#august. a certain place. moonlight.

[hana-the-ghostieee]

iiiiiiii have translated. the angriest song ever made by yorushika (i think). 八月、某、月明かり.

also no one answered that question i had earlier butttttt

should i (or should i not) make a sideblog for all of these translations??? (for now i'll keep these posted over here until someone says something)

anyways here

8/7, 八月、某、月明かり (August, A Certain Place, Moonlight/Hachigatsu, Bou, Tsukiakari)

I don't need anything.

My heartbeat was loud, and when I walked, it got difficult to breathe As I ran from my first part-time job Music, life, nothing meant anything anymore Just like how nothing had captured my interest either

A certain August, under the moonlight, I rode my bike Through that bridge in Higashi-Fushimi, Kodaira, Fujimido-ri and past that one shopping district That night's wind blew at my nose, this heart's pain must've been my imagination I understood, or pretended to, at least

It's the worst, just the worst, Everything about me is the worst! I wish you could stay next to me As if I'd leave you to turn into a distant memory!

It's the worst, only the worst, Though I can't help but feel somewhat good It's just, the worst, like these lyrics

If my life were to end at 27, rock n' roll would save me But, you know what, I'm done thinking about it! I'll be dying soon enough, anyways I don't need you, or anything else either

My heartbeat remained loud, but my throat felt laughably dry As I sold my heart for the first time This constricted heart, pride, I already didn't care Even though I had to bow my head to the worst kind of people

That one August, I walked across this path Stockholm, Kiruna's street vendors and Gamla stan's streets I closed up my heart from you Even this sky's blue, it must've been false Just smiling, and even while smiling, I felt

It's the worst, it's just arrogant, you know, You and everyone else! Dramatic songs and love songs, they're pointlessly unrealistic I finally knew, finally understood Your life, it's yours to create, in the end But still - it's the worst, just like how I'm screaming this out

Of course, it has to be That everyone plays rock n' roll in this world Hymns and songs like that aren't worth anything, because God doesn't exist, after all! Mistakes, crimes, wars, discrimination, suicides, minorities - no one cares at all

It's the worst, it's the worst I wish I had known leaving you was arrogant I really want to agree with you on whatever But that would've been the same as lying to you, Elma!

The worst, just the worst, And I can't help the fact that all of this was close to me But all I want to do now is dramatically grieve on this night

It's the worst, only the worst These words are just pointless! I keep telling you, "You life is like the moonlight" As if that was something you could ever call common!

The worst, it's the worst So bad I could just laugh at it all It's the worst, you know, having lyrics for how they sound

If my life ended at 27, rock n' roll would surely save me But, you know, I'm sick and tired of thinking about it! In the end, I'll be dying anyways

The present, love, the past, dreams, Memories, humming, sleepy eyes, the night fog, kindness, pain, flower petals, depression, that one summer, this useless song Hypocrisy, the night wind, lies, you, me, this blue sky -- I really don't need anything.

---

thankth or something idk :P

UGHHHH i just love how this song progresses. just nanIMO IRANAI *EPIC GUITAR RIFF* and then the verse gets really calm and makes the chorus so much ANGRIER YOU'RE PRACTICALLY YELLING OUT THE LYRICS

[checkoutmybookshelf]

You Have My Attention: Anne of Green Gables First Lines

The icon of Canadian girlhood needs no introduction, as Anne of Green Gables is a global phenomenon at this point. What those of you who read the first book at like age ten and then didn't bother exploring further might not know, however, is that LM Montgomery wrote a whole Anne series. So how did she catch a reader's attention? Let's find out!

"Mrs. Rachel Lynde lived just where the Avonlea main road dipped down into a little hollow, fringed with alders and ladies’ eardrops and traversed by a brook that had its source away back in the woods of the old Cuthbert place; it was reputed to be an intricate, headlong brook in its earlier course through those woods, with dark secrets of pool and cascade; but by the time it reached Lynde’s Hollow it was a quiet, well-conducted little stream, for not even a brook could run past Mrs. Rachel Lynde’s door without due regard for decency and decorum; it probably was conscious that Mrs. Rachel was sitting at her window, keeping a sharp eye on everything that passed, from brooks and children up, and that if she noticed anything odd or out of place she would never rest until she had ferreted out the whys and wherefores thereof."

-- Anne of Green Gables

"A tall, slim girl, 'half-past sixteen,' with serious gray eyes and hair which her friends called auburn, had sat down on the broad red sandstone doorstep of a Prince Edward Island farmhouse one ripe afternoon in August, firmly resolved to construe so many lines of Virgil."

-- Anne of Avonlea

"'Harvest is ended and summer is gone,' quoted Anne Shirley, gazing across the shorn fields dreamily."

-- Anne of the Island

"(Letter from Anne Shirley, B.A., Principal of Summerside High School, to Gilbert Blythe, medical student at Redmond College, Kingsport.)

Windy Poplars,

Spook's Lane,

S'side, P. E. I.,

Monday, September 12th.

DEAREST:

Isn't that an address!"

-- Anne of the Windy Poplars 

"'Thanks be, I’m done with geometry, learning or teaching it,' said Anne Shirley, a trifle vindictively, as she thumped a somewhat battered volume of Euclid into a big chest of books, banged the lid in triumph, and sat down upon it, looking at Diana Wright across the Green Gables garret, with gray eyes that were like a morning sky."

-- Anne's House of Dreams

"'How white the moonlight is tonight!' said Anne Blythe to herself, as she went up the walk of the Wright garden to Diana Wright's front door, where little cherry-blossom petals were coming down on the salty, breeze-stirred air."

-- Anne of Ingleside

"It was a clear, apple-green evening in May, and Four Winds Harbour was mirroring back the clouds of the golden west between its softly dark shores. The sea moaned eerily on the sand-bar, sorrowful even in spring, but a sly, jovial wind came piping down the red harbour road along which Miss Cornelia’s comfortable, matronly figure was making its way towards the village of Glen St. Mary."

-- Rainbow Valley 

"It was a warm, golden-cloudy, lovable afternoon. In the big living-room at Ingleside Susan Baker sat down with a certain grim satisfaction hovering about her like an aura; it was four o'clock and Susan, who had been working incessantly since six that morning, felt that she had fairly earned an hour of repose and gossip."

-- Rilla of Ingleside

[barris-events]

Under the cut you will find a list of prompts to inspire your works for this fest. You're free to use whatever you want, to combine two or more of them, whatever you like. When you post your work, just let us know which one(s) inspired you in your notes and don't forget to tag us. If you need a reminder on the guidelines, you can find them here. Otherwise, happy writing/drawing/giffing 🌙💙🌕

Quotes, Poetry & Lyrics

🔵 The moon understands what it means to be human. Uncertain. Alone. Cratered by imperfections. - Tahereh Mafi, Shatter Me 

🟦 Moonlight drowns out all but the brightest stars. - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

📘 Place, park, scene, dark / Silvery moon is shining through the trees / Cast, two, me, you / Summer kisses floating on the breeze - By the Light of the Silvery Moon 

🦋 It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me / At tea time, everybody agrees / I'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror / It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero -Taylor Swift, Anti-hero 

💙 Your hands, like no-one else's / the ring around the blue of your eyes / lift all the sighs out of me / like the memory of something beautiful: / the moon, how close you are, how far. - Blue Moon, Linda France 

🔷 I heard somebody whisper "Please adore me" / And when I looked, the moon had turned to gold - Blue Moon, Hart & Rogers 

🔵 The month of August had turned into a griddle where the days just lay there and sizzled. - Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees

🟦 So much for summer love and saying "us" / 'Cause you weren't mine to lose - Taylor Swift, August 

🦋 I really wanna stop, but I just got the taste for it / I feel like I could fly with the boy on the moon / So honey, hold my hand, you like making me wait for it / I feel like I could die walking up to the room - Carly Rae Jepson, I Really Like You

Scenarios

🔵 Scenario: summer thunder storm traps them inside. they play board games to pass the time.

📘 Scenario, choose your own adventure: a trip to the beach goes awry. Do they a) discover a body, b) encounter someone from Thomas's past, or c) get caught up in a smuggling adventure.

🔷 Scenario: AU in which Thomas is an exasperated teacher at a private school and Richard is PA to one of the school wealthiest benefactors. Richard has been charged with dealing with the appalling behaviour of the benefactor's trouble-making child.

💙 Scenario: future fic. Richard and Thomas move into a cottage on the estate. It’s perfect, except for being haunted by Carson.

🟦 Scenario: there's an interlinking door between Thomas's room and the one where Richard stays at Downton Abbey.

🌀Scenario: Richard time travels to the past and encounters a younger Thomas. Whether he’s there to fix something or some other reason is up to you.

🔷 Scenario: AU based on the Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story subplot with the King's valet and the Queen's footman (spoilers for plot). Thomas is newly assigned to Queen Charlotte as her personal footman. He lives for knowing what's going on in society and reporting useful gossip to her. Richard is King George's valet and the only person who knows about his mental health situation and what's really going on with him and keeps it secret from all the other staff and Charlotte, using various machinations and making excuses for why the King is doing certain erratic things. When they start hooking up, Thomas quickly sees through Richard's web of lies. Richard has a choice about whether to trust the footman (known gossip and schemer) with the King's secret and bring him into his schemes or part ways with him to protect the king.

💙 Scenario: AU where Thomas owns a plant shop and Richard is a frequent customer.

📘 Scenario: Thomas is surprised/confused when Richard shows concern for his well-being, he's used to it only happening when his partner wants sex/intimacy.

Misc

🔵 Moon tarot meaning: Hidden enemies, danger, calumny, darkness, terror, deception, occult forces, error. Reversed: Instability, inconstancy, silence, lesser degrees of deception and error.

🔷 Blue colour meaning: Blue is the colour of trust and loyalty. It has a calming and soothing effect and you can always count on its support.

Images

If you'd rather some visual inspiration, take a look at these picture prompts. You can use all the images from any set, mix and match, or just pick a single image to use.

🟦 Image set 1

🦋 Image set 2

🔵 Image set 3

[ravenmoon903]

who else thinks that August, A Certain (place), Moonlight and May, From the Emerald Green Window (Paris Green) needs MVs?

[babyloncurse]

ABOUT AVORY | Stain glass windows in my mind, I regret you all the time.

‘ sam reid, cis-man, he/him, 37 / 231 , cauldron made high fae ’ ― cauldron save you. it seems AVORY BEAUVARIS has finally made it to the capital, the EMISSARY/AMBASSADOR from the NIGHT COURT is said to be PERCEPTIVE and is said to describe themselves with THE SALTED KISS OF HOT SUMMER NIGHTS, MOONLIGHT TWISTED IN GILDED BRAIDS FOR A NAMELESS MAN'S CROWN, JADED SWEET NOTHINGS THAT HAVE LOST THEIR LUSTER UNTIL WHAT YOU THOUGHT YOU'D ALWAYS HAVE IS GONE and with all of this in mind their IMPULSIVE nature always seems to get them into trouble. may the mother hold them as they navigate this unthinkable time.

CHARACTER BASICS

FULL NAME: Avory Beauvaris

NICKNAMES: That son of a bitch right there, the court whore, bitch ass bob, etc.

PHYSICAL AGE: Thirty-Seven

PSYCHOLOGICAL AGE: Two Hundred Thirty-Two

GENDER IDENTITY & PRONOUNS: Cis man, He/Him

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Bisexual

FACE CLAIM: Sam Reid

EYE COLOR: Blonde

HAIR COLOR: Blue

HEIGHT: 5′10″

DATE OF BIRTH: August 27th

ZODIAC SIGN: Virgo

SPECIES: Cauldron Made High Fae

COURT: Formerly Day Court, presently Night Court

OCCUPATION: Ambassador of the Night Court

POSITIVE TRAITS: Silver tongue, Perceptive, Resourceful

NEGATIVE TRAITS: Manipulative, Impulsive, Impatient

MORAL ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Neutral

CHARACTER HISTORY

As the eldest of the Orchis line, delicacy with luxury and duty had been ground into his bones since the day his blonde crown curled to catch the sun in his hair. However, this promise of godlihood was revoked upon the wars of his kind. As compromise and an attempt to keep on eye on such a threat to the crown, the Orchis family was kept in court in a gilded cage.

He never sought power. It had ripped his family and their tapestry of resilience to nothing more than loose threads. When they were summoned to court, he knew their intentions were to keep a potential enemy and threat to the crown close. His loyalty was to those of his name who remained, and he abided by every shackle they placed upon them. They were not guests, and they were not their equals. The Orchis family were pawns and pretty little things to torment sweetly.

He did not object to marriage, but still indulged himself in secret against every rule given to him. His matrimony was just another way to tether him to the castle. This was challenged upon the introduction of a creature he'd never quite seen before, one he was certain was of heavenly descent. They had claimed he'd proven himself to be worthy, full of the fortitude they longed for. He'd been given the chance to escape everything, and he gave in.

By then, the prince that never was had been lost. The Day Court had been given another fair child that was as radiant as morning light, the sweetest summer child that never faded with the turn of the seasons. He took the name of his spouse and was reborn as Avory Beauvaris.

PRESENT DAY

Avory's resilience and fortitude, however, did not serve in the ways his new partner had anticipated. He was infatuated with the new world and old habits would hardly rest— even more so under the guise of such charming magic. Once more, he had wandered away from vows and found solace in the arms of another. His affair lead him to the Night Court, where he proved his loyalty in providing every secret and wonder with ease. He was quick to protect himself and his waning ignorance over the years, demonstrating a new found wisdom to get away with any misstep.

His silver tongue was eventually put to use by the court, elevating him to Ambassador.

PERSONALITY

Avory stands out against the Night Court not only because of his former affiliation to their counterpart, but the remnants of his former self. His hair seems white in their shadows but even the moonlight catches the gilded strands. They come to life under the sun, almost tricking other courts of brighter days that he could be theirs. It proves for an easy manipulation as the familiar will always have the upper hand.

While he does come across as out of place at times, he instills a sense of intrigue. Avory is quick to indulge others in crafted sense of amusement and always finds a way to get what he needs, or the means to meet a request he must fulfill.

He's since lost his need to prove himself, and now relishes even the slightest conflict he can enact. However, he never starts something he can't finish. He's always carefully placed himself in a position to be the catalyst or the remedy.

TLDR

Avory is a cauldron born high fae who was chosen by a member of the day court. The prince who never was in the mortal realm was stolen, and raised into his potential amongst the fae. However, old habits die hard. He started an affair with someone in the Night Court and joined their forced, eventually being recognized for charismatic silver tongue and being promoted to ambassador. It's been quite some time, and he's still fairly new at his new position, but he's a spectacle you have to entertain just to see where it'll go. Otherwise, he has a reputation for being the court whore.

[butterflyintochains]

Handfast In Agne

Summer 2023, and Joanna Blackwood is buzzing with excitement, Elias has something planned for their month in Sweden, she has no idea what it is though. She's been asking him non-stop since they left home. Last time she asked, all Elias did was laugh, kiss her, and say; 'Something European'. As if that narrows it down any. The annual midsommar festival has come and gone, her first midsommar with Elias. So, what the hell is this man plotting? Crowning themselves king and queen and invading Denmark?

Well, Joanna gets her answer one evening once she's back from walking Foppa. A note on their bed, and a single red rose - her favourite flower.

Put your white summer dress on with your wedges, come find me at the lake - Lias.

Beaming, she changes into her white summer dress, the dress reaches her mid thigh and has tulip sleeves. And straps her nude wedges on. She fixes her hair and makeup, and goes to meet up with Elias. The scene she finds melts her heart, He's dressed in slim dress pants, and a black dress shirt with no tie, surrounded by lanterns. His blue eyes sparkling in the fading light. ''Wow, this is beautiful. But... what is this all for, Elias?'' She joins him by the water.

Elias says, pulling a tiny box out of his pocket. ''Well, with my job, the future is so uncertain. But, I am certain of one thing. I want you in any future I may have. So, Joanna, will you handfast with me tonight?'' She's heard of handfasting, a kind of way to be married in spirit without being married legally from ancient times in northern Europe. She beams up at her boyfriend, into his beautiful eyes, and says. ''Yes.'' Elias opens the box, revealing two white gold bands - hers having tiny pave diamonds around it. Elias takes her right hand in his, and says. ''I have loved you since the moment we met, Joanna, and I will love you forever. I, Elias Fredrik Pettersson, am yours forever, come what may. Mind, body, and soul; I pledge myself to you.'' He ever so gently slides her ring onto her right ring finger. The tiny diamonds glistening in the fading daylight.

Joanna, never breaking eye contact once, says to the love of her life. ''I never expected someone like you to notice me, Elias, but I'm glad you did, and always will be. I, Joanna Rose Blackwood, am yours forever, come what may. Mind, body, and soul; I pledge myself to you.'' She slips his ring onto his right ring finger. The plain band gleams against the nascent moonlight. The ones for their left hands will come, they know that now. Elias pulls his soulmate close to him, locking his arms around her slim waist. Joanna places her hands on his chest. Newly bound forever, they kiss deeply, Elias, showing off his new muscle tone, lifts her up bridal fashion, and carries her back into the house.

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

Once home in Vancouver in august, they drive down to Rogers Arena to see the boys. Wearing their handfast rings proudly, and not really caring who sees them. They walk in, smiling brightly, holding hands, and are met by a very serious atmosphere when they arrive in the common area. ''Well, this is not our usual vibe, what's going on?'' Joanna asks, grabbing some orange juice. Quinn, dressed more formally than the others, says. ''They've made their decision, about replacing Bo.''

Elias, who was fiddling with his ring, puts it together first, and gives Quinn a huge hug. ''Well done, brother, Bo would be so proud of you.'' Joanna kisses Quinn on the cheek. ''Congrats, Q.'' Quinn beams, and dusts himself off. ''Thanks guys, means a lot.'' Brock points out the new rings. ''So, you gonna tell us what those are for?'' Joanna waves her hand dismissively. ''Not our day, Boes, is it, darling?'' Elias nods, and says. ''Exactly, love. Something European, eh?'' Joanna nods.

Rutherford ruins the family reunion, calling Quinn, Thatcher, Elias, and JT for press. Elias asks Joanna. ''Do you want my ring?'' Joanna shakes her head. ''No, no one will notice it anyway. Or know why you're wearing it. I love you.'' Elias kisses her on the cheek, and says to her. ''I love you too.''

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

Turns out, Canuck fandom have incredible attention to detail. After the hype around Quinn being captain dies down a bit, Twitter starts looking to his second in command.

@NucksFan16: Okay, Petey's ring, can we just talk about that for a sec?

@HuggysGirlie: OMG, did Petey and Anna get married over summer of something?

@PeteyBeloved: Noooo! Elias is off the market? Brb, gonna yeet myself into the sun.

@Canucks4Ever: @PeteyBeloved, girl, he's been off the market for four years now. In this fandom, we stan Joanna, kay?

@Demko4Vezina: OMG, Daddy Demko, Quintaincy and Petey wedding? Hot Canuck summer, guys?

And there are hundreds of tweets. But, the couple don't dignify them with a response of any kind. Elias has the team to focus on, and Joanna has her journalism to worry about. As well as her book to write. If any of the boys, or their families, ask. They'll tell them. And not a second before.

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

And, the boys do ask. Well, they appoint poor Tito as their spokesman to ask about the rings. They're having a chill day together at Joanna and Elias' place, after their brutal 8-1 win against the Oilers to open the season. ''Hey, Petey, Anna - the boys have been wondering, what are the rings for? Are you two married now?'' Elias smirks, ever his Taurus' Scorpio. ''Oh, these? Oh, yeah, we handfasted in Agne over summer.''

Bella gushes. ''Oh, did you? That's so romantic! Isn't it, Brock?'' Brock look confused. ''You what now?''

Joanna briefly explains. ''We pledged our love to each other at the lake, we're sort of half married if you will. Hence why the rings are on our right hands.''

Quinn asks, seeming lost amidst all this. ''So, are you husband and wife now? Are you Joanna Pettersson now?''

Elias shakes his head. ''No, we're engaged, I suppose though? I just wanted to do this now, given how unpredictable our lives are in this sport.'' Joanna nods in agreement. ''So, Joanna is still Joanna Blackwood.'' Joanna assures the guys. ''When we have our real wedding, you'll all be there, promise.''

Tito says, understanding his friends for wanting to do things this way. ''Well, congrats on the handfast, guys.'' Joanna takes her fiance's hand, he laces their fingers together, they share their usual look. Blue into Green. Half Married sounds good for now.

[apurikottotii]

december song recs!

so... this month has been kind of hard. a lot of stress from anxiety about the things i can or cannot do, there's always this sense of hopelessness. but... i think i'm excited for 2024. i can't believe this year is already over! it's december man... it's the year's end already.

--- august, a certain place, moonlight - yorushika

what wonderful lyrics, yorushika never fails to disappoint me with their simple yet heartwrenching lyrics, nostalgic imagery, tackling problems that many people currently face. i love how they use lyrics that make the speaker sound uncertain like "i don't know", because it's a real feeling. my personal favorite line is something like "my life would've ended at 27, but rock and roll saved me". i know this is a reference to something, but honestly it makes me reflect on everything that's changed my life. i'm really thankful for all these animes and mangas and video games i've experienced. i wouldn't be here without them.

--- seventeen - yoasobi

what a banger song. recommendation from a friend, and it took me some time to get used to it, but i love it so much. it's so catchy and honestly the only words i understand are "happy/bad end", but it's pretty cool. so many weird key changes but it somehow works??? yoasobi works their magic again.

--- do do do - dansu

sorry y'all... it's the 2020 animatic music. i have no idea why it's so catchy. it has such a dreamy atmospheric feeling, and it's very nostalgic. i especially love the lyrics "is there more that meets the eye?" lyric. it's also very simplistic.

--- meltdown - iroha (sasaki)

it has taken me a long time to like this classic. a LONG time. it's quite a weird song. weird song format, melodies, chords, vibe, song length, but i think i honestly like it. there are some super catchy parts i can't help but hum. i don't know if i really understand why this song is a classic, but i certainly did listen to it a lot this month so it deserves a place.

honorary mention:

piklu's vacation song. no further comments.

[wychelm]

tagged by @bornforastorm (cheers bro!!)

Rules: post the first sentence of your last ten fics. If you haven't written ten fics, share as many first sentences as you have.

Okay, most of the fics I'm writing have not been published yet lol. society if I ever finished anything etc.

Fel Seren Yn Y Glas - Colin is no stranger to acute self-consciousness.

Basilica is a Place of Worship (unpublished) - Blackbeard wipes blood from his eyelids with the back of his hand and Izzy watches his bicep flex with the motion, watches him spit at the still-twitching corpse that had, moments ago, been attempting to embed its fingernails into his cheeks with all the force of a man desperately clawing away from certain death.

A Brother's Debts (unpublished) - Richie’s got the death shakes.

Blue is the Eye (unpublished) - Skeen stoops down among the mist-grey reeds, his bare feet planted firmly in the mud and the sediment of the lochan-bed, one hand plunged into the blue sucking water.

Dog and Lamb (unpublished) - Skeen already knows, but the confirmation is in his hand against the nape of Nemik’s neck.

Company (unpublished) - The word, he is familiar with.

Everything In Its Right Place (unpublished) - It takes only a lungful of stale sweat and lager to remember the loose roll of cloth wrapped up in his pocket.

Man in the Mirror (unpublished) - It’s August when he tells them.

Applausible Deniability (unpublished) - Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan.

Under the Moonlight (the Serious Moonlight) (unpublished) - “No,” Deacon says, stubbornly expecting that, against all odds, to be the end of it.

tagging @inkyfishesii @mistergoddess @ireallyamabear @lepainlapine @varietysky @toomanyfandomsneverenoughtime and anyone else who reads this

[midnight-and-his-melodiverse]

MIDNIGHT'S WRITING SUMMARY 2022

PART ONE: The Writing Stats

--Pre Writeblr--

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

--Post Writeblr--

☀️JULY ☀️

Notable excerpts from this month

Stars, Bits, and Bytes, Episode One:

“Why did we decide to do this again?” A young kid with a striped green shirt and black hair with one bang hanging loose between his two blue eyes said, looking up towards the taller girl beside him. “I remember you saying that you wanted to check out the Titania! But isn’t it still under construction?” The taller girl replied, as the two of them strolled side by side through the dense canopy of trees. The sun had crossed through the middle of the sky and as they continued walking, the reflection of the rays off a large steel-gray dot in the distance caught their eyes. The boy named Lyric smiled. “I think so, but I’ve wanted to take a look at it for a while, ever since we got that advertisement on TV about it.”

☀️AUGUST☀️

Notable excerpts from this month

Midnight and the Gift of the Melody Blade (old version):

The silvery radiant moonlight shone and reflected off the logo; a bright sunset, with piano keys replacing the rays of the sun, on top of the coffee shop. Through the large windows in the cafe looking into the many tables that were on the inside, the moonlight painted the wall with shadows.

Inside, there was a soft ambiance of chatter between the many people that were at the shop at that time of night. Underscoring that, was pleasant jazz music that played through the small speakers.

A bell tone rang through the cafe, as the double doors opened and a customer walked through. 

Melody Blade Saga Shorts #1:

Dev was dusting around and struggling to clean their mess of a headquarters, thinking that they would be better off having their own helper take care of that for them. Despite having a delight in causing chaos with their partner in anarchy Staticlight, they had a great soft spot for pets. Especially dogs. Which was why one day they showed up at Penwood City’s small pet store, with the intent of grabbing up their first pet.

“Hello there! What can I help ya with?” the lady at the front counter said, amidst all the happy chatterings of pets of all kinds. Dev paused and thought for a moment while looking at the cages behind the desk. A certain crimson like skin toned dog with a cute face that looked like a pillow of fur stood out to them. They excitedly pointed at that cage. “I’ll have that one, please!” Dev said. The lady walked over, picked up the cage and placed it on the desk. “Just a warning,” they began. “Most hellhounds are prone to intense anger issues, if you learn to help control them they’ll be fine!” Dev gave a thumbs up in response, placing the needed money on the desk and quickly disappearing out of the store, with their new pet in tow.

Back at their headquarters, Dev admired the hellhound. “Aww, you’re so adorable and fluffy!” They cradled their pet as it barked softly. They looked back at the mess of their room. “Wanna clean all this?” Dev asked the dog. Without a response the hellhound raced around the room, quickly tidying up most of the mess, killing a janitor in the process, then sprinting back into Dev’s arms licking them affectionately.

☀️SEPTEMBER☀️

Notable excerpts from this month

Stars, Bits, and Bytes, Episode Two:

“We’re counting on you to save us, Miss Arietta and Mister Quintus,” exclaimed an old and gruff voice, reminiscent of military generals out of the AI’s front-facing speakers. Through the confident and assertive cadence that came with his voice, they noticed that those vocal frequencies lightly rumbled through the ship, and that startled both the kids, but mostly Lyric.

Quintus leaned forward to click off the communications, with a sharp click that let him know that process had been successful. Turning his sight to the rainbow of buttons in front of him, he clicked a light blue one, and almost instantly, the harsh, and noisy melody of the engines let everyone know that life had officially been given to this long-dormant craft that had sat in construction for a long while.

—- —- —- —-

Almost ten minutes had gone by since the initial startup of the Titania, and Lyric looked outside the large plexiglass dome window. Many thoughts had run through his mind as he stared into the vast, and beautiful abyss of pure darkness speckled with many little dots of white light. Many of which seemed to twinkle a sort of greeting as they left behind the distant blue-purple marble of Terra Melodiae.

He had remembered that in science class, Lyric was never given the answer to how big the universe was. At the time, it seemed inconsequential to think that the universe had an unlimited breadth of many planets, stars, and other unexplored galaxies.

Yet, he had the perfect piece of logic to complete that puzzle. The one piece of logic that stated that yes, the universe is in fact an endless wasteland with an extraordinary abundance of intergalactic landmarks that have been untouched by human footprints.

As he zoned out on these many thoughts, he noticed that the number of specks of white light outside the window had grown significantly. That couldn’t have just been a dream, Lyric thought to himself.

The ship seemed to abruptly slow to a halt as it hit orbit and was taken into the merciful weightlessness of the final frontier. It was like they had dove into a large sea of stars, because they shined so marvelously against the dark sky.

They seemed to be slow dancing in space, like a graceful ballerina following steps with a leisurely waltz, because they were moving so slowly in the orbit, that it was hard to perceive if they were actually moving.

Goblin Theft Auto: Misfits of Penwood City:

Leshi Desxia was a very young goblin, in the beginnings of her double digit years, who was averse to large groups of people.

Whether it was in the form of innocent family reunions or celebrations which posed no harm whatsoever, many gatherings of friends bickering amongst themselves or in some cases at each other, if a conversation was heated enough, gangs, and or criminals shadowed under the veil of night, she would not budge in going out of her way to avoid such situations.

Although by her own accord, her life was pretty lonely. Even with loving parents, Leshi’s fear of large groups was strong enough that every day felt like she was isolated in a prison of her own fears and anxieties.

However, all this changed, for what she assumed was the better, when one sunny morning she was awoken from her slumber to the cracking of wood.

Leshi swiftly ran to investigate the commotion, and found one burly goblin and another smaller one with glasses on.

Stars, Bits, and Bytes: Side Stories #1

As Lyric and Ottava were flying the Titania on their way to the local lake, Lyric wondered if the many tourists would take notice of the very out-of-place steel blue spacecraft, landing at such a place. That didn’t matter to him, though. All that mattered, was that he was very nervous.

He had never, in his young life, ever seen a beach or lake, or learned to swim. His curiosity took hold, and he tried to interface with Intra, from his far seat in the middle of the ship.

“Intra, initiate.” His cadence speaking those words was a little shaky, but other than that it was a bit assertive, good enough to converse with Intra.

Almost instantly, a blue light pulsed, indicating that Intra was ready to respond.

“Intra, what is the weather like in Penwood City, and how hot will it be today?”

“Mister Lyric, the weather in Penwood City, is sunny with a chance of showers later on in the day, and the temperature is a moderate 23 degrees celsius. No major wind is forecasted. Does this satisfy you, Mister Lyric?”

He wasn’t expecting Intra to direct a question at him, but he answered anyway. “Yes, thank you Intra.”

🎃 OCTOBER 🎃

Notable excerpts from this month

None :( (this is the first month where my writing output drastically dwindled, due in part to one, working very extensively on one single project, and two, spending too much writing energy on making those Tiny Scene Sunday prompts way longer than I would've made them lol)

❄️ NOVEMBER ❄️

Notable excerpts from this month

Melodiverse Museum, Crossover Shorts #1

Midnight was graced with the immense beauty of a soft and serene forest landscape with muted rays of sunlight welcoming him into this new home. Behind him however, Staticlight seemed afraid, he shuddered in anxiety, briefly glitching with his body being wiped like a computer screen, then returning back to normal, and continued walking along with him being wary of every step.

“…Uh, Midnight.” Staticlight started, beginning to hide his face. “I hope you didn’t notice that little blip that happened there… I get very nervous around new environments.”

Midnight sweetly smiled. “Staticlight, that’s alright!” He placed his shoulder on Staticlight’s. “Would you like some comfort, so that you could get used to this new place?”

Staticlight sighed. “Yes, that would be very nice, thank you.”

He spotted a quaint small forest home, with vines draping over it’s windows that kept bugs out but it’s usual glass barriers were invisible, being replaced by a magical barrier. In the distance, he saw the figure of a short goblin girl and four other figures leading her away from the house.

What are they doing? Midnight thought, as he instinctively pulled out a sapphire blade with a purple aura of music notes hovering around it, called the Melody Blade and tugged Staticlight as he broke into a sprint while he straggling behind, determined to liberate this goblin girl from these supposed misfits.

Midnight and the Gift of the Melody Blade (new version!)

Penwood High, at least on the outside, looked like the way every school usually does to students entering high school: like a prison for your thoughts, mind, and creativity. But to Midnight however, he had a hunch that once he saw that pledge to all kinds of species diversity, that his educational experience was going to be a fun romp through interesting subjects.

Unfortunately for him though, due to a biological curse he inherited from his previous mother, everyday he had to keep his supernatural sibling named Staticlight from getting them both into trouble, and Midnight knew that of course was an exercise of futility.

🎄 DECEMBER 🎄

Notable excerpts from this month

Prompt VII from "prompts to shake things up", with the prompt list being created by @juicywritinghoard!

It had just hit the onset of evening, when Midnight had to take a trip to the emergency room, accompanied by Staticlight, after Midnight had felt a horrible headache come on.

Staticlight did his best to drive carefully within the maze of traffic that was Penwood City’s roads, to get Midnight safely to that location, and soon enough they pulled into Penwood City’s hospital parking lot.

Midnight had to lean against Staticlight for support as they sprinted into the emergency department, in which there were many other people waiting, in this sea of bright fluorescent lights, soft couches, and tightly compacted cubicles which occupied a small number of nurses.

He sat down at one of the cubicles, facing a human nurse with blonde hair, hazel eyes, and a green-red striped t-shirt on. She smiled before turning her gaze to her computer, mentally preparing to write notes about his situation.

“What’s your name?” She smiled, though of course there was a hint of seriousness within her tone.

Midnight responded back with the same formality.

“My name’s Midnight Altera Starleaf.”

He could hear the nurse typing from behind the plexiglass that separated them, and very quiet mumblings as she did so.

“Birthday?”

“June 19th, 2006.”

More typing.

“Why have you come to the emergency department?”

“Just a few hours ago, a horrible headache, with no cause from what I could remember, started up and left me unable to sleep soundly, so we left to drive here.”

There was more typing.

“Have you drank enough and eaten enough today?”

“Yes.”

There was a final moment of typing before she clicked a couple times, and under the glass slipped a sky blue bracelet with Midnight’s date of birth on it to him, which was tightened onto his wrist.

Melodiverse Holiday Specials #1: Midnight and the Snowflake Spirit

“T’was the night before Christmas, when all through the house…” Midnight was snug in his bed, in between a thing of heaven that was a large and fluffy baby blue blanket that laid over his body. Trying not to fall asleep, he couldn’t begin to deny the comfort that came from it, as he listened intently to Staticlight telling him a classic christmas story: one of a silent night, cozy fireplaces, children tucked into their beds, a man with a big white beard and red jumpsuit, and gifts left under an artificial tree.

“Not a creature was stirring… Not even a mouse.” Staticlight briefly paused. “Wait, wait, wait, hold on. The fuck is this christmas story?” Staticlight took a glance at the colorful book he was reading this story from. There was everything from snowmen, to kids dressed in snow-appropriate gear, with scarves, mittens, and knitted hats, and then there was reindeer and small little elves in the corner of the page.  

Why do children even read this? Staticlight thought, and closed the book, throwing it onto the soft carpeted floor. At that point, he didn’t care for the safety of a precious book. All he knew was the fact that he was angered by a simple Christmas story.

--------

PART TWO: The Monthly Overviews

So, for this I'm just going to skip past the "pre-writeblr" months and go straight to the "post-writeblr" months!

☀️JULY ☀️ - July was the first month in my new writeblr journey! I feel like I accomplished what I could when I was first finding my footing. This was also the month I began working on Stars, Bits, and Bytes!

☀️AUGUST☀️ - August was the second month, in which I did some writing here and there, but most of it was spent on writeblr ask games.

☀️SEPTEMBER☀️ - Now September. This was without a doubt my most productive month on writeblr, in the five months I've been here. I wrote a lot for Stars, Bits, and Bytes (specifically for Episode Two), Goblin Theft Auto, and a Stars, Bits, and Bytes side story!

Now that I've overviewed the summer months of my writeblr journey... time to get into how the remainder of the turning seasons went for my writeblr blog!

🎃 OCTOBER 🎃 - Coming off of the creative high of September's creative output that I had sustained through the month, I was creatively drained through much of October, and even took a short 4 day break off of Tumblr entirely to regain my creativity, during the week of October 10th - 17th (I returned from my break on the 16th lol)

❄️ NOVEMBER ❄️ - And with the end of that creativity drought brought on by October, November soon enough reinvigorated me to write some stuff! Within that month I started a new WIP, which I called the Melodiverse Museum (basically a gallery of sorts, for short Melodiverse stories) and began writing the first self-crossover short for it!

During November, I also managed to rewrite the entire beginning of Midnight and the Gift of the Melody Blade, so that was nice!

🎄 DECEMBER 🎄 - With a satisfying close to November, the month of Christmas was upon us and with the holidays fast approaching, I began writing holiday specials for the Melodiverse. Three were planned, but only one ended up getting half-finished, and that was one called "Midnight and the Snowflake Spirit". Hmm, maybe I'll finish that holiday special within January...

Overall I feel content with the amount of writing I managed to accomplish for this year, and I am greatly excited for the future writing ventures that will make their way to this blog, when Arc II of my blog begins!!

[hana-the-ghostieee]

dakaboku/elma tl masterpost :P

this is the long-awaited masterpost for all of my dakara boku wa ongaku wo yameta/elma translation posts. ...that's all. i haven't tl'd the instrumentals yet cuz obviously they don't have lyrics do you want me to go ~~~~dun dun duuuun dundun dun bweeh bweeeeh dun bwehhhh.~~~~~~~ bwoooooaaaaaawaowaowaowaoowowowow.

anyways.

藍二乗 (Deep Indigo/Ai Nijou) & 憂一乗 (Only Sorrow/Yuu Ichijou)

八月、某、月明かり (August, A Certain Place, Moonlight) & 夕凪、某、花惑い (Evening Calm, A Certain Place, Fireworks)

詩書とコーヒー (Songwriting and Coffee/Shikaki to Koohii) & 雨とカプチーノ (Rain and Cappuccino/Ame to Kapuchiino)

踊ろうぜ (Let's Dance/Odorouze) & 神様のダンス (Dance of the Gods/Kamisama no Dansu)

六月は雨上がりの街を書く (In June, I'll Write About the Town After the Rain/Rokugatsu wa Ameagari no Machi wo Kaku) & 雨晴るる (After the Rain/Ame Haruru)

五月は花緑青の窓辺から (In May, from the Emerald Green Window/Gogatsu wa Hana Rokushou no Madobe kara) & 歩く (Walk/Aruku)

夜紛い (False Night/Yoru Magai) & 心に穴が空いた (A Hole Opened Up in My Heart/Kokoro ni Ana ga Aita)

パレード (Parade) & 声 (Voice/Koe)

エルマ (Elma) & エイミー (Amy)

だから僕は音楽を辞めた (That's Why I Gave Up on Music/Dakara Boku wa Ongaku wo Yameta) & ノーチラス (Nautilus)

mhmm that's all the songs wahoo yay wonderhoy wee.

[janylusifer]

The Influence of the Blue Moon on Gemstone Jewelry in Vedic Astrology

The soft, calming light of the moon in the nighttime sky not only makes us feel good but is also believed to have an effect on our gemstone jewelry. During special events like the super blue moon that occurred on August 30th, according to Vedic astrology, moonlight can recharge the energies of gemstones, make them pure, and make their natural powers stronger.

Certain gemstones are thought to work well with moonlight, and they are associated with different phases of the moon:

Selenite: Selenite is believed to have a strong connection to the moon. People often use it to cleanse and purify other gemstones and objects by exposing them to moonlight.

Clear Quartz: Clear quartz is considered an energy amplifier. It's thought that during a full moon, it can absorb the moon's energy and pass it on to other gemstones when they are placed together.

Moonstone: As the name suggests, moonstone is believed to be closely related to the moon. It is often left out to soak up moonlight during the full moon because it's thought to work well with lunar energy.

Amethyst: Amethyst is a gemstone known for its spiritual significance. Some people choose to expose it to moonlight during different phases of the moon to enhance its spiritual properties.

CONCLUSION

These practices are rooted in ancient beliefs and spirituality, and they're not scientifically proven. The idea is that the moonlight can refresh and empower these gemstones. However, the effects of moonlight on gemstones are based on personal beliefs and interpretations, and not everyone may subscribe to these ideas. One thing that we consider is always wearing Natural Gemstone Jewelry.

SOURCE: https://heldiyacruz.livejournal.com/3875.html

[demoths]

Pinedevil

Final part

He turned back toward camp and walked as quickly as he could without falling over roots and rocks. Before he’d made it to the edge of the trees, another scream came from up and to his left, even closer. The shrill cry sounded like it was coming down from the sky itself, a meteoric shower of excruciating noise. The scream became louder as it stretched on, a long, piercing screech that nullified other senses. He tried looking up and around, certain the sound had come from somewhere above his head, but saw nothing. He couldn’t hear anything else, only the scream. It left his ears aching, and when a second scream joined in, even closer now, the horrific harmony made his head feel like it would explode. He stopped moving, his hands clamped tightly over his ears, his eyes squeezed shut against the noise.

The screaming went on and on, and he imagined he could feel the sound waves physically tearing into his skull. The weight of the noise seemed to bear him to the ground like a tangible force, pressing him violently onto his knees. His right kneecap smashed painfully into a rock or root, and he opened his eyes in the momentary blast of clarity. He gazed around him, dazed, confused, and saw a ghastly pale figure in the trees directly above him, perched like a naked, tailless monkey. It looked like a small human, no more than a child. Its head was round as a ball, and it seemed to split in half as it emitted another screeching blast. Row upon row of tiny, razor teeth glinted in the moonlight, a kaleidoscope of horrific blades. The air around the mouth seemed to ripple like asphalt in August, as though the scream was shredding the very atmosphere itself. He tried to get to his feet, abject terror overriding the pain in his head. As he pushed himself off the ground, something heavy dropped onto his back, forcing him back to the ground. His shoulder hit hard rock, but he barely felt the jarring impact as his skin was torn in a dozen places, raked into ribbons by clawed fingers and toes. Another tearing pain arced across his entire skull, and finally he added his own scream to the cacophony that had driven the rational world from existence. 

The young woman waved her hand when the taller man offered her the joint. She was already higher than she would have liked, and had no intention of floating further from sobriety. He shrugged, and took another rip. Without warning, another horrific scream echoed across the land. This one came not from up shore or across the lake, but from directly behind them, in the woods behind camp. She whipped around, nearly losing her footing in the sudden turn. She saw the younger boy staring into the woods, his knife in one hand, a four foot long branch in the other. The end of the branch ended in a rounded, flaming point. The tall man swore, turning as well. He stepped forward, joint smoking from the corner of one lip. He reached under his shirt and brought forth a handgun. Another scream joined the second one, creating a noise unlike anything they had ever heard. The boy dropped his flaming stick, and clamped his hands to the sides of his head. His knife was still in hand, and he managed to avoid stabbing himself as he covered his ears. The tall man stumbled as though he’d been physically struck, then fell to one knee, his gun falling to the stone beside him. The screaming was a higher pitch than it had been previously, seemingly just on the edge of audibility. The awful screech seemed to grow layers, as if multiple voices were joining in the cry. The two adults were clutching their ears and trying their best to maintain sanity, but the boy seemed to be recovering. His hands came away from his ears, and dark blood coated them and trickled down the sides of his neck. He looked around, confused, and saw the adults huddled together in what could only be described as pure torment. Tears streaked down both of their faces, and the tall man seemed to be screaming as well, though the boy couldn't hear it. He reached down and grabbed his flaming stick, then ran to them. 

As he drew near them, they seemed to relax some. The boy could sense no change, his ears were ringing painfully but the fear in him was stronger. The two older individuals were looking around in confusion, and the tall man scooped his gun from the rocks and pulled the slide back, racking a bullet. He mouthed something to the boy, waited. The boy looked at him, confused, unable to read his lips. The short woman mouthed something, and when the tall man looked down at her and responded in similar silence, the boy began to think that maybe they weren’t simply mouthing after all. He touched his ears again, felt the sticky blood, and terrifying realization struck. He tried to speak, and although he could feel the vibrations in his throat, the painful tone in his ears didn’t change at all. The adults reacted as though they’d heard, and the boy knew beyond a doubt that he was deaf. 

The short woman crouched with the boy, looking at his face and mouthing other words. Hot tears were streaming down his face, half horror at losing his hearing, half terror for what had taken the ability. The tall man had retrieved a flashlight. He held the light in his left hand, aiming it into the trees, his hand holding the weapon braced on the wrist holding the light. He looked like he was shouting into the trees, and the boy assumed he was shouting for the younger man. He continued shouting, and the boy assumed there was no response, as he began to appear more and more agitated. The woman was saying something, but the boy had no idea what it might be. She realized her words were having no effect, and she pointed down the the lake, to where their two canoes were perched on the beach. Then she pointed into the middle of the lake and pushed the boy toward the small boats, and he understood. She wanted him to get in a canoe and get away from land. He shook his head, asked about the young man. She nodded her head and said something the boy assumed were words of comfort, then pushed him again. The boy reluctantly went to the canoes.

Once the boy was safely in the boat with paddle in hand, the short woman pushed the vessel off the stone shore, watched him paddle away. She turned back to the taller man who was standing by the fire, yelling into the darkness. She began to make her way toward him, holding the boy’s flaming brand. 

She was almost to the man when the world exploded into burning, white-hot noise. 

This assault was unlike the previous screams. The noise came from nowhere and everywhere all at once, and she was helpless against the assault. The tall man was no longer tall as he rocked back and forth on his knees, flashlight and gun forgotten. She tried to get away, stumbled in utter confusion toward the lake. She looked back at the tall man, at the beam of light shining up into the trees. A pale form streaked across the circle of light, the shape reminiscent of an ape swinging across trees. Another form, more concealed by the uneven flickering of firelight, darted toward the tall man, flattened him. She looked back toward the shore, already disoriented, and in a strange instant of cognition in panic, she reflected how incredibly confusing a loud noise can be, how it can shut down more senses than hearing, and she thinks of all the times she’s turned down her music to focus on visual stimuli. She begins laughing as she staggers toward the edge of the stone cliff overlooking the lake, howling with silent laughter as loud as life, screaming with hysterical amusement as she plummets over the edge of the twenty foot drop, cackling with utter abandon as she falls, and falls, and falls.

[sunshinecoastqldnews]

New main revelation about Mathias Pogba

Positioned in pre-trial detention and indicted for tried extortion in an organized gang, Mathias Pogba has realized very dangerous information. The Pogba affair is right here to remain. It began on August 27 when Mathias Pogba posted movies on social media the place he promised to make enormous revelations about his brother Paul. The remainder, we all know. Mathias accuses the Juventus participant of a number of severe details and specifically of getting known as on a marabout to harm Kylian Mbappé. Then, we realized that La Pioche had been held up till 4 a.m. of the match final March on the sidelines of a gathering of the France crew. Taken into play by two hooded and armed males, he’s requested to pay 13 M€, together with 3 M€ in money. That is how a lot he owes these males for years of defending him. Within the course of, Paul Pogba, who had for a time considered paying this sum, entrusted this case to justice. He was additionally heard by the police on August 9, he who indicated that he thought he noticed his brother Mathias among the many males who held him by pressure. Which was finally denied. Anyway, Mathias Pogba was positioned in pre-trial detention and indicted for tried extortion of funds in an organized gang. Mathias Pogba continued to threaten his brother This didn’t stop him from persevering with to assault the participant of the France crew. Certainly, on September 23, he made new startling revelations about his brother on social networks. Messages, programmed by the bot of his profile, had been broadcast on social networks. This, whereas he was nonetheless in pre-trial detention. He had notably confided that Paul Pogba used his childhood pals. “He was moonlighted as a slave for years and now you wish to make him appear to be a thief to cover all of the soiled work he did for you regardless of himself.” He then added: “This particular person, my brother, has develop into a follower of witchcraft lately, turning into the follower of a wizard, often known as the marabout Ibrahim, known as Grande, an in depth pal of former participant Alou Diarra, who would have identified him because of the participant Serge Aurier. It was this wizard I used to be referring to as somebody who labored to isolate my brother. (…) As for what my brother did, amongst what is for certain is that the criminals performing in his identify induced bloodshed. (…) My brother, on a number of events, forged spells on his soccer teammates, together with the prodigy Kylian Mbappé, whether or not out of jealousy or to win a match. His request for launch was denied. A brand new media launch which had not gone unnoticed and which didn’t stay with out consequence. Certainly, Le Parisien reveals that the movies revealed by Mathias Pogba whereas he was detained weren’t appreciated by the investigating judges in control of the case. They thus refused the request for the discharge of Paul Pogba’s older brother made by his lawyer Me Yassine Bouzrou. The analyzing magistrates imagine that he once more exerted stress on the center of the Blues with these new movies revealed on the finish of September. Le Parisien has additionally obtained the order dated September 29 and wherein we study that “movies displaying the indicted in addition to a number of messages (…) containing renewed types of stress with regard to Paul Pogba had been revealed on September 23 on Twitter and TikTok accounts often utilized by the particular person involved” and that “these current parts elevate much more severe questions concerning the latter’s involvement, his intentions vis-à-vis the plaintiff and on his place in relation to the details for which he’s indicted”. For all these causes, Mathias Pogba’s request for launch was rejected. With FootMercato Originally published at Sunshine Coast QLD News

[mingigoo]

We fell in love in August || song mingi || (m)

A/N In honor of Mingi’s bday and for hitting 500+ followers (thank you omg) here’s a very healthy fic that I already love. I hope you guys love it too!! (Also this is unedited my bad I just wanted you post it today)

Also thank you to @mingkiyoo for requesting this, I had a blast writing it :)

🍊Pairing ⇢ best friend’s brother! Mingi x (fem) writer! reader x seonghwa

🍊Synopsis ⇢ Believing that you were destined to be with your best friend seonghwa all your life, his little brother Mingi was never a thought in your mind. After reuniting with the brothers after years of being abroad, you had your mind set to get together with seonghwa—until Mingi stole your heart without warning.

🍊Genre/au ⇢ best friends brother au, summer au, beach house au, smut, fluff

🍊Warnings/tags ⇢ 18+ minors dni, healthy relationship, pining, drinking, mingi is a sweetie, love triangle (barely), picnic, mingi has a cat, height difference, hopelessly romantic, super fluffy, also super smutty but in a romantic way, shower sex, unprotected sex, oral sex (male receiving) total summer read lemme tell you

🍊Word count ⇢ 14.7k

🍊 Taglist ⇢ @mingkiyoo @atinywhore @ch0isa99ie @jjhmk @roe-sinning @yeritheloml @meowmeowminnie @yesv01 @yukine-smx

Summer. The word itself feels warm. Like being curled up in a blanket next to a fireplace, or even the warm, harsh sun rays that break through the windows.

Summer to you was an escape. A getaway. A time when you didn't have to worry about anything—except your feelings for seonghwa.

He was your sun. Your world. The boy you pictured yourself marrying, and even daydreamed about what kind of dress you would wear to your wedding. He was perfect in every way, but the thing was, he was your best friend. Friends don't stay friends when complicated feelings are involved. 

All your little life you dreamed about him. Longed for him in ways no friend should think about. You always thought you kept it buried pretty deep that no one would be able to notice, but you didn't think about a certain younger boy that knew everything behind those eyes of yours. 

It was as if he knew your soul like the back of his hand, while you barely knew him.

Seonghwa was your sun; you were Mingi’s moon. His moonlight—his everything.

You left six years ago, on a journey across the world to the bustling city of New York, you fell in love with everything around you.

But not enough to stay. 

After those years of growing up, you ran through college like it was a marathon. Getting your life on track knowing that you couldn't stay in the states your whole life—maybe because of your lack of english knowledge—you decided to fly back to your hometown. 

You had no plan, no idea in your mind. You just got up and left, hoping everything would fall into place. Maybe you'd bump into seonghwa again, and maybe he would still think of you as his best friend. It was better than nothing, at least.

Stepping onto the rough gravel, you shut the door of the taxi cab with your luggage in the other hand. The air already felt different—like home. The scent felt like a warm embrace, even if you had nowhere to go. It smelled a bit fishy with a hint of salt from the ocean, but you loved it. Craved it.

It was summer. 

Your mom left your childhood home a few years back. She told you it started to get a bit lonely ever since your father left, and decided to move back in with her sister in the heart of Seoul. You couldn't lie, it was a good idea. Your aunt was a riot, so you figured your mom was enjoying herself—and enjoying her homemade fruity cocktails you always wanted as a kid.

You took a breath as you faced the slightly run-down airbnb you booked for a few weeks out of the summer—the perks of being a bestselling author. You've been in a slump for a while, the lack of romance in your life caused your mind to fall behind. This summer, you wanted to find love. Well, at least some form of it.

Lugging your luggage behind you, you checked into the home and walked in. The strong scent of wood erupted your senses, a feeling of nostalgia taking over your heart. It enveloped you as you walked in, your chest feeling heavy. The smell reminded you of your old home here in Jeju, and you had wished you never left. You wondered about the what if’s, but there was no point drowning into any of it.

After settling in and cleaning up a bit of the dust around the house, you sat down on the couch as you wondered what to do. You had your mind set on meeting your childhood best friend again, and you thought about how good he looked now years later. He was slightly younger than you—only by about five months—but you always rubbed it in your face that you were older. His brother was two and a half years younger than you, and you always thought of him as a cute baby brother. 

To be fair, the last time you saw him, he was only sixteen and still hasnt grown into his body. You had no concept of time, and it was hard to imagine him as a twenty-two year old grown man now. Did his ears still turn pink when he blushed? Did he still run around like a maniac as if he never got tired? Is he still as clumsy as ever?

Your mind wandered all around Mingi; the sweet little boy that seemed to be attached to your hip. He wasn't too much younger than you, but a part of you has never thought of him as anything more than a little brother.

Well, until now.

You left the house, your mind on mingi now moving towards the brother you thought you were destined to.

—

You walked around the outside market by the seaside a few days later, the air now really smelling fishy. You tossed in a few things into your basket, not exactly organized in any way.

After tossing in some green onions from the produce stand, someone ran right into you from behind, causing you to tumble onto the ground, dropping all your groceries out from your basket in the process.

“Oh, shit, I’m sorry,” a deep voice rumbled from above you, and you looked up to notice a boy with dark brown hair. A few light brown streaks scattered through his gorgeous locks, and his lips were a soft pink. He looked all too familiar, and held out his hand to you, frowning when you weren't taking it. “Are you alright?”

You let out a breath you didn't realize you were holding, meeting his piercing gaze. His hand twitched now as he peered at you, taking notice of your features—features he could never forget. “Y/N?” he questioned, his deep voice raising a pitch or two. His lips were parted in a smile, his eyes glittering under the fluorescent lights from the fish tanks around you.

It seemed like a movie. From the way everyone stopped and stared, to the way this handsome stranger held his hand out to you—although he’s not a stranger at all. It took you a second to put two and two together, and the minute you took his hand, you felt the warmth flow through you.

Once he pulled you up from the ground, you really noticed how tall he was. He towered over you like some sort of skyscraper, his hand still holding onto yours like his life depended on it. You frowned up at him, peering through the curtains of his hair to stare into his honey-like eyes.

And there it was. The minute you knew him.

You could recognize those eyes anywhere.

“Mingi?!” you gasped, pulling your hand away from his to take a step away from him in shock. It’s been six years since you saw him, and the last time you did see him, he was only about half the size he is currently. His hair changed, and it made you wonder what else changed about him. “Holy shit.”

He was taken aback, looking around shyly before letting out an anxious giggle. “Is that reaction a good or bad one?” he asked you, fiddling with his fingers. You looked up to him—literally. He was no longer that baby brother. He was a totally different person.

“What happened to your teeth?” you mumbled, eyes wide as you noticed how pin-straight they were. They were also blinding white, matching the t-shirt that seemed a bit too snug on his toned body. Since when was he built??

“I got my braces off a few years back,” he spoke, running a hand through his unique head of hair. It was longer now, falling past his ears. “Also grew a few inches. I’m taller than Seonghwa now.”

Seonghwa. He was barely a thought in your mind as you looked at the younger brother. You had to admit, you were a bit curious about Seonghwa's whereabouts, and what better than having Mingi right in front of you for the answers. 

You took a step closer to him, totally forgetting about the scattered groceries on the ground. “Speaking of seonghwa,” you carried on, getting a bit nervous. “How is he? Is he still around?”

He frowned.

“Oh, he um, he’s working on a business trip in Seoul for the time being. It’s just me and the cat,” he let out a chuckle, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. “My parents went on a trip to some tropical place, I don't know.”

You watched his eyes dance around yours until he bent down to pick up your groceries. “So, it’s just baby Mingi, huh?” you bent down to help him, standing back up after everything was collected.

He nodded, sticking his large hands into the pockets of his jeans. They were a bit baggy on his body, sitting loosely on his hips. You couldn't stop looking at him. Staring at him. You could tear your gaze from him. There was nothing “little” about him anymore, you had no reason to keep that nickname anymore…

Should you call him big mingi? Enormous, large, gigantic, monumentous—

“It’s just me,” he shrugged, handing you the basket. “I go back to school in the fall, so I'm home to take care of the cat and the house.”

You looked around the market, realizing it's getting a bit crowded. You reached out without thinking and gripped onto mingi’s hand, pulling him through the crowd and out towards the exit, setting down your basket before exiting. 

“Aren't you gonna get that?” he asked you.

You shook your head, walking further out. You reached a quiet spot, the blue sea visible and the burnt orange sky glistening onto the water. 

“Sorry, I should have remembered you don't like crowds,” He murmured, the corner of his lip upturned in a smirk.

You furrowed your eyebrows as you noticed how tan his skin looked. “You remember that?”

He nodded, looking at you with unknown emotions. “Yeah.”

You took a second to collect the thoughts in your mind. You watched him as he looked at you, and your eyes trailed to his lips as he licked them.

Goddamn. 

“So you're in college? What are you, a third year?”

“No,” he smiled. “It’s gonna be my last year. History Major.”

You smiled. You did remember how much he loved to learn about history. It always intrigued him to the point of no return. It just makes so much sense that it’s what he chose to do the rest of his life.

He moved his gaze to the ocean, a look of content across that face of his. It felt strange—the feeling when you looked at him. It felt like you barely knew him, even if you spent eighteen years in this place with him by your side for sixteen. Your mothers were best friends growing up, causing you and the boys to grow up together as well.

 It was your choice to leave, but it was also your choice to come back, even if the reason to come back was for Mingi’s brother, he wasn't even here anyway. You were strangely okay with that, as mingi offered a source of comfort.

“So, how was New York city?” he asked, his voice deeper than ever. It was hard to imagine that younger self of his now after seeing this version. “Did you meet a city boy with a yacht?” 

You laughed, looking out to sea with him. You watched the waves ripple through the sand, the sound music to your ears. “No, sadly. Although that would've been romantic.”

He smiled as you spoke.

Your voice was music to his ears.

You turned towards him when you felt his gaze on you. You didn't notice his ears turn pink.

“Romantic, huh,” he trailed off, biting the inside of cheek. You peered through his eyes, noticing how pretty they were as the orange hues from the sunset reflected onto them. He looked tan–his skin like honey and kissable lips. You were drawn into him like a fish on a hook, and it made you uneasy. You've never felt this way—you were certain it was just the nostalgia.

“So, where are you staying? I saw that your old house was sold,” He said, his eyes sparkling. They reminded you of the sea.

You sighed, looking back to the ocean. It looked prettier than ever—maybe it was because you were with him. “Just in an airbnb until I find my own place,” you hummed, watching the waves crash onto the shore. “Lame, I know.”

He stuck his hands in his pockets, kicking at the rocks on the ground. It was a bit awkward meeting him right away, but something told you it was fate. 

Maybe he was your fate.

“It’s not lame, but…”he trailed off, seeming a little nervous. “I mean you could always stay at mine. I know that you used to hate being alone….” he spoke carefully, making sure you were comfortable. “I’m not telling you that you have to–I mean, I must be a stranger to you now but um…If you start to feel lonely, I'll be your company.”

His smile cut through you like a knife. You almost stopped breathing for a second, his kindness overtaking you. You weren't used to men being this friendly without motives. He was genuinely making sure you were okay, and he even remembered how much you hated being alone. Sure, you grew out of that fear, but he didn't need to know that.

You thought about it. You already spent the money for the stay, but maybe you could cut it short. This summer would be more fun with him, anyway.

“That sounds nice,” you smiled, fixing the strap of your sundress. “I’ll have to see if I can cut my stay time. I’d rather not spend the money if I don't need to.”

He laughed. It sounded so sweet. “I um, yeah. Think about it and let me know.”

Silence enveloped you both. The air felt smooth and easy to breathe, and you couldn't remember the last time you truly felt at ease. The gears in your mind started to turn, thinking about writing about this moment—he could be the perfect inspiration for a summer romance novel.

Fuck the airbnb, it was time to make a bestselling book.

“Actually,” you rubbed your elbow anxiously as you tried to form the right words in your mind. “I’ll get my stuff out of there tonight, if that’s okay with you.”

His eyes lit up like he was shocked you wanted to stay with him. You didn't want to tell him the reason for your quick response, but he had to know how beautiful he was. He seemed like the perfect protagonist—salty hair and tanned skin, his heart upon his sleeve—you were already planning on the plot as you looked at him.

So perfect.

“How much stuff do you have? I can help.”

–

You watched as Mingi lifted your suitcase into the back of his sleek SUV, dusting off his hands after shutting the trunk. It was unusual to see him so…manly. He was always such a lanky string bean, and now, your mind and heart had a hard time understanding his change.

He looked back to you, opening the passenger door for you to get in. “Only one suitcase? Were you planning on only staying a few days?” He asked you as you got in, holding his hand out to prevent you bumping your head.

To be fair, you had a moving truck ready for all your stuff when you were able to find a place to move in to. You weren't sure how long it would take you to find a place, and you were secretly hoping that your old house was up for sale.

“No, I'll be here permanently after I find an actual home,” you laughed, settling into the car.

He sat in the driver's seat then, and as he drove away, you watched how his fingers wrapped around the wheel ever so slightly. You wanted to touch his hand. Hold his hand. You wanted to touch more than his hand.

Dear god, these thoughts have to stop, or you might do something you regret.

The house was just as beautiful as it was years ago—flowers lining up the walkway to the brick steps. You smiled as you saw a cute little orange cat in the window.

Mingi rolled the suitcase behind him, chuckling as he saw your enjoyment. “There's my baby,” he cooed, and your heart fluttered for a moment too long. You knew he wasn't talking to you, but you kind of wished he was. 

Once you both reached the door, he moved close to you to open the door. You felt your heart race as his shoulder bumped into yours.

You watched the cat jump out of the window when it noticed Mingi.

He opened the door, hinting at you to enter first. You were immediately welcomed by the whimsical orange cat, who rubbed against your legs like it’s seen you before. You've never met such a friendly cat. You wanted to steal it.

“Ah, that’s Clementine. I just call her tiny,” he reached down to pet his sweetheart of a cat, and she meowed at his touch. “Awe Hi tiny girl. I promise I’ll feed you something tasty–ah, be nice, we have a special guest.”

Just by the way he treated the cat made you feel at home. He looked over to you, and all you wanted to do was brush the stray hairs away from those kind eyes of his.

You looked around the beach house, gazing at the picture frames that were scattered along the walls. Everything felt the same, as if it were never moved. It was nice to see his family still intact—even if they weren't all together physically. It was like a breath of fresh air.

“You can sleep in the guest room. No one’s ever used it,” he smiled at you, making his way to the steps, picking up your heavy suitcase with ease. “I just hope you'll be comfortable.”

“Oh, anything is better than that overpriced airbnb,” you giggled, following him up the stairs. 

You trailed behind him as he walked down the upstairs hallway, turning into a pale orange room. The walls were barren, but the bed was made nicely. It was almost bigger than your full studio apartment in NYC, you were grateful for that.

You so didn't have to be here right now.

You took a mind note on how inviting he was, making sure you add that characteristic to your love interest.

“If you need anything, let me know. I’m here for you.”

Fucking hell, he had a way with words.

He started to walk out of the room, but he peeked his head back for a moment. “Oh, my friends are coming over tonight, if you don't mind.”

Friends? Little mingi was a social butterfly now?

You nodded, unable to hide your happiness for him. “Of course, it’s not my place to argue with that, anyway,” you mumbled, unzipping your suitcase to start to unpack. “Oh, and when is seonghwa coming back? It would be awkward if he just showed up while i’m here.”

His smile fell for a second, but he brought it right back. “Oh, um. In three weeks or so,” he murmured, clearing his throat slightly. “I’m sure he’d be happy to see you, y/n.”

You smiled to yourself, but in your heart, you felt not one, but two of the brothers stirring around. You were used to one, but having the two of them in your heart felt heavy. You had to think with your mind instead, anyway. 

You were sure that you’d be happy to see Seonghwa, but right now, you were content with Mingi. He felt like the only person in the world, and you craved that type of comfort.

—

You snapped awake when you suddenly heard a loud thump from downstairs, followed by a bit of laughing. You jumped out of the bed quickly, just in case mingi hurt himself. You didn't want to baby him, you were sure he was having a blast with his friends, but you couldn't help but worry. It was instilled in your mind ever since you were younger—he was always breaking things.

You stumbled down the steps and made your way into the living room. “Mingi? Is everything okay—” you stopped in your tracks as you noticed three more sets of eyes than normal.

“Ah, who’s this, hyung?” one of the boys hummed flirtatiously. “Your girlfriend?”

“Stop it Wooyoung, can you ever be serious?” the other one said with irritation laced through his smooth voice.

“Why else would there be a girl here at midnight?” 

“Uh, hello,” you looked at Mingi, who was smiling at you with slight embarrassment. You weren't sure how to introduce yourself, so you prayed that he would do it for you.

He furrowed his eyebrows for a minute, then looked over to his two friends. “Guys, this is Y/N. She's an old friend of mine and Seonghwa.”

“Ah, I see,” the brown haired boy nodded, a mischievous smirk on his face. You had to admit, every person in this room looked like they were pulled out of a novel. It was hard to know which one to look at. “So, why are you here….this late?”

“Oh I—”

“She’s staying here with me,” Mingi shrugged confidently, flashing you a comforting smile.

You stared at him. Something in your heart just shifted.

“Anyway, Y/N, these are my friends, Wooyoung and San. and I’m sorry if I woke you, I accidentally tripped on the carpet.”

You chuckled. Ah, same old Mingi.

You offered a smile to his friends, and you turned to Mingi, who wouldn't take his eyes off you. “Oh, alright. Just be careful,” you yawed, giving them a little goodbye before trudging up the steps and back into your comfy bed.

You heard them laugh and carry on as you tried to fall back asleep, smiling at how happy Mingi seemed. It was nice to see him again, and even though it was by chance that you ran into him at the market, you haven't felt this comfortable in ages. It was healthy—so unlike your past relationship while you lived in new york.

You dreamed of Mingi—who felt like a warm summer night.

—

The week passed quickly. Staying with Mingi came with routines, and every morning you woke up, he’d have a plate of food ready for you on the table. He wasn't so sure about what kind of food you liked now, but his effort was what made it count.

He was gone most of the time before you were even awake. He helped the grannies at the market every morning, making sure they weren't carrying anything heavy. He was the kindest soul you've ever known, and your mind started to wonder why you never thought of him in any other way other than a brother.

Mingi still wasn't home as the sun set on the horizon, and you started to worry if he was okay. He definitely was, but you had a habit of making up the worst possible situations in your mind. 

Thunder boomed loudly, nearly shaking the house. You let out a yelp, holding onto yourself as it startled you. You were never fond of thunderstorms; they always scared the shit out of you. The minute another boom rang through, you ran up the steps to take shelter under your blankets. Clementine sat at the edge of your bed, not even budging as you moved around.

You didn't know why you were so scared of it, maybe it was because it was thundering the day your dad left. It was deeper than just a little fear, but it still didn't take away the embarrassment of being scared of something so typical—especially at your dinosaur age.

You heard the roar of an engine pull into the driveway, the sound of the rain pitter-pattering against the car. You slid out of the bed to peeke out the window, feeling relief wash over you as you noticed it was Mingi. 

You rushed out of the room in your pajamas, running down the stairs and into the kitchen to act like you weren't scared of anything. After pouring some juice into a mug, you heard the front door open, followed by the squeak of wet shoes.

“Y/N?” his soft voice called. “Are you down here?”

You swallowed the sip of juice, nearly choking on your words. “I’m in the kitchen!” you called out to him, cradling the cup tightly as another boom of thunder erupted.

You squeezed your eyes shut, and opened them as if nothing was wrong when he entered the room.

He seemed cautious, like he already knew you were scared. Maybe he did, and you found it cute how much he remembered about you. It almost made you feel lacking, since you could barely remember anything about him.

“Are you alright?” he asked you softly, taking a step closer to you. 

His hair was soaked, a shade darker than normal. He walked closer and closer until he was an arms length away. Close enough to see the raindrops in his eyelashes.

God, he was so pretty. 

“Yeah,” you gulped, squeezing the cup in your hands. “Just peachy.”

He frowned, looking down at your hands. To your surprise, he reached out, sliding his hands around yours. “Let go, I know how you feel about thunderstorms, y/n.”

Your eyes widened as he took the mug from your hands, replacing it with his own.

You paused, looking down at his hand in yours. “Why…why do you remember so much?” you whispered, watching as his thumb rubbed your knuckle. He was so gentle, you weren't used to it.

He laughed at that, but didn't answer your question. What he did do was tilt your chin up with his free hand, making your heart beat faster than the thunder made it.

“It’s late. You should get some sleep,” he smiled gorgeously, tearing at your heart more and more. There was just something about his demeanor that made you want to jump his bones right then and there, but the other thing was…that you really just wanted to keep holding his hand.

He didn't let go as you walked back up the steps and into the room, but stopped in your tracks as thunder ran through again and again.

“Um, goodnight, I guess.” with all your strength, you pulled your hand out of his hold. It seemed like he didn't want to let go.

You got yourself comfy in the bed while he stood in the doorway. He sighed as he looked at you, and then looked over to the windowsill, where clementine was sleeping peacefully. “Should I…stay?” he mumbled. You barely heard him.

Your heart pounded in your chest as he stared at you across the room. It was dead silence, the only thing making noise was the rain pounding against the roof. 

You took a second to respond. Unable to form words, you nodded, and he took a step further into the room, shutting off the light before walking towards the edge of the bed. He hesitated, and went to lay onto the floor.

“No, don't lay on the cold floor, Mingi,” you huffed out, reaching out to grab his arm to stop him. You let out a shaky breath. “Just…sleep up here with me.”

He swallowed hard, looking down at the hand that held his wrist. After a second, he nodded, slipping under the covers next to you.

He laid stiffly on his back and his eyes trained to the ceiling, but after a large bolt of lightning and a bang of thunder, he reached to hold onto you, tucking your head into his chest. You were honestly just fine with having him by your side, but he was caring enough to hold you like this. It kind of made you want to cry—you haven't been held in ages. 

“Shh, it’s alright,” he hummed into your ear softly, resting his head on top of yours. One arm was wrapped around your waist, the other cradling your head. His soft breaths hit your skin, offering a cozy feeling you weren't sure you've ever felt. 

He held you all night, making sure you were alright, even when the rain stopped.

You fell asleep in his arms, never feeling this safe before.

—

You woke up to the sound of birds chirping from outside the window. Letting out a sleepy yawn, you tried to move, but you were held down by someone’s strong hold.

You opened your eyes then, peeking through the sleepiness to come face to face with a sleeping Mingi, whose lips were slightly parted with drool pooling at the corner of his mouth.

How cute.

Not knowing what to do or if you should do anything at all, you took a second to admire his features. His expression was relaxed, his hair was scattered over his face, and his lips looked as soft as ever. You wanted to reach out and touch them.

So you did; without even thinking.

The tips of your fingertips brushed against his smooth lips, causing you to blink slowly in wonder. It was as if it were the first time you've touched anyone—it wasn't, but he made it feel that way. He captivated you unlike any other, and it made no sense to both your heart and mind.

His eyes opened slowly, meeting your lost gaze. You didn't move. You kept his sleepy stare, lost in the sparkle in his eyes. He was so…pretty. It caused a stir in your heart the more you looked at him. It scared you, but you were too far gone at this point.

He blinked at you as if he couldn't believe you were real. Maybe you were a dream to him the same way he was a dream to you at this moment.

You didn't pull your hand away—you just left it resting on his parted lips like it belonged there. He didn't move it or say anything, and you were too caught up in him to think about anything else.

“Good morning, y/n,” he hummed roughly, his sweet morning voice music to your ears.

You took a second to respond, lost in the thoughts of his beauty. “Morning,” you said, looking down at his lips one more time before letting go.

He watched you back away slightly, but his arm was still tossed on top of you. You watched a smile appear on that beautiful face of his, and you were unable to move any further. It was as if he put a spell on you like some sort of witch—he had a hold on you, physically and mentally, even if you didn't want to admit it.

As the memories of last night flooded into your mind, you offered him a sheepish glance. “Uh, I’m sorry about last night. I’m sorry you had to sleep…in the same bed as…me,” you stuttered out, but he just laid there with a slight smirk. He was even more attractive in the morning. It felt so domestic, like you were in a relationship with him. Maybe he’d bring you breakfast in bed when you’d be sick. Possibly hold you every night without the thunder being the reason behind it. He would kiss you when—

“No, I liked it, actually,” He smiled sweetly, shutting his eyes as he yawned. You wanted to kiss him right then and there.

All right, that's enough of those thoughts now.

Sitting up on the bed, you glanced at him through your eyelashes. “What do you mean?” you wanted to know so bad, but you had a feeling it was just something simple that you over thought about.

“I mean that I enjoyed sleeping with you,” he hummed huskily, but you caught the worry in his eyes as the words left his lips. “I mean, sleeping next to you, not with you. I guess technically I slept with you, but not in the sexual—”

You interrupted him with a laugh. He was too cute. “Mingi, I understand. No need to try and explain it.”

“I just didn't want you to get the wrong idea,” he sat up with you, his back against the wooden headboard. His hair was a mess; you wanted to fix it. “I just–it’s not like I wouldnt want to sleep with you sexually because I would totally want to do that but–” he stopped himself, sighing when he realized what he just said. You watched his ears turn pink. “I’ll just stop talking now.”

You tried to hide your own blush at those words. If anyone else said that, you'd be smacking them to the moon. This time, however, you wanted him to keep talking. You wanted him to tell you all the things he wanted to do to you.

You ignored the pounding of your heart and gave him a slight smile before sliding off the bed. Clementine was standing at the door, meowing like crazy. She was probably hungry. “I’ll go feed tiny,” you glanced over your shoulder to see a sulking Mingi slumped over. 

He didn't say anything as you walked out the room, but as soon as the door shut, he threw himself around in the sheets that now smelled like you. 

—

As you poured clementine's delicious food into her bowl, you heard Mingi come up from behind you. He entered the kitchen like some kind of gremlin, his shoulders hunched and bags under his sparkling eyes. You snickered, standing up straight after giving tiny a little pet.

“You okay? You look like you got mauled by a tiger,” you snarked, to which he replied with a half smile. He walked towards the fridge and grabbed the eggs, setting them down on the kitchen island.

Even the morning looked good on him. God, you were getting different versions of the same man you once thought was a boy, confusing your heart more and more. Was it a crime to find him attractive? No, hell no. but it sure felt like you were committing one as you dreamed of him rather than seonghwa.

“What’s Seonghwa's job now? I haven't even thought about asking that,” you leaned up on the counter while mingi pulled out a pan from the cupboard. “I’m sure he’s some crazy smart businessman or something,” you laughed, but Mingi didn't think it was funny. 

He turned on the stove burner. “He is, actually,” Mingi sniffed, running a hand through his hair while he cracked the eggs into the pan. “How many eggs do you wa—”

“I always pictured him in a suit,” you sighed as you thought about how hot he would look in a suit, when all of a sudden, it changed to an image of Mingi. His lean figure stood tall, the imaginary tailored suit clung to his silhouette. He was so beautiful, so so beautiful. You could say that a million times and you would still believe it.

Mingi watched the delusions shadow your expression, and little did he know you were imagining him and not his brother. 

“He looks like an alien in them. Like a fucking string bean,” he growled, plucking out a spatula from the holder. He aggressively tossed around the eggs in the pan, and then waltzed over to the fridge to grab the leftover rice. “And you didn't answer my question on how many eggs you wanted, y/n.”

The tone of his voice was sharp; it cut like a knife right through you. You wondered if he took offense to the fact that you would think about his brother, but you shook the crazy thought away and changed the subject, standing up from your lean. 

“I’ll have two. And can you put cheese on it for me?”

He didn't turn around to look at you. He just nodded, and rummaged through the fridge for the cheese.

The room was quiet. Too quiet. Mingi was usually quite loud and playful, and you wondered why the change of temperament. “Do you want to go out with me today?”

Mingi choked on nothing at those words, having a coughing fit. You almost grabbed him a drink, but he caught his breath fairly quickly and turned to look at you as he piled the eggs on a plate. “W-what? Go out with you?”

You smirked. “Yeah. like a date, but not a date,” now you were just teasing him.

Mingi stared at you with wide eyes, the sleepiness completely wiped away. “Uh, sure. Yeah. What are you planning on?”

—

“No.”

“Yes.”

“I’m not going up there.”

You both stood at the bottom of a mountain, ready for a hike up it. You were never really an athletic person, but you always wanted to try and do a hike to see if you could do it. Mingi was not having it, backing away towards his car as if he wasn't the one that drove here.

“Mingi, please?” you pleaded with puppy dog eyes, almost cringing at yourself for your actions. “It'll be fun, I promise.”

Mingi scoffed, crossing his toned arms over his chest. You kept getting distracted by him since he decided to sport a cutoff shirt that revealed quite a bit of skin. It made you want to see more. “What do I get out of this?”

You smirked, hooking him in. “Hmm. How about drinks on me? At the bar downtown?”

You saw the sparkle in his eye, knowing that he’d cave at that. And he did.

 You began your trek up the rocky mountain, your feet already starting to burn from the scolding terrain.

“I told you it was a bad idea,” Mingi groaned, sweat dripping down his face. You watched as his smooth skin shined brightly under the sun, feeling a spark go off in your heart.

You huffed as your legs started to get tired. “No,” huff. “It’s a great,” huff. “Experience.”

Mingi scoffed at that, looking ten times better than you after a bit of time. He kept looking over at you every chance he got, but he was still more quiet than usual.

Well, until now.

“Do you still like my brother?” he broke all the walls you put up with one little question.

You stopped mid stride, looking up at the cloudy sky as you thought about the answer. You always dreaded this conversation with him ever since you were a kid, but you never knew Mingi knew. “You knew that I liked him?”

Mingi stopped too, slightly ahead of you. You were about halfway up the mountain with no other hikers in sight. “To be fair, y/n, you didn't really hide it. I think the only person who didn't know was Seonghwa himself,” he sighed as a single raindrop fell between you.

 Maybe you should've checked the weather.

You frowned, furrowing your eyebrows. “I uh, well, I did like him—”

“I know that. Do you still do? He asked sternly, taking a step closer. 

You looked straight into his eyes. It was an easy question—super easy, actually. Your heart knew the answer as soon as it was asked, but for some reason, you couldn't form the words on your tongue. You wanted to tell him that Seonghwa was barely on your mind since you ran into him. You wanted to tell him that you didn't want to look at anything else now that you saw him. You didn't want to think of anything else.

“I…” The rain began to fall around you like tiny shards, and as it started to speed up, you changed the subject as quickly as you could and turned the other way. “We should head back, it's starting to get bad.”

Mingi didn't say anything. As you frantically moved down the mountain to escape confrontation you could easily solve, your foot got caught between a rock, causing you to fall down and tumble slightly. You let out a yelp as your ankle cracked, and the sharpness of the rocks cut up your legs slightly.

“Y/n!” Mingi let out, completely forgetting that he was going to tell you to forget your feelings. “Are you okay? Ah No—don't get up, just give yourself a second.”

You groaned, but more so because of how embarrassing that was. You put your head down and let out a hiss as you tried to move your ankle. “I think I sprained it or something.”

Mingi sighed, kneeling in front of you as the rain pounded on you both. He looked at your beat up legs, and then peered at you through his eyelashes. Without a word, he stood up and turned around with his back to you, hinting at you to get on.

You tilted your head at him, although he couldn't see you. “Just get on, I'll carry you,” he softly said, and you heard the sweetness drip from his lips. The same lips you were dying to kiss.

You leaped onto his broad back, wrapping your arms around his neck tightly. You heard his breath hitch as your hands touched the bare skin of his collarbone, and you nearly got the wind knocked out of you as his hands gripped your thighs to hold you up.

“Thank you,” you mumbled into his ear while he walked down the mountain in the pouring rain, his two-toned hair soaking wet against your cheek. “And I'm sorry for the crappy date.”

“Don't be sorry, y/n,” he hummed, leaning his head against yours as he walked. You were worried that he might slip on the rocks, but he managed to walk like they were dry. He gripped your legs tightly, afraid to drop you as if you were as precious as glass.

He treasured you the way a museum treasured its art.

The rest of the way was quiet. He lifted you into the car and leaned over to put your seatbelt on. He smelled like acid rain and sweat with a hint of vanilla; it stirred something inside you. His wet hair dripped down on you as he tried to get the seatbelt in and oh, the dirty thoughts swimming around your mind.

You were in such a haze that you didn't even realize that he shut the door and was now on the other side of the car. You tried to steady your breaths—in and out, in and out—until he entered the car with you.

“Are we still going to the bar? I need a drink,” you muttered.

He shook his head, running a hand through his dripping hair. “No, we’ll just drink at home. You need rest.”

Home. Home. your heart began to bang in your chest. You had no words to utter, and he drove home quietly, stopping to grab a bag full of soju and beer at the corner convenience store.

The rest of the ride was a blur. He stopped the car in the driveway, running to your side before you tried to get out without help. He picked you up and carried you into the home as if you were married to him, setting you down on the couch softly, afraid to hurt you. You were fine other than the slight ache and cuts, but he didn't need to know that. Right?

“I’ll be right back in with the alcohol,” he hummed, leaving you alone in the dark room. The sun was setting slowly, and you didn't realize how long you were actually out on your date.

Date. you wished you would've just told him your true feelings. You hoped you didn't ruin it.

Mingi waltzed in with the alcohol bag, Clementine trailing him happily. She jumped up onto the couch next to you, but only nudged your head slightly before jumping up and into the window.

You smiled at Mingi as he sat at the edge of the couch. He reached to pull your shoes off, and walked over to set them down at the entryway.

Your eyes followed his every move, already feeling like you were under the influence. He came back with a first aid kit and sat down in front of you. You smiled as he cleaned your wounds, blowing at them gently before covering them with bandages. He was so gentle, it once again caused you to think what he would be like in bed.

The room was quiet. The only sound was both of your breaths tangling in the air. He was so close yet so far, and all you wanted was to cross the distance. You were way too sober to even try.

He looked up at you then, a slight smile on his face. 

“Ready to get fucked up?”

—

One drink. Two drinks. Three. Four. you were completely obliterated—there was no way you were going to remember this tomorrow.

“You're telling me that he dumped you because you touched his hair?” Mingi slurred, leaning towards you with a grimace. “Thats so fucked up.”

“He was like, my hair is sacred, no one can touch it except my mother.”

He nearly spit out his drink. “Pfft, his mother??”

You were both on the floor of the living room, leaning up against the couch, lost in random drunken words and sober thoughts. You were telling him about the messy flings you had as a college student, and when you asked him if he had any, he shrugged and laughed it off and said he had a few. You expected more than just a few.

“His mother was the only woman for him, Mingi. Duh,” you smirked, totally lost in your words.

His laugh nearly shook the room, his head tossed back as he cackled. You watched his adam's apple bob as he let out his enjoyment—he laughed so hard that no noise left his lips, and you couldn't help but giggle at that.

“Mingi!” you giggled, slapping his thigh playfully as he laughed silently. Oh, he was painfully wasted. “What kind of laugh is that? I swear to god there's something wrong with you.”

He calmed down at that, but he was still smiling from ear to ear, lifting his head back from the uncomfortable position he was in.

“Are you making fun of me?” he drunkenly teased, leaning towards you slightly. You saw the strength of his gaze—it pierced right through you. He looked irritated and playful at the same time.

You leaned in, too. “Maybe,” you smirked, looking down at his dewy lips flavored with alcohol. “Hey, it's cute! I promise I'm laughing because it’s cute.” you giggled, but his lips were still downturned.

You furrowed your eyebrows at him, and picked up the nearly empty bottle of soju. He paid strong attention to your movements, especially as you took the bottle up to your lips, causing him to lick his own.

“You never answered my question,” he pondered, still looking at your lips.

“Question?” you slurred, getting the last drops of the apple flavored soju onto your tongue. 

He swallowed hard. “If you still like my brother,” he sniffed, picking up his bottle. “I mean, I think I know the answer, so I don't even wanna—”

“Mingi—”

“Like, it’s always been him. I’ve only ever watched you guys on the sidelines like some shitty benchwarmer or something I swear to god–”

“Mingi please let me talk—”

“I mean to be fair I was a literal child so I get it, but now I—”

“I don't like Seonghwa anymore,” you nearly yelled, causing Clementine to make an appearance by your pile of empty bottles. She rubbed up against one, knocking it over as you focused on the speechless man in front of you. “Ugh. finally. I thought you would never shut up.”

He froze, now just realizing how close you were. You were able to see the little specks of light brown in his irises. You were way too far gone to hold yourself back from anything—and your writer self thought that this would be a great scene in that story of yours.

“So…um…would that mean that you might, um,” he stuttered, his leg shaking anxiously while you smiled at his expression. “That you might think of me in a not so friendly type of way?

You chuckled, watching his eyes grow darker. You looked down at his parted lips now. 

“You have pretty lips.”

He furrowed his brows now, looking as confused as ever. “What are you trying to say? He asked, setting down the bottle that was in his hands.

 His hair was dry now, which was a shame since you really liked how he looked with wet hair. His lips looked even more kissable than they did five minutes ago. 

You shrugged, drunk off your ass. “I mean, you could just kiss me. Or I could kiss you. Either way, it’s what I meant.”

He just stared at you with wide eyes. He didn't make any movement towards you, once again like he didn't want to hurt you or make you feel inferior.

You smiled at his awestruck look. “Do I need to spell it out for you? Me. you. kiss. I–want–to–kiss–you. Mwah.”

Again, just a piercing stare. He licked his lips though, and looked down at yours.

After a few moments of uneasy silence, you couldn't take it anymore.

 “You know what? Fuck it.”

You leaned as close as you could to him and grabbed the back of his neck. His eyes were about to pop out of his head, but the minute your lips neared his, he shut them softly, letting you press your lips to his.

Oh, did it feel like fireworks were going off in the middle of your body. Your heart began to race, feeling like it would pound right out of your chest. His lips melted into yours like honey, and his hands found a home on your hips.

He pulled back slightly, your breaths tangling together.

“Can I really kiss you?” he asked in disbelief, as if you didn't just share saliva. “Is it really what you want?”

“Mingi,” you sighed, moving closer until you were sitting on his lap. He let out a little gasp as you felt the hardness of him underneath you. Sitting on his lap barely got you to eye-level with him, since he was so tall compared to you. He tried to breathe, but his breath was shaky. “I wouldnt of kissed you if I didn't want to.”

“Ah,” he gulped, biting his lip nervously. “My bad, but I’ve just been dreaming about that since I was four, so to be fair, I need a moment.”

You smiled at the man in front of you like he was your world. You couldn't help but lean forward and give him a peck really quick, to which he responded fairly quickly.

You did it again, and again, and again. This time, he gripped your waist and held you to his body with one arm while his other hand gripped your jaw. It caught you off guard—was he the same mingi who needed a moment to process a kiss just a minute ago?

“If you do that again, I’m gonna be tempted to do more than just kiss you, y/n.”

Dear god, his voice. It rumpled right through you, but what really got you was how serious he was. The look on his face made you feel like he was about to maul you like some sort of predator, and you were merely his choice of dinner.

Oh, you were ready to be torn apart—you were drunk and delirious, after all.

You met his gaze for a moment too long, and then you reached out to wrap your arms around his neck. Pulling yourself up to his lips, you kissed them softly, breaking open his own to slide your tongue into his mouth. He tasted like apple soju and smelled like vanilla and sweat; a perfect combination.

It felt like your first kiss. It meant more than any other kiss. He held you so tenderly, caressing your back as he kissed you back with all the love in his heart. You smiled into the kiss as your mind wandered back to how he confessed to liking you for ages, even if it was a bit hazy from the alcohol.

You hoped you'd remember this in the morning. You wanted to treasure this moment.

You let out a shaky breath as you kissed his lips, feeling like you were getting high from him as if he were a drug. His hands began to snake up your top, gliding over the soft skin of your stomach, reaching your ribs.

You shivered at his touch in a good way, ready to rip off your shirt for him. You wanted to tear his right off his body, but you held yourself back for the sake of not ruining the mood just in case.

Subconsciously, you began to roll your hips into his. He gripped onto them as if his life depended on it, and you bet he left fingernail marks into your skin. His hot breaths hit you in the face as he pulled away to catch his breath, looking down at your hips crashing into his.

He leaned his forehead against your head, unable to pace his breathing. You weren't any better, especially with the way you could feel his arousal right underneath yours. Oh, dear god, you were completely lost in his touch. In his gaze. In his movements.

The little brother was now much more of a man than you ever imagined, completely forgetting about the one you made an effort to come back to.

Now, at this moment, when he groaned as he rocked your hips into his for you, your mind exploded in thoughts about him. The way he moved you into him was so effortlessly hot, and the way his face scrunched up when you grasped a handful of his hair in response.

 It felt like you were drowning. Maybe you were. But you needed more than just this.

You needed all of him.

“M-mingi,” you whispered breathlessly as his lips sucked on your neck. 

“Hm?” he moaned right into the skin of your neck, still rocking your hips into his.

Your eyes nearly rolled into the back of your head. You couldn't even think about the words you wanted to say—they aren't important anymore.

What was important was the way your body spoke for you.

Your fingertips brushed against the hem of his t-shirt, curling around it in pleasure. You pulled it up slightly, and without a word, he gave you a nod to take it off of him.

You pulled the shirt over his head, a smirk on your face as you looked at his toned waist. You ran a hand down the ripples of muscle, not noticing the entranced look Mingi was giving you.

He fiddled with the end of your shirt, and met your eyes before doing anything hasty. You smiled and nodded, and he gently took the top off with affection. He smiled back at you, leaning in to bump his forehead with yours with a slight chuckle.

You leaned in again, kissing him with a bit more power than before. Your stomach flipped as he grasped the back of your head with one hand, his other sliding down your neck to meet your chest, gripping your breast softly through your sports bra. 

He spared no time in burying his head in the crook of your neck, biting and sucking like no tomorrow. You were way too drunk to realize how sloppy you both were, but in the moment, it was blissful. It felt like the very first time, and in your mind, you wanted it to be. You kind of regretted how you thought he was nothing but the brother of your crush. Well, now, that was now reversed.

“It’s either I fuck you down here on the couch,” he mumbled into your lips. “Or I’m carrying you up to my bed.”

You nearly melted into a puddle. Who knew he was like this? Was it the alcohol?

“Bed,” you moaned into his neck, biting his earlobe. “I want to be in your bed.”

“Goddammit.” 

He nearly growled as you said those words, gripping the back of your thighs before standing up straight with you. You held onto him tightly while he wobbled up the steps drunkenly. You hoped this wasn't going to be some type of intoxicated mistake in his eyes, but in yours, you had nothing to regret. There was nothing holding you back.

He held you tightly as he walked up the stairs of his beach house, unable to wait any longer. As soon as he entered his room, he set you down gently on the bed. “Is your ankle okay?” he asked, making sure he wasn't manhandling you—it was quite the opposite.

To be fair, you completely forgot about the pain in your ankle. It was the least of your worries as the beautiful man stood above you while you laid flat on his bed.

“Just come here.”

It took a second for him to process that you were laying in his bed, ready for him to do absolutely anything to you. He stared down at you for a moment, eyes raking over your half-naked body. He couldn't get enough of you—you were his dream. So now that you were in his bed? Well, he wasn't so sure where to go with it.

But you did.

“Mingi,” you sighed, meeting his intoxicated gaze. “Just please come here.”

He looked lost, as if he didn't want to do anything rashly. Maybe a bit of the alcohol wore off, as his eyes looked like he wasn't sure how he ended up here. He hesitated as he looked you up from head to toe, but once you saw the slight smirk peek from his lips, you knew what was next.

He leaned over you on the bed, giving you a kiss as his body pressed flat against yours. As the moment sped up with your hands in his hair and his on your chest, he finally slid the bra off in one swipe, catching you off guard.

He took a second to admire your beauty, then gave you another kiss, letting out a breath as he began to kiss you from your lips, to your collarbone, then meeting your breasts. He nibbled at your nipple slightly, causing you to gasp in pleasure. 

You wanted to moan out his name. Cry out for him. At this moment, all you saw was him and the friendly sparkle in his eyes—although now they looked more like the devil’s.

He sat up for a moment to undo the tie on his shorts, allowing you to pull them off of him to reveal his length that you were aching to have inside of you. He was bigger than you even imagined, although you had taken a bit of time to actually acknowledge how much he has grown since you last remembered him. He was more than anything you could imagine, and now the brother you used to think about was only a distant memory in your mind. 

After he was fully undressed, his eyes looked devilish. He leaned over you once again, knocking you onto your back with force. His chain necklace hit your face as his hands caressed your curves, meeting the waistband of your pants. He slid them down your hips, and you lifted yourself up slightly to help him out. The minute he got them off, he was back to feeling you up with a lovestruck look on his face.

“You're so beautiful,” he whispered, leaning his forehead against yours as he hovered above you. “So beautiful that it hurts.” he kissed your forehead at that, leaving your heart spiraling.

You smiled up at his gorgeous face, watching his eyes dance with curiosity. He looked nervous, like he’s never done this before. You knew that he had, but it was his first time with you, atleast. It was an overwhelming thought—this man had longed for you while you longed for his brother. You wanted to prove to him that it was only him in your eyes and heart.

He looked down at your heat and then back up to your eyes, a shy expression on his beautiful features. “Can I…make love to you?”

It was the fact that he asked so respectively that nearly made you squirm under his hold. Not the fact that you were about to get fucked or the fact of his body over yours, but the slight worry in his tone made you want to share your life with him. You nodded without a word, allowing him to begin to enter you. He lined himself up against you, lifting your legs up to put them up on his chest. He gripped your thighs tightly as he slid into you, slowly beginning to thrust with each moment. Your senses began to heighten as your walls collapsed for him, all you could hear was the pitter patter of rain and the tangled breaths between you and him both.

His breath was shaky as he pumped in and out of you, letting out small moans whenever he looked at you. You scrunched your eyebrows in pleasure as he started to move faster and faster, crying out as his fingernails pierced through the skin of your thigh.

“You have no idea how much I wanted this,” he said breathlessly as he moved gracefully.

You were sure the alcohol in your system was long gone, considering how realistic this all was. You saw his eyes glimmer. You felt his heart pound. You saw beads of sweat drip down his neck. You saw the smile he let out as he looked down at you. You were his everything—and now you were one, sharing the same body and moving together like waves of the ocean.

As you were getting closer to your high, he flipped you around quickly, tossing you into your back with no struggle. He slid right back into you, causing you to moan at his strength. “Mingi,” you moaned, lost in the sea of his movements.

He grunted, fucking you harder and harder as you moaned more and more. “Fuck, I love it when you moan my name,” he hissed, gripping your hips as he pounded into you.

He nuzzled his head against yours as he moved, and you got wetter by the minute. You've never felt this way with any other man, and as you reached your high, he bit your earlobe from the back and gripped your hair, tugging it slightly as you began to see stars.

His breaths became shallower, his heartbeat picked up speed. He noticed your state and chuckled seductively in your ear. “Ah, you like that, hm?” His laugh was smooth. “No more making fun of my laugh, huh?”

You had no words for him. He already knew the answer. But when you came all over his dick, he thrusted into you even deeper, causing you to grip at the silk sheets underneath you.

It was as if you put a spell on him. The minute you came, he couldn't hold it in anymore. He let out a sharp breath as he shoved himself inside you, harder and harder, throwing his head back like he was possessed. You were sure your knuckles were turning white as you gripped onto the pillow that your head rested on. He bucked his hips for the last time, emptying himself into you before crashing down onto your back and rolling to the side of you.

The room was spinning, you never even gave yourself a chance to look around to see the detail of his room. You were sure there were lots of unique things tied to the unique mingi, but you couldn't focus on anything but the man beside you.

His chest rose and fell like the sun, glistening with sweat like the morning dew. He was the most beautiful thing you've ever seen, and even as you fought to keep your eyes open after that eventful experience, you reached out to wrap your arms around his waist, throwing yourself into the comfort of his embrace.

You were already asleep when he whispered his adoration with a kiss on the forehead, tucking you under the blankets with him as your pillow.

—

It wasn't the first time you woke up to him, and you hoped it wouldn't be the last. His warm sleepy breaths hit your face in the daylight, and you opened your eyes to see mingi in all his glory, soft snores escaping his lips. The same lips that claimed your own the night before.

Despite your drunkenness last night, you remembered everything in detail, including the way the nightlight in the corner of his room glowed as you drifted off to sleep in his arms. It was a bit domestic, much more realistic than any type of sexual encounter you’ve had in the past. You didn't want to ever have another encounter like that if it wasn't with mingi…

As you were lost in your thoughts, you didn't notice how affectionately Mingi was looking at you through his sleepy eyes. 

“Good morning,” you hummed, suddenly feeling a bit insecure in his hold. He has now seen every part of you in every way, and he was no longer the brother of your friend. He was no longer just a friendly face—he was now your lover.

“Hi,” he smiled, his voice raspy. You watched his gaze deepen as he looked at your eyes, then your nose, then your lips. The corners of his mouth turned up when he saw you yawn. “Are you still tired?”

You didn't want to tell him that the alcohol—and the sex—wore you out completely, but he wasn't the type to really inflate his ego. He would probably blush and hide his face into your chest, and even though it would've been cute to see, you shook your head no.

“I’m wide awake now,” you chuckled as he stared at you lovingly. You looked down at his smooth lips, getting flashbacks from how amazing they felt on yours. You leaned blinked at him for a second, until you leaned over and pecked them quickly. You didn't want him smelling your morning breath.

Just as you were about to escape from his arms to go brush your teeth, he gripped you by the waist to pull you to him, causing you to hold your breath as his face neared yours. “No, you're not just gonna kiss me and leave like that,” he tilted his head playfully, then gripped the side of your face before bringing his lips to yours.

“Wait–” kiss. “My morning breath—”

He kissed you again. “I don't care.”

You stopped trying to squirm out of his grip at those words, and you relaxed in his arms while he kissed you through his smile.

He leaned his forehead against yours now. “I love kissing you,” he smiled blissfully, his brown hair covering the smile of his eyes. You reached out to brush it away, tucking it behind his pink ears.

So cute.

You ran your hand down his cheek in adoration of his beauty. You knew you were gonna add this whole situation into your book, but you might have to change some steamy details. “So, do you work at the market today?” you asked him, leaning on your elbows on your side.

He shook his head. “No, but I am planning on doing something today.”

You raised your eyebrows. “Hm? Like what?”

He smirked. You couldn't get used to it. 

“You.”

It took you a moment to understand the cheesy joke, and when you did, you gave him a smack on the shoulder and took it as a hint to stand up. It felt like you were together for years, but at the same time, it was as if you had just met. It was dreamlike—straight out of a fictional story. Maybe that was why you were so keen on writing your book about him.

“Okay okay, besides doing you, I would also like to take you on a date,” he mumbled as you stood up, but lost his train of thought as you were completely naked in front of him. “I uh, i forgot what I was saying.”

You tried to hide your insecurity as you stood confidently in front of him. You tossed on his t-shirt and slid on your underwear, making him lose it even more.

“Fucking hell, y/n,” he breathed, staring at you in awe as you wore his shirt. 

You slid on your pants then, looking at him mischievously as he sat up in his bed. Clementine was snoring on the edge, offering even more ambiance to the moment. It felt like you were meant to be here with him.

“What?” you tilted your head at him with a smirk. “Are we gonna go on that date or what?”

—

The sound of crashing waves filled your senses, and the smell of the salty air made memories of your childhood flood into your mind. The memories included Mingi, who would always sit on the sand and watch you and seonghwa from a distance. He was there, but it was always his brother, and not him.

Oh, how the times have changed.

You walked through the sand with Mingi next to you; your yellow sundress flowing in the wind. He wanted to hold your hand—you could tell by the way it twitched towards you. The sky reminded you of his hair, as the clouds looked slightly like stripes. It was a beautiful day.

The orange hues of the sky also reminded you of the day you ran into him, and you remembered how you felt when you first saw him. 

Being with him felt like you were meeting for the very first time over and over again. Every touch felt like the first time. Every kiss felt like your first one.

In the hand that wasn't trying to grab yours, he held a wicker-picnic basket filled with homemade food. He had told you earlier about how bad he always wanted to go on a picnic date, so you spent the entirety of the day making random things to take to the beach. It mostly consisted of rooting through cabinets and kissing each other at every chance you could get.

You walked quietly next to each other, the only sounds were the crashing of the waves and the chirping of birds. You held the picnic blanket close to you with one hand, and finally, you interlocked your fingers into his. You watched him swallow hard, and you were unable to hide your happiness. 

Once you got to the perfect spot, he set down the basket and put down the blanket nicely. You sat down on it while he set up the food, unable to keep your eyes off of him. 

He stood tall as per usual, with a white button up with a few of the buttons undone. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and a pair of khaki shorts clung to his thighs. His skin was like honey and his eyes glimmered. He looked otherworldly—as if he didn't belong here. There was no way someone this attractive was real, but here he was, in front of you. 

His heart was beating for you.

“Here,” he handed you a plate of food he so proudly made. There wasn't anything he couldn't do.

You smiled and took it from his hand. “Thank you, Mingi.”

He grinned as he sat down across from you. He watched you as you took a bite of the food, unable to look away from you. He didn't even reach to grab his own plate of food, and just smiled as you ate.

You met his eyes. “What? Is there something on my face?” you asked frantically, wondering why he was looking at you so attentively.

He laughed at that. “No, you're just pretty.”

You smiled and took another bite. “Jeez, you're cheesy.”

He leaned back, the tips of his fingers in the sand. There was barely anyone on the beach at this hour, as the sun was about to set on the ocean horizon. “I can't help it. I never thought I'd be on a date with you. It's like a dream.”

You swallowed the food before you spoke. “I still can't believe you liked me. I never even realized,” you sighed, lost in the past while he was enjoying the present.

“Hey, it’s fine. You're here with me now, it’s all about timing.” he mumbled happily, reaching for a piece of strawberry cake that was store bought. You didn't have the skills to bake. 

You looked him up and down, just happy to be in his presence. Once again, Seonghwa was not a thought in your mind as you looked at Mingi—who couldn't stop admiring you. 

You smiled as you thought about him. “You were my little Mingi,” you teased, watching his ears turn pink.

He scoffed. “Little?” he stood up deviously, and you should've known what was coming next. “Come here.”

He grabbed you before you could even make a move, and lifted you up off the blanket. He carried you towards the ocean, struggling as you tried to get out of his grip.

“No! Stop! I take it back!” you laughed, kicking your feet as you watched the water flow from underneath you. He still held you in his arms, but the minute the water was slightly deeper, he tossed you into the water with a romantic laugh.

Water enveloped you as you fell, and you looked up to him as you tasted the salt water in your mouth. With all the strength you got, you stood up and jumped at him, causing you both to tumble into the water. 

It was like a scene from a movie. He tossed water at you while you tried to knock him down once again, and how he looked even more romantic than he did earlier. His hair was messy on top of his head, and the white shirt he was sporting now clung to his toned chest. You thanked the lord he wore white today, as you were able to see the ripples of his abs through the fabric.

You were tangled in each other both physically and emotionally, lost in each other’s souls and beating in each other’s hearts. You wished this moment would last forever, and you craved to share more moments of him that you could remember for a lifetime.

—

The romantic moment ended the minute you got back to his home, but in a different way.

He ripped your dress off your body as quickly as he could, the shower running in the background. His hair was still wet from the ocean, and his lips tasted like saltwater. You couldn't get enough of him.

He breathed heavily into your mouth, gripping your hips as he backed you up into the wall. His shirt was long gone now, the only thing on him were the soaking wet shorts.

“Take them off,” you groaned as he kissed you hungerly, tugging on his waistband. He moaned in response, gripping your face instead of listening to you. You decided to do it yourself, and as you unbuttoned his pants, you kneeled down onto the soft throw carpet and pulled the shorts down to the ground.

“W-what are you—ah,” he stuttered as you gripped him, unable to finish his sentence. The minute you stuck him in your mouth was the moment his knees weakened, and he almost lost his balance. “Oh my god.”

You glided your tongue around him, sucking tightly as you almost choked on how big he was. He gripped the hair on the top of your head as he inhaled sharply, breathing like he had just ran a marathon.

“Fuck, y/n,” he moaned your name, tossing his head back onto the wall. “How are you so fucking good at this?” he wanted to say more and you could tell, but you nibbled on his dick slightly before he could get any other words out.

You looked up at him from the ground, meeting his intense gaze. He sucked in sharply, gripping you by the shoulders to lift you up and to toss you into the shower. You were immediately met with scorching hot water, but you were numb to it the minute he entered the shower.

His mouth was on yours once again, biting your lip so hard you could've sworn you tasted blood.

“I’m gonna show you that I'm not so little anymore,” he whispered raspily into your face, his eyes slanted with lust. You wanted him to do everything possible to you—no matter what it was. 

There was just something so attractive about a man being in love, and maybe it was because it was him. He was passionate and powerful, and was going to make sure you knew what you were getting into.

He fucked you hard from behind and pounded into you as hard as he could. You saw the stars again as the edges of your vision grew darker and darker. The water from the shower dripped down your face as he moved rhythmically, lost in his movements. 

“You feel so good,” he moaned out, his head resting on top of yours. “Fuck.”

You smacked your head against the tile walls from his strength, unable to hold yourself up. He had a hold on you that no one else ever will, and you were sure that he was going to be the one for you, even if you ever even thought about the possibility before.

It felt like you were floating. He made you feel as if you were above the clouds, lost in a mess of him and his beauty. You knew that you’ve never had someone like him before, and you never wanted this to stop.

He made love to you over and over again as July became August—and you became his lover.

—

You woke up next to him the next morning. And the morning after that. And the morning after that. He’d kiss you on the forehead while you would hold him tightly, and then you’d brush your teeth together in the morning with clementine at your feet.

You never specified if you were officially dating or anything, but you didn't want to ruin the bliss you were in for now. 

As the days passed, you fell in love with him. You knew you loved him from the minute he held you when you were scared of the storm all those nights ago, but now, as you laid in bed next to him on a rainy august morning, your heart knew what it wanted.

And what it wanted was him.

You watched him sleep peacefully as the rain tumbled to the ground outside. Clementine sat on the windowsill, watching the raindrops race down the glass.

But the silence didn't last.

“Yo, i’m back Mingi—” a voice boomed from the door, and it opened to reveal a handsome man you knew was seonghwa. He stood in shock as he met eyes with you, and mingi woke up with a jolt as soon as he heard his brother’s voice. “Oh?” 

You cradled the blanket to your naked chest while mingi leaned over to cover you. “Hyung? Y-you're home?” he frantically stuttered, but you couldn't help but notice the shock in Seonghwa’s eyes as he began to recognize you. 

“Y/N?” his eyes were wide, completely shocked. He dropped the bag that was in his hand, his mouth slightly agape as he stared at you from across the room. “Is that you? In my brother’s bed?”

“I–uh,” you spit out, looking between the two brothers. It was uncomfortable, especially since you were worried about what was running through Mingi’s mind. “Yeah. It's me. In his bed.”

He looked at the way you were clutching the blanket, and the way mingi was protectively covering you with his own body. “Naked…in bed…with my brother. What a great reunion,” he muttered, and you were unable to read his expression. He scoffed then, but then looked away from you respectfully. 

“I’ll explain, hwa—” you tried to say, but Seonghwa interrupted.

“No. No need, just talk to me when you're um,” he signaled to your body without looking over. “Fully clothed.”

He walked out at that, shutting the door behind him. You couldn't lie, he looked great. Amazing even. He had hardly aged a day, but looked much more refined. Mingi looked over at you with a sigh, and you wondered what he was thinking. You hoped he wasn't second guessing himself.

You gave him a sweet kiss to brighten the mood, which made him smile immediately.

“We should go greet him,” you murmured with a slight chuckle, to which he laughed along with you.

“Yeah, that would be good.”

—

Seonghwa stared at you with awe, unable to meet his brother's eyes. 

“I just can't believe it. You and my brother—when did you even come back?” he questioned, looking through your eyes. “I would have rushed back here if I knew you were here.”

“Well, good thing you didn't,” mingi joked, but you knew he was thinking way too hard about something. 

Hwa disregarded that as most older brothers would. “You look good. Really good,” he smiled at you, his eyes piercing into yours. His hair was longer than it used to be, and it was styled smoothly on his forehead. He looked good, too. 

His brother just looked better.

Mingi sat next to you on the couch in the middle of you and seonghwa, his hand gripping your thigh. You knew what he was doing, and you just wanted to tell him he didn't need to worry.

“Thanks, Hwa. it’s so good to see you again,” you smiled at him, truthfully. You had to admit that you really wanted to see him, but right now, every romantic emotion that was once tied to him was now tied to mingi. You set your hand down on top of the hand that was on your thigh, making sure he knew you wanted him as much as he wanted you.

Seonghwa looked down at your hand and swallowed hard. “So, what brings you back here?”

Mingi’s grip tightened on your thigh.

“Oh, well I um. I came back to see you guys. I missed you both.” you couldn't say you came back to see seonghwa, because now your whole motives changed. 

The way seonghwa was looking at you felt like a bomb was about to go off. You were never hyper aware of his feelings for you, but as his gaze met yours and the way mingi kept you close to him made you think that he knew something you didn't. 

“Oh, you came to see me? I’m sorry I wasn't here when you got here, y/n,” he smiled.

Mingi didn't like the way he was smiling at you.

“I have to go feed Clementine,” He made an excuse, letting go of the grip he had on you to stand up. He gave one last look to you before walking out of the room and into the kitchen.

Once he left, your thoughts were interrupted by Seonghwa’s sweet voice.

 “Are you guys a thing?” he asked you softly, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. “I always thought that we were….you know…”

You sighed and sat up more, ready to explain everything on your mind. “Yeah, Mingi and I are together,” you smiled as you thought about him. “And uh, I did like you. I really did. I always did, Hwa, but now, I….” you took time with your words. “Now I know that Mingi is the one for me.”

Seonghwa nodded, letting out a sigh. “I guess my timing was a bit off, huh?” he chuckled, offering you a kind smile. You didn't mean to change the pattern of your heart, but it was just what needed to happen.

You didn't say anything. You didn't need to. He knew your feelings, and knew that they weren't for him. At least not anymore.

“Well, it was good to see you. I hope we can still be friends,” he smiled, standing up from the couch. “I have to go to work, but um, it was really nice seeing you.”

You nodded, standing up with him. “It was good to see you, too.”

He walked past you and patted you on the head before walking out of the house, leaving you alone with mingi once again.

You knew he heard all of that. You hoped he did, at least, so he knows how much you care for him. You know how insecure he feels about the fact you used to like his brother, and you wanted him to know that there was no reason to worry about it anymore.

“Mingi?” you called out, but there was no answer. You walked into the kitchen to see tiny snacking on her dinner, but there was no mingi in sight.

You walked through the kitchen to go out of the patio doors, finding mingi in the backyard next to the garden you used to steal strawberries from.

“There you are,” you breathed, walking on the grass barefoot towards him. The rain had stopped now, the only sign of it was the dewyness of the grass. Mingi was facing the other way, deep in thought as he stared at the crimson fruit in front of him. “Seonghwa just left.”

He nodded without a word. You took notice of his slumped shoulders and his unusual aura. 

You reached out to touch him on the shoulder. “Mingi, I—”

“You're not gonna drop me for him now that he’s back, right?” he asked you, turning around to face you now. 

His words hurt more than they should have. Even if you never declared you were in a relationship together, that doesn't mean you’d drop him for an old flame that never caught on fire.

You looked up into his eyes. Oh, those beautiful eyes. They seemed to worry way too much.

You took a step closer to him, just enough to tightly wrap your arms around his slim waist. You didn't say anything to him at the moment. You just held him, knowing he needed to be held. It took a second for him to wrap his arms around you, and when he did, he squeezed you tightly, as if he were afraid you'd escape his hold.

“No, baby. I’m not gonna leave you,” you looked up at him, smiling bright. “Why would I leave the man I love?”

He stiffened in your embrace, pulling back slightly to read your expression. “What?” he spoke softly, his eyes wildly looking into yours. “What did you just say?”

“I said why would I leave the man I love?” you giggled nervously, knowing it was a bit rash to say. “That would be stupid. How could I do that?”

He held onto you tightly, but looked confused as ever. “I thought I was gonna be the first one to say it,” he smiled, focused solely on you and only you. “I was just worried you didn't feel the same.”

“Oh, come on,” you grinned, pulling him toward you again. “I thought it was obvious.”

He looked down at you, completely in love. “Well I love you, too, y/n,” he pushed his forehead against yours, leaning down to press his lips against yours. “More than you love me, of course.”

You scoffed, but still smiled happily as he kissed you again. 

It was everything you ever wanted. From the way he made you feel—enough to write a book about him—and the way he cared for you as if you were the most expensive work of art in a museum. He cherished you, and you wanted to live out your life with him. You wanted to spend every summer, autumn, winter, and spring with him. 

After all, He was your sun. Your world. And you were his moon, his everything. 

“In your dreams, Song Mingi.”

[kiyoominous]

casually cruel in the name of being honest

blurb: anytime now, he’s gonna say it’s love. he never called it what it was.

pairing: diluc/reader

genre: angst, hurt no comfort

warnings: self deprecation?

author’s note: i’m back, hi!! it just so happens that my inspiration for writing, the end of my situationship and the release of red (taylor’s version) all came together to create this! it’s very much a vent piece, my apologies if it is lacking. very reader centric, diluc is simply a prop here.

it’s been far too long since you and diluc… broke up? was it really a break up though? with the months of labelless intimacy and one too many fleeting touches, it might as well have been.

from the cold of january to august’s heat, there was an undeniable push and pull between the pair of you. diluc would offer to walk you home, you’d take his hand in kind. you’d gift him trinkets in gratitude of his walks with you and he’d only but give you a nod of the head. and after quiet gazes and the emptiness of his silence, then he’d pull you into a hug or drape his coat over your shoulders. every time it left you speechless, confused and all the other words in between. how befuddling.

to read into his warming actions or to lean towards his stone cold exterior was a choice to make. it was unfortunate that you let his hot hands melt the walls around your heart.

in letting diluc cradle your heart in his hands, you unknowingly walked into something clouded and blurry. each step of his was analysed under rose-tinted glasses, carefully watched so you didn’t lose your footing. and his movements were confusing! you believed for one moment that he was waltzing towards a sunny valley filled with grape vines and unwavering affection but he would take a sharp turn towards nothing. perhaps taking those rosy glasses off every once in a while could’ve done you some good but diluc looks far too charming with the pinks and reds colouring your visage. with fiery red locks and eyes that were equally as bright, it was far too easy to fall for him. 

between moments of doubt, you swore you would see a certain look on his face whenever he saw you. his sharp eyes softened and a rare curve of a smile graced his lips. was it adoration? was it longing? was it love unpronounced, like the things you read about in novels? whatever it was, it made it very difficult for you to look at your beloved friend without the aid of a pink tint. 

after weeks of tiptoeing around the line between “friends” and “significant other”, after fleeting touches that burned with longing for days, after conversations that slowly inched closer to ending in “i love you”, diluc finally decided to clear the fog of your relationship.

“i don’t think i can see us together in a long term relationship. i’m sorry.” he lowered his head, refusing to meet your eyes. the guilt in his tone was so sincere that you could almost touch it. his honesty, though very much appreciated, felt sickening.

“it’s ok.” you replied in kind, putting on your best smile to face him. it was foolish for you to even consider that he had one small ounce of love for you in the first place, right?

then why did offer it to you in fragile words under the moonlight? why would he preemptively invest in you without any intention to reap what he sowed? why would he declare such affections ever-so-casually?

“every time we speak, i feel like i might be starting to love you.” he confessed on a cool wednesday night, months and months and months before his bombshell — or perhaps jumpty dumpty might be more appropriate — of a revelation. his pretty words that he delivered to you in a bouquet of naive love that night? gone. the blooms that once whispered your name in gentle affections were then shrivelled up, desolate of any semblance of adoration.

he didn’t love you.

and sure, the truth stung like the burn of pyro but it was right there in front of you. in amongst hugs that felt too long and almost-kisses, it stood proudly, awaiting your discovery. you just weren’t looking.

as you dashed home after a rushed exchange of goodbyes, there was only one thought that ran with you on your sprint towards home.

“i regret meeting you.”

and it’d run with you to your grocery trips to mondstadt’s city, to your begrudging visits to angel’s share per kaeya’s persistent requests and to the few seconds on a friday just weeks after your fallout where you shared unwilling eye contact with him.

perhaps one day this memory would fade into the back burner of your mind, only to be glanced at with humour. one day it would be easier to look into diluc’s ruby eyes without the butterflies in your stomach falling into the pit of it. but as a caterpillar crawls into its chrysalis, so should you hide in a cocoon of your own, waiting and waiting and waiting until you’re ready to face the world — or whom was once your world — again.