#bring back yearning

[iniquitousyearning]

where are the men who yearn. where are the men who ponder. where are the men with depth. where are the men who find parallels. where are the men who love from their barest instinct. where are the men with whimsy. where are the men with certainty. where are the men who will cut their own heart out in face of your honour. where are the men

[venusdews]

sweet serendipity

zayne [黎深] + female reader

synopsis. you disrupt zayne's routine when you stumble into his bookstore. he'd be lying if he said he wouldn't want it to happen again.

genre & contents. romantic meet cute, shopkeeper!zayne, actress!reader, inspired by notting hill (ofc), yearning men (zayne), short n sweet wc ; 2.1k

author's note. i saw a post saying something about librarian zayne and thought wait… let's take that further…. also i just love notting hill and imagining zayne in glasses. enjoy <3

It’s a quiet morning for Zayne.

The sun was coming in delicately through his bookstore’s windows, at the same time it always did. A pale blue mug sits at the register, the one he used everyday to make his cup of coffee. Students from the nearby university were walking briskly past the shop to their 8 AM lectures. Soft piano ballads spilled from his computer into the small space.

Everything was the same.

Some may find it monotonous, this morning routine of his. But to Zayne, he wouldn’t ask for anything else. This is exactly how he liked it.

Zayne was sitting behind the register, ready to tally today’s inventory. In the opening hours of his quaint little bookstore, there was rarely another person with him. Except for his assistant, Yvonne, who came in earlier on the weekends. Customers usually start coming in later in the afternoon, so he used this time to focus on the upkeep his books demanded. 

It was a sacred time, just for him.

He takes his blue-inked pen, just about to mark his clipboard when the bell above the door chimes.

Zayne stirs, surprised to hear the sound so early in the morning. He instinctively looks up, a ‘welcome in’ at the tip of his tongue.

But there was no one.

He watches as the door closes on its own, the only sign that he hadn’t just imagined it. His brows furrowing slightly, he stands up, scanning the bookshelves for any sign of life.

Nothing.

Was Zayne hearing things?

He sighs softly, walking around the counter. He needed to make sure he wasn’t going crazy.

He walks down the aisle furthest from the door, slowly peeking around the corner. Zayne doesn’t know why his heart is beating faster. Maybe he was slightly unsettled by the disturbance to his peaceful morning.

And then he sees you.

He stills at the sight, wondering if he’s seeing things now. 

There was no way it was you.

Clad in a black jacket, you stand at the other end of the shop. A matching beret sits atop your head and you’re wearing sunglasses, but Zayne easily recognizes your features.

You take a book from the shelf, but you’re distracted. Eyes focused on the windows intensively.

Zayne doesn’t realize he’s walking towards you until he’s only a few feet away. Still, you’re unaware of his presence. He panics, blanking on his words as it seems you’ve left him unable to form a coherent sentence. 

Wow, you smell good. 

And you’re even prettier up close. Those cameras really didn’t do your beauty justice.

His mouth opens and closes, eyes darting around for something, anything, to distract him from how intoxicating you were.

They land on the book in your hand.

When You Are Dreaming: Part One

“That’s a good choice.” The words slip out before Zayne can stop them.

You jump, whipping your head to face… his chest. Your head tilts upwards, eyes trailing up to meet his. Zayne feels his ears burning, surely turning a bright pink now. 

Confusion is clear on your face. “What?”

Your dulcet voice is like music to his ears.

Zayne adjusts the rectangle glasses on his nose, an nervous habit. He clears his throat, pointing to the book in your hands.

You look down, as if you had just become aware of the object in your hands. “Oh,” you whisper softly, more to yourself than him. “Are you a student?”

He can’t help the slight upwards tilt of his lips. “No, I read it for fun.”

“You read academic texts for fun?” It’s a genuine question despite the amused smile on your lips. 

“I do.” he answers, unabashedly.

Your smile widens and you flip the book in your hands. Skimming your fingers over the spine, you look at him intensively through your sunglasses. Zayne can’t help the way his face flushes.  “Part one, huh? Is the sequel any good?”

“The first one is always better. I think they overshot with a second one.”

You giggle, and Zayne briefly wonders what angel blessed him today.

“I’ll take it then.”

If someone had told him Linkon’s most beloved actress would be standing in front of him, taking his book suggestions, Zayne would have laughed in their face.

Yet, here you were looking at him like he was actually saying something of interest to you.

As he guides you to the register, a soft ‘oh no’ falls from your lips. He turns to you, finding a panicked expression on your face. Zayne follows your gaze, catching sight of the flurry of people holding cameras, looking around expectantly. They were just a few feet outside of the shop, any longer and they would definitely see you in here.

Ah, so that’s why you ran in here.

Your brows furrow cutely, as if you’re planning a grand escape in your head.

Zayne can’t help himself.

“You can… go through the back.”

He can see the way your eyes widen under your shades, not expecting his helping hand. Without another word, he motions you to follow him, through his office to the back door. Zayne holds the door open for you, and you don’t hesitate to step into the alley.

You turn to him, smiling brightly. “Thank you.”

He watches as you quickly walk down the alley and turn. He stands there for a bit longer than he’s like to admit. Maybe hoping to catch sight of you once again. But, a sense of disappointment washes over him as he closes the door. Walking back to his clipboard, he looks around his bookshop.

Everything was the same. As if you had never been there at all.

Zayne picks up his pen once again, only then realizing. 

You left with the unpaid book.

And maybe a little more.

                       · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Zayne is embarrassed to admit he finds himself looking for you in every person who walks into his store.

Everytime the bell rings, his head shoots up. And everytime it’s not you, his greetings become a little less enthusiastic. 

He’s also embarrassed to admit he almost fell from the gliding ladder when he caught sight of a black beret.

It was not you.

Yvonne did not try to hide her giggle.

Zayne had kept his encounter with you a secret, knowing how much of a fan she was. And maybe, he wanted to keep the memory for his own safekeeping. 

“Are you expecting someone?” Yvonne eyes Zayne suspiciously, wondering why her calm and collected boss was suddenly looking like a puppy missing its owner. 

Zayne stops his writing, looking up from his notepad to Yvonne. She had stopped stocking books, hands on her hips.

“No,” he replies, curt. “Why do you ask?”

She tilts her head, as if to say I don’t believe you.

“Maybe because you keep looking at the door as if you are.”

He looks back to his notepad, suddenly realizing he’s been caught. It was upsetting enough to admit he hadn’t stopped thinking about you since you stood in his shop a week ago. But to have someone else point it out, that was just humiliating.

Not that he had been doing a good job of hiding it.

“You still have three more boxes in the back.”

Yvonne scoffs, rolling her eyes at his blatant misdirection. She shakes her head, but goes back to refilling the shelves.

Zayne walks away, suddenly feeling too hot. As if to mock him, the door chimes once again. Feeling self-conscious, he ignores it, walking into his office.

He also misses the way Yvonne gasps.

Zayne tries to cool himself down by some water, fanning himself with his notepad. What’s gotten into him? Why was he so stuck on you?

He tells himself that maybe he imagined it, that of course he would feel so enthralled by a movie star. Yeah, that’s all it was. He was just starstruck by you. Zayne should forget about it and stop hoping you’ll—

“Zayne!”

Yvonne’s voice takes him out of his spiraling thoughts.

He turns, coming face to face with a… very red Yvonne. She’s smiling, teeth and all, something he thinks he’s never seen since he’s met her. Her eyes are wide, a nervous twinkle as she stares at him.

“Did something happ—”

“Someone is here to see you,” she cuts him off, hands coming up to cover her mouth. It looks as if she’s trying to contain an explosion from going off.

Zayne’s eyes widen slightly.

It couldn’t be…?

Could it?

He adjusts his glasses, about to push past Yvonne. But, he stops in front of the mirror next to the door, adjusting his hair and collar. Just in case. Yvonne giggles like a schoolgirl as he exits his office.

Zayne swears his heart stops for a moment, because standing in his bookshop once again…

is you. 

You, sunglasses and beret gone, gorgeous face bare for him to see. For him to see you completely. And, god, those eyes were just as mesmerizing as in the movies.

The sun seems to kiss you, cascading over you in a halo. You’re wearing the same jacket you wore before. And when you see him, you shoot him a blinding smile.

Straight to his heart.

It’s like you want him to collapse right then and there. 

“Hi,” you say once he’s standing in front of you. Your hands are holding a book. The one you (technically) stole. 

“Hi.” he says back, suddenly feeling out of breath. 

“I wanted to return this to you. I know I kind of just ran out of here last time. I promise, I fully intended on paying…” you’re rocking on your feet, eyes darting to the side. Were you… nervous?

He finds delight in that thought.

“You don’t want it anymore?”

You laugh, looking down at the book in your hands. “To be honest, I don’t think I'll have time to read it…”

“And, I just wanted to buy it because you seemed to like it.” You look back up at him, a coy smile playing on your lips.

Was he delusional or were you… flirting?

Behind him, there’s a squeal. He looks back to see Yvonne, who quickly ducks into his office to pretend like she wasn’t just eavesdropping. 

You laugh again, and Zayne thinks he could listen to it forever.

“So, anyway,” you start again, and he realizes he hasn’t said a thing. And he did want to, god he did, but he couldn’t seem to find the right words. Zayne was embarrassed to admit how many times he had played this scenario in his head. Yet, you hold the book out to him and he takes it, wordlessly, like an idiot.

“I just came by to drop it off.”

“Well, thank you.”

THANK YOU? 

That’s it?

You’re right in front of him and all he can say is thank you?

Zayne feels like the biggest idiot in all of Linkon right now. Standing still and unable to speak to the girl who hasn't left his mind for a second. The girl people would kill to have even a second to speak to.

And he feels like you’re slipping right through his fingers.

You turn, not before flashing him that breathtaking smile of yours again. The type that leaves him wanting more. And all he can do is watch as you walk out of his bookshop, out of his life completely. Leaving nothing behind but the sweet smell of jasmine and cedar.

“Oh my god,” Yvonne is beside him now, leaning over the register counter, hands covering her face. “That is the worst fumble I have ever seen.”

Zayne flushes.

“She was literally right there! Linkon’s darling, coming back for you, and all you say is thank you?!” She tries to mimic his deep voice. 

Well, when she says it like that…

“I…”

For the first time, Yvonne sees her stoic, cold boss become speechless.

Zayne stares at the book in his hands as if he is trying to bore holes into it. As if it was at fault for his failures. Sighing, he places the book on the register. What he’s been wishing for has passed him by and he has no one to blame but himself.

Maybe he just wasn’t meant to enter your world. He was just a random shopkeeper in this vast city and you, you were way above his level. What would Linkon’s beloved star actress even be doing with a humble man like himself?

Maybe you two were just ships in the night. 

Zayne thinks he hears Yvonne continue to ramble, but he starts to examine the condition of the book. Making sure it was good to put back onto its shelf, where it truly belonged. He opens it, and his eyes widen.

A slip of paper, tucked in between the cover and the first page.

Your name in cursive lettering, a heart doodled at the end of it.

And your number.

[asteriasgarden]

i miss the era of soapghost just beginning, where gorgeous fanarts were rampant through the tag and people had actually insightful contributions

now it’s all just reader insert garbage, non related rants, and random shit

bring back actual soapghost content 2025

[tsvkjko]

kuroo as a husband is like that one guy on reddit who thought something was wrong with him because he was still so obsessed and in love with his wife after years of marriage

[aef-222]

Another Aragorn and Arwen doodles

bring back yearning

[curiousmxmmy]

Once i jokingly said I'd rape my boyfriend, and he agreed without a beat.

Down a new rabbit hole I go, I guess.

[leopar6eyes]

MEN WHO YEARN ARE MEN THAT EARN!!!

credits: xcherryerim

[fish-champ16]

something about hozier doing a more somber and romantic cover of “do i wanna know” has really altered my brain chemistry. it’s so full of yearning and heartfelt surrender i wish he was real 😔

[sweet1yruby]

bring back yearning ✌️

[ladyoftheblade8]

~A Deal With Destiny~

❤️‍🔥 Steamy Spoilers ❤️‍🔥

Chapter 7: What Dreams May Come

“How wicked you are, my sweet girl…dreaming of a monster.”

She should have denied it. Should have turned away. Should have fought the delicious, suffocating pull of him.

But she did not.

Instead, her fingers found the silken fabric of his tunic, grazing the golden skin beneath. Her touch—hesitant, uncertain, her body moving—yielding, instinctive, toward his.

He let out a low, approving growl, as though testing her, waiting for the moment she would push back against his restraint and demand more.

And with that, she could not stop herself.

Her touch grew bolder, sliding over the firm muscles of his chest, tracing the intricate lines of his body beneath the fabric.

His fingers tightened at the base of her spine, gathering a fistful of her chemise in his grasp, pulling her that much closer.

“Oh, I do wonder…” His lips faintly brushed the shell of her ear, and her body trembled with the nearness, the anticipation. “Do you crave what you fear, little one?”

Aislinn exhaled sharply, her head tipping back just slightly—enough to offer herself up to him without meaning to.

The space between them vanished.

Their lips were a breath apart when his fingers suddenly tangled in the hair at the nape of her neck, tilting her head back—baring her further to him. His other hand splaying over the curve of her waist, fingers pressing firm as he pulled her taut against him. She could feel the hard lines of his body, the tension in him—a taut coil, restrained, ravenous hunger just waiting to snap.

And gods help her, she wanted to snap it.

His lips hovered just above her throat, so close she could feel the warmth radiating from them, the unbearable temptation of them. Then, he dipped his head—his nose trailing along the curve of her neck, inhaling her scent.

“Jasmine,” he purred, the words pressed into her skin, his voice thick, sinful. “Gods, you smell as pure as a spring day…it’s intoxicating.”

📖 Join the fantasy now on Ao3:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/62006650/chapters/161317780

Sweet dreams dearies 💗

🔥LadyoftheBlade8🔥

[snufkinsong]

i need more songs with unbridled yearning please. lost without your love by bread. lover, you should’ve come over by jeff buckley. there is something so sincere and gratifying listening to people speak poetry like that

[fancydancy316]

[vqmpyrecult]

As a cinephile, this would instantaneously save ANY close-to-mediocre film :)

it’s really important to me when men put their heads in women’s laps. one of the most important things i can see on my tv. men laying their heads in women’s laps or men sitting and women standing and the man holds her around the middle and presses his face into her tummy as she hugs him around the shoulders. two very important poses. extremely soul igniting tableaux.

[leopar6eyes]

[ladyoftheblade8]

~A Deal With Destiny ~

🗡Chapter 4: Those Who Wander��

✨️Available Now on Ao3✨️

Summary:

As Aislinn and Rumplestiltskin venture further into the forest, the shadows of the wilds seem to close in around them. The uneasy partnership between the two begins to shift as moments of tension—and connection—bubble to the surface. Aislinn grapples with doubts about her own strength, while Rumplestiltskin’s sharp wit and enigmatic demeanor hint at a complexity she can't quite unravel. Their journey takes a sudden, perilous turn when they are ambushed by a band of ruthless bandits. Aislinn’s courage and resourcefulness are put to the test as she finds herself forced to fight for her life. Meanwhile, Rumplestiltskin's magic unfurls like a double-edged sword, a reminder of the power he wields and the darkness that clings to him.

Preview:

There was something about Aislinn that stirred long-forgotten feelings within him. She wasn’t just a curiosity or a fleeting diversion. She was magnetic, enigmatic, like an unseen force pulling him closer despite every instinct screaming at him to turn away. From the moment he had first seen her, he had felt it—a pull he couldn’t explain. And as much as he tried to fight it, her presence had begun to thaw the bitter frost in his chest, filling the empty spaces with something dangerously close to hope.

He could have ended this distraction. A single spell could speed their journey, bring them to the scroll, and set his plans in motion. But he hadn’t. Every fiber of his being seemed to rebel against the idea. Instead, he lingered, savoring the moments in her company, craving them even as he cursed his own foolishness. He felt like a madman, his sanity unraveling with every passing hour. And still, he couldn’t stop himself from watching her every move, searching her every glance, as if trying to unravel the mystery of whether she felt it too—this unspoken connection, fragile yet consuming.

What madness was this, he wondered, to entertain the impossible notion that someone like her could ever see anything but the monster he had become?

Read now on Ao3:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/62006650/chapters/160063300

💖 Enjoy Dearies!

-LadyoftheBlade8-

[uncustomvry]