#also i see the asks! I'll get to them when it's quieter here! thank you for sending them!

[heatobrienswife]

.

[runningfrom2am]

requiem // prologue

summary: according to coriolanus snow, his best friend had the most beautiful voice in all of panem. she had been training her whole life constantly to get where she was; being up for a residency at the most elite opera house in all of panem. singing was her passion. her true love; and when that got stripped from her in a second, his world became a whole lot quieter. he loathed every minute of it.

pairing: coriolanus snow x fem!reader

wc: 0.8k

masterlists / nav / requests

tags/warnings: opera singer!mentor!reader (blink and you'll miss it), she's kind of a prodigy!! p cool imo, mute!reader, bestfriend!coryo, friends to lovers trope ooo, mentions of graphic violence early on (particularly the prologue) but after that it's pretty safe, depictions of ptsd/trauma, mental illness and minor suicidal ideation but at least she's not entirely alone, descriptions of minor medical treatments and use of medication.

a/n: hi! welcome to the prologue for requiem!! just a taste to set things up :) sorry !!

my asks are also open to talk about this series! (i do have emoji anons open now too!)

send me any and all of your thoughts! here!

series masterlist // playlist // pinterest board

'Are you coming to the zoo after class?' The note Coryo slid in front of you asks. You look up at him and nod, before taking your pen and scribbling underneath his penwork on the same page, sliding it back as your teacher went on and on about things you had already studied and knew by heart.

'Walk together?'

Now it's his turn to nod, meeting your gaze with a smile.

You hadn't had the chance to meet your tribute yet, but Coryo's idea to go and greet his tribute was very smart. You admired it- he was brave to do that, but something deep in the back of your chest made you uneasy about it. Regardless, you and several of your classmates would make the trip after school to go greet them, bring them food, and get to know them as much as you could. You part ways with him once you arrive, planning to walk home together later.

"Valkyrie?" You call out, scanning the tributes trapped in the cage to try and pinpoint her. You see her when her head turns at the name and you smile, waving her over. "My name is Y/N. I'll be your mentor."

She doesn't say anything as she stops in front of you, giving you a death glare that could give you chills. She looked strong. It was good, she'll do well in the games. "It's nice to meet you," you continue. "My job is to help you however I can. So anything you need or want, I'm your girl. Just say the word."

Her cold stare doesn't falter, but you try not to let your discomfort show. You need her to trust you, that was Coryo's best advice, so you would do all you could to take it. "Are you hungry? You must be. I brought you some food." You don't wait for a response that you know isn't coming, digging in your bag already.

"It's my favorite, but I do hope you like it." You hum, pulling out a container with some crackers and honey, and a lemon to cut up and put in your water bottles. "Care to sit?" You offer, already sitting down yourself, kneeling in front of the bars. You smile when she obliges, matching your posture across from you.

"I'm a singer, and honey is really good for the throat." You explain, hoping that she'll begin to trust you if she knows you a little better. "It's a nice bonus that it tastes good, too. I'm not supposed to have sugar, but I think honey is the next best thing." You open the container, trying not to expose the shakiness in your hands as you grab the small bowl of honey and a knife to spread it, but this fails drastically when you accidentally drop it and it falls past the bars just out of your reach.

"Oh, gosh- I'm just so clumsy, would you mind passing that to me?" You ask, trying to reach for it anyway. You grin when she reaches out for it, picking it up by the handle. "Thank you..." You tell her, leaning closer to grab it from her hand. Something in her eyes shifts so fast you have no chance to really pick up on it before she grabs your hair with her other hand and pulls you back into the bars.

You scream, adrenaline pumping through your veins in an instant as you try and pull yourself away but it's too late and your screams are silenced by the blade of the knife against your throat.

Your eyes go wide as she lets you go, hands coming up to your neck out of instinct and when you pull one away it's warm and covered in red. Blood. Your own blood. You're choking, trying to breathe but the air feels sticky as you fall back. "Y/N! Y/N? Hey, look at me. Look at me!" Your best friend cries out, suddenly in front of you with his arms at your sides, lowering you carefully to the ground.

You stare up at him, hands still clasped over your neck which he matches with his own, doing his best to try and stop the bleeding. "Help! Somebody, help!" He shouts, turning and hoping help is coming as your heartbeat drums behind your ears.

Several gunshots ring out, echoing in the back of your head as you stare up at the sky and Coryo drops down on top of you, likely trying to dodge the bullets. You don't know where they were going- and you don't care.

You try and speak but no sound is coming out, just the sickening gurgle of your own blood replacing the smoothness of your voice. You know it's really not good when your vision starts to blur, the last thing you see being Coryo's panicked expression as he looks over you, desperately yelling at you to stay awake and for someone to please, please help.

no taglist this time around!! my fics usually get over a hundred requests to be added to the taglist so instead i made a library! follow me over on @runningfrom2am-library and turn on notifs to get updates when i post new parts!!

[sublimecatgalaxy]

heyy didnt know if you were down for requests but i js though elliot or dom teaching you how to play the guitar would be rlly cute and shit 😭

(also i love ur fics sm like pls marry me)

Okay well this is literally the cutest request ever!

Also you're the cutest, I accept your proposal! Thank you so much for the love and support, I adore you- reach out any time bestie <3

"You should take a break from school, ya know, give your boyfriend some attention while he's here in your vicinity." Elliot whines from the bed, sprawling out across the comforter as he groans, rubbing his tired eyes as I look over at the clock, not expecting it to be well after midnight. Guilt suddenly swarms around me, realizing he's been sitting here for hours, waiting for me to give him attention while I completely and utterly focus on school.

"Finals are coming up soon and I am completely and utterly unprepared." I trail off, the pit in my stomach only growing as I think of my upcoming tests in three different classes, knowing that I'm totally unprepared for all of them combined.

It's been a rough year, don't judge me.

"Well who's fault is that, you decided to wait until the last minute to even start-"

"Don't finish that sentence." I point a finger at him and he laughs, his bright smile making me feel a little bit better as I swing around in my chair, looking back and forth between him and the flashcards in front of me.

"Well, if you wanna take a break and come over here, I promise to help you with your flashcards." I ponder his offer for a minute, not expecting him to offer his help, especially when he hates everything that has to do with school, especially all the science classes that I'm in.

"Really?" I bite at my lip and give him a look, a look that he can tell that I feel bad that he would have to help me but I could never decline the help, especially given how desperate I am.

"Really." He nods firmly and I pause, smiling softly at him as I pull my hair down from it's bun, itching at my scalp with a groan.

"Okay." I launch myself out of my chair, flopping onto the bed beside him as he immediately wraps me in his arms, tightly squeezing me as I let out a brief sigh of relief, not realizing how much I missed his arms around me. It feels like I've been gone a century. "Only like twenty minutes and then I have to get back to studying or else I'm seriously going to fail this exam."

"Sounds good." He sighs, sitting up on the bed as he reaches down beside the bed to grab his guitar, strumming quietly as I settle down beside him, watching him with a fond, loving look.

"How did you learn that?" I ask simply, pulling his gaze away from the instrument but he continues to play, shocking me even more.

"The guitar?" I nod. "It's muscle memory. I can teach you."

"I'll probably be ass at it. I'm not the most musically inclined." I laugh and his eyes widen with a knowing glance and I reach out to smack his arm with a loud, offended laugh.

"Trust me, I know- I hear you singing in the shower." Elliot teases and I gasp, sitting up and giving him the most incredulous look, shocked that he hears me and noting to myself to be quieter with my concerts.

"Rude." I mumble.

"It's a good thing you're cute." He presses his finger to the tip of my nose and it scrunches under his touch, my head tilting playfully at him. "Here, you can strum and I'll show you the fingering of it."

"Fingering." I snort and his jaw drops at my innuendo, pinching my side.

"Shut up." He continues to move his fingers around the strings as I strum softly, my gaze stuck on the way his fingers move without the need for him to even watch what he's doing. "See it's not that bad?"

"Don't your fingers get tired?" I ask, feeling the tips of my fingers burn as if there's carpet burn on the tips of each of them and he gives me a shrug, taking my fingers in his grasp to press a kiss to each individual finger.

"Never, I have fingers of steel."

"Trust me, I know." I mock him and his head tips back in laughter, red dusting his cheeks at my taunting.

"Shut up."

[doudouneverte]

Obi imagine

Part 1 - Obi Breakups up with Reader because of a argument. Can be because of anything but it’s bad. Maybe Accuse of cheating bad or something else? Anyway Reader ends up moving to a new club from Wolfsburg without telling Obi after the heartbreak. (Sad Ending).

Part 2 - After the breakup and not seeing each other for months? Weeks? They’re about to see each other again at the German national camp. Awkward, Reader tries to ignore Obi because she is still hurt, maybe gets close with another teammate which makes Obi jealous. Anyway it’s a mess and affects the way the team plays so the team try to get them to resolve their problems. Who knows maybe communicating is all they needed to do (Happy Ending).

a/n: thank you; that's a very good request

Up and Down

Pairing: Lena Oberdorf x EintrachtF!Reader; Laura Freigang x GERWNT!Reader(best friend); GERWNT x Reader

Summary: based on the request above

Type: angst & fluff

Warning:

word count: 2295

-----

Honestly, you didn't know how you got there. A few minutes earlier, you were having just a little heated chat, and now things were totally blowing up.

"-you're always acting like that!" The midfielder yelled at you.

"Lena, watch your tone..." 

"Or what? You'll also tell it to Laura, maybe?" 

Here we go again, you thought. Honestly, you didn't know how everything started. Laura and you have always been close; she was like the sister you never had. Even after you signed your first contract with Wolfsburg and hers with Frankfurt, things never changed between you two. And it was really cool at first.

But since a few months ago, you started to date Lena. And even if everybody was aware of your bond with the number 10 of Frankfurt, the midfielder didn't see it in a good way. Well, not at first. At first, she was more than happy to see how you connected on the pitch with your best friend, but quickly you also restarted to connect off the pitch. As much as you could, you were on your way to Frankfurt to see her or on the phone with her, and that started to piss off your girlfriend. More than that, she started to accuse you of cheating on her with your own best friend, which was totally crazy.

"Can you please not bring that again?" You were already more angry about where things were going.

"Why?" 

"Look, we lost, okay? I'm as angry as you, but right now Laura has nothing to do with that." Losing 4-0 was never a good experience, even more so when it's against your best friend's team.

"Of course she has something to do with it when she scored a brace and that you didn't do anything to stop her." 

"I'm a striker; that's not my principal job to stop opponents offensives. That's your job, so stop being mad at something you should have done!" You also started to raise your voice. To be completely honest, you didn't like raising your voice and even more on Lena, even when she's mean like that.

"You know what? I don't know why we decided to start this." She said with a seemingly quieter voice. "Maybe it was a mistake."

You took a moment to analyze what she said before asking, "What do you mean? What was a mistake?" 

"Everything. This match. Us. Everything." She replied with a light sob.

"Babe, you're not doing what I think?" You asked even if you already knew the answer.

"Sorry, Y/n but it doesn't work between. I think we need to break up and start to focus more on ourselves than us." She replied. There was a loud silence while you were processing everything.

"No, Lena, please, you can't." 

"I'm sorry, Y/n." She said while she made her way to the door of your apartment. "I'll ask Jule to pick up my thing during the week. Good bye." She finished her sentence by closing the door behind her, letting you alone in front of the door with a blurry vision drowned in tears and a last memory of your lover ending what seemed to be the best thing in your life.

This night, you cried a lot. The other half of the bed being totally empty was the principal reason. Even before you started to date, Lena had a lot of sleepovers at your place, and most of the time you would both fall asleep on your bed after talking for hours about everything and nothing, like you didn't spend almost all your day together.

Crossing that door broke not only your relationship with her but also your friendship.

A few kilometers away from Wolfsburg, your best friend started to worry when she didn't receive any text from you. You always texted each other after a game, even if you played against each other. It was like a silent promise that you made.

At first, she thought that you were just trying to seek comfort with your girlfriend, but when the next day, Jule called her to let her know that you hadn't contacted any members of the team for the whole day, it started to worry her.

You still didn't know why you did this, but after Lena broke up with you, you called Tommy and told him that you needed some time to yourself before leaving the city. The ride was like usual; you knew it so well for a while now. When you arrived at your destination, it was already past 12 a.m. You didn't have to make the call to know that she would be there.

Laura was desperately trying to reach you when she heard someone knock on her door. She didn't wait until she opened the door to face you. You were exhausted because of the ride, and from your face, she knew that you didn't sleep eight hours the previous night.

"What are you doing here?" The midfielder asked but didn't wait for your answer to drag you into her apartment. "Jule called me; she said that you didn't reply when she called you and that something bad happened yesterday." Your best friend told you, very worried, and when you replied with nothing but silence, her state didn't change for the best. "Y/n? What's wrong?"

Hearing this question made you remember why you were there. Tears started to roll down your cheeks, and you didn't do anything to stop them.

"She left me." You said between sobs, making your best friend look at you confused. "She broke up with me." You added before falling apart. The Frankfurt player held you in her arms, trying to comfort you while her jaw was clenched. She was ready to kill the Wolfsburg player.

"Hey, I'll prepare the spare bedroom and let you rest well." She proposed after you started to calm down. When you nodded, she stood up and took your bags and put them in the spare room.

One hour later, you were sleeping while Laura was just ending a call with your mom when she told her that you had decided to spend some time in hers. She was pouring a cup of water, trying to calm her anger, when she heard someone knock on her door. Once the door opened, the midfielder was greeted by two of your national teammates.

"Where is she?" Anyomie asked. Laura pointed to the spare bedroom with her head, letting the forward find you.

"I swear I'll kill Lena." Sara declared while she followed the younger player.

"Not if I beat you on that," Laura said.

"Did she tell you why?"

"No, she came; she cried, and I prepared her a room, and she fell asleep almost instantly." The defender hummed, trying to understand everything.

~~~~~

You spent almost all the week at Laura, sometimes leaving to see your mom, who still lived in Frankfurt. After that week, you made your way back to Wolfsburg. The rest of the season was not really better because you finished second, just behind Bayern, and lost against Barcelona in the Champions League final.

Because of the situation with Lena and because Wolfsburg was not too excited to make you sign a new contract, when Frankfurt proposed to you to join them, you accepted instantly. This move made you distance yourself from Lena for a long period of time. But things couldn't stay like that when you had your national camp.

At camp, it was clear that your situation with the Wolfsburg player. You knew it because of some glare some players sent to her when you arrived. Thankfully for you, you were quickly dragged away by Jule and a few Bayern players. While you were distracted, Laura made her way to Lena with an unreadable face.

"Oh, ooh, someone is about to get killed right now." Lina said, alerting Alexandra.

The two younger women walk away from any attention before coming back a few minutes later. Lena had a rather scared expression, while Laura seemed satisfied.

Whatever your best friend told your ex-girlfriend, it made her stay away from you for at least a few days. But being on the same team meant that sometimes you had to face her. Thankfuly, every time you did, you were not alone. Since a few weeks now, you have spent all your free time with Sydney when you were not stuck with Laura.

Seeing this started to make Lena obviously jealous. It was so obvious that Merle and Alex had to keep an eye on the younger Wolfsburg player to be sure she didn't do something stupid.

~~~~~

What should be something rather private, started to worry the team when yours and Lena's performances on the pitch were worse than they should be. It was clear that things between you started to invade the professional side, and you felt bad for that because your teammates shouldn't have to suffer from that.

After the last game before the trip to Ocenia for the World Cup, you were requested by your captains in your and Laura's room.

"What's going on here?" You asked when you saw your ex-Wolfsburg captain on your bed.

"Y/n, we need to talk." Svenja told you gently, but you could sense that she was not really happy about whatever would happen.

You sat in front of them, waiting for one of them to start to speak, but your door got opened before that.

"Oh, sorry." Lena said when she saw you and your confused expression.

"No, Lena, stay here. We need to talk to you too." Alex said. The midfielder awkwardly sat between her two teammates. "Do you have any idea why we asked you to come here?" The tall captain asked, receiving two confused faces plus a groan from you.

"Okay, maybe we should ask others too." Svenja said, and you didn't have time to question it until your door burst open and all your teammates were there.

"What the hell are you doing here?" you asked.

"The real question is, why do we have to be there?" Sara asked, visibly tired; she just woke up from a nap.

"Sorry, Sara, I promise that we will not bother you after that, but it's really important." Svenja said.

"Oh, are we finally talking about the elephant in the room?" Jule asked before sitting next to Svenja.

"So, who wants to say it?" Alex's question earned a lot of raised hands. "I think you should do it, Laura." The captain said all the other girls whined or groaned in deception. Now your attention was on your best friend.

"You guys are terrible." Laura started referring to you and Lena. "We know that there is a whole problem between you; nobody can miss it. But we think that there are a lot of things that you didn't say to each other, and that starts to affect the team. So, I think you need to work on that because I promise you that it starts killing us to see you unable to connect on and off the pitch." The Frankfurt player explained, earning a nod from everyone, confirming what she said.

You and Lena look at each other. It was the first time you really looked at her since the breakup, and it's useless to say that despite what happened, you couldn't deny that she was still the same girl you fell in love with. The midfielder couldn't deny that either. When everyone noticed the looks, they took their clues and left you to talk.

The silence was a little cringe at first, but she knew she had to say something. "I'm sorry," she started. "I shouldn't act like that. I knew how you felt about being yelled at, and I still did that. I'm sorry, really."

"It's okay." You accepted her apology rather quickly, which seemed to surprise her. "But..." Of course there was a 'but'; there is always one. "You still need to apologize for something else." You reminded her.

The brunette looked at you for a moment, then quickly looked around the room. "I'm also sorry to believe that you cheated on me with Laura. I know that you hate when people ship on you, but I still use that to break up with you because I couldn't take all the pressure." She stopped for a moment, and her eyes started to shine. "I should have talked with you instead of ending this. I couldn't find peace for a few weeks after this day." 

You moved to sit next to her and grab her hand. "I accept your apology, but it really hurt me. And it was from you, so it was even worse. I loved you; no, I still love you because even after that, it is almost impossible to hate you. I don't know about you, but I really want to try again, but before that, you need to promise me to talk to me when things start to get too much." You finished by wiping her baby tears and leaving a kind kiss on her cheek.

"Yes, I promise you." She replied immediately, making you laugh. "Wait, you really want to try again despite everything?" she asked when she finally understood what you said.

"Yes, but before that, you need to prove that you deserve it and also apologize to Laura." You said before standing up and escorting her to the door.

"Wait, can I still ask you if I can pick you up tomorrow for a date?" It was really quick, but you had to admit that her confidence was one of the reasons you admired her. When you nodded, her face suddenly shone. "Okay, it's a date then." She clarified before selling the deal with a quick kiss on your lips.

[lovingseventeen]

hi! i just discovered your writing and you are so so talented. if possible, can you write how the members would react to finding out their s/o is sick? maybe with them trying to hide it, or the members are so busy and their partner didn’t want to tell them :)

svt when they find out their s/o is sick *ੈ✩‧₊˚

a/n: we are here for soft svt feels. also this got hella long because i have no chill LOL. also things may seem a little redundant bc the reader is always at home BUT you SHOULD be staying home if you're not feeling well !!

ALSO ALSO THANK YOU all for 700 followers! i hope this is a good present ♡

seungcheol:

❥ you knew he tended to have a lot on his plate as a leader of one of the most successful groups

❥ so you figured you didn't have to tell him you weren't feeling great. it's just a little cold after all

❥ you decide to take a nap, maybe sleep will lighten how you feel

❥ meanwhile, seungcheol sends you a little text, just his usual habit of checking up on you when he can, when you don't respond

❥ they're probably busy, he thinks, though it's a little out of character when 2 hours later, you haven't even opened his message

❥ somehow he gets out of practice early that day, so he decides to surprise you, bringing over some pastries from a bakery near the company building

❥ he's shocked to see a very fatigued you open your door

❥ "cheol?"

❥ immediately, his body fills with so much worry he almost doesn't know where to start

❥ "y/n? are you okay- wait, actually lets get you to sit first" he rambles, heart breaking when he sees you walk so slowly to your couch

❥ "what brought you over here? don't you usually have dance practice today?" you asked, voice quieter than usual

❥ "we got out early, but that doesn't matter, you're sick? why didn't you tell me?"

❥ "it's not that bad and you have so many things to worry about-" you try, only to be interrupted by your very concerned boyfriend

❥ "forget about all those other things!" he says with a slight pout, "i can't believe you've been alone when you're like this, that's it, i'm cancelling my day tomorrow"

❥ "you don't need to do that!" you protest, but he's already shooting someone -his manager probably- a text

❥ he partially wants to scold you for not telling him sooner but he can't argue with you in this state. his eyes look at you softly, noticing that you're leaning your head on the couch as you sit up, concluding that your head probably hurts too

❥ "y/n, i want to take care of you, okay? it hurts to see you like this, so just let me, okay?"

❥ definitely starts researching on home remedies and what medicine to buy as you lay your head on his lap

jeonghan:

❥ he was looking forward to your date at the end of the week, up until you sent him a text saying that you didn't think you could still make it

❥ hannie something came up so i don't think i can still go out on friday :(

❥ oh? are you alright at least? he replies

❥ yeah yeah i am, just work things :((

❥ he still wants to see you that day though, so he decides to try to surprise you by picking you up at your job with a little bouquet of flowers

❥ little does he know, you haven't been to work for a couple days, taking your sick leave

❥ um i'm here outside, can it at least drive you home? he sends

❥ at the sight of this text, you're calling him

❥ "hi baby" he says, and you can already tell he's smiling on the other end of the line

❥ "hi" you replied softly, "um, i'm not at work"

❥ this catches his off guard, "you're not?"

❥ "i've been home all week because i haven't been feeling well, but i also didn't want to worry you.." you explain, feeling awful over him being outside of your job

❥ "you're sick?" he asks, getting back into his car to continue the call

❥ "a bit, but it's not that bad!" you try to tell him

❥ "i'll come over" he tells you, but not before stopping by at a restaurant to bring you some hearty soup

❥ you greet him at your door with a mask on and even then he can tell that your eyes are tired. "sorry you went all the way over there"

❥ "that's okay i just wanted to see you, but you know it's my job to worry about you, right?" as he says this he holds out the bag of noodle soup towards you.

❥ "you should eat up so you get better" he urges, motioning for you to walk into your house

joshua:

❥ you guys have gotten into the habit of sending each other occasional pictures of what you're up to

❥ this particular day, he was recording and he sent you a cute little selfie from the recording booth. he even took a picture of the boys watching him record too, and of course, they all posed for the picture LOL

❥ you send him back an innocent selfie from home, but you weren't slick enough to hide the box of tissues and the bottle of medicine form the background

❥ he's calling you after his session is done (with a thumbs up from woozi). "hey darling, are you feeling alright? i noticed the medicine in the back of your photo?"

❥ "oh it's nothing," you assure him, "just a cold, not a big deal"

❥ "that's not nothing" he says softly, "do you need anything? have you eaten yet? are you drinking enough water?"

❥ after you answer yes to all of his questions, telling him not to worry, he concedes partially, but he still thinks about you throughout the day

❥ he checks up on you throughout the day, occasionally sending you random life hacks and home remedies to make you feel better

❥ you have to text him that no, you are not putting garlic in your socks or ears

❥ josh i really really appreciate the concern but it's really not that serious

❥ but if this works! you could feel better by tomorrow! <33

❥ he unfortunately can't come over because his schedule is a bit swamped, but he tells you not to cook anything tonight and orders food for you so you can take it easy

jun:

❥ when he surprises you on one of his days off, he winds up very surprised too

❥ when you open your door you raise your eyebrows as he takes in the sight of you. frankly, he can tell you might've not gotten enough sleep and that your nose is a little red (probably because it's runny?)

❥ "you're sick? why didn't you tell me?"

❥ he's ushering you to your bed and tucking you in

❥ he sits on the floor, facing you as he slightly tilts his head to the side and places a hand to your cheek

❥ "does your head hurt?" a weak nod. "throat too?" another nod. "do you want me to make you some tea?" you nod again, "okay baby"

❥ he's walking out of your room to go brew some tea and eventually he comes back with a mug and places it on your nightstand, "it's still really hot so maybe give it a couple minutes"

❥ as he's walking out of your room he pauses, "hey, call me if you need anything okay? you should probably rest up for now, i won't bother you, but i'll just be in your living room" he tells you, pulling your blanket up a little higher

❥ "thank you junnie" you say, voice barely above a whisper

❥ "of course"

❥ a couple hours later, he practically tip toes into your room just to retrieve the empty cup of tea from your nightstand, careful not to wake you

❥ you were falling in and out of sleep anyways, so you woke up to see his figure so carefully lifting the mug

❥ when he catches you watching him he goes, "oh shit, did i make a noise or something?" and you're shaking your head

❥ "is it okay you're spending your day off like this?" you asked, feeling bad knowing that he didn't have a lot of free time

❥ "like what?"

❥ "you know, cooped up inside with someone who's been sleeping all day"

❥ he crouches down to run a hand through your hair. "baby it's not your fault you're sick, it's really okay. if anything, it's a rest day for me too and i get to catch up on some shows" he assures

hoshi:

❥ you know he's been busy creating choreography recently, so you haven't seen him in about two weeks

❥ (you also don't tell him because you know he'll try to kiss you without regards to himself getting sick)

❥ but when you say no to him coming over your entire plan of getting better by yourself goes out the window

❥ "baby! i'll come over after practice today, i think we'll wrap up early!" he says when he calls. this causes you to rack your brain for excuses for him not to

❥ "oh that's okay you don't have to, aren't you tired, baby?"

❥ "never too tired to come see my baby" he gushes and your heart aches because you can hear the smile in his voice

❥ "but don't you have to be up tomorrow too?" you try

❥ his voice turns a little less excited. "do you not want me to come over? what's wrong?"

❥ "no! no, it's not that, it's just i don't want you to be too tired" you're really fighting for your life here

❥ "i'm not too tired, i'll see you later today" he tells you, but you can't miss the change in his voice

❥ as he's driving over he's thinking over how you were speaking. why didn't you seem excited about him coming over? usually you were.. were you tired of him? was there someone else? he tried to fight his racing thoughts and the little hurt in his heart

❥ when you open your door he misses the mask that you were wearing, as he makes his way inside

❥ "where is he?" he asks and suddenly you can see the tears welling in his eyes

❥ "soonyoung, where's who?" you ask frantically

❥ "someone's here, aren't they? does he make you happier?" and there's a heartbreaking crack in his voice

❥ "what? no!" you grasp onto his arm, "what are you talking about?"

❥ "it's why you didn't want me to come over right?" he asks, eyes searching yours, when he finally sees the mask, "why are you wearing that at home?"

❥ "baby i'm sick, no one's here. there's no one else at all" you explain, closing your eyes for a moment because this is the most you've walked all day and your head is pounding

❥ he softens at the sight, "oh i'm so sorry" and he's immediately helping you walk to your couch, "i'm so stupid"

❥ "just didn't want to get you sick too" you explained, gently pushing away from his chest because he's pulling you into him, "probably shouldn't get too close to me"

❥ "i don't care" he dismisses, "let me hold you"

❥ you're too weak to escape his hugs on a regular day, much less now, so you give in

❥ you lightly smack his arm as your head is against his chest, "did you really think i was cheating"

❥ a gentle squeeze. "no, but the thought really scared me"

❥ "well, you shouldn't ever be scared of that. where else are you gonna find a horanghae supporter as loyal as me?"

❥ finally, the two of you are laughing

wonwoo:

❥ i don't think he'd be the type to get super upset at you not telling him sooner, but he does make every effort to make your life easier as soon as he knows

❥ why potentially argue with his love when they're already sick? he figures

❥ when he comes over to see you walking around with a blanket wrapped around you he already knows

❥ the two of you spend the day on the couch not doing much, he's just keeping you company, giving your leg some random rhythmic pats as you just lay there

❥ but as soon as you're starting to sit up, he's on alert

❥ "what is it? do you need something?"

❥ "just gonna get water" you reply, but he's getting up already, patting your leg again

❥ "i got it, just stay here"

❥ and it's a series of small things that day, water, tea, your medicine, he'll get all of it so you can rest and recover

❥ almost helps you get up to walk when you laugh and tell him you have enough energy to walk yourself to the bathroom

❥ though he doesn't scold you for not telling him sooner, he does remind you at some point, "i'm always here for you, for anything"

woozi:

❥ a tad bit whiny when he has to find out that you're sick through your story

❥ you get a text that says you know you're supposed to tell me these things y/n

❥ what things? you asked, brain working a little bit slower than usual as you were indeed feeling a little bit clouded

❥ that you're sick >:( and not being taken care of >:((

❥ i can handle it, it's okay

❥ then you receive a simple no, followed by a it's not okay

❥ will search up a good shake to make for sick people and drop it off at your house before he has to go back to the studio

❥ gives you a disappointed look for not telling him sooner but this facade breaks before he leaves you. he still asks, "but really, y/n, are you okay? because i can probably tell the company i have an emergency-"

❥ you wave off the offer, "jihoon, go make your music," you chuckled, "frankly i think the worst of it has passed, i'm okay, really"

❥ he nods, but still looks at you a little skeptically, "are you sure?"

❥ "yes, yes"

❥ "okay, so i'll head out for now, but i'll try to come by again when i'm done," he says, starting to walk down the hall towards the elevator, "i'll text you first and if you don't reply i'll assume you're sleeping and i'll just come back tomorrow, okay?"

❥ "okay, that works" you agree, chuckling as he keeps turning back as he walks away

❥ "you're still sure?"

❥ "i'm sure" you confirm

❥ "are you really? i can call right now" he says, keeping the elevator open for one last question

❥ "go to work, jihoon!" you say, both of you chuckling as you both wave goodbye

dokyeom:

❥ feels like the worst boyfriend ever to not have known, as if by dating a telepathic connection would automatically be formed between the two of you

❥ doesn't even complain about how you didn't tell him in the first place

❥ somehow he finds out through your best friend, who sent him a text asking if they could drop off your medicine at hybe since they were supposed to stop by your place but then couldn't

❥ (your friend knew you didn't want to worry him amidst his approaching comeback, but they had an emergency)

❥ when you open your door, you're very surprised to not only see your boyfriend, but to see your boyfriend on his knees, holding the bag of medicine

❥ "baby i'm so sorry" he looks so genuine in his apology too HELP

❥ "for what- wait, get up first" you stutter, helping him back to his feet

❥ "you're sick! i should've been taking care of you" he says with a pout, holding onto your forearms

❥ "but you have your comeback to worry about-" you try but he's already shaking his head, he checks your temperature by placing the back of his hand on your forehead before cupping your cheek

❥ "we're perfectly on schedule for that, i could've taken care of you regardless. c'mon baby, let me make it up to you" (when he literally has nothing to make up for)

❥ will baby you and there's no stopping it until you're fully back to regular health

❥ almost insists on feeding you, keeps track of when you should take your medicine, and also routinely checks if you're staying hydrated

❥ even when he has to leave your apartment (which you have to convince him that you can survive on your own) he checks up on you through texts

mingyu:

❥ appalled that you didn't tell him as soon as you were starting to feel under the weather

❥ he discovers that you're sick when he calls you and you try to answer, only to start coughing. the smile that he always has when he calls you is soon wiped away

❥ "you're not feeling good? since when, baby?"

❥ "uh, i don't know 'gyu, maybe monday?" it was thursday, so you've been feeling sick for a couple days now?? it's definitely news to him

❥ "i'm gonna make you something to feel better," he promises, telling you that he'll be over soon before you could protest

❥ when he arrives you see that he has a bag of groceries in one hand and he's automatically moving towards your kitchen

❥ "'gyu you really didn't have to," you say trailing behind him, "besides, what if you get sick? then you can't practice and perform..."

❥ "company? hybe, who?" he asks, and for a moment you almost believe the fake confused look he's giving you (they're really getting better with acting on that don't lie series)

❥ "i only have one job right now" he deadpans, "and it's to feed you well today"

❥ you sit in the kitchen as you watch him work, resting your head on your table because it feels too heavy to lift it

❥ mingyu occasionally glances towards you too, heart aching over your lack of usual energy

❥ when he finishes cooking, he scoops out your portion and lightly garnishes it before setting your bowl down in front of you (you managed to lift your head for this)

❥ frankly, the entire kitchen was starting to smell good, but the bowl being directly on front of you smelled even better

❥ "thank you for this, i love you, you know," you say before scooping some of the hot soup and blowing on your spoon to cool it

❥ he doesn't even serve himself yet, he just watches you as you take your first bite, smiling when you excitedly prepare your second, then your third

❥ "this is really good 'gyu"

❥ he smiles even wider, "yeah?"

❥ "i love it, and you" you repeat

❥ "i love you too," he says, "and i'll always make you something so you can feel better"

minghao:

❥ i think by the time he finds out he's giving you a scolding while simultaneously walking around your house and adjusting things better for you

❥ he makes you sit down and rest your head back as he puts a wet cloth on your forehead

❥ "you, sit. the sick person shouldn't argue" he tells you, but not without running a hand down the side of your head

❥ you close your eyes for a moment, hearing minghao things shuffle around. you wonder what he's up to but you actually end up falling asleep

❥ when you wake up, the wet cloth is gone from your forehead and the living room seems a little neater. then when you walk around, you see that he's already gone out and bought some medicine and organized them on your table

❥ on your fridge there's a note that says what medicine you should take when, a reminder to drink water, and a reminder to call him if you need anything

❥ he's coming out of your room when you see him, "oh you're up? i just made your bed" (in fact, he tidied your entire room)

❥ "do you want to have a bath?" he asks, and if you do, he WILL wash your hair for you and give you one of the most soothing massages. you can literally just sit in the tub and not have to lift a finger

❥ will pat you down with your towel and get you into new pajamas (that he threw into the drier right before so they're extra toasty)

❥ detangles and blow dries your hair after, and this whole pampering session does somewhat lift how you feel

❥ makes you eat some dinner, but not too much so your stomach can handle it

❥ "thank you for all of this, hao" you tell him as you sip your soup

❥ "you don't have to thank me, it's my job to make you feel better" he tells you, "you don't ever have to hide not feeling well from me, okay?"

❥ will indeed tuck you into bed that day before he leaves too

seungkwan:

❥ unfortunately he's on tour when you get sick, so you really don't want to add to his stress

❥ but your boo is the kind that gets fussy even when you get a papercut

❥ he's the kind to insist on being the person to wrap your finger up with a bandaid

❥ so when he hears your groggy voice on your daily phone call it immediately catches his attention

❥ "somethings up" he concurs

❥ "what's up?" you ask

❥ "you're voice" he notes, "it's different than usual"

❥ "no it's not" you say, attempting to sound as normal as possible with your throat so scratchy

❥ "y/n, are you sick?"

❥ "no this is just my voice"

❥ a deep sigh. "you should really tell me when you're not feeling well..." and the lecture on why you need to keep yourself healthy ensues

❥ really, within this lecture you can tell he isn't mad, as his voice is really laced with concern and you have to tell him multiple times that it's just a cold and no he should not abandon the rest of his tour

❥ on top of the lecture, he asks you about your symptoms like he's a doctor while also making you promise to go see a doctor the next day (with a virtual pinky promise)

❥ he's still a bit pouty as you end your call but of course he still tells you, "you know i'm not actually mad and that i love you but i will be if you get sick again and don't tell me when i'm actually around" >:(

vernon:

❥ i feel like i write vernon as a confused person a lot but here it is again, he's confused

❥ why would you not tell him?

❥ obviously, he's also concerned when he comes over and you're coughing like crazy

❥ he's rubbing up and down your back as he asks, "why wouldn't you tell me about this?"

❥ "didn't want you to worry about something small"

❥ "well clearly, this is not something small" he says somewhat matter-of-factly, and after a moment he asks "are we not dating?"

❥ he's speaking so casually and without a single trace of annoyance

❥ "of course we're dating"

❥ "then you tell me," he says softly, "it's part of my boyfriend duties. it's like one of the immediate ones"

❥ this made you giggle, "you're disappointed you couldn't fulfill your boyfriend duties?"

❥ he scoffs but softens when you cough again, "well, yeah"

dino:

❥ "how could you not tell me! y/n" he exclaims when he comes over and sees your coffee table scattered with tissues and with you wrapped up in your duvet like a cocoon

❥ "didn't want to worry you, you have that comeback soon, right?"

❥ "that doesn't matter!" he partially whines, "not when you're home like this!"

❥ "i can't dance when i know my baby is sick!" he continues, dropping his body weight on the couch next to you

❥ "i'm fine i can handle myself-" you try with a voice already muffled by your runny nose, only to be interrupted by your own body needing to sneeze

❥ "but you're not fine! that sneeze made your whole house shake!"

❥ "chan you're making my head hurt more with your dramatic ass!" you whined, wincing at the volume of your own voice too

❥ this makes him calm down lmao, reaching over to you wrapped like a burrito to pull you close, "okay okay, i'll stop yelling, i'm sorry" he chuckles, "but can you promise to let me know next time so i can take care of you? please?"

❥ you rolled your eyes jokingly, but agreed

[woah-were-halfway-there]

The Makeup

aka, The Fight: Pt. 3

a/n: alrightyyyy here's the last part of this bit of the series. i think after this i'll go back to writing the scare when little man is born and mia becoming a big sister if y'all are still wanting to read that :)

word count: 9.3k

“You’re sure you’re ok?” Lexie asked from the other end of the phone. “Do you want me to come to Toronto this weekend? We can do something fun. Get you out of Mitch’s condo and do something other than work.”

“Lexie, I’m fine,” Carson told her best friend while nodding a quick thanks to the Starbucks barista who handed her the drink she ordered. It was nearing the end of her lunch break at work, and this was her last stop before returning to the office. “You’re in Chicago, babe. You don’t have to come all the way here for me.”

“Carson, you’re not fine, so don’t even try to lie to me about it.”

Carson sighed and tried to keep her composure because she didn’t have it in her to cry again.

“I’m trying to be fine, Lex.”

It’d been 13 days since Carson and Auston's fight after she found out he’d been charged and tried keeping it from her. That also meant Carson had been staying with Mitch and Steph for 13 days, and it’d been 13 days since she last spoke to Auston.

Following the fight with Auston, Carson missed a couple of work days as her depression about the situation made her feel like she couldn’t get out of bed. By the end of the work week, she returned to the office only briefly but decided to take an impulse trip to Vancouver to see her dad and sister, Mya and get out of Toronto for a little bit as she navigated her feelings.

After returning from Vancouver three days later, things went back to normal for Carson. Well, as normal as they could.

She went back to work, all while acting like nothing was out of the ordinary and continued staying in the spare bedroom at Mitch and Steph’s place. But she still hadn’t talked to Auston about anything because she didn’t know how.

Carson’s friends and colleagues at work noticed something was up. Gone was the friendly, bubbly girl they came to know and loved having as a new addition to the office, as she became a much quieter and mopey version of herself. To them, it was apparent something had happened, but they didn’t want to overstep if she didn’t want to talk about it.

Two people in that office knew what was happening. Max and Tara worked directly with Carson on the same projects, and in the short month and a half Carson had been working there, she immediately clicked with them. They knew all about Carson’s relationship with Auston, having even met him in a non-work setting when the three of them went out for drinks, and he chatted with them for a little bit before driving himself and Carson home. They knew how absolutely in love Carson and Auston were with each other and how this fight affected Carson.

Max and Tara were Carson’s rock in the office, and despite feeling her chest get heavy while talking on the phone with Lexie, she knew they’d help her get through the rest of the day.

“I know you are, babe,” Lexie spoke softly and sighed, bringing Carson back to reality. “I’m just worried about you. And I miss my best friend.”

“I know, and I appreciate you,” Carson told her honestly. “I miss you too, so freaking much. But I don’t want you to come here while I’m like this. I know you’ve seen me in a worse state, but I’m just trying to decide what I want to do about everything with Auston. This is fucking hard.”

“I still want to give Auston a piece of my mind, but for your sake, I won’t. At least not yet. Have you thought about reaching out to him so you can talk?”

“Of course I have. I miss him, Lex—more than I can explain. I miss him, our conversations, our routine, talking with his family, and the feeling of safety I had being with him. But whenever I think about any of that, I think about how he kept such a big thing from me, and it hurts. I almost cracked and told him I was at the game last week, but I knew he’d want to talk afterwards, and I chickened myself out.”

“I understand,” Lexie sighed again. “But Carse, I’m going to give it to you straight here, okay? If you don’t want to fix things, let Auston know. You also gotta let him know if you want to figure things out. It’s been two weeks, babe. As mad as I am at him for hurting you, I know this entire situation is killing him, too, and I really think he deserves to know where you stand.”

Carson took a moment to respond but slowly nodded her head as she entered the front doors of her office building.

“You’re right,” she agreed. “He’s given me space and been patient. I feel like I’ve been stringing him along, making him wait so long and in the dark. God, I just wish none of this happened.”

“I know, it sucks. But you’ll figure it out, babe. You always do.”

“Thanks, Lexie,” Carson responded and took a deep breath. “I plan on figuring it out soon because I’m over feeling like this. But anyway, I’m almost back in the office, so I've got to go. Love you. I’ll text you tonight.”

“Love you too, girly,” Lexie said. “Keep your head up, and I’ll talk to you later. Bye!”

“Bye!”

Just as Carson hung up her phone and slid it back into her bag, the elevator door opened, and she quickly scanned her pass so she could be taken up to her office floor.

Once she was back at work, Carson was greeted by her coworkers as she passed them and headed toward her office. After she set her bag and iced coffee on the desk, her computer lit up and showed the time. She still had 20 minutes before her lunch was officially over, so she decided that was enough time to eat the last bit of food she had in the fridge.

Max and Tara were still in the breakroom when Carson entered, and she couldn’t help but smile at how it was just the three of them there.

“Carson!” Max greeted her excitedly and waved her over. “You have good fashion taste. Tell me what you think of this sweater. Tara thinks it’s too extra.”

“Let me see,” Carson replied as she grabbed her container of strawberries and joined the other two at the table. Once she was sitting, Max handed her his phone, showing a tie-dye sweater from a website he was looking at. “I like it. Auston has a similar one-.”

Carson immediately cut herself off and shook her head, taken back by her comment. In the last two weeks, she’d only mentioned Auston when talking about what happened. She hadn’t mentioned him in general conversation like she always did before their argument, which didn’t go unnoticed by Max and Tara as they sent each other knowing glances, and Max slowly took his phone back from Carson.

“Well, I doubt something like that would look as good on me as it does on Auston,” he said. “He looks fine in just about anything.”

“Oh, would you stop talking about her man like that? Go find your own to thirst over,” Tara scolded before glancing sideways at Carson and noticing she wasn’t reacting to what they were saying. “Speaking of Auston…”

“Hmm?” Carson hummed, zoning back in on what they were saying.

“Auston, babe,” Max spoke bluntly but softened his voice when Carson looked at him sadly. “Still nothing, huh?”

“No, we haven’t talked,” Carson replied, then stared down at her strawberries, suddenly losing her appetite.

Max and Tara looked at each other again and sighed, knowing full well the toll this was taking on their friend.

“I see you put your necklace back on,” Tara said, nodding to the designer white gold chain around Carson’s neck. “That was a gift from Auston, right?”

“Yeah, it was,” Carson explained as she gently brushed her fingers against the two bands that linked together in the middle, making her love necklace. “He got it for me when I graduated in June. I’d only ever taken it off to have it cleaned before I took it off after our fight. Not having it on felt weird, so I dug it out of my bag to wear it again.”

“I need a man who gifts me, Cartier,” Max tsked, hoping to ease the mood, but regretted it when Carson remained silent. “Carson, honey, is there anything we can do to help?”

“We hate seeing you like this,” Tara added, leaning over to squeeze Carson’s hand. Max quickly joined and placed his hand on top of both of them.

Carson relaxed at their gesture and smiled.

“Sorry, guys,” she responded and took a breath. “Unfortunately, I don’t think much can make me feel better until I talk to him.”

“Understandable,” Max told her with a soft smile. “But also don’t be hard on yourself for taking the time you need to figure out what you want to do.”

“Exactly,” Tara agreed. “If Auston were remotely the type of guy he’s always seemed to be to us, he’d be okay with you taking your time regardless of how he’s feeling.”

“You two always know what to say to make me feel better,” Carson smiled and squeezed both of their hands. “Thank you.”

“We got you,” Max stated.

“Always,” said Tara, patting Carson’s hand before pulling away. “We’ll let you eat your strawberries in peace.”

“OK, guys, I’ll see you out there.”

“And you better actually eat them, or we’ll have issues,” Max threatened as he pushed in his chair and sent Carson a slight glare before following after Tara.

Carson just shook her head as she watched them go, then glanced down at her strawberries again before picking one up and popping it into her mouth.

About 10 minutes later, Carson’s lunchtime was almost over. She stood up from the table and went over to the sink to rinse out her now empty container before heading back to her desk to prep for the remainder of the work day. However, just as she was about to exit the breakroom, she almost ran right into someone.

“I’m sorry,” Carson stammered as she stepped back and looked up to make eye contact with Spencer, another of her coworkers.

“It’s quite alright,” Spencer replied and smiled charmingly. “How are you, Carson?”

“Oh, uh, I’m alright, thanks. How was your weekend?”

“It was good, pretty uneventful.”

Spencer was nice. He had been nothing but friendly toward Carson since she started working in the office, but something just put her off about him. Spencer’s condo wasn’t far from the one she shared with Auston, and for a reason, Carson didn’t understand; he drove to work almost every day and always offered her a ride. Their office was located downtown. Therefore, driving wasn’t always necessary, but Carson would’ve been lying if she didn’t appreciate those rides on days she was running late or the weather was bad.

However, something still rubbed her wrong with him. Spencer was charismatic, meaning he was very good at conversing. He had a way with words and could chat with anyone about anything. But, he also made many comments that had Carson pausing, feeling as though he was hitting on her, which she’d always responded to, making it known she was in a relationship.

Spencer knew she was in a relationship, but there were still times he tested those boundaries, and Carson hated it. She didn’t think this would be one of those times.

“That’s nice,” Carson told him with a smile and internally hoped the conversation would end there. “Anyways, I should probably get back to my desk.”

Carson nodded, and Spencer did the same back, but before she could walk around him, he spoke up again.

“Wait, Carson, before you go, I was hoping I could ask you something.”

“Oh, sure, of course. What’s up?”

“Are you free to get drinks with me today after work?” He asked, making Carson go stiff.

“As colleagues?” Carson hesitantly asked, but she knew better. She was sure Spencer’s intentions weren’t just friendly, but that was a boundary she needed to set.

“I was thinking it could be more like a date if you’re interested.”

“Spencer, no. I have a boyfriend. I’m not interested in you like that at all. I’m sorry.”

Spencer’s entire demeanour changed at that.

“I see,” he said and adjusted his posture, looking slightly more intimidating. “I thought you and the hockey player broke up.”

“I- no, we’re still in a relationship,” Carson explained, despite feeling a little unsure. She and Auston were still together, right?

“You stopped mentioning him, and I noticed you turned the pictures of the two of you on your desk around, so I figured you called it quits.”

There was something about his tone that Carson didn’t like. Maybe it was ignorance. Perhaps it was arrogance. Either way, though, it pissed her off.

“We didn’t break up,” Carson confirmed out loud, mainly to reassure herself. “Things are… rough right now. But we’re still together.”

Spencer scoffed.

“I doubt this will be the only time he hurts you, Carson. Maybe you’re just too naive to see that.”

“And maybe you’re just a dick who made an assumption and then got his ego hurt by a girl who is not and will never be interested in him.”

Spencer blinked, surprised at how she snapped at him, but didn’t say anything.

“This conversation is over,” Carson continued, seething. “But before I go, just know that if you attempt to corner me or anyone in the office like this again, I’ll ensure HR knows all about it.”

Nothing else could be said, so Carson stepped around him and wasn’t stopped.

Part of her wanted to cry as she beelined for her office. She was annoyed and frustrated with the situation, but one thought was prominent in everything she felt: her desire to talk to Auston.

The remainder of Carson’s work day went by quickly despite an anxious nagging feeling she had. Spencer kept his distance while Max and Tara promptly addressed the tension between him and Carson, but not in a way Spencer would hear it. Tara immediately messaged in the group chat with Max and Carson, asking what happened, which Carson filled them in on. She ended the conversation by admitting that the ordeal with Spencer made her want to talk to Auston because she hated not knowing where they stood.

Carson then internally admitted that although she was still hurt and upset with Auston, she still loved him and wanted to be with him. But she didn’t know how to go about it. For all she knew, Auston thought she was overreacting and didn’t want to wait for her to come back around. Of course, she didn’t want to believe that could happen, but Carson’s brain could be so damn mean to her sometimes.

But that’s what she needed to remind herself. Her brain was just mean. There was no way for Carson to know the future of her and Auston’s relationship if she didn’t talk to him. It wasn’t fair to Auston or herself to make assumptions and let that scare her away without first talking to him about it.

Her mind was scrambled, so Max and Tara convinced her to leave the office early and have time to collect her thoughts in a place that wasn’t the office. Carson was hesitant to leave early, but she had completed everything she needed to do that day before her lunch break and got a head start on some other things despite feeling all jumbled. About an hour went by, and she was still on the fence about leaving, but that changed when Spencer went to the photocopier that directly viewed Carson’s office despite a different photocopier being closer to the break room and his office.

Carson went stiff when she saw him walk by and didn’t miss the way he looked into her office as he went. He said nothing, but Carson was not up for playing any of his petty little games. So, after sending a message to her supervisor explaining all the work she’d completed that day and asking if it was alright if she went home early, Carson wasted no time packing up her things and leaving the office once told it was okay to leave. She didn’t even look in Spencer’s direction as she stormed out of her office, only stopping to say bye to Max and Tara and waving at those she passed on her way out.

When Carson arrived at Mitch and Steph’s condo, it was quiet. She knew Steph had things to do that day, meaning her friend probably wasn’t home, but she wasn’t sure about Mitchy.

The Leafs played against St. Louis that night, so it was likely that her cousin was home having a pregame nap before he had to get ready to go to the arena. Carson glanced at her watch to see it was nearing three in the afternoon. Therefore, it’d be odd if Mitch wasn’t home, so she tried her best to be quiet as she took off her heels before heading to the guest room to put her work things in there and maybe watch a show. However, she didn’t make it far when a familiar brown lab entered the hallway and rushed toward her excitedly.

“Hi, Zeusy boy,” Carson quietly greeted the dog as she crouched to his level and scratched behind his ears. “Is your dad sleeping?”

“Nah, I’m right here,” Mitch said as he entered the hallway. He was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts, and his hair was dishevelled, showing that he had been lying down.

“Shit, I’m sorry, Mitchy. Did I wake you up?”

“No, you’re good. I was just scrolling on my phone. You’re home early, though. Everything alright?”

“Uh, yeah,” Carson mumbled as she stood back up and smoothed her blouse. “I finished all of my work early and have a really good start on the stuff I have to do for the rest of the week. I just have a lot of stuff on my mind. I know I’m not in the office for the rest of the week now because my boss is away, but I didn’t want to be there anymore today. ”

“I see,” Mitchy responded, then narrowed his gaze at his cousin, knowing something was bothering her. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Of course, she wanted to talk to her twin about everything bugging her, but Carson didn’t want to bother Mitch with her problems.

“No, no, it’s ok. You have to start getting ready soon anyway. I think I’m just going to curl up and watch a show. Have a chill night in.”

“Carson.”

The look Mitch gave her as he crossed his arms showed that he wasn’t impressed by her answer, which made Carson sigh.

“Fine,” she huffed. “Let me change into something comfy, and then I’ll tell you.”

Mitch smirked at her triumphantly before calling for Zeus to follow him to the living room, and Carson went to the guest room. A few minutes later, she emerged in the hallway again wearing a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie, then made her way to the living room and curled up on the couch next to her best friend.

Carson spent the next few minutes telling Mitch what happened with Spencer at the office, including the back story of how he’d been flirty before despite knowing she was in a relationship. She then explained what Spencer said after she turned him down and what was on her mind afterwards.

“First off, fuck that guy,” Mitch said once Carson finished her spiel.

“I know, he sucks,” Carson agreed, then took a sip of the water bottle Mitch had grabbed for her.

“I’m glad you put him in his place, but it wouldn’t hurt to report him to HR or something, Carse.”

“I know, I’m going to tomorrow. I don’t want him to make anyone else in the office feel like I did today.”

“Good,” Mitchy replied, nodding his head, then stopping and glancing at his cousin again. “And you think you want to talk to Auston again now?”

Carson sighed.

“Yeah, I do. I miss him, Mitchy, and I need to know where we stand. It’s just frustrating because I still don’t know what I feel or what to do, but I know I need to talk to him. How is he? Is he good?”

“Matts? I mean, yeah, he’s alright. Same old now that the season has started. Not much else is going on at the moment. He asks about you a lot, though. Every day I see him, actually. He misses you too, Carse. I don’t want you to think he doesn’t. But, you gotta do what you think is best for you.”

“But I don’t know if what I want is what’s best for me,” Carson stressed, pushing her hair away from her face as she inhaled. “And that’s the thing. Can I trust Auston again after keeping such a big thing from me? I may have never known if the media didn’t get their hands on the information. Although part of me wishes I was as oblivious to the fact as I was two weeks ago, I still can’t believe it even happened and knowing that it did is a lot. But this is something I’d want to know. I just- how many other significant things hasn’t he told me? Is it too naive of me to want to think he wouldn’t keep something like this from me again?”

“It was extremely dumb for him not to tell you,” Mitch started. “It was even more ridiculous for him to do what he did, whether it was a drunken mistake or not. I will say, though, Auston seems to be learning from it. He’s trying, and that’s really all anyone can ask for. Of course, it doesn’t improve the situation, but he’s being cooperative. And I know one thing he really wants to fix is his relationship with you as he navigates moving forward from this. However, if you don’t think that’s best for you, you’ve gotta listen to that. I can’t see you tearing yourself up because of a relationship again, Carse. I’ve already made Auston clear of my feelings about the situation, and we’re okay now, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to say, ‘Yes, you two should figure things out and not break up.’ I love you and Auston together and am always rooting for you guys, but I’ll always care most about your happiness. You’re my best friend. And if you think Auston is who will still make you the happiest, you can’t let anyone make you think otherwise. If you can forgive him, great. But if not, I’ll still be in your corner and we’ll figure it out.”

Carson stayed silent for a moment, processing Mitch’s words. She inhaled deeply, reached up to wipe away a tear that broke free from her watering eyes, and then sniffled before looking back at her cousin.

“I wish I knew what to do, Mitchy. I wish I could go back to him and not be afraid he’d hurt me like this again. And I know I may have overreacted when all of this happened, but it was like being slapped in the face. I was blindsided, and now I feel like I’m in a hole. I don't know how to escape.”

“I know,” Mitch told her softly. “But I think you gotta do what you told me when we started this conversation, and that’s talk to Auston. You won’t know what you want regarding your relationship with him if you don’t.”

“You’re right,” Carson agreed. “I just have to build the courage to reach out to him. It should probably be soon, though, huh?”

“Carson, let me tell you it has been so pathetic seeing him mope over you,” Mitchy stated, making Carson cover her mouth, attempting to hide her chuckle. “Like good, he should know he fucked up, but Auston is so miserable because he misses you, and I can’t even tease him about it because the nice guy in me doesn’t want to make him feel worse.”

“Wow, how considerate of you,” Carson teased while Mitch nudged her with his shoulder. Carson pushed back, but soon enough, they stopped, and Carson leaned her head onto her cousin's shoulder. “Thanks for always looking out for me, Mitchy.”

“Gotta make sure my twin is always okay,” he responded, leaning his head against hers. “Like your mom used to say, it’s the two of us against the world.”

“It is. And I’m lucky to have you as my best friend backing me up every step of the way.”

“You really are stuck with me.”

“And I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Carson chuckled, then sat up again so she could look at Mitch. “But, you need to start getting ready, or else you’ll be late.”

“Shit, you’re right,” Mitch stated, quickly getting off the couch to gather his things. “You’re coming to the game tonight, no?”

“I don’t think so, Mitchy. I’m going to watch from here with Zeus. I don’t want to be back there just yet.”

“OK, fair. You’re welcome to join us after the game, though. Steph will want you there. I can give you a heads up if Auston comes out or not, too.”

“I appreciate it, but I’m ok,” Carson insisted. “I think I’m going to watch the game from here and think about what to do.”

“Alright. Promise to update me if anything happens or you decide you do want to come out?”

“I promise. Now go get ready.”

Mitch was ready and out of the condo within half an hour. Once he was gone, Carson put on Netflix and watched an episode of her show with Zeus before Steph got home. She was in a rush, too, having to get ready since she was going to the game that night with some of the other girlfriends. She tried multiple times to convince Carson to join her, but Carson was adamant about having an evening to herself, which Steph respected.

“I know you don’t want to come, but you’re sure there’s nothing I can do before I leave?” Steph asked as she battled with zipping up one of the tall boots she decided to wear that evening.

“I’m sure, Steph. You and Mitch have done enough for me,” Carson told her. “Go have fun tonight.”

“I’d have more fun if you came with me,” the blonde pouted, making Carson roll her eyes and smile at the dramatics. “But it’s fine, I’m fine. I’m sure Zeusy will love having you to hang out with.”

“The feeling is mutual.”

Carson then began scratching behind Zeus’ ears, which earned her a content noise from the chocolate lab before Steph spoke again.

“Ok. I’m going. You know to help yourself to any food or whatever, but please text me if you need anything or change your mind about coming.”

“You know I will,” Carson told her honestly. “I’ll watch from here and see you when you’re back tonight.”

“Ok, ok, I won’t press you anymore,” Steph said as she came over to give Zeus some love before leaving. “Alright, actually going now. Love ya!”

“Love ya too, have fun!”

And with that, it was just Zeus and Carson watching another episode of her show before it was game time.

Soon enough, the game started, and Carson hated that seeing Auston on the TV screen was still enough to feel a pang in her chest, but there was no arguing, just how much she missed him. As the game went on, Carson found herself paying more attention to Auston whenever the camera showed him than she did to the actual game, and before she knew it, the game was over.

The Leafs lost to the Blues, but Carson kept the channel on as post-game media started. She watched Will and Freddie do interviews and then felt her breath hitch when Auston came on the screen again. Hearing his voice answer questions about the game really hit her. It’d been almost two weeks since she last heard it, yet it still soothed her. She watched the entire interview, noticing how, along with the silver chain Auston wore around his neck, he was also wearing the Cartier love necklace that matched the one she wore. Both pieces of jewelry peaked out from Auston’s shirt, but when reporters kept bombarding him with questions, Carson noticed how he reached up to fiddle with the love necklace, gently rubbing his thumb over the two circles that linked in the middle.

It was then Carson decided she needed to talk to him as soon as possible. She wasn’t beating around the bush anymore; she knew they needed to speak, and there was no point in pushing it back then chickening out. But, as she waited to reach out to Auston, hoping he was home, her nerves returned, and she started convincing herself it wasn’t a good idea.

Carson’s heart pounded as she glanced at her phone again from where it lay between her and Zeus on the couch and debated what to do.

It was nearing 10:30pm. It had been over an hour since the game ended, and Carson knew Mitch and Steph wouldn’t return home immediately. Instead, they had plans to go out with some of the other guys and their girlfriends since the Leafs didn’t play for another few days. Mitch and Steoh invited Carson to join again, but she declined because she felt uncomfortable being the odd one out.

Carson didn’t know if Auston went with the group. There was a good chance that he did, and that was feeding into her debate about not calling him, but she wanted to. She needed to talk to him.

So, with a deep breath to calm her heart, Carson unlocked her phone. She opened the messages app and didn’t need to scroll to find her conversation with her boyfriend.

Carson felt like the wind was knocked out of her when she saw Auston’s name with the red heart emoji beside it and the photo of them in Arizona that past summer set as his contact picture. That feeling didn’t go away as she glanced at the text thread between them.

Despite not properly talking for almost two full weeks, Auston still messaged her every one of those days since their fight, saying that he loved her, missed her, was sorry and hoped she had a good day. The day after their fight, he still tried calling in hopes that Carson would pick up, but during his talk with Mitch, he was reminded that his constant calling was a bit overwhelming for her as she navigated her feelings about the situation. So, Auston opted to send texts.

Carson didn’t read or respond to any of those texts when she received them, but she found comfort as she scrolled through and read each one at that moment. In the days following their argument, she didn’t know what to think or feel, but receiving those texts made her feel normal. They were part of her routine, and although it was hard for her not to read them or respond, Carson thought she couldn’t until she knew what she wanted to say. Auston continued to send those messages despite her ignoring them, showing that he still cared and was willing to be patient with her like he always had been for the entirety of their knowing each other.

This was why Carson decided it was her turn to be patient with him and hear him out in a calmer setting than the last conversation they had almost two weeks prior. So, with another deep breath, she tapped his name at the top of the screen and hit the call button when it popped up.

It didn’t even take two full rings for him to pick up.

“Carse?” Auston’s voice sounded through the phone, making Carson’s breath hitch again. God, she missed him so much.

“H-hey,” Carson stammered before pausing in an attempt to recollect herself. “How are you?”

“I, uhm, I’m okay,” he responded, sounding surprised and as if he was still processing that he was talking to her. “Busy with hockey stuff, same old. How are you?”

“I’ve been better, and I’m sure you are. I still can’t believe you’ve got that ‘A’ on your jersey now, Aus. You deserve it. I was so proud seeing it for the first time in person during the home opener.”

“You were at that game?”

Carson nodded, even though he couldn’t see it.

“Yeah,” she almost whispered. “Mitch and Steph were trying to convince me to go 'cause I was originally going to watch from their place, but I didn’t decide until the last minute to actually go. So, I bought a ticket and went alone.”

“I wish you had told me,” Auston told her softly, which pulled on her heartstrings. “I would’ve wanted to know that you were there.”

“I know, but I didn’t know how Auston. Just seeing you out there made me so happy but so sad at the same time.”

Auston sighed at that.

“Carson, please know how sorry I am. I’ve spent the last two weeks beating myself up so much over this, and not saying I don’t deserve it, but fuck. I miss you so much.”

“I miss you too,” Carson admitted, deciding there was no need to hide her feelings from him.

“Is that why you called?” Auston asked, his voice a mix of unsureness and hopefulness.

“It is. I, um, I know it’s late, but are you home? Maybe I could come over, and we can talk.”

“Yes, please. I just got back. Please come home er-, I mean over. Do you want me to pick you up?”

“No, it’s okay,” Carson responded quickly, not wanting to be in such close proximity to him until she was at the condo. “Thank you, though.”

“Then, at the very least, let me order an Uber over here for you,” Auston suggested, not missing a beat.

“Auston, you don’t have to do that.”

“I insist. Please let me order it. I’d feel better if I could make sure you get here safely. Would they be picking you up from Mitch’s?”

“Ok,” Carson sighed in defeat. “And yes, it’s just Zeusy and me here.”

“Ok, perfect,” Auston said. “It says they’ll be there in five minutes. Is that too soon?”

“No, that’s great. I’ll put on my shoes and head downstairs.”

“Sounds good. I’ll see you soon. Love you.”

“Love y-,” Carson started but immediately cut herself off, then internally cursed herself because who was she kidding? Of course, she still loved him. “I’ll see you soon. Bye, Auston.”

Once she hung up the phone, Carson wasted no time getting off the couch and rushing to the front door to get her sneakers on.

“I’m sorry, Zeusy,” Carson muttered to the lab, who was rudely awoken from his slumber when she stood up but was still happy as he trailed after her. Zeus looked up at her expectantly, thinking he was going outside with her, and Carson felt terrible for leaving him behind, wasting no time to crouch down and pet him after her sneakers were on. “I know. I’m the worst for not taking you outside again, even though I did an hour ago. But how about I give you a treat? Will that make up for it?”

Zeus’ tail started wagging at that, so Carson quickly stood up straight again and ran into the kitchen to grab him a treat. Then, with one final pet goodbye, she rushed out the door.

As Carson waited for the elevator, she texted Mitch and Steph to tell them she was going over to Auston’s to talk because she knew they’d come back wondering where the hell she had gone otherwise. Both were quick to text back.

“Good luck, babe. Let me know how it goes,” read Steph’s message.

“Are you sure? Are you staying there? I’ll wait up so you can tell me what’s going on,” Mitch texted back, making Carson smile at the difference between the two messages. They both cared but in very different ways.

She messaged them each back, saying she’d keep them posted, then entered the elevator and went to the lobby. Upon seeing her reflection in the mirror that covered the elevator wall, Carson made an unimpressed noise. The thought of changing hadn’t even crossed her mind as she rushed out of Mitch’s condo, but she sure didn’t love that the first time she talked to Auston in person in two weeks, she’d be wearing an oversized hoodie and sweatpants. Carson quickly reached up to take her long brown hair out of the messy bun it was in and tried to make it look presentable, but then remembered Auston wouldn’t care about her looking like that. He’d seen her in similar outfits over the almost three years they’d been in a relationship.

Carson knew she didn’t need to impress him but still wished she looked a little better than she did.

Once the elevator reached ground level, Carson inhaled as she stepped off and entered the lobby. Her phone buzzed with a text, and she was half expecting it to be Mitch or Steph, but it was Auston letting her know the details about the car that was picking her up. Carson replied to his message this time and let him know she saw the car was waiting outside. Auston asked her to tell him when she was in the car and when she got to their condo so he knew everything was alright, and Carson promised she would.

When she entered the Uber waiting outside, the driver expressed his surprise after Carson confirmed they were picking up a rider named Auston.

“Not going to lie, I thought I was picking up Auston Matthews, the Leafs player, for a minute when I saw the name,” the driver explained, and Carson had to contain the smile she felt tugging at her lips.

“No, sorry, just me,” she responded, chuckling but not telling them she was indeed on her way to see the Auston Matthews.

“That’s alright, maybe another time,” the driver teased, then turned their focus back to the road as they drove.

It was a short drive. In all honesty, Carson had walked to and from the two condo buildings many times before, but with it being so late, she didn’t want to be out walking alone. She also knew that if she’d even mentioned the thought of walking, Auston would’ve shut the idea down immediately. The Uber driver didn’t ask questions about the short trip either and made small talk, ironically about the Leafs, since that was the first thing they and Carson had discussed.

A few minutes later, after thanking her driver and getting out of the car, Carson was standing outside the condo building that she began calling home a little over a month prior. Another wave of nervousness hit her, but she quickly shook it off as she entered the building.

She got into the building easily, still having her keys and fob to allow her access. The concierge at the front desk recognized her, nodding and smiling as she walked by and went straight for the elevator to take her to her and Auston’s floor.

Carson almost walked right into the condo out of force of habit once she arrived at the door. However, her nagging thoughts made her stop just before she could and opted to knock instead. It didn’t take long for Auston to open the door.

He looked good, really good. He was clad in a simple outfit, a black Raiders sweater and a pair of grey sweatpants that Carson always complimented on how good they made his butt look. His hair was a little damp still from his postgame shower, and a shadow of a beard was growing, showing it’d been some time since he last shaved. Carson stood there in silence momentarily, just taking in being in the presence of her boyfriend once again.

“Hey,” Auston spoke up, snapping Carson from her trance. She didn’t realize how tense she was until she felt herself relax just by being so close to him again.

“Hi,” Carson replied, her voice already cracking. Tears immediately pooled in her eyes, suddenly reminding her of all the emotions she’d felt since the last time she and Auston spoke.

“Oh, Carse.”

It didn’t require any thinking. The moment Auston saw those tears, he stepped towards Carson and pulled her into his embrace. The gesture felt so natural. Carson immediately melted into his touch and wrapped her arms around his middle in a tight embrace while instinctively hiding her face against his chest, letting the familiar scent of his favourite body wash surround her.

“I missed you,” she whispered after the two of them stood there holding each other for a moment.

“I’ve missed you more than I’ve ever missed anything in my life, Carson,” Auston replied, not missing a beat while tightening his squeeze around her. “I don’t want to open my eyes right now because what if I do and you’re not actually here? And this was just a fever dream?”

Carson couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped her mouth as she shook her head, still pressed against his chest, and then finally moved back and looked at him. Still, neither of them unwrapped their arms from around the other.

“I’m here. And we need to talk, Auston.”

“I know, I know,” Auston spoke softly as he finally let go of Carson, but only to reach up so he could cup her cheeks and use his thumbs to wipe away her tears. “God, I’m so happy to see you. But, you’re right. Let’s go inside so we can talk.”

Carson nodded in agreement and let her arms fall from Auston’s waist to her sides again, but Auston was quick to reach down his right hand and link it with her left hand, squeezing it after Carson intertwined their fingers, then leading her into the condo.

Once inside, Carson glanced around after she took her shoes off and walked further inside, not sure what she was expecting. Not a thing was changed. The same fluffy grey throw blanket she bought was still on the couch except instead of it being draped over the side neatly, it was bunched up and tossed to the side, indicating Auston had been using it. Her gaze then drifted to the walls and nearby bookshelf, which still had the same pictures of her and Auston and others of them with their friends and families displayed. On the bookshelf was her collection of books and trinkets she adored and the TV showed the paused episode of The Office Auston must’ve been watching when she called.

Carson felt at home again for the first time in two weeks and it was a perfect feeling.

“Uhm, can I get you water or anything?” Auston asked after a moment of observing Carson look around their living room, not missing how a small smile tugged at her lips as she did so.

“I’m alright, thank you,” Carson replied as she shook her arms so the sleeves of her sweater would fall since she’d pushed them up in the Uber. The sweater was large on her and it showed in the way the sleeves covered most of her hands. She then began to fiddle with and rub the hem of the sleeve between her fingers, something she tended to do when she felt uneasy or anxious. Auston knew that and wished she wasn’t feeling such a way, but mostly wished she didn’t feel that way because of him.

“Of course. Should, uh, should we sit?”

“Yeah, let's.”

The two of them made their way to the couch and sat down next to each other. It was a comfortable distance, but there was still a noticeable space between them which felt a thousand times bigger to Auston. He hated it. If it were up to him Carson would be right next to him with her legs over his thighs, both cuddled under the throw blanket as she told him about her day and he played with her hair while listening. He was yearning but was brought back to reality when Carson spoke again.

“I think you should start.”

“R-right,” Auston stuttered, shaking his little daydream from his head but not being able to hide how lost in his thoughts he got momentarily. However, he knew exactly what he wanted to say, he’d been thinking about it for almost two weeks. “You’re right. And I’m just going to start with how sorry I am, Carse. I’m sorry for what I did in Arizona and how it affected someone because of my ignorance and stupid drunk actions. I’m sorry that when me and you last talked, I didn’t take ownership of how I messed up. I know that what I did wasn’t ok. I wish I could take it all back. And I’m sorry that during all of this, I hurt you. I should’ve been honest with you about the charge as soon as it happened. It’s not an excuse, but I was embarrassed and didn’t want you to be ashamed of me. I told my family I would tell you, which is why they didn’t say anything, but I was a coward. It’s not that I didn’t trust you whatsoever, Carson. I trust you with everything I have, I was just stupid and thought I could ignore what happened. That it wouldn’t matter and I could move on with life normally. I should’ve known better. I made a huge mistake and I’m learning from it. I know I’m better than this, but I want to learn from it so I can move forward properly and nothing like this ever happens again. I don’t expect you to fully forgive me right away either, but you make me a better person. I know I can learn a lesson and grow from this. But, I really want you by my side as I do, if you’re still willing.”

Carson was so tired of crying, but she couldn’t stop the tears flowing as she hung on to every word Auston said to her. This conversation was already so different from the last one they had. She could tell the toll everything was taking on him and knew the weight of it all was crushing. But, he was taking full responsibility, seemingly accepting that this all happened on his own accord.

“I’m proud of you, Auston,” Carson spoke softly as she wiped her tears away with the sleeves of her sweater. “I feel like I’m having a conversation with a completely different person than I did two weeks ago.”

Auston felt good hearing that. During their fight, Carson voiced that she didn’t feel like she was talking to the man she loved. That, in that moment, he didn’t feel like home anymore to her, which hit Auston hard because Carson would always say it didn’t matter where they were as long as they were together, because he was her home. Hearing her say that was what pushed him over the edge that night truly realizing how badly he fucked up, but it was too late. Carson was already heading out the door and Auston couldn’t stop her.

“It shows me that you are learning from this and that’s really good,” she continued. “You owe that to that woman you distressed. But also the team, the fans, your family and yourself.”

“I owe it to you, too.”

“I appreciate you saying that, but this isn’t about me. However, that does lead me to talk about us.”

Carson paused to take a breath, already feeling herself get emotional again, but was soon met by Auston gently linking their hands together and stroking his thumbs over her knuckles. When she didn’t pull away, Auston gave her hands a reassuring squeeze.

“When I found out you kept something so significant away from me, I was hurt,” Carson said. “I felt betrayed, but also shocked because I never ever thought I’d feel the way I did and you being the one that caused it. I felt everything we built together, was a lie. Our castle was crumbling down because it seemed like you couldn’t trust me and I wasn’t sure I could trust you to not keep important things from me again. It was devastating feeling that way about the man I love more than anything in this world. We’re partners, Auston. And you didn’t treat me like one doing that.”

“I know, and again, I am so sorry, Carson. I never wanted you to feel that way and I feel terrible for being the reason you did. I-I can’t blame you for leaving,” Auston’s voice trailed off at the end of his sentence as he felt the words getting stuck in his throat. “Watching you walk out that door was one of the worst nights of my life. You’re my rock and suddenly that was gone and it was all my fault. I hardly slept not knowing when or if you’d come back, but I had to keep hoping, praying that you would. Part of me convinced myself Mitch was going to tell me that you weren’t coming back ever and I don’t know what I would’ve done if he did. I was a mess, I still am. These last two weeks have been hell and I deserved it. And I’m not saying this to guilt you into making a decision now, but Carse, if you did want to leave and not come back to this, us, I need to know. The not knowing is killing me. I don’t want to lose you, but I need to know if I have.”

Carson inhaled deeply again.

“The thing about these last two weeks, with how upset and angry I was at myself and you and the situation, not once did I think I no longer wanted to be with you. I love you, Auston. I knew I didn’t want to break up, but I wasn’t sure if staying in a relationship with you was what would be best for me. I fell into a depressive hole myself. I never thought I’d feel that low because of you and I wasn’t sure if I could forgive and move on or if this would have me feeling I could never trust you again. I can’t let myself get this destroyed by the person who is supposed to be my partner again, not after my ex. But, Auston, you are not him. You never will be him and that’s why, even with the space we’ve had since our fight, I knew I’d be coming back to you. I love you too fucking much to not even try to work through this and move forward together. I don’t want you to think we’re over because of this.”

Auston didn’t realize just how many tears had welled in his eyes until he let out a relieved sigh and smiled, allowing a couple of those tears to break free and stream down his face.

“You have no idea how badly I needed to hear that,” he said and squeezed her hands again.

“You have no idea how badly I needed to get that off my chest and actually tell you,” she replied and let out a small laugh at how emotional they both were. “God, we’re such messes.”

“I’ll accept being the biggest mess ever to exist if it means you’ll be by my side as I clean myself up.”

“Well, I can tell you that I’m not going anywhere. I mean it, Auston. You haven’t lost me.”

“Thank, God,” Auston sighed, feeling like so much weight had been lifted off his chest. “We’re good?”

“We’re good,” Carson confirmed, smiling as Auston let go of her hands and then held his arms out. She was quick to launch herself into his embrace and hold on for dear life while he fell back onto the couch cushion and she laid on top of him, feeling the safest and most content she had in weeks. “I’m glad to be home.”

“I’m never going to give you a reason to feel like you have to leave home again, Carse. That’s a promise.” Auston declared as he kissed the top of her head and started playing with her hair. “I love you, Carson.”

“And I love you, Auston,” Carson replied as she moved her head from Auston’s chest so she could look at him.

The two lay there for a moment looking at each other as Auston continued playing with Carson’s hair, debating his next move. He couldn’t help the way his gaze drifted to her lips, missing the way they felt against him so badly. He wanted nothing more than to cup her cheek with his hand and close the small gap between them with the kiss he craved. However, even though Auston knew he and Carson were good, he also knew they weren’t back to normal. Things being normal again would take time and Auston was ok with that. It didn’t matter how much time it may take because he had his love back and he wasn’t going to take any chances with anything that could push her away again.

Much to Auston’s pleasant surprise, though, Carson was the one to delicately place her hand under his chin and tilt it up before crashing her lips against his in a sweet, intimate kiss.

As soon as their lips met, Auston deepened the kiss as he wrapped his arm around her and rolled them over so that Carson’s back would be on the couch and he was on top. He used one arm to hold himself up and keep most of his weight off of her while his other hand cupped her cheek and jaw to prevent the kiss from breaking, finally getting what he had spent the last two weeks yearning for.

After a few moments of kissing, they pulled away to look at each other and laugh at how out of breath they both were. But that didn’t stop Auston from leaning in and stealing one more kiss.

“Will you stay over tonight?” He asked softly, not wanting her to feel pressured if she wasn't ready to come back home fully yet. “It’s an off day tomorrow and Mitch mentioned you weren’t going into the office, we could go get your work stuff from his place in the morning then come back here and have a lazy day together. Only if you want to, of course.”

“I would love that,” Carson replied, then pecked his lips again. “Let me tell Mitch and Steph I won’t be back tonight first, then can we go to bed? I’m exhausted.”

“Of course, beb.”

After they untangled themselves from each other and Carson texted Mitch and Steph to say she was staying, she and Auston turned off the lights before heading to the bedroom together. Carson felt so good after changing into a pair of her pyjamas she grabbed them from the dresser and then crawled into her bed after a long, almost two weeks. The best part, though, was being back in that bed with Auston. He felt better too having Carson in his embrace again as he fought to stay awake, wanting to make sure she fell asleep first. Once she did, Auston let his tiredness take over him too and both he and Carson had one of the best sleeps of their lives, together again.

[yukittywrites]

Take My Lips (You Leave Me Tongue Tied)

warnings: dom reader, sub yuta, top reader, bottom yuta, hes pathetic, reader is kinda a dick, mild degradation, getting walked in on, gender neutral reader.

word count: 3.3k read the full story here (30k words)

a/n: gender isnt mentioned, nor genitals, but you fuck him. it's up to reader to decide whether its with a strap or a real dick! also, this is technically in the high&low universe too (reader is basically Amagai if you've seen the movie)

Yuta is exhausted, after training all the students in the school, part of the job you delegated to him, by specifically allowing them to land punches and kicks on his body (the way you specifically requested him to train) he is tired and honestly, in a lot of pain.

Even breathing hurts, and he can't help but wonder if one of the students kicked a rib.

Even being top fighter doesn't make him invincible, though for some reason, you seem to think that it does.

Or maybe you don't, maybe you just do it for fun, just to see him hurt.

He doesn't really care about the reason though. He'll do it anyway.

After his training session, he slips into your shared bedroom upstairs, the secret top floor of Senomon High, and sighs in relief when he sees that you're not around.

You're busy, thank God. The last thing he wants to do is spend time trying to explain to you how the training went and not say the wrong thing to get hurt further.

He runs a scalding bath and sinks pleasantly into it; hoping that the water will take the edge off the pain. He knows that you will be angry at him for not being useful.

It doesn't matter that he took over a hundred hits to his body, or that he did exactly what you asked, or that the Senomon boys are improving their skills.

Yuta has already learned that it's difficult to please you. Even if he completes what was asked…it's still difficult, and you complain about him more and more as of recently.

Even when he is the most loyal of all the people you hired, even when he always completes whatever is asked of him to the best of his ability and he tries not to talk back to you even when he disagrees so deeply with whatever you do. Even when Yuta is the reason you even got an opportunity to become the top school in the district or even had a chance of overpowering Oya High for that spot.

Yuta submerges his head beneath the water and hopes that all his thoughts will wash away just like the dirt on his body.

He stays in the bath until his fingers get pruney and the water gets colder, and he finally gets out.

He wraps a towel around his waist and opens the door. He is startled when he sees you sitting on the couch.

After his calming bath, he forgot that you were actually at school. He managed to make his mind blank of everything within the bath, and now you are sitting in front of him.

"Y-y/n—" he stutters, gripping the towel around his waist.

You blatantly stare at his chest as he speaks. "So that's where you've been. I was looking for you, but the guys said you left immediately after you finished. I thought maybe you stepped out. What, you've been in the bathroom for this long?"

"Yeah, I was feeling hurt after the session. The bath helped." His voice gets progressively quieter as he finishes the sentence, because he knows that you aren't pleased.

You don't need to voice it anymore; Yuta can tell now when you're disappointed.

"You couldn't do anything productive with your time?"

"I'm sorry, Y/n, I didn't mean to be lazy."

You sigh. "Fine, Nakamoto. How was the training session?"

"It was good, they learned everything well. They got a lot of good hits in." Yuta replies.

He pulls on underwear and a shirt. "Do you have anymore use for me today?"

"Right now, you can go get us dinner. I'll have plenty of use for you later." You say, your voice turning sultry at the end.

Yuta turns away before he can flush, the implication of what the use for him will be later turning him red.

You usually only want to use him for oral pleasure, but he always loves it when you gets like this.

When you're willing to touch him, even if it's only with the goal of your own pleasure.

A sick part of him deep inside clings to your sexual touches, morphing them into something more. When he wakes up in the middle of the night from a dream of you and him together—truly together, romantically—it is the moments of you fucking him, no matter how quickly and dismissively, that fuel them. He feels your hands on his body and his mind imagines you pressing deep kisses to his lips and fucking him tenderly, even though it’s nothing more than a wishful fantasy. 

You give him 5,000 yen and tell him to pick up something for himself. You don't remind him to order anything for you, but he knows your usual already.

And, well, if he gets the order wrong, he'll find out quickly.

His body aches more and more the more he walks, but he gets your food regardless, and gives you back the change.

Yuta knows that nothing of significance is happening, so he tries to force himself to relax. There's an internal voice within his head telling him that he was too unproductive today, because he knows that it's what you would tell him any other day. He worked out, did a training session, took a bath and now he is eating food that you paid for.

You come back to the room at eight. 

"Strip." You say, and Yuta stands up immediately to pull off his clothes. 

His first time truly having sex—was with you, of course. Every first that he’s had so far has been at your hands. you've had a chance to see how he works and how he ticks, knowing what arouses him better than even what he can comprehend.

You weren't a virgin when Yuta got you off for the first time, as you'd bragged about time and time again, reminding him that you lost your virginity in the bathroom of some fancy work gathering your father dragged you to. You were quick to tell him about all the times you'd made out with people and when you had your first kiss, laughing when Yuta would only nod because he had nothing to say in response.

Not when he’d never so much as kissed someone. He still hasn’t; you won’t kiss him, certainly not make out with him. So, Yuta has given head more times than he can count on his hands, been fucked by you just as much, but he’s never had the chance to so much as kiss another person. 

The version of you he sees at night is meaner than how you act during the day, and it makes Yuta shiver. In fear, or in anticipation, he's not truly sure—it might be both—but when you demand things from him in this sense, he can accept it more than the demands during the day.

You smirk as you push him onto your bed.

"God, your fucking body line is insane." you curse, reaching under the bed to get lube.

There is no patience for Yuta, there is usually no time for any kind of foreplay, and Yuta doesn't need any, because he is already hard the moment you asks him to do more than just give head, and if he isn't asked, it is just him pleasing you without it being reciprocated, and there's no need for him to be hard at all.

Of course, he is. But it's only because it's you.

You flip him over onto his stomach with force and he moans.

He hears the uncapping of a lube bottle and seconds later feels your first finger at his entrance, pushing into him without much resistance. 

It doesn't take long before you're working him open enough to take your middle finger along with your pointer, and Yuta moans again at the intrusion. 

Yuta's is not even the biggest fan of sex like this, but, anything you could do to him would arouse him, and despite you hating taking the time to do actual foreplay, you can find his prostate with ease, and that's enough to keep him satisfied.

Yuta buries his face in his arms with a quiet whine as you push two fingers onto it.

You laugh. "Found it, didn't I?" you ask, rhetorically, rubbing on the gland at making his body tense.

"Y-Yeah" He gasps anyway, his voice wobbly.

"God, you're so easy, just two fingers and you're already like this for me." You say and you remove them from Yuta's hole to apply more lube.

Yuta's legs twitch when you pushs in three fingers and curl them all the way to his prostate immediately. His voice pitches higher as a moan spills from his lips freely. 

You lean close to him, biting on his ear and murmuring, “You’re acting like such a slut today, moaning so much and I haven’t even stuck my dick in you yet.”

Your fingers don’t slow down against his prostate, in fact they speed up. Usually you get to the main event as quick as possible, while asking him to remain as silent as he physically can, but it seems you're feeling a little different today.

"Haah, f-fuck! Y/n!" he stutters, his eyes slipping closed as he buries his head in the pillows beneath it.

"Yeah? Feels good, huh?"

Your fingers massaging his prostate leave him gasping for air. He wonders if this even counts as foreplay, when you're just rushing him to an orgasm as quickly as he possibly can with your fingers, but whatever you're doing, it's working.

"Oh my God—" Yuta moans, meaning to say words after that, but the rest of his sentence just spilling out like gibberish as his body refuses to cooperate with him.

"Already? You're already fucking cock drunk and it's barely been five minutes." You tell him, slapping his ass with your free hand.

"Hnng~"

You laugh condescendingly. "Maybe I should do this more often. If I knew you could cum on my fingers in five minutes like a desperate bitch then I would've been trying to do it all along.”

Yuta bites his lip to prevent himself from responding, even though your words send lightning shooting down his spine. He focuses on the way your fingers move in tandem to make him feel so insane.

Your fingers aren’t particularly long, Yuta's own are much longer, but they’re thick and you knows how to use them well.

It’s as if you're intertwined, and maybe you are, after all, you know exactly how he ticks. You know how to get under his skin, whether that be mentally or physically, pushing all the right buttons to leave him a scrambled mess. You know the right words to say to cut Yuta to the core and leave him hurting, and you know what to say to leave him gasping and moaning. You know the spots that make him bruise easily just as well as you knows the spots that have him falling undone.

You knew how to find his prostate instantly, even the first time that you'd fucked him open with your fingers, despite telling never actually having done it before.

You are always harsh with your efforts and one to take, take, take, until Yuta is gasping for breath and clamping down on his mouth to keep quiet.

“You’re a pretty toy, Yuta. Always so pleased with whatever I do to you-” You tell him, “or, whatever I don’t.”

Yuta moans, gasping at the praise. His eyelids flutter and he can’t help the way that he reacts to your words. Praise from you always leaves him flustered, and during sex that desire to be praised is even more intense. When he gets it, it’s like a rush of pleasure bursting beneath him. 

“Fuck, 'm so close” 

“I’ve only started using my fingers and you’re already shaking. I didn’t even have to touch your dick” you say sardonically,

“Fine, cum for me then.”

You asked him to, and so, he does. His body locks up and his legs spasm as ropes of white cum shoot in between his stomach and the bed. His eyes rolled back into his skull as pleasure overcomes his senses, his vision going white as he moans, “Ah— Y/n!” 

His voice is pitched higher than either he or you have heard it before, raised as he gets lost in the throes of his pleasure. 

His orgasm crashes over him hard but fast, just as your fingers moved inside of him.

When his body completely melts into the bed, he registers the fact that you're is still sitting in between his spread legs.

“Hhh, sorry, Y/n.”

“Don’t worry, you squealing like a pornstar on my fingers was enough to keep me entertained for a little bit.”

You pull his hips up into the air and tug his head up by his hair as a whine falls from his lips.

"You're usually so quiet, because I tell you to be, but I think I enjoy you moaning like a slut for me just as much. You can barely keep your mouth shut, and it's hot that I turned you into such a mess so quickly."

"But now it's time for me to enjoy myself." You say, lowering your voice.

You push into him in one go, and though Yuta is already thoroughly stretched from the three fingers you gave him, your cock stretches him more. 

His eyes fly open and he slaps a hand over his mouth to avoid nearly yelling at the painfully pleasant feeling of your cock splitting him open, whatever amalgamation of words that were forcefully spilling from his lips thankfully muffled by his fingers.

“Ah, fuck. You’re tight even after three fingers.” you moan, and begin to fuck Yuta with no wait.

“Oh my God!” Yuta gasps again, breathless, because it feels like that’s the only word that will come out of his mouth at this point.

Your hands on his waist and hair are the only thing keeping him up in the air, as his legs feel weak and his thighs keep shaking.

“Fuck, uhng—” Yuta groans, his eyes falling closed as he slips away into euphoria.

“Y/n, Y/n, please!”

“Please what, bitch?” you grit out, hips already pistoning into him with abandon.

“Fuck me, oh fu- ah!” He gasps, his voice quickly pitching up with pleasure as you keep going.

He’s already past his first orgasm, and the second one is going to come much much faster, whereas you haven't even hit your first yet, still coherent and entirely in control as you'll likely remain, even as Yuta continues to fall apart in front of you.

His mouth spills high pitched “ah, ah, ah’s” in time with your quick thrusts, rhythmic and staccato as he can’t keep them back.  He feels so aroused that he feels dizzy; all the moans and words spilling from his mouth come out involuntarily and he can’t control the way his voice sounds or what he says anymore.

“It’s so good, Y/n!”

“You’re so fucking loud, Nakamoto.” you moan. “You want everyone left in the school to know you’re my bitch?”

“Fuck, fu—” Yuta chokes, his eyes blown back with lust, his iris’ barely visible.

“You can’t even keep your mouth shut for a second, what would people say if they knew you were such a cockslut, Nakamoto?” 

“Love it—oh fuck—when y-you fuck me—shit, Y/n,” Yuta whines, eyes halfway rolled back into his skull when the door opens.

Within seconds, before he can even process the door opening, the hand you had in his hair to pin him to the pillows throws him off the bed and onto the ground.

He hits the floor on his hurt left side with such force that it sends him rolling over twice. Disoriented, aroused and confused, he doesn’t even hear the students words, or your yelling at them to leave, though he knows that you are. Instead, he curls in on himself, hiding his dick from the view of the student that entered the room.

He doesn’t even know who that is, but they know him, He doesn’t need to look at the student to know that they probably are disgusted, looking at him, naked on the floor.

Because, you threw him off the bed to save your own ass. It would’ve been so easy to throw the sheets over you both, instead, but that would leave you in the bed together, and to you, being caught in bed with him probably isn't any better than being caught fucking him.

He is just disposable to you.

The student leaves and the door closes and he finally unfurls himself and rolls onto his back on the floor. 

Once again, you are glaring at him. 

He parts his mouth to say something, anything; to apologise to you for what happened— 

But, you beat him to it. “You couldn’t keep your fucking mouth shut, now you got us both caught and I didn’t even get to cum.”  you sneers.

“I’m sorry, Y/n. I’m so fucking sorry. I didn’t mean to, I couldn’t— we can continue if you'd like, I-I can get you off or we can go back to having sex if you'd prefer." Yuta tells you, his voice far past desperate and into the pleading territory as he tries to do anything to make it up to you.

He was loud, unable to hold back his noises as he purposefully would every other time you had sex, and it resulted in the two of you getting caught by another student. He's always quiet, intentional with his noises, gasping and panting and never allowing more than a hitched, muted moan to spill from his lips, because you always wanted him like that.

Today was the only, only, day he was loud and uninhibited with his moans and the one day he thought it was okay because he made himself useful to you today during that training session. 

But he'd ruined everything for both you, and there was no doubt within his mind that when he went downstairs to mingle with the rest of the students tomorrow, they'd look at him with disgust for enjoying being fucked like a bitch.

They'd finally have a reason for why he hangs around you, either they'll think you're dating or that Yuta is your willing cockslut, and with it being rumours, it's not like he'll be able to disprove them.

You could shut them up while he was in the room, quickly, but it wouldn't stop them from talking once he was gone, and they would, undoubtedly.

You scoff at him. "Fucking shut it, Nakamoto," you say, and Yuta nods.

You don't want to hear him talk anymore, but that doesn't stop you from stalking across the room and shoving his head down on you.

The second you cum, you grip his hair and shove his head towards the ground, walking away to get in the shower, leaving him with a softening hard on, sweating, hurt and open. 

He curls back up on the floor, his tears dripping onto the hardwood. He doesn't want you to see him cry, not when this was his fault anyways, but it hurts. 

But he's grown used to that. He's accepted it, just as he's accepted his place as your loyal lapdog, eating your scraps with pleasure, because it's all he'll recieve.

You're just his old childhood friend, turned aloof boss. You're just the person who give him a place to stay. That's all you are, at least in practicality. But to him, you are his everything, his reason for life, his purpose. Without you, he would be nothing, he would have nothing.

But that doesn't change his heart. It doesn't change his feelings.

Loving you hurts, because he knows you won't ever love him back.

Again: check out the full story here

[the-cookie-of-doom]

Hiii

I remember when you were posting about your Kim/Wik Twins AU and I was so hooked! There’s so much potential for angst in this AU😩🤌 I always wondered if there was anything new going on with this WIP.

PS: I’ve been following your blog for a little while (I don’t interact bc im shyy) and I love all your Kimchay WIPS and little excerpts you’ve blessed us with (they make my day everytime I see one). So I want to personally thank your brain for all these wonderful ideas and just thank you for being you 😊

send me an ask and I'll tell you about one of these WIPs!

Oh anon, you're a darling! This was so nice to wake up to <3 I actually haven't worked much on that AU since originally posting it, but you're right, there is so much angst potential in this AU between Wik and Kim. One of the inspirations from it actually came from World of Warcraft, and how the character Varian was split into two people, the other one being Lo'Gosh. I really loved how it wasn't just "this is the good side vs. the bad/feral side." Varian was polite and charming and good at socializing, but he was also vain and easy to manipulate (which was the point of splitting him), whereas Lo'Gosh was definitely a barbarian, but he was also all of Varian's strong will and ambition/motivation, and passion. I hadn't seen that kind of character splitting before, because it's usually an easy shorthand for doing a good/evil thing.

So for the purposes of this fic, Kim isn't just all the evil mafia while Wik is the sweetheart singer. Wik is very driven and tbh a little selfish, he's kind to his fans but ultimately very cold, because he grew up in a world where anything he cared about could be used against him. Both of them are still calculating in clever, but it's Wik that begins investigating Chay, intentionally using his stardom as an in, and purposefully manipulating him to get more information. He takes it to a stronger degree than we actually see from Kim in the show.

Whereas Kim is the quieter, more contained side. They both love music but Kim prefers guitar/piano over singing because he doesn't want to draw attention to himself the way Wik does, although he does write a lot of poetry/lyrics. One of the betrayals from Wik leaving is that he stole Kim's songs. The other is that he left Kim behind. He loves his brother more than anything, and Wik leaving him without so much as a goodbye was devastating for him.

Here's your slightly less than 500 words!

“You left me!” “Would you have even come with me?” Kim’s voice breaks on a desperate, “Yes!” He wants to take it back as soon as the word leaves his mouth, too honest in the heat of his moment, chest heaving with the weight of it. The only good thing about the admission is that his brother is too stunned to reply; Kim takes satisfaction in that, in the implication of it, as Wik realizes the depth of his own selfishness.  “Kim…” “I would…” Kim swallows. Days of captivity have left his throat dry. It hurts, speaking these words aloud, tearing them out of his chest to release them after all these years. “I would have. If you asked me to, I would have.”  He would have followed his brother anywhere. They were always meant to be together. Kim and Wik, two halves of the same whole, mirror images down to their names. Until Wik decided he couldn’t bear his own reflection anymore.  “Kim, I’m sorry, I didn’t know—” “How could you? You only ever think about yourself.” Kim laughs. It’s wet. It hurts, like everything else about this damned conversation. Maybe Wik was right; they were better off alone. “I thought you knew me better than anyone, but you don’t know me at all.” Maybe Wik never did. What a horrible time to realize how truly alone he really is.  Wik doesn’t speak for a long time. Neither does Kim, keeping his head bowed and his breaths measured, cracked ribs aching with every rise and fall of his chest. What a cruel joke that the first time they’re sharing a space in years, something Kim has longed for since the day Wik left, and it’s only because someone else has forced them together.  “I don’t think you would ever leave the family,” Wik eventually says, his voice quieter than Kim has ever heard it. “You’re not like me, Kim, you never wanted to leave.” Of course he didn’t. Why would Kim ever want to leave his brothers? But at least if he had, Kinn and Tankhun would have had each other. They wouldn’t have been alone, not like Wik is now. Not like Kim is, forever missing his other half. Neither of them were meant to be alone. "It doesn't matter anymore." "Yes it does. Kim. I never meant to hurt you. I—" But there's no more time to talk because their captors are walking in, and Wik is throwing himself in front of Kim, both of them bound and unable to put of any kind of fight. Not that it would have mattered; Wik already got himself kidnapped. Too nosy to stay out of the family completely, but apparently the idealistic fool didn't bother to keep up with his martial arts. Still. Despite blaming him for the current predicament, Kim is a little bit touched that Wik is trying to protect him now. Too late to matter, maybe, but it's something.

[mrs-barnes-rogers-writes]

Sometimes Your Soul Family Is The Only Family You Need - Part 4

Marvel AU

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader x Steve Rogers

Summary: 18 months ago you were a mess but with the help of your close friends you start to rebuild your life. Your soul friendships maybe chaotic but they're your family, just as you're theirs. With one of them about to have a baby, you and your misfit friends are here to visit. But will you stay? And what will the small town think of you having two soulmates and why do you keep finding yourself in the same place as a bunch of hot bikers.

"Sometimes families are assholes, sometimes your soul connections mean far more than family ever can. Sometimes your soul family is the only family you need." - Nurse Maggie

Chapter Warning: Premature labour mentioned, baby loss mentioned

Chapter Summary: You arrive at the hospital to see Annemarie and the expected mother is understandably emotional.

"What the fuck is he doing?" Ryan snapped. You looked up over the pie you were carrying and trying not to drop to find Daniel, Annemarie's soulmate learning against the wall, Starbucks in hand, scrolling on his phone.

"Ry."

"I'll handle him, you go to her. You're our ride and I don't want you ending up in jail when you lose your shit with him."

"Fine but I'm ramming that Starbucks up his ass if he's upset her."

"Agreed."

Daniel spotted you as you neared.

"Oh thank god, you're here. Wait, why are you looking at me like that?"

You heard Ryan start his lecture, when you slipped into Annemarie's room.

"Hey sweetie."

"Do you have my pie?" came Annemarie's reply, as she sat propped up in bed surrounded by pillows.

"Yes pregnant lady, I have your pie. It's nice to see you too by the way."

"I'm sorry" Annemarie started to sniffle, "it's just I've wanted it all day and Daniel said Ry might be fired, and he won't help me with these stupid socks, he says I'm difficult and I don't want you to be sad."

"Hang on, hang on, one thing at a time, first, he said you were difficult? Where do you want me to punch him?"

Annemarie's sniffling turned into a snort of laughter.

"Y/N."

"I'm serious, where? Dick, face, body? Or I can ram that cup up his ass."

"I mean his dick is why I'm here."

"Dick it is!"

Annemarie laughed again.

"Next on the list is your pie. Here." you said, pushing the hospital table towards her with one hand, setting down the pie and pushing it towards her, "The lady put forks and napkins in the box, she also said she'll make a delivery exception for you and you only, and will bring you anymore you want."

Your soul friend let out an excited squeak as she made a start on the pie, and you took a moment to glance over your shoulder to watch Ryan's continuing lecture.

"What about the other thing?" Annemarie asked, her voice a little quieter.

"I'll bunch him in the dick when Ryan's done chewing him out, be patient."

"Not that."

"Ryan's job?"

"Y/N."

"I'm fine" you reassured, squeezing your friend's spare hand.

"If I'm asking too much"

"You're not."

"Y/N"

"Annemarie, I've had a lot of time to process."

"But, it, you were....."

"I wasn't in a good place."

"It nearly broke you, he nearly broke you, and now I'm asking you, I'm asking you to be here with me. I'm being selfish."

"Sweetie, you are the least selfish person I know. You were going to delay your wedding because of me and my bullshit."

"It wasn't bullshit!!!"

"No, but it's in the past and this right here, this pie eating bump is the future. Not some dickhead who knocked me up and left me. This is what's important now. Ok?"

Annemarie nodded rubbing new tears off her face as you leant forward to hug her.

"Oh my god, did you actually put the fork down to hug me back."

"Shut up."

The door suddenly opened and you were joined by a righteous looking Ryan and a sheepish Daniel, the latter cleared his throat and looked at you both wearily.

"Everything OK?"

You stared back at him, as you stood from your place perched on the bed, crossing your arms across your chest.

"You're getting bunched in the dick."

Meanwhile............

"Buck. Buck!"

"Sorry what?"

"Do you want to tell me what's going on?"

"The girl, the woman you saw last summer."

"What about her?"

"I think I saw her today."

"And?"

"And, I think you're right, I think it could be her."

[kkuroshie]

Your journey

[ Newjeans x F! volleyball player won the poll]

Words: 695

Pairing: Newjeans x F! volleyball player

part 2 [part1] [part3]

As the days pass at Hybe University, our routine becomes more familiar. Classes in the morning, volleyball practice in the evening, and hanging out with our new friends in between. NewJeans quickly becomes a central part of our social circle, and I enjoy spending time with them. Their energy and kindness are infectious.

Despite this, I notice that Haerin, one of the quieter members of NewJeans, often stays silent during group conversations. While the others engage enthusiastically, Haerin mostly listens, occasionally offering a shy smile or a few words when directly addressed.

During a break between classes

Hana, NewJeans, and I find a spot under a large tree on campus. The group chats animatedly about everything from upcoming concerts to the latest trends. Haerin sits a bit apart from the group, her nose buried in a book.

"Hey, Haerin," I say, scooting closer to her. "What are you reading?"

She looks up, slightly startled, but then smiles softly. "Oh, it's just a novel I picked up. It's really interesting."

"Cool," I reply, genuinely curious. "What's it about?"

As Haerin begins to describe the plot, I listen intently. Her eyes light up as she talks about the characters and their adventures, and I realize she’s passionate about reading.

"That sounds amazing," I say when she finishes. "You should tell us more about it sometime."

Haerin nods, a small but genuine smile on her face. "Sure, I'd like that."

Later, at the cafeteria during lunch

Hana is busy discussing volleyball strategies with Hanni and Minji, while I notice Haerin sitting quietly, pushing her food around her plate. I decide to engage her again.

"Haerin, do you like volleyball?" I ask, trying to find common ground.

She looks up, surprised by the question. "I do, actually. I used to play a bit in middle school, but I wasn't very good."

"I bet you'd be better than you think," I encourage her. "Maybe you could join us for a practice sometime. It could be fun."

Haerin blushes slightly, shaking her head. "I don't know… I'm not sure if I can keep up with you guys. You're all so good."

"We're all here to have fun and get better together," I reassure her. "No pressure."

Haerin's smile widens a bit. "Maybe I'll come watch first."

That evening, at the volleyball court

Practice is intense but rewarding. Coach Tanaka pushes us all to our limits, and the team's chemistry continues to improve. As we take a break, I notice Haerin sitting in the bleachers, watching intently.

"Hey, Haerin!" Hana calls out, waving her over. "Come down here!"

Haerin hesitates but eventually makes her way to the court. Hana hands her a volleyball. "Wanna try a few passes with us?"

"Um, okay," Haerin says, nervously taking the ball.

Hana and I take turns gently passing the ball to Haerin, encouraging her with each successful pass. Slowly, she starts to gain confidence, her passes becoming more accurate.

"See? You're doing great!" I tell her, high-fiving her after a particularly good pass.

The rest of the practice goes by quickly, with Haerin staying to watch and occasionally join in. By the end, she looks more relaxed and even a bit excited.

After practice, as we're all packing up

"Thanks for letting me join in," Haerin says quietly. "It was fun."

"Anytime," I reply, smiling warmly. "We should do this more often."

"Yeah, you should come to our practices more," Hana adds. "And hang out with us more, too."

Haerin nods, her smile now reaching her eyes. "I'd like that."

In the following weeks

Haerin begins to join our group more frequently, not just for volleyball practice but also for study sessions, lunch breaks, and casual hangouts. She opens up little by little, sharing more about her interests and thoughts. The once-quiet member of NewJeans starts to become more comfortable and engaged, her laughter and insights adding a new dimension to the group's dynamic.

Hana and I are thrilled to see her blossoming, and NewJeans appreciates how we've helped Haerin feel more included. With everyone supporting each other, our bond with NewJeans grows stronger, making our time at Hybe University even more enjoyable and memorable.

[legendofmorons]

How to fall in love twice (Time, Malon) -part one

Pairing: Time x Malon x reader (Poly)

rating: G

Summary: You have fallen for time, and you're crushing really heavy on his wife. What the hell have you gotten yourself into?

warnings: None

Other: None

-------

You wake up on the farm- cucoos crowing the sunrise. Usually you'd sleep a little longer- but you also promised Malon that you'd help with breakfast and some laundry.

So- mourning you sleep- you push out of your bedroll, eyeing the others all curled up on the hay and blankets. You smile softly, brushing your hair out with your fingers and getting all the hay out before pulling on your clothes minus any armor you might have.

Once you're dressed you head towards the house, seeing Malon and Time both up already and gathering eggs.

"Hey, sorry I'm late." You say, biting back a yawn.

Malon smiles when she looks up from the cucoo hutch egg collecting area, "You're not late! I wasn't expecting anyone up until later."

"I'm surprised Twi's asleep still." You say with a soft laugh, knowing the boy is definitely use to farm hours.

"We worked him hard." Malon says with a laugh, "He'll be up soon. I had to chase him back to bed anyways."

Time just smiles softly as he watches Malon and you interact. You don't notice this but he does.

"Well, how can I help?" You ask, deciding against bantering for who knows how long.

"Here, if you want to take the eggs in the basket there-" She points to a basket full of eggs. "-And start breakfast that'd be helpful."

"I'll do that. Anything specific?"

"Something filling but otherwise no." She says with a smile, "Thank you for helping."

"Anytime." You say, walking to the basket of eggs and picking it up.

You haven't done much cooking for the group- Wild does most of itm and since he likes to and is good you're happy to let him.

You walk into the house, going into the kitchen, and setting the basket down on the counter.

You wash your hands before gathering bowls and ingredients. You decide that pancakes and eggs should be plenty good.

You move your hair out of your way before you start measuring put the ingredients for pancakes and putting them in a large bowl.

As you work and do the calculations for a group this big you start humming a song gently.

Something you have always enjoyed.

You start mixing together the pancakes, words beginning to flow from you as you sing and mix.

You don't hear the door open or shut- but you startle when you hear Time's voice behind you.

"What are you making?" He asks.

"Oh!- you turn, bowl in your arms as you continue mixing, " I'm making pancakes."

He smiles softly, lips curving up at the corners. His gaze is even as he looks you over.

"That sounds lovely. Thank you."

"As long as I don't burn them it should be." You laugh, hoping to any deity listening that your cheeks aren't blushing.

Time just nods, "I'm sure it'll be good. Do you need any help?"

"No. I'm okay, thank you though."

"Of course. Malon will be in ti help in a bit. Call if you need anything. Okay?"

"Okay."

You turn back towards the counter and set the bowl down before grabbing a pan from the rack beside the stove.

You don't hear Time leave bit you assume he's just quieter without the armor.

You grab a label from the utensil holder, and turn the stove to medium heat.

You start humming again- a song from your modern hyrule you like. It makes you feel warm and content.

You hear the pancake cooking, and once it's time you flip it.

As you continue making pancakes, you hear Malon come in. Her steps even and quick as she makes her way towards you.

"That smells like heaven." She says to you, moving to the sink to wash her hands.

"You're too kind."

"I am not. Seriously it smells great. Cook like that often and you'll have everyone in love."

"Ha! No, the boys are great and all but I doubt any of them see me that way. Hylia knows I don't feel that way for them."

You lie. You lie your ass off. You totally want one of the boys to fall for you. But considering the man you are falling for is married you really hope he doesn’t actually.

You don't want to be a home wrecker.

And besides, Time wouldn't ever leave Malon.

So you need to get the ever loving hell over it.

Malon just laughs, unaware of your feelings towards her husband. "I'm sure you'll find someone if you want to."

You laugh, and oh- your heart should not be speeding up at Malon being so kind. You are not falling for both people in a married couple.

No.

She may be pretty and wonderful but you are not going to start the crushing to falling process. No.

Someone save you.

Because you know you're losing when the smile she flashes you makes your heart warm.

Fuck.

"Maybe. We'll see. I have very high standards you know."

You don't. Apparently your standards are kind people that are married to each other. Perfect.

"Oh, and what are those?" Malon asks, moving to grab a clean cutting board to help keep the cooked pancakes off the counter.

You really should stop talking.

"Oh you know, not being awful to me. Respecting boundaries. According to past partners that's hard." You say, glad to not be with your exes who sucked at those things.

"Oh, I'm sorry. That really sucks, (Y/n). I don't think they're that hard though, for what it's worth."

"Tell that to others."

You shake your head, flipping another pancake.

"I will. Don't worry."

"Thanks, Malon." You say, trying not to blush or choke over her name.

"Anytime. Do you need anymore batter?"

"I think I'm okay, this batch should make fifty or so, and they I'll make another smaller batch in case others wants some."

"You're prepared then." She laughs.

"Oh, absolutely. "

The door opens again to a few of the chain, talking amongst each other quietly.

You allow yourself to fall back into cooking, moving the pancakes to and from the pan easily.

The worst part is the time it takes.

Once you finally finish the pancakes and eggs you and Malon take the food to the table letting everyone get their own and spread about the room.

You grab your own serving, sitting down near Twilight who looks happy enough. He nods to you since his mouth is full.

"You made this?" Wild asks, sounding impressed.

"Yeah, it's not much- Malon made the eggs."

"The pancakes are phenomenal. "Wild says, and it almost sounds like he's trying out a new word.

You laugh, warm and happy, "Of coffee. "

"This is really good," Time says from his spot beside Malon.

"Thank you." You say with a smile, "But keep that up and you'll give me a big head."

"So?" Time counters.

You blush, unsure how to respond but by the goddess you will. You may be hopeless over the man but he can't know that.

"Do you really need me to be cocky mid battle?" You counter- not even sure why you said it.

"It'd do you good." Time says firmly, something soft in his words.

Twilight elbows you as you choke on your food, "You okay?"

"Fine. "

"Are you sure?" Malon asks, sounding so kind it makes your heart twist.

"I'm sure. Just went down the wrong pipe." You insist.

"Wonder why." Twilight says with a knowing look.

You just shoot him a nasty glare.

"Maybe (Y/n)'s in loooove." Wind says with a fat grin.

Wild also gives a shit eating smile, "Maybe they're trying to woo someone."

"Like you?" You say with a laugh, knowing Wild won't actually be upset.

He gives a snort, "You wound me."

"I think it's someone more like the old man." Wind says smugly, "Or maybe Miss Malon?"

"Maybe you should mind your own business."

"Is that true, (Y/n)? Are you in love?" Time asks, looking curious.

"With sleep."

Why the fuck do you ever say anything. You just keep making things awkward. Obviously you should just stop talking.

"Aren't we all?" Time says with a shake of his head.

"Nice deflection. "Twilight whispers to you.

You just elbow him right in the ribs, that'll show him.

"Lay off them," Malon says, "If they want to talk about it they'll share."

"Mal's right." Time says, leaning against his wife.

Well you're fucked. The man you've fallen for is just so cute with the woman you're starting to crush on really heavy.

How the fuck did you fall for two people married to each other?

"Thank you." You say pointedly, trying not to scream at the bullshit that is your feelings.

"But you don't have to deflect either." He adds. "It's pretty obvious you love someone."

"I take it back. You're the worst of them all."

Time laughs, and that really does not help you at all. Your traitorous feelings make you happy that you made him laugh.

"Are you surprised?" Malon asks, "Pretty sure all Links are gremlins."

"That's why Epona is my favorite. "

"Ouch." Four says.

"Way to make us feel bad." Wild says with a grin.

"Is it too late to leave you all here?"

"Yes." Twilight says, "Because you loooove us."

"I don’t know why."

"Ouchie my feelings." Wind says evenly.

You stand up, plate in hand, "I'm going to eat with Epona. She doesn’t try to make me kick her."

"Stay," Malon says, "Please. We'll stop the topic completely. "

You should leave. While you have your pride.

Really.

But you're weak, and she asked so nice. You can't say no.

But you do walk over to Sky instead and sit back down beside him.

"You love us!" Wild and wind both chorus in a sing-song voice.

You just groan.

"Be nice boys." Time says from his spot at the table, eyes scanning the group.

"But Tiiime! I want to win the bet!" Wind says petulantly.

Wild swats his arm, "Sh!"

"Bet?" Time asks.

"Yeah, bet. How long it takes (Y/n) to confess!"

"I'd like to be on never. Twenty rupees." You say with a smile.

Because no way in hell are you confessesing to either of your current "love interests". Let alone both.

"Don't bet on that!" Malon chides.

"I bet the other party will confess for what it's worth." Twilight says.

"I change bet bet to a hundred, and that no one will." You say with a blush burning your cheeks.

"No betting." Time says, "But you should also trust fate, (Y/n). You're quite the catch and anyone one be lucky to have you."

"Oh my god cab we please stop talking about my nonexistent love life?!" You manages in a strangled shriek.

Malon just laughs, "Okay. Okay. But Time is right."

"See?" Twilight asks you pointedly.

"I have never wanted to pitch myself of a cliff so much." You say blankly, not actually meaning it but still embarrassed.

"Please don't. We'd miss you."

Time says gently.

Goddesses be damned this man is going to kill you.

"I'd definitely miss you." Malon adds.

And so will his wife.

You have to stress the wife part, you will not be a homewrecker.

"I wouldn't. " Legend adds helpfully.

You finish your food with two bitter before standing to do your dishes, "I'm going to start my chores!"

Laughter follows you as you escape to the kitchen before going to the barn to start attending the cows.

Fuck your life.

Surely it'll get better.

At least with the cows lack of bets and opinions on your crushes you can die in peace.

.......

Time spends the clean up of breakfast with Malon, absolutely enthralled to be back with his wife. But also glad to get the space and energy to actually discuss the topic of half his letters. You.

"You were right- they're precious." Malon says as she washes dishes.

"They are. And they don't even know how obvious they are."

"Mh- neither did you."

"Hey now, be nice." He chides her.

"Okay okay, I'll be nice. But really Link, you didn't have to wait to ask them out. I already gave you my permission."

"They wouldn't accept without at least your approval. They're worried. And besides- I knew they'd like you. I wanted to give you the chance to fall too!"

"How sweet."

"It is."

"Link, the chances of them even being willing to date both of us is much lower."

"It really isn't. They already have a crush on you."

"Sure, fairy boy."

"Oh please, it's been years!"

"You came out of the forest."

"Mal!"

"Okay okay. But really, how do you want to go about this?"

"I was-... I was hoping you would know."

"Hey! I said yes didn't I?"

"I still don't know why!"

Malon laughs at that, drying of one of the last dishes.

After a moment, she turns to him, looking up at him with a determined fire in her eyes. "Tell you what, give me a few hours, and I'll come up with something.

"As long as we don't scare them off."

"I don't scare people off!" She defends.

"You are a force of nature, my love. You can be a little intense."

"So? You are too."

"Hm- I suppose you're right."

Time leans over and kisses her forhead gently. Well assured that no matter how things turn out with you he will always have his wife's love and support.

And hopefully- for both of them, really- they can give things with you an honest shot.

Though Time is certainly in deeper than Malon at the moment you live up to his letters, and she's a lot closer to falling than she's admitted.

"Hurry up, Link. We still have chores to do."

"I know. I'll fix up the barn after lunch."

"Good. Thank you."

[camillomea]

night lotus 2 wooden sword -part2

When Thea finally got out of the bathroom after taking a shower and getting dressed, Cass was still there. She was looking at the window, it was a little different from the windows in the house. The window was just inside and was full of perches. Cass looked at it in surprise and said "birds". Thea said "Oh you saw the perches". Cass went over to the window and looked at it curiously. Tim took out some bird food from a drawer with his hand. Just as she was about to speak, there was a knock on the door. Thea asked "Who". Jason asked "It's me. Are you free shrimp?" Thea sighed at the name but said "Yes you can come in I am free". Jason opened the door "Hey shrimp. Alfred is calling for dinner and asked me to let him know when the tea is ready" Thea said "Okay I'll come just to fill the feeders" Cass said "Me too" she fumbled with the sleeve of her pajamas. Thea asked "Do you want to help" Cass said "Yes". Jason said "Good room shrimp do you need help?" He came over to them. Thea said "You can take the ones on top". Jason helped them. Actually, his aim was to have a long interrogation at first but his priority was to help the shrimp. When he was done, Thea said "Thank you". Cass said "Sure. Why don't I have something like that in my room?" Jason said "I agree". Thea said "There aren't any birds that haunt you because even if there wasn't this they would settle in the trees around my house. B and Alfred helped me build it a long time ago". Jason looked at her curiously. Finally they left the room. Jason's gaze was on her. He wanted to make sure he didn't bump into anything or trip. Finally they came to the kitchen. Alfred asked "Did you eat while you were out". Tim said "No not yet". Alfred said "Thea". Thea said "Sorry my mind was on something else". Alfred sighed "Thea what did doctor Leslie say about eating" he asked. Thea said "I shouldn't miss my meals I'm already extremely thin. "And it's making my health worse and if it gets worse it's putting my life at risk," she said, her voice getting quieter. "How long have you been anorexic babybird?" Dick asked. Thea said, "No. But after being malnourished for so long I can't even remember to eat." Warning bells were going off in Jason's head. He and Dick looked at each other and they both seemed to be thinking the same thing. Dick said, "I understand babybird. You need to be more careful. If you need any help just let us know okay?" He asked. He smiled warmly. But his fist was clenched. He couldn't reassure his sister with his smile anymore. Thea said, "Thanks Dick." He was about to sit down on the chair when the doorbell rang. Damian went to the door. He frowned at the person standing in the hallway. It was Glen. Glen said, "Good evening I'm here to deliver a package to Nix. I was about to G-- when Thea arrived. Thea asked, "Is everything okay Glen?" Glen said, "Hey Nix the boss sent you some sweets and snacks. He suspects you forgot to eat again, and I think he's right. So we thought it would be good for your appetite," Thea said. "Thanks Glen. Please tell Nora and Lucas that I thanked them." Glen said. "Of course." Damian narrowed his eyes at Glen. Dick and Jason were behind them. Damian said in a condescending tone. Glen said, "I don't need a real sword to deal damage to someone, and the fact that only a real sword is needed means that your skill isn't developed enough in my opinion. Also, unlike a real sword, I can always carry it with me," he said without even batting an eye at the large duo behind them. Damian said, "Are you underestimating me? You're just too egotistical for a delivery boy," his body moved to jump on him. But before he could move, Thea stopped him before he could do something stupid. Thea said, "Thanks again Glen. I'm keeping the three of you busy despite your busy schedule."

[raitrolling]

Locations Masterpost

a brief list of all the locations on Alternia relevant to my trolls and who inhabits them. any lore documents i have written up for the larger locations will also be linked below

this post will be updated periodically whenever new locations are made, or trolls are added / removed from them

feel free to reference these locations in your own worldbuilding, however please ask me first if you would like your trolls to also live in these locations (especially any of the towns and cities listed below). my rp settings are semi-open unless otherwise stated

note: im only including my own locations, not rp settings that belong to my friends that my trolls may also visit or be involved with. also, any one-off locations referenced in D2S have not been listed unless they end up becoming more fleshed out

Almadusk Woods - A dark forested area that is believed to be haunted, thanks to all the plantlife having a penchant for growing to resemble the screaming souls of the damned. Home to Nightfall Manor, an old gothic mansion which once belonged to infamous serial killer The Countess Antumbra. ↳ Known residents: Glasya Elliss, The Countess Antumbra (former)

Arctic North - A polar region up in the northernmost point of Alternia. It snows sweep-round, with large swathes of area being covered in ice sheets and permafrost. Further inland is more forested, and pockets of villages are spread out amongst the region. Larger villages are responsible for delivering goods to the smaller, more remote villages, although frequent blizzards can affect the supply chain. ↳ Known residents: Davitt Cesare (former), Leutia Izotze, Sigrun Apteno

Arctic North, Northern Lights Village - A small community within Alternia's Arctic North region. Only a few log cabins have been built here due to its isolated location, however the residents who live here are all very close. The next closest village is an approximate half hour journey via snowmobile. ↳ Known residents: Redeti Miraze, Fannar Bajorn

Ashwood Bushland - A large eucalyptus forest. The climate is quite arid and sees little to no rainfall in the warmer seasons, making the possibility of bushfires a serious risk. Few trolls live within this forest for that reason, however it is home to many unusual species of flora and fauna native to its highly unique ecosystem. ↳ Known residents: Kalpan Sewick

Bayside Keyes - An exclusively-seadwelling neighbourhood along the coastline. Mega mansions line the streets of this small gated community, each with their own section of private beach. While quieter and less territorial than other seadweller communities, its residents are hostile towards their own neighbours and keep to themselves. The climate may be warm, but the attitudes are ice cold. ↳ Known residents: Nemone Moryan (former), Veruco Miopah (former), Linnae Ishimi (former)

Block 136 - One of Alternia's major cities. A cultural melting pot of which trolls of all castes call their home, however social segregation is still rampant thanks to unofficial caste-based residential districts. Frequent gang activity is kept in check by the Legislacerators' powerful security system known colloquially as The Eyes of God. Loosely based on Melbourne, Australia. ↳ Lore document: Here (Note: this doc is extremely outdated, and I don't know when I'll get around to rewriting it) ↳ Known residents: Liiore Dariya, Raesul Mercur, Maagni Halvor, Leithe Arbied, Torada Gerrat (former), Fisher Cavius, Ashell Bathre, Renais Sulawe (former), Davitt Cesare, Velour, Fannar Bajorn (former), Mikiel Giacho, Nerrev Colume (presumed), Aiolos Hummel, Perria Vanche, Shirei Amynta & the OVERSEER gang, The Overseer (former), Lanthi Berrit, Arenai Karasu (former), Sobeit Quirem (former), Linnae Ishimi

Block 136, Lowblood District - An area in Block 136's south and southeastern sides of the city where many lowbloods have decided to build their hives. Both hivestem apartments and smaller townhouse-style hives have been constructed in this area, although they are of notably lower quality that the hivestem blocks closer to the city's centre. High crime rate. ↳ Known residents: Katrin Rissah, Nancor Pharom, Dismas Teufel, Aislin Cudovi, Quidel Benrii, Aegiel Lachan, Soroll Delfim, Daimon Sverre

The Deepwoods - A lush forest with thick canopies of thousand-sweep old trees. A light fog covers the majority of the forest, which seems to grow thicker until it becomes too difficult to breathe in within certain areas of the region. Hikers have reported experiencing hallucinations due to severe oxygen deprivation, as well as sightings of a mysterious monster known as The Deepwoods Demon. ↳ Known residents: Skathi Reckam (former), Kisert Azeban, Errett Sachin

Evergreen Woods - A forested area of reasonable size. The platonic ideal of a forest, with large evergreen trees and a temperate climate, and absolutely no notable features. Some trolls who live in this region have opted to construct their hives amongst the treetops. ↳ Known residents: Eichio Maccau, Callan Ranpoe, Amarys Viridi (former)

Grünesmeer Rainforest - A swamp-like rainforest with a slightly humid climate. Oils secreted from the trees give the bodies of water within the forest a distinct bright green hue, which is how the region got its name. Few trolls live in this area, and there's been multiple incidents of unexplained disappearances and drownings. ↳ Known residents: Vivyin Kafkah

Northwestern Highlands - A mountainous region in Alternia's northwest, characterised by its long green rolling plains and cliffs that end abruptly at the coastline. The number of hives in the area are sparse, but those who make the highlands their home witness spectacular views of both the ocean and the countryside. Based on both the Scottish and Irish Highlands. ↳ Known residents: Charon Acerbi, Somerl Alfero

Northwestern Midlands - A region in Alternia's northwest, less mountainous than the highlands and characterised by its many lakes and moorlands. The midlands is home to many castle ruins, and tends to be a popular location for hikers, history enthusiasts, and fans of romantic literature alike. Based on the Lakes District in England. ↳ Known residents: Ariete Qurioe

Pescaruzzia - A region out in Alternia's countryside, known for its large green fields and warm Mediterranean climate. It is home to many vineyards and orchards, as the weather and soil quality is perfect for agricultural endeavours. It is not uncommon for residents of this region to sell their wares at farmers markers, or export them in bulk to nearby towns. Based on the Abruzzo region, South Italy. ↳ Known residents: Zotick Aureio, Astera Ringoh, Rosato Sekaan

Phosphor Forest - A phosphorous mine that was abandoned thousands of sweeps ago and has been long since reclaimed by nature, growing into a lush forest. The traces of phosphorous in the soil have caused the plants and wildlife to develop bioluminescence, at the cost of the air being mildly toxic to those who have not grown accustomed to it. ↳ Known residents: Ananta Cahaya

Revoire City - Officially designated as Block 50. A glitzy coastal city that is a highly popular tourist location for rich socialites and celebrities alike. It is known for the famous Revoire Casino, the largest casino in Alternia, as well as the historic Revoire City Grand Prix. Those with permanent residence in Revoire are almost exclusively highbloods, and live within gated hivestem communities. Based on Monaco. ↳ Known residents: Ropikk Alaysi, Tiraol Rikelo, Sharle Casini, Zraike Farina

Sommerset Beach - A stretch of coastline and surrounding islands that are famous for its pink-tinted sand and beautiful coral reef. The seadwellers who live within this region are highly territorial and squabble over ownership of their private beaches and portions of the ocean. Because of this, regular tourism is essentially impossible. ↳ Known residents: Loreli Varuna, Belamy Alchys

Vernrot Harbour - Officially designated as Block 870. A small fishing village plagued by eternal rainfall due to the existence of Those Who Slumber In The Deep. The majority of its residents are unaware that it is a hotspot for both eldritch and supernatural activity. However, the town experiences very little interference from the Empire due to the horrorterrors protecting it. Based on English fishing villages such as Robin Hood's Bay in Yorkshire, with additional architectural inspirations from Edinburgh, Scotland. ↳ Lore document: Here ↳ Known residents: Phionn Baliso, Ashell Bathre (former), Chryso Haanda, Celise Shoket, The Abysseer (former), Lusien Avalon, Leyjar Avalon (former), The Luminous (former), Lernie Laguno, Vallis Reyleh

[find-roronoa-zoro]

Roronoa Zoro X CisFem Reader CW : Death

17

Everything happened so fast, perhaps it would feel that way regardless; no matter how sick he was or how old you were it would always be too soon. Two days before, at 3:14AM Marco called to tell you Pops was gone, and you hadn't shed a single tear. Things had to be done. The boys had to be taken care of.

There was a light snow falling making the night feel quieter.

"Do you want me to put on some music?" Zoro asked softly resting his chin on your head.

You hummed in affirmation and he shifted to get his phone. Since Pops passed away he'd been sleeping in your bed. You didn't want to leave your brothers but Zoro also brought a sense of calm and comfort. He obviously didn't mind the switch in sleeping arrangements. All that mattered at the moment was that you were ok. He was quite concerned that you had yet to cry. The days before you had no problem breaking down once the two of you were alone, but now you just stayed quiet and stared off into space. Perhaps you had exhausted all of your tears, but he had a feeling it was just building.

Soft music filled your room as his arms made their way back around you.

"It's almost three." he murmured.

"I'm not sleepy." you buried your face in his shoulder.

"That's ok. We can just lay here." he rubbed comforting circles on your back, "Do you need anything?"

"This is perfect. Thank you."

After a few quiet moments, someone tapped on your bedroom door.

"Yes?" you called rising from your boyfriend's chest.

The door cracked open as Luffy peeked in, "Can I sleep in here?"

"Of course baby," you answered climbing over Zoro to grab blankets to spread on the carpet. As you were making Luffy's pallet there was another knock.

"Come in."

"Uh...is it ok..." Ace trailed off catching sight of what you were doing.

"Yes Freckles, you'll need more blankets though."

Ace turned to fetch more blankets and bumped into Sabo.

"I'll get pillows." the blond murmured disappearing down the hall.

Ten minutes later all three of your baby brothers were camped out on your bedroom floor. For a moment you worried it would be awkward with Zoro in the bed with you but the only person who seemed to care was you. Besides, it wasn't like he was going to try anything while you were not really emotionally available.

He was really handling this whole situation better than you expected. Normally the beginning stages of a relationship are the most affectionate and yours was spent full of tears and anxiety, none of that being his fault, but he seemed to roll with it all. Zoro, of course, just wanted you to be comfortable and happy if right now things had to feel more platonic then so be it.

You rested your head on his shoulder while you both stared at the ceiling.

"Luffy, get your cold ass feet out of my blanket." Ace muttered kicking the youngest's feet.

"But, you're warm." Luffy kicked back, "I'm wearing socks."

"Stop, you're kicking me, idiots." Sabo grumbled.

In a matter of seconds, a WWE match was taking place in the middle of your room. Instead of scolding them and breaking up their fight you found yourself unable to contain your laughter. Uncontrolled melodic giggles pushed passed your lips eventually stopping your brother's brawl. Zoro turned on his side, your laugh had to be one of the greatest sounds ever created.

He was a bit alarmed to see tears rolling down your cheeks. Your laughter quickly turning into sobs and hiccups. Zoro pulled you into a seated position and held you against his chest.

"It's alright." he murmured against your temple.

Your brothers drooped back, all three feeling guilty for bringing on whatever kind of manic episode you were experiencing. Of course, it wasn't their fault.

"Are you ok?" Sabo questioned once you'd calmed down.

"S-sorry you guys," you mumbled wiping your face with your shirt, "it just reminded me of when you were little."

You turned to see them all watching you with puppy dog eyes.

"I'm not sad... it was just cute, and I couldn't help but think of how Pops would burst in and yell at us for being loud in the middle of the night."

"We were always getting yelled at huh?" Ace rubbed his nape.

"We really were brats though." you chuckled.

"You still are," Zoro added making you pout and push him.

"F/N?" Luffy called quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Would it be ok if you read?"

You smiled at your little brother and turned the lamp on your side table up to the next setting.

"Your book is on the desk."

After handing you the book everyone settled back into their bedding while you sat against Zoro and turned to the first chapter.

_____________

"Goddamnit, does it always take this long for you people to get ready, yoi?" Marco shouted down the hall.

Ace was in the shower, Sabo and Luffy had gone back to their rooms and you and Zoro were getting dressed in yours.

"Yes!" You and Sabo called back.

"Just hurry up. We have a schedule to keep with the funeral home." Marco's voice got further away as he went downstairs.

"You think this is ok? Shouldn't I be wearing black?" Zoro asked buttoning his navy shirt and tucking it into charcoal gray trousers.

"It's fine, Tiger." you were pinning your hair back at your vanity, "You didn't have a black suit anyway, and I think you look nicer in gray."

"I guess that's all that matters then." he flipped his collar up and began tying his tie.

You stood and slipped into the dress you'd picked. It was black with a boat neckline, three-quarter sleeves and an A-line skirt, Pop's had always liked it on you.

"Can you zip me?" you asked turning your back to Zoro who obliged, "How's this? Too much?"

He felt a little bad for all of the thoughts that dress elicited considering the occasion - 'too much' was definitely not one of them.

"Perfect." he finally managed.

[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 15

word count - 1.8k

warnings - Canon-typical violence, some Google translate. The only word not translated is cariño, which is Spanish for sweetie. Again, as far as Google says!

Summary: Lina gets coffee and then to work on her first case.

I wake up to my alarm, stretching as I quickly turn it off. I shuffle into the bathroom and get ready for the day. As I prepare, I can't help but feel both excited and nervous. It's not a date or anything, just chill, girl... I think as I try to calm myself. After doing my hair and makeup, I finish by putting on a mostly casual outfit.

As I go to put on my shoes, I check the time, and see that it's quarter after 9. Chewing my lip, I debate with myself about whether I should give Spencer a text or not, when my phone chimes.

Hey Lina, I know it's earlier than the time we talked about, but I figured I'd head out now to get to where we said we'd meet. I hope I didn't disturb you.

Half-smile on my face, I text Spencer back.

Nah, you're ok, Doc. I was debating on texting you, as a matter of fact. I try to err on the side of 'early' rather than 'late'. So, I guess I'll see you as soon as the Metro gets there? Oh, also, did you want me to order you some coffee so it's there as soon as you get there?

Sliding my phone back in my pocket, I grab my coat and purse and head out the door, making sure it's locked. I start walking down the stairs to the sidewalk outside when I feel my phone go off again. Trying to suppress a smile, I check it.

Yeah, that sounds great, actually. See you soon, Lina. :-)

Grinning at seeing he's gotten into the emoticons, I text him back once more.

Did you want the same thing as last time, a venti black coffee?

Strolling down the sidewalk to my destination, I'm pleased to see that it's not as busy as I thought it'd be for a Saturday. Stepping into line, I feel my phone go off once more and check it.

Yes, that would be wonderful, thank you.

Putting the phone back into my pocket, I hitch up my purse higher onto my shoulder and wait. As I look around at the shop, I see a bunch of college students loading up on caffeine, probably in preparation to study. Sighing, I feel glad that in 2 weeks I won't have to worry about any more exams.

Slowly, the line winds down and it's my turn to order. I step up to the register and say, "Hi, could I please get a grande mocha and a venti black coffee? Name's Lina, L-I-N-A." The cashier nods and starts marking the cups, and I swipe my card to pay. After my order is in, I walk over and grab a handful of sugar packets and a stirrer, as well as some napkins.

I walk back and wait for my name to be called, and after a few minutes, I hear a call of, "Lina?" and see 2 drinks being slid forward. 

Grabbing them, I say, "Thank you!" and try to find an available table. Finding one close to the door, I settle in and set Spencer's coffee in front of the seat next to me and place a few napkins down, with the stirrer on top, and the pile of sugar packets next to it.

Pulling my book out of my purse, I start reading to pass the time as I wait. After about half a page, I hear my name being called. "Hey, Lina. Hope you weren't waiting too long." Spencer says as he walks up to the table. 

Grinning, I tell him, "Nope, only been sitting for a few minutes. Your coffee's right here, Doc," motioning next to me. 

He sits down, a small smile on his face as he starts putting sugar into his cup. "So, uh, how was-how was your morning?" he asks me, carefully stirring his coffee and taking a sip. 

I stir my coffee and say, "Oh, it's been ok. Quieter than during the week. I'm guessing I should relish that?"

He laughs and says, "Yeah, quiet can be pretty nice. Sometimes, it feels like those times are few and far between..." Taking a sip of my coffee, I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. Eyebrows furrowing, I pull it out and see it's Penelope. Looking over, I see Spencer take his buzzing phone out as well, looking at it with a sigh.

"Like I was saying..." he says, before answering his phone with a "Yeah, Hotch?" 

I answer my phone, tentatively saying, "Hello?" 

"Hey there, my young Padawan. Work calls, and therefore, so do I. We've got a case." Penelope tells me. 

"O-oh, ok, um, I guess I'll be in as soon as I can, then," I say.

"Sorry for cutting your Saturday short, see you when you get in." Penelope apologizes, then hangs up. 

I look over at Spencer as I put my phone back in my pocket, and as he does the same, he says, "Well, duty calls, right?" I nod, and we walk out to the Metro, waiting for the next one into work.

As we sit on the bench, he looks a little melancholic, and says, "I'm sorry, Lina. I was afraid this would happen." 

I look at him a little quizzically, and ask, "Why are you sorry? We were called into work, it's not like you blew me off or something. I'm guessing this is the price you pay when you save lives."

"I, yeah, when you put it that way..." he says thoughtfully. 

"Besides," I say with a small laugh, "You did say we could hang out when we get back," 

"Well...yeah, yeah, I did. Sounds good..." he says, mood seeming to lift slightly. We sit there, making small talk as we wait for the vehicle.

When the Metro gets there, we board and sit together, still talking. When we get to the office, we're greeted by Elle and Derek, who give each other looks, raising their eyebrows, then turning to us.

"Reid, does any blood run through your veins, or is it all coffee by now?" Derek teases, pressing the button for the elevator. 

As we wait, Spencer thinks about it for a second, then turns to Derek with a creased brow and slight grimace, and says, "Morgan, you know very well that's a physical impossibility."

Raising his hand fruitlessly, then gesturing for us to board the elevator when it opens, Derek sighs and says, "It...it's a joke, Reid...never mind...anyway, how're your mornings' going?" 

I take a sip of my coffee, waiting for someone to respond, and when no one does, I remark, "Not bad. Far more active than usual for me, though."

"Yeah, that's for sure," Elle says with a nod. "Hopefully, you'll get used to it quickly enough, it's nice to have more mujer on the team." she continues, smiling at me. I bite my lip and nod, and I must have a confused look on my face, because she then says with a slight chuckle, "Women, cariño, it's nice to have more women on the team."

"Oh, ok. Sorry, I took Italian in high school, I, uh, I thought it would come in handy far more than it actually has..." I say, awkwardly shuffling my feet and looking down. 

"Hey, Songbird's multilingual. How about hittin' us with a little of that Romance language?" Derek says, grinning and wiggling his eyebrows a little.

I laugh and then stop for a moment to think, then say, "Ricordo solo un po' di italiano." After a moment, I say it again in English. "I can only remember a little Italian." 

With a chuckle, Derek says, "Hey, that's more than I know. Do you know any others?" 

"I, um, I know a few words of German," I say, shifting from one foot to another.

With a ding, the elevator opens, and as we walk out, Spencer softly asks me, "Wie viel Deutsch kannst du?" (How much German do you know?) 

His breath tickling my ear and sending shivers through me from the closeness, I manage a stuttery, "Ein bisschen." (A little bit.) 

He nods his head in acknowledgment, then smiles and says, "Danke für den Kaffee," (Thank you for the coffee.) before starting to walk off. 

Grinning, I call out, "Gern geschehen, Doktor!" (You're welcome, Doc!) and slowly walk in behind everyone, looking for Penny.

After everyone has walked into the room, I poke my head in, seeing Penny already at the table. Quickly making my way over, I sit in the empty seat next to her, turning to the screen. After we watch, Hotch pauses and says, "This happened in Beechwood, New Jersey. Mr. Fisher had ingested LSD one afternoon and didn't come down until 18 hours later."

JJ jumps in, "The hospital reported 6 other patients who ingested LSD in the last 24 hours. The hospital called the CDC, the CDC called us." 

Derek asks, "So, a bunch of people got spiked. What makes it a BAU case?" 

Hotch answers, "They each received 10 to 20 times the normal dose."

"It's enough to kill a small child." Spencer muses. 

Elle adds, "Or cause a grown man to kill him with a tire iron." 

JJ continues, "Of the seven victims, there was one death and one coma. This is from the hospital's security footage the same night Fisher lost it." She then changes files and unpauses the recording, showing a waiting room in chaos.

After a few seconds, Gideon says, "These people didn't get spiked. These people were poisoned." 

As that sinks in, Hotch looks around the table at us and says, "Wheels up in 20." 

We all get up from the table, and Penny says, "Here we go, your first case. I'll fill you in on what to do as we go, ok?"

As I follow her, Spencer jogs up to me with a duffle bag in his hand and says, "I'll, um, see you when I get back? Raincheck for, uh, hanging out?" 

Smiling at him, I nod and tell him, "Yeah, absolutely. Hope Jersey's good to you all, Doc." He jogs off, giving me a shy smile and a small wave. 

I turn to Penny, and she's looking at me with her eyebrows raised, open mouth turning into a devilish smile. When we get to the room she tells me she's dubbed the 'Command Center', she sits in her chair and puts her headset on. As I do the same, she tells me, "You know I'm gonna ask about it later, right?"

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[happiestplacehq]

Hey everyone !!

I hope we're all doing okay. I know life is kicking everyone's butt right now. I'm putting out the good vibes!

So, I'm finally on summer holiday and other than having studying to do for my ballet qualification, I actually genuinely have some free time on my hands at the moment. As you can probably all tell, the last few months have not been great for me keeping the main up to date and pushing things out, and keeping on top of everyone else's activity has been hard when I haven't been as active myself. Long story short, my mental health has absolutely tanked the last few months (understandable, given how many things have been thrown at me in a year and a half on top of work stress and studying) and I couldn't in good conscience hound anyone to be active when I was hiding myself.

For now, I feel rested and I'm pushing through the brain fog. I'm committing to being a better mod!

ANYWAY, all this is to say is that I'm planning a small revamp/ reboot of the RP, with the hopes that this motivates all of our players to make a slow and steady return to the dash.

This revamp will include some plot updates, a massive push for the plot moving forward, and an event to welcome the new "era" of the RP. (Trust me besties, I'm excited for the idea I have and I'm already writing things inside my mind!!)

I might change up the graphics and change some bios around here and there too if my mum's laptop agrees with photoshop. I'm not promising new bios just yet (as that is a hurdle unto itself).

The main thing to note going into this revamp is this:

There will be updates to the activity rules. Sadly, being as lenient as I have been has meant that activity has fizzled, which is understandable but not great if we're wanting to keep the RP moving forward, keep everyone feeling included and welcome new writers. (I know the dash has been moving better lately, but sometimes there are points where nothing is posted for a long time.)

I haven't decided on what the new rules will be yet, so am open to feedback and suggestions, but there will be changes to both activity and interaction rules. I will also be messaging each individual character account to ask your plans for the character going forward, or if you would like to drop the character at some point too. (If you're stuck with a character, this is a great time to reboot them.) These rules will not come into effect until the revamp is complete so there's still some time to message me or have a think about what you would like to do going forward.

As always, please send in a hiatus request if you think you will be away for over 2 weeks just so I can keep things as updated as possible.

To help me in this revamp, the RP/ Main will technically be on a semi-hiatus - RP and in character interactions will continue as normal, the main will just be quieter to help me make changes and keep track of everything. As such, I won't be promoting the RP until I'm happy with the revamp, and applications for new characters will be closed for a short while. You can still message me to change character FCs, request hiatuses and all the other usual stuff.

I'm giving myself until mid-August to get as much of this done as I can. I will be away in London for training from the 15th to the 23rd August, so if I put my mind to it we'll have something by then, OR the week I come back. I'll put a poll out nearer the time when we would like the grand-reopening to be!

Like I said, interactions are still to go ahead as normal! The game itself isn't on hiatus, just the main while I change things around and give everything a fresh coat of paint. Thank you to everyone who has stuck around thus far! I can't wait to see what this revamp sparks in everyone ✨

Please give this post a like once you have read it!