#and wants to sit in Joshua's shadow for the rest of time

[hisohisoart]

Will you be there when i wake up?

[svthub]

svthub's secret garden: a spring collab

This spring, love is in the air! Take a stroll through our garden and discover our secret world of colorful blooms. Who knows who you might run into...

This collab will contain a combination of SFW and NSFW works. See each individual fic for tags and warnings.

Join the Secret Garden taglist!

peony: one trick peony • @wongyuseokie [NSFW] fluff/angst • csc x female reader

synopsis: choi seungcheol could only do one type of floral arrangement, and the rest he’d pawn off to you, granted he got a ton of orders, but he would always take the orders for arrangements that he could never do. this time he went too far. he took an ‘only peonies’ arrangement–a painfully delicate flower–and took an order for a wedding, and with your luck, you’re the only two florists available that weekend.

tulip: my destiny • @wonuhour [SFW] fluff/romance/angst • yjh x female reader

synopsis: when he first met you he didn't think anything of it but he felt drawn to you. When you two started to spend time with each other he fell in love with you. So he takes you to the tulip garden, hoping you felt the same for him, since this is the place you two met each other for the first time.

dandelion: whichever blooms first • @strawberryya [SFW] fluff/hints of angst • hjs x gn reader

synopsis: a dandelion is resilient, it can weather any storm, and at the end of its life it will even grant wishes to whoever sees its worth as something more than a simple garden weed. your relationship with joshua is the same, you hope, but maybe it wouldn’t hurt to make a wish that your love will last a lifetime anyways.

rhododendron: sunkissed • @junkissed [SFW] fluff • husband!wjh x wife!reader

synopsis: this year for your anniversary, jun takes you on a trip down memory lane through the flowers of your past together.

carnation: be sweet • @heartkyeom [NSFW] angst/smut • prince!ksy x princess!reader

synopsis: with your country’s finances in trouble, an arranged marriage with a fellow royal is the only viable solution. yet, kwon soonyoung is not a good person, a good prince, and he is certainly not meant to be someone’s husband

foxglove: by line • @wonwussy [NSFW] smut/drama • jww x female reader

synopsis: you know the hotshot ceo is up to no good, and with the interview that can make your career, you’re finally going to have proof.

lily of the valley: valley of broken dreams (and lilies) • @duhnova [SFW] angst/fluff • ljh x female reader

synopsis: you met jihoon when you were both young and dumb — a promise you two made to become big in the music industry laid shattered years later when you lost your ability to sing, and now you have to live in the shadow of your boyfriend while you struggle to come to terms with your broken dreams.

orchid: he was sunshine, i was midnight rain • @dkakapizzaboy [NSFW] fluff/angst/smut • lsm x female reader

synopsis: he was sunshine and roses and you were orchids and moonlight. two very different people in the same industry. he was loved and you were feared, he was a warm cup of tea on a cold day and you were a bucket of ice cold water. what would happen if two highly sought after, up and coming sustainable fashion brands decided to work together on an exclusive, once in a lifetime collaboration?

zinnia: everlasting love • @sluttyminghao [NSFW] fluff/smut • kmg x female reader

synopsis: mingyu wants you to know how much he loves you after dropping hints for years, and takes you on a date you'll never forge, and maybe you'll also figure out you love him too.

lavender: and we meet again • @idyllic-ghost [SFW] fluff/angst/romance • xmh x reader

synopsis: there is something familiar about that house on the hill, even though you swear that you have never seen it before. but you’re drawn to the lavender fields and the oceanview - and the lonesome looking man you see sitting on the porch. when you approach him there is something in his eyes that you cannot understand - a knowing, a deep feeling. the question is, will you ever have enough time to figure out what that look means?

hyacinth: how flowers bloom • @cheolism [NSFW] fantasy/smut • bsk x reader

synopsis: every year, you and the god of spring meet at the edge of the clearing to perform the ceremony that decides if winter will endure or if spring will prevail, repeating the ceremony weekly until spring finally wins. after you won the last five weeks, keeping the world under your icy spell, seungkwan decides to use alternative tactics to dominate you and bring spring back.

trillium: trillium • @beahae [NSFW] fluff/smut • hvc x female reader

synopsis: vernon is flying in to see his girlfriend. oh shit, that’s… you. being away from him since it happened a few months ago makes it hard for it to feel real, especially after two years of what you both convinced yourself was a purely platonic friendship. now that he’s here in the flesh, you are determined to make it feel real. and very non-platonic.

forget-me-nots: promise ring • @lovelyhan [NSFW] fantasy/fluff/a pinch of angst/smut • lc x reader

synopsis: no one would've guessed that the daughter of the town’s royal mage has a soft spot for the clumsiest fire elemental in the entire realm. but when the crown prince suddenly asks for your hand in marriage, you're forced to consider how you feel about a certain lee jung chan a lot more seriously.

[pansexual-puppy-pack]

day 7 of @theoraekenapperciation 's theo week 2024: dealer's choice! (swords & magic au)

i wanted to call this a medieval au, but it's medieval in the same way bbc merlin is medieval. so.

names: Theodore - Theo, Therese - Tracy, Joshua - Josh, Haeden - Hayden, Corbin - Corey, Noah - Noah, William - Liam, Macen - Mason

The thief better known as the Gold-Eyed Dog sidestepped, dodging another blow.

He could almost hear Marcel in his ear, chastising him for letting himself get close enough to risk being caught, but excitement poured throughout his body, fueling him for the next hundred paces he needed to reach safety.

Nearly laughing all the way down into the underground tunnels, Theodore entered their little base with the True Alpha's Heart in (metaphorical) hand.

"You're back." Therese pointed out, still not having moved from her spot at the chemical station. She'd been "perfecting" her paralytic formula for the past week, now, and Theodore and the rest of the Chimera Band have had to almost forcefeed her meals due to her unwavering dedication to the task.

"Not one "welcome home" for me?" Theodore lightly played, catching his breath as his body finished shifting from Wolf to Human.

"Barely a home." Joshua said, rising from his station by the west entrance. He'd been assigned there ever since a near-death experience only a moon before. He still hadn't fully recovered, and though Theodore ordered him to stay put, he seemed to have trouble with the concept of simply doing nothing. "Do you have it?"

Theodore nodded and held up the leather purse. "One True Alpha Heart." He said, with just enough pride to be noted as reasonable. He was almost too late to pull it back towards him when he felt it being pulled away. "Enough, Corbin."

Corbin re-appeared with a dramatic sigh. He had just turned from a stealth and reconnaissance mission with Haeden and Noah. "The least you could do is tell us what it's for."

Theodore held the purse close to him, hooking it back onto his tool belt, and shrugged. "I would have to know to tell you."

"Don't be coy," Haeden's voice echoed from the shadows of her cot. She was always itching for a fight, same as Joshua. "You know everything."

Theodore let out a laugh as he sauntered over to his seat in front of the fire. Corbin joined him, sitting on the rocking chair opposite Theodore's own. "My thanks. Where's Noah?"

"Here," His voice echoed—exhausted, beyond a doubt. As the newest recruit of the Chimera Band, this much movement and motion in a handful of days seemed a lot to get used to, and it had been a busy week with a lot of gold on the line. "Just get to it, if you could."

"Not at the moment," Theodore deflected. He took and opened a small, empty chest from beside the fireplace, setting the Heart within. "We've been hired."

Noah and Haeden emerged from their cots, the rest of the Chimeras gathering around the fire to see the little slip of paper Theodore pulled out from his cloak.

"Found it on a tree trunk in my path," He said, unraveling it. "Whoever sent this knows where we're located—might be wise to accept."

To the Gold-Eyed Dog & companions,

("Companions," Corbin snorted.)

Search and rescue. Bring as many of your unit as possible. Barter for your price if you'd like, for a minimum of a thousand gold pieces.

(Joshua whistled lowly, and Noah let out a surprised exhale.)

Further mission details will be confirmed with the contact. Meet at dusk in the clearing by your tunnels' entrance. I am sure you know the one I speak of.

("How?" Haeden asked. "I didn't spy anyone nearby when I patrolled.")

M.H.

("An anonymous contact for a high price?" Therese noted. "I wonder which lord got himself mixed up in a scandal this time.")

Theodore deliberated for a moment, then said, "Corbin, Therese, you're joining me. We leave in two hours."

Corbin cheered as Therese groaned. "I haven't finished the solution yet—"

"—A thousand gold," Theodore singsonged.

She let out a sharp sigh and begrudgingly said, "It can wait."

Joshua made a noise, just a bit over-upset at the idea of being excluded from another mission.

Theodore turned to him. "I wouldn't worry. Once that injury's healed—" Theodore pat his shoulders, making Joshua shriek once more. "—You'll be returned to your invaluable state. At the moment, there isn't much for our prime fighter to do without the proper muscles for fighting."

<hr>

Theodore, Corbin, and Therese had left. Joshua looked over to Haeden and Noah. "Are we really staying put?"

Haeden had already put on her cloak. "Of course not. Let's?"

"Let's." Noah rolled out of his cot in full gear and picked up his swords from the nearby table. "The note did say to bring as much of the unit as possible, and Joshua doesn't look like an invalid to me,"

"I'm glad." Joshua pulled his lips into a smile. "I would've hated to go at it alone."

<hr>

Theodore approached the clearing closest to the eastern entrance with caution, less on edge, however, knowing that Corbin and Therese weren't very far.

The client, at least, was not a Creature such as they—or perhaps was one, with great strength. Not many Creatures could travel through their forest of rowan without incident—without the Chimera Band knowing.

"Gold-Eyed Dog?" Someone asked, behind Theodore.

He turned, quick—spotting a figure draped in Druid's clothing, one of their age. How had he managed to sneak past Theodore without alerting him? (Or Corbin and Therese, for that matter?) Theodore composed himself and nodded. "Client?"

The Druid nodded. "Druid Macen," He introduced, the name a passing familiarity to Theodore's ears. "Walk with me?" He asked, although it felt more like a compulsion than a willing motion when Theodore obeyed.

Theodore resisted the urge to look around for Therese and Corbin as he listened to the Druid begin his spiel.

"I'll cut to the chase and we can negotiate further afterwards," He started. Theodore nodded, and he began, "A lord in my charge snuck out of the castle last night, and I'd like to see him returned before his father notices."

"Which lord?" Theodore asked, careful not to say anything that might sway the Druid's attention away from working with them—he did propose an attractive offer, and Theodore intended to collect.

The Druid seemed to contemplate, but not for long. "Lord William, of the territory just east of here."

Theodore barely contained his surprise, and the Druid seemed to spot it. (Perceptive as well as intelligent.)

"Now, I understand that you and the rest of your Band are known somewhat as criminals and exiles to the territory of Geyer, which, I have to say, I'm glad you've brought them all with you—" The Druid said, his walk slowing. He waved his hand—Theodore felt a wave of magic flush over him, and something fall out of the trees. The Druid gestured behind Theodore.

He turned to see Corbin and Therese on a pile of leaves, rubbing sore spots, and just to their right, Joshua, Noah, and Haeden, who Theodore specifically remembered telling _not_ to follow them. He opened his mouth to berate them—

"—But rest assured," The Druid said. (Powerful, as well. Theodore should pay more attention to Geyer politics.) "Return Lord William to the castle by dusk tomorrow, and your criminal records in the territory will cease to exist."

Theodore gave him a suspicious look, a brow raised. "Seems a lot to risk for a lord," He said warily.

Druid Macen shrugged. "His importance as the only son of the former Duke of Dunbar is nothing to dismiss."

Theodore noticed an ellipsis that seemed to be figuratively forming above the Druid's head. "...And?"

Druid Macen's features set into something much more grave than the expression he had worn during the rest of the exchange. "I have reason to believe he's been kidnapped. Or otherwise set upon by rogues."

Theodore noted that, the beginnings of a plan forming in his head. "And why us?"

Druid Macen leveled him a look. "Mercenaries usually keep quiet when paid well."

He was entirely right, of course, and although Theodore had already made up his mind before they had met, he still considered his options: first, to accept the offer, second, to run away, leave the nobles to their business, and change their hideaway's location, and third, to kill Druid Macen on the spot and take everything in his pockets. While the latter two options were passingly attractive, Theodore had already made his mind—and would have been backed into a corner, anyways.

Theodore gave him an affirmative—but not definitive—nod. "Your terms?"

Druid Macen beamed.

<hr>

The terms the Druid set out weren't exactly unreasonable, simply... restrictive. In a sense. The Chimera Band didn't do much work involving other parties outside of gathering information, so working directly with Druid Macen during all hours of the following day felt much like they were being put under surveillance. Yes, Theodore had brought Druid Macen back to their tunnels, and yes, he told Therese of his plans to relocate their base anyway, but it didn't do much in the way of comforting her to the fact that a member of the court they were all exiled from was standing in their space—their home. ("Home".)

Therese felt that way, at least. Whenever she looked around at her companions, it seemed that they reveled in the attention Druid Macen so freely gave—especially Corbin. Not to say that she didn't enjoy it, either—Druid Macen was especially perceptive and not at all lacking in intellect, even helped Therese with a particular formula—but she was one who much preferred being by her lonesome than to meet another "recruit of the week" (the term they all used for aiding mercenaries they hired to fill in the gaps in their skill).

They left to conduct their search only hours later, food in their bellies, armor on their backs, weapons on their belts, and Therese with vials in her pockets.

Druid Macen appeared at her side and pointed at them. "How do you use those?"

Therese grinned, almost wolfish as she pulled out her hand. She turned her nails—her claws—towards him. "These vials are specially designed for quick application onto these claws." She brought one claw closer to his gaze. "You see their material?"

The Druid nodded.

"Porous," She started. "When I stab these claws into the lid or body of one of my vials, they take in the formula. Then, it's just a matter of close combat; and you'll find that I'm quite good at that."

<hr>

Theodore walked towards the back with Joshua as the Druid led the search. Druid Macen had brought the Chimera Band towards the last spot Lord William was seen, stumbling (presumably drunk) through the wood. Naturally, Theodore set the Chimeras to their tasks—with Noah and Haeden being left with Druid Macen for the most important task of actually catching his trail. The tip Druid Macen's contacts got was very helpful, considering that they were able to quickly find Lord William's last known location—but something about it all was too simple, and Theodore was on edge because of it.

The way the search was currently going, Theodore wouldn't have been surprised if bandits began to drop from the upper branches of the trees and attack. It was too quiet, and snapping twigs from far-off ground did nothing to comfort him. He needed to stay cautious.

Therese seemed to agree with him, since her head regularly swiveled from side to side, searching for something that only she would be able to see.

It wasn't long, however, before they encountered a shack.

"Hold," Theodore commanded, unsheathing a knife and slowly making his way towards it. He was suspicious—who wouldn't be?—as to the lack of guards surrounding it. If this was where Lord William's tracks led, there was bound to be high-level security; there had to be. (Theodore had heard tales of the Lord's strength, even experiencing its full brunt, but unless something drastic had happened to progress his strength, he shouldn't have been able to take out as many bandits as Druis Macen feared would take him.)

The door had a lock on it, which Theo made quick work of. He threw it to the side and slowly opened the door.

Inside, illuminated by the dancing morning light streaming in from a slit between planks of wood, was Lord William, tied up to the wall by his wrists and ankles, asleep.

"Lord William?" Theodore whispered. He made a motion, signaling his companions to stay where they were.

The Lord shifted, no longer in that sleep-still state. "Who is it?"

Theodore decided to joke, still keeping his knife out and his guard up. "A savior."

Lord William seemed to rouse, just a bit. "I don't..." He blinked his eyes open. "...I don't need saving."

"Being tied up by all four limbs seems to contradict that," Theodore said, creeping ever closer.

Lord William raised his gaze to lock with Theodore's. Something played behind that bright blue, something that clouded his sunny sky for just a moment.

"Theodore?" He asked, voice low. (Theodore didn't doubt that the Chimeras could hear him, nonetheless.) "What are you doing here?"

Theodore went to cut the rope from his wrists. "Your Druid asked us for help. Told me to bring everyone I could."

Lord William's eyes blew wide open. His voice lowered to a sharp hush. "They're still here."

Theodore succeeded in one and moved onto the other. "Who?" He made a motion for the Chimeras to remain on guard.

Lord William moved his free hand to the restrained one to help it get free. He said, low, "...Hunters."

Theodore stilled. "What?"

this week was so fun!! (i know it's late but y'know... life) let me know if you'd want a full version of this!

[footballdesires]

𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘇𝗸𝗮, 𝗷. 𝗸𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗵

joshua kimmich ; she/her mentioning of sex, curse words! 18+ info: joshua is focused on training, but the image in front of her makes it hard to forget the nights under the sheets. one comment about goretzka is enough to make kimmich's blood boil. a/n: bringing a certain eagerness from the pitch to the bedroom haha requests always open!

the gym in the tunnels of the allianz arena was packed with bayern munich players. in one corner, mueller had an interesting debate with neuer and gnabry about the upcoming game, and the chance to actually win without having to tear themselves apart. lifting the weights on one of the benches was leon, doing five of each until he decided that more weight was necessary to make the training session valuable. 

and then there was she, sitting on a bench behind the bikes where her boyfriend currently attempted to reach his latest limits. joshua was focused on the changing numbers between the handles, pedaling faster by the minute. “almost there.” he muttered, loud enough for the female to catch the two words which weren’t exactly foreign to her. the same sentence, he panted over again when hidden underneath the comfortable duvets of their bed, thrusting in and out of her wet hole. clenching the thighs together, she attempted to hide the fact of how much those easy-spoken syllables affected her figure.

joshua took the training serious, he wanted to reach higher standards and impress the fans, and the main staff of bayern munich for as long as possible. but she wished, for a split second, that the ocean blue orbs stared at her, lingered at her face and he could see how she slowly fell apart behind him. 

as if the excellent view of his naked back and the flexing muscles wasn’t enough to torture the female, the deep breaths combined with the quiet groans made it impossible for her to focus on anything or anyone else anymore. rubbing the sweaty hands over the face, she attempted to calm herself down, but nothing seemed to work against the heat that pooled between her legs. slowly, she started to rub her legs together, trying find at least a tad of release but it wasn’t enough. 

she needed joshua‘s help. she needed him. 

manicured nails brushed through the strands, scratching carefully over the scalp as she stood up from the seat. the mission was clear to her. strutting over to the bicycles, she took her place in front of the panting male. 

underarms leaned on the small space on each side of the small screen, joshua watched the numbers change until her figure casted a shadow above him. tilting the head up, the blonde raised a single brow at his girlfriend in confusion. but she didn’t explain her needs to him. instead, she leaned forward herself. soft fingertips pressed against the collarbones of the football player and gently pushing him backwards in a seating position. 

he didn’t fight against the gestures of his girlfriend, the arms falling to his sides as his attentive gaze lingered on her. delicate hands placed on the space next to the small screen where his arms used to rest before, she tilted her upper body forward. seductively, she glanced upwards through her black, thick lashes at her boyfriend and smiled innocently. 

an expression that has never been easy to comprehend, never been easy to resist without feeling the effects. but joshua couldn’t tear the dilated pupils away from the picture in front of him, the luring gazes into a world of desire and lust. 

“joshua..” she pulled the name longer than needed, shamelessly almost moaning in the middle of the gym, in front of his teammates. mouth ajar, he wanted to reply and lecture her about the wrong picture she gave the others but it has never been easy to escape the magnificent spell of her innocent expression, infiltrated by the seductive glances. 

“how much longer?” she questioned in a whisper, attempting to clench the thighs together without the people around her noticing but joshua did. 

a reaction she almost had any time when she visited a game and cheered for him, in one of his jerseys. the aftermath was a very long night of orgasms and soft whimpers. 

the dazzled expression changed in a matter of seconds, the lips curled in an one-sided smile, a pleased and smug one. leaning forward again, he placed the calloused fingertips against the heated skin of her underarms, staring a fire inside of her. beads of sweat gathered on the forehead, pushed upwards against the wrinkles as he raised his eyebrows. “why are you asking, babe?” 

joshua didn’t need to ask, he knew the answer and still, he wanted to hear the words tremble out of her addictive mouth. syllables rolled off her tongue how much she needed him, forcing him to end the training session and busy himself with her body. 

she whined at the question, despising the fact that he wanted to lure the sentence out of her, make her beg for his attention. but she has never been the easiest challenge from their first date until this day. an idea popped in her head, the way she could turn this situation around and reach the moment, she desired. leaning further forward to speak without having another person eavesdropping on the conversation, she smiled innocently at him. 

“leon’s looking good, maybe i should ask him if he has a couple of minutes for me.” the words caught the male off guard, he didn’t expect a sort of comeback from the needy female. jaw clenched, the fuming anger about her thoughts with someone else caused a sudden possession. the need to show her who she truly belonged to and that those thoughts were entirely wrong to speak or think. 

fleshy fingers quickly found her face, the thumb pressed into the left cheek while the other four dug into the right one. pulling her closer to his reddened face, joshua closes the gap between them with a hard kiss. cheers erupted from around them, commentary was shared and laughter about the mature actions shared between the football player and his girlfriend. 

“shouldn’t have said that.” joshua growled against her lips, leaning back to climb off the bicycle. the dusty gray v neck was thrown over the shoulder when he raised his hand to announce their departure. 

for the males in the gym, he looked like a man who trained the entire day with the sweaty chest and the reddened face. instead, the muscles were relaxed, the anger burned in his blood and he needed to release it on the person who caused it. walking out of the room, she followed the fuming boyfriend like a lost puppy with her head down and chewing on the bottom lip. she didn’t know if the words caused the wrong reaction, if joshua was truly angered and the words led to an argument instead of being trapped underneath him while he pounded into her. 

as she rounded the corner towards the locker rooms, two large hands grabbed her by the waist and pushed her against the nearest wall. surprised by the sudden actions, she gasped as joshua trapped her between the cold wall and his warm figure. with the back turned to him, she could feel the bulge against the curve of her ass. 

hot breath fanned over the ear, as joshua dipped his head further down and blew featherlight kisses against the heated skin underneath her lobe. lids fell close as the ecstasy over washed any other emotion, and a quiet whimper rolled off her tongue.

“oh, you shouldn’t have thought about using goretzka as an attempt to get to me. should have just asked me nicely to fuck you.” letting his long fingers graze around her waist, he dipped them under the waistband of her jogging trousers. digits sprawled out above the underwear, he didn’t move them further than slightly underneath the belly button. 

“anything else you want, huh?” joshua questioned the female, the anger infiltrated his voice as he chuckled slightly. “you.” she whimpered, the bottom lip quivering as she tried to push herself off the wall to look at her boyfriend. but he didn’t give her the satisfaction, pushing his hard-on further against her, and as a result, her further against the wall. “exactly what you’re not going to get so easily anymore.” 

she wanted him, but she was going to receive the punishment for the tactics she used on him. profoundly, the worst decision she has made in the entirety of their relationship. 

the left knee placed on the backside of her thighs, he nudged them apart. with all his actions, joshua never forgot to stay on the gentle side of the world. he would not do anything that would cause her harm, he would hate himself if she had to experience such pain because of him. even when he was much rougher than usual, the blonde kept it easy-going.

“i could fuck you right here, against this wall.” he whispered against her skin as the soft lips traveled towards the left shoulder. the fingers that pressed into the waist moved up until he reached the thick strap of the tank top. peeling the fabric off the skin carefully, his lips left a trail of wet kisses along the shoulder blade. “and maybe, leon will walk around the corner, and see you like this. a whimpering mess for me.”

“josh, please.” she whined, hating to be declined of touching him. running the delicate fingers over the defined chest, down over the abs and towards the thin shorts which hung low on the trained body. 

“i can’t wait to hear you beg the entire night, love.” joshua grinned against the heated skin of his girlfriend, slowly and carefully biting the shoulder blade before stepping back from and releasing his tight grip on her. cheeks flustered from the sudden impact, the lids still closed, she didn’t bother to move an inch while the blonde admired the picture, he created. a mess of desire and lust, a whimpering mess for him. 

[devotionbled]

((This was requested and it got long, so rip.))

There are few things that have a consistent, lingering taste in her maw, all hungry and wanting for two things—violence, violence and the smoke of flames. The wisp of smoke is not to be denied when there are infernos brewing, violence not to be turned away from when a blade presses against the heave of the Phoenix’s loving throat. She bites down on the side of her mouth, crimson nurturing the empty space between cheeks and teeth, coppery taste upon a tongue. Her gaze is dull and empty, despite the empyreans—her mirror, rain hiding the wetness of tears.

She is crying, and she knows not what to do with it; oblivion, her bed companion, even when they shared fabric to curl underneath to find salvation in warmth when winter is unforgiving in its harsh bite. It is a deception between flesh and sinew that she is anything more than shadows. Merely an altar for him, to sacrifice those who trespass against them—against him. He did not ask for it. She did not either. It is just what it is: sameness carved into the body. This is an atonement, no communion to be found with him slick upon her lips. Her body is a sanctuary for their skeletons of truths and hidden lies.

He smiles at her.

He smiles at her despite the kiss of steel. It does not press deeper. He asked for this in sickening want for mercy, blood from a wet mouth—long since staining the prettiness of her face. Obedience is an exercise in will in these horrid moments when she can feel how his heartbeat thrums below her fingertips. Her breath is startled, out of rhythm—it feels like pressing the blade against her own throat. To hurt him is to bring harm unto herself, to weave sin around bone—around her own throat, in a noose. She is hurting, too. She almost tastes death, with the beading of crimson from the flesh.

Her laughter is without mirth, no offering to be found; gruesome is her devotion—she would do anything, everything, and nothing for him. She sits up from where she rests upon him—legs on either side of him. Her sob is noisy, noisy, and vile—she does not remember the last time she cried.

The first time she saw him was the last time she cried; a little girl, learning the cold of oblivion even then, despite worship of blazing ruin.

Joshua kisses her.

There is no paradise to be found in the curve of his mouth. It is another tribulation entirely to stomach it, calamity in her own disgust—own yearning. She should not want. She is a blank thing, who should not love whole creatures, to adore God. She is a disciple. A disciple should not love their messiahs this much. She is gold, gold, gold like him.

Her bones are charred, his fingers setting alight to the notches of her spine, each disk bending to his loving / ruinous touch. He sets her kingdom of a body ablaze with— Is it her own wanting, all red and streaking across her flesh? Or is it his love?

It hurts. His love hurts; it is not kind. He was right; she would not like it. But she does.

She endures; hideous is her devotion—burning her out like this. If she were ordinary, if she were not Undying, if she did not love him—she would turn away and let crimson pour from his throat from the loving / hateful touch of her own blade. She would obey his wishes for mercy. Yet she rolls her hips down, sobbing against his mouth as she almost spews her horror and dread; he is the phoenix; he cannot be embraced. She should not touch him, not like this.

She was always ready to burn; he exhales smoke into her mouth; it tastes like yearning. It tastes like her own devotion, the ugly shape of it. Her blood is wine, all warm, thudding in veins as she embraces freedom / shackles of her own beating muscle. The sullen sky is a witness to this transgression against her own oaths, and she is brave enough to kiss him back—after many years of longing corrupting, tasting a heart long at last.

This is a war they both lost.

Burning seems like a kind fate; she was taught this is the finer death.

[phoenixshards-a]

@cinderella-gurei continued from x

Silently Joshua stared at the notes in front of him, his gaze wandering over the words without really taking them in as he only half-heartedly listened what the recently returned scouts of the Undying had learned back in the Dhalmekian Republic, dutifully giving him a report on their current sightings of Akashic beasts and Aetherfloods. The now grown Dominant of the Phoenix had a deep respect for all the work the Undying had done since the order was founded, serving his father and his ancestors well from the shadows, being ever dutiful, but every once in a while there came a time where even Joshua Rosfield was too tired to work hard. He was as dedicated to their cause as everyone else, but the morning had already been hard for him, as the first thing that had greeted him in the morning had been a coughing fit.

“I am sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, but would you mind us postponing this gathering to a later hour? I am not feeling quite well”, Joshua asked, the familiar feeling of guilt creeping up into his chest. He did not want anyone to see him as weak, and he often overworked himself, hoping to make up for all the trouble he believed his health was causing to everyone else. And of course, the ever loyal Undying reassured him the matter was not that pressing, that it could wait until later this evening or even tomorrow, that they wanted him to rest well before they continued.

Joshua excused himself with a bow of his head and then returned to his chambers. It was no surprise to find Chadley there, as they both were inseparable, according to the elders of the order. His friend usually waited in his room for his return and Joshua did the same, sitting at the desk in Chadley’s room either writing or reading a book when the circumstances forced them to separate.

What he did not expect was finding Chadley wearing one of his shirts. Joshua certainly did not mind, the Undying provided him with more clothes than he would ever need, but to see the other in a shirt that was a little more elegant than what he usually wore..

Joshua noticed a little flutter in his own stomach as he just looked at the other, taking in the sight as if he had never seen anything more marvelous, but when Chadley started to apologise he couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Chadley. I do not mind you wearing my shirt at all, look at yourself, it looks better on you than it ever did on me.”

Then Joshua stepped forward, towards his friend and companion, taking his hands to hold them firmly but gently, then locking eyes with him as he told him gently:

“How often do I have to remind you to call me by my name, my friend? Joshua.”

[onlyseokmins]

fruit • h.j.s.

Pairing: joshua hong x afab!reader

Genres: smut (minors dni!), established relationship, movie night but not really heh

Warnings: shua being a lil shit, reader being sassy, eating of food/fruit, mentions of cum eating (m&f), prolly sex myths idk, oral (fem. receiving), edging, fingering, uhhh WAP lmao lmk if i missed anything as always <3

WC: 1.9k

A/N: hiii, I'm trying to fill up my masterlist w/ all the members even tho I have a few sitting requests but thought Joshua would fit perfectly for this scenario when I was eating the other night 🤭 BUT ALSO THIS WAS HOT IMHO 😭

You’re nestled into Joshua’s side, the back of your head resting on his shoulder and his arm curled round you. It’s how you’re able to feel the chuckle rumbling in his chest that he’s trying to hide. A whine of complaint escapes your lips when you nearly drop the chunk of fruit you’re trying to eat because of his jostling. Plus, now you know he’s not even trying to pay attention to the flickering television screen in front of you because this is not a funny scene in the slightest.

“What’re you laughing at?”

“Nothing.”

“Joshua,” you sit up to face him with a pout, “this is my favorite movie!”

“I know, babe. We’ve watched it like three times in the past month.”

“Four.”

He nods compliantly at the correction, your dark grumbling unable to prevent him from masking a fond grin. “Yeah, yeah. And we’ll probably watch it a couple more times, huh?”

“If you didn’t want to watch it tonight, you should’ve told me.”

“It’s not that, like you said it’s your favorite.”

“Then – ”

“I just like watching you more. Especially when you enjoy something.”

Joshua’s smooth talk can’t fool you after all these years together even if all you can do is roll your eyes. Likewise, when his thumb reaches out to wipe the sticky smear of juice off your lips, you remain (mostly) unaffected and fix him with a pointed stare that he steadily ignores.

“Why were you laughing? This scene is a guaranteed tearjerker no matter how many times you see it.”

“If you wanted a good reason to cry, all you had to do was ask. I could’ve provided a much more riveting alternative.”

“Joshua.”

“Fine, fine.” He sighs, knowing you might smack him when he tells you what’s on his mind. “I just find it cute… that you’re eating… pineapple.”

“Oh my god.”

He holds his hands up in surrender. “Baby, all I’m saying is you taste just fine as it is.”

“You are such a pervert, Joshua Hong. Can’t I enjoy some fruit in peace? There are grapes in here too!”

“Grapes. Grapes are good. Ahhh – ”

You ignore the way he groans your name in protest when you scoot down to the other end of the couch, clutching your fruit bowl and glaring his way. “You act like everything I do in life is to sexually please you or something.”

“I mean you did – ” He’s cut off again when you (gently) kick at his shin before he brings up any shameful memories. “Okay, okay! It was you who just had to ask when we could’ve watched the movie in peace.”

“Hard to when you’re giggling like a little boy because I’m eating pineapple, of all things. You definitely weren’t watching it, anyways.” You shake your head before muttering under your breath. “And if anyone needs to eat pineapple, it’s you.”

“What?”

“You heard me,” you chirp back and purse your lips.

“Actually, I didn’t.” The living room gets much darker when Joshua shuts off the television, the only source of light now the lamp behind him that casts a shadow over his handsome features. “Wanna say it again, sweetheart?”

“I was watching that.”

“Brats don’t get to enjoy things when they act up, you know this.”

The shift in the atmosphere makes your skin tingle but surprisingly, the annoyance wins over. “You’re being an irritation.”

“I prefer ‘irresistible’ but I guess you don’t agree with me at all. Apparently.”

“So, you did hear me.”

A beat of silence.

“Do you really think I taste bad?”

You give him an incredulous look, deftly dodging away when his hand attempts to reach inside your fruit bowl. “Although I love you very much, you can’t expect me to say that semen tastes good. Even I know I don’t taste all that great, either.”

“You’re very wrong and we could prove that right here, right now. You know I can eat you out for hours.”

“I’m not that turned on,” you can’t help but point out even as he pouts. “But you’re welcome to change my mind since you ruined movie night.”

Joshua’s quick to act, the couch creaking with his movements to successfully pluck the bowl out of your grasp – this time without argument. “I don’t think I’m solely the one who ruined movie night, but I’ll take full responsibility for ruining you, baby.”

His hands pull down your night shorts and panties in one go, an eager finger running tentatively along your folds. His eyebrow raises while a smirk forms on his lips as you cover your face in embarrassment at how wetness instantly gushes from your cunt, your body reacting predictably. All because it’s him – mixed with the expected promise that he’ll make you feel good as expected.

He coos your name, and you feel loved and worshipped in this most pathetic way possible while he shifts his body down yours, hot breath warming the top of your bare thighs. Soft lips trail sloppy kisses across them as his hands part your legs so he can fit his head through. Finally, he’s merely inches away from where your fluttering hole betrays you, clenching at nothing as he gazes in contemplation before swiping his tongue along it.

You let out a moan at the feeling, fingers reaching out to grasp at his hair. Slightly pulling him closer so his nose brushes against your clit causes your hips to buck up against his awaiting mouth. He chuckles at your impatience but gives in, obviously – your alluring scent makes his eyes roll back in delight.

It’s sinful how his tongue swirls inside you, plush lips brushing against you in all the right places, hands keeping your legs spread as wide as possible and bringing you closer to him. The wet sounds filling the room are accompanied by his grunts of appreciation although everything else is drowned out by the blood roaring in your ears and the moans escaping your mouth.

Joshua never fails to surprise you with how fast he can bring you to a climax. You feel it creeping up your spine, body tensing as it threatens to hurtle towards release. Too bad he knows the signs extremely well because he suddenly pulls away and white noise fills your ears as the feeling excruciatingly fades out.

“Shua,” you whine. Hands blindly searching for him so he can finish the job, but he’s moved past your reach.

“Right here, baby.” A reassuring kiss is placed on your nose. “Shh, shh,” he whispers in your ear when you find him and wrap your arms around his neck, trying to bring his body down to yours to grind against. But he refuses to budge, biceps flexing as he holds himself firmly above you. “You’re doing so good for me. Look at you, already begging from just a tiny bit of pussy licking.”

Tears sting your eyes at the painful ache between your legs. You know he loves it, the offer of making you cry in desperation always on the table and even though you hate giving into his sadistic satisfaction, Joshua does good on his end at bringing you to a mind-blowing orgasm – eventually.

He bends his neck down to kiss you, grinning at how he doesn’t have to run his tongue across your lips for access because your mouth is already open in acceptance. The taste of fruit you were eating earlier is replaced by the tangy flavor of your own cunt as Joshua’s tongue entangles with yours.

“See how sweet you are? How could I not get enough of this?” He licks his lips and eases the tip of a finger inside your warmth. “So. Fucking. Addictive.”

Each word is punctuated by an additional finger sliding and curling inside of you until you’re delightfully full. His thumb rubs at your clit but relief is short-lived when you tighten around him since he decides to leave you empty again.

You have tears streaming down your cheeks as you miserably watch him lick his fingers clean, maintaining eye contact with you the whole time. Once more, he makes you taste yourself with an open-mouthed kiss.

“Please, Shua.”

“What do you want, baby? Wanna taste how delicious you are when you cum on my tongue?”

You’re furiously nodding, at this point agreeing to however he’ll let you reach your much desired release. “Yeah. Please, please, please!”

“Hands to yourself then.”

Your clothed chest is heaving from sobs of anguish as your nails dig into the leather couch. Joshua is cruel. When his head returns between your legs, large hands hold down your hips while he places featherlight smooches on your pelvis and inner thighs, an occasional kitten lick to your leaking pussy.

He’s letting your climax plateau. Almost there but not quite. One step away from taking the plunge but he refuses to help you there as his darkened eyes stare tauntingly into your teary ones. He adores when his sassy lover is whiny but obedient. Submissive but teasing. Especially when you begin to play with your perky nipples that rub against your shirt, trying so hard to urge your release to snap.

“What did I just say?”

“Keep my hands to myself. Which I am. They’re not on you.”

Shiny lips from your wetness turn downwards in a frown. Technically you’re not wrong but that doesn’t mean he has to like it. Before you can get too carried away, he relents. Diving back down to suck harshly at your clit, plunging his long fingers deep into your cunt that would have had screaming in ecstasy if you weren’t already gasping at the searing orgasm that rips through you.

Your legs tighten in a headlock around him but it’s not like he’s complaining. Joshua’s mouth trades places with his fingers to lap at your delectable pussy that gushes from the powerful sensations, his own hips grinding down against the couch. Your quiet whimpers alert him of possible overstimulation and he places one last kiss against your thigh before cuddling your trembling body in his lap.

“You still with me, baby?”

“Mhm,” you nod and nuzzle his neck, “feels like I’m floating.”

He laughs, rubbing your back and waits for you to come back down to earth. By the time you do, your eyebrows furrow at the wetness on his jeans underneath that is definitely not from you.

“Did you…?”

“Yeah.”

“Really? I was gonna suck you off.” To say you’re beyond surprise would not be a lie because he usually has a tight leash around his control.

“Nah. I have to eat some pineapple first.”

“Joshua Hong!”

He snorts and kisses your forehead. “In all seriousness, that was just too hot to resist. Besides, I figured that would wear you out.”

“True. I think you sucked the life out of me, honestly.”

“Tasted like it,” he says while you grimace.

“Stop that. You’re disgusting.”

“But you liked it.”

“I… liked what you did, not what I tasted like. I think you’re delusional.”

“Delusional and in love with you, yes. Do I need to prove it again?”

You sigh, standing up. “No, because I’ll just believe you’re only pussy whipped. Now come on, let’s go shower and sleep.”

“Maybe I am. But I’m especially whipped for you first.” He follows you up the stairs before pausing in contemplation. “Hey, do you think the pineapple really works?”

“You better hope this shower doesn’t turn into a bath where I drown you,” you yell back, “so get your ass up here before I kick you out!”

[rhaenyratargayen]

home for the summer // part II // f.w.

read part one

summary: song fic based off of home for the summer by sara kays. Y/N realizes who her heart has always belonged to.

word count: 2.4k 

warnings: none, the fluff you guys deserve :)

Her feet felt frozen beneath her, not due to the cold weather, but the hesitation within her. Suddenly all the warmth she had felt being home with the Weasley’s was ripped away as if a dementor had sucked it out of her. Her fingers and the tip of her nose suddenly felt the sharpness of the breeze, and her stomach dropped.

Joshua kneeled before her, presenting her with the most beautiful ring. He smiled up at her and she noticed the tears that pooled in his dark eyes. The white snowflakes contrasted his dark hair as they fell lightly on top like an angel’s halo. Joshua truly was an angel, sweet and gracious, always putting her first. But even with the heartwarming thoughts of her boyfriend swarming in her mind, Y/N couldn’t bring herself to say yes.

She glanced back at the burrow, spotting the gaggle of redheaded Weasley’s gazing at her through the window. She noticed their expressions falter, probably after noticing the fact that he hadn’t slipped the ring on her finger yet. Molly, Arthur, Ginny, and all the boys, Y/N paused when she didn’t spot Fred, and her heart fell to her stomach.

She quickly turned back to Joshua with the guiltiest look, but how could she grant him a life with her if her heart belonged to another? Deep down, Y/N knew that she always belonged to Fred. It was certain back in Hogwarts, the sparks she felt when he kissed her on the astronomy tower, or let her borrow his jumpers never quite faded.

Joshua was good, he was pure and he would make an extraordinary husband, but it wasn’t fair to him to accept his proposal and Y/N knew that.

She squeezed his hand as he looked up at her, and she pursed her lips.

“I love you, Joshua.”

Joshua sighed, lowering his hand that held the velvet box.

“I do, but I can’t–“ She tried to continue.

“It’s okay.” Joshua stood up, now towering over her.

She felt the wave of guilt wash over her as he stood. She could no longer see the crown of snowflakes on his head, and the pool of tears had finally released, cascading down his flushed cheeks elegantly.

She didn’t expect him to yell, Joshua was rather cool tempered. He was a very generous lover, but he surprised her. He pulled her to him and kissed her forehead, his hand cupped her cheek as he looked down at her.

“I love you, Y/N,” he nodded, “Thank you for giving me the best six months of my life.”

Y/N felt a few wet tears trickle down her face, tears she didn’t even know were forming at his words. Joshua tucked the box back into his pocket, to give to another girl someday, a girl who loved him just as much as he loved her. He deserved that, Y/N knew, but she wasn’t the one to give that to him.

“Still friends, yeah?” Joshua chuckled, contrasting the tears that still fell.

Y/N let herself laugh, feeling the weight lifted off her chest. She laughed, a melodic chuckle that had her curling into Joshua’s chest and hugging him tightly. He kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back. They only stayed like that momentarily, before Y/N remembered the huddle of her second family watching from the window.

“Better go break the news then.” She pursed her lips.

Joshua exhaled a breathy laugh and nodded, guiding her back towards the back door with his hand resting on her lower back.

The atmosphere they walked into was awkward, no one spoke, silently waiting for someone else to go first. The Weasley family looked to Y/N almost with guilty eyes, like they didn’t know whether to congratulate her or apologize. She caught the sad smile Charlie threw at Joshua, and she squeezed Joshua’s hand in hers.

“Oh, Y/N.” Ginny broke the silence, pushing past her brothers to engulf the girl in her arms.

The group dispersed at the break of silence, Bill and Charlie came to Joshua’s side, leading him to the kitchen for another drink – one that he definitely needed. Molly scolded the snicker that left Ron’s lips, before smiling at Y/N who caught it and sent a wink Ron’s way.

She pulled back from Ginny’s embrace and found George’s eyes. His hands were shoved in his pocket, and even though Y/N wasn’t his twin it was like they could read each other’s minds.

“He’s upstairs.” George nodded.

Y/N gave him a gracious grin and pulled back from Ginny, rushing up the stairs. The bathroom door was open, the light still on as she reached the top of the stairs. She looked their first, considering everyone else was downstairs.

“Fred–“ She called as she entered, pausing as she walked into the empty bathroom.

She furrowed her brows, stepping back out into the hallway momentarily, and glancing up the stairs to the higher stories to the house, looking for any lights on or any sign of Fred’s presence. She stepped back into the bathroom and chewed on her bottom lip.

Had he left? Her mind wandered to dark places, falling down the rabbit hole of possible thoughts Fred was thinking. She wondered if he was angry with her, or if he ever wanted to see her again. Did he think she didn’t value their time, or value him?

She paced back and forth along the tile floor and paused as her breath hitched. She caught a piece of paper tossed in the bin, one with her name scribbled on it in Fred’s handwriting. As she reached in, she noticed the other half and felt her heart clench in her chest.

Tears pooled in her eyes as she held the two pieces of the letter to her chest. It was only split in two, she could easily piece it back together if it let her. She peeled back the envelope, carefully taking the two pieces of paper with the actual letter written on it. She held them side by side, reading over the messy handwriting.

Dear Y/N,

I don’t know when I’ll give this to you, if I ever do. The thought of you reading this is maddening. I’m not very good with words, you know this, but I figured if I wrote them down maybe they’d stop buzzing in my head all day.

Darling, you’re it for me. There’s truly no one else, you’re one of a kind. I was heartbroken when you left, and I told you I was proud of you, and I am, but the thought of being away from you for so long hurts like hell. You’re coming back soon, at least that’s what you said in your last letter.

Like I said, I don’t know if I’ll ever give this to you, but I love you, Y/N. I love you more than I have ever loved anyone else, I loved you before I even knew what love was, a tiny git on the train to Hogwarts sitting beside a pretty girl with wit. I hope you see this one day, Merlin I do. Whether it’s tomorrow or a century from now, my word still stands, I love you.

Forever yours, Freddie.

All the breath had been taken from her lungs, and the faint droplets that pooled in her eyes were now full blown tears streaming down her cheeks still burning from the cold.

Her heart tugged in her chest, begging to escape. She wanted to be with Fred, she wanted to be with him from the beginning and she cursed herself for not figuring it out sooner. Romania was a dream, an opportunity that filled her chest with light, but nothing was comparable to the feeling of loving Fred Weasley.

She thought back to the night she told Fred she was leaving, she should have noticed the fault in his gaze, she should have given in to the pit in her stomach when the words left her lips. And the night she came back, the night she spent alone with Fred under the stars, she should have noticed that it was the happiest she’d ever been.

Loving Fred Weasley was a high she never wanted to come down from.

It didn’t take long for her to grab her wand from her coat, she quickly repaired the torn letter and clutched it to her chest. She gripped her wand and apparated to the first place her mind told her.

She heard the crunch of dried leaves and dead grass beneath her boots as she carried herself quickly through the clearing before the open field. It was dark out by now, and the moon had rose to illuminate the ground below her.

She had put her heart in the driver’s seat, and her mind in the passenger’s, she trusted her heart to lead her where it desired, to Fred. So she rushed through the field, pulling her wand out and casting lumos to guide the way for her.

Pulling her coat tighter around her, she shivered as the snow fell before her feet, the light from her wand reflecting off the snow. As she continued on, she neared the center of the field, halfway between the trees she came out of and the trees across from her. She froze in her step as she caught the silhouette of a man on his knees.

She picked up her pace, catching the sounds of muffled sobs over the crunch of ice beneath her feet. Her breathing picked up and she felt the nervousness return to the pit in her stomach, as her body led her mindlessly, she called out into the night.

“Fred!”

The sobs stopped and the shadow of the man turned to face her. She exhaled a breath of relief as the moonlight illuminated his features, it was Fred.

She rushed towards him, but stopped in her tracks as she was an arms length away. Patches of blushed skin on his cheeks and nose were a sharp contrast to his usual pale, freckled skin. His hair was a mess, probably from running his hands through it so many times. Again, just like before, she felt her heart tug in her chest.

Fred’s eyes widened as he saw her, the remains of tears leaving streaks down her face. Against her chest she clutched a paper, his eyes scanned the note before his breath hitched as he recognized his own handwriting, the words he read over countless times reciting in his head like a broken record.

He was so caught up in seeing her before him, she looked relieved to see him despite the obvious distress in her appearance. He glanced at her left hand that held the note, there was no sparkly diamond ring on her finger, and his tears ceased.

He stepped forward, cautiously, he yearned to scoop her in his arms but his heart warned him not to jump too quickly. The back of his head spat heartbreaking theories into his thoughts, maybe she was only there to break the news to him first, before she returned to Joshua and kissed him under the mistletoe, showing off her ring to his family while they celebrated with butter beer.

She noticed his hesitation, it broke her heart. She felt the tears pool again at how broken he looked, and hated herself for being the reason for it. She took one long stride and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Fred’s arms instinctively wrapped around her waist, and as she relaxed into his hold, they tightened around her.

She leaned back far enough to look him in the eye while still being in his arms, and she released everything she held in from the years she knew him.

“I’m so sorry, Freddie,” She choked out, “I should’ve told you sooner, I shouldn’t have left! I should’ve stayed, worked at the shop with you and George and told you the minute I knew that I loved you Fred Weasley. I love you.”

His heart skipped a beat at her confession, but she barely gave him the time to rejoice in her feelings before she continued.

“I know you probably hate me now, I unknowingly strung you along this whole time, Godric, I’m an idiot.”

She stopped ranting when she finally looked him in the eyes again. His tears had faded to streaks just like her own, but he didn’t frown or grimace, he smiled down at her. His hand raised to cup her cheek, rubbing away the stray tears with his thumb.

“Why are you smiling?” She choked out a laugh.

“Because,” He leaned his forehead against hers, “You’re not an idiot and I could never, ever hate you, my love.”

She melted at his words, bunching up his shirt in her fists against his chest. She blinked, looking up at him through tear coated eyelashes.

“I have loved you for so long,” Fred continued, “And that is all I have ever wanted to hear you say.”

She laughed, a cheerful, glee giggle that had his body warming despite the cold.

“You’re not mad?” She asked, sheepishly.

“Mad?” Fred scoffed, “How could I be mad when the woman I’m in love with just told me she loves me?”

She smiled and leaned into him, brushing her nose against his. Fred tugged her closer, pressing against her back so that their chests pressed together. Y/N raised herself onto her tip toes, lips brushing Fred’s lightly.

Just the initial feeling of her lips again after so long had Fred’s eyes fluttering closed in bliss. He slowly leaned forward, gently pressing his lips to hers fully. She inhaled a shaky breath and released a calm one. She leaned into him, finding rhythm in their kiss, granting Fred access when his tongue swiped across her bottom lip.

He pulled back, pressing a quick peck to Y/N’s lips when they chased his own. His thumb brushed over her cheekbone and he pressed another kiss to her lips when he caught her gazing up at him so adoringly.

“‘m sorry it took so long.” Y/N giggled.

Fred shrugged, “It was worth the wait.”

He leaned down to kiss her again, finding that even after all this time, she still fit him like a puzzle piece, a perfect match.

————————————————

taglist: @starlightweasley @valwritesx @harrysweasleys @inglourious-imagines @cappsikle @whiz-bangs78 @levylovegood @wand3ringr0s3 @rogueweasleys @gloryekaterina @wolfstarsdaughter20 @charlieswanwhore @loony-loopy-lupinn @gcdric

[unnie-lili]

Can We Talk? (1/9)

Requested : yes

15. “Fun fact : I haven't listened to a single thing you just told me.”

14. “Are you blushing?”

from my Prompts list

Requests are : OPEN

pairing : Wonwoo x Mingyu, other Seventeen members make an appearance, fem!OC (Mina) x Mingyu

genre : Enemies to lovers!AU, College!AU, a bit of angst, Wonwoo and Mingyu are the same age to simplify the story

word count : 12.5k

warnings : cursing, mentions of violence (not graphic), a small fight (a few pushes, nothing more), alcohol consumption

A/N : I got carried away with this request. Hope you all enjoy 💜

MASTERLIST | PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE | PART FOUR | PART FIVE | PART SIX | PART SEVEN | PART EIGHT | EPILOGUE

Mingyu never knew how or when it happened, but all he knew was that Jeon Wonwoo hated him. They were best friends in middle school, and then one day in high school, Wonwoo despised him. He stopped responding to Mingyu's texts, stopped showing up to their weekly gaming nights and altogether stopped even looking at Mingyu.

Or, when he did, he would shoot him the deadliest glare Mingyu ever received. Mingyu preferred being ignored.

Having no closure on their past friendship hurt Mingyu's feelings deeply, so he did the only thing he could : hate Wonwoo back.

The two men hadn't spoke in years. Mingyu didn't mind, at least that's what he told himself. Even though he had stayed up nights at time wondering where he did wrong, he always reached the same conclusion : he simply did nothing wrong. One day, Wonwoo was his confident, his anchor, his closest friend, the next, he was but a memory, a shadow of his past.

Mingyu missed his laugh, his dark humor, his love for stupid poetry books and the way he'd so confidently correct him on anything he'd say. He missed drawn out sleepovers eating too many sweets and playing Pokémon under the covers of his bed, crying (or, in Wonwoo's case, heavily sniffling) to sappy romance movies or exploring the woods outside Wonwoo's house in search of magic kingdoms. He missed his best friend every day, but the Jeon Wonwoo that was standing there wasn't his best friend, he was a complete stranger.

Mingyu hoped college would bring a wave of change in his life : he had his new friends coming to the same campus as him, his life goals shining brighter than ever, and he even had a lovely girlfriend, Mina. Moving town and making sure to never see Wonwoo was the last step in saying goodbye to his old life of anguish and welcoming his newfound adulthood.

That was until he found out that, much to his despair, he had been paired with Jeon Wonwoo as roommates.

“Well,” Mingyu breathed. “Time to jump off a fucking building.”

“Rest in peace, my guy,” Jeonghan patted his back sympathetically. “You will be missed.”

Mingyu slumped on the desk of the receptionist in front of him, who was awkwardly still holding Mingyu's room key in her hand. Joshua grabbed the key, apologizing for his friend.

“Let's move out of the way first,” Joshua softly pushed Mingyu to the side, making him sit on a bench.

The younger man dropped his head in his hands, feeling sick.

“He's gonna kill me in my sleep,” he whined out.

Mina sat beside him, stroking his back.

“You can always sleep at my dorm, Gyu,” she offered. “I won't be able to sleep at night knowing there's a guy who wants you dead living in the same room as you.”

“He doesn't really want him dead, Mina,” Joshua sighed, massaging his temple.

School had started 15 minutes ago and the impending headache was already showing up.

“You don't know that, Joshua,” Jeonghan retorted, caressing Mingyu's hair. “Wouldn't you feel bad if one day we woke up with Mingyu stabbed on the floor because you didn't take the situation seriously enough?”

“Yeah, wouldn't you feel very bad?” Mingyu repeated, pouting.

Joshua took a deep breath.

“Jeonghan, don't encourage him, please,” he turned to Mingyu, ignoring Jeonghan's innocent smile. “We won't let anything happen to you, Mingyu, and I would indeed feel very bad if you were hurt. You can always sleep over at our dorm.”

“Hey, I never said that-” Jeonghan tried to protest, but Mingyu cut him off.

“Thank you guys!” he smiled softly, kissing Mina's cheek. “I'm just so shocked... What were the odds? Did any of you know he was coming to the same college as us?”

His friends shook their heads.

“Guys, guys!”

They all looked at the direction of the shout, immediately recognizing Chan. He was running up to them, breathing heavily as he pulled to a stop.

“Guys,” he panted. “Guess what? You won't guess who I just saw right now on campus.”

“Jeon Wonwoo?” Mingyu, Joshua and Jeonghan replied at the same time.

“Yeah,” Chan frowned. “How'd you know?”

PREVIOUS | MASTERLIST | NEXT : PART TWO

[gamerwoo]

[Tales from the Pack] Seungcheol: Stubborn (Bonus)

Characters: Seungcheol x female reader

Genre/warnings: werewolf au, fantasy, fluff, smut during the second half (fingering/eating out, a lot of praise, just cheol being really soft, unprotected sex [remember to use condoms friends!!!], unintentional sorta exhibitionism?????)

Word count: 4,544

Summary: You’ve heard the stories your relatives told you about werewolves when you were younger, but you always thought it was just a scare tactic to make kids behave. Well, up until you woke up in a den full of werewolves.

a/n: this part takes place further into the future during seungkwan’s part, and since it contains spoilers for the future, i recommend skipping this and reading up to part 8 of seungkwan’s series, and then coming back when you’re done!!

Previous | Stubborn Masterlist | TftP Masterlist

Maybe it was because everyone was on-edge about Seungkwan’s condition that was rapidly decreasing. Maybe it was because everybody was still a bit shaken up over Eunjin being what she was. But something was making your old habits of being a thief kick in. You hid in shadows, snuck around the house, and came and went like the wind. Hardly anybody saw you, including your mate.

You weren’t avoiding Seungcheol, not at all. You were just uncomfortable, and that made you want to stay hidden. You assumed it was the tension in the house, but you just didn’t want to be seen, heard, or noticed. Unfortunately, this also happened to effect Seungcheol who now usually had to sniff you out or simply follow the imprinting pull.

The last couple weeks, though, Seungcheol had gotten down your typical hiding places – although, he did almost trip over you while trying to find you because you were crouched down behind the counter while you sharpened the kitchen knives for fun. Today, though, he found you upstairs in Seokmin’s room.

Seokmin was a very positive person in the pack, and all he wanted was for everybody to get along. But because things weren’t working out between Seungkwan and Eunjin and there was nothing he could do, he typically hid away in his room and kept himself busy with reading or singing to keep his mind off of it. But today, you were hanging out with him while he tried to practice his weather power since he hadn’t intentionally used it before. It was only during those nights he had nightmares when it was developing that he’d used it -- but he didn’t even know it was him doing it -- and the few days he was first coping with the situation with Seungkwan. But none of those instances were intentional, so he wanted to hone in on his new power.

“Does it change the weather in town or just in our little area?” you wondered as Seokmin stared out the window, holding his hand out palm-up as his fingers slowly curled inward. Clouds started forming in the blue sky, turning it a grey color.

“I don’t really know,” Seokmin said absentmindedly as he watched the weather start to change at his own will. He suddenly looked over at you with a warm grin. “Do you like snow?”

You frowned, shaking your head. As a thief, you only had bad memories with snow. You didn’t really have a place of your own before, so you associated snow with being cold and struggling for the next few months. Sure, it was kind of pretty, but you never actually enjoyed it.

“What, really?” he asked, surprised that you didn’t like it. “Why not?”

“I was always stuck outside in the cold,” you said with a small pout, looking away from Seokmin and at the familiar grey sky that indicated snow coming.

Seokmin just smiled, “Don’t worry, I’ll show you how to enjoy it.”

“You’re really going to make it snow?”

“Just here – I think…”

Soon enough, little snowflakes began to fall from the sky. All you could do was frown as you watched, dreading when it would start accumulating. You knew you could just come back inside when you got too cold, but it was just the bad memories that were dragging you down.

You heard a soft knock at the door before you heard it open with a very quiet creak. You didn’t even have to turn around to guess who it was.

“What’re you two doing?” Seungcheol chuckled as he walked over to where the two of you were sitting on the floor, staring up at the window.

“Making snow,” Seokmin reported, letting his hand fall into his lap as he turned to look at the alpha. “You like snow, right, Seungcheol?”

Seungcheol shrugged as he crouched down behind and between the two of you, “Yeah, it’s fun – especially seeing the rest of you run around in it.”

Seokmin turned to you excitedly, “We shift and run around outside when it snows. The pack loves it.”

You just nodded, mumbling, “Good for you.”

“_____, do you not like snow?” Seungcheol wondered.

You shook your head in exaggerated movements to really get the point across. Seungcheol just smiled in amusement, putting a warm hand in the center of your back as he stroked it with his thumb.

“You can play with us in the snow tomorrow when it accumulates on the ground,” he suggested, “and if you hate it, I’ll bring you back inside and make you soup. Okay?”

You shrugged, mumbling an, “Okay…”

Thankfully for Seokmin, he didn’t have to sit there and constantly make the weather do what he wanted. Once he got it going, he didn’t have to do anything else until he wanted it to stop. 

“C’mon,” Seungcheol stood before he helped you up, “I need to get food in you.”

“Are Mingyu and Danbi back from Jiung’s?” Seokmin wondered.

“You just want to play with Jiwoo,” he chuckled. “Yeah, they’re back.”

“Finally!” Seokmin grinned, hopping up from the floor.

-

The next morning, you were awoken by the sound of howling and excited yipping. You groaned and rolled onto your other side, burying your face in your pillow to drown it out. You felt Seungcheol’s arms encircle you and pull you to his chest, pressing a soft kiss to the crown of your head.

But then you heard Yeji from downstairs shriek excitedly, “There’s snow everywhere!”

Your eyes opened, staying narrowed. You were definitely awake now.

“Guess the pack saw Seokmin’s little surprise,” Seungcheol said, his voice raspy and deep from sleeping.

Everyone had obviously noticed the snow falling the day prior, but about a foot or two had accumulated quickly on the ground around the house. A few of the wolves had already run outside to play, but apparently some people had just woken up and noticed – and by some people, you meant your overly-excited sister.

Soon enough, you heard feet bolting down the hall before throwing open your bedroom door.

“Seungcheol!” Mingyu was panting. “Seokmin made it snow yesterday, and look outside!”

“I didn’t realize snow on the ground meant everyone forgot how to knock,” Seungcheol said as he sat up and stretched his arms above his head.

Mingyu blushed a bit even though he knew he wasn’t interrupting anything, “Sorry. Are you gonna come outside?”

“In a bit. Let me bundle up _____.”

“_____, we can have a snowball fight!” Mingyu gasped excitedly. “I bet you’ll be really good at it.”

You rolled over, looking up at Seungcheol, “Is that the thing kids do?”

Seungcheol chuckled, nodding his head, “Yes. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re all just very big children.”

-

After being put in five sweaters, two pairs of pants – one pair being yours and the other being Seungcheol’s just because he thought they might somehow be better for you – and a hat, Seungcheol brought you outside with him while he wore just a sweater and a pair of pants. You looked up at the sky, scrunching your face as snow hit your skin. Seungcheol chuckled as he watched, taking note of how beautiful you looked with fresh snow falling into your hair.

The entire pack was out in the yard, even little Jiwoo who was bundled up in multiple blankets and was being held on Minghao’s hip while her father was enjoying the snow. Most of the boys were in their wolf forms, running around, rolling in it, or trying to catch snowflakes in their mouths. Mingyu was rolling a ball of snow with his muzzle while he helped Danbi make a snowman. Minghao was softly talking to Jiwoo about how pretty the snow was as her large eyes looked around in wonder, it being the first time the young child had seen the white, fluffy stuff. Those of the pack in their human form were tossing snowballs at each other and others while they laughed loudly.

The only person who wasn’t playing in the snow – that you could see – was Joshua. He just said the last thing he wanted was to be pelted with cold things. You couldn’t say you disagreed with Josh.

“How is this fun?” you grumbled, looking back at Seungcheol as you blinked snowflakes off your eyelashes.

“Well just staring at it isn’t fun,” he told you. “Go make a snowman or a snow angel or–”

“_____!” you heard Chan call. You turned your head just in time to catch a snowball to the chest. You froze, staring at the same spot while the youngest giggled. “Come play with us!”

“Ah, maybe after she gets used to the snow, Chan,” Seungcheol told him pointedly as he grabbed your arms and pulled you over to where Wonwoo and Danbi were now making snow angels together. “Why don’t you stay with Wonwoo while I go get changed. He’ll make sure you don’t get hit with anything.”

Wonwoo nodded up at you from where he was squatting down on the ground, not even looking as he put up a hand to block the stray snowball coming his way. As soon as it splattered against the side of his arm, he let it down and looked back down at his sister on the ground.

“See? You’re in good hands,” Seungcheol grinned as he pressed a kiss to your temple before he went back into the house.

Mingyu, who was watching the siblings make snow angels, pressed his snow-covered nose against your cheek as he sniffed your face. Even that made you make a face and recoil away from him, shoving his furry face away.

“So,” Danbi sat up with snow in her hair, “you really have never played in the snow?”

Wonwoo chuckled at his sister as he began to brush the snow from her hair, saying, “Not everybody likes snow, Danbi. Lilly was allergic.”

You furrowed your eyebrows, “How can somebody be allergic?”

“I believe the doctor in town called it cold urticaria.”

“Excuse me?”

Wonwoo just laughed softly, shaking his head.

Seungcheol came back outside quickly, but he was in his wolf form this time. He ran up to you and nuzzled into your hair happily, excited to be able to play outside with his brothers. You couldn’t help but laugh at how happy he was, but it stopped when he moved his nose to nudge you in the side, moving you closer to the chaos of the pack.

“Whoa, what?” you asked as your legs were forced to move forward. “Seungcheol, I didn’t agree to this!”

Still, your mate continued to move your forward so you could properly experience the snow. Of course, the pack noticed this and started to get even more excited. Soonyoung bounded over to you, skidding to a stop and kicking up snow. 

The first thing Seungcheol tried to get you to try was making a snowman. He started by poking a snowball on the ground with his nose, nudging it around until it started to roll into a bigger ball. He looked up at you expectantly before he gestured to the growing ball with his head.

You huffed, “Seungcheol this shit is cold. I don’t want to touch it.”

He let out a huff of his own before pointing at the ball sharply with his nose.

You grumbled to yourself about how you didn’t want to, but you did it anyway. You bent down and began rolling the ball around until Seungcheol decided it was big enough to be a snowman base. Then he helped you make the middle and managed to maneuver it on top of the first ball with his muzzle. Then he let you make the head and put that on as well.

Yeji had ventured into the woods earlier with Hansol and Junhui to find pebbles on the ground since the property was completely covered in snow. So she gave you a few from her pocket for eyes and buttons. Then Seungcheol trotted over with a stick in his mouth and handed it to you. You very un-enthusiastically jammed it in the poor snowman’s face. Your fingers were numb, your nose and cheeks were red, and you just wanted to go inside and curl up under some blankets.

To add insult to injury, the wolves were playing too rough with each other, and Junhui skidded straight into your snowman, knocking it over and causing its snow body to splatter on the ground. Seungcheol looked down at the dead snowman body before he growled and leaped at the younger werewolf, wrestling with him for ruining your hard work.

You wished you were the snowman.

-

You walked into your bedroom with a towel still between your hands as you dried your hair, damp from the snow. However, when you walked into your room, Seungcheol was in there, still without clothes on. He had shifted back downstairs while you went to go get a towel to dry your hair, and now he was digging through drawers to find new clothes for the both of you.

This wasn’t the first time seeing Seungcheol naked. You’d taken showers and baths together plenty of times. But for some reason, your cheeks were heating up – and not just because you had been playing out in the snow.

You walked over to your mate – you knew he could hear you enter – and wrapped your arms around his waist, pressing your nose into his back to warm it while your hands clung to his toned stomach, making him shiver from how cold they felt.

“I feel like an ice cube,” you whined.

“Yeah, you do,” he chuckled. “Do you want me to warm you up?”

You nodded, your nose rubbing against his back. Except, you were thinking of other means of warming up than he was. Most of the pack was still playing outside anyway.

“Alright, let me just find some–”

“Seungcheol?” when you spoke this time, your voice was a lot smaller than it had been. 

“Hmm?”

“Y-you don’t have to, like…put clothes on if, y’know…this is more comfortable…”

Seungcheol laughed softly, turning in your arms to face you. He cupped your face between his hands, eyebrows raised, “Is this your way of telling me you want to do something?”

You’d done things with Seungcheol before, sure. But you’d never actually had ‘proper’ sex with him before. It wasn’t that you were scared or didn’t know how, you just always felt a little uncomfortable knowing that the rest of the pack would be able to hear you. But now that they were all preoccupied outside…

You nodded, “I’m cold, it’s for my health.”

“_____, you’re not going to get hypothermia,” he laughed, rolling his eyes playfully. “What do you want me to do?”

“Well…” you began slowly, trying to ignore the heat that was now crawling to the tip of your ears, “I-I think I’m ready for marking.”

Seungcheol’s eyes widened, though he looked more surprised than afraid. The statement just took him off guard. You’d never even mentioned marking other than when you asked about how it worked and if the pain was bad, but you hadn’t mentioned it in a while.

“Are you sure?” he asked, his hands stroking up and down your arms. “You don’t need to feel pressured or anything.”

“Seungcheol, I really want to,” you insisted. “I love you and I want to be yours.”

“You are mine, with or without a mark,” he promised, a soft smile on his face as he placed the bend of his finger under your chin. “Look at Danbi and Mingyu – she wasn’t marked for a long time.”

“I promise, Cheol, I’m asking because I want it.”

Seungcheol nodded, “Okay. Then I’d be more than happy to mark you as mine.”

He smiled as he leaned down to press his lips to yours, softly and playfully at first but slowly growing in intensity and desperation. Your back hit the mattress, making both of you giggle as he toppled down on top of you, making sure to catch himself with his hands as to not actually crush you. But still, his lips never left yours.

“Guess it’s a good thing you don’t have all those layers on anymore,” he chuckled against your lips, one of his thumbs stroking your cheek that was still flushed from the cold.

Seungcheol sat up just enough to pull your shirt off over your head. He let his eyes scan over your body, a warm grumble resonating in his chest as his hands wandered over your soft skin, “You’re so beautiful, you know that?”

“Only because you never stop telling me,” you laughed softly, rolling your eyes.

“And I’ll never stop telling you,” he insisted before he was leaning down again to meet your lips.

His lips moved feverishly against yours like he couldn’t get enough of you. One hand cupped your cheek while the other held him up, his tongue pushing passed your lips to explore your mouth. Your arms were around him, fingers tangled in his hair to keep him as close as possible. 

Seungcheol’s lips began to trail downward, leaving open-mouthed kisses down your neck, nipping and sucking on your skin on their way. His hands moved to take your bra off, unclipping it behind you before sliding the straps down. That was tossed off the side of the bed, Seungcheol not even paying attention to where he threw it.

His lips went to one of your nipples, one hand massaging the other and brushing your nipple with his thumb. You moaned out his name softly, arching your chest up as your eyes fluttered closed. His tongue flicked over the hardening bud, looking up at you as he did so to watch every little movement from your face.

Seungcheol’s mouth continued its decent, his hands also moving downward to pull off your bottoms and underwear. You lifted your hips to help, and then he tossed those off the bed to join your bra on the floor.

Now, Seungcheol was laid down on his stomach between your thighs, pushing your legs open to make room for him. Seungcheol had seen you like this before already but it didn’t stop the heat rushing to your cheeks or the urge to close your legs and hide from his eyes that were locked on your heat as the yellow began to dot red.

“So beautiful…” he whispered, brushing his index finger through your folds before teasing your slit.

You whimpered softly, covering your face from embarrassment.

Seungcheol chuckled seeing your expression, dipping his head closer to you, “You’re cute when you’re shy.”

You felt his tongue lick a stripe from your slit to your clit, and you bit your lip to keep from moaning. Your hands went to his dark hair as his lips wrapped around your clit and sucked lightly, flicking his tongue over the bundle of nerves. You already knew what Seungcheol’s tongue was capable of, and yet, it still took you by surprise.

“Don’t keep in those noises, baby,” Seungcheol cooed as he teased his finger at your entrance again. He slowly slid it in, smirking a little at the way you said his name in a quiet moan. “The pack is outside and they’re not paying any attention – nobody will hear you.”

He began pumping his finger slowly, curling it to reach all the spots he’d learned you liked while his lips and tongue worked on your clit. You let out a moan that was a little louder this time, your hips starting to grind up into Seungcheol. 

He added a second finger, curling them the same way as he pressed his tongue flat against your clit and let you grind against his face, growling softly as your hands tugged at his hair. He started scissoring his fingers in you, stretching you out for what was to come once he decided you were prepped enough. For now, he just wanted to enjoy the soft moans and mewls that fell from your lips.

You felt a knot starting to tighten in your lower abdomen, so you started rocking your hips faster. Seungcheol noticed the signs of your incoming release – your hips speeding up, the way your eyebrows knitted together, the way your whines started to get higher – and removed his fingers, sitting up and away from you. Had you not known Seungcheol planned on giving you exactly what you wanted very soon, you would’ve never let him hear the end of your complaining.

You watched as Seungcheol stuck his two fingers in his mouth, lapping up your juices as he smirked at you with red eyes, “You taste so sweet, princess.”

“Cheol…” you whined, covering your face with your arms.

He just chuckled, leaning down above you to move your limbs away from your face, pressing a kiss to your lips. He kissed you softly for a moment as to try to get rid of any nervousness you might’ve had before he gripped his member, stroking it a few times to get it fully hard before he was teasing your folds with the tip. He smirked at the way your hips wiggled and bucked up slightly.

He pulled back just enough to look at you, all of the playfulness melting away, “Are you ready?”

You nodded, moving your hands to grip his shoulders.

“Just tell me if you want to stop, okay?”

You nodded again, so Seungcheol lined himself up with your entrance. Then he was slowly pushing into you, letting out a soft groan and an even softer “fuck” as his head dropped into your neck. Your fingers dug into his shoulders as he stretched you out, your eyes squeezing closed. It definitely hurt a little but but not enough for you to want him to stop.

Once he was completely inside, he stilled, his lips brushing across your neck in small kisses to help you relax. When you finally gave him the okay, he moved at a slow pace, trying to make sure you weren’t uncomfortable in any way. You’d done other intimate stuff but he’d never been inside you – and he knew you’d never had sex before – so he didn’t want to hurt you. He was even honored you trusted him with this.

“You’re doing so well, baby,” he hummed, capturing your lips in a sweet kiss as his hips continued to rock at a steady pace. 

You let out a quiet moan at his praise, your arms wrapping around his neck to keep him close to you. He smiled against your lips, the happy grumble in his chest vibrating against yours. One of his hands moved down your body, raising goosebumps until he reached your clit. His fingers worked circles into it, drawing soft mewls from you that were music to his ears.

“Do you feel okay?” he asked quietly.

You nodded, biting your lip softly. The pain had slowly gone away, leaving you with only pleasure that was slowly building the knot in your stomach back up. The look you gave him with your eyebrows knitting together in pleasure but your eyes almost begging him to do more was enough to almost send him over the edge, especially with how amazing you felt around him.

“You’re so pretty,” he whispered, using his thumb to gently tug your bottom lip from between your teeth. “My beautiful little mate.”

He sat up as his own orgasm began to approach, determined to get you to cum before he did. He knew it would distract from the pain of marking and that was his biggest priority. Seungcheol wanted to avoid hurting you at all costs, at least for your first time. 

His fingers started moving quicker as he started aiming his thrusts into a new spot, making you moan out his name and grip the sheets beneath you.

“You’re doing so good for me, baby,” he moaned, his dark bangs sticking to his forehead with sweat. “Fuck… You take me so well; you’re so amazing.”

Your orgasm started to approach a lot faster than you thought it would, your moans and whimpers growing louder and more needy. Seungcheol could tell you were getting close from the way you clenched around him, but he couldn’t have you cumming just yet.

Seungcheol removed his fingers from your clit, placing both hands on your hips as he rolled his hips into yours. You whined, the quickly building high dying down a little bit because of the loss of stimulation.

“Just hold on a little longer, love,” he grunted, trying to get himself closer to his own high. His eyes closed as his head dropped back, the sight of his toned body shining from the light sheen of sweat on his body making him look godlike. “You feel so amazing, I’m almost there…”

Your high was still building with every thrust of Seungcheol’s hips, though. You pulled him back down to you, trying to distract yourself by leaving little kisses and love bites along the column of his neck and across his collarbones. Seungcheol groaned at the feeling, his hips suddenly sharply thrusting forward into you. With the burn of your orgasm approaching, you bit on Seungcheol’s shoulder – not enough to break skin or anything – to hold yourself back, clenching around him.

That was enough to tip him over the edge, one hand going back down to your clit and rubbing into it quickly. Your eyes squeezed shut as your body tensed with your orgasm.

“Let go, baby,” he said softly, but his voice was a growl.

It hit you harder than any other high you’d had, but it was the second wave that really got you. It came with a sudden sharpness in the crook of your neck, but it had you crying out Seungcheol’s name as your toes curled and your thighs locked around his hips. It felt amazing.

After riding out both of your highs, Seungcheol took his teeth out of you and dragged his tongue across the wound to help it heal. You whimpered at the feeling of him pulling out of you, his release and yours dripping slowly down your thighs.

“It didn’t hurt too much, did it?” he wondered.

“No,” you sighed, letting your fingers drag through Seungcheol’s dark hair. You smiled up at him softly when he pulled away to look at your face. “I love you.”

He grinned, bumping your nose with his own, “I love you, too. Thanks for letting me do this – it means so much to me.”

Your sweet moment was cut off by a knock at the door, which had Seungcheol’s head whipping around to look at the door.

“I want you guys to know,” Joshua’s voice came from the other side, “that I didn’t go outside, and I heard everything. Also, you’re lucky Seungkwan’s on his deathbed or you’d have two disgusted wolves here.”

Your face turned completely red as you hid in Seungcheol’s neck while he laughed at you.

“You said nobody could hear!” you whined.

“Yeah, well,” he shrugged, not seeming to care if his brother heard or not, “I guess I forgot about Josh.”

[say-the-name-sebongie]

Princely Problems

Synopsis: Where a princess-love-story-unbeliever meets a prince-like gentleman named Joshua

Pairing: Joshua x fem!reader

Genre: tiny bit angst, fluff somewhere at the end

Warnings: drinking, harassment, violence

Word Count: 3k words

Fairytales were fictional. _____ had already had that down. Princes that saved princesses from abnormally high towers or mad dragons didn’t exist and love stories weren’t what Disney had made them to be. Those fictional movies just made little girls hope for something that could never exist: a perfect love story

Out of all the relationships she had been in, not one of them proved to have a Disney-like fairytale happy ending. In fact, none of them had happy endings. Men only pretended to be princes that would swoop in to save you when you needed it. But even that façade only lasted so long. Men only wanted you for a night, a month, or not at all.

This was why _____ wasn’t fazed (or as fazed as she would like to admit) when the epitome of gentle princely men knelt down beside her, asking if she was okay after her fall on the sidewalk from running too fast to catch a cab to work. He didn’t seem to care that some strands of his perfectly styled hair had fallen down over his eyes as he looked over her for any injuries.

“I’m fine, seriously.” She said as she got up while holding onto the lamppost beside her and pretending not to notice that the guy had held out his hand to help her, taking note that her left ankle was definitely sprained. The boy’s doe-like eyes looked into hers and it took all of _____’s willpower not to nervously swallow under his stare.

“My name’s Joshua and I don’t think you’re okay.” The boy— Joshua— said as he slipped an arm behind her and led her to one of the houses nearby.

“What the heck! Where are you taking me?” _____ panicked. Joshua just laughed, the sun shining on his glorious face as he threw his head back. “This is my house and no, I’m not going to do anything to you. I’ll leave the door unlocked and open if that makes you feel safer but that sprained leg needs to be iced.”

Needless to say, the boy made this “prince” thing look very natural.

Over the next few days, Joshua continued to keep up his princely façade. It was like he was actually born from royalty. The amount of grace and politeness that exuded from his form made _____ gag. He was almost too perfect. Everything he did was considered kind. Helping old ladies cross the street, holding the door open to let the pregnant lady into the shop, carrying groceries for that old man that lived at the end of the street, and basically any action kind and princely. He was just mortifyingly nice.

Not only that but he was mortifyingly nice even to _____ who turned down his many attempts to be of service to her. She didn’t let him open the door for her when they coincidentally went to the same café, grabbing the door handle along with him to open it herself. Nor did she let him help her change her car tire. _____ was fooled once, okay maybe more than once but she wasn’t going to be fooled again. Not by a guy who pretended to be nice. Not by some kind boy who lived a few houses over and made her heart do parkour routines in her chest every time they met. Not by Joshua, and that was final.

So far, Joshua hadn’t gotten tired of her refusals. He was still as nice as he was when they had first met. _____ pitied the girl who would fall for him. There weren’t a lot of people who wouldn’t believe that Joshua was just pretending.

“Joshua sure is one good actor,” she mumbled to herself as she walked.

“You should wear a jacket if you’re going out today.” Speak of the devil. _____ turned around and saw the embodiment of princely behavior graciously standing with a leaf blower in his hands, yard nearly rid of any leaves that had recently started falling. “It's autumn now so the nights are gonna be colder.”

She didn’t miss the way his eyes drifted to her legs, exposed by the short dress she was wearing, before coming back up to rest on her face. Typical men. They just can’t help themselves can they, _____ thought scoffed. The neighborhood prince’s face was contorted with worry as if he was afraid that she’d get cold. _____ gave a laugh in response. “I can take care of myself.” She told him before going her way.

-----

Getting drunk was part of the plan. _____ had agreed to go out with her friends from work to get her mind off the angelic creature that had been reaching out and offering his help bothering and pestering her all week. The bar was full of people, music, and alcohol. No princes and no Joshua. Just what she needed tonight.

Her friends immediately went to the dance floor, their eyes wide open and hunting for someone to take home for the night. _____ sat at the bar and watched them as she took shot after shot, drowning any thoughts of Joshua. One shot. Princes didn't exist. Another shot. His real personality would show itself sooner or later. Shot glasses gathered up in front of her as she drank alcohol as if it was water.

"That's enough alcohol for you sweetheart. Why don't I take you outside for some fresh air?" An unfamiliar man's voice said. _____ turned to her right and saw a man reaching for her thigh, his oily hair slicked back and his wild eyes peering over her form. Even in her dunked stupor she noticed that he wasn't looking at her face but at her chest and thighs.

Disgusted, she pushed him away and stumbled to the dance floor in search of her friends. The man followed her closely, his invasive eyes never leaving her body. People bumped and pushed against her, making it hard to make an escape from the man. Soon enough _____ found herself stuck in the middle of the dance floor with the man pressing his pelvis against her back.

"Go away! " she tried to shout at him, but the loud music and chatter drowned out her cry. The man smiled behind her as his hands went lower towards the hem of her dress. _____ pushed hard against him and bolted out of the bar.

She ran out of the exit and was met with the ice-cold air of the night. That apparently was not enough to make the man stop pursuing her because he was still hot on her trail. Desperate to get away from the man, _____ managed to stumble to the main road when suddenly her heel got caught on a stone and she twisted her ankle rather painfully. The girl let out a loud cry of pain.

"Get up, hurry." a new male's voice came as the speaker's warm hands softly gripped her forearms, pulling her up. In the light of the moon, _____ looked up at Joshua’s face. His usually warm eyes were now boiling with anger as he stared at something behind her.

"Josh, my ankle," _____ whined, the alcohol hitting her again and momentarily forgetting that she didn’t want anything to do with Joshua tonight. Light and shadow blended together. The boy sighed and removed his jacket, wrapping it around her legs before positioning his arms around and under her to lift her up.

This was the first time that she had seen Joshua up close. Of course, every time he tried to come near her, she just pushed him away. Her eyes focused on the lines of his face as if it were a camera. He was so annoyingly nice and attractive that her heart started beating faster.

"Come in girlie, let's have some fun at my place." the man said as he came running towards _____. Joshua stood up protectively in front of her. If a fight broke out between him and the man, it was obvious Joshua would win. But the man was too blinded by his desire for pleasure to think straight. He barreled towards _____, reaching down to touch her when Joshua grabbed his arm, pulled him to eye level, and stared him down.

"Leave. Her. Alone." he threw the man to the ground and kicked him for good measure. It was surprising to see this side of Joshua. The warm man who seemed like he couldn't even hurt a fly was now inflamed with anger and beating up a stranger. The fire in his eyes didn’t subside even as he kicked the man over and over.

"Joshua, stop," _____ said as she reached up to tug on his shirt, letting out a yelp as she accidentally moved her ankle. Joshua looked back at her, his wide, warm, worrying eyes meeting hers as he came to her aid. "Don't beat him up, it's not worth it."

"Sorry, it's just that guys like him disgust me," he said as he scooped _____ up and headed off. She heard a car beep before he laid her in the passenger seat of his car. He then went to the driver's seat and started the car.

"You followed me?" _____ asked him, earning a smile from the man beside her. "I figured something would happen to you, especially in that dress." his warm, gentle voice washed over her. He looked up at her and winked. The girl rolled her eyes and looked out the window. Joshua was too attractive for her own good. _____ really had to get him out of her head or she might end up falling for a prince again.

-----

_____ woke up with the worst headache she had ever had in her life. She was still in the dress from last night, her foot bandaged and Joshua's jacket draped over her.

Joshua's jacket?

That woke her up. Clearly, she was in her house and sitting on her couch which meant that Joshua had come into her house but had the decency not to go into her room. The fact that she was still in her clothes from last night meant he hadn't tried to undress her.

Why did he have to be such a natural gentleman?

Getting up off the couch, _____ made her way to the kitchen where she found a post-it note sticking on the refrigerator door.

I put some of the hangover soup my mom made in here. Heat it up and eat that when you wake up. Call me if you need anything. - Shua

Below the last sentence was a series of numbers. _____ smiled and saved the number into her contacts. As much as she didn’t want to have anything to do with Joshua anymore, she would have to thank him sooner or later. She had to admit, he was really thoughtful to have done all this. The familiar warm bubbling in her chest from last night came back. _____ shook her head.

It's not real, _____. Don’t start falling for him now.

A knock on her door shook her out of her thoughts. The face of the prince greeted her when she opened it. His kind eyes immediately looked down at her injured foot before the scolding started.

"Why are you already walking around? You're injured, for goodness' sake." He demanded, grabbing her arms and pushing her back into the house.

"Joshua I- Wait-"

He dragged her inside and sat her back down on the couch. Joshua placed down the paper bag he was holding and went straight to the kitchen and brought out the hangover soup. _____ felt like her chest was about to burst. She knew this feeling and this was something she promised herself never to feel again.

He’s not a prince. He’s not a prince. He’s not a prince. He’s not a prince.

"Aren't you tired of pretending to be nice Joshua?" _____ huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest. The girl couldn't wait for Joshua to snap, to prove her wrong so she could go back to believing that Disney stories were plain fiction. With that, she would have enough reason to not like him and go back to her normal life.

"What do you mean pretending? This is how I always am though?" Joshua said, his head peeking out of the kitchen. When he saw that _____ wasn't convinced, he walked over to her and looked her in the eyes.

"Did I do something to make you uncomfortable?”

Feeling guilty, _____ looked down at the floor. To be perfectly honest, there was nothing Joshua had done that would ever even make her question his kindness. He has been nothing but kind to her and to everyone around him. However, her belief still stands.

“You should probably stop being so nice and princely to me. I don’t believe in those Disney movies that say men will sweep you off your feet and carry you to happily ever after. I’ve been through enough to know what men are truly like. I know you’re not Prince Charming and you can’t make me think otherwise.” _____ hissed before pulling him to the door.

“Thank you for bringing me home last night and for bringing me the soup but I’m not going to fall for another nice guy like you, Joshua.” And with that, she closed the door leaving a stunned Joshua staring at her peephole.

For the next few days, Joshua left _____ alone. No greeting when they passed each other on the street. Heck, it was like they didn’t even know each other. The boy continued to be of help and service to the other people in their neighborhood but he had cut all contact with _____.

The change made _____ happy. Her feelings for Joshua had faded away and she was able to go about her life without that fake prince tempting her with his sweet words and actions. Or so she would like to think.

After kicking Joshua out of her house, he invaded every second of her time. She couldn’t think of anything but him. _____ couldn’t admit it, but she missed having someone greet her in the morning on the way to work. She missed him coming over to her house once in a while to give her some mashed potatoes because he had made too much. The girl lay in bed at night haunted by the warmth of a person she had pushed out of her life. Though _____ wouldn’t admit it to anyone, she missed Joshua.

Christmas time came around and the snow had started piling up in her yard. Shoveling snow was the only thing she could do without thinking of the boy that lived a few houses over so she did it every time she could. _____ shoved piles of ice out of her yard banning all thoughts of princes and boys. It was just her, the shovel, and the ice. Right now, nothing matters, she thought to herself. Her shovel got stuck on a rather large chunk of ice. She pushed with all her might but the ice stubbornly stood its ground.

The sound of footsteps on the snow made her look up to see the very face she had been avoiding to see. Joshua was standing at the edge of her yard with a shovel in his hands. “Do you need help?”

His offer took _____ aback. This was the same guy she kicked out of her house a few weeks ago, right? The guy who she had called a fake. And here he was, offering his help to the girl who had done all that to him.

“It’s fine. I don’t want to bother you.” She gave a forced smile and hoped he would leave her alone after that.

I don’t want to have to kick you out of my life again.

The boy shrugged his shoulders. “You could never bother me _____. If it makes you feel better, you can help me shovel my yard too.”

Seeing that he was adamant about helping her, _____ gave in. The two worked side by side in silence. After finishing Joshua’s yard, he offered her some hot chocolate to which _____ only agreed to because her teeth were already chattering.

As she sat in his living room, looking around at the Christmas decorations already put up. A fire was roaring in the fireplace. She could hear the tinkling of the teaspoon hitting the mugs as Joshua mixed the hot chocolate.

“Don’t you hate me, Joshua?” _____ asked him, nervously fiddling with her hands on her lap.

The boy’s laugh rang in her ears, making her cheeks turn red. Weeks of trying to forget him went to waste as her feeling came back to the surface. “Why would I hate you?”

“Didn’t you get offended that I kicked you out of my house after you were only trying to be nice to me?”

“Of course, not. You had a perfectly good reason to be suspicious of me and I figured that you just needed time to sort your feelings out.” He handed _____ a glass of hot chocolate.

“Feelings?” Did she accidentally tell him something? _____ didn’t remember ever telling anyone, even her own friends, about how she felt for Joshua.

“You probably don’t remember but you’re kinda talkative when you’re drunk. Plus, you called me a prince that one time so it was safe to assume that you probably saw me that way.” _____ turned to the side to hide her blush. Curse the drinking habit she had to have.

“And for your information, I like you too,” he said, turning her head towards him and forcing _____ to meet his glittering eyes as the girl nervously swallowed. There was no turning back now, their feelings were out in the open. All that was needed was their decision on what to do with them.

“Give me a chance to prove you wrong, princess.”

[starryse]

Tent Bonding

Mingyu x Reader

Fluff, slight angst, implied sexual themes

1,663 words

Summary: it’s your annual camping trip with your friends, but there’s a change of plans this time around..specifically in love

The woods that surrounded the small campsite went on for miles, the lights of the city seeming to be non-existent. Shades of orange and yellow in the sunset lit up the clearing, casting bright shadows off of the trees. You stood on the outskirts of the site, admiring the calm environment. It was a nice change compared to the busy city, the sounds of traffic replaced by the small chirps of birds and the scurrying of the animals running amongst the forest floor.

“Yah! Watch the food, that’s all we have!” Seungcheol’s sudden voice carried through the trees, scaring off the birds that had taken shelter on the branches. You turned your head over your shoulder, peering back at the scene behind you. Soonyoung held the basket of food close to his chest as he tripped over dirt piles and twigs, Seungcheol following close behind, his hands extended, in case Soonyoung fell- not that he was worried for his member, the food was his priority, of course.

You stifled a laugh, covering your mouth with your hoodie sleeve.

“Hey y/n, wanna help me set up the table?” Joshua appeared in front of you, a bag of appliances in hand. You nodded your head, following him to the large picnic table. The table was across from the tents a few of the boys were setting up, right in front of the fire pit that was poorly dug in the ground.

Joshua passed you one end of the dark blue tablecloth, unfolding the cloth over the middle of the table. Once spread to each corner, you taped the end pieces underneath the wooden table, not trusting the wind to keep it in place. Josh grinned, giving you a half-five, “easy peasy.”

You laughed, nodding with what he said, “just be glad we didn’t get tent set up-“

You both turned your heads, chuckling at the chaotic mess the boys were as they miserably set the tents up. One of the tents were lopsided, the other two not even put together quite yet. The cry’s and complaints were heard even across the clearing, the boys laying across the grass in frustration.

“Should we help them?” Josh spoke through giggles, his smile wide across his face

You contemplated your answer. It was highly entertaining watching the boys struggle, as they were so confident in the car. You could still hear their cocky remarks, “were men Y/n! We can put up a simple 2 step tent, okay. Have faith in your friends!” Plus, you were still pissed at Mingyu for acting like a douche over something as simple as you wanting to ride with Jeonghan to the site.

“I dunno, watching Mingyu struggle has been the highlight of my day so far, asshole deserves it from earlier.”

Joshua hummed, understanding why you were mad at the dark haired boy, “it is highly deserved”

“It is-“ you were cut off by the shout of Seungkwan, his voice echoing long after he finished talking.

“Hey you two!”

You and Joshua tensed. Seungkwan marched over, tent sticks in hand, “why are you standing here being useless while I work so hard to put up the tents?!”

Seungkwan held up his hand, shutting up Joshua very quickly, “I don’t wanna hear it, follow me”

You unwillingly followed the grumbling boy, watching as his hands flew left and right as he complained about “how lazy some people are”. Gripping your hand, Seungkwan tugged you to help setup with the left crew (composed of Mingyu, Seokmin & Chan), while Joshua was pulled to the right (Vernon, Seungkwan & Jeonghan).

You stumbled over the hammer that was carelessly lying about, earning a few snickers from Seokmin and Chan- though they immediately shut up when you stared them down.

Seokmin waved you over, patting the spot in the grass next to him, which happened to be right by Mingyu, “come sit, y/n! We need all the help we can get”

You could feel Mingyu’s eyes on you as you moved to sit down, though ignoring it didn’t do too much as your face heated up anyhow; whether that was from nerves or the fact you were still pissed at him, you wouldn’t know. Now you were a fumbling, pissy, mess as you turned your head to ask Chan a question, “Hey Channie?”

Chan hummed, his eyes quickly darting up to meet yours before he refocused on the tent,

“Who’s in what tent?”

That seemed to get his attention as he nervously slid his hand on the back of his neck, avoiding yours and Mingyu’s gaze as much as possible, “well we only have 3 tents, and they’re uh-“ he began to stutter, “pretty big, so we couldn’t fit anymore in the car-“

Oh you didn’t like where this was going.

Chan finally raised his head from anxiously toying with the grass in front of him, “but I figured I could squeeze in one of the small ones from last years trip-“

You cut him, a short sigh leaving your lips, “meaning Mingyu and I will be sharing one, right?”

Chan gulped, mumbling an mhm. Seokmin darted his eyes back and forth from you and Mingyu, who was currently chewing on the inside of his cheek, “that’s not a problem right? I mean, I can always stay with you, y/n-“

“No.”

Your eyes snapped in Mingyu’s direction, his lips in a thin line above his clenched jaw, “that won’t be necessary, they’re fine with me. Right, y/n?”

His eyes dashed to yours, not budging from their place. You quickly nodded in agreement, no clear words forming a response.

The sound of someone clearing their throat in front of you caused all 4 of yours heads to pop up, meeting the confused face of Seungcheol, “is everything okay here?”

A chorus of yeahs and mhms broke the awkward silence, Seungcheol casually shrugging it off with a pout, “anyways, it’s dinner time. We can finish these up afterwards”

You had never been to such an awkward dinner. At least for you and the guy across from you it was.

The entire dinner was spent by ignoring Mingyu’s glances, or the few times he bumped your knee with his own. The other boys continued to laugh and wreak havoc as per usual, but you and Mingyu seemed to be in your own worlds.

You cleared your throat, catching Minghao’s attention next to you, “I think imma head to bed”. Minghao sympathized with you, he knew how close you and Mingyu were, and he hated seeing you two act as if you didn’t know one another.

“Alright, please try and work it out?” You could only budge a sad smile at him, muttering a quiet goodnight. He patted the small of your back as you got up, tossing your plate in the trash bag that was strung on the tree for you.

Meanwhile, Mingyu creeper mode was activated as he silently watched the encounter. He could feel the guilt eat away at his stomach, he hated when you were upset. And knowing he was the cause, was even worse. Minghao exchanged looks with him after you left, a silent agreement settling between the two as Mingyu trudged after you.

When Chan said the tent was small, you forgot just how small he had meant.

The tent was barely big enough to fit a sleeping bag, let alone 2. Meaning you and Mingyu were to be up each other’s asses the rest of the night. Your shoulder deflated as you sighed, a disapproved look etched on your face.

You began to roll out the sleeping bag on the hard floor of the tent, adjusting it so it was as close to the wall as possible. With all the rustling of the bag as it slid around, you didn’t notice the sound of the tent unzipping. That is, until someone coughed right next to your ear.

You let out a sharp screech, body jumping out of its skin before you fell to the ground in shock. After you recovered from the almost heart attack, you whipped around to be with the sullen expression of Mingyu. His features resembled a puppy as his eyes were innocently looking into your own.

He moved to sit on his own sleeping bag he had set up earlier, “I’m really sorry for how I acted earlier, y/n”

You fell back onto your butt, sitting criss cross across from Mingyu. Your lip was hues of red and purple, your teeth had been gnawing on since he entered.

“I know”

Mingyu shook his head, a guilty look present in his eyes, “no, y/n. I shouldn’t have acted like that, you’re allowed to be friends with whoever you want” He paused, thoughts going haywire as he looked at you, Your face showed anger? sadness? He wasn’t sure, all he knew was he didn’t want to ever be the cause of them again.

Sucking in a breath, Mingyu quickly rambled, “I-I like you, Y/n- actually, no. I love it you”

Your heart stopped, pulse slowing down for a split second before rapidly speeding up, “w-what?” Your voice was soft, confused even.

Mingyu smiled, canines on full display. He shifted closer to you, smushing your face between his hands, “I love you y/n”

Before you could register what you were doing, you smashed your lips onto his, teeth clashing from the sudden push. Your cracked lips mixed with his own, the taste of the beer he had with dinner smothered the previous taste of champagne you had drank. Your brain was a fuzzy mess, and your stomach wasn’t so far off either.

You pulled back, a trail of saliva dripping onto your chin. Mingyu pulled his sleeve down, wiping it off, a sheepish grin etched on his face.

“I love you too”

Mingyu melted at your words, quickly reattaching his lips to yours. I think you know how the rest of the night went.

[kraviolis]

(this is for my rival streamers au)

“OHO! You rascal! You can’t get away that easy!”

Joshua squeals in delight, kicking his feet and waving his arms, as Dr. Coomer holds him high in the air. 

It’s adorable and yet super weird to watch your professor and your son having such a good time together. You find yourself smiling at them, something warm blooming in your chest. Dr. Coomer blows a raspberry into Joshua’s cheek and makes him squeal again.

“Those two seem to be… getting along.” Dr. Bubby says. 

He’s sitting across from you, sipping at a glass of red wine. You almost wish you could ask for a glass, wanting to really soak yourself in the warmth of tonight, but unfortunately you still have to drive home.

“Yep,” You lean forward on the table, crossing your arms to hold you up. “Dr. Coomer’s actually really good with him.”

Dr. Bubby raises an eyebrow. “Of course he is. Harold’s always been good with kids.”

His tone of voice makes you feel like there’s something deeper going on there but you aren’t sure if it’s polite to ask about it. You turn your attention back to Joshua. He’s being chased around the living room now, somehow running with the confidence of someone that’s been able to walk for far longer than just a few months. 

(Jeez, has it already been a few months since he watched him take his first steps? It feels like it was just yesterday.)

(You suppose you understand what your mother meant when she said you weren’t allowed to grow up when you were a kid, now.)

Still, you can’t help but wonder. What was the extra meaning behind what he’d said about Dr. Coomer being good with kids? Did… did they have kids? No, no that doesn’t make sense. Neither of them had known that Joshua couldn’t read yet or chew steak on his own, despite being only a year old.

“If you have something to say it, then just say it.” Dr. Bubby cuts through your thoughts. You look at them, a little embarrassed at being caught. “Seriously. I don’t have all night, you know.”

“Sorry,” You rub the back of your neck sheepishly. “If— If it’s okay to ask… Do you two have any kids?”

Dr. Bubby chokes on his wine, coughing lightly. “Hell no! I don’t want a bunch of sticky-handed stupid little babies who can’t even read running around! I already have to deal with teaching at work- I’d fucking explode if I had to do it at home, too!”

“Yeah, no, that’s— that’s fair.” You don’t think you appreciate the implication that your son is stupid, but you shrug amicably anyways. He’s got a bit of a point.

“Besides, even if I wanted kids, neither of us can actually have any.” He admits and you frown sympathetically.

“Oh. I’m… I’m sorry to hear that.” 

“Eh, it’s whatever. Never bothered me before.” He waves a hand, as if clearing away any attempt at compassion directed towards him. 

Dr. Bubby pauses, though, and sighs. Their eyes become downcast and they stare at their wine as they swirl it gently in the glass. 

“It’s never bothered me, but… Harold, on the other hand...”

You wait patiently, letting Dr. Bubby continue at his own pace. You glance over briefly and see Dr. Coomer investigating the living room bookshelf with Joshua, showing him the various knickknacks adorning the shelves. He tells him to be gentle and holds out a glass figurine, not letting him hold it but just allowing him to run his tiny fingers across it.

“Harold’s always wanted kids,” Dr. Bubby continues, his voice far softer than it has been, drawing your gaze back. “Long before we knew each other. Long before he even knew himself. But life… life is cruel, Gordon. Life doesn’t care about you, it doesn’t care about your dreams. And sometimes, you have to make choices that no one should ever have to make.”

Dr. Bubby’s hand is trembling in… what seems to be anger. He notices, shakes his head, and knocks back the last of his wine before sitting back and scowling at the table. You’re confused, unsure of what exactly he means. You go to say as much but pause when he looks up and meets your eyes. It’s like a shadow is blanketing their face, something from deep inside rising and making itself known in their eyes.

“Back then people like us, like me and Harold— sometimes we had to choose between having a family of our own or a chance to be ourselves. Harold was told he couldn’t be given hormones without also getting a hysterectomy. The risk was too great, they told him.” They growl, baring their teeth. You notice absentmindedly that his canines are sharper than they should be. “What a load of shit. They didn’t even know if there was a risk! You know how many studies have come out since then proving those bastards wrong?”

You open your mouth, trying to make sounds but it just isn’t working.

You… you hadn’t known. Not just about what your professor had gone through at the hands of medical institutions so long ago but also that Dr. Coomer and Dr. Bubby… they’re like you. 

(You feel a completely unexplainable comfort just knowing this, now. And a terrible understanding of what Dr. Bubby means by having to make an impossible choice.)

“I… yeah.” You manage to say, eventually. “I probably read through every study about that stuff when… when I first started transitioning. That’s… God, I— I can’t even imagine being forced to make that choice.”

Bubby narrows his eyes sharply. He circles a finger around the rim of his glass and you have a sudden but distinct feeling of being thoroughly examined, all of you on display and ready to be judged. He squints more intensely, tilts his head, and then relaxes again. 

...Test passed, apparently.

“...Of course you are.” He mutters, crossing his arms. “Right. Should’ve guessed.”

You quirk your lips, half-smiling. “Trans people tend to gravitate towards each other, I’ve found. Even unknowingly.”

Dr. Bubby barks out a laugh, throwing their head back. “Ha! That’s more true than you know, but that’s a story for another time.” He nods towards the living room. “Looks like someone had a little too much fun, over there.”

You blink and then turn. You find Dr. Coomer and Joshua on the couch, your professor snoring away while Joshua is still wide awake, sitting in his lap and tapping randomly on your professor’s phone. You laugh quietly, watching the scene fondly, and see Dr. Bubby looking on with the same dopey expression in the corner of your eye.

“...It’s getting late. I should get going before Joshua starts getting overtired.” You groan as you stand, stretching. Dr. Bubby follows you with a more grumpy groan. “Should— should we leave him asleep?” 

“No, no, he’ll want to say goodnight. Also, he’ll fuck up his back if he stays there.” They say. “You get your shit. I’ll wake him up.”

You gather everything up, grabbing whatever toys you brought and stuff it all back into Josh’s diaper bag. Dr. Coomer wakes back up thanks to his husband poking his face hard enough and quickly saves himself from being locked out of his phone for too long. You pick up Joshua before he can complain about losing his new toy.

Dr. Coomer walks you out, smiling sleepily and waving goodbye to both of you. You thank him for having you over.

“The pleasure is all mine. It was a delight to have you and your boy over for dinner, Gordon.” Dr. Coomer insists.

“No!” Joshua wiggles in your arms, making a sad noise and grabby hands at your professor. He chuckles warmly and lets Joshua grab his fingers, giving him a small handshake. 

“We sure had a blast tonight, eh? But you’re still growing, and you need your rest.” Joshua’s lip wobbles and Dr. Coomers expression falls. “Oh, dear, please don’t cry. Keep your chin up. Goodbyes are tough, I know, but you’re even tougher.”

He punctuates this by pushing Joshua’s chin up gently with his fist. There’s a softness in the gesture that makes your heart melt. Unfortunately, it doesn’t do much to prevent Josh’s eyes from starting to glisten.

“Hey, it’s okay, Joshie.” You smile at Joshua, getting his attention. “We can come back and visit next week! But you have to ask if it’s okay first.” 

You look at Dr. Coomer in time to see his expression brighten at your words. Joshua turns to look at him too. 

“Pease?” He asks, not quite able to say the word, but it still makes your professor’s eyes mist up anyways.

He kneels down to look up at Joshua, taking his small hand in his much bigger one with a touching amount of gentleness. 

“I would love nothing more, my dear.”

[four-loose-screws]

FE8 Novelization Translation - Chapter 13, Section 3

If you would like to start from the beginning, read a missed part, etc., click here!

FE Game Script Translations - FE Novel Translations - Original FE Support Conversations

If you are interested in donating to support my work, please check out my Ko-fi here. Thank you!

———————————

I call this a “section” because it is not a separate part of the chapter in the book, but divided from the rest of the chapter by a scene break.

———————————

Chapter 13: The Desert Palace (con’t x2)

The Grado Army finally noticed that Eirika’s group had snuck in from the east, and the soldiers guarding the front gate tried to split up into two groups.

However, they could not properly follow through with the order. The chaos had reached its peak, and the Grado soldiers ended up bumping into each other.

Joshua’s target was the enemy unit’s leader. While the leader put up an excellent fight, he couldn’t match Joshua’s abilities.

Joshua backed him up against the wall and knocked his weapon out of his hands.

All of the color drained from his face.

Joshua brought his sword to the man’s throat and asked, “Is the queen safe?”

“I… I don’t know!” The man tried to feign ignorance, but Joshua pressed the tip of his sword against his throat. His voice shook as he corrected himself,  “All I know is, she should still be alive. She’s with Carlyle in the throne room…”

“Carlyle? Is Carlyle safe too?” Joshua relaxed his shoulders. “Is he fighting and protecting the queen? But then why…?” He looked like he had realized something, as he tightened the grip around his sword. “The entire palace has been captured. Yet why is Carlyle, the leader of the army, safe? Answer me!” 

“Sir Carlyle… He helped us get inside the palace…” The man winced. The tip of Joshua's sword cut his throat ever so slightly.

Eirika called out from behind Joshua, “Who is Carlyle? Are you saying he led the Grado Army here from the inside…?"

Joshua backed away from the leader with a look of shock on his face. “I can’t believe it. He sold Jehanna out to the enemy.”

“Joshua, who is Carlyle? What is it that you know…?”

“For now, we need to get to the throne room. Seems like the queen is still safe.” Joshua whirled around. 

ー

The diversion unit that Innes was leading took advantage of the chaos that the Grado Army was in and tore down the front gate.

His soldiers, having gained a huge amount of momentum, all rushed inside. Eirika’s group met up with them and continued further inside.

“The throne room should be down this hallway…” Innes tried to stand as the leader of the army, but Joshua stopped him.

“Wait, don’t go down there!”

“What?”

“Look at the walls. There's holes to shoot arrows through, right?"

Eirika looked closely at the walls. Now that Joshua had said that and made her look, she could see the holes clearly. They were so small that she wouldn't have noticed them had they not been pointed out to her. 

"There isn't anywhere that we could hide. If we moved carelessly, then we would be shot.”

"...Of course." Innes nodded, but when he turned to look at Joshua, his expression was not one of thanks, but of suspicion.

‘He knows too much.’ Eirika felt the same way. The inside of the palace was indeed complex, and the map that Joshua had drawn before they entered was shockingly accurate.

And there was also the incident moments ago where he knew the name that the Jehanna Army leader of the Grado Army had spoken of. The man who’d betrayed Jehanna and helped the Grado Army… Carlyle, if she remembered correctly.

Why did he know so much information about Jehanna? How did he and Carlyle know each other? Her suspicions about him were only piling up, but there was no time to ask about any of them.

At Innes’ order, the armored soldiers forged ahead, and formed a wall of their own to block anyone else from being shot by the arrows. Eirika and the rest of the army hid in their shadows and started to walk down the hallway.

Just as they’d expected, hidden archers rained down arrows from the other side of the wall. However, the arrows were entirely ineffective against the knights. The projectiles bounced right off their heavy armor. 

When everyone passed through another hallway lined by tall, circular pillars, they entered a large room with a tall ceiling. To make it this far, they had already defeated most of the enemies in their path. They cut down the few trying to stand in their way, then the army continued towards the throne room.

Placed in the innermost part of the palace was a luxurious throne fit for the beautiful building. And a man was sitting upon it.

He was thin and had a pale, lifeless face. When he noticed Eirika and her army coming, he slowly stood up.

He was very tall and had wide shoulders. He had probably once been a great knight, but now, he appeared to be utterly worn out. The only light left within him was the strange one shining in his eyes.

“Who are you!? One of the Grado generals?!” Innes shouted and nocked an arrow. However, the man was not looking at him. He was staring straight at Joshua, who was frozen in place with a hand on the hilt of his sword.

Joshua glared at the man and shouted, “Carlyle! Where is the queen?!”

“...You’re…” A light glittered in his eyes. His sunken face twisted into a bitter expression. Then he breathed a long sigh and muttered, “So you’ve returned… But why now, of all times?”

“Where is the queen?! Did you sell her out to the enemy?!”

“...No.” Carlyle shook his head. When he furrowed his brow, his expression changed to a terribly sad one. “I only… I only wanted to make her happy…”

“Where is the queen?! What have you done, Carlyle?!” Joshua said, sounding very irritated. 

Eirika wanted to ask where the queen was right away, but the tension between them was so great that she dared not come between them.

“...She worked so hard that it would have been grueling even for a man… and did it all alone. For many, many years… I thought that if I could become her strength even just a little bit as the leader of the army… if I could lessen her exhaustion even just a little bit…” 

“Carlyle?” Joshua asked the man he was interrogating, suspicious of him, then said, “You were loyal to her. You supported her more sincerely than anyone else in the world as her most trusted retainer. I would hear good stories about you from time to time, even after I left...” 

“You are wrong. I did not serve the queen with such noble feelings." Carlyle’s eyes darkened, and he looked at Joshua.

Joshua looked like he was trying to figure out what the man’s true feelings were. Then, he asked in a low voice, “No… You had feelings for her…?”

“It was all her fault. She was too beautiful. I… I kept my feelings hidden for twenty years. She was my lord, and I was her knight… I told myself that I could never speak of my true feelings. Until that man asked me if I was happy with the way things were…”

“That man? Who are you talking about?!”

But Carlyle did not answer, continuing on as if he was delirious with a fever, saying, “When he asked me that, I realized how I really felt for the first time. I didn’t want to live my whole life as just her loyal knight forever. I couldn’t stand the thought that I might hide my feelings forever and die unsatisfied. So I… decided to steal her away and make her all mine.”

"And then you teamed up with the enemy?” Joshua interrogated him. 

Carlyle's expression changed. “I care not what you call me, be it a traitor or a man who sold out his country. I need neither my country nor a throne, so long as I have her…”

“What happened to the queen?! Where is she?!”

“If I defeat all of you… then she can be free…” Carlyle placed a hand on his sword. 

Joshua also swiftly withdrew his own blade.

Seth and Ross both placed a hand on their weapons, but Joshua said with his back still turned to them,  “Stay out of this! ...This is the one man that must die by my hand!”

“You’ve gotten stronger.”  Carlyle took a step forward. 

Joshua took a step back.

“But surely you remember that I am the one who trained you in the way of the sword.”

“Of course I remember. You were a strict teacher."

“You cannot have overcome me yet!”

“We’ll see about that. I’m much stronger now!” Joshua lunged at him.

The sound of metal clashing echoed through the air. Carlyle read each and every one of Joshua’s moves perfectly.

Just where within that tired, thin man was any strength left? It surprised Eirika. Carlyle was always one step ahead of Joshua’s quick movements.

And he wasn’t just exceptionally skilled. He was desperate. Passion shown in his eyes. He might have been an enemy, but Eirika could feel the pain in his expression.

Joshua was clearly under pressure. It was the first time that she had ever seen him like this. It took everything he had in him just to shield against Carlyle’s rapid attacks.

Eirika saw Seth try to step in and help, but she stopped him. “Seth, please don’t help him.”

“But…”

“He wouldn’t want you to, right?”

If the elite soldiers of Eirika’s army all attacked at once, then even Carlyle and his superior swordsmanship would quickly fall. But then Joshua would suffer more than just losing a battle. Eirika knew that very well. This was a fight that Joshua had to win on his own.

Carlyle put all of his strength and sharp fighting spirit into each swing of his sword. Joshua was able to block each attack thrown at him, but he couldn’t match Carlyle’s ferocious force.

Joshua’s sword fell out of his hand. He couldn’t keep his stance anymore, and started to stagger. 

Carlyle smirked triumphantly. “I cannot show any mercy, even against you. I will cut down anyone who stands in my way…” He whispered, confident in his victory. 

Eirika felt a cold chill run down her spine. Seth readied his lance, but she no longer had the energy to stop him.

Then, the unthinkable happened.

Joshua had begun to fall, but kicked Carlyle’s leg as hard as he could. 

Carlyle stumbled. Joshua swiftly picked up his sword, stood up, and pierced straight through the left side of Carlyle’s chest.

Carlyle’s eyes widened. Joshua pulled his sword out without a sound, then said, “I’m sorry, Carlyle. You didn’t teach me to fight dirty…” His voice was heavy with grief.

Carlyle could no longer speak. His chest stained red, and he slowly collapsed.

“But I had to survive, so this is natural to me now. Still, I haven’t forgotten what you taught me. I was able to make it this far… because of you.”

Nobody knew if Carlyle heard those words or not. The light rapidly faded from his eyes. The last thing he did was whisper the queen's name, then he closed his eyes.

For a long while, no one spoke. Joshua hung his head. He had defeated his enemy, but seemed lonely in a way.

The person to break the silence was Innes. "Where is the queen? Was she taken to the basement?"

"We haven't seen the Sacred Stone, either. We must find them both quickly…"

L'Arachel's words made Joshua finally lift his head. On his face were neither hesitation nor worry. He said as lively as always, "Let's go try searching the dungeon!"

He took the lead and ran out of the throne room. Innes and the others followed after him.

But Eirika did not move. She couldn't take her eyes off the fallen Carlyle.

He'd sold out and betrayed Jehanna for his own personal feelings. But Eirika could not bring herself to hate him.

The thoughts he'd revealed may have been selfish, but they were pure. And someone had tried to use those feelings. Someone had asked him, "Are you satisfied with the way things are?" and plotted to lead him to betray his country. That was the person that Eirika could not forgive.

She'd felt this way once before, when Orson had betrayed them. Though it had come as a huge shock, she couldn't hate Orson, because she knew that someone had used him and his pure feelings.

Orson and Carlyle. Was it the same person that had caused them to both betray their homelands? Who could it be? 

'It can't be Lyon… can it?' That suspicion crossed her mind, but she pushed it away.

Lyon wasn't the type of person to take advantage of other people's weaknesses and use their feelings. Such a kind person shouldn't be able to act in such a cruel manner.

"... Eirika?" She heard a voice come from behind her.

Her body froze. 'I must be hearing things.' She thought.

She fearfully turned around.

There stood Prince Lyon, staring at her with eyes open wide.

He looked a bit tired compared to the last time they met, but his pale, gentle face was just as she remembered it. The moment their eyes met, he was overcome by embarrassment. He was quick to blush, just as Eirika remembered.

He seemed to be afraid of something, as he tried to run back the way he came.

She called out to him, "Wait, Lyon!"

"Eirika…."

"Thank goodness! I'm so happy to finally see you! Brother and I have been so worried about you. This war… it must be hurting your heart so much.”

Lyon stared straight at her. He could see tears in her beautiful eyes.

"Your father… Emperor Vigarde… did something happen to him? Surely you’re against a war like this one, right? Please talk to me, Lyon. Tell me what’s going on in the capital…”

“I’m sorry.” He whispered in a broken voice. “I’m so sorry, Eirika. I wanted to see you, too. I wanted to see you and Ephraim and apologize to you. We did something to your country that cannot ever be taken back… But now is still too early. I cannot talk to you yet.”

Hearing Lyon’s voice made her want to cry. It was quaking in true pain.

“You have your reasons, right?”

“Yes. I’ll tell you everything one day. I promise. But I can’t yet...“

“I understand.” Eirika nodded. “I trust you. Someday, we’ll be able to talk to each other, just like we used to.”

“...Yes. We will.”

“I feel a little better. You haven’t changed a bit from before…”

“You haven’t changed at all either, Eirika. No… you’re more beautiful than before…”

“Huh?” Her cheeks flushed red. She didn’t think Lyon would ever say something like that so suddenly.

Lyon was also embarrassed at his own words, and his cheeks slowly turned red. He looked away and quickly said, “I must go now. But I want you to remember one thing. This war happened because I am powerless, but… I always have been, and always will be, your ally.”  

Then, Lyon vanished. Eirika looked around everywhere in utter shock, but she couldn’t see a single sign of him anywhere.

She then remembered that he studied dark magic. And that the evil man who’d tried to feed the hostages to the giant spiders could also cast a spell that allowed him to teleport instantly. It was the kind of spell that only highly trained, proficient mages could cast. It seemed that Lyon’s abilities had improved significantly.

Just then, L’Arachel returned. She looked at Eirika and waved at her to hurry and follow her.

“What are you doing, Eirika? Hurry! We found the queen in the basement!"

“Really? Is she safe?”

“Um…”

L'Arachel didn't say much, and what she did say, she mumbled. Just that alone gave Eirika the feeling that the worst had happened. 

Eirika rushed with L'Arachel down to the basement. At the end of the long stone steps was an altar lit brightly by torches.

In front of the altar, Seth, Innes, and a few others were gathered. Joshua stood alone several feet away.

They were all gathered around a woman lying down on the ground. She had a deep wound across her chest. She still seemed to be breathing weakly, but it was already clear that she was on the verge of death.

Seth said, "Unfortunately… it appears that we are too late. This wound is too deep…"

"Queen Ismaire…" Eirika said softly, and knelt down on the floor.

She'd never felt so strongly for someone she just met before. The queen, the woman who had ruled Jehanna for twenty long years, was more elegant and graceful than Eirika ever could have expected.

The moment she saw the queen's long red hair splayed across the floor, Eirika realized everything. Why Joshua knew the palace so well. Why Joshua had talked to Carlyle like they'd known each other for a long time. And why his eyes had looked so dark ever since they'd heard the tragic news about Jehanna.

Eirika squeezed the queen’s hand. It was cold. Tears started to pour down her face.

The queen had no energy left, but managed to open her eyes slightly. The feeling of Eirika’s skin brought her back to her senses.

“J… Joshua…” A weak voice escaped her lips. 

Eirika looked over at Joshua, who had not moved from where he was standing away from everyone.

He was as still as a rock. His eyes were staring straight at the fallen queen, but he did not move.

“Joshua… where are you? Please… forgive me…” A single tear fell down her cheek.

Joshua finally stepped forward, and kneeled down next to Eirika. Eirika gently offered the queen’s hand to him. He squeezed it as if it was the most valuable treasure in the world.

She still sounded as if she was delirious as she continued to whisper. “I was such a foolish mother. I didn’t give anything to you when you were young… I was so concerned with ruling the country… that I didn’t realize how lonely you were…”

“Mother.” Joshua whispered. The queen' eyes opened wide, and she finally fully regained her senses.

“Joshua? Is that you? Joshua, please forgive me. Please find it in your heart to forgive me…”

“I’m the one who needs to apologize. I didn’t know what you were going through… I was so stupid.”

“No, Joshua. You don't have to say anything more. Just coming back like this is enough… You've already shown me what a fine young man you've become…"

The queen smiled, but her face quickly twisted in intense pain. It was clear to everyone that these were her last moments.

“Joshua, there is something I must tell you. Jehanna’s Sacred Stone… was destroyed. Carlyle… he was tempted by that man…"

“Who was it? Who could do something like that?"

Joshua lowered his ear to his mother's mouth. She moaned the rest of her response through her pain.

“A stone… the color of darkness… is the cause of all this… you must stop it. Joshua, please stop that man and save the world. The people of Jehanna… they’re all counting on you.”

“Mother…” Joshua nodded. "I will. I vow to return Jehanna to the beautiful country it originally was."

"I have… something to give you… Please look around the altar… there, you will find the Sacred Twin relics of Jehanna's royal family…"

"The Sacred Twin relics?"

"They are the treasures passed down to each ruler of Jehanna… I have always dreamed of the day that I would give them to you…"

Innes followed Joshua's line of sight and turned towards the altar. Upon it was a chest with a stone lid. He lifted up the lid and pulled out two weapons from within it.

He raised them up as respectfully as he could, and offered them to Joshua.

Joshua stepped away from his mother and took them.

"The Ice Blade Audhulma… and the Wind Twin Tome Excalibur. Joshua, the moment you take them into your hands… you will be the king of Jehanna.”

Joshua took Twin Relics in each of his hands, then bowed his head. "I have taken them without hesitation. You can rest in peace, Mother."

"Joshua… thank you. You are my beloved son.” The queen whispered, then closed her eyes.

She would never open them again. For a long while, Joshua stayed knelt beside her with the Twin Relics in his hands and his head bowed. No one could even try to say anything to him. They all had their heads lowered as well, and were praying for the queen that had lived bravely until the very end.

 Finally, Joshua raised his head and stood up. He looked around at everyone, then feigned a cheerful voice and said, "Whoops, my secret is out now! I wanted to keep it hidden until the end, but in summary, that’s what it is. I am the foolish heir of Jehanna’s royal family.”

“...You cannot speak like that. It is not a tone befitting of a king. Speak properly this time.” Innes said. It seemed that he was being considerate of Joshua's feelings in his own way, and trying to clear the air.

Joshua smiled. "Say what you will, but it's been ten years since I ran away, so I can’t go back to using the manners of a member of the imperial court so easily. I’ll stick to talkin’ like this for a while still.”

"...Why did you leave the palace?"

At Eirika’s question, Joshua corrected his expression. "I couldn’t adjust to such a formal way of life. I wanted to see the world. If I stayed holed up in here, I wouldn't know what's in the people's hearts. I wanted to cast away my status, travel around the continent, and obtain the strength needed to become a proper king… that's what I wrote in my letter before I ran off. When I think about it now, it was all really stupid. It doesn't matter how noble my intentions were. What I probably wanted more was to rebel against my mother.

“She only concerned herself with the government, and ignored me… that's how I saw it, and I was always sulking over it. I never thought even once about just how much she was going through… Instead, I thought that maybe she would have one less thing to worry about if I was gone, and she would praise me if I came back as a man she could be proud of… but all of those thoughts were so very childish."

Joshua bit his lip in regret. "However, all of the experiences I had over the past ten years were very valuable. I saw how the lowest of the low live. I saw how people in poverty help each other out and survive together. Those are things I never would have known anything about if I had stayed in the palace. I don't think all of that time was spent in vain. I just regret not making it back in time when Jehanna was in danger… and not being able to save my mother."

"Joshua." Innes stepped forward. He reached into his jacket's inner pocket and pulled out a small envelope that he'd always kept on his person since they'd left Frelia. "I brought an official letter from Frelia with me. I was supposed to give it to the queen of Jehanna, but now, I want to give it to you, as you will inherit the throne. Will you take it?"

"It would be an honor." Joshua took the envelope, but before opening it, he said to Innes, "Let's fight together. We cannot allow Grado to go unpunished for their violence! If we combine our strength, then we can put an end to the Emperor's cruel ambitions!"

"Of course!" 

Joshua extended his hand, and Innes firmly shook it.

L'Arachel then said, "Renais, Frelia, Rausten, and now, Jehanna. With this, the four countries of the continent have joined together! However strong the Empire is, they cannot compare to the might of our alliance!" 

"I'm sure Brother will be overjoyed once he hears of our alliance!" Eirika added with a smile, but deep down, she had another thought that she could not say aloud.

How happy would he be if Lyon was able to join their alliance, too? If the five countries worked together to build the future? Right now, that was just a dream.

"I have something to ask all of you." Joshua said. "It's about Mother. We can't have a grand funeral given the circumstances, but I at least want her to be properly buried. Will you attend the funeral and help her cross over?"

"Of course, Joshua, we’ll…" L'Arachel started to answer, but was cut off half way into her sentence. 

A loud commotion sounded from the staircase. A soldier rushed down the stairs with such force that it sounded like he had missed a step and come tumbling down them. "We're in trouble! The entire palace is on fire! Please get out right away!"

"What!?"

The soldier's face paled, and he explained, "Someone poured oil throughout the castle before we arrived! It is so strong that we cannot put it out!"

"Who could have come up with such a plan…!?" Eirika gasped. 

Joshua answered, "It was likely Caellach. It seems like something he would do. Whether you win or lose, you can't let your guard down around him."

"Let's go, Joshua!"

Joshua looked at Queen Ismaire's body. They couldn't afford the time to carry her out with them.

His face twisted in regret, and he bowed. "Please forgive me, Mother."

The smell of the burning building quickly began to fill their noses. They all ran up the stairs and fled Jehanna Palace.

[snowydaffodils]

Exhilarating

1741 words | 3rd Person POV

Another short fluff - this time with Seventeen's Josh!

Synopsis: Everything was dull and boring, but when she entered the room, she was like a breath of fresh air.

---

Despite the well designed interior and the fancy vases that decorated the room, it didn't push away the feeling of unfamiliarity and solitude that Joshua had felt since he arrived - or at the very least became aware of his surroundings. He didn't feel the isolation as much when he first came, because his vision (and memory) was blurry. He remembered people talking around him, and he remembered being taken from one place to another, but he didn't remember what they were saying exactly, or where they brought him to. When he came to, they told him he collapsed on pre-recording, and they had to immediately bring him to the hospital.

Joshua sighed. While the room was probably one of the most luxurious ones he'd been in, there was an odd unsettling feeling that disturbed him as he lay there, alone. It didn't help that he was wearing hospital clothes instead of his own and also that he was stuck to an IV drip. Just in between the door and floor, he saw shadows that stood tensely beyond his room, and he could guess them as the assigned security for him - just in case one of those sasaengs reached him somehow.

With the window shutters being closed down, it further elongated his feeling of being boxed in, as Vernon would've phrased it. His members were off to another schedule that he later would have to make up for, so nobody would be on the group chat. He would've called his mom to push away the loneliness, but it would have been barely dawn in Los Angeles.

The ceiling, once a comfortable target to place his sights on, slowly grew dull and boring, so he moved to lay sideways instead, facing the door. It was then when he heard noises and steps coming towards his direction, and the shadows under the door moved around for the first time.

His eyes perked up to see who was coming, hoping it would be his manager, or one of the members who finished their schedules early and came to see him. Instead of them, a white coat caught his eyes, the person in it fiddling with the notes she was holding as she entered the room.

"Mr. Hong, right?" she smiled, pulling up her glasses as she approached him. "Hong Jisoo."

The way she called him was cheerful and perky, and it brought a different light to enter the room. It suddenly didn't seem so sullen, and for that, Joshua was happy she entered, whoever she may be.

"Yes?" he managed, as he pulled himself up to sit straight and look at her properly.

"Good morning," she cheered, and he noticed that she was looking directly into his eyes. While he was used to direct eye-contact in America, Koreans tend to deem that action impolite, so he didn't really expected it. Even so, he had always thought of eye contact as an important element in communicating - it shows just how much attention you were getting from the other person. Her eyes seemed bright as he returned the contact, and the mere fact that they were looking into each other's eyes played a huge part in lightening up the room.

"Morning," Joshua replied, trying to smile back as politely as he could, despite the heaviness of his head while keeping his body upright.

"Oh, you shouldn't move too much!" she said upon seeing him. "You were running a high fever, on top of that you were dehydrated and overworked, too. Your temperature went down slightly, but you're still in a feverish range," she said quickly, adjusting the small tube that was connected to his arm.

"I feel better, though," Joshua reasoned, giving the girl a small smile to support his subjective argument. She puffed and blew the little bangs annoying her eyes away and placed her hands on her hips.

"Better doesn't equal good enough," she said, the look in her eyes clearly opposing his attempts to be let go. "Besides, take this opportunity to actually rest, okay? Its a big fancy room with fancy lighting, a TV and good speakers, and we'll get you food in a moment. You can't argue that this is not heaven," she rambled, pointing at his surroundings.

Joshua laughed, he had never met a doctor like this one. "You have a point," he said. "But, do you think you can move me to another room? Preferably with people?"

She blinked. "You want to switch rooms?"

Joshua looked around, there was a nurse standing right behind this doctor girl, and his security guard had stepped inside since the girl entered. They all looked at him weird and obviously against the idea, so he just nodded timidly and sighed.

"Its just that," the girl waited for his response patiently, her hands back on her the edge of his bed and the other on her notes. Joshua continued, unsure of himself as well. "It gets too quiet, and uh, silence gets pretty uncomfortable for me."

She gave him one look and spared a few seconds for her thoughts before she returned him with a reply. "Well, your manager told me its best you're not even seen by anyone at all, for your safety."

Of course he did. Joshua didn't doubt that, and he understood those orders completely, so he just nodded, accepting defeat. Worth a try though.

But she wasn't quite finished. She pulled her phone out of her coat pocket, checked her screen for a while before coming back to him. "I can stay with you and chat if it helps," she grinned. "People call me a chatterbox, so why not put it to good use, right?"

"Are you not busy?" Joshua asked, pretty set aback by her suggestion, but was not against it.

She shook her head, swaying her bangs left and right before giving him a reassuring smile. "Not if nobody's calling for me. You're actually free to go after this drip," she points at the hanging liquid with the notes on her hand, "All you have to do is wait for your manager to pick you up. After all, your fever did go down, and we'll give you acetaminophens to take. What you really need is food and rest."

While the rest of the people in the room looked at her weirdly at her offer to be a chatterbox, she paid no mind to it and grabbed herself a chair to sit on by Joshua's bed. Joshua, on the other hand, just nodded numbly, unsure of what kind of reaction he should give, or what words to say. He had no reason to refuse, though, so he said nothing.

"You guys can go," she dismissed the nurses who followed immediately, and the security guard simply eyed her for a few seconds before returning to his post. She was the assigned doctor, after all, he couldn't (and shouldn't) restrict her from her patient.

Once they all left, Joshua blurted the question that had been sitting on the tip of his tongue. "So, do you stay to chat with all the patients you meet?"

She settled in her seat and gave him an ambiguous smile - one Joshua understood to not be completely genuine, but wasn't fake either. "Just the ones that seem particularly lonely."

"And," Joshua paused, picking his words carefully. "You don't have other lonely patients?"

She chuckled. Pressing her fist on her cheeks, she rephrased his question for him, "You mean why aren't I busy treating other patients?" The question stunned him for a while. He didn't expect her to be that direct, especially to her patient; but to be honest, he didn't mind it one bit.

Usually, when this kind of situation happened - where a conversation turned too straightforward for him to handle, Joshua would've chuckled awkwardly and politely, and just nodded or something to move on from the discomfort. But this time, he didn't know if it was because his head was still revolving, or if it was because he'd spent too much time with Jeonghan, but he didn't take the polite route and just directly returned her question with another one. He simply nodded. "Yeah, sure, if you care to tell?"

The response wasn't one she was used to receiving, so she was a bit flustered at the blunt exchange for a few seconds. "Huh," she huffed, but smiled. "I guess I'm assigned to do the extra stuff. Nobody wants to talk to patients and their guardians if its nothing medical related. Doctors are awkward that way. They prefer to research, write papers, and explore surgeries. And so they pushed me here," she gestured to the room around her. "To the VIP wards."

Before Joshua could take offense into her words, she disclaimed, "Not that you're 'extra stuff', but you must understand that some VIP patients can be," she gave him an awry grin, one that was indicating something negative, as she searched for the right word. She didn't seem to find one, but eventually settled with the description: "Exhilarating," which she worded with a shoulder shrug, indicating that it wasn't the correct word at all.

Joshua just laughed at her antics, wondering if the medical dramas about VIP patients actually happen in real life that she would describe them that way. "Would you say I'm - well - exhilarating, then?"

At this point, her smile was no longer ambiguous. Looking like she was in deep thought, she answered, "You're a different kind of exhilarating." Her dimples further accentuated the honesty in her smile. "I mean, obviously, you're well aware that you have got the looks," she reasoned, not at all embarrassed to compliment him, which was different for a change - but a good different.

"That I do," Joshua grinned. He was an idol, after all, he should be confident in his visuals.

"And you're young - not many VIPs are as young," she continued, still thinking of more answers. "And most people would've reprimanded me for speaking so casually and bluntly to a patient about her work. They'd say I was rude."

Joshua snickered. "Should I, then? Reprimand you, I mean?"

Her eyes rounded at his statement, and then she suddenly clasped her hands together and bowed her head. "I would reaaally, reaaaally appreciate it if you don't."

He laughed. This girl is really something.

"What was your name, again? Can I call you by name?" Joshua asked, visibly more comfortable.

And she returned him with another ambiguous smile.

---

[killjoysfromyesterday]

day six of @badthingshappenbingo !

prompt: starvation

word count: 1,260

⚠️please use caution of your own triggers before reading prompts on the board.

—————

jet's used to being hungry, but he doesn't know how much longer he can keep this up.

he's trying to keep his hands warm by shoving them in his pockets, but the desert temperatures plummet with the sunlight and it's so cold he can't think of anything besides getting warm and maybe getting food.

it's pretty dark; he could snatch something from the market without getting caught, but the idea's unlikely since how cold it's gotten would definitely have the market venders packing up for the night.

he's no stranger to the likeness of going to bed hungry, it's something he's used to by now. from his futile attempts to keep track of time, he thinks he'd be nine years old now. that means two years had passed since his parents were killed. it didn't feel like it, with every time he tried to sleep would end in him being disturbed by nightmares.

he knows it's not good, but he lets himself fantasize for a second; he's back at the compound, curled up in his mother's lap by the bonfire. his father is twirling his little sister like a ballerina. they're all happy. jet's got a full belly and a safe place to sleep.

what pulls him out of his daydream is the chill, whistling through the joshua trees and making him shiver. his clothes are dirt-stained and either too small or too big, and their holes provide absolutely no protection from the bitter desert wind.

when he peers out from the alley, there's only one shop with its lights still on. there's no one inside from the looks of it, and he thanks the witch that he won’t have to interact with anyone. he can't remember the last time somebody talked to him besides market vendors telling him to get lost with the other stray dogs.

the bell that rings when tentatively he pushes open the door makes him about jump out of his skin, but his stomach grumbles and there's more stuff for sale than he's ever seen in his life. bread that looked surprisingly fresh, canned soups, nothing that has to be refrigerated because not even the mayors of the neutral towns had working refrigerators in the desert.

jet trots down the aisle with eyes full of wonder, before he remembers he's supposed to get in and out of here fast. he greedily shoves an apple into his coat. he should grab more, but he doesn't want to risk getting caught. he’ll come back later, he thinks.

he's about to make for the door, but something catches his eye; behind the counter, there's a shelf of cigarette cartons. the pickings are slim; nearly every adult (and teen) smoke in the desert, but one of the labels catches his eye.

it's got gold lining on the front and the logo of a little horse jockey, and jet never learned how to read but the logo rings loud and clear in his brain.

his father's sitting on the front steps of their little makeshift shack, using a match to light his cigarettes. jet watches as the smoke disappears into the night air, tucked into his father's side. the smell of his leather jacket is musty and smells like home, and he thinks he can hear his mother calling them for dinner.

he hardly has time to blink away the tears that are threatening to make their way down his dirt-tracked face before there's a rustling of cans being knocked over and a large shadow bares down on him.

"scram! get outta here!"

and then he's scrambling as fast as he can, dropping what he's thieved, narrowly avoiding the blows of a broomstick to the head. he looks back to try and gauge what the broomstick-wielder looks like, and smacks face forward into a pair of legs.

"woah, take it easy." whoever owns the pair of legs says, and jet's little heart is thumping so fast in his chest he's pretty sure it might just stop all together.

jet's shaking like some pathetic street dog and when he looks up, the guy meets his eyes. he's got long black hair and aviator sunglasses on, bandana wrapped around his head. he's wearing a leather biker jacket covered in patches, and his voice is somewhat hoarse when he talks.

the one holding the broomstick is an angry looking guy with a mustache, peering down at jet like he's the scum of the earth. jet doesn't know which to look at, and he feels a little frightened on the ground.

"tommy. he's a kid, he's hungry. look at him. skin and bones." the man says, pointing to jet for emphasis, and jet's face flushes red.

"he's a little thief, doc." the one who was chasing him replies, prodding jet with the end of his broomstick like some curiosity. jet scrambles back so far his back hits the wall.

"he's not a thief if i pay for it." and then the man he bumped into is pulling something from his pocket, opening a wallet and shaking out a few carbons. he slaps them into the other man's hand, ignoring the disapproving look he's sporting.

"here ya go." he says, and the man puts down his broomstick and raises his eyebrows for a moment before gesturing towards jet.

jet doesn't need to be told twice, but he's still timid as a mouse when he retrieves the apple he'd dropped.

"that's all you want, kid?" no, he thinks. but he remembers how his mother used to always teach him not to overstay his welcome, and he doesn't want to push this stranger's kindness when carbons are already so hard to come by. so he politely shakes his head, and tries to ignore the pang in his ribs.

"doc, you gotta stop feeding the strays." the man says, putting away his broom.

"if i don't, who will?" doc asks, voice a bit firm, and tommy takes a step back.

"not you, tommy. you have a nice night." doc continues, dismissing him. he looks at jet and his features soften a bit.

"c'mon, kid." doc says, holding the door open as jet timidly steps back out into the cold. jet is about to turn and run back to his little alleyway, but he's glued to his spot and he's not sure he could make it across the street without collapsing from either hunger or exhaustion.

"you can eat now. nobody's gonna take it from 'ya, promise." doc smiles, leaning against the wall and pulling out a carton of cigarettes. jet tentatively takes a bite of the apple, not realizing he'd been squeezing it in his hands until now. little crescent mark indents had formed from his nails.

"you were hungry, huh kid?" doc asks, and jet nods fervently, now chewing so fast his face is starting to hurt. doc chuckles and lights up a cigarette.

there's comfortable silence of doc smoking and jet stuffing his face for a little while. he knows he should be saving it, that he doesn't know when he's going to get food next, but he can't bring himself to stash the rest of the apple away, so he eats it until all that remains is the core and a couple seeds.

"you ready to introduce yourself?" doc asks once he notices jet's done eating. jet freezes a bit.

"i'll go first. my name's dante, but most people just call me doc. what's your name, kid?"

"jet."

"it's nice to meet'cha, jet."

and for once, he feels like he isn't so alone in the world.

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