#Winter storm in NC

[heswrongshesright]

Groundhog Déjà Vu - HWSR Ep 133

Join Andrew Lemacks and Nona Phelps on the 'He's Wrong She's Right' podcast as they dive into Groundhog Day predictions, their crazy weather stories, and the whimsical world of childhood allowances. This episode is filled with hilarious anecdotes, including a rare porcelain plate discovery at Goodwill worth thousands, and musings on children's financial literacy in today's digital age. Stick around for their shockingly contrasting views on the Super Bowl predictions, the black market for vegan KitKats, and much more! Don't miss out on this jam-packed episode!

Andrew's stomach growls louder than their debates in this episode! Dive right in as our dynamic duo discusses everything from Punxsutawney Phil's shady shadow predictions to the erratic Wilmington weather that's more unpredictable than a cat on catnip. With personal stories of winter woes, Andrew and Nona bring you heartfelt and hilarious takes that'll make you wish for snow days all over again. But it's not just icy tales; they're tackling the hot topic of children's allowances, sparking a debate that's more intense than your last family game night.

Thrift store enthusiasts, brace yourselves! Andrew unfolds the incredible story of a Goodwill find—an 18th-century Chinese plate snagged for just $4.99 and valued at $5,000. Could you imagine eating off of that antique? Their chit-chat uncovers the wild and wonderful world of thrifting, questioning why some treasures fly under the radar, and the ethically dubious but undeniably curious world of CEO salaries versus charity contributions.

Ready for some movie suggestions? While Nona prefers to dodge horror-comedies like 'The Menu,' they're still curious if they're worth the hype. And speaking of hype, what's the deal with vegan KitKats? Andrew and Nona discuss their surprising popularity in the UK, now creating a frenzy amongst fans since being pulled from shelves. This wild ride through pop culture and news is just what you need for your weekly dose of laughter and light-hearted debate.

Watch our latest episode here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL143tthLyKksSpobT1DBRCuM83GB-JkEx 

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00:00 Welcome and Introductions

00:37 Groundhog Day Discussion

01:23 Winter Weather Stories

04:43 Allowance Debate

06:54 Children and Responsibilities

13:17 Phone Bills and Financial Lessons

19:49 Allowance and Chores Debate

21:57 Thrift Store Treasure Hunt

22:49 Goodwill Finds and Reselling

26:03 CEO Salaries and Business Operations

26:30 Movie Recommendations and Reviews

28:13 Vegan KitKats and eBay Reselling

31:14 Super Bowl Predictions

32:53 Plane Crashes and Travel Fears

35:11 Podcast Wrap-Up and Announcements

#AmericasPodcast #AndrewLemacks #NonaPhelps #HesWrongShesRight #HWSR #ImRightHesWrong #Podcast #GroundhogDay #KidsAllowance #ChinesePlate #GoodwillFinds #ThriftShopping #VeganKitKats #SuperBowlPredictions #EaglesVsChiefs #WinterStormNC #PhoneBills #FunnyPodcast #Number1Podcast #EntertainmentPodcast

[arieleigh]

Icecicles from our latest winter storm ❄️

Leicester, NC--January of 2025

Photographed by: Ariel Searcy

Source: @arieleigh

[babeyun]

out of my head ✮ l.hs [m]

✮ synopsis: years after your friendship with heeseung has begun crumbling, you ask him to be part of one of the biggest days of your life - your wedding day.

✮ genre: estranged best friends to ??? ; semi-unrequited lovers au ; angst ; fluff

✮ pairing: singer!lee heeseung x financial advisor!fem!reader ; sim jaeyun x reader

✮ word count: 10.4k (yikes...)

✮ rating: nc-17.

✮ warning(s): ...kissing? lol? a lot of hurt with no comfort, semi-unrequited lovers, wedding superstitions, mentions of having kids.

✮ playlist: off my face - justin bieber ; are we still friends? - tyler, the creator ; your eyes only - enhypen ; this is why i need you - jesse ruben.

✮ a/n: i'm a yapper sorry, but happiest birthday to heeseung <3 that's my pookie! i love u.

four months ago.

"you're getting married?"

you and heeseung had been best friends for nearly twenty years. the two of you met at a park during a winter storm, both of you having begged your mothers for a chance to go see the snow. a coincidence really, the two of you having somehow lived the same experience (one that heeseung was convinced was fate, while you just boiled it down to two four-year-old kids giving into the natural urge to plunge their grubby little fingers into cold, unforgiving snow.)

however, in the last few years, you'd grown apart. 

you were freshly out of university, and heeseung had recently taken a job as a backup vocalist for one of the local entertainment companies. he'd been a singer his entire life, something you never allowed yourself to pick up because your mother had always taught you that safety nets were better. while heeseung openly explored his talents, eventually learning guitar and slowly, piano - you buried yourself in mathematical equations that made your brain hurt but forced yourself through it all because, after all, you needed a plan.

heeseung lived life on the edge. he didn't care if he had money, if he had belongings - life was more than that to him. he ventured out into the city with nothing but his headphones sometimes, not even so much as bothering to bring an umbrella if it looked like rain. "if i get soaked, i get soaked! life is more than staying inside with your head heavy from studying." he told you once, and you had just shaken your head.

"come on, y/n! don't you want to dance in the rain? don't you want to risk getting sick and having your mom make you that soup you really like? live a little, life is too short to waste away in our bedrooms." he tugged you out of your house that day, making you leave your phone behind as you trekked the entire city by foot, and once the rain did start falling, you were a mile from your house. "heeseung, i can't get sick! i have a presentation–"

"screw that presentation! live in the now!" he held you close as the rain pelted your backs, spinning you around as your laughter echoed in the neighborhood. "isn't this fun! aren't you enjoying this newfound freedom, no expectations? no logarithms, no polynomials!" he exclaimed, making you only laugh harder. "hee, i'm a finance major. that is fun for me!"

"and i'm a y/n major, i know you fucking hate math!" he giggled as he set you down, his fingers brushing your wet hair off your face. "i don't have things like you do, hee! i need a plan, i need something to fall back on. you work to make money to invest into yourself, you don't follow dreams!" you say as the two of you make the route back to your house, making him scoff.

"are you saying i'm wasting my time living the way i do?" he asked, a twang of hurt in his voice going unnoticed by you as you nodded. "i do. i think you are wasting your potential." your words pierced him, but he said nothing more as the two of you reached your mom's house. "see you later, hee."

"see you later."

that had happened three years ago. heeseung noticeably distanced himself after that day, limiting your hangouts to once a week instead of dropping by whenever he felt like it. soon, what were weekly hangouts became biweekly, before you were only meeting him for dinner on a random wednesday night in the middle of the month. you never asked so he never explained, and he simply assumed your silence on the subject meant that your puzzle of a life no longer had a need for a lee heeseung-shaped piece.

it pained him to think that you were outgrowing him.

heeseung was taking classes while working, having finally let your words get to him. you were right, in a way - he couldn't live his life on the edge forever, but the fact that you actually said that to him after constantly reassuring him that you believed in him was...unexpected, to say the least.

"she's just worried about you, hee." his older brother rattled, and heeseung shook his head. he had long told him about that day, and continued to try and decipher it for the years after. he didn’t really understand why it bothered him so much, but his only guess was the same — you had pretended to have an interest in his life, but yet, just like everyone else…

…you had no faith in him.

“yes, hee, i’m getting married! focus!” you tapped your pen on the notepad in front of you, the ice in your matcha long melted. heeseung was gripping his mug of hot chocolate for dear life, wondering where he missed the fact that you were even in a relationship to begin with. “i didn’t even know you had a boyfriend, forgive me for being curious.” he scoffs, making you roll your eyes.

“you would know if you answered any of my calls.” you say pointedly, making him groan. “okay, sorry i’ve been so absent from your life. what’s this guy’s name anyway?”

“sim jaeyun. you can call him jake.” you scribble something onto the notepad, before tearing it off and handing it to him. “this is his number, you’re going to have to talk to him at some point for what i’m about to ask you.”

your smile is mischievous, one that heeseung could never forget. it was engraved in his memory, it lit up his dreams and haunted his nightmares. the same smile he’s written endless lyrics about, the same smile he’s fallen in love with but refused to admit it.

“y/n, i haven’t seen you in six months. how can someone possibly gauge if a person is marriage material in such a short time?” he argues as he folds the scrap of yellow paper. you huff with a frustrated look on your face, “jaeyun and i have been seeing each other for a year! we made it official nine months ago, and we’ve been engaged for three months! i told you this already!”

“when the fuck did you even mention him!?” he groans, and you click your pen angrily.

"hee, if you hadn't been so focused on your own life, you'd be up to date with mine." grimacing, you reach into the knapsack you brought with you. pulling out a pink binder, you set it on the table, facing him. the paper sheet behind the vinyl reads the sims - may 2026. 

he snorts inwardly, before you open the binder. "i know we haven't been as close as we'd like the past few years." you start, clearing your throat as he glances at you. you pull apart the binder rings, pulling out a folder as you continue to speak. "but, i know that you're still doing the singing thing, and i wanted to offer you a gig."

sliding the folder across to him, he glances down at it. it's thick with pieces of printer paper, lyrics typed neatly in times new roman. he recognizes the first song as he slips it out of the folder, his eyes scanning the sheet over and over. 

"you want me to sing at your wedding?" he asks incredulously, and you take a sip of your watered down matcha. you press your lips together as you nod, staring at your fingers. "i showed jaeyun some clips of yours from a few of your other gigs, and he really liked it. this is our song, and we want you to sing it for our first dance." you tap the paper with your pen, and heeseung sighs.

"then why are we here alone? why isn't he here, showing face and asking me with you?" he accuses, and your frown is deep enough that he's sure you're about to throw your drink at him. "he's at work, if you must know. he's busy."

"and what does he work in that he can't come with his future wife to a measly two-hour lunch?" he taps his finger on the table, his eyes boring into yours, searching for any sign of the best friend he'd become estranged from. you weren't there.

"he's..." you bite your lip, staring at whatever was behind him in order not to meet his eyes. he looks at you pointedly, brows raised in expectation - a look he'd always hated from other people. you grimace before responding. "he's a singer, he's recording his album right now." heeseung blinks slowly, something you knew meant he was about to either get up and leave, or he was going to scold you once he processed the information. your best friend was nothing short of an open book, but as he looked down at the sheet in his hand and shook his head, you suddenly couldn't read him anymore.

"after all the shit you gave me." his tongue drips with poison before he shoves the sheet of paper back in the folder, tapping it with his hand before grimacing. "when is the wedding? do i have to be there for the whole thing?" his eyes are full of fire as he stares at you, and you can feel yourself shrink under his gaze. heeseung was rarely ever mad at you, even during these years of estrangement. you were never really on the receiving end of his anger, so you never handled it. "may second. you don't have to stay, if you don't want to. but i'd love for you to be there." your words are softer than you intended, and you can really feel the tug on the invisible string that ties the two of you together.

he nods, pressing his lips together as you watch his eyes brim with tears. "okay." he looks away as the first tear falls, wiping it away quickly before getting up. "just…send me the address when the time comes." he tucks the folder under his arm as he quickly walks away, trying not to let any more tears fall as he exits the cafe.

he can't help but hold everything in as he walks to his apartment, his mind spinning with potential thoughts. when did you get so far? how did he let you stray so deeply, and where did you even meet this guy? why didn't you tell him sooner? or did you, and he just blocked it out? he can't remember, no matter how hard he skims his memory. "fuck!" he screams as he slams his door shut, throwing the folder onto the table in the foyer. 

he slides down the door, a sinking feeling taking over his stomach as he hits the cold tile. he can't help but sob into his hands, his shoulders shaking violently as he does. you're getting married and he missed the entire thing, he's missed the past year of your life and has no remorse in doing so. he only feels sorry now, now that he's realized he's too late.

april 30.

heeseung was increasingly stressed.

you had told him over text (because he wouldn't answer your calls) that he had to take the week off so he could participate in bonding activities with your fiancé's groomsmen. he'd been reluctant, and said he'd get there the thursday before the wedding, nothing sooner – making you upset. he didn't care, he wouldn't lie to himself – he felt betrayed that you were getting married to someone else. it was childish of him and he knew it, but as he aimlessly wandered jeju island alone – it only sank deeper into his bones that he had truly fucked up.

he didn't bother to bond with any of your bridesmaids, either – despite their starry eyes and warm smiles, he could only see the dread in your eyes, the twitch in your lower lip as you greeted your guests with your fiancé. he kept his hand on your lower back at all times, and heeseung wonders if jake knows that he did that in the past. heeseung wonders if jake knows that he held your hand as you both skipped through the sand on family vacations with your families, heeseung wonders if jake knows that he shared a bed with you on nights where thunderstorms would scare you out of your sleep and heeseung would run the three blocks to your house to comfort you.

heeseung wonders if jake knows that he was your first kiss, in the back of heeseung's '96 civic when you were both juniors in high school. heeseung wonders if jake knows that he is in love with you, and that he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to stop.

not that jake knowing any of this would matter, because come saturday night, you'd be out of his grasp forever. he would never place his hand on the small of your back to ease your nerves, he would never hold your hand, he would never share a bed with you. he would never kiss you again, and he'd rather never see you again if it were up to him.

but it wasn't, was it? "heeseung! you made it!" 

heeseung turns to see park sunghoon walking towards him with his hand shielding his eyes from the sun. "oh shit, hey! i didn't think you and y/n kept in touch after high school, it's great to see you." heeseung greets him, and sunghoon snorts. 

"we didn't, actually. jaeyun and i go way back." sunghoon nods. sunghoon had been a friend of the two of you, but it was hard to keep in touch due to his prominent ice skating career. he was always busy, and it was easier to cut ropes than continuously make promises to see each other only to fall short.

"i'm sorry i didn't reach out more." heeseung starts, but sunghoon shakes his head. "don't even worry about it! my life was too crazy to keep tabs on everybody." sunghoon shakes his head, and heeseung tilts his head at him. "was?" sunghoon shifts in the sand, picking his cuticles as he sighs. "i had to quit, i got injured pretty badly during the finale of my last competition. i won, though, so at least i went out with a bang." he shrugs, and heeseung can see the disappointment in his eyes before offering a hug. "i'm sorry, hoon. that really fucking sucks."

sunghoon rejects the hug with a shake of his head. "it's fine, i'm doing other things now. i work as a backup vocalist for jake, me and jay. oh, jay's here, too! have you seen him?" sunghoon gestures to the air, and heeseung offers a small smile before shaking his head. "haven't seen him yet. to be honest, i don't want to be here." heeseung's confession, if surprising, doesn't seem to faze sunghoon. instead, the younger boy nods. "i figured you wouldn't. you're singing for them, right? i heard through the grapevine." sunghoon smirks, and heeseung rolls his eyes before lightly punching his arm. "stop lying, you brat. you read it on the wedding program."

sunghoon gives him a soft pat on the back, before leaning closer. "she wasn't going to wait forever, heeseung." with a curt nod, sunghoon continues down the beach towards the resort, leaving heeseung with wide eyes and a heavy heart. what did he mean by that?

🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊

the night was heavy as the last of your guests straggled in, and your feet were swelling in your shoes from standing for so long. jake had offered to take over as you went up to your room to change them, and you were internally thanking him as you hobbled to the elevator.

only for you to arrive and see your best friend waiting there calmly, headphones over his ears as he softly nods along to whatever is playing. he looks up when the elevator finally opens, completely oblivious to your lingering presence behind him. it's only when you get in after him, feeling the shift of the elevator's floor, that he looks at you.

his eyes are unreadable as he skims them over your face, a soft tilt to his head before he presses button six, hand hovering over the button as he waits for you to speak. you put up five fingers, and he presses it carefully as the doors close. it's silent, and for the first time ever since you were four years old, heeseung feels like a stranger. a polite stranger that presses the elevator button for you, that has come all the way from seoul on a ferry to sing at his estranged best friend's wedding.

except he's not a stranger, and you're the estranged best friend getting married this weekend. you're the estranged best friend who lied about your fiancé being excited for him to sing your first dance song, and you're the estranged best friend who wants it to hurt him. you want it to hurt, seeing you dance with your soon-to-be husband all night,  you want it to burn in his chest when the two of you kiss at the end of the aisle.

you want him to ache as badly as you did when he basically abandoned you for no good reason. you want him to stay up all night in tears like you did when he wouldn't answer your calls, you want him to rant passionately about you to whoever gets the privilege of being his girlfriend like you did to jake when the two of you first started dating, and you want him to ignore the questions of if you're in love with each other.

just like you did.

loving heeseung was a thing of the past. he was out of your heart and out of your head, for the most part. you only ever thought of him when you'd talk to jake about old high school stories, skipping over the parts where you and heeseung shared loving caresses that the two of you convinced yourselves were nothing more than platonic. it didn't matter now, though, because there was no piece shaped like you in heeseung's puzzling life anymore.

you love jake. he's your endgame, and you're glad to be marrying him.

"are you excited? big day soon." he says gently, and you can feel your stomach turn as he nudges you with his elbow. you nod, a small smile on your lips as you glance down at your engagement ring. jake had it custom made, a marquise diamond nestled onto a thick gold band. it was a little tight, but you promised yourself you'd get it resized after the wedding.

"very excited. are you nervous? about your performance, i mean?" you ask, genuine concern in your voice as he shakes his head. "just another gig, really. it's special to you, though, so i've been putting my all into the rehearsals." he itches his neck, a nervous tick you'd picked up on through the years. you nod, patting his shoulder gently. the conversation stops as the elevator does, the number five on the elevator's neon sign. 

"my stop. i'll see you at the rehearsal dinner tomorrow, right? you need to be there." your eyes are pleading, and heeseung can't help but sigh. "i'll try." 

the answer doesn't seem to satisfy you, but you nod anyway, turning on your heels to go to your room. the doors close, and he lets out a shaky breath. you're very excited to marry sim jaeyun in less than thirty-six hours. you're very excited to be mrs. sim, you're very excited to have your first dance with your husband to the sound of your best friend's voice singing the song that reminds you and jake of your relationship. 

a song that insinuates the two of you are unbelievably high off each other in every which way, and how ruined one of you has made the other for anybody else. but this song doesn't take into consideration how he is ruined for anyone else, how he is in pieces at the mere thought of you wearing white while meeting someone else down the aisle.

he doesn't want to feel like that anymore.

may 01.

"hey! you must be heeseung, i've been waiting forever to meet you!" 

heeseung doesn't recognize the voice as he turns, eyes swollen with sleep when he looks to see you, and who he presumes to be sim jaeyun. he nods absently, before glancing at his cup of hot water. he'd stumbled down to the hotel's complimentary lounge, a packet of fennel mint tea in his hand.

"give me a moment, i'm sorry. i'm barely here." he apologizes sheepishly, tearing the bag open and dipping the bag into the cup. he wipes at his eyes once more, before turning to face a smiling jake. "you're jaeyun, right? nice to finally meet you man, y/n has said some awesome things about you."

lies. heeseung doesn't remember a single thing you have ever said about jake, just that he's a singer. but out of courtesy, and jake's business-like grip on his hand, he smiles through it anyway. "i heard that you asked for me specifically. your wedding song is beautiful." heeseung sees you wince out of the corner of his eye as jake looks a bit taken aback. he tilts his head slightly, but goes along with what heeseung now knows is a lie. "i'm glad you could make it. y/n talks a lot about your singing skills, are you working on any projects right now?" your face is pained as heeseung looks you dead in the eyes, "no, i'm just a backup vocalist. i gave up on that dream a while ago." he looks back at jake, who has a sad smile on his face. "the fame, the money…i was never suited for that life, anyway." "i'm sorry to hear that things didn't work out for you." jake sounds genuine, a flash of sadness in his eyes as he shakes heeseung's hand again. "i hope to see you at the rehearsal tonight. have you got a girlfriend? there'll be quite a few people at our singles' table." jake wiggles his brows and heeseung wonders when you're going to speak.

"actually, heeseung won't be able to stay. he's got another gig on sunday." you lie, and jake's eyes widen. "oh, you'll be missing our reception?" "i'll be leaving right after your dance, i do sincerely apologize." heeseung gives jake a sheepish grin, to which jake nods slowly. "that's unfortunate, there's a lot of people you could network with here! take advantage of it, dreams are meant to become reality." jake finalizes, before giving heeseung another warm smile.

"i will do my best! thank you for having me." heeseung says, and you can feel the fake tone of happiness in his voice seep into your bones. you'd been the only person to ever recognize it, and heeseung knows you're aware he used it as he takes the tea bag out of his mug. "i will see you both tonight." 

he spins on his heel as he hears jake whisper to you.

"you asked him to sing our song? when? why didn't you tell me?" "we can talk about this later, okay? he's really good, i promise."

🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊

your mother had been staring at heeseung for the last fifteen minutes, and heeseung was almost sure she was trying to figure out if he was who she thought he was. he gave her a small smile and waved, and the moment her eyes lit up, the person in front of her turned.

jake. he frowns as she walks away from him mid-conversation, stumbling over only moments before the rehearsal dinner is set to start.

"sorry, sweetie. i didn't know you and my y/n finally made up! it's so good to see you!" her embrace is crushing, and heeseung doesn't have the heart to tell your mother that you're a horrible liar. you hadn't 'made up' – he was simply doing you a favor, something else you'd lied about. he just smiles as she pulls back, ruffling his hair gently. "love the red, it really suits you." "thank you, auntie. it's nice to see you again." he remains relaxed as he sees her eyes soften. "what's wrong? not ready to see your little girl walk down the aisle?" he teases, and the older woman sighs inwardly. she turns, her shoulder brushing his as they stare into the room full of tipsy bridesmaids and boisterous groomsmen. "if i admit something to you, you'll keep it quiet, right?" she murmurs, and heeseung suddenly feels like this conversation isn't going to be one that favors his unruly feelings for you. "of course, auntie. who am i to tell?" "i always thought you'd be the one to marry my y/n." she sighs, clasping her hands in front of her as her eyes watch jake speaking to you gently as he hands you a glass of wine. heeseung's eyes follow hers and the two of them can see as your face falls and jake quickly moves to hide you from any lingering gazes. "i should go see what's wrong. it's nice to see you, heeseung. please enjoy the wedding!" he nods as your mother quickly crosses the room, her arm around you as jake gets pushed to entertain the guests while you get taken care of. jake looks nervous, and heeseung can't seem to stop his body as he also crosses the room, a small smile on his face. "good evening, jake." "oh, hey! how are you liking the venue so far?" a small flash of relief passes onto his face, and heeseung feels guilty as he shrugs. "it's what i expected for someone like y/n. so floral, so bright. are you sure you had any part in this?" he snickers, and jake laughs genuinely.

"she wouldn't let me even look at the flowers with her. babe, you're going to pick the wrong ones!" he imitates you, and heeseung shakes his head in amusement. you'd always been a bit of a control freak when it came to your visions, and now that your life revolved around financial decisions, you were wound up extra tight. "yeah, she's always been like that." he sighs, and jake doesn't miss the slight tone of sadness.

"listen, i don't know you very well," jake starts, reaching for a bottle of cabernet across the table. he grabs two glasses, uncorking the wine as he leans to pour. "but i want to say thank you." he holds the wine out to heeseung, and he tries not to look curious as he takes it.

"thank you for what?" heeseung asks, and jake gives him a pointed look as he blindly pours his own glass. 

"for taking care of y/n all these years. i know you and i probably won't be the best of friends, i'm the first to admit that i'm not very good at sharing her attention." jake grimaces to himself as he replaces the cork into the bottle. "but i'm glad that she has someone as reliable as you, that can just… be there for her. it's a beautiful thing, your friendship."

heeseung almost feels nauseous as jake continues talking about how sweet your lifelong friendship with him seems. it just confirms that you told jake everything and anything you could about it, and based on his mention of jealousy, that includes the first kiss you shared. he can barely hear jake over the sound of his heart beating in his ears, but understands enough when jake pats his shoulder.

"...and i figured i'd be honest. y/n didn't say anything about you singing our song, we had originally planned for sunghoon to sing it with the band we hired. i guess she thought you'd be better for it, and i trust her judgment." jake says, pulling heeseung back in. "oh, i'm sorry." "don't even worry about it, man. hey, why don't you just relax, enjoy the dinner tonight. tomorrow is going to hit us like a fucking train, we should be well rested today." jake nods, and heeseung reciprocates with a gentle smile as someone else calls for jake's attention. "remember, just chill! network!" jake gestures to the room as he walks backwards towards the people looking for him.

heeseung can't shake the nausea from his throat, setting down the glass of wine to wander to the bathroom. but, the hall seems to get longer and longer, the temperature changing from the cold air conditioning to the humid spring air. he can feel a breeze in his hair, and then he realizes he's on the beach. his feet are buried in the warm sand, shoes in his hand.

sighing, he reminds himself he can't zone out like that all the time. it's not healthy, you had told him once. what if you end up in the middle of nowhere?

he reaches into his pocket, pulled out his spare headphones. he was supposed to bond with everyone at your stupid rehearsal dinner, but he didn't care to do so as he stared at the crashing waves. plugging the headphones into his phone, he gently speaks to siri as he lays on his back, looking up at the cloudless sky.

"hey, siri. play are we still friends? by tyler, the creator."

he stares into the water as the song pours into his ears. he doesn't know where things went to shit, but he knows it's his fault. he should've told you that what you said hurt his feelings. he should have communicated, then maybe it'd be him sitting next you in the private jet your mother rented solely for your honeymoon escape after the reception.

maybe it'd be him spinning you around in your beautiful wedding dress, and whispering sweet nothings in your ear as you dance the night away. maybe it would be him, like your mom had hoped. maybe it would be him, like he had hoped, too.

his fingers dig into the sand as he swallows the lump in his throat. there is nothing in hell, heaven or earth that would stop you from trekking the aisle tomorrow afternoon. nothing would stop jake from kissing you tenderly right in front of him, and doing it for the rest of your lives. it would taunt him, it would haunt him like the ghost of your friendship. you weren't friends anymore, the two of you knew it. things would never be the same between you, and yet, neither of you was brave enough to ask the question.

why?

"heeseung! are you out here?!" he can hear sunghoon's voice over the fourth replay of the song, lowering the volume as he tilts his head to find him. "over here, what's up?" "what's up? they're waiting for you, man!" sunghoon is standing in the doorway of the resort, the soft breeze blowing his hair back as a bridesmaid also peers over his shoulder. heeseung sighs as he stands, wiping his pants of sand and shoving his phone into his pocket. he walks quickly, humming quietly to himself to semi-prepare his voice for the perfect delivery of the song you wanted him to sing.

everyone is chatting quietly around the tables as heeseung steps inside, running his fingers through his hair as he walks forward. your mother catches his eye, a concerned look on her face, but he can't hold eye contact. he faces the floor as he reaches the small stage the venue has set up for the band, jay perched on a stool holding a guitar.

"hey, hee. you ready?" he asks as he tucks in his in-ear monitor, and heeseung shrugs as he takes his place behind the microphone. only then does he notice that the chatter he heard was just two bridesmaids, kim sunoo, riki nishimura and yang jungwon – all friends of yours and jake's that he hadn't bothered to meet further than reading their names in the program. 

he watches silently as you and jake take the center of the dance floor, your eyes slightly reddened as you gingerly drape your arms over your fiancé. your smile doesn't fill your cheeks as jay begins playing softly.

heeseung takes a deep breath, and your eyes catch him as he begins to sing.

one touch, and you've got me stoned. higher than i've ever known…

you were both thirteen.

he remembers the way you held onto him the night that you lost your first mathletes competition. you cried so hard that you'd almost thrown up, and heeseung could only soothe you by dragging you to the nearest convenience store and shoving a melona popsicle in your hand. you went silent after that, gripping his hand tightly as he walked you home. you'd squeezed his hand three times that night, something he'd always done but you'd roll your eyes at.

"why would i squeeze your hand when i can just tell you, hee?"

you call the shots and i'll follow. sunrise, but the night's still young…

you were both seventeen. 

he remembers when you called him to come over while it was storming, because your mother was out of town. your house was a little over a mile away and normally, he didn't mind the walk. it was almost three in the morning, and he'd been sleeping when your ringtone went off for the third time. "hello?" "hee, please come over. it's storming so bad, i'm so–"

he hadn't even let you finish before ripping his bedsheets off his body and sprinting for the door. his clothes, his shoes, everything was soaking wet by the time he got to your house. you'd embraced him anyway, your own clothes soaking through as he trudged into your home – only for the storm to stop a few moments after his arrival.

no words, but we're speaking tongues. if you let me, i might say too much…

you were both twenty.

he remembers when you asked him, in the middle of your kitchen during your graduation party, if he could kiss you. the house was empty except for the two of you – his parents and your mom had decided to throw a joint party, using the excuse that two best friends should always stick together. your mom had sent you inside for more hor d'oeuvres, and you'd dragged him inside with the excuse that you couldn't carry them all yourself.

"you don't have to, hee. i'm sorry." your eyes were full of embarrassment as heeseung stared at you, a bit in shock at your question. only as you begin to move further into the kitchen does he register what you've said, and grabs your arm, pulling you toward him. "ask me again, i'm sorry. i zoned out, i thought you asked me to kiss you."

"i did." you repeated quietly, and heeseung blinked twice before nodding. "o-okay. yeah, i can do that." he cleared his throat, looking over your shoulder into the foyer to ensure no one was opening the door. 

"are you sure? i mean, it's your first kiss, wouldn't you want to have it with someone special?" he's rambling, and your gentle laugh pulls him right back.

"you are special, hee." 

without another word, he backed you up against your kitchen counter, his hands on your hips as he softly kissed you. your hands were on his biceps, and he could feel your nervousness seep through your locked lips. he carefully circles your thighs to lift you onto the counter, your arms instinctively wrapping around his neck before he breaks the kiss.

"how was that? okay?" his eyes searched yours, a shy smile playing on his swollen lips as you blinked. "uh, i'm not sure. i think–" "you want to try again?" his head tilted to the side, a habit you loved and eventually also caught. you nodded silently. his smile was wide as he closed the gap between the two of you, the hands on your thighs squeezing softly. once, twice, three times.

i love you.

your touch blurred my vision. it's your world, and i'm just in it…

you're both twenty one.

he remembers how he stared at his bedroom ceiling, clothes soaked in rain from prancing around the city with you. how piercing your words were, how he thought for so long that you believed in him. how all of these events he can't stop thinking about, are about you. how proud he was of you, how lucky he was to have you, how insane it was that you wanted him. you wanted him at one point.

how he didn't care that he got sick, but certainly didn't understand why your sore throat and stuffy nose didn't make him feel a pang of distress. how he didn't care that no one else was refuting his talent, because they weren't you. he didn't care about anyone else in this world, but you.

even sober, i'm not thinking straight…

you're both twenty two.

he remembers his birthday going abhorrently wrong. you weren't there, per usual – you were too wrapped up with school to give heeseung a second thought. he'd long realized that he didn't want to lose you, but it seemed that you no longer cared to keep the friendship alive. he still has the messages he sent you, and is still amazed at the lack of typos despite being absolutely shitfaced.

message to: my y/n <3 [2022.10.15 | 11:23pm] it's my birthday, baby. [2022.10.15 | 11:24pm] you can't be here for me today? [2022.10.15 | 11:24pm] i miss you. i miss our friendship. [2022.10.15 | 11:26pm] i can't believe you're missing my birthday. i never miss your birthdays. [2022.10.15 | 11:30pm] is this it? are we done?  [2022.10.15 | 11:34pm] when will you come back to me? when, how much longer? [2022.10.15 | 11:35pm] when you graduate? i can wait. (not delivered!) [2022.10.15 | 11:47pm] just tell me how long. i'll wait. (not delivered!)[2022.10.16 | 12:02am] i'd wait forever for you (not delivered!)

he changed his number after that. he still doesn't know how you got his new one. he doesn't care to ask, either.

cause i'm off my face, in love with you…

you're both twenty five.

he's watching you slow dance with your fiancé, fingers interlaced behind his neck as jake's hands rest on your hips. he hates the jealousy that boils in his stomach, but doesn't bother to break eye contact with the tile on the ceiling with water damage.

i'm out my head, so into you…

he can feel his fingers tightening around the microphone stand, but can't seem to stop his eyes from averting as jake spins you gently, before your soft giggle hits his ears. you look up at jake with what he can only assume is adoration, before resting your cheek on his shoulder. you're looking right at heeseung, mouthing along to the song.

and i don't know how you do it…

you're fixing your posture instead, still staring at heeseung as jake takes your hand in his, kissing your knuckles. you instinctively smile at the feeling, and heeseung's eyes zero in on your fingers as you squeeze jake's hand.

once, twice, three times. i love you.

but i'm forever ruined by you, ooh, ooh, ooh.

"i love you." your eyes haven't left heeseung as you whisper the words, and you can see the way his eyes fill with fire as he looks away. you get a twisted feeling of satisfaction in your gut, before finally averting your eyes back to your fiancé. jake is smiling softly at you, and you quickly close the gap between you as heeseung continues to sing. your lips press against jake's smoothly, before he swiftly moves away. "i can't wait to marry you tomorrow." he whispers.

"me, too."

liar.

may 02.

the wedding is in twenty minutes.

your pantyhose has ripped, you tripped going up the stairs. you're not even wearing your dress yet. there are storm clouds gathering, and you can’t help but feel like everything in the universe is working against you. the only thing holding you together is your mother, her arms are wrapped tightly around you.

“are you sure we can’t just run away and elope?” you mumble into her shoulder, and your mother laughs. “not anymore. but,” she pulls away from you, cradling your face in her hands gently. “i love you, honey. everything will be okay.”

you hate the churn in your stomach at the word everything. because if everything were okay, it'd be sunny. if everything were okay, you'd be staring down an aisle full of people and only see heeseung at the end of it. if everything were okay, you would've never said yes to that first date.

“i love you.” you repeat, your hand resting on her wrists as you nod robotically. “i’ll see you out there, okay?”

“okay.” you breathe out shakily as she presses her lips to your hairline, lingering slightly before pulling away and leaving your room. you were alone now, and you glanced out the window at all the guests gathering on the beach. everyone is dressed so brightly, bunches of pinks and lilacs scattered across the sand. jake is waiting patiently at the end of the aisle, the forest green of his suit making his skin glow slightly brighter. how he does it, you don't know.

and then you see heeseung.

he’s dressed in black, despite the theme of the wedding being floral and natural. you grimace, forcing yourself to look away before spotting your dress hanging on the back of the door. you'd have to shimmy into it on your own, having sent everyone out in a fit of anxiety.

sighing, you unhook the heavy dress from the door, carefully letting the skirt pool on the floor as you step into it. it slides on perfectly, and you can't help but lose your breath at the sudden weight of the world on your chest. you're getting married, and you love jake.

but he'll never, ever be heeseung.

"tighten up, y/n. you've got this." you shake your head, reaching back and forcing the zipper up as high as you could. you had a hook-and-eye closure at the top, something you'd simply have to forego if you wanted to make it downstairs on time. groaning to yourself, you attempt to pull up the zipper just a bit more, before giving up and covering it with your veil. grabbing your bouquet, you give yourself a final glance in the mirror.

"you've got this. everything will be okay." 

your voice is shaky, but you swing your room door open anyway – only to be met with heeseung on the other side. his eyes widen, mouth slightly agape as you come into his view. "wow, you look…" "what are you doing here? you're supposed to be downstairs." you scold, shoving your keycard into the pocket of your dress. oh yeah, you've got it like that. "your mom asked me to come see what was taking so long. i told her you'd be down soon, but she insisted." he shrugs, so nonchalantly.

like none of this is eating away at him.

"ugh, whatever. come on." your tone is angry, but your face shows nothing but fear. his eyes follow as you storm towards the elevator, seeing the zipper of your dress slowly sliding down as you reach the doors. "here, hold on."

his fingers move your veil carefully as you step into the elevator, before pulling the fabric tighter together and pulling the zipper to the top. he carefully clasps the closure, and you swear you feel every hair on your body sticking up when his fingertips gently graze your back. "don't touch me, heeseung."

"i'm trying to help you. otherwise, you'd flash that entire crowd." he scoffs, pressing the floor button. you sigh, wrapping your arms around yourself as the elevator becomes silent. the tension is thick between you, you know it. your eyes never leave the neon sign, watching the floor numbers go by before heeseung reaches over and pulls the emergency lever.

"what the fuck are you doing?! i'm already late!" you gasp, hitting his arm with your bouquet when he stands in front of the lever. "i can't let you do this unless you hear what i have to say."

"heeseung, i'm getting married. this is the biggest day of my life–" your whining is cut short by his hand on your mouth, and only then do you see the unshed tears in his eyes. "the biggest day of my life was when i met you on that stupid playground. i never, ever in my life thought our friendship would end this way, and you know what, it makes me kind of sick."

he breathes deeply, removing his hand from your face as he sees the shock in your eyes. "you're saying you're already late to your big day, well i just want to say i beat you in that department. i've never had a problem with punctuality, but i really missed the mark on this one." his chuckle is dry, humorless as he looks at the bouquet in your hand. "i don't think i'll get over this, ever. i'll never get the chance to be in his place. but," he steps back, fingers gripping the emergency lever in his hand.

"i want you to know that it should be me. i should be the one waiting for you at the end of the aisle. i should be the one who gets to love you until the end of my days, and even then, you'd never die. you'd be loved by me forever, the evidence strewn all over the world in compositions and lyrics. i would never let you die."

he pushes the lever back, before moving back to his original spot next to you. the elevator doors open, revealing an empty lobby. the storm clouds are no longer that far away, and you can feel the humidity through the open plan of the resort.

"i am foolishly, hopelessly, irrevocably in love with you. and i hope you realize this is the biggest mistake of your life." his voice is soft, as is his smile when he offers his hand. "here's to your forever, my love."

you say nothing.

🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊

if heeseung was anything, it was a sick bastard. a sick, rat bastard who had no shame. your mother took you from his arm at the end of the aisle, and you didn't even realize you'd allowed him to lead you there. jake's eyes shone with what could only be identified as jealousy.

he smiled the entire ceremony, clapping and whistling alongside your other guests through the vows. the sappy vows jake had penned were poetic compared to yours, but he knew what you meant anyway. you felt several fat raindrops plop onto your head and shoulders, while heeseung had come prepared and shared his umbrella with your mother.

he even helped her inside once the rain really started pouring, just after your first kiss as a married couple. your stomach was boiling over in fury as you watched him laugh with her, his eyes only meeting yours once with a soft smile. 

you and jake slipped away to change into your reception clothing, his suit jacket abandoned and sleeves rolled up, showing off the watch you got him for his birthday. your ballroom white dress, now stained with sand, was traded in for an a-line style. jake met you in front of the resort, his fingers curled in yours when he finally spoke.

"we really did it, huh." he says quietly, his eyes scanning the shut doors of the reception venue. you nod, your breath caught in your throat when he takes a step back, his hand squeezing yours. "two years." your ears twitch at this. "what?" "all i ask for is two years. we can have a kid. we'll have an heir to our wills. we can get divorced after two years, and you can be with him." he breathes, eyes following the pattern on the heavy wooden door. you choke out a scoff of disbelief, your throat burning. "what the fuck are you talking about, jaeyun?" he winces at the use of his name, so used to gentle baby and sweetened honey. a sigh escapes his lips as he turns to face you. "i know you love him, y/n. you don't have to hide it from me. you wouldn't have brought him all the way out here, you wouldn't have gone behind my back and changed the plans for the band. your mom loves him, for crying out loud. i never stood a chance." he chuckles sadly, and your tears are hot as they flow down your face.

"how can you say that, jaeyun? i'm married to you, i've chosen you, over anything and anyone in this world! how can you say such things?!" your hurt is evident, but he can't figure out if it's because of the little blame game or if it's because you truly, deeply love him. he doesn't know what to say, but reaches to wipe your tears. you jerk away, a frown etched on your glossed lips as you wipe them yourself. you take a deep breath, grabbing the door knob.

"fix your face." you mutter, a tone jake had never received from you as he sighed, painting a smile of everything's okay on his face as the two of you threw the doors open in unison. your crowd of guests cheered loudly, rice flying everywhere as they welcomed you in. the band was loudly playing got to be real by cheryl lynn, and you almost forget jake's painful words behind the door. you almost forget that heeseung will be queueing up to sing for you and your husband, for free, on the very stage you're now standing in front of. 

jungwon hands you a microphone and two champagne flutes, before slinking away to his seat. you hand one to jake, who swirls it nervously.

"wow, it's such an honor to have all of our loved ones here today." your voice is shaky as you take them all in, dozens of eyes staring you down. "i mean, i've waited for this day since i was a little girl. it's a blessing to finally see it in color, in person. thank you." jake breathes in deeply, before looking away to blink back tears. "i'm not crying, my eyes are just sweating." he speaks into the microphone, earning an empathetic laugh from the guests, your hand ghosts over his back, and he stiffens at it. "i'm so…so terribly in love with y/n. i can't believe this day is real." a soft aww echoes in the room, your chest tightening as you see heeseung sitting next to your mother. he's cooing with everyone else. "and i can't wait to be a man that is continuously worthy of her love. to y/n." 

you almost burst into tears as everyone raises their drinks to you, the clink of glasses adding to the emotion as you and jake find your seats at the end of the hall. you sit gingerly, holding jake's hand under the table tightly. "i love you, jake." "i love you, y/n."

🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊 – 🟊

the speeches were a mess. jay was a mess of tears, and minjeong spewed bullshit about the two of you being like sisters. heeseung hadn't met her until five minutes after the ceremony, and if you had been close to anyone enough to consider them a sibling, he'd know them. no one knew you like he did.

"and now, for the newlyweds' first dance! we have a very special guest singing for us today, please give a warm welcome and round of applause to y/n's longest friend, lee heeseung!" 

he smiled nervously as he took the stage, a puffy-eyed jay sitting behind him as he tested the microphone. "thank you for having me, and congratulations to the newlyweds. y/n, i'm eternally proud of you and so grateful to be here on your special day. i love you." none of the guests know it means something more to him, to you, as they let out an aww. how heartwarming, that your lifelong best friend was here for you. how lovely, that he was supporting you every step of the way.

he sang carefully, watching as you and jake held each other tightly, swaying to the song. he can hear your sniffle, a soft sob into jake's shoulder as he lovingly strokes your back. he looks away.

it should be him.

it should be heeseung, that gets to see you wear white. it should be heeseung, that gets to plan a tedious wedding at your instruction. it should be heeseung that gets to take you on a romantic honeymoon and spend all day in the sun and all night glued to your bed. it should be heeseung that gets to shampoo your hair for you when you're feeling too tired, it should be heeseung that gets to watch you put lipstick on in the morning just to ruin it before you're out the door. 

it should be him. and everyone knows it, no matter if they know your history or not.

"thank you, everyone. let's hear it for the newlyweds!"

october 15.

"hey."

it's been over a year since your wedding. you and jake had happily posted tons of wedding photos, piled over with honeymoon flicks. you and heeseung hadn't spoken since the wedding. he left right after the first dance, catching the first ferry back to seoul. he didn't bother contacting you to see if you'd made it back safely, he didn't bother to message you a happy birthday when it came around. he just didn't care.

he dropped out of college for the second time, and spent the summer going around seoul auditioning for companies. decelis entertainment finally gave him a break, and only after he got his contract did he find out that jake and all of his friends were also at this company.

he was polite in the hallways. he smiled, he waved, he engaged in small talk and perused the past. he didn't ask questions, he didn't initiate. he spent his time holed away in the studio with a producer named yeonjun, recording for hours on end without a break. he was set to debut in two weeks, having dropped his first teaser just two days prior.

all without you to cheer him on.

"what are you doing here?" his voice was cold, nothing you weren't used to at this point. his hair wasn't red anymore, now a natural chocolate brown. it suited him. "came to visit, heard from jake that you've been training for a year." "what's it to you?"

he's being harsh, he knows he's being harsh.

"hey, y/n. nice to see you." jake calls from across the hall, exiting his studio with jay and sunghoon in tow. the two of them seem to say nothing at the sudden casualties between you and jake, or the insinuation that he hadn't seen you in a while. heeseung gives you a glance, your hands holding a gift and a grocery bag. "may i come in?" "i'm busy, at the moment." he coughs, ignoring the way your eyes roll. "too busy for a slice of cake?" you hold up a bag in your fingers, and his eyes narrow. he leans back into the studio, his eyes scanning the calendar for any potential special dates. he's not even flipped to the right month, the calendar reading july.

"shit, did i miss something?" he whips out his phone, which you simply cover with your hand. a soft laugh escapes your lips as you lift your other hand, the gift bag screaming happy birthday in gold glitter flashing at him. "oh, man." he moves away from the door, allowing you to walk in. you look around, and although the studio doesn't belong to him, it sure smells like him. it looks like him, it's covered in him, it feels like home.

"happy birthday, hee." you say gently, setting the gift down on the couch and slowly sitting down to unwrap his cake. "i know it's not much, but i'm barely here." you chuckle, tapping your temple as he takes a seat in his desk chair. he's wary, you can tell.

"something on your mind?" "why are you here? i debut in two weeks, i don't need any bullshit." he rubs his temples, and you only frown. "you know, once upon a time, you would've been happy to have me here." your tone is pointed, and heeseung sighs. "fine, fine. i'm sorry."

"i'm the one who should be sorry." you murmur, and heeseung says nothing. he knows you're right. 

you're both quiet, before heeseung notices the candle next to the cake. he rolls the chair over, his fingers carefully centering the candle. "have you got a light?" 

you shake your head no, a sheepish look in your eyes. "i'm sorry. we can pretend, if that's okay?" he hates the way his lips twitch into a smile at your wide eyes. "yeah, we can pretend." 

you sing for him softly, your cheek squished into your hand as you lean on the armrest. he closes his eyes, making a wish and blowing the makeshift flame out. "what'd you wish for?" you yawn, and he shakes his head.

"won't come true if i tell you." shrugging, he rolls back over to his desk, leaving the cake on the table. you just make a noise of agreement, before a sigh slips past you. "i heard your teaser, you know." he doesn't care to react, only giving you a short sound. "mhm?" "is it about me?" you ask, and he straightens in his chair before spinning around to face you. "all my songs are about you. every single one of them." he gestures to a tattered journal on the soundboard. it's covered in stickers, and…a taped photo of you and him as toddlers. "oh."

"i mean what i say, y/n." he rolls his eyes, before spinning back around. "if it were me, i'd never let you die."

but it is you, you think. it's always been you.

"why did jake say it was nice to see you?" he asks, too cowardly to look you in the eyes. he hears your sigh, before hearing you shift around on the couch. he spins around again, only to see you have removed your shoes and tucked your legs beneath you. his eyes scan you, before looking at your fingers. your ring is gone, replaced by a chunky painite stone in silver. your eyes are gently burning into him, and he shivers in the warmth. "well…why?" "before the reception, he told me he knew." you shrug, "he knew how you felt about me, and how i allegedly felt about you. he brought up my mother, and how he felt like he'd never stood a chance." 

"but he did. you married him, after all." heeseung rolls his eyes as you shrug, blinking slowly as you speak again. "we gave it a good shot. maybe i should've listened to all those superstitions, they're not such bullshit. the tripping, the rain, god, the way my ring was too tight." you scoff sadly, before glancing back up at him.

he seems to understand. if he doesn't, he doesn't say anything. sighing, you reach over to rustle the gift bag with your fingers. "you've got to open this, you know." 

"y/n, i can't do this." he breathes out, eyes screwed shut. "i can't sit here with you and pretend like we're all good, like you're not married to the same guy i share a company with. we stopped being friends a long time ago, what are you trying to do here?" "i'm not trying to do anything but reconnect. i fully accepted the fact that whether or not you're with me, you're still someone i love. i spent years trying to figure out why you drifted away from me, and then jake and i sat down at our dinner table a few weeks ago after meeting with the lawyer and he asked me about our friendship. so i told him everything, from the very beginning."

heeseung can't breathe as you get up, walking towards him and slowly sinking into a squat. your hands are on his knees, giving a gentle squeeze before you speak.

"i'm sorry i made it seem like i had no faith in you. i said horrible things to you, even if they seemed right to me, and i'm so sorry that it took someone else to tell me that i'd treated you so badly that day." 

his eyes are brimming with tears, but he looks away from you. he can't cry, not now, not in front of you. 

"you've always been like that, though." he murmurs, picking at his cuticles when you carefully take his hands in yours. he suppresses a sob as the warmth of you envelopes his fingers, "i was projecting. i thought that everyone had to be like me, that everyone had to have a plan. some people are just better at flying by the seat of their pants, i mean, look at all you've accomplished despite me saying such shitty things to you. you're about to debut, you're going to see great success. everyday i'm rooting for you, even if i'm not the person you go home to."

you give his hands a firm squeeze. once, twice, three times. i love you.

"are you divorced?" 

you scoff out a soft laugh, looking down at his jeans. "jake and i haven't been together since the wedding. we spent the honeymoon playing mermaids and crying over whiskey sours."

"i can't forgive you right now." he confesses, making your head snap up to look at him. he swallows hard, "i can't forgive you right now, because i'm still mad at you. for saying those things to me, and…and you hurt me, when you asked me to sing for your wedding. it hurt me a lot, y/n." "i'm sorry, hee." you whisper, your thumbs wipe at the tears spilling from his eyes. he leans into your touch, before pulling away. "i know you are, y/n. i know."

he gently pushes away, offering his hand to help you up. you take it, and he waits for you to put your shoes on before leading you back to the door. "i'll call you, okay? when i'm ready."

you step out of the studio, peering up at him with sad eyes. "you promise?"

he sighs, nodding his head. "i promise, baby."

BABEYUN © 2024. no translations, reposting or modifications are allowed. do not claim as your own. viewer discretion is advised. your media consumption is your responsibility.

[nestaians]

feysand sex scenes will haunt me forever, i swear

climaxing at the image of ur child, blowjob at the camp to drown out sounds of injured soldiers -happened bc u decided to take a petty revenge, getting a freaking at the library which is sa victims safe place, CoN scene, fucking in sky in broad daylight

they have an exhibition kink okay but time and place for things. fae can smell that shit

the fact that mountains shake every time rhysand climaxes like why are ppl of nc being tortured like this?

i would move the fuck out, how am i suppose to sleep when these fuckers cant stop fucking like rabbits in heat

do tsunamis occur when summer court high lord climaxes? do snow storms happen when winter court high lord climaxes?

[kim-jongin-s]

svt fic recs (mostly nc-17; minwon, jeongcheol, wonchan, verkwan + other)

MINWON

"after-work hours". oneshot, 2k. nc-17.

At the end of the day, Mingyu always gets the last piece.

"come light me up". roommate!au. oneshot, 4k. nc-17.

“Did I do something, hyung?”

Mingyu has done everything and nothing at the same time.

↳ "baby, i insist". roommate!au. oneshot, 5k. nc-17.

Oh, if only Wonwoo wasn’t supposed to be working right now.

"romeo and the cyberpunk princess". au. twoshot, 5k. nc-17.

Mingyu has his 2.0 vision to thank for spotting that angel with the tattoo on his back.

"even if the world turns against you". gang!au. oneshot, 5.5k. nc-17.

It wasn’t until Seungcheol called a meeting between the gangs that Mingyu realized who he was dealing with.

Jeon Wonwoo ran with Jeonghan’s crew.

"stir it well". au. oneshot, 12k. pg-13.

Mingyu packs up his life to travel around Europe in the months before a new job. He doesn’t expect to meet a handsome Korean man in the first city he lands in. He certainly doesn’t expect to bump into him again, then again, then again…

"i know you said that we're not talking (but i miss you)". high school!au. 4 chapters, 58k. nc-17.

The way Wonwoo hates is different, it’s not aggressive and heated, but rather it’s like a winter storm—cold and hostile. He doesn’t yell or shout, but his words are icy in a way that bites at your skin.

Unfortunately for Mingyu, he learns this through first-hand experience.

JEONGCHEOL

"berlin syndrome". oneshot, 1k. pg-13.

There’s a beautiful boy laying next to Jeonghan in this hotel room bed and when he goes back home he’s not gonna see him again for quite some time.

"did it hurt (when you fell from heaven)". model!au. oneshot, 2k. pg-13.

He spent his life building his career. And he couldn’t believe it. Couldn’t fathom it.

Jeonghan was fuming. He even went into different stages of rage when he saw who did his signature gesture.

"we could be slow dancing". oneshot, 3k. pg-13.

Jeonghan never needed luxury, he only ever needed Seungcheol.

"the sound of your voice". au, mpreg. oneshot, 4k. pg-13.

Jeonghan's first pregnancy isn't going as well as he'd hoped. Seungcheol wishes he could help.

"i want you flowing through my veins (make me go insane)". omegaverse: alpha!sc, omega!jh. oneshot, 4k. nc-17.

Jeonghan feels the need to remind his Alpha who he belongs to. Seungcheol is desperate to please his Omega.

"to love you is enough for me". oneshot, 7.7k. r.

Jeonghan is in love with Seungcheol.

And he's going to let him know by trying everything, except actually telling him.

"our laughter is blooming". au. oneshot, 15.6k. r.

Seungcheol I love you ♡

Jeonghan Haha gross

Seungcheol We’re literally married

WONCHAN

"the rite of the movement". omegaverse: alpha!ww, omega!dn. oneshot, 6k. nc-17.

2024, the turn of the year. A mountain villa. Deranged heat/rut sex and an impulse decision made.

"entropy". omegaverse: alpha!ww, omega!dn. twoshot, 22k. nc-17.

A fated pair, it's rare. It's considered as a myth.

Then comes Chan, who smells like strawberries and vanilla. Chan, who wasn’t supposed to be the constant in Wonwoo’s life. Who wasn’t supposed to be the Sun in his solar system. Chan—who is not his fated mate.

VERKWAN

"more than just some butteflies". au. oneshot, 6k. pg-13.

there is nothing funny about finding out that the dude you’ve been flirting with for a month has a kid.

"new angle". omegaverse: omega!sk, alpha!vn. oneshot, 6.5k. nc-17.

in a tale as old as time, casual hookups between a beta and an omega become a little more complicated when a late alpha presentation is thrown into the mix.

OTHER

"not so lone wolf". seokhoon. omegaverse: alpha!wz, omega!dk. oneshot, 5k. nc-17.

Jihoon forces himself to visibly relax. He can do this. He’ll be good for them (and hopefully they’ll be good to him in return).

"like i do, like me". junhao. office!au. twoshot, 13k. nc-17.

Minghao really should stop breaking his laptop. Maybe he'll keep doing it now that Junhui is fixing it though.

[hdowlpost]

Masterlist of the 2023 @hdowlpost Winter Gift Exchange - Part One -

Here they are – all 132 owl gifts delivered by Snapey, Hedwig, Errol and Romwo to you – our wonderful @hdowlpost giftmakers, pinchhitters, owl helpers, readers and commenters.

Podfics @lumosatnight read [podfic] Better Late Than Never (PG | podfic | 3 minutes) for @wilfriede0815

@smirkingcat read [podfic cover] Besotted (G | podfic | 8.16 minutes) for @DrWhoIsGinnyHolmes @smirkingcat read [podfic] I Thought You'd Never Ask (PG | podfic | 16:20 minutes) for @DrWhoIsGinnyHolmes @smirkingcat read [podfic] A Gothic Christmas Patented Daydream Charm (NC-17 | podfic | 17:21 minutes ) for @vaysh @smirkingcat read [podfic] Ganz die Alten (PG | podfic | 13:50 minutes) for @vaysh

@wilfriede0815 read [podfic] Imagining Us (G | podfic | 46:48 minutes) for @hdowlpost community @wilfriede0815 read [podfic] the frenemies' guide to beekeeping (R | podfic, 30 minutes) for @porcelainheart @wilfriede0815 read [podfic] Lovesick (PG | podfic | 51:56 minutes) for @smirkingharlequin @wilfriede0815 read [podfic] Stubborn as a Cursed Vault (R | podfic, 8 minutes) for @stargazing-enby @wilfriede0815 read [podfic] Lost in Translation (PG | podfic | 11.08 minutes) for @hey-flynn

Memefics

@stargazing_enby creared Fic Moodboards and Meme Fic Recs (G | 2 moodboard and meme fic recs) for @flightinflame @stargazing_enby created Yours.: A Meme Fic Rec (G | meme) for @themightyflynn

Translations

@vaysh created [German translation] Wen die Schlange beschwört (PG | 1100 ) for @lumosatnight

Comment Reviews

@apricity wrote a Review for: A Deal Made To Be Broken (G | looong comment) for @inspired-being

@retiredunicorn wrote a Comment Review for "Curfew" (G | comment) for @porcelainheart

@retiredunicorn wrote a Comment Review of "Numb Little Bug" (G | comment) for @jadewritergirl

Beta Reading

@DrWhoIsGinnyHolmes beta'ed Everything in Its Place (G | 7608 words) for @flightinflame

Owl Package

@uncanny_cerulean packaged an Owl Package (G | tea and recipes) for @c-art

Fanbindings

@anaxandria-writes created [fanbinding] White, the colour of flowers (not rated | craft, fanbinding) for @lumosatnight @anaxandria-writes crafted [fanbinding] Eye of the Storm (G, fic not rated | fanbinding) for @stargazing_enby @anaxandria-writes created [fanbinding] Who? Who? It's Vaysh (not rated | craft, fanbinding) for @vaysh

Podfic Covers

@lumosatnight created [podfic cover] Better Late Than Never (G | podfic cover ) for @wilfriede0815

@priestlyvance created [podfic cover] Lovesick (G | podfic cover) for @smirkingharlequin @priestlyvance created [podfic cover] Lost in Translation (G | podfic cover) for @themightyflynn

@queeniejinny created [podfic cover] the frenemies' guide to beekeeping (G | podfic cover) for @porcelainheart @queeniejinny created [podfic cover] Stubborn as a Cursed Vault (G | podfic cover) for @stargazing_enby

@smirkingharlequin read [podfic cover] Besotted (G | podfic cover) for @DrWhoIsGinnyHolmes @smirkingharlequin created [podfic cover] I Thought You'd Never Ask (G | podfic cover) for @DrWhoIsGinnyHolmes @smirkingharlequin created [podfic cover] A Gothic Christmas Patented Daydream Charm (NC-17 | podfic cover) for @vaysh @smirkingharlequin created [podfic cover] Ganz die Alten (PG | podfic cover) for @vaysh

@wilfriede0815 created [podfic cover] Imagining Us (G | podfic cover) for @hdowlpost community

Moodboards & Playlists

@bererjs created A Wonderful Suprise (G | moodboard) for @queenie-jinny

DrWhoIsGinnyHolmes created Drarry Comfort Playlist (PG | playlist) for @drarrymyheart

@kitty_fix created [moodboard] You're all I can think about... (G | moodboard) for @moonpeachh

@lumosatnight created [Moodboard for] Are we falling like snow on the beach (G | moodboard) for @legendrarry

@moonpeachh created [moodboard & playlist] Mine (R | moodboard | playlist) for @DrWhoIsGinnyHolmes

Craft

@c_art created https://archiveofourown.org/works/50546650 (G | craft) for @inspired-being

@DrWhoIsGinnyHolmes created Crafts on the Go (G | craft) for @anaxandria-writes

@DrWhoIsGinnyHolmes wrote Crafts on the Go (G | cushy laptop/book sleeve) for @anaxandria-writes

@DrWhoIsGinnyHolmes created Soft Scarf (G | craft) for @drarrymyheart

@meowfoy created Drarry in Love (G | pop vinyl craft) for @ItsPhantasmagoria

@queennie-jinny created [Owlbox] 12 days of Drarry mini-advent calendar (G | craft, fannish knitting) for @ladderofyears

@themightyflynn created An Almost Kiss (G | craft) for @apricitydays-lazynights

@themightyflynn created Hogwarts: A History (G | craft, sketchbook) for @c-art

@themightyflyy wrote Harry Potter Bookmarks (not rated | craft) for @inheartofwinter

Art and Comics

@apricity created Banish the Cold (G | art, linocut) for @digtheshipper

@c-art created Coffee and kisses (G | art and craft) for @jadewritergirl

@c-art created Snowed In (G | art and craft) for @KatIsSleeping

@digtheshipper created A Festive Journey from Friends to Lovers (G | festive art) for @dodgerkedavra

@digtheshipper created Best Friends Dating (G | art) for @flightinflame

@digtheshipper created (Almost Time For) The First Christmas at the Burrow (G | art) for @KatIsSleeping

@digtheshipper created Package Delivery (G | art) for @pheaphilus

@inheartofwinter created Movie Night at the Malfoy-Potter House (G | art) for @meowfoy

@ItsPhantasmagoria created [Owl Banner] Best Holiday Family Photo Ever (G | banner art) for @hdowlpost community

@ItsPhantasmagoria created Warm Me Up (G | art) for @kitty_fic

@ItsPhantasmagoria created Claiming (NC-17 | art) for @queenie-jinny

@ladderofyears created Breakfast in Bed (G | art) for @apricitydays-lazynights

@ladderofyears created Baking Together (G | art) for @peachydreamxx

@legendrarry created Ho-Ho-Harry! (G | fancomic) for @starquestingfordrarry

@legendrarry created Dining with the Devil - The Daily Prophet. (not rated | poster, art) for @uncanny_cerulean

@littewinnow created A Parliament of Owls (G | art) for @kitty_fic

@littlewinnow created Mistletoe Kisses (NC-17 | art) for @maraudersaffair

@peachydreamxx created Conflict Resolution (R | art) for @pheaphilus

@peachydreamxx created The Purrfect Boyfriend (G | cat comic) for @sitaz

@peachydreamxx created The First Morning (PG | art) for @threading_fate

@porcelainheart3 created Promises, Promises (G | fancomic) for @c-art

@porcelainheart3 created I was told there would be fondue (G | art) for @digtheshipper

@porcelainheart3 created Codswallop (G | art) for @sitaz

@retiredunicorn created No Coat (G | art) for @bererjs

@threading_fate created Intimacy with Your (R | art) for @maraudersaffair

@starquestingfordrarry created Phallus impudicus (NC-17 | art) for @dodgerkedavra

@starquestingfordrarry created Muggle Studies, Lesson 1: Recreation (G | art) for @inheartofwinter

All gifts have been de-anoned on AO3. ♥ Creators' names will be added to the LJ posts in the next weeks. Many creators have different names across fandom platforms; we chose the name we know you by best (except Logan :)). If you'd like your name changed in this post, just let us know. ♥ If you see any mistakes, dead links or entries we may have missed, please let us know in comments or email us.

[stargirlie25]

I believe this might be the reason anti gwynriels think targwyn has foreshadowing:

´´as if Gwyn had been a summer storm´´

´´And when Gwyn reached the finish line, bloody and panting and grinning so wildly her teal eyes glowed like a sunlit sea,´´

(IMO seas are in the NC)

Im going to tell you why this is not foreshadowing.

´´Nesta couldn’t stop it then. The answering smile that bloomed through her at last, stealing across her face, bright as the dawn´´

Does nesta belong in the Dawn court?

´´A glance at Az revealed his brother stone-faced, cold fury in his eyes.´´

´´But from the instant he’d met Nesta, the cold fire in her eyes had been a temptation of a different sort´´ Nesta and Azriel belong in the Winter court?

´´But Kallias smiled at his wife and mate, warm and bright enough that despite his icy coloring, he should have been the High Lord of Day´´ The literal Lord of the Winter court with pale coloring can smile as bright to be in the day court. That does not mean he is going to!

´´Mor’s answering grin was brighter than the entirety of the Day Court.´´ So mor belongs in the day court?

The answer to all of these are no. What you are spiritually matter. Not what you look like! I really don´t want to be mean......just pointing it out! All love ofc

[dearbisexual]

Central NC is getting a winter storm tomorrow afternoon *poses* we're predicted to get 1 to 3 inches which may not sound like much to those in colder climates but here that's enough to shut everything down. Everyone's rushing to the stores and pharmacy and whatnot this evening

[my-favourite-zhent]

New Tricks - Chapter 16

Status: Work In Progress Version: 1.01 Pairing: Rugan x AFAB!OC Rating: NC-17 (This chapter R for violence) Genre: Adventure/Romance Summary: Misadventures of Rugan and the original Zhentarim Gate's crew before and during the year of three sailing ships.

Notes: Sorry for the long delay folks. I ended up scrapping a lot of what was originally written for this chapter and some of it has been moved to the next one. But for what it's worth this chapter is almost triple the usual length so lets just pretend its 3 chapters.

Much love for my editor and plothole spotter @fistfuloftarenths as well as @dustdeepsea for their grammar and beta-reading support.

Table of Contents

Read on AO3 here or below the cut.

New Tricks - Chapter Sixteen

Ships, gods he hated ships. Ever since Rugan had first set foot on one as a lad back in Luskan he had hated them. Had been a bit of a running joke with the crew. Born to the city of sails yet he took to the sea about as well as a horse. Didn’t help that he had never learned to swim. The waters around Luskan were cold and biting, and he had known more than one lad growing up who had gotten frostbite or Winter’s chill from a reckless dip in the River Mirar.

At least travel by river was steadier than by sea.  They weren't busy swaying to and fro, battling unseen currents. Rivers were flat for the most part, if there were rapids then those were always present, not like the surprise of choppy seas set on you based upon the whims of Umberlee. Any storms wouldn’t dump torrents of water on the deck like they would at sea, wouldn’t have the weight to batter and tip them over. 

Generally river boats weren’t as grand as the ships that set out to sea, but Athkatla and Crimmor sat along the Alandor river. The Alandor was wide and deep enough to accommodate the seafaring caravels. This one was large enough to contain a few cramped passenger’s quarters and a small galley. Rugan laid in his narrow cabin bed, propped up against the headboard and sighed. It was the fastest way to get to Athkatla, but with no work to do it left him with entirely too much free time. Nothing to prevent his thoughts from drifting back to Crimmor and Iz. 

He would’ve liked to have stayed longer, apologise properly, bed her down in those soft sheets at least a few more times. But then the sending had come from Sal. The delivery recipients had yet to make contact. Unusual, highly unusual, enough so that it had set his hairs on end.

There had been instances in the past where a client could no longer pay for a shipment, or had even died before it had arrived. But even then the Zhents had always been contacted. They'd keep the cargo in part or full as a due in the former, or someone else would come to collect in the latter. Valuables were still valuables after all. But absolute silence? It made Rugan's gut turn the way it did just before a bit of violence. 

What he had hoped would be a leisurely recovery instead became hastily making arrangements to take the river down to Athkatla the next day. And where once they had planned to go together he had instead insisted that Izzy stay behind. As much as he wanted more time with her there was no sense showing up to what may very well be a trap with a civilian in tow.

So instead he'd been forced to say his goodbyes on the dock. 

+++++

Mists obscured the riverbanks the morning of his departure. When a torrent of rain had come down he used the excuse to pull her under his cloak, holding her close in the last slivers of dark before daybreak. He pressed his face into her hair, arms encircling her waist. She smelled of jasmine oil and citrus fruits.

“Lots of nice book shops in the Gate, you know.” She couldn't come to Athkatla, not now, but maybe in a few days or so…

He felt her laugh more than he heard it. “Great connoisseur are you?”

“Picked up a thing or two from a pretty lass in Waterdeep.”

She pulled away to smile up at him, pensively, then gave a sad shake of her head. “You'll have to show me in the spring. I'll try and find some work up your way.”

“Ah, the spring then.” He worked hard to keep the disappointment out of his voice.

“Wintersmoot is soon. It's a celebration to mark the end of the caravan season. Maybe you could come back after your job?”

But he was already shaking his head. “Need to get home, boss’ll want a proper debriefing after what a mess this whole trip has been.”

“Ah.” The corners of her cheeks were upturned, but her eyes were so damned sad.

“Iz,” he sighed, slipping his fingers into those thick tresses of hers. “I've been unkind to you.” He spoke softly, such that only she could hear him against the patter of the rain.

“We can speak on it when we next meet. I don't want to dwell on that now.” Isolde turned to press her lips against the corner of his mouth, and he turned in kind to catch her in a lingering kiss. She was so soft and sweet and if he could have he would've devoured her whole.

The tempo of the rain slowed, the sound of its fall receded until the first rays of sunlight began to peek over the horizon. And still he did not let go, putting off boarding till the last possible moment.

“We're shipping off now, Saer.” The shiphand called from a no longer obscured riverboat. At last Rugan was forced to pull himself away from her.

“Tymora smile on you, Zhent.”

“She always does.” His fingers brushed over her cheek once more before alighting onto the barge.

There were shouts and hollers as the deckhands cast off the lines. They pushed off from the mooring with long poles, keeping the boat parallel to the docks as it slowly drifted into the river. Only when they reached the deeper waters of the river’s centre did they move to unfurl the sails. From the deck Rugan watched Izzy's solitary figure on the wharf till she too was consumed by the fast returning mists of the Alandor river.

+++++

The Adamantine Mug was an ostentatiously decorated inn. Everything was gleaming in silver: the bar rails, the wall sconces, the doorknobs. Salazon supposed this lent an air of respectability for its mostly merchant clientele, but he couldn't help but find it to be a bit of a waste.

Despite that, the rooms were surprisingly cheap, or at least they would have been if Bellar hadn't picked a fight with the innkeeper the first night. Sal had smoothed over the argument enough that the rooms were still affordable, but he wasn't pleased with paying half more than the going rate.

The trio were seated in the inn's taproom. Their table was tucked into a comfortable alcove to the rear of the building, and naturally they had their backs to the wall. From here they had a clear line of sight to the front door and could easily slip out through the kitchen if need be.

The place was quieter this time of year. With caravan season almost at its end there were less merchants in the city. Still, it was one of the more popular establishments and a good number of tables were taken up by groups of patrons chatting away or quiet individuals enjoying their drinks. 

It was also a good day to be indoors. The rain outside was pelting down, and seemed to form a thin layer of ice everywhere it touched. 

“Can you believe they made me get a licence to cast spells? What's next, a licence for breathing?” Salazon slammed his mug down on the table for emphasis.

“Zarys handled it, so what's the problem?” Bellar was leaning back in his chair, boots on the table, idly cleaning his nails with a knife.

“It's the principle of the matter!”

Olly sighed into his mug for the umpteenth time that afternoon, not being much in the mood for actual drinking.

“I already told you he's fine Olly.” Sal was getting a bit exasperated, it had been over an hour.

“Then why isn't he here yet?”

“I am here, you bastards just don't know how to use your damned eyes.” Rugan appeared at the right side of the alcove, throwing his hood back.

“Rugan!” Olly jumped to his feet. The boy was so earnest that Rugan forgot all his anger in an instant. Damn it all, that was going to make scolding him all the more difficult.

“Well if it isn’t Tymora’s chosen himself.” Sal smiled warmly.

“Should’ve tattooed a shamrock on your ass instead of that black hand.” Bellar added with a smirk.

“If I was half as jammy as you two seem to think, I wouldn’t have fallen ill in the first place.”

“Pretty girl falls out of the sky and puts you up in a nice house. If that’s what you call bad luck then Beshaba grant me her blessing.” Sal complained.

“He's been complaining like this the whole trip,” interjected Bellar. “Can't tell if he wants to fuck your girl’s friend or her library.”

“I'd happily take either.” Sal agreed.

“How did you get in here without us seeing you?” Olly piped up.

“Been here a while before you lot came down, lad. Bit disappointed no one was paying attention considering our current predicament.” He cast his gaze over Sal and Bellar. At least the former had the decency to look sheepish. Bellar didn't even meet his gaze.

“What situation? So they're a little late, if they don't show we just pawn the goods ourselves. Easy as that.” Bellar squinted at something on the tip of his blade.

“We don't even know what the cargo is .” Sal huffed.

“Aye, and that makes it all the more suspect. Usually we’re given a proper manifest but this one was all hush hush. Don't sit right with me, so mind your surroundings and no one goes out anywhere on their own.”

“Is it really that bad?” Asked Olly.

“Maybe, or maybe it's nothing. But I'd rather we were overly cautious and it turns out to be nothing rather than the opposite.” Rugan took the seat next to Sal. He hung his cloak over the chair's top rail and angled it such that his back was to the wall.

“Now that's a fine cloak.” Bellar noted, impressed. “Get that from your bit of skirt?”

“So what if I did?”

“Might've misjudged you, thought she was running a game on you but it looks like it's the other way round.”

Rugan bit his tongue. Better to let Bellar believe he was using Iz than to deal with the fallout of … well of them being what to each other exactly?

“That is nice,” remarked Sal eyeing the material, before locking eyes with Rugan and raising an eyebrow.

Rugan averted his eyes and instead flagged down the pretty blonde barmaid as an excuse to ignore the unspoken question.

+++++

The wooden steps of the inn creaked beneath Rugan's feet as he and Olly ascended. The evening in the taproom had passed quietly enough. There was still no word from the buyer but that could have been chalked up to the poor weather. The pair reached the top of the stairwell and passed down the carpeted hall.

“This is me.” Rugan nodded to the room on the right. “You're bunked with Sal?”

“That's right. He wanted to save some coin.”

“Good. Keep an eye on each other.” Rugan moved to unlock the door.

“Rugan, about what happened at the pass.” Olly hesitated for a moment, averting his gaze. The guilt had been steadily eating at him. He felt anxious, his stomach queasy. 

Rugan turned to him with a sigh. “Olly, I don’t think I need to tell you how blindingly stupid you were. And while we both know it warrants further discussion it’s one I’d rather not have till the job here is done, understood?” In truth it was one he would rather not have ever but it was overdue.

Olly nodded sheepishly. “Yeah, of course.”

“Right, get some sleep. Smother Sal if he snores.”

“Night, Rugan.”

+++++

As Rugan descended the stairs for breakfast the next morning he caught the eye of the barmaid from the night before. She straightened at the sight of him and scurried over, blonde curls bouncing with each step.

“Rugan, was it?” She asked sweetly.

“That's right, lass.” He smiled but inwardly wondered the best way to turn her down.

“Letter came for you this morning.” She pulled out an envelope from her apron and gingerly handed it to him. He felt a split second pang of disappointment when he didn't recognize the handwriting and hoped it didn't show on his face.

“My thanks. By any chance can you recall the likeness of the one who dropped it off?”

She scrunched her face up as she tried to remember. “Mmm, not one of the regular couriers, didn't recognize him. Human, short, tan with brown hair? Think I remember the hair being a bit longish in the back. Can't tell you much more than that.” 

Rugan placed a silver coin in her hand and smiled warmly. “That's plenty. But do let me know if you remember anything else, might be there's another coin or two in it for you.”

The girl brightened at the sight of the coin and nodded her head emphatically. “Yes saer, of course.”

Rugan was already climbing back up the stairs before she'd finished. If this wasn't from either Izzy or Zarys, there was only one other possibility. He opened the letter at the top of the stairs, reading and rereading it before advancing down the hall. Rugan quickly rapped on Bellar's door. 

“Come on then.” He jerked his head towards the others’ room when Bellar opened the door. The pair went down to the next door, an expectant Olly swinging it open just as Rugan raised his hand to knock.

“How did you…” Bellar trailed off.

“Heard Rugan through the door.” Olly replied sheepishly as he stepped back to let them in.

A Salazon-sized lump lay covered on one of the beds, and Rugan roughly pulled the blankets back.

“Up Sal, it's already well towards Elsun.”

The wizard groaned and rubbed his eyes. “Haven't you any manners? Is this how you usually wake people?”

“Usually waking pretty girls but if you want my cock up your arse next time I'll make note of it.”

Sal grumbled as he sat upright. “Well, why are we all in here, then?”

“Buyer made contact, they expect the delivery at Thulsun today, Wave District.”

“Thulsun’s not for a while,” Olly said tentatively.

“Too soon for my liking. But it's enough time to prepare ourselves.” Rugan handed the letter to Sal. “You're the most lettered, maybe you'll catch something I missed.”

The wizard’s eyes scanned the page. “It's a bit terse, but I don't see any hidden meaning or context. Writing’s neat, too.”

Rugan mulled over their next steps. “Bellar, how did you try to make contact when you first arrived?”

“Left a message with the innkeeper at the Sea’s Bounty Tavern as we were instructed. Checked back with them a few times since we've been here, but no messages were left.”

“And the warehouse where Zarys told us to store the cargo. How was it?”

Bellar shrugged. “Well lit, well guarded. Wasn't cheap to store it there.”

“Seemed popular with the other merchant houses,” added Olly. “Saw a lot of different emblems.”

“There were sigils about the place too,” remarked Sal. “So they must have a licensed wizard on staff.”

“Better do with what they charged us,” muttered Bellar.

“Good, Zarys' done her homework then. Not that I ever doubted her.”

“Take it you don't intend to bring the cargo to the meet.” Bellar arched an eyebrow before grinning. “Expecting a fight then?”

“I'm not intending and I am expecting.” Rugan agreed.

“Any particular reason besides them being late?” Sal yawned.

“The whole damned job. Rare for us to go this far south, what with the lack of Zhent presence in the city. The fact that they didn't have a warehouse or some other location for us to simply drop off the goods. And now, on top of being late to make contact, they wait specifically till I've shown up to reply. It's uncanny.”

“Could be just coincidence.” Bellar offered.

“Sure, and Wave District being home to the Galvarey Estate might be just a coincidence too.” Rugan crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

Sal pursed his lips. “They don't still operate out of there do they?”

Rugan shrugged. “Can't see them staying in such a notorious location, but then again if it was me I wouldn't go far.”

There was a tense silence as everyone mulled over the implications. At long last Sal broke the silence with a sigh. “I'll get my spells ready.”

“And make sure to wear your leathers.” Rugan added.

“Yes, I know. I'm not completely green.”

+++++

The quartet went about their preparations together. All leathers were thoroughly oiled to the point that they bent and folded almost as well as cloth. 

Blades were sharpened and hidden, Bellar took extra care when returning his jock knife to its usual hiding place.

Olly and Rugan then moved onto sharpening the bodkins and bolts.

“Nice thing about a properly honed Broadhead, sometimes you can get it sharp enough that they don’t even know when you’ve stuck ‘em.” Rugan put down his whetstone and admired his work.

“On arrows sure, but the bolts don’t seem all that useful, using those little hand crossbows,” remarked Olly as he rubbed a bit of grease on an arrowhead. “Don’t got nearly the range of a longbow.”

“True enough lad, but besides Waterdeep you’ve only fought your battles on the open road so far. No, if this is a trap, and I do believe it is, they’ll come for us in the alley ways. You try swinging a longbow around in a ginnel that hardly fits two men abreast and you’ll see the use of a hand crossbow. Have a bolt already loaded in there, and you can squeeze yourself out of a tight situation.”

“Just don’t be like Brem and accidentally set it off into your own arse,” chuckled Bellar as he slid another knife into his boot.

+++++

Before long Thulsun was nearly upon them. Rugan grimaced as he and Bellar exited the Mug. By all rights the Adamantine Mug was a reasonably priced inn, but Rugan found it ostentatious and the rest of the Gem District was even worse. This was where the nouveau riche of the city lived, and it showed in the elaborate shoppes and fanciful houses. Each edifice more gaudily fashioned than the last. Perhaps the only building in the whole district that was not overwrought was the Dome of the Rose, a temple dedicated to Lathander. Rugan wondered idly what Izzy thought of the Gem District.

He felt more at ease as they entered the Wave District. There was a building of anxious energy as they got closer to the meet, but the Wave District felt more comfortable, more familiar. Folk here worked hard, honest trades. His trade might not have been honest but it was certainly hard.

The street was conspicuously empty as Rugan and Bellar approached the curio shop indicated in the letter. Perhaps the thin layer of ice that coated it could have deterred most residents from leaving their homes, but that didn't explain why every window was shuttered. As he had predicted, the roads and laneways were cramped in this section. Easy to bottleneck a group that might be more used to defensively circling wagons than back alley fights. Might .

“I thought there were more of you.” Came a call from the alley to their left and they both turned to look.

He was a human, of somewhat diminutive stature. His skin reminded Rugan of that of acorns and his hair was like the ochre he had seen on the banks of the Chionthar. The mysterious courier no doubt.

“Our comrades are just procuring the shipment while we iron out the details.”

“What's left to iron out? I've your coin, all four hundred gold pieces.”

So he knew that much, but Rugan was still suspicious. 

“Payment’s one thing, logistics is another. I don't see a warehouse.”

“You're looking at it.” The man patted the wooden planks behind him and Rugan realised it was a sliding barn door he hadn't made out due to the slant of the alley. 

“Where's your party, then? Surely you didn't mean to unload it all yourself. After all, it's not a light load.”

“They're just through here. We can discuss logistics inside.” 

Wrong answer, the expected response to ‘a light load’ was ‘for a stubborn mule’.

Rugan angled one hand behind his back so that only Bellar could see the gesture he made. ‘Trap.’

Not that he had needed to bother, Bellar was also familiar with the password. In fact, Bellar was already grinning in anticipation.

“Lead on, friend,” said Bellar. He was already grinning in anticipation.

The man threw open the door and stepped inside the darkened interior as they approached. He had a strange quirk to his gate as he stepped over the threshold. Rugan squinted and realised there was a tripwire running along it.

Noting a plank of wood leaning against the opposite wall, Rugan slid the door back shut with a slam and quickly jammed it in place with the plank. He felt two hands roughly take his shoulders and yank him back. Just in time, a quarrel knocked into the door where he’d just been standing.

They both turned to see a woman on the adjacent balcony reload her crossbow. It was the barmaid from the mug. Only now she was decked out in leathers and her blonde curls were pulled back in a high ponytail.

The door before them jolted as the man inside tried to get back out and into the fray.

“Teaberry! Now!” He shouted through the planks and a stout halfling stepped through a second story window on the opposite building. He was decked in wizard’s robes and his hands were glowing with some unknown spell.

Rugan and Bellar took off in opposite directions from one another, the sound of the door bursting open echoing behind them.

“You said rolling heads!” The blonde angrily shouted at her newly freed leader before running across the rooftops after Rugan.

The man and the halfling gave chase to Bellar, though the halfling was at a great disadvantage, stumbling over rooftops in his heavy robes. As Bellar approached the main thoroughfare an elf in cleric’s robes stepped out into the alley before him. He was shaking as he recited the beginnings of a prayer, a morningstar tightly gripped in one hand. The Zhent leapt and grabbed onto an overhanging shop sign, using his momentum to swing feet first into the cleric, knocking the elf to the ground. His head hit the stones with a thud. 

Bellar came back up in a roll and rounded the corner into the avenue. It opened into a larger plaza at one end and he continued in that direction. The man wasn’t far behind and charged at the Zhent, short sword in hand. Bellar turned to face him, drawing his own blade, the ring of steel on steel filling the air. There had been a dozen or so civilians milling about in the plaza, and they all stopped to gape at the ongoing fight. The pair traded slashes and feints. Bellar was easily able to ward off each strike, but had yet to make any serious attempt at his own.

Teaberry, tired of struggling over the rooftops, clambered down the first ladder he found and continued at street level. As he came out into the avenue it seemed he finally had a lucky break. In this wide open space he could easily cast at the Zhent from a distance. With a crackle, a bolt of lightning leapt from Teaberry’s fingertips. The sight of magic brought cries of horror from the onlookers and they fled the plaza in record time.

Bellar gave a cry of pain as the spell found him and staggered back. The brown-haired man sought to press the advantage but found himself coughing and gagging as a yellow cloud of gas engulfed him. He hastened forward to escape the cloud but was struck by an arrow to his thigh and screamed in pain.

“Nice one Olly.” Sal cheered from the rooftop where the pair were overlooking the plaza. Theirs was the tallest building on the perimeter and gave them a clear view of the battlefield.

Meanwhile, Teaberry had been similarly struck by the noxious fumes and had lost all concentration on his chain lighting. The mage stumbled back from the stinking cloud and seeing his friend hit, ducked behind the only available cover: a storm-lantern just as tall as the halfling himself. 

How unfortunate for him that Olly's next arrow was greased. Sal reached for it, a flickering flame appearing in his hand. A quick pass of Sal's hand and the arrowhead was alive with flame; Olly let it loose with the twitch of a finger.

In an instant the storm-lantern shattered in an explosion of glass, the oil within catching alight. There was a great roiling flame and shrieks of pain from the halfling wizard. The glass left deep lacerations across his whole body but especially his face, as flames licked at his oil soaked clothing. He dropped to the ground, rolling along the icy cobblestones to try and extinguish his robes. It was shocking and perhaps a testament to the mage’s experience that he had the presence of mind to even do that. Luckily for Teaberry the flames were swiftly extinguished.

The quick thinking had saved his life, but that would be little consolation to the now blinded mage as he heard the familiar sound of a portal opening.

“Who the hells?” Olly breathed as a pair of wizards stepped out to grab the halfling. He knocked another arrow and took aim at the new combatants when Sal grabbed his wrist.

“Cowled wizards, Olly,” Sal explained. “They're here to arrest him. Poor bugger isn't licensed.”

Indeed the pair of wizards gagged the sobbing halfling and whisked him away into another portal.

The pair turned their attention to Bellar, who had removed a blackjack from his belt. He raised the club over his head and brought it down on the retching man with a sickening crack. He crumpled to the ground and Sal was quite certain he was dead.

“Lucky those wizards left before he did that.” Olly shook his head.

“Nah, cowled wizards don’t give a shit about murder, just magic.”

Bellar looked up at them and waved, face plastered with a grin.

+++++

Though he could not see his assailant, Rugan was certain one of the attackers was following him. He thought he could hear the crash of footsteps on the rooftops behind him, and his suspicion was confirmed when another quarrel whizzed past his head. 

‘Shit shot, thank the Black Hand.’ He thought as skidded round the corner. The ice was thicker here, and one misstep could mean a broken bone or worse. But Rugan was a Luskan lad, and even if he hadn’t been gifted with a love of the sea he knew his way around an icy cobblestone.

The path here was more cramped but dotted with several overhangs and balconies which provided him with cover from his assailant. He raced beneath them before skidding into a particularly deep doorway, pressing himself tight against the wooden door.

He heard the approaching footsteps round the same corner and pause. There was a thump and a creak as the hunter jumped from one balcony to another. They were realising they had lost their rooftop advantage.

There was silence for a few agonising minutes, then he heard the sound of weight hitting the ground. The footsteps were approaching again, but on ground level now. Rugan quietly slipped his dagger from its sheath. No sense in trying to swing a sword in this narrow snicket.

They sounded so close now, though they were trying to be quiet. He held his breath, blood thundering in his ears.

Rugan saw the briefest glimpse of the crossbow pass the edge of the doorway and struck. He brought down the pommel of his dagger onto the weapon.

The girl let out a cry of surprise, the crossbow dropping from her hands as she stumbled back on the ice.

She drew her own dagger as Rugan stepped out from his hiding place.

He smirked when he saw her. “Girls always seem to like it when I play hard to get. This is the first time one’s chased me down though.”

She stared at him hard and he could tell she was debating her next move. A dagger’s short reach made it very personal. His arms were longer than hers and he was likely stronger than her too. A knife fight wouldn't go in her favour.

Her eyes darted for her crossbow but he kicked it away just as she lunged to retrieve it. Rugan pulled back to kick again but she was already rolling back to her feet and away from him.

“Don't fancy your odds, lass.”

He supposed she didn't fancy them either because she took off running back the way they'd come.

“Shite.” He hurried after her. It was stupid giving chase but he couldn't risk her going after one of the others. That could turn the tide against them.

Down each winding street and alley he managed to catch sight of her trailing ponytail just as she turned a corner. Ice was more familiar to him, but she was younger, faster.

As he came around the last bend he found himself at a dead end. A glass bottle came crashing down on his hand from another hidden nook and he dropped his dagger. He spun to face her and she leapt forward. Between her momentum and the ice he didn't stand a chance. He landed roughly on his tailbone. Rugan was certain he would feel that for a tenday at least.

The woman came forward and pressed her blade against his throat. “What does Moonrise want with Moonglow towers?” She stuttered. “I mean, Moonglow want with Moonrise?”

Rugan who had never even heard of Moonrise towers could only shrug. “Family reunion?” Moonrise certainly sounded like a halfling sort of town. Moonglow of Moonrise—that checked out.

“Don’t toy with me, you Zhent bastard!”

“If you insist.” There was a strange sound like the soft thud of metal on leather.

The woman squinted in confusion, as she felt a warm sensation starting at the corner of her mouth and pooling down her chin. She touched her fingers to it, and her eyes widened when they came away red. She stumbled back from him, only with the space now made between them did she see the bolt sticking out from between her ribs.

“Now a hit like that? It’d be a slow bleed. Could be someone would even find you in time.” Rugan stepped toward her, easily twisting her wrist and forcing the woman to drop her blade as he continued. “That’s why I feel it’s usually best to let the poison do most of the work.”

The woman stumbled back, bracing herself against the wall with one hand, the other grasping at the bolt futilely. She was doubling over, gasping.

Bellar came into view then, dragging a dazed cleric by the scruff of his robes.

“Harpers.” He stated matter of factly, and tossed Rugan a small silver pin with his free hand. It was a harp resting on a crescent moon. “Think we've mopped them all up.”

Rugan looked from the pin to the girl. “Now why don't you tell us what this is about, and we'll let your friend fix you up. Always a shame to kill a pretty girl.”

She hissed and sucked in a breath. She tried to speak, but all that came out was a wet sucking sound. Based upon the dark scowl she wore Rugan doubted she would've been forthcoming in any case. 

He sighed, hands on hips. “What about you then, priest? Want to save your little friend?”

When the elf did not immediately respond, Bellar clapped him against the ear to break him from his daze. He gave a cry of surprise and looked from one Zhent to the other.

“Tell us why you attacked us, and I'll let you heal the girl.”

“You're Zhents.” It sounded halfway like a question. The idiot only had half of his sense knocked back into him. Rugan looked to Bellar who clapped the elf again. Another startled yelp which Rugan would laugh about later over a pint.

“Lot of trouble to kill a few Zhents, and people say we're the rotten ones. Haven't even committed a crime.” At least not on this job.

The woman gave another wheezing gasp and Rugan looked from her to her companion. “You'd better hurry up, seems she doesn't have that much longer.”

“T-the delivery for Moonglow. She's smuggling things out of Moonrise towers. Weapons go in and something else comes out. Something worse, something secret.”

“And you expected us to know?” Rugan was utterly astonished.

“Your delivery was supposed to come from there. You're supposed to know, you're the leader.” It was as if the elf was pleading, begging for it to be true.

“You put a lot more faith in caravan guards than the Zhentarim does, lad. We've no idea what we're transporting. You would've been better off just breaking into the warehouse to take a peek yourself.”

The elf looked defeated and Rugan couldn't blame him. How many of the elf’s party were dead or wounded for this misstep? Another sigh and a shake of the head.

“Where’s our buyer, then?”

“Dead.” The priest flinched when he said it, as if expecting a reprisal.

“Dead?” Rugan raised his eyebrows., These Harpers were more cutthroat than he thought.

“He was like that when we got there!” The priest protested. “We only found his journal about where to expect a message and the price to be paid.”

“And you didn’t think that was suspicious?” A wry smile twisted his lips.

“Cassyn thought it was our good fortune.”

Rugan let out a laugh that was half relief and half amusement. Ambushed by Harpers, and they weren’t even particularly smart Harpers. Green and over eager.

“Cut him loose.” 

Bellar shoved the priest towards his companion with a smirk. The Zhent had gotten in his share of violence in today and would be in a good mood for a while.

“Now don't say we haven't been reasonable.” Rugan turned to leave, Bellar in tow, as the elf scrambled to lay his hands on his gasping friend.

“Oh, and if you're thinking of shooting us in the back—” A deadly lilt entered Rugan's voice as he glanced back at the pair over his shoulder. “Don't forget our friends are still about.”

The pair of Zhents walked off without any further incident, and rejoined with Olly and Sal at the pre-appointed meeting spot at the docks.

“Handy thing, that,” Sal said as he removed Izzy's ring of climbing from his finger and handed it back to Rugan. 

“Indeed.” He placed it on his own hand without looking. “Lead on to the warehouse then, lads. Let's go see what all the fuss is about.”

+++++

The quartet had discussed the attempted ambush on the trip over, supplying each other with the details of each encounter and fitting in the missing pieces.

“Seems like those Harpers knew more about our delivery than we do,” Bellar complained as he pulled open the doors to the warehouse. There were a half dozen wooden crates stacked haphazardly in the centre of the room. Rugan suppressed the urge to comment on the lads’ lack of organisation.

“What I want to know is—” He grunted as climbed to the top of the stack. “—What's in these fucking crates. Hand me a crowbar, Bellar.”

“We're not supposed to look in there!” Olly hissed.

“Here.” Bellar handed the crowbar up to Rugan.

“My thanks.”

“Is no one listening to me?” Olly looked like he might burst a vessel.

"No, Rugan's right," Sal interjected. "This whole job's smelled worse than Brem from the very start. We need to know, Olly."

Rugan wedged the bar under the lip of the crate and with a groan, pried it open. The crate was packed tight with straw, but as Rugan pulled it back he could find nothing at all. Finally at the bottom he found a pair of bricks.

Rugan lifted them from the crate for the others to see. He was met with looks of confusion.

“Open the rest, lads. Sal keep an eye on the door.” He tossed the bricks aside and set to opening the next crate. 

More bricks. Cussing from Bellar and Olly. They had found boulders and slag in their respective crates.

“What the hells is all this?” Olly asked.

“Junk,” supplied Bellar, he was also confused but starting to put it together.

“It's all just to weigh it down, make us and anyone else think it was a legitimate delivery.” Rugan ran his hand over his hair as he considered the implications of their findings.

“But if it's not a legitimate delivery, then what is it?”

“Bugger,” breathed Sal as he was coming to the same conclusion Rugan had already come to.

“It's bait, lad. Or more accurately, we were bait.”

“But on whose behalf?” Asked Bellar.

“Moonglow. They were asking about her and she signed off on this delivery. Either we’d kill them and remove an obstacle for her, or they’d kill us and find nothing but junk. She's probably got another team running her actual delivery.”

“It's not a very nice feeling being bait.” Olly muttered.

“Exactly why they didn't tell us.” Bellar laughed, more intrigued than angry.

“Do you think Zarys knew?” Sal pointed this question at Rugan.

“Hard to say, she doesn't like losing people but she’d like getting eliminated by Roah for insubordination even less.”

“Roah fucking Moonglow. You have to admit it was a good plan,” Bellar chuckled and shook his head.

Sal made a face. “Please try to sound less impressed with the woman who set us up.”

Rugan climbed down from the stack and wiped his hands on his pants as he mulled over the events of the past day. The Harpers had known he was in charge, it was him they had questioned, and they hadn’t struck until he had rejoined the group. Had Roah leaked that to them? Or had they been watching their crew since before Crimmor?

“Damn near died dragging this delivery from Nashkel and it’s all junk.” Rugan found himself laughing at the absurdity of it. He was increasingly feeling like it was time to retire.

He noted Olly watching him with a troubled expression and waved off his concerns. “It’s fine. We came out in one piece, didn’t we? Still, I’ll feel better the sooner we’re out of this damned city. Let’s get back and pack. We’re shipping out on the first boat to the Gate.”

‘And I’ll have to have a chat with Zarys about this when we return,’ he thought bitterly.

[bluenet13]

Ask game! 23, 31, 33

23. how do you feel about chilly weather?

I love chilly weather. I grew up somewhere where there were no seasons whatsoever, basically just rain and dry. Now that I get to enjoy them all I love the variety and I can't deal with the heat and humidity, so I really love fall and winter.

31. what type of music keeps you grounded?

I'm Hispanic so I love Latin ballads. I grew up listening to them with my family so they remind me of home and when life was simpler and in some ways better. Also, any of the songs I've gotten obsessed with throughout the years. I keep them all in a playlist and just hit shuffle whenever I need to get lost somewhere other than inside my head.

33. the last adventure you’ve been on?

This one is hard! The easiest answer is that I go on adventures every day because I'm an avid reader. I especially love fantasy books. But, if we're talking about real life, then last summer when I drove to Tennessee for a quick vacation. The drive from NC is through the mountains, so many areas without service and lots of narrow and curvy roads. It was a stormy day with many weather alerts so we were trying to make it there early and of course the storms start rolling in when we're in the middle of nowhere with no signal or any way to check maps or the weather app! Luckily we made it just in time and the rest of the trip was awesome.

Thanks for asking!

[faggotstump]

BREAKING NEWS NC SCHOOL CANCELLED OVER WINTER WEATHER. APARENTLY .ALSO I THINK THEY NAMED THE STORM FINN. OR FENT IDK

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Friday, December 22

GILES: A, a Slayer slays, a Watcher— BUFFY: Watches? GILES: Yes. No! He, he trains her, he, he, he prepares her— BUFFY: Prepares me for what? For getting kicked out of school? For losing all of my friends? For having to spend all of my time fighting for my life and never getting to tell anyone because I might endanger them? Go ahead! Prepare me.

~~BtVS 1x01 “Welcome to the Hellmouth”~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Errands (Buffy, Willow, PG-13) by veronyxk84

wait out the storm (Buffy/Angel, G) by Empire_of_the_Words

The Grudge (Ensemble, FR13) by TimothyBlack

The Merry Month of Magnus Presents... Let It Snow (Buffy/Spike, PG) by Rea

Kitten Poker? (Buffy/Spike, PG) by Tessa

Buffyverse Flashfiction: One Last Chance (Buffy/Faith, unrated) by NotASlayer

[Chaptered Fiction]

Bound for Christmas, Chapter 1/6 (Buffy/Spike, M) by RavenLove12

Breaking Broken Hearts, Chapter 9/? (Jenny/OFC, Giles/Jenny, T) by Jess_Ann_Perreault

Dawn Rising, Chapter 33/? (Buffy, Lord of the Rings xover, T) by Luna_delCielo

Aegis, Chapter 2/? (Xander, DC comics xover, T) by dogbertcarroll, Narsil

Under the Water, Chapter 4/84 (Willow/Oz, M) by dwinchester

New York, Chapter 40/43 (Giles/Xander, M) by drsquidlove

Advent Calendiles, Chapter 22/24 (Giles/Jenny, G) by HAL1500

Easy Street, Chapter 4/? (Faith, The Walking Dead crossover, T) by Storm_Arke

[Ukrainian language] Forward to Time Past//Вперед у час минулий, Chapter 20/67 (Buffy/Spike, E) translation by Uraniya

Bound, Chapter 55 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by RavenLove12

A Vampire and a Slayer Walk Into a Park..., Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, R) by holetoledo

The Transfer, Chapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Blackmysteria

You Kiss Me, Chapter 7 (Buffy/Spike, R) by scratchmeout

The Neighbor's Point of View, Chapter 68 (Buffy/Spike, PG) by the_big_bad

Goodbye to Everything That I Knew, Chapter 13 (Buffy/Spike, R) by fortes775

As You Wish, Chapters 7-8 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Melme1325

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Closer, Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, R) by all_choseny

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A Very Summers Winter, Chapter 22 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by VeroNyxK84

What the Drabble?, Chapter 56 (Buffy/Spike, R) by VeroNyxK84

You Kiss Me, Chapter 7 (Buffy/Spike, R) by scratchmeout

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Closer, Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, R) by all_choseny

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The Plunge, Chapter 19 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Harlow Turner

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork: comic redraws, random hcs and some other stuff (Buffy, Willow, Dawn, worksafe) by pzyii

Gifset: [I never knew you had so much rage in you] (Faith, worksafe) by bocadelinfierno

Gifset: ["The Gift" scenes with lyrics from "NEW MAGIC WAND" by Tyler, The Creator] (Spike, Buffy, worksafe) by andremichaux

Meme: BTVS + Text posts pt 9 (Ensemble, worksafe) by pzyii

[Recs & In Search Of]

ISO: Are there any good Buffy books? requested by goodandpure

[Community Announcements]

Christmas Event and News About the Recent Outage by WotS Admin Team

[Fandom Discussions]

Buffy really was born to be a big sister by onyxhellebore

slayers: a buffyverse story is so so valid for having a scene where [Sprusilla spoiler] by keplercryptids

Nothing like watching the last Jenny x Giles scene and knowing it’s the last scene by sunnydaleslayer

Ever wondered what Faith would look like if she was a Slayer with an Axe, rather than stakes? continued by semiurge

When viewers forgive, forget or dismiss evil acts by Stoney

How Vampires are explained in Buffy & Angel vs How I believe they actually are. by TheFrostWolf7

When did Buffy start developing feelings for Spike? by howtheeffdidigethere

Spin Offs: If any other side characters were to have a side quest who would we be interested in watching? by pengchod

[Is Dollhouse worth a watch?] by goddamntodaso

Why hasn't this TV show ever scored another spin-off, sequel, or prequel, despite having one of the richest and most complex lores? by Eurotrancer

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Join the editor team :)

[swords-and-starlight]

I grew up in North Carolina. I lived in the suburbs near Raleigh, and literally my best memories are from there. I spent my childhood hiking in the Appalachian mountains and taking road trips to Myrtle Beach (which i’m well aware is in SC ok we went to the Outer Banks too shush). growing up i idolized NC Chapel Hill University and it was my dream college since literally the day I first stepped on campus when I was 8-years-old. my parents took us on yearly road trips through the local forests and parks to see the autumn foliage. anyone who knows me knows that I talk about how much I want to move back to NC after college. It is literally the most beautiful state i’ve ever lived in and I’ve been all over the US.

For the record, Asheville is about four hours west of Raleigh, which is about central North Carolina. My heart is breaking at the thought of my childhood town being destroyed by the floods and the hurricane. But more importantly, that should tell you that almost an ENTIRE STATE (about an eight hours drive from coast to border) is being ravaged by this hurricane, and North Carolina is not a small state.

To all those people who say that Southern Americans don’t deserve to be saved because of some moral failing, I moved from North Carolina to Texas literally right after Hurricane Harvey hit. I was here during the brutal aftermath where everyone had donation pages and campaigns set up so that people had mattresses to sleep on and food to eat. I was also living right here during 2022 when we had winter storms so bad that people were freezing to death in their homes. I remember all those northern liberals with insane moral superiority complexes saying that we didn’t deserve to live because we should have elected a better governor and that the federal government shouldn’t have done anything to help because apparently we weren’t really american citizens.

I’m not gonna sit here and explain why seeing that happen was one of the most horrifying things I’ve ever seen. I’m not gonna tell you how much faith i lost in the compassion and empathy of humanity, let alone fellow liberal/leftist americans. I’m not gonna try to prove to you that people don’t deserve to die no matter what or that the majority of people who were dying were the homeless, poor, poc communities or that believe it or not, queer, disabled, people of color live in the South (for example, me, a queer Indian-American girl).

I’m just gonna say, don’t let this happen to the people in North Carolina. Don’t You Dare.

fuck it since my birthday is in like one day i'm gonna use my birthday wish to tell y'all to look at the shit going on in southern Appalachia right now after Hurricane Helene. look at it and talk about it and spread resources about it like wildfire because nobody else fucking is and it feels like we're on our own out here.

there are people who are stranded in hazardous areas that are still safer than trying to leave by driving on the increasingly hazardous roads. i'm personally going into my third day without electricity at this point, and haven't been able to get any gas for a generator to even keep our fridge working. there are very few places with power or running water, and cell service has just barely been restored in the last hour. ground crews are working hard to repair things, but there are many, many areas that are entirely inaccessible that may not receive these fixes for several more days if not weeks. i'm afraid my own neighborhood might become one of those areas if repairs don't get to us soon, and since we're much more rural i have a difficult time trying to be optimistic about it.

we're very far inland. i guarantee you damn near everybody here was expecting a little more rain and wind like we usually get during hurricane season, if they even heard about the hurricane beforehand in the first place since most people only got about a twelve hour notice before landfall- after several major areas had already been flooded. our terrain protects us from most major weather events- most locals have never encountered a single tornado or legitimate tornado warning in our entire lives. nobody i've talked to or heard from about it seems to have had any idea that it would be this bad. everybody's wishing that they took it more seriously, but we've never, ever had to before. i've seen people comparing it to Hurricane Katrina and honestly i'm not sure if that's all too inaccurate. today while looking for a single working gas station i drove by a military helicopter parked in front of the elementary school i went to when i was little.

please for the love of god, talk about us. talk about the good memories you had here or the beauty of our mountains, and talk about how devastated we are as we watch historic structures, buildings, and entire towns get wiped from the face of the earth like they were never even there. stop dismissing us as uneducated hicks and rednecks and hilllbillies and fucking help us.

r/Asheville resource/updates megathread (Asheville is the largest city in western North Carolina)

How to set up disaster roaming for cell service

WLOS Live updates

Duke Energy power outage map

WNC Landslide Map

Hotels accepting locals

Emergency shelter locations

I live in western North Carolina so all of my own resources are centered around that. If anybody from the other impacted areas has additional sources they'd like to add, please don't hesitate to do so.

[autismonfire]

Winter Storm Cora is Starting to Impact Gaston County (NC)

It’s safe to say the snow drought in Gaston County is officially over! For the first time in 1,090 days (January 16, 2022), we’re seeing snow and ice thanks to Winter Storm Cora. ❄️

While it’s exciting to watch the flakes fall, it’s also a good reminder to stay safe:

👉 Limit travel if roads are icy or snow-covered.

👉 Keep a flashlight and extra blankets handy in case of power outages.

👉 If you’re heading outside, dress warmly and be cautious on slippery surfaces.

For our first responders, these winter storms can mean a busy time helping others stay safe. Remember to give them room on the roads and be prepared for emergencies.

Stay safe, stay warm, and enjoy the beauty of the snow, Gaston County!

[goopeculiar]

i know you said that we're not talking (but i miss you) mingyu/wonwoo, NC-17, 58235 words. The way Wonwoo hates is different, it’s not aggressive and heated, but rather it’s like a winter storm—cold and hostile. He doesn’t yell or shout, but his words are icy in a way that bites at your skin.

Unfortunately for Mingyu, he learns this through first-hand experience.