#a little shorter and a little sweeter but sometimes that's how it be

[kitramune]

So much to unpack in this scene...

The casual confirmation that Kikyou using the Jewel on Inuyasha would have gone BAD. (Like he didn't even use it directly on himself here and it did this.)

Inuyasha looking back like he's asking Kagome silently for help, whether he intends to or not. Kagome responding by running indeed, but TOWARDS him, not away from.

And then, y'know, the OBVIOUS thing we all fangirl about. I believe his line in Japanese has a double meaning because it's literally "hold me up." So he's asking for her support - emotionally, and physically for purifying the shard, but also in the literal holding sense.

[ghoulfuckersincorporated]

feeling veryyyy normal thinking about being offered as part of bounty to the ghoul because the bounty poster doesn’t end up having the caps they promised him. and they need to pay him somehow. they’ll offer him their lil captive vaultie as payment for the rest. 👉🏻👈🏻 will he accept?🫣

A Fair Trade

Pairing: Cooper Howard/The Ghoul x Female Reader

Word Count: 3,980

Warnings: smut (18+), p in v sex, oral (m receiving), creampie, sex as payment for debt, human trafficking typical of the Fallout universe.

Summary: The Ghoul always gets what's owed to him.

Notes: Oh, wow! My first submission-type ask! I'm genuinely super flattered and totally open to doing more. I initially ballparked that this would be around 2,500 words and it ended up almost 4,000 because I have no self control when it comes to this man. I will try to keep other submissions a little shorter, generally, to hopefully get them out quicker.

To the anon: This may have turned out...sweeter than you may have envisioned? Maybe that's not the word. Less rough? If so, my apologies! I hope you still enjoy.

Things had been...unfortunate for you since you had decided to leave your vault.

Looking for a taste of something new, chasing the feeling that the world had other things for you to experience, you had managed to make it to the nearest settlement of any import with only a few scrapes and bruises. But, regrettably, you lacked a true understanding of how cruel and selfish people on the surface could be, and you quickly ended up the captive of some random outpost runner.

Well, you'd been traded to the outpost runner. You still weren't quite sure how that had come about, even after weeks and weeks had passed, but, frankly, the scrawny, dirty man was a lot less scary than the guy who had initially captured you. He wasn't not scary by any means (no one up here really was, as far as you could tell); he still confiscated your things and locked you into the small room in the back that you were fairly confident was intended to be a closet every night, but he hadn't really done anything to hurt you so far. You were given a pillow, at least.

But you were growing increasingly uneasy with not knowing what his plans for you were. Worst case scenario, you guessed, he could kill and eat you like you'd heard some surface people did, but that didn't seem to be the case. Nevertheless, the way he eyeballed you, "accidentally" brushed against you with increasing frequency, made you uneasy. Maybe he'd bought you to be his wife, or whatever the Wasteland equivalent would be. You imagined that in the next few weeks he'd offer you more favorable sleeping accommodations...so long as you shared them with him.

Maybe you could accept, kill him in his sleep and flee. You really didn't treasure the idea of ending someone's life, but...you needed to get out of here, and soon.

The sound of the creaky, rusted front door hinges flexing drew your attention, distracting you from your bloody ruminations and the pile of scrap you'd been sorting through. The front office hadn't been loud, but the small murmur of voices instantly faded, a clatter of movement towards the door, followed by some very familiar sounding footfalls. He was back.

The tall, noseless, rad-ravaged man made his way in multiple times a month, sometimes even multiple times a week when the bounties were easy and the work was plentiful. You'd seen each other somewhat often the past few weeks, as your keeper had begun to allow you to clean and assist in the front of the office more and more. It was both better and worse; the days passed with less tedium and you got to see some of the interesting characters the desert produced. However, many of those characters sized you up with predatory eyes, as if they were estimating how many caps they could sell your flesh for in their heads. The ghoul had yet to give you that feeling, interestingly enough.

You'd heard whispers all over town about him, about all the things he'd apparently done, how he was supposedly hundreds of years old. You didn't believe that for a single second. After all, despite his fascinatingly gruesome appearance, he was just a man, wasn't he? A man with very advanced radiation sickness (and a rather unfriendly general disposition), but a man nonetheless.

Sometimes, you felt as if he was certainly looking at you the way a man would. You were unsure, frankly; social etiquette was so vastly different on the surface than it was at home. It sure seemed like he let his eyes linger on you, on your body. Perhaps he was simply curious about you, as you were about him; most people seemed afraid to even look his way, or too disgusted by his condition to even consider it.

"You wanna run that by me again?"

Your ears pricked up instantly at the tone in the ghoul's voice, your heckles raising as you sensed trouble. Tiptoeing towards the door to the front room, you stood as close as you dared, shoulder touching the rotting door frame as you listened in.

"I told you, we were robbed a few nights ago. I don't have the full payment for you right now. This is everything I've got."

You knew your keeper was lying, about the robbery, at least; the place was so small that if anyone had been in to steal anything, you'd have certainly known about it. Whether or not he really had the caps, you didn't know, but you supposed he didn't, figuring that he wouldn't take the risk of pissing off the ghoul if he did. You had overheard him discussing gambling on a few occasions.

"Well, you better find something to make me whole, quick." came the ghoul's acidic reply.

On some level, you understood his frustration. The work was done, the bounty delivered. Un-delivering it wouldn't make up for all the time he'd put in. But, you also knew his reputation for being unforgiving, and you felt a chill run up your spine as you began to fear that he would kill your keeper and you if he didn't find some sort of satisfaction soon.

"I don't have anything worth anything. I told you, this is all I have." the scrawny man shot back, trying to sound confident, tough.

However, based on the way his voice trembled and faltered, the uneasy way he cleared his throat, you suspected the ghoul knew he was lying, too, confirmed only a moment later by what you were certain was the sound of a gun thwish-ing out of its holster and cocking. Your heart flew up into your throat, hammering even harder when, a second later, the lighter sounds of the scrawny man's footsteps rapidly approached the door of the back office. Scrambling back towards the desk, you'd only closed about half the distance when the door flew open, the man grabbing at you almost blindly, his long, dirty nails digging into your exposed wrist as he dragged you, protesting, out behind the counter.

"Hey!" you hissed, trying your best to snatch your arm back out of his grip and failing, infuriatingly. You were momentarily blinded with outrage that he would offer your body to someone to cover his own debts, though you supposed that was just how people did things in this awful place. Your eyes, feeling like they could pop out of your head they were so wide, flew to the man on the other side of the counter, who was assessing you with a look you couldn't read.

"What about her?" the scrawny man asked, and that was the final straw. If things were going to get worse for you, you weren't just going to accept it with a smile. The fingers on your free hand curled into a fist, which you smashed into the side of his face, causing him to release your arm in shock. Almost instantly, he jerked towards you, but the Ghoul pointed the modified pistol in his hand further into his face, stopping him.

"Now, how're you gonna offer me merchandise and then try to damage it in front of me?" he said, speaking to the man, but not looking at him. He was still looking at you, an intrigued glint in his eyes. They were...pretty, actually. Warm and golden brown. Was he really thinking about taking the offer? You'd be lying if you said you weren't curious about what his body would be like underneath all the layers of clothing. However, the entire situation had your walls up high, your whole body trembling slightly.

The Ghoul stepped slowly around the counter towards you; the scrawny man shrunk away, the gun still pointed in his direction, while you held your ground, doing your best to keep your head held high as he stepped right into your bubble, your chests almost touching as he seemed to really size you up. After a moment of incredibly tense silence, his eyes moved to the door, then back to yours. Slowly, he lowered the gun.

"Alright. C'mon, Vaultie." he said simply, turning on one foot to make his way back to the other side of the counter. You hesitated, but soon moved to stand beside him, a surreal feeling washing over you.

"Hey! No fucking way, man! You can't just take her for keeps. She's worth way more caps than I owe you!"

The man was even more red-faced than usual, his tone downright indignant, but he didn't step out from behind the counter to follow.

"Ah, but, see, once we factor in the interest on my missed payment, hurt and suffering, on top of my 'you're a dumbshit' fee...I think it's a wash, personally." the Ghoul replied, leaning back over the counter into the man's dirt-speckled face. He clearly wasn't in a place of strength to negotiate, and his angry gaze moved to you again before he rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"What the fuck ever." he grunted.

You felt your body relax noticeably as the bulk of the conflict seemed to pass. However, there was a small amount of unfinished business you wanted to address before you left this place. You crossed your arms, turning your narrowed eyes to your former keeper, feeling emboldened with the Ghoul standing at your back.

"Where's my bag you took from me?"

Soon, you were back in possession of your things, including your Pip Boy, which you fretted over as you and your new keeper set out the door and into the desert heat. As you walked, you flexed the sore fingers on your hand absentmindedly. Soon, you were pouring sweat, pausing briefly to peel the top half of your vault suit down to your waist, tying the sleeves around you hips. The Ghoul appraised you silently as you did, taking a hit off of an inhaler from his pocket before continuing on.

As grateful as you were to be away from the trading outpost, away from the scrawny man and his uneasy ways, you couldn't help but worry in the back of your mind, fret at the possibility that you were going somewhere worse. It was being too trusting that got you into your situation to begin with. You worried at your lip with your teeth as he began to direct you down the road, his hand flat and firm between your shoulders. You weren't sure if the gesture was intended to be one of comfort, or if he was simply ready to snatch you up by the back of your vault suit if you decided to try to run.

The two of you walked in complete silence in the direction of the setting sun for what felt like a hundred miles. In truth, your Pip Boy revealed that you'd only gone a single mile and some change when the sun fully dipped behind the horizon, granting some blessed relief from the sweltering heat. You kept on a while longer, until the stars began to appear; eventually, the man veered from the decrepit highway, steering you to a little alcove in the rocky hillside, barely big enough to be a coyote's den.

"Alright, we'll bed down here for the night. Gettin' too dark to keep walkin'." he said, dropping his bag on the ground in a little cloud of dust as he turned to survey the site suspiciously.

You stood waiting for him to direct you, your fingers wrapped tight around the straps of your backpack, watching as he checked around wordlessly. After a few minutes, you chose one of the flatter rocks around and sat against it, watching as he built a small fire, inhaling some of the rations that had been hid away in your bag. Eventually, the ghoul threw himself down on the other side of the flames, facing the highway, and did the same, tucking into something canned from his bag. Things were quiet for a while, but eventually he spoke to you again, his voice pulling you away from fidgeting with with your Pip-Boy.

"Y'know, you're insanely lucky he didn't sell that thing. Can get quite a bit for a functional one these days. Moron didn't know what he had." he said, still chewing.

You blinked at him, your eyes flitting between the gadget on your arm and him, unsure how to respond. Briefly, you felt a growing sense of apprehension, but he must've sensed it, as he rolled his eyes and sighed softly as he swallowed.

"I'm just sayin' you're lucky you still have it, kid. Don't piss your pants. Trust me, if I wanted that thing, I'd have taken it from you already." he said, tossing the now-empty can over his shoulder.

You nodded silently, willing the tension out of your spine as you watched him dig around inside the oiled leather saddle bag once more. He produced a silver flask and a canteen, taking long pulls off of one, then the other. He then took another drag off of the inhaler he'd been puffing as you walked. Eventually, he stood, gave his back a stretch, and shrugged the long, tattered duster from his shoulders, splaying it out quickly on the ground behind him before turning back to face you.

"Alright, darlin'. Get your little ass over here."

You felt yourself freeze almost completely, your head turning sharply towards him. He hadn't said anything about the initial deal for so long that you weren't sure he was actually interested.

"What? I accepted you in lieu of payment. That means you are the payment, sweetheart. And I do intend to collect." he said, plainly amused, sinking down to the ground, his back sliding against the red rock behind him. "Besides, I've seen the way you look at me. Don't pretend you're not curious."

Your cheeks instantly felt agonizingly hot; had you been that obvious in your interest in him? Every day, something new in this place made you feel so silly, so naive. But, at the same time...he wasn't wrong. He might be rough-looking overall, but he'd been kind to you so far, and he did have quite a nice build. Besides, it had been weeks since you'd felt sufficiently alone enough to masturbate. A tad awkwardly, you went to lift yourself to walk to him when he cut you off.

"Mmm. How about you crawl?"

You felt your face twist into a mask of indignant confusion, and he chuckled. Hesitating, you made measured eye contact with him over the flames, quickly realizing, as those mischievous eyes glinted back at you, that he was serious. You swallowed hard, pulling yourself slowly onto your hands and knees before crawling the half-circle around the small fire as quickly and as dignified as possible, though there felt like there was very little dignity in it anyway. You stopped at his feet, kneeling with your hands on your thighs and looking up at him, trying your hardest to not seem as nervous as you felt.

"Take your shirt off." he ordered, head tilted as he watched you quickly pull the grimy undershirt over your head, tossing it near your bag. The night air was cool on your bare breasts, your sensitive nipples quickly peaking into hard little nubs that stung slightly. You wanted to press your warm palms to them, soothe the ache, but you didn't want him to think you were trying to cover yourself, so you simply sat, staring again, waiting for further instructions.

He grinned at you, leaning forward into your space, his gloved fingers stroking along your jaw, sliding a single one under your chin to lift your eyes fully to his. They were just as pretty glinting in the dying firelight as they had been in the outpost office.

"Y'know, you take direction pretty well, Vaultie. I like that in a lady." he said, tone low and conspiratory.

Your entire face burned now, even your eyes feeling hot, but that fire spread its way down into your core, blooming between your thighs, and you shifted slightly to press them together harder.

Reaching down, he made quick work of the belt holding up his pants and his fly, tugging free a cock that was about as red as the rest of him, the bulbous head glistening with precum already in the yellow-orange glow of the fire. Your tongue darted out to swipe at your lower lip, and you crawled up his legs to look closer. The Ghoul seemed surprised, leaning back ever so slightly from you as you came near, giving you room to move close and wrap your hand around him, drawing out a long hiss from between his yellowed teeth.

"Right on it, eh?" he chuckled almost breathlessly. "I like that in a lady, too."

You shot him a bit of a chastising look as you began to work your hand up and down over him, your free fingers coming to play along the weeping slit of him, earning another groan. He was a pretty average length for his height, you thought, but thick and already almost completely hard. It didn't seem like it would take much work to get him the rest of the way there. Your musings were interrupted by the feeling of his leather glove brushing against the swell of your breast before encaging the whole thing in his palm, massaging almost reverently. You whimpered when he plucked at your other nipple, sending shocks down your spine and straight to your already throbbing clit.

"Let's see what that pretty mouth is good for, hmm?"

Embarrassingly, you immediately dropped your head, pushing your body flat so you were sort of lying between his spread legs, bringing your lips down to hover a few inches above his leaking cock head. Tongue darting out to lap up a little taste of the shiny slickness there, you hummed; he tasted different than you were expecting, sort of the same, but with an almost metallic edge. You ran your tongue in a full circle around his tip, clenching around nothing when he groaned throatily, his right hand sliding through the dirt beside him.

"Fuck." he spat out when you unhinged your jaw, allowing the first few inches of him to fill your mouth, wrapping your lips around the head and sucking hard as your left hand continued to work the base of him. More and more precum leaked from the slit as you tongued at it, the taste and the knowledge that you were arousing to him making you rub your thighs together shamelessly.

"Play with your pussy." he commanded, clearly struggling to keep his tone even. Beneath you, you could feel his hips rocking almost imperceptibly. He didn't need to tell you twice; you could already tell you'd soaked through your underwear as you wrestled your hand down into your pants, pushing the wet gusset aside to rub tight circles around your swollen bud, moaning around his cock at the feeling.

The sound seemed to really turn him on, one of his hands suddenly moving to fist into your hair, the slight pain at the roots making you throb. His other hand came to cup your jaw again, holding you in place as he fully fucked his hips up into your waiting mouth, cussing under his breath as you continued to push yourself closer to orgasm. He kept you like that for a few long minutes, your neck cramping slightly by the time his thumb reached down, wiping away some drool that was dribbling down your chin. Bleary eyed, you looked up at him pleadingly. His answer was a wicked chuckle, his grin less of a smile and more a predator bearing his teeth.

"Blowin' a ghoul turn you on that much, cutie? What would the other vaulties think?" he tutted, shaking his head. "I think it's time you get on my cock."

Blushing hard at his little taunt, you could feel his burning gaze as you pulled yourself back up into a sitting position, tugging your boots off and setting them aside before shimmying the suit the rest of the way off, along with your underwear. A shiver broke down your spine as a small breeze hit you, your fire pretty much nothing but glowing embers now. However, when you pulled yourself back onto his lap, sighing as you ground your wet slit against his erection, you found that he was pleasantly warm feeling, bringing your hands up to his chest so you could lean over just enough to reach between you and position his cock at your entrance.

Too afraid of injuring yourself to attempt to take him all in one move, you instead opted to sink down onto the head, wriggling your hips before pulling them back up, then sinking down again, gently bouncing yourself down onto him. The man beneath you was tense, his hands kneading at your breasts as he huffed and hissed his way inside you. By the time you'd worked yourself most of the way down onto him, his hands moved to your hips, gripping them deliciously tight as you bobbed up and down on his length. For as cocky as he'd been before, he was pretty clearly struggling to keep his cool now.

One of your hands moved up from his chest, leaving you unsteadily balancing on one hand as the other pinched your nipple the same way he had before, making you cry out like a wounded animal. He must've liked that, as well, as his hands immediately yanked you the rest of the way down onto him, your ass resting flush against his hips. You repeated the sound again, higher, more strangled as he sat so deep inside you, the fat tip of him strumming away at something amazing right behind your belly button. It was too dark to make out much of anything, but you could feel the way his body twitched and bucked beneath you, strung tight as a bow.

The Ghoul's hands were digging deep into the fat of your hips, so hard you knew you'd bruise, restricting your movement, forcing you to swivel and grind your hips against him, the angle putting delicious friction on your poor aching clit and pushing you closer and closer to the edge. Your body began to clench around him rhythmically, and his hand quickly appeared on your clit in the dark, rubbing surprisingly deft stripes up and down the puffy flesh until you were suddenly gasping for air, trembling hard against his chest as he fucked up into your heat roughly, sloppily, the hand that wasn't on your clit slapping you hard on the ass. Suddenly, he let out a long, low groan, and you could feel the hot throbbing of him pumping his cum inside you, his hips stuttering as you let yourself slump halfway against him. There was a sudden metallic taste in your mouth. For several long moments, there were no sounds but your co-mingled harsh breaths and sound of the wind swirling the sand across the foothills.

After you'd finally caught your breath, you made a move to extract yourself from him. He promptly stopped you, flipping you onto your back, the smell of the duster's rich leather curling in around you as he kept grinding his hips into your overstimulated cunt. It drew an embarrassing squeal from you, hands flying to his chest once more before being rather playfully batted away.

"Oh, no, sweetheart. Nice as that was, your buddy owed me quite a bit of money. I think you'll be paying me back in installments." he growled in your ear, one hand moving around to give your ass a firm squeeze as you gave another clench around him. Your mind, foggy with sex, wandered to the Radaway still stashed in your bag.

It was going to be a long night.

[iid-smile]

flowers aren't sweet , kaji ren

x fem!flowershopowner!reader ! includes mentions of umemiya and kusumi, reader is a sweetheart! reader is slso compared to a bunny, and is said to be shorter than umemiya.

author's note: literally cannot stop thinking about how cute it would be if kusumi helped kaji out with his crushes. might write a part 2 because this is shorter than expected?

─────────────୨ৎ─────────────

not even music could drown it out. kaji's head was just constantly screaming "you, you, you, you!" and it was annoying.

you're only a friend of a friend. more specifically, you're kusumi's friend. when, where, and how, he hadn't asked, and he doesn't want to. he doesn't want to seem interested.

there's not a single person in the town of makochi that doesn't like you, romantic or not. you're a sweetheart, generous, thoughtful and caring, rated u for universal. everyone likes you, except him. or that's what he thought. but the more kaji sees you skipping around the streets like a damn bunny, holding little bundles of flowers with multiple others stuffed in your apron's pockets, and that silly little smile plastered on your face, the more his mind (unwillingly) starts to change.

you're cute.

keep in mind, "cute" doesn't even exist in his vocabulary. there just hasn't been a single thing that he could verbally say was "cute", so how the hell have you overridden that?

(un)luckily, interactions were minimum. you and kusumi seemed to prefer to interact over text, and the flower shop you run wasn't anywhere near the bofurin school. sometimes, he would see you on the rooftop of the school, exchanging flowers and vegetables with umemiya. yeah, kaji hates that, but he can't do anything but pretend to not be watching. oh, the way you have to look up at umemiya, the way your grin is just that little bit wider, the way your flowers get an extra special pot to be put in... is he your type of guy? do you like how he shares the same interests with you? is it the height, personality, reactions?

argh!

the lollipop that was wedged in between his teeth was crushed. kaji can't help but sigh at himself, as he never bites into his lollipops, not even in fights. he clicks his phone open, once again staring at the single text that you sent him.

"you should come around to see the flowers sometime!"

definitely kusumi's doing. and for some reason, the tiny sugar crystals of strawberry flavour in kaji's mouth felt ten times sweeter. it's like you infuse everything you do, touch, and say with a weird refreshing flavour of mixed fruits and desserts alike, almost makes him believe that your flowers could taste just the same.

he doesn't even want to acknowledge the burning sensation spread all across his face, or to look in the mirror, and see his skin flushed with a bright red that would seem damn near unhealthy.

he just isn't that sweet, and he hopes the flowers won't be either.

[kichikichiko]

For you, and you only

A/N: I hope you guys enjoy!

This is my first time writing for cyno so his is a bit shorter 😭

Heizou,Kazuha,Kabukimono and Cyno (seperate) x gen neut!reader

Headcanon,fluff,not proofread, Kabukimono is Scaramouche 😭

♡♡♡♡

HEIZOU ▪︎ analytical harmony

He loved solving puzzles and mysteries and you knew that when you started dating him

He'd take you to events that was specifically made for nerds who loved using their brains

You ended up just following him around though as he did all the puzzle solving 😭

Every once in a while though, you would solve a simple puzzle/crack the code/find a clue and he'd praise you like youre the smartest person ever

Proud bf coming through

But when events like that are not available, he'd make puzzle boxes and give it to you

Inside that said box, would be a little paper filled with sweet little nothings, or just a simple "have a good day today love :))"

Must admit, you look forward to getting those puzzles from him

Its that little thing which makes your relationship all the more sweeter

KAZUHA ▪︎ Scarlet Leaves Pursue Wild Waves

Gentle, poetic, a gentleman and handsome, he is truly the package

What more could you ask for anyways?

That man wants to let you know every waking moment that you are deserving of his love

And what other way would be more romantic than giving you weekly haiku's

He's settled on making one every week so he doesnt overwhelm you too much (which isnt true you love how he expresses his love)

And he wants to make a Haiku that truly resonates how he feels towards you

Kazuha only wants the best haiku's given to you

Alwaya puts his all into it

Because you deserve the world <33 (thats him he is world)

Sometimes, when he reads his haiku to you he'd give you a maple leave, or something he saw that gave inspiration for his latest haiku

You kept them all, youve got a shelf full of the trinkets he gave you as he recited his haiku

And placed his haikus in a special box

His goal for writing haiku's was not only to remind you of his love

But to also comfort you when he isnt around

Kazuha is a wanderer, a ronin, his home is in mother nature and he wants to travel

You understood of course, you would join him in some of his journeys when fate calls for it

But if you cant, reading the haikus he gave helps a lot as if he was truly there with you

His love is with you all the time no matter how far apart you both are

CYNO ▪︎ Judicator of Secrets

When you both first started dating and youre upset, Cyno usually freezes up and stares at you

Dont blame him though, he was afraid anything he did would make you even more upset

He never wanted to make you upset ever

You were his lovely partner he only wanted to make you smile and happy

It was really hard, especially with his serious personality

After a few months though, he finally found a way to comfort you

He'd sit down next to you in silence

Then crack up the most downright horrid joke ever with a blank face, looking straight at you

It never fails to make you laugh

He knew you were laughing at the fact that the joke was bad

But to him it didnt matter because he ends up seeing you smile

You were the only one who actually liked his stupid jokes, and listened to him as he explained it in great detail

You made him happy

It was time for him to return the favour

KABUKIMONO ▪︎ Puppet without a heart

He is a puppet, barely understanding human emotions but always trying his best to be just like them

When you both started dating, he felt more human than he ever did

He adores and appreciates you so much

He wants to be able to pay back all you have done for him

He doesnt know how to though, human emotions are complex and beautiful

Just like Kazuha, he wants to give his all when it comes to appreciating you and expressing his love for you

Sometimes, he'd walk by the shore of the beach

And if by some chance he's lucky, he'd find a seashell that reminds him of you

He doesnt pick a random seashell no, he'd collect all he sees as he walked around

And when he thinks he's found enough, he'll pick the prettiest one that reminded him of you

When he gave you a seashell for the first time and explaining in full detail why it reminded him of you

You almost cried, you appreciated it so much you made it as an accessory

He loved that you brought it around

That man started going out more finding more small things that reminded you of him

Half of the time he has his eyes stuck to the ground finding things to give to you

Everyone teases him for it, but Niwa would always defend him

Kuni just wants to see your eyes sparkle and see you smile when he gives you stuff

He wants to be the reason you smile

He'd spend his whole life time finding ways to make you happier than ever

♡♡♡♡

[hutaoscoffinn]

okay surely you have some cute nickname hcs for miss rika :3

also i’m new here i love your rika content you write her so well i’m in love <3

Ahh thank you so much! Knowing my work makes you guys happy makes me excited to keep writing more and more content for everyone and of course I have nickname headcanons for miss Rika so buckle up buttercup

Warnings: fluffy fluff, heavily implied fem reader, use of princess, girl, Rika being a flirt as usual, typical Rika chaos, this is really short but sweet

Character: Rika Pokemon

Requests: OPEN

Rika is honestly a goddess of any type of petname or nickname she has so many that she cycles through to use on you which include but are not limited to

Princess

Baby

Babe

Angel

Kitten

Puppy

Sexy

Gorgeous

Baby girl

Baby doll

Doll

Beautiful

Cutie

Sweetie

Darling

Dearest

Sweetheart

Yes theres more I do not know how she does it do not ask me

Rika calls you by a petname or cute nickname far more than she ever uses your real name to the point that you know something serious happened if she ever uses your actual name in conversation

Rika expects the exact same from you as well by the way

If you dont use a cute petname or nickname for Rika she can and will whine endlessly

Sometimes when you dont use a nickname to call for her she will just ignore you until you crumble and finally call her by a petname

“Hey Rika can you—“

“Babe thats not what you should call me try again.”

“…baby can you get this for me”

“Anytime my love”

Yeah she calls you my love too the list is endless I swear

She will also make cute nicknames out of your name if she comes up with any that she likes

And of course since Rika is well, Rika, and is someone that has quite a bit of chaos she will use some funnier nicknames for you

For example, if you are shorter than Rika, no matter how much shorter she will tease you about your height constantly with nicknames

“Hey my little gremlin?”

“Hey shortcake come here real quick will you?”

Any inside jokes you two have will also quickly become little nicknames for you that have her giggling whenever she calls you them

Rika loves to use little nicknames like these to tease you a bit, hopeful to see you smile and laugh or even start teasing her back

Though dont worry, not all of Rika’s petnames she uses for you are for the sole purpose of teasing you and driving you a little crazy

Some she reserves for sweeter moments like waking up to her in the morning as she gazes at you lovingly, her warm body pressed against yours as she holds you tight and nuzzles against your neck, her voice low and laced with sleep

“Good morning my darling”

She really is the sweetest and her list of nicknames is just another way she shows you her endless love and affection that she will always harbour for you

[bimbo-travel-blog]

Thank y'all fer showin' me an' the Missus round! And ahm soooo sorry for the mess she made on yer waterbed! Ah new she'd git ecsited at the sight of the dairy cows an' t' thought of bein' one 'erself, but ah didn't expect the Bambi Bites to make 'er squirt that hard nor that easy! Ah hope 'er huggin' and squeezin' and kissin' weren't tew much trouble neither, ah think ah might have to keep 'er on a shorter lead~

That diner shure were just darlin' tho, ah'll 'ave to take 'er back sometime. Dinner on me next? Fer yore constant hosp... 'ospital... since y'all've been sweeter 'an sugar an' kinder than ah cud possibly repay, of course~

Hugs for all!

Oh honey hunk don't yew worry about that water bed or your sweet squrting slut. She ain't the first gal to cream that water bed and she won't be the last, I tell you what. That's why the FDA don't approve Bambi Bites, cause theys scared of what wood happen iffin' all us women unlocked our bodies good like we do here in our honey drenched home town, yes sir. I cain't imagine a world with global warmiing iffin' all our women folk could squirt from a little truck bed cuddlin' like she did.

That girl is a natural though I tell you somethin'. The way she wagged her ass and mooed at the dairy cows as we passed them on by was just precious. The feeling as mutual, I could tell. Them cows were eyeing her up, wanting her in that herd ASAP. Did you see how they all came up to the fence to let ya'll pet them? Heck after she squirted and mooed like that, theys got so excited I thought they were gonna break down the fence to get to her.

So sorry in advance if she starts askin' you to "Make her milky" with her words an' body. Most girls don't have that kind of connection with the cows when they first come to town. Heck most run away when they first see it! But like I said she's O'Natural.

I'm glad ya'll are thinkin' of stayin' around! I was watchin' yew feed her them Bambi Bites in the back seat. Strokin' her hair while she ate out of yer hand. Soups adorable. Hope ya don't loose that! Wouldn't want you turning into a bully boy to match her cutie cow. :(

Anywho, the girls from the farm wanted me to send ya'll home with a nice cool carton O' Milk from the herd. It does a body good!

[mysticalsharkcrown]

Omegaverce genders!

Lets see all my silly little writing

Alpha (A) Alphas are (in most cases) able to impregnate Omegas, no matter the primary gender. Alphas are often (but not always) "dominant" in some shape or form; whether it be in size, personality, or actions. Male Alphas have a knot when aroused, and in some worldbuilding, female Alphas are also able to impregnate others; some will temporarily grow a penis to do so, or their vulva will permanently grow into one when they present. Alpha's have strong, more 'masculine' scents and are usually the head of a pack/house. Alphas may be jealous and possessive of their mate (whatever dynamic)

Note: Luna's are the Alpha's/pack leader's partner, and socially have the same power

Gamma's (Γ) Gammas are socially submissive Alphas; they’re not as stubborn as their counterparts and are usually on the gentler side, but that doesn’t mean sweet Alphas are automatically Gammas. Gammas usually refrain from fighting and other shows of dominance, but don’t hesitate to smother Omegas (or any one else, for that matter) with love. They go into ruts, and have more of a sweeter or calmer smell then alphas

Betas (B) Betas are usually the right-hand man to the alphas and keepers of the peace between the Alphas and the Omegas. Male Beta's are able to impregnate Omegas, and Alphas may be able to impregnate both male and female betas. They can either go through heats or ruts, both, or neither, and usually have a mild calming scent. They are usually also able to tell when an alpha or an omega is going to go into heat/rut and can sense the smallest changes in emotions from scent. There are of course subtypes, such as:

social-dom betas (presenting much like alphas)

social-sub (presenting more like omegas)

true neutral betas, who don't have much of a scent and don't go through a heat or rut (the closest to a 'normal' human)

Epsilons (E) Epsilons are the children of Alpha fathers and Beta mothers and are born almost at the same rate as Lotas, if not slightly more due to the usual dominating nature of the alpha. Epsilons are very similar to alpha in strength and scent, but more often go through heat. They are more of an underdog, and they often require cunning thoughts and deeds as well as tricking people to show their dominance. Because of this, Zetas and Epsilons often are found out hanging together as both are seen as 'outcasts'

Lotas (l) Lotas are one of the rarest and sought-after gender, as they are practically omegas, but with shorter heats, and bigger builds, but just as submissive. They do not nest for comfort or mating, unless it is under peer pressure. Most Lotas these days don't even know they are Lotas though. Lotas are born from an omega 'father' and a beta 'mother' (the one carrying the child)

Thetas (⊙) Thetas are the most dangerous of them all. No one knows how or for what reasons Thetas are born, but they have a mutation in their calming scent that most betas would have, but the mutation makes their scent much stronger, often strong enough to knock someone out. They are mostly seen as weapons of war more than actual humans, and so they usually have to hide their scents with blockers and suppression, or risk being kidnaped or killed.

Zeta (Z)

Zetas could be seen more like shapeshifters or something of the sort. Some zetas can change their secondary gender at will, or sometimes, it changes over time as they grow up, though most of the time they have no firm presenting gender, though they lean towards something more than others. Zetas can go through heat or rut, or just completely not one.

Delta (Δ)s Deltas are more like true neutral betas. They don’t provide calming qualities with their scents like Betas do, and furthermore, their scents are almost unnoticeable, but they are almost even more hyper-keen to other people's scents and emotions, and usually work alongside betas in schools and hospitals because of how less affected by pheromones they are. They can go into either heat or rut, though it is usually much shorter.

Sigmas

Sigmas are socially dominant Omegas; they are just as aggressive and dominating as alphas and often pick fights with either one another or with other people. As children, Sigmas and Alphas are hard to tell apart until a sigma goes into heat, but still then might look and present as an alpha. Sigmas are just as physically weak as omegas, as they both share nearly the same biological makeup. Sigmas often tease their Omega friends about their nesting habits, as Sigmas do not nest much outside of heat and pregnancy. Their scents are strongly more like an alpha's, except when in heat, then it could be possibly much more overpowering than an omega's

Omegas (Ω) Omegas can get pregnant and go into heat. They are generally lowest on the hierarchy and expected to stay home and care for the pups and the home. Male Omegas are self-lubricating and have the ability to become pregnant. Omegas often tend to be smaller and weaker than the other dynamics and are seen as more fragile. They usually have a sweet scent that intensifies around when they are about to go into heat to try and find a mate, which is most often preferred to be alphas, though if an omega is desperate enough, they will also nest with other omegas or sigmas during their heats too. Nesting is quite a big deal to omegas, and them letting you even near their nest is a big sign of trust.

[arrianna21]

~Caramel Eyes, Mocha Paws~ Chapter 3

Summary: As you grow closer to your new werewolf friend, tranquility is disrupted in your small town as rumors of strange creatures begin sprouting.

wolf!yoongi x fem!reader

Word Count: 11,635

#1 | | #2 | | #3 | |

In the last couple of weeks or so, you’ve come to develop a routine. During your shifts, Yoongi usually stops by late in the afternoon for the same cup of coffee before finding a secluded table to sit and work on his music. He claims the calm atmosphere is one of the best places for finding concentration. Something about giving him inspiration when writing lyrics.

Today, he sits in the far corner near the windows as he types away on his laptop. You see the waning sun shine through the glass, casting his dark brown hair into a lighter hazelnut glow. Bringing the steaming mug to him, he glances up at your approach and tugs the ear buds from his ears.

“One hot pistachio latte,” you say, setting the cup down beside him.

His gaze shifts between you and the steaming coffee. “Are you sure you’re not just using me as a taste tester for your strange concoctions before testing it out on the general public?” He wonders as he tentatively picks it up.

You can’t stop the incredulous laugh at his speculation. “No, it’s an actual drink. And how many times have I said don’t knock it until you try it? Besides I even put slightly less pistachio syrup than recommended so it’s not as sweet.”

“With salted brown butter or something nutty related I presume,” he notes after taking a sniff. He carefully sips it, letting the flavor rest against his tongue.

His correct assumption catches you by surprise. It’s even hard for you to smell each individual ingredient despite making it yourself. “Yeah, salted brown butter. You could tell that easily?”

Swallowing, he nods and sets the mug down, steam curling up beside his laptop. “I cook on occasion so I’ve made it before,” he explains.

Nodding, you make note of that piece of information before looking at him expectantly to which he blinks in return up at you. “So what’d you think?”

He shrugs. “Not bad. I like it not as sweet.”

“That’s good. Is it enough to want to get it again perhaps?”

“Only if you’re the one making it, otherwise I’ll stick to my usual,” he answers, already expecting your question as you’ve asked it after every new drink you’ve given him.

It’s a similar response to all the other times, not minding each flavor with the only condition being you have to be the one to prepare it. “Nothing beats that plain coffee does it?”

He props his head in the palm of his hand, eyes watching you with a gleam of mirth in his irises. “Simple is nice. I don’t need all that fancy syrup and flavorings.”

Your face pinches at the thought of such strong coffee, tastebuds immediately reacting to the unappealing memory. “I have to have some flavor with mine or else it’s just too bitter for me.”

“Try adding a splash of milk with a little sugar, nothing else. That should be enough to give it some sweetness,” he recommends, thoughtfully nodding to himself. “Or just a pinch of salt will also do the trick too.”

“Salt?” You eye him dubiously before breaking out into a small grin. “Actually, that makes sense. My parents and I sometimes add salt to fruit so it makes it sweeter.”

“Exactly. It’s the same with coffee,” he says.  

“Thanks, I’ll have to keep it in mind. Enjoy the rest of your coffee,” you tell him before heading back to the counter.

While you’re rearranging the desserts in the display case the door bangs open while the poor bell above clangs harshly as two women walk inside. Donning burgundy colored cardigans, their sunglasses cover their eyes while they briefly survey the place. With black hair tied tightly behind her, the first is followed by a shorter blonde who’s on the phone, seemingly arguing about some reservations while her friend in front goes straight to the counter.

You finish putting the treats away and ease your way up to the cash register. “Hi, can I help you?” You politely ask, ensuring your customer service voice is extra chipper.

She shoves her sunglasses above her forehead and gives you a once over before staring up at the chalkboard menu with disinterest. “Yeah, I want a venti hot mocha with two shots of espresso, one pump of vanilla syrup, only almond milk, and add chocolate drizzle and whipped cream.”

Well, it’s not the worst complicated order you’ve ever heard. Scribbling down her drink, you type it up in the system as you carefully read it back. “Anything else?”

She looks behind her. “Diane, what do you want?”

Her friend lowers her phone, keeping her palm over the screen. “I want my usual iced drink,” is all she says before going back to arguing with the unfortunate soul that’s on the other end.

The lady turns back to you. “We’ll do a venti iced vanilla macchiato with soy milk, an extra shot of espresso, six ice cubes,” she emphasizes, “no whipped cream.”

Again, you’re frantically writing it down and transferring it to the computer while repeating it back to her. “Would you like anything else?” Your question filling with dread at the possibility of another ridiculously specific order.

“Yeah, we’ll take two pumpkin scones,” she says though her upper lip curls in disdain as she observes the desserts.

“Actually, can I get the blueberry scone?” Her friend chimes in.

The lady rolls her eyes, not that she notices. “Fine, one pumpkin and one blueberry scone,” she amends.

You read back the orders and tell her the total as she gives you her credit card. Swiping the card, the machine spits out her receipt and you hand it to her to which she crumples it up before tossing it in the trash. “Here or to go?”

“To go, we’re in a bit of a hurry,” she snaps, painted ruby nails tapping against the marble countertop.

Glancing at Elanor who’s still working on the drinks from the previous large order, you figure you’ll just handle these complex ones on your own. Starting on the hot drink, you sift through the fridge only to find a near empty bottle of almond milk. Not enough for any drink let alone hers. Cringing at the upcoming confrontation, you walk to the counter where the women are still standing. “I’m sorry but we don’t have enough almond milk. Would soy or oat be okay?”

“Are you serious?” She scoffs, a hand going to her hip. “The flavor isn’t the same. What kind of coffee shop are you that you don’t have enough inventory?” The woman isn’t necessarily yelling but her voice is loud enough that most people seated nearby can easily hear her complaints as they continuously glance over at the pair. Even Yoongi’s silently observing from his spot in the back corner, eyebrow raised. The woman huffs. “Did you check the back?”  

Rather than bothering to argue, you release a sigh yet your customer service smile still remains as you go to the back and open the fridge. Standing there for a moment, your eyes scan the various bottles of ingredients, obviously finding no almond milk before slamming the door shut. You return to the counter empty-handed and do your best sympathetic expression while you set your palms on the counter. “Sorry, ma’am, there’s none.”

“You don’t have another store nearby to borrow some from?” It’s not so much a question but more so an apparent suggestion, as if the tiny shop with homemade decorations and limited space somehow resembles a multi-chain business.  

Beside you, Elanor is doing her best not to roughly shake the coffee as she mixes its contents before setting it in the drink carrier and calls out the order.

“No, we’re a local business not a chain,” you tell her.

Crossing her arms, she answers, “Fine, I’ll substitute it with soy milk. If you have enough that is.”

The people with the large order collect their drinks and wince uncomfortably as they head for the door. One drops a couple of extra coins in the tip jar before leaving. Ignoring her snarky response, you snatch a cup and get to work. “We’ll get that ready for you then.”

“Seriously, what is with her?” You hear her mutter not so quietly to her friend. “Could she be any less accommodating? They should be prepared for in-demand items, even if this is a small town.”

“Quit talking before someone kicks us out again and I die of thirst,” her friend complains, having finished her phone call. “You’ll get over it by tomorrow.”

Glancing over your shoulder, the two women are oblivious to the annoyed glares sent their way from the other patrons, most who also happen to be locals here. Even Yoongi watches from his seat, his leg casually propped on the chair in front of him, looking none too pleased at their comments though the only hint is the slight narrowing of his eyes.

You give a small grin when his attention shifts toward you and the corner of his lips quirk up with another slight cock of a brow. Shrugging to him, you’re distracted by the tap on your shoulder as Elanor stands beside you to begin making the iced coffee.

“I’ll beat them with the blender if you help with hiding the bodies,” she mumbles beneath her breath.

A chuckle sounds from you while continuing to prep the coffee. “I think I know a few places in the woods,” you tell her. “Though they’ll throw first punch if you don’t add those six ice cubes.”

She snorts lowly with a roll of her eyes. “We’d still have the upper hand what with all this equipment.”

“True.”

Once the coffees are made, you both set them on the counter to which the ladies take them and leave while complaining how this is nowhere near what the positive reviews people boasted about online. Well, one gripes while the blonde silently listens adjusting her brown-rimmed glasses while carrying the bag of snacks after having slipped a bill into the tip jar. Sharing a look with your coworker, you carry on as usual, thankful they at least left.

Towards the end of your shift, you’re busy sweeping the floors as you finish closing for the night. Elanor already left early as she needed to go to the grocery store before it closed as well. It’s just you with Yoongi as your quiet company who remains seated in his spot.

At least he was, until there’s the distinct clanging of coins hitting the glass tip jar. “Oh my gosh, you’ve got to stop paying for the extra drinks I keep giving you,” you reprimand, setting the broom aside to go fish out his change, earning you a light slap on the wrist.

Yoongi pries your hand away with ease and shoves the container aside before it’s blocked by his arm that he props against the counter. “Consider it a tip for the great service. And for dealing with those rude customers,” he adds with a shrug, adjusting the strap of his messenger bag.

Curling your upper lip at the reminder of those two, you opt to just leaving the jar alone. Both you and Elanor deserve a little something after that. “Yeah, Karens aren’t uncommon unfortunately, especially if they’re not locals. But thank you, that’s really kind of you to do. You heading out for the night?” You guess after glancing up at the clock.

He nods. “Yeah, I need to get going. Do you want help with anything?” He gestures to the chairs though his table already has the seats overturned on top.

You wave him off in reassurance. “No, but thanks. You didn’t have to set your table though again, that’s nice of you to do.”

He tsks at that. “Just being a decent patron. Have a good night,” he says, flicking his hoodie over his head while you wave and respond in return before he ducks outside.

As you finish locking up for the night, you glance around the quiet street, only seeing a few people milling about. Zipping up your jacket, you stuff your hands into the pockets while you head for the forest path to begin your trek home. You listen to the crunching leaves beneath your feet while keeping your attention on the tree line spread out around you. The crickets add to the quiet ambience with the occasional rustling from the wind until a snort sounds on your left. Staring into the darkness, you find familiar amber eyes peeking through the branches, observing you intently.

“Hi Wolfy,” you greet to the lupine who takes that as his queue to step out into the open path in all his seven foot glory. The slight vibrations of his footsteps briefly shake the ground beneath you as he approaches until he’s standing right in front. You raise your hand, palm forward while he bends low and presses his nose against the skin in your usual greeting. “How was your day?” You ask.

Wolfy barks softly, jerking his head in a nod while his tail wags slightly from behind.

“Seems like a pretty good day,” you guess with a smile.

He nods again before bumping his snout against the side of your head with a huff.

“My day was also pretty good. Wasn’t too busy with customers except for some annoying people, but it’s fine,” you laugh.

The wolf grumbles before staring at you expectantly.

“What? That’s really all that happened, just a normal day,” you say as you begin walking again.

He follows after you, staying beside you as the two of you continue towards your home before he leans over to snuff the side of your neck, still remaining focused on you.

Giggling, you rub at the spot to get rid of the tickling sensation. “How are my days so entertaining to you?” You wonder. “Surely you have more interesting adventures than me.”

His response is to silently shrug while he merely blinks.  

You smile before proceeding to go into more detail about how you spent your day, even including some of the menial tasks you fulfill at the shop. The wolf listens intently to every word, interest keeping his entire focus remaining on you.

“So after Karen One and Two left, I got a nice tip from Yoongi who always insists on paying for the drinks I keep having him try even though I tell him it’s on the house. Now I’m thinking about how I’m going to use it. Maybe I’ll get a new sweater,” you note.

When you glance over at Wolfy he nods in understanding and barks with approval.

“You think that’s a good idea?” You ask, receiving the same response. “I’ll keep that in mind then.”

The walk home goes faster than you expect as you arrive at the edge of the trail. After you both do the same greeting, bumping snout to hand, you step through the grass all while the werewolf keeps watch from among the trees. Every time you turn around to look back once you reach the door, he’s not in direct line of sight but you still feel those golden eyes observing from afar.

                                                                ~*~

The next morning you opt for thicker clothes as fall begins bringing in cooler days in preparation for winter. Despite washing your face and performing your usual morning routine, you can’t resist the constant urge to yawn as you rub tears from your eyes while your feet shuffle along the hardwood floor. Heading downstairs, the worn steps creak beneath you while family pictures from a range of outings greet you as you pass by.

In the kitchen, you find your dad sitting at the dinner table eating breakfast while reading the morning paper. “Someone’s up early,” he notes before taking a bite of his eggs. Hearing your approach, Biscuit abandons scarfing down his food as he trots over to you. He bumps into the back of your dad’s chair until eventually finding you, tongue lolling out from his mouth while his blue eyes stare up at you with one being slightly more cloudy than the other.

You hum in affirmation, petting your golden retriever on the head as he keeps knocking against your legs. “One of Juliette’s kids is sick so I offered to cover,” you explain as you go around the counter with the dog at your heels. “Mom already left for work,” you guess upon seeing no sign of her.

“Yep, they needed her again,” he answers without looking up.

Glancing at the clock on the microwave, you see it’s barely past five. “This early in the morning?” You question, fetching a glass from the cupboard and filling it with tap water before drinking.

“Apparently her team is still working on that conservation project. They’re pulling extra hours since the deadline’s coming up. And that’s why I stick with the night shift,” your dad responds, the crinkle of paper sounding as he turns the page.

“Because you can sneak away to the break room and get extra sleep without anyone noticing?”

He clears his throat, the chair creaking as he shifts his weight. “I can do whatever I want for that half hour and they won’t care. But the best part is there isn’t another soul in that part of the building. No interruptions, just a quiet space.”

“That does sound pretty nice,” you agree, taking another sip of your water. Even though he’s only worked at Keaton Enterprises, a technological security software company that’s recently expanded to this area, for less than a year it’s been a nice change for him despite the longer drive. While rifling through the pantry you can hear him muttering under his breath. “What are you mumbling about over there? Which sports team lost this time?” You ask, eventually plucking a granola bar out from the various snacks it’s hidden behind.

Your dad grumbles, taking a swig of his coffee before answering. “None of mine, thankfully. But GlamOrg is building another condo place, except this one will be near the town square. After just putting one near the lake last year,” he scowls.

His news causes your face to pinch, already preparing for the inevitable loud construction and overall nuisance to come. It also makes you wonder why they’re still building more properties in this area. Glamour Organization mostly gets its income from the various high-end boutiques and clothing shops from the major cities but has recently begun expanding into some of the more local towns to supposedly offer better opportunities for people. With the increase in the upscale stores, the surge of tourists who come for the “aesthetic wilderness and authentic small town vibes” that piques their interest, it’s helped the town’s businesses overall but the consensus isn’t exactly positive. The locals aren’t going to be as lenient if the expansion doesn’t actually slow down soon.

“Maybe it won’t be too bad,” you say, attempting to sound cheerful if not at least hopeful.

It’s met by him snorting sarcastically. “Hm, you and I both know it just means more traffic and higher taxes,” he gripes. “Next thing you know there’s a fancy, overpriced mall and then things will never be the same.”

You wince, remembering how mom’s hometown eventually went from vast fields to large concrete warehouses for the expanding plant facilities. At least shopping malls are more attractive than chemical plants, but still not quite sustainable either. Already you can hear your mother’s rants about it.

“Don’t jinx it,” you complain, petting Biscuit one more time before heading for the door with your breakfast.

“Tell that to them. Hey, be careful coming back tonight. They’re reporting a possibly dangerous creature in the area. I know you like taking the trails home so just keep an eye out,” your dad warns.

That catches your attention as you stare at him incredulously, fingers about to tear at the wrapper. “Dangerous creature?”

He nods. “Eh, some tourist got attacked by a wild animal, nothing too serious. You’re probably fine, but you can never be too careful. Just stay alert for anything suspicious.”

While you do tend to be vigilant, your new friend can probably take care of it no problem, not that your parents need to know. “Of course, dad, I always pay attention on my walks,” you reassure him as you open the snack and take a bite of the crunchy granola bar before heading outside.

                                                                ~*~

At work, you’re making multiple hot chocolates and coffees as people seek shelter from the chilling air that seeps across the town. Despite it being a sunny afternoon it has barely thawed away the icy weather from this morning. Though the heater is working overtime, the warmth doesn’t last between the cold windows and entrance door opening every couple of minutes.

Even as you remain busy and constantly preparing drinks, you can’t avoid the recent news that’s spreading like wildfire. Nearly everyone is either reading from the free stack of newspapers or murmuring to each other about the attack. You catch a glimpse of the headline that reads ‘Wild Animal Attacks Hiking Tourist.’ Weird.

When there’s a break in the rush, you head to the back and find Elanor reorganizing and updating the inventory on the computer while you proceed with mopping the floor. “So what have you heard about this supposed animal attack?” You ask her.

Elanor groans with a roll of her eyes. “Ugh, enough to know that I’m tired of hearing about it,” she complains. “But as far as I know it’s just some lady insisting this town is haunted or cursed just because a random animal attacked her.”

“Was it maybe a coyote or bear? I don’t know how bad her injuries are.”

Her eyes remain focused on the iPad while she types in the count for each item, switching between that and the wooden shelves. “I don’t know. According to the paper, it said she wasn’t seriously hurt besides heavy bruising and some lacerations but she’s hellbent on suing the city for not having proper signs that this area has dangerous animals.” She shakes her head. “I think she’s making it worse than it actually is.”

Was all that from the animal or did she fall? Unless she got lucky and somehow didn’t need stitches. As you continue moving the mop across the floor, you consider these possibilities while trying to piece all the information together. “That’s weird though because we don’t really have animal attacks. Not that I can remember.”

“Yeah, I know which makes her whole story suspicious,” she notes, raising her head to face you while her eyebrows quirk up knowingly. “She probably just fell and injured herself that way.”

Before you can come up with a retort to her pointed remark about your own injury, the entrance bell chimes open, signaling the arrival of more customers and Elanor jerks her head in its direction. “You mind taking care of that? I still have to go through all the beans and syrup still.”  

“Of course,” you tell her, rounding the corner to find a group of college students coming inside. They give you a long list of to-go orders but at least it mostly consists of caramel macchiatos and hot chocolates along with a few others. As you begin prepping all the drinks, you can’t help but listen in on their conversations as they’re not exactly quiet.

“I’m serious!” One of the guys claims as he shows another girl his phone. “This lady says she was attacked by some monster last night.”

Her face pinches in mild disgust at whatever she sees on the screen before directing her gaze towards him. “You think it was just a predator with rabies?” She asks.

“Maybe,” he agrees, “it seems serious enough that the police are investigating the trail where she was attacked.”

“They’re probably just making sure it’s not a threat to the public instead of some random encounter,” another of the girls chimes in.

The guy standing beside her decides to also provide his own thoughts on the matter. “She could be telling the truth though. Maybe this thing wasn’t normal.” His admittance is only countered with eye rolling and looks of disbelief.

“Oh be serious,” the girl scoffs. “It’s not like she ran into big foot or something.”

“You never know. No one’s been able to find definitive proof yet,” he insists.

While you’re blending, the noise drowns out their conversation yet you don’t miss the distinct chiming of the bell above the door. Turning your head slightly, you see a familiar dark hoodie approaching the counter.

You wave as you head to the cash register. “Hey Yoongi,” you yell above the noise, your greeting drawing his attention away from his phone as he glances up.

He stuffs the device in his pocket while nodding his head at you in return. “Y/N. Long time no see,” he says.

“I know, I can’t believe it,” you laugh. “Just your usual for here?” You’re already ringing it up as he nods and pays. “Okay, it’ll be just a minute.”

Returning to the blender, you shut it off and begin pouring the coffees into cups. Setting all the drinks in two separate cardboard carriers, you hand them to the group of college students which the girl in front takes with a quick thanks. The others each grab their own, leaving a couple in place while they begin drinking. As they head towards the door, you begin pouring the still steaming plain coffee into the mug for Yoongi.

“You and your conspiracy theories, Thomas,” one of the guys jokes with the guy beside him by slapping him on the back. “If only you put this much research into your essays.” The others laugh at his response while Thomas shakes his head.

“She literally told them that if she didn’t know better that it was a werewolf of some kind. That’s probably why they’ll just write it off as a coyote or wild dog,” he interjects.

That causes your head to shoot up in their retreating direction as you’re passing the cup to Yoongi who you barely register stiffening in response. Werewolf? But Wolfy indicated he was a protector of sorts. He wouldn’t harm a human, right? Could it be a rogue werewolf then?

You don’t hear the rest of what they say as the door clangs shut behind them. Frowning to yourself while you’re lost in thought, you jump slightly when the warm touch of fingers meet your own as Yoongi takes the mug.

“Still thinking about that supernatural research of yours?” He muses with a faint quirk of his lips and tilt of his head, brown hair shifting across his forehead.

“What?” The question sounds more concerned than you mean for it to be as you reflexively panic upon hearing the word supernatural.

He lifts his chin toward you. “You were pretty lost in thought for a minute.”

Going around to the counter with all the straws and other coffee fixings the customers use for their drinks, you busy yourself by wiping it down with a rag. “Just surprised by the news I guess. This is usually a pretty quiet place,” you note, roughly wiping away the few granules of sugar and minute drops of syrup. Out of all the days for it to be relatively clean.  

“Yeah, weird,” he eventually agrees, leaning his shoulder against the wall beside you much to your surprise. With his other hand, he takes a sip of coffee while casually watching you begin reorganizing the variety of multicolored sugar packets.

Putting the packets into the proper containers, you keep focused while he continues drinking beside you. “New hangout spot?” You inquire, righting the coffee stoppers that haphazardly stick out like a chaotic bouquet of sticks.  

His response is to shrug, switching the mug to his other hand near the wall while shoving the now vacant one into his pocket. “Not exactly. More so just wondering why you seem on edge.”

“I’m not on edge,” is your automatic response while you lightly scoff at the idea. The expectant stare you receive has you amending your statement to, “At least not as much as everyone else around here is.”

“The dramatic headlines and hushed rumors aren’t shocking enough for you. But you’re worried about something,” he discerns, taking another swig while keeping his gaze fixated on you.

Crouching down, you open the bottom cabinets to restock the napkin dispensers and buy yourself some time while you think of a response that veers far away from a certain wolf of yours. “Mostly that this town is about to be the next haunted tourist attraction overrun with ghost hunters and people looking for trouble that’s not actually here.” Not exactly pressing matters to you at the moment but it’s also not a lie either. As if GlamOrg or any other corporations need another reason to build more crap here.

“Interesting,” Yoongi hums, a gleam flickering in his brown eyes as he continues sipping his coffee. “Fair point, though why the hostility to ghost hunters of all things?”

“They’re annoying,” you randomly assert. Truth be told you actually don’t give a shit but they’d get old quick if they suddenly decided to explore every inch of town looking for evidence of the supernatural. Not to mention what would happen if they did find something or someone. “Tourists are fine overall but not if it turns Rustic Hallow into some main attraction.”

He ponders this for a moment before saying, “It’d help business at first before bigger companies get the same idea.”

“Yep, and I’m not giving up our parks and hiking trails for stupid blocks of concrete,” you insist, shoving the napkins a bit more viciously inside the container than intended, the thin paper crinkling beneath the force.

From your peripherals, you see him nod in understanding. “True, then the wildlife would be in disarray from the deforestation and you won’t be able to go looking for wolves.”

“Exactly,” you agree, instantly catching yourself but not before you scowl at your mistake. And Yoongi’s smug grin isn’t helping either. “Will you cut it out with the wolf shit,” you complain, throwing a blue sugar packet at him.

It smacks the front of his hoodie and he easily grabs it before stuffing it back into the container. “But it’s so much fun. Nice flags by the way,” he remarks.

“Huh? Oh, yeah that was Elanor,” you say upon recognizing the pink, yellow, and blue sugar packets taped to the wall in a vertical line. “She made the pan flag while I did the trans one,” you explain, indicating to the other one. “We were just messing around but our manager doesn’t mind.”

“That’s pretty cool,” he muses, staring off ahead towards the windows before pushing away from the wall. “Anyway, I’ll let you get to work. Good luck.”

Your face pinches in confusion though it doesn’t take long until realization dawns upon hearing the bell chime as you see yet another large group of people enter. Yoongi gets situated at his usual spot while you return to taking orders and making drinks.

                                                                ~*~

Later that night you’re walking with Wolfy who seems more on edge. Even though he continues listening to your ramblings, the lupine keeps his eyes trained towards the surrounding forest. When you finish talking, he remains concentrated on the trees, ears twitching every time the wind so much as whistles in between the branches.

“Wolfy?” The call of his nickname has him jerking in your direction with a cock of his head. “Everything okay?”

He nods with an assured bark.

“I guess you know about the attack too?” You tentatively ask.

Another nod.

“Yeah, it’s all everyone’s been talking about today.” Most people have been discussing the news practically all day yet some are rather nonchalant, believing it to be just an unfortunate encounter with a wild animal. The locals carried on about their day with the added gossip, leaving only the tourists and visitors to whisper amongst themselves about whether or not they should cancel their nature hike or skip fishing down at the lake. Though a few of the residents did joke about the idea of a possible werewolf wandering in the woods which just made the tourists more paranoid at the mere thought. Like that one college student.

But Wolfy isn’t feral. Yet you’ve seen him in action, that Halloween night when he decimated those goblins attacking you. He’s powerful but not evil. He wouldn’t do something like that. Right?

A light pat of a bushy tail hitting against your back has you jumping in surprise, inner turmoil immediately dispersing while the werewolf beside you hums in concern. “Sorry, I got lost in thought. People have been getting a little freaked out by it, letting their imaginations get ahead of themselves,” you explain.

He quietly watches you and you’re quick to divert your eyes away. Letting out a soft rumble, he leans close while you keep your gaze fixated on the ground. A huff of air hits the side of your face causing you to eventually look up at the wolf who’s still staring.

You release a sigh before blurting out, “You don’t know anything about what happened, do you?”

There’s a short pause as the lupine processes your words. He shakes his head, scrutinizing you carefully while you do the same, your eyes meeting shining gold.

Your footsteps slow, uncomfortable dread pulling down on your legs, the atmosphere becoming awkward. The heavy steps next to you matches your pace, eventually stopping when you do. “I mean, you wouldn’t, you didn’t hurt anyone, right?” Wincing at what you’re basically implying, you try refraining from spewing out any rambling thoughts, instead adding, “Of course accidents happen, and we haven’t known each other long so I’m still learning, you know?” So much for keeping your prattling in check. Why not just accuse him while you’re at it? Piss off the supernatural creature that can crush bone with hardly any effort.

Despite the cold air, your palms are warm and you wipe them against your pants before you clutch onto the soft fabric of your jacket, holding them still. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound accusing, it’s just the victim described the creature as a werewolf and you’re the only one I know. Not that I think you did anything,” you rush, “I just wanted to ask.” Your words wander off when a cold snout presses against your forehead, putting a little pressure that slightly pushes your head up.

It draws your attention toward the werewolf that bends to match your height while you blink in rapid succession. A huff of warm air fans across your face while he stares directly at you with an intensity that’s not scary but instead unwavering.

Blowing out a gentle breath, you conclude, “I’m blowing things out of proportion, aren’t I?” Your assumption is met with a shake of his head. A claw gently taps against your temple as your friend gives a short nod of approval. “So you like when I interrogate you is what I’m getting at if you don’t mind my questions then,” you jokingly respond.

He sends you a dull stare before rolling his eyes with a shake of his head as he resumes walking, his receding shadow leaving you directly beneath the light of the moon and lampposts.

You rush after him, feet moving rapidly so you can keep up with his long strides while you do your best to follow along. “Could there be a rogue werewolf possibly out here?” You quietly wonder.

Again, he denies the idea with another shake of his head, his eyes narrowing to the ground as he thinks about it.

Pursing your lips, you mutter, “Was it a supernatural creature too?” Your fingers involuntarily lift to twine and untwine together while the wolf contemplates for a moment before his shoulders barely lift in a shrug.

Wolfy shakes his head as he snorts, a growl rumbling low in his chest, shutting his eyes though you catch a glimpse of scarlet that bleeds into his irises. He grumbles in dissatisfaction, frustrated with something before heaving a deep breath and calms himself.

“Everything okay?” You ask, readjusting the jacket you’re wearing, pulling it closer to retain the heat.

He nods, lips pulling back and revealing those sharp canines as he smiles in reassurance. Always being nothing but kind to you and yet you feel a little bad for asking if he did it. Whatever, it’s fine. Everything’s okay.

Silence descends upon your walk home, weighing you down in your own awkwardness as you walk before you can’t take it any longer. “I figured it wasn’t you, just to clarify,” you blurt out, stopping yet again in your own tracks. “We barely know each other but still you’re not—what I mean is,” while you struggle for words he reaches out and carefully lets his hand rest on top of your head.

He pats it once causing your head to bob slightly from the force even if he’s being careful as his eyes remain on yours. Ever so slowly, his hand moves down the side of your face until eventually coming to a stop where he cups your cheek. The side of your face is engulfed in thick fur that carries such warmth yet it’s not overwhelming but rather comforting. Yet beneath the soothing gesture, there’s a faint tremor within the hand that touches you. It radiates up to his forearm, barely noticeable.

You almost miss the scarlet flecks that pulsate within the golden irises as you wrestle for words amidst the intimate hold you’re experiencing. Lips mouthing incoherent words, your brain eventually reconnects as you begin talking again. “I guess what I mean to say is you’re the one that actually protects us from the monsters,” you say after a minute. “I just hope people don’t get the wrong idea and you get hurt because they got scared and reacted.”

In response, Wolfy blinks once then yawns, his jaw opening wide to showcase his fangs yet again before casually licking his lips with a smack.

“Okay well excuse me for worrying about your safety,” you scoff though you’re also smiling. “I know how strong you are.”

He gives a pleased grunt before removing his hand, mindful of his claws as he does and he slightly shakes his head with a snort in return. Then he’s nudging you with a tender push as he guides you forward with a hand against your back.

The chorus of singing crickets is your only consistent background music while you both continue walking. It’s accompanied by you asking, “So did you do anything fun or interesting today?”

His response is to shrug with a short sniff.

“Oh come on, you always say that,” you joke, giving him a huff of your own.

He merely rolls his eyes yet he’s grinning as well.

You happen to look down at your feet just as you catch movement right in front of where you’re stepping. Gasping with a slight yelp, you jerk to an abrupt stop only to suddenly be yanked back and into a strong embrace. Wolfy keeps a tight grip with one arm while his other remains outstretched, his body taut and defensive as he checks for any unexpected attacks. A deep growl sounds from him, reverberating from his chest into your own, bones shivering in response. Your heart pounds rapidly in your ribcage, not just from the surprise but also from his sheer quickness, and you feel his own thrumming against your back as well.

When nothing happens and the forest remains still, you watch the ground as a gray snake slithers across in front. The dim lamppost provides just enough light to shine on the little creature while it carries on its way.

Breathing a sigh of relief, you release the tension from your muscles as you slump against him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get so startled. It’s probably just a garden or rat snake,” you tell the werewolf who’s still apprehensive.

At your words, you feel him slowly ease up as he lets you down. Your shoes barely brush against the forest floor before you’re pulled back and pressed firmly against his torso, his hold remaining steadfast. The tip of his snout bumps the crown of your head before he begins walking forward with you still held tightly against him.

“Wait,” you realize, “are you seriously going to carry me all the way back home like this?” You can’t help but laugh when he grumbles from above in response. Tilting your head up, your eyes meet full crimson that catches you by surprise. “Wolfy, I’m okay,” you gently reassure him. Even if your arms are stuck, you manage in raising your hand to pat his forearm. It somewhat helps, the scarlet draining as a deep gold pools within his irises in return.

Regardless, he still proceeds in carrying you the rest of the way, which isn’t much further and you’re eventually set down on your feet right at the edge of the tree line. “Thank you for the free ride,” you tell him to which he responds with yet another snort and bump of his nose to your head. “I’ll see you soon I guess?”

He nods with an affirmed grunt.

Reaching up, you hold your hand out for him to tap his snout against your palm in your usual greeting and then scratch the side of his head just below his maw. Your lips quirk up as his eyes slide shut while he emits a low rumble of contentment that vibrates within the bones of your arm. Once you lean away, he pulls back and shakes his head. “Take care,” you tell him while he huffs in affirmation, nodding for you to do the same.

Backing away, you watch him delve further into the forest before you continue towards home.

                                                                ~*~

On your day off, you’re curled up in the lounge chair at the bakery while munching on a strawberry roll cake. While still rather cool inside, it at least provides protection from the chilly air outdoors. You take another bite of the pastry while sifting through the books you got from the library. Most of them just talk about the usual myths relating to werewolves in general or depict folk stories from around the world. Nothing quite useful as they don’t seem to match your particular werewolf friend. Again, not some mindless, bloodthirsty monster.

You pick up the Fables or Folklore: What’s in Your City? book and read the back. Cities with various legends that could possibly be true. Finding the table of contents, you skim through the listed cities, bypassing most of the larger ones only to stop short at the sight of Rustic Hallow. How did your small town end up making the list?

Flipping over to the correct page, you see an introduction along with one bolded section. Quaint town home to magic barrier of darkness?

A peaceful place with bountiful forests and wildlife, this small town may possibly be hiding a dark secret. Though no evidence has been confirmed, sources say a barrier lies within the deep recesses of woods where evil creatures lie in wait for unsuspecting victims.

Believed to be a failed ritual by an alleged cult, it’s said that a hole was opened and darkness spread like an infection before eventually being contained by some unknown entity. No one has definitive proof this exists as no one has yet to find it, but what’s better than taking a hike in these trails to find out?

Cringy writing aside, the author isn’t exactly wrong. Yet you also didn’t expect anyone to actually know about the forest of monsters. Checking the sources, it doesn’t list much except for databases and local papers. Nothing about individual people. Even this book itself is written by someone who just compiled all these stories together. Not to mention, what cult are they talking about?

“How’s the food?”

The sudden question breaks you from your reverie as Seokjin slips into the chair across from you. He has a couple of tiny cookies tucked into a napkin while he chews on some more.

“It’s really good as always,” you confirm, wiping up the leftover whipped cream with a berry and pop it in your mouth.

Seokjin grins with a satisfied nod. “Of course, only the best is made here,” he reassures yet the tips of his ears turn a shade of red upon hearing your compliment. “Good book?” He asks, motioning to the splayed open pages.

“Yeah, it’s just about supposed supernatural stories in different cities and apparently we’re in it,” you say with faux surprise.

He reaches across for the little paperback and skims through it before giving an unimpressed scoff. “Sounds fake,” is his response as he slides it back towards you. “Is this for an assignment or some class?”

You tentatively shake your head. “Just for fun,” you admit. “I got curious about our town’s history and now I’m even more intrigued about this cult that’s mentioned.”

“Ayy, don’t be trying to summon demons or make any deals with them,” he warns with a scowl.

“I’m not,” you groan. As if this town needs another creature wreaking havoc along with whatever’s already lurking about. But if you can find out something about this cult, then maybe there’ll be more information about the dark forest and whatever attacked that tourist. If that’s where it even came from.

Glancing at the clock hanging above the decorative potted plants, you chew on your lower lip before letting out a resigned sigh. “I’ll probably get going before it gets too late.” Despite it only being 5:30, the overcast clouds further descend the streets into night. Burrowing beneath your blankets and catching up on your mystery show will have to wait it seems. You can feel yourself recoil upon seeing the condensation forming on the bakery’s windows. “Thanks for the food,” you say smiling as you collect your things.

At that moment, a timer trills from the back, the sound causing you both to jump before Seokjin gets to his feet. “Thanks for delivering the coffee yesterday,” he responds, slipping his apron on while retrieving the bread from the oven. “I was finishing a wedding cake along with a three-dozen order of donuts for someone’s business meeting that they needed last minute and tea wasn’t doing it.” The fresh scent of baked bread wafts throughout the space and it has your stomach wanting to stay for seconds.

“Yeah, I don’t mind. It’s not like your place is far. Though I’m surprised you don’t have a coffee machine for emergencies,” you note.

“Because your coffee is better. Just like our tea is better, no offense,” he adds, setting the tray aside so he can insert another one loaded with red bean buns into the oven.

You shrug in agreement, adjusting the strap of your bag as it nearly slides off your shoulder. “That’s accurate. But so are your baked goods, luncheon meals, and plants,” you continue, pointing out the variety of items for sale.

“Hey,” the baker chides, “just because both of our stores somewhat overlap on desserts doesn’t mean only one deserves all the praise. A café and tearoom slash garden shop aren’t the same.” He restocks the display cases with the fresh bread then proceeds to wash his hands. Drying his hands with a towel, he tosses it over his shoulder before turning back to you. “So please keep telling people we’re not merging,” he wearily sighs with upturned lips.

“Are the elders still insisting on it?” You wonder though you already know the answer even before he nods. “I mean you could just sell regular coffee to appease them.”

Seokjin rolls his eyes. “The book club members and everyone else that keeps asking can go without it. I’m not encroaching on someone else’s business. Besides, Cindy worked hard to get that place up and running. Plus,” he jams a finger at the tall display case full of gorgeous porcelain tea sets, “we’re a tearoom.”

“True. No one says anything to us, they just get their drink and either stay or leave,” you smugly tell him while he scowls in return.  

“Because it’s a café and they accept that but for some reason the tearoom needs coffee,” he complains, offended at the mere thought. “It doesn’t even make sense. Why come here when the café is close by? Even the regulars, albeit not always locals, will recommend adding some as it will help improve business. Serving coffee will help the tea shop, seriously?”

Resisting the urge to smile, you instead keep your face neutral, eyes softening in sympathy while he finishes his rant with a frustrated huff. “There’s always compromising,” you reiterate before letting out a laugh as he painfully grimaces. “I’m just saying. And I highly doubt it’ll hurt the café.”

He situates himself to rest his palms on the granite counter, leaning forward until he’s hunching his shoulders and loudly whispers, “Get out. Or I’ll ban you for soliciting,” he threatens.

You gape at the warning, dramatically pressing a hand to your chest. “The audacity,” you complain. “But then your sales for your blue orangeade tea would drop and that’d be a shame.”

“My blueberry and orange fusion would still do well,” he counters. “Now go, off with you.” Seokjin flicks his hands, shooing you away while you wave in return.

“Tell Hobi I said hi. And I’ll probably see you again soon,” you say, exiting the warm store only to shudder at the cool air. The library thankfully isn’t too far, sitting just on the outer edge of the square and you walk quickly to get away from the frigid weather. As you approach the entrance, a guy is also heading that way and he holds the door open for you while you quietly thank him.

Once inside, you return some of the books but keep a few to continue reading. You head down to the archives and begin searching for history about this town, specifically anything regarding an apparent cult. After poring through the old computers, it does spit out a possible book reference and you jot the number down. Going down the rows, you eventually come to the right shelf, counting each one before peering up. You stretch an arm up but grumble lowly at the shelf that’s two rows too high. Checking the other sections for a step stool or even one of those stick grabbers, you find neither but instead see the guy who held the door open for you earlier. He stands by a shelf, skimming through one of the books before putting it back and reaching for another.

Not wanting to have a near miss like before, you decide on asking for help this time. “Excuse me, I don’t mean to bother you but could you help me grab a book please?” You ask as you approach causing him to glance up from the book summary he’s reading.

“Yeah, sure thing,” he says with an easy smile.

Leading him back around to your particular shelf, you point up to the tan book in the middle. “It’s just up there. The number is H318.” Using his long arms, he retrieves the hardback book with ease and hands it to you. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure. Anything else I can get you?” He asks and it’s then that you detect the Australian accent.

“No that’s everything, thanks again,” you say, wrapping your arms around the thick tome and holding it tightly. “Doing some research of your own?”

He glances down at his own book with a chuckle. “Yeah, something like that. My brothers and I came to get some fresh air since we’re on break. I wanted to see what landmarks and unique places we could go exploring,” he explains, indicating to the book he’s holding. “Guidebooks can only tell you so much, you know?”

“I get that. We have plenty of places to go but the town square is where you’ll find most of the shops and some of the fields nearby are really pretty. Is there something in particular you’re wanting to see?”

“What about hiking trails? Any good ones worth checking out?”

Please don’t let him be one of those thrill seekers. Judging from his athletic build, he surely seems active enough. Maybe he just likes working out and exercising a lot. You hesitate slightly before answering, “There’s definitely a lot to choose from but I’d recommend the magnolia orchard. It’s usually nice during this time of year. But maybe stick to the daytime rather than late afternoon or evening, just to be on the safe side,” you advise.

This causes him to tilt his head in confusion. “Oh, are you talking about the recent attack?”

“Kind of hard to miss, right,” you note to which he gives a nod of agreement. “But I wouldn’t worry too much, the woods are normally safe.”

His lips turn up into a smile, dimples peeking out as he does so. “Nah, it’s all good. We’re not worried about it. But thanks for the tip.”

“Of course. Thanks for helping me out,” you reply, motioning to your book. “Hope you enjoy your stay here.”

“Definitely plan on it. I’m Chan, by the way,” he says.

You introduce yourself as well and he extends his hand out for you to shake. When your hands touch, you can’t help the involuntarily flinch upon feeling the coldness of his skin.

“Sorry, still a bit chilly from the weather,” he apologizes with a grimace.

“I get it. And it’ll only get colder from here on out. But if you ever need a place to warm up, the coffee shop is pretty good if I do say so myself,” you suggest.

He grins at that, perfect white teeth on full display. “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.” Before either one of you can say more, the grandfather clock from nearby chimes, the sound echoing in the space as it marks the time. Chan winces and rubs the side of his neck. “That’s probably my queue to head back. But it was great meeting you,” he quickly adds.

You nod in return. “Yeah, nice meeting you too. Stay warm.”

“For sure,” he reassures before adding, “you too.”

Waving one last time, you watch as he silently disappears around the corner.

                                                                 ~*~

The next day, it’s just you and Yoongi at the coffee shop where you’re going through the task of cleaning up before closing time. Since he offered to help with sweeping the front area despite you insisting that you can manage, you finish at the counter before moving to the next chore. You head to the back and ensure everything’s put away correctly. But as you turn the corner of one of the shelves, you nearly run straight into a floating yellow dust cloud. Yelping, you lurch into the shelf behind you, knocking over a few coffee bags while a blender clangs loudly to the floor. The will o’ wisp flies back as it shimmers into a pale shade, almost translucent.

Before you can utter a word, the employee door bashes open, slamming harshly against the wall, causing the creature to hide in a flurry. Yoongi stands right at the entrance, body poised in a defensive stance as he frantically scans the room before his bloodred eyes find your own.

“Are you okay?” He gruffly asks, immediately coming over to help you up.

You quietly nod, face burning upon feeling his hands touch your arm and hip as you keep a tight grip on the shelf. “Yeah. Um, are you?”

Panic flits across his face, ruby eyes widening momentarily before he looks away. When his gaze returns to meet your confused expression, those chocolate eyes are back with flecks of amber. “Yeah, just making sure you’re okay,” he answers, giving you a strange look, “heard a lot of loud noises back here.” He glances around the small space and you take the opportunity to do the same but find no trace of the shimmering creature.

Clearing your throat, you mutter, “Sorry, I got startled.”

He looks at you again, slightly perplexed even as his eyes narrow. “By what?”

“A lightening bug,” you mumble, hoping it’s inaudible enough yet he hears no problem judging from the odd stare he’s currently giving you.

It’s silent for a beat too long. “A lightening bug,” he deadpans. The harsh skepticism in his tone only further emphasizes how ridiculous you know you sound.

Still, you’re keeping that alibi as you nod with false affirmation. “Yep.”

“In the fall?”

Shit. “Yeah, that’s why it was so surprising. But it might’ve been something else, maybe like a…moth?” Your question at the end sounds painfully like you’re seeking confirmation from him and you internally cringe. Why didn’t you start with that in the first place?

Yoongi continues blankly staring at you while you’re standing there self-consciously shifting awkwardly. This carries on for several seconds, still much too long for you, so you preoccupy yourself with retrieving all the things you knocked over. Keeping your focus on what you’re doing, you reset the coffee bean bags as well as the sugar and other ingredients all while you can feel him burning a hole into the side of your head.

A blender appears beside you on the shelf, causing you to jump in surprise while he steps closer to help put things away. He picks up an old coffee pot that had also fallen over and sets that on the higher shelf. “Why so uneasy, Y/N?” He inquires, catching your eyes in an immobile hold when you happen to glance over at him.

Scratching the side of your face, you check the floor for anymore fallen objects while also looking for the creature before answering, “I’m not uneasy.”

“You keep scanning the room as if you’re looking for something.”

“I am?” He shoots you a look, causing you to backtrack. “No, you’re right,” you sigh. “I just want to make sure I got everything that was knocked over. It’s been an off few days since people started talking about the animal attack so I guess I’ve just been a little jumpy.”

From over his shoulder, you see the will o’ wisp peeping out from behind some stacked boxes and your eyes widen before you can think to stop yourself. Though you quickly relax your expression, Yoongi immediately notices and begins looking behind him. So you do the only thing that comes to mind and rush forward, throwing your arms around him.

Caught in your sudden embrace, he freezes beneath you going so still that you don’t even think he’s breathing. The ends of his long brown hair tickles the backside of your hands and you have the sudden urge to run your fingers through the strands. And then you become painfully aware of the awkward situation, secretly hoping the floor will open up and swallow you whole before you have to attempt explaining yourself. But of course that doesn’t happen and as the seconds grow longer, you gulp before squeezing your arms tighter around him. He inhales sharply at the movement and you feel a warmth building in your chest where a soft humming seems to resonate from him.

“It’s a cockroach.”

“What?” Whatever mood had been previously developing in that moment dissolves in an instant.

Inhaling deeply, the strong scent of pine that permeates from his hoodie nearly distracts you yet you rush in explaining yourself. “The thing that scared me. It’s a cockroach. A really big, nasty, cockroach that also flies.”

The will o’ wisp shifts into a deep shade of cherry as it quietly seethes at your description. You wave a hand at it and put a finger over your lips before it can begin bubbling in fury. It flits angrily in place and you point to the back door then the shelf next to it. The ghost understands, flying up to the shelf before ducking behind the stacked mugs.

“Could you help get rid of the cockroach? I think it went somewhere back there,” you say, reluctantly leaning away from him as you point in the opposite direction to the cabinets.

“Are you seriously that afraid of a bug?” He sighs.

Still gripping his shoulders, your fingers clench the fabric of his clothes as you peer directly into his eyes where the caramel flecks have gotten slightly bigger within the mocha of his dark irises. “Very,” you whisper. “Please?” You plead with a pathetic pout.

The scowl almost seems to melt before your very eyes as his features soften only for the dry expression to return. “Fine. Didn’t know wolf girl was such a scaredy cat,” he mutters to himself before easing his arms from around you as he begins sifting through the drawers and cabinets.

While his back faces you, you make your way to the backdoor and check for the creature who silently floats down towards the exit. It wraps itself around your hand and you feel its heat warm against your skin.

Once it releases you, you shove the door open where it shoots out into the night. Slamming it shut, you turn back and find Yoongi already facing you. “Got it. It ended up by the door so I just let it go free,” you explain, desperately hoping he didn’t see anything.

Cocking his head, his eyes shift between you and the door. “Thought you were too scared to get near it,” he notes.

Shrugging, you head towards the front of the shop so you can finish up in there. “It was right above the door frame so I just threw it open and it went out.”

You feel him watching you as he follows from behind and you peek over your shoulder to see his lips quirking up. “You’re something else, you know that?” He scoffs.

“That’s fair,” you admit with a smile of your own. Almost everything is put away for the night except for the chairs, so you quickly begin setting them on top of the tables.

From the opposite side of the room, Yoongi does the same, flipping the seats two at a time with such ease. Showoff. It’s quiet as you both silently work, finishing the outer tables before meeting in the middle at the last one.

When the final one is complete, you thank him for the help while he nods, calling your name just before you turn. “Hey, uh, do you want me to walk you home? I mean, so that terrifying cockroach doesn’t come back for you,” he says with a smirk.

You pause, hesitating for a moment to think because what if Wolfy decides to show up? He doesn’t come every night but there’s a chance he could. At your hesitation, his grin falters but before he can immediately retract his offer, you awkwardly shrug. “Yeah, why not? I wouldn’t mind the company honestly,” you admit.

After closing up shop, the two of you begin walking through the forest trail accompanied by the music of rustling trees and crunching leaves in the background. You’ve been keeping an eye out for him, but Wolfy is nowhere in sight, no trace of golden eyes whatsoever. Maybe he’s busy tonight.

“So what do you think about the attack?” You finally ask.

“Odd,” Yoongi plainly answers. It’s a fair way to describe it and he says it so matter-of-factly compared to the hushed whispers and excited gossiping from everyone else. There’s no concern or even slight hint of interest, just his usual straightforward demeanor.

Staring off into the forest, you think for another minute before continuing. “What do you think about what people are saying? That it’s some kind of supernatural creature?”

“You mean like the other day when those college kids said it was a werewolf?” He chuckles dryly.

Returning your gaze to him, you nod. “Yeah, like that.”

He tilts his head in your direction and gives you an easy smile. “Do you actually believe that or are you just desperately wanting proof that your werewolves exist?”

Will he ever let that go? Instead you merely roll your eyes at the mention of your personal studies. “Hey, just because I’m interested in the supernatural doesn’t mean I’m an investigator or hunter of some kind.”

That just causes him to let out a snort that he muffles by covering his mouth with his hand. “Oh, I know. You’re just a fan.”

“You make it seem like I’m obsessed,” you complain, crossing your arms across your chest defensively, “I just think they’re cool.”  

From beneath his fingers, you still catch the evident grin peeking out. “Pretty sure you raided the library’s entire catalogue of werewolf books that night.”

“I did not!”

“Did too,” he retorts with a shake of his head. He uncovers his mouth and shoves his hands into his pockets. “Seriously, what would you even do if you met a werewolf in real life?”

“I’d kiss it,” is your immediate response.

Yoongi coughs to himself and his cheeks burn bright pink as he stares at you in disbelief. “What?”

It’s your turn to grin at him. “Mmhmm, I’d smother them in kisses because aren’t werewolves just oversized dogs?”

His face morphs into a confused, almost offended expression at your declaration. “Sure, if you think they’re like Twilight.” He glances away for a second before giving you a sideways look, searching your face for something before heaving a sigh. “Don’t tell me that’s what your basing it off of.”

Surely he could give you a bit more credit than that. Judging from the disappointed groan he lets out that sounds unlikely. “Well then what are they supposed to be like, Mr. Expert?” You sarcastically wonder, your eyes widening with fake curiosity.

Again the expression of disgust is back, his upper lip curling. “How would I know? They’d have to actually be real first.”

Despite masking it as a cough, the small giggle that slips passed your lips instantly catches his attention as he sends you a dubious glare.

“What? Something I said funny?” He asks, raising a brow.

Actually. “No, but,” while you’re staring forward you can still see him from your peripherals as he keeps his gaze fixated on you, “who says they’re not?”

He rolls his eyes. “Considering no one has any solid proof, I’d say they weren’t. Unless you know something I don’t,” he implies.

If only he knew. As if Wolfy would be interested in a meet-and-greet anyway. Of course, you almost wish you could have the chance to prove him wrong but you instead swallow that irresistible urge of satisfaction by answering, “Nope.”

“Shame,” he sighs with mock despair. “And here I thought you were about to drag me to your complete slideshow with all your evidence and theories.”

“Oh, come on, I’m not that invested in all this.”

“I don’t know,” he hums, “you seem pretty passionate about it to me. Especially considering you read a bunch of books for research,” he says with air quotes, “and your first reaction would be to kiss one. Sounds obsessive to me.”

The breeze picks up at that moment as the wind blows through the trees and sends dried leaves cascading into the air. A handful smack against your body with a few probably sticking to the back of your jacket while a rather large orange one lands right on top of Yoongi’s head. Yet he doesn’t seem to notice it so you reach up to casually pluck it loose.

He flinches, leaning away as he scowls at you while you show him the dead leaf before flicking it right back at him to which he smacks it in return. “I’m not obsessed, just curious,” you emphasize.

It doesn’t faze him as he shrugs once more. “Whatever you say.”

Muttering under your breath, you look forward and see the break in the trees that lead right to your house. “Thanks for the walk home,” you tell him once you reach the edge of the path.

“It’s no problem. Have a good night, Y/N,” he says. Turning on his heel he starts heading back before you’re snatching the fabric of his cotton hoodie. Yoongi glances over his shoulder at you, silently waiting expectantly.

“Are you actually going to walk back home? I mean, the bus stop isn’t too far away from here,” you note, finger also pointing out its direction.

He shakes his head. “I’ll be fine, it’s not that long of a walk.”

But there’s only the main square with shops and open forest that stretches miles in some directions. “Wait, how far away do you live?”

“Not too far. I take the Old Shaw Trail so it’s fine.”

“Oh,” your brows furrow at that, “I haven’t been down that way before. There’s so many different pathways.”

An owl hoots from nearby just as it flies overhead where you watch it disappear into the branches while he takes a step back to free his clothes from your grip. “Yeah, but they’re fun to explore. Anyway, see you around,” he says with a wave.

“Yoongi,” you call and he turns to look back, “stay safe,” you softly murmur.

He grins in return. “You too.”

Once he disappears from view, you continue towards your house. As you dig in your little purse for your keys, you feel something stiff and crumpled inside. Quizzically, you pull free the large brown leaf where you notice writing scribbled on one side. You hold it beneath the porch light, squinting to read the tiny font.

Full moon, talk soon -WW

— — — 

<— Previous | | Next —>

A/N: Yet another chapter update posted in the same month, in the same year?? It surprised me too, but I’m doing my best to actually stay on top of my stories and post them in a somewhat timely manner. Again, thank you everyone for patiently waiting and I hope y’all enjoy!

[ichisama]

1181 words | rating: t | high school au

Samatoki could hardly remember what he had been thinking, when he first started this game of theirs. He probably hadn't been thinking much at all; Ichiro always had that effect on him.

In any case, it started like this:

Ichiro was minding his own business near the end of their lunch break, finishing off a packet of Pocky at his desk. He had one stick between his lips, which he nibbled absently, cutely while flipping through a borrowed copy of the latest issue of Jump.

Samatoki—on his way back to his own desk, and on a whim—planted a hand on Ichiro's desk, swooped down, and nipped at the end of that stick of Pocky.

"Thanks for the food," he joked, tousling Ichiro's hair on his way past.

Ichiro laughed, sounding more surprised than anything. Certainly not offended or upset. He even turned in his seat and offered the rest of his pack to Samatoki. "You could've just asked, you know."

Samatoki waved him off and shook his head. "Sweeter this way."

Ichiro's brows jumped up, and Samatoki felt his own do the same.

What the hell had he meant by that?

Just that it was more fun to tease Ichiro a little, probably. Yeah. That had to be it.

And since it was so fun, he did it again a few days later. Ichiro had a pack of strawberry Pocky this time, and he tipped his head up when Samatoki passed him, almost like he'd been expecting Samatoki to stop for a bite.

A few days after that, it was white chocolate. Then matcha. Then back to dark chocolate.

Ichiro started dipping his head down, just a little, when Samatoki came in for that bite. It made the stick of Pocky snap closer to the middle, leaving Samatoki with a bigger piece.

Samatoki, on some level, felt a bit bad about that. He wasn't out to steal Ichiro's food, really. He just… kinda liked playing around with Ichiro.

But seeing as Ichiro clearly didn't mind this little routine of theirs, Samatoki didn't stop.

He only hesitated one day when he noticed Ichiro holding the uncoated stick part of the Pocky between his teeth, with the covered chocolate end sticking out. Samatoki paused right before taking his usual bite, blinking once, then again.

"Why are you eating it like that?"

"No reason," Ichiro said, his words a little distorted by the treat between his teeth. Samatoki took his bite, and they both finished chewing, before Ichiro added, "Just figure it's not fair for you to always get the biscuit end, with no chocolate."

Samatoki opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Was there seriously no limit to how thoughtful Ichiro could be?

It was then that Samatoki started bringing Pocky to school, to sneak into Ichiro's desk. Ichiro blinked the first time he found a box in there, one he clearly didn't remember packing for himself. He turned and looked over at Samatoki, grinning as he seemed to draw his own—correct—conclusions.

Thanks, he mouthed, then quickly turned back around before their hard-ass teacher could get on their case for talking during class.

After that, Ichiro really started tipping his head up as soon as Samatoki approached, unmistakably offering the stick of Pocky between his teeth to Samatoki.

Samatoki couldn't even pretend he was 'stealing' a bite on his way to his desk anymore. There was no reason for him to even rush.

So he didn't. He started taking his time, sometimes folding both arms on Ichiro's desk and leaning in to nibble at the end of the stick, eyes locked with Ichiro's, taking care not to snap the biscuit and waiting for Ichiro to crack a grin.

Sometimes Ichiro cracked first, and sometimes Samatoki did.

Until, one day, Jyuto did.

Samatoki and Ichiro were in the middle of their usual end-of-lunch routine, both starting to grin as the length of Pocky between them got shorter and shorter. Their lips were getting dangerously close, as they had done a few times before—never to the point of touching, of course.

They weren't going out, after all. Flirting? Maybe. Okay, definitely. But not anything more than that, not yet.

Samatoki was just about to pull back when someone—later revealed to be the prissy piece of shit megane who sat in front of Ichiro, and who Samatoki had the misfortune of calling his best friend—gave him a resounding smack on the back of the head.

A hard enough smack to send him jolting forward, straight into Ichiro's face.

To be more precise, it sent his mouth crashing straight into Ichiro's mouth.

It was… not a great first kiss. It could hardly be called a kiss at all. Just an almost painful crush of lips against lips before they both jolted back, choking a bit on the crumbs of the stick of Pocky that basically disintegrated in their mouths.

"Dude!" Samatoki would've sworn under his breath if he weren't busy coughing up a lung. He settled for whipping his head around to glare at the smarmy little fucker who was somehow both managing to look perfectly innocent and exceedingly proud of himself at the same time. "What the fuck was that for?"

Jyuto gave him an arch look over the top of his glasses. "Raise your hand if you're sick of Aohitsugi and Yamada's flirty yet infuriatingly unproductive nonsense."

Samatoki froze as just about every hand in their class shot up. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ichiro's shoulders shaking—with barely contained laughter, Samatoki discovered, upon spinning back around to check on him.

Ichiro was blushing all the way to the tips of his ears. Embarrassed, yeah. But way more amused than mad.

"It's not even Pocky Day!" someone else called out.

"Yeah! Take pity on us poor single bastards."

"Or at least give us more of a show!"

"Yeah! Wait, no. That's the opposite of what us poor single bastards want."

Samatoki flipped the bird in the general direction of those poor single bastards, shot Jyuto one more withering glare, and turned back to Ichiro to ask—

In the end, he didn't get a chance to ask anything at all. Their teacher came in, and their next class began. Samatoki had to slink back to his seat, seething and practically vibrating with anticipation for when he would get to talk to Ichiro next.

Clearly, they couldn't leave things like this.

And clearly, Ichiro felt the same.

It was only a few minutes later that a folded up note landed on Samatoki's desk. He blinked at it, looking up just in time to find Ichiro flashing him a smile over his shoulder.

Samatoki slipped the note into his desk drawer, unfolding it as surreptitiously as he could. Once he had it open, he glanced down and read—

Redo after school?

Samatoki practically had to suck his cheeks into his teeth to keep from grinning like a loon after that. He picked up a pen, and scrawled back—

Absolutely.

But let's ditch the Pocky this time.

[spookyserenades]

I’m not much of a commenter (which is super hypocritical since receiving comments is my kryptonite lol), but I just felt like I needed to. I cannot describe how much I enjoy your work; I’m absolutely floored by the sheer word counts you dash out so consistently. Nothing ever feels choppy, and the scenes flow nicely into each other! Your funny moments are funny, your sad ones are crushing, and everything else in between is iconic.

I guess I was wondering just how you manage to stay so consistent? I write chapters that usually range between 13-17k myself, but I can’t seem to stick with a consistent updating schedule. How often do you write? Do you sit down daily and write just a little, or do you sit down occasionally but manage a few k each time?

Also, I cannot stress this enough how natural everyone’s relationship in Trouvaille is. I feel like it’s realistic that none of the boys would be immediately too keen with the mc but that they also wouldn’t stay distant forever? It felt special being able to gradually read about their developments, and I feel like once the mc gets with more of the boys eventually, it’ll be so rewarding? Idk, but I just cannot wait. The latest chapter ending scene with Jin has me so on edge; I can sense the angst from here—

Regardless, (and sorry for my rambling) I love your work!

—M

Hellooo love! I'm so happy to hear from you, thank you fro reading Trouvaille and sending me some love, I'm glad to have you here 🥺💕

Thank you for your sincere compliments, too 😭❤️ I haven't had someone mention the length of the chapters in a while-- they're big bois!! The last two chapters have been a bit shorter, but sometimes you say all that you need to without necessarily hitting the original wc estimate. I'm so happy to hear that the flow is smooth, and that you're enjoying the humorous moments (loveeee sneaking in things my mom have said before, her one-liners kill!) and I'm eeeeee you're too sweet thank you thank you 😭💕

As for consistency! I love this question, because I might have pulled the wool over your eyes. I started writing Trouvaille summer of 2022, and wrote up to Chapter 6 before I ever began posting on Tumblr. Between July 2022 - July 2023 I had chapters on "reserve" so really I'd just edit them before posting them.... Now, not so much the case. I write each chapter (since 8) each month, which admittedly can be a bit stressful, but it honestly forces me to write consistently and constantly. I think that can be a potentially good thing for writers who struggle to actually put pen to paper, having a "deadline" monthly, but every writer is different!

Additionally, I'm not the best person to ask about writing schedules,,, unfortunately I am a procrastinator so OFTEN I binge-write for hours on end. I recommend setting aside an hour or two a day to write if time allows you to do so, rather than type nonstop for 8 hours the day before an update LMAO!! I definitely want to become the writer that does bit by bit every day to cut down on the stress. I also want to say that once I stopped pressuring myself to make EVERY update 20k+words, things flowed a little more easily. It's better to have a shorter update that's concise and has everything you want to say, rather than bulking it up with filler.

Thank you so so much for loving all of the character's relationships so far, too 🥺 I know slow burn isn't for everyone, but it always felt more natural for me to write the hybrids as slow-to-trust, considering the world they live in in Trouvaille. I agree with you, when everyone starts to grow closer and closer over time, the sweet moments will seem even sweeter after all of the angst and growing 💕

Thank you again for reading, M, and I'm sending you so much love (and energy to keep on writing!!)

[mysterynoel]

1 Like = 1 Answer (AO3 edition)

So I did one of those "1 Like = 1 Answer" posts on Twitter, and I decided I would share my answers here as well with a little more words!

1. Favorite story written? It would be a toss-up between "And Today, You" (Fire Emblem Awakening, Lucina & Child Lucina) and "Love Persevering" (Fire Emblem Three Houses, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/f!Byleth Eisner). The former because it was a piece focused on Lucina that I had been working on for 1.5-2 years. It holds such a special place in my heart. The latter because I love writing sad, angsty things and it was fun getting to return to that with a dimileth fic.

2. Most popular work? If we go by kudos, it's "Like Her Eyes" (Dimitri/f!Byleth). I wrote it for a prompt challenge and was dropping it in review exchange threads for a year because it was a fluffy one-shot that worked well fandom-blind.

3. A work you wish was more popular? I feel really bad saying this, but "And Today, You." It's actually where it should be for a gen fic posted in the Awakening fandom and I'm really grateful for that. Still, I can't help but wonder about how it would've done had I finished and posted it not long after I started it. Or five years ago. You know, sometime when the fandom was still active.

4. Favorite trope to write? "You can't sleep either, huh?" Easily my favorite thing to write! I love those quiet bonding moments at night where people may act differently than they would during the day! I've written a one-shot ("Late Night Talks" Big Hero 6, Tadashi Hamada/Honey Lemon), a chapter of a fic ("Tell Me a Story" chapter 7, Dimitri/f!Byleth), and a multi-chapter fic ("Nights Under the Azure Moon" 4 chapters, Dimitri/f!Byleth) based around this type of discussion.

5. Least favorite trope to write? Cheater's answer: smut. Thought out answer: probably horror/suspense/thriller. Not the biggest fan of reading horror outside of a few fic authors, so I have no idea where I would start with writing it.

6. Something you want to write but don't know where to start? I have two long fics in my folder ("The Boar Prince of Remire" about mercenary!Dimitri and "Will you forgive me if I can't see your light anymore" about Dimitri's five years in exile) that I would love to actually be able to outline and write instead of simply writing random scenes. Slowly chipping away at them hoping 2023 will be the year I can post first chapters.

7. Longest work written? Currently, it's "Nights Under the Azure Moon" with 12,605 words and four of five chapters posted. I think "Notice of Transfer" (FE3H & Dead Like Me, Dimitri/f!Byleth) will overtake it once I finish and post the last chapter.

8. The shortest? Shortest fic is "Time's Flow, Interrupted" (gen) at 754 words. I think I have a chapter of "Tell Me a Story" that's shorter at around 600 words.

9. Author you would like to collab with? There's a lot of authors that I think it would be fun to come up with something with, but I'm sure I would end up falling into a beta reader position since that's what I'm used to. At that point, it basically becomes a group project where one person isn't doing their share and just going along with anything that happens, and that's not fun nor fair to the other author. However, if el_pepe ever ends his indefinite hiatus, I would love to join forces for some of the Persona 3-5 story ideas we discussed if he was cool with it.

10. What tag would definitely be included in all of your works? Definitely "fluff & angst!" I love adding some angst to make the fluff sweeter! And sometimes, nothing's better than upping the amount of fluff to make the angst hit like a ton of bricks.

[storms-path]

Day 9 - Yawn

“...And so, as any enlightened mind could surely tell you…”

…

“...Which of course meant that the Sil’dahn…”

…

“...Fell into ruin long before that, of course…”

…

“...And led to the Order of the Fist as we know them today, alongside… you even listening to me, young woman?”

No. Fareena just about managed to bite her tongue on the reflex response, as well as the pointed reminder that she was over twice Erik’s age and then some. But that would just send him spiralling into another lecture about how age is far more of a mental thing than it is physical and of course Fareena is just a child and it would take even more effort not to strangle him. Unfortunately, Erik was the only man who knew where Widargelt had hared off to, and as Stalwart kept reminding her, murder was still very much illegal in Ul’dah.

Unfortunately, her traitorous body did absolutely nothing to stifle the yawn that burrowed its way out of her throat, loudly proclaiming to all the Goldsmithing guild (and Erik) how little she cared about Thanalan’s rich political history and its relation to Ala Mhigo. Alas.

Erik looked horrified. Serendipity looked just about ready to jump for joy. The silence was deafening (if one ignored the tnk tnk tnk of goldsmith hammering). Fareena was unrepentant. After several long, arduous moments, Erik regained his composure.

“I see that I am boring the illustrious Warrior of Light, so allow me to be brief.” Erik proceeded to not be brief by even the most generous definition of the word. Fifteen minutes (which felt closer to fifteen years) later, Fareena finally had her location for the rendezvous.

A good deal of people (lovingly referred to as “idiots” by Fareena) wrongly assumed that viera were immortal. And while certainly they lived a good deal longer than even elezen, their time on the star was far from infinite. Which made it all the more infuriating that Erik sought so dearly to waste her much-limited time. Half the history he spouted had been lived by her family tree, but trying to tell him that had only led him to scoff. Bastard that he was.

Another yawn crept in just thinking about the man. This time Fareena anticipated it, tilting her head back to fully enjoy it. An odd thing to do in the middle of Ul’dah, but Fareena took pride in being odd. It was one of her most charming points, she thought, and to hell with anyone who disagreed. She was never one for company in the first place, even her fellow blessed champions. Stalwart was a stick in the mud and Arashi had a hair-trigger temper and no taste for jokes. No fun at all, the pair of them. But someone had to keep them on the right track, and it stopped the damn voice in her head, so…

She was out past the gates now, her skin blasted with glorious sunshine as she left the great shadow of the city wall behind. Another blisteringly sunny day in Thanalan, same as it ever was. Alas, the heat did nothing for her already-wearied mind. And the shade of the nearby tree looked so very tempting… But no. She had a man to track down, some ancient monk-y secrets to uncover! Or something like that. Truth be told Fareena just did what felt natural with her hands and feet and it mostly worked out alright. Mostly.

She conveniently did not remember the time she had almost broken her foot trying to smash a golem with a leaping kick. As far as Fareena’s ego was concerned, that had never happened.

Somehow, she’d found her way under the mighty bough of the tree. Somehow she found herself nestling herself amongst its roots. Somehow she found her eyes slowly closing, her mind drifting off...

Several hours later, a very, very late Fareena was sprinting to Widargelt’s last known location, hoping against hope she wouldn’t have to speak to Erik again.

[theshelbyclan]

Wishful Whispers

Summary: The youngest Shelby is granted one wish for her eighth birthday and has decided she wants the whole family to go to the beach 

(gif by @nofckingfighting​)

A/N: I got this really cute request by an anonymous requester: Imagine Shelby sis just BEGGING her brothers to take her to the beach because "I live in a freaking island and I've never seen the ocean"Like how sweet is that!? Also, I tried a shelby sis, but in the third person because… dunno? Never done that before JIt’s a little bit shorter than my usual ones as well, for no particular reason, and a lot sweeter and softer than the series itself, but sometimes that’s nice as well… Thank you so much for requesting and I hope you like it! Words: 1553 ***

“I know…” Tommy Shelby opened his eyes just a little when he heard those possibly menacing words being whispered into his ear during what felt like the middle of the night.

“Tommy?” the whispering little ghost tried again, “I know!” “Really?” he grumbled, not vaguely interested in anything but a few more hours of sleep, “go and tell Arthur.” “I already tried that, but he told me to piss off,” an offended reply came. “How about John-boy, eh?” Another sigh, “I tried him, but he’s not sleeping… he’s with…someone.” Tommy rolled his eyes in the dark and admitted defeat, “Alright, you tell me then. What do you know,” he never could really say no to his youngest sister.

“Remember when you told me a story that one night?” Thomas did not remember, but he rubbed his eyes as he gave up the possibility of sleep. “About this fish that secretly wanted to be a desert cactus?” she beamed, “I really liked that story.” “I’m glad to hear that, Y/N. Now, if that’s all…” “No!” she quickly said, “I’ve been thinking about that, right, and I’ve decided I really want to see that fish…” “You want to see the fish,” he repeated, instantly regretting his storytelling. Emphasising every word, she said, “I want to see the ocean, Tommy!” And this is when he got up and decided to light a cigarette, because this could take a while. Of course, he loved his sister deeply. In fact, some might even say he was soft when it came to her, even though he tried his best to be strict. But once she started talking, she never really stopped. He’d often wondered where she got that little character trade from. John was the same though… “I mean, we live on a island, Tommy, and I’ve never even seen it! And Nancy from down the lane told me about the beach and it sounds amazing!” “It’s just sand,” Tommy grumbled, “just rocks and sand.” “Well, I want to go,” she pouted, “and when you asked me last week about my birthday, Arthur said I could make a birthday wish.” “Bloody Arthur did, did he?” he took a slow drag of his cigarette. “This is my wish.” So Tommy decided to change tactics, “Are you sure, Y/N? You could ask for anything and you want to waste your one good wish on some sand and rocks and water?” “Yes.” Well, there was no changing her mind now. *** And so the entire Shelby family piled into the family car and made their way to the beach. Tommy had called for a family meeting, had announced they were going and everyone had protested in their own way. Ada said she had other plans, John said he wanted to work on the books, Arthur didn’t understand why the fuck they would go to the beach in the first place and Polly had just rolled her eyes. Truthfully, it just wasn’t a very Shelby-like outing. But then Y/N had appeared into the kitchen and had pouted her most expertly pout and had whimpered something along the lines of, “but it’s my birthday wish…” And it’d worked. Like the little devil knew it would. Tommy smirked a little behind the wheel as he thought of it. So here they were, all dressed completely inappropriately for the beach, less than excited, apart from Y/N and Finn, who bounced non-stop with excitement and anticipation. God had better make a note of this good deed. “Are we there yet?” Finn asked every five minutes. “Not yet.” “Are we almost there yet?” Y/N asked like clockwork immediately after. And Arthur had had enough and snapped, “For fuck’s sake, we’ll let you know once we get there, now sit down and shut up!” “Arthur, calm down,” Polly soothed a little, “They’re only eight.” “I’m nine!” Finn protested, “Nine and three months!” “Tom, I brought the rum, just in case,” the disgruntled eldest brother commented. John sighed a, “thank fuck.” and even Tommy was silently relieved. What were the Shelby’s supposed to do at a beach? Finally they got there. As soon as the first grain of sand could be seen, Y/N went wild. Like feral animals the two youngest started screaming and Finn almost fell out of the car and would’ve died, if it hadn’t been for Ada’s seemingly disinterested but lightning-quick watchful eyes. As soon as they’d gotten out of the car, all three brothers froze for a second. It was like being back in France, but it also wasn’t. In any case, it stirred some memories alright. But they all reacted different: John decided to ignore and play and he ran after Finn and Y/N with gleeful shouts. Arthur started drinking, ignoring Polly’s reproachful eyes. And Tommy? He never said a word, but his memories were all his. “IS THAT A FISH!”, Y/N suddenly bellowed and Tommy knew duty called. With fancy shoes full of sand in no time, he walked over to his little sister, picked her up and placed her on his hip and peered out towards the sea with her. Then he had to smile, “That’s a dog, sweetheart, just swimming. See?” “Oh.” “Come on,” John grinned broadly, “let’s go to the ocean!” All three of them started racing towards the sea. John looked a little out of place in his three-piece costume, but then Tommy realised they all must look like that. And when he turned around, he saw Polly and Ada sitting in the sand, looking a little out of place as well. Little Y/N came bounding back towards Tommy, “Come with me, Tommy, come to the water!” “Did you feel it yet?” Tommy asked, “is it cold?” “It’s salt,” she stated a little shortly, which made Tommy look at her more closely. Then she confessed, “John told me to drink it because he said it was good, but it wasn’t. Then he laughed at me.” “Go to you aunt,” Tommy said, empathetically, “She’ll have some lemonade for you. Go on! To wash away the taste.” He’d have a word with John later.

Meanwhile, Finn had found some seaweed and had started throwing it a John, and the two of it had made some crazy game out of it. And then some of it landed on Arthur. Everyone froze. “Alright, who the fuck…” Arthur started to explode. “Arthur,” Tommy held up a hand, “remember why we’re here.” “Why are we here again, Tom?” “Y/N.” For a few moments, Arthur was thinking very hard and then he clearly made up his mind, “Right, well how’s the water?” “Fucking freezing, Arthur,” John said. “Come on, Johnny,” his brother laughed as he started taking off his shoes and jacket, “we’ve seen worse in France, haven’t we?” and much to everyone’s surprise, Arthur made his way into the sea. Immediately, Finn and Y/N followed. Like little puppies, they sprinted in and out of the water and it was like their energy levels never even went down. After the swimming, Y/N quickly drifted back to Tommy again, because she was usually by his side. Carefully, he lifted her up onto his neck and together they walked along the beach in silence. “Tommy?” she asked, “Was the fish from your story really real?” “Yes, he was, Y/N, but I’m not sure you’ll find him here…” “No, probably not,” Y/N mused, “he’s further away in the water where it’s warmer. Like in the desert.” Holding her in place with one hand and smoking with the other, Tommy asked, “And is it everything you hoped it was? The beach?” “It’s different from Small Heath,” she piped in a high voice, “Less smoke. More sand.” He coughed a short laugh, “It’s different from Small Heath, alright.” “I like playing with you and I like the water and the sand. Arthur even went in with us, Tommy, did you see? And John was like he used to be, all funny. And even you are different!” “Me?”

She stayed silent for a long time, like she was trying to pluck up the courage to say it, “You’re more like you before you went away.” “Well,” Tommy eventually replied, “maybe we should come here more often. “We should,” his little sister agreed wisely. On the ride home, Finn was too tired from playing to even speak and Y/N slept like a little baby in the back of the car, on Arthur’s lap, with her head in Polly’s hands. And even though the Shelby’s weren’t ones for holidays, the sea air had proved therapeutic for all.

*** “Tommy?” another whisper sounded in his ear. Internally, Tommy screamed and tried to choke himself with the pillow. He’d only just put her to bed five minutes ago. He’d just drifted off to sleep and here the creepy little thing was again!

“What is it, Y/N,” he managed to ground out. Hissing uncomfortably in his ear, she said the sweetest words that managed to melt even the coldest and most annoyed heart, “Today was my most favourite day ever. Thank you.” He smiled in the dark, “Good.” “Didyoulike it, Tommy?” “Yes, I did. But don’t tell anyone.” “Tommy?” “Hmm…” He really, really wanted to sleep now. A small voice pleaded, “Can I stay here?” Knowing what she was about to ask before she even finished her question, he’d already pulled the blanket aside for her. That night there were no shovels. Only beaches with little girls, and fish who dreamt of being cactuses, and wishes made true.

*** 

Masterlist

[fallenstar193]

Secret’s of the Night

Micheal Corleone x Female Reader

Synopsis: Running a criminal organization is a great task to handle. Who’s to say Micheal doesn’t deserve some kind of distraction? Luckily for him a certain maid would handle that task easily.

After his father's death, after losing half his family due to the mafia war, Michael's sweeter side was slowly but surely dying. It was no wonder why Kay was no longer dazzled by her husband, why their relationship was slowly but surely breaking apart.

The fact that Michael seemed to be entirely into the business now, determined to grow more and more powerful every passing day, didn't help either.

And so, as Y/N drew a distance between Michael and her, Michael's attention was drawn to someone else altogether.

Y/N.

The gorgeous young maid had started working for his family about a year before, and from the get-go, Michael had been dazzled by her gorgeous smile, her sensual body, and those big eyes, always so filled with a sort of cheeky allure.

There was no question Y/N was somewhat of a troublemaker. She enjoyed teasing her boss even before they began their affair, and the skirts seemed to get shorter and shorter as time went by. The way she swayed her hips whenever she caught him staring had Michael aching for the stunning maid even though his wife and young children were usually in the house.

Their first kiss had been a moment Michael would never be able to get off his mind. Her lips were so soft, so sweet, so inviting, and she allowed him to wrap his arms around her lithe body, pulling her close against his chest.

There was something so sexy about Michael to Y/N. Perhaps it was the power and confidence he exuded. Perhaps it was the dichotomy of his personality: How brutal and sweet he could be at the same time.

She found him intoxicating, and though in the beginning their affair had simply been motivated by lust, in time, something else grew between them. Something deep and intense, something that threatened to burn them alive.

As Michael's life became harder and harder outside his home, attempting to make dealings with other Families and the Vatican itself, as his relationship with his wife got worse and worse, his affair only seemed to grow stronger, his encounters with Y/N more frequent.

He could hardly keep his hands off her whenever she cleaned the room he was in. And Y/N didn't make it any easier for him! Not with the way she swayed her hips from side to side so enticingly, winking his way, licking her lips, and oh, how she touched him, how she kissed him, inviting him to push her much further than Kay would ever allow him to.

The little vixen seemed to grow deeply aroused whenever she could tease him, whenever she could mess with his head. Showing off her ass or giving him a smothering look while others were around but not looking her way became all too common. This meant Michael was almost painfully aroused during important meetings or even while drinking with his associates and friends.

"Do you need me to clean your desk, Michael?" Y/N purr as she stepped into his office when the young Don was attempting to focus on the Corleone family's dealings.

He'd look up at her, trying his best to control his urges, his impulses. Sometimes he failed at once, and his arms were soon around her gorgeous body, pulling Y/N onto his lap as his hands rolled up and down those incredible curves.

Others, he'd shake his head, grinning longingly at the teasing young woman.

"I can't, Y/N. I'm too busy,"

But she never listened to reason. Y/N enjoyed messing with her boss too much, and even more so, being punished for disobeying. So she'd go on cleaning anyways, making sure to bend over so he could either stare at her round, firm ass or at her alluring cleavage.

Her tits were a work of art, Michael could not deny it, and her buttocks were round, firm, and apple-shaped. Everything about Y/N seemed to scream sex, and she ached to be dominated by the powerful Don every single day.

Perhaps that was one of the main reasons she kept on working for Michael. As his lover, she could have received a handsome allowance and an apartment in the city, one he could come in and fuck her whenever he felt like it. But doing that would mean he'd only go to her when he was aching for a good fuck. Y/N needed to see Michael every waking moment and make sure she remained in the front of his mind.

Men like him could easily find new lovers, and then what? She wasn't after his money; she wanted him, all of him.

Y/N knew Michael was unlikely to leave Kay, and she was fine being the other woman, but she'd be damned if she had to compete with other lovers for his attention!

In the end, her teasing ways and sensual flirtation always managed to entice Michael, even if it earned her a spanking for being such a naughty, seductive little vixen.

And to Y/N, that was what she'd call a win-win situation. She loved it when Michael was a bit rough on her when he showed his dominant side and made sure she understood what her place was.

Since they were at his home whenever they fucked, whenever he spanked and disciplined her, Y/N had to learn to muffle her moans, her gasps, her whimpers.

It would not do for his wife to walk in on them. Of course, it was unlikely, given that a bodyguard or two were always out in the hallway, but if Y/N got loud enough, Kay would know something was amiss. The woman had learned to turn a blind eye to her husband's dealings, but she wasn't stupid either, and she was quickly getting tired of playing dumb.

Though Y/N wanted Michael to be with her, to admit his love for her in front of the entire world, she didn't want to ruin his life either, and she certainly didn't want him to lose his children, Mary and Anthony.

So, for the time being, she was quiet whenever they were alone together. The only one who could hear her muffled, quivering moans was her lover, and she knew how much he enjoyed them.

As their hidden relationship turned more and more passionate, more intoxicating, Y/N grew bolder and bolder as well.

"Take the bottle of whiskey and four glasses into the boss's office," One of Michael's underlings ordered Y/N late one night. Kay was gone for the week, having argued with her husband yet again. She had taken their two children along with her.

Things were more than slightly tense between them. Though few people in the family knew about it, Michael had confided on his lover as they cuddled together in bed, in one of the house's many guestrooms.

"I thought Kay had suffered a miscarriage. I was heartbroken for both of us, but it was nothing of the sort, Y/N," He said with frustration. He was clearly angry, disappointed, and hurt, and though Y/N usually teased and poked him sensually, that time she just listened quietly, tenderly rolling her fingers over his chest, trying to comfort him. No matter how much she loved taunting him, she loved Michael all the more.

"That's not what happened?" She asked, frowning quietly as he shook his head.

"No, not at all. Last night she told me the truth. She had an abortion! She told me she didn't want to bring another child of mine into this world, not with how badly I've messed up, not after everything I've done! How could she have killed one of my babies!"

Y/N held Michael tenderly in her arms, soothing his broken heart, and cementing their relationship even further. Though they were lovers, having an affair behind his family's back, there was something real growing between them both, and it couldn't be denied any longer.

That had been almost a week ago, and Y/N knew it was high time to tease her lover once more, push him to be as passionate as she loved him being.

So when she stepped into the office, where a few of Michael's associates were discussing business, she served every last one of them, except for her boss.

"What do we say when we want something to drink?" She whispered teasingly, winking his way as she leaned forward, revealing her sensual cleavage to him in front of all those men.

"Y/N, not not." He grunted, glaring her way, but she wasn't intimidated.

"What's the magic word, then? The sooner you say it, the sooner you get your drink," She cooed hotly, and his glare was so dangerous most other people in the house would have immediately freaked out, but Y/N knew him better than that. He appreciated loyalty, and Y/N was loyal to a fault. He wouldn't hurt someone -not more than needed anyway- just because they were a bit bratty or impertinent. And they both knew what kind of game she was playing.

"Out, all of you," He grunted, standing up and forcing her to take a step back so he could get on his feet. "I need to have a talk with Y/N, alone."

The other four men nodded gravely and stepped out onto the corridor, closing the door behind them.

"You impertinent little vixen," He grunted, and though there was anger in those dark eyes of him, what she saw in his gaze was arousal and the desire to teach her one of the lessons she enjoyed so much.

Michael grabbed Y/N by her long, silky hair, tugging at it just hard enough to make her moan and whimper out loud at the same time.

"Take off your clothes right now, I want to teach you a lesson," He grunted, tugging even harder for just an instant before he let go of her, and took a seat, staring demandingly her way.

She smiled seductively his way as she slowly but surely allowed the maid uniform to slide down onto the floor. Underneath she was wearing a sensual lingerie set, black and semi-sheer, one of the numbers he had gifted her over the past few months.

Her nipples were already hard enough to be noticeable through the silky fabric. His dark gaze rolled down her body, taking in her curves, enjoying the way she caressed her own skin with long, limber fingers.

Y/N wiggled her breasts sensually, as she unhooked the bra from the front instead of the back. A sexy little detail he adored.

"Stop smiling like a little brat, this is a punishment," He hissed, though the smirk tugging at the corners of his lips told Y/N otherwise.

As he stared openly at her sexy little striptease, the bra fell heavily on the ground, joining the maid uniform. Her nipples were pink, small, and wonderfully erect, and he ached to stretch out his hand and pinch one of those perfect little buttons.

And finally, Abigail leaned down, bending at her hips instead of at her knees, making her position even more sensual and enticing. She threw the panties his way, licking her lips tantalizingly as he grabbed them and beckoning her to move closer.

She swayed her hips toward him, moving them from side to side hotly, and when she was within reach, Michael grabbed her by the hips hard. His free hand rolled down her naked, sensual body, enjoying every last inch.

Her tits were firm and round, and they rested hotly against the palm of his hands as he squeezed one and then the other. She tilted her head back, moaning and panting as he pinched her nipples hard and rough, the mixture of pain and pleasure taking over her mind.

"Oh, Michael!" She hissed, and that was when he pushed her forward, prompting the beautiful Y/N to fall onto his lap.

She yelped, gasping as she was forced to bend over, her firm ass sticking up into the air.

"You're going to get punished for your naughty attitude, you impertinent girl," He grunted hard. "You're such a disobeying little slut, aren't you?"

She nodded, wiggling her ass for him to smack already. She loved it when he spanked her, over and over again, until her ass was red and sore.

"Count every last spank until I say it's over, Y/N," He ordered, and she nodded at once.

"One!" She squealed, as his hand hissed loomingly through the air and finally landed on her firm ass, making it wiggle gently. He didn't give her any time to recover, and instead, his hand kept on crashing against her skin over and over, making it look so red within only a few moments! As he continued to spank her over and over again, she counted out loud: "Two, three, four, five! Ohhhh, six, six!"

Minutes slipped by, and he kept on swatting her ass time and time again. Her round, firm ass got increasingly red and sore, her entire body quivering with a mix of arousal and humiliation.

She loved submitting to him, crawling onto his lap and letting him spank her over and over again until she was quivering all over, aching to be fucked.

He rubbed her ass when he got to twenty, and hotly asked her:

"Have you learned your lesson?"

She nodded, somewhere between whimpering and moaning as she replied:

"Yes, yes, I've been such a bad girl." She purred, looking at him over her shoulder, her skin as flushed as her ass was red.

Michael tugged at her long hair, pulling her back onto her feet, caressing her ass tenderly as he did so.

"You're forgiven, you little brat," He teased her warmly. "Tell me the truth, did you enjoy it?"

"I did, you know I did!" She replied, and he wrapped his arms around her with the dominance and determination that characterized Michael.

They kissed passionately, her naked body pressed against him, his hands rolling down her skin hotly.

"I need to fuck you tonight," He grunted against her lips, making Y/N smile at once! "Get on your knees and show me how badly you want to feel me inside you!"

Without hesitating, Y/N dropped onto her knees, unzipping his pants and hooking out his cock with such eagerness that her fingers trembled slightly.

And as quickly as she got it out, her lips were on it. Peppering his girth with kisses, rolling her tongue over his cock. She made it nice and slick with her drool before opening the mouth wide and letting it slide deep inside her.

As Y/N wrapped her lips tightly around his shaft, she began bobbing her head up and down his shaft, taking in every last inch hotly.

She loved the way it was so erect, its scent so musky. It throbbed wonderfully against her tongue and lips.

He placed his hand on the back of her head and guided Y/N to move faster, fucking her face roughly as the need to use her mouth as some kind of suction force.

He went deeper and deeper inside her mouth until his bulbous head reached and slid down her throat. She gagged once or twice but managed to take him in.

Y/N’s tongue rolled all over his girth, coating it with her drool, tasting his precum.

When he was a moment away from cumming hard, Michael thrust away from her greedy mouth and whipped off a drop of precum from the corner of her mouth.

Michael guided her toward the table only a few feet away from where she had been kneeling only a moment before. Helping her bend over so that her tits were pressed against the smooth wooden surface.

She wiggled her sexy, round ass up in the air, and he didn't waste a single instant, plunging deep inside her soaked cunt, fucking her like his life depended on it.

Their bodies rocked back and forth in perfect unison, as she rolled her hips back every time he thrust into her. Her breasts rubbed against the desk over and over again, stimulating Y/N even further.

She had to bite her lip to avoid a series of loud, passionate moans from filling the room. Though Michael's wife wasn't in the house, they didn't want his whole staff and underlings to know exactly what was going on in there.

The two lovers made love for what felt like an eternity until his thrusts became rougher and faster until they were driven to the edge. It was then that she embraced her orgasm, her cuny clenching powerfully around his cock, and prompting Michael to join the explosion of pleasure.

As Y/N climaxed hard, her pussy squeezed his cock even further, the massages having his own orgasm grow fierce, so much so that his entire body was quivering by the time it reached its peak.

Michael filled Y/N with his seed, his cock throbbing hard inside her before they exhaustedly collapsed onto the desk. He peppered her neck with tiny, soft kisses before helping her get back onto her feet.

"Since Kay's not here tonight, why don't you come upstairs and sleep with me? I want to wrap my arms around you and fall asleep to your sweet scent?" He suggested, and Y/N immediately agreed. The two whisking away in slumber for the rest of the night.

But though Michael expected Kay to return in the following weeks, she never did. They exchanged calls, and the relationship grew colder and colder until the inevitable divorce proceedings started.

It was then, with the ink still wet from his separation, that Michael finally decided he could not live without Y/N in his life.

"I have something to ask you," He whispered one night, just before bed. By then, Y/N had been sleeping with him in his marital bed for over three months, and they were happier than ever before.

Y/N gasped as she saw the powerful Don get down on one knee for her, pulling out a tiny box containing a massive diamond ring.

"Y/N, my love... will you marry me?" He whispered, and she couldn't help but squeal as she jumped into his arms, kissing him like she had never kissed him before.

"Yes, yes, yes! A million times yes!" The former maid squealed happily, feeling her heart beating so fast in her chest she was certain the whole neighborhood could hear it drumming away. "I love you, Michael, nothing in the world would make me happier!"

"I love you too, Y/N" He whispered, placing the ring on her finger, before standing up. His arms were tightly wrapped around her, and he picked up his new fiancee bridal-style, carrying her to their bed, ready to make love to the love of his life.

[open--till--midnight]

Settling Down

geralt x gn!reader & daughter

summary | geralt settles down, this is pure fluff without plot

warnings | idk, kids?

wc | 1k

a/n | Ugh I didn’t know if I should have made this for eskel or geralt. I chose geralt but it could be read either way I guess, also we’re pretending ciri doesn’t exist in this for reasons that will become clear, also also, I'm obsessed with witchers and flower crowns soooo

You and Geralt had both lived long lives and had many more years to come. Being blessed with long life made it easier for a relationship with a witcher. He knew those he grew close to would all fade. Their lives were mortal, short, and sweet. But he knew he could be with you for as long as you wanted him. You frequently assured him that meant forever.

Though neither of you looked it, you were getting old. The nomadic lifestyle, once perfect for the two of you, became unreasonable to keep up. Your dream had always been to settle down in a quaint cottage, resting in the middle of an idyllic forest. After a sleepy conversation, that is exactly what you did.

After a bit of searching, you found your home. Ivy ran up the sides, not yet breaching the sturdy stone walls. The once pink roof, now faded, hung over the sides and had intricate trim bordering it. In the back, there was a sizeable garden already enclosed by a wrought-iron fence. An arbor was set in the middle, though worn by weather, it was still sturdy.

The inside was just as picturesque. The kitchen was separated from the hearth and couches by a couple of beams and a table. Two bedrooms rested just past it. A perfect home for its newest inhabitants.

It was now two years since you and Geralt took in your daughter. You wouldn’t call her anything else, even if she wasn’t biologically yours. When you first found her, you guessed she was around three years old, still plenty of time to give her a good childhood and take on the role of loving parents. Roles you both took exceedingly seriously.

It was hard, at first, getting her to bond with Geralt. His demeanor was gruff, and he lacked the emotional intelligence required by a child. On top of that, he was frequently gone. With an extra mouth to feed, the money you earned selling your herbs and produce wasn’t enough. So Geralt picked up more contracts nearby.

Understandably, she had grown much closer to you than him. This resulted in late nights reassuring your lover that things would come around. It would just take time. He didn’t want to upset you, so he agreed. Not bothering to explain how hard it was on him. You did notice, however. How could you not? Knowing he wouldn’t want to talk about it, you settled with providing him the reassurance he needed and continued helping him through the situation.

This wasn’t to say that your daughter didn’t love him. Quite the opposite, actually. Her favorite words to say were ‘I love you’. It was just assumed by the two of you that she’d never had anyone to say it to before, so he was compensating. It was sweet, really, but not sweeter than her hugs. She would cling to the two of you, sometimes refusing to let go.

Soon, the two of you figured out the issue with her so-called favoritism. Geralt wasn’t reliable. Not to an eight-year-old. You knew that when he left it was so he could earn a living, but the child couldn’t understand that. Without the knowledge of how the world works, all she saw was someone who was supposed to be reliable leaving. Even if he always came back.

But now she was old enough to help out with the garden, which meant you could expand it. This allowed more crops to sell at the market. With the extra income, Geralt didn’t need to leave quite as often. Hunts were now less often and much shorter, to the delight of all three of you.

Now, your child would request Geralt to read her to sleep. She had already come to him about her nightmares, for obvious reasons, but now she asked him to cuddle if she was still too scared to sleep. These small actions by the little girl brought a smile to the witcher’s face.

Before he met you, he thought that nothing would penetrate his heart, make him soft, but you did that. He frequently joked that you’d ruined him, that he was unable to be a proper witcher because of you. This was all a surprise, yes, but nothing compared to the effect his daughter had on him. She inhabited his heart as well as his mind, and he melted at the mere thought of her.

The little family that you created became his home, his safe space. Every moment spent with the two of you was better than the last. His favorite moments, though, were the ones with no obligations. The moments when he could just be. Moments like this.

Geralt was sprawled out on his back, laying on the soft and bright green grass by the river. His two favorite people were sitting on either side of him. You had helped the little girl collect flowers before settling beside Geralt. You had busied yourself with weaving them into crowns, a tiny one for your daughter, a larger one for you, and an even larger one for the witcher on the grass.

The little girl plucked the stems off of the flowers so only about an inch remained. These flowers were meticulously tucked into Geralt’s hair. She had already begged you to pull the top layer of hair back and braid it so it would be out of his face. You complied without hesitation and didn’t even bothering to ask Geralt. It pleased the little girl.

“That is so pretty, love.” You spoke through a wide grin, looking down at your witcher.

“Yes yes yes! You are so cute!”

Your daughter's compliment brought a faint blush to his face. He fought the urge to deny the claim before you shot him a deadly stare. He grumbled before talking.

“Thank you, sweetheart. You are very talented.”

“Really!”

“Yes, really. Are you kidding?” He squeezed her hand before grabbing a couple of flowers and putting them in her hair.

“Look, you’re talented too!” Her grin was infectious.

Before he could respond, she yawned.

“Getting sleepy, are we?”

“Nope.” Seconds later, she yawned again.

“Right.” He stood up, motioning for her to hop up on his back. Once she was on, he grabbed your hand and started the short walk back home.

[yyxgin]

lee felix’s guide to hating you

— ♡ FIC BANNER MADE BY THE AMAZING @chogiwow !!

pairing: lee felix x fem!reader genre: college au, tutor au ; fluff, angst, slice of life, slow burn word count: 21 k warnings: mentions of alcohol, mention of weed, swearing, bad family relationships

a/n: this story is very briefly inspired by jaemin’s drama ‘the way i hate you’ :) also this idea has been in my mind for such a long time, so i’m happy i finally managed to write it. this is also my longest fic so far, i hope it’s worth it. uhh yea enjoy <3

taglist: @feyregels​ @missskzbiased​ @hyunyin​ @koishua​ @crispy-chan​ @rindomo​ @soulssung​ @thatrandomoneinthecorner​ @90shermione​ @chogiwow​ @creatichee​ @freckledberries​ @hyunnies-stars​ 

There’s a list of things Lee Felix knew before applying for college-- and that is: 1) he really, desperately needs a degree for his grandparents to value him as an equal adult, 2) college in young adult movies seems like fun and partying and alcohol really does sound like his wettest dream, 3) he doesn’t need to work for another 4 years, which is fun and 5) he is really, horribly bad at studying.

Here’s a list of things Lee Felix, however, did not know before applying for college, and even though it’s fairly shorter, it hits you in the guts deeper, and that is: 1) studying for college means never ending chapters of insomnia and 2) he is always going to feel like the second choice for everyone. 

You see, girls don’t like Felix that much. Well, that’s a lie-- girls do go after him, tell him he’s cute and his freckles are adorable, but that’s only after they find out there’s no use in chasing after his best friend Han Jisung when he gets himself a new significant other. Boys don’t go after Felix either. Why, you may ask? Read the paragraph over again-- just change the word girls to the word boys. It’s as simple as that. He’s always the second choice, the back-up plan. It feels silly to drag his grandma into this, really, but the truth is, he’s a second choice in every aspect of his life, and that, too, includes his big (and still growing) family that treats him as something less than a human just because of the fact that his grades aren’t as good as his cousin’s are and he doesn’t have a degree in biological science, although he’s too young for that and his college years only started. It’s hard, living in his shoes.

What is Felix, however, really good at? 

Cheating.

Yeah, well, you see-- it’s not funny to be the outcast of the smart Lee family and it’s also not enetaining in the slightest to be the only single one at family gatherings (read as: weddings, because every single one of his relatives decided to fuck up their life with marriage in the past three years for some unknown reason). So Felix does what he’s the best at, and that is going by his favorite life motto: fake it ‘til you make it. 

He cheats on every single one of his exams and believe me when I tell you he’s the top of the class just because he’s the best cheater in town. Good cheating techniques equal good grades and suddenly, Felix’s life seems much brighter when he spends his sleepless nights with creating cheat sheets instead of studying and copying essays written in korean, translating them to english and submitting them as his own because no one will ever notice-- his degree is within the reach of his hand and he can already feel all the grandmas of the family clapping in joy, maybe even wiping away a stray tear on his graduation ceremony in a few years with bouquets of flowers in their hands and expensive watches in their gift bags, ready to welcome him back into the family.. 

What he doesn’t expect, though, is the cute little saying of ‘every lie has short legs’ he swears he heard sometimes in his linguistic class before, coming to life right in front of his eyes as the professor of his Biology class makes him the assigned tutor of the sweet Y/N Y/L/N, because, well, he clearly doesn’t know anything-- what’s he supposed to tutor now? 

The best cheating techniques?

The freckled boy sitting in front of you looks at you with furrowed brows and you wonder what’s the matter with him. Is there something on your face? Are you not dressed appropriately for the occasion? I mean, it’s only a tutoring session, so you didn’t put that much effort into it, but judging from the casual outfit enveloping his body, he didn’t really try to look fancy either. So what was it with him that made him stare you down as if you had horns on your head?

“Shall we start?” he asks once he’s done staring, voice sounding determined. You wonder if he sees the hints of nervousness on your face and if he notices the way you shrink in your seat in the mention of biology, but you guess he doesn’t know you that well to know that you fear the subject as much as you fear dying. 

“Yeah, sure,” you nod, scooting closer to the edge of your seat so you’re not so far away from the table. Felix-- your new biology tutor-- is sitting opposite of you and it’s quite difficult to read the text book once it’s upside down, but you don’t dare to mention it to him for a reason that’s unknown to you as well. It’s like you don’t want to overstep any invisible boundary on your first tutoring session, and telling the person that is teaching you to turn around the text book so you can actually see and learn something seems to be one of the taboos in your eyes. 

You take a quick glance at the waiter that just stopped next to your booth and smile, opening up your mouth to order yourself a meal. “Can I get you anything else?” she asks.

“No-” Felix offers her with a shy smile, but you cut him off with a voice a little higher in the octaves, not wanting your tutor coming in between you and reaching your biggest goal you’ve set for yourself.

“Actually, yes. Could I please get the chicken wings? With fries?” you ask, trying to look as innocent as you can, smiling at her in politeness. You ignore the confused look Lee Felix is offering you from the other side of the table. You mentally send him a signal to tell him to mind his own business, watching the waitress leave with a nod and a polite smile. 

“Okay, now we can start,” you nod at him and focus all your attention to the boy with sandy hair in front of you.

“O...kay?” he answers, obviously trying to bat away his rising confusion, because ordering yourself chicken wings on your tutoring session is prohibited now, apparently. “So,” he starts, sighing and scratching the back of his neck, “what do you not understand from this section?” 

You nervously chew on the bottom of your lip. Well, that’s a sweet question, you think. It would have been much sweeter and much easier to answer, though, if you understood at least a bit from the things you’re supposed to know. You went to university with the urge to prove something to yourself, but the only thing you’re proving to yourself right now is the fact that you are actually kind of useless, when it comes to biology.

“Just like the… whole thing, actually,” you nod, trying not to look as defeated as you feel and also trying not to burst out in a manic laugh as you always do when you feel slightly nervous about anything.

“Cool, cool, yeah,” he nods, taking a deep breath in, turning the textbook around and sighing, “I don’t think I can help you with that.”

“What do you mean you can’t?” you ask, confused. 

Lee Felix is the top of the grade. He is the best at biology, he is the best at chemistry, he is the best at his farmacy class. You’re sure he’ll be a fine biochemist in a few years, when his college times are over. Lee Felix is the smartest boy in your biology class and you are, coincidentally, quite the opposite on this spectrum. Which is exactly why your teacher managed to make Felix tutor you in his free time. You weren’t surprised at the fact that the blonde boy agreed to this-- he was quite the sweetheart, really. All the girls in your class fawned upon the way his freckles shined in the sunlight and the way he opened the doors for older professors. He was quite the boy you would want to introduce to your parents. Not quite the one every girl goes after, but the one that you would want to settle down with after your college years are over.

So why is he, the sweet, but also smart boy that agreed to tutor you, now telling you he can’t help you?

“It’s just.. I’m not really good at this section, I mean-”

“Felix, you’re the top of the class. Of course you’re good at this section.” you mumble, gazing deep into his eyes, trying to search for an answer.

“I-” he says and takes a sharp breath in, stopping himself in continuing his train of thought and just opting to shrug, not giving you a proper response either.

You feel like someone just punched you in the gut, and that’s when you realise-- here it is again. Another person that doesn’t believe in you-- another person that needs proving that you really can do it, you just need a little push. You can see it in his eyes that he doesn’t think you’re smart or bright enough to pass the exams, you’re not good enough to get good grades. It’s nothing new to you, but it still haunts you just the same.

“Is it because you know I can’t do it?” you bluntly ask, sighing. 

“No! No, no, I never said that-” he says, almost panicking with the way his hands fly into the air hurriedly, waving them around as if it was meant to calm you down. 

“You’re acting like it, though. I promise I’m not stupid- well, maybe I am, but-”

“You’re not stupid! It’s me! I’m the stupid one here.” he says, effectively silencing you with his words as you stare at him, dumbfounded. He’s joking, right?

“How can you be stupid when you get only the best grades? Felix, if you just don’t want to waste your time here, tell me, but don’t try to hide behind poor excuses.” you roll your eyes, feeling frustrated at the boy’s antics. Does he really think you’re that stupid that you can’t see right through his lies?

“I cheat.”

You blink a few times as if to reset your brain, gazing at him with pure confusion written in your orbs. He cheats? No. That’s a lie. A person as good at biology as Felix can’t cheat. All his exams are on 100% and he never makes any mistakes. He’s the epitome of the smart kid. The little Einstein. The prodigy. There’s no way it’s all cheating.

“No.” you shake your head in disapproval. “Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not lying! Look, I genuinely, really want to help you. I really do. The thing is, though, I don’t know how to study. I make cheat sheets and I use them at every exam and every test, that’s why everyone thinks I’m super smart, but that is really not the case,” he shakes his head, staring into your eyes with his wide open in honesty, wanting you-- no,-- needing you to understand. “I would tutor you if I could, really, but I just don’t know how to,” he sighs finally, acting like he’s just given birth or ran a marathon, exhaustion written all over his face.

“So why did you offer to tutor me, then?” you ask.

He takes a moment for himself to collect his thoughts, before he speaks up again. “Well, I didn’t really want to get caught. You see, I would never turn my back to anyone. Really. So I thought I could at least try to learn something? So I could help you? But I failed, as always, so I’m just coming clean in front of you and you have to promise me you won’t tell anyone.”

The moment the last sentence leaves his mouth, you notice the apparent fear in his eyes, realising that he just shared an information with you that nobody really knows. It’s a secret he’s been hiding and keeping from everyone just to appear as the smartest one-- fooling everyone, including you. You feel even more stupid now, under his gaze. You feel played. You came to the tutoring, hoping to finally get a grip, when all you get is a person that is stepping all over the sandcastle of your fragile dreams, kicking every little piece of sand away with his lies. You know you shouldn’t feel so invested in this. You shouldn’t feel so hurt. But somehow, you still do. 

“So you just told me you are lying to everyone and cheating on tests and you want me to keep it a secret from everyone?” you ask in disbelief.

“Yes.” he nods, eyes hopeful. He’s been lying for the last year as if his life was depending on it and now he wants you to do the same-- keep quiet in front of everyone.

“And what do I do when the professor asks me why I’m not getting any better? Huh? Ever thought of that?” you leash out, harshly chewing on your bottom lip in nerves. “I want to pass. And I want to do it fair and square.” you get out in between your teeth.

“I didn’t… I didn’t think of that yet, but-”

“Leave.” you say, looking him sternly into his eyes.

“What do you mean, leave?”

“I don’t want to talk to you anymore. And you’re clearly not here to teach me anything, so you can just take your things and leave.” you spit out, crossing your hands over your chest.

“You leave, then,” he mutters, looking rather offended. You’re not sure why he’s the one hurt right now, but you guess that’s just how men and their egos are, there’s nothing more under his hurt eyes and shattered self-esteem.

“I ordered food, I’m not leaving.” you calmly respond. Once you say this, you’re reminded of the little quest you made for yourself. Never once did you feel silly for taking it so seriously in front of your other friends, but now, in front of Lee Felix with freckled dusted cheeks, you feel almost invisible as you realise why you even ordered the chicken wings and how you’re going to write a yelp review about them later.

Well, someone has to do it, and if not you, then who will, right? It’s the only valid way to find out who makes the best chicken wings in the town and not even your traitor-tutor is going to stop you now, when your list is only getting shorter and shorter. 

He stares at you for a few moments, dumbfounded, before he sighs and accepts his defeat. “Okay, I’ll just have to text my roommate to pick me up,” he admits.

You nod, just in time the server comes back with your food, offering her a welcoming smile. “Fine. But don’t even think of talking to me from now on. I’m not interested in more lies,” you spit at him, scowling as you take a look at the plate of chicken wings sitting in front of you in their full glory. You sense a very bad review, judging from the way the chicken wings look nothing like wings, rather full on small chickens dipped in oil, but dive in nonetheless. 

“Why do you have to be so dramatic?” he asks, voice coated in disbelief.

“Because I was scammed!” you yell out, mouth full of chicken, not caring a second about the way you might look in the boy’s eyes. Yes, you could have at least swallowed before speaking to him, but did you do it? No. No, you didn’t. 

“Oh come on-”

“Don’t even try arguing with me!” you spit at him-- quite glad that this time, it’s not literal-- and huff out in annoyance, when the door opens and a short boy with a bucket hat on steps into the bistro, the red fabric of the seats of the booths contrasting with his shoes in a way that makes you feel captivated, your eyes refusing to tear themselves away from him. 

The boy is taking quick steps to your booth and you almost choke on your chicken wings as you admire his full glory-- tanned skin and car keys in his hand, but his eyes meet the boy sitting opposite of you and that’s when everything clicks. This is not the boy of your dreams, this is Han Jisung. Your tutor’s best friend and roommate-- also known as the resident heartbreaker. You shouldn’t feel weak in your knees when you look at him, but that’s exactly what happens and you won’t feel ashamed about it. Well, not now, at least. In a few hours when you’re lying in your bed? Maybe. But I’ll tell you then.

“Yo, dude, I texted you like five minutes ago that I’m waiting for you outside, what are you still doing here?” he asks, furrowing his brows at his roommate and slowly moving his eyes to you, scanning you up and down, leaving your heart to do the stupid cartwheel you haven’t felt since, like, middle school. 

“We were in the middle of an argument, so I didn’t hear my phone ring.” Felix answers, glaring at you with spiteful eyes. You almost prepare to kill him with yours, but you focus on wiping the oil from the corner of your mouth and smiling heavenly, trying to look like a lady in front of your new visitor.

“Was Felix being absolutely unbearable again?” he asks you, surprising you with his subtle way of engaging you into the conversation.

You giggle, rolling your eyes slightly. “Yeah. You know him too well, don’t you?”

“Unfortunately,” he admits, looking defeated, when he moves his eyes to Felix, looking rather sulky on the red seat in front of you as you chat with his roommate, when Jisung’s tone of voice changes into a more worried one, speaking up again, “does she… did you…?”

“Yeah,” Felix just nods. 

Jisung sighs, sitting down next to his roommate, pushing him a little so he has more space in the booth. “What are you supposed to tutor her anyway?” he asks.

“Biology,” you mumble sooner than Felix gets the chance to speak up, motioning to the textbook still sitting at the table in front of you. 

The boy takes a look at the papers, his face changing from a focused one to a one more lighter, his eyes scanning the papers with ease. You notice his mouth moving a little as he reads the words under his breath, catching yourself from staring when you feel Felix’s eyes burning into the crown of your head, snapping you back to reality. 

“You know… maybe I could help you with that.” he says, looking like a business offering you a deal that you’re sure involves something illegal. He looks like a focused squirrel with his cheeks puffed out a little in what you sense is pride, something in his eyes glowing as you nervously chew on your bottom lip.

“Really?”

“Yeah, of course. I’m actually quite good at biology, to be honest. Well, not as much as Felix over here-” he jokes, scowling when the blonde boy punches his arm, “but I think I could tutor you a thing or two.”

“What’s the catch?” you ask, nervously watching him. Something in his composure is telling you he’ll want something in return, but you don’t know what yet. You’re quite sure you’ll sell your soul for the adorable boy in front of you if he asked you to, but it never hurts to ask beforehand, right? 

“What do you mean, what’s the catch?”

“Like… what do you want in return?” you muse out, taking a bite of a fry, noticing how soggy it feels under your teeth.

“Woah, you spend 15 minutes with Felix and you already think there’s something illegal behind everything? I’ll let you know, I’m better than that.” he scoffs. “I’m just doing it because I see how miserable you are. And I also don’t want you to tell on my buddie over here.” he adds, smiling warmly.

You take notice of the way Felix’s eyes grow twice their size and how Jisung’s knee lightly bumps into his under the table. It’s subtle, but you think that maybe this is when you fully fell for the short boy in front of you-- when he offered to save his best friend’s ass by helping out a lost girl with biology. And who are you to say no now? I mean, you need the tutoring nonetheless. Who cares if the boy tutoring you is someone else? Maybe it’s even more appealing to you this way, but you’ll never admit that out loud.

“Okay then, sure.” you nod, grinning from ear to ear, feeling satisfied.

“Great. Now, give me half the fries and we can arrange our next tutoring session,” he smiles, “oh, and I’m Han Jisung, by the way.”

He winks. 

You should be disturbed, but strangely, you’re not. You grin back at him, offering him the soggy fries you’re sure you’re going to give a really bad review in the evening, watching his composure change into a more laid-back one, engaging you in a conversation and slunging an arm around his best friend’s shoulders.

Lee Felix remains silent. He feels it once again-- he feels the loneliness of being left out. 

And he’s sure it won’t be the last time.

Lee Felix knows damn well how it feels to be the third wheel. He’s hung out with Jisung and his potential love interests multiple times, he’s even been on double dates with the said male, yet, he always somehow ends up being left out. So why does it still feel the same? Why does he still feel that restless feeling in his stomach, the emptiness in his chest, just like the first time? I guess you never get used to some things and emotions are one of them. No matter how much you argue that you know a feeling so well it doesn’t even surprise you anymore, it still hurts the same. That’s funny about emotions. Sometimes, they can’t even make you numb.

“Hurry up dude, the bistro closes in an hour and half!” Jisung rushes the taller male (not tall, just taller. Don’t misunderstand.) with his car keys in his hand, twirling them around his fingers in a nervous manner. Felix notices his roommate has put some effort into his outfit today, considering the lemon supreme shirt enveloping his body that he saves only for special occasions, yet, Felix doesn’t realise why he had to put it on when they’re literally just going out to eat some soggy fries in the bistro close to their house. He doesn’t ask, though. He doesn’t want the car key stuck in his forehead. He also doesn’t know why they have to rush so much, since they have an hour and half left before they close, but again, he doesn’t dare to say it out loud. 

Felix quickly puts his shoes on and rolls his eyes at his roommate. “I’m ready,” he announces.

Jisung swiftly takes a bottle of cologne from the table in their small hall (it’s so small they don’t even have a mirror in it, because there was no use in taking mirror selfies when all you can see on the picture is your phone case due to the fact that the room is too narrow for you to move further away) and sprays his body wit hit, efficiently confusing his roommate. “You wanna smell great for the waiter there? Because from what I remember, he was a stoner-”

“Oh, shut up. You never know when you’re gonna meet someone cute, am I right?” he asks, grinning from ear to ear like a cat, taking his backpack with him and opening the front door, “gotta look and smell presentable at all times.”

Felix wonders if this is why everyone always goes after his best friend. 

No, he thinks, it cannot be the cloud of cologne hanging around his body. It’s heavy and it makes Felix cough a little, but he tries to mask it, because he’s fairly sure Jisung won’t pay for his fries today if he doesn’t. And Felix is a simple man-- if he can get something for free, he will do anything to achieve it.

They arrive at the place in a few minutes and Felix can already feel his mouth watering at the thought of the salty fries and cheeseburger he’s going to get himself, joyfully skipping inside the bistro and waiting in the queue. Jisung follows him, standing next to him, efficiently covering the smell of the oil and all the good things on this earth-- read as fast food-- making Felix scowl. The boy behind the register, is, in fact, Na Jaemin-- the resident frat boy. Felix’s heard all about him from the girls staying at the dorms and to be honest, he’s quite glad he doesn’t have to live the stories of getting caught with weed at Jaemin's party on his own. That, and the fact that hot water runs in his apartment. Na Jemin might have the weed, but he surely doesn’t have that in his college dorm room. 

“Three milkshakes, two large fries, chicken wings and a cheeseburger, please.” Jisung orders, confusing Felix in one sentence. Since when is his best friend a bottomless pot for food? Is he really going to eat all of that?

“Coming right at you. Anything else?” Jaemin asks, voice considerate and polite, still turned on his customer service mode, even though Felix is sure him and Jisung have had shared a joint or two on one of his parties before.

“No, that’s all. Thanks, man,” Jisung answers, leaving with Felix right behind him. 

“Who’s gonna eat all of that? I hope you know you’re paying, and before you protest, yes, I did purposefully leave my wallet at home-” he rambles, still moving, when his train of thought is cut off by a person in his view.

You are sitting there in your full glory, smiling brightly at the boys approaching you. You’re dressed nicely, he notices-- you look like you put some effort into what you’re wearing. You don’t look that much different, but he can still see the slight changes you made to look neat. You’re glowing, Felix notices. You look excited.

“Hi, Y/N,” Jisung greets, taking a seat opposite of you. He doesn’t even give Felix an answer, he doesn’t even give him an explanation. He’s left there only to take a seat next to his roommate after collecting his thoughts, chewing on his bottom lip.

The conversation never moves his way. He is silenced. Felix wonders why he was even invited, watching the people behind the window laughing with their friends, happy to order some tasty food and have fun on this Thursday evening. He watches his friend and his classmate have fun-- well, as much fun as a tutoring session could be. You’re laughing at every single one of Jisung’s jokes and he swears Jisung’s eyes never leave your face, even when he’s explaining something to you. He wonders why Jisung didn’t tell him where they’re going. He wonders why he even had to come.

Lee Felix knows how third-wheeling feels. Yet, it still makes his little foolish heart hurt just the same every time.

You nervously chew on your bottom lip, cracking your knuckles in a habit your friends always scream at you for, waiting for your tutor-- well, he’s not really your tutor anymore-- to appear in the bistro on the other side of the town. You admire the decorations for a while, liking the way it looks modern here and the purple led lights make the whole place look aesthetic. You can already imagine multiple college kids going here and taking instagram pictures to look cool. It’s nice and you’ll definitely include it in your yelp review-- it won’t make it more stars, though, if the chicken wings don’t taste like heaven.

You tug on the sleeves on your hoodie, as if you were trying to make yourself disappear. I mean, you do feel embarrassing. You feel pathetic that it had to come down to this, but you guess desperate times call for desperate solutions. You’re not here to look put-together anymore. You’re going to show him your full glory and although you regret it a little, you still have a little spark of hope in you that Han Jisung-- the boy you, admittedly, were crashing on real hard right now, won’t find out.

Felix comes into the bistro in his full VSCO boy glory, as always. He is wearing a jean jacket and his freckled cheeks are dusted pink, you’d almost think he’s blushing all the time. He doesn’t quite fit the aesthetics of this futuristic looking bistro, you notice. The retro places you’ve been to so far fit him much more-- his sandy hair contrasted well with the yellow walls and red booths. It was starting to get a little repetitive, though, you must admit.

“Hi,” he greets you as he takes his seat, smiling at you with what you can only describe as a feeling of full uncomfort. You wonder what made him feel this way about you, but you don’t dare to think of it twice as you focus on the main quest of the day-- forcing him to teach you his ways.

“Hello,” you smile. 

Felix notices how natural you look-- it feels like now is the first time he’s seeing you in your full glory. You aren’t wearing your neat clothes for a meeting with Jisung and you’re not too casual like you were at your first ‘tutoring session’ either-- you’re just you. The way he doesn’t even see you in classes. He likes the fact that no one else than him can see you like this-- he likes the fact that Jisung is nowhere around, yet, he wonders why is that, exactly, since the two of you seemed to be hitting it off quite well so far.

Felix hasn’t been with Jisung when he last tutored you. He figured there’s no use, he’s going to get ignored all the time anyway. 

“So… what’s the matter?” he asks, folding his hands into his lap. He dares to take a quick look at you, noticing your worn-out shirt and dark circles under your eyes, worry washing over him. Did something happen? Was Jisung a jerk to you? 

“Well, I sort-of have a little problem,” you mumble out, tearing your gaze away from him. You seem shy for the first time in front of him and he wonders why. He doesn’t understand your sudden change of behaviour. This isn’t the you he’s used to. “Well, turns out, I am really stupid.” you propose, leaving Felix to gaze at you in surprise.

He chuckles. You swiftly look up at him with piercing eyes telling him to stop, and he almost does, but your face looks too adorable when it’s scrunched up like that, so he only giggles once more. “You’re not stupid.”

“I am!” you whine out, finally letting your whole shy facade fall, exposing the true you once again right in front of Felix’s eyes-- direct and fierceful. “Even Jisung’s tutoring isn’t helping and I feel so stupid with him! And I don’t want him to think that I’m stupid, even though I am, and I just… I can’t pass my exams like this, so I need your help.” you say, eyes big, looking almost pleading.

“And I am supposed to help… how? Exactly?” The confusion is written all over his face, and it almost makes you frustrated. You knew he must be smart, if his cheating has been so good he’s getting through college with straight As, but really, is he really that smart if he can’t read in between the lines?

“Help me cheat.” you quickly get out, biting down on your lower lip just as you say it, as if you were regretting it.

The silence that overtakes the two of you feels like it’s slowly going to eat you up alive, angrily biting into your skin. It feels heavy and suffocating, your palms sweating as you watch Felix blink at you with mouth agape, breathing in and out. You pray for him to make up his mind soon, or else you’re going to run out of the bistro without a yelp review, tearing the skin of your cuticles as you see him blink quickly a few times before shaking his head in disbelief, clearing his storage.

“You want me to help you cheat?” he asks for clarification, furrowing his brows at you.

“That’s correct.” you nod, chewing on the inside of your cheek. You haven’t been this nervous since you took your college entrance exams, and that shows a lot, considering you used to say that has been the most difficult experience of your life so far.

“Because Jisung…. isn’t tutoring you well enough?” he asks again, making you roll your eyes in annoyance.

“Hey, don’t put the blame on Jisung! I’m just stupid, that’s all.” you say, looking down into your lap, because his gaze suddenly feels like he’s judging you and you really don’t feel like maintaining eye contact with him when you’re under pressure.

“If you don’t stop saying that, I will kick you.”

“You wouldn’t dare-”

“I would and I will-”

“Okay, but is that a yes, then?” you look up at him with hopeful eyes, resembling a puppy just a little too much, and, well, Felix can’t just reject you now, can he?

“I.. guess…?” he says, watching your face light up in joy as you clap a few times in excitement. 

“Great! Can we start today? We have to start today! I brought my text books and papers and sharpies and-” you are cut off by Felix’s face lighting up at the sight of you, his eyes looking warm and admiring. You quickly shake away the excitement before it goes too far and you actually go to hug him or something, taking a deep breath in and out to calm yourself down.

Just in that moment, the server appears with two servings of chicken wings and two large fries, making Felix look at you in confusion. 

“I ordered you food, since I thought we’ll stick around for a while..” you mumble, seeing him eagerly nod and take one fry into his hand, biting down on it with a face full of pleasure. 

“Perfect. Just let me eat a few of these and we can get right into work, I promise,” he mutters with a mouth full of food, prompting you to take a bite yourself. It doesn’t taste the worst-- the bistro you went to after prom last year was definitely worse than this, but still, you don’t think Felix’s face quite resembles how the food tastes. He looks as if the Queen of England made it. In reality, it’s just a soggy fry. 

“Why do you always order the same thing? Aren’t you tired of eating the same thing over and over again?” he asks suddenly, examining your face with real interest. No one’s ever noticed your eating habits before, just shrugging off what you order every single time. Your little fast food experiment has been a secret so far, even though it wasn’t that hard to cover it up-- nobody really cared until now. 

You feel blush creeping on your cheeks as you shrug, feeling a little embarrassed for like the hundredth time today, when you reply to the boy in front of you. You know his secret, so it only feels valid for him to know yours. “I have this experiment… like, I try chicken wings and fries at every single bistro, restaurant and fast food chain in the town to find out which one’s the best…” you mumble, looking into your plate instead of facing him out of the ugly feeling of patheticness creeping up your back.

“Oh, that’s cool!” he exclaims, pointing his fry your direction, a response you didn’t quite expect, “Where do they have the best ones so far?” he asks, genuine interest painting his features.

“Oh,” you get out, feeling your lips unvoliteraly tug into a smile, “I don’t.. I still have a few bistros and the McDonald’s on the highway out of the city left, but I’d say the best ones so far were at Wendy’s. I didn’t quite like the chicken wings there, though, so…”

“Hmm,” he nods, deep in thought, “we just get food at where’s the closest.” he says, munching on a chicken wing. “I guess we could pay a little more attention to the food from now on, because after eating this, I’m never going to eat the food from the bistro right in front of our flat again.”

“Yeah, that bistro’s really awful. I only gave it around 2.5 stars, I think-” you say, before you realise you just spilled out another secret to him, feeling your cheeks heating up. 

“2.5 stars? What, do you write yelp reviews or something?” he asks, clearly amused by your accidental spill-out.

“And what if I do?” you defend yourself, glaring at him with fake annoyance. No man will ever make fun of you because you write yelp reviews. Not Lee Felix, even though he seems too nice to actually make fun of you because of something, not anyone. 

“That’s cool, though! Those help so much when you travel,” he says, eagerly nodding at you with big eyes and an adorable grin plastered on his face, making you feel understood and happy with just the sudden sign of acceptance. Turns out your little weird obsession isn’t as embarrassing as you thought it was. Or Lee Felix really is the sweetest guy walking on this earth. Either one is fine in your books.

You stay there for a few hours and Felix teaches you the basic cheat codes-- never meet the teacher’s eye, never finish your tests too quickly, always forcefully pick the wrong option before scribbling it out and putting in a correct one to not seem too suspicious. He even takes a piece of paper from you and scribbles down the basic cheat-sheet making structure. 

He feels good with you. He feels useful. He knows he shouldn’t be teaching you this, but really, is it really doing any harm? We all have to go through college somehow.

Yet, all evenings always end the same for Felix, with a bad feeling in his gut and a fake smile on his face hiding the true meaning behind his actions. He’ll never be the first choice and you remind him even today, after you leave the ‘tutoring session’ with a quick hug to the male, lowering your voice so only he can hear when you pay him your goodbyes.

“Don’t tell Jisung, okay?”

Of course. It’s all because you don’t want to look embarrassing in front of his best friend.

It goes all how you planned it to-- you’re sitting at your next tutoring session with two males in front of you. One of them is your supposed tutor and one of them is a boy that’s helping you pass your exams for real. You’re into one of them, even though you shouldn’t. You wonder how you even ended up in this mess. You swear you were a good student in high school, always submitting your assignments on time and making sure your tests were on 100%. It was kind of fueling your ego, in a way. You had no other plans in your life to hold on to, no dreams to dream, so you reasoned to do the only thing that you were good at-- getting good grades. You had to prove to yourself that there was a reason, a meaning behind your life. You had to prove to yourself that your existence was valid.

You watch Jisung with interest. You pray to god that he doesn’t catch you in your act, because that would surely be embarrassing. You don’t want him to find out that you’re just fine with cheating, because that meant your tutoring sessions with the male would end and there was no other reason for you to see him. You knew Han Jisung wasn’t interested in you. You were sure you’d see it on him if he was. And even then, you weren’t interested in only a short relationship without any good point. You liked Jisung, but you didn’t like his reputation. One week wasn’t long enough for you to waste your time on him and get your heart broken. You weren’t sure if he was a player, or if he just wanted to desperately find the one by trying all the possibilities, but you weren’t going to find out. 

Felix watches you with interest in his eyes-- but you don’t notice. He prays that Jisung doesn’t find out about your secret little ‘tutoring sessions’, because that would mean he wouldn’t have a reason to hang out with you anymore. And Felix really doesn’t want that to happen. For some reason, he doesn’t want you to ever frown. And he’s sure that’s exactly what would happen if Jisung cancelled.

It doesn’t click to him what’s happening inside of his little, foolish heart when he sees you smile at Jisung and his stomach fills with worry. 

It doesn’t click to him what’s happening with him when every time Jisung subtly takes your hand in his makes his insides twitch in frustration. He thinks it’s just because of the fact that he’s third-wheeling again, like all his life, and maybe that is partly true, but it’s not the whole reason behind the cloud around his head.

It clicks only when him and his roommate are back home, sitting at the dinner table with the left-overs from the new bistro you three went to, munching on the chicken wings and another pack of soggy french fries and the cola they had in their fridge.

“So… what do you think about Y/N?” Jisung asks suddenly, making Felix furrow his brows in confusion.

“What should I think? She’s smart, I guess…” he mumbles, mouth full of food, not quite grasping the full meaning of his roommate’s question. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Jisung quickly nods in approval, “she’s getting really good. I mean, you can still see she’s having some troubles when I’m tutoring her, but at least she always gets good grades on tests now,” he says, biting down on another piece of chicken wing. Felix feels a wave of pride wash over him after hearing the words-- of course you’re doing well on exams. It’s all Felix’s doing. You’re a quick learner, when it comes to cheating. 

“Yeah, she’s good,” he says. 

“Well,” Jisung suddenly starts, meaning to sound nonchalantly, but only sounding like he’s determining his biggest life secret in front of his friend instead, “I like her.”

Felix almost chokes on the piece of chicken in his mouth, trying to play it off with a small chuckle. “Oh? You do?”

“Yeah. Should I.. Should I ask her on a date or something?” he asks and Felix swears he can see his friend’s cheeks reddening a little, even though the last time he’s seen Jisung embarrassed was when he accidentally called their Math’s teacher mum in eleventh grade. 

“You don’t date, though,” Felix opposes.

“That’s not true-”

“Two weeks long relationships aren’t relationships, Jisung.” 

“Not my fault they’re never the one! It gets boring after a while, Felix, I can’t just-”

“Why are you even asking me this?” Felix suddenly cuts him off, glaring at him. He doesn’t know why he’s reacting in such a way. It’s not like it’s the first time Jisung is going to date someone for two weeks just to break their heart, it’s not the first time they’re going to run after Felix a week after just so they can still be around the one that broke their heart. This time, though, he does not want to see another heart get broken.

“Jesus, chill, man… I was just asking, since you two seem closer. Did she mention anything about me? Is she dating anyone?” Jisung asks, eyes lighting up.

Felix could be an asshole. He could tell Jisung that you’re already dating someone, he could tell him to back off and that you’re not interested. However, he does not do that. Instead, he does the quite opposite. He pushes his best friend into asking you out, he tells him he should try it, because that’s just the kind of person he is. Besides, he knows you’re into him. Maybe the smile on your face could make him forget about the fact that you’re going to get your heart broken. 

“Sure, go for it.” he shrugs, “I don’t really care anyway.”

“Fine, then-”

“I’m gonna shower.” Felix says, quickly standing up from his chair and moving to the bathroom, quickly escaping the conversation.

Only then he realises what he feeling in his gut means, only then he notices the way his sigh feels like the weight of the world is sitting on his shoulders and he can’t breathe any time you’re around Han Jisung. 

He realises he likes you. 

And clearly, you don’t like him back.

Emotions are something you never quite get used to. Even the emotion of feeling rejection, the emotion of always being behind his best friend’s shadow. Lee Felix is always just the friend. Never the love interest. This time, though, it feels even more heavy, because in a way, you seem way more special in his eyes than the people that went after him just to get with his best friend.

This time, he does not want to see another heart get broken. Because it’s your heart we’re talking about.

And to prevent his heart shattering to even more pieces, he has to do something.

He has to stop liking you.

As soon as possible.

“Y/N?” 

“Mhhm?” you ask, raising your eyes up from the cheat sheet you’re creating with Felix’s help, the grease of the fries you’re eating glistening on your chin. You’re with him in a yet another crappy bistro, trying yet another soggy fries, and even though there’s nothing special on you to a stranger’s eye, Felix’s heart can’t help but run twice the speed of light. 

“How do you stop liking someone?” he mumbles, furrowing his brows a little, deep in thought. 

“Oh, do you like someone?” you ask, and Felix momentarily lights up at the thought of you caring if he’s interested in someone, but when his eyes meet yours and he notices them glistening and lightening up in curiosity, he realises it’s just because you’re happy for him. As a good friend should be. 

“No, no,” he quickly shakes his head in disapproval, snickering to himself, “I’m just asking. Because, think, what if, hypothetically, there’s someone who is into someone else. Easy, right? But what if their best friend likes the same person? And you know you shouldn’t like them because they’re into their friend as well? What is there to do at that point?” 

You scan his face for a few seconds, thinking to yourself. “Hmm,” you start, “I guess you have to start hating them. So the feelings disappear.” you nod, satisfied with your answer.

“How’s that possible?” he asks, scoffing.

“Well, I don’t know, since it’s all hypothetical anyway,” you giggle, focusing back on your cheat sheet. Your notes are getting smaller and smaller and Felix notices the improvement in your small lettering, making your cheat sheet less noticeable. You’re learning quickly.

“Oh come on,” he whines, kicking your leg under the table, “talk to me. How can a person start hating someone? Give me a tutorial.” 

“Well, since you really need to know,” you roll your eyes, putting away the pen from your hand and resting your back against the seat of the booth, “there are a few steps you can take.”

“For example?”

“Well, you have to stop hanging out with them, first thing’s first.” you start. “Because if you don’t hang out with them, you will eventually hate the fact that they’re not near, which will, logically, make you hate them instead.”

“Is that really logical, though?” Felix asks, furrowing his brows at you. In his books, this made no sense at all, but you seemed pretty satisfied with your answer.

“Of course it is! Then, you have to find something about them that you can hate. Anything. Find even the smallest thing, and blow it up in your mind until you hate it. Easy, right?” 

“...I don’t think that’s helping at all,” he says, tone of voice unsure. 

“Of course it is! You’re just refusing that it can be true, because you think I’m stupid.” you stick out his tongue at him, focusing on your work instead.

He kicks you under the table, making you scowl. “Ow! What was that for?”

“I told you that if you’ll make that comment again, I will kick you. So I just did right that.” he says. “Besides, your ideas are stupid. Not you. There’s a difference in that.” he smartly points out, making you roll your eyes at him.

“So, who is it that you like?”

“No one. I told you, it’s hypothetical.” he glares at you.

“Right,” you nod, sighing, “well, I’ll just stick to that, since that means Jisung doesn’t like anyone and I still have a chance.” you smile at him, obviously missing out on the way your words just punched him into the gut. Felix laughs it out, kicking you in the shin instead.

“Right. Of course you do,” he nods. He wishes he didn’t mean that.

You two remain in silence for a moment, while you get back to your work and Felix pretends he’s playing a game on his phone. You don’t notice the way his eyes scan you over, admiring you, once in a while. No one ever does. He guesses this is the perk of always being just the friend. The one people are friends with just because they want something from him. The one that gets taken advantage of. He chooses not to think about it more. Maybe if he did, he could hate you over it, if he wasn’t so used to that feeling anyway. 

“We should hang out on the weekend,” you say, taking him by surprise.

“Oh?” he mumbles out, “with Jisung?”

“No?” you furrow your brows, “look, I know I look like I’m obsessed with him, but I actually just want to hang out with you alone as friends once in a while, you know.”

“We’re hanging out now, though.”

“It’s midnight, Felix,” you point out, “and we’re working. I want to hang out with my friend, like a normal person, you know.” you shrug.

“Yeah…” he says, when your words resonate in his mind like a broken curse. ‘Don’t hang out with them.’ Don’t hang out with her. You have to hate her. He has to start hating you-- there’s no other way. And so, he turns to taking your words into consideration. He can’t meet with you if he’s not ‘tutoring’ you. There’s no way. “We’ll see. I’ll tell you if I’m free.” he smiles warmly instead, because truth be told, he’ll never tell you no to your eyes. He’s always been a bit of a coward. And he also doesn’t want you to frown. Ever.

“Great!” you smile. 

And when Felix comes home that night, at 2am in the morning when his roommate is already asleep-- not knowing of your secret meetings, he lays down in his bed and repeats your advice like a broken mantra. He can’t like you. He has to hate you.

Lee Felix’s guide to hating you: 1. Don’t hang out with her. Only meet her when it’s necessary. If you don’t meet her, you’ll start hating her absence, resulting in hating her altogether. 2. Find a small thing about her to blow up so much you start to hate it. 

That’s not difficult. He hates that you like Han Jisung. It’s a small mistake, a small flaw, but he’s ready to blow it up so much he hates you for it. He hates that he’s not the first choice. He hates that you don’t like him.

Maybe he would hate you more if you were dating his best friend for real.

Lee Felix’s guide to hating you: 1. Don’t hang out with her. 2. Find a thing to hate about her. SUCCESS! 3. Set her up with Han Jisung.

Now, this plan is bulletproof, isn’t it?

Felix unexpectedly breaks the first step of his guide only a few days later-- on a chilly friday afternoon, when his body is hurriedly skipping to the edge of the town centre only to meet with you. Just for the record, though, Felix didn’t intend to break the promise he gave to himself. He really wasn’t going to hang out with you if he didn’t specifically need to, but, well… you called Jisung to hang out. Felix’s heart almost skipped a few beats when he was added to a three-person big group chat with you and his roommate and at that point, he wasn’t going to reject an invitation to the fare in town, because he was fairly sure Jisung didn’t like rollercoasters and he wanted to see you laugh your ass off at him in front of everyone. Is it a little spiteful? Possibly. Does he care? Not that much.

Besides, it’s only one time. It will never happen again!!

He finds you with your black leather jacket on, stepping from one leg to the other, looking around like a lost puppy. Felix mentally curses at himself for not coming sooner so you wouldn’t feel so alone and awkward in the mass of people, when he realises he’s already 15 minutes late because of his afternoon class and his roommate is nowhere to be found.

“Thank god! I thought you were going to bail on me as well,” you call out when Felix is close enough, smiling at him.

“Where’s Jisung?”

“He texted me like 5 minutes ago that he can’t make it today. Something about his mum being in town? I’m not sure,” you furrow your brows, “at least you’re here now, though.”

Felix is met with the realisation that he’s left alone with you again, mentally cursing at himself. This surely does not look like a plan to hating you. It looks like a bullet-proof plan on how to fall even deeper for you, with how your stray hairs are flying around your head and you adorably scrunch up your nose and sniffle from the cold. 

“Should we go?” he forces out of himself, looking at you hopefully.

“Yeah!” you nod, striding a few steps in front of him like a happy school girl excited to go to school for the first time. Felix can’t surpass the gentle smile forming on his lips, shaking his head in disbelief. You look so cheerful and so joyful, making his heart swell with how easily you manage to make him feel so young again. 

He follows you gladly, managing to match his speed with yours, almost forgetting for a moment that he’s not on a date with you, almost forgetting about the fact that you like his best friend and the smile you’re giving him is nothing against the wide grin you offer to his roommate.

“Let’s go on that one!” you cheer, taking Felix by the hand and tugging him your way, not once giving him the opportunity of letting go as you drag him all around the fare. You remind him of his younger sister with how excited you get about the smallest things and he realises he wants to protect your heart from the world just as much as he wants to protect his little sister’s. It’s not the same feeling, though. The affection he feels for you is different. 

Felix doesn’t find it in him to tell you no whenever you tug him on another ride, even when his legs are tired and his jaw hurts from smiling. He finds himself wanting to capture your image into his brain forever, imprint the happy memory in there so he can find it and look at it whenever his heart feels lonely. For the first time in ages, he forgets about everything. He forgets that he’s just the friend, the other choice. He completely forgets that Han Jisung was supposed to be there, at his place, sitting next to you on the ferris wheel as you watch the night city under you with cold cheeks and frozen bodies.

“You must be sad that Jisung isn’t here with you right now. That would surely feel much more romantic than sitting here with me,” Felix says bitterly once the reality hits him for a second, once his heart is unsheltered for a short moment and your eyes meet.

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” you roll your eyes, “Jisung can’t be romantic. Besides, if I really wanted a date with him so badly, I wouldn’t have asked you to come with us, would I?” you smile at him, swinging your legs forward and backward, focusing your eyes somewhere into the distance again.

“Well, if you really want to go on a date with him, you can just ask him, you know?” he mumbles, playing with the dead skin on his thumb.

“So he can stand me up and go on a date with his mum again? I don’t know, Felix, is that really worth it?” you giggle, not noticing the way you’re messing with the boy’s head, not noticing the way a small spark of hope lights up somewhere in the deep pits of his stomach when you mention not wanting to ask his best friend out. 

“I don’t know, is it?”

“I’ll have to think about it.” you muse out, and the spark is gone. Of course it’s not that simple. 

Felix just nods and grins at you. The chilly air helps him hide his red cheeks when he thinks of how embarrassing his thoughts must have been in the past quick seconds. He focuses on your face, on the way your eyes crinkle up a little when you stare somewhere far into the distance and your hair flies a little with the breeze. The ferris wheel just reached the top, so he has plenty of time to keep admiring you from so close, but somehow, the moment still feels so short and he wishes he could stop the time. He wishes he could stop the time so he didn’t have to face the reality when he comes down from the ferris wheel. He wishes he didn’t have to see you fall in love with his friend, he wishes he didn’t have to act like he doesn’t care at all. 

“Thanks for helping me, by the way. I wouldn’t have passed my exams if it wasn’t for you and that… that would be really hard on me.” you get out, locking your eyes with his sincerely. He sees your eyes shining even so high above the ground, convincing him the sparkles really must be the stars, when he takes a deep breath in and responds.

“It’s no problem, I get it… I mean, it’s what you gotta do. What we gotta do, when we want to pass. And graduate,” he chuckles. 

Does he really want the degree, though? Or does he just need it to feel like he has some worth? Does he want to graduate or does he just want his parents to value him as an adult, does he really want to continue working so hard on passing or would he just be so much happier if he just dropped out. And saved himself so much stress. He should have known he was never smart enough for college.

“Yeah. I despise the smart kids in our class. I wish I were them,” you scoff, “I despise Jisung, in a way, too,” you add after a dramatic pause.

“Jisung?” Felix furrows his brows.

“Yeah,” you nod, like it’s the clearest thing in the world, “I mean, he’s smart enough to pass. He’s… he’s got his life figured out, in a way. He’s just fine. Getting all the girls and the guys, getting good grades, going on dinner dates with his mum on Fridays,” you giggle, “I mean, I want that. That sounds nice.”

Felix huffs, staring into the distance, “I guess you’re right.” He knows damn well how jealousy feels. 

“I came to college to prove to myself that my life has some worth, but I guess the only thing I prove to myself is that I can’t even pass my exams without help.” you sigh, sounding defeated.

“Hey,” he nudges you a little with his foot, “don’t say that. Life isn’t about grades, degrees and that shit. Of course you have worth and value.” 

He sees you smile in defeat, leaning your head on his shoulder. The feeling of acceptance, pure understanding washes over the two of you, when you gently speak up again. “Try to explain that to my brain.” 

He lightly giggles. “I’m trying, as you can see.”

You look up at him from his shoulder, scrunching up your nose and leaning closer to him, whispering. “It’s not working.” you laugh.

“I know it’s not easy,” he shakes his head, “I’ve been trying to tell that to my family for the past 21 years.” he slips out. Something about you makes him spill out even things he’s never told anyone before, but he finds himself not caring as you approach his eyes with pure serenity mixed with melancholy.

“Is it all because of your parents?” you ask, “the cheating, I mean.”

Felix feels his eyes giving him out, so he chooses not to look at you anymore. “I mean, I would have dropped out long ago if I didn’t have to feel so worthless around my family then. Every single one of my cousins is smart, has a degree and earns a killing. I’m just me-- living from the money I earned over summer, trying not to lose my mind with biology.”

He hears you humming next to him, your head moving as you nod in understatement. The ferris wheel is slowly reaching the bottom again and Felix finds the fact quite relieving. He doesn’t mind having deep talks with you, he just fears he might spill out something both of you don’t want to hear.

“I’m glad you came with me today, Lix.” you smile at him once the two of you reach the bottom, “wanna hear a secret?”

“Spill it out,” he dares you, grinning.

“I only invited Jisung because I thought you didn’t want to hang out with me alone.” you confess, quickly turning around in your spot as you jog a few steps in front of him, carelessly, as if you just didn’t make Felix’s heart stop and insides twitch in excitement. He prays and hopes it’s not just you giving him false hope, he wishes it’s not his mind playing tricks on him. 

“I-” 

“And now that I know you don’t mind being around me, do you wanna go to the dog cafe with me next Wednesday? You know, the one I talked about.” you turn around, flashing him a smile worth a billion dollars, taking him by surprise as his breathing hitches and he doesn’t find it in him to reject you ever again.

“Sure.”

Second step of Lee Felix’s guide to helping you: find a small thing about you he doesn’t like to blow up so much he starts hating you altogether. 

He was so sure that he found the small thing just a few days ago. He thought that the fact that you like his best friend could be enough for him to start hating you. He could sit on that thought for long enough to pick it up to the smallest pieces and over-analyse it to the point he could start hating you. 

And he tries to do just that-- he lies awake at night thinking of how every single person he’s ever been interested in slipped right between his fingers just because of Jisung’s existence. He wonders why he’s never good enough to anyone, why he always has to be the second choice even for tutoring (even though it’s not even tutoring, but we won’t talk about that anymore). He thinks of how you’re so foolish to think your relationship with Jisung is going to last, because Jisung’s feelings never stay the same for long. He over-analyses the smallest things he notices on you when you’re in Jisung’s presence until the point he’s almost sure he can do it, he can hate you for it just a little, in a way, but then, the thought flies right out of the open window as his roommate crashes into his door in the middle of the night.

He startles awake, sitting up at his bed, watching the short male going in with much difficulty, sitting on his bed without a word.

“Jisung?”

“Lixie, I fucked it all up, didn’t I?” Jisung whines, laying down on the bed next to his friend. Felix doesn’t think it’s only due to the late hours of the night that his friend’s words aren’t making any sense, but he doesn’t dare to put his finger on it until he makes sure for himself.

“What are you talking about?”

“Y/N.”

Your name coming out of his lips hits Felix like a baseball bat, hurting in all the right places, as the young male finds it in him to continue the conversation.

“What about her?”

“She asked us to hang out together. And I didn’t go. I know it wasn’t my fault, because my mum was in the town, but still, I feel so bad, because now it must look like I’m not interested in her and that I don’t care and I really don’t want that, you know?” he stummers, making Felix realise his friend talks a lot when he’s under the influence of alcohol just the same second Jisung’s breath catches in Felix’s nose, only proving his point. 

“You didn’t fuck it up, don’t worry.” he muses. And it’s true. Jisung could never truly fuck it up with anyone. Even his exes always crumble up around his feet, wanting attention even after getting their heart broken. Will it be the same with you?

“She must think I don’t like her. And that’s horrible-that’s- that’s- I like her. Very much,” he whines again, getting closer to Felix and wrapping his arms around the blonde’s torso in a wave of affection that only washes over him when he’s drunk.

“Sung-” he stutters, desperately trying to push him away, but even though Jisung doesn’t look like it, he is a strong individual when it comes to involuntary cuddling. Felix can never escape his arms.

“I think she’s special, you know? She’s like- I can’t explain it. It’s like with her, I actually want to try. I want to ask her on dates and love her and give her my heart, because you know, I never dared to give my heart to anyone. And no one’s ever made me feel truly special before…” he mutters, forcing his nose to Felix’s neck, “I’m rambling too much, aren’t I?”

“Yeah,” Felix sighs, nodding. He doesn’t battle his arms anymore. Jisung is his friend, at the end of the day. He can hold him when he needs it.

“Sorry.” he says shortly, sighing as well. The room falls into silence and Felix’s head spins again, his thoughts spiral like a tornado and the eye of the storm is you-- standing there with that stupid smile on your face and he once again realises that he needs to hate you in order to shelter his own heart, because you’re like a hurricane when it comes a to a person’s emotions.

The fact is, though, he could never hate you for liking his best friend. 

Han Jisung is too likable for his own good. His heart is too big for this world, and truth be told, he’s been sharing it with everyone for such a long time now, he deserves to find someone he’s willing to give his all to. 

He could never hate you for liking Jisung-- the boy who smiles at everyone in the halls, the boy that offered him to live in the flat his parent’s bought for him in freshman year, the boy that helps him hide his cheating secret every day. He could never hate you for liking Jisung, because he himself knows too well how much of a treasure his dear friend is. 

He gets it. He gets why people always choose Jisung over him. He could never blame you.

“Sung?”

“Hmm?”

“Ask Y/N out to the dog cafe on Wednesday. She'll love it.”

Felix could never hate you.

Step three of Felix’s bullet-proof guide to hating you is quite simple and actually the only one he completes with success. Setting you up with Jisung on a date is easier than he ever imagined, considering the fact that his roommate decided to finally take things into his own hands and call you on a date after the drunken weeping episode in Felix’s bed. 

Jisung invites you on a date to the dog café in town. The two of you go on Wednesday and although Felix feels like he just gave his roommate a piece of him, an invitation that was never meant for him in the first place, he feels at ease, because at least one part of his plan is working. He could never hate you, but at least now, it will be easier for him to ignore his growing feelings for you when you spend all your time with Jisung on dates and ice cream runs. He only has to ignore his feelings in school and at your ‘tutoring’ sessions. He wonders how long these will be a secret in front of your new boyfriend. Jisung’s not your boyfriend yet, but Felix can only imagine how short the time he isn’t is going to last. 

Felix does the stupid mistake of opening the instagram app in the evening, when he’s curled up in his bed with an embarrassingly big bowl of popcorn on his bed side table, serving him as his depression food. He sees your post show up, an adorable picture of you from the dog café, a big golden retriever in your lap as you giggle at its face. The picture is candid and looks like the kind Felix would like to keep as his lock screen if he had the chance. He’s sure his best friend took it for you not only from the fact that you went out with him tonight, but also for the fact that he’s tagged in the post’s description with a big blue heart emoji. 

He could stop staring at the picture if he really wanted, he could mute your posts and pretend you never existed to shelter his poor heart. He could do everything in his strength to cut all his ties with you. That would make it so much easier for him, wouldn’t it?

But he doesn't. And maybe he doesn’t even want to-- he’s used to the pain anyway, isn’t he? The bitterness, the feeling of being pushed away, ignored and left forgotten. 

He was supposed to be in Jisung’s place now, but that doesn’t change the simple fact that he isn’t-- maybe it was never his place to claim anyway. 

Felix stares at the picture for minutes, wondering of how things could be if you only didn’t fall for his best friend. Or if he came with you today. Who knows, maybe it wasn’t too late for him to ask you on a date. Maybe he could still change your mind. Felix likes to give up on things too quickly, though, and that is the curse that will follow him his whole life. 

Lee Felix is good at cheating. He is insanely good at it, he would also say it’s the only thing he’s ever been good at. Pretending.

It’s his time to shine again. It’s time to pretend he doesn’t like you, pretend you don’t hurt him, pretend he isn’t in love with his best friend’s crush. He’s been always the best at cheating and now it’s time to cheat his way out of liking you. 

Sounds easy, doesn’t it?

“You must be really hungry, if you’re planning to eat all of that in one setting,” Felix mumbles, watching you as you eat yet another plate of chicken wings in yet another pointless bistro in town. Felix wonders how you even know about all of these, since the one you’re both sitting in right now, in the middle of the night, looks rather lonely. It doesn’t even seem that welcoming-- it has graffiti on the walls and the seats are a little torn on the edges, but you don’t seem to care as you munch on the chicken, eyes big when you stare back at your companion.

“I eat a lot when I’m stressed,” you mutter in between your bites, mouth full. You look natural like this and Felix realises this is you in his mind-- cheeks full of food, that little wrinkle in between your brows when you look at him, eyes staring big into his like a loyal dog. This is how he knows you, in your rawest form, and this is coincidentally, also, how he likes you the most. He loves and treasures every single version of you, but your late-night meetings feel of different kind of intimacy to him that he’s sure he’s going to think of even when he’s old and his college years are dusty like an old polaroid picture.  

“Stressed?” he asks, tone of voice a little more worried than usual. Felix always worries about you. Even when you quietly take out your cheat sheet from under the table and write your answers down. He doesn’t fear being caught-- he frankly doesn’t care that much, but he knows that you are having a battle with yourself and he really doesn’t want you to feel like you lost. He didn’t know it was so easy to put someone else first when you worry for the future. 

“The finals are coming up.” you clarify, the words coming out a little bashful and smitten.

“Oh.” he nods. 

You’re both quiet for a while. It would be cheesy to say the silence was comfortable, and Felix knows, he’s seen enough teenage dramas to know these words are used in situations like this, but the truth is, there’s no other way to describe it, and he understands that now. Your determination shines through all your edges and he’s glad you’re doing what you can with the resources you have. You’re not exactly studying for your Biology finals, but it’s still as hard and as stressful as that. It can feel a little embarrassing at times, but there’s no other way around it. You have to battle your enemy, even if it means the game is not fair.

“And those chicken wings are fucking good, dude,” you mutter after a while, offering him one of the paper baskets the server brought you a few minutes ago, looking rather stoned and not interested in your presence at all.

“Don’t tell me this rotten place is winning your chicken wings and fries contest,” Felix snickers, taking a bite that, to his surprise, actually tastes the best out of the amount of fast food chains and restaurants you’ve brought him to. You should never judge a book by its cover and this bistro is clearly one of the examples.

“I have only one place left to go, so we’ll see then, but I guess it might just be the top place right now,” you muse out, a wide grin decorating your features as you glance up at Felix that watches you scribble down your notes on a mini piece of paper.

“Wanna go with me there? After the finals, of course. We can celebrate if we pass,” you point out, licking your lips in nerves, “I don’t think I’ll need these ‘tutoring sessions’ anymore then, but I still want to hang out sometime.” you say, putting air quotes around the words tutoring session, looking at him with expectations in your eyes.

“Oh, sure,” he agrees, nodding. “I have to be there when you finally declare your last yelp review.”

You only laugh at him and shake your head, eating some more as you look down into your notes again, lost in work. “I still don’t get how you can do these so fast.”

“I already know what’s the most useful. You don’t have to copy the whole textbook on there.”

“You can never know! What if I’ll need it all?” you exclaim, only making him laugh harder.

He points his eyes out of the window, watching the empty parking lot. You didn’t come in your car today, telling Felix your house is close anyway, and Felix doesn’t dare to drive his car anywhere unless he doesn’t need to. He has a little bit of a trauma since the last time he drove with his dad and he almost ran the car into a tree, getting a shower of swear words and exclamations from his dear father, so he only drives his small white Renault when he needs to go home. Which is, coincidentally, next week. 

“I really don’t want to go home next week,” he sighs.

“Your family is still onto you for the smallest shit?” you ask, tone of voice sympathetic.

“Yeah. Can’t wait to graduate so I don’t have to listen to them talking about a degree anymore,” he rolls his eyes, “I only have to find myself a partner so my grandma can shut up about me being single all the time.”

You softly laugh, making Felix look at you for a moment, his heart skipping a few beats when your eyes meet for a little more seconds than usual. “I’m sorry. You can always text me, though, if you need anyone to talk or gossip with.” you say, averting your eyes from his.

“You’d have to be on your phone 24/7, then. My mental stability comes down by 70% when I’m back home and it’s already only on 15% now,” Felix snickers.

“Oh, I don’t mind. I’ll be staying here anyway.” you say, giggling.

“You’re not coming back home?”

“No,” you shake your head in disapproval, quickly glancing into his eyes before speaking up again, “it’s my parent’s wedding anniversary, so they’re going on a holiday. There’s no use in me coming home if I’m just going to be alone there anyway,” you shrug.

Felix hums, nodding in understatement. “That makes sense. I’m sorry you can’t meet your family on holidays, though.”

“It’s okay,” you say, “I see them often anyway. One Christmas won’t kill me. I have a whole season of Game of thrones to catch up on anyway.” you light-heartedly laugh, sounding like Felix’s favorite song. He smiles with you, shaking his head in disbelief at how positively you can always see the world, when he glances out of the window for a moment again, only to be met with a surprise. 

There are white flakes of snow falling from the sky and something in Felix wakes up-- something he’d call happiness, maybe even joy, when he quickly shoots up from his seat and calls you with excitement coating his voice, “Y/N! Y/N! Come on!”

“Come where? Felix, what are you-” 

He doesn’t let you finish as he takes you by the hand and tugs you on your feet, tugging you out of the empty bistro out into the dark parking lot, admiring the snowflakes falling onto the ground and every surface in his sight. He sees some stick into your hair, making him giggle as his outstretched hand dusts them off subconsciously, when he starts running around like a happy child, laughter coming out of his throat filling the silence.

“It’s snowing!” you exclaim, when Felix reaches your body frozen in its place again. He reminds you of a golden retriever when he jumps a little in his place, his feet happily crouching in the snow. You laugh at his antics when he starts acting like a little boy, this side of Felix being so new to you, yet you can’t help but feel your heart swell with admiration when he asks you to catch some snow into your mouth.

“Felix! That’s disgusting!” you refuse, laughing.

“Oh come on! It’s just water!” he cheers, leaning his head back and opening his mouth wide, waiting for the snow to fall into his mouth. 

“But it’s unhygienic and dirty! You have to be kidding me!” you still reject his idea, standing your ground firmly as always in your life so far, when a face of a boy looking like an angel takes you by surprise and his big eyes plead you in a way that makes you drop all your grudges and all your beliefs down, rolling your eyes when he pouts, leaning your head back as well and opening your mouth with a loud ‘aaaa’ sound to satisfy his foolish heart.

Once you both feel a snowflake hitting your tongues, you look at each other with your tongues out, laughing at how stupid the other one looks, pointing to your tongues. You shake your head. “It melted off, you stupid!”

“You did the same thing!” he bursts out laughing, bending over in the force of his emotions. You watch him with a wide grin plastered onto your face. It feels like watching a movie. You don’t think you’ll ever have a brighter memory with the boy in front of you, with his cheeks red from the snow and smile so wide it hurts both of your jaws.

You instinctively take his hands into yours, looking down on your feet as you start going around in a circle with him, going quicker and quicker as you watch your footprints in the snow mixing with his, the dry skin of his hands making you feel strange. You laugh out when your head starts spinning, looking up at him to find him already staring at you with stars in his eyes, when you wonder,

isn’t this how love is supposed to feel?

All of his life, Felix had thought that family gatherings could always either go two ways, and that is: 1) a normal, boring meet-ups where your grandma asks about how school’s going, when you’re going to finally find a partner and another one of your cousin’s announces their engagement party, or 2) the actual engagement parties-- every single family member including the senile grandma from mum’s side gets drunk and you don’t have to think about more fake reasons why you have yet to lose your virginity.

You see, Felix is wrong in a lot of things. And this was surely one of them-- it’s the December 27th and he’s sitting in his grandma’s old kitchen, the wind blowing through the cracks of her window and the sweets on the table have already melted from the heat being too high, because his aunt is always cold and they can’t compromise. That sounds fine, even usual, Felix would say, however, the fire lights up a few moments later when his head starts to hurt from all the talking and he begins to dissociate a little too much, meaning that his grandma now has to shift her attention from all of his other relatives to him, because how dare he stay quiet on a family gathering where he has nothing to add to the conversation, right?

It starts off as usual, the answers to these questions digged deep into Felix’s brain since the first year of college. He doesn’t even bat an eye when he answers the questions directed at his studies and grades, telling all of his interested relatives that he’s working hard and it’s paying off. Nobody complains or disagrees-- his grades are awesome. His degree is here soon. Felix almost thinks he’s over with when his grandma laughs at a poor joke that comes out of his mouth, but that was only a bad prediction as he moves on to questions about his love life, which are, believe me or not, much more boring and much more ego-hurting for the blonde.

“Do you have a girlfriend yet, Felix?” she asks, tone of voice sounding rather interested, but don’t believe her-- it’s only an act. She’s ready to laugh into his face when he gives her the answer she’s hoping for.

“No, not yet, grandma,” he mumbles, averting his eyes from her wrinkley face as soon as possible. He really doesn’t need to look at her any longer to know she’s silently judging him on the inside, because that’s just how his grandmother is. 

“That’s such a shame… I wonder why… You’re such a pretty young boy, aren’t you?” she mutters under her nose, tone almost whiney, “what about your roommate? Jisung, was it?”

Felix takes a deep breath in, closing his eyes for a second to calm his rising heart beat. He could have predicted questions like this coming, because the conversation always somehow diverted to his roommate even when he was at home with his family. It’s crazy, how everyone just seems to adore Jisung much more than their own family member. 

“He’s.. Yeah. He’s always with someone, you know him. Not now, though, now he’s single,” Felix nods, explaining.

“Well, I’m sure he’ll find someone soon,” she admits, “he’s such a gentleman. And so handsome as well, isn’t he?” she asks, his aunt from her right side nodding quickly at the mention of Han Jisung. 

“He always has so many people around him, he’s so charming. If only you were more like him, maybe then someone would date you as well,” his grandma says calmly, not even noticing the way her words cut deeper and deeper into Felix’s heart, kicking him and punching him like a boxing bag, “you should try to be more like him.”

Felix bites down on his lower lip, rolling his eyes. Frustration coats his voice once he speaks up, the built-up anger living inside of him like an animal kept well in its cage. He doesn’t want to let it out, because he fears what it might do once it’s free, but he still retorts to a dig addressed to his grandma, huffing in annoyance. “Should I send Jisung home instead of me next time?”

“Oh no, Felix, what are you even saying right now?” his grandma looks rather offended, eyes twice their usual size as she glares at him.

“Well, since you like him so much.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I was just saying that-”

“Leave it.” Felix says. 

The atmosphere is too heavy now, all eyes on him as if he was in a circus, watching him just moments before his breaking. He realises he no longer feels welcome in this place and maybe he never did, he just chose to ignore it by now, because that’s what he always does when a problem appears-- he chooses ignorance. Ignorance is Felix’s best friend, and although it may sound like he’s running away from his problems all the time, it’s always worked so far. He’s just protecting his heart, building walls around it. 

He doesn’t want to fight. He hates conflict. So, even though he’d like to snap, even though he’d like to leash out like an animal, he doesn’t. He steps back-- as he always does, taking the car keys from the table and escaping the house, hearing the calls of his mother after him. He doesn’t bother to say goodbye, he doesn’t even bother to look back nor take the Christmas gifts his grandma brought for everyone. 

He sits into the small white Renault he drives once a year when he comes back home, starts the engine and speeds up to the limit, driving away from all of his problems. He doesn’t want to hear their complaints, he doesn’t want to listen. It’s the best this way. He wants to ignore the words that came out of his grandma’s mouth, but he can’t find it in him as he hears them resonate in his head over and over again. 

He’s the second choice even in his own family. He’s a joke to everyone, isn’t he? Just the side character, the one that never gets the spotlight. It hurts, it hurts him so much, but he pays no attention to his blurry vision, because even though he’s fairly sure no one from his family would miss him, he doesn’t want to drive off the road and kill himself with his escape.

He parks the car in front of his and Jisung’s flat after a few hours. He’s fairly good at it, considering he never drives, and mentally puts up a middle finger to his dad in his head for screaming at him so much. He was in a much calmer headspace when he was driving with his dad than he was now, yet, he didn’t manage to drive anyone over. 

Putting his feet into the cold, empty apartment, turning the heating on and plopping down on the sofa, he once again realises how lonely it feels. Not only because of the feeling of abandonment the dark flat resonates, but also due to the fact that it truly feels like now, he’s all alone in this world. The silence screams louder than any words ever could, his ears lowly ringing without any sound in the small room, which makes him wonder if he’s truly the only one that has to spend his holidays pretty much alone. Maybe it’s his fault that he’s fucked it up with his family, who knows-- but that’s a topic for another overthinking session of his, when he decides to let it go once his eyes meet the snow silently falling down behind the window. 

The dark mixed with the white balls of fluff in the air remind him of you. Your bubbly laugh, the feeling of your skin on his when you held his hands and danced around with him in the snow. He feels a smile growing on his face, despite everything he’s heard today, his fingers involuntarily texting you to see if you’re doing anything and if you can hang out with him today. 

He meets you at the door a few minutes later, your nose runny from the cold and hands dry, smiling at you with a sense he can only describe as belonging, because he realises, maybe you feel just as lonely as him on holidays and suddenly, he no longer feels sorry for leaving.

“Why are you even here, Lix? Shouldn’t you be at home?” you ask him when you’re taking off your shoes and hanging your coat on the hanger by the door. He bites down on his lower lip to suppress a bitter chuckle. 

“Christmas got cancelled this year.” he shrugs. 

It’s not like he doesn’t trust you. You know better than anyone what his struggles are-- he asked you to keep his secrets numerous times. It’s just that now that you’re here, it’s like his soul finally feels calm and he no longer wants to whine about his grandma or his aunts anymore. It’s just you and him and the empty apartment. If he was anyone else, maybe he’d try to get into your pants. He’s just Lee Felix though, and he’s absolutely, wholeheartedly in love with you, he realises, and believe me, it kind of takes him over the edge, and so he doesn’t try anything. 

And you look at him in understatement, no other questions asked.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. It’s all a capitalistic holiday anyway,” he shrugs.

You follow him into the living room and he throws the remote control into your lap, telling you to choose a movie before he comes back with popcorn. 

“If you don’t pick anything before I’m done, we’ll just watch Venom, I don’t care,” he says, seeing you adorably scrunch up your nose at him in response. 

When he comes back and you’re waiting for him with Howl’s moving castle paused on Netflix, he can’t help but grin at you. He places the popcorn on the coffee table and notices himself staring onto your body next to his far more often than the TV and wonders if he really drove away from all of his problems or if he just drove away from one problem to another, because now, it’s getting really hard to focus on staying away from you. 

And when you shiver and curl up into his side, placing your head onto his shoulder, he can’t help but jolt at the contact, staring at you in surprise. 

“It’s cold,” you mumble, pouting.

Felix smiles. He rolls his eyes at you, even though on the inside, he finds you absolutely adorable, taking a blanket from the side of the sofa and putting it over your cold bodies, tucking you both in. You feel warm against his side, your hand resting on his chest. He wonders if you can feel his quickening heartbeat, his stiff body and the nerves rising in his heart. Everything else disappears, the fight back home long forgotten and Han Jisung left somewhere home with his own family, the weight of your body overwhelming him when you fall asleep and that’s when he stops and thinks,

isn’t this how home’s supposed to feel like?

The halls of the university building are empty as Felix stands right in front of the closed door, silently pacing around the corridors and bumping his knee up and down. He just got his final’s results and even though his soul was supposed to be at peace, he finds himself stressing over you, currently sitting in the room behind the closed door in front of him, getting your final’s results from biology back. The professor decided to split your class into two groups for the finals so you can, quote, ‘focus better when there’s less people around’ and even though you managed to cheat on your exams without any problems, he still wonders if you did well and if you passed. 

Once the voices behind the closed doors get louder and louder, he figures it’s near the end of your lecture and he can finally see you again and ask you how you did. 

The last time he talked to you without the stress of finals breathing onto your back was back on Christmas break-- more than a week ago. Ever since then, you two have been meeting in the middle of the night again, preparing for your upcoming tests. You didn’t really manage to talk a lot about anything else and even though Felix didn’t mind, he still missed your mindless rambles and weird jokes you used to crack when you weren’t stressing your mind off. 

The door opens and reveals people coming out, a few of them wearing a toothy grin on their faces as they glance on the paper in their hands, a few of them frowning as they pin their eyes to the ground. It’s not easy to differentiate the ones that passed and the ones who did not do that well and even though Felix feels sorry for them, he wonders why they just don’t cheat their way out of bad grades just how he does. It’s not that hard. It just takes a lot of practice. 

Once he finally sees your face, a big, toothy grin decorating your lips, a big stone falls off his heart, a weight lifts itself from his shoulders, because frankly, you wouldn’t look so happy if you failed, right? You’re not a total psychopath.

“How did you-” 

His words are cut off from his mouth, all air kicked out of his body once he feels you so close, the soft skin of your lips pressed up against his in a happy kiss. He’s startled, to say the least. His cheeks are reddening in the instance and he doesn’t even know if time stopped or if it’s just the rising anxiety and excitement in his chest, but he bites down the confusion and kisses you back finally, closing his eyes and bringing you close by your shoulders. The kiss is a little sloppy and messy, but he doesn’t mind-- all that’s occupying his mind right now is you, your sweet lips, your mouthy kiss, your excited hands creeping up around his neck, your bag that fell to the ground next to his feet, your exam paper marked with the big red A+ flying around the two of you when you let it fall from your grasp, your hair tickling his cheeks, you, you, you.

There’s only you. In the air he breathes, in the ground he walks on, in his hands and on his mind. You’re everywhere. Intoxicating.

You pull away from him after a while, grinning at him. It still manages to startle him a little-- how just the small gesture can light up his whole world, how your smile can make him feel like he’s the luckiest person on this earth. He sees stars in your eyes and he wonders who put them there, hoping to be the one, believing he could finally be the one, with how you look at him and hold him in your arms-

but it’s Felix’s life we’re talking about. There’s only you, you, you and maybe somewhere, far away in the distance, there could even be him, but who’s always there for sure is Han Jisung.

Han Jisung staring at the two of you from the open door, mouth agape in shock. Han Jisung with trembling hands, Han Jisung with his books clutched close to his chest as Felix’s heart drops and reality finally hits him. You were never supposed to be his to kiss. You were supposed to be Jisung’s-- his roommate’s, his best friend’s -- you fell for him long, long ago and that’s how it’s always been. 

He opens his mouth to say something, anything, to comfort his dear friend that looks like he’s heart’s being broken, but he finds no words in him to console his actions. He feels bad, he feels so, so guilty when their eyes meet, but he doesn’t manage to say anything before Jisung turns around the corner and leaves. 

The sound of Jisung’s quick steps is the only thing resonating in Felix’s mind like a bell, a signal for him that he fucked up, he did a really, really bad thing. 

His insides clutch and eyes water in the empty college corridor when he wonders,

is this how it feels to break someone’s heart?

You kick the small rocks beneath your feet, gazing into the distance. The cold in your bones makes you shudder, your eyes trailing around the neighbourhood so foreign to you, putting your hands into your pockets so you shelter your fingers from the frozen air. You think how this place looks exactly as you imagined it to-- tall apartment complex and a single big tree in front of it, the cars parked in the driveway obviously having their spot as the neighbours have lived together for a long time to know not to park anywhere else, because it’s more efficient this way. 

You’re waiting and waiting, hoping to see the one you’re waiting for soon, because you doubt your confidence will last you for any longer if you don’t talk to him now. You could lie and tell yourself it’s okay and that you’re not nervous at all, but after Jisung ran away the other day and his roommate followed him a few moments later, you feel nervousness creeping into your skin after not seeing or hearing from Felix for three days now. 

You remember him telling you that he likes to go for late-night convenience store runs every evening to get his favorite snacks. It wasn’t hard to find out where he lives-- it’s the 21st century, for god’s sake. You asked a friend of his friend and here you are, waiting  for him to appear in the door of his apartment complex, ready to talk to him about the events of this week.

Once you hear the door opening, you feel your head snap to its direction quicker than the speed of light, knees almost getting weak at the sight of Lee Felix standing there, confusion written all over his face once his eyes meet with yours. The frown forming on his face only deepens your stress as you wonder if he didn’t want to see you today, which, considering the fact that he’s been ignoring you for the past few days, might just be the case, but it still makes your heart break just a little when you hear him sigh once he makes his way over to you, the sound of his sneakers on the ground being the only thing heard in the middle of the night.

All the snow has melted-- as if all the bright things have left just in time with it, leaving you sad and cold, the clouds of your breath hitting the cold air being the only thing reminding you of the weather as you feel your body heating up in his presence. 

“Can we talk?” you ask, voice steadier than you expected it to be.

“I- I mean,” he starts, a shaky and husky voice hitting your ears, signaling that he probably hadn’t spoken to anyone for a long time now, “you’re already here, so I guess…”

You nod at him, averting your gaze quickly to the ground, when you realise you suddenly don’t know what to say. You try to search for words, yet none come out of your mouth. Your mind is blank and it seems like his presence took away all your vocabulary, but deep on the inside, you know damn well that if you don’t speak up now, you won’t have a second chance and you really have to get it now.

“Why- why…” you mutter, “why did you leave without saying anything the other day?” you ask.

The silence is overwhelming as you start to hate the sound of your own breath, opting to hold it for a few seconds as you await his response. 

“I mean, isn’t it obvious?” 

You shake your head in confusion, finally meeting his eyes again. “No.”

“Jisung… Jisung saw us. I didn’t feel like it was right,” he explains, cracking his knuckles in a nervous habit you noticed in him a long, long time ago when he first tried to teach you how to cheat in class without getting caught.

“What does he have to do with anything?”

“You two like each other.” he says bluntly, taking you off-guard.

The moment these words come out of his mouth, you realise not one, but two things. One of them is fairly new to you, the fact that Han Jisung liked you back was something you never knew you could experience, but even though you should be flattered, you realise it no longer holds a meaning in your heart. The second thing is connected to the first-- and that is, Lee Felix doesn’t know that you like him now. His foolish, silly mind convinced him you were still in love with his best friend, his confused and frustrated brain didn’t let him realise that for a long, long time now, the freckled boy in front of you has been the only one you thought about when you were falling asleep at night.

You don’t even know when it happened. You guess it just did. You wondered how it’d feel to know what exactly made you fall for Felix, what that moment was, but something inside of you is telling you that maybe, it was even more wonderful this way. Unexpected, but totally reasonable.

“Why would I be kissing you if I still liked Jisung?” you ask, the fear of directly confessing to him and getting rejected creeping up in your shadow.

“I- I don’t know-”

“Exactly.” you cut him off before he rambles and manages to find a stupid, silly reason in his head to justify his wrong expectations. You know how he is-- if he overthinks things hard enough, he’ll surely find an answer. There’s none, though, so you don’t dare to give him time to think about it and ponder on the thought for any longer.

“But that doesn’t matter now anyway,” he shrugs, putting his hands into his pockets.

You wonder what’s going on inside of his head right now. You wonder if he regrets what he’s done-- if he wants to turn back time and never let you kiss him. The nerves make you bite down harshly on your bottom lip and you only catch yourself when you feel iron in your mouth, quickly licking your own wound on the surface of your mouth and take a deep breath in. 

“Why?” you ask. 

“Why would it?” he says, eyes boring into yours.

“Because… I thought it meant something to you? I mean, it meant a lot to me, at least. That’s why I’m even here in the first place,” you chuckle airly, feeling your throat get dry.

“I’m not saying that it didn’t, I just think it had no point.”

His words feel like knives thrown into your chest, like a fire burning the pit of your stomach. You feel your legs getting weaker at his arguments, your fingers harshly tugging at the skin of your cuticles hidden in your pockets. You don’t trust your voice to sound steady this time when you speak, but you don’t care. Maybe it’s time to show your real emotions. Maybe it will change Felix’s mind.

“And why is that?”

“Because people like you don’t date people like me. You’re supposed to be in love with Jisung. You’re supposed to be dating him, he’s supposed to date you. You’re too good for me anyway.” he shrugs.

“Is this all about Jisung?” you ask, eyebrows furrowed.

You watch Felix sharply inhale in and out, averting his eyes from your figure. The distance between the two of you is unnatural, as if to singal how the two of you are slowly drifting apart. You see him fold his hands on his chest, preparing for what he’s about to say.

“It hurt him, back then. And I hate that. He loves you and I just.. I can’t do that to him, when I know  how much he cares about you.” he says.

Love is a strange thing. You hear Felix say how much Jisung loves you, but is that really true? Does Han Jisung even know you? The real you?

Does Jisung know how you look with your mouth full of fries and a greasy forehead? Does he know how you look when you’re stressed out of your mind because of finals? Does he know your favorite bistro, does he know your favorite movie? Did you cuddle up with Jisung on the couch just because you wanted to be close to him, comfort him and tell him you’re there just a few days after Christmas? 

Or does he just know the self you put up in front of him when you went to meet him? The put-together you that cares even about the sound of your own laugh, not wanting it to sound ugly in his ears? 

Han Jisung can’t love you. He doesn’t even know you.

And you never loved him-- just for the same reason. The feelings you had for him were merely a feeling of attraction, so far away from love.

But now you know how you feel about Felix, how his smile lights up the world and how his presence makes you feel understood. How even the silence with him speaks louder than a million words, how he knows you like the back of his hand and how he treats you like his closest friend. You know that what you feel when you’re with him is stronger than anything you ever have and although it used to scare you for a moment, now you’re ready to embrace it and live with it, if he lets you.

Lee Felix doesn’t tell you he loves you. Maybe you can see it in his eyes.

Why does he have to put everything above love? Why does he care about Jisung more than you? It’s breaking your heart. 

“Felix… I’m sure he’d understand. He’s a good person. I’m sure he’d want you to be happy.”

“Y/N, you don’t understand-”

“He’s a grown adult!” you yell out, the built-up emotions coming to the surface in the form of frustration, your words sunding spiteful and angry. Maybe you are furious, maybe you are full of fire right now, but it’s all because of the boy in front of you and the things he refuses to let himself enjoy.

“Why do you even care about it so much, huh? I was your fucking second choice all along anyway!” 

You look at him in shock, your eyes watering at the sight of the frown sitting on his face. Something inside of you breaks and you think it’s safe to say it was your heart, choking you up as you shake your head in disapproval. 

“Felix-” you protest, but there’s no use.

You see him turn around on his heel, opening the door to the apartment complex and leaving. It feels like you’re losing him, it feels like he’s gone forever. He turned his back on you, refusing all the love you were willing to give him, all the love you were offering to him right here, your heart in your hands.

He gave up on your love.

People in movies go out to party after a break-up to get drunk and numb their feelings. They either go to the club or go to a stupid college party, which is, coincidentally, your case today, but you’re not here to get drunk tonight. You’re not here to drown out your feelings and numb your pained soul-- you’re simply here to try to have some fun.

Your mum told you long, long ago that happiness is a choice. You could argue with her and tell her that depression and heartbreak aren’t a choice and that they, by themselves, are causing people the most sadness, but you had to give your mum a point. If you don’t choose to try, if you don’t do anything to at least try to stimulate your own brain, you can’t expect happiness to find you by itself. That’s just, sadly, not how life works, and you weren’t going to drown out in your own tears just because of Lee fucking Felix, because if you weren’t worth trying for him, he’s not worth any of your tears.

You appear on Lee Haechan’s end of the semester party. You have A+ finals to celebrate and although you would be much happier to drink to them with the one that basically helped you get through the semester, you won’t pass the chance to socialize. You worked hard and you did a good job-- you deserve a party. Alcohol truly isn’t the best for your brain, but you will just decide to call it selfcare. It’s not like you’re getting blacked-out drunk tonight anyway.

You manage to have small talk with a few people from your class. Though it’s not exactly what’s stimulating your brain, you don’t mind it. You barely know these people and you couldn’t care less, but you guess this is the downside of socialising. 

The alcohol in your veins doesn’t give you a chance to loosen up, though. You only feel your body warmer with the beer hitting your system, but your feelings still taste of salt, your brain not cooperating with your grandiose happiness plan and you think the people talking to you notice, since no one really tries to keep you in a conversation long enough when you start to absently nod at them and pay zero attention to what they’re saying. You don’t blame them, though. You’d probably do the same in their place.

Your feet move their way to the front door when you decide that maybe your mum wasn’t right, completely ready to go home and pity yourself for a few more days before coming back to life, when a familiar voice calls you from behind, making you freeze in your spot.

“Y/N, long time no see.”

Han Jisung watches you with glossy eyes, yet he tries to look nonchalant at the sight of you. It doesn’t feel like his heart is breaking when he sees you right here and there, chewing on your bottom lip, more or less, it feels numbing to his heart and his head. It’s like he expected it all from the start-- the outcome that once so surprised him. But after all this time he spent overthinking and dwelling on the memory of seeing you kissing his best friend, it made sense to him. 

“Jisung…”

He can see your eyes growing worried when you watch over him and he mentally slaps himself for not handling his emotions with more care back then. He could have spared you a lot of pain and trouble if he hadn’t reacted in such a way in the doorway of your classroom, but the truth is, Han Jisung hadn’t really known just how much a true heartbreak feels and nothing could ever prepare him for the physical pain numbing his chest. He didn’t know it could hurt so much. 

He doesn’t want to worry you. You are still his friend, after all, right? That’s all you always have been and he should have understood it from the first moment he saw you gaze at his friend so lovingly in the university halls one day. He thinks you, yourself, didn’t even recognise the emotion in you when you watched over Felix with so much care, with so many stars in his eyes and a big grin on your face. He could never compare himself to Felix.

He doesn’t want to worry you anymore, and so he decides to talk to you like a friend would. You looked like you could use a friend tonight.

“How have you been?” he asks, smiling at you. He hopes his eyes convey the emotion he feels-- how after all this time, he still feels comfortable with you and desperately needs you to do the same. He can’t lose another friend. Not to love. 

That happens every single time. Truth be told, Jisung used to have a problem with differentiating true love from platonic feelings sometimes. He used to think he falls out of love just as quickly as he falls in, but the truth is that it was never even love at all. Sometimes, it was just pure admiration. Feelings for a friend. And he managed to ruin all his friendships just because he started dating them. 

And then, he just kept searching and searching for the right one, because no one ever felt right. No one ever made him feel loved, no one ever made him feel love. It felt suffocating, but so, so addicting. He could never give up on trying to find love.

And then he met you. And it finally made sense-- it finally felt right.

“I’m… I’m fine, thanks,” you say, smiling at him with that smile that still, admittedly, made his heart race and swell with love. He’s not afraid to call the emotion by its name. It doesn’t feel wrong. He used to think he wants it to stop, but the truth is, it still feels nice. 

Love feels like loneliness sometimes. It’s a bittersweet feeling. But it’s still so, so addicting.

“Are you sure?” he asks. He knows you. He knows when something’s wrong.

He also knows your eyes have been searching for his roommate for the past few minutes of your conversation. He knows you want to meet him and avoid him all at once, love him and leave him-- it was a paradox. 

He knows his roommate way too well, though. He knows he can’t fall out of love with you. He knows, though, that he’ll never act upon it. Lee Felix has always been the sweetest person in this whole entire world-- putting the needs of others before his own. He can’t keep doing this to himself.He can’t keep doing this to you.

“I think you know the answer, Jisung. Why do you keep asking, then?” you bitterly snicker, going around him and escaping the noisy house. Jisung doesn’t know if you want to leave, if you want to escape his presence, but he can’t leave you just like that, and so he follows you outside, seeing you sitting at the doorstep, as if you were waiting for him.

“You don’t have to think of me, you know that, right?” he says once he takes a seat next to you, watching your expression change into a pained one. 

“It’s… I don’t know. It’s complicated. And Felix- he doesn’t think it’s right. I can’t force him into anything. It was his choice anyway,” you mutter. Jisung sighs heavily, the feeling your words on his chest heavy and solemn. He hates the fact that he is standing in the way of your happiness. He hates the fact that he is the problem, the invisible wall keeping you two from each other. 

“It’s simple, though.” he shrugs.

Your eyebrows furrow in confusion, a heavy sigh escaping your lips. He takes it upon himself to explain before you begin to tell him that it’s not, opting to open your eyes on his own.

“You two are in love with each other. So you should be together. Isn’t that simple?” he asks, smiling at you subtly.

You scoff and shake your head. “He gave up on us.”

“Did he, or did he just do what he felt was right?” Jisung argues. “You can’t keep hiding from each other. You can’t keep trying to ignore your feelings just because I like you. That’s not fair for either of you.”

You don’t argue with him this time. He wonders what’s going on inside of your head at the moment, with your eyebrows furrowed and your bottom lip trapped in your teeth. You look just like all the times he watched you during your tutoring sessions-- focused and lost in thought. It will feel weird to not see you in that way anymore, but he has to try.

The same way Lee Felix always tried for him.

“You’re too sweet, Han Jisung. What a shame our timing’s off.” you say, bitterness coating your voice. He looks up at you again, wondering what your words mean. “I used to like you back then, you know,” you smile.

Here it is, the strange emotion again. The emotion of almost physical pain, a hand squeezing his heart, a knife stabbed into his back. It feels like his world is crumbling down on him, because he’s stupid-- so stupid. He could have had you back then. He could have been with you all this time, only if he wasn’t late. He missed his biggest chance, the biggest opportunity, the happiest time of his life. All because he was too hesitant. 

He didn’t deserve you anyway.

“But now your timing’s right with Felix. Don’t waste that,” he says, biting through the pain.

Because the truth is, if anyone deserved love, it was his roommate. The one that refused you for him, the one that rejected you for him, the one that set him up on a date with you even though you invited him in the first place. The one who gave up on his love only so he wouldn’t hurt his friend. You could say that Jisung was too good for this world, but Lee Felix is the one that deserves the whole entire world, in his eyes.

Maybe these two were just too good of friends. Caring about the other one twice as much as about themselves. And that’s exactly why Jisung will get over this-- he’ll push you to his friend. So he could be happy, finally. 

“Jisung, I don’t know-”

“Do it,” he cuts you off, “reach out to him again. Try it. For me.”

y/n: meet me at the 8Bistro at 9 

Felix can’t believe himself when he finds his legs moving to the direction of the bistro at the edge of the town. He knows it’s the last one on your list, the one you invited him to so you could celebrate your finals in and he finds himself wondering if he could have gone here with you earlier only if the two of you didn’t share that kiss back then.

That damned kiss he couldn’t stop thinking about for the last few days-- even weeks, every time he opened his eyes in the morning and closed them when he was about to sleep. It kept following him like a curse, a thing he couldn’t escape, as if it was testing him like the snake tested Eve in paradise. Foreign fruit. 

You’re sitting there already when he arrives, fingers playing with each other as you gaze at the door in expectation. He sees your usual order already on the table, assuming you got here early, but it’s untouched as your knee bumps up and down under the table and you bite down harshly on your bottom lip.

He takes a seat, allowing himself to look at you again after such a long time. It feels like it’s been ages, yet you still look the same to him-- the same beauty that hit him when he first met you and shared his biggest secret with you.

“Why aren’t you eating? You have to finish off your list,” he mumbles awkwardly, motioning to the food at the table.

“I wanted to wait for you.” you say. Your voice is quiet, almost shy, when you speak to him. He wonders just how much he fucked up that it made you act this way. He knows it’s probably a lot, but considering he’s sitting here right now, he can still fix it.

At least he hopes so. 

“Did you.. Do you want to talk to me about something?” he asks, nervosity filling his veins as he feels his hands form a little swimming pool with just how much he’s sweating.

“Yes,” you nod, taking a deep breath in and out. He wonders if you’re just as nervous as he is. The answer is probably yes, considering your tense shoulders and restless legs, but he doesn’t comment on it as he watches you begin speaking again. “I wanted to tell you that I’m- I’m in love with you. And that it’s for real, and it’s for you and no one else,” you start, quickly wetting your lips and continuing again, “and I know you must feel like a second choice, or like you weren’t important to me at all, but that’s not true.”

“You helped me so much, really, but the more I hung out with you, the more I realised just how wonderful you are. And how your heart is so big, how you’re fun to be around…” you ramble, taking Felix by surprise with your heart-felt monologue, “and that Jisung is not the one for me, because, well, it was just.. it was just a crush. I didn’t know him. He didn’t even know me that well. Crushes… they don’t mean anything. They’re silly. But what I have with you, Felix…” you say, drifting your eyes away from him for a second,

“I know you. The real you. And you know me. You’ve seen me at my worst. You’ve seen me struggle and you know exactly how to help. You know me and I know you and the feelings I have for you are much more than a silly crush. I love you, Felix. And I don’t want to just forget about us.” you complete and Felix swears he can feel his eyes watering at your words. He chooses not to speak up, afraid of his voice breaking, afraid he’s going to embarrass himself in front of you. His emotions got the best of him and right here and now, no one else matters. 

It’s you. You that feels like home, you, the only girl he’s ever loved. You, the only girl that ever loved him back, you, who he foolishly rejected. 

You’re everywhere. In his veins, in his heart, in his foolish, stupid mind.

“Felix… I don’t want you to give up on us.” 

He looks up, seeing your sincere eyes and a look full of worry. You seem so wonderful to him, even now. You’re everything he’s ever dreamt of, a home without a roof and walls. With you, he feels at ease. He trusts you. He’s never felt this way for anyone before.

He watches you and he hears your laugh, he hears your whines when he used to tease you so much. He hears the sound of your memories when he chased you around in the snow. He hears the opening song of Howl’s moving castle, reminding him of the warmth he felt when you hugged him so close that evening.

He used to want to hate you. He should have known that could never be the case.

You’re all he needs-- all he wants. You’re everywhere he looks, in every beauty of the world and in everything that’s dear to him. 

You, you, you, you.

And so he decides-- it’s time to change his plan.

Lee Felix’s bullet-proof guide to loving you: 1) hold her hand, 2) get rid of the guilt, 3) lean in and kiss her.

“Does that mean you’re giving us a chance?” you ask, hopeful eyes glaring at him with millions of stars in them, sparkles swimming around in perfection.

“We’ll talk after you eat. You have a yelp review to write,” he laughs.

“Feli-”

Lee Felix’s bullet-proof guide to loving you: 4) shut her up by forcing french fries into her mouth.

“I love you too.”