#but I am quite literally stuck between lectures and the library on any given day

[literary-motif]

Are you taking requests again since you've finished the novella or are you focusing on school or your job rn, I know novembers busy for a lot of us

Hi! I suppose I'm taking requests, though when I'll be writing them is a different issue. I am quite busy with university currently (and I don't see that letting up anytime soon) but I'll do my best.

There are a few requests that have been sitting in my inbox since late September (sorry about that!). I'll get to them eventually, give me a bit of time.

[daydreamindollie]

j.ww | soft hearted

Pairing: j.wonwoo x f.reader

Length: 13k

Genre: soulmate!au (kinda) ; university!au ; strangers2lovers ; domestic violence  

Summary: You were a sweet girl looking for love and protection, he was a stoic man avoiding love at all costs. It's only fitting that the two of you cross paths.

A/N: I really don't know how to feel about this fic or this alternate universe I came up with. I haven't planned everything out so that's why the roles of the hearts aren't as well described here or as influential to the plot as I want them to be but I'll be sure to establish the ordinance of this universe as soon as I can. I'm sorry if the plot seems rushed or fast-paced at all throughout this oneshot, I kept replanning, redrafting and rewriting it but, unfortunately, this is the version I am most satisfied with. I might edit this in the future but that all depends on how much time I have to spare because this took me ages! Oh my goodness! I hope it's a good read for you though! And, hopefully, the next member's story won't take as long as Wonwoo's

In a universe where people carry around their hearts, with some wearing them on their sleeves and others tucking them into the breast pocket of their blazers and out of people’s sight, Wonwoo appeared to be the only one adamant at keeping his at home and off his person when moving about. It wasn’t as though he was embarrassed by his heart or anything, it’s just that, carrying around his heart like most people usually would, was a heavy burden on him, quite literally. Everyone’s heart had a trait that matched the personality of the person they represented and, although they were all as unique as the person that owned them, they all had a similar trait. They were unbreakable - harder than diamond and more precious than any jewel. Despite this physical resilience to external forces, however, they can be fractured by one thing and one thing only: heartbreak.

Wonwoo’s heart was much like the rest in this quality, however, his heart had undergone a phenomenon he’d prefer to keep to himself rather than alert the cardiologists, who specialised in the field of hand-held hearts. Before his first heartbreak, Wonwoo’s heart was soft, in any way shape or form. Its surface was smooth like the finest silk and it was rather sizeable too, almost reaching farther than his fingertips when held in the center of his palm. Not only that but his heart had the viscosity of fluffy marshmallows. Looking back on the time his heart was of that state was laughable because it directly matched his personality: funny and sweet, soft and malleable to any given situation. Now, however, he was hardly like that and so was his heart.

Heartbreak really changed him as a person and usually, people who suffered through that would go through therapy or counseling with their heartbreaker in order to avoid any desperate change their heart and they, themselves, would make in response to the pain of heartbreak. Sometimes, breaking another person’s heart was punishable as a crime simply because of the adverse effect it can have on an individual, and so, it was always taught to children at a young age that when given the responsibility of another person’s heart, they should handle it with the utmost care. Wonwoo never had the pleasure of going through therapy or counseling for his heartbreak; he merely didn’t want the pity and stigma that came when people found out that he had gone through something like that, and he knows for certain that many people would be alerted of his suffering. If people had ever once been heartbroken in their lives it was put in their medical records as a signpost that their heart was more breakable now than before, he also didn’t want the sympathy of others if he were to enter the heartbreak clinic. He just wanted to avoid all the trivial attention.

And so, Wonwoo left his heart alone, to change and morph into stone. He didn’t know what stone it was but it was still as unbreakable as ever, with the exception of the damage heartbreak had brought - he wouldn’t dare test that out. Alongside the change of his heart, Wonwoo also made a drastic change in personality; now he was mostly silent and stoic, inclined to keep to just himself and his group of friends. He had become as quiet and as still as his heart of stone.

It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, though. Wonwoo saw the change to be good because now, he wasn’t so easily fooled by others and their perfidious promises, he was also able to keep away other people, which only lowered the chances of him ever feeling heartbreak again. The only problem was that his heart, now, weighed so much more than it used to and it wasn’t as if Wonwoo had spaghetti arms either; he had managed to weigh the thing once and it was rounded down to 12.5kg. He already had many books to carry as a literature major so it was only an inessential added weight that Wonwoo had no desire of lugging around every day, so it just had to stay home atop his bedside table.

Despite the heartbreak he had suffered through alone, he was admired and sought out by many girls, who would confront him about their feelings if it weren’t for his reputation - his reputation to coldly reject those that even breathed a word to him about anything concerning love. Many rumors make their way around university campus about him and his chilling demeanor, some suspect that he has no heart, others believe he's experienced heartbreak and some just think it’s who he is as a person. The first was simply ridiculous because everyone has a heart but the last two were fairly accurate in their own right. Wonwoo can’t find it in himself to care, however, because they weren’t ever going to find out, he’s only told his closest friends, who have been sworn to secrecy, and he doesn’t plan on telling anyone else, he hasn’t even told his parents.

The tall, expressionless boy simply goes through lectures breezily before huddling up in the corner of the campus library with his nose stuck in-between the pages of an invigorating book. Reading the words of the many writers he admires, envelopes him with daydreams that project the images being described on the woody pages perfectly. It’s the only time he feels like his old self again when his emotions were as vibrant as the colours and shapes he sees through the metal frames of his circular glasses. Maybe that’s why he was so addicted to books and why he had chosen his major when he, previous to the heartbreak, knew nothing of what he wanted to be when he was older.

In spite of his cold manner, all he genuinely wants to do is comfort others, others that could be going through or had already gone through heartbreak. He knows that he can simply become another therapist and garner the same repercussions but it won’t be the same, it won’t provide the same satisfaction as publishing a book because, at least, that comes with the knowledge that his words of comfort and advice can reach others worldwide. He also doesn’t want to provide the usual therapy that focuses directly on the cause, he’d rather provide comfort subtly and in a more enjoyable way. This can only be achieved through the tellings of a story, is what Wonwoo concluded years ago when he had given his future a truly deep and long thought.

Now, he’s here, surrounded by friends and reaching towards a dream as he bites down on a sandwich, ensuring that the crumbs don’t fall into the book held in his hands. He and his twelve other friends occupied a good stretch of the tables provided at the cafeteria and he had hopes that others would be able to bypass him when glancing over but he was wrong much like how he is always mistaken when thinking optimistically about things.

“Look, he’s right there!”

“Isn’t he handsome? So mysterious and cold. He’s just the guy for me.”

“You better watch out, he’s stone-cold when it comes to love confessions. He’s rejected everyone that’s come his way with the intentions of capturing his heart. It's like he doesn't care about whether he breaks someone's heart or not,”

Wonwoo heard a sigh, “And he was so perfect…”

“It’s better to just treat him like art and admire from afar.”

Wonwoo loves following his simple routine and, therefore, has one for everything: for how he should get ready for bed, for what he should do in the morning, for when he should eat his meals, for his university days...the list goes on. Today was another university day for him and both of the lectures he needed to attend today were back-to-back in the early morning, which left him the rest of the day to do with what he wanted. These days were his favourite because after getting work done in the morning he didn’t feel as guilty for spending most of the day he had left in the library and drowning in the river of words in the abundance of books that surrounded him provided.

For most of the day, his routine was the same; he had attended both of his lectures and had eaten his lunch at his preferred cafe, situated right beside the campus library, which was his final destination for the time being. The moment the tall young man had entered the library, however, he was having to spend an extended minute beside the front desk, attempting to process the fact that the elderly lady that used to sit at the desk was no longer there and was now replaced by a wrinkle-free face that adorned the cutest button nose and most innocuous sparkling doe eyes he had ever seen.

“Good afternoon, sir,” you chirp happily up at the stoic man towering over you. He was very handsome, with a slim face and proportionate body, he also adorned cute circular-framed glasses that you weren’t a big fan of but appreciated that they looked good on him. The only thing that put you off of his appearance was that he was absolutely expressionless and when you saw that he wasn’t going to greet you back, your heart sank into your stomach, causing the one in your pocket to become heavy, almost pushing you to tilt down with it. You were able to resist, however, as the male curtly nodded and hurried away, behind a shelving unit of dense books. In doing this, the weight of your heart became light again and the pout that itched to trace your lips was now gone.

Brushing the swift and minorly callous greeting to the back of your mind, you continued on with what your job required. You still had a few minutes left until you had to switch places with someone else and take over their job of restocking the books into their original places. It was a job nobody tended to enjoy but you were eager to get started; it was a new experience and you’d much rather be accompanied by books than other people right now, especially because of that daunting, earlier exchange. Yup, you definitely couldn’t wait to immerse yourself with books that needed stacking.

Many minutes drawled by and your colleague came back, flashing you a smirk as you switched places, it was if they were wishing you good luck with the task. It was a silent wish you felt as though you didn’t need at first but now that you were wheeling around piles of books in a cart twice your size, you were beginning to understand why people had a deep dislike for this duty. You were also left with the pile of books that needed to be stacked in the far corner of the large library. It was an exciting place to explore but not when you were having to sweat buckets just from pushing the cart of books around.

When you finally reached the area that required the majority of books you needed to replace onto their shelves, you wiped at the sweat on your brow before huffing a sigh and beginning to hum to yourself. Humming, was your own way of giving yourself therapy. It was never for serious things, just for when you needed to calm down or needed your mind to be brought elsewhere to distract you from things you didn’t want to confront. It was your own commiseration for when there wasn’t anyone around you to lean on.

You were just minding your own business, getting on with work that needed to get done for pay and didn’t realise the pair of eyes lingering on your figure from the little nook tucked away in a secluded part of the library that hardly anyone noticed. It was a quaint quarter that had the books not many people tended to take out and so it was the perfect place for Wonwoo to set himself up in for an entire afternoon and evening of reading. Of course, there was the occasional person that needed a book from that area but they never stayed long and hardly noticed the tucked-away alcove Wonwoo always occupied. It was a little corner wedged with an antique armchair and a small table with which sat a desk lamp. It was perfect for Wonwoo to read in peace. It also seemed to be a perfect place to watch others - especially cute librarians - move through the tall shelving units.

Earlier, when you had greeted him, Wonwoo was too shocked and afraid to greet you back, he regrets it now but he hopes that one day, the two of you could become acquaintances, at the very least. Deep inside him, however, he yearned for something more. The reason being that he usually hated it when others made any noise around him as he wanted to read in only the company of silence, making any form of noise the antithesis of that. However, he seemed to like your humming; it wasn’t disturbing or distracting at all, in fact, it just added to the relaxed atmosphere he found much delight in. He hadn't a clue why he suddenly had the urge to feel close to you and it was fairly incongruous but he paid no mind to it at that moment.

When you were tucked into the front desk and seated, Wonwoo wasn’t given the opportunity to survey how cute your outfit was. You looked really adorable. The main palette of colour you were draped in were nudes and browns, your pleated skirt was a sweet, walnut brown that you had tucked your maple jumper into. If you weren’t charming already, the white-collar peeking out from underneath your jumper made him feel warm in the chest as he continued staring as you stacked books in your heeled boots, still unable to fully reach the highest shelf with the elevation they gave you. It was definitely an aesthetic that he found attractive, especially on you. This was a peculiar thought because he’s only met you today and he hasn’t even said a word to you yet.

It’s dangerous for him to be feeling this way. After his first and last heartbreak, hasn’t he already learned his lesson about falling in love? It can never end well.

Lost in thought from the conflicts of how strangely attractive you are to him but also how he needs to stop thinking about you or else he’ll find himself in the same situation he was in years ago, Wonwoo briskly loses touch with the happenings around him. Without realising, the tall male continues staring at you as the dispute in his mind goes back and forth long enough for you to turn around to the next shelf and register that the tall, handsome man who had basically ignored your greeting at the desk, was staring at you.

In his hands, you see a worn, hardcover book with aged pages and you instantly flush in embarrassment and shame. You probably disturbed his reading with your humming and by the stern stoic look he’s focusing intensely on you, it appears as though he’s eager to warn you of the disturbance you were making. Not wanting to perturb him further, you tuck your chin into your neck and get on with your work, no longer humming your supposedly disquieting tune.

It takes several moments for Wonwoo to register the fact that you had stopped humming and couldn’t help the small frown that weighs his lips down. The sudden silence is probably his fault too, his heart of stone keeps his face stripped of most emotions so that, even if he were to feel an overwhelming sense of happiness, only a small smile would appear on his face, so subtle that hardly anyone would notice. He doesn’t want to further plague your work so Wonwoo tries to get back into reading his beloved book once more if it weren’t for the slight groan that catches his attention.

Upon looking up, he catches sight of your struggle. The height of the tall shelving units are giant compared to you and your heeled boots, it was an endearing sight to see you attempt at reaching high enough to stack the highest shelf but the weak whimper that escaped your mouth had his chest tightening and before he knew it, he was on his feet and walking your way.

Hearing the slow footsteps getting louder from behind you, you tried to ignore the creeping feeling that swamped your stomach but when a shadow engulfs your own you’re quick to swivel on your feet and lightly bump your nose against a hard chest.

“Let me do that for you…” at the sound of his voice, you almost melt into a puddle of goo on the floor but even though your knees are quaking uncontrollably, you’re somehow able to hold yourself up. You wait with bated breath as you hear him slot the book back into its rightful place on the shelf, “If you need any help with any more books, just ask…” you remained motionless as he stepped back and made the move to return to his little quiet corner for reading but he shocks you again by meeting your eyes and making you flush even more, “I really like your humming; don’t feel like you have to stop because of me.”

Despite his comment, it takes you a few moments to finally start humming again but, this time, you’re more than willing to persist with your own devised tune.

One thing Wonwoo hates more than anything is when his special secluded spot at the library gets stolen by some rowdy freshmen who have yet to experience the reality of work eventually catching up to them if they don’t stay on top of it. It’s the only time his quiet hideaway becomes a social corner. This is supposed to be a library, meant for studying and delving into the fabricated worlds of writers old and new, not a place for social gatherings that disturb the peace and magic in the air. However, it seems as though ever since he had helped you that day, his area has been left spec and span, clean of dust as well as the disturbance that always used to irritate his nerves. The window was finally cracked open to let in a breeze of fresh air so that it didn’t get too stuffy and were cleaned so that the rays of sunlight came in with no disturbance at all. After discerning the fact, he has had a very peaceful week and was kept in good spirits, so much so that he’s always been greeting you at the front desk with, no longer a nod, but a timid wave that always came across as blithe despite his awkwardness at first, and a charming smile.

It would be a lie to say that your chest suddenly felt lighter every time he flashed that pearly-white smile of his your way. The feeling was fluttering and sweet but in the pit of your stomach, there was a sour emotion of guilt that slowly weighed down that light sensation and had you averting your eyes as quickly as you’ve been able to meet his. The foul emotion never seems to reach Wonwoo and he only assumes the quick averting of your gaze as your simple lack of courage, which only forms a swell of fondness for you in his chest. Again, this was a dangerous sign for him but, just like before, he’s rendered helpless as he watches you go about your business, re-stacking shelves and looking absolutely adorable as you do so. Knowing full well of his growing endearment for you, someone he’s hardly interacted with for more than a week or so, he does his best to ensure that keeps you at a good distance away. However, this still doesn’t stop his friendly yet distant greetings of smiles and waves of the hand that have your knees weakening but your stomach churning unpleasantly.

Your stomach is heavy but your chest is light and you feel warm, you know that you shouldn’t wander further into the background of the charming stranger that always smiles your way and never forgets to wave at you whenever you find your eyes locking with his pools of chocolate brown. Sinking your teeth into your bland lunch of old take-out food from yesterday night, you mumble your most burning question across to your colleague, who sits at the other side of the room with one leg crossed over the other. She files down her long nails, a perfectly good looking lunch beside her going cold from her ignorance. She’s the pretty perfect picture of a ‘popular’ girl on campus that’s only doing extra work for the credits and points, which is the only reason why she can be found working in the library. Her and her rowdy bunch of friends usually occupied the charming man’s quiet corner some days of the week and, for you to drive them out, you had to do some bargaining, which landed you with extra chores around the library, hence why you’re hardly able to stop and converse with the handsome stranger Wonwoo. It's not that you even had the pluck to do so in the first place, but you’ve always been willing to sit and watch him read more verbose art with his long fingers turning the pages as his strong palms supported the thickset spine of the book.

“What was that?” your colleague calls as you take a moment to chew and swallow your food before repeating your question. It didn’t matter that you had finished eating because your voice was still weak and hardly reached her, causing her to upturn a drawn-in brow.

“W-Wonwoo…” was the only word she was able to make out but that was all she needed to be rushing over, a smile glowing up her once miserable expression as she plopped herself down beside you, ready to flood out endless rivers of words about the boy. You were quite shocked actually, you didn’t know his name could spark such a reaction.

“Jeon Wonwoo? The handsome bookworm that always seems to visit this library even though I’ve hardly had a glance of him despite working here?” she gushes, all in one breath, as you nod with a look of shock largely evident on your face, which she seems to ignore in her excitement to talk about such a ‘juicy, hot’ topic - as she would describe it.

“Isn’t he super handsome?” she manages to whine but squeal in delight all at the same time, continuing without even giving you the chance to answer her rhetorical question, “He’s so silent and mysterious,” she continues to praise before lowering her voice and leaning closer to you, as if he was about to tell you a secret, “many girls in his literature class have at least had a small crush on him but, apparently, all the people that have confessed to him - some were even guys, mind you - he has rejected very coldly.” she leans back with a shrug of her shoulders, “I’m sure it’s his way of warning all others that he won’t be interested in anyone at this university, but people are more stubborn than that. He should know, I mean, he does literature, I’m sure he’s read ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and about how stubborn those two were,” you can only nod along as you took in all the information she was feeding you, information that you didn’t need. You wanted to know him as a person, not about how handsome he is because you already knew that from the multiple glances you’ve spared in his direction. Also, even without her gossip, you can conclude that you already know more than her about him.

He appears to come by only during the later afternoons, hence why she’s hardly seen him because she leaves a little while after midday as she knows you’ll be covering the rest of her work. Also, he only seems to read for an hour or two before leaving. He only reads and that’s it, he doesn’t study so he probably has another space for that, either that or he’s just really smart and he doesn’t need to put as much work in as other students. It’s unfair that he’s already so fanciable atop being incredibly astute.

As your colleague continues to babble on about god knows what, you slowly start to feel yourself smiling at the possibility of getting to know him if you had the time and geeking over books together but when you bitterly remind yourself that you already had someone, that sourness overcomes your tastebuds again and makes your grimace softly. It’s a pang of reasonable guilt but is misplaced specifically for how your current relationship is right now. It’s a rocky path, full of obstacles that trip you up along the way, leaving bruises and sometimes even cuts that aren't even given sufficient time to ameliorate into scars.

The relationship you have is physical and abusive. It isn’t the fairytale love story that you’ve always dreamed of, it’s not comfortable or sweet or loving in any way. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. You know you should leave him but you’re always hesitant to because, strangely enough, your boyfriend, no matter how abusive, can give you the sense of comfort no one else can. He's able to provide you with reassurance and confidence about yourself that you had developed surrounding him. It’s so perilous for you to believe that if you were to leave him, you will crumble down to the extremely shy and incredibly unattractive girl that you used to be before he came into your life. He has manipulated and twisted your mind so much that although you know you’re better off without him, you can’t leave him because you believe he’s essential to have in your life in order to keep yourself together.

He’s the only person that has ever taken the time to love and cherish you for who you are and, despite the relationship turning sour, you always find a reason - an excuse - to continue staying by his side and turn away from strangers that could help you, even strangers as friendly and comforting as Wonwoo.

It was a Wednesday and you were a little late in setting up the little corner area for Wonwoo but you were determined to get the place clean and comfortable for him to be able to truly relish in the words of most recent ‘must-read’. Almost every few seconds, you would look at the time on your phone and rush your self to hurry before he catches you preparing the place for him. It would be so embarrassing if he finds out that you were going through such lengths for him despite hardly even knowing him but, he’s been so kind to you, kinder than the person who's supposed to be cherishing you like the most precious jewel there has ever been. You suppose your warm heart has gotten warm for him similar to the way it once did for your boyfriend. You still loved your boyfriend though, Wonwoo was just a kind stranger that you want to become friends with despite the controlling hand your boyfriend has been having on your social life.

Just as you were finishing up with wiping down the small side table, you suddenly felt a presence behind you before a tap on your shoulder directed your attention to the handsome face of the stranger you had been frenetically setting up the area for.

“So it’s been you,” he speaks softly, his charming smile making your chest squeeze as you sensed your heartwarming up in your breast pocket.

“Wh-wha-?” you stutter, embarrassed that you’ve been caught but also confounded at the grandeur appeal of his smile.

“You’ve been the one that’s kept other people away from my area and cleaning up any messes you might have missed,” he gives you a nod of thanks before delivering his gratitude in words, “I really appreciate that, thank you.”

“I-It’s alright,” you squeak, face still predominant with a reddish hue, “I just wanted to thank you for helping me out the first time we met,” your admittance only has Wonwoo furrowing his brows and feeling the weight of guilt sink his stomach. It was only one time and it wasn’t that much of a grandiose gesture either. This makes him think of if you’re always this grateful for every little thing, for every kind gesticulation done for you, would you repay someone as if they've saved your life? It’s an endearing attribute but he worries that some people could have taken advantage of that.

“Why don’t I help you with the shelf stacking?” he offers, not even waiting to hear for your response as he walks over to your tray and begins stacking the books.

Gasping, you quickly hurry to his side and try to push him back to his little nook, your small soft hands splayed across his chest as you look up to him with your wondrous doe eyes. He thinks it's adorable how you think he’s going to stop when you look all the more fragile and in greater need of his help at that moment. Your action of prevention has only led to the sealing of his resolution in helping you regardless.

"Please don't trouble yourself. I don't want to get in the way of your time spent reading,"

“It’s alright, I really don’t mind. I mean, you’ve been doing this for me for a while, right?” you don’t respond and remain speechless because you know how horribly you lie and people can just see right through your little act, “I’d feel guilty if I didn’t do this for you, at least. Please let me help you?” he beseeches softly and although you’re tempted to give in, you keep your mouth stubbornly shut, “If it makes you feel better, I’ll only do the ones that you can’t reach and you can do the rest, yeah?”

He doesn’t know why he’s so willing to help you but when he sees you give a hesitant nod, your eyes sparkling with the conflicting emotions of gratitude and worry, he knows why. You look so delicate and frail that his stone heart can’t help but want to protect you from all evil things in the world. Not only that but he greatly admires your kindness, to him, it’s so attractive and charming for a girl to act selflessly and be genuinely compassionate for those around them. To him, those types of people are the most precious because they wouldn’t have the heart to break another's. Taking in a deep breath, he looks away from you in an attempt to keep his mind and heart from wandering too far into the charmingly mysterious being that is you. Although he can sense that you’re the type of person who couldn’t hurt a fly, he still remained guarded.

Wonwoo can’t believe that he has only known you for a short period of time, and yet, he’s talking to you more than he is with his usual gaggle of friends. He mentally argues that this case is different, however, because of the fact that his friends are more talkative than him, which usually leads him to keep silent as the rest of them continue with their conversations. On occasion, he would voice his views, of course, but it wouldn't be often. His friends didn't mind this and he was appreciative of that. You were a different affair because whatever you had to say was something he either had an opinion on or was relatively interested it. In addition to that, it was only ever a conversation between you two; talking like that always required input from both sides at some point. You would also always make sure that he felt included and that you didn't prattle on too much. It was a strange quirk of yours to always ask him a question about every topic brought up between you but he appreciated it none the less. That's probably why he has been able to grow so fond of you. The two of you, he found out whilst stacking shelves and chatting with you, had very similar tastes in books, valued many similar things and had the same humor.

It was comforting to find someone so similar to him and sharing so many things with him but also have that someone be completely different. You were soft and sweet, he was stoic and stern. Based on that alone, he can already tell that you’d be a good equaliser for him. He’s never met someone so perfect yet so fraught with danger for him. There’s this basic need within him wanting to push you away for his benefit and safety but every time he looks your way, in your cute outfit of oversized jumpers and skinny jeans, he is engulfed by that want and needs to wrap you up in his arms where he will have you stay there forever.

“So…” he attempts to start conversation in the midst of stacking the higher shelves for you, “what are you studying?” admittedly, Wonwoo found the sound of his own voice foreign in the preserved silence of the library; he is always inclined to keep to himself and stirs far away from making conversation with others, worried that it would stretch on for a longer period than needed. Surprisingly enough, however, Wonwoo wouldn’t mind if you were to talk decades of knowledge to him in that gentle saccharine voice of yours.

Giggling, you flush red at the prospect that someone so handsome would find enough interest in you to ask you questions about yourself. In an attempt to hide your flustered cheeks, you look towards a lower shelf and re-stack the missing books, failing to catch the bewildered expression of the tall man beside you at the sound of your twinkling laugh. He had never heard anything so melodious.

“I’m studying English Literature and Creative Writing here,” you spoke softly, taking a moment to run your fingers along the delicate spine of an aged hardback before replacing it into the shelf once more.

“You like reading then?”

“Of course!” you gush in a whisper, eyes capturing the sparkle of celestial bodies, an impossible feat but Wonwoo can understand how only you are able to achieve it, “It’s such a great way of escaping the normal world where you can learn to love and hate multiple characters, you learn from their mistakes and achievements and apply what they preach to your own values. I love it,”

Smiling to himself, Wonwoo focuses back on the task he had committed himself to, despite the pull in his chest to continue staring at you, “you took the words right out of my mouth,” surprised at his confession, you stare up at him and catch the smile his pink lips adorned no matter the subtleness of it. Whoever could miss such a charming smile?

Inevitably, the two of you start talking about your favourite books and since your tastes are so similar, you start to gossip about all of your favourite moments hidden in between their creamy pages. You had never experienced something this wonderful before, not even with your current boyfriend. Yes, he used to be a sweetheart but he still didn’t share the same amount of interest you had in books and you had known that, in his eyes, he liked that about you. At the time, it made you feel special and led to your blossoming feelings of affection to him. Unfortunately, those feelings have slowly died away with his gradual change in personality. He’s no longer the same and you wish you could have saved him but by the time you had finally built up the realisation and courage to end his bad habits, it was already too late. There was always the argument of, why don’t you just leave him?

Your heart was still able to warm up at the presence of him as proof of your still evident feelings despite it being not as warm as it used to be in the earliest honeymoon stages of your relationship. There was also the possibility of you breaking his heart in the process and you didn’t want to be responsible for any further negative changes in his lifestyle and mood. It wouldn’t be fair, he was already struggling through his addictions and for you to be so heartless as to leave him for just because you were no longer satisfied and always hurt from his bad habits was extremely selfish. You wanted to stay and help him as much as you can, that’s why you were willing to put your education on pause and drop out of your university course to fully support him by being able to pick up more odd jobs. There’s always a possibility and danger in your mind that he’ll just use the money you earn for his habits but you’re certain that if you just stay by his side, you’ll be able to help him along the path of recovery.

The dreams you have of becoming a famous playwright and poet, much like Shakespear, would just have to wait. Sometimes some things aren’t meant to be but that’s just for the meantime. Things will eventually get better and then you’ll finally be steady enough on your feet to finally pursue your dreams, hopefully, with someone you cherish. Sacrifices have to be made and the thought of getting your loving boyfriend back is the only motivation you need to go through with it.

“So…why are you working in the library? Extra credit?” Wonwoo hums in curiosity, settling back into his armchair after finishing all the top shelves.

“Um…not really…my boyfriend-” there was a tone of insecurity in your voice, forcing you to withhold information from him. He had unknowingly felt a painful ache begin to enclose his heart at the mention of you having a boyfriend but ignored the feeling, wanting to bring you freedom from hardships through articulation.  From your streak of talking freely to him, he finds your tight lips bizarre but remains silent so that you’re free to make the decision for yourself. If you chose to continue talking, he’ll listen but never judge you with whatever you have to say, however, if you chose to stay quiet, he won’t press you further and continue reading his book as per usual. After a long pause, your voice finally reaches out to him, this time, however, weaker and more tentative, “I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be,” he instantly reassures, “I’m not going to press you for answers. Just know that if there’s something wrong, even if you don’t tell me what it is, you can come to me at any time for whatever help you might need,”

He didn’t have to offer you his time and consolation but he did anyway and that struck a chord in your heart, making your chest constrict with a fond ache, something you haven’t felt in a very long time with your boyfriend for the past few months.

“Thank you, I really appreciate that,” the two of you smile at each other for a minute or two, never really needing to voice anything more. You were happy.

It has always been routine for Wonwoo to spend most of his afternoon and evenings at the library, it was a hobby that he absolutely loved and his friends understood that. However, suspicions slowly began rising when the tall male is making excuses to stay there longer and visit more frequently. The excuses started off reasonable enough; he needed to read up on an assigned book; he had to catch up work; there was an assignment due soon and so on. Nevertheless, the ostensible reasonings he made can only be used up to a point and his lies became all the more perceptible; I left my bag there (“but your back is in the corner of the room-”); I forgot to take out this book that I’m suddenly interested in reading (“but you never liked books of that genre”), I don’t spend enough time at the library (“you spend more than enough time there, this is the first time we’ve gotten together and talked this week!”). It was outrageous. So when the boys did a little digging and found out he was making heart eyes at a sweet-looking librarian girl, they left him to himself. They never thought that he’d ever find interest in a girl but they were overjoyed at being proven wrong. In fact, they were so ecstatic that they made up excuses for him to leave and go spend time at the library.

They were happy for him and anxious to meet the librarian that, they knew, he’d eventually reel in and have in his arms. It was only a matter of time.

The topic of hearts was an unavoidable topic to be brought up but Wonwoo was secretly hoping that you’d be one of the people to keep to your own. However, he wasn’t surprised that, when you got extra time to sit around and talk to him, you elucidated inquisitiveness in his heart. You were asking gentle questions, not openly pronouncing a want to see or touch his heart but he knew that you secretly wanted to do those things; everyone wanted to know about everyone else’s heart, especially if they’re the ones that bring about the topic first.

“What’s your heart like?” you habitually tilt your head, as if you don’t know the effect it has on his poor soul, “I want to know,” he fails to keep the hesitance from showing on his face, which you instantly try to remedy, “I’ll show you and let you hold my heart now if you promise to show me and let me hold yours in return one day,” it seemed like a fair deal, you weren’t giving him a time limit and he was getting something similar in return. He had a lot of freedom in this covenant. Although he was having second thoughts, his head was already confirming the agreement for him.

Your smile instantly brightens as you go to reach your hand into your pocket and quickly present your heart to him, cradled in your cupped palms. The heart in your hands was clear and glass-like, it had a geometric look about it. Despite the visibly sharp vertices being rounded off smoothly, they were still prominent, which brought forth fear of being cut.

“Give me your hand…” you softly urge, pulling him into a trance that had his hands reaching out in the same cradled shape like yours. It was an intimate act -allowing someone to hold your heart. The only other person that had held your heart was your boyfriend. He had dropped it many times before from being too careless with it. It made you wince when it was dropped each time but you know can trust Wonwoo, despite only knowing him for several weeks. It was strange but you accepted it because you know he's the time of person that would never intentionally hurt another, unlike your current boyfriend.

“It’s warm…” his deep voice awes as he stares down at your heart, making you blush at the amount of attention and care he’s giving it, “It’s soft too…” he takes a moment to think of how to further describe it, “it's like its made of silk even though it looks like it’s made of glass,” he smiles up at you, only further deepening the pink hue of your blush as you look towards your feet to avoid his fond gaze. This is bad. If you continue catching feelings for Wonwoo, you’ll feel like a worse person than your current boyfriend. Is this cheating? You’re sure you’re allowed to talk to other guys when still in a relationship. “You have a really warm heart,”

“Thank you,” you blurt in a panic, not knowing how to react as he chuckles deeply, making your chest squeeze in the most pleasant way.

You were lost in each other's eyes, subconsciously leaning into one another as you held your heart together. The moment was perfect. You would've liked to treasure and keep it as a pretty picture in your head if it weren't for the rotten aftertaste it left in your mouth. Kangdae, the man you had once thought and wished you would spend the rest of your life with, had witnessed the loving exchange, he was expeditiously seeing red.

He had been suspicious of your dubious buoyant attitude whenever you would come home from or get ready to go to the university campus library for work. It had been happening for a few weeks and it had driven him mad with curiosity. In order to satisfy his inquisition, he resolved to espionage on your work shift. Now, he was driven mad with resentment and indignation.

It didn't take long for Kangdae to reach you with his long strides and pull you harshly away from Wonwoo. In his tight grip, he squeezes your rapidly chilling heart as the grasp he has encircling your wrist constricts to the point where you fear that the circulation of blood to your hand is cut off.

"I'm sorry that my girlfriend," Kangdae growls at you behind clenched teeth as you cower helplessly, "has been bothering you. I'll be taking her home early today," terror precipitately clouds over your wide, doe-like eyes. And, as you are dragged away, you flash Wonwoo a look of absolute, unadulterated trepidation. He becomes frozen in time where fear for your wellbeing consumes his tall figure. Although he wanted to help, it wasn't in his place to speak up for you as he's probably the reason why your lover has reacted with such antagonism. He takes a step forward but finds you are already gone and no matter how hard he tries, he cannot think of anything other than your horror-stricken face. Your sweet, innocent complexion doesn't suit such an emotion, which only emphasises how wrong and sour the situation is for you.

The horrible, pulsing sting of your black eye persists until the next day where you dread about the thought of going to work at the library once again. Luckily, Kangdae had his own 'errands' to run for, which you're pretty sure will just be indulging in his own self-destructive habits. He's horrible. How could he do this to you? But, then again, you're possibly just as horrible as him by helping feed his habits as you were the one working to earn money for him to spend. Never before has he hit you but you try to reason that you were deserving of it, seeing as you were bordering on cheating on him in his eyes.

Leaning back and staring at yourself in the mirror, you wince at the crack your back gives from being bent over for so long, trying to cover up your black eye with foundation. You suppose it'll have to do, hopefully, Wonwoo doesn't take notice; you wince just thinking about the possibility. If you were to avoid the confrontation you're anxious to encounter with Wonwoo today then you'll just have to avoid him as much as possible.

And avoid him, you did, as if he were the plague.

The distance you were adamant in maintaining between you left Wonwoo befuddled more than he has ever been in his life. However, he's able to draw straight parallels between your bizarre distance and the sour mood your boyfriend was in the day before. Not wanting to worsen the situation any further, Wonwoo leaves you be in spite of the great amount of disinclination he felt in doing so.

It's surprising how he's been able to keep to himself for the better part of his time at the library, seeing as he's grown a habit of seeking you out just to hold a conversation. However, he shouldn't applaud himself too much as he was still finding it very difficult to concentrate on the book in his hands as his eyes would always wander to wherever he heard your dainty steps every few minutes. It was as if he was willing to convince himself that you were still there and safe.

Eventually, you ambivalently wheel your cart of books to Wonwoo's section, assuring yourself that he was engrossed in his book before going about your business and proceeding to stretch up high just to reach for the top shelf. Your grunts of evident struggle alert the tall male immediately and not a second passes before he's on his feet and making his way towards you in long strides. Yes, he aimed to keep away from you, waiting for you to go to him at your own time - a better time - when your boyfriend wasn't keeping such a close eye on you. However, it was now a habit for him to help you stack the higher shelves, should there be any to stack in exchange for keeping his little nook clear of clutter and annoying younger years. It actually came as a surprise to him when he had gotten to his secluded corner and found that you had still kept it clean and void of any loud company for him. Therefore, he still owes you his helping hand.

In shock at the sudden hand that gently takes the book from you and places it onto the highest shelf, you quickly turn and lock eyes with Wonwoo, whose own widens at the underlying purple hue of your right eye.

"What happened to you?" his voice was filled with concern and shock. Certainly, your boyfriend wouldn't be this type of guy. He pegged him to only have a jealousy issue but this made him lower than dirt and the scum of the earth.

"I-...I had a little accident,"

"And avoiding my eyes definitely means you're telling me the truth," you spare him a glance of guilt before turning away once again, "was he the one that did this to you?" met with silence, hopelessness grips him. The instant he notices your shoulders starting to shake, he places a comforting hand on your shoulder as a gesture of comfort but brings you into his arms when it does nothing back make your palpitations worse, "please tell me so I can help you, (Y/N)," his actions shock him but he really shouldn't be, seeing as you've always been able to bring about things about him he's usually unable to express. He never knew whether it was a good or bad thing but over time, he's been able to consider it as yet another wonderful thing about you.

"H-he's never hit me like this before, it's always b-been just verbal fights b-between us..." you sob in a vulnerable and broken voice, "I-I'm sure he didn't m-mean it, Wonwoo"

"That should never happen," his timbre holds a dangerous note of protectiveness and repulsion. How disgusted can your boyfriend be that he should ever even think of raising his hand at you? "There's never a good enough excuse for a man to ever lay a hand on his lady. Take me to him so that we can have a talk about what he's doing wrong," his eyes were steeled with an intense tenaciousness but you wouldn't allow him to do such a thing.

"No! Please stay away, you could get hurt," Wonwoo tries to protest but you only shake your head 'no', "you're a very dear friend to me, Wonwoo, it would hurt so much more than this black eye if anything were ever to happen to you because of me,"

"It wouldn't be your fault though,"

"But it will be," he can see that you're trembling even more now, like a leaf in the face of bitter autumn winds, so he can't bring himself to argue further and put more stress onto you, "I-I have to go home...I'm sure my shift's already over,"

"(Y/N)," he keeps you gently in place with a caring hand holding your own, "you're shivering uncontrollably and I'm pretty sure it's because of the man you're going home to," you can't dispute the truth, "please come stay at my apartment tonight so that I know you're safe, you can sleep in my bed while I sleep on the sofa,"

There's evident hesitance in your eyes but the more you think about it the more the avidity builds up deep inside you. The thought of going back home, simply to be shouted at again wasn't a welcoming idea, especially after what Kangdae had done to you.

You were having to push your friend away because of him, you were in pain because of him, you dropped out of uni because of him.

Looking into Wonwoo's deep brown, chocolate eyes, you find comfort and worry. It feels so so nice to have someone care and worry about your wellbeing for once that you find yourself nodding in agreement to his proposal.

Wonwoo's home is just what you expected it to be like: clean and organised but homey and comfortable. There wasn't an ever-growing pile of trash bags in the corner, it smelled like him and there was a consistent monochrome aesthetic with splashes of blue in the decor.

"You have a lovely home," you utter softly as soon as he's helped you out of your jacket and you've taken in the humble space.

"Thank you," you see a hint of a blush on his cheeks, "can I get you anything?"

"Just water would be good, thank you," he nods at your request and gestures for you to get comfortable on the sofa before he's out of the room and into the kitchen.

Tensions were high at first but soon enough conversations were flowing smoother than an undisturbed river between you. It just felt so natural to be with him, talk to him, look at him, sit with him, drink with him, laugh with him. You're so glad and grateful that he's there for you; you wouldn't have been able to voice this to anybody else, only him. You don't know why that may be the case but you're quick to start speculating that it may have something to do with you considering him to be more than just a friend...

Shaking your head, you rid the thoughts immediately. Those thoughts shouldn't be there. Wonwoo is just a friend. A really good friend that takes care of you, has beautiful eyes, luscious hair that you want to run your fingers through and such a sweet smile in spite of his cold exterior. He surprises you every day, they're all pleasant surprises just like the time you found out the two of you adore hamburgers and pomegranates. It isn't like the surprises your boyfriend slaps you in the face with; Kangdae's are almost always bad. Sighing, you try not to think about the things that transpired over the past year or two when your relationship consistently reached multiple lows.

"There, everything's ready for you." Wonwoo muses as he walks out of his room, flashing you a kind smile, "I changed the sheets and made sure everything's clean - all that's left to do is for you to have a goodnight's rest,"

"Wonwoo, are you sure that you're okay with having me sleep in your bed? This is your home and I don't want to be even more of a burden to you. Please let me sleep on the sofa instead," you plead with your eyes but he's having none of it. Instead, he is stepping his way towards you with a shake of his head.

"You aren't being a burden. I just want to take care of you since that-" he cuts himself off from insulting Kangdae, not wanting to upset you further by bringing him up, "since your boyfriend isn't looking after you as well as he should be and I think you deserve, at least, that much - it's what everyone deserves..." there's a pause as he reaches his hand up to cup your face and tilt your head up to him, where he stares down at your bruised eye and gently rubs his thumb beneath it.

Sensing his question, you console him with a, "It's feeling much better than earlier, thank you," you muster a small smile that he returns.

"Good but, just to be safe, I've put some painkillers on the bedside table," you nod in appreciation and smile wider.

"Thank you Wonwoo,"

"It's no problem, (Y/N),"

Just as you step towards the bedroom, you quickly realise something, "I-I don't have a change of clothes for the night..." you murmur, "or anything to brush my teeth with..." turning around, you stare up at Wonwoo with your big doe eyes and he has to resist the urge to coddle and coo at you to which he resolves by responding back quickly.

"You can borrow my clothes, it's alright," he leads you to his room and prepares a shirt and shorts for you to wear to bed, "I also keep extra toothbrushes around just in case," as soon as you're set, he leaves you to get ready as he gets ready in the living room.

'How lucky I am to have someone like him standing beside me,' you muse to yourself as you stare at your reflection in the mirror, swamped by his gigantic shirt. In the end, you had decided to forgo the shorts he offered because they just kept slipping and, thankfully, his shirt reached passed your mid-thigh so you were still covered. Although your outfit was cute, you looked really horrible without the makeup covering your black eye. With a sigh, you disregard the negative thoughts and stepped out into the living room to greet Wonwoo 'goodnight'.

Once you've circled the sofa, you realise that Wonwoo had already fallen asleep, his feet were lifted onto the arm of the sofa due to how tall he was and, although you feel bad for the discomfort he may be feeling right now, it's simply too comical of an image to not giggle at. After having a light-hearted chuckle to yourself, you pull the blanket he already has draped over him up to his neckline and over his shoulders before easing a fluffed-up pillow under his head. To your relief, he shows no sign of waking up from the movement.

He's so soft looking. You wish many more people get to see this gentle side of him because it's such a real shame that his beauty isn't shared in this way. His hair looks so soft, his skin is glassy and creamy-smooth, his lips, plump and pink. Absentmindedly, you go to kiss him goodnight. It's a direct line to his lips but you quickly catch yourself and lightly brush your lips against his anyway in defiance of your redirection to peck his cheek.

"Pleasant dreams, Wonwoo..." you whisper softly in your shy, sweet voice before heading off to his bedroom. Unbeknownst to you that as soon as your back is turned, Wonwoo's eyes snap open and his fingers are tracing the stamp of your lips against his cheek. He doesn't have hope in ever falling asleep that night as a blush dusts his countenance and his heart beats a mile per second, grinning like a mad man.

Too hooked up on the kiss you had almost planted onto his lips, Wonwoo abandons all rational and tiptoes into his room, where he finds you sleeping in his bed, right beside the window. You seem to have forgotten to draw the curtains, causing the moonlight to blanket your snoozing figure. You look so gorgeous. Much like sleeping beauty, better even. He can't help but seem to frown at your black eye, however, reaching down to caress your cheek, smiling once again when you lean into his touch and sigh in content. He wants to kiss you so badly and do the job right but his morals just wouldn't let him. From an outsider's perspective, he would be taking advantage of you in your sleep; you still have a boyfriend, albeit a horrible one, but a boyfriend nonetheless and he doesn't want to make the situation worse. If he can keep himself from causing you any more problems then he'd gladly stay clear from you to do so. Not fully though, because you still need someone to look after you and he will gladly fill that role. Nothing more, nothing less. With that, he steps away and goes back to sleep on the sofa.

Morning comes sooner than Wonwoo anticipated but he's not complaining as he's awoken in the best way possible - to the smell of breakfast. He can only assume that it's your doing as you're the only other person in his apartment. The gesture warms his heart, especially when he sees you cooking away in the kitchen, where he almost has a heart attack at the sight of you his oversized shirt. He didn't know anyone could look so good in just a simple T. The scene is very domestic, something he's always craved despite his horrible first love experience. He has never been good at cooking or eat appropriately so he really can't be blamed for falling for you even more.

In his mind, Wonwoo has a debate on whether or not he should alert you of his presence but he decides against it; you look so comfortable cooking breakfast and he doesn't want to interfere with that. It only takes a few minutes, however, before you're turning around and getting the shock of your life. The look on your face and your extremely animated reaction has him laughing aloud with his head thrown back.

"I-I hope you don't mind me cooking for you," you blush softly.

"I really don't mind. I'm actually grateful. I don't know when was the last time I had a warm, homecooked breakfast," he takes a seat at the small table in the corner of his quaint kitchen, his eyes never leaving yours.

"I'm the grateful one," you counter, "because you saved me even though it's not all over yet," with the breakfast plated, you move to the table and sit across from him, "I'll make sure to be out of your hair as soon as possible but thank you so much for this, Wonwoo,"

"No, that's not happening," Wonwoo growls lowly, "I don't want you going back to him where you're unsafe and-"

"Wonwoo..." you place a hand over his to calm him down, which you find that he is surprisingly subservient to your touch because his shoulders almost immediately lose their tension, "let's talk about this after breakfast and just enjoy the food, please?" thankfully he agrees but not after apologising.

Breakfast is short and sweet, quiet but still filled with galvanised murmurs about everything under the sun. Soon enough, you're on your feet again, washing up and clearing the dishes together. However, things quickly get serious when Wonwoo sits you down in the living room with an earnest look on his face.

"Why...why do you think he's like this towards you?"

"He used to be a really good guy and I loved him so much..." you sigh, turning your gaze down at your hands folded on your lap, "but he's easily paranoid that someone else will take me away so he's always protective but he's also developed an alcohol problem and was fired from his job quite some time ago so I work to help support the both of us, meaning that I had to drop out," you feel the tears beginning to surface, "That day was the first time he ever got really violent with me...I just hope he gets better because I know he can be a good person," you look up at Wonwoo with hopelessness in your glossy eyes, "right? He can get better again? I know his old self is still inside him somewhere,"

You don't know why you feel so disappointed when Wonwoo gives you a sympathetic look, "I don't think that'll happen any time soon and I don't mean to hurt your feelings, (Y/N), but I think this will only ever get worse," ��you choke on a sob as Wonwoo brings you into his chest, petting your hair as your tears soak into the breast of his shirt. It takes several minutes before you calm down enough for him to feel assured that you won't break down further as soon as he starts talking again, "you can’t stay with someone like him, clearly he doesn’t love you enough to care for you the way someone, who deserves you, should,"

"Where will I go Wonwoo?" your voice is desperate as you look up at him with your button nose coloured a soft pink, same with your eyes, "My family lives hours away and because of him, I’ve lost all my friends…I have no one…"

"You have me…" he reassures, "and I’m more than willing to let you stay with me if you want"

"T-that’s really sweet but…what am I going to do about all the stuff I have at his place?" you want to accept the offer but you seem to be coming up with excuses to stay with Kangdae. You don't know why because it's clear that you do deserve better and that, deep down, you should have left the day things started going wrong.

"Let me handle that, my friends and I can go with you to collect your things so that he can’t get close to you. But, just to be on the safe side and so that you’re comfortable, we can do it when you know he’s not going to be there," all you can do is nod, unable to find the words for how grateful you are and how horrible you feel for not doing what was best for you for so long.

"That’s my girl…" Wonwoo's words send your heart fluttering as he gives you a soft squeeze, still in his arms. Him calling you his sounds so nice, "I'm sorry someone like you is having to go through this"

"I’m just so thankful that I have you by my side…I love you Wonwoo," you're shocked at your own words, frozen in place and mouth left agape. After a long pause, you finally muster up to courage to look back at the male before you, who snaps out of his own daze as soon as your eyes meet.  

"I- I love you too…" he stutters out, leaving the two of you to stare at one another for a moment before turning away with red-hot faces and spinning minds.  

"H-he um..he’s usually out of the house and drinking at 7:30 every night so…"

"O-okay," Wonwoo lets out a shaky breath, heart racing and mind fuzzy, "we'll get your things then,"

After the initial shock of the sudden confession passes, the day goes by as normal - well, as normal as it could with the two of you being bashful at every glance and accidental touch. The two of you expected tensions to rise even higher but things were just kept...sweet. Especially because your boyfriend hadn't even bothered to text you. You can only guess that he had gotten himself super wasted the night before, woke up super late and went off again, thinking that you had already just gone to work early. Many days of not seeing each other passed like that between you and Kangdae, which made you feel even more stupid about how submissive you were to him. Instead of your relationship growing and blossoming into a beautiful floret of unconditional love, it only wilted and gradually atrophied into nothing, dust. There was no love left. And you were foolish enough to stay and believe that Kangdae could get better when you were only being as toxic as he was to himself and your relationship.

You're so glad Wonwoo has convinced you to leave him because you deserved better than that. You like to think that you knew this all along but there's never a problem with someone giving you a soft nudge in the right direction. For you, it was Wonwoo.

"(Y/N), I want you to meet Seungcheol and Mingyu," Wonwoo gestured to two very handsome, very tall and quite intimidating men, "they will be coming with us to get your things," he smiles kindly at you to which you miss the look of absolute shock that passes the two men's eyes, "they're my friends so you can trust them," Looking towards the two once more, you flash a gentle smile, which they happily reciprocate.

"So you're the girl that's swept our Wonwoo off his feet?" the taller of the two cooed, his chestnut brown hair flopping as he gives a little jump of happiness.

"It's about time," the other one smirks, chuckling at the soft glare Wonwoo flashes from behind you, "he needs a girl to distract him from all those books,"

They may be friendly and teasing now but when Wonwoo had reached out to all of his friends and explained the situation, they were utterly livid. Seething with anger, they all volunteered to help. It was overwhelming but it made Wonwoo extremely happy that his friends would be there for, not only him, but also for a complete stranger. Peering down at you now, Mingyu and Seungcheol found an even better reason to help out their friend than his initial proposal; you were just too precious to not help. You were tiny and fragile looking and, although your black eye made them wince, they found your beauty to be just as intimidating as Wonwoo's except that yours was on the other side of the beauty spectrum to their lean brother.

"You live here?" Mingyu exclaimed without thought, causing both Wonwoo and Seuncheol to slap him upside the head.

"Yeah..." you cringe, "I try to keep it clean but it can never stay that way with Kangdae around," you whisper as the three boys nod behind you.

"Hurry and get what you need, Mingyu, Seungcheol and I will keep a lookout," you nod and get to work. There weren't many things that you had to yourself, you actually had to sell a lot online so that you could afford to pay bills. It was funny how this was Kangdae's apartment but you were the one paying all of the electricity, gas, rent, food and much more. It made you laugh humourlessly. You'll never sacrifice yourself for someone like him again.

The time that you had arrived was at 19:40 and you were just about ready to go at around five minutes past eight in the evening. You just have your skincare left to pack before you can be well on your way.

"Who the hell are you?" the drunk voice of your boyfriend screams from within the living room, sending your heart racing.

"We're friends of (Y/N),"

"Where is she?!" Kangdae's voice grows louder and fear grips you around the neck. It was suffocating. This always happened, but when you hear Wonwoo talk back to him, just to sound of your gentle giant's voice has the power to calm you down completely and grow confidence in your heart.

"She'll be coming home with us, I'm afraid,"

"Yeah, she's just here to pack her things," Mingyu explains, putting up a brave face despite being the last person to ever involve himself in fights. He didn't sign up for this confrontation but just remembering the sadness in your eyes behind a purple, yellowing bruise spikes pluckiness within him. This guy was tiny compared to him anyway.

"She's leaving me? Why?! I bet it's because of you!" Kangdae jabs a finger at Wonwoo just as you step into the living room, putting up a valiant facade in spite of your still racing heart.

"Yes, Kangdae. I am leaving but it's not because of Wonwoo. I deserve better than the way you've been treating me. We're over, please don't ever contact me from now on because I never want to see you again," nearing the end of your sentence, you start to sniffle, heartbroken over losing something that could've been so much like heaven. Thankfully, Wonwoo is quick to pull you into a protective embrace just as Kangdae jumps towards your shaking frame. As soon as he tries to jump you, he is pushed back and kept away by Mingyu and Seungcheol. Despairing,  your boyfriend, now ex, breaks down into pathetic weeping. Kangdae begs you to stay, apologising profusely and doing everything in his power to convince you to remain standing beside him but Wonwoo flashes a cold stare as he leads your sniffling form out the door, eliciting more vociferous wails.

"I'm really proud of you, (Y/N)," Wonwoo whispers as he wipes away your silent tears, "it takes guts to face someone you fear and need to break away from despite your history together," you nod, unable to muster up a smile, fully prepared to fall asleep and forget about the world.

The night is luxuriating, where you share three large pizzas and engage in a Disney movie marathon in Wonwoo's living room with Seungcheol and Mingyu. They made you laugh just by being themselves; their dynamic with each other was just so wholesome, full of teasing, many inside jokes, and endless smiles that they made you forget about any fatigue plaguing your bones.

"We need to introduce (Y/N) to the rest of the guys," Mingyu suggests through a mouthful of pepperoni pizza.

"There's more of you?" you tilt your head, smiling brightly as an eagerness fills you in anticipation of meeting the rest of their friendship group.

"There's ten more of us, actually," Seuncheol laughs at your look of shock.

"You can come and join us at our weekly hang out, if you're up to it," Mingyu offers cheerily after finally swallowing his food.

It was nearing midnight when Mingyu and Seungcheol finally make the journey back to their own apartments, leaving you and Wonwoo to go through your night routine together. You were sad to see them go, already feeling attached after just a few hours spent together but their promise of taking you to their next hang out was enough to keep you content for the meantime.

"If you don't want to join us at our hang out, you really don't have to," Wonwoo randomly brings up when you're going about your night routine. When you look up at him, you see his cheeks are dusted a soft pink, which makes you chuckle and raise suspicions.

"Don't tell me you're embarrassed about them, Wonwoo,"

"It's not that I'm embarrassed by them..." he pauses to sigh before continuing as he continues to moisturise his face, "I just don't want them embarrassing me in front of you," that makes you laugh so hard, you almost forget about your black eye and when you scrunch up your eyes whilst laughing, you cut off to squeak in pain. "Are you okay?!" in half a second, Wonwoo was beside you, a hand cupping your face and tilting your head up towards him so as to examine your injury.

"Y-yes, I'm fine, thank you. I'm sorry-" after blinking your eyes several times, you stare up at Wonwoo who had grown silent as he continues to sink deeper into your sweet gaze, the look in his eyes cutting off your rambling.

Was he leaning closer into you?

Were you leaning into him as well?

What's pressing against your lips? Why are your eyes closed?

Oh well...this must be what real heaven is. You don't know how you could have waited and hoped so long for Kangdae to be like this when it only took Wonwoo a few months of getting to know you to become your safe haven.

Several months pass by. In the first, you were adamant at finding your own apartment and moving out so that Wonwoo could have his own space again but fate just wouldn't separate the two of you. There wasn't a single chance that came by for you to get your own apartment so, in agreement with Wonwoo, you decided that you might as well just stay with him. Of course, you let him have his bedroom back while he turned his small study into a room for you. You felt like such a burden but Wonwoo was resolute in keeping you from ever feeling that way for long. It became a routine for you to cook breakfast, which you enjoyed doing because it meant that Wonwoo would leave for his lecture with a full stomach and ready to perform his best, while the two of you worked as a team to make dinner. However, sometimes you would cook it and other times Wonwoo would make something. He was more than eager to show you how much he was able to learn about cooking under your instructions. It never ceases to amaze you with how perfect ever new dish turns out despite cooking being such a new dexterity for the male. You're so proud of him.

Getting to meet the rest of Wonwoo's friends, you were accepted into the circle right away. Never before had you felt so much love and happiness. They treated you like the sister they never had, cooing at you and spoiling you rotten, standing behind the reason that you deserve it for being so adorable. On the other hand, such good treatment doesn't come without its downsides as the boys practically teased you and Wonwoo into going out together. It was a silly idea. A very silly idea that ended with you and Wonwoo surprisingly (or unsurprisingly) getting together.

It was hard at first, seeing as you had just gotten out of such a calamitous relationship with Kangdae, who hadn't stopped blowing up your phone the first week since you left until you were forced to block his number and get a new one, just to be on the safe side. Your hesitancy, only lasted, however, until Wonwoo was finally willing to let you hold his heart.

"Really?!" you squeal in excitement as the male before you chuckles and goes to fetch his heart.

"Yes, really," he comes back to find you bouncing in your place on the sofa, an image that almost washes all of his nerves away, "it's pretty heavy and isn't very nice to hold at all so be careful, alright?"

"Who cares!" you wave off his worries with the most nonchalant wave of your hand as you reach out to accept his heart of stone. He sits beside you as you examine his heart, running your fingers across its edges as he holds his breath, "Wonwoo," you tut in bluff disappointment, "you didn't have to lie to me," the male sits in shock, eyes wide as he watches you cuddle his heart in your hands. Never before had you looked so endearing, that the usually stoic male leans in to kiss you. He catches you off guard and turns the both of you into flustered messes. Wonwoo can safely bet that the two of you will continue getting flustered even years into the future and he's perfectly okay with that.

It appears as though his heart turns soft and light only for you while it stays substantial in weight on all other occasions. Even though it isn't a permanent change in other situations and Wonwoo still can't wear his heart around with him, he's happy with his heart only turning soft and light in your hands.

As long as you stay with him, he's happy.

As long as you keep turning his heart soft and light, he's happy.

As long as he has you, he's happy.

masterlist / seventeen hearts m.list

[pinetasticapple]

What if we had known each other first and fallen in love second: The Evillustrator

Also on ao3 and ffnet !

"I can't believe you dragged me into watching the entire thing, twice!" Marinette bumped Adrien's shoulder right as they entered the school building "do you enjoy playing with my feelings Agreste? Do you?"

"To be fair, I did warn you."

"One cannot take the death of Maes Hughes twice!" she pinched his arm, grinning at his yelp "you are a monster who enjoy that pain."

"But his death was a vital point for the plot and the exploration of Mustang!" he shielded himself with his bag "and you loved it!"

"Hmm perhaps" Marinette crossed her arms "and I can see you doing puppy eyes at me to make you that Edward cosplay."

"Hey I am willing to pay every cent necessary if it means I can have that amazing cloak."

Marinette rolled her eyes but kept smiling as they walked to the science classroom.

Summer had come and gone way too fast for her pleasure but it had been fun to spend more nights of patrol and movie nights with Adrien.

It had been a stretch to hang with Alya and Nino out of the mask, given Adrien's impossibly tight schedule, but they had managed a few outings, so long Adrien's bodyguard was around. It didn't matter much as they had had fun at the park just chatting and playing around.

But the new school year had arrived and even if Marinette was somewhat disappointed she still had to deal with Chloe, who had become more obnoxious to deal with, at least she still had her friends around.

"Are you two rambling about another cartoon?" Alya raised her eyebrow at them once they reached the classroom, Marinette taking the seat next to her "you condone him way too much."

"He has a few good choices from time to time" Marinette smiled, ignoring Adrien's fake gasp of horror.

Their smiles quieted down once the teacher arrived, the entire classroom going silent as she started her lesson. Ms. Mendeleiev was strict and stern, and her class was quiet unless there were topic related questions, but Adrien happened to like them.

Even if sometimes they were interrupted by Ms. Mendeleiv ruthlessness at distracted students.

"Nathaniel!" they all heard the slam on the desk at the end of the classroom "what are you drawing?"

Oh, Marinette winced, trying to keep her vision ahead instead of giving into the curiosity of looking back. She had been there once, never tried again. But now that Nathaniel was the victim she couldn't help but to feel sorry for him and Ms. Mendeleiv's wrath.

Suddenly there was a gasp and Nathaniel tripped and fell in between the tables, his sketchbook flying out of his bag, only for it to be picked up by the least considerate person in the classroom.

"Ooh! Look Sabrina! It's him as a superhero" Chloe sneered while holding the sketchbook "and look who is saving, Marinette! He's so totally crushing on you."

Marinette felt her cheeks flush, from embarrassment or annoyance at Chloe she couldn't tell, but this was getting out of hand.

"Back to class then," Ms. Mendeleiv walked to the front of the classroom to continue on the physics lecture, the class going back to paying attention and taking notes.

"Alright, presentation groups," she turned around to face them and Marinette wanted so bad to protest against the idea. Why did teachers like to do group projects so much?

She listened as the teacher named groups of three, frowning when Alya got paired with Adrien and Nino.

"So lucky," she mumbled.

"And then, Sabrina, Chloe and Marinette."

Marinette felt the universe piling against her just for this.

"So unlucky," Alya patted her back.

"Miss? Can't you add her to another group?" Chloe asked "Sabrina and I work much better on our own."

'Sure you do' Marinette gritted her teeth.

"This is a group presentation not pairs, deal with it."

Marinette felt that message also thrown at her as the bell rang for free period. That would have been a good opportunity to work on said presentation but Marinette was so not dealing with it.

"It'll be ok" Adrien threw her a reassuring smile "Chloe is a handful but I know you got this."

"Then why don't you switch with me?" Marinette pouted "or you Alya?"

"Oh no, do not make me go through that," Alya patted her shoulder again "but hey we can have comfort pizza after it's done."

"Oh that would be good," she sighed "but go on, I'll go find…them."

Adrien gave her a reassuring squeeze and left the classroom, leaving Marinette to sigh and drag herself to the lockers where she would probably find those two.

And oh she was right as she stumbled on them talking, or more like Sabrina saying she and Marinette would do all the work.

Say what?

"Is everything ok?"

The next minutes were a test of patience for Marinette. Not only did she find out that Sabrina did all the work and Chloe did nothing, but that it was normal? What in the world was that kind of friendship?

"Sabrina," Marinette turned to her "Chloe is totally taking advantage of you, you don't have to do what she says, that's not how a real best friend acts!"

"And what would you know about best friends if you hadn't had one before? Or even worse, stealing them."

Marinette gritted her teeth.

"Friends are not objects Chloe,"

"Whatever," Chloe tossed her ponytail to a side "but Sabrina knows I'm her only friend, so she better does as I say because without me? She's nothing."

Marinette felt her blood boil, even as Chloe left them to get her hair done.

The nerve of that girl, she huffed as she grabbed her bag. She would get to work at home thank you very much.

"Marinette!"

Or not, she thought as she turned around to find Sabrina catching up to her.

"I can't believe you stood up to Chloe like that!" Sabrina hugged Marinette "it was so amazing!"

Marinette was at loss for words. She tried to smile back at Sabrina, only to end up roped into going to work to the library.

"This…is not how I imagined this day going at all," she sighed as she dragged her feet back to the library, noticing Tikki's small pats on her leg.

The next minutes weren't so bad on the other hand. Marinette found out that Sabrina was quite organized and had already started on dividing the project information for them to do equal parts of research.

Marinette grabbed a few books to get started, hoping this was not going to go downhill, only for her to eat up her words as she saw a fuming Chloe stomping her way towards their table. Well that was the shortest hair treatment ever.

And now she was a literal sandwich in between Chloe and Sabrina arguing. And hey she had never said the word slave, had she? And when had Chloe found time to go buy a new hat?

"You are trying to steal my friend from me, again, this time with homework."

Marinette actually blinked. Again? What did she mean again?

Her face must have been obvious to Chloe because she could tell the blonde's cheeks flushing as she crossed her arms and sneered, only to be attacked by hats falling on top of her.

Oh Marinette was glad an akuma was around to spare her the headache. The rest of the students flew the library as soon as a big hair dryer showed up to chase after Chloe, giving Marinette the chance to sneak behind a shelf to transform.

She jumped to the dryer that had cornered Chloe and yelled at her to run. The dryer was fighting against her, trying to throw her away like one of those mechanical bulls she had seen on tv.

"I got wind that you're being blown away by a hairy situation" she heard Chat's voice from one of the shelves.

On any other day she'd have been surprised by the three puns in one single sentence but today was not her day.

"Fewer puns, more action!" she yelled as she kept trying to reign in the dryer.

It took work and a few tumbled shelves but they managed to destroy it, only to find the akuma from above them running away after summoning a crystal wall to smack them both.

"Where did he go?"

"I don't know but he sure has a way of illustrating his point."

Ladybug groaned and stood up.

"Wow, was that one really bad or…?"

"Sorry Chat" she stood up "today is not my day."

"Ok so tone it down with the puns" he said "I guess we should go find Chloe…"

"Great" Ladybug frowned "more time with her, just what I need."

"Hey, she's not so bad- "Chat flinched at her stare "well, she didn't use to be this bad."

Ladybug pointed at the window for them to make their way to Chloe's hotel. It was also a good way to keep up the conversation without anyone else listening and piecing together the information.

"Look, I get it" Ladybug said once they reached the building in front of the hotel, her hands on her waist as she tried to calm down "she is your childhood friend and that is something special."

"Well she was my only friend back then," Chat added.

"But you have seen her at school now," she said "you have seen how she treats others and me, especially me, especially now that I think she hates me because we're friends."

"That's a little farfetched," Chat raised an eyebrow "I'm allowed to have more friends and she doesn't hate Nino either."

Ladybug deadpanned stared at him.

"She accused me of wanting to steal Sabrina from her," she pointed out "and said 'again' and now that I think about it, she probably meant you."

"Ah…" he rubbed his neck "yeah, Chloe can be a little possessive about it."

Ladybug sighed, this was not the time to have this type of conversation.

"I'll talk to her, as Adrien of course," he offered with a smile "I mean I might know a little of why she's like this now but it's not my place to say."

"Why are you such a noble guy" she gave him a small smile "but I believe you, now let's find out what has she done to be target of an akuma" she threw her yo-yo "again."

The interrogation was really going nowhere, Chat could tell from the lack of attention Chloe was giving them and Ladybug's rising annoyance.

He couldn't exactly blame her for that, he knew Chloe was well, a lot to handle but also that it wasn't a fair excuse to the situation. Chat sighed, feeling really stuck between the two girls. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of Chloe totally fangirling over Ladybug and how would she react if she knew it was Marinette behind the mask. Of course he was never going to say that but it did make him ponder on what he had heard ever since he started school.

And while he was a little afraid of what would happen, he knew deep inside he had to. He knew why Chloe was like that, but he also knew she didn't have to be.

"Ugh seriously? I'm over this!" Ladybug said, snapping his attention back to her "let's go!"

"Wow," he went after her "are you kidding? And what if the Evillustrator attacks her again?"

"Fine, you stay," she grumbled "but I just can't right now."

"Bug," he held her hand "maybe you need to chill a little first."

"Yeah," she groaned "I'll be back in a while, I promise."

"I know" he squeezed her hand "just, take some deep breaths,"

"Hm" she stood on the balcony and threw her yo-yo "later!"

Ladybug made her way back home, detransforming as soon as she landed on her bed.

"Argh!" she groaned and threw her bag, wincing when she heard Tikki's complaint.

"Hey!"

"Sorry Tikki it's just, Chloe she just agh!"

"Well simmer down" Tikki frowned "a hot head isn't going to get you anywhere,"

"It's hard to keep my cool" Marinette sighed "especially at school…oh no! Sabrina!"

Ah damn it, Marinette launched for her phone, wincing at the many missed calls she had from the red haired girl.

Ok, she could fix this. She could send a text, tell she ran because of the akuma –that was still on the loose- and figure out the next part from there, until she saw Tikki hiding under a cushion and her window disappearing like it had been erased from existence.

Marinette's day couldn't get any better as she was face to face with the Evillustrator who started to flatter her? Ok, that was something new to her. But it was until she got a card that the pieces clicked in her mind. Nathaniel was the Evillustrator. Oh, oh probably from the embarrassment of class.

"Ok," she sat back on her chaise "I think I know how to solve this out."

Chat looked out of the window, vigilant in case the akuma showed up and also thinking about the situation at hand. He couldn't of course talk to Chloe as Chat, what reason would he have to know what had happened?

"Oh Chat Noir?" he blinked as Chloe attached herself to him "are you any good at particle physics?"

"Oh this cat's got particle physics in the bag" Chat smiled. He could totally show off his strength for science beneath the mask. Next thing he knew he had Chloe's work on his lap for her to relax instead.

Ok, he was so going to talk to her after all of this is done.

It was lucky that Ladybug decided to call him and give him an opening to excuse himself out to the balcony.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, thanks Chat, sorry for leaving you stranded,"

"No sweat bug" he smiled "so are you coming back?"

"Actually no, found out about our victim, turns out he is sort of in love with me,"

Something felt funny in Chat's stomach. Huh, maybe he needed to eat something.

"So I kind of make him promise not to hurt Chloe unless I go to his birthday party."

"Ah, I see your master weaving of plans," he ignored Chloe's shoving of her papers at him "I'll meet you there then."

He waved a salute to Chloe and vaulted himself towards the bakery, just in time to see an upset Sabrina walking away.

"Do I need to save you from her claws as well?"

"Very funny" she flicked his bell "I should be working on the physics project instead but a promise is a promise so if we want to help Nathaniel I have to go to this date."

"Right," Chat twitched at the odd sensation in his stomach "say, before that, can I please have a pastry? My stomach is feeling empty I think."

Marinette sighed with a smile and went back inside to the bakery, appearing moments later with a chocolate filled croissant for him.

"Thanks b— Marinette," he stuffed the croissant in his mouth before he called her by a usual nickname "so you work on taking away his pencil and I'll do the rest."

"Sure thing Chat."

Chat went on his way to the rooftops close to the river, staking out as he saw the Evillustrator working on a quite romantic date setting.

His stomach felt iffy again. Ugh, maybe he needed to eat something better than just a pastry. But he would have to wait until after this was done. He watched closely as the purple silhouette showed up on the akuma's face.

'Huh, bet Hawkmoth is getting impatient' Chat thought as he watched what seemed to be a struggle of one person, only for it to stop as Marinette arrived.

Chat trusted her with his life, but whenever it involved risking their civilian selves well, Chat was a little dubious about it all. Not that he didn't trust her protecting herself but there was always something unexpected.

He jumped across rooftops when the boat started to move, making sure he was low enough to be hidden from sight until he got a chance to sneak to the back of the boat.

"I actually draw a little too, I'm not as good as you are of course," he heard Marinette say, as part of their plan to retrieve the pencil. He took a small step back, but the wood creaked enough for the akuma to notice his presence.

"Marinette, give me my pencil back, I need to draw something, now!" his tone was cold and Chat was close to just jumping on him to stop him from hurting Marinette.

"No, I'm keeping it, Chat Noir now!"

He launched his baton as Marinette jumped out of the way, pencil in her hand.

"I thought you liked me!" he sneered "but you really are just like Chloe, teasing me, mocking me, leading me on!"

'Wow, first of all when had that happened?' Chat thought as Marinette huffed offended at his words, only for both to get trapped by a crystal cube falling on top of them.

"Well that went well," Chat poked at the cube's end, blinking away the light from Marinette's transformation "you have another plan?"

"Yeah" Ladybug pointed at the ceiling and held on to him "now extend your stick vertically,"

"Oh, brilliant!" he held her close and did just that, both landing on the bridge as the boat sank on the river "so I think we should probably go save Chloe…"

"Hm," Ladybug sighed "am I really like her?"

"Well if I have to compare" Chat took a step away from her "you both sure are stubborn when you put your mind into something."

"Should I take that as a compliment?"

"Hey I did say I was going to talk with her after all of this is over" he waved his hands in self-defense "but now I gotta ask, did Nathaniel and Chloe ever…?"

Ladybug threw out her yo-yo to start moving towards the hotel, knowing Chat would be right by her side "yeah, before you arrived, they didn't date if that's what you think but let's just say the rejection lacked a lot of touch."

"Yeoch"

"Yeah, but let's go save her" she said once they reached the hotel room, just in time to see a giant high heel shoe chasing after her.

Ladybug swiped in first, breaking the heel of the drawing and spinning her yo-yo as a shield.

"Oops, broke your heel" she smiled "better watch your ankles."

"Don't want to get instep with us now, do you?" Chat twirled his baton, casting a glance at Ladybug who smiled at his joke.

The fight that ensued was a little higher in stakes with Evillustrator able to draw practically anything, soon having Chat hanging off a chunk of missing floor with a weigh pulling him down and his ring beeping the alert of detransformation.

"Lucky charm!" she yelled out as a small bouncy ball fell on her hand.

"Just try and stop me with that little lady!" the Evillustrator sneered, making his way towards Chat. Ladybug looked at her surroundings and smiled, her plan formulating as she threw it directly at one light, causing a chain reaction that destroyed all illumination sources from the room and allowing her to easily snap away the pencil that had the akuma.

She smiled as the magic washed all over the room, leaving it as if nothing had happened, and fist bumped with Chat.

"Well that's one thing solved" Ladybug said after they had left Nathaniel near his home "now I have to go fix my part of the project before Sabrina thinks I'm an evil person."

"Good luck" Chat smiled "see you tomorrow bug."

He waved at her and vaulted his way back to the hotel, detransforming before going in and up towards Chloe's room.

"Adrikins!" she jumped at him the moment she opened "oh it was a nightmare! A disaster I say!"

"What happened?" he feigned ignorance, as if he hadn't been few minutes ago in the room. He listened how Chloe overreacted and exaggerated the fight, trying his best not to pull a face at it until she was done. If he was going to do this, he had to do this right.

"Say Chloe," he said once she slumped herself on a chaise "you didn't have to call out Nathaniel like that at school."

Chloe raised an eyebrow at him.

"I mean; imagine how you would feel if someone were to do that to you."

"Adrikins please" she looked at her nails "no one would even dare to try and embarrass me."

"Then why do you?" he crossed his arms "why do you do it?"

Chloe remained silent, looking at her nails and deliberately ignoring him. That was fine, Adrien was patient, he could wait.

"Ugh!" she stomped a foot down "say something already!"

"I'm waiting for your answer Chloe" he merely said "why do you enjoy hurting them?"

"I don't enjoy ugh" she pushed her hair to a side "if I want to keep my place as the Queen, they have to know to respect me."

"Chloe" he sighed "we aren't a monarchy, and you and I both know this is not going to work for the real reason."

"Don't you mention her,"

"I am not" Adrien stood up and sat next to her "but Chloe, I know you since we were little kids, I was there when your first baby tooth fell" he ignored Chloe's frown "and you were there when I had mine fall off as well, you weren't this way back then nor when we are alone, so why act so different at school?"

"You don't get it Adrien," she huffed.

"Then help me get it" he tried again "I want to still be your friend Chloe, I really do, but just as you have Sabrina I have new friends too."

Chloe rolled her eyes "yeah, I am well aware of that."

"You still are my first friend; no one can take that away from us," he smiled "and I want my friends to get to know the real you, not the Chloe Bourgeois that wants to fill shoes she shouldn't."

Chloe looked to a side and Adrien knew he had got to her, at least a little. There were things both knew weren't good, what with his father's distancing and Chloe's own shadows to fight, but Adrien had hope. Faith was the last thing to fade and he still believed in Chloe.

"I have to go now" he stood up "I kind of sneaked my way here but, can I trust you to not throw my words away?"

"You are way too good Adrien" she looked at him "but I will…ugh, try a little."

"Thanks Chloe" he gave her a hug and left the room, transforming as soon as he was in an alley to rush back home.

The next day was proof that some of his words did resonate in Chloe, as he arrived to the locker room to find her discussing something with Marinette. He couldn't help but to sneak a little behind her locker to catch some of that conversation.

"This is my part of the presentation" she said "and Sabrina told me you sent yours late night,"

"Yeah I was held up helping but-"

"What matters" Chloe interrupted her "is that you did your part and I did mine, Sabrina,"

"Yes Chloe?"

"Make sure it is top notch for later so we can get a good grade, and you better not stutter during the presentation Marinette or you'll be sorry."

"Of course Chloe," Sabrina followed after her, Adrien noticing the small smile in Chloe's face as they walked to the classroom.

Marinette sighed and closed the door, only to yelp as she saw Adrien leaning against it.

"Don't do that!" she held her hand to her chest.

"Sorry, couldn't help it" he smiled "but hey, how did things work out?"

"Way better than I thought" Marinette yawned "at least there wasn't any screaming."

"Told you so" Adrien nudged her "think it'll last the day?"

"At least until Alya stops pestering her for an interview of what happened yesterday" Marinette smiled "shall we?"

Adrien smiled and walked with her to the classroom. He had a feeling things were going to change from now on.

[storminormins]

Attachments and Sleep

AO3

Blinky had recently become a sort of trollish professional on humans in the eyes of the trollmarket dwellers. The average troll left their knowledge of the topland dwellers at the basics, leaving the nuances of human society quite lost on them; and they had been content with that -until they had gained a human trollhunter, that is.

Suddenly Blinky, (who knew two whole humans as opposed to the average of zero) had become the most knowledgeable troll on the subject of their topside neighbors. He took great pride in this, and given his acquaintances, believed he was best suited for the job.

Yes, he knew a lot about humans, but he had absolutely no idea what this was about.

“Master Jim, do you make a habit of sleeping in bookcases?”

Jim blinked groggily up at him, the trollhunter’s hair looking like the victim of an unexpected gnome attack.

“hhwatymean?” He managed, trying -and failing, to twist around and find a handhold to get himself out from behind what his sleep deprived brain had selected as ‘safe spot to collapse in‘. Commonly known as one of Blinky’s bookshelves. A few days ago he had discovered that there was a weird space behind this particular one, almost like someone had just shoved a shelf in front of a leaning wall -hmm- to hide the unevenness, leaving about a foot and a half of space between the wall and the shelf. It may not have looked like much to a troll, but for Jim it made a tent-like shape that blocked most of the light and kept any nearby voices at a calming murmur. Maybe sleep deprived Jim was onto something here, Jim thought.

“What I mean is,” Blinky said, offering Jim a hand after he seemed to be struggling with how exactly to get out of the small hole, “Is it common for you to crawl underneath my bookshelves for rest? I’ve heard of loosing yourself in books, but this is ridiculous.”

Jim groaned but took the offered hand and pulled himself out. He was covered head-to-toe in dust bunnies, and running a hand through his hair just sent them down to his shirt or flurrying around him like a haunted cloud, so he gave up trying to look like (A) he hadn’t been asleep, and (B) that it hadn’t been under Blinky’s furniture.

“Or is it common for humans to sleep in small secluded places?” Blinky thought out loud, tapping a hand on his chin, looking to be seriously considering Jim’s sleeping choices.

“Nah… I usually crash if I get tired enough, but normally I make it to my bed.” The dust bunnies weren’t coming off his shirt without a fight, smudging and sticking and making a general nuisance. Arrrgh came to find the source of Blinky’s chatter, looming over Jim and sniffing him curiously, getting a nose full of dust. He violently snorted, nearly blowing Jim over with the force of it, but getting most of the offending flurries off of his shirt.

“Ah, well,“ Blinky said, completely unfazed by the small gale that had just blown through his library. He shook off his inquiries and began moving books around with all four of his arms, a process that was still mesmerizing for Jim to watch. “You needed to read some of these anyway.” He pulled three heavy tomes from different shelves and piled them into Jim’s hands.

“OHf- Oh goody, more reading.” Jim grunted, his balance wavering to one side. Arrrgh nudged him back upright before he toppled over

Blinky gave him a sidling look over his shoulder that suggested he was about to launch into a long capitulation of the importance of knowledge and books, but just as he turned to properly convey his true feelings on the matter, Toby interrupted.

“Hey Jimbo, you in here?”

“Yeah, I was just on my way out.” He gave a ’what can ya do?’ shrug at Blinky as he edged further away from the possibility of a lecture, and -heaven forbid- more reading material.

Blinky avoided rolling his eyes at the trollhunter’s antics, but sighed, “At least attempt to comprehend what you read this time, Master Jim.”

Happy at being let off so easy, Jim grinned and ran towards the entrance, yelling a, “Will do Blinky!” over his shoulder as he escaped, eliciting a yelp from Toby as he shot past him. Toby had to jog to catch up.

“Thanks for that Tobes, I thought I was about to be stuck in there all night.” They made their way up the stairway, trollmarket stretching out behind them, glowing warmly against the grey stone walls.

“Ah, no problem Jimbo, but to me it looks like you’ll be up all night anyway.” Toby tapped the books Jim was hauling with the horngazle as he walked to the hidden doorway.

“Uuggh, I know, and I still haven’t studied for that test…”

“At least you did okay on that Spanish presentation-”

Their voices faded out as they walked back into their normal lives, and the underside of the bridge went back to being a normal canal.

As Blinky arranged the books back into their well-memorized chaos, he wondered why the troll hunter had been all the way in the back of the library. Even in the short time frame Blinky had known the boy he knew it was too much to hope that he had been reading on his own accord.

Was he seeking solace? Blinky was aware of how taxing the job of trollhunter could be, and honestly the amount of frivolous tasks always seemed to increase anytime the trollhunter was in proximity to trollmarket. He thought back to the many times that Kanjigar, tired of gnome problems and running errands to no end, would duck in ‘to study’ while Blinky and Arrrgh kept a lookout for any well-meaning but unwelcome trolls.

Blinky knew Master Jim’s relations with the trolls in trollmarket wasn’t the best, and while it made sense that he might want to avoid certain trolls -mainly Draal-, the trolls didn’t need -moreso Jim didn’t need- to be avoided. Maybe the animosity between them could be forgotten, with a little time and care.

Blinky finished arranging the books, but shelved the bottom corner books up higher, just in case. He was curious if this little quirk was common for humans or a just a habit of Master Jim himself.

                                                        ooo0ooo

The next evening he found the boy sitting at the table -or partially at least, as he was quite literally face-planted in one of the books Blinky had given him yesterday. He must have fallen asleep waiting for Blinky to come question him on his reading. As odd as it was seeing someone who was usually attentive so very unattentive, the trollhunter had also fallen asleep during his brief summarization on troll history. Blinky was beginning to wonder…

Jim startled awake when Blinky took a few steps into the room, looking around dazedly, possibly for another gnome ambush.

“Tired, Master Jim?” Blinky asked.

“Uhh. No, no I- I’m good” He managed, going a bit red, realizing he had done it again. “Sorry, I just- It was quiet and uh… Sorry.”

Blinky shrugged it off with a chuckle. “It is no matter, on to the subject at hand!” He immediately set to pacing as he got into his ‘teaching stance’. Two hands behind his back, one at his side, and one to gesture with. “Now, in chapter fourteen, we left as the Conundrum tribe….

                                                  Ooo0ooo

To say he was a little concerned about the trollhunter’s sleep schedule would be an accurate statement. But with the flurry of the fight with Draal, the discovery of the bridge and the changeling spies within Arcadia, and then convincing Vendel of the changeling spies, Blinky had been distracted as of late. It seemed that quite suddenly, very many things had decided that now, of all times, was the best time possible to break, explode, or draw as much attention to itself as possible. It was almost uncanny, and he had a feeling it was more than just a coincidence.

He was deep in the paranoia of that particular train of thought when Toby rushed in.

Blinky wasn’t even able to open his mouth in greeting before Toby shouted in a rapid-fire panic. “-Jim was supposed to meet me at my house tonight but he never came and he won’t answer any of my texts and I’m really worried cause what if Bular got him-or one of those changelings snuck into my house before I got there and-”

“Tobias calm yourself!” Blinky said, grabbing the boy’s shoulders and halting his panic-induced gush of words. “I am certain that the trollhunter is fine. We will go out, and we are going to look for him, and we will do it in an orderly fashion. Yes?”

Toby nodded, his mouth shut, but his eyes still wide.

“Good. Let’s find Arrrgh and split up, cover more ground, he must be within trollmarket somewhere, but we’ll send Arrrgh topside just in case.”

He wasn’t going to worry. He was certain that the trollhunter had gotten distracted or gotten pulled into some charitable act and forgotten the time. This was nothing to worry about.

They had only searched for ten minutes before Blinky accepted that the gnawing ache in his gut was most certainly worry. If word got out that the trollhunter was missing there would be a mass panic, and not to diminish the seriousness of their situation, but -combined with the problems on the surface threatening life as both trolls and humans knew it- Blinky simply did not have the time.

“Think Tobias, does he have anywhere unusual he likes to visit? A certain tree, a graveyard, anything?”

“URG- I’m thinking but nothing’s coming up! Jim never runs off without telling someone- not after that time when we were seven…”

“Is there anyplace, any at all where he’s ever gone for solace-” Blinky jerked to a sudden stop and did an abrupt about-face, narrowly avoiding crashing into Toby, and started running back the way they came. “Waitwaitwaitwait- Of course! I should have checked there before running off on this wild duck chase!”

“What- where?” Toby yelled as he turned around as well. “Okay, -huff- I’m right behind you! -wheeze- how the heck are you so fast with those legs-”

Blinky made it there within five minutes. Rushing to the back of the library, he crouched next to the hidey hole, removing the books from the second shelf to peer into the darkness behind them. Sure enough, the trollhunter was curled up, his back to the wall, a still-lit flashlight was laying next to him, and “A Brief Capitulation of Troll History, Volume 11” was being smushed into his face in part of what, as a whole, seemed like an extremely uncomfortable sleeping position. He could tell from the slow rise and fall of his chest that the boy was sound asleep, his shoulders unusually relaxed in this state. Blinky didn’t have the heart to wake him up.

Toby rushed in a moment later, the some of the tenseness leaving him when he saw Jim under the shelf. “Uuh, man, what are we gonna do with you Jimbo?”

“If I may Tobias,” Blinky said, keeping his voice low for Jim‘s sake, “I would suggest letting him sleep here for tonight, he seems to need it and I am… a bit reluctant to wake him up.”

“Yeah, I could come and get him up early tomorrow. We have a class we really don‘t need to miss.” He took off his backpack and scrambled under the shelf briefly, returning with the book and the flashlight, setting them on a higher shelf. He dug through his backpack, procuring a pen and piece of paper, and scribbled a quick message, sticking it next to Jim.

“He keeps falling asleep in class.” Toby said suddenly, looking up at Blinky, open and honest, stark against his usual colorful cheer. “I’m worried about him Blinky.” He turned back to Jim. “I’ve tried talking to him, but he just says he’s fine. He isn’t though.”

Blinky swallowed. Toby looked at him straight in the eyes. “Will you talk to him if you get the chance?”

“I will.” He replied, a bit intimidated by the intense eye contact.

“Thanks. If anyone asks, he’s at my house.” Toby chuckled, returning to his normal self, shoving his supplies back into his pack. “Not that anyone will ask, but still. Keep a few eyes on him for me.”

“I will. Make sure you get Arrrgh to walk you home, I’ve had enough worry for one day.”

“Will do.”

Blinky settled himself against the bookshelf. He had a lot to think on. He sat, watching the young trollhunter murmur and burrow further into his balled up jacket, the action bringing a small smile to his face, and he wondered just how on earth had he ever let himself get so attached, so quickly. To both of them, he thought to himself. Toby’s loyalty to Jim knew no bounds, even if it meant following him into a magical world filled with trolls. He was impressed with how both of them had taken it in stride. Though not completely it would seem, he thought, glancing at Jim.

Not yet sixteen. A mere whelp in comparison to his kind’s age. Practically defenseless without the trollhunter armor, untrained in any survival skills, and so very easy to kill.

Blinky really did pick the worst ones to favor.

Kanjigar’s death had been a heavy blow, to both him and Arrrgh. He’d lost too many to attach himself willy-nilly to every being that passed his way.

The bookshelf wood creaked desperately and he released the death grip he’d taken on it.

And yet he couldn’t help himself. The thought of distancing himself had never crossed his mind, and now he couldn’t imagine forcing it; Draal and Kanjigar’s relationship drove the thought from him entirely. They’d wormed their way close to him without him noticing.

As if sensing his thoughts, Jim muttered and stretched in his sleep, his hand coming to rest near Blinky’s.

It was all worth it, he thought with a smile, just knowing those crazy, amazing, tenacious humans; it was worth so much, and he wouldn’t give it up for the world.

He picked up a book to read while he waited for the trollhunter to wake up. Willing to wait all night to talk to him, if need be; he’d promised after all.

About an hour later Blinky heard what sounded like a whine coming from the hole. Blinky glanced over to see the trollhunter stiffen in his sleep, his face pained as he tried to reach something, grabbing air and making a sort of low keen in the back of his throat.

It was somewhat expected of a warrior to experience night terrors and the sort, but still… Blinky sighed heavily, but waited before intervening. Unless it persisted, the best thing to do would be to let him come out of it on his own.

And he did scarcely ten seconds later, jerking up and banging his head on the bookshelf. Blinky winced sympathetically. That would leave a mark.

A few mild human swears were mumbled along with some choice trollish ones before Blinky heard a soft, “….oh not again….”

Yes, he was going to have a little chat with the trollhunter about his sleeping habits.

Blinky kept his tone casual, “So. How long have you been having nightmares?”

Jim jumped at his sudden voice, smacking his head again, eliciting another trollish swear (Blinky was going to either have to cut back on his own swearing or enforce an age limit).

He poked his head out, looking groggy, irritated, exhausted, and still a bit spooked, yet managing to convey both small and ready to fight in all of these; The post-gnome-attack hair was back -Blinky was starting to believe that this was its natural state- and his shirt was clinging to his chest, damp with sweat.

Jim squinted, then shivered in the cool, underground library, his eyes drooped closed for a brief second before snapping back open and focusing on Blinky.

Blinky took this as close enough to attention as he was going to get out of the sleep-deprived whelp and continued. “Master Jim, I understand you want to do this the brawl-hard way and deny help, but there are full-grown trolls out there who simply couldn’t take what you have seen and done, and Groncus knows they never stop complaining about anything. In the very least you could tell us when something is bothering you.” He punctuated the sentence with a stern glare, both sets of arms crossed as he tried to convey his disappointment.

Jim leveled a very long, blinking look at him, seeming to gather words to himself, and energy to speak, then said, his voice low and scratchy, “Look, I understand this is an important conversation, but I’m literally so tired I can only understand like half the words you’re saying.”

It took Blinky a few seconds to translate the sentence into something intelligible, but once he did he looked the boy up and down with scrutiny, taking in the half-lidded squint and the bags under his eyes and how he kept closing them and listing off to the side before bobbing back up like a cork. The boy was practically dead on his feet.

“Case in point.” Blinky said, putting a hand under the boy’s chin to help focus his eyes on him. “You. Are. Sleep deprived. This is unacceptable. A trollhunter needs to be in peak condition at all times.” He used his lower arms to pull the boy out of his hidey hole and set him down next to the shelf, provoking a sleepy grumbling noise from him. Blinky continued, “So you are going to sleep. Here. Now.”

Jim’s eyes shot open at the word sleep. “Wh-NO!” He yelped, pulling back from Blinky like he might put him to sleep then and there. Blinky leveled a look at him, waiting for what truly would need to be a brilliant explanation to prevent him from doing just that.

Jim squirmed a bit under the glare, looking down at the floor. “I can’t sleep, I just keep having nightmares every time I try. I’m exhausted.” He admitted, leaning against the stiff bookshelf again. “But sleeping just… isn’t working.”

He looked quite pitiful.

Blinky didn‘t even try to quell the feeling that rose in his chest at the sight. The boy was much too young to be dealing with this. Blinky had no idea what Merlin was thinking, picking a whelp for a warriors job. At a loss of what to do, he began nervously gathering Jim’s things into his backpack, giving the amulet an extra hard stare just in case Merlin could see him. But an idea came to him as he picked up the rolled up jacket.

“Master Jim, would you be willing to try something?”

Jim didn’t even move, but replied. “Anything at this point.”

Blinky stood, and then paused, reluctant to leave the boy here. He had promised Toby to watch him. After a moment of indecisiveness, then rolling all six of his eyes at his own hesitancy, he decided to just do it.

He scooped Jim up with his lower two arms, walking briskly to the front, unsure if he was breaking some kind of personal boundary but determined to see his idea through.

To his credit, the trollhunter only startled for a moment, then leaned back against him. Blinky could feel Jim’s eyes on him briefly before he started nodding off, his scrawny body jerking against him every time his head began dipping down.

Blinky had to set him down for a minute as he trotted around, gathering everything he needed, the actions old but familiar from Arrrgh‘s earlier days. Jim curled up under his jacket that Blinky had set over his shoulders, arms around his knees and his head on his forearms, trying to watch Blinky as he bustled around.

He tapped Jim’s shoulder as he deposited the last few sheets into the pile.

Jim said something that sounded like thanks and appreciatively collapsed into the makeshift bed.

“Not a problem Master Jim.” Blinky said with a smile, picking up the last blanket and dropping it over the trollhunter’s head.

He grumbled and glared at Blinky from underneath the faded blue comforter. “So this supposed to help…. How?” His sentence broken by a yawn.

Blinky hummed as he turned to a shelf and browsed for another book. “Well, it isn’t a tried and true method, but believe it or not Arrrgh used to have troubles similar to yours, and we tried several things -he tried many on his own before he told me he was having trouble, of course- but eventually we discovered that having someone else nearby, and having a little light helped quite a bit. I will be here reading if you need anything, so please, do try to get some sleep.”

Blinky turned from the shelf to see Jim curled up, dead to the world. Blinky’s short speech had put him to sleep immediately, and Blinky couldn’t help the fond smile that crossed his face. He chuckled quietly to himself, “Goodnight then, Master Jim.” and settled down to a nice book.

Jim woke up only once, and it was to the sound of Arrrgh’s heartbeat and breathing (the large troll had apparently returned in the night and curled himself all around Jim like some kind of giant protective guard dog). That, combined with the sound of Blinky turning the pages of his book now and again, tuned out whatever throes his dreams had conjured up, leaving him in a warm, sleepy calm.

 It was nice.

Jim decided that sleep-deprived Jim definitely had the right idea, then promptly went back to sleep.

[khymer-vulture]

I decided to post 2 short stories today \o/

I’ve had em sitting around for like a month, cuz I’ve been liking the newer stuff I’ve been writing more. So might as well post em (after a bunch of re-editing).

There was an idea right after writing Last Chapters about Caleb one day finding out about his parents’ past. I just couldn’t figure out how to set it up, then I think about how most kids these days kinda believe creepypastas or urban legends are real and stuff.

Anyways, rambling...

Set after Last Chapters.

Secrets are secrets for a reason. Curiosity may lead one to find out things they wished they hadn’t.

Many years have passed by for the small family, Caleb was in school, made quite a number of friends, and even proved to excel in his subjects – just like a normal child.

 There were times where Zack would joke about him growing too fast.

 “Seriously kid, slow down for a moment…it’s like every time I blink, you grow like a weed!”

 Rachel often chuckled at his comment, but she felt happy about it. With Caleb growing happy and healthy each day, it simply proved that Rachel and Isaac did their job right in raising him. Caleb was a bit of a mischief maker, but never to the point of causing too much trouble, he had his mother’s smarts to thank for that. He also remained an adventurer at heart like he’d always been, now that he was much older, he was given more freedoms to explore, especially when he wanted to go meet his friends after school.

 Yet, in every growing generation there seemed to be different rumors or scary stories of madmen wandering about to scare or test the mettle of young minds. One of Caleb’s friends was bringing up a “supposed urban legend” about a killer that was still running loose. He always had friends that liked to say tall-tales, this seemed to be yet another one of those wild stories. The boy was always keen to pick out lies and exaggeration, thanks to his dad. Caleb lightly rolled his eyes at his friend’s attempt to sound ominous.

 “I’m serious! Have you not heard of the Alleyway Ripper?”

 “Haha, is that what he’s seriously called?” Caleb asked with a disbelieving chuckle. “Sounds like something you pulled from a movie…”

 “Well…no…but it sounds like it could be…if the cops would’ve given him a cool nickname…” his friend grumbled.

 Yup, another wild story.

 Caleb lightly sighed, “Go on then…why is he so scary?”

 “He’s a real person and the guy’s still loose, he could be anywhere. If someone got killed in the back-alleys, it’s definitely from him! I even heard he kidnaps kids too,” his friend said, “I think he was on the news for a long while because of that.”

 If he was real, he should have a name, but he wasn’t given that either. He might as well start picking apart his friend’s claims.

 “Okay? So, what does this ‘Ripper’ look like? I gotta keep an eye out, right?” Caleb teased.

 “He’s like a grim reaper, literally. Hood, scythe, even a scary face that he keeps covered.”

 A hood and a face that is often covered, why did he get a flash of his father just now?

 “Uhh…right…maybe you should tell that to some girls, I think they’ll really get scared of that story,” Caleb reluctantly joked.

 “I’m serious, he’s real,” his friend insisted, until mischief set in, “…but good idea though…”

 A hood and a concealed face. No, that’s just a stupid coincidence…was it?

 During the final half hour of school, Caleb decided to head to the school library and use one of its computers. He often went to the library for usual study time before the final bell, but this was a chance to do some investigation. Even though there were the typical internet locks to block out unwanted websites, some were permitted for research use only. Caleb decided to put in the vague details he heard until he got a match.

 The computer directed him to an official website containing information of convicted criminals, one name had stuck out like a sore thumb – Isaac Foster. The very same name as his father.

 Isaac Foster: approximate age upon registration, 20. Suspected serial killer in connection to multiple murders, assault with a deadly weapon, and kidnapping. Status: WANTED.

 Caleb felt his blood grow cold, he didn’t want any of the information he just read to be true, until the mugshot came up.

 A young man, his familiar face was completely covered in wrappings, and wore a bloodied and slightly charred hoodie while he had a bloodthirsty glint in his bi-colored eyes. This picture was an absolute opposite of the mischievous and gentle expression Caleb had known most of his life.

 The supposed killer spoken as some sort of Boogieman was none other than his own father. Caleb silently closed out of the browser and excused himself out of the library as soon as the bell rung. He had a confused yet sullen expression on his face, normally he would walk with his friends until he met with his mother halfway, but he wanted to be alone.

 Rachel met up with Caleb, but she seemed to sense a different vibe coming from her son, she offered to help carry his things as they made their way back home.

 “Hey Caleb, you’re looking so down today…did something happen in school? Nobody’s giving you a hard time, are they?” she sweetly asks.

 His mother’s tender voice always lightened his spirits, but his mind continued to be clouded with uneasy thoughts. Does his own mother know what kind of man she’s married to? He felt compelled to ask, but deep down he wanted to hear the truth from his father first, someone he felt like he was his best friend for the longest time.

 Rachel was unsure what was bothering her son, she brought a hand up to gently run her fingers through his hair, “If you feel ready to explain what’s on your mind, I’m always here, okay?”

 “Alright, mom…thanks…” Caleb replied with a partial hug.

 Rachel opened the door for Caleb to step inside first to make himself comfortable while she set his things off to the side for him to take care of later. It was always time to unwind first, then take care of responsibilities afterwards.

 Soon, a voice called out from the kitchen, “Is the kid back? Hey Caleb, I just stockpiled some snacks!”

 Both Caleb and Isaac had a soft spot for junk food and their son would go flying right towards the kitchen, but even now, he seemed to drag his heels. Zack seemed to detect a change in behavior, so he met both his wife and Caleb to the doorway. The man had a large plate in his hand filled with assorted junk food, mostly chips and cookies. He glanced at his son and noticed an expression Caleb had never given before.

 “Hey kid…what’s up? Are you feeling alright?” Zack asked, already having a cookie halfway in his mouth.

 Caleb lightly bit at his lip, he didn’t want to see his father’s face for a moment, all he could picture was the mugshot, and the grim expression that showed clear as day.

 “Dad?”

 “Yeah?” Zack asks.

 “Have you…ever…killed someone?”

 That question made both Zack and Rachel freeze, the plate simply slipped from the man’s grasp and crashed onto the floor. What brought this question? Why did he ask it? How could he avoid it? Caleb could see a conflicted expression on Zack’s face, it was a mix between regret, anger, and grief.

 “How did this question come up?” Zack stoically asks.

 “A friend of mine was making up stories again, stuff about a runaway killer. At least, I thought it was made up…it obviously sounded fake, but the description fit you…” Caleb said, “I was hoping it was just coincidence…then I…”

 “Enough, Caleb…” Isaac interrupted, his voice wasn’t raised, but it was slightly firm. “I know where this leads…”

 Zack knew that Caleb was very smart for his age, the boy was already in middle school. If Caleb got curious, he was damn determined to get results. He must’ve found it, judging how unsettled he was.

 “Zack…” Rachel beckoned.

 The man glanced to Rachel for a moment, then sighed to himself, “Let me talk with him for a while…sorry for the mess…”

 Rachel was still uncertain as she watched Isaac gently nudge Caleb with him to follow. The boy felt like he had opened the door to the lion’s den and became nervous for what he was about to be lectured on – or possibly find out. Zack remained an unnatural calm, and didn’t even utter a single word until he guided Caleb into his room.

 “Sit down,” Zack said as he closed the door.

 Caleb did just as his father asked, and sat himself on the edge of the bed, Zack quietly walked over to the closet that contained his assortment of hoodies and Rachel’s outfits. The man swiftly pulled the articles of clothing to the side to reveal his scythe.

 A hood, a scythe, with his face covered up.

 “Yes Caleb…I have killed people before…” Zack answered, “it was the only nature I’ve known back then…the only thing that gave me the feeling of purpose…”

 The ugly truth finally came out, Caleb could see a crestfallen expression on his father’s face, like the truth hurt him instead of a lie.

 “I never wanted you to know…” Zack murmured, “I never wanted you to learn the ugly truth about us…”

 “Wait…Mom too?”

 Zack faintly sighed, then nodded. He walked up to the bed and sat down next to Caleb, then buried his face in his hands. He thought, for once, whispers of his infamous misdeeds were put to rest after his ‘inactivity’. Instead, it was cast into mere urban legend, keeping that dark legacy of his alive.

 “Fuck…”

 It wasn’t the time to be watching his language, he was both frustrated and hurt with the situation they were in now.

 “Your mom didn’t do it as high of a degree as I did…she did have her…moments. That was about it,” Zack continued, “She’s still the loving know-it-all you know her by, Caleb…”

 “…am I going to end up the same way?”

 That question felt like an immediate stab in the heart, he even groaned from the internal pain, but Zack simply took a deep breath to calm his nerves. It was the only best thing he could do instead of swearing at the top of his lungs and punching a hole through the wall to combat the ache he was feeling.

 “Do you want to?” he asks.

 “What?”

 “Do you want to end up like me? Do you want to hurt people?” Zack asks once more.

 Caleb paused at the question, then quickly shook his head, “No…no, of course not.”

 Zack brought a hand up to gently ruffle his hair, “Good, keep saying that…you won’t end up that way. Your mom and I did everything we could to have you live the best fucking life possible. Shit, I dreaded the day something like this would happen…but I kept ignoring it…”

 “…What made you want to do all those horrible things?” Caleb asked.

 Zack sighed as he leaned back some, “…People have a breaking point, kid. My scars are one, I got lit on fire when I was young. Then was left to rot away in that fucking orphanage…but I’d rather not get into full detail about that right now, this god damn topic is gloomy enough as it is. Murder looked so easy, it eventually became my calling. I was so sick of seeing the happy smiles on people’s faces and preferred to see despair. Every person was given a count to three to try outrunning me before the deed was done…it was a guarantee to see that look…that was how I rolled…”

 “Was mom the same way?”

 “Her parents were a fucking work of art…at least, from what she tells me. Drunk cop for a dad, a mouthy and bitter woman for a mother. Fights, shouting matches, even she was caught in the fray…someone like her to go through that kind of bullshit for that long…it was no wonder she snapped too. The worst things in life loves to bring out the worst in everybody…”

 Zack sensed Caleb’s insecurities, “…Monsters are made, not born. There’s always a reason for the insane shit people do. I guess with work…monsters can be unmade too. You’re a good kid, Caleb. Hell, you and yer’ mom are really fucking important to me than just a few seconds of thrill. I…I think that’s proof enough…”

 Caleb thought about that statement for a moment, but another question sparked in his mind, “Do you still want to kill people?”

 “I’d be lying if I said no, I still get those urges from time to time. It’s something I’ve been doing for years…it doesn’t just go away with the snap of the fingers. That’s why when I go out at night, I do a bit of stealing to try and suppress it - bonus if a brawl is involved, helps me vent out aggression,” Zack replied. “If I can knock a guy out, that satisfies me for a good while…”

 “Who was the last person you killed?”

 Zack paused for a moment, “Do you remember the scary lady?”

 The woman from before, when Caleb wandered too far off from home, Zack was there to chase her away from him – didn’t he? His father’s old answer came back to mind. Scared her to death. To death. Now it made sense as to why Zack lacked a hoodie and bandages when he returned.

 “Why did you have to kill her? I mean - yeah, I was terrified of her, but what reason did you have?”

 “Because she knew who your mother and I was, and now she knew where we lived. If I had let her go…” Zack stopped in his sentence, then grit his teeth as he felt frustration build, “Fuck…if I had let her go…the life we got now…everything would have gone to hell in an instant…”

 The thoughts of the possibility were showing signs of upsetting Isaac greatly, he began to feel tears threatening to build up. Zack had never expressed this side of himself before, but it seemed right now that it couldn’t be helped, he felt like he was being torn apart.

 “They’d send your mom back to that fucking psyche ward, I’d be executed in a heartbeat, and…” Zack couldn’t finish, the final possibility was killing him on the inside, “and…fuck…fuck…losing you would be the hardest, especially if they found out who your parents were…”

 There were actual tears streaming from his eyes, dampening the bandages that covered his face, “I can’t fucking have you go through that nightmare, Caleb. God fucking damn it, I know it’s not happening but shit, it fucking hurts to think about…it fucking hurts…”

 His father had tears streaming down his face, the truth was agonizing to spill out, along with the ‘what ifs’ that was plaguing his mind, especially when that ‘what if’ was his family being ripped from each other.

 Caleb learned his father lived a life of horrific crimes, a person that people would often depict as a monster with no conscience - even his mugshot would’ve said the same. Yet, here Zack was, showing the most human of emotions beside him. Zack was fully aware of his past, still struggles with it, yet feels like every sacrifice he made for the sake of his family was worth it, and having it be taken away could literally kill him.

 No, not just Zack - Rachel too.

 Their son only heard a brief summary of his mother, but Caleb was sure that she had her own share of dark secrets. Having to tell him would be just as heartbreaking for Ray as it was now for Isaac. He can reluctantly picture it, especially for someone as giving as his mother. From what Caleb gathered, his parents were emotionally broken people, whatever further history there was to share, it seemed to heal them in some sort of way.

 Caleb was torn at first, he didn’t know what side to truly believe. There was the truth laid before him that his father committed atrocities, and there was a feeling like there was an attempt at some sort of redemption, no matter how large or small of an impact it would make. The years that was spent growing up until now, their feelings towards one another as a family was genuine. Should things be allowed to change after coming across this new information?

 Caleb lightly bumped his head against Zack’s shoulder and wrapped an arm around him in his way to hug his father. Isaac turned his focus to his son, then quietly chuckled to him.

 “…The guy hug?”

 “The guy hug…” Caleb replies.

 Isaac brought his arm around his son to pull him close into a returning half hug, and stayed that way for a brief moment. It was comforting after a heart-wrenching moment for the two of them.

 Within seconds, Zack suddenly yanked his son close to give him a playful noogie, feeling the lad flail underneath his grip.

 “Jeez kid, stop growing…you’re almost as tall as me…” Zack teased, then let his son go.

 Caleb huffed as he tried to fix his messed-up hair, despite the darkest contrast of his parents, they certainly acted like everyday people. They truly wanted what was best for him while growing up.

 “Hey dad?” Caleb asked.

 “Hmm?”

 “My friends often gripe about their parents being too strict and stuff. I guess because they don’t see from their parent’s point of view. How you and mom act every day, you behave just like ordinary parents. You both care for me, you’re firm but fair, and of course…you’re both really embarrassing at times – like normal parents,” Caleb spoke.

 Caleb really did inherit his mother’s smarts after all, those words alone made Zack express a touched yet proud smile.

 “God damn, you’re like a fucking gift from the gods, kid…” Zack quietly laughed, “I’m glad you’re our son, Caleb…”

 Caleb softly smiled back at his father, then a question came to mind that he almost forgot.

 “Hey…one of your crimes said kidnapping…who was it you kidnapped?”

 Zack raised a brow, then had a smirk on his face, “Shit, I wouldn’t call it kidnapping…more like rescuing.”

 “It was Mom?”

 “Yup, I was the knight n’ shining armor and all that shit,” Zack answered proudly.

 Now Caleb wasn’t convinced. The expression was clear as day.

 “Oh, come on, I was joking with that bit…jeez…you’re like your mom.” Zack muttered with a pout.

 The two then shared a short laugh before getting up to reunite with Rachel.

 “Your mom is still probably worried to death about this whole thing…look, there’s still a lot more to tell you…but I think right now, this is as far as we’re going to go. When all of us are ready...me and your mom are gonna sit with ya’ and tell you what you need to know…okay?” Isaac said as he was heading to the door, “…it may not even be pretty…shit...we know what we did, just please don’t view us as any different.”

 The eventual talk was going to be an emotional struggle without a doubt, it’s a hidden and dreadful truth, even if it was kept away with the best of intentions. It may be later tonight, tomorrow, or any other given point in time. The secrets coming forth was still so much to take in, and tackling it all straight away would be far too taxing for the entire family, it was better to handle it one step at a time when they were prepared.

 “Oh Christ…uh…don’t let your mom know that I was letting my language fly in front of you,” Zack said.

 “It’s fine, dad…I think the situation called for it…” Caleb replies, “Besides…your language is tame compared to my friends.”

 “Seriously? Fuck, I’m getting old…”

 He allowed Caleb to leave the room first, but he paused to look back at the closet where he kept his scythe. Zack slowly approached the small room littered with hanging clothes as he gazed at the old weapon. He stared at it for a good while to reflect on the past, then placed his hands on the hanging garments and slid it back into obscurity.

 Caleb did learn some parts of an unpleasant history, and he still had much more to learn when he would be ready and willing.  Whatever wild rumors and stories his friends felt like fabricating to scare and create their own creatures that go bump in the night, Caleb decided to leave it just as that – just stories. As his father said, monsters are what they are because they were made to be that way.

 Yet, like his parents, he did not see them as monsters or anything compared to it, but as normal people – eccentric at times, but normal human beings nonetheless. They were simply wronged at the start and had an unorthodox way of coping, but they at least admitted their faults and errors.

 After all, it’s only human to sin.