#also i thought he had two sisters wheres the other one 🤨

[lostandbackagain]

many things bug me about this book but the way it just casually mentions nyame's family died by fucking hate crime and doesn't. explore that? how it affected him as a child or an adult? doesn't make us feel like we know haniah (one of her personal favorite characters? i thought?) or their mother? it's weird. I'm always thinking about it

[starkwlkr]

Can you make Charles x Reader where she is the daughter of an older driver, maybe Senna or Schumacher?? and decides to move to Monaco and ends up crashing his car in Charles' car in his first week in the city and it’s race week in Monaco, maybe some other driver in the car with Charles?

monaco does that to you | charles leclerc

sorry for the wait but here it is! (finally lol) also do germans say mom or mum? google never gives me an answer 🤨 i’m going to use mom so apologies if that isn’t the correct term to use because i grew up in texas and i always use mom 🫤

Y/n was on the phone with her sister, Gina. She had successfully moved to Monaco and decided to call Gina to tell her she was okay. The Schumacher siblings were always close so it was going to take some time for Y/n to get used to being away from her family.

“It’s so lovely here, Gina. Maybe you and mom can come in time for the Monaco Grand Prix. We could all be together. I know Mick would love that.” Y/n said as she grabbed her keys from the coffee table and exited her apartment. She had a few errands to run before she went to lunch with Mick.

“I’ll check with mom, make sure she’s free for the weekend.” Gina replied. Then she started to talk about some plans she had with a couple friends as Y/n walked to her car. Y/n listened to Gina as she opened her car door and turned her car on.

Y/n was so focused on listening to her sister that she didn’t switch the car from reverse to drive so when she pressed on the gas, the car went backwards hitting a very nice car as a result.

“Shit, shit, shit, fuck, oh my god.” Y/n repeated as she turned the car off and looked back at the damaged car.

“Y/n? What’s happening?” Gina asked through the phone.

“I just made the biggest mistake of my life. Gina, I’ll call you back.” Y/n sighed heavily and ended the call. She put away her phone and got out of her car, ready to face the consequences.

She looked at the car and saw that it was a Ferrari. Why did she have to hit a Ferrari? Suddenly the doors of the Ferrari opened and out came a brown haired man.

Nice, you hit a hot man’s car, Y/n thought to herself.

“Are you okay?” He asked her.

“I just hit your car and you’re asking me if I’m okay?”

He nodded. “Are you?”

“Yeah, but I hit your car. An expensive one.”

“I can get it fixed, don’t worry.”

Oh, so he’s rich

“I’m really sorry. I can help pay for the damage.” Y/n said, but he shook his head. “Then give me your number for like the insurance and stuff. I’ll work it out.”

“How about I pay for the damages and dinner? I think that sounds pretty good. I’ll stick take your number too.” He said with a smirk.

“Is that what you say to all the girls?” Y/n teased.

“Only the ones that crash into my car.” He replied. “If you wanted my attention that bad, you could’ve just walked up to me.” He chuckled at her.

“Sure, whatever. It wasn’t on purpose! I was distracted and I didn’t drive my car here last night, my brother did. I think I was passed out in the back seat or something.” Y/n explained.

“Yeah, Monaco does that to you.”

“I don’t even know your name, I’m Y/n.” She finally introduced herself.

“Charles.Does dinner anytime this week sound good?” Charles asked.

“I’ll have to check. I have this thing with my brother on the weekend, it’s really important.”

“Maybe next week if you’re not busy?”

“Sure, Charles. If I’m not busy.” Y/n smiled.

After exchanging numbers, Charles and Y/n said goodbye to each other and went their separate ways. Y/n had gone back up to her apartment, too embarrassed to even go out now while Charles went back inside his car where Pierre had been waiting for him the whole time.

“What did she say?” Pierre asked.

“We are having dinner soon, that’s what she said.” Charles replied.

“You’re having dinner with Mick’s sister? I can already see the f1 gossip accounts going insane when they see you two! A Schumacher and . . . Charles. Don’t worry, it doesn’t sound too bad.” Pierre laughed.

“Mick’s sister? She was Mick’s sister?” Charles asked. Mick mentioned his two sisters often, but Charles never met them personally.

“Yeah, Mick said she’s moving to Monaco. I think she’s going to be in the paddock this weekend.”

Holy shit, it really is a small world, Charles thought

[lovemyromance]

*SPOILERS FOR HOFAS* (even though it's been like almost 2 months guys get on it 🤨🤨)

.

.

.

.

.

.

So the Cauldron was wrong 🤩 Isn't that something?

And by wrong, we mean it was corrupted by the Asteri / Daglan to create the most powerful offspring. Not necessarily bonds that are of the soul or formed by love or whatever. Not saying this CAN'T also be the case, two things can be true at once, but for sure-confirmed-the Asteri tampered with the Cauldron to fix pairings that would produce powerful offspring (for them to snack on, I guess).

What does that mean? Does it mean every single mating bond currently out there is wrong and created only for the purpose of the most powerful offspring?

No. Not necessarily.

We don't really know where mating bonds come from. The Cauldron, the Mother, etc.

Just based off the fact that Feyre or Rhys didn't go into the cauldron, I think their bond is not from the cauldron. Could it still be called into question? Maybe, but I think it's been shown they would've chosen each other regardless of the bond.

But Elain & Nesta, their mating bonds were only revealed after they were dumped out of the Cauldron. Could we say that their mating bonds were given to them by the Cauldron and are therefore tampered with?

Perhaps. That's a solid possibility.

The thing is, Cassian had a feeling as soon as he met Nesta in ACOMAF that she was his mate. He felt something before she even went into the cauldron. So maybe their bond existed before the cauldron, meaning they don't have a cauldron-given bond either.

Now let's look at Elain.

Elain's mating bond with Lucien was revealed as soon as she came out of the Cauldron.

You can argue that "oh he showed mate behavior and stepped toward her before she went in" but so did Tamlin. Tamlin said stop, Tamlin lunged for the King. So there's no way to discern whether Lucien also voicing his anger was "mate behavior" or Lucien genuinely being upset that Ianthe sold them out and kidnapped Feyre's sisters. Not if everyone in the room also reacted the same way.

Elain was in enough distress and struggling as it was. Lucien did not feel the bond snap and realize she was his mate then. Not until after she went into the cauldron.

I think just from the order of events, it's logical to conclude the Elucien bond is Cauldron-given. Not saying it's 100% true or right, but it's a plausible theory. Who's to say that if Elain & Lucien had crossed paths before the Cauldron incident, maybe Lucien would have felt the same attraction and feeling as Cassian had towards Nesta. Things did not play out that way, though, so we can't make that conclusion yet.

So to recap, here's what we have discovered:

Cauldron = Wrong

Feysand bond = Not Cauldron-given

Nessian bond = Not Cauldron-given

Elucien bond = Cauldron-given

Let's do some simple math. If the cauldron is wrong, and the Elucien bond is technically the only one that's Cauldron-given... wouldn't it mean theirs is the only one that is wrong?

And yes, I am aware, I have a huge Elriel bias. But the Elucien mating bond being wrong doesn't automatically make Elriel mates or anything. It just means there is something sketch about their bond. It is not like the others, and we can see that through the sheer way it has been written in the text since it was revealed.

Lucien & Elain avoid each other. Are uncomfortable around each other. Don't talk, don't communicate, can barely even be in the same room, are attracted to other people.

Did we see ANY of that from Feysand & Nessian?

I stand by my statement. One of these is not like the others: Elucien is not like the Feysand & Nessian bond. And it's not just because we haven't received their POVs. It's because:

"what if the cauldron was wrong" - voiced by multiple characters, and confirmed in HOFAS

"Why not make them mates" - Feyre, when she refers to Azriel and Elain

"Can you reject a bond?" - Again, Feyre when she considers how incompatible Elucien is. "she cringed when she thought of Elain subjected to that... fire"

Nesta observing Azriel's secret, the charged glances between the two

Nesta being so protective of Elain but allowing her to go with Azriel without protest

"death and the lovely fawn" - endorsement from the High Lady herself

"What happens if someone rejects their mate? What if the forces put you to be with the wrong person? It offers a lot to explore this concept of free will vs. true love" - SJM herself, on the today show.

But i thought it was obvious 🤷🏻‍♀️

[chasedeys]

If Ja’marr managed to drag Joe out of Cincy and take an actual break - where do you think he would take him? 🤔

(Im depressed over the loss so I’ve been trying to think of happy scenarios for the pookies)

hiiiii as per usual this got long wkwkk and idk more delusional than usual and i kept being sad abt everything 😭😭 so:

they're on different states currently i'm pretty sure?? joe back in cincy terrorizing the bengals facility and himself there while ja'marr had his usual acupuncture rehab session back in nola and who knows if they're both still there. probably tbh. i fully support them being away from each other lollll take some time away from work after that shitshow and that unfortunately includes your best friend (who you are in love with etc) who is also your coworker!

i imagine ja'marr being on a social media cleanse (thank fuck i hope he doesn't tweet anything please for the love of god i need them all to shut up why do they do this) so he probably doesn't know that joe is at the stadium until somebody (his dad? sister?) mentions it to him and he's all 'of course he is. he's throwing with dan isn't he.' and he gives joe what a day or two to get it out of joe's system before flying his ass to cincy and nagging at the man to stop trying to twist himself up into a pretzel.

for those few days ja'marr does spend himself because he too needs it ja'marr drives all around nola, shoots the shit with some old high school friends, plays in his old hangouts arcades hooping idk does he hoop i think not, eats out with his family, does chores with his mom, eats his body's worth in nola cuisine that sports nutritionists would weep at, etc etc. (also i thought his son lives with his mom lol i thought she takes care of him when ja'marr's busy with the season apparently his bm does it??? but i imagine he'd spend some time with junior too he loves that baby like crazyyy)

ja'marr sends joe random pics of his days, a snap of his mom nagging at him because he keeps putting needless shit into the shopping cart, a random cat wearing a bell on the sidewalk, the setting sun, a cloud shaped like a football, some seafood boil, some old friends of theirs messing up his dining room table, etc etc. joe replies back in short sentences or just ok emojis. ja'marr doesn't take it to heart. several random times joe sends the world's most shittiest one liners for some reason and ja'marr hypes him up while simultaneously telling him he needs help.

would they go to miami and get joe on a boat 🤗 ja'marr probably tested the waters first lmao if joe would be susceptible to some forceful shenanigans outside of his comfort zone. maybe joe would be like sighing and going yeah sure whatever can't hurt at this point and mainly because he himself wants to put a smile on ja'marr's face. maybe it's like that gq magazine clothes saga/get me the fucking ball where joe realizes that ja'marr wants him on a boat with him via the media (talk to each other for the love of god why does ja'marr keep spilling shit to the media unknowingly making joe realize what he wants via said media 'i didn't know i do it through media' baby please. please.) imagining ja'marr trying to be sneaky getting joe on that fucking boat but joe knows exactly what he's doing because ja'marr can't lie for shit to him and joe just telling him to quit it he'll go on the boat with him ffs and trying to hide his smile when ja'marr starts lighting up in surprised joy (experiencing joy because you brought out joy in someone else!!! doing something outside your comfort zone to put a smile on someone's face!!!!)

maybe they'll miraculously show up for another bball game. pretty sure ja'marr only fucks with the lakers lmao so maybe they pop by for an at home la game (back to la....hmm.....or just their away games nvm. they play at suns again on the 27th lol), break bengalsblr for a second time with their 🤨🤨🤨 matching outfits and weirdly first date vibes. maybe joe will finally drag ja'marr to a ufc game for a change! (i don't actually know any ufc matches...google says the nearest is the 23rd and then dec 8th?? idk any of these people 😭)

doing some shopping?? finding more matching outfits specifically shoes bc apparently that's where they their fashion interests intersect?? god bless if ja'marr makes joe wear one of his chunky interesting boots.

museummm dateessss but specifically national history museums or those space science museums or dinosaurs museums or those creepy oddities museum do you think they'd fuck with that probably not tbh. maybe they switch things up do things that ja'marr wants (boats, bball games, etc) and what joe wants (museums, ufc matches, etc) that's so cute wow. but ja'marr waits patiently as joe nerds out on the fossils and gigantic ass 3d planet renditions and those augmented topography booths where they can move sand and it automatically changes the color projections??? ja'marr remembers joe talking abt this shit one time and does his due diligence researching where it actually is and takes the man there. joe looks on fondly as ja'marr gets into it himself because the science museum offers so many interactive shit even he gets excited for it when originally he just took them there for joe.

late night walks that seem supremely out of character tbh. post clubbing (?) but they find they cannot stand crowds that night for some reason so they walk out and just stroll the midnight away. hanging out on some bridge leaning over railings talking about some easy plays, some insane ones they've made and want to streamline, ja'marr shares some of his cute little bathroom mirror post it notes goals for the season, joe shares that he's considering switching up his throwing arm practices, joe says he wants to do some blocking and tackling exercises and ja'marr tells him to shut the fuck up....okay sure but don't actually try to do it in game unless he absolutely has to. drinking shitty corner store bought beers and making stupid little jokes about their mistakes they can finally make light of under the flickering street lights and shrouded moonlight and blood buzzing slightly from shit alcohol. i don't think they've ever actually been in the position where they won't make the playoffs together. last year joe was injured so it maybe doesn't count idk. playing so fucking well together yet not making it is…..befuddling. so maybe they'll spend some time talking about that and coming to terms on it too. (actual verbal communication...hmmm)

breaking into a random community outdoor basketball court and they didn't find any bballs to play with but there's a dilapidated little football (of course there is. sharing a little smile because of course there's a football in a basketball court for them. out of all the courts they could end up in.) for some reason so they throw and catch with little success joe throws for barely 3 yards but they make each other laugh because 'damn jb that's pathetic' 'well maybe you should run and catch it what are you doing just standing there' and then it turns into a little game of tag and joe straight up tries to tackle ja'marr except he's shit at tackling and ja'marr never goes down on first contact but he lets joe bring him down and they just end up caking their stupid expensive clothes with dust and dirt with lightly scratched elbows and shins, staring up at the night sky with barely any stars, the street lights irritating their peripheral vision, limbs slightly grazing each other's, finally quiet and settled, barely fidgeting like they've been doing these past few weeks.

they both send stupid little snaps (do they use snapchat??? or just instagram ig) to tee who replies back cursing at them for not inviting him. they pop by his place literally the minute he replies that because technically they're just waiting for an 'invite'.

little family get together where joe finally gets to eat the chase family seafood boil??!!?!?!? the chases comforting him too :( they should go to a pet kennel (??? what are these called omg im too tired to search 😭) and pet some dogs and cats for therapy tbh

before joe goes back to spend more time with his fam and ja'marr with his and whatever shit they want to do apart before back to the reality of practices and season games, they watch the la film together. nitpick on each other's game. apologize for their mistakes once and move on with improvements.

in all honesty if i was remotely aware what places to go to in america that would fit these two this'll be a longer list but well

but wait sorry if i can just yap a bit for the team as a whole ngl i think everyone being away from literally everybody in the team would be good for everyone as whole (yes even joemarr from each other and god why tf is joe in the facility ffs) like just keep to yourselves and stay the fuck off twt and ig jesus these dramatic ass men have they never heard of a 2nd acc or even a burner account. like stay with your family and recharge for at least 2 days idk 3 or a whole damn week actually then come back greet each other like you love them and let go of your baggage and start getting your shit together for real. the vibes are terrible it's so confusing you were THE team the past 3 years and the vibes changed to SHIT starting literally WEEK 1 that i believe is from the jamarr contract debacle suddenly playing game 1 and the entire thing finally got put to rest by ja'marr himself (as he should! the thing about joe and ja'marr is they fix their shit! they know they made mistakes and they actually fix it!! he knows the contract stumps his joy from playing so he left it behind and got his groove back literally scored 2 tuddys the next game). but i do hope they all learn how to navigate each other again and actually work together as a team and better their communication. it's kind of funny that they went on that bonding trip only to have the worst bench vibes that same game 😭. snapping at your teammates is normal tbh but letting that shit keep on festering without actually making an effort to fix it is just cancerous and on whatever miracle hail mary some of them still believe they can make the playoffs needs to start there. and maybe some audacious change in play calling lmao just try anything at this point.

ok bye hhh

[psychiatricwarfare]

Hello Hello I'm your friendly neighbourhood ghost and I am a collector of spooky tales, folklore, Urban legends, cryptids and spooky experiences and I was wondering if y'all want to share y'all favorite one??

Thank you and I hope y'all are having a blast

hello!! we absolutely would love to share!! we love a good spooky/strange story, and altho you only asked for one, we can't choose one favourite soo heres a few under the cut.. :3c

first we'll give ya a spooky one! it takes place shortly after i was born, barely talking yet, our childhood room had a closet that was connected to the attic. apparently only my dad went into the attic cus my mom & sister were too scared and we were an infant. but whenever my dad went into the attic, the windows would be open and he'd have to close them. then he'd go yell at our mom asking why she kept opening the windows, but she didnt. cus she was scared of the attic. so one day they were arguing about this in front of me & my dad said smth like "well then who's opening the windows, huh?".

& apparently (according to our parents) we point up at the ceiling to the attic and said "man". so ofc our parents were like huh?? so we did it again & ofc my parents were like 'oh shit we're haunted'. but the ghost wasnt actually like.. doing anything other than opening the windows so my dad just kept closing them and everyone kinda left him (the ghost man) alone.

then, out of nowhere, when we were like 3 years old ish, we would just start screaming and crying in the middle of the night. full-on hysterics about "the man in the attic". so our grandma flew in to come bless the house with sage (we assume) and free the spirit peacefully and respectfully. the only thing we actually remember from this whole story is her walking around the attic burning something and repeating stuff. we're told she also made my dad do it with her, not sure why she chose him tho tbh. anyways everythings been fine after that and ever since then whenever smth weird happened in the house we'd be like "welp, i guess the man's back"

second story isnt super spooky but it is weird. this one starts when we were maybe 4 or 5? we were at a paranormal sites tour on vacation, i know how this sounds but stick with us here, the tour guide said to take 2 pictures because you might not get the ghost in the first picture, but you might get it in the second. now im prettyy sure this is actually something to do with the flash and lens flares but, my mom, sister & i still did it and sure enough my sister got the pictures with & without a little orb! how fun! we save the pictures to a flash drive or something to look at for years to come.

years pass and we're all looking at the pictures (as we'd done many times before) and we get to the pictures from that tour and were like 'oh we should show dad' so my sister calls my dad in so he can see the two pictures, one with the orb and one without it. except this time when we're looking at them, neither one has an orb. and we sit there dumbstruck because we'd looked at them so many times and there was always an orb in the second picture. we still dunno how it just disappeared.. our dad was just sitting there like ".... 😑😐🤨 what are you showing me?" as the rest of us went through the 5 stages of grief trying to accept that the one time we thought to show him our ghostie picture, it stops existing :(

last one's gonna be our fav cryptid!! theyre called the fresno nightcrawlers!!!! theyre super cute little dudes that were originally sighted in fresno, california (as per their name) but they usually show up in the US :3 they also showed up once in poland they usually appear in twos, one bigger one and one smaller one, but not always. they're very cute lil guys just look at them

theyre grey/white creatures with long legs with no arms or torsos, if you look closely, their knee bends where a human shin would be, so that rules out a person in a costume because their legs are too long with far too low knees to be a human. theyre known to be small (4'11/1.5m), but one sighting claims it was 7ft/2m~. perhaps the smaller ones seen are children?? from the footage we've seen, the smaller ones never seem to be sighted without a taller one. however, the taller ones have been sighted alone.

look at how cute this lil guy is!! this is from the first ever sighting of them, definitely check out the video we linked to watch it walk around

the person who posted it also embossed the video to prove there are no wires or anything, and in the screenshot above you can kinda see the lil guy and eyes potentially?? theyre kinda hard to see so we raised the contrast n such

some people think theyre puppets with strings and have tried to recreate them, which does seem to be incredibly difficult. the wiki (linked above) has the documentary where somebody tries to debunk them along with all the sightings & hoaxes. theyre funky lil dudes and since it harms nobody and affects nothing, we choose to believe theyre real :3

[shineonyoucrazyyandere]

Hello there! This isn’t a request, but a brainrot of mine. Before that lemme say it will have major spoilers for Jojolion;

I don’t why but out of all the jofoes, Pucci and Toru are the ones who scares me the most especially if we consider them as yanderes (which is not that far off. One is born without knowing unconditional love, seeing he was abandoned the moment he was born by his mother— and the closest thing to a mother or love he had is a wasp, which he didn't hesitate to eat if it meant his survival—which may or may not be the reason for his parasitic lifestyle. While the other could not accept that fate that his sister was dealt and was willing to go the extremes).

Both of them are hella manipulative, and are quite natural at pulling the string with their darling. So much so, I very much doubt that their darling suspect anything about them, until It’s too far late for them to do anything about it. It doesn't help that they both work in a philanthropic jobs; ones a priest, the other as a doctor/nurse. So asking for help against them would only make onlookers doubt your words as mere accusations.

Since I see these two in particular to gradually isolate their darling from the world under the premise of their greater good —They are hella selfish, one denies it (Pucci) and the other is apathetic towards it even if he knows it's wrong (Toru)—and ensure that that they are completely dependant on them. That way they could never leave them. It's quite ironic how both Pucci and Toru share the same fear when it comes to their darling; That being the fear of their beloved leaving/replacing them.

With Toru, I can see him using his position as head doctor to access sedatives and using it on his darling if they’re were particularly antsy that day (Only as a last resort, if he could not sweet talk them). Medical yanderes are scary in general—looking at you Secco and Cioccolata in particular— due to many things like their access to their darling private information and drugs.

I can,also, see that both their obsession pass on their stands too.

With Whitesnake, I see it being privy about his user’s beloved memories (I see Pucci using WS to manipulate his darling’s memories to his benefit. Push them closer to him, it's not like they lost a significant memory or anything. Ngl, It is a terrifying thought. Imagine a strange priest proclaiming that he is your spouse and you can't remember if it was true or anything).

With Wonder of U, the moment that Toru goes into his sleep cycle—like most rock humans do (Darling be like: Finally I can escape him afterall 🥳. WoU: You sure about that? 🤨)—He would tail his user’s darling to ensure that they don't leave Morioh at all by sabotaging their escape attempts. Oh, you want to use the airport to escape? Too bad, the the plane suddenly exploded due to some technical issues. The port? Too bad, unexpectedly a tsunami had struck it drowning whatever available ships there is.

His tailing doesn't stop at preventing his user’s darling at escaping, but also at ensuring that they don't enter into another relationship or/and seek help from let say other people. WoU won't hesitate to goad said people into pursuing him, so they could vanish under mysterious circumstances.

At some point, the darling would stop engaging with people as the guilt eats their mind. Thinking they were cursed.. After all, no matter where they go death—freaky accidents—follow them unaware of the presence of WoU (Which canonically one of it’s ability is to disguise itself. Imagine it disguising itself as one of the darling’s relative, maybe like their grandfather and the darling is none the wiser to it 💀) under their nose making sure that they stay with Toru at all cost. They'll be all alone. After all, they are meant to be together with him and Toru.

Sorry if I prolonged, hahaha: It’s just there’s little content for Jojolion and I have a brainrot for it.. 😅

First off your brainrot is absolutely amazing here, like I’ve read this a few times over and mulled on it before finally making a response. I welcome all and any Jojolion brainrot, it’s one of my favorite parts.

I feel it’s accurate to say both Toru and Pucci would both be extremely terrifying, Yandere. Everything you put down pretty much summarizes what I think as well.

Just imagine having the use of WoU against you, calamity, disguise or otherwise on top of that being around sedatives (and knowing how to administer) is a whole different level of terrifying.

or your memories slightly altered at Pucci’s discretion. Sends chills down my spine just thinking of either of those. Man I’d have more thoughts but this is just so great I barely have any words.

I’ll at least say it’s terrifying being “trapped” by either of those circumstances, You’re practically helpless. Probably one of the more scary types of horror/Yandere in my opinion.

[aleksa-sims]

RL Simself Story ( 18+)

CW: Cheating

The next morning I went shopping with Sandra. S. will soon actually move. We went to that damn IKEA. Every time I enter an IKEA, I buy TRASH, that I don't need!! Anyway! Sandra and I were busy unpacking all those bits & bobs we bought. My Mom also came into my room, to ask where Nico was? She noticed that he left in the middle of the night and she probably heard us arguing.

N.'s Mom called him last night. She wanted Nico to pick up his fiancée. Yesterday before Nico came to me, he droped Stephanie at his Mother's house. Someone had to take care of his crazy ex- fiancee... Stephanie started that pity shit again and she also told N.'s Mom about me. She meant Nico was cheating on her. And of course his Mom didn’t feel like taking care of his fiancee, while he was shaking up with someone. (me) So yea, she's pretty mad! And I was mad at him because he didn’t come back to me, but stayed there. I told him, if he didn’t finally send Stephanie to hell, I’d date someone else, too! But N. didn’t take me seriously. He was just making silly jokes. That's why.... I called Dennis!! He accompanied Sandra & me today and we had a really nice day with him.🤷‍♀️

Mom: There you are!... Where's Nico? Why isn’t he with you? I thought you two never wanted to be apart again. 🤨

Me: His Mom called him. He had to leave.

Mom: I heard you two fighting! Did he change his mind about your Baby?

Me: N-no!... Agh, pls get off me.

Mom: Sandra! Who is that guy who accompanied you two?

Sandra: Um-....

Me: How-...How do you know??

Mom: I saw him outside with you two. You know, my "spy-window". That one in the kitchen! I could observe absolutely everything! So don’t you dare lie to me and tell me he’s Sandra's bf or something. That boy's clearly after you, A.! 😠

Me: Really? 👉👈 You think he likes me? ... No, JK!! 😉 He and I met at Ana’s College. Dorm!! He lives there too and... yea that's all. We're friends.

Mom: Since you mentioned this, what’s wrong with you and Ana? She told me it was a mistake to take you to her college . It's bcs of that boy??

Me: NO! It was Adam's fault! He made trouble for Ana and me. But Ana and I made up.... Idk why she's avoiding me?? I guess it has something to do with her new bestie Claudia. 💁‍♀️😒

Mom: Why don’t you ask her?

Me: I was busy with my own shit!!! But well, I'm gonna talk to her.

Mom: And now tell me what’s wrong with N. Did-....did he ask you to see other men? That's a familiar road for you two, isn't it?

Me: You nuts? I can't believe you actually think that!! 😲😠

Mom: I don’t know what to think or believe? You are pregnant A.! Second, you’re married to Daniel. And I just saw you outside with another guy. And it’s no secret that Nico does strange things to you.

Me: What kind of strange things? This thing with Philip and him last year was a fucking mistake! An experiment that went totally wrong for ALL of us! Especially for N.! However, it won’t happen again!

Mom: Your Dad knows! I told him last night. He wants to talk to Nico, so..... where is he?

Me: You already told him?? 😲 But-... ugh, idk if Nico will come by today? That stupid Stephanie!.............. Who knows if he’ll ever come back to me.😫

I told my Mom the truth that Nico had a fiancée. He broke up with her, but Stephanie just won’t let go of him. My Mom was so mad at me for getting involved in something like this. She accused me of being........... a bitch. She didn’t say "bitch"!! !My mother doesn’t use such.... bad words. 😇 (😒) I just can’t think of the right word in English rn, but it means the same.

Mom: How many times have I told you and your sister, never, to fall in love with a man who is taken or married! It's a really low blow, A.!

Me: You’re just saying that because of you and Dad! But-....I love him, I loved him before! So, he belongs to me! Not to her!

Mom: Then why did you marry Daniel? If... you’ve always loved Nico? You knew he had a fiancée. You deliberately decided to ruin their relationship! Just because your marriage didn’t work. The right thing would have been to ignore Nico’s messages. You never know what or WHO you want?... It’s like a curse on you. 🤦‍♀️

Me: You’re on her side, not mine! I hate you! And I didn’t ruin anything! He wanted to break up with her anyway!!

Mom: Sure, that’s why he’s with her now, not here with you. 🤷‍♀️

Shit, I think she was right. I have to stop this. I have to stop Stephanie! I'm going to have his Baby! Sandra said the same to me. I have to make it clear to N., that he’s gonna lose me, if he doesn’t do the right thing!!!! But Nico thought now that I’m pregnant, he’d be safe. I mean, I’m not sure he really thought that, but that’s how it felt to me.

Previous/ Next

[yuukei-yikes]

WAIT i was the vacation dream kanoshin anon but i just remembered an actual one i thought of myself not my subconcious but i somehow forgot about it-

in my delusions a route similar to the novel route is what gives us str (not mekakucity actors shh- canon isn't real if it's from mca), meaning Kano has his weird ass traumadumping session with ene and whatnot and ends up having to spill the beans to the rest of the dan INCLUDING shintaro not just shintaro casually vanishing-

anyways so this ends up with the same vibe as novel-route kano and shintaro which is like. i mean. kano literally describes shintaro as looking at him the same way he looked at ayano and that kano "can't win against him" like. 🤨

Yada yada everything w/ clearing eyes, similar fight to mca ish ( i like the idea of marry draining her friends of their life to save their lives it's interesting to me-) and wahoo ayano. hi. she exists now (with ofc haruka and hiyori too-) and obviously everyone's like HOLY SHIT. especially the mekutrio. and ESPECIALLY kano.

Like I imagine Kano has a much harder time wrapping his head around the fact Ayano's back since while the other two just saw her death as suicide, he knew what caused it / all the clearing eyes stuff so he couldn't really accept her death and move on, while the others (obviously heartbroken over it though) were able to accept it and grow, yea?

Well we get those feelings of "holy shit my sister is alive" but also mixed with these feelings of "oh fuck. i (very unfortunately) might have a thing for my sister's crush." and IMMEDITELY backs the fuck off from both of them. He doesn't ignore ayano obviously but he doesn't seek her out, and he just actively avoids shintaro. ayano's concerned but meanwhile shintaro's just kinda like. what the fuck did i do to you???

Anyways dunno how that gets resolved i never thought past just the idea that kano can barely handle these two facts alone (ayano is alive now and he might maybe like shintaro a little bit (ew)) but together? Fuck. He is Not thinking on that he is backing Way the fuck up. Nope. Not his circus not his monkeys (he is actually just the entire circus).

Anyways long story short when Ayano comes back and everything is resolved kano's unresolved grief over her death but also the budding crush he's developing on shintaro hit him with the force of a truck (haha) and he does Not know how to handle that so he just Doesn't

DUDE. YOU AND I. SAME BRAIN. LIKE THIS IS SO SPECTACULARLY ALL MY SAME FEELINGS RIGHT FROM DELUSIONALLY IMAGINING NOVEL ROUTE WITH A GOOD END AS MY IDEAL ROUTE AND MARY TAKING THE SNAKES HERSELF AND ALMOST KILLING EVERYONE AND KANO LIKING SHINTARO AND BEING SO FREAKED OUT HE BACKS OUT LEAVING SHINTARO CONFUSED BECAUSE HE THOUGHT THEY HAD WORKED EVERYTHING OUT IN THAT CONVO WHERE KANO COMES CLEAN TO KIDO AND HIM(AND TAKANE HERE TOO) sorry for yelling. i just get excited when i get same brain with someone. like exactly. EXAAAACTLY.

but for ayano i think kano is super close with her and he's constantly trying to go back the same relationship they had where ayano relied so heavily on him, especially bc kano wants to distract himself FROM himself so he wants to focus on how she's doing but ayano isn't gonna do what she did. she realised just how messed up it was putting kano through all that and she feels so responsible. ayano and kano are on this weird YOU CAN COUNT ON ME. NO U CAN COUNT ON ME. NO NOT ME COUNTING ON YOU, YOU COUNTING ON ME!!! constantly... imagine kano sitting through ayano go on and on about shintaro bc ayano can see kano wants her to rely on him so she's like well it doesnt hurt anyone if i just talk abt my crush. like its a thing she can stand talking abt and from her perspective kano will be satisfied just hearing her talk about anything she doesnt talk to anyone else. and kano sits through it like 😁😁😁(wants to explode into a million pieces)

also god the bit u mentioned abt kano saying shintaro smiled at him like how he used to smile at ayano. sorry like allow me to attach the whole thing because

☝️☝️☝️⁉️⁉️⁉️like what the fuck is this. WHAT WAS JIN THINKING WHEN HE WROTE THIS LIKE THIS IS SOOOO. homo. kano is so insanely homosexual for shintaro in the seventh novel like there are several examples it's amazing. anyways the "he's invincible" line i am particularly obsessed with and it's why i always insist kano has this weird thing where he's constantly trying to have the upper hand with shintaro while shintaro unknowingly and effortlessly outsmarts him just by being himself.

kano's feelings for shintaro are so complicated and full of resentment and he always wanted shintaro to be entirely horrible just to justify how he feels, but shintaro keeps proving he's a good person and kano keeps being unable to deny not only that but also that he LIKES him and even admires him. and it drives him so crazy.

meanwhile shintaro's feelings for kano are complicated bc 1. wtf does he hate me or not. 2. augh he's a guy im not gay. 3. my girlfriend(?)'s brother. like shintaro hating kano's guts back is funny but it's not the move like it's not true. shintaro wants nothing more than to get along with kano!!! everyone gets on shintaro's nerves and kano gets on everyone's nerves, so bc of this i understand the common misconception of shintaro hating kano back.

anyways shintaro is so clueless bc he thought they were ok?? they talked it out so it's fine?? he can't ever figure out kano's inconsistent behaviour. he decides that it's probably bc he's protective of ayano but he knows that's not all of it.

ugh ugh ugh. KANOSHIN FIRST KISS WHERE SHINTARO'S LIKE genuinely sad and confused and finally confronts kano like seriously what's the matter?? i thought we were cool already?? and kano's super dismissive like whaaa nothing omg of course we're best friends❤️ but shintaro isn't letting it go and kano is getting rly fed up bc his patience is SO short when it comes to shintaro which also pisses him off like why is he making me feel so out of my element like the best i do is LIE why does he drive me SO CRAZY. and then shintaro's like i just wanna know what can i do to make things ok!!!!! and its so genuine and he is just so earnest and pathetic looking kano kisses him impulsively.

anyways. kanoshin.

[amplifyme]

Okay, so I paused and am restarting my read through because of some happenings:

While rewatching a few eps, I roped my sister (who I'd been keeping up to date/discussing BATB/Nan's work with) into seeing some Diana. Needless to say, she got (my words) hooked on her (and also Father, who cracks her up without him meaning to; AND Elliot Burch-- her thoughts were "he's a capable actor", as in so completely convincing), watched the last four eps of S3, the two Devin episodes, and some bits and pieces of early S3 Diana. She loves the coziness of the show (something she described as "putting on while she does art"), soooooooooooooo I read her some Nan bits. And she's liked it enough to do a readthrough with me. Btw, interesting: Vincent grew on her, but she wasn't initially big on his character-- more of an "okay, yeah, alright" than a "VINCENT!!!!", you know. (Clarification: She was very on board with him in the first ep. she saw-- one with Cathy; but the second one she saw, she describes it as "going into neutral mode.") She also loved hearing the other characters talk about Cathy. And she's "kind of" a Devin fan (as in, was excited to reach "Bimbo" in AWTN.) And she loves "Baby Jake"-- because she loves characters that give other people things to live for. And, to sum this all up, she described S3 as "the perfect ending."

I probably won't have too many new thoughts (unless she and I go down a few rabbit holes as I fill in x/y/z reference in AWTN); but I'll pass on a few of her thoughts if she's okay with it. (Had reached "Ghosts" in my reread; but this is working out because I was BREEZING through Nan's work without taking proper time to digest.)

Be back soonish with thoughts~! :DDDDDDD

Ah, okay, so this is where your sister joined the fun!

Don't really have a lot to add to this one, but I enjoyed reading her initial thoughts. Glad it finally showed up in my inbox. 🤨

[qualityrain]

I don't know jack about Honkai Impact but I wanna see you talk about Tianwu

How I feel about this character:

he’s simultaneously cardboard and has depth(with so much projection) and i need him out of my head its been two years theres no content and i want him gONE

All the people I ship romantically with this character

there’s literally only one character its ana 😔 and i think its a qpr

My non-romantic OTP for this character

RAVEN MY BELOVED. raven and owl. natasha and tianwu. name a sibling dynamic more annoying to each other than them. they are the fighting at the wafflehouse vine change my mind.

My unpopular opinion about this character:

ngl i think he has a lot of repressed trauma that mhy never talks about and this leads to ppl saying that oh other characters suffered more than him so why is he acting this way his circumstance isnt that bad why is he like this and its so $,!/!;!:!::!!:!: to me because there’s clearly so much trauma that nobody wants to elaborate on. there is no reaction to almost fucking dying. when he loses everything all the emotions he shows is just a “…” and THATS IT AND IM SO);?:$:!:!:!/? and this also leads to ppl not understanding him and his actions and the whole arc just falls apart and theres also the bad writing and ppl just boil him down to being down bad and like yeah he is very down bad but like,,,,,,,theres a reason why yknow,,,,,,theres alr smth going on with his parents(not mentioned at all 🤨🤨) then the entire city he lives in and his sister who’s like his EVERYTHING is dead there’s literally nobody else alive and he has at most 2 years left to live hes just 17 like girlie,,,,no wonder he gets attached to the only person he knows left alive because everybody else is dead????

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

i want the only arc where he appears in GONE. its sO BAD. it adds absolutely NOTHING in the story of the game the entire reason the arc happened is MEANINGLESS. removing it would change like nothing istg.

also i think he shoukd be allowed to just kill somebody on screen like. hes like the only one in the Big Evil Organisation TM that doesnt get to murder on screen i think he should be allowed too.

also i think he and ana should be able to talk to each other more i think its a crime we never got anas thoughts abt being left alive to destroy more shit like can they fix their communication issue b4 they die pls mhy

[millenialfanfictionaddiction]

YN Miya:

Aka the Best Miya Triplet

Inarizaki x Fem! Reader (Miya YN)

Warnings: none

A/N: This is an Anon request! Just a little something so nobody goes hungry 😉

❤️Please Like, Share, Comment to support my writing ❤️

YN you are the best Miya

I don't make the rules 🤚🏻

I do write them but ignore that

If you don't believe me, ask Suna and the entire Inarizaki squad

Please ever since they learned about you, you've been dubbed the best

You are a second year just like your big brothers

You are the baby YN, sorry to say

But somehow those few minutes between Osamu's birth and yours made a world of difference 🥰

You are a complete angel YN 😇

Seriously everyone adores you and crushes on you 👀

The team often comes to rely on you to deal with Atsumu and Osamu issues

Like fighting 🤚🏻

Kita had you on speed dial

The team added you to a group chat specifically for this reason

See group chat for daily occurances👇🏻

The boys however adore you so much!

That includes your feral siblings 🥰

Seriously you do so much for Inarizaki, they are blessed to have you YN

You've become their sort of "unofficial" Manager

You come to practice, fill water bottles, help with set up, etc

You also know alot about volleyball so you help during practice

Our queen is not afraid to get down and dirty 😍

You are right there helping Suna and Omimi block Aran, Ginjima and Osamu

You help Michinari with receives during serving drills

You encourage bby Riseki to do his very best 🥺

You are seriously such an asset to the team 🥰

So when they ask you to accompany them to Nationals, it's not all a surprise that you accept!

And there ends our story, everyone lived happily every after 🙌🏻

The End

Hi 👋🏻 I'm back-

Sorry to interrupt but umm I may have... lied 😬

Come on you didn't really think I'd end it like that did you 🤨

Do you even know me???

Anyways back to the story!

Because we've got a very special guest ���

We all know Inarizaki didn't have the play on day one because they were runners up

Love that for them 👏🏻

So on day two, you were setting up for the game against Karasuno

You realized you forgot your bag of towels by the water fountain

"Hey Kita I'll be right back"- you shout as you run out

Unfortunately for you, Kita didn't hear you 😃

Because of reasons *cough* ATSUMU *cough*

You look around the hall and locate your lost bag, quickly running to grab it

When you turn around, you are met with none other than the chest of a giant man dressed in yellow and green 🙃

"Oh excuse me! I'm so sorry I should have been watching where I was going"- you being an absolute sweetheart

The tall man glares at you behind his mask ➖️⬜️➖️

"You look familiar"- he says studying you

"Yeah umm you probably know my brother's. I'm YN Miya"- you say

His eyes widen 👁⬜️👁

"Wait- you're related to Miya Atsumu?"- he says

"Yeah I'm his sister. Well actually we are triplets, we have a brother Osamu too"- you say 😊

Please don't hold it against her 😬

"Umm I'm Sakusa Kiyoomi"- he greets back

"Oh Atsumu told me about you! You were at the youth intensive with him. You are the best ace in Japan"- you say smiling

Please Sakusa is totally blushing rn 😫

A pretty girl is complimenting him 🤯

Meanwhile, there's about to be a giant panic that's about to occur

Because remember when you thought you told Kita about leaving?

Yeah that's coming back to bite you

"Hey were are the towels?"- Osamu asks

"Wait- where is YN?"- Aran says panicking 😨

"YN's missing?"- Ginjima repeats

"She finally had enough of Osamu and Atsumu"- Suna says joking

"This is not time Suna! There are so many guys here"- Michinari yells

"Ok let's not panic"- Omimi

Too late 😃

Everyone is looking around the gym for you and seeing no trace

"I can't believe she is stealing my spotlight right now"- Atsumu groans

The team 👉🏻 👀👀

Kita 👇🏻

Please Kita is about to snap 😅

Back with you and our favorite yellow boi, you figure it's time you start to head back

"Well it's was very nice meeting you Kiyoomi, I better get back to my team"- you say smiling

"I'll walk you back"- Sakusa says as he grabs the towel bag from you

Please your blushing so hard rn YN ☺️

When you hit the gym, you walk in to see sheer panic

Everyone is looking everywhere for you

Well everywhere in the gym at least 😅

Osamu's Triplet sense kicked in when you entered the gym and he whipped his head to see you

"There she is!"- Osamu shouts as everyone looks

Including Atsumu

Who now sees that Sakusa is standing right next to you 😃

This is fine. Everything is fine.

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY SISTER"- Atsumu shouts barreling towards you and Sakusa

Sakusa steps in front of you

Protective guys istg 🥵

"Sumu what the hell?"- you say from behind Sakusa

"Omi get away from my baby sister! She's a child!"- Sumu shouts

You 👉🏻😐🙄 we are the same age you idiot

"For your information Sumu, Kiyoomi was helping me carry the towels back!"- you spit

The guys all watch you and Sakusa from narrowed eyes 😑

"Well you made it back, time to go now YN"- Sumu says grabbing your hand and pulling you away

"Sumu!"- you cry

"I'll take those"- Osamu says smirking at Sakusa

"Kiyoomi I'm so sorry about this. I'll text you later"- you shout

The team 👉🏻😃 excuse me-

"See you later YN"- Sakusa says narrowing his eyes as he turns and walks away

Meanwhile you are practically being dragged by Sumu to the benches

"Could you not ruin my chances with a cute guy please?"- You whine

"Cute guy? YN he's my enemy!"- Sumu

"Who isn't your enemy?"- Osamu 🙄

"Well he might be your enemy but he's still cute!"- you say

"Ok ok YN's back now it's time to get into game mode"- Kita interrupts

"Well YN ruined it now"- Sumu complains

You 👉🏻😐🙄

The team 👉🏻🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

"I guess I'll just get to watch Tobio kick your but then. I always knew he was the better setter"- you 🤷‍♀️

Thems fighting words YN

"HOW DARE YOU!"- Sumu 😱

Please YN you've done enough 😅

But I guess that's what we can expect from the sister of Atsumu and Osamu 😏

[fandom-puff]

What a Question

Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x reader

Requested by: anon ‘Can I request a Benedict Bridgerton x reader? Reader is married to Benedict and is pregnant with their first child and its the scene where Eloise comes into the drawing room and is like "How does a lady come to be with child?" and reader is just like 😳 and Benedict and Colin start teasing her and Eloise is just 🤨🤔’

Notes: this is my first time writing for Benedict so be nice plz. Also I’m not rlly happy w how this turned out but I hope u like it

Warnings: period typical attitudes towards sex, references to smut

Gif creds to owner

“So how does a lady come to be with child?”

The melody that Daphne had been playing ended with an abrupt crash of the keys as Violet and Hyacinth’s conversation died down, as well as Colin and Benedict’s.

“Eloise what a question!” Violet said, hurrying over to shush her outspoken daughter.

“I thought a lady needed to be married; apparently it’s not even a requirement,” Eloise said, smirking triumphantly, before Violet cut her off.

“A requirement for what?” You asked cheerily, coming into the room, your hand resting elegantly on the top of your bump.

“Ah, YN, you should know,” Eloise said, hurrying to sit between her brothers. “And you two-”

“Do not look at me,” Benedict said quickly and you frowned, your face heating up quickly.

“Have you ever been to a farm, El?” Colin said, causing you to gasp as Benedict smacked him upside the head.

“I hope you two aren’t encouraging improper topics of conversation,” Violet warned over her shoulder, encouraging Daphne to start playing again.

“Oh, not at all. In fact, Benedict and I were about to get our sticks out,”

“Colin Bridgerton!”

“A round of fencing!”

“You most certainly are not going fencing just yet, Benedict after I climbed those stairs with your child crushing my innards,” you said sternly

Violet sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, before saying something about escaping to the library with Gregory and Hyacinth. When her mother and younger siblings were safely out of earshot, Eloise looked back between her brothers, and again at you (or more accurately, your belly). “So… how does it happen?” Eloise asked in a hushed voice.

“Oh… well… when a man and a woman love each other very much,” you began.

“Although even that isn’t a requirement for some people,” Colin smirked.

“But… you and Ben love each other,” Eloise observed, and you nodded quickly. “So one does not have to be married, nor love one’s partner… so it just… happens?

“No!” You said quickly.

“There is a bit of… method,” Colin said, smirking at his brother and sister-in-law’s awkwardness. “And it’s rather simple really, even Benedict managed to do it to YN,”

“Wait… the man needs to… do something to the woman,” Eloise said, eyes wide.

“Oh yes,” Colin said, eyes bright with wickedness, and you wished you could melt into the chair as Eloise looked at you. “So you must not let a man touch you, unless you want to have a baby,”

“Oh, no!” Eloise said, horrified. “But… what about just before? I sat right by you, squashed in the middle of you two great lumps,”

“Oh, enough!” You said. “Colin’s japing,” you explained. “It’s rather more complicated than that, and it all depends on a lady’s monthly-”

Colin cringed slightly and a light pink blush crept onto Benedict’s cheeks. “Why don’t you go to the nursery, El?” he said suddenly, nodding to you. “And YN will tell you properly,”

“Yes, of course. I suppose that makes the most sense; she is the lady with child after all,”

“Yes, YN is the expert when it comes to it,” Colin piped up. “I’m sure she and Ben really enjoyed-ow!” Even though your back was to them both as you walked out of the room with your elbow linked with Eloise, you knew Benedict had elbowed his brother.

***

“So you don’t… bleed any more?” Eloise asked as she helped you go through the baby clothes kept in the Bridgerton home’s nursery

“No. I won’t until after the baby comes,” you said gently. “Because the baby is using all of the blood as a sort of cushion in my womb. The doctor said it is how he or she will eat and breathe until they are born,” you said, appreciating that Eloise did not squirm at the mentioning of natural bodily functions. “That’s how I knew I was with child; my cycle stopped and I was plagued with nausea for weeks,”

Your sister-in-law nodded slowly. “Is what Colin said true? About touching a man, I mean. Because I should like to avoid falling pregnant until I am absolutely ready, which I’m sure will be never,”

Laughing quietly, you shook your head. “Colin was just teasing you,” you explained. “It is true that one needs both a man and a woman to make a baby, but it is rather more complicated than simply being touched by a man. If that were the case, every woman in the country would be great with child. It takes a rather… special touch,” you murmured, looking away to hide your flustered face as you thought of passionate nights spent with Benedict.

“Special? How special? What happens?” Eloise urged, and you looked over your shoulder, petrified that Violet Bridgerton would be listening at the door, ready to reprimand you for corrupting her unmarried second daughter. “Oh go on, please, YN. Mama is in the other side of the house,” Eloise begged. “I feel so stupid all the time; I’m not allowed to go to university because of my gender. I should be allowed to know exactly how the female body works, as whatever it is that happens will surely happen to my body too. I should like to prepare myself, and not float about all naive like Daphne and the Featherington’s and every other girl in the blasted ton,”

Eloise was truly a force to be reckoned with when she wanted to know something, and she did have a point with knowing her own anatomy. “I… okay,” you said, folding a swaddling cloth up. “In order for a baby to grow inside a woman, the man must first… put his seed inside of her,”

“Like a meal?”

“Er… no. You cannot fall pregnant via your mouth,” you said. After all, Ben had showed you that months ago… “the man and the woman must… join their bodies. A-and they are… well, they are made to fit together,” Eloise nodded slowly. “And men and women join together by their most intimate parts… ah…” you lowered your voice to a whisper. “Between one’s thighs,”

Eloise nodded slowly, staring at your belly. “Thank you for explaining that to me, YN,” she said. “I suppose Penelope and I no longer have to fret about ending up like…” you arched your eyebrows. “Like… somebody’s maid,” she corrected herself as you began walking back to the parlour.

As you entered the room, Benedict and Colin looked up, opening their mouths, surely about to say something smart. “You needn’t bother yourselves,” you warned, and luckily, they knew better than to try and mess with a pregnant lady.

Sighing, you sat next to your husband, resting your head on his shoulder as he rested his hand on your belly, kissing your forehead tenderly. “Are you alright, El?” He asked, spotting his sister staring at you both out of the corner of his eye.

“I just realised… in order for YN to be with child… you had to put your seed in her womb and- oh god- join between her thighs… urgh!”

Tags: @once-upon-an-imagine

Also @pinkandblueblurbs and @epaige0914 bc u commented on my post lol

[arc-misadventures]

Jaune FMK: Nora, Ruby, Neo

Jaune: FMK II

Jaune: Okay, first things first! Kill, Ruby!

Ruby: What?! Why?!

Jaune: Ruby, about all the other girls in this group, have one thing in common that you don’t have.

Ruby: What is that; they’re big butts?!

Nora: You do have a very nice butt.

Neo: 😏

(Smack!)

Nora: Hey?! If you’re gonna smack it, make sure its a good hard, meaty smack!

(SMACK!)

Nora: Ahh~! Now that’s more like it~!

Jaune: …

Ruby: …

Jaune: No, that’s not it.

Ruby: Is it their big boobs?!

Neo: 😲

Nora: That’s right! They’re all natural~!

Ruby: Grrrrr…! Well, I have thic thighs, how about that?!

(Pat, pat.)

Nora: Hmm…

(Pat, pat.)

Ruby: Ahhh?! Nora?!

Nora: Nope! Your thighs are bigger than mine, but,Neo’s got you beat.

Neo: 😜

Ruby: Rahhh!!! Then what is it that that they have that I don’t have?!

Jaune: Legality.

Neo: 🫢

Nora: Oh, that’s a good reasoning.

Ruby: W-What are talking about?

Jaune: Ruby, you are fifteen. Underage…Ruby, you are a loli.

Ruby: (A loli… A loli… A loli… A loli… A loli… A loli… )

Jaune: …

Jaune: Ruby? Uhh… Ruby? Ruby, you okay?

(Thud!)

Jaune: Ruby?!

Neo:😱

Nora: Oh, shit. You killed her.

Jaune: Well… uhh… I’d fuck, Neo!

Neo: 🥳😍

Nora: Why’s that; Is it because the looming mountainous sexual tension between the two of you. The toll vs the smoll. The pure knight being seduced by the small sinful Sucubus? Or, the pure knight saving the demon for hell?

Jaune: …

Neo: …

Jaune: Uhh… The mountainous sexual tension, and the toll vs the smoll argument. Right?

Neo: 😊

Jaune: Yeah. That has been happening between the two of us for a while now.

Nora: Then why haven’t you to already done it then?

Jaune: Oh, we’re just waiting until the sexual tension finally boils over, and explodes where we go at it like hormonally over charge sexual beasts. Or, something like that. Neo said something more… colourful, when she explained it.

Nora: Oh nice!

Jaune: So last of all. Marry, Nora.

Nora: Whoo! Yeah! Nora, wins!

Jaune: Wins what?

Nora: You! I win you, and your all mine, all for myself! Whoo! Yeah!

Jaune: Oh, I thought you were celebrating because, my mom would become your mom too. So you’d finally have a mother in your life.

Nora: W-What?

Jaune: Also you get a dad too. I don’t think you had one of those before.

Nora: A-A dad…?

Jaune: Also you’d get eight sisters as well! Oh! You also become, Adrian’s new aunt! He would love that!

Nora: …

Jaune: Yeah, I bet that would be pretty…?! Whoa, hey?! Nora, put me down! What are you doing?!

Nora: Consummating the marriage!

Jaune: Wait, what?!

Neo: 😔

Nora: Neo, what are you standing around there for?!

Neo: 🤨

Nora: Come on! Lets make this a threesome!

Neo: 🤩🥴

Nora: Hell yeah we will! Lets go!

Jaune: …

Jaune: This is fine…

[jiminie-and-his-pinky-finger]

I TS H ERE OMG- im *fans myself* im ready- or am i-

I’m probably going to say this multiple times throughout this reblog but… I think that you hyping me up for this this whole time, has left me with this exhilarating amount of excitement for this… And even though I just began I just feel… like 💪 excited

Hazel sounds like a 15 year old that never left her home alright 😂😂😂 lmao; also the names you’ve given so far are pretty :0

“Audrey! You know I need my midnight to sleep,” the princess whined from her bedroom.

😩 ugh I know she’s royalty, but I still want to tell her to go get it herself- audrey, and literally any lady-in-waiting for a young princess, was probably so patient man

“You wouldn’t dare!” The girl hollered after her. “My father is part of the Kings council!”

then why are you a maid? quit complainin and do your work 😤

“The princess’s chests are quite heavy,” one of the servants commented as he helped Audrey lift it.

i genuinely thought that he was being sarcastic and was about to join in the roasting 😂

AHHHH THERES A HADLEY 😂 idk why that was worth mentioning but i know a hadley and i’d never seen that name in a story before

:(. aww her family is the castle people, i forget the time period this was basically set in; like it was common for people to pass from fevers and stuff

…but no one had ever believed her fibs.

as they shouldnt- i swear this princess is a menace- *mutters* no wonder her parents are marrying her off so early 😤

DROP HER LIKE A HOT POTATO 😂🤣🤣🤣😂😂 oh im crying; the amount of truth in that, like id understand the prince for doing so-

ahhh my jaws hurt from laughing; anyways- riding a carriage sounds so cool!! also that entire scene played out so smoothly in my head, like a movie AHHHHHH

😏😏 hadley out here considering his options, i like him

ANAAMLQKSKQKakas IS THAT WHO I THINK IT IS????????? a cute gardener 🙈🙈 omg… i wanna knowwwwwww

:( also his grandmother and the flowers, that’s sad

The man laughed. “Why would you like to know?”

youre acting rather sus there mister 🤨 givin me that suspicion that you might be the prince in disguise….

oh what a kind prince, she says… may i suppose he’s that gardener 🤨🤨 im watchin you mister…

audrey is literally the older sister that hazel needed- ain’t no way any other person could’ve still fought for her marriage to a good guy after all those blame games

“Taehyung.”

SHUT. UP. HE IS- I- i thought you’d prove me wrong- 😱 its himmmmm and he sounds so sweet 🥺🥺🥺🥺

i swear the mental image youre giving with the descriptions of the flowers, the castle, and the gardens… just magnificent 🤌

He lived nearly two hundred miles from her.

well… maybe not if you move there with the princess (plus hadley, that was a cute maid we saw earlier 👀 help ya boy out) and you can see him tending to his flowers whenever you want 😚

SHES AT THE STABLES 🚨 AT THE STABLES I REPEAT- is this where- oh my gosh *covers my mouth* is there where we get to read about…. 👀👀

…the way his clothing seemed to hug his body. His pants were stretching ever so slightly to mold to his thighs, and despite his shirt being flowy, his shoulders didn't seem to fit the way they were supposed to. What was his job, exactly, that cause him to be this muscular?

I WAS RIGHT- no because you did NOT have to be that descriptive…….. crap

*t h i g h s and s h o u l d e r s*

🤨 maybe cause he’s a GaRdEnEr… tending to those flowers is a big man’s work; so he built muscles to tenderly brush his fingers against the leaves and such…. right taehyung? 🧐

He drew in a breath. “It’s about someone very dear to me that I lost.”

🥺 poor taehyung 🫂🫂 he sounds like he had lost so many people he was very close to;

also the lyrics to that song were beautiful :0 was this the song that you were talking about when you were writing it a few days ago?

Why were buttons appearing in his garden? Where was his sister? Who had been so special to him that he’d lost so many years ago? And most importantly, was he an unimportant figure in the kingdom, or did his life play a much more pivotal role than hers did?

i thin audrey and i are on the same page <_< she out here askin all the right questions; also i do want to know where his sister is :0

The whole ordeal seemed to fall apart that same afternoon.

yayyyy hazel is gonna get a nice hus- oh well gosh darn it ;-; i was just happy for her regardless of her calling him an old man XD what happened??? did he cancel

girl hit him over the head?? he's not a whack-a-mole-

“I suppose so,” he replied simply.

well i guessed it- i KNEW it- but damn is this man calm o-o somehow thats even worse than him being annoyed or mad at her

“He tricked me! He played with my heart!”

excuse me audrey.. girl i am definitely on your side... but when were you in love 🤨 sure you could say that he was playing with your head because he was confusing you and keeping the truth but... your heart eh? <_<

She reached down and pulled another flower out of the ground.

woah woah woah *woah* no no not the flowers- we know better than to destroy nature because of what a dude did 😤 also ugh the way youre describing the rain is making me shiver... it sounds so aggressively beautiful

“Have you ever had to bury a sibling?”

what. the heck- who WHAT?????? excuse me

where did that come from, taehyung- do you have something to say-

:( wait what just went down im so confused i wanna know more... is the place where he was planting his coreopsis flowers where they buried his sister? cause if so... :( thats so sad

aww dont blame yourself audrey... gosh when i read the lyrics to that song, theres a pang in my heart; id love to know what the tune and the rhythm for the song would be like :0

OMG HE'S THERE YESSSSSSSSS

“I stopped sending them. I thought I’d come give them to you in person.”

alright come out now 🤨🤨 who's been intercepting my guys letters to my girl... imma fightchu; ugh and he wrote more than one??? thats so thoughtful 🥺 im so glad to hear that he wasnt ignoring her

...there was a pressed flower in the envelope. It was a rose, and it matched the description of the ones that Tae had described.

UGH TAKE MY HEART???? THIS IS SO CUTEIQSIYWH im T-T oh gosh the thought of getting letters from the person you love and it being all romantic with a flower pressed to it... ugh;

this is where i fantasize about getting one too 😚

“He came all the way here to ask for your hand in marriage and you’re just going to watch him leave?”

“Be quick, Audrey!” Hazel exclaimed.

this is absolutely the first and only time id let hazel order her or use a more "do it" kind of tone without it being annoying- you know what.. i think hazel grew on me u-u i can see myself tryna be one of her buds

Audrey found herself sprinting through the courtyard a minute later...

this is where the fic turns into a drama 😂🤣 lmao i can just imagine. her tripping over stuff wiht her gown bunched up in her fists as she runs through the town to reach her man

“What on earth are you doing?” Taehyung laughed as he poked his head out the window.

AAKSSKJAKSKA theres butterlifes in my stomach- this is where the dude looks amused and honestly surprised she made it even though there was probably a little hope in him that knew she would 🥺

He bent down then, capturing her lips in a kiss.

YEEEEEEEEHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO *whistles* theyve officially reached the *nani says theyre her babies* phase T_T gahhh im so happy for them

The baby growing inside her made it harder and harder to sit up on her own every day.

*sobs* my babies are having a tiny baby :(((( ahhh more new flowers! i swear at this point tae is gonna have a flower utopia where he plants a special kind of flower for each person he treasures 🥺🥺 that would be so cute

i wonder if he'd name their baby after his sister or maybe his grandmother 🥺 but ahhhh i loved this story sooooo much T-T im actually a teensy weensy itty bitty bit sad it ended

i want moreeeee

Petals of Wax

Pairing: Taehyung x OC

Genre: angst, fluff

Word Count: 9.6k

Warnings: minor character death, arranged marriages

Summary: Audrey, as the princess's lady-in-waiting, must escort the girl as she goes to meet her fiancé. The last thing the lady expected was to meet a suitor of her own, though.

A/N: this is my longest oneshot yet and I’m surprised at how fast I finished it! I really hope you guys enjoy it ☺️

Audrey titled her head to the side. Then she titled it to the other side. Nope, she still didn’t understand the point of this object.

“With all due respect, ma’am, I don’t quite understand why it’s here,” she admitted.

The princess huffed, crossing her arms. “Obviously it’s just here for decoration.”

“It…looks like a water vessel, ma’am. How is that a decoration?”

“You’re stupid,” snapped the fifteen-year-old. “It’s a way to connect myself to my people! Clearly!”

Audrey cleared her throat awkwardly. “Of course, ma’am.”

To her, it seemed a bit daft. Truthfully, the princess had barely even stepped a foot out of the palace. Not because she was forced to either; her parents were fine with her going out on the town as long as she was properly protected. No, Princess Hazel thought that the outside world was too grimy for her precious royal feet. And to think that she was meeting her fiancé in a few days. Audrey pitied the poor man. Although, she herself was happy for a change in scenery. Walking the same forty halls everyday had gotten boring after ten years.

“Audrey! Come dress me! Dinner is in an hour!” Hazel snapped as she walked down the hall.

Audrey sighed. “Yes, ma’am.”

Maybe she could wait for Friday.

♛¤♛¤♛

Thursday evening appeared in the blink of an eye, and Audrey found herself packing Hazel’s trunks full of clothing. Her dressed were so puffy that Audrey was almost convinced she’d need a different chest for each one.

“Audrey! You know I need my midnight tea to sleep,” the princess whined from her bedroom.

“Of course, ma’am. I’ll bring it right up,” Audrey replied, stuffing another dress into a trunk before disappearing towards the kitchens.

“Princess Hazel requests her midnight tea,” she informed one of the maids.

“Can’t she just go to sleep without it for once?” the young maid whined.

Audrey raised her eyebrows at the girl, as if to challenge her to turn down the request. The maid rolled her eyes before hurrying off to make the tea. Usually, the head cook would have it ready before Audrey even made it to the kitchens, but maybe she was off for the night.

“Here,” the maid shoved the cup towards Audrey, nearly spilling it in the process.

Audrey took the cup before quipping, “If you keep acting like this, I’ll report you to the king himself.”

The maid stilled, her mocking countenance falling blank. Audrey turned around and headed out the door, completely unphased by the girl.

“You wouldn’t dare!” the girl hollered after her. “My father is part of the king’s counsel!”

Audrey rolled her eyes. Yeah, sure.

She was back up to the princess’s chambers not a few minutes later, and she set the teacup down on the dresser. As usual, Hazel was sound asleep by now. Audrey pulled the covers up over her before heading back to packing. Tonight was going to be a long night with all of the things she had to finish before morning came.

᪥♔᪥♔᪥

Audrey was up before dawn the next morning, having barely slept a wink after all the packing she’d done. It had been nearly three when she’d gone to bed, finally finished with packing both her and the princess’s clothing. She had to help the princess get ready this morning, and that started with delivering her breakfast and waking her up.

The head chef had returned to the kitchens this morning, and she had Hazel’s breakfast ready the moment Audrey walked through the door.

“I put the strawberries on the side this morning in case madame doesn’t want them. We don’t want the meltdown we had last time!” the older lady exclaimed cheerfully as she plated all the food. “Once the princess is ready, come back down here and I’ll give you your food as well.”

“Of course. Thank you very much, Miss Yorke. Make sure to feed yourself as well this morning.”

Audrey walked the few flights of stairs up the castle like a professional – she’d been doing it for years now – and soon enough, she was knocking on Hazel’s door. She twisted the handle, letting herself into the room.

“Rise and shine, Princess. We have a long day ahead of us.”

Hazel groaned, rolling over in bed. She sat up, downing her cold cup of tea from the night before. Then she laid back in bed.

“I need my beauty rest.”

“And I need you to get up and eat. We have an hour to get you ready before it’s time to leave. I need to go help pack the carriages while you eat.”

The princess rolled her eyes. “Fine, I’ll eat.”

Audrey smiled in satisfaction, setting the tray of food in front of Hazel before leaving once again.

Back on the ground floor, she made quick work of helping a few of the servants load the carriages. They’d moved everything down to the main floor the night before so that they had less work to do this morning.

“The princess’s chests are quite light,” one of the servants commented as he helped Audrey lift it.

“Yes, I had to pack most of her outfits individually.”

“Leslie said the same thing about the queen’s clothing.”

“Did she? I find it odd that their dresses must be so puffy.”

The boy nodded. “You’re going with them, right?”

“That’s right. I must go. I have to be with Princess Hazel.”

“We’re going to miss you. Especially Miss Yorke. She said mornings will not be right without you at the table.”

Audrey smiled. “Well, I’d imagine we’ll be back soon. Within a week at most. It doesn’t seem the king has much to discuss at this moment in time. He’s just insistent that the princess meet her fiancé and see her future homeland before they proceed with anything.”

“Still. A week is a long time. You’ll have to draw me some of the landscapes!”

“Ah…if I have time, maybe. I’m not making any promises.”

“Can you at least bring me back a souvenir? I heard that they have peacocks there! Isn’t that fascinating?”

“Do they? I might have to draw one for you, then.” She sighed. “I should get back upstairs. Princess Hazel might throw her inkwell out the window again if I don’t hurry.”

“All right. I’ll see you…later!”

Audrey smiled. “See you, Hadley.”

As she walked back up to the princess’s quarters, she pondered what life would be like away from her family. The palace workers had been long like a family to Audrey. She’d grown up here, running around Miss Yorke’s kitchens and treating all the kids who were now servants as if they were her own siblings. Her mother had been the previous queen’s lady-in-waiting until she’d died in childbirth when Audrey was born. Audrey’s father had raised her until she was seven, when he had died from a fever. Miss Yorke had treated her like her own ever since. Then, one day, the little princess had been born, and once she was old enough to be learning, Audrey had been her lady-in-waiting.

Truthfully, she knew she’d been groomed for such a position. The current queen’s lady-in-waiting had taught Audrey the tricks of the trade before she could even read, and she’d begun her job taking care of the princess at the young age of fifteen. Hazel had been a bouncy little four-year-old then. Even then, she’d been a real menace. She tore dresses and broke pottery and dumped food on the floor and blamed it on Audrey, but no one had ever believed her fibs.

Somehow, that snotty attitude had stuck to her through her early teen years, and Audrey was genuinely worried that the girl’s new fiancé would drop her like a hot potato the moment he tasted her sass. Although, he was a prince. Maybe he had a younger sister of his own that acted just like Hazel.

Audrey entered the princess’s room a few moments later.

“Shall I draw you a bath now?” she asked, noticing the princess’s tray had been completely emptied.

“Yes. A bath sounds delightful. I expect my clothing to be ready by the time I’m done.”

Audrey was quick to run the bath water, and then she was off to gather all of the princess’s travel clothing while the girl dipped her feet in the water.

᪥♔᪥♔᪥

Audrey barely had time to say goodbye to Miss Yorke before it was time to leave. She was tripping out the door with a biscuit in her mouth as she attempted to shove her hat onto her head. Thankfully, Hadley had taken to helping the princess into her carriage, so Audrey had a few moments.

“Audrey! You have some hair sticking out of your hat. Let me fix that,” Hadley informed her, delicately taking the strand of hair and pushing it under her hat. “Have a good trip! Bring my souvenir!”

Audrey smiled as he held out his hand to her. She grabbed it, using it to help herself into the carriage.

“I will. See you in a week!”

Hadley shut the door before tying its latch. “Tell me if there’s any cute servant girls there. Maybe I’ll move with you when the princess gets married.”

Audrey laughed. “Sure thing.”

᪥♔᪥♔᪥

Audrey was ready to go on a nice, long walk by the time they arrived. Being stuck in a carriage for eleven hours wasn’t comfortable at all.

“Wow! Look at that! How extraordinary!”

Audrey looked up. Truthfully, it didn’t look that different from their home. It was just quite a bit warmer here than it was up north. That, and their castle seemed a bit more on the black side.

One of the servants led Audrey and Hazel to their quarters for their stay. Hazel dramatically flopped on the bed, still wearing her traveling clothing.

“Wake me when it’s time for dinner.”

Audrey pulled her hat off. She, for one, needed a walk.

᪥♔᪥♔᪥

These palace grounds weren’t so different from the ones back home. The gardens were lush, and the walking paths were smooth. There weren’t many staff out here, but for one man with his knees buried in the dirt as he ripped weeds from the ground.

“What are these flowers?” she asked, squatting down next to him.

They were larger than the ones she was used to seeing back home. They were a lush shade of red, and a ring of yellow painted the tips of their petals. She delicately touched one of them, tilting it ever so slightly so that the petals caught the light better.

“Those are gaillardia flowers,” came the man’s reply. “Gorgeous, aren’t they?”

She glanced up at him, her eyes going wide as she saw him. He had smudges of dirt on his cheeks, but his dark brown eyes were the first thing she saw. A few strands of his dark hair were curling over his forehead, but the majority of it was being held back by a headband.

“Are you new here?” he asked.

“I’m the princess’s lady-in-waiting,” she explained.

“Ah. Princess Hazel?”

“That’s right.”

“I did not realize we had guests already.”

“We only got in about half an hour ago.”

“That makes sense, I suppose.” He bent down over the flowerbed again, tugging another weed from it.

“Are you one of the gardeners?” Audrey asked.

He glanced up, a look of amusement on his face. “No. I just enjoy hanging out with my flowers. My grandmother planted these when she was still alive, so they feel like my last part of her.”

“Oh,” Audrey sighed. “How long has she been gone for?”

“About fifteen years now. She died when I was thirteen.”

“Aw. I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “It’s all right.”

“So, where do you work if not in the gardens?”

It took him a few seconds to answer this. “I work with the prince and the king.”

“Really?” Audrey asked. “How is the prince? Is he…nice?”

The man laughed. “Why would you like to know?”

“I’m not letting my precious princess marry a man if he’s going to mistreat her!”

“Of course,” he murmured. He paused a moment to think while he pulled a few more weeds out of the dirt. “I suppose he’s a decent man. Hasn’t done anything that noteworthy, in my opinion.”

“Should I trust your opinion?”

“I’m not sure. Should you?”

“I don’t know. A man in his late twenties who still cares for his grandmother’s flowers seems trustworthy enough, but I can never be sure.”

“Fair enough. I’m sure there’s plenty of other staff who will give you their opinion on him if you want it.”

“It would seem a little strange to just go around asking people, don’t you think?”

He shrugged. “You have good intent.”

“Do I?”

“Well, in my opinion.” He laughed. “Would you like a flower?”

“I don’t want you to cut these.”

“I can replant one of them into a pot.”

She smiled. “Ok. I think I would like that.”

᪥♔᪥♔᪥

Audrey returned to the princess’s room half an hour later with a small pot in her grasp. One singular flower was peeking out of it. She might not know much about plants, but she’d be sure to take care of this one in the absence of the man she’d met. As she set the pot next to her bed, she realized she’d never asked for the man’s name.

A gentle knock sounded on the door. “I have the princess’s dinner,” came a small voice.

Audrey crossed the room, letting the small servant girl in with a twist of the doorknob. The girl crossed the room before setting the tray on a table in the middle of the room.

“You are welcome to join me and the other servants for dinner downstairs if you’d like, miss,” the girl muttered with a bent head.

“I’d love that! Can I join you once I’ve woken the princess?”

“I’ll wait outside for you.”

Audrey woke the princess, letting her know that it was dinnertime before excusing herself so that she could go eat her own dinner. Then she joined the girl who had brought dinner up.

“Do you spend a lot of time around the royal family?” Audrey asked as they walked.

“I do. I serve them dinner almost every night.”

“Are they nice to you?”

The girl blushed. “Well, I’ve never been acknowledged by the king or queen,” she confessed.

“What about the prince?”

“His Highness is very kind,” the girl admitted in a small voice. “He treats me like his younger sister sometimes.”

“Oh? How so?”

“He’s offered to share his dinner with me quite often.”

“I see,” Audrey nodded. “Has he done anything else?”

“He loves coming to the kitchens to chat with the staff. Of course, he doesn’t have a lot of free time. Mister Tindall loves when he comes.”

“Who is Mister Tindall?”

“He’s our head chef.”

Audrey nodded. “Is he nice?”

“Oh, yes! He makes the best dinners!”

“Lovely. Dinner will be good tonight, then.”

᪥♔᪥♔᪥

Audrey wandered the halls that evening after dinner. The castle’s interior didn’t seem that different from home. The staircases were wide, the halls were lavish, and the chandeliers were huge. Audrey didn’t understand what was with extravagant lighting. Chandeliers were nice, but the amount of crystal on every single one seemed a bit overkill. Maybe she’d never understand it.

She paused in front of a painting of the royal family. The painting seemed to be a few years old at least. The prince was a lanky teenager in this painting, and his robes seemed to be slightly too big for his thin frame. Audrey knew he was at least in his early twenties now, but she hadn’t even seen a photo of him yet. She knew she’d be meeting him in the near future if she ever accompanied Hazel to her dinners, so she’d know soon enough how much he’d grown since this painting had been made.

She began walking once again but stopped at the end of the hallway where yet another painting hung. This one was a painting of the prince when he’d been very young. He appeared to be about four or five. He was sitting in his chair incorrectly, and Audrey had to guess that they hadn’t been able to get him to sit in it the right way. He was grinning from ear to ear, and Audrey almost could’ve mistaken him for a normal toddler if not for the fancy clothing he’d been wearing.

She smiled. Maybe, if the prince really had kept the personality he’d had as a young boy, he could be an acceptable match for Hazel. Not that Audrey had much of a say in the decision, but she was willing to fight for her lady if she needed to. After all, Hazel was barely a young lady yet. Despite the fact that Hazel was a princess, Audrey thought that she at least deserved a decent husband if she was going to be married off so young.

She tapped her foot against the ground. She should probably head to bed. Tomorrow was bound to be a long day, and she definitely hadn’t slept enough the previous night. But first, she needed a bath.

᪥♔᪥♔᪥

It was ten before Princess Hazel even got out of bed, so Audrey had time to walk the palace gardens that morning. Once again, she found the man who gave her the flowers bent in the dirt. Today, he was wearing a hat over his thick head of hair, but his clothes were still caked in dirt. Did he not have a way to wash them? Surely, living in the palace, he could find some way to wash them, right? She approached him quietly, listening as he hummed softly.

“I didn’t expect you to be out here so early,” she commented.

The sun was barely peeking over the horizon, giving the whole palace an ambient glow. The gardener looked up at her, his face being darkened by the shadow of his hat. He smiled.

“Good morning. How is your flower?”

“It’s still pretty happy, I think.” Audrey returned his smile. “Are you out here a lot?”

“Sometimes. My job isn’t one that is needed much right now, so I have more time.”

“Do you work directly with the prince, then?” she asked. It seemed to be the only reason she could think of as to why he wasn’t extremely busy while they had guests.

“I do.”

Audrey nodded. “Are there any other flowers you tend to here?”

“The coreopsis flowers.”

She glanced around. She’d never heard of those before.

“Which ones are those?”

He pointed to a different section of the garden, where a bundle of bright yellow flowers sat. They looked akin to stars, and their petals appeared velvety.

“Were those also your grandmother’s?”

His lips lifted into a wry smile. “No, my sister’s favorite color was yellow. I planted them for her when she was young.”

“That’s sweet,” Audrey smiled. She turned back to him. “I never asked. What’s your name?”

“Taehyung.”

“I’m Audrey.”

He tossed down the weeds he was holding before standing up and dusting his hands off. Then he held one dirt-powdered hand out her.

“It’s nice to meet you, Audrey.”

Normally, she would’ve recoiled at the thought of dirt touching her hands, but for some odd reason, she didn’t now. She shook his hand happily.

“Nice to meet you too, Taehyung.”

᪥♔᪥♔᪥

“Have you ever tried fresh herbs?” Taehyung asked, picking a green leaf off of one of the plants.

“No, I don’t think I have,” Audrey confessed. “I don’t cook.”

He handed her the leaf. “Here. Try this.”

“Are you trying to poison me?” she asked point-blank.

“Why would I? So that I can get my precious gaillardia back?”

“That seems a good enough reason to poison someone, don’t you think?”

“Over one flower? That’s nonsense.”

She shrugged. “You never know.”

“It’s mint.”

“You have to take a bite of it first.”

“All right then. Fine.” Taehyung took a bite of the mint leaf. Then he offered it to her. “Now will you try it?”

“Well, I suppose you didn’t drop dead immediately after eating it….” She took the leaf before eating the rest of it. “Huh. Wow, that’s good!”

“Isn’t it?” he grinned.

Audrey smiled. Then she glanced up at the sky. The sun had begun to paint it many different shades of red and orange.

“You know, I don’t see the sunrise very often.”

“You don’t?” he asked. “That’s a shame.”

“I have to get up and get the princess ready every morning. I don’t have time to look outside,” Audrey admitted with a laugh.

“Ah. I’m out here most mornings before the sun rises.”

“Must be nice to be on your own time.”

“I suppose.”

᪥♔᪥♔᪥

Hazel didn’t need Audrey at dinner that evening, so Audrey took this opportunity to take another walk in the gardens. This evening, there was a young boy watering some of the patches of herbs. His dark curls reminded her of Hadley, and she smiled sadly when she thought of home. She had a feeling this trip would be dragging on for a lot longer than she’d initially anticipated. She wasn’t even entirely sure if Hazel was meeting the prince tonight, or if she was just meeting the king and queen. Nothing had been clear.

She passed by Taehyung’s gaillardias, and she wondered what he was doing this evening. He was probably taking care of the prince tonight. She sighed, unsure why she was disappointed to find that he wasn’t here. It wasn’t even like she could really even be friends with him. He lived nearly two hundred miles away from her.

Her gaze turned to the sky, where she found a range of colors once again as the sun set. Tonight, purple and orange married together, causing the few clouds overhead to be tainted by their color. Maybe she should start going on walks more often when she got home. Watching the sun rise and set was far more peaceful than watching her clock each morning and evening.

Audrey stared down at the path as she walked. She stopped as she came upon something shining on the gravel. She bent down to pick it up. It appeared to be a button. But not just any old button. It was shiny, and it appeared to be made of silver. Maybe it belonged to the prince? She rolled it between her fingers. Perhaps not. She wasn’t sure who else it would belong to, though. There didn’t seem to be anymore royal boys in the palace, and she didn’t see why the king would’ve been out here.

She resorted to tucking it into her pocket. She’d ask around about it later. She turned her eyes to the sky again, noticing that the moon was now peeking out from behind the castle. It was full tonight. She hadn’t seen a full moon in a long while.

She sighed. She should probably return to the castle. Dinner would be over soon, and the princess would need her help getting out of her clothes. Audrey was about to turn around when she saw yet another oddity. There was a shoe print in the mud. She knelt down next to it. The print appeared a lot bigger than one that her boots would make, so it was likely from a man’s shoe. It had barely missed a few of the gaillardias. She brushed her finger over the flowers. They seemed ok.

She stood up again, brushing her dress off as she glanced at the sky again. The sun had fully set now, and the stars were starting to appear. She smiled. Tonight had been nice.

᪥♔᪥♔᪥

Hazel insisted on not being escorted around the castle the next morning, so Audrey was forced to, once again, take a walk. This time, she found herself wandering towards the stables. She wasn’t sure her outfit was exactly appropriate for riding a horse, but she’d give it a try anyways.

She found a man in the stables brushing a horse’s mane. He was humming as he did so, and it put a smile on her face.

“Sir?”

He glanced up at her, greeting her with a smile.

“Why hello there. How can I help you?”

“Is there any way I could borrow a horse to take a ride?”

“I’m sure there is. Let me saddle one up.”

Audrey wandered around the stable as the man prepared a horse for her. There were quite a few different horses here. A few were a solid black, while one of them had an almost red coat. Another few were spotted with white, while the majority of them were a simple brown.

“Here, Miss,” the stable master handed her the horse’s reins. “I trust you know how to ride a horse?”

“I haven’t ridden in a few years, but I think I can manage.”

“You are with the princess, correct?”

“That’s right. I’m her lady-in-waiting.”

The man nodded. “I can trust you with this horse, then?”

She smiled. “If it disappears, you can put the blame on me only.”

“Have a good ride, then.”

Once Audrey was outside the barn, she mounted the horse. It was a bit harder than she remembered it being, but she made it up nonetheless. She started off in a gentle canter, not wanting to have to hold herself on with much strength just yet. There was a wide path along the river just behind the castle, so she decided to follow it into the forest.

She trotted along for a good twenty minutes before she saw someone approaching from the opposite direction. He was going much faster than her, and her eyes widened as she realized he was headed straight toward her. She pulled her horse to a stop, and thankfully, the other rider slowed as well.

“Audrey! Is that you?”

As the rider came closer, she recognized who it was. She smiled as he approached her.

“Taehyung! I didn’t expect to see you out here!”

He laughed as he came to a stop next to her. “Well, I had the morning off, and it’s been a while since I saw the woods. What do you think of it?”

“It’s quite lovely,” she admitted.

“Gorgeous, isn’t it?”

He turned his gaze to the tall trees towering above them, but she couldn’t help but notice the way his clothing seemed to hug his body. His pants were stretching ever so slightly to mold to his thighs, and despite his shirt being flowy, his shoulders didn’t seem to fit the way they were supposed to. What was his job, exactly, that cause him to be this muscular?

“Would you like to head back to the castle with me? The forest isn’t exactly a safe place to be if you don’t know your way around it.”

Audrey took this as her cue to actually look at her surroundings, and she realized that she really didn’t know where she was going. She turned back toward him.

“Sure! Lead the way.”

The two of them rode in a companionable silence for a few minutes before Audrey spoke up.

“It seems someone nearly stepped on your gaillardias last night.”

“What do you mean?” Taehyung asked.

“There was a shoe print in the dirt next to them when I was taking a walk last night.”

“Ah,” he laughed. “Yes, that was probably me. I tripped in the garden yesterday evening while I was taking a walk.”

“Oh.” She paused. “Well, I’m glad you didn’t damage them.”

He hummed. “I hadn’t even noticed my shoe had gone into the dirt.”

“Do you have work to do when we get back?” Audrey asked.

“I do. I managed to escape this morning, but I cannot get out of my responsibilities this afternoon.”

She nodded. “I must check on the princess when we get back. She insisted on not being escorted to breakfast this morning, so I thought I’d take this time to go for a ride. It’s been a few years since I was out just for fun. Do you get to do this often?”

“Sometimes. Depends on how busy the day is. When we have guests, I have less work to do, so I get to do whatever I please for a few hours every day. Normally, though, there’s lots of work to get done around the palace. I help deal with a lot of legal things, so there’s a lot of paperwork.”

“I see. Well, it appears that you’re enjoying your free time.”

He chuckled. “I am.”

When they neared the stables, he nodded towards them. “You go ahead. I have something I need to check on before I return to the stables.”

She turned toward him. “I shall see you around, then?”

He nodded. “See you around.”

᪥♔᪥♔᪥

The next time she saw Taehyung was that evening as she took another walk through the castle gardens. Instead of weeding the gardens, tonight he was coaxing a song from the strings of a violin. Audrey had never heard someone play such an instrument outside the walls of a symphony hall. He was playing quite the melancholy tune, and Audrey wasn’t sure how he was able to play so well in the dim moonlight. He couldn’t see the strings.

“That’s quite a sad song. Does it have a name?” she queried.

He glanced up her, a gentle smile gracing his face as he took his violin off his shoulder.

“No, it doesn’t. I’ve never given it a name.”

“Did you write it?”

“Yes.”

“Ah. Well, it’s lovely.”

“Thank you.”

“When did you write it?”

“When I was twelve.”

“Wow! You had quite the talent for a twelve-year-old!”

Audrey was starting to question the position of this man. Before, she’d thought that he was simply a palace worker, maybe someone slightly more important, but now she was questioning if maybe he was someone of a higher position. A baron, perhaps? Maybe a viscount? But then, why would he be spending so much time at the palace?

Taehyung picked his violin again, beginning to play the tune again. This time, there were lyrics to go with the strain of the violin.

“The moonlight is shining tonight.

“The candles are glowing so bright.

“Oh, how I miss you.

“Oh, how I miss you.

“The tears of the flowers,

“Are making the hours,

“Go on and on and on.”

The violin continued to croon its sad tune even after he stopped singing, and Audrey wondered why this song had been written. It had been before his grandmother had died, so certainly it hadn’t been written for her.

“How does the time go by?

“How do the hours pass?

“Why did we say goodbye?

“Why couldn’t our time last?

“Oh, how I miss you.

“Oh, how I miss you.

“On this starry night.”

As the song came to an end, the tune slowed and eventually came to a stop. Audrey smiled.

“Did you write the lyrics at twelve too?”

He chuckled. “No. They came long after I wrote the tune.”

“What is the song about?” she asked before she could think.

He drew in a breath. “It’s about someone very dear to me that I lost.”

“Ah,” she frowned. “I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “It’s all right. That was a long time ago.”

“When you were twelve?”

“Grief seemed easier to process through music,” he admitted with a nod. “I suppose you’re out here for your nighty walk. I shall turn in now so I don’t disturb you.”

He turned to leave, but her voice stilled him.

“You’re not disturbing me. It’s quite nice to hear you play. I rarely hear someone play an instrument. Princess Hazel quite despises her harp, I suppose.”

“The princess plays an instrument?”

“Well, she was taught to play one, anyways. I haven’t heard her play in quite a few years. It’s a shame, really. That harp of hers is quite beautiful. It sits in dust now.”

“That is quite sad. But really, I should be getting inside. I’ll leave you now.”

She gave him a polite nod. “See you tomorrow, then.”

“Right. Tomorrow.”

Then he strode off towards the castle, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

᪥♔᪥♔᪥

Taehyung wasn’t in the gardens the next morning when she went for her walk. The sun had just started to rise, but Audrey had expected him to be here. She went to check on his flowers once again. She wasn’t sure why she felt so attached to them. Maybe it was because he’d been kind enough to give her one of them. As she knelt down, she realized that he’d patted the shoe print out of the dirt. It was smooth again there. She gently ran her hand over the soil, smiling as how he cared so much for this garden.

She glanced across the garden at the coreopsis flowers. She wondered where his sister was now. He hadn’t spoken of her again after that morning. She crossed the garden and knelt down before the flowers. She brushed her finger along one of the petals. They were as soft as she’d imagined them to be when she’d first seen them.

She furrowed her brow when she noticed something glinting between the flowers. She reached forward, making sure to not bend any of the flower stems as she pulled the shiny thing out of the soil. As she brought it close to examine it, she recognized that it was another of the same button she’d seen before in the gardens. She was beginning to think something odd was going on here. Maybe these didn’t belong to the prince like she’d first suspected. Maybe…they were Taehyung’s buttons. But why would his buttons be falling out?

She pondered this, glancing up at the slowly illuminating sky as if it would give her the answers to her questions. Taehyung was truly proving to be more of a mysterious man than she’d initially thought. Why were buttons appearing in his garden? Where was his sister? Who had been so special to him that he’d lost so many years ago? And most importantly, was he an unimportant figure in the kingdom, or did his life play a much more pivotal role than hers did?

She clicked her tongue. Why did she care? She was headed back home soon. Although, if everything went well, she’d be returning. But she’d have far less time than she did now. She’d be back to her busy days of waiting on Hazel’s hand and foot every day, and her walks would likely be long forgotten. Taehyung would just be another figure in the castle that she bumped paths with every now and then, and the two of them would go on with their separate lives. She’d only known him for less than three days, anyways. How much could you really get to know about a person’s true character in that short of a time?

She knew that he gardened…played violin…and knew how to ride a horse. That was about it. And that at some point, he’d seemed to have some sort of a family.

She flicked the button back into the flowerbed. Maybe its owner would come for it again. Then she stood, realizing it was time to go wake the princess.

᪥♔᪥♔᪥

“Have you met the prince yet?” Audrey finally asked as she helped Hazel into her gowns.

Hazel scoffed. “Yes. He’s an old man. He’s twenty-eight! Can you believe that? I thought at most, he’d be twenty-two. I can’t believe Mama and Papa want me to marry that guy!”

“Well…you know your brother’s wife is ten years younger than him.”

“Yes, well, this is outrageous! I’m not Hollace, nor should I be required to be like Gregory. I am a princess! I should choose my own husband!”

Audrey intentionally pulled the laces on Hazel’s dress too tight, making the girl squeak.

“My princess, must I remind you that this is just part of your life? You don’t have a choice. I’ve heard your fiancé is quite a fine gentleman, so you should be glad that your parents have chosen well. You could very well have been engaged to a man who would choose to disregard you at every turn. Would you prefer that?”

Hazel stared at Audrey through the mirror. “Well…no,” she responded after a few moments of silence. “I suppose he is quite charming.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “He’s very kind. He pulls my chair out at dinner for me.”

“See? A gentleman.”

“Indeed.”

᪥♔᪥♔᪥

The whole ordeal seemed to fall apart that same afternoon. Hazel burst into her room abruptly, sobbing hysterically. She began attempting to undo her dress before Audrey could even get up to help her.

Audrey loosened the back of the girl’s dress before sitting her down on the bed.

“Do I need to get you some tea?”

“No,” Hazel moaned. “I need you to hit him over the head for me.”

“What?” Audrey asked.

“The prince! He told me that he plans on breaking our engagement off!”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“No! I was just starting to like him! And what will my parents think! I’ve been rejected by my own fiancé! Surely I’m unworthy of any marriage now!” She dissolved into tears as she recalled what had happened.

Audrey patted her back. “I’ll go get you some tea and pastries, all right? Stay here.”

Hazel nodded.

Audrey quickly exited the room, making a beeline for the grand hall. She was going to give this prince a piece of her mind. Before she knew it, she was shoving the doors of the grand hall open, and she was pleased to find the prince still sitting in there. She crossed the room and was about to open her mouth when someone snapped at her.

“Hey! Bow to your prince.”

Someone shoved her to her knees, and a moment later she glanced up to meet his eyes. She gasped.

“Taehyung? It’s you?”

He blinked down at her. “Me? Yes, it’s me. What about me?”

“You’re the prince?” She was quick to get up from her knees, and she glared down at him.

“I suppose so,” he replied simply.

“You lied to me, then!”

“When did I lie to you?”

She hated how calm he looked right now. First, he’d deceived her into thinking he was just an average man working in the palace, and then he’d gone and broken Hazel’s heart. This man was a piece of work.

“You said you worked with the prince and the king!”

“I do. I work with my father, and it’s quite hard to not work with myself.”

She scowled at him.

“Have I told another lie?”

“I…” she stuttered. “I-I don’t know! You sure pretended that you weren’t a prince!”

He sighed. “Why are you here? Did you want to speak to me?”

“Yes! How could you tell Hazel that you’re going to break off your engagement with her?”

“Because I am. She’s made it clear that she doesn’t like me, and I don’t want to get married, honestly.”

“She came back to her room crying because of you!”

He furrowed his brow. “Crying? I assumed she would be overjoyed!”

“Well-” Audrey was stumbling over her words again. “Well, I’ll make sure you regret this!”

He smiled. “All right, then.” He stood from his chair. “I must be off now. I’ll see you around.”

Audrey scoffed at him.

᪥♔᪥♔᪥

Normally, Audrey wasn’t a vengeful or aggressive person. But something about Taehyung hiding the fact that he was the prince made her extremely furious. She found herself in the gardens, and seeing his flowers infuriated her even more. She wouldn’t touch the gaillardias, no, she wasn’t that insensitive. Although part of her wanted to be. Instead, she marched across the garden, coming to stand in front of the yellow patch of coreopsis. She bent down, ripping one of them from the flowerbed. She glared down at it.

“I can’t believe him!” she screamed at it. “He tricked me! He played with my heart!”

She sniffed, and tears started streaming down her face. The skies above her seemed to get the memo, and they began to cry as well. Except this wasn’t the cool, quiet rain that she was used to at home. It was a hot, loud rain that poured down on her and heated her already angered skin. She reached down and pulled another flower out of the ground. Then she stared at the two flowers. They were bright. Too bright. They promised sunny, happy days, but that was not what she was granted.

“Hey! What are you doing?”

Audrey jumped, looking to her left as the loud sound rang in her ears. Taehyung was standing there, his royal robes abandoned, and he was glaring at her. He bent down close to her, and she realized that she’d never seen him even close to angry before.

“Don’t. Touch. My coreopsis,” he growled.

She gasped, dropping both of the flowers to the ground. He bent down to retrieve them. Then he shoved them in her face.

“Have you ever had to bury a sibling?” he asked loudly, but his voice seemed nearly drowned out by the pouring rain around them.

“…no,” she admitted in a small voice, unsure if he’d even heard her.

He turned his gaze to the flowerbed, and his anger dissipated. He looked like he was crying now, but she couldn’t tell through all the rain.

“You haven’t. So you’ll never know what it’s like to be twelve and have your four-year-old sister die.”

Audrey stared up at him in shock and horror. She felt awful for what she’d just done, but grateful that she hadn’t had the courage to do any more damage. Taehyung knelt down, placing the flowers on top of the now baren dirt. He seemed to pause for a second, and then he retrieved the button that Audrey had left there that morning. Then he stood up. He grabbed her hand, tugging it forward before placing the button in it. Then he curled her fingers around it.

“I don’t want to see you again as long as you’re here.”

Now, she felt mad at her own self instead of at him.

᪥♔᪥♔᪥

Their trip was cut short by Taehyung’s announcement to both of the royal households. He was breaking his engagement with Hazel. Audrey was relieved to realize that he hadn’t made any mention of her actions to anyone else. She could at least only carry around the guilt of ruining his garden. She didn’t have to worry about crushing Hazel’s life along with her own. Part of her felt like it would almost be better to receive a punishment for what she’d done, though. She’d destroyed part of what she assumed to be one of the only things he had left of that little life that had been lost.

She found herself wandering the hallways one last time before she left, and she found a painting that she hadn’t seen on her past trips around these halls. It depicted a little, yellow flower, and it had a small child’s hand wrapped around its stem. She frowned, realizing that once, a young boy had planted a garden of flowers just for the joy of a dying little girl.

Audrey wept. She’d been so wrong about Taehyung. She wasn’t sure why he’d hidden his identity from her, but she knew he hadn’t deserved the wrath she’d spent on those flowers. He was a lovely man, and she realized that she didn’t deserve him, title or no title. He’d been so kind to her. He, a crown prince, had treated her like a friend while she’d walked his gardens. And she’d returned that kindness with destruction.

It was ok that she was headed home tomorrow. He could forget she’d ever walked into his life, and she could go home wishing that somehow their paths had intersected differently.

She found herself singing his song as she walked back to her room.

“The moonlight is shining tonight.

“The candles are glowing so bright.

“Oh, how I miss you.

“Oh, how I miss you.

“The tears of the flowers,

“Are making the hours,

“Go on and on and on.”

“How does the time go by?

“How do the hours pass?

“Why did we say goodbye?

“Why couldn’t our time last?

“Oh, how I miss you.

“Oh, how I miss you.

“On this starry night.”

She recognized now that he’d written this as a heartbroken little boy right after his sister had passed on. He’d suffered so much. And here she was, sulking that she couldn’t spend a lifetime with him. She was a sorry soul. She was glad she hadn’t been born royalty. She was given no chance with him, and that was a very good thing.

She made one last trip before she turned in for the night. She’d promised Hadley a gift, and she had no drawing, so she was determined to find a peacock feather. Surely, they sold them somewhere in town.

᪥♔᪥♔᪥

Months had passed since that trip now. Taehyung’s button was something that sat inside Audrey’s gaillardia pot, and she saw both of them every day when she awoke in the morning. She’d written him numerous letters, telling him how sorry she was for the way she’d acted and how kind he’d been to her. She admitted how fast her sorry excuse of a heart had fallen for him, and how she knew they weren’t meant to be. She told him of how she sang his song every night to help herself fall asleep. She’d never gotten an answer. She hadn’t expected to. He was a prince. What time did he have to read letters sent from a lady-in-waiting who was living nearly two hundred miles from him?

Today, she rolled out of bed like every morning. She headed straight for the kitchens to retrieve Hazel’s breakfast. When she arrived, the kitchen was far busier than usual. She stepped back as someone rushed past her.

“Miss Yorke, what is going on?”

“Haven’t you heard? We had a guest arrive late last night.”

Audrey had been asleep by then, probably.

“Who?” she asked. They hadn’t been expecting anyone.

“Prince Taehyung.”

Audrey froze. “Oh…um. Why is he here?”

“I haven’t a clue.”

᪥♔᪥♔᪥

Since they were having breakfast in the great hall today, Audrey had no reason to head to Hazel’s room just yet. She wandered around the halls of the palace, wondering just what Taehyung was doing here. Had he decided to take back his rejection to the proposal? That seemed unlikely. But why else would he be here?

She turned a corner and walked smack into something. She didn’t remember anything being here. She stepped back, and her eyes widened as she saw Taehyung standing in front of her.

“I’ve been looking for you,” he murmured as he stared down at her.

She glanced around the hall. No one else seemed to be here. She looked back up at him.

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“It seems to me that you haven’t been getting my letters.”

“Your letters?” she asked.

“Yes. I’ve written responses to all of yours.”

“I…I had no idea,” she muttered. “I never got anything.”

“I figured as much.” He pulled a stack of letters out of his coat before handing them to her. “I stopped sending them. I thought I’d come give them to you in person.”

She stared down at that stack of letters. She couldn’t believe this. He’d been responding to her this whole time, but she’d never gotten them. She blinked, and tears started to stream down her face.

“But you…you said you didn’t want to see me.”

He nodded. “I think both of us overreacted that day.”

She shook her head. “I did. You didn’t. I destroyed your garden.”

He shrugged. “It was two flowers.”

He held the letters out to her, but she shoved them back into his chest.

“You can’t give me false hope, Taehyung. You’re a prince. We can’t be together.”

“Says who? I see no reason why we can’t be together.”

“I can’t…I can’t leave Hazel. You know that.”

“All right.” He set the stack of letters in her hand before turning around and striding back the way he came from.

She hugged the letters to her chest, realizing he’d came all this way just for her. But why? Last time they’d spoken, he’d said he never wanted to see her again. Had her letters somehow changed his mind?

She opened the first letter as she walked. It had been dated about a week after her third letter had been written.

Dear Audrey,

I assume that these letters haven’t been reaching you. Neither of your last two have made any mention of mine. I suppose I shall keep these for now, then. Hopefully someday they make it into your hands.

I’ve planted a new flower in the gardens. It’s a bush of pink roses. They remind me of you. Beautiful to look at, but hard to touch.

Would you still write me your letters if you knew I was reading them? I sure hope so, but it seems from the very beginning you thought I’d never read these letters. I am partially glad these haven’t sent to you if that is the case.

Taehyung

When she reached into the envelope to put the letter back, she realized that there was a pressed flower in the envelope. It was a rose, and it matched the description of the ones that Tae had described. She leaned forward and smelled it. It had the scent of the perfumes the princess wore. Was he trying to tell her something? Why was he trying to woo a simple lady-in-waiting?

᪥♔᪥♔᪥

Audrey read the rest of the letters after breakfast. He made mention of her parents, and she realized that she’d seemed to have mentioned their untimely deaths in one of her letters. Occasionally, he would talk about his sister and the fun times they had together before she fell ill. His parents hadn’t tried for any more kids after that.

Each letter was accompanied by another rose as well, and each one of them seemed younger than the previous one. The last rose appeared to almost still be in bloom. Audrey wondered if he’d put it in here right before he’d left. Each letter was stained with the scent of roses, and each envelope was sealed with wax. She wondered if this was what the girls were referring to when they mentioned love letters.

She tucked the letters away into the chest at the end of her bed. She wasn’t really sure what to do with them. Should she go find him? Or was that too much of a risk? Why was he even here, anyways? There was no way he’d travel all the way here just to give her a stack of letters.

She decided she needed a walk now. Hazel had insisted that she was spending the whole day in her room, so Audrey had most of the day free.

She found herself wandering around in the gardens this time. Their garden wasn’t nearly as beautiful as the one at Taehyung’s home, but it was all right for walking. She hadn’t expected to find Taehyung out there, though.

He was seated on one of the stone walls that surrounded the garden, and he was tapping his fingers against the wall. This was the first time Hazel had truly been able to study his outfit. Even dressing like a prince, he still wore trousers that were fitted to his legs. He wore a frilly, white shirt under a fancy red coat. But he still looked like the same Taehyung who had been muddied the first time she met him. She approached him quietly.

“Why are you here?”

He glanced up, startled.

“Why are you here?” she repeated. “If you’re here because of me, then go home.”

He started up at her. “I think you know why I’m here.”

“No, actually, I don’t! You’re not spending time with Hazel, and I don’t think you’re here to take back her hand in marriage, so what are you doing here?”

“I’ve come to collect my lady. But only if you’ll have me.”

“But you can’t have me!” she cried.

“And why not? The king and queen have no objections, so why can’t I have you?”

“What…what did you say?”

“They said I can have your hand in marriage.”

“Did you ask Hazel’s opinion?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Is that not a no?”

She scoffed. “I can’t just uproot myself and move two hundred miles away!”

“Why not?”

She blinked down at him. “I just…I can’t.”

He sighed before getting up from his spot on the wall. “Fine. I’ll go home, then. If you ever want to talk to me, I’m just a letter away.”

᪥♔᪥♔᪥

Taehyung headed out the next morning. Audrey stayed in her room, wanting to avoid seeing him before he left. Usually, she’d be taking Hazel her breakfast by now, but she couldn’t run the risk of running into him this morning.

She was startled by a loud banging on her door. She furrowed her brow. No one should be knocking on that door, especially not at this hour. She crossed the room and opened it just to find the princess staring back at her.

“Are you crazy? You’re just going to let him leave like that?” Hazel asked in outrage.

“Of course.”

“He came all the way here to ask for your hand in marriage and you’re just going to watch him leave?”

“How do you know that?”

“Because he asked me first! He sent me a letter a month ago asking if I’d be ok with it! He traveled two hundred miles just to ask you, and you’re gonna watch him ride off into the sunrise? Go! Get out there before he’s too far away for you to catch him!”

Audrey frowned. “Princess….”

“No! Go!” Hazel grabbed Audrey by the arm, dragging her out of the room and shoving her down the hall. “Get out there now!”

Audrey sighed, giving in. She started down the hall slowly.

“Be quick, Audrey!” Hazel exclaimed.

“Fine, fine.”

Audrey found herself sprinting through the courtyard a minute later, and then she was out on the streets. If she hurried, she could catch them before they got out of town.

By the time she found the carriage, her clothing was covered in dirt. She caught up to them, yelling as loud as she could.

“Wait! Wait! Stop the carriage!”

The driver got the message, pulling the carriage to a stop. Audrey climbed the side of the carriage, not caring that her clothing was now messy.

“What on earth are you doing?” Taehyung laughed as he poked his head out the window.

Audrey let out a squeak, her grip on the side failing as she fell back to the ground. Taehyung stepped down from the carriage a moment later and helped her up.

“What’s so urgent that you had to chase me out of town like this?” he asked.

Audrey stared up at him. “Hazel spoke to me. She told me everything. I’m…I’m so sorry.”

Her gaze fell to the ground as her cheeks flushed. She felt terribly embarrassed. Everything she’d done of late had been blatantly disrespectful to him.

“You don’t need to apologize,” he chuckled.

He reached down, hooking his finger under her chin before bringing her head up so that he could look her in the eye.

“I’m willing to wait as long as you need.”

“We’re not getting any younger.”

“No, we’re not. But that doesn’t matter to me. If you wake up one day when you’re sixty and realize what you’ve missed out on, you’ll always know where to find me.”

“I don’t want to wait that long,” she admitted. “I don’t think I can.”

“Then…will you marry me now?” he asked quietly, glancing between her eyes as he waited for an answer.

“I will. I’ll marry you.”

He grinned. “You will?”

“Yes. I will.”

He bent down then, capturing her lips in a kiss. She sighed. He smelled like the gardens of his homeland.

᪥♔᪥♔᪥

One year later…

Taehyung entered their bedroom, hiding something behind his back.

“Darling, I have a gift for you.”

“You do?” Audrey questioned, sitting up as much as she could. The baby growing inside her made it harder and harder to sit up on her own every day.

Taehyung revealed the gift to her, and she smiled.

“Yellow roses!” she gasped. “They’re lovely!”

“You like them?” he asked. “There’s plenty more in the garden. I thought I’d bring them up to you for now, though.”

She grinned. “When did you plant these?”

“About three months ago,” he admitted with a shrug. “I’ve planted some white ones too, but those won’t bloom for a little while.”

“May I smell them?”

He crossed the room before handing the bouquet to her. She leaned forward, burying her nose in it.

“They smell amazing,” she smiled. “Are you going to put them in a vase?”

“Would you like me to?”

“Of course! Why would you even ask?”

He laughed. “Of course, how silly of me. I’ll go get a vase. But first-” he leaned down to give her a kiss. “I need a few of these.”

She giggled as he kissed all over her face. “That tickles!”

“Mmm, does it? You want me to stop, then?”

“No.”

“I suppose I shall continue, then.”

“Tae!”

Main m.list

A/N: I wrote this in 3 days and haven't edited it so that's fun. I hope you enjoyed this, because it was very exciting for me to write!

It would be greatly appreciated if you reblogged the story if you liked it!

Taglist: @jiminie-and-his-pinky-finger @jinnie-forthe-winnie @taehoneycheeks @aianloveseven @bangtansjonas @fly-you-dam-fools

[where-is-my-beheading-ceremony]

Okay so this might spoil some stuff I've saved in my fanfic drafts, but here's the reasons why I think Merlok as a character is not pure of heart-

Again! Just my take, my view, Merlok isn't a character I hate or smth, trust me I can slander every character if I wanted to, but Merlok being some type of way not in the right is just an interesting concept to me.

- Okay so it's a far fetch, but I take Merlok's self sacrifice as a bit of a "I'm saving my butt" move.

He obviously commited some bad treason by keeping Monstrox alive, in his own library, without anyone knowing and studied from him.

Him "sacrificing" his life could've just been a way to get out of a situation that would weigh mostly on his shoulders. He knows Monstrox could take a non human form, why couldn't Merlok then? Plus it'd expand his life span in a way. So to not deal with the fact he obviously messed up big time, he did that spell in hopes to be brought back. And he was, and because he lost his life for it, he was immediately deemed a hero without any judgment on why he had a war criminal with him. He was old, at least he doesn't have to deal with his body getting weaker as a hologram. Again it's my take, but I found interest in the idea of him sacrificing his life for just as selfish of a reason.

- It's how the show wrote him that makes me slander Merlok. How other people interpret him is amazing, but what I'm talking about is not other people's interpretations.

- He has this weird attitude where when he's losing Clay or when Clay becomes the gray knight, the most worry he's expressed is by saying "Oh dear-". Is that all? No larger conflict, no panic, no vengefulness for what Monstrox did to not only Clay, but his sister as well? He took almost every situation far too lightly and it just irks me in a way like sir, there's literally people being violently attacked by your nephew and sister who are obviously in need of help 🤨

He let's go of things too quickly. I didn't see him once express any thoughts about Ruina aka Wanda except for maybe like once. That's his sister yet he acts like he's lost all connection to her and sees her as a lost cause. There's basically too little passion in that man

- Obviously it's mainly Jestro, but Merlok partially, PARTIALLY (I'm not shifting the big blame on him) is responsible for Jestro's downfall. First of all, I thought that magic was a gift, a unique thing not everyone could manifest and Jestro could obviously manifest it, that means he has some type of gift, plus there's barely any wizards left, I feel like you'd want Jestro to continue his studies as a magic user even after some failure since who's going to replace the old wizard's council? I'm pretty sure Jestro's magic is destructive in nature, it's not supposed to be light magic or something to heal, but something to use as offense or smth. For some unknown reason Merlok decided to give up on teaching Jestro and I don't understand why. It's not like you've been trying to do so for years or smth, you only gave him one (or two) chance/s

Jestro knew that maybe being a Jester wasn't his calling. He knew from the start that people would laugh at him rather than with him, yet Merlok still persuaded him to do so. Know I know it's in good nature, but juggling is not something that decides your career path. Just because I know the world map doesn't mean I gotta be a tour guide everywhere now. It's weird logic kinda. Not like Jestro was cracking jokes left and right and showing excellent gymnastic ability, something you definitely need to be a Jester. He lacked skill in that field just as the rest and even felt more anxious about it than any other field, but Merlok was like "No, no, go be Jester". Almost makes it seem like Merlok looked at Jestro from the watcher's point of view and also wanted to laugh at him than with him (also probably not because he's not that bad of a man, he just makes godawful choices)

- Like... What kind of event did Merlok try to prevent by hiding the fact he's Clay's uncle? Certainly not one I can think of.

Wouldn't Clay knowing he's still got some family left make him feel better? That he has someone he can feel like he has an actual familial attachment too from the start rather than growing into it over who knows how long? Wouldn't it make his ambitions greater since he was related to probably the most respected man in the kingdom? If Merlok had a clear goal with it, maybe I would've understood, but now it just makes it seem like you didn't want a child to get attached to you and feared full responsibility or smth.

- Merlok is old as hell, I think from back then, saying some things was more acceptable than modern Knightonia days. I didn't say that Merlok would have bad intentions behind his words or something like that, it's just more likely to slip out or smth because of the environment he might've grown up in. Like I mentioned in the post "he's more likely to call me..." not "he would hatefully call me". The man might be queer himself so whatever words he's heard his environment say at that time could've stuck with him. If someone were to spend time with him and talk to him abt it, I'm sure he'd try to not say those words again. It's not something he says often though or probably has said to the people he talks to currently so nobody has yet seen the need to teach him about the words he can or cannot use.

- The reason I say Monstrox would be less likely to call me that is like I said, he's the most queer thing that I have seen in that show. And he obviously denied whatever things his environment was pushing on him. That's why he ended up where he is now. I like going into the depths of villain motivations and such and I just see too much of Monstrox being some punk against whatever the hell was happening in Knightonia, type of thing. It just lead him to poor decisions and corruption of his own mind, he took measures that were far too extreme and they stuck. Monstrox has showed more of an emotional attachment to people than Merlok at this point /hj. He seemed genuinely unhappy when his lava monsters denied him, as if his own kids disowned him. That and he was emotionally attached to Jestro, just in not any good way, Gods no, that cloud has a fucked up way of showing it.

What I mean by all of this is that I see Knightonia as let's say the government and Monstrox and Jestro the only things going against it. With Monstrox being the bad ending of a revolution and Jestro hopefully a better one if things went another way. Metaphors, I see a lot of things as metaphor

Merlok may not be a villain, but he's not someone misunderstood people could find comfort in, I don't see him as one to offer comfort if he doesn't want to, he's old and he can't let go of the things of the past, including how society was then, he holds onto his seat as a wizard without letting any new generation of wizards to form because he denied Jestro's magic and hid Clay's. He's neither villain, nor hero. He is a simple human that has often times tried to find a way to make things comfortable for himself. He's part of a pretty poorly established system that is Knightonia and the wizard's council and he has yet to seperate himself as a person from it.

That's all I could think of at midnight, and like I said, Merlok isn't trying to be a bad person, but in no way do I see him as a good person either! It's all up for people's interpretations and I'm honestly happy with whatever way people view him, him being a caring figure is admirable. I just like breaking the laws of good guys and bad guys and with how many holes the show has, it's easy to do so

Hot take:

- Merlok is more likely to call me a slur than Monstrox