murmured and reached out blindly to you. You let him grab ahold of you and he tugged you down. You were now situated on your back as he crawled his way on top of you. You let out a laugh at him. 

“Joongie, I made you breakfast.” He stirred a little more and nuzzled himself against your neck. 

“Don't wanna move.”

“How about five minutes of cuddles and then we head down.” He nodded against you, you shook your head with a smile and started combing your fingers through his hair again. He hummed at the motion and you could feel his cute little smile against your neck. Looking over to the clock on your shelf you realized that it was already almost 11 a.m. You moved your hand from his hair to his shoulders and started rubbing the length of them. He whined at you and you stopped, you pushed your head back and looked at him curiously; his eyes were just barely opened. He grabbed the hand he could reach and put it on his head. You let out a giggle at how cute this man was when he was half asleep. You resumed your ministrations and placed your cheek on the crown of his head. 

Not even a minute later Wooyoung came bounding into the room and jumped on your bed. “Yah! Joongie hyung stop hogging our girl.” He started to pull the covers away from Hongjoong; who almost growled at him. You kept your laughter at bay as Wooyoung kept trying to get him up off of you. You looked at Wooyoung who was smiling like a madman, you held up your hand to stop whatever he was about to do. He pouted at you and sat back on his haunches waiting for you to get Hongjoong up. 

“Come on songbird, let's go eat.” His head perked up from where it was resting against you. His dark hair was scattered and his eyes were half closed. “I've got coffee and a large breakfast out there waiting for you if the other boys haven’t devoured it yet.” You ran your hand through his hair again attempting to smooth it out; it wasn't really working.

“It's the biggest and best spread of food I’ve seen in a while Hyung” Wooyoung chirped from beside the two of you. 

He grumbled and sat up from his place. Wooyoung had almost immediately grabbed you and him and dragged you out of your room. You followed behind Wooyoung to the porch and you saw two full plates set aside for you and Hongjoong. You smiled as you separated yourself from the two of them and make your way back into the kitchen to prepare Hongjoong his coffee. You had to brew a little more so as you waited you started collecting the things to bring outside. You grabbed your little ice bucket and scooped some crushed ice into it before bringing it outside to set in the middle of the table. Once you heard the coffee pot stop brewing you grabbed it and also brought it out to the boys. As well as a music note coffee mug for Hongjoong.

As soon as you got back outside you stopped a second to take in the scene. The boys were all smiling and laughing with each other. Their plates were full of the various foods you made, but even though you told them to start eating they hadn’t; they waited for you. You felt a small smile creep onto your face. Mocha, Beans and Toothless were all making their rounds to see if they could trick one of the boys into giving them something; if they hadn’t already. You felt a peace settle over you. 

You felt someone’s eyes on you and you looked around the table to see Mingi looking at you with his head tilted. You smiled wider at him and started to make your way around the table offering coffee refills. Once you were sure the boys were finally taken care of you sat between Hongjoong and the empty seat, which was quickly filled by Beans. You reached over and scratched her head before starting to eat. Once they noticed you took your first bite they started eating. 

A couple minutes into eating you felt Hongjoong rest his hand on your knee, you looked over to see him engaged in a conversation with Jongho across the table. You brought your hand down and rested it over his, almost immediately he turned his hand over and intertwined his fingers with yours. You all ate in relative silence and when most of your food was gone you sat back and watched some of the boys grab for some more food. 

“Y/n-nie,” you looked up and around Hongjoong and Seonghwa to San, “Can we go swimming later?” Each pair of eyes fell to yours, some of the boys were leaning toward you in anticipation of your answer.  

“You are grown adults, you don't have to ask for permission Sannie.” you chuckled. “Although I might have a little bit of heart trouble seeing eight handsome men swimming or meandering about in my backyard.” 

“Don’t worry Noona, I know CPR.” Your head moved over immediately to look at Wooyoung, his chest was puffed out in a proud manner; which earned him a smack from Mingi. 

“Yah! Am I not allowed to flirt with our girlfriend?” He rubbed the back of his neck where Mingi smacked him and where Yunho was about to smack him for being a yapper. Both Mingi and Jongho’s gaze shot to you. Mingi burst out of his chair and scared the daylights out of San who was sitting next to him eating his strawberry and whipped cream covered waffle peacefully. Hongjoong squeezed your hand under the table as you looked at him; he was trying to hold back a smile.

“I should have told you last blabbermouth,” you muttered, sinking into your chair in embarrassment. You met Jongho’s intense gaze and you could see the small smile on his face. He didn’t keep eye contact with you for very long; opting to take a sip of his drink to break eye contact. You looked over to Mingi who was beaming at you. 

“You accepted?” Mingi was still standing and now leaning on his hands which were situated on the end of the table. 

“Does this answer your question?” You raised the hand that was intertwined with Hongjoong’s from under the table. If his smile could have gotten wider it would have. You could barely see his beautiful eyes because they were hidden by his cheeks. He burst up from his leaning position and marched his way over to you. Hongjoong let go of your hand as you were immediately brought out of your chair by Mingi. He grabbed your shoulders and brought you to him in a hug. You laughed and wrapped your arms around his waist. 

“Hi Mingles,” you said between huffs of laughter. His hold on you tightened before he released you, his hands were still sitting on your shoulders. They moved up your neck to cradle your face. He was still beaming at you and you were sure you had the same look on your face. He pulled you closer to him and ducked down to place his plush lips on yours. As soon as he did you melted into his gentle hold, closing your eyes. You heard a few hoots from the boys behind you as you stepped closer to him leaving no space between the two of you. One of his hands traveled from your face to the back of your neck as he tilted your head back so he could stand at his full height. Your hands felt the heat from his back seeping into them, this was real. You felt something hit you square on the back of he head. Peeling yourself away from Mingi you turned around to look and see who did it. Your eyes met Wooyoung’s and immediately you knew. 

“Jung Wooyoung!” You separated yourself from Mingi and flew around the table to get to where he was seated. His eyes got wide as he saw you coming and he leapt out of his chair knocking it over and taking off toward the french doors that separated the porch from your backyard. You sprinted after him, he was quick you knew that much from watching the clips of him. You were just as quick but you knew this place like the back of your hand so you knew all of the possible escape routes he could take. You chased him down the pathway lined with firefly lights out toward the pool. An absolutely mischievous idea came to mind. Just as he skidded to a stop in front of the curved part of the pool you shoved him into it. He waved his arms to try to steady himself but you had knocked him just hard enough that it wouldn’t work, he let out a strangled shriek before hitting the water. 

Most of the boys had followed you out into the backyard and some of them fell over with how hard they were laughing. He came back up for air and glared at you; it was half hearted at best. You were grinning at him and he tried to grab your ankle to pull you into the water but you were just out of reach.

“Looks like one of us gets to swim a little earlier than the rest of us, hopefully the cat likes water.” You blew him a kiss, flipped your hair and walked back up to the rest of the boys. Yunho and Mingi both gave you a high five as you walked past. Yeosang was covering the bottom half of his face while he laughed. Jongho was grinning ear to ear as you passed him to go back onto the porch. Seonghwa and Hongjoong were both attempting and failing to contain their grins. San was just smiling proudly at you as he made his way over to help Wooyoung. 

After grabbing a spare towel from one of the stashes you had out here and setting it into his chair you settled yourself back into your seat and started munching on a few strawberries. The boys filtered back in and you smirked at Wooyoung who was absolutely soaked. Just as everyone made their way back onto the porch, Toothless hopped into the chair next to you. You reached out and petted him scratching under his chin. ”Yous is the best black cat around, aren't you bud” San let out a laugh and you heard Woo huff.

After finishing up breakfast and cleaning up the table Seonghwa was sweet enough to help you clean up in the kitchen. He was rinsing off the dishes and handing them to you to put into the dishwasher; the perfect system. The boys had disappeared all over the house while you two just cleaned in a comfortable silence. He handed you another dish and you heard someone clear their throat. You both looked up to see San, Wooyoung, Mingi and Yunho shirtless in their swimsuits. Your eyes ran over each of their toned bodies, their beautiful honey colored skin was absolutely gorgeous, you felt your brain and heart lock up. 

Fuck. 

Heat rushed to your face and you almost dropped the plate you were holding. You immediately covered your face using the plate in your hands. Someone clicked their tongue at you. 

“Remember what happened last time princess, don’t cover your face.” Yunho’s voice was a lot closer than you thought he was. You peeked over the plate to see him leaning over the island close to you. You squeaked and backed up a step from his intense gaze. When you stepped back you saw how red Seonghwa’s face was as well. You set the plate into the dishwasher and as soon as you straightened from closing it you saw the rest of your boyfriends appear around the corner from the stairs.

The heat that had rushed to your face started traveling down your neck and to your chest. You could physically feel how much of it was radiating off your body. Your heart was hammering in your chest at the beautiful sight in front of you. You opened your mouth to say something but you couldn’t even form a coherent thought let alone a sentence. 

“We are going to go swim, you both are welcome to join us whenever you want,” Hongjoong was smiling like Cheshire the cat at the two of you standing behind the island. These damned assholes knew exactly what they were doing to the both of you. You nodded quickly and looked to Seonghwa, who wasn’t much better than you. He muttered some version of okay and the others seemed to be satisfied with the answers as they walked off through the back door. 

“Holy fuck,” you whispered. You sank down to sit on the floor to ground yourself from the immediate clusterfuck that was your mind after that show. Seonghwa looked down at you and decided to join you. 

“Those are our boyfriends, sometimes I still can’t even believe it and I have been with them for years.” 

“I’ve not even been with you guys for a day and I still feel like I am daydreaming. Holy shit this is real.” He rested his head on yours. 

“It’s real my moon.” Your responding smile sent shivers down his spine. 

“Y’know, I really like that nickname.” you scooted closer to him. 

“Really?” He grabbed your hand and started running his thumb over the back of it after he intertwined your fingers. You looked at your intertwined hands and smiled, the simple affection doing wonders for your poor heart. 

“Yeah, for as long as I can remember I have always loved the moon. It holds a special place in my heart. I also really like it because it reminds me of my Granny.” He hummed letting you know he was still listening. 

“She used to call me her moon amongst the stars, saying that no matter what phase we were in in our lives we would always be there for each other. It is also one of the several reasons I got the waves with the moon in the center.” You held out your left arm looking at it. 

“I know I told you guys that it was for my love of the ocean but that was only partially true. It was because of her, we both loved the ocean, she would always tell me it was her first love before meeting her last; my Papa. She always snuck me away to the ocean when I was having a hard time. When I moved here I didn’t get to have that anymore so I got it tattooed. No matter where I am I get to carry a piece of her with me.” 

“That’s beautiful. She sounds like a special lady.”

“She really was.” Both of your heads turned as soon as you heard yelling in the background. The boys were playing a match of chicken in the pool. You watched as Yeosang and Yunho took on Mingi and Hongjoong. Yeosang reached over to knock the captain off Mingi’s shoulders but Mingi got to Yunho first and knocked him off kilter which sent the both of them into the pool. Wooyoung’s laughter rang through the backyard and you snickered with him. You briefly caught sight of Wooyoung getting out of the pool to go down the slide. 

“Want to go join our boys?” You looked at Seonghwa who was already looking at you with a cute smile. What you didn't know was he was watching you the entire time you were watching them, just appreciating you. 

“Yeah, let's go.” He got up and offered you a hand to help. You followed him up the stairs and to your room where his go bag was. 

“You can change in here or in the bathroom, I’m going to change in the closet.” He hummed as he dug through his bag. You stepped into the closet, closing the door. Making your way over to the drawers you opened it to grab your swimsuit. You held up the two options you had, and decided on the one that showed your moth tattoo. Slipping out of your sleepwear you pulled the bathing suit up and adjusted yourself so it fit properly, making sure to accentuate your curves just a little. It had a cutout just under your chest and it came up a little higher on your hip so the entirety of both of your hip tattoos were visible. You checked yourself out in the mirror and smiled, if they were going to be assholes about showing skin, so were you even if it made you a little self conscious. Setting down your glasses you grabbed your contacts and made quick work of getting them into your eyes. 

You knocked on the door and heard Seonghwa tell you that you were clear. You stepped out of the closet and looked at him, his back was to you while he petted Mocha, you admired the view. He straightened back up and turned to you, his jaw immediately dropped and you felt a bashful smile creep up onto your face. 

“You are absolutely stunning.” He walked up to you and put his hands on your hips. You wrapped your arms around his neck and smiled up at him fully. He leaned in pulling you closer by the hips and captured your lips. You leaned into the kiss closing your eyes and smiled once his hands started roaming around your back and up your spine. The heat of his hands sent a shiver throughout your body. Your hands made their way into his dark hair which you gave a light tug to before moving one to his cheek. You felt his sigh as he tilted his head to make the kiss just a little deeper. His hands pulled you closer by your lower back and you arched into his touch. The both of you were absorbed in the feeling of each other. He was the one strong enough to pull away when you heard general commotion from outside. You both looked at each other panting slightly, his ears were tinged red and you let out a small giggle at him. He rested his forehead against yours and took a couple of deep breaths. 

“I could do that all day, but I don’t think the others would like me hogging you” he whispered, nuzzling his nose against yours. Your responding giggle made him smile even wider. 

“I don’t think they would either,” you gave him a quick kiss on his cheek and made your way out of the room and to the linen closet right outside your door. You grabbed as many towels as you could before looking back at Seonghwa. He looked almost dazed, like he was deep in thought. 

“You okay my star?” He turned to look at you, you could see the thoughts churning behind his eyes like storm clouds. You made your way back to him and set the towels on your bed. “What’s going on Hwa?” He hesitated and opened his mouth and closed it again. You patiently waited for him to win the battle in his head. 

“I love you, I know it is really early, but I feel it in my heart and soul that you are meant to be with us.” he shuffled his feet on the plush rug he was standing on. His hands were wringing together in front of him. You grabbed his wrist and made him let go of his other hand. You pressed a kiss to the inside of his arm before pulling his arms over your shoulders into a hug. 

“I love you too,” you whispered. He sagged in relief and rested on you. You both stood there for a minute before you felt something rub against your calf. The both of you separated and looked down to see Mocha. 

“Hi sweet girl,” you crouched down and held out your hand to her. She rubbed her face on it and then rubbed on Seonghwa. He lightly laughed at the ticklish sensation before squatting down with you to pet her. You heard Wooyoung screech and then a large splash followed by the loud laughter of Mingi and Yunho. Both of you looked at each other and realized that you had completely forgotten they were outside in the pool. Standing up you walked to the bed for the mountain of towels. Seonghwa grabbed a few from you and you both made your way down the stairs and out to the backyard.

When you appeared you set down the towels on the small circular daybed and turned to look at the hooligans in the water. Hongjoong was wearing a beautiful smile that held a little bit of menace behind it. Wooyoung had a shit eating grin on his face, San who stood next to him was smiling a wide dimpled smile. Yunho and Mingi were both looking at you in shock. Jongho was slightly interested but he seemed more bashful than anything. Yeosang was trying to hide his full smile up at you from close to the edge of the pool, he was close enough that you could see the small amount of red on his face. 

“My eyes are up here boys.” All of them straightened. You rolled your eyes at them and made your way to the edge of the pool. You sat down on the concrete and put your feet into the water, the first one to get to you was Yeosang. He was looking up at you with a sweet smile. 

“Hi,” you tucked some of his hair back and let your hand linger on the birthmark close to his eye. He flushed a deeper red and just briefly looked away from you. 

“Hi, want some help getting into the pool?” You couldn’t hold back the smile that wormed its way onto your face. What a sweetheart.

“Sure Sangie.” Before you even finished your word his hands grabbed your waist and he lifted you off the concrete and into the pool. The chill of the water sent a shiver up your spine and goosebumps broke out across your skin. You held onto his biceps and squeezed slightly before muttering for only him to hear “So strong” You looked up to his eyes and they were wide and his face was beet red. He brought his hands up and tried to cover his face. 

“Nuh uh, if I can’t hide my face neither can you.” You pulled his wrists away and you knew he let you because there was no way he would have moved if he tried to stop you. His smile was bashful and he was trying to look down. Before anything else could happen you both felt a wave of water wash over you. You shrieked and peeked behind Yeosang and saw Mingi and Jongho grinning like fools. This was war. You launched yourself from your mostly protected position from behind Yeosang and attached yourself to Mingi and he let out a noise of surprise, his hands moving to your back to support you. 

“Hi Mingles," you said sweetly, kissing his cheek before letting go and dropping to the floor of the pool. Before either of them could make a move you splashed the both of them as hard as you could and dived away. Thankfully it was a saltwater pool so you could open your eyes as you moved. You spotted Wooyoung and San standing there and decided it would be great fun to scare the shit out of San. You popped your head up above the water before diving again, you moved quickly through the pool and popped up out of the water right beside him whispering “Boo” His responding shout quickly turned into a whine as he realized who scared him. Wooyoung was laughing his ass off. The brief millisecond he looked behind you gave you the clue you needed to duck under the water. Yunho soared over you and almost into Wooyoung. You popped back up and smirked. 

“Next time don’t let Wooyo give you away, you almost had me.” He turned around and pouted at you while Wooyoung launched himself at you. He must have had enough of your teasing today. He latched on you like a koala and bit your shoulder. You let out a noise of protest, smirked at him over your shoulder and jumped up, dunking the both of you into the water. In the haze he had let you go. You pushed away from him and to the two closest to the edge of the pool. Hongjoong and Seonghwa. You appeared behind Hongjoong and Seonghwa smirked at you. Before Hongjoong could react you jumped on his back.

“Hi Joongie, whatcha doin?” He looked over his shoulder at your beaming face, and then to the chaos behind you. He shook his head and smiled.

“Oh y'know, trying to keep all eight of my partners from being too crazy, same old same old.” You let out a laugh and bit him on the juncture between his shoulder and neck. He let out a loud noise that sounded similar to no before turning to glare at you over his shoulder. “You are just as bad as Woo,” he muttered while turning back to Seonghwa. 

“I am so much worse, just you wait,” you said right next to his ear. His whole body shuddered and you felt goosebumps ripple across his skin. You laughed at him and let go of his back then moved around him and grabbed Seonghwa’s arm and put it over your shoulder. He looked down at you and smiled. You were just hoping that they wouldn’t attack you while you were with these two. Yeosang approached the three of you, you grinned at him. You didn't even have time to process anything before he grabbed you around the waist and stole you out from under Seonghwa’s arm. He threw you over his shoulder in one swift movement and dragged you to the middle of the pool. 

“You traitor,” you yelled as he took you away. You looked at Hongjoong and Seonghwa as he carried you away; they were both laughing. As soon as he stopped moving he flung you over his shoulder and into the pool. You heard the laughter of everyone as you broke the surface of the water. 

“I think you forget who you are messing with,” you threatened half heartedly as they all snickered at you. Wooyoung was the first one to move toward you but as soon as he got close enough you grabbed his arm and knocked his feet out from under him which dunked him into the water. Just as you knocked him under the water you felt another pair of hands grab you around the waist, this time though they brought themselves back and flung you over their head similar to a WWE slam. You held your breath and immediately kicked off and away from Mingi. You tried to race away but someone was quicker, looking back you saw Yeosang who had grabbed your ankle. With a quick tug you were back where you started. 

“We just want to play a game with you noona, there's no need to get spicy.” Wooyoung sassed as he was shaking his hair out like a dog. 

“Fuck off Woo, Mingi and Jongho started the war I am just finishing it.” You glared lightly at the two in question and they both were snickering at you. You felt a hand on the small of your back and you turned to look at Hongjoong. Maybe he would save you from these childish hooligans.

“Use nice words, our treasure.” You turned to look over your shoulder at him with a glare, you heard a small snicker from Seonghwa. 

“Trying to parent me like these children, really Joongie? You forget I'm older than you. Therefore I have rank, captain.” You poked his chest and his face flushed at the thought, or maybe for other reasons, who the hell knows. You separated yourself from him just enough so you could knock him into the water. As soon as you did chaos erupted. Mingi and Jongho were teaming up against Wooyoung, San was laughing as he tried to get Yeosang who was swiftly evading him. Yunho and Seonghwa were using everything they had to splash each other which you were caught in the middle of. You joined in the giant splashing match with Yunho and Seonghwa with loud laughter. Hongjoong popped back up and immediately got splashed in the face by Seonghwa who was trying to get Yunho. Seonghwa immediately slapped a hand over his mouth to stifle the laugh bubbling up his throat. You could see the crinkles at the corners of his eyes while he hid his large smile. Yunho was slowly retreating backwards with you. Everyone went dead still and the only noise was the rippling of the still settling water. 

“Scatter!” You yelled as you dove away from everyone. Each of the boys went in different directions and you ended up under the small waterfall that held the slide. There was a small ledge that you were standing on which kept you mostly hidden in the corner. You watched in the shade as Hongjoong went after Seonghwa first. As soon as he got close enough he jumped on his back. Seonghwa let out loud laughter and they both struggled for a minute before Hwa and fell backwards putting Hongjoong back into the water. As soon as the two of them popped back up from the water they both made their way to Jongho, San, and Wooyoung who all had tried to hide behind the small fire pit space; hint it didn't work very well. You heard San’s yell, Jongho’s laughter, and Wooyoung was almost screaming as the two older men started another splashing war. Mingi and Yunho joined in from their hiding spot in the actual firepit space, the two of them had leapt over the group of men and started splashing everyone. There was a shout from Wooyoung “COME AND GET ME FIX ON MOTHER FUCKER” (This is a reference to one of my favorite writers @mimikittysblog in this fic you should check it out) You let out a laugh and it was about that time that you saw someone moving toward you under the water. Yeosang popped up in front of you with a small smile. 

“Hi, having fun?” You whispered so you wouldn't be giving your position away. He nodded and moved toward you stepping up onto the small ledge. He settled his arms on your shoulders and you wrapped yours around his waist. He slightly pulled you toward him almost like he was going to give you a hug, but he didn't; he just lingered close.

“I wanted to tell you something because I didn't get the chance earlier,” you nodded letting him know you were listening. His eyes were beautiful in the outside light. You could see the small flecks of different browns in his eyes. 

“You look absolutely gorgeous,” You immediately flushed at his words, your stomach burst into butterflies and you could feel your heart stutter. While you expected him to be more reserved it didn't really surprise you that he would be more apt to speak about his feelings when it was just the people he loved. 

“You think I’m gorgeous. You want to kiss me. You want to hug me. You want to love me. You want to smooch me.” You did a small dance in his arms while quoting one of your favorite movies; Miss Congeniality. He shook his head at you with a small bashful smile and avoided your eyes. His hands tightened around you for just a second before he looked back to you with a confident look in his beautiful eyes.

“I have so much more up my sleeve just like you do, Kkulbeol.” He gently moved his arms from your shoulders and cupped your face with both of his hands and brought you into a sweet kiss. His lips were soft against yours and tasted slightly like the pool water. You melted into his hold letting your eyes close. He was sweet and gentle while he held your face in his hands. His hands moved from your face down your shoulders and arms to settle on your sides, giving them a light squeeze. His touch was reverent and light which sent a shiver through your body. You moved your hands to play with the still damp strands of his hair and tug at them just a little. A small noise left him and you smiled into the kiss with him as your lips moved in sync. He pulled you closer and gave one final push into the kiss before separating himself from you. The smile on his face was absolutely radiant.

“What does Kkulebeol mean Sangie?” you asked curiously while pushing a strand of his hair away from his eyes. Your noses were almost touching and you could feel his breath ghosting across your face.

“It means honeybee. If I remember correctly you call me sweets and I thought it would match well, if that’s okay.” He looked at the pool water and you felt his fingers start to trace small shapes into your hips. The bashful Yeosang was back and you wanted to squish him. 

“I didnt even think you would remember that you were very tipsy and very sleepy when I called you that” you giggled, “but I don't mind the name in the slightest.” The butterflies in your stomach were just going in circles at this point, he was so endearing. He met your eyes again and leaned to rest his forehead on yours. The two of you were just basking in each other's quiet presence.  

“Y/n-nie? Sangie?” You heard some of the boys yelling for the two of you. You snickered at them staying as quiet as you could. Yeosang had turned away from you to look behind him toward the voices. The two of you crouched down closer to the surface of the water and watched as the other seven men looked around for you. 

“How long do you think they will take before they find us?” you whispered.

“Knowing how observant they are probably never” he snarked with a small smile over his shoulder at you. You slapped a hand over your mouth to keep the giggle at his monotone response. The loud yelling for the two of you continued until Jongho made his way toward your hiding spot. He spotted the two of you peeking out of the water like alligators and laughed. 

His laughter drew the attention of the others and soon you were blocked into the small space under the waterfall. You and Yeosang looked at each other and smiled, a silent understanding passing between the two of you before you moved into action. The first one you went for was Wooyoung, as quickly as you could you brought your hands back and splashed him as hard as you could. His responding yell was something that made your ears ring. Yeosang went for Yunho and by extension got Mingi in the process. The three of them immediately retaliated and started splashing you both. Somewhere along the line Hongjoong, Seonghwa and San joined your side and Jongho was just going for anyone at this point. After a few more minutes of absolute warfare under the waterfall you all retreated and started floating around the pool. Wooyoung ended up just floating around with you hand in hand. 

“Do we want to play a game?” You moved your head up from your floating position to look who was asking. Yunho was the only one that was up and out of the relaxed floating position, which meant it was probably him.

“We could play chicken or we could play sharks and minnows” Yunho suggested after a minute of no one saying anything. 

“I'm always down for a game of chicken,” you moved your body up to be more vertical. He turned to look at you and started approaching you with a smile. All of the other boys that were scattered around the pool popped up one by one and made their way toward you and Wooyoung, who hadn't let go of your hand. “We do have an odd number of players so someone will have to be the ref or an instigator.”

“An instigator?” You turned to look at Jongho who was the first to get to you after Yunho. 

“Yeah, when I was younger and playing with some of my cousins, before they became assholes, if there was an odd number you could be the ref or the instigator. The instigator generally would go around stirring trouble making people move closer to others or knocking someone over, but we always limited it to one knockover so they wouldn't have too much power.” Most of the boys hummed at the answer. You looked over at everyone and they seemed to be debating something telepathically. Before too long they had come to some unknown agreement and Yunho swiftly picked you up out of the water and put you on his shoulders. A noise of surprise came out of you. You grabbed a hold of his hands that were sitting on your thighs, you locked your legs around his arms and made sure you were secure. Jongho was going to be the instigator and you were fairly sure that you wouldn't be knocked over. 

Mingi had Yeosang on his shoulders, Hongjoong was on Seonghwa’s shoulders, and Woo was on Sannie’s shoulders. Jongho called start and immediately Yunho went over to who he deemed his biggest opponent. Mingi and Yeosang. You had an idea for this one but he would have to get you close enough to be able to execute it. As soon as he got close enough to those two you put your hands on Yeosang’s biceps, he looked at you and flexed slightly to show off. You rolled your eyes at him and gave him a gentle push to see how stable he was. Mingi was doing well but you knew if you knocked just hard enough into Yeosang he would be out. You let go of him and cocked your head to the side, you could use some aegyo to your advantage here, you knew he didn't really like it and it could go one of two ways. He would like yours and then use his cuteness aggression on you or it would annoy him and you would have the chance to knock him into the water. You put your hands on your cheeks

“You wouldn't dunk your girlfriend would you?” He squinted at you and rolled his eyes. The quick distraction was just enough that you quickly reached out and shoved him back as hard as you could. He lost his balance and fell back enough that he took Mingi with him. You looked down at Yunho who was looking up at you with a large smile which you reciprocated. You gave him a small pat on his head as he turned around to see Wooyoung and Hongjoong battling it out. The both of them were taking turns smacking each other’s hands trying to knock the other off kilter just enough. A pathetic game of chicken if you had anything to say about it. 

“Want to go see if we can get both of them in one shot?” Mingi and Yeosang had come to stand on either side of you and Yunho.

“After the aegyo mind game you just pulled on me I think you could do anything. We could go and distract everyone if you want.” You looked at Yeosang who was standing there staring at the other five with his arms crossed. He looked up at you with a cute smile. 

“As long as princess wins I don't care.” Taking in Mingi on your other side you could see the small smile on his face. 

“Sharing your princess title Mingles?” He looked up at you and his small smile morphed into a larger one.

“Only with you.” You felt your heart stutter if you could have you would have reached down to squish his cheeks. 

“Let's go get them before they knock each other over.” Mingi and Yeosang started that way first and you watched as they began their distraction by shit talking. You heard the shouts of the other members trying to protest but they just kept egging them on. Yunho made his way over as quietly as he could. Jongho was the only one who spotted the both of you. He smirked and moved to the side so you had a clear shot of knocking the both of them over without hitting him. 

“Hey Joongie, get fucked” You muttered as soon as you got close enough and shoved into Hongjoong’s back. He went careening forward and into Wooyoung. Seonghwa and San couldn't keep their balance and all four of them toppled into the water. You let out a loud whoop of celebration while throwing your arms into the air. Jongho was grinning at you with a proud look on his face. As soon as they resurfaced Yunho gently let you down with the help of Jongho. 

Hongjoong was glaring at you, you could tell it was one of those glares that didn't mean anything other than mild annoyance; especially because of the smile on his face. You turned to Yunho and smiled up at him, he was already smiling at you. The moment was cut short when Wooyoung screeched and started moving toward something in the water. You quickly turned to see what was going on; Toothless in all his glory was getting into the pool. You smiled at Toothless before making your way over to him.

“He’s okay Woo,” you set your hand on his shoulder as you passed. As soon as you got close enough you picked him up and held him like a baby over your shoulder. He headbutted you as you turned to look at the rest of the boys who were wearing shocked expressions.

“Remember the first day we met and I told you that they like water? He makes a point of coming out here to join me sooner or later any time I am out here. The other two just generally get in the water enough to hang out on one of the lounge chairs.” You looked to the giant that was resting comfortably on your shoulder “But he also knows that if he gets in he is going to have to be subjected to his cute shark floaty. Could one of you go and grab it out of the small chest near the slide? It should be right on the top.” San immediately started moving toward the side of the pool. Seonghwa approached the two of you and started to pet Toothless who immediately started purring. 

You made your way over to one of the shallow parts of the pool where the girls’ lounge chairs were before setting Toothless down. San made his way over to you and handed you the floaty. You made quick work of getting it on him and giving him chin scratches. Just as soon as you got it on him you stepped away and watched as he started following you like always. 

“Waa so cute!” You turned to look at the rest of the boys who were just watching Toothless. He was swimming around and had made his way over to Seonghwa who immediately cooed at him. Hongjoong was right behind him and absolutely enamored by how calm Toothless was in the water.

You swam over to the small chest close to the water that the floaty came out of and reached inside for some of the pool toys you knew he loved. When you turned around you launched the toys out across the water and accidentally hit Mingi with one. You snickered and acted like nothing happened while Yeosang and Jongho laughed. When Toothless caught sight of one he immediately started swimming toward it to smack it around. San approached and grabbed the end of the small rope toy and started dragging it around the pool with a large smile. You laughed at the two of them just having fun. You knew you could trust them with Toothless so you made your way over to one of the lounge chairs to just lay in the sun, the war had tuckered you out. Mocha and Beans were both stretched out on the one closest to you. Reaching over you ran a hand over both of them and settled back to your previous spot. 

A few minutes later you heard someone approaching, you didn't even open your eyes to see who it was before they laid between your legs and on top of your stomach. The drips of water were refreshing but also a little cold for your warm skin. Peeking your eyes open you saw Mingi looking up at you with his chin on your stomach. You moved your arms from above your head and started running your fingers through his hair. He hummed and wrapped his arms around your waist the best he could. Neither of you spoke, just rested there in the sun.

After playing with Toothless in the water everyone went inside to dry off and change so they could lounge around the house. As soon as you took out your contacts and got changed into a black maxi dress that fell just below your knees you stepped out and made your way downstairs. Everyone else was still changing in the rooms they had taken over, some of them opted to take showers. Seonghwa and Hongjoong were currently doing so in your bathroom. You knew you would have a little bit until they reappeared so you made your way to the piano room. You were slowly starting to yearn to play like you used to. 

As soon as you made it down you made small work of dusting some of the things off. You had neglected this room, locking it away ever since her death. Making sure everything was still in its rightful place you made your way over to your piano on the right. You flourished as you sat and started thinking of songs to play. A small smile made its way to your face at the possibility of the rest of the boys discovering that you play by letting them hear one of their songs. You could only imagine what sort of chaos Wooyoung, San, Mingi, and Hongjoong would create. You started playing and smiled at the notes you hadn't played in a long time. 

★☆☽ O ☾☆★

Walking downstairs there was a beautiful song coming from the basement. He stopped to listen and immediately recognized one of the songs he helped produce, but why would she be playing a piano cover on her speakers? Curiosity getting the better of him he quickly made his way down the rest of the stairs with Seonghwa shortly behind him. The elder of the two was smiling as he followed at his own pace. The closer Hongjoong got the more he realized that it wasn’t over the speakers, it was an actual piano. Following the music he made his way into the large dining room in the basement, a door he hadn't even noticed before was cracked open and the music was flowing out of it. 

He approached the door and pushed it open a little further to see you sitting on the seat at a matte black piano with silver embellishments which was across from an older wooden piano with beautiful black detailing. Your hair was moving around you as you swayed with the tune of Halazia. He froze, it was like all of the things in the room vanished as he focused on you; the woman he was falling more and more in love with as each day passed.

His mind wandered to the conversation you had yesterday. He couldn't believe that you had been treated so terribly in the past. You could have become a rotten human just as they were but you hadn't; but it did make you horrible on yourself. He didn't understand why you believed them, you were beautiful, amazing, kind, and so unbelievably strong. You were one of a kind and so loved, and if it took him every day for the rest of his life he would show you that. 

Your hands were drifting across the keys perfectly and he held his breath as you got to the chorus of the song. You executed it perfectly, capturing the haunting feeling of the song. As soon as you finished the song you turned to look at him with a large smile, one that could make anyone swoon; especially him. 

★☆☽ O ☾☆★

“Hi Joongie! Hi Hwa!” They were already smiling at you as they approached the bench you were sitting on. You scooted over and let him sit on either side of you. Hongjoong wrapped his arm around your waist and just sat there with you for a minute before speaking.

“You Nae Sarang (My Love), are full of surprises, he gently shoved you with his shoulder and you laughed as you rebounded from Seonghwa. 

“I told you so,” you jested with a small bashful blush. He rolled his eyes at you and gently grabbed your hand that was sitting on your lap to press a kiss to the back of it. Immediately you felt the tips of your ears get warm. 

“How many of our songs do you know for the piano?” 

“Several actually,” You brushed an imaginary chip off your shoulder. They both laughed at you, the sound made your heart melt into a puddle in your chest. 

“Play me one?” Hongjoong asked sweetly. You nodded and thought about which song you wanted to play. Your mind traveled all over the place trying to see which one you could play.

“Alright, I've got one but I'll need you to both to scoot your cute butts so I can properly play.” They chuckled at you and Seonghwa got up to go grab the small stool that was sitting by your Granny’s piano. Gently he set it down for Hongjoong who sat down and Seonghwa took a seat on the floor in front of him. They were both intently watching you. You smiled down at them before beginning to play. Hongjoong couldn't contain his smile, he loved knowing that his music inspired people. Seonghwa was just happy to watch you willingly share this part of you. 

★☆☽ O ☾☆★

Someone was playing the piano somewhere. The two of them looked at each other before grabbing each other's hands and following the sound. Rushing down the steps to the basement they could hear the piano more clearly. Making their way over to the corner of the large dining room they peeked in to see you, Hongjoong, and Seonghwa smiling at each other. Hongjoong was lightly singing his part while you played the piano for him and Seonghwa. Your smile was absolutely radiant as your hands glided over the keys playing one of their songs. They both saw the look Hongjoong only reserved for them and immediately knew that you wouldn't be going anywhere any time soon if they had anything to say about it. For the second time in what only felt like seconds they looked at each other. Seonghwa had caught them standing in the doorway and motioned for them to come closer. They walked in and looked you both over, you were smiling down at the keys as you played Deja Vu and Hongjoong was wearing one of the most sincere looks of awe while he watched you. 

★☆☽ O ☾☆★

“Yah, why didn't you tell us you played the piano?!” You felt someone’s hands on your shoulders and jumped to look over your shoulder at Wooyoung. His smile was so bright you couldn't help but to mirror it. San was standing next to him with a very similar look on his face and you wanted to reach up and poke his dimples. 

“I actually haven't played for a long time until the last couple of days.” You rubbed the back of your neck. Hongjoong took that as a sign to grab your other hand. 

“You don't have to tell us if you don't want to, we have all the time in the world, you tell us at your own pace.” You nodded and snuck a glance at the pictures scattered across the wall. Your heart swelled with a little bit of sadness but mostly happiness while you looked over the pictures.

“Maybe another time then, I don't want this to be a sap fest,” you chuckled looking down at his hand holding yours. 

“Any other songs of ours you have?” Hongjoong asked, in all honesty he just wanted to listen and watch you play, and possibly distract you. 

“I have a few more.”

“Play one for us! Please Noona?” Wooyoung was practically bouncing and looking at you with a large smile, San was just staring at him with a lovestruck look. You nodded and turned back to the piano. This time it would be something that you knew would get them to dance. You started the beginning notes and just like you predicted as soon as they recognized it they all started cheering and dancing around the room. 

★☆☽ O ☾☆★

“Is that Bouncy? Am I hearing that right?” The other three looked at Mingi like he was crazy. “Listen, it's Bouncy” He took off down the steps, almost tripping over one of the giants, following the music that was floating around in the basement. The remaining three shared a knowing look before following the clumsy man. As soon as he burst in the door he saw you with your head back laughing while playing the piano. San, Wooyoung, Hongjoong, and Seonghwa were all parading around the room dancing to the music. He stopped dead and watched the absolute joy enveloping the room. The only thing that was missing was the rest of them. Mingi felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to look at Jongho who was trying to get into the room. He stepped aside and let him and the rest of the boys in. All of them started singing and as soon as it got to his part he joined in belting out the lyrics with the rest of his boyfriends.

★☆☽ O ☾☆★

You immediately heard when the rest of the boys joined you in the piano room. They were all parading around the room dancing and singing while you played. This was the joy that propelled you to play after so long; being able to bring such happiness to people was one of your favorite things. Your head was thrown back laughing at the glimpses of the boys who were having so much fun together. You focused back in on the notes and as soon as the song came to a close you turned around and looked at them. Every one of them was beaming at you and clapping animatedly. You stood up and took a small mocking bow. Yunho made his way over to you and grabbed your hand raising it to perform another bow; just like your Granny used to. It was in this moment that you realized these men were your home; just like she had been. 

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Next Chapter (Chapter 18)

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[peachiejeongin]

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! | Han Jisung

Synopsis: 30 years ago, you agreed to marry some sort of demonic, yet incredibly handsome creature in order to save the spiritual family whom haunted your attic; when the former was banished back to the afterlife, you figured you would never see him again. little did you know, an unlikely yet realistic relationship between the two of you would spark as he became the key in a journey to save your daughter...

Pairing: Beetlejuice!Han X fem!reader (reader resembles Lydia Deetz from 'Beetlejuice')

Genre: Dark Comedy AU, Fluff Towards the End

Word Count: 6.8k

Warnings: MAJOR BEETLEJUICE 2 SPOILERS AHEAD (The plot is edited at some points), Swearing, Mentions of Death, some gore depictions, mentions of a poor mother-daughter dynamic at some points, coerced marriage (sort of?), I turned Beetlejuice into a loverboy, NOT proofread

Notice: Hello, my loves! I have recently watched 'Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!' and it gave me the inspiration for this fan fiction! Obviously, multiple aspects of the original plot have been changed to fit the description of this story, such as the year the original tale takes place changing by a few years, additional dialogue, and a complete revamp of the dynamic between "Beetlejuice" (Han) and "Lydia" (Y/N), which I do apologize for. I would also like to put forth this statement: I do NOT own the rights to 'Beetlejuice,' nor any of its characters! I only hold the copyright to the scenes I create! Without further ado, enjoy the story! :)

"I can't believe I'm doing this," you whisper with pure dread and anxiety coating your voice as you stood in the attic of your old home. The model of your town constructed by the married couple that had lived there prior seemed to tremble along with your hands. 'I have to. It's my only choice,' you mouthed to nobody in particular; truly, you were correct. If you had another option, you would resort to it rather than being in the stance you were currently.

However, your daughter's life was at stake, and this was the only way you knew how to save her.

You thought Astrid was going on a normal date; she had just met a boy not even a couple of blocks away from your old family home. His name was Jeongin, and he seemed like a typical neighborhood boy when you dropped your daughter off; he was sweet, shy, and homebody-ish. You had only just learned the truth because of your close friend; she came over to prep your family home for marketing following your father's death and unknowingly revealed the boy's true intentions.

The address in which you had dropped Astrid off, 125 Jefferson Street to be specific, had infamously become known as the "Murder House." The young son who had resided in the home two and a half decades prior had slaughtered his parents in cold blood and evaded police for hours on end in the treehouse constructed in his backyard. When the cops had finally caught up to him, he slipped in attempts to escape, falling on the hard ground several feet below and snapping his neck almost instantly. The young boy's name?

Jeongin. The same Jeongin in which your daughter was currently, "on a date," with.

He was, conclusively, a ghost, only being visible to you due to your spiritual mediation abilities. It all made sense now; why the street-goers and tricker-treaters had glanced at you and Astrid strangely when Astrid was dropped off, why Jeongin refused to let you come inside, and why he took a sudden keen interest in Astrid after only knowing her for three days.

Trouble was brewing.

Yet, Jeongin had failed to recollect that you had possessed your spiritual abilities for decades, which had initially allowed you to visualize the being you were attempting to summon. You remembered 1994's events all too well, from the moment you had discovered the ghostly couple in your attic, to meeting the demon that called himself, 'Beetlejuice,' although his real name was Han, who would proceed to give your family hell for the next several days, to the coercion he placed upon you to marry him if he helped you save the couple from an exorcism.

After the latter event had come to a halt after a situation involving a sandworm swallowing Han whole, you believed you were rid of the demonic soul; however, Han had been making himself more and more present in your life lately. You saw him everywhere, whether it was on the set of your reality ghost hunting show, outside of your house, even lurking around your father's gravesite. You did not want to summon him and tried to search the inner macamations of your mind for a way to help your daughter that did not involve him.

Yet, there was a part of you deep inside that knew Han would be the only reasonable solution to the problem at hand; hell, you could even go as far as to say the same part of you wanted Han to come back. Sure, he was batshit crazy, for lack of a better term, but you could not deny that he was the best looking demon you had ever laid your eyes upon. Perhaps it was that same part of you that felt bummed that the marriage between the two of you never truly consemated, and maybe it now thought that this could be the second chance for the both of you.

You pushed those thoughts aside, quickly refocusing on rescuing Astrid, the more important issue at stake. You took another deep breath, closing your eyes tightly before muttering three words that would once again change the course of your life.

"Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!"

On cue, the replica of the small down began to crack straight down the middle; buildings and model objects fell in the split, never to be seen again. The star of the show slowly rose from the ground, illuminated by shades of turquoise and lime-green lighting. He looked exactly the same as he did thirty years ago, with longer, shaggy green hair that framed his pale white skin; his eyes were encircled by pure blackness, and what looked like patches of moss were ever so present on the sides of his sharp jawline. He still wore the black and white pinstriped suit that was loose around his thin waist. He naturally looked abnormal, creepy even; of course he did, he was dead! Yet, you thought he still looked abnormally handsome, even after all of these years. Your eyes widened in awe as he threw up his hands in a jazz-like motion.

"The Juice is loose!" Han screamed in excitement. He vanished from sight, only to reappear behind you and put his hands on your shoulders, slightly startling you.

"Hi, Doll," he smiled, his pale squirrel cheeks ever so prominent. "How ya been? It's been a long time. You haven't called, so what's up with-" you cut off Han's ramble by shoving a book titled, 'Handbook for the Recently Deceased,' in his face; you had recently acquired it from the "Murder House" during your futile first attempt at saving Astrid.

"I need you to tell me what this means!" you frantically commanded as Han snatched the book from your hands. He pulled a small magnifying glass from seemingly out of nowhere as he analyzed the line you were inherently motioning to with your pointer finger.

"Let's take a look, shall we?" he inquired, leaning closer to the book in order to read the section. He skimmed over the line before widening his eyes and grimacing. "To make a long story short, your daughter is screwed." Your eyes widened as he spoke, mouth slightly agaping in sorrow. "Yeah, looks like she decided to trade lives with the boy. He gets to come back, while she's stuck on the other side permanently. One-way ticket on the Soul Train." Han ended the explanation by tugging his arm downwards, as if he were pulling on a train whistle. You shook your head at him in disbelief.

"Soul train?" you repeated in a murmur.

"That's right," Han instantly responded. "Last stop: The Great Beyond!" 'The Great Beyond,' he was referring to essentially translated to eternity, that being either Heaven or Hell. Han looked at you before continuing to ramble. "Y'know, she really should have been our daughter. I would have been a great father if you had taken me up on my offer and-" You sighed in frustration.

"Han, that doesn't matter right now!" you snapped. "What does matter is the fact that Astrid can't get on that train!" You lunged forward, grasping the front of Han's shirt in a desperate attempt to plead for his help. "You've gotta get me in there so I can get her out!" Han gripped onto your wrists, slowly lowering them as he spoke.

"Well, I can get you in, but it's going to take a quid pro quo." You rolled your eyes at his response.

"Of course there is," you groaned. "What do you want?"

"Well," he began by scratching the nape of his neck. "I've got this ex-wife, and she's kind of a whack-job. First of all, we are THROUGH," he emphasized as if you would outrage at the fact of him having an unmentioned spouse; you did not feel anger, though. After all, the two of you were not ever married nor officially even together, yet you did feel a bit confused at the fact of Han previously being committed. "She's kind of clingy, and if I could just keep her away from me somehow-"

"You want me to marry you, I presume?" you moved your hands in a 'get-on-with-it' motion as Han tilted his head to the right a bit whilst raising his eyebrows.

"I thought you would never ask!" A smile swiftly plastered onto his face as he shuffled his feet like a child. "Finally realizing how things were supposed to be, aye?" he teased, managing to reignite the same fire in your heart from thirty years ago.

"Whatever," you dismissed his apparent flirting, trying your best to conceal a prying smile. "How do I know you're going to keep your word? That you aren't using me for your own gain?"

"Sweetheart," Han dragged out the word, sounding sarcastically offended. "What kind of person do you think I am?"

"You aren't a person, you're a demon."

"Fair point," Han commented. "I swear on my dead mother's soul," he promised, moving his hands in a Catholic cross symbol. Suddenly, he burst into flames, which made you contemplate if it was a binding of his word or a sign that he was a flat out liar. Nevertheless, you agreed to his conditions, with part of it being out of concern for your daughter and the other part stemming from repressed feelings resurfacing.

"Okay, fine! I will marry you if you help save my daughter!" you felt a hint of fear, but also a sense of relief finally being able to solidify the marriage that failed to become so many years ago. Han smirked, unrolling a marriage contract that he had materialized, similar to how he had done the magnifying glass.

"I'm going to need that in writing." Han made a grab at your hand. "Give me that," he sing-song demanded as he pricked your pointer finger on an unusually sharp quill pen. You screeched in protest as he used the pen to forge your signature onto the contract, throwing it down as swiftly as he made it appear. He exhaled and cusped your cheeks, pouting adorably. "I am going to make you so happy!"

"Jesus!" you exclaimed, clutching onto your throbbing, injured finger. "What's the plan on getting in?" Han smirked, eyeing the wall behind you. You looked behind you, seeing where Han had now appeared drawing a chalk outline of an explosive on the grey brick wall; you still felt his hands caressing your cheeks, however, yet as soon as you turned back around, Han had vanished, his only form now being that of the one sketching the outline. You whipped your head back around and made your way over to Han's current position. You looked at him in everfound confusion, contrasting to dopey grin he had upon his face.

"Well, you can't exactly go in through the front door!" Han responded to your perplexation; he did not alot time for a response, instead lighting a spawned match and placing it near the chalked fuse. It lit instantaneously, as if it were a real explosive. As the spark neared the wall, you instinctively clutched to Han's forearm, eliciting a sly smirk from the taller. The wall detonated in a flash, allowing you to walk through to the other side.

Quite literally.

The first thing you were met with was a shroud of shrinkers gasping, eyeing you both with uncertainty.

"You never saw us," Han commanded the shrinkers, the demand sounding more like a factual statement. "¿Comprende?" You figured the reason for the command had something to do with the, "whackjob," ex-wife Han had mentioned. A short tap on Han's shoulder turned him around at the speed of light. "Bob!" He addressed the shrinker, who was notably disguised as Han himself. "You and the boys stand guard. Nobody gets through." Bob nodded as Han snapped his fingers, causing an entrance on the other side of the room to open up.

"Let's go, Honey," he growled to you as he grabbed your hand and led you to the opening. The pet name sent sparks through your body, but you persisted onwards instead of acknowledging it. Before you knew it, you were venturing down twisted hallways, nearly falling down illusive corridors, and making one too many wrong turns at times.

Yet, you never let go of Han's hand during the entire journey.

It was not long before the afterlife police, as you decided to refer to them, had discovered that a living being had illegally crossed into the afterlife, prompting an automated voice to blare, " Warning: 6-9-9 Violation," multiple times over. Furthermore, you had lost count on how many times you and Han had to maneuver your way into tight corridors or plainly defy the laws pf physics to conceal yourselves. That is exactly how you ended up, quite literally, on the ceiling. You only dropped down once the crowd of cops had made their rounds, calling, "All clear!"

"We're like Bonnie and Clyde, you and I," Han remarked as he dusted off his suit and retook hold of your hand. "Without the bullet holes, of course." You nodded your head in agitation, feeling a bit irritated at the circumstance; after all, you still wanted your daughter back.

"Do you even know where we're going?" you motioned to the hallway in front of you, allowing for Han to take the lead once more.

"You go right down this hallway, take three rights, through the ninth door, and right to the Soul Train!" Han once again made the whistle-pulling movement before letting go of your hand; the only thing was he was going in the opposite direction of what he had just described.

"And where are you going?!" you interrobanged, crossing your arms towards the demon.

"I have to go to the little boy's room first," he replied casually, making your face scrunch up in grotesque. He could detect your nervousness, so he clasped a hand onto your shoulder. "We'll get Astrid back, don't worry. I promise on Bob's soul." This time, Han did not catch on fire, allowing you to conclude that the earlier circumstance had indeed been a lie. Yet, the honesty he now possessed ignited a passionate fire within your heart; you sensed the care he felt for Astrid, and it was just as strong as the amount in which you possessed.

You nodded in response, moving your hand to hold the one currently placed on your shoulder. You heard footsteps coming down the hallway, so you quickly scurried off in opposite directions assuming that it was the cops.

Little did you know how wrong you were...

---

Neon lights illuminated the air as you cascaded down a flight of stairs. There were multiple souls near the train tracks, dancing a never-ending choreographing, acting as if they were alive once more. Yet, past all of those energetic souls, you spotted a glum, frightened girl being hoisted to the Soul Train against her better judgement.

"ASTRID!" you screamed out, your callings drowned by the lively music that was blasting. You watched against your will as your daughter was thrown into the train, instantly becoming swallowed into a crowd of party-goers now making their respective ventures onto the locomotive. You rushed down the steps as fast as your legs would let you and pushed through the crowd of dancers filling the train.

"Astrid!" you called once again, only this time she heard your desperate cries and made her way towards you. You gripped onto her hand firmly and pulled her off of the Soul Train just in time as the doors closed and the train made its departure for The Great Beyond. You engulfed Astrid in a tight bear hug, holding onto her for dear life; the sweet moment was short-lived, however, as the afterlife police began to surround the area, slowly enclosing on you and Astrid.

You looked around, hoping to find some sort of escape as Astrid trembled in your arms. You pointed to a door with a red neon sign above it reading, "Emergency Exit." You and Astrid made your way to the door, Astrid holding up the skirt of her Halloween costume so that it would not slow her down.

"By the way," she began breathlessly. "I saw dad!" Your face lit up in delight; the scenario revolving around your ex-husband's departure to the afterlife had been shrouded in mystery. Years ago, he had went on an expedition in the Amazon River; several days afterwards, they could not find his body. You had tried to reach out to him several times, but you were never able to, and you never knew the reason as to why. Hearing that Astrid had seen him put all of your worries to rest.

However, you barely had time to react to her statement as you pushed the door open. Instead of your feet making their next steps out of the afterlife, they began freefalling and landed in a pile of sand. You looked around at your surroundings, and you found yourself in a desert-esque wasteland. The only objects in sight besides sand granules were weirdly shaped rock carvings.

"Where are we?" Astrid worriedly asked as she looked frantically at the sight.

"I don't know!" you replied with just as much worry, if not more. Suddenly, Astrid tapped your shoulder and pointed towards a nearby planet.

"Look! That's Saturn! So we must be on one of its moons!" she shook her head in disbelief. "I swear, the afterlife is so random!" You were not able to formulate a response before the sand arounds you began to shift; a puff of tan dust appeared suddenly, and you and Astrid found yourselves faced with a black and white striped monstronsity arising from the depths of the wasteland. It had beady red eyes that were glaring hungrily at you both.

"Sandworm!" you instantly remembered the creature, both from your multiple paranormal books and from the events that transpired so long ago. You grabbed Astrid's hand and ran at the speed of light across the deserted wasteland. The sandworm was about to catch up to you both when you heard a familiar voice:

"Take my hand!" Mirroring the statement, a hand dropped down and swiftly pulled Astrid up onto a ledge. The sandworm had began to rear its second ugly head as the hand reached back down to grab you; the mystery being pulled you up onto the surface as well, shutting the door harshly behind you three before the sandworm had a chance to strike. It was here in which you finally came into contact with the face that belonged to the limb:

Astrid's father.

He looked much different than you remembered, naturally. His skin was a seafoam green shade, most likely resulting from the waterlogging of his body. He had sores all over his body, exposing parts of his muscle from the forehead down. Finally, the most humorous feature, he had tiny blue pirhannas nibling on every sector of his body.

The three of you spoke for a long time over respective cups of coffee. He had complimented Astrid's Halloween costume; she was dressed as Marie Curie after she had been poisoned by radiation. Furthermore, he commented how he was always watching over you guys, although neither of you were able to visualize him. He ended the conversation with a hug before the automated voice sounded another warning about the 6-9-9 violation.

"We've got to get back to Winter River," you stated as your body lurched up, ready to take action.

"We can't leave until Astrid gets her life back," your widower replied, standing up from his chair. "Follow me." The three of you sped for quite sometime until you had reached the ticket booth. Here, you saw Jeongin, smirking deviously in your direction with a voucher in hand, no doubt a passport to venture back into the living world.

"Don't stamp that passport!" Astrid's father yelled out in desperation, but the operator at the ticket window had already done the unthinkable.

"You're too late," Jeongin smugly commented as he waited for his passport to be returned. Jeongin was right; time had ran out.

Or so you thought.

"I think it was Doestoevsky who said," a moderate voice began as the "operator" slid Jeongin back his passport. Jeongin's sly grin slowly faded as he read the stamp marking:

Shit Out of Luck.

The operator lifted his head up to reveal a pale, squirrel like face with messy green hair entracing the sides.

"Later, fucker!" Han's hand gripped onto a lever beside him as Jeongin glanced up at him with worry. Before he could protest, Han's hand had yanked the lever down, opening up a trap-door into a fiery inferno. Jeongin fell down into eternal torture, never to cause harm to anyone again.

"You don't mess with the daughter of the love of my afterlife!" Han screamed into the entrance to Hell. You only caught a glimpse of his words, but they still fluttered your heart, nevertheless.

Before you knew it, Han was standing right beside you, Astrid, and Astrid's father.

"I've got it from here, big guy," Han winked at Astrid's father, causing him to mumble a quick, 'I love you,' to Astrid before speeding off.

"This way, follow me!" Han led the two of you back down the same twisting corridors you had traveled earlier in the venture until you reached a room with dark blue walls and a ladder in the dead center. "This is as far as I go for now," he commented, a look of regret replacing the one of smugness that was usually present

"Mom, is this-"

"Beetlejuice? The one and only, Honey!" Han interupted Astrid's inquiry, holding out a ghostly hand to shake. "But you can call me Han. Or dad if you'd prefer." You waved your hand across your neck in a, 'stop-talking,' motion, causing Han to clear his throat. "Well, carry on then!" He held steadily onto the ladder, helping Astrid climb up with you prepared to follow.

"I'll see you soon, Wifey," Han remarked as his hands snaked around your waist. You quickly embraced his hug, not caring how twisted it may have seemed. You held his words close to your heart as you let go, clutching onto the ladder as you exited the afterlife.

---

You climbed, and climbed, and climbed until your arms were sick of doing so. Eventually, you reached an opening which led to the Winter River Cemetary.

You were home at last.

Astrid turned around to face you, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Thank you for saving my life," her voice trembled as she expressed her gratitude. "I'm so sorry I never belived that you saw ghosts and...I don't know, I'm just sorry for all of it!"

There were only two situations you can say you ever felt your heart truly beat. The first was when you met Han for the first time; the second was this exact moment.

You and Astrid's relationship was subpar, at best. Ever since her father's passing, she had refused to interact with you, especially where the paranormal was concerned. Until tonight, Astrid thought the entire concept of spirits, witches, demons, and all things supernatural was a load of hullabaloo. She never wanted to claim you as her mother.

Until tonight that was, when you had earned her trust back.

You inched forward in preparation to give a response; however, your train of thought derailed when you heard someone calling your name repeatedly, insisting upon the fact that you were, 'late,' for something. You glanced over Astrid's shoulder and noticed that it was the town pastor calling your name. That is when it hit you:

"Oh my gosh, my wedding!" you yelled as you rushed towards the church building, Astrid trailing your feet close behind.

"Wait, mom, after everything that's happened tonight, you know you don't have to do this, right?" Astrid asked earnestly. Your mind flashed back to the events of tonight; the pet names Han had called you, how tightly he had held your hand, how he referred to you as, "the love of his afterlife." You knew by all means those were not the events Astrid was talking about by a long shot; however, they sunk the truth into her words.

"I know, but if I don't do it now, I'm never going to do it!"

"Are you really sure about this?" Astrid could sense the unsincerity in your tone. You let out an aggravated sigh.

You were not actually sure, that was the truth. I mean, who truly is sure about marrying a man they have been committed to for less than a year, let alone a man who proposed on the same day as your father's funeral?!

You answered, hesitance prominent in your voice, yet giving a response in attempts to convince both your daughter and yourself that this marriage was a good thing: "Hyun loves me, and that's got to be enough!"

Ah yes, Hyun. Short for Hyunjin. The tragic fiancé you had met at a widow's resort. He had told you his sob story of a tale, how his fiancé had perished in a skiing accident, and as you would have put it, the two of you just clicked.

You agreed to the marriage on his accord rather than your own, truly; you felt pressured by the crowd of people watching his proposal at your father's funeral and by his desperate pleas. You knew this was not what was in the tarot cards for you, yet you tried to claim that it was.

You had finally reached the entrance of the church when you ran into the aforementioned fellow. He lazily embraced you, your arms suddenly becoming doubtful to wrap around him in return.

"I thought you got cold feet," Hyunjin confessed as he removed his arms from around you.

"No, blame me," Astrid piped up. "She just saved me from my date from hell."

"Who are all of these people?" you failed to acknowledge either statement, instead taking notice of all the unfamilarity present within the crowd of attendees.

"Just a couple of influencers; nobody under five million followers, and I think we have a Netflix executive in there," Hyunjin smiled as he said this, but you could only groan in frustration.

You see, along with being your husband to be, Hyunjin was also your manager. He partnered alongside you for every media project you participated in, most specifically your new hit show, "Ghost House." Hyunjin loved the attention.

You did not. Hence, your disapproval of the wedding guests.

Your anxious thinking once again halted, this time as a result of Astrid snapping her fingers repeatedly.

"Are we doing this or what?" she asked impatiently.

"Right, yes, of course," Hyunjin agreed before eyeing you up and down. "Where is your dress?" You waved your hands slightly in dismissal.

"All that matters is that I am here now, so let's just skip straight to the vows," you did not make eye contact for a second as you spoke to him.

"Wait, where's Delia?" Astrid quieried about your step-mother. A flash of light and a rumble of thunder caused everyone to turn their attention to the front of the church pew.

"Yo!" a voice boomed across the audience, and you glanced forward to see the one and only. "She's right here," he responded to Astrid's question, pointed to the red-haired lady standing beside him.

One thing about Han: he was excellent at keeping his promises.

"She was helping me calm down before the wedding," Han continued. "I was feeling a little jittery." He chuckled arduously before pushing Delia aside.

"You!" Hyunjin thundered as he sped across the aisle. "You're that thing from my dream!" He was referring to an earlier occurance in which he had muttered the legendary three-word encantation and found himself in a dreamlike state encountering Han.

"Well, I'm really more nightmare material, but thanks!" You stifled a chuckle at Han's comeback.

"Whats up, Be-" Astrid attempted to call Han's real name; however, her voice was quickly stifled, accompanied by a tsking from Han.

"Part of the deal is you can never ever say my name, ever!" Han explained the reasoning behind the sudden silencing as Astrid rubbed her throat; Han held up the handbook for the dead from earlier.

"What deal?" Astrid asked in return.

"The deal she," Han pointed at you, "made to save you," he moved his pointer finger to Astrid. "That's why I said you can call me dad earlier."

"Y/n." Delia stated your name bluntly. "You agreed to marry him?!" Saying Delia was outraged was a complete understatement. She looked at you with horror present in your eyes, terrified as to how the next events would unfold. You began to stumble over your words.

"Well, uh. You see I did, but I was, um," you felt desperate prying at your words. Han looked at you with intrigued intent; both he and you knew the real reason why you had chosen to marry him, yet he also knew you were trying to find a way to hide your true intentions. The glares he was sending your way did not aid your cause; they were sultry, yet agitating, as if they were encouraging you to tell how you fell in love with a demon and that was why you were so quick to agree to a marriage in order to save your daughter.

"Y/n, what is really going on here?" Hyunjin interrogated, his annoyed gaze boring into yours. Your stare instead found Han's, your eyes pleading for his help.

"Wow!" Han exclaimed as he threw the handbook onto the altar. "Talk about awkward!" He had suddenly appeared behind Hyunjin, an arm slung around his shoulders and causing the crowd to gasp. "You haven't made much progress since our last session, so I'm going to go ahead and recommend some drug therapy." Han was once again referring to the "dream" Hyunjin had prior in the day. He pulled out a filled syringe labeled, 'truth serum,' and injected the liquid straight into Hyunjin's neck.

"Don't be afraid to share when you're ready!" he told Hyunjin with a cheeky grin on his face. Hyunjin's body betrayed him in this moment, shifting towards you with blown out eyes and quivering lips, as if he was trying to hold back from saying something. Han had appeared behind you now, the same smug arm snug around your shoulders.

"Let's see what your, "lover," truly thinks, shall we?" Han whispered against your neck. You and Astrid's expressions were contorted into confusion.

"I always thought your whole act was bullshit," Hyunjin suddenly confessed, causing your eyebrows to heighten and your lips to mouth, 'what?' "I never believed in ghosts, spirits, or any of it."

"What?" you inquired, extremely taken aback by his truthfull confession. "All this time? Why the hell did you want to get married then?"

"Money!" Hyunjin outbursted. "I knew I could make more money as your husband than as your manager!" He tried to cusp a hand over his mouth to keep the truth from overflowing but failed tremendously; meanwhile, your mouth was agape at the words he was spilling. "And I never had a dead fiancé. I just went to that survivor's retreat to try and pick up a girl," he winced at his last confession. You could feel nothing in your heart but anger and disgust; Han, on the other hand felt immense pleasure in seeing your realization of what an absolute scumbag your ex soon-to-be-wed was.

"How about a little physical therapy?" Han gently grasped your fist and lifted it up, taking the action straight out of your mind. Before a rational thought could cross your mind, you had knocked Hyunjin clean in the nose, the force of the impact catapulting him backwards. Han clapped forcefully and joyously at the incident, and you did something that shocked yourself; you smiled. For once in your life, you had stood up for yourself, and you took pride in that. In the midst of your self-glory, Han began to address the crowd.

"We'd like to thank you all for coming, but right now, we'd like a little privacy." He snapped his fingers, and the crowd subconsciously turned their phones around so the camera faced them. Their faces began to morph into grotesque shapes as they were pulled into their cellular cameras. In a flash, every unfamiliar face in the audience had vanished, leaving only you, Han, Astrid, Delia, Hyunjin, and the church's pastor. The latter of the six attempted to make his escape through the back entrance; however, his efforts were for nothing as Han was two steps in front of him, standing square in the middle of the doorframe.

"Where ya going, Padre?" Han asked rhetorically; he snapped his fingers once more, and the pastor appeared at the front of the altar, his Bible in hand. Han subsequently poofed on the left side in front of the pastor, reaching out a hand for you to join him on the right. An undead symphony began to play a surprisingly harmonious melody as the two of you linked arms. You looked up at him, slightly hesitant at the suddenness of the events at hand. The remaining few in the crowd began to sing along to the melody that was playing, notably doing so under hypnosis. Han took your hand in his and brought you closer to him, beginning to slow dance with you under the radiant light of the church's chandelier.

You would have been lying if you said there was not a part of you that did not like this experience. Sure, Han was a demon who had done questionable things and was downright psychotic at certain points. Yet, you could not stop thinking about what he had done and subsequently said earlier: "You don't mess with the daughter of the love of my afterlife!"

It made you realize: he truly cared about you. Unlike most demons, he had some semblance of a heart, even if he had a funny way of showing it. Not only this, but he cared about your daughter like she was his own, and that won your heart straight away.

The lights dimmed as you leaned into his embrace, beginning to slow-dance. He smiled as he looked down at you, wrapping a loose arm around your waist to hold you there and planting a small kiss on the top of your forehead.

"I knew you knew who you belonged with." Before you could respond, you were floating; you had found that ghosts tended to do that when they demonstrated affection. Although the experience was supernatural, you did not want it any other way. You stared deep into Han's eyes and he reciprocated. You contemplated leaning in for a kiss, knowing what that would mean for Han but the mere thought of it being more exhilerating than nerve-wracking.

That is why it was such a pain whenever the afterlife police crashed the wedding. They broke in through the windows, fell from the chandeliers, and some even came out of the spot where the symphony was playing. The music came to a halt, and the low lights came back up.

"Mr. Juice!" the lead of the afterlife police named Wolf Jackson boomed. "You have violated code 6-9-9!" Wolf did not get to finish, as Han took out a megaphone and shouted the word, 'Freeze,' causing the guards to do just that. You had hoped that was the last of the night's problems.

You found out that you were sorely mistaken.

The church doors flew open, and there stood a ghostly young woman; her skin was somehow paler than Han's. Her hair, eyes, nails, clothing, and shoes were all as black as ebony, and staples adorned what seemed to be a never-ending scar cascading down her body.

"BEETLEJUICE!" she thundered across the church pews, slowly making her way towards the demon. Han looked absolutely astounded in negativity.

"Sweetheart!" He grimaced as he spoke the pet name. "You look amazing!" From these four words alone, you came to the conclusion that this was Delores, Han's ex-wife that he had mentioned in passing. All of a sudden, Delores moved her hand in a swift motion, flinging you away from Han as she drew closer to him. He sputtered out multiple things about going through a lot of changes, how it was not her but him, and something about a mid-afterlife crisis.

"Your soul belongs to me, my love. For eternity," she did not take into account anything Han had said, only focused on sucking the remainder of his living soul out of him.

"You don't wanna spend your eternity with me!" Han retaliated nervously. "I'm not the one for you. You need a soulmate. Somebody who really sees you. For instance," he stepped out of the way, revealing an unfrozen Hyunjin. He snapped his fingers, changing the tuxedo top Hyunjin was wearing into a T-shirt stating, "I <3 Delores." This captivated her attention, more with confusion than arousal albeit.

You, on the other hand, were still splayed on the ground where Delores had played human ping pong with you. You glanced over to your right and saw Astrid drawing a symbol on the ground with Delia's lipstick. She knocked on it three times; you were not sure what it was until her knocks caused it to open like a trapdoor. It was a gateway to the same deserted area you and Astrid had been in earlier. Coming to a swift realization, the three of you moved out of the trapdoor's vicinity just in time to narrowly miss the large sandworm that erupted through the opening.

After an entanglement of Han leading the sandworm on where to go with a red cloth like a matador, the sandworm had swallowed both Delores and Hyunjin whole. Funnily enough, the pastor used this time to make his legitimate escape while Han was concerned with commanding the sandworm.

You sighed out of relief. 'This is the end of it,' you truly believed. Astrid and Deliah helped you up as you glanced at Han, mouthing a 'thank you' to him.

"No problem, my love," he replied, sadness slightly tinging his voice. "See you on the other side."

And as quickly as he had appeared, he was gone.

---

"I want to thank all of you ghosties out there for your support over all of these years." Thunder clapped as you spoke solumly into the camera. "This is my last show. I have spent so much time talking to the dead. It's time I start living and make memories with the people I love, rather than be haunted by them later." The tape stopped rolling automatically, and you let out a sigh of relief. You stood up from your filming chair, which was truly just the recliner in your attic, and walked over to the replica of Winter River. It was still split in half from a certain visitor; however, you felt there was no need in repairing it as you sat on your knees, especially not with what you were about to do.

You had been thinking a lot lately. You knew what your heart longed to do, and it was time to put that motion into effect. As such, you closed your eyes, took in a deep breath, and muttered the same name three times.

"Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice."

Han did not make much of a scene as he appeared this time; he had been watching over you the last few days, and knew the intensity of a typical arrival would be too much.

"Well, well, well," he remarked slowly. You opened your eyes and saw the ghost directly in front of you, sitting in a similar position to your own. The sight of him made you smile with pure joy, and he could not help but return it. "I'm glad to see the second marriage has made you finally pick up the phone," he teased you and you let out a small giggle.

"I've been thinking," you muttered. "And as I think, my mind keeps wondering back to one particular moment when we were together last. You really pulled through for me and Astrid," you spoke kindly, truthfully, your heart picking up the pace with every word you spoke towards him. "I know you told the ex-wife that she needed a soulmate. Someone who understands her." You reached out to grab Han's cold, pale hand. "I know you weren't talking to me, but," you took a brief pause to contemplate your next words. "I think that's what you are to me."

Your words caused Han's mouth to go agape, his eyes wide in astonishment. "Are you saying..."

Instead of saying anything, you showed him. You cupped his snow-white chipmunk cheeks and brought his face to your own, capturing him in a daring kiss. It was full of passion, romanticism, and overall, love.

Everything you would expect a demon not to possess.

You only pulled away from the kiss when you heard the sound of Han's heart beating. You softly opened your eyes where an incredulous image awaited you:

Han's skin had darkened into a light, peachy color. The dark black rings around his eyes had vanquished, and the shaggy green hair he once possessed had now morphed into healthy brown locks. His eyes, for once, looked as if they contained life.

Because they did.

You knew kissing Han in addition to signing that marriage contract would bring him back to life; however, you had decided that was the life you wanted. Countless times, he had shown how he would pull through for you, how he would best his demon status and do anything you asked.

You were confident he was your purpose.

"Woah," Han glanced down at himself, astounded by the sight of himself alive once more. "You brought me back to life." He could not express his thoughts in mere words; therefore, he did so by engulfing you in the tightest hug known to mankind. Against his chest, you mumbled a sentence that made his beating heart pound:

"Han, you brought me back to life."

[zaynessbeloved]

It was always you (and us)

⟢ summary: You were always a trio—Caleb, Zayne, and you. Bound by childhood, laughter, and a quiet promise that none of you would ever be left behind. But things change. And somewhere between late-night study sessions and growing up, you start to realize your heart is pulling in a different direction. The three of you were supposed to stay the same. But you’re not kids anymore. And some feelings don’t stay quiet forever.

⟢ pairings: Zayne x reader, Caleb x reader

⟢ word count: 5.7k

Chapter 5

The drive to your grandma’s house is comfortable, filled with quiet conversation and stolen glances that make your heart swell.

“You sure you’re okay?” he asks, squeezing your hand.

You nod, offering him a small smile. “Yeah. I’ll be fine.”

The moment Zayne pulls up to your grandma’s house, you reach for the door handle, ready to step out—but before you can, he leans in and presses a soft, lingering kiss to your lips. It’s natural. Thoughtless. Like breathing. You kiss him back just as easily, forgetting everything—Caleb, your nerves, the heaviness waiting for you inside. When you finally pull away, Zayne rests his forehead against yours for a second before exhaling, his thumb brushing over your cheek. 

“Call me if you need anything,” he murmurs. 

You nod, smiling softly. “I will.” 

And with that, you step out of the car and head inside. For a moment, the house is quiet—almost too quiet. You half expect Caleb to be waiting for you in the living room, pacing, fuming, demanding answers. But he’s nowhere to be seen. Frowning, you step into the kitchen, where your grandma hums softly to herself as she dries a dish.

“Hey, Grandma,” you greet, trying to keep your voice steady. “Where’s Caleb?”

She glances up, her kind eyes flickering with something unreadable before she says, “I saw him in the backyard earlier.”  

Something in her tone makes your stomach twist. You already know where he is. The treehouse. Your feet feel heavy as you walk outside, the familiar sight of the old, weathered structure coming into view. And then, you see him. 

Caleb sits inside the treehouse, his broad shoulders hunched over as he stares down at something in his hands. His jaw is tight, his expression unreadable, but you can see it—the tension in his posture, the quiet storm brewing behind his eyes. You take a deep breath before climbing up, your hands gripping the wood like they have hundreds of times before.

When you finally settle next to him, you hesitate before whispering, “Hey.”

He doesn’t look at you. Instead, he grips the frame in his hands tighter, his knuckles turning white before, without looking up, he says—“Do you remember the first night I moved in here?”

Your breath catches. You swallow, nodding slowly. “…Yeah.”

Caleb lets out a humorless laugh, shaking his head. “I was terrified,” he admits, his voice raw, distant. “I had just lost my parents. I had no one.”

He finally looks at you then, his eyes dark, full of years of something he never let himself say aloud. “Do you remember how you came to me that night?” he asks, softer this time. “How you crawled into bed with me, made sure I felt safe?”

You nod, feeling something tighten in your chest.

Caleb exhales, shaking his head. “That’s the first time I knew I loved you.”

Your breath stalls. 

“I wasn’t sure what it meant back then,” he continues, his voice unsteady. “But I knew I wanted you to always be by my side. For the rest of our lives.”

He lets out a sharp, bitter chuckle. “…How stupid is that?”

“Caleb,” you whisper, reaching for him, but he flinches before you can touch him. Then—his jaw clenches, his grip tightening on the picture frame in his hands.

“I saw you kissing.”  

Your whole body freezes. Caleb finally looks at you, his eyes burning.

“You were ready to kill him last night at the bar,” he says, his voice low, accusing, hurt. “And today, you were kissing him.”

You can see it in his face—the way he’s already bracing himself for your answer, the way he knows it’s going to hurt, but he’s asking anyway.

“When did that happen?”

He’s already cursing himself for asking, already regretting it. But you can’t lie to him. You won’t. So, sighing, you hug your knees to your chest, resting against the inside of the treehouse before quietly admitting—

“He came over last night. After I ran away.”

Caleb nods, slow, stiff, trying to process what that means. His mind whirls, taking a wild guess. A correct guess. Something happened. And then, another thought—another realization—hits him like a brick.

“If I had been the one there last night,” he murmurs, voice growing tight, “it would have been me. It should have been me.” His voice sharpens, his fists clenching. “I should have been the one there. Not him.”

Your heart aches at the anger, the bitterness dripping from his tone. But you’re so tired. Tired of this conversation. Tired of pretending it would have made a difference. So you snap—

“Caleb, stop. Don’t you see?” You run your hands through your hair, exhaling sharply, your patience wearing thin. “It wouldn’t have mattered.”

His brows furrow, something unreadable flickering across his face. You inhale, trying to steady yourself before meeting his gaze, your voice softer this time—“…It was always him.” 

The words hit Caleb like a truck. You watch as his face falls, as every last shred of hope crushes under the weight of your words. You open your mouth, trying to explain, trying to soften the blow— But he cuts you off.

“Are you in love with him?” His voice is quiet now. Low. Almost dangerous. He doesn’t even look at you when he asks. You hesitate—just for a second. And that’s all he needs. Because the moment you pause, the moment you hesitate before answering—He already knows.

“…Yeah.”

Caleb squeezes his eyes shut, his jaw clenching as a muscle twitches in his cheek. He doesn’t say anything. Just nods. Once. 

Like that’s all he needed to hear. Like that’s all he could handle hearing. The silence between you stretches on, heavy and unforgiving. Caleb stares down at the old photos in his hands, his grip still tight, but his breathing slowly steadies. He knows.

As much as it fucking hurts, as much as his heart aches, he knows that this isn’t your fault. And, if he’s being honest with himself—it’s not Zayne’s fault either. Because how could he blame him? How could he blame anyone for loving you? When he’s done the same damn thing for as long as he can remember? 

So he swallows down the anger, forces himself to breathe, to accept the reality of it all. This is how things are. How they always were. And, no matter how much he wanted to believe otherwise, how much he tried to deny it—maybe he was always meant to lose you.

Finally, after what feels like forever, he exhales and speaks, his voice softer than before, quieter, almost gentle— “…It’s not your fault, Pipsqueak.” 

The nickname shatters something inside you. Because despite everything—despite everything—he’s still Caleb. Still the boy who’s been by your side forever. And suddenly, it’s too much. Your chest tightens, your eyes sting, and before you can stop yourself, soft, silent tears spill down your cheeks.

“I—I’m sorry,” you whisper, your voice breaking. “I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, Caleb. I swear.”

He looks up then, his brows drawing together, something pained flickering across his face. And fuck—he knows. He knows you never meant to hurt him. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt anyway. Still—he can’t stand seeing you cry. Not because of him. So, without thinking, without stopping himself, he reaches for you, pulling you into his arms just like he’s done a thousand times before. Just like he always would.

Your fingers clutch at his shirt as you bury your face against his shoulder, your body shaking gently with quiet sobs. Caleb tightens his hold on you, one hand smoothing over your back, his voice low, steady, murmuring, “I know.”

And in this moment, despite everything that’s changed—despite everything that’s broken— This still feels like home. You stay wrapped in Caleb’s arms, safe in his warmth, your quiet sobs slowly fading as the weight of everything settles between you. He holds you like he always has—like he always will—strong and steady, like the anchor he’s been since childhood. And that’s what terrifies you most. That things will change. That you’ll lose this. That you’ll lose him.

So, with a shaky breath, you whisper against his shoulder— “You will always be my home, Caleb. No matter what.” 

His breath catches, but he doesn’t let you go, his arms only tightening around you for a second before he finally exhales, his hand rubbing slow, steady circles against your back.

“I know.” he murmurs, and you believe him. 

For a while, neither of you move. Then, slowly, the heaviness eases, giving way to something softer, something familiar. You end up reminiscing—talking about the nights you spent in this treehouse as kids, the adventures, the sleepovers, the silly fights, the times you and Caleb would whisper secrets long after bedtime while your grandma thought you were asleep.

Somewhere along the way, Zayne’s name slips from your lips without thinking—maybe it’s a memory, something stupid he did as a kid, something funny. You tense immediately, sucking in a sharp breath, realizing too late. 

But Caleb just sighs. He doesn’t flinch, doesn’t get angry, just says, softly— “It’s okay, Pipsqueak.”

You turn to look at him, eyes uncertain, but his gaze is steady.

“I may need some time with this,” he admits, running a hand through his hair. “But if it’s not me…” He takes a breath, letting it sink in before continuing, “Then I’m glad it’s him instead.”

Your heart aches at the weight of those words. Then— 

“Otherwise,” he smirks, voice lighter now, “I would’ve had to discard the body of whoever else you dated.”

A startled laugh bursts from your lips, the tension breaking all at once.

You shove him playfully, sniffling. “Caleb—”

“What?” He grins, wiping a stray tear from your cheek with his thumb. “I have a reputation to uphold.”

You roll your eyes, but it works—the tightness in your chest eases, your heart swelling with love for the boy who’s been your best friend for as long as you can remember. By the time you both climb down from the treehouse, the air between you is lighter.

Caleb, in an attempt to shift things back to normal, insists on cooking dinner—his redemption for the last time he almost burned your grandma’s kitchen down. The three of you—you, Caleb, and Grandma��sit together at the dinner table, sharing a meal like you always have.

For a little while, everything feels okay. Then, as the night rolls in, it’s time to go. Zayne pulls up outside, the familiar rumble of his car making your stomach flip with anticipation. You stand, hesitating for just a moment before looking at Caleb. He meets your gaze, his expression unreadable, but there’s something softer underneath it now. You don’t say anything—because you don’t have to.

Instead, as you step toward the door, Caleb watches you go, trying—really trying—to look cool and unaffected. But when you reach Zayne’s car, when you open the door and slip inside, you see it. The pain flickering across Caleb’s face. The way his hands clench at his sides, the way his jaw tightens, the way his eyes darken as he forces himself to look away.

And it hurts. For both of you. But as you glance at Zayne, as his hand reaches over and rests on your thigh, warm and steady, you know—This is how it was always meant to be.The drive is quiet at first. Zayne doesn’t ask how it went. He doesn’t push, doesn’t probe—he just lets you sit there, lets you process, lets you set the pace. And you appreciate it. It takes a few minutes, but eventually, you start talking.

You tell him everything—what Caleb said, what he admitted, how much it hurt to see him struggling with the truth, how guilty you feel even though you know you shouldn’t. Zayne listens, his hands gripping the wheel, his jaw tightening slightly at certain moments, but he doesn’t interrupt. He just lets you speak. By the time you finish, the two of you sit in silence for a few moments before you sigh, resting your head against the seat.

“I think we just… need to give him space,” you murmur, turning your head to look at him. “I know he won’t shut me out forever. And even though he probably wants to kill you—”

Zayne snorts, shaking his head. “Yeah, I got that impression.”  

You smile, small but real. “—he does care about you too.”

Zayne exhales, running a hand through his hair. 

“Yeah,” he agrees after a moment. “I think you’re right. Space is good.”

You nod, the conversation shifting, the weight easing a little. Soon enough, warmth finds its way back between you, the topic shifting to lighter things—memories, jokes, teasing words that make you laugh for the first time since leaving Caleb. And before you know it, Zayne is pulling up in front of your house, the car slowing to a stop.

You unbuckle your seatbelt, ready to step out—but when you turn to look at him, you notice something odd. He’s lingering. His fingers tap against the wheel, his lips part like he wants to say something, but then he just stares at your house instead. You frown, tilting your head. 

“…Aren’t you coming in?”

His shoulders tense, his grip on the wheel tightening just slightly before he exhales through his nose, still not looking at you. And that’s when it hits you. He’s hesitating. You blink, confusion settling in because—why? He literally slept over last night, quite literally devoured you in your kitchen this morning, and now—now—he’s second-guessing himself?

It clicks then. Zayne is still—after everything—unsure if he should just… act freely. If he should do what he wants without holding himself back. Because he spent years thinking you weren’t his.And now that you are… He doesn’t know if he can just walk into your house like he belongs there, like it’s normal, like he’s allowed to. 

Your heart aches at the realization. A soft smile tugs at your lips as you reach over, placing your hand over his, pulling his attention back to you.

“Zayne,” you say softly, waiting until he meets your gaze. You squeeze his hand, your voice gentle, filled with so much warmth it makes his heart ache— “You can come in, you know.” 

His lips part slightly, his expression unreadable for a second before something shifts in his gaze. And then, finally— He smirks. “…Yeah?” 

You roll your eyes but grin, tugging on his hand slightly. “Yeah, dumbass.” 

Zayne chuckles, shaking his head before finally—finally—turning off the engine, pushing his door open, and following you inside. Like he belongs there. The moment you step inside, normality settles over you both like it’s always been this way—like there was never a time when things weren’t exactly like this. You kick off your shoes, stretching your arms above your head before sighing dramatically.

“I’m hungry,” you whine, plopping onto the couch. Zayne barely has time to process before you turn to him, pouting, eyes wide and pleading. “And I haven’t eaten something you made in five years, Zayne.” 

Your lower lip juts out just a little, your voice soft, laced with just the right amount of sweetness, because you know—you know what this does to him. And fuck— He feels it immediately. Something in his chest tightens, his fingers twitch, his entire body reacting before his brain even catches up. Because of course you would do this. 

You always knew how to break him when you were younger, how to make him melt even when he was trying to keep a straight face. And now? Now, after everything? He’s about two seconds away from combusting.

Zayne groans, dragging a hand down his face as he mutters, “You cannot look at me like that and expect me to say no.” 

You grin, victorious, but before he agrees, he pauses, something wicked glinting in his gaze. Then—his lips curl into a small smirk, his voice dipping into something taunting, something dangerous.

“Though, I just cooked you breakfast this morning, my love.”  

Your breath catches. The way those two words roll so effortlessly off his tongue, how warm and teasing they sound, how they still make your stomach flip even though you should be used to it by now. 

But before you can recover, before you can even retaliate, he leans in just slightly, his smirk widening as he adds—“Or were you too distracted to remember that part, hm?”

Your entire body locks up. Your face heats so fast it almost hurts. Zayne knows what he’s doing. He knows exactly how that flusters you, and he’s thriving in it, watching your expression shift from victorious to completely wrecked in a matter of seconds.

“You—” you choke, unable to form a proper sentence, your mind reeling. Zayne just laughs. And fuck, he looks so pleased with himself.

“I—” You try to come up with a retort, but your brain is fried, and your face is burning, and he’s looking at you with that pleased expression that makes you want to either kiss him or kill him.

Before you can decide which, he finally takes pity on you. He steps back, arms crossing over his chest, grinning before finally relenting—“Fine, fine. I’ll cook.”

You sag in relief, still flustered as hell, but you won.…Even if it doesn’t feel like it anymore. 

Zayne moves effortlessly in the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, hands working with practiced ease as he chops, stirs, and prepares dinner for the both of you. He barely lets you lift a finger, nudging you toward the counter with a soft, but firm, “Just relax, sweetheart. Let me take care of it.”

And so, you do. You sit on the counter, swinging your legs slightly as you watch him, your heart swelling with something so warm, so comfortable, that you can’t stop smiling. Conversation flows easily between you—catching up on old memories, laughing about the dumb things you did as kids, teasing each other over things that haven’t changed, like his insane sweet tooth and your terrible ability to wake up early.

For a moment, it’s just like before—before time and distance got in the way, before misunderstandings and hidden feelings complicated everything. But then— Your thoughts wander. 

You watch his hands as he moves, those long, capable fingers slicing through vegetables with a precise, almost effortless motion. And then, unbidden—your mind drifts back to last night. To those same hands on your body.

Your stomach flips, heat creeping into your face as you realize just how good he was—how naturally he touched you, how easily he knew where to press, how to move—and a thought sinks into your chest before you can stop it.

There’s no way he hasn’t done this before. He acted like it was his first time and seemed just as overwhelmed as you. But what if he was just good at hiding it? What if there had been someone else—someone in medical school, someone before he came back? 

You try to shake the thought, try to tell yourself you’re being stupid, but it lingers, curling into the edges of your overthinking mind. And then—before you can stop yourself, you say it. You mask it under a joke, keeping your voice light, casual, as you lean against the counter, watching him. 

“So,” you hum, twirling a lock of hair between your fingers. “You must have had plenty of admirers in med school, huh?”

Zayne pauses, glancing at you with a raised brow. “What?” 

You shrug, your tone just teasing enough to sound natural. “I mean—look at you, Doctor. Smart, handsome, ridiculously good with your hands.” You smirk slightly, trying to keep it cool. “You’re telling me no one tried to get a piece of you?”

Zayne blinks once. Then—He smirks.Shit.

“Ridiculously good with my hands, huh?” he repeats, tilting his head, amusement flickering in his gaze.

Your face heats. “That’s—not what I—” 

He laughs, setting the knife down before leaning against the counter, arms crossing over his chest.

“I mean, I won’t deny the admirers part,” he says, voice dripping with amusement. “Some people did try.” 

Your stomach tightens. You keep your expression neutral, forcing a light chuckle. “Oh? Anyone special?”

Zayne studies you for a second—too long, too perceptive, and fuck, he knows. His smirk softens into something more genuine, and when he speaks next, his voice is lower, steadier.

“No.” he says simply. “No one special.”

You swallow, your fingers tightening against the edge of the counter. “Oh.”

He steps closer, his hands resting on either side of you, his voice dropping just slightly. “I meant what I said,” he murmurs, his eyes searching yours. “You were my first. For everything.” 

Your breath catches at his words, the weight of them sinking deep into your chest. Even though you were the one teasing him moments ago, now you’re the one sitting there, flustered, your face warming against your will.

Your eyes soften without realizing, your posture loosening, and for a second, you just stare at him—taking in the way he looks at you, how sure he is, how there isn’t a single hint of hesitation in his voice.He meant every word. And fuck, if that doesn’t make your heart flip.

Zayne notices, of course. His smirk tugs at the corner of his lips, clearly enjoying your reaction, but then— He hesitates. Just for a second. His fingers tap against the counter, his gaze flickering with something thoughtful, something almost… uncertain.

And then—he asks it. The same question. The same thought that had nagged at him before, even though he tried—really tried—not to dwell on it.

“What about you?” His voice is steady, but there’s something underneath it—curiosity, maybe even a little anxiety, even though he already knows the answer. Even though you told him you loved him all these years, even if you didn’t realize it at the time. Even though he knows you never looked at anyone else the way you look at him.

Still. He wants to hear it. Needs to. You blink, your lips parting slightly in surprise at the sudden shift, at the way his voice lowers, at the way his gaze darkens just a little, as if he’s bracing himself for something. You tilt your head, studying him, catching the way his fingers flex slightly at his sides.

You smile softly, your eyes gentle as you lean forward, your hands finding his jaw, cradling his face between your palms.

“No,” you murmur, your voice quiet, but sure. “No one else.”

His shoulders relax, the tension melting from him in an instant, and fuck—the relief that flickers across his face makes your heart ache. You press your forehead against his, sighing.

“You were my first, too.”

Zayne closes his eyes at that, exhaling slowly, like he needed to hear that more than he even realized. And when he opens them again, when he looks at you— It’s the softest thing in the world.

He presses a soft, lingering kiss to your lips before pulling away, resuming his cooking like nothing happened—like he didn’t just completely melt you into a lovesick mess with his words. You watch him for a second, taking him in—the way his brows furrow slightly in concentration, the way his fingers move with such practiced ease, the way he occasionally glances at you out of the corner of his eye, like he still can’t believe you’re here, with him. And fuck, if that doesn’t make your chest warm all over again.

Dinner is perfect. Comfortable, easy, filled with soft laughter and teasing comments, just the two of you. Afterward, Zayne insists on cleaning up, and you don’t argue, stretching your arms before letting out a small yawn. 

“I’m gonna shower,” you murmur, standing up. “Freshen up a little.” 

Zayne looks up from where he’s wiping down the counter, his lips tugging into a small smirk. “Good idea. Don’t take too long, or I’ll start thinking you fell asleep in there.”

You roll your eyes but grin, shaking your head before heading toward the bathroom. Once inside, you shut the door but don’t lock it—out of habit, the way you always do when you’re home alone. Your fingers work at the hem of your shirt, tugging it over your head before you pause, catching sight of your reflection in the mirror.

And then—you see it. A faint, hidden mark just below your clavicle. Your eyes widen, a deep blush creeping onto your face as you reach up to touch it, the memory flooding back—Zayne’s lips, his teeth, the way he had kissed and sucked at your skin that morning, completely lost in you.

You sputter, your face practically burning as you whip your head away from the mirror, refusing to dwell on it. With a deep inhale, you step into the shower, letting the warm water cascade over your skin, washing away the lingering tension from the day. And, for the first time since this whole whirlwind started—you’re finally alone. Alone with your thoughts. Alone to process.

The water soothes you, washing over your skin, but it’s the warmth in your chest that truly settles you. Because despite everything—the uncertainty with Caleb, the years apart, the unknown future— You’re happy. And that is enough. The warm water cascades over you, washing away the tension in your muscles, soothing every ache, but your mind refuses to quiet. It keeps drifting—keeps drifting to him.

Even though Zayne is somewhere in the kitchen, doing something as simple and domestic as cleaning up after dinner, you can’t stop thinking about him. About how much he’s grown. About how ridiculously handsome he turned out to be. 

About how just the thought of him—of the mark he left on your clavicle, of his lips on your skin, his hands on your body—sends a slow, curling ache through you that has nothing to do with sore muscles.Your breath comes out a little shaky, your eyes fluttering shut as your fingers press lightly against the faint bruise on your skin. He did this. Zayne—your Zayne—did this to you.

And fuck, you ache for him. The need is subtle at first, an idle heat thrumming under your skin, pooling low in your stomach—but it lingers, growing with every second, with every thought. You could just go to him. He’s right there, just outside this door. But fuck, this is still new, and the idea of being so direct—of stepping out, dripping wet, needy for him—makes your face burn. 

So, without thinking, without meaning to, your hand drifts lower. Your breath catches as your fingers slide between your legs, the pressure of the water only making it worse, your body already sensitive, already aching. A small, silent gasp slips from your lips as you press your thighs together, biting the inside of your cheek to keep yourself quiet.

It’s so embarrassing. You shouldn’t be doing this—not when Zayne is right there, not when you could just go to him, not when you— Your fingers move again, slow and tentative, and your thoughts dissolve. Because all you can think about now— is him. Your fingers move with slow, teasing strokes, your other hand cupping your breast, rolling over the sensitive peak as your breath shudders.

Images of him flood your mind— Zayne hovering over you, his voice low and wrecked in your ear. His hands gripping your hips, holding you down as he devoured you. The way he had moved inside you, slow at first, then deep, dragging out every last bit of pleasure until you couldn’t even think. A quiet, desperate whimper escapes your lips before you can stop it, your body burning, aching, but it’s not enough. Your fingers feel nothing like his. You need him.

Your frustration grows, your pace increasing, chasing the memory of his touch, trying—failing—to recreate it. You bite your lip, trying to keep quiet, but your breath stutters, your thighs clenching as you sink further into the pleasure, drowning in the heat curling deep in your stomach. You don’t even realize how much time has passed. Don’t realize how long you’ve been in the shower, lost in the heat of the water, lost in memories of him. 

Not until—A soft rap against the door, barely audible over the sound of the water. Your whole body freezes. Your heart jumps into your throat, your eyes snapping open as your hand immediately yanks away from between your legs, your breath coming in shallow, guilty gasps.

“Sweetheart?” Zayne’s voice is muffled through the door, but there’s a hint of concern in it. “You’ve been in there for a while,” he calls, his tone light but questioning. “You okay?” 

Oh, fuck. Your face burns, your hands flying to your face, mortification hitting you all at once. Because, shit—How long was he standing there? Your mind is scrambling, your body still thrumming with the ache of unfulfilled pleasure, but you force yourself to sound normal, to keep it together. 

“Y-Yeah! I’m—” fuck, your voice is breathless— “I’m okay! I’ll be right out.”

You squeeze your eyes shut, trying to ground yourself, trying to shake off the lingering heat still pulsing through your veins. Then—under your breath—you curse, a quiet, frustrated, needy whisper that only makes your face burn hotter.

Because fuck—why does he have to sound so good even when he’s just checking on you? That deep, gravelly concern in his voice, the way he called you sweetheart so naturally— Your thighs press together involuntarily, and you groan, knowing you can’t go back to touching yourself, knowing that you really have to get out before you completely lose it.

You reach for the shampoo, ready to speed-run the rest of your shower— 

But then— “Are you sure?” 

You freeze. You barely registered his voice the first time, too caught up in your own flustered thoughts, but now—now you hear him clearly. His voice is closer to the door, softer but serious, slipping into that tone he uses when he’s in doctor mode—or when he’s just a deeply concerned lover. 

“…Can I come in?” 

Your heart slams into your ribs. Your stomach flips. Your legs tremble, still sensitive from everything, and you cannot believe that you’re suddenly even more turned on just from hearing those words. Your breath hitches, your fingers gripping the slick tiles of the shower wall as you hesitate.

Zayne wouldn’t know what you were doing, would he? At first glance, everything would look normal. Your face is flushed, but that could easily be from the heat of the shower. Your voice is unsteady, but you could just blame it on the steam, the warmth, the fact that you’ve been in here for too long. You can play this off. You can. So you take a deep breath, forcing yourself to calm down, to settle your voice, to go back to a composed, relaxed state— As if you can fool him. 

“…Yeah,” you finally manage, your voice much steadier this time. “You can come in.”

There’s a brief pause—just a second too long—before you hear the door creak open. You don’t look. You can’t. You focus on the water cascading down your body, on the way it burns against your skin, on anything but the fact that Zayne is now standing inside the bathroom with you, just beyond the glass. 

His footsteps are soft, barely audible over the rush of the water, and then— “Sweetheart.”

The warmth in his voice makes your stomach flip, but there’s something else in his tone too—something genuine, something still concerned. You force yourself to turn your head, just slightly, to glance at him. And fuck. The moment you meet his gaze, you know. He sees it.

Even if he doesn’t say anything, even if he keeps his expression neutral, you can feel it in the way his eyes flick over your too-flushed face, the way his gaze lingers just a little too long.

You don’t move, don’t breathe, waiting for him to call you out, waiting for him to smirk, to tease you, to say something. But he doesn’t. Instead, he steps closer, his hands reaching for a towel as he pretends—like he doesn’t see it, like he’s still just concerned, like he believes the lie you’re trying to sell.

“You were in here for too long,” he murmurs, his voice low, steady, like he’s just focused on making sure you’re okay.

Like he’s not thinking about what you were just doing. Like he’s not thinking about how desperately you were trying to chase his touch, his memory, just minutes ago. And somehow—that makes it worse. Because now you know. Now you know that he knows. And he’s just waiting. 

You step out of the shower hesitantly, the air cool against your damp, flushed skin. Zayne is already there, unfolding one and wrapping it around you, his movements smooth, calculated, as if he’s done this a thousand times before.  

His fingers brush over your shoulders, then down your arms, slowly drying you with careful, deliberate motions. And he doesn’t say anything. Not about your flustered face. Not about the way you hesitated before letting him in.

Not about the way your body still trembles, slightly overstimulated from the frustration of what you were doing before he knocked. But that’s the thing about Zayne. He’s known you for years. He knows what you look like when you’re simply warm from a shower, and he knows what you look like when you’re trying to hide something.

And after last night—after this morning—he knows the difference in your flustered face. Still—he doesn’t push. He lets you play this off. Because maybe he’s soft, maybe he doesn’t want to embarrass you, maybe he’s giving you the space to come to terms with whatever new feelings you’re experiencing now.

But as soon as his fingers brush against your still-too-warm skin, the barely perceptible sound tumbles from your lips— A small, unintentional whimper. It’s soft. Barely audible. But he hears it. And that’s when you know—you’ve lost.

Zayne’s hands pause. Just for a fraction of a second. Then, slowly, carefully, he resumes, continuing his slow, calculated movements, his expression unreadable.But you can feel the shift in the air. You can see it in the way his grip tightens slightly around the towel. In the way his breath falters just slightly. In the way his jaw clenches, as if fighting the urge to smirk, to react, to say something. But he doesn’t. Not yet.

Instead, his fingers brush against your skin one more time, slow and intentional, as he murmurs— “…Still feeling warm, my love?”

Well, fuck—you are so screwed.

© zaynessbeloved 2025

.ᐟ✧ THIS IS MY ONLY ACCOUNT. I WILL ONLY POST HERE AND ON MY AO3.

.ᐟ✧ translations or reposts of my work on tumblr, ao3, or other sites ARE NOT permitted. please do not ask. do not reuse my blogpost headers, dividers, or layouts. these are original designs of my own. thank you!

taglist: @asiaticapple @syluslittlecrows @vyntheria @ixloom819

[zeroseuniverse]

Who We Once Were

Word Count: 904 Summary: “It’s… busy,” he said at last. “But it’s good. It’s what I wanted. Or thought I wanted.”She studied him for a moment, her gaze thoughtful. “You don’t sound convinced.” Pairing: Seungmin X Reader

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Seungmin adjusted the strap of his duffel bag as he stepped out of the car, his eyes scanning the familiar streets of his hometown. Everything looked smaller now, yet still achingly familiar. The faded mural on the corner store, the creaky swings at the park, even the old oak tree at the edge of the square—all seemed frozen in time, untouched by the years he had spent away. But he knew better. Time had a way of changing things, and not just places. People, too.

He hadn’t expected to feel so nostalgic as he walked down Main Street, the sound of his shoes echoing faintly against the cobblestone sidewalk. His parents’ anniversary celebration was the reason he’d come back, but the visit felt heavier than that. There was a part of him—a quieter, buried part—that longed for the simplicity of those childhood days, back when the future felt limitless and dreams were shared beneath the dappled shade of a tree.

The bell above the door jingled as Seungmin stepped into the local café, the scent of freshly brewed coffee wrapping around him like a warm hug. He glanced around, his gaze snagging on a familiar figure at a corner table. His breath caught.

It was them.

She was concentration furrowing her brow. Time had been kind to them, shaping her once-youthful features into something more confident, more assured. Seungmin’s heart gave a small, unexpected lurch. He hadn’t seen them in years, but the sight of them felt like slipping into an old, well-worn sweater—comfortable and warm.

Before he could think better of it, he walked over. “Still hogging the best seat in the café, I see.”

She looked up, startled at first, but her expression quickly melted into one of delighted surprise. “Seungmin?”

“The one and only,” he said with a small smile, slipping into the chair across from them.

“I can’t believe it.” she laughed, the sound like a melody he hadn’t realized he’d been missing. “You look… different. Older, obviously. But still you.”

“You too,” he replied, his eyes tracing the subtle changes in her face. “How long has it been? Eight, nine years?”

“Something like that.” she shook her head in disbelief. “Wow. So, what brings you back?”

“Family stuff,” he said vaguely, not wanting to dive into the details just yet. “And you? Still writing?”

She nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Yeah. Finally turned it into more than just a hobby. And you? How’s city life treating you?”

He hesitated, unsure how to sum up years of long hours, crowded subways, and a gnawing sense of something missing. “It’s… busy,” he said at last. “But it’s good. It’s what I wanted. Or thought I wanted.”

She studied him for a moment, her gaze thoughtful. “You don’t sound convinced.”

He chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “Maybe I’m not. What about you? This place looks good on you.”

“Thanks,” She said softly. “I’ve been… happy here. It’s not perfect, but it’s home.”

Home. The word hit him like a freight train. He’d spent so much time running away from this place, chasing his ambitions, that he hadn’t stopped to think about what he’d left behind. Or who.

Over the next few days, they fell into an easy rhythm. She showed him around town, pointing out what had changed and what hadn’t. They laughed about old memories, like the time they’d built a treehouse that had collapsed the very next day or the endless summer afternoons spent trying to catch fireflies.

The more time Seungmin spent with her, the more he realized how much he’d missed her presence. She had a way of grounding him, of reminding him of who he was before life got so complicated. And yet, she wasn't the same person he’d left behind. she was more confident now, more self-assured, with stories and experiences he hadn’t been a part of. It only made him admire them more.

One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, they found themselves beneath the old oak tree where they’d spent so many afternoons as kids. The air was thick with unspoken words, the kind of silence that begged to be filled.

“You know,” Seungmin began, his voice quiet, “coming back here… it’s made me realize how much I’ve missed this. Missed you.”

She looked at him, her eyes searching his. “I missed you too,” she admitted. “But I didn’t think… I mean, you were off living your big-city life. I didn’t think you’d want to look back.”

He shook his head, a small, rueful smile tugging at his lips. “I thought I had everything I wanted. But being here, with you… it feels like I’ve found a part of myself I didn’t even know was missing.”

Her breath hitched, and for a moment, neither of them spoke. Then, with a tentative smile, she reached for his hand. “Maybe some things are worth revisiting.”

Under the sprawling branches of the oak tree, where their childhood dreams had once taken root, Seungmin leaned in and closed the gap between them. The kiss was soft and tentative, like the first rays of sunlight after a long, dark night.

In that moment, Seungmin knew that coming home had never really been about family obligations. It had been about finding his way back to the one person who had always felt like home.

[steddieasitgoes]

@steddiemas Day 19 Prompt: Steddie as Parents

Tags: Established Relationship, Good Parent Steve Harrington, Good Parent Eddie Munson, Christmas Fluff, Elf on the Shelf, Eddie Munson Is A Menace, The Return Of Marley Harrington-Munson

wc: 1079 | Rating: G

Read on ao3 | ao3 collection

Steve and Eddie grew up thinking the highlight of being a parent around the holidays was getting to partake in any and all Santa traditions. To some extent it is, they both love taking Marley to see the big man, and watching her open the gifts they worked hard to secure is always a top ten moment of the year. But Santa isn’t the only highlight for kids anymore. Nowadays Elf on the Shelf is all the rage and they’re fully on board.

Maybe too on board if they’re being honest.

See, Steve and Eddie have very different approaches to the Elf on the Shelf madness that transpires in their house during the month of December.

After one too many heated arguments over what the Elf should do next, they found a compromise. Steve is in charge of Mango the Elf on even days, Eddie on odds, and neither one is allowed to criticize what the other chooses to do.

Not only does it preserve the Christmas magic for Marley, who nearly stumbled in on the two of them playing tug-o-war with the stupid Elf at two in the morning three years ago, but it also saves their marriage. Steve can’t think of many other things that would be more embarrassing than admitting to a marriage counselor that they’re there because of a damn Elf.

Like clockwork, Mango the Elf arrives on December 1st in a chaotic flurry that Eddie manages to one-up every year. Steve has no idea how he does it, but even he can’t help but marvel at the creative scenes Eddie manages to create — especially this year’s which saw Mango arrive by way of a hot air balloon.

It was a tough act to follow, but the two have made it clear that competition has no space in Mango’s antics. After all, it’s all about putting a smile on Marley’s face. How big that smile is shouldn’t matter.

(It definitely does.)

After scouring Pinterest for ideas and a quick call to Robin who thinks the entire Elf Shenanigans is a nightmare, Steve finds himself cutting 200 pieces of paper into snowflakes to transform their living room into a winter wonderland for Mango to play in.

And so it goes.

Eddie creates mayhem and messes — chocolate chips left in the sink because Mango used it as a toilet, toilet paper dropped over the chandelier, and worst of all, flour all over the kitchen after she engaged in a snow angel competition with Barbie.

Steve bites his tongue and focuses his energy on wholesome moments — a Christmas bow rock climbing wall, a slumber party with socks sleeping bags, and plenty of guests, and of course, Marley’s favorite: Mango’s trip to the Elf spa.

They keep each other on their toes, pushing each other to be more and more creative and Marley gets to wake up every morning to a new scene that brings a smile on her face and reminds them of the childlike wonder they were robbed of but are making up for now.

It’s a flawless plan, until disaster strikes.

“Have you seen Mango?”

“Mango?” Eddie yawns, shuffling into the kitchen. “We didn’t buy any Mangos. S’a summer fruit.”

“Not the fruit, the Elf. What did you do with her last night?”

Eddie yawns again, scratching his bare chest as he waits for the coffee to finish brewing. “I hid her like always. A good one too. You know the birdhouse in the yard? Well, it’s now Mango’s treehouse. Decorated it and everything.”

“You mean the birdhouse that is currently being swarmed by a couple of Blue Jays?” Steve asks, voice teetering in the space between calm and panic.

Abandoning the Kurig, Eddie slides across the floor and over to the window that overlooks the backyard. Sure as shit, a couple of Bluejays are going to town on the birdhouse and Mango judging by the red fabric gliding through the morning breeze.

“Oh shit! Mango!”

Steve and Eddie both sprint into the backyard. Steve works on scaring the birds off, while Eddie collects the mangled pieces that remain of Mango. A leg on the floor, an arm in the bushes across the yard. Her decapitated head lays beaten and bruised inside the birdhouse, eyes pecked out and nose completely missing. Tinsel litters the grass along with the careful construction paper decorations Eddie had spent hours making.

If he weren’t so panicked over what Marley is going to think when she wakes up, he’d be crying.

“What are we going to do!”

“It’s too late to get a replacement this year,” Steve says, shaking his head at the carnage in Eddie’s hands. “Maybe we… we write a note! Say Santa called Mango back early because Marley’s been so good and he needs extra hands on present duty?”

“That could work!” Eddie smiles, leaning over the tinsel-covered grass to kiss Steve. “Look at you, coming in clutch with a story. Told ya I’d make a storyteller out of you one day.”

Steve snorts. “Only took 15 years.”

“Better late than never.”

Steve shakes his hand before his eyes drift back over to Mango’s destroyed state. Letting out a sigh, he tips his head on Eddie’s shoulder. “Is it weird m’going to miss this thing?”

Eddie shakes his head, jostling Steve in the process. “It feels like a death. Maybe we should bury her.”

“And risk Marley digging her up in the summer?”

“You’re right. She doesn’t need that trauma,” Eddie chuckles. “Let’s have a moment of silence in her honor then.”

Steve doesn’t argue and they both duck their heads for a moment or two before a gust of wind picks up turning them into shivering messes. After hiding Mango’s form in the trash bin, they return to their warm kitchen.

“We are going to replace her though, right?” Eddie asks, finally sipping his coffee.

“Oh definitely. The minute they’re back in stock I’m buying two. One for next year and one for backup just in case your wild scenes turn disastrous again.”

“Smart thinking,” Eddie smiles. “Guess I should get started on that letter.”

Glancing at the clock, Steve nods. “Better hurry. Marley’ll be up any minute."

"Shit," Eddie says, scrambling to open their junk drawer full of pens and random scraps of paper. "Distract her for me?" 

"I'll try my best," Steve says, pressing a kiss to the top of Eddie's head before disappearing in the direction of Marley's room. 

[dancinglikebutterflywings]

12:09pm | Kang Yeosang

-> Pairing: Kang Yeosang x Reader

-> Request: No.

-> Summary: It's Yeosang's birthday.

-> Warnings: None.

-> Word Count: 493

-> Requests: Open until 31st June.

Yeosang Masterlist | Tag List Sign-Up | Requesting Guidelines

©️ 2024 dancinglikebutterflywings - do not copy, modify and/or repost anywhere.

With balloons in hand, Y/N is patiently waiting in the lobby of the KQ building for her boyfriend to come down and join her for their lunch plans. The receptionist keeps checking in with her to ensure she's comfortable waiting for Yeosang instead of going up to meet him. Y/N explains that they agreed to meet in the lobby before heading to the little cafe across the street. With only an hour for lunch, they want to make the most of their time together before returning to their busy schedules.  

A minute passed before the elevator doors opened revealing a familiar figure. Y/N's heart flutters as Yeosang, with his charming smile and gentle demeanor, approaches her. She smiles, holding out the balloons and greeting him as he reaches her, “Happy Birthday, My Love.” 

"Thank you, Jagiya," he says, taking them and hugging her while pressing a kiss to her temple. 

Y/N feels her cheeks flush at the intimate gesture. Yeosang wasn’t huge on public displays of affection but when it came to her, he can't help but let his guard down.

"Ready for lunch?" she asks him, ready to celebrate his birthday. He nods and they make their way over to the cafe. 

As they enter the cafe, their sense of smell is invaded with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and freshly baked sweet treats. The cozy atmosphere instantly puts them at ease, creating the perfect setting for their intimate birthday celebration. They order their food and drinks before Y/N spots an empty table near the back, private from the other customers. 

“I’m sorry I can’t celebrate your birthday with everyone tonight,” Y/N apologizes once they are seated. She wasn’t supposed to be working tonight but her boss had ordered her to come in unable to find anyone else to cover the shift. 

“We’re celebrating it now,” he takes her hand, entwining their fingers and reassuring her that it’s okay.  

"I got you something," she says letting go of his hand to reach inside her bag. 

"I told you not to worry about getting me anything," he reminds her of their conversation last week. 

"I know, but I couldn't resist and I got this before you told me not to get you anything," she replies with a mischievous smile. Finally, she pulls out an envelope and places it in front of him.

Curiosity sparkles in his eyes as he picks it up and carefully opens it. He chuckles when he finds coupons inside. Some are handmade offering one free massage, a day where they only do things he wants to do, and other cheesy couple things as well as some vouchers for his favourite fried chicken place. 

“I love these,” he smiles lovingly at his partner. “I’ll definitely be cashing them in, hopefully soon. I love you,” he leans across the table placing a small peck on her lips. “I love you too,” she replies just as their food and drinks arrive. 

TAGGING:

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@green-agent - @tinyelfperson – @hollxe1 – @laylasbunbunny - @deltamoon666

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@skittyneos - @pinkpunkdynamite

UNABLE TO TAG AT ALL OR PROPERLY: If you get the notification, let me know and I'll change it. If you don't please check your visibility settings.

@trinxt - @keshivibes

[itsgirlcraft]

Rainbow Quest Roleswap AU - Prologue

Heh. Look at my emotionally damaging fic, boy /hj (I love that the prologue reads like an epilogue 🥰)

@its-indigos

You really liked the prev rambling of the au so- lemme know if you wanna be tagged when future chapters post- (there r four <3)

@dracl-dragon bc yes :3

I smiled, watching young Origin exploring the meadow.

I don't know how long it was since I'd restarted the time loop. The Origin hung around a silk string on my head Origin Steve crafted himself.

It was almost like I was a dad now. He now was my world. Who knows how long it'd be until I'd have to dissappear into the background and let fate take hold. I dreaded what would happen to me when it came.

I mean, I couldn't be seen by the Steves Origin would one day create. The past can't be changed, or else reality could break.

But none of that mattered at that moment. I needed to be there for Origin. I needed to teach him all I knew. All he would need to become that ancient Creator I knew.

Maybe he'll start creating before I leave his side. Maybe some Steves will see the true Creator, once and never again. Maybe the truth will be forgotten.

But the one thing I knew I could not tell Origin was of The First Curse. It has to happen. I can't tell him what will happen. Reality itself could fall apart if I screw up.

No pressure there..

...

That had been years ago. Time flies by, heh. Origin Steve was maturing fast. He was already able to create life. I had yet to tell him the complete truth. Of the Origin. Of me and him.

I was changing too. Spending so much time around such pure power transformed me. I had massive black-tipped white wings. Which meant new clothes.

I started wearing draped cloth that tied around my neck or shoulder with a decorative belt. I obviously kept every trinket and memento from my past. I'd managed to keep them intact throughout everything.

I never showed them to Origin. It was too risky to bring up the past..er..future, yet.

Nevertheless, I liked it here. It was so peaceful. I loved watching Origin practice his powers from the edge of the house.

It was a simple little thing. A treehouse. It reminded me of childhood. Except instead of imaginary magic and creatures, it was filled with real magic. The spiral staircase of crimson and warped wood ran around the thick trunk, splitting off with the branches.

In the first week I'd been here, I'd built a very simple treehouse the player way. With my own tools and resources gathered by hand. It was a great time for Origin to learn as well.

Over the years, we've renovated that same treehouse into a beautiful, whimsical, fantastical home. We'd transformed the leaves into rainbow colors that sparkled in the morning light. The branches grew out, and we added more to our home with each branch so wide we could run around without falling.

A training arena using the thick, twisting wood and sharp points as obstacles, rocks and water added in for variety. An enchanting area, built into a knot. That place always flowed with magic. A farm. A crystal-clear pond surrounded by smaller trees where fireflies floated above in evenings, blending in with the stars.

I taught him everything I knew as a player. He found his own way. When we'd spend hours underground, he'd teleport into random caves with no entrances and find diamonds. After I showed him how to make a Nether portal, he showed me his own dimensional portal.

The new dimension was empty of Steves, of course. But it was beautiful. Giant fish swam through the blue-white sky, passing by floating islands filled with mystical hybrid creatures. They all had one thing in common - the pure blue eyes. They reminded me of Origin himself.

We'd moved the portals into the house too. The Nether had its own dedicated room, filled with brewing materials and a pit of lava covered in glass in the center. The other sat at the top of the tree, surrounded by clouds. We'd decided to name the new dimension the Ascended, since the fish and islands floated.

I loved flying through the blue-hued landscape with Origin. It became a regular activity. I felt so free.

It was the lonely times that made it unbearable. Origin had truly become my world, my everything. Nothing else filled the growing emptiness from banishing myself here. It never felt like banishment when Origin was around. Every day he had something new to tell me about or discover. But it felt like torture when he was off doing his own thing. What I'd give to soften the loneliness.

I knew I had to get used to it.

He was becoming a young man. I'd not be needed one day..

...

It had been so long since then. Today was the first day he'd create a true Steve. When I'd no longer be needed.

He'd learned everything I knew. He made his own path and I knew I couldn't follow him once he's gone too far.

It was an Orange Steve. He played with them, just like I had with him. He showed them the world. Our world. Their world.

They were fascinated by everything, wanted to build, to create. I smiled, knowing Origin did it right.

It had been Origin's 18th birthday that I'd given him the Origin. The nether star-like artifact now hung around his own head.

I had changed so much from my original self. My human self. I had long, rainbow tail feathers. I had stopped wearing my bandanna, showing eyes healed from darkness. They were now glowing green, like Origin's own shimmering blue eyes. I had grown large antlers that grew tiny colorful crystals.

Origin had grown a similar set of antlers. Some crystals were growing on his, one of each color.

I knew it would be someday soon I'd not be needed.

...

It had only been a month, but we already had a small village of Steves bustling about with every color. I never used my real name around them. I called myself Creator, Father of All, whatever.

I had told Origin of the past/future long ago. That I one day would no longer be by his side and he'd make some major decisions. He'd have to lead these Steves to glory without me.

Our tree had grown massive, the bark turned a deep rainbow of colors and the leaves pastel rainbow. We hadn't made the changes, it had changed itself. The world was changing. It was flowing with magic.

And now he was ready.

I could leave his side now. Origin had become a leader. I can only hope that I taught him well. That the battle against TFC will not bring about mass destruction of all.

It was inevitable. It all was. I would leave one day. He would create The First Curse. TFC would gain sentience and bring about misery.

But where would I go? To my world? Would I forget everything and do this all over again, until the end of my own existence? Was I cursed to forever loop in a neverending call to duty? Or perhaps I would vanish in a literal way. This form would just stop existing to make way for fate. For the future. For the past me coming in generations later from now.

I fear not what will end, but what will follow.

...

It had been only a couple weeks, and Origin's crystals had fully grown. He knew what they did, and gave them to the Steves. He created the Judge in my likeness. The Steves had quickly expanded into little villages.

I had been exploring the roots of the Rainbow Tree Of Life (that's what the Steves called it, anyways) when I had a thought. Perhaps nothing would come to take me away. I had to do it myself.

So I made a secret room deep underground.

I had grown to 5 blocks by then, so it was considerably smaller than I needed at first. I had gained claws as well, so I had stopped wearing shoes altogether.

I had to expand the little room twice to make enough room to use my magic. I had realized I could probably make portals just like Origin.

I had never bothered to try, so I needed to practice. Deep within the roots, I practiced again and again to create. I had only created one being: Origin Steve. And that was with the help of the Origin.

I had to create a portal to a new dimension I'd never been to without the Origin. And without Origin Steve either. I imitated the moves of the Orange Steves, the free flowing movements awakening the Creator within.

I practiced every day. Letting the symphony of the march of time flow through me. I remembered the good times. The bad times. All that led to my eventual disappearance from the timeline.

I couldn't stay here. Not any longer. It was once my destiny to save this land. And now it is my duty to leave it.

I don't know how long I spent there until it happened. A glistening portal. The frame shimmered in a reversed rainbow, the middle black as Void Steve. An orange center glowed in the deep abyss.

I knew once I stepped through I'd never be back. I would destroy it with my exit from this world.

I returned to the house, which suddenly felt distant. Like a forgotten memory. I wandered the now long, intricately detailed halls and rooms, reminiscing on all my memories. I went into the one room I knew I built myself, with wood and stone.

A memorial to the past.

I had made paper cranes representing everyone from my past. Origin, Rainbow, Light, Dark, Time...they were all there. Except for The First Curse. He doesn't deserve to be remembered at all.

I hung the necklace from Orange Steve/Rainbow around a poorly made wooden carving of him.

I made another for Dark out of gilded blackstone. On his I placed the gold ring he gave me in his final moments.

I made a crude clock mask, placing it on a vaguely Steve-shaped quartz figure for Time.

Directly beside Time's was a full sculpture I tried to make out of leaves, dirt, netherrack, and rocks. It didn't look great, but it was my dedication to Elemental. A fake slice of pie was placed before him.

I made a pair of fake wings for the Blue Steve that became Soul Steve with my molted feathers that I dyed blue. I placed a halo atop their statue's head, made from quartz scraps.

I made so many over the years. One for every person besides the Demons and TFC. I used my own mini crystals to decorate Orange Steve's carving and many others. M, Light, Green, Yellow, the leaders, all of them.

I made Origin's last. It was that same day I'd made that portal.

I had returned with an intricate, pale blue woven silk cloak. Reminiscent of my old green hoodie, which I'd grown out of long ago. It almost sparkled in the light.

I would spend my last days by Origin's side, making sure he knows I love him. This was only a temporary goodbye, after all.

I wrote him a letter, to put in the memorial. He'd find it soon after I'd leave. I would leave a key by his bed. Him being the curious guy he is, would look for it.

I tried not to cry as I stood in the massive room, knowing I'd never see anything again. I didn't know what would happen and all I wanted was for everyone to be happy. To live a good life.

But I knew it would go wrong. The future was dark for them but it would heal. My own future was lonely in the fog of the unknown.

I will cause good and bad times. And I end and begin conflict. And I've brought the love and hate. I am the center of the universe.

And now this center needed to leave. They would fall in the dusk but rise in the dawn. Perhaps I'll be around to see it all again.

How I wish I could change it. Make them all happy. None of them deserve death. Even Void once was a hero. He brought pain, but so have I.

None of us are completely good or bad. We are all but shades of gray. Some shine brighter than others. Some darken. Others brighten over time, often brighter than those once lighter than them.

And now that I have brought the light, it is time to turn the light off and go to sleep. Perhaps we shall meet again in my dreams.

Goodbye Origin. I love you.

I stepped through the portal after slipping the key into Origin's room. Hopefully he'll understand. He knew the truth after all.

My body burned as I stepped through. My bandanna the last thing left behind as the portal collapsed with me in blue and green flames.

Goodbye everyone. You'll never know me but I love you all. I wish you'd know I did this for you. I love you more than anything.

[asteroidsdusts]

The Silence After the War

Gowther x King ; The Seven Deadly Sins

Word Count: 2.6K

Summary: Set after the war, Diane had left King behind, he had no one around him but the fairies and everything felt quiet. One morning King wakes up to Gowther outside of the forest in need of a place to stay.

(sorry there are weird time skips in this i’m new to writing one shots and this would have definitely read better in a long fanfiction font, but i wanted to shorten it and add time skips to keep it in one shot form </3 )

The war was over, but the silence it left behind was louder than the war ever was. King sat high in the branches of the World Tree, overlooking the Fairy King's Forest, the fairies were rebuilding during this time, and peace was finally restored.

Diane had left weeks ago, the giants needed her, she was born to lead them, and King couldn’t bring himself to follow, not this time, he told her that he’d wait and that he understood. He wasn’t sure if that was the truth any more.

The next morning he awoke to the sound of someone knocking – his magical barrier at the forest's edge. As King floated down, whoever it was, had walked straight through it. He blinked slowly, his vision still slightly blurry from his rest.

“Gowther?” The doll stood there, as expressionless and strange as ever. “What do you want?” King asked, and Gowther tilted his head slightly.

“I wish to observe the development of emotional stability after the war, particularly among those with extended lifespans; Fairies, for example.” King crossed his arms as Gowther spoke, he still didn’t fully trust the other sin.

“Is this one of your manipulation experiments?” King asked, his tone coming off more harsh than he intended.

“I am just interested in studying, I do not wish to harm anyone.” Gowther explained, pausing a bit before continuing. “I don’t really have any place to go, and I figured this would be good for me, I want to learn more about those around me.”

King hesitated at Gowthers words, he thought about how lonely he had felt since Diane leaving, and he didn’t have much contact with the other sins, he couldn’t imagine how lonely Gowther also felt, especially after learning he’d had a heart after all. King felt his chest ache, but he still kept his guard up.

“... Fine, just don’t mess with anyone's head.”

“I won’t,” Gowther replied.

At first the two rarely spoke. Gowther would spend days exploring the forest, he either had a notebook in hand, recording the things around him, or he had a book in hand reading peacefully. King had kept a close eye on Gowther, still not having full trust in him.

Each night Gowther would go up to the old treehouse that King had offered him for shelter, he never asked for anything else. King would stay close by, silently, still suspicious.

One night, a storm had rolled in, King floated above making sure everyone had made it to shelter safely, it was a particularly harsh storm, thats when he noticed a glimmer of pink down below, Gowther.

“What the hell are you doing?” King asked as he flew down next to the doll.

Gowther blinked, “rain feels strange. I’ve never noticed before, when it hits my skin I feel…” He didn’t finish.

King grabbed Gowther's arm, dragging him to shelter. “It’s not safe out there right now.” King spoke once they got to safety. Gowther looked up at him confused. “You can’t just stand outside during a storm.” King said firmly.

“Okay.”

They stood there in an awkward silence as the storm brewed outside. King sighed softly, dragging a hand through his hair, he sat down, motioning Gowther to sit beside him, Gowther muttered out a thank you as he sat down quietly. King turned his gaze to look as Gowther sat down, King held eye contact with Gowther, his eyes normally vacant, held something different now, he wasn’t exactly sure how to place it… longing?

That night when he returned home, he decided to get some rest for the night, he laid down he couldn’t silence the thoughts about Gowther. He didn’t understand his feelings. He tried to redirect his thoughts to Diane but the longer she was away the more King knew that his love for Diane was one that was made out of comfort, something he knew and felt safe in, he knew it wasn’t his true feelings and he let it drag on too scared to allow himself to know anything else. King didn’t particularly like new feelings, it made him feel less in control, he couldn’t help but cry that night before he was finally able to get some rest.

The following weeks King kept a distance from Gowther, that was until one evening when he noticed Gowther sitting at the edge of a stream, holding a broken flute.

“It belonged to a child,” he spoke a he felt Kings presence. “She gave it to me after I told her that her lullaby made my chest feel tight. She said it meant I had a heart.” King slightly flinched at Gowthers words, he knew that Gowther had to have been struggling with his memories, still not fully understanding, King wouldn’t even know what to do in his situation, and he couldn’t help but feel a pang of empathy for the pink haired man.

“You’re clearly trying, and that’s more than most.” King spoke gently, as he crouched down next to Gowther. As Gowther looked up to him, he couldn’t help but smile.

–

Over the course of sometime, King shared more moments with Gowther, unsure of what it meant.

Gowther’s footsteps were light, almost too light for someone so full of questions.

King watched him from a high branch, arms crossed, hovering in a half-hearted patrol. The fairies below didn’t mind Gowther. They found him strange, sure, but harmless, and curious. Some of them even liked answering his questions.

King didn’t understand it, didn’t understand him.

He still remembered everything, Diane’s lost memories, the awkward puppet movements, the way Gowther used to talk like a script he hadn’t finished reading. That guy had messed with people’s minds, warped their hearts, lied without blinking.

And now?

Now he stood barefoot in the shallows of the river, letting tadpoles swim around his ankles like he had nothing better to do. He had tied his sleeves up clumsily, the hem of his tunic was wet. He looked… normal.

King’s brow furrowed.

What was he even doing here?

He said he wanted to learn about emotions. That he didn’t have anywhere else to go. But was that it? Was that really why he’d come? King didn’t know what made him more uneasy; the idea that Gowther was lying, or the idea that he wasn’t.

That night, King couldn’t sleep. The forest was too still, the kind of quiet that pressed in on you, like the world had exhaled and forgotten to breathe again. He lay in his hammock, listening to the soft creak of branches, and thinking, again about Diane.

He rolled over and closed his eyes, and saw Gowther standing in the rain again, face tilted to the sky like he was trying to feel something, what kind of idiot stood in a storm like that?

King’s fingers curled, Gowther was strange. But he stayed. Gowther stayed.

He didn’t push. He didn’t pry. He didn’t treat King like a ruler. He just… showed up. Day after day. Sometimes, King wondered if the loneliness in Gowther was louder than his own, and that was the part that scared him, because it was starting to feel familiar.

–

King had noticed that Gowther began acting off, Not in his usual, analytical way, more withdrawn. He’s stopped asking questions. He avoids eye contact. Something’s shifting, and King, who’s more attuned to subtle emotions than he lets on picks up on it.

One night, King senses a strange magical frequency near the old part of the forest. It’s faint but persistent, like a magical heartbeat. Curious, he follows it. King lands near an abandoned glade, one they hadn’t used since before the war. He could hear something, a low hum of magic, subtle but unnatural. There was a small structure nearby, makeshift, like someone tried to hide it.

Inside was a table. Notes. Magical etchings carved into the surface, and in the center a crystalline object shaped like an open eye, resting in a containment field.

King approaches cautiously. The relic reacts to him. He freezes. For a moment, he doesn’t breathe. Then, from behind him—

“It only happened once.” Gowther’s voice. Quiet. Honest. Guilty.

King turns slowly. Gowther stands there, unreadable but softer than usual. Like the act of being caught has cracked something open.

“You used it on me?” King asks. His voice is thin.

“I activated the resonance field for a moment. Less than three seconds,” Gowther says. “It didn’t alter anything. It only… harmonized our magical auras. I wanted to see if I could sense compatibility—emotional potential.” The goat sin claimed in a matter-of-fact way.

King stares at him. “And you didn’t think to ask?” He didn’t know what to think of the situation, confusion was making him feel dizzy.

“I was afraid,” Gowther admits. “Afraid that if I asked, you’d say no. And that if you said no, it would mean this feeling I’ve been having… isn’t real.” King couldn’t even process what the other man was saying, his anger was already building up too fast to really be able to process what was going on.

King’s fists clench. “So you stole a piece of it instead, You stole a moment from me,” King said, the tremble in his voice surprised even him.

“I didn’t alter you,” Gowther said. “I only looked.”

“But I didn’t know.” King stepped forward. “That moment, by the river, I felt something. Something warm, something that felt like maybe... maybe I wasn’t alone anymore.” His voice cracked. He hated how small he sounded. “And now I don’t know if it was real, Gowther. Or if you made it happen.”

“I didn’t manufacture it,” Gowther said. “I promise, I just needed to know what I was feeling. I don’t trust my emotions yet. I trust yours more.”

“That doesn’t make it okay,” King whispered.

“I know,” Gowther said. “But I didn’t want to study you. I wanted to be sure. Because... because I think I feel something that I don’t have the words for.” Gowther stood with his hands folded behind his back, it had started to rain, and neither of them had moved. King hovered just above the ground, wings twitching, fists clenched at his sides.

“I told you not to mess with people’s minds,” King snapped, he hated the way this whole situation was making him feel, he didn’t understand it.

“I didn’t change anything,” Gowther said calmly. “I only observed, it was a passive resonance field, non-invasive.”

“You used magic on me without asking!”

“It wasn’t manipulation. I only wanted to know if—”

“If what? If you could feel something? If I would?” King tried rasing his voice, but his voice ended up cracking. Gowther flinched not visibly, but something in his posture wavered.

“I’m trying to understand what love feels like,” he said. “You… confuse me.” There it was again. That flat, patient voice, like he was discussing weather patterns or potion ingredients, not something that had deeply affected King and felt like something was tearing through him inside out.

‘You confuse me.’ Like King was a puzzle. A broken clock he wanted to fix.

He didn’t get it. He never did, you don’t get to study love. You don’t get to poke at it until it spills its guts and then write it down and move on. You don’t get to test if someone feels something for you.

Because the truth was—

The truth was—

King didn’t know what he felt, not exactly. Not anymore, but it was real, and Gowther had looked at it like it was just another line in a book, and King couldn’t stand that.

King’s voice came out lower this time. “You think you’re the only one who doesn’t understand love? You think you’re the only one trying to figure out if what you feel is real?”

Gowther blinked. “You’ve… questioned it?”

“I’ve lived with it. Loved someone with my heart, and still asked myself every day if I was enough. If I was feeling it right. If she was ever going to come back. If I should’ve held on tighter or let go sooner.” His wings folded in, the ache behind his ribs was unbearable. “And then you come in here,” he muttered, “with your blank stares and your questions and, and you just… you make it worse. You make it quiet, and I hate it.”

Silence.

Gowther stepped forward, carefully. The rain had softened into a mist.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.” King’s chest tightened.

“I don’t want to be an experiment, Gowther.”

“You’re not,” Gowther said quietly.

King looked at him then, really looked, at the damp lashes stuck to his cheeks, the gentle tremble in his shoulders, no facade, no calculation. Just… him.

“Then what am I?” King asked.

Gowther hesitated. Then; “You’re the first person I’ve ever missed before you were gone.” The rain had stopped. Mist clung to the forest floor like breath held too long. .King stood frozen, the anger had drained from him all at once, leaving nothing behind but weight, that ache again. That unbearable warmth that wasn’t just pain, it was want.

Gowther stood a few feet away, his hands were still folded behind him, but his eyes… they were different. Not empty, just full, soft. Almost afraid.

‘What are you doing to me?

You’re not supposed to look at me like that. Like I’m something you don’t want to figure out. Like I don’t have to explain everything I’m feeling for it to matter.

I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t want—

But you stay. Every day, you stay.

Even when I don’t say a word.

What is it called when someone makes you want to stop hiding?’

King took a shaky breath. “Gowther,” he said, quietly. “You don’t understand what you’re saying”

“I think I do now,” Gowther replied, and then, almost tentatively he reached out. His fingers hovered for a moment in the air, as if waiting for permission, then settled lightly against King’s hand. King flinched, not from fear, from the softness of it. The gentleness of a gesture that didn’t ask for anything in return.

“You make it quiet,” King said, his voice breaking. “But it’s not bad. It’s… peaceful, and I haven’t felt peaceful in a long time.”

“I’ve never felt it at all,” Gowther admitted, the hand in King’s tightened slightly. “I didn’t understand why I wanted to stay here,” Gowther continued, voice so soft it barely stirred the mist. “But I think it’s because, when I’m near you, I feel closer to something real. I don’t want to study love anymore. I want to learn how to give it. To choose it.” He paused.

“I want to choose you.”

King didn’t answer with words, he stepped forward, closed the space between them, and leaned his forehead against Gowther’s. No kiss, not yet. That would come in time, but in that moment, the silence between them was complete, comforting, warm.

“I don’t know what this is either,” King whispered, “but… I’ll stay, if you will.”

“I will.”

Later that night, they sat side by side in the treehouse. Two mugs of tea, two hearts still learning the shape of one another. King dozed off first, head tilting lightly to rest against Gowther’s shoulder, Gowther didn’t move, he just sat there, still as the stars, a quiet smile curving at the corners of his mouth.

For the first time in his long, fragmented existence, Gowther didn’t wonder whether the feeling in his chest was real.

He knew it was.

[the-final-sif]

Okay, so XD now has a Small Child (tm), c!Dream is a little 4 year old who has just been take from his family and forced to wear a strange mask that fundamentally changes his body to a human form. He's not a fan of this, but he's taking it well. Probably.

Now, something that helps is that in Ender Dragon hybrid society, kids split off from their parents relatively young. Not at 4 years old normally, but it'd be shocking for a 10 year old to still be in their parent's nest. The average is about 7-8 for moving to a new nest, but some go as young as 6.

This is partially because Ender Dragons hybrids tend to be quite independent and want their own space, but also because much of Ender Dragon society is highly communal. A kid moves into their own nest (or sometimes a sibling/friend nest), but they aren't really on their own nor are they considered full adults. Most stay nearby their parents (or another set of trusted adults, grandparents, a mentor, cool older sibling, etc) and still get a lot of help from the adults around them.

Every adult is generally considered to be responsible for ensuring the well being of any older child based on their ability rather than genetic relation or adoption.

Some of this culture is historic, but some of it has also come around in "recent" years with Ender Dragon Hybrids being entirely isolated from other societies, cultures, and most outside threats aside from a very strange curse that claims the lives of marked children once each generation. The relative safety of this situation helps enable this sort of culture.

As a result, Dream wasn't necessarily super freaked out by a strange being abducting him. He generally trusts just about every adult he interacts with, and this adult is clearly of the End. The mask was quite shocking, but after XD explained that it was to help protect him, Dream understood. He was sad about leaving behind the people he knew, but also quite excited for this new adventure.

Also XD let him have ice cream, something he'd never had before and that tasted amazing. Clearly this man has secrets.

Great! The child has accepted whatever the fuck is going on here. XD was honestly excepting that to be harder than it was.

Uh.

Okay.

Now, admittedly, XD has been working on this plan for at least 300 years. It's the only chance he'll have at this. He had all the details nailed out, he'd picked the kills, found his excuses, figured out how to try to hide the child, all of it was planned for.

Except he kinda sorta forgot that he did need to actually raise the kid during this part.

In his defense, he no longer really remembers most of his human life. He forgot they like, need things.

Right.

Okay.

So XD realizes he needs to take of this now-human child. What do children need? What do humans need? Dream appeared to enjoy the ice cream. Do humans need ice cream?

He doesn't really want to ask for instructions from the child because that would make him look dumb, so instead XD just... tries to replicate some of what he remembers being around the village that Dream was taken from.

Building Dream a new nest is the first challenge, the child is delighted at the idea and has his own ideas for how it should look. But things have to change a bit, Dream no longer has his wings and a lot of his instincts have changed. He struggles to scrabble up cliff faces without his claws, and he keeps falling over because his balance has changed without his tail.

XD sees this and decides that rather than building a nest in a cliff, a treehouse will need to work instead. It lets Dream stay up higher without looking like an Ender Dragon's home. The trees are also much easier for the child to climb.

Getting a treehouse set up with basic supplies isn't that hard. XD ensures that there's food, sets up a potion brewing area with plenty of supplies, remembers that humans need beds and water for various things, and before too long there's a nice little setup.

Of course, there's plenty of arguing and little Dream isn't entirely happy with everything, but he does like that XD lets him use the potion stand. Before he was told he was too young. But look at him now! He can brew whatever he likes!

Obviously, XD also gives Dream some proper armor and weaponry. He even enchants it so it'll grow as Dream does!

And then, having handed this small child enchanted netherite murder equipment, XD leaves.

Not like! Without warning! He checked that Dream was doing alright and that he knew to stay safe and hidden from any gods, and then... went about his day.

XD is a god! He has things to do! Probably.

More importantly, it's not safe for him to spend too much time around Dream. Not only could it attract attention from the other gods, but it could also seriously harm Dream.

See, humans tend to be negatively impacted by too much exposure to gods. Their bodies aren't made to handle it.

Ender dragon hybrids were famously capable of spending lots of time around gods, and godlings are generally immune to these effects.

But Dream is no longer an ender dragon hybrid or a godling. The mask makes him almost entirely human. Which makes him vulnerable to the effects of being exposed to a god.

So XD leaves the child alone in a treehouse, assuming this will be fine and normal, and promises to come back to check in.

And he does!

A week later

Dream was getting worried about his strange guardian not coming back, but he'd been making do. He'd already found a small local river and started fishing so he could put food away for the winter.

XD was quite proud to see his progress! He also remembered at this point that humans can't just morph their appearances at will, and require clothing external to them. So he produced several extra outfits for Dream.

Dream when XD got him was wearing a lime green shirt and white shorts, and so XD assumes that's what he should look like all the time.

He creates an array of different weather outfits based on that color scheme, makes about 20 copies of each outfit and they find space for them in the house.

XD assumes this should last Dream for a month or so, and then he can replace whatever Dream actually used.

Speaking of used clothing, XD realizes that Dream clearly needs a place to get rid of them once they're used. So he creates a little void linked trash can for Dream to use.

Just drop the clothing in once you're done with them and they're gone!

XD is very smart and has prepared for every situation.

It will be another 10 years before Dream finds out about washing clothing.

With all that settled, XD takes a little bit of time to do some basic training. He hasn't quite told Dream that he's going to need to murder two gods in the future. He will, eventually. But for now XD just tells Dream he'll have a big task in the future, and he needs to be ready.

Dream accepts this without question and when XD leaves again, he starts dedicating himself to figuring out his new body and to his training.

He's also working on reading some of the books that XD left for him on combat tactics.

Admittedly, that one is a bit harder. His reading skills aren't quite there yet. But he is working at it! He makes mental notes to ask XD about what some of the words mean. Hopefully his guardian won't be upset that he can't quite make his way through these books.

He is 4. An older 4 year old, sure, but he's still 4. I think this is important to remember.

XD thankfully isn't upset, and spends some time reading the words out loud to him to help him out. The two of them settle into mostly regular weekly visits.

As Dream settles into the area, he starts to explore more, traveling further and further out.

He's curious about the world. His former home was very cut off. People couldn't go that far. But there seems to be so much space here! The world just keeps going!

One day, he hears something quite strange. The noises seem familiar but aren't quite something he understands. Dream finds himself moving close to the noise, trying to understand it.

As he approaches the source of the noise, he hears a familiar word and suddenly it hits him

It's another person talking.

Oh.

Someone else is here too.

[spiritluxray]

Alright it's Clash's turn in the spotlight

Clash is an alchemist and healer, she DOES NOT intentionally hurt people no matter how bad things are, and that actually carried over to when she was corrupted. Instead of fighting, she uses various potions and elixirs, and taught herself how to manipulate her energy into healing magic rather than summoning a weapon.

She lives in a treehouse nearby a common route through Aphelion Forest, which has a lot of resources for potion brewing in the wild. The forest, full of various mushrooms, berries, and crystals, the nearby lake for water (and she sometimes goes fishing), and a cave system, which has a different strain of crystals and plenty of limestone, which is used surprisingly often for potion recipes.

Try This often helps out Clash, normally grabbing buckets of water for her for brewing. He also tends to stay around to make sure Clash isn't too reckless, since she has a tendency to overwork herself while gathering and often collapses in the forest. Clash's recklessness often leads to her getting small cuts and bruises (she falls out of trees a LOT), so that's what lead to her teaching herself healing.

Even though Clash doesn't fight herself, she still helps others fight plenty. A few shapes use bows, and she often makes potions for those shapes for their arrows. Arrows dipped in potions prove to be quite effective, though the effect of the potion itself isn't nearly as strong.

[masterbuilderintern]

Would you be able to share your Axel headcanons? 👀👀👀👀 I am intrigued.

Congrats you just opened my insanity box.

-Axel shows a lot of symptoms of neglect through hating his own emotions or just a simple scene of him being afraid to outright ask for something from Jesse. Almost all of the scenes I'm thinking of are meant to be jokes but they aren't really funny to me. I take this game WAY too seriously, it's a little embarrassing LMAO.

He's also not nearly as aggressive as he initially seems? Like in his interactions with Lukas, he obviously hated that guy at first but he never physically hurt him. A lot of bark, but only bites if you make him.

A lot of talk just to say he totally had an okay parental figure in his life (personally think he was raised by a single mother) only to lose them very early on and absolutely nobody helped him after the fact. He idolized the griefer attitude, a life where you do whatever you want whenever, where you make your own rules. A very "hurt people hurt people" kind of life and he's not even realizing the issue.

For all members of the treehouse gang, I like to think they ended up together through their shared experience of being constantly let down by a world that should've been there for people like them. Whether it was a specific tragedy or just being a little "different" from other people, it caused them to isolate at some point in their lives.

MORE LIGHTHEARTED HEADCANONS:

-Axel has a quiet interest in brewing. Over time he became less embarrassed about it, especially with Ivor around to teach him better. In my perfect world where Axel and Olivia came along for the portal arc, Axel actually supplied the potions Lukas needed to recover from the Sky City incident.

Sure Ivor could've done it, but "It's good practice." Or that's the excuse Axel gave.

-He's also very good at sewing. Specifically, because he made that creeper mask and Enderdragon costume for Reuben. I just think it's cute. I need to do a sketch page of it but I like to think Axel has a mask collection he made himself.

Axel comes off as a tank main that subclasses as a healer to me.

-Petra is the coolest person ever to him. Even after he gets to know her. He had this unrealistic idea of her for a while but after getting to know her found out they share a lot in a much deeper way than just "the fighters." It changed how he saw her but for the better.

It's almost like when you have an older sister you idolize and when you grow up you still look up to her but you're also aware that she's just a person.

-He's always bickering with Olivia, like all the time. But if anything happened to her he'd become a serial killer real fast.

LESS FUNNY HEADCANONS:

-Axel took brewing more seriously after the F-Bomb incident. He never wants to be in a situation where he doesn't know what to do when someone is hurt ever again.

-Also, Axel has definitely been desensitized to death, he was way too normal about people killing themselves in Boom Town. My man has been THROUGH IT. Well, desensitized to STRANGERS dying, anyway.

-Jesse went with Olivia to Redstonia and Axel went to Boom Town alone. This symbolizes two things. One: It's a really big moment where he admits he's grown to trust Lukas a lot more to keep an eye out for survivors and fortify HQ by himself. Two: Boom Town made Axel realize how flippant he's been with his own safety, and how much he needs to start caring more because he has people in his life now that he doesn't want to lose.

[sol-rambles]

imagine Derap logs on one day to Zam and Mapic at Zaun just hanging out and talking about everything. Being close in a way Derap has never seen Zam with Mapic before. Just lying outside stargazing Zam lying his head on Mapics lap. Talking about what they were going to do after this arc was over, how much they missed being at eachothers side, how weird Mapic being with Flame was, Mapic mentioning how much he didn't like Zam teaming with Derap whilst Zam reassures him it will all be okay and that Mapic is always his no.1 priority. How he's never betraying him again.

The two giggling together about something and whispering, before taking off to Zam's base. Once there they make a bedroom and place their beds as close as they can together and decorate it. Leaving somewhere to hang up their armour. Brewing pots together and chatting the whole time. Zam gives Mapic half of his god apples and the two head back to Zaun, Mapic drops Zam off and pats him on the head, Zam leans over and gives him a goodbye hug and Mapic flies away right as Derap comes out of the treehouse.