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daydreaming-nerd · 6 months ago

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Young Love and Old Money (Cassian x Female! Reader) Part 13

Young Love and Old Money Masterlist

AN: This is more of a filler chapter before shit gets fucking wild in the next one. I'm telling you I'm so pumped for the next chapter ahhhhh! It's not super exciting but I hope you all enjoy it! If you're new here from The Prophecy... Hi!🥰🖤

Summary: She was the most beautiful woman in Prythian, sister to the High Lord of Night, and now she is the soon-to-be wife of Eris Vanserra. Despite her many titles and her aura of unattainability, Cassian can't help but fall deeply in love with the princess of the Night Court. But will it be enough to stop her impending wedding to a man who is sure to destroy her from the inside out?

Warnings: Mentions of under the mountain and what Eris did

Word Count: 5,338

Rhys POV:

I had finally allowed myself to hope.

The circumstances of which I had granted myself that hope was…well… unpleasant. I would never wish Feyre to be under duress for any reason, but it did bring her into my court for good. When Mor came back with her I had never felt so relieved. I wanted to say that I couldn’t believe that Tamlin would lock her up like that, but I would be lying to myself.

It wasn’t the first time she had been to Velaris. Once I saw the state she was in at the wedding, too thin, too pale, I started calling in the bargain. I saw her improving dramatically since I started doing so, pink lining her cheeks, muscles building on her arms. She had yet to meet anyone but Mor. Y/n had been dying to meet my mate, but I didn’t want to overwhelm Feyre. She was still learning what it meant to be fae, still getting used to her new life, and still learning to trust me.

“So you are both High Fae and Illyrian?” Feyre asks, messing with the leftover food on her plate.

“Yes, my mother was Illyrian and my father was High Fae. That is why I can summon Illyrian wings when I want to.” I answered her question truthfully. I knew that no matter what I wanted to be honest with her, let her see every dark part of me and choose to love me anyways, I owed her that.

“Were they mates?” she inquires further.

“Yes they were,” I replied, secretly hanging on every word she said. I tried my best to act aloof, but when she was here? In my home? It was hard to keep my cool.

“How do you know someone is your mate?” she queries and my heart drops.

I know that she is talking about Tamlin in her own subtle way, wondering if the High Lord of Spring is her mate.

“You don’t always know right away, take Kallias and Viviane, they didn’t know they were mates until they were married,” I explained to her, I watched her face lighten, no doubt thinking that there was still a chance for her and Tamlin.

“I’ve never met a set of mates before,” she said with a hint of longing, like if she could just set eyes on a pair it might ease her mind.

“Would you like to?” My words slipped out before I could think of the implications of them.

Her eyes flitted up in amusement and I swore I melted at her lighthearted gaze, “I would.” she said.

“My younger sister, y/n. She’s mates with my general, Cassian. We can go and see them if you would like.” I say thinking about how excited y/n will be to finally meet the cursebreaker.

“I would like that very much,” Feyre smiled.

I stood and walked with Feyre to the edge of the property outside the townhouse. It wasn’t the first time I had flown with her, but I could still tell she was apprehensive of the height. I took the fastest route to The House of Wind and made sure to fly like I was holding my mothers china. Feyre was far from breakable, she was strong enough to withstand just about anything. But that didn’t mean I was going to be someone who challenged that strength, not like Tamlin did. When we arrived at the huge mansion I could feel the female's eyes glancing over the exterior in awe.

“This is another one of my homes, but I tend to stay in the townhouse. My little sister and Cassian live here with Azriel.” I say opening the door for her.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed, her eyes taking in every single detail.

I try to pry into y/n and Cassian’s mental shields but I’m met with nothing. They were here though, their scents lingered in the library we passed on the way to Cassian’s room. I knock on the door and I’m met with silence.

“Cassian? Y/n?” I call out hoping for some sort of answer but hear nothing once more.

As Feyre looks at me expectantly I weigh my options, which would make my sister angrier? Waking her up to meet Feyre or not waking her up to meet Feyre? I let out a shallow breath and chose the latter, opening the door to reveal a giant heap of limbs.

“Oh I didn’t know they were asleep,” Feyre said, moving away.

“Don’t worry about it, y/n will have my head if I don’t introduce you two,” I laugh walking into the dark room, Feyre trailing behind me.

When I approach the bed I can’t even see my little sister, her body covered entirely by Cassian’s wing. The only indication that she’s even there is her small hand peeking out from under it and a tendril of hair on the pillow.

“I thought you said that Illyrians were protective of their wings?” Feyre whispered, clearly questioning why Cass’ wing was draped over y/n.

“They are,” I whisper back. “But she’s his mate. He would rather have his wings shredded than have anything happen to her.” I say fondly. I had to admit, while I was still getting used to Cassian and my little sister being together, it was nice to not have to worry about her safety as much. Anyone who dared to harm her would have to face Cassian. Gods spare that poor fool.

“Even in his sleep?” she asked in a hushed tone.

“Especially in his sleep,” I laugh, moving to shake my sister's hand, trying to wake her.

The second I grasp that small hand to shake it awake Cassian’s eyes fly open and the next thing I know there’s a dagger aimed at my throat and a murderous gaze thrown my way.

“Easy Cass it’s just me,” I chuckle as I hear Feyre gasping and taking a step back.

“Cauldron Rhys you scared the shit out of me,” Cassian sighed lowering the dagger, beside him my sister stirred.

“Cass what’s going on?” she asked, her voice laced with sleep.

“Nothing princess, it's just Rhys,” he answered, smoothing her hair out of her face. It was strange to see my war general so docile and domestic.

“And Feyre Archeron,” I corrected as Feyre took a step further. “Why don’t you two wake up and meet us outside.” I laugh leading Feyre towards the door.

Behind me I can hear Cass gently explaining to a very tired y/n what’s going on.

y/n’s POV:

“Do you think she saw me?” I ask frantically putting on my dress.

My older brother had just ambushed me with his mate and the first time she saw me might’ve been with a bed head. I was angry with him for waking me, but I would’ve been more pissed if he hadn’t done so, not when I wanted to meet the cursebreaker so badly.

“I’m sure she did,” Cassian chuckled, strapping his daggers to his side, no doubt going to train when this is over.

“Ugh,” I sigh, running a brush through my hair. “I probably looked awful.” I sigh, setting down the brush.

I see Cassian walking up to me through the mirror. He wraps his arms around my waist and places a kiss on my shoulder, sending reassurance and affection down the bond.

“I don’t think you’ve ever looked awful a day in your life, princess.” he smiled into my shoulder.

“You have to say that you’re my mate,” I laughed, turning in his arms.

“And your husband don’t forget that title too,” he says, tilting my chin up to meet his warm gaze.

“How could I ever forget that, husband.” I smile, pecking his lips.

Without another word Cassian and I walk hand in hand down the hallway to where Rhys and Feyre are sitting in the living room. I take a moment to survey their body language. While my brother leans on his knees, seemingly drinking in every breath and movement Feyre has to offer, the cursebreaker sits stiffly on the couch. I make eye contact with my brother and he stands immediately.

“Feyre darling I would like to introduce you to Cassian, the general of my armies and y/n, my little sister,” Rhys says proudly gesturing to the two of us.

Feyre turns to see us and I swear my heart stops. The last time I saw the female she was prone on the floor underneath the mountain. Every High Lord had sacrificed a bit of power to save her. Becoming high fae seemed to suit her.

“Hello Feyre, it's an honor to meet you,” I smile.

“The honor is all mine,” she says timidly, giving a slight bow. “I’ve heard stories of your beauty before. Tamiln and Lucien used to talk about you a lot, I never believed them but now I see they were right.”

“Oh really?” Cassian inquired brisling at her words and I considered elbowing him in the ribs.

“You flatter me too much, Feyre.” I say and look to change the subject. “How are you liking Velaris so far?”

“I like it very much, it’s beautiful here.” she says looking around the townhouse. “Rhysand says that you and Cassain are mates?”

“We are, we just had our mating ceremony and our wedding last month,” I say happily. Cauldron, had it already been a month?

“Congratulations to the both of you,” she smiled stiffly.

“I was just about to take a walk through the city, there’s a pastry shop down there that makes croissants stuffed with this delicious chocolate and hazelnut filling. Would you like to join?” I ask, my brother gave me a weary eye, but I shrugged him off. What Feyre needed was a friend, a female friend that is, and I was more than happy to jump at the opportunity.

“I would like that,” she smiles, the blue in her eyes lighting up ever so slightly. “May I walk with your sister oh so powerful high lord?” Feyre turned to Rhys, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

Rhys barked out a laugh, one I hadn’t heard in quite some time, “Feyre darling I told you that you are not my prisoner, you may take the air with my sister if it pleases you.” he says gesturing to me.

“Well then shall we?” the cursebreaker asked me.

I couldn’t help but let out a small giggle as I looped my arm in hers, I had a feeling she and I were going to be fast friends.

“You’re right this is incredible,” Feyre’s words were nearly inaudible as flakes of pastry fell from her mouth.

“I know right? I’ve been going there once a week for years. Well sort of…when I was growing up I wasn’t allowed to leave the house. My parents were weird and feared my beauty would be too tempting for males. So they locked me up tight and threw away the key. Rhys used to bring me these pastries all the time, he was my only real window to the outside world.” I divulge, almost regretting telling her so much until I remember how she came to be here in Velaris.

“So you haven’t really seen the other courts then have you?” she asks, wiping some chocolate from the corner of her mouth.

“I actually have,” I smile finishing the last bite of my treat. “When Rhys learned to fly the first thing he did was come and get me and take me to a candy shop. From that day forward he snuck me out whenever he got the chance, that’s how I know Tamlin and Lucien. It never sat right with my brother, what my parents did to me,” I continue, hoping to show a side of Rhys that I knew he would never offer up himself.

Feyre continued walking beside me, for a moment there was silence, as if she was considering my story, comparing it with hers. If she had something to say about Rhys she didn’t divulge, instead turning the conversation to other matters.

“Can I ask about you and your mate?” she queries. “I’m not sure if it’s a personal subject or not, I’m not well versed in the customs of fae.”

“Ask anything you like, I assure you I have no problem talking about my mate,” I laugh thinking of Cassian’s smiling face now.

Feyre gives a subtle laugh, “How did you know he was your mate?” she says, turning her head to read my expression as we further walked down the Sidra, seemingly clinging on my every word just like Rhys had clinged to hers.

“Well Cassian knew first, I didn’t know until much later,” I start recalling the moment the bond snapped, the joy followed by pure terror. “I was set to marry Eris Vanserra, an arrangement made by our fathers a long time ago. When Rhys and I returned from under the mountain we both grew apart as we were both processing what had happened in our own way. He found the arrangement in my fathers things and thought that we could use the Autumn Court’s armies if Hybern should come to call, and after he saved me under the mountain I didn’t want to say no.”

“He saved you, yet you were still down there?” Feyre asked, and I paused for a moment. Rhys had not told her the conditions of his servitude.

“You don’t know?” I ask to make sure. If Rhys didn’t explain to his mate why he took the actions he did, it would be a great disservice to both him and his character, one I would rectify.

“Know what?” she asked clearly not seeing the big deal as she finished off her own croissant.

“The only reason Rhys was Amarantha’s whore was because of me,” I start, feeling the shame seep in. “When we first arrived under the mountain he was able to keep me hidden, but then Hybern paid a visit and he wanted to take me for his wife. Rhys begged Amarantha not to let him take me, she agreed on the condition that he would come to her bed willingly.”

“I-I had no idea,” the cursebreaker stuttered as her eyes zoned out on something far away.

“It’s not something he and I talk about much, but it’s for that reason I chose to marry Eris, to try and repay his sacrifice. However, Eris was cruel, he hurt me and assaulted me, I was nothing more than a pet to him. Cassian was the one to take me back and forth to the Autumn Court during our courtship and I fell in love with him. One night we couldn’t stay away any longer and I found myself in his bed. I knew I couldn’t end the courtship with Eris without bargaining for armies so I kept our relationship a secret.”

“That must’ve been torture,” Feyre gasped her eyes finally finding me.

“It was,” I nodded. “I didn’t know we were mates, and I ended up finding out the day of the wedding, but it was too late. I married Eris to save Velaris and Cassian was banished from Autumn. That night Eris found out I was impure, he dumped me over the Autumn court border and left me to die. If it wasn’t for the bond Cassian never would have found me.” I finished telling the story.

“I- I’m sorry that you had to go through those things. That you came to be with Cassian under such hard circumstances.” she says, as if she doesn’t trust her own words. “But things are better now right? You’re safe?”

I let out a light hearted laugh, trying to keep the conversation from veering anywhere dark, “I’ve never been safer. Eris is out of the picture now that my brother and Cassian have chased him out of town. Now it’s just Cassian and I in our newly mated bliss.” I smile.

“I can see how anyone would run from Rhys,” Feyre rolls her eyes dramatically.

A warm chuckle rumbles through my chest, one so infectious it finds Feyre’s lips too, “I know my brother can be a bit of an ass sometimes. But give him a chance, he might be the king of sarcasm, but underneath all that he truly cares.” I tell her, bumping into her shoulder playfully.

“I suppose I can try, at least I know I have you now,” she smiles looking across the way at a nearby vendor.

My heart smiles at her words.

At least I have you.

My mission was complete. I was able to get her to trust me, to feel like she had a friend in me. Maybe, just maybe, her knowing that there was someone else on her side would bring her closer to Rhys, maybe I could finally find a way to repay the sacrifice my brother gave for me.

I swing the wooden sword down at Cassian’s, the hard impact of them meeting causing a grunt to leave my lips. The hot sun beat down on us as we spared as best we could. He could easily beat me if he wanted to, I was still a beginner after all, but he never made me feel like I was inferior. We had been out here for over an hour, the evidence of it being seen on my sweaty fighting leathers. My second set, to be exact. Once my first set got dirty and sweaty Cassian bought me another so I didn’t have to wash them so often.

I had no clue where he got them, but somehow these were even more beautiful than the last set. My mate even got me a Illyrian steel corset that would keep me from being lacerated, as well as metal bracers to protect my wrists. At first they took some getting used to, the weight of them a new feeling, but now they were like a second skin.

“Sword high princess,” Cassian instructed me as I felt the weight of the wooden sword start to bring my arm down.

“It's heavy!” I protest swinging at him again, this time with both hands on the hilt to hit him harder, even though he told me not to do that.

His sword clashes with mine and in one swoop he uses his wooden blade to raise my own. My hands were high above my head as he stood inches from me.

“I know it’s heavy just wait until you wield a real sword,” he says, placing a kiss on my nose, taunting me. “And don’t use both hands, in real combat you’ll have a shield as well, you’ll need to be able to use that sword with one hand.”

I let out a low growl before stepping on his foot, earning a groan from him as he didn’t see it coming. My sword sits heavy in my hands as I swing it, knocking his legs out from under him and using my shoulder as extra force to put him on the ground. He lies on his back below me, wooden sword tumbling from his hand. I see him reach for it and lightly press the toe of my boot into his wrist and lower myself on top of him, placing the pretend blade to his throat.

Cassian’s hazel eyes look up at me in pure awe and amusement and something I had only ever seen from him, pride.

“Is it bad that this is turning me on right now?” he barked out a laugh causing me to break my menacing stare.

I snort at his words, letting up the pressure I had on his arms in the process, “Cass you ruin everything!” I laughed, tossing my sword to the side and shifting my foot off his wrist so that I sat fully on his stomach.

“You call it ruining the moment, I say I’m making it better,” he smirks as his hands find my hips.

The Lord of Bloodshed leans up to place a passionate kiss on my lips. My hands find either of his cheeks needing him closer to me than he already is. As his tongue swipes my bottom lip and enters my mouth I let out a small moan that has him shifting beneath me.

“Really guys on the training mat? Is nowhere sacred anymore?” Azriel’s causes us both to nearly jump out of our skin.

“Cauldron Az,” Cassian curses, putting a hand over his heart like it might’ve stopped. “Enough with the spymaster shit you scared the piss out of me.”

A smirk tugged at Azriel’s lips, “You deserved it,” he remarked, going to wrap his hands.

I shift my weight off Cassian and stand offering him my hand. He takes it, even though he’s twice my size and if he truly used my help I would end up on the ground again.

“You’re getting better princess,” Azriel praised me. “I’d say it’s time you wield a steel sword instead of a wooden one.”

“Maybe,” Cass warns, dusting himself off. “The last thing I need is you slicing yourself open.” he said to me.

“What afraid I’ll mar my pretty skin?” I tease rocking back and forth on my toes, remembering how Cassian all but worshiped me last night, claiming that the stories of my rose petal soft skin were true.

“No I’m afraid that you’ll accidentally bleed out on me,” he replies, flicking my nose.

Azriel chuckles beside us, “You’re far too protective of your mate brother, she can handle a real sword if she can handle your ass.” he taunts.

“You forget that if anything were to happen to her Rhys would have my head,” Cassian rolls his eyes, placing our swords back on the rack behind him.

“I suppose you’re right, but she has to start sometime.” Az shrugs, finishing the wrappings on his hands. “Alright princess who you got today?” he asked me.

I let out a laugh as our new tradition reared its head again. For weeks now after Cass trained me Azriel would come down and they would spar. I would always gamble on who would win the first match, sometimes I would win, sometimes I would lose, it was all in great fun. But lately the boys had been taking it much more seriously and I couldn’t help but laugh at them and call them “Illyrian babies”.

“Hmmm,” I said, pretending to think. “Considering I just handed Cassian his ass I think you’ve got this one Azriel.”

“Pfft in his dreams,” Cassian scoffs, ripping off his shirt. Azriel copies the motion and I can’t help but feel my cheeks heat at the sweaty males in front of me.

“Then let’s raise the stakes then,” Azriel boasts. “I win, y/n trains with steel tomorrow”

“You’re on,” Cassian taunts as he squares up. “Baby, I hope you aren’t prone to splinters because you’re going to be getting them for a while.”

Azriel took two steps back towards me, “Wanna give me some good luck?” he asked with a cheeky grin.

I laughed and gave the shadow singer a playful kiss on the cheek.

“Now we’re talking,” Azriel laughed, flipping his swords in his hands.

“Oh you’re a dead male where you stand,” Cassian smirked.

In an instant they were a storm of steel. If it had been a real fight I’m sure wisps of cobalt and crimson power would be among that twister of metal. But their rule was no siphons when training. In a weird way it was beautiful the way they fought. During the training sessions with Cass I had come to learn that fighting was much like dancing, it was about anticipating your enemies next movement. Knowing where to step when, how to move your feet.

They were both evenly matched in every way. Even though I spent every day pretending to think about who might win I never truly knew. It was always a guess, or a gut feeling. So far I had bet mostly on Cassian, for obvious reasons, but whenever I put my money on Azriel he seemed to show up.

As I watched them deflecting eachothers blows and grunting with the sheer force of striking and blocking, I couldn’t help but wonder if I would ever be as good as them. If I would ever be able to truly fight and win against the warriors.

My thoughts were interrupted when I saw Azriel’s back hit the ground, his wing being pinned underneath him. Cassian stood above him, chest heaving and pointing his sword at the shadowsingers neck.

“Do you yield?” Cassian asked out of breath.

Azriel simply held up his hand to ask his brother for a lift up, silently admitting defeat. Cass took it and hauled the spymaster up in one heave.

I clapped my hands slowly as Cass walked over to me knowing that this is when I typically took my leave to wash up for dinner.

“It was a good match,” I smiled at my mate trying to hide my disappointment about not being able to train with real swords yet.

Cass slid his fingers under my chin and tilted it up so he could place a goodbye kiss on my lips, “You’ll train with steel tomorrow,” he smiled before returning to his own training.

I gave an enthusiastic whoop before retreating to The House of Wind to clean up and prepare for dinner with Feyre and Rhys.

Months Later…

It had finally happened. Feyre had found out that Rhys was her mate and she wasn’t taking it well at all.

Rhys was distraught when he found me in the library reading. He told me what had happened, from the ambush, to the Suriel telling Feyre about the bond. I honestly spent most of the time being surprised that the cursebreaker had been able to find the Suriel in the first place. My brother told me that his mate sat in the old cabin in the Illyrian mountains and I knew instantly that I needed to see her.

I had watched the two of them come alive for each other these past few months. Saw Feyre become stronger and more sure of herself. Watched my brother turn back into the male he was when we were just kids. I had befriended the Archeron girl all the while, offering her comfort when I could, as we shared many of the same experiences, being locked up, being in an abusive relationship, being under the mountain…

I ran to Cassian asking him to fly me to the cabin and he did so without a second thought. He saw the panic in my eyes, the need to be there with her, to offer her some sort of comfort. Because as if fate had intertwined us we now shared another experience… being the last to know about our mating bonds.

As Cassian landed in the snow outside the cabin I wished I had brought more furs. The wind ripped around me, chilling me to the bone. I shook off the memories of being thrown into the Winter Court and marched my way up to the cabin door giving it a knock.

Feyre opened the cabin door dressed in breeches and a thick sweater, her hands and face covered in paint.

“I can leave if you would like some privacy, I just wanted to check on you,” I say earnestly trying to keep my teeth from chattering.

Feyre’s blue eyes look to me and then back to Cassian who stands a few yards away. “Come on in, I could use a friend.” she said quietly and my heart warmed at the word ‘friend’.

I nod to Cassian who takes off into the sky before stepping into the cabin. The warmth of the raging fire immediately heats my cheeks and I discard my furs onto a nearby chair. It had been years since I had been back here. We used to spend solstice here, just the four of us. Of course that was before mother and father died, and I hadn’t been back since.

I look around and gasped. All over the walls Feyre had painted our eyes, my family's eyes. Each so distinct I could name each one. Amren and Mors, Azriel’s, Rhys’ distinct violet, and at the end, Cassian and I’s painted together.

“These are beautiful,” I say in awe, looking over each set again.

“I just needed something to get my mind off things,” she sighed, collecting the paints in a box.

There was a moment of silence as I tried to let her decide where she wanted the conversation to go. She closed the box with a sigh and then turned to me.

“Did you know?” she inquired, her eyes flickered with hope and I realized she prayed that I was just as in the dark as she was, that she wasn’t alone in this.

My heart dropped and her eyes faltered as she heard the answer in my hesitation. “I wanted so badly to tell you, but I knew it wasn’t my place to say anything, it was between you and Rhys.” I say sitting on the floor by the fire.

“I understand why you didn’t say anything but I wish someone had told me,” she says solemnly before joining me on the rug.

“Believe me I wanted someone to tell me too,” I chuckle as I lean forward more soaking up the heat of the flames.

Her eyes shoot to me as she seems to remember how I was in the same situation not too long ago, “When you found out Cassian was your mate, that he had kept the bond a secret from you, were you upset with him?” she asked.

I cocked my head trying to remember what I felt that day in the Autumn Court, “Honestly it happened so fast that I can’t remember what I was feeling exactly, but I know I wasn’t angry,” I chuckled. “I had loved Cass long before I ever said it. He kept the bond from me because he thought he was taking a weight off my shoulders. He didn’t want me to feel like I had to choose between my mate and my court. I wish I would’ve known, it would’ve saved me a world of trouble because I would’ve chosen him no questions asked. But I understand he had his reasons for keeping it from me.”

Feyre gave a shallow nod, signaling that she had heard me. “But why didn’t Rhys tell me?” she asked, her words desperate and I wasn’t sure if it was a question I could answer.

“I don’t know for sure.” I said honestly. “But I do know this, Rhys has spent his whole life believing he is a monster because of the front he has to put on for others. I think sometimes he forgets why he puts on that front, to protect his people and his family.”

I take a deep breath wondering if I should continue but I can’t stop the overflow of words coming from me, “I think he didn’t want you to feel shackled to a monster. All you’ve ever known is the darker parts of him, he wanted to give you a chance to let you know the good parts, then let you decide for yourself,” I place my hand on her arm and her eyes snap to mine. “All I can say is that Rhys wouldn’t keep it from you if he didn’t have a good reason. You don’t have to hear him out today, tomorrow or even next week. But I think you should at some point, if only to give yourself the peace of mind of knowing the full story.”

Feyre nods again, grabbing my hand and squeezing it tight, “I’m really glad you’re here,” she confessed, her eyes going glassy.

“Anything for you Archeron,” I smile, feeling my eyes glass over too.

I'm so fucking excited for the next chapter I'm buzzin' guys...

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blossomwritesthings · 2 years ago

Text

𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝? 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. | 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬

pairing: minho x fem!reader (afab)

genre: veterinarian!minho (this includes a few of the skz members working in his clinic). client!reader. hurt/comfort. angst. fluff. smut - MDNI, 18+ only. reader pov. strangers to lovers au. slowburn romance. lots of pining.

content & warnings: explicit & strong language. very thematic elements. minho is reader's vet. reader's childhood cat suddenly gets diagnosed with cancer, and she has to make a big decision about what to do. this fanfic includes heavy topics like: pet euthanasia, extreme loss/grief, depression, the problems with pet healthcare, and more. there will be some humor/fluff placed throughout, and also smut somewhere along the way. :))

word count: 7.1k

summary: dr. lee minho is known throughout your area as the city's hottest veterinarian, and he's also the very man that's been taking good care of your two cats for the past three years. but one day, you're thrown down a dark path of heartache when the cat that you've grown up with - nyx - is diagnosed with an acute form of bone cancer. burdened with the hardest decision of your entire life, you come at a crossroads of what to do. and throughout it all, minho is the single most person who continually stays by your side.

a/n: i decided to split this fic up into like, 3-4 separate chapters, since i felt like having 20.k+ words for a single 'long oneshot' was kindaa excessive lmao 😂 anyways, i'm excited for the future of this little series and what it's gonna look like exploring the relationship between minho and y/n~ 😉 also, for anyone that noticed, YES- i changed my entire tumblr theme after like, 4 months of having it be rainbow haha, so you might not recognize me on your dash with my new look. but yeah, this is the 'new me' for the next few months... i was feeling super inspired to do a muted levanter theme, since it's one of my fav albums/songs from skz haha so here we are!! ☺️

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ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ʀᴇᴘᴏsᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ sɪᴛᴇs (ᴛʜɪs ɪɴᴄʟᴜᴅᴇs ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴs). ©ʙʟᴏssᴏᴍᴡʀɪᴛᴇsᴛʜɪɴɢs ⤐ ᴀʟʟ ʀɪɢʜᴛs ʀᴇsᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ

The clinic was incredibly busy as you stepped through the front doors. Looking around the medium-sized waiting room, you noticed how almost every single seat was taken up by a patient. Because apparently, the hot place to be on a Thursday morning was Starry Skies Veterinary Clinic.

You clutched on a little tighter to the carrier at your side, which held your cat Nyx just inside the bassinet. She was an American Shorthair, with a coat as black as midnight and big, ocean-blue eyes. Your parents had gifted you Nyx as a surprise for your sixth birthday, since you had been begging them for a cat all year long. And instantly, the two of you were inseparable. Nyx had been with you for almost every stage of your life - including grade/middle school, high school, and all of university. She was so incredibly affectionate towards everyone, but especially you. She loved curling up alongside you after you’d spent a long, hard day at work and would just cuddle into your skin for hours.

Nyx was your stability in everything - she was one of your only friends, even when you were surrounded by other adults your same age at work. And at the ripe age of twenty-four, you couldn’t imagine what your life would be like if she ever left your side.

But, you weren’t naive, or stupid.

And you knew that at some point, Nyx would have to move on from your world and onto a better, and brighter future.

Which is why you decided to adopt a female Bengal cat after you graduated from university. Taffy had a brilliant orange-and-brown coat with light green eyes. And because she was so much younger than Nyx, she had a lot more energy. But even still, the two cats got along quite well, despite their huge age gap. Taffy was the troublemaker out of the two and liked to get into mischief with all kinds of things.

You took great pride in both of them and the relationship that you had with your two kitties, which is why you regularly took them to the local veterinarian clinic for routine checkups. Usually, you visited every six months, just to make sure that Taffy and Nyx were in perfect health.

And it’s not like you were complaining about the visits to Starry Skies Veterinary Clinic. It was a beautiful and spacious place, with a friendly bunch of staff and an even better doctor.

Doctor Lee Minho had been the continual talk of the town since he had moved into the area three years before, and soon after he set up his practice - which was just a short walk from your quaint apartment - you started going to him for your cat’s regular check-ups. Dr. Lee was incredibly professional with all of his clients, and he had a true knack for animals… but especially, cats. That’s what he prided himself on - knowing the ins and outs of the feisty little beings... since he had three of his own. Some even said that he was a cat himself since he had similar mannerisms to the felines.

It also helped that he was insanely handsome.

Like, drop-dead gorgeous.

You weren’t a fool - you noticed how, every time you visited the clinic, most of the clients were women. And almost every time that you sat in the waiting room, you’d overhear women talking amongst themselves… about how they had dressed up for the occasion, and how Dr. Lee was way too cute for his good.

For the most part, all of the comments passed over your head.

After all, he was just a veterinarian. He wasn’t anything special…

He just took amazing care of the animals that visited his clinic.

And he seemed to adore your two cats.

And-

Perhaps he was kind of, sort of, attractive.

If a woman liked the silent, brooding, brown-haired types of guys- then yeah, he was fucking really hot.

But, you always tried to push those thoughts out of your mind each time they started to bubble up to the forefront of your mind. You didn’t want to ruin the professional doctor-client relationship that the two of you had been cultivating for over three years. He was an amazing veterinarian with a lot of skill and expertise, and you had a feeling that you taking advantage of your closeness with him, by forcing yourself onto him, would just turn him away.

After all, he was always professional and polite with you. Even if he seemed to give you a lot of smiles and laughs each time you had an appointment at the clinic. And even if he seemed overly affectionate with Nyx and Taffy. He was just doing his job, as that’s what was to be expected from a doctor like him.

And besides, a guy like him would never go for you. For starters, you had just recently found out that he was five years older than you, landing him at the mature age of twenty-nine. And older guys of that many years never went for you - never stooped that low. Plus, he was a successful doctor and a businessman with his clinic. Whereas you were a struggling woman who was fighting to make ends meet at her low-ranking corporate job. You sat in a small cubicle all day, typing away at a bright computer screen, and Dr. Lee sat in front of patients and animals, actually making a difference in others’ lives.

There was also the fact that you were borderline poor- since your job barely paid anything compared to the way that the economy was so expensive. You struggled to pay your bills monthly and lived from paycheck to paycheck. Meanwhile, Dr. Lee rolled up to the clinic in his dark-blue sports car and was always donned in all different kinds of designer dress shirts and slacks.

So, yeah, he’d never fall for you. Not in a million years.

“Y/N! Good to see you again!” You heard a bright voice call out to you, bringing you out of your daydreams of expensive cars and fancy clothes.

Your eyes flitted up to the person sitting behind the front check-in desk of the clinic. Chan, one of the two receptionists of the place, was looking up at you with a soft smile adorning his face.

“Oh- hi, Chan… I’m here for Nyx’s check-up.” You mimicked his smile, motioning with a tilt of your head to the carrier where Nyx was situated in.

You were on a first-name basis with the entire staff line of the clinic, as you had been visiting it for so many years. Everyone at the clinic was extremely nice, and all of the staff were Dr. Lee’s friends. Soon after you first visited the clinic, he told you about the story of how he had recruited some of his best friends to open the shop with him, and how the rest was history. Even still, you called everyone by their first name except for Dr. Lee - since you decided to keep it professional with him and always address him by his official title well into the beginning of your appointments at the clinic.

“Sure thing,” Chan began, tearing his gaze away from you and typing away at his computer. “I see here that Jisung jotted down your concerns for this visit’s file. Has anything changed since you called in a month ago?”

You moved your focus onto the carrier at your side, where you saw Nyx resting peacefully just inside it. She had long since gotten used to the clinic and was normally very calm whenever you visited the place. “Yeah, she’s been sleepier than usual, and like- she doesn’t want to eat the food that I’ve been giving her, even though I’ve changed the brand two times already.”

Chan’s eyes darted up to you, studying your face silently before they flitted over to the carrier that you had placed atop the counter at your side. “Okay, I’ll add all of that to the notes so that the doctor can take a look,” you noticed how his lips were pressed together in a grim line- like he didn’t like what you had just told him. “You can take a seat, and Yongbok will call you back when they’re ready for you guys.”

“Thanks, Chan,” you said, offering him a tiny, weak smile before you headed off to find one of the only available seats left in the waiting room. As soon as you got situated, you gingerly took Nyx out of her crate. She was warm and downy in your hands and purred quietly at the feel of you pressing her furry body against your chest. “It’s gonna be okay, girl, you’ll be alright…” You whispered to her, mouth nuzzling into her silky coat as you placed a gentle kiss against her head.

After you placed Nyx back in her crate, you spent the waiting time studying the people around you. Once again, it was mainly women’s faces that your eyes met as you scanned over the entire room. And there were all different types of pets everywhere, from dogs to cats to birds.

“Oh, and apparently, Jungmi’s friend saw him out on the streets late at night last week… like, all alone and stuff.” You heard the woman say beside you. She was sitting close to another woman, and their heads were bent at an angle as they gossiped together. “Some girl came out of this one cafe and was hanging all over him, but it didn't seem like he knew her that well.”

The other woman snorted lowly, “Well that bitch doesn’t matter, because I’m going to be sure to seduce him this time around. I mean, c’mon- who can resist this shirt?” At her insinuation, you realized that they were talking about Dr. Lee.

Even still, you felt the urge to peek over to your side and look at her attire, and when you did, you swallowed down the dryness in your throat. Because holy fuck- she looked like she was about to go to the club. Her shirt had a scoop neckline and was so low, more than half of her tits were hanging out of the loose fabric. It was tight and stretched over her bosom in an alluring kind of way, leaving little to the imagination.

Meanwhile, you were dressed in one of your old, baggy hoodies and a pair of loose-fitting denim jeans. Even though it was the beginning of spring, it was still quite chilly out early in the morning. And besides, you weren’t planning on going anywhere else after you visited the clinic, since you had taken the rest of the day off from work, so there was no use in dressing up. Not like you had any nice, sexy clothes like that to begin with, though.

In all actuality, you really couldn’t afford to take a day off of work. But, you felt like it was needed after the long week that you had had. After the long year you had had.

Suddenly feeling self-conscious while you sat next to Aphrodite herself, your fingers scrambled to yank down the arms of your hoodie as best as you could, trying to let the fabric swallow you up in your seat.

Just then, your name was called over the hustle and bustle of the waiting room, and you peered up to see a smiling Yongbok standing in the doorway that lead to the rest of the clinic - where the examining rooms were.

In a hurry, you scrambled to pick up your tote bag and hoisted Nyx in her carrier with one arm, following right behind the young vet tech as he lead you through the back rooms of the clinic. The hallway was buzzing with movement, as the other Tech’s, Seungmin and Hyunjin, helped vet assistant Changbin calm down a barking German Shepherd so that they could usher him onto a weighing station that was positioned in a corner of the hallway. Dr. Lee was nowhere to be found… yet.

“I haven’t seen you in a while,” Yongbok started, as he motioned to an examining room just off to the right side for you to walk in. You took a seat in the chair that was positioned next to the desk - where the doctor always sat. “Since Hyunjin is almost always the one who first greets you.” The younger man with light blonde hair and big, expressive eyes sighed in an exaggerated kind of way, which forced a quiet giggle out of you.

“He’s a good tech though… Taffy especially likes him, I think.” You started, your mind already trailing off to what your younger cat might be doing while being left home alone in your apartment. No doubt tearing into the bag of chips that you had accidentally left atop the kitchen counter.

“Mhm- how is she, by the way? I feel like you haven’t brought her in in a while,” Yongbok said, as he slipped on a pair of blue latex gloves. You dragged your eyes away from his form and instead concentrated on unzipping the carrier in your arms, slowly drawing out a lethargic Nyx.

“Taffy is good, just being her usual rambunctious self,” you laughed softly, shaking your head as the affection for your other cat took over your thoughts. “She’s definitely very different from my Nyx here, that’s for sure…”

Yongok wheeled his chair over to you then, gently taking your old cat from your hands and hoisting her up onto the examination table that was nearby. “I saw in the files that she’s been having problems with eating?” He started, voice growing serious as he began his study of your cat.

You nodded slowly, swallowing over the nervous lump that had begun to form in your throat as soon as he placed Nyx on the paper-lined table. You felt your heart beating wildly against your ribcage, and you watched in silence as Yongbok turned Nyx around to thoroughly examine her. “Yeah, and she hasn’t been wanting to play with Taffy either, even though she used to love to.”

“How long has this been going on?”

“About… four months now?”

Yongbok turned to you then, leveling you with a deep frown, “And you’re only bringing her in now?” His tone wasn’t accusatory, but was more on the perplexed side of things, as all of the staff at Starry Skies Veterinary Clinic knew how much you loved your cats and how you adored taking care of them.

You shifted uncomfortably in your seat, hating the way that he seemed to question why you hadn’t taken care of Nyx’s symptoms earlier. “I-I didn’t have the money for this appointment until just recently, so that’s why I'm only bringing her in now.”

Your gaze snagged on Yongbok’s face, and the way that it instantly melted at your confession... brows furrowing and mouth pressing into a velvety line. The entire clinic must’ve known about your financial situation by now - about how you could barely afford food for yourself, let alone the bills from the clinic - since more oftentimes than not, you’d ask for a grace period from paying for the visits.

“I’m sorry, Y/N. I wasn’t trying to insinuate that you’re in the wrong here,” he began, but his slight frown only seemed to deepen as he spoke the words, “It’s just that- these symptoms shouldn’t be ignored for that long.”

At that, your heart started beating frantically inside your chest. Your focus landed on Nyx, who was now resting atop the table, with her eyes closed peacefully. “W-What? What do you mean by that? Is something wrong-”

Yongbok reached over then, giving your shoulder a delicate pat. “I can’t confirm anything myself, but I’m going to take Nyx back to the X-Ray rooms to examine her better. Then, I’ll give the data to Dr. Lee and he can examine the diagnosis.” He gingerly scooped up Nyx into his arms, pressing her against his chest.

“O-Okay, but-” You began, but were soon cut off by the way that Yongbok gave you a slight, reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry about it, Y/N. I’m sure Nyx is just fine.” Is the last thing he said, before he was quickly filing out of the room with your cat in his hold, leaving you all alone.

And as soon as he shut the door closed, you were a nervous wreck. Your knees bounced up and down, hands turning clammy and breath falling out in shaky gasps as your mind raced a mile a minute with countless thoughts.

Would Nyx be okay?

Was she sick?

What was so wrong with her?

The wait time to see the doctor usually wasn’t that long, but this time - this time, it felt different.

It felt like each minute stretched out before you in an endless cycle, sending you down a deep and deeper spiral of anguish as you tried to wrack your brain around the entire situation.

When finally, there was a gentle knock on the door.

You had been holding your head in either of your hands, but upon hearing footsteps against the linoleum floors, you peered up to see Dr. Lee closing the door behind him. He was dressed in his usual garb - dress slacks, a simple white button-down, and his white doctor's coat.

Dr. Lee was silent, as he wheeled his chair over to you. And only then did you notice that Nyx was missing. That he wasn’t carrying her in his arms- like he usually did when he brought her back from the closed examination room.

And you knew the moment that he sat down, that something was wrong.

Because usually, when his eyes caught yours as he walked through the examining room’s door, his entire face would light up with one of those brilliant smiles that women gushed over. Usually, he’d be the first one to crack a stupid joke - whether it was something lame about the weather outside, or about the crazy animal that he just had an encounter with before seeing you.

But this time?

No, this time it was very different.

His proud shoulders were slumped low, cheekbones dark with shadows, and plump, red lips pressed together in a firm line.

He clenched and unclenched his jaw once,

twice,

three times.

Then, and only then, did his eyes meet yours.

And they said all you needed to know.

Just by the way that his dark, chestnut-brown pupils danced with a myriad of emotions; apprehension, fear, compassion, but most of all… sadness.

“What is it?”

The words flowed from your lips before you even knew what you were asking, and almost immediately, you were sitting up a little straighter in your chair.

Spine going rigid, fists growing tight at your sides.

Something swam, cool and deep, inside of you.

Chilling you to the bone, with tense unease.

In the depths of your mind, you felt the pinprick of ominous heartache prodding at the fleshy part of your soul.

The part that was weak and emotional and so very tender all of the time.

“I’m so sorry.”

Was the first thing Dr. Lee said.

You already felt the tears flowing, unbidden and unchecked, warming your suddenly freezing cheeks, at the sound of ‘sorry’ leaving his mouth. Because he had never said such a thing to you before. And you never, ever, wanted to hear it come from him again.

“What’s wrong?” You prodded again, limbs growing a little shaky in your anxiety. Breath hitching in your chest agonizingly, you could physically feel your heart pushing against your ribs.

Aching,

Burning,

Already seeping with hurt, even though you didn’t quite know what was wrong just yet.

Dr. Lee ran a rough hand up and down his face, sighing into his palm, shaking his head once. Then, his fingers were running through his black locks, tugging at the roots just a tiny bit.

Almost like, this crushed him just as much as it was about to pain you.

“It’s about Nyx.”

Swallowing over the huge lump forming in your throat proved very difficult at that moment, but somehow - by some miracle - you did it.

Your tongue felt heavy inside of your mouth- like it was made of hard metal.

For a few beats, you couldn’t manage to form the right words, but when you did, you already felt the stability seeping out of you. Like you were a hot air balloon that had been poked with a sharp needle, with the scalding air and sanity flooding from you in a single breath.

“I’m sorry, Miss. Y/N, I-”

“Just fucking say it, Dr. Lee!” You suddenly exclaimed, voice straining from your quiet sobs. The fat tears rolled down either of your cheeks, leaving angry wet trails in their wake.

He was silent after that, gaze running up and down the length of you slowly. Like you were one of his animals that he assessed daily - like he was testing out your strength and resolve.

Then, his eyes snapped back up to meet yours, and they melted into two puddles of grief.

“It seems as though Nyx is suffering from an acute form of bone cancer.”

And just like, your heart completely stopped.

Each breath you took felt garbled and all wrong.

Your shaky legs and arms wobbled all around you.

The floor crumbled underneath your feet,

Breaking, cracking, shattering irrevocably.

And in that moment, you wished for nothing more but for it to open up completely, and swallow you whole.

Please,

Oh, fuck, please-

Just swallow me already.

Because anything,

Anything,

Would be better than this newfound hell.

“No- no, you’re lying.” You said in a low, gravelly voice. You were clutching onto the arms of your chair, holding on for dear life. Like if you squeezed hard enough, you would be able to wake up and all of this would just fade away into a bad dream.

“Miss. Y/N, I’m so sorry but-” Dr. Lee started in a calm tone, but his face read everything but calm - as his brows wrinkled with concern and his brown eyes were alight with a certain kind of sadness.

“This is a bad dream, it has to be a bad dream,” you cut him off, violently shaking your head from side to side in your disbelief. If you just pinched yourself, maybe then you’d wake up from such a hell. So that’s exactly what you did.

Grabbing one of your arms, you frantically pinched at the skin there.

Again,

And again,

And again.

The tears blurred your vision so much that it was hard to see what was in front of you - hard to notice the angry red mark that started to bloom out across your flesh at your abuse.

Just then, two warm hands took hold of either of yours, fingers sliding between fingers, calloused palms squeezing your own.

The dark-haired figure was kneeling in front of you then, still holding onto your hands. Your heart felt like it was breaking over and over just beneath your ribcage. With each breath that you took, a new piece of it shattered off to swim in the blood flowing through your veins.

“Those symptoms that Nyx has been having are all signs of an acute form of bone cancer, Miss. Y/N. And, they will get worse,” the man said, his low, familiar voice running across your ears and nudging at a tender, warm spot deep inside of you.

“B-But she’ll get better, right? You can heal her, right, doctor?” You asked, throat straining from all of the tears. Through your hazy vision, you clutched a little harder at his hands.

There was a pause of silence on his end after that, which only made you feel worse.

When he finally spoke again, it felt like your world merely crumbled further and further. “Yongbok told me about your… situation, and why you didn’t bring her in earlier. But, because of the wait time, the cancer has developed into an acute case. The only options for helping her at this stage are- amputation and chemotherapy.”

It felt like someone took a bucket of ice-cold water and doused your entire form as soon as his words registered in your mind.

Because if you hadn’t waited so long to get it checked out,

If you hadn’t put it off because you didn’t have the money,

If you didn’t have such a low-paying, shitty job,

Then Nyx never would’ve gotten the cancer in the first place.

Instinctually, you ripped your hands out of Dr. Lee’s grasp. It was the first time you had ever had physical contact with him - and the feeling left you feeling both sick to your stomach and also sent anxious butterflies to erupt throughout your system.

“Oh fuck- it’s my fault,” you said in an incredulous tone, fingers digging into your scalp and tearing at your roots there. “If I hadn’t waited so long, she never would’ve gotten this and she wouldn’t be-”

You felt a heavy hand land atop one of your shoulders, nimble fingers pressing into your skin just slightly. Enough to help ground you back to reality. “I know it’s difficult right now, but I promise it’s going to be okay. You just have to take a few deep breaths and-”

“Where is she?” You asked in a low voice, having the sudden urge to hold your baby in your arms. Maybe, if she just felt you, she’d be healed… “Where is my Nyx, Dr. Lee?”

But you didn’t even wait for him to reply, as you tore away from his hold and hurried to the door, grabbing Nyx’s carrier on the way out. Faintly, you registered Dr. Lee calling out to you from behind, but you paid no mind to it and instead ran through the hallway just outside of the examination room.

“Nyx!” You called out, tone turning desperate. You raced down the hallway, sneakers hitting the concrete at your feet. “Nyx!” The tears clouded your vision, so it was hard to see where you going. But even still, you glimpsed Hyunjin coming out from a room in the back of the clinic, with a black mass of fur laying in his arms.

You cried out in relief at the sight of her, and in an instant, you were running forward and scooping her up and into your grasp. Pressing your face into her warm body, you cuddled her close.

“Y/N-” Hyunjin began, sympathy heavy in his tone. You felt his eyes travel across your face as you looked down at your sickly cat, with fat tears falling down your cheeks and a rapidly-beating heart.

“Let’s go home, my sweet girl…” You whispered so that only Nyx could hear you. And you couldn’t help but notice how light she felt in your arms - she hadn’t had much of an appetite in the last few months, and it pained you so much to know that you hadn’t realized it until it was too late.

Then you were turning away from Hyunjin, not even giving him any attention, as you rushed through the hallway and pressed onwards to the front desk area. Faintly, you could hear people calling out your name from somewhere in the back of the clinic.

But you couldn’t concentrate on any of that. All you could think of was your beautiful cat, who was peacefully sleeping in your arms. “Just a little bit longer, Nyx, we’re almost home…”

The rest of the week passed by in a blur of heartache and tears, as you battled with yourself and your mind to try and come to terms with what was happening.

With what you were going to lose.

It was hard to focus on anything else besides the impending doom that seemed to be right on your doorstep. You were slacking off at your work, which caused your boss to ream you out the next Monday morning. But you couldn’t help it - every time you tried to think about anything else besides Nyx, and losing her, the stormy feelings just came back tenfold.

You had found yourself holed up in your office’s bathroom stalls on more than one occasion already, and by the time it hit a week since you had visited the clinic, it felt like all of the tears had been completely drained from your body.

Every time you looked at her, you wanted to cry. You wanted to, but your body just wouldn't let you. So instead, you took to staying up late into the night and researching remedies to alleviate the pain of cancer - because truly, you hadn’t gotten a solid five hours of sleep since the diagnosis.

After two weeks, you had tried all of the solutions that you could find online - that ranged from implementing natural, whole foods into Nyx’s diet to rubbing lavender oil all over her limbs to try and soothe the pain from standing. Seeing her slowly start to deteriorate in front of your very eyes was possibly the worst part about it all - and how she’d whine and cry while walking around the house. Even Taffy could sense that something was wrong when her friend no longer had the energy to play with her anymore.

Throughout all of it, you avoided the phone calls. And they could be from only one ID - since you didn’t have any friends or family members who cared enough about you to call three times a day. Starry Skies Veterinary Clinic called you without fail, and they were adamant about getting in contact. No doubt Chan was on the other line the whole time, trying to talk some sense into you.

But you just couldn’t do it - couldn’t bring yourself to walk through those doors and face the dark road ahead that most-assuredly lead to death. Because you had already extensively researched the therapy for treating Nyx’s kind of cancer, and it was looking quite bleak. The procedures were so fucking expensive, it baffled you how anyone in their right mind could be able to afford such things.

Everything changed though, when on one Saturday night, you arrived home late from running errands and found Nyx sprawled out on your living room’s small, rickety couch. You scurried over to her side and shook her awake. But she wouldn’t open her eyes. And it seemed like she was hardly breathing. You called out to her again and again, startling Taffy of your presence.

When finally, Nyx awoke. After much pleading and crying, she opened her eyes lazily and stretched.

And so it was decided right then and there, that you’d go into the clinic that night.

You couldn’t afford to put it off any longer, and frankly, you had the feeling that Nyx couldn’t either. It was getting close to eight o’clock in the evening, and the clinic closed its doors for the weekend right at eight, so you made quick haste out of your dingy hell-hole-of-an-apartment.

When you arrived at Starry Skies Veterinary Clinic, the entire place was dark. You peeked through the windows and noticed the empty waiting room. “No, no- no…” You muttered to yourself, checking the time on your phone and reading that it was a little past eight.

You quickly looked around the street, noticing how most of the shops were already closed up for the weekend. Feeling the panic rising inside of you, you began to furiously knock on the glass door of the clinic. If someone was back there, maybe you could get ahold of Dr. Lee and-

“Miss. Y/N?” You heard a friendly, faint voice say from somewhere to your side. Turning around to the sound of it, you came face-to-face with Dr. Lee himself. He had his doctor’s coat off and was dressed in his usual work clothes of slacks and a dress shirt. “What are you-”

You pressed your hands against your chest, trying to calm your heart that was painfully beating against your ribcage. “Dr. Lee- please, it’s… it’s Nyx.”

His brown eyes flashed across the length of your form, the fading sunset coloring his skin in an orange and pink kind of glow. “Come inside, it’s too cold out to be standing around like this.” He said, already moving to unlock the front door of the clinic. After all, it was early spring and the nights tended to grow on the cooler side of things once the sun dipped below the horizon.

“Okay, thanks,” you whispered, following behind him as the two of you shifted through the clinic. Dr. Lee made his way over to a cluster of chairs in the corner of the waiting room.

“Please, sit.” He pointed to the nearest chair and waited for you to get situated before taking the seat just beside you. “So, tell me what’s going on.”

And suddenly, you realized the gravity of the situation. You realized that it was just the two of you - Dr. Lee and you - sitting inside the clinic, alone. There weren’t any other clients around, there wasn’t Chan or Jeongin, or Yongbok. And all at once, it felt rather… intimate.

You squirmed in your seat, your shaking hands beginning to play with the worn hemline of your oversized hoodie. Taking a deep breath, you gathered up all of your courage and leveled your gaze on the nearby front desk that was placed in the center of the large waiting room. “Well, I-I got home today from running some errands, and I found Nyx lying on my couch. But it didn’t seem like she was napping like she normally does… and she, she wouldn’t wake up. I kept trying and trying and-” Your words came out all rushed and garbled, as the tears began to crest over your eyes and you felt your cheeks heating with the flush of emotion.

“Hey- hey, it’s okay… don’t push yourself, yeah?” Dr. Lee’s smooth voice did something to the broken part inside of you - caused something to stir and yet settle at the same time. “That must’ve been a very scary experience for you, so it’s understandable that you would be shaken up about it.”

And just like that, the guilt piled on even higher.

Because Dr. Lee had always been incredibly nice to you and your cats. He had always been there for you guys, through the ups and downs of life, and you felt so horrible for ignoring the clinic’s calls. Because you knew that the team at Starry Skies Veterinary Clinic only wanted the very best for you and your cats… and especially, Dr. Lee.

“I’m so sorry for ignoring the clinic’s calls,” you suddenly blurted out, feeling the blush rise and pool in your ears at the feeling of Dr. Lee’s gaze landing on you - assessing your nervous state. Your thumbs continued to fiddle with the fabric at your waist, pulling and pulling. “I-I just didn’t know what to do, and I didn’t want to face the issue. But, I now realize how stupid that was- how stupid I’ve been about this whole thing-”

“Don’t ever say that again, Y/N. You’re not stupid, and Nyx having cancer isn’t your fault. This was something that was inevitable and nothing you could do was going to stop it.” Dr. Lee cut through your words. You tried to comprehend what he was saying, but instead, your brain was only repeating the same phrase over and over again.

Y/N,

Y/N-

Y/N.

He had used your name, without putting ‘miss’ before it. He had never done such a thing in the past. He had always kept things professional and addressed you by your proper title - just like you had done for him.

But all at once, you realized that perhaps you didn’t mind it at all. And perhaps, his dropping the honorifics wasn’t so bad.

“Still, I’m sorry for not answering the calls,” you said, shaking your head slowly in defeat. You were desperately trying to battle the furious blush that was slinking up your neck at the way that he had said your name. It sounded so perfect and beautiful on his tongue, like-

“I was the one making all of those calls, and I can assure you that I didn’t take your silence to heart. I understand what you’re going through right now because I’ve experienced something similar in the past with one of my passed cats.”

At that, your eyes tore away from the front desk and landed on Dr. Lee. Your gazes locked, and inside his chestnut-brown eyes, you found so many different emotions there… compassion and gentleness. There was a certain kind of faded light there, as you stared at him.

“I… I didn’t know. I just assumed that it was Chan or Jisung…”

Dr. Lee shrugged his proud shoulders nonchalantly, like him calling you three times a day to try and work out a treatment plan for Nyx wasn’t that big of a deal.

When in actuality,

No one in your entire life had ever tried so frantically to get ahold of you.

And the fact that it was him- behind the phone, waiting for you to pick up, hearing your voicemail click on every time the dial failed… just made you feel even worse.

“But that’s all in the past now, so don’t worry about it anymore,” Dr. Lee began, waving a hand in the air to seemingly try and clear your thoughts away. You watched in silence, then, as his hand slid away from his lap and hovered over yours. In a single beat, his fingers were threading through yours, palm against palm. And his hand was so incredibly warm and familiar. “Now, let’s instead focus on Nyx’s treatment, yeah? The sooner we can give her the help she needs, the better.”

For a few seconds, the thoughts of your dying childhood best friend had vanished from your mind and were instead replaced with the feeling of Dr. Lee’s hand holding yours and the way that his tongue formed your name, and the way he smelled - sitting so close to you - of warm chamomile and sweet cookies.

Immediately, at the mention of Nyx, you felt the tears prick at the corners of your eyes once more. “I-I don’t have the money.”

Silence filled the space around the two of you after that, and you felt Dr. Lee’s gaze studying your form, as you squeezed your eyes shut in embarrassment. “You mean for her treatment?”

“Y-Yeah… I, I don’t make that much. I can barely afford her and Taffy’s regular bills as it is. But, having to pay for the cancer treatment on top of everything else? I-I just don’t think I can manage that.”

You felt Dr. Lee shift in his seat beside you, making your eyes spring open as you watched the pained expression cast over his entire face. It darkened his cheekbones, shooting a look of pity through his eyes.

“The treatment is really expensive, I’m afraid.”

The hiccups started then, as the tears traced down your cheeks faster. Your entire body shook with the cries, “This is why I didn’t want to come here again… I didn’t want to hear the news that nothing else could be done except- except that.”

It was like the fucking jumbo-sized elephant in the room…

The fact that- the only other solution to Nyx’s cancer would be to put her down.

To euthanize her.

Gone, forever.

Just like that.

And even though you weren’t naïve enough to think that your cat would live forever, saying goodbye to her in such a way just felt downright… cruel, after everything that the two of you had been through together. But... what other choice did you have? It's not like anyone else was going to pay for the expensive treatment, and your insurance sure as hell didn't cover pet fees. And on top of all that, you couldn't expect Dr. Lee to drop his prices exponentially just for your specific case. That'd just be downright cruel to his other customers that paid the exact amount.

“I’m afraid you’re right,” Dr. Lee’s words cut through your stormy thoughts. A sharp pain coursed through your broken heart, as you were forced to come to terms with the problem at hand. “If you can’t afford the treatment, then the only other alternative is… euthanasia.”

You found yourself clutching onto his hand desperately, squeezing his fingers to death between yours, as you peered up at him through glassy eyes. “P-Please… just… just tell me you’ll do it. Because I-I don’t think I can handle it if-” Your voice seized in your chest at the thought of some stranger doing such a thing to your precious Nyx. It was already going to be extremely hard for you, but the thought of some other vet doing it just ripped your heart in two even more.

“We offer ethical euthanasia here, so, of course, I’ll do it,” Dr. Lee clutched a little harder on your hand, and the way that his warm, slender digits felt against yours did something to calm a rattling part inside of you. “Do you feel my hand? It is there, Y/N. And it will continue to be there throughout this entire process.”

The breath caught in your throat, forming a large lump there, as your eyes widened his way. Because there it was again, him calling you by your first name… with no ‘miss’ in front of it.

“T-Thank you… so much. I seriously don’t know what I’d do right now if it wasn’t for you and this wonderful clinic and all of the amazing staff here…” Your voice trailed off, as you felt the warmth of a flush creeping up into your cheeks.

“Yeah, well, that’s what we’re here for… to give as much support as we can to our clients.” Dr. Lee’s tone came out soft and quiet, it ghosted over the shell of your ear like an angel’s sweet whisper.

“I like it.”

You heard Dr. Lee take in a sharp breath at your disjointed words, but before he could ask the meaning behind them, you were talking again.

“You calling me by my first name, I mean… I like it, a lot, Dr. Lee.” Your eyes found him in the dim lighting of the room, and for a split second, you could’ve sworn that you saw… something flash deep in those chestnut-brown pupils.

But then all at once, it vanished, and he was giving you an easy smile, pearly white teeth on display. And pink, rosebud lips tugging up- wait, why were you thinking about his mouth?

“Me too,” he said in that delicate way of his, just as he squeezed your palm once more, “I really like it… Y/N.”

To be continued...

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©ʙʟᴏssᴏᴍᴡʀɪᴛᴇsᴛʜɪɴɢs⤐ ᴀʟʟ ʀɪɢʜᴛs ʀᴇsᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ

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amethystfairy1 · 3 months ago

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hi I'm back again already lol, bc u really ought to know all the great things about ttsbc that I was too lazy to write out last time lmao.

Also! totally fine that ur not doing skizzpulse, you should write what inspires/motivates you (personally very motivated by them xD I've written ~90k words of skizzpulse myself rip)

Anyways, good things! You! you're the good things! I honestly can't remember when I last sent an ask in for the lil guys, so I'm just gonna say something I loved about each of their recent arcs.

First, Treebark. There's been so many identity reveals but I think this has been my favorite thus far. Ren going all protective boyfriend and fighting over Martyn was SO GOOD, plus soft kisses and they can just hold hands now without Ren being afraid he'll figure it out. Also loved Martyn seducing his entire family while being terrified out of his mind by big dog people with knives, like, I'd be a little out of it too. but the fam doesn't even notice but Ren did and is all supportive and comforts him, offers to take him home. I love how well they can read each other, like they're just in tune. they're soulmates, your honor. and, AND this means we can have double dates where they all know now! so excited :)))))

Zedango. this is what started me reading your stuff (the first fic I ever wrote was actually my own tt zedango ficlet, btw. that feels like an eternity ago now) I love how they've simultaneously progressed and devolved into slightly unhealthy relationship territory. something about not everything being perfect all the time just adds so much depth and realism to their relationship, as well as keeping the plot tense without feeling like you're making up problems just to have something to write about. AND THEN Tango doing the blazeborn courtship rituals was just so aaaaaaaa (THEY"RE SO ADORBSABLEEE) Tango setting aside his disgust with his claws to take care of Zed even tho its uncomfortable for him, and then Zed recognizing that and having all the warm fuzzy fondness for his bf was so sweet. Doc's notes about the rituals were on point, with how he reassures Tango that they're normal, healthy things and saying he's always open to having a conversation about it. (tho, i doubt Tango's ever taken him up on that offer lmao)

The other fic that's been in my head is ur most recent one, Handshakes and Headaches. I highly doubt we'll get a cub reveal in this next chapter, but ig we'll see soon enough. I loved how Cub just knew instantly that Grian was a hybrid and was just going in spirals putting it together that he was cuteguy, then him coming to the wrong conclusion about whether Scar knew, too, was just perfect. Tho, if he did think Scar knew and was cool with it, I wonder what he'd do first? Tell Scar his own secret, guess Grian's secret in front of them? I feel like he would think the safe thing would be to confront Scar about Grian being Cuteguy, and then if/when Scar admits it and says he's cool with it, Cub would feel safe(r) revealing his own identity. Maybe not right away, but sometime. Also, that would mean everyone in Hot Cave knows about hybrids and undercity, so he wouldn't have to glamor while he works (tho, that would also require revealing to Zed... they don't seem super close, but it's kinda obvious that Zed's chill w/ the undercity people, considering he's dating Tango and Cub knows that).

Also! now that Hypno knows G and Scar are safe, I really wanna see him revealing to Scar and Scar being all supportive and stuff :)))) Hypno wasn't someone I knew I needed in this world, but I'd die for him now. (ALSO the casual mention that his scales are dry and flaky rather than smooth and taken care of??? Hello?????? Someone get him some proper self-care ASAP, maybe take him swimming at a private pool or something idk. I feel like the moment Scar knows, he's going to be on it with the cookies and love and support. so excited hehehe)

anyways, I'm probably forgetting something, but whatever. I'll be back with more art soon (maybe I draw Hypno, since I've never done that before and electric eel hybrid sounds cool. Actually, I've decided, I'm gonna do it now. remind me what that looks like pls? or I go reread, whichever happens faster lol)

Ok that's all, have a good day!

I LOVE THE RAMBLESSSSS

Petition to get Hypno a private pool 😆

I'm so glad you love the slightly unhealthy but also very loving Zedango situation we have going on!

I LOVED YOUR TT ZEDANGO FIC! I'M STILL WAITING FOR THE SEQUEL!!!! 😭 /j you don't have to write one if you don't wanna BUT KNOW THAT I LOVED IT!

Ren being a protective boyfriend is all I need sometimes! It's just good fun! Thank you so much for telling all about everything!!!

I would actually LOVE to see how you would design Hypno if you do feel like drawing him! That sounds amazing! Electric Eel hybrid time!!!! 💖

#fanfic #ao3 fanfic #through the sky blue cracks #ttsbc #ttsbc au #traveling thieves au #hermitshipping

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thegrimreaperisanerd · 1 year ago

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hi :) binge read your de fic that you have posted on ao3 last night and really enjoyed all of it! excited to see any updates. was wondering if you have any rec for other fic youve read and enjoyed-- i am not god's bravest soldier and do not enjoy trudging through tags and was wondering if you had read anything yourself that you really enjoyed lolol

Hey, thanks so much!!! Sorry it's taken a couple days to answer this, I'm poor as shit and have two jobs now wah... capitilism...

I'm working on the next 46' chapter, It's about 70% complete and I generally let it sit for an evening once it's done then re-read it the next day to catch the vast majority of mistakes (I edit everything myself) so I'd say expect that in the coming days.

I have some thoughts! I... Have never been asked for fic recs before so I'm gonna list a bunch in no particular order that I enjoyed, and reasons why. I will note that I tend to enjoy meaty plot-based works over fluff, so that's what I'll be recommending. Anyway!

Paddling Out (THE REPEATER CORPSE CONUNDRUM) - @transhitman - So this is the first DE fic I read and it set the bar pretty fucking high. YOU'VE GOT: a very cool and insular setting (don't get me wrong I like fics where they travel around Revachol too, but there's something to be said for building a set and living in it for a while) YOU'VE GOT: extremely harrowing tension and pale-fuckery YOU'VE GOT: some genuinely beautiful, heartfelt moments (I don't want to spoil anything but "people don't need your permission to care about you" kinda undid me) YOU'VE ALSO GOT: Amazing art?! Always a bonus, I wish I could draw people lol

Have You Heard The News That You're Dead? - Wizardlover - Time Loop shenanigans hell yeah! Basic premise: Kim is *unable* to save Harry's life after he's shot at the tribunal, each time he dies he Reawakens in Martinaise on the first day and desperately has to try and find a way to either prevent the Tribunal entirely, or survive it. I think the major draw to this one is how well it's characterised and how well that lends to the major source of tension: trying to convince THE WORLD'S BIGGEST SKEPTIC that you *a man he 'has only just met'* is actually stuck in a time loop. Juicy shit.

The Case Of The Man Who Two-Thirds Wasn't There - @glisteningceruleaneyes - We got another case fic here, gang. This is one of those "they travel around Revachol" numbers I previously mentioned. A lot to love about this fic; the minor OCs are all loveable (or at least well-written, looking at you Mr. Bigot-All-Rounder), the elements of writing in the game's style (particularly use of Harry's 'to do' list that you find in the ledger, you don't see that as often!) are all fantastic. Also without spoiling too much I'm a sucker for hurt/ comfort :) I like when bad things happen to our specialist guy :) ALSO! alternating chapters, Kim vs Harry's perspectives contrast REALLY well! Just a super enjoyable read. - On that note I also wanna include a special mention: there's a podfic for this one and since I mentioned my two jobs, I've been listening to audiobooks at work (I'm a cleaner. It's very boring) and that was a fun change of pace!

The Emergent Causeway - hal_incandenza - Now you KNOW this one is good because it's the only *unfinished* fic I'm recommending. Again, We've got art! We've got a brand new (non-Revachol!) setting that still feels excellently Elysium! We got that excellent balance of humour and misery from the get go! EXCELLENT murder mystery so far, I am intrigued AND also there's a fucking puppy. Hell yeah. This one's from Kim's perspective and does a really good job of it, nothing like a man being begrudgingly sent on holiday and being somewhat relieved to have a corpse to deal with.

A Spilled Kaleidoscope - @spilledkaleidoscope - I'm actually recommending a series here. Real definition of "came for the art, stayed for the writing" I mostly have a soft spot because I got to watch a few "haha, what if-?" musing text posts become a series of written chapters and INCREDIBLE DRAWINGS HOLY SHIT. Like, you really just draw hands for fun, huh? This person made a pact with some sort of devil beasts to draw hands very good, at the bare minimum we can read their fiction.

Nothing To Lose But Our Chains - Lepak - I almost forgot this one and I honestly can't believe it because this is one of these ones that you need a cigarette afterwards. Good fucking god. This is probably the best fic I've ever read in terms of not shying away from the heavy themes that make Disco Elysium such a beautiful, moving game. It tackles a racism in many forms, particularly how people like Kim (in working for the RCM) and immigration laws do their part in upholding racist systems, despite the way it hurts him too. Of course, it's also excellently written with tense scenes and some real funny moments. A real good'un here.

The Catacomb Killer - SupposedToBeWriting - Give Harry more memory loss. Make him convinced he killed a kid. Make *Kim* convinced he killed a kid... Then the plot thickens. I won't lie I can't remember fuck all about this one because I was mostly drunk when I read it, but if it was good enough that I kept reading instead of smoking a spliff or something then it must have been excellent... I will re-read it when I have the time, lmao.

MURDER ON THE AIRWAVES - @randomisedmongoose - I'm just a really big fan of murder mysteries and gore. You show me somebody with brain matter pouring from their earholes and I'm like "yum yum, more of that please." I am a sucker for curious methods of murder and this one's good for that. Lots of trekking back and forth like in the game again. More ACAB - always good.

I did not mean to include this many...........................

Oh well. Here's my list, there are plenty of others I've enjoyed but these are just the ones that came to mind! Thanks again for reading my fic! Always makes me happy when people let me know they enjoy my writing :3

#hey if i tagged u in this and u don't want to be tagged then PLEASE lemme know and i'll remove u #likewise i dont know if everyone has tumblr so if u know somebody does ping this post their way and if they wanna be tagged let me know and #i'll do that #fic recs

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amusingmusie · 10 days ago

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Hi! First off I wanted to say how much I absolutely love your writing. Everything I read in Yours Truly is just amazing, I’m at the edge of my seat when reading each chapter, and I’ve become obsessed with Nel( she’s just, mwah 🤌). It feels like you really planned everything out from the beginning to end, and the pacing is just perfect! The dialogue between Nel and Al is soooo good and it never feels forced, and they have such a clear dynamic that’s so easy to love (I’m so excited for chapter 32 btw, shit is about to hit the fan)!

Anyway to get to the point, you’ve inspired me to start writing my own story, a love story obviously because I’m a sucker, and I was wondering if you have any advice on how to pace and write romantic tension? I don’t know if you have experience with this, but my story is about a couple who both mutually pine for each other but in the end never tell each other how they feel because of very complicated reasons that I won’t go into.

Also, on another note! In terms of character analysis for Nel and Al, I feel like they’re two sides of the same coin, they both dish out judgement, but Nel is Justice and Al is Vengeance. I guess it’s a pretty obvious statement, but I wanted to bring it up anyway because I think it’s super cool.

Hey there! First of all, thanks so much for the lovely words. This is after 32 is released and I'm still giving people time to catch up on it before I answer other asks, so all I will say is that I hoped you enjoyed it :)

Secondly, I'm very flattered you're asking for advice, but I will be annoying and say this- trust YOUR gut! You know your characters better than anyone else (unless one is an IP character but you still know them best in the context of your story, so whatever). What's helped me the most was letting the characters breathe and speak for themselves. For example, if your characters wanna kiss, let them kiss- just be sure to know what the next steps are. You're not on a time limit, so play around with feelings, explore plot points by yourself before committing to them. Don't be afraid to take the plunge! Have fun with it and give yourself time to experiment. Hopefully that works out for you and happy writing!

And also, yes indeed, Alastor and Nel are much more similar than maybe they want to fully admit ;)

#my asks

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tokiro07 · 1 year ago

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Undead Unluck ep.3 thoughts

[I'm Going Through Changes...and So's This Anime]

(Contents: Ch.4-5 comparison, animation, voice acting)

Ginaaa!!! Or Gena, as they're going with for this version. I guess that's the official spelling now? I don't think Viz is changing theirs, but either way it's going to be annoying going forward needing to deal with multiple "canon" spellings

Anyway, Gina's introduction was really fun! Very full of energy, animation really helps bring her to life in a way that a manga panel just can't. That said, I don't think I really like that they showed her face when she was attacking from the satellite. When we first saw her in chapter 5, it took me a second to realize who she was, but after seeing her fully revealed like that, it's not too hard to connect that the girl in the first and second half of the episode are the same. I guess it's obvious anyway, but still, a little mystique is better than no mystique

There were lots of great bits sprinkled throughout the episode, with the animation and sound effects really adding a lot to the experience. Andy's 5-point landing being slowed down to a step-by-step process rather than happening all at once really drove home how unsettling what was happening was, and of course his Crimson Crescent Moon was sick as hell, I appreciated that it wasn't effectively just two frames (beginning and end with no movement in between). The arc of the swing wasn't what I imagined, I always figured that the draw -> swing -> resheathe was one fluid motion, but in practice they seem to have made it a real iaido technique, which is really cool

Gina summoning her beret had a nice bit of improvement in this verion, with it digitally apparating atop her head. In the manga it just showed up when she asked for it, and I thought maybe they like...I don't know, shot it down to her from space? This was a really cool touch that was completely unnecessary but added a lot of flavor to the scene, even if the mechanism doesn't have a clear explanation (she obviously didn't use the Union's usual warp method since the effect was digital and not cracks in the air, nor does it seem to line up with anything that I recognize from the manga in later chapters)

The highlight of the episode though had to be Gina's voice though. The shift from her bubbly persona to her getting serious was so god damn ominous, and coupled with her immediate display of power really reminded me that she's one of the Union's top members. I don't think it's ever established what her position is, but I'm decently confident that she's pretty high up, especially considering her tenure

If they made that one scene look so good, I'm super excited for next week's episode, they've really convinced me that they'll be able to do it justice! That said, they've been going at a pace of approximately two chapters per episode, and my estimate for next week's would take about three, so...I'm not sure if they're going to rush through it to match the pace I've suggested, or if they're going to stay at two chapters to really delve into it. I could go either way on it since this is going to be a very action-heavy segment, which means they could easily get through it relatively quickly

I've been thinking a lot lately that Gina's been rising the ranks of my favorite UU characters, and seeing her brought to life has definitely given her a boost. I haven't quite settled on her as my absolute fave yet, but damn if she isn't getting close

#undead unluck #fouryearsandananime #4y1a reviews #uu anime

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suna1suna1 · 10 months ago

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It's WIP Wednesday again!

Alright, the tag game didn't work super great either, but that's okay. I got one person to play and they've got a really cool webcomic wip so it's all good lol

So, no art wips this week, but I do have an announcement.

The first chapter of To Catch a Hedgehog will be posted on AO3 next Thursday (probably after I get home from taking my chemistry exam)! After that, until such a time as it has been completely finished, I will update monthly, on the 1st of each month. I'm super excited to share this fic with all of you, and I hope you enjoy it! If you're looking forward to it, mark your calendars for February 1st! ^^

Now, here's this week's tag (go follow them, they're really cool) @deadrabbithq

And here's this week's progress! (that I totally didn't do late last night nope)

Shadow: "Sure. Let's go with that."

Shadow: "On another note, how attached to your job are you?"

Rouge: "0_0"

Rouge: "Nah, I'm sitting this one out. You have fun. I'll try and cover your tracks."

Shadow: "I didn't ask you to do that."

Rouge: "You asked me if I was willing to be fired. I'm not. I'm compromising."

Shadow: "Fair enough."

There was another chime, and a new email address appeared in his inbox. No profile picture. The name was a string of nonsensical numbers and letters.

yy783y7hhuqq7ht: "Would have come up with something cooler if my roommate had let me but oh well. It's me."

Shadow rolled his eyes before he replied.

Shadow: "What would you have come up with?"

Sonic: "idk, fastest.thing.alive? Oh, wait... fuck, that's my ex's email. DAMN IT WHY'D HE TAKE THE COOL ONE?"

Shadow bit back a laugh as another message from Rouge came through.

Rouge: "Look, just be careful, okay? It's not just losing your job you'll have to worry about."

Shadow: "I know."

He closed the window with their chat and turned his focus back to Sonic.

Shadow: "Anyway, who is it that's gone completely 'Netic?"

Sonic: "...Alright, here's an idea. It would be easier if I showed you. But since I can't trust you not to try and shoot my brains out, you come unarmed, and I bring back-up."

Shadow: "Alright... but come where?"

Sonic: "The Mobius Strip. It's an Xtreme racing track. I used to race there not too long ago."

Shadow: "Why did you stop?"

Sonic: "Eh, dated a guy I met there for a little while, but he's just kind of a douche, so I try to avoid him."

Shadow recalled the green-feathered hawk he'd seen talking to Sonic the night he followed him and Knuckles down to Station Square, and his quills stood in revulsion as he shuddered. If that was who he thought he was, he could see why Sonic would want nothing to do with him.

Shadow: "Do you miss it?"

Sonic: "Well, yeah, I guess... It was decent money for me too. But I couldn't trust that he wouldn't sabotage me because we broke up, so I cut my losses..."

Shadow: "I take it you won quite a bit then? Or were you a foul player?"

Sonic: ">:( Rude, man. I race fair and square. Not my fault I'm aerodynamic."

Shadow: "I've seen you on your gear. That's abnormally fast."

Sonic: "Okay, yes, but that was after I quit. I had a friend juice it up for me. Better for running from the Hounds. And you. Oh, wait... you have those stupid rocket boots."

Shadow: "Implants. Got them shortly after the Council died."

Sonic: "Dude, just say they were murdered. We all know they were. Hell, you might have even done it."

Shadow: "Now who's being rude? I didn't. That was somebody else. At that time I was still in college."

Sonic: "You went to college?"

Shadow: "Had to drop out before I got my bachelor's."

#wip wednesday #tag game #to catch a hedgehog au #sonic #sonadow

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strawberryfairi · 10 months ago

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“I loved you then…back when I knew you”

Synopsis: 💎 When your old high school best friend, and admittedly, first love randomly shows up at your door one morning after a bit over ten years apart, your memories of him that you once locked away comes flooding back. Are you open to hearing him out after all this time? (In other words…will you take your man back or nah?)

♕Pairings: Kazutora X Black Fem Reader 🤎 🛑Content: 18+, Eventual smut, Some grief, Some angst ~Crossposted On: Wattpad ONLY ~Updating WEEKLY

w.c. 3.4k💠

Previous | Next Chapters Masterlist

CHAPTER 4: FEELINGS

"No! You can't hide it, are you crazy?!"Miyazaki-chan exclaimed with wide eyes.

"What do you mean I can't hide it?!" Your face scrunched up in bewilderment.

You girls were all currently eating lunch in an open classroom, somewhere y'all were sure nobody (nobody as in Kazutora) would find you and overhear.

"That's not a good idea. It never ends well trying to hide it." Asuka added.

"Listen, if you try to hide how you feel you're just gonna look like a dumbass." Miyazaki-chan said, her tone serious.

"So what then, the best option is to just show it and look like an even bigger dumbass?!" You scrunched your face as you spoke.

".....Yeah!" They all nodded.

"Hell naw! That is so stupid!" You ranted, throwing your hands up.

"Hey! I don't know why you're freakin' out about this at week, like what, six?! Why didn't you see this coming?!" Hanako-chan accused, pointing a finger at you.

"What?! Who sees a crush on someone coming? Be for real." You rolled your eyes.

"Literally everyone except you, apparently! You didn't notice the way you've been acting around him? I mean damn, you've had hearts in your eyes since the day he first came to school!" Yumi ranted.

You slapped a hand over your mouth, letting out a deep gasp. "Did I really?!" You asked nervously, your tone much softer now.

"Yes!"

"It was pretty bad."

"Literally hearts in your eyes."

"Everyone noticed."

They all said one after the other. You groaned, covering your face with your hands. "I don't think this is good. I don't know if he likes me ba-

"He does." They once again all said in unison.

"I'm serious, guys!" You whined childishly.

"And we're serious too! I mean think about it, he always walks with you and he defends you all the time!" Yumi said, a slight swoon in her voice.

"Wait what? Defends me all the time? He only helped me once."

"No, that's not true, you're just never there." Hayashi-chan cut in. "Whenever he hears some guys talking about you in a way he doesn't like, he gets super mad, like, really pissed."

You were silent, taking in and registering what she just said. "Well..that's not a for sure sign that he likes me. We'll just have to see, I guess. I'll play it cool as best as I can." You shrugged, sighing in slight defeat.

Crushes are always such a hassle. They can be fun and exciting, but the anxiousness of not knowing how someone feels about you always kinda sucks. Most times crushes end up just being phases anyway, and honestly for your sake, you hoped this one was a phase.

The fifty minute lunch period was soon over, leaving you bored once again in your math class. It was pretty trash having to go from fun lunchtime to boring math, but whatever, that's life. You always sat right up front and to the far left side by the window. You had to be in the front in all your classes because it helped you focus and see better. You hated having to peer through all these different people just to see what's on the board.

At some point in the middle of class a crumbled piece of paper fell onto your desk, right on top of your binder. You looked around with furrowed brows, seeing no one looking suspicious in any way, before opening the paper.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day had come around, Tuesday. It was officially four days into the month of October, and the weather's been much cooler now.

Kazutora noticed you approaching him in the hallway, which left him a bit surprised seeing as he usually comes and finds you. He didn't mind it though.

"Hey Kazi." You greeted him with a small smile. "What's up?" He looked down at you with a little grin. He liked that you weren't afraid to call him by his nickname in school anymore. You used to always save it for when you both were alone or walking home together.

"Uhh, so I actually won't be able to walk home with you today." You mutter, fiddling around with the hem of your skirt.

"Huh?" His brows furrowed.

"Yeah, one of my classmates asked to hang out with me at this park after school." You looked up at him with an apologetic tone.

Wait wait wait, what? Kazutora figured he must be trippin', 'cause did he just hear you say a classmate asked you to the park with them? Yesterday, the crumpled note you received in math class had been an invitation. It wasn't often someone from school offered to hang out with you, so you figured why not? Could be fun, who knows?

"Oh? Who is it?" He tilted his head to the side inquisitively.

You started to get a little nervous. His tone was absolutely not matching the look on his face. He sounded normal as usual, but his eyes looked like there was hellfire behind them.

"He's in my math class. He's really nice so I didn't wanna say no." You skillfully avoided saying who it was, and made sure to add the fact that he's a nice guy, hoping that would somehow make Kazutora feel better about hanging with someone else. From the outside, Kazutora had a pretty composed demeanor, but on the inside he was lighting the whole school on fire. Your words rang loudly in his ears, repeating over and over again.

He's really nice Didn't wanna say no In my math class Really nice

He...it's a he, and he's nice?! So nice, allegedly, that you felt you couldn't say no to him. Just so nice in fact, that you went and chose him over Kazutora. Who is this kid? Where the hell did he get the balls to ask to hang out with you of all the girls in this entire school?! Did he not know you always walked with him now? He really didn't know he'd called dibs on you, like almost a month ago?

"Nice, huh? You like him or somethin'?" He asked as cooly as he could manage, raising a brow.

"Well I mean, I like him but not like that, you know? He's sweet though, and it seems like he's pretty shy." You shrugged, trying to reiterate that your classmate really is a nice guy...again. You'd went and spoke to him for a bit after class, wanting to make sure the note was actually meant for you. He seemed genuinely kind, so why wouldn't you say yes?

It took every fiber of Kazutora's being to not clench his jaw in annoyance. Isn't this just peachy? You both might as well be two peas in a pod, running off into the sunset being shy and sweet together. He didn't like this at all, not even a little. He hated how it made him feel, imagining you being someone else's princess, even though the whole school already knows you to be his own princess.

Kazutora was jealous...as fuck, but he'd never admit that out loud. He hummed in response to you, nodding his head slowly.

"We can walk together tomorrow though, ok? Both to school and back; I promise!" You gave him another one of those sickeningly sweet smiles, placing a hand on his arm. In just that moment he was calm again, looking down at your hand sealing the promise you made to him. Then as soon as your hand left and you told him "I'll see you later" in that silky voice, walking down the hall to wherever you were going, the jealousy came crashing right back in.

He spent the entire rest of the day agonizing over you and whoever it was you'd be spending time with after school. It was causing physical pain at this point not knowing which kid it was in your grade that had the guts to go for you.

Shy my ass.... He thought to himself bitterly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At the end of the day, Yamagishi had come to your locker just as he said he would. As you both exited the building, all you heard were whispers and murmurs about why you weren't walking with Kazutora today, and if the two of you broke up. You ignored it, talking about how the day went with him.

Yamagishi really was a sweet guy. As soon as a conversation about something he's into came up, he'd go on and on about it, the nervousness completely out the window.

He took you to a nice public park. It was really beautiful, the autumn leaves were all kinds of burgundy, orange, and yellow shades, some fallen on the path creating this ethereal effect. There were so many people walking around here, some couples and some groups of friends doing the same thing as you and Yamagishi, walking around leisurely after school.

"I've never been here before; this is really nice!" You beamed, speed walking over to the lake in the center of the park. The park was built around the body of water, cute metal plates of the different species of fish in the water circled around the whole perimeter of the lake.

"Yeah, I like to come here pretty often and do homework. It's really cool-looking this time of year." He chuckled shyly, joining your side by the water. He was so glad you liked it here. He'd spent days trying to think of where he could take you to hang out where he could finally tell you how he feels about you. His friends had been hassling him for months telling him if he doesn't do it soon someone else'll come along and beat him to the punch and he'll regret it forever.

"Thanks for bringing me here." You smile at him sweetly, before turning your attention back to the fish swimming around aimlessly in the water. Yamagishi blushed hard, his cheeks turning deep pink as he looked at your face. You look so pretty standing there with such a peaceful expression, the wind brushing past the little coils in your updo. He loves how you always have such cool hairstyles, and you always make your uniform match your own personal style. Your skin is so clear and looks even softer, too. Then your eyes, that foreign shape and the way they always seem like they're sparkling, he loved it. He swallowed hard, balling his fists up in his pockets as he tries to build the courage to do what he brought you here to do.

"Um-

"Ooo look! They have a hojicha latte stand! You want some?!" You beamed abruptly, pointing to the right behind Yamagishi. There was a small line of people, all waiting for a hot cup of hojicha (Note: Hojicha lattes are a tea latte made from Japanese roasted green tea leaves~).

"O-oh, I can get you some if you want?" He offered sweetly, a bit disappointed at his spoiled chance. He'll find another opening though, for sure.

"No no, you don't have to! I can-

"I want to." He cut you off, giving you the cutest smile, "Wait here, I'll be right back!" He called over his shoulder, already jogging over to the slightly growing hojicha line. You laughed lightly to yourself, waiting patiently for him to come back with your drink.

He came back fairly quickly, handing you your drink. The both of you walked around in a tranquil silence, at least, it was tranquil for you. Yamagishi on the other hand was freaking out mentally, completely shook that one of his previously wildest dreams was actually unfolding in real life right now. He'd feel like an absolute failure if he went home without confessing to you, he has to do it, at least really try! Maybe after he confesses he could hold your hand like a couple. Maybe even kiss!

"Oh, you know what, I heard the school is gonna be doing a really nice autumn festival in Novem- You cut yourself off, noticing some random tall dude aggressively bump into Yamagishi's shoulder, spilling his drink all along his arm and part of the front of his shirt. His face contorted in pain as the hot beverage made contact with his skin through his clothes. Your face scrunched up in anger and shock, your head snapping behind you to glare at the guy who did this. He was super tall, probably a little over six feet, wearing some all red outfit.

"Hey! You just made him spill his drink all over his shirt! What is wrong with you, you don't see all this space to walk around?!" You ranted, gesturing towards Yamagishi's stained shirt. The tall guy turned around, an annoyed look on his face.

Yamagishi's eyes widened in horror, immediately recognizing the symbol on the guys outfit. He knew a lot about all kinds of things gang related, so it didn't take him long to register that this was none other than Osanai, the current leader of Moebius.

"Huh?" He says stupidly.

"hUuuH?", You mocked him, becoming more annoyed by the second, "Apologize to him!" You demand, your demeanor completely serious, stepping up towards the gang leader boldly.

"Why doesn't your little boyfriend speak up for himself, huh? You got a problem with me, pussy?" He asked smugly, looking past you and straight at a petrified Yamagishi. You scoffed, appalled at how rude he was being.

"N-no sir!" Yamagishi frantically answered before turning and grabbing your hand, "Come on, we should-

"Well how 'bout this, I got a problem with you. Don't talk to him like that!" You said fiercely, taking your hand out of Yamagishi's, walking over and shoving a hand in Osanai's chest. You weren't exactly sure why you were reacting like this, maybe there was some unmanaged anger about that situation with that rapist weeks ago that still lingered. Maybe you were tired of guys acting like they can just do whatever they want and get away with it, picking on people who weren't as strong. Highly likely both. The tall guy bursted out into laughter, looking down at you like you were an ant.

Suddenly, he snatched you by the front of your shirt, making your heart drop as you yelped. "You've got some guts, girl. You realize who you're talkin' to?" He asked menacingly, he was so close your noses were nearly touching.

"Let go." You gritted out angrily, standing your ground.

"Don't hurt her! Let her go!" Yamagishi cried out, pulling you out of his grip and shifting himself in front of you.

"Hey, we got a problem here, boss?"

Another boy, tall, with a friend both dressed the same as Osanai strolled over casually. They looked intimidating, just like this one who started everything.

"Yeah, seems this little miss wants some trouble." He smirked deviously, talking over his shoulder. "Oh yeah?" The other less taller one spoke, chewing some gum lazily. Your heart was pounding, pumping both fear and high levels of anger through your veins.

"If you want a problem, I can hand you a problem!" You snapped from behind Yamagishi's shoulder. The tallest one snickered, then pushed Yamagishi out of the way like he was nothing, making him fall to the ground. Osanai gripped your jaw tightly, two fingers forcing your lips to pucker out in an embarrassing way. Then, he nodded towards Yamagishi, letting the other two stomp him out right in front of you. "You shoulda just kept your mouth shut, bitch. Now you can watch your punk ass boyfriend get-

You cut him off with a hard slap, using your own hot hojicha cup to hit him in the face with. His head slightly turned to your left, eyes wide as the drink spilled along him and your own arm. Osanai let go, letting you stumble back while panting heavily. "To think I was gonna let you off the hook." He chuckled dryly. Your heart dropped. What the hell kind of situation is this?! You can't fight him, Yamagishi sure as hell can't fight, you're stuck. Your whole body was shaking, hands trembling just like six weeks ago with that college aged creep. You didn't wanna be hopeless like back then, you wanted to fight for yourself, protect yourself. You balled your fists at your sides, preparing for a fight.

You heard Yamagishi yell for you to just run away, but fuck that. It'd be terrible for you to leave him. Clearly no one else around had the guts to help y'all, so you'll just have to do what you can.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welp....the fight didn't last very long, nor did it go well for you. Yamagishi had somehow managed to weasel himself away from the two guys attacking him, placing himself between you and Osanai just in time to take the punch he was about to throw at you. His body fell to the side and hit the ground like he didn't weigh a thing. You could tell Osanai was a fighter for real, he had insane technique. Just as Yamagishi fell out cold, Osanai readied another punch, this one finally managing to hit you directly in the face. You fell down right with Yamagishi, wailing out in pain like a baby and cupping the left side of your face gently. Osanai and the others threatened to do worse if we ever tried them again, then left on their merry way like nothing happened.

The two of you got back to your house late in the night. Your mom was fast asleep so you were able to sneak him into your room without waking her up. You handled the both of your wounds gently, taking the most time on Yamagishi as he received the worst of it. He apologized to you over and over and over, tears flowing down his face like a waterfall. He felt horrific that he couldn't save you, and felt pathetic even more at the fact that he barely even did much at all. You were braver than he was in his opinion. You held your ground against a man while all Yamagishi wanted to do was get outta there as fast as possible. He felt like he didn't deserve someone as strong as you, and he especially didn't think he deserved a girl he can't even protect.

"You don't have to keep apologizing. Honestly, I should've just listened to you; we should've ran away or something. Neither one of us knows how to really fight, and that guy seemed like he was a boxer or some kinda professional." You mumbled, gently placing some circular shaped bandaids on his arms. He frowned, not really feeling any better about the situation. You let out a deep sigh, placing the first aid supplies down, looking him in the eyes. "I-I couldn't do anything. I wanted to save you, but I'm not strong like those guys." He stuttered, frantically wiping away at his continuous tears. Your heartstrings pulled at the sight of him, making you tear up your own self.

"You're not necessarily as strong or super tall like them, but you did stick up for me. You defended me the best that you could, and I appreciate that a lot. You're way better than them, Yamagishi. They're physical strength is all they have so they just go around hurting people to make them feel better about themselves. But you have more strength than them by a long shot, 'cause your brave and respectful; compassionate. You got a gold heart." You smiled softly, hugging him from the side gently.

Yamagishi's heart skipped probably five beats in a row. He couldn't believe you still thought highly of him even after what happened. He melted into the hug, slowly resting his head on your shoulder. You patted his back a bit, pulling away from the hug. He took the small window of silence between the two of you to do what he planned to do this whole time.

"I-..I really like you-

You cut him off, leaning forward and planting a small, sweet kiss on his cheek. Yamagishi gasped, stiffening up instantly as he fell dead silent. His heart was racing ten miles a second.

"I know." You speak softly, "But, I like you more as a friend."

"Oh.." His heart sank, eyes cast downward in disappointment. As fast as his dream came, it dissipated into mist, drifting away rapidly in the wind.

"You'll find someone that loves you, and when you do, you'll make her really happy! I know that for sure." You assure, giving him a light smile. It was hard for you, turning down such a cute sweetheart like him. Honestly it worried you about your own little crush situation with Kazutora.

You very well may be joining Yamagishi in the unrequited love parade soon.

🩵A/N: Thanks so much for reading y'all, and I hope you guys are enjoying the fluff section of the story so far! Please like and reblog and whatever else lol, love y'all🧚🏾‍♀️

#kazutora x reader #black female reader #tokyo revengers x black reader #tokyo rev #kazutora hanemiya #kazutora #tokyo rev x reader #kazutora hanemiya x reader #black fem reader #strawberryfairi

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