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eldritchscribblings · 5 months ago

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Ever At Odds

Thranduil X Reader

Part 2

Reader is an artist who has taken up a temporary residence in Mirkwood, but keeps bumping into an irritatingly handsome elf king. What happens when a late night encounter forces them together?

Word Count: 2876

Warnings:

swearing

part two will have smut

Notes: I'm sorryyyyyy I didn't want there to be a part two but it took me so long to write this part and I wanted to get it out asap for y'all <3 Pt 2 will be out soon, I'm moving across the country, so writing is slow rn.

A cold autumn wind blew through the halls of Mirkwood, biting into the very bones of those who dared set foot in the ancient woodland realm. In the ages past that bitter wind would have only howled, but its teeth had grown sharper in recent times. Not only did the wind sink its teeth into those unprepared for the woods, but it had turned its teeth upon its own people; the elves, as well. The time of elves on Middle Earth was drawing to an end.

You, of course, were well aware of that from your perch in Imladris, watching as elves dwindled and men rose to power. You were a long way off from leaving for the Undying Lands yourself, but you had already begun to feel that tug in your soul to move from your idle nest and wander towards the sea. And so you’d decided to bide your time by traveling middle earth and sketching all that was old and new among the elves; making a record of what you’d leave behind. It had been a comforting work to put your brush and pencils to paper and convey the millennia of love and sorrow that each individual stone and sapling possessed, and it had satiated you to know that once your work was completed you could leave Middle Earth with a contented heart. But as every tree must survive a storm at some point, your storm came in the form of an elven man with thick furrowed brows and a disposition that would make soot taste sweet; King Thranduil Oropherion of the Woodland Realm.

You’d arrived in Mirkwood nearly two years prior after being rescued from a giant spider by the guards and losing your favorite quill (poor Flutterflick) among the leaf strewn ground. After a quick interrogation, you were released into Mirkwood to do your duty, and yet everywhere you went for peace and tranquility you seemed to run into the Elven King. The first time it happened you hadn’t realized who he was until he threatened to have you locked in the dungeon for disagreeing with him on the best elven wine and whether charcoal was best used compressed or as a powder. You’d tried to avoid him after that, and yet this maze of a realm kept twisting you back towards him whenever you tried to get away. Which was how you found yourself sitting in an archway sketching your view of the vaulted ceiling within this particular area of the hall in the middle of the night, using a candlestick as a light.

It was the wee hours of the morning; a time you were certain the tall blond of your nightmares would be having one of his own, far away from where you’d secluded yourself. The only noises were the hush of a breeze blowing through an open window and the soft scratching of your pencil against the parchment you’d clipped to the thin drawing board in your lap. Your eyes darted seamlessly from the page to the section of empty hall you were drawing, your steady hand moving quickly to gesture in the wider picture so that detail could blossom with ease when you pulled out your softer charcoal. With the silent night enveloping you, it had been easy to fall into a trance of placing your pencil to paper and letting the world fall away into lines and values. You should’ve known the peace wouldn’t last.

“It’s a bit late for sketching fine architecture.” Thranduil’s voice echoed from behind you, and you sighed and pressed your lips together in irritation.

“My aim was to be uninterrupted, My King,” you spoke slowly and surely, presenting each word as nothing more than it claimed to be in hopes he would leave you alone. “It’s a bit late for anyone to roam the halls alone, don’t you think?”

“I am not alone, and neither are you now.” Realizing you had no intent to face him, he walked around and knelt in front of you with a disappointedly curious expression. “How fortunate it is that we can keep each other company on such lonesome nights.”

“Oh, please.” You met his steely blue gaze with a challenging one of your own, attempting to prove yourself unafraid and ward him off. “You and I both know that the two of us together always leads to disaster.”

“Only because you bring disaster with you everywhere.” Thranduil laughed softly and licked the pad of his forefinger before pinching out the flame of your candle between his forefinger and thumb. You were grateful for the darkness to hide a traitorous blush growing on your cheeks, undercutting your disturbed expression. “Finish your sketch in the daylight. You’ll make fewer proportional errors.”

“Is poisoning your kindness with insults meant to be amusing or alluring? Because it is neither.” The only reason you were so confident with your words was because the worst Thranduil could do is send you where you already planned to go ahead of schedule. Of course that was only in theory. In truth, a part of you enjoyed the little games you played together; the spiteful spitting of venom brought energy to your day, negative or positive. You couldn’t deny he was a handsome King, but you could deny giving him the satisfaction of knowing you held him in any regard.

“Have I misled myself on the quality of your mettle? Forgive me if I have caused any true harm.” The first sentence was a sharp retort, the same wit you had begun to expect from him. The second was genuine in a way that surprised you.

“Don’t delude yourself. The only way you could bring any harm to me is with a blade. And I doubt you’d want to stain this lovely hallway.” You responded with a similar genuineness that you hid within your humor, although by the look of his expression he seemed relieved enough to surmise he’d picked up your intent.

What the fuck was your intent? Half flirting with a widowed king? He was an elf who could toss you out a window or carry you down to the dungeons as easily as he’d carry a sack of grain. You inhaled and sharply shoved your charcoal pencil back into your pouch, looking away from Thranduil to shove the image of him carrying sacks of wheat like a handsome miller’s son out of your mind. Truth is you’d daydreamed about kissing Thranduil to shut him up as much as you’d daydreamed about killing him for the same outcome. It was strange to think of how a two letter difference changed the entire context of your fantasies.

“I am no mortal man so easily prone to violence. I take offense that you would think I am capable of such a thing.” Thranduil’s voice changed tone, causing you to look at him again. He was dead serious with a furrowed brow as he knelt before you, reaching forward to take your hand in his. “My guards brought you here and promised you safety. I will not make liars of them.”

“A noble, if impersonal, thought.” You responded with an equal amount of seriousness, gathering your supplies in one hand and placing the other in his as he helped you to a standing position. His intent mystified you, making you unsure of if you’d been wrong about him or if this was a lure to finally catch you when you least expected it. Either way, as you began to walk down the hall back to your rooms he walked beside you with the smallest hint of a smile on his otherwise serious face.

“Do you really think of me as cruel and unkind?” Thranduil asked softly after you had traversed a fair amount of the hall.

“Yes and no.” You replied after taking a moment to chew through your words. It was strange of him to ask the question, stranger still for you to answer honestly. You were friends, but it was a friendship that danced a fine line between confidants and the king and his favorite jester. “I think you capable of cruelty. I think your role requires unkindness. Your presentation fits the role you fulfill. I would no more expect a thatched roof on a palace than a wisened king to be tender hearted.”

“I don’t like the word wisened; it makes me feel old.” Thranduil interjected despite you being done speaking. “But I understand. And I appreciate your point of view. You’re insightful. It’s fitting for your role as an observer. I am curious, I always see you drawing and sketching instead of talking to your fellows. I’m curious as to what you draw when you’re not intending on showing it off to people.”

“Truth be told, it’s mostly animals and people. I carry around smaller sketchbooks for those and it’s idle work to do while I watch and listen to those around me.” You felt the words leave your mouth before you could stop them. Not even death would stop you from blabbing about your art when prodded. “Of course, for those sketches I prefer drawing with metals. You can use a stylus made of silver to make marks upon parchment as well as any charcoal. It’s quite beautiful in the light.”

“Then I must see them.” Thranduil stopped abruptly, causing you to have to turn around after several paces and realize he was at the door to your chambers. If you’d known you were close to your rooms you would’ve just stayed quiet. Having the Elven King in your bedroom, looking at your art, was a bad idea.

Art was your escape, your passion, your diary. There were notes about your feelings and poems about your life scrawled among the pages among grocery lists and drawings of cats napping in sunlight. There were also -you realized with sinking dread- one or two drawings of the King that you did not want him to see. You had to get out of this.

“Sire, it’s very late-“

“Nonsense, you’re up later than this quite frequently, as am I.” He stood by your door, waiting for you to open it for him. His excitement faltered for a moment as he seemed to consider the situation, and he then added; “If you truly do not desire it, I will not impose myself.”

“No, I simply hesitate because I am afraid you will not find my art as impressive as you hope.” Your eyes were firmly on the handle of your door as you opened it and allowed yourself and Thranduil into your rooms. He was very close to you as he entered behind you, and you caught a hint of his scent of petrichor and spices in a way that sent your head spinning.

Your rooms were simple. Far from grand with books and papers strewn about haphazardly. As you entered you felt a wave of embarrassment wash over you at the state of your things, but you would not let it show. Your bed was in one corner, luckily you had remembered to make it up before leaving, but the bedside tables were covered in strewn papers and pencils. In the opposing corner there was a desk with your notebooks and sketches, and that was where Thranduil made his way to as soon as he entered.

“You live your life messily.” He stated, looking around the room before passively picking up one of your loose sketches from your desk. It was a picture of a young couple walking the halls together arm in arm, oblivious to any observer. Oblivious to you. “I do not question it. You prefer to be hidden away whenever you leave your chambers, so it must be comforting to have such things to hide yourself behind in your own dwelling.” He chuckled, glancing at you as he perused through your art, leafing through the piles of sketches on your desk. It wasn’t as if you could tell him not to, and although you were surprised at his understanding of you, you’d never admit to yourself or him whether he was right or not.

“Or perhaps you simply collect too much and want it all near you, like a raven building its nest.” Thranduil continued despite your silence, unphased by it. He reached for a drawing closer to you, his eyes meeting yours for the briefest moment that sent a shameful shiver down your spine. It was only when his gaze left you that you realized he had grabbed one of the drawings of him, but before you could protest, he had turned it over to look at it. It was one of the less embarrassing ones; he was sitting with his chin resting on his fist, staring off into some uncaptured distance. His face was peaceful and yet melancholy. It had been at one of the star celebrations that you had forgotten the name of last year; you had been sat at the sidelines happily drawing those partaking in the merriment when you had seen him. His sadness as he sat on his perch above his kin had captured your attention, and you hastened to put his likeness on your paper lest the spell of the moment be broken. He was beautiful to you in that moment, beautiful and wounded. The moment had ended with your eyes meeting and him sending a prideful smirk your way that left your stomach churning, but you would always remember how striking it was to see past his hardened exterior for one brief moment.

As you watched him then, taking in that art piece that had truly cemented your growing fascination with the widowed king, you could not decipher the emotions on his face. His brow furrowed as he traced the lines of his face as they were portrayed on paper, and he hunched over the drawing to better see its details. You almost made a joke, just to break the hideous silence, and yet something stopped you. Your words were stoppered in your throat with tenuous curiosity and something inside you told you to bite your tongue.

“I remember this night,” Thranduil whispered, tracing the roughly sketched embroidery on his portrait. “I was lost in thought, not one of them was pleasant, but my mind was determined to see the end of the chain. I could sense eyes on me, but there is always one person or another watching my every move.” He looked up at you, and the depth of his gaze was hauntingly sirenic, like a calm sea below a dark gray sky. “You were different. I saw your brow furrowed as you looked at me, always fiery and determined to find a flaw where no one else will.” A ghost of a smile crossed his face, no more than a twitch of his eyes, and yet it comforted you.

“A gap in your personified stoicism is more so due to a lack of divinity than any flaw.” The words flowed easily from your lips, and you stepped closer to him so you could look at your art. “Truthfully, when I found you ‘lacking’, I found you more fascinating than I did when I believed you perfect. Like how a fly, when caught in amber, reveals the quality of the jewel.”

“Am I to be the fly in this metaphor?” He teased, lowering the drawing and stepping closer to you.

“You are aware of what I intended, my lord.” The tone of the conversation had turned lighter, but the air remained tense. It was taking all your might to will yourself not to look at his lips, or his chest, or anywhere but his eyes or your feet. You were afraid any slight unexpected movement would be perceived the wrong way and break the wavering thread of connection between you.

“What if I were not? What if we were to spend another year misinterpreting each other? Dragging out your stay here in Mirkwood for no perceivable reason?” He seemed as hesitant to move as you were, waiting for some unknown signal to allow him to act.

“Then I suppose, should I be prevented from completing my work, I would need to stay here longer.” You were beginning to catch on. Perhaps there was more to this banter and teasing than you had originally thought. Perhaps the guilt-ridden attraction that had festered deep within your gut was mirrored in his own tumultuous emotions. You leaned slightly closer, taking your drawing from his hands and setting aside.

“To properly record Mirkwood in such sketches as yours would take decades…” Thranduil drew out the idea, but did not finish it. Instead, he stepped forward and tenderly placed his hand upon your cheek, caressing you gently. “May I kiss you?”

The thought struck you like a blind man meeting a drunken bird, and you inhaled sharply as reality dug its cruel claws into your skin. He was the king. He had asked you to kiss him. But more than the king, he was Thranduil. Your playful nemesis who was the bane of all your existence and yet whose presence you yearned for in the darkest parts of night. Was this change in your relationship worth it? Was this a risk worth taking?

“Yes.”

#thranduil x reader #the hobbit #thranduil #thrandaddy #thrandy dandy #the hobbit x reader #lotr x reader #lotr fic

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we-were-beautiful · 26 days ago

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Unraveled Ends Chapter 2

Pre chapter Shenanigans

a/n: Sooooo long time no post but I'm here now and that's what matters. Writers block hit me like a brick wall after my last piece that I did for the riders quadrant fic exchange back in July, that piece was only supposed to be 3k in words but ended up around 7.8k. I had been working on this chapter at the same time and had roughly 2k words but after I got through the edits on the gift fic couldn't seem to string together a coherent sentence much less moving the plot forward. all my photos for the moodboard/aesthetic come from pinterest. Last bit of info is that we did pick up two beta readers for this story( but I am always open for more if people want to hop in). So big Thanks to @loving-and-dreaming and @curse-bearing-hips for reviewing this chapter. That said we are all still human so there is more than likely some mistakes. And a huge thanks to @whisplion for inspiring me to write this fic. Hope y’all enjoy

Summary: A tailor in the heart of Velaris finds herself mated to the two most powerful fae in Prythian. Unfortunately for her the mating bond only snapped for her, leaving her to question on how to move forward. Should she wait for her mates to feel the bond or should she go ahead and reject it and live with the gaping hole in her heart

Poly!Feysand x Reader

Warnings: None but there is angst

WC:3.1k

The next few weeks are nothing short of hell. I didn’t know pretending like nothing is wrong would be as exhausting as it has been. It was a never ending cycle of waking up, getting ready, going to work, and coming home. At work I was dancing a fine line of hiding everything from my seamstresses and sister and failing miserably. The only small mercy that I have had was that I haven’t had to see my mates. Thank the mother for that; I don’t know how I would have reacted to seeing them so soon after the bond had snapped. Not seeing them however did nothing to dampen the feelings that the two of them would throw down the bond unknowingly. Deep down I know that they didn’t mean to send those memories and feelings to me, but on a good day it makes me sick to my stomach. I don’t know why it has gotten worse. I was fine for a year of burying the feelings that I have for the two down.

They were so happy together, and I don’t have a place in their perfect lifestyle. I thought that I had seen them around town a lot when they were just my customers but now it felt like every time I turned around they were there. It has increased since they came in to get their outfits for Starfall designed. I swear I ran into Rhys yesterday when I went to get lunch for myself. I ran into Feyre the other night while I was getting the groceries for my sisters and me. The two of them had actually approached me a week ago while I was at the park with my baby sister. They had little Nyx with them then and it felt like someone had taken a hold of my heart and started squeezing. The babe was adorable at two years of age. He's starting to reign terror on his parents who had apparently decided he needed to run off his energy at the park. The two of them are far more friendly with people than I would have liked, but mostly that friendliness was targeted towards me. As they joined me on the bench sandwiching me between them. They ended up chatting my ear off for the better part of an hour. There brushes of hands against my body that were too well placed to be incidental. It felt like a vice clamping down around my heart as I left the park with my sister to head home. Feyre had wanted me to stay a bit longer so that she could continue talking to me about my sketches.

The physical interactions with them weren't the worst thing though. It was the images and emotions that the two had unknowingly sent down the bond. It wasn’t unusual to get a flash of lust from one of them at any given time of the day. It was inconvenient to just get hit with the overwhelming need for someone when I’m with clients. Late at night though I get the images. Of my mates tangled up in pleasure. Sometimes it was flashes of Feyre's face screwed up in pleasure; other of Rhys’s eyes alight with lust and desire. Those nights sleep was hard to come by. A few of those nights I found myself back in the shop working on my clients orders, anything to keep my mind from lingering on the two people that didn’t know I was bound to them. I was surprised to be receiving so much from them down the bond given that both of them are powerful Demati. I figured that they would be skilled at keeping to themselves.

Last night was one of those sleepless nights. It was a damn near endless barrage of want and need coming from both of them. If I hadn’t known that their mating bond had been accepted between them I would have assumed that they had accepted it last night. I left a note for my middle sister in the kitchen before heading to the shop in the dead of night. Being the night court, plenty of people were milling about the streets and shops in the palace of thread and jewels. Thankfully it isn’t one of the nights we keep the shop open for those who live under the stars, I could work in peace and not be bothered by anyone. No customers, no seamstresses, no nosy sisters, and most importantly no over friendly mates or their friends.

It was wonderful to sit in the shop and do what I love with my shadows dancing around me. The shadows had been my friends since I was a very small faeling. They were more shy when I was out in public but when it is just me they come to life and sing. I had only seen two other people like me. One was my maternal grandfather who was from a court that had long since been lost; and the other was Azriel. Grandfather was able to teach me how to control the shadows and use them to my advantage. But he also told me to keep the gift to myself. Shadowsingers had long been coveted by the courts to be used as spies; and he and my parents were worried that the former High Lord would have conscripted me into his spy network if it was ever found out. I had successfully kept it a secret for nearly 400 years. Though times like this, when the shop is closed and I have the room to myself, I let them loose. A soft smile grows on my face as I watch the playful shadows dance about the room. A few of them try to be helpful by handing me tools and instruments that I need as I work on Feyre’s Starfall gown.

Feyre’s dress had been coming along beautifully. She had come in for a fitting last week where we were checking the fit on the mock up. The High Lady had all but begged to have a similar fabric to my own. We had more of the fabric left; thank gods for that; the last thing I wanted to do was take a trip to the Autumn court to source more. I lose track of time working on the dress; so much so that I didn’t realize the sun had risen until I heard the lock on the door turn.

“Sis, are you still here?” Genevieve calls out. Of course she came here. “I saw your note on the counter this morning. I dropped Itty bitty off at school and brought breakfast.”

I sigh and set my things down to make my way out of the work room. Genevieve stands in the room looking so much like our mother; hair tied up in a worn red scarf, a dark red linen shirt and comfortable leather trousers. Ready for a day at the blacksmith. In her hands she balances a bag of what I assume is the breakfast and two cups in the other.

“Your shadows are so helpful I’m jealous.” She passes me one of the cups and I take a sniff and immediately am greeted by the comforting scent of coffee “ Were you here all night again?”

It's not hard to hear the concern in her voice as she takes a once over of me.

“Yes” I responded, taking a sip of the delicious coffee that she had brought.

“Ok what is going on with you.” She cocks her head to the side “It seems like you have been stressed this past year. Well more so than normal. This is starting to get worrisome. The number of times you have left the house in the middle of the night and worked through to morning is ridiculous.”

“What’s going on? I know it's not money since I help with the books and we have two sources of income coming in.” She takes a breath. “You can talk to me Sis.”

“Let's go into the office. The ladies should be coming in soon.” I led her into my office not wanting to state what was going on when one of my employees could walk in. Once we are in the office I gesture for her to take a seat in front of my desk. I take a seat and my chair, bones creaking as I sit on the soft leather. She fixes me with a look telling me to start talking.

“So I met my mates.” I sigh running a hand through my hair

“You met your mate. That's good news right.” She starts rifling through the bag of food

“Mates. Two of them.” She stops looking up at me

“Two. Is that possible?” Her eyebrows nearly disappear into her hairline.

“It is.” I lean back in my chair. “Incredibly rare but possible.”

“So let me repeat my earlier question. That’s good news right?”

“It’s complicated.” I bite my lower lip “The two of them are already mated. Sealed the bond and everything. But the bond only snapped for me.”

“They don’t know.” Her voice drops in concern

“No,they don’t.”

“So what is stressing you out about it? You wouldn’t be leaving the house in the middle of the night over nothing?”

“They are sending things down the bond. Images, emotions; it’s driving me crazy Gen.”

“Shit, well can you block them out.” Mom had taught the two of us how to shield from Demati when we were younger.

“I’ve tried; it only is able to dull it.” I fidget in my seat. “It also doesn’t help that I keep seeing the two of them every time I go out into the city.”

“Oh..” She hesitates “Do you mind if I ask who it is.?” I quickly sent a few shadows out to make sure that the shop was still empty and that there were no busy bodies lurking around the shop.

“It's the High Lord and Lady.” This was the first time I had ever said those words out loud. I guess I had thought that if I didn’t say it then I could pretend it wasn’t real and that it didn’t bother me. Gen lets out a low whistle.

“That does complicate things. I was going to tell you to grow a pair and tell them but fuck. The High Lord and Lady that… that makes things way more complex.”

“You see why I am stressed now.” I can feel the ugly emotions filling my chest.

“Yeah, you are in the world's shittiest situation.” She lets out a sigh “It's not like you can go up to them and say hey I am your mate. Fuck I am sorry Sis.”

I let out a wet laugh, a few tears escaped my eyes and rolled down my cheeks “ There’s nothing for you to apologize for. I just got dealt a shitty hand by the mother.”

“Are you going to…” She trails off. I know what she was going to say though. It wasn’t something that was talked about often and not in polite company. Rejecting the bond.

“It’s an option, and I am considering it. I want to ask a few friends of mine in Day about it first though. Since it hasn’t snapped for them they shouldn’t notice but I would like some confirmation first.” It helped that I had friends in other courts that I could gather information from; and there was no better place for information than the Day Court.

“I will support whatever decision you make. You deserve to be happy Sis, and if your happiness is achieved by breaking the bond then do it.”

The conversation between us dies after that as she passes me a blueberry muffin from the bag. Seems she stopped by our favorite bakery before heading over here. Time seems to fly too quickly and all too soon Gen has to leave for work leaving me here by myself. Although I’m not on my own for too much longer as my employees start trickling in.

The day seems to stretch on and on as clients make their way into the shop for fittings or to pick up their orders. The dull chatter of my employees and the various customers buzzes in my ears as I methodically pull a small needle through water-like silk. It's hard to make out any distinguishable conversation from behind my office door. Today seems like one of those days when time is just suspended and I can work in peace. There is a quiet content hum from my mates bond; one of the few times that I haven't felt heightened emotions from either of them.

A soft knock shatters the silence of the office, effectively breaking the spell of tranquility that had fallen over me

“Come in.” My voice cracks just a bit from not using it. The door squeaks open as a familiar head of midnight hair pokes in. Violet eyes twinkle in amusement as a smile grows across his stupidly handsome face.

“Sweetheart!” The door swings open the rest of the way as Rhysand swaggers his way into my office like he owns it. I am quick to stand from my desk.

“High lord.” I give him a polite curtsy, slamming my mental shields up before meeting his gaze

“How many times do I have to tell you it's Rhys?” He laughs before taking a seat in one of the leather chairs in front of my desk. “ So are you ready for my fitting or should I come back later.”

Shit… Shit shit shit. I had completely forgotten that he was on my books for his second fitting today. It wasn’t like I was completely unprepared. No his suit was ready for the fitting but I was nowhere near mentally prepared for a fitting and not having slept the night before was going to be the actual death of me.

“No, you are fine.” I move from behind the desk “Let me go grab your suit and we will get you out of here in no time.”

“No need to rush, I quite enjoy your company.” I cannot afford to focus on my racing heart right now. I need to get him out of this shop as quickly as possible. I move through the back of the shop with practiced ease quickly locating the High Lord’s suit hanging neatly next to the High Lady’s gown. The two pieces were works of art in themselves that compliment each other. The suit as dark as the night sky embossed fabric giving the illusion of swirling depths. The dress flowed off the hanger like liquid moonlight, the delicate silk the identical twin to my own gown. Small gems sewn into the bodice catch and reflect the light like the stars that will make their journey across the sky on Starfall. For as much as I don’t want to care about the two, these pieces tell a different story. If I wasn’t just a little bit attached to the two of them I would have passed the designs along to another dressmaker and been done with it; but now I painstakingly designed and sewn these garments for my mates. I let out a small sigh before reaching up to grab the suite. Once I get back to my office I am quick to pass the suit off to Rhys directing him to the small changing area at the back of the office. I quickly begin to route around my desk for my supplies.

An hour, all I have to do is make it an hour and then I will be free of Rhysand for the time being. It feels like forever before he walks out from behind the curtain. It is only years of working with Rhysand that keeps me from gasping out. If the suit was beautiful on the hanger and dress form it is absolutely stunning on the male it was made for. Rhys makes his way over to the platform and mirror in the office stepping up before moving to fuss with the cuffs.

“This is a beautiful suit Sweetheart.” He moves to pick off the smallest piece of lint on the collar. I move to stand behind him to begin the process of adjusting the way the suit sits on Rhysand.

We continued the song and dance that we had done for many years to get the suit to fit him perfectly. I can't help the small ache in my chest as I circle around him placing pins and chalk lines where minute alterations need to be made. Rhys is beaming the whole time chatting away like we hadn’t seen each other just the other day. I can feel the long day in my bones, my hands ache from the countless hours of work. My fingertips are raw from the amount of times I have jammed pins and needles into them. While I try to appropriately match Rhys energy, it's easy to tell that he isn’t buying the act.

“You seem tired.” He arches a brow at me as I move to pin the hem of his pants.

“My mates kept me up last night.” A mischievous glint grows in his violet eyes.

“Oh. They kept you up .” He teased but hidden in the back of his teasing tone seemed to be a bit of jealousy… possessiveness.

“Yeah the two of them kept sending all of their emotions down the bond last night.” I sigh looking up at him from my spot on the floor

“Two mates…” He stumbles with his words. He hasn’t done that since he was a teen and I was helping my father with his fitting “The mother has blessed you.”

“Blessed or cursed.” I put the pins down.

“Cursed.” He questions

“The bond only snapped for me.” A small sad smile grows on my face. My mental shields are intact and stronger than ever and it's not like I can tell Rhys that he and Feyre are my mates.

“Have you told them?” He questions, holding a hand out to help me from the floor

“No. The two of them have already sealed the bond and have started their own perfect little family.” It feels like an Illyrian has punched me in the gut as I make this confession to him “I don’t want to ruin that for them.”

“So what are you planning to do?” He tilts his head looking at me in sympathy “ Because you seem to have wilted these past few months.

“I have a few things I am thinking about doing. I want to seek out a few friends in Day first before committing to it.”

“Committing to what Sweetheart?” he gazes at me with concern

“Breaking the bond.” And as those words leave my lips you can see the color drain from his face.

Tag list: @rachelnicolee @goldenmagnolias @jesssicapanigua @sweetorangeblossom @cat-or-kitten @alowint @dream-alittlebiggerdarling @coldpeachkitten @esposadomd @araneea92 @saltedcoffeescotch @persephonesalvatore

#acotar x reader #acotar #acomaf #acowar #poly! feysand x reader #poly!feysand x reader #poly!feysand #rhysand x reader #rhys x feyre #rhys x reader #feyre x reader #feysand x reader #feyre archeron x reader #unraveled ends #feyre acotar #rhys acotar #rhysand

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gluion · 1 month ago

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i 💙 my artist — choi jiung

choi jiung & reader

wc —1.3k genre & warnings — fluff, established relationship, artist reader & jiung as your no. 1 fan, pet names, peck on the cheek, reader has a peanut allergy, unedited notes — happy (belated) birthday and graduation @sizzlingdino had to let this thing marinate with me as i was juggling thesis among other things (as you are very aware) but i really hope you enjoy this one <3 first artwork is done by Taylor McKimens and Misaki Kawaiand and the second one i couldn't find out :(( if you enjoyed reading, please do reblog and leave feedback! request to be part of the taglist! masterlist

synopsis — stressed out from preparing your exhibit, you receive news that your boyfriend won’t make it in time for its opening—until you spot a mint-haired boy wearing a headband with your name on it.

if there’s one thing you learned all throughout your years doing art, it’s that nothing will ever go according to plan. you’ll come across accidents; your sketch can look awful once you’ve outlined it, the diorama you’ve spent weeks working on can crumble from the lack of super glue, and the 3d model you’ve tried rendering overnight can fail (and you hated that the most).

you’ve learned that your vision can turn out very different in its final form—but you weren’t going to allow that now.

“we still need extension cords!” kevin calls out as he moves a softbox.

as soon as you spot a cable that could topple the light, you rush to kevin and grab hold of the neck. “careful!”

your friend sighs before shooting you an apologetic smile. “sorry, didn’t see that.”

you couldn’t blame him. with only an hour left until the exhibit officially opens, the venue is still a mess. everyone’s scrambling to fix everything; the lights still need to be placed in their designated spots and more screws had to be drilled into walls for paintings.

“it’s fine. this light is for which?”

“the live portrait section,” kevin answers.

as you help him move the light, you spot ricky on the phone. “yeah. no peanuts, right? we can’t have that since some of us are allergic,” he speaks to the other person on the line before meeting your eyes.

“what’s the status of the catering?” you ask him, only for him to mouth 30 minutes back at you. you sigh before setting the light down at its designated spot.

kevin wipes his sweaty hands on his jeans. “do you know where the extension cords are?”

“uh, the last time i heard, seulgi was able to get a box full of them, but you’d have to ask her. i think most were used for the dioramas.” you pull out your clipboard and go through sections that still need to be fixed; pulling this off in an hour would be a miracle.

“hey, boss,” your attention is called by minghao on the other side of the venue, “does this look okay?” he points at the wall with the screw gun in his hand.

once you approach him, you look through the paintings hung on the wall. “i think so? it looks fine.”

“good, because i might’ve fucked up the measurements.”

you frown at him. “what?”

“no take-backs! you said it’s fine!” before you can smack his arm, he bolts away with the screw gun.

“yah! don’t go running around with that!”

you need everything to go according to plan, especially when all the responsibility is on your shoulders.

your phone rings in your pocket. once you pull it out, the contact name brings a smile to your face. you accept the call and bring it close to your ear. “hey, what’s up?”

“how’s my artist doing?” jiung’s voice on the other line is enough to keep your mind off of the rattling or machines and objects. “wow, it sounds very busy.”

a sigh leaves you. “because it is.” you scratch the back of your neck. “the exhibit is supposed to open in a while and we are delayed in the ingress. there’s already guests outside and the food has yet to arrive.”

“babe, i’m sure all will be okay. just from the sounds alone, i can already tell you guys will be done in time. if anything, you guys shouldn’t even be preparing this exhibit! you’re the artists!” your boyfriend exclaims, causing you to laugh. “see, i got you laughing.” he always knew the right words to say.

you smile before saying, “thanks. i needed that.” you spot ricky coming your way with a frown. “wait a minute, someone needs to talk to me.” you bring the phone away from your ear.

“i have some bad news.”

with stress evident in your friend’s features, your spirits go into a decline. “oh no. what happened?”

“so, i got off the phone with catering, and they told me that most of the food they cooked used peanut oil.” you have to be kidding me. “i asked if they could replace it but they said that if they do it now, it won’t arrive until like two hours later.”

you close your eyes as you try to process the information. “okay, that just means i can’t eat any of the food then. i mean, that’s fine.” you look at ricky who pouts at you.

“i’m sorry. i can get you some food if ever.”

yet, you shake your head. “it’s okay. thank you, though.”

once he takes his leave, you bring the phone back to your ear. “sorry about that. anyway, why’d you call?”

“babe, you know i’d do anything to be at your exhibit,” as he starts off the sentence, you can’t help but feel your heart drop, “but i’m still stuck at the clinic for the wisdom tooth removal. i think the dentist had some long procedure, so i’m only about to get it done. i’m so sorry.”

you know that jiung would never miss out on your exhibit. if anything, he’s always been more excited about it than you ever have, but with the day taking a stressful turn, you hate to admit your disappointment over his absence.

“it’s okay,” you try to reassure your boyfriend. “i’m sure i can tour you around the exhibit another time. think of it as a private tour.”

“okay, i’ll be sure to free up my schedule just for you.”

before you can say anything, he cuts you off. “wait, i have to go. i’m being called to the room. i’ll see you soon, love you!”

“bye, love you.”

the call drops along with your spirits. the only thing that could’ve saved today couldn’t even make it. still, you do your best to force a smile.

preparations continue as planned, and somehow, the exhibit is finished in time for its opening. your boyfriend seemed to be right about almost anything.

“okay, we have a few minutes to talk with everyone before y/n’s opening remarks. once they’re done, don’t forget that we’ll be called one by one for acknowledgements,” seulgi reminds everyone. after everyone nods at her reminders, they all storm off to meet up with their guests; friends, families, and partners smile at the sight of the other artists.

yet, you were by yourself with no one to go to.

feeling dejected, you were about to retreat to a corner and practice your speech—until you saw a familiar mint-haired boy in the crowd with a foam cutout of your name on his head. in his hand is a bouquet of flowers, and the sweater he wears has the words, I 💙 MY ARTIST, plastered on the front. and while everything about his get up should make you embarrassed, the swollen grin on his face brings you to smile.

you run to him. “jiung!” with his arms open, he brings you into a hug. “i thought you wouldn’t make it.”

“honestly, i thought i wouldn’t with how long this sweater was taking with the printing,” he admits. “but i did, and i even brought food.” you glance down to see a paper bag filled with takeout food by his feet.

when you look back at him, you can’t help but admire his whole outfit. “i never expected you to be this embarrassing.”

shock casts his features. “i’d literally do anything for you.” as he pecks your cheek, your smile grows. “i would do this any day just for you.”

your heart grows full from his words. “i love you. thank you for this.”

he tucks some hair behind your ear. “i love you, too. i’m always proud of you, and i can’t wait to see everyone be amazed with what you do.”

jiung always knew the right words to say.

(you hope your art can convey your love for him.)

networks taglist: @kflixnet @k-labels @blankjournal @kstrucknet

#works of moni #kflixnet #bjnet #k-labels #kstrucknet #p1harmony #choi jiung #choi jiung x reader #jiung x reader #p1h imagines #p1harmony imagines #p1h fluff #p1harmony fluff #choi jiung fluff #choi jiung imagines

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doppel-doodles · 4 months ago

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It's doodling time fellas

I wanted to give myself a bit of a challenge so I decided to draw the ocs of a few people here on tumblr, with the added challenge of doing it fast-

Minimal erasing and redoing, basically whatever is slapped on the page first sticks whether I like it or not. And there is a little time limit on how much I can spent on each character so that I don't get distracted as easily.

Just a little exercise so that hopefully it'll get easier for me to throw down a sketch using few lines and not taking literal hours-w-" I know everyone has their own pace but I would like to be a faster artist.

Anyway my yapping aside and without further delay: The girlies💚💗💜❤

Now to who these lovely gals belong to:

Haiyang: @riptide-pools

Nawa: @auburnitzy

Suki: @peachy-puddin-cup

An he: @lumidotexe

For anyone interested I'll include some thoughts on each of these below the cut:>

Haiyang

The first one I did and I think it shows>~> I was basically more focused on just figuring out how I wanted to do this so I spent less time and energy on how I wanted the character to look in my style. In the end I settled on doing the basic shapes in pencil and then switching to colored fine liners for details.

With the colors also matches the way I draw digitally just a tiny bit more! Buuuut if I end up doing this again I definitely wanna redraw her, I wanna do this gorgeous character justice after all!/'w'/

Suki

Suuuuukiiii! I did draw her before so I decided to do this version, which I believe to be just her shadow form! While drawing I didn't actually give myself time to look it up cause ya know, no distractions which is why there is a question mark-

But my stupidity aside- here is where I started drawing a lot faster, I was in the zone if you will, so I spent what time I had left adding some variation to the line art. I do like this one and honestly she would probably be so much fun to render digitally so I'll see if I can if there is time:>

Nawa

NOW THIS IS WHERE THE FUN REALLY BEGAN-

Nawa just was such a blast honestly, probably because I was getting really comfortable at this point and let myself play around more with how I stylise the characters! I love me some funky eyes, its probably the most recognisable part of my style.

Also granted I don't know much on Nawa yet(fake fan I'm sorry-/j) I only recently followed the creator so I need to find time to just really browse through their blog and consume all the knowledge there is, but once I do I'll be unstoppable!>:D

An He

Last but certainly not least we finish with An He, who was a just a chill and nice lil drawing perfect to round out this doodle session-w- now I have actually read ERHS(shameless plug, read it it's so good- just need to find my attention span as I haven't caught up with it SOBS) so I have more knowledge on her.

For that reason I attempted to do a slimmer face shape, i wanted her built overall to read as visibly more thin and petite. Along side that I went for rings in her eyes as an allusion to sound waves as I didnt just wanna drop in a music note and call it a day.

however maybe I'll experiment more another time because I just dont think it reads that well:'<

That concludes my silly ramblings! Thanks for sticking around and if any of the creators of these lovely ladies see this- YOU HAVE AMAZING CHARACTERS AND I HOPE I DID THEM JUSTICE!- ahem.

If I do this again I'll definitely go for some male ocs as well for the sake of variety, it was a happy accident that I only drew girls here.

#lmk #lego monkie kid #lmk oc #lego monkey kid oc #not my oc #lmk oc art #sketchbook #traditional art #artist on tumblr #oc artist #doppel doodle #oc #fanart #lego monkie kid fandom #monkie kid fandom

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anton-luvr · 1 year ago

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can you do anton x gender neutral reader where they’re coworkers at a book store and when they have to pass books to each other to put away or do their duties with, they put little notes to each other and it’s sticking out and then that’s how anton asks us out

# WITH YOU.

𖦹 bf!anton x gn!reader | fluff | coworkers to lovers au

𖦹 note ; this is so cute ARGH thank u for requesting anon!!! and thank u for waiting too, i hope u like it! <3 + reqs are CLOSED !

Dealing with your boss was the most difficult part of your job.

Barely anyone came in to the local bookstore you worked at, but your boss would always insist on purchasing boxes and boxes of books that would go untouched, leaving it to you and your coworker, Anton, to unbox and shelve them.

You used to despise it, till Anton came up with a silly solution to make the task more bearable.

He would Google up the stupidest jokes and scribble them down on little Post-It notes, placing them randomly in the books.

If he was feeling extra, he'd even write down your horoscope.

It was nothing much, but it was enough to make you smile when shelving the books away.

After a while, you started to do the same for Anton. You would sketch drawings of cats, sometimes sketching famous memes to earn the melody of Anton's laughter for almost five minutes straight.

It soon became habit for the both of you, each leaving a colorful Post-It note to surprise the other on shelving day.

But for today, you don't think you'll have enough time.

Your boss had truly gone insane.

Sales were at an all time low, but he had just purchased five boxes of books. 'Need them scanned and shelved by 5pm, latest.' his text message read, followed by a simple 'okay! :)' from Anton.

You were too annoyed to reply.

"This is crazy," you sigh dramatically, resting your head on the shelf with a thud. "We're never going to finish this before five!"

Anton tuts from his seat at the counter, where he's seemingly busy scanning the books into the system. "Come on, we got this. I'll scan these up as fast as I can and come help you shelve them."

You groan, reluctantly picking up novels and sliding them into the wooden cases. "Fine." you grumble.

Now, if you had stopped being so upset about it and turned around, you'd see what Anton was really doing.

He was writing furiously on pink Post-It notes while he bit his bottom lip anxiously, heart racing a mile a minute.

Hoping you didn't notice, he grabbed some books and stuck each one of them randomly.

Nervously, he takes a deep breath.

"Y/N," he calls out, picking up the stack of books. "There's another stack here to be shelved."

You grunt a response, almost done with the literature shelf you were working on.

"Can you pass them to me? That way I can get this done faster." you asked, exasperated. Anton nods and scurries over immediately, gripping the books so hard that his knuckles were white.

But the pieces of pink paper sticking out of the books catches your attention, and an excited smile falls on your lips.

"Ooh, there's a lot of sticky notes today." you tease. "What is it this time? My horoscope or a motivational quote?"

To your surprise, Anton only shrugs, holding the books out towards you without a word.

Raising an eyebrow, you glance at your coworker suspiciously. "It better not be some sort of insult," you threaten jokingly, not knowing it was going to be quite the opposite.

The first Post-It note you come across tells you just that.

Very simply, written in black marker, was the letter 'G'.

Confused, you turn it towards Anton. "What's this?" you ask. "What does G stand for?"

Playing dumb, Anton shrugs again. "I don't know, you'll just have to keep checking them to see."

Your confusion grows as you receive more and more letters, and you stick them to the shelf for you to keep track.

The last Post-It note was a question mark, and you were just as puzzled. "I don't get it." you mumbled, holding it up for Anton to see. "Is this some kind of riddle?"

Still not talking, Anton points at where you had stuck the Post-It notes.

The moment your eyes run over the chunky alphabets, the message 'GO ON A DATE WITH ME?' rings in your head.

"Me?" you echo, facing Anton with eyes wide with surprise.

Mistaking your reaction for rejection, Anton panics.

"I-It’s fine if you don’t want to, I was just asking!" he squeaks, and he turns around to run back to the counter where he could hide in embarrassment.

But you stop him, pulling him by the arm to face you.

"Hey, I would love to." you reply softly, smiling.

"Really?" he mumbles, eyes shining with pure joy. He knew there would be a fifty percent chance of you saying yes while he planned all this, but it felt surreal to hear you actually agree to go out with him.

"Yeah," you laugh, ruffling his hair.

"Okay then!" he chirps, smiling shyly. "Do you want to go get dinner together on Saturday? Or does Sunday work better for you?"

You hum, putting another book on the shelf.

"Anytime is fine for me," you say, your cheeks warm at the newfound fact that your cute coworker was into you.

"As long as it’s with you."

#riize #riize fics #riize fluff #kpop fics #kpop fluff #riize anton #anton riize #riize x reader #riize drabbles #riize imagines

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starzioo · 9 months ago

Text

𝐁.𝐙 ❦ 𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐒?

This is pt.1 of my 4pt series. The next part will be posted a few mins after this!! I need need to quickly edit some things! This is a pretty long one and it took me AGES. Sorry if the plot carries on for too long, I rlly tried here. :,)

No warnings just fluff!

==========

You're a 6th year Ravenclaw dating Draco Malfoy. You aren't the stereotypical Ravenclaw, although you are academically smart, you were extremely street smart. You and Blaise have been friends since your 2nd year at Hogwarts. You two are close, but you grew apart after you started dating Draco.

THIRD PERSON:

Blaise, Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle are all sitting in the Slytherin common room. "Pansy is so fine...I think i'm gonna try to get with her..." Draco says as he sits on the couch. "Don't you have a girlfriend?" Goyle says laughing. Blaise sits on the chair across from Draco, glaring. "I mean...who said I can't have two girlfriends?" Draco says smugly. "I don't know man, that seems kinda wrong, and plus aren't Y/n and Pansy friends?" Crabbe says eating a muffin. "Well, I thought Ravenclaws were supposed to be smart...and if she can't figure out what i'm doing then maybe that's just a personal problem for Y/n." Draco says shrugging. "You know that she will find out eventually? I've known her since 2nd year trust me...when she finds out, you'll be sorry." Blaise says with a dead tone to his voice. "Well..I'm gonna go to sleep see you guys tomorrow..." Blaise says as he walks to his dorm. "What's his problem?" Draco asks scoffing. "Well they have been friends for a while now, I mean i wouldn't be surprised if he told Y/n..." Goyle says shrugging. "Let's just hope he knows better." Draco says dead tones.

TIME SKIP : 2 WEEKS LATER IN YOUR DORM

You and Cho share a dorm.

-------------------

"Cho...I got a question." You say as you roll to lay on your stomach. "Hm?" she says looking up from her sketch pad. "Do you think Draco actually likes me? I mean...like I know we've been dating for 7 months now but these last couple of weeks it's been different. I mean he doesn't even sit by me in charms anymore." You say resting your head on your hand. "Well...I know for sure when you guys first started dating that he liked you. I mean you two were inseparable...he was even trying to find a way into our common room." she laughs "but I just feel like he'a losing feelings..." you say flipping through pictures of you and Draco. "I don't wanna hurt your feelings Y/n..." Cho says turning around in her desk chair. "It's okay...I kinda already know your answer anyways." You say lightly smiling. "He's a player...he's known for liking a girl for a couple months then getting bored of them. I wouldn't be surprised if he's already found another girl. He just isn't a good person or boyfriend. I don't see what you see in him. You're such a sweet girl and if I was you I would be with someone whose not as vile and repulsive as him....but that's just me." Cho says closing her sketchbook. "I'm gonna go to sleep now and just let you think about what I said." she says getting tucked into her blue silk comforter. "Ok...thank you for everything Cho...goodnight." you says giving her a warm smile. "Goodnight Y/n, sleep well..." Cho says as she turns over.

You couldn't go to sleep that night. Cho's words stuck in your head. All night all you could think about was the fact that the boy you loved could be cheating on you. Everything you done for the past 7 months had been for Draco. All of it, your entire life, was Draco. You changed so many things about yourself just to fit his needs. You quite quidditch so you could go to his games. You spent your spring break with Draco in France, instead of visiting your mom in Spain. You even cut off Blaise...your best friend since 2nd year. A man that understood your emotions and thoughts. The only person who knows why you love astronomy, the only person who knows why you cover your face when you laugh, the only person who really knows why you love hugs so much. Blaise was the only person you had told such personal things to. Stuff about you that's so sentimental you didn't even tell Draco. You had never realized how much of your life was revolved around his happiness. You were giving your all into a boy that was giving you nothing in return.

THE NEXT DAY

===================

"Y/n! Y/n! Wake up! Its 8:45! You're gonna be late for charms class!" Cho says shaking you awake. "OH SHIT!" you say springing up from your bed. "Thank you so much for waking me up Cho!" You say as you frantically run to your vanity. Then you look down at your wrist watch.

𝟞:𝟛𝟘♥AM

"Ha.Ha. Very funny Cho." You say turning around in your chair sarcastically clapping your hands. "Did you really think I wouldn't wake you on time?" She says lightly laughing. "Thank youu, you know that I appreciate it." you say as you start taking your hair out of its curlers. "Perfecto~" you say when you see the first curl in your hair. "Cho you know what that means...perfect hair day equals a perfect day over all!" "Yeah yeah well last time I heard that phrase you fell in a puddle" Cho says giggling. "Yeah, but after I fell in that puddle I cast a perfect Patronus charm." You remarked as you continued getting ready for the day by doing you're skin care and makeup. Then putting on your gold earrings and necklace. "Hey Y/n, I think we should head out now if we wanna make it to breakfast in time to eat?" Cho questioned. "Yeah, ok, just give me a second I gotta get my charm bracelet on." As you are putting on your bracelet you remember that Blaise was the one who bought you it, in your 4th year.

FLASH BACK

=============

That day Blaise had asked you if you wanted to go to Diagon alley with him to go shopping. You and him had wandered around the alley going into every shop looking at brooms, sweaters, shoes, but most importantly you both went into a jewelry boutique. You and Blaise looked around until you came across a gold charm bracelet that had a dark blue diamond butterfly charm. "Ouuu, Blaise look at this bracelet!" you said as he wandered back over to you. You looked at the bracelet in awe;while as Blaise looked at you in awe of your beauty. "Uhm excuse me? How much is this charm bracelet?" You asked the worker who stood behind the counter. "I don't think you kids would be interested in that one...It's 80 galleons." The worker says looking at you two with pity. "Hey Blaise I think we should get back to Hogwarts...it's getting late anyways." you said bummed out. "Yeah...you can head back without me there's a couple of things I still have to take care of down here." Blaise said softly. "Okayyy, be safe though on your way back okay?" You said as you walked out of the store. When you were about to walk back into the common room you heard Blaise yell "Y/N! Wait!" You turn around to see Blaise running up to you. "Shhhh! You're gonna get us in trouble!" you whisper yell at him. "Okay okay! But I got you something..." He says as he pulls the gold charm bracelet out of his back pocket. You gasp "BLAISE! REALLY?! AHHH YOU DIDNTT" "Shhhhh!" he says covering your mouth with his hand. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" you exclaim ingulfing him in a hug. "You're welcome, now go to sleep. You should've already been in bed." Blaise said smiling. You went to sleep that night thinking that Blaise bought the bracelet. Blaise went to sleep that night knowing he stole it. But it just so happens that, that day was a good hair day.

END OF FLASH BACK

=================

"Y/n!" Cho says waving her hand in front of your face. You finally snap out of your thoughts. "Geez you zoned out for like 30 seconds!" Cho says mildly worried. "Heheh, sorry I didn't realize" you say finishing putting on your bracelet.

TIME SKIP TO CHARMS CLASS

============

As you walk into charms class, you sit in your regular seat. You see Draco walk in, he looks at you, then walks to sit on the other side of the classroom. Although there was no actual assigned seats in Charms Class Draco had sat by you in every class you've had up until now. Instead of sitting by his girlfriend he decides to sit by Pansy? You were on your final straw with the way Draco had been treating you. All you can feel is your throat starting to burn. All you could do was stare at him conversating with Pansy. You wanted to get up and slap him across the face but for some reason your body stayed in the same place; you couldn't bring yourself to do it. As you continue to get lost in your thoughts, you feel a hand on your shoulder. A familiar aroma surrounds you - the smell of red wine, a almost musky scent - "Are you okay?" a low voice asks you. You look up to see Blaise. You take a moment to fully realize it's him. "Yeah...sorry I guess I just zoned out for a second.." you say slightly embarrassed. "I noticed" he says lightly laughing; he sits down next to you. You and Blaise sit in a comfortable silence and Professor Flitwick teaches the class how to cast a Auguamenti charm; the spell to make water. Everyone was working in partners. While Blaise was working on casting the charm, you couldn't help but stare at Draco trying to flirt with Pansy. "Y/n, it's your turn to try casting the charm." Blaise says monotonously; he takes the bowl and places it in-front of you. With a flick of your hand you cast the charm nearly perfect. "Wow! Miss. Y/L/N , perfect! Nothing less than what I would expect from my star student!" Professor Flitwick says happily. "You and your partner may have the rest of class off!" He says making a arm jester to the door. As you're heading out of the classroom you feel Draco's eyes staring at you. "Hey... wanna go chill in the court yard or something?" Blaise says nodding his head in the direction of the court yard. "Mmmm, Sure..." you say smiling lightly. When you and Blaise sit down on one of the stone benches he turns to you like he has something to say, "Can I talk to you about something real quick?" Blaise says with a unsure look in his eyes. "Mhm, of course" you say curiously. "I feel like we've uhm grown apart I guess...we used to be best friends but now I feel like we don't even talk to each other, you know? I don't know...we've just been friends for so long and I uhm.... i just don't wanna lose you...I guess what i'm trying to say is that I miss you, I miss talking to you, I miss sneaking around the castle late at night, I miss going to Hogsmeade with you, I just miss everything about our friendship." Blaise says avoiding eye contact with you. "Blaise i'm so sorry" you say feeling a tight burning sensation in the bottom of your throat, you feel the tears building up in your eyes. It was rare for Blaise to open up like that; he has a habit of keeping his feelings tucked away. You hug Blaise, your arms around his neck; with your head tucked into the crook of his neck. He hugs you back. "I'm so sorry Blaise...Draco said he didn't feel comfortable with me being around you so much...I should've never let it go this far..." You say with tears rolling down your face. "It's okay. I figured it was something along those lines." He says un wrapping his arms from you. He wipes a tear off your cheek with his thumb. You smile and rest your head on his shoulder. "Hey Y/N there's one more thing I need to tell you." Blaise says. "Hm?" You say keeping your head on his shoulder. He pauses. "Draco...he's cheating on you...or atleast he's trying to. About two weeks ago he was saying some dumb shit about how he's gonna go after Pansy." He says dead toned. "I know..."

=========

I reached the max character limit oml. T.T

#blaise zabini x reader #blaise zabini #slytherin fanfiction #harry potter #hogwarts #hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry #fanfic #oneshot #slytherin boys #blaise zabini x you #y/n #fluff

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kiruamon · 6 months ago

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Spring through the Seasons AU - From winter back to spring

Next part of the AU. Pretty much Y/N having found a new companion in Moon. And them doing some backtracking through Moon's and Y/N's own home territory. (Like the times before: Sketches are found in between the text. Just saying in case that some of you are only here for the art and not the story which is also completely fine.)

The night was over. And with it, the raging of the snowstorm. Once again, the landscape lay untouched before your eyes as you step out of the cave into the bright light of the morning sun allowing your eyes to adjust to the brilliant white of the snow. Behind you, the snow crunches under Moon's boots as he walks to your side. Your gaze remains fixed straight ahead, roaming over the landscape. "Have you thought about what you want to do now?" you hear him ask with his calm voice. You realize that he wants to know whether he should lead you to the border in the north despite his warning or not. Of course you would like to get to your destination as quickly as possible, but… what's it worth putting yourself in pointless danger when there could be another way? "I… will take your advice to heart and go back to my home. After that, I'll try to travel further east. Maybe I'll find a way there," you answer him with a wry smile. Despite the minor setback, you haven't given up yet. You notice how the three wolves step out of the cave. They shake themselves under the rays of the sun as if to drive the last remnants of drowsiness from their bones. Then they pass the two of you, casting only a quick glance back at you before running off into the vastness of the plain and through the freshly fallen snow. You look after them with a smile, hoping to see them again one day.

Moon remains silent. And you simply allow yourself to lose yourself for a while in this moment. The mixture of cold air and warm sunbeams on your skin feels vitalizing. It's as if your senses are hyper-aware of everything, like the sound of the piled-up snow collapsing and falling to the ground from the heavy, low-hanging branches. Even standing here side by side with someone you feel connected to in a way you can't quite put into words yet. But for how much longer? What will become of Moon when you take your way home? "I will accompany you," he suddenly says, as if he has managed to read your thoughts. You look up and blink at him in surprise. "You… are coming with me?" "Someone has to make sure nothing happens to you." There is a reserved lightheartedness in his voice as he utters these words. "I-I can definitely take care of myself," you say, puffing out your cheeks a little, but honestly you're more than happy to hear his words and your vines bob up and down in a treacherously cheerful manner as you try not to grin too much. Moon seems to notice the little motion that betrays the tone of your voice, as the corners of his mouth twitch slightly upwards. "I'd still be more at ease if I knew you wouldn't freeze into an ice pillar while you try to get back home on your own." You giggle a little at his jest, which he says half-joking and half-serious. "Thanks Moon," you appreciate his offer. Very much actually. Somehow you had even hoped that you wouldn't have to say goodbye to each other so soon. To find Moon and be able to talk to him had made you realize how lonely your previous life had been, even though you had never thought of it that way before. "Do you know which way we have to go? Honestly, after that… Snowstorm? That's what you called it, right?" He nods with amusement at you. Okay. Good. Snowstorm. "Well, I'm afraid I don't really have a clue where we are after yesterday."

He laughs softly. "I know where we are. And also the direction we need to go," his voice sounds kind-hearted as he says this. The feeling of being able to rely on someone is reassuring and makes you feel more optimistic about your upcoming journey.

"Ooooh!" You pause as you notice the icicles sparkling in the sunlight on the branch of a tree. They glisten almost like the clear water of the lake when the rays of the midday sun dance across the small ripples. "They look even prettier in the sunlight." "Is this really your first time seeing something like this?" "Mhm. There's nothing like this where I come from. No snow and no ice either." Maybe that's why you find it so hard to get tired of looking at all these things. Moon certainly doesn't seem to mind. He patiently answers all your questions as you walk through his kingdom together. You were surprised to learn that ice was just another form of water. That it froze due to the cold in these lands and sometimes melted on days when the sun shone a little warmer than usual. Thaw, which could make the snow become more soggy. But at the moment it was more powdery, like the fine dust of flowers. It was simply gorgeous. And being able to look at these things together with Moon instead of doing so alone only made the whole experience more exciting. "When we reach the border and my home, there's so much I have to show you!" you say with a smile as you turn your gaze away from the icicles to look at him. You can't wait. Will he like your home? Will you be able to surprise him as much as he did with all his amazing knowledge of this icy land? It… would just be nice to make him smile more. Not to mention how much you would like to repay him for his help. He tilts his head a little and the hint of a smile steals its way into his uniquely colored eyes. His gaze rests gently and in an almost warm way on you as he replies: "I'm looking forward to it."

The world is changing. The masses of snow become more shallow. The further you walk, the less your steps sink into the snow. The more green blades of grass emerge from underneath it until they cover the whole ground in front of you. You have reached the border to your homeland. "We're here," you shout cheerfully, stepping with glee out of the cold masses of snow and onto the meadow in front of you. You turn and look at Moon, who has paused. He looks at the unfamiliar landscape before him as if he were frozen into ice.

A new world opened up before him. Completely different from the icy wilds of his realm. The cold beauty that snow and ice brought with them was familiar to him. The sparkle of ice in the sunlight. The glistening frost that clung to rocks or the bark of trees. Fir trees whose branches bent under the weight of the snow.

But this… This ocean of green blades of grass covering the ground is unlike anything he had ever seen before. The mild spring breeze makes the grass bob up and down playfully as if it was fondly ruffling the fur of an animal. Colorful flowers whose names he didn't know brought even more color to the blossoming landscape with their vibrant petals. The bushes and trees are no longer bare, frozen constructs and instead unfurl delicate sprouts and leaves that sway in the wind. Even the wind is different here. He can feel it blowing mildly and gentle under his hood and against his face. For a while, he simply stays still as he takes in the sight of your homeland and tries to understand what he is feeling.

The way Moon stands there with his eyes wide open, looking at the landscape in front of him, brings a small smile to your face. Yes, you felt the same way when you reached the border of your realms for the first time. But… unlike you, Moon is not alone at this foreign place. Just as he was there for you in his realm, you will now be there for him. To be his guide. "Moon? Are you coming?" "…" "Yes… Yes, I'm coming." Your voice grounds him. Gives him something familiar to hold on to in a world that is so completely different from what he has known so far. With his back to his own realm and this strange landscape in front of him, he slowly understands how you must have felt when you stood in this place and decided to move on. He takes a deep breath as he slowly lifts his boots and places them on the green-covered ground. Yes, he will follow you. He wants to join you on this journey. The feeling being accompanied by a silent wish that your shared time will last a little longer. It stays hidden deep in his heart as he dares not to express it out loud to you. Because… last night he wasn't completely honest with you.

It wasn't that he had lied to you. The cliff, the unstable weather near the border of the realm you want to visit, it was all very real. The fact that he didn't know where the passage lay that the animals used was also true. But… the passage was not the only way that would have taken you to your destination. It would have been impossible for you alone, but with his help you could have reached your destination quickly and fairly easy. And yet he had decided against telling you about it. Because… as incomprehensible as it was to him, he didn't wanted to say goodbye to you just yet.

He just wanted to spend a little more time with you. To be by your side and learn what the world looked like through your eyes. A little detour would certainly not hurt anyone. And even if the path was blocked at one of the other borders, he would make sure to bring you safely to your destination in his own way.

_ Side by side, you have left the border between your two territories behind you. All signs of snow and frost are gone. The trees and plants flourish in the gentle rays of sunlight. Bathing in its warm embrace. The further you travel along, the more the landscape starts to blossom. Young shrubs with green branches and the first delicate leaves nestle in the shade of the trees, which do not yet have their full crowns of leaves.

Instead, some of them bear buds that are on the verge of opening. "Moon! Look! The blossoms over there look almost like snow, don't they?" You grab his hand without thinking about it. You can feel his cold fingertips on your warm skin, but you don't let go and instead lead him with eager and excited steps to a large tree in the middle of the meadow. Apart from a few closed buds, its branches are covered over and over in delicate white blossoms. The wind rustles gently through the branches of the old cherry tree. And scattered petals fall from it to the ground like the snowflakes you saw in Moon's realm. "It looks so nice, doesn't it?" You turn to him with a broad smile and see him gazing upwards with a mixture of fascination and wonder.

He wasn't sure what took his breath away more. Whether it was the warmth of your touch that made his heart beat so fast or the sight of the white flowers floating to the ground like snowflakes. Both seemed to make his heart go faster in his chest. The way you stand in front of him. Beaming with joy and surrounded by the falling blossoms… He can't name the feeling it evokes in him. All he knows is that he doesn't dislike it. That it makes him want to see this endearing little smile of yours even more often.

"Yes, it's really… beautiful," you hear Moon say as his multi-colored eyes rest on you with an almost tender expression. You even think you can hear a little laugh lurking in his voice. He probably thinks you're a bit childish because you're so easily excited. But you don't mind. After all, you finally have the chance to share all these great things with someone. So how could you not feel so happy? Therefore, you don't even try to keep the smile off your face. Gently, you let go of Moon's hand and hold your hands out in front of you, both palms facing up. "Come on, let's see which of us catches one faster," you suggest in a playful mood. This time you're quite sure you heard a small chuckle coming from Moon. "A challenge… Well, in that case I can hardly refuse."

_ "So, what do you think? Did you like what you've seen so far?" It did. More than you probably would realize. Your eyes may still be resting on the flowers swaying in the wind around you. But Moon's eyes, on the other hand, are completely on you. Attracted by the joyful sparkle in them that always appears as soon as you see something you love with all your heart. "This land is truly unlike anything I've ever seen. Unique and full of wonders … just like the one who inhabits it… ", Moon's words are so quiet towards the end that you can't really make out the last part of it. But you are still overjoyed to hear that the place you call your home has become so dear to him as well.

Bonus that isn't part of the main story (or at least this won't happen until after meeting Sun and Eclipse):

As careful as always when he touches you, Moon takes your hands in his. Cold and warmth meet each other in that moment and send a tingling sensation through both of your skin. His fingertips are cool, while yours are warm. And yet you can see the warmth in his eyes as soon as his gaze rests on you. Just like now. "Moon? What are-" "Let's dance." Dance? Your cheeks suddenly feel like they're burning with heat, and it continues to spread to the tips of your ears like a wildfire. Some of the little buds on your vines begin to blossom as they move closer to Moon, as if he were the sun they crave for its soothing warmth. He laughs softly. Your reaction only seems to delight him more. "There's no need to be so nervous, little Snowflake." You should be feeling cold to be so close to him, but somehow Moon manages it that you only feel warmer and warmer. "Do you trust me?" he asks in a hushed voice. You already know the answer to this question. "Yes. I trust you." With all your heart. You know you're in good hands with him. "Then let us have some fun," he says with such a tender smile. A smile so gentle that it makes your heart flutter so excitedly in your chest as if it were a little fledgling taking its first flight. Your fingers clasp around Moon's a little more and you allow him to lead you. Your first dance together may be awkward, the steps clumsy and wobbly, but neither of you cares. Not as long as you have each other. Another cherished memory that you will keep in your heart forever.

TBC

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tinkerbelle05 · 1 year ago

Note

hi! can you write a miles (1610) x gn/fem pop star s/o? thanks so much!!

My Muse

Characters: 1610!Miles Morales x Black!Fem!reader

Genre: Fluff

Summary: (Requested) Thanks for the reqs, sweets

Warning: none :)

A/N: Did I use this as an excuse to talk about my favorite songs? Maybe lol. Let me know if you have heard of any of these, they are listed below.

Dating someone famous was not for the weak, Miles expected that. You tried to keep your relationship private, knowing how unhinged your fans could be. You loved and appreciated them (well most of them) but they could be a bit much at times.

And because of that your dating life was on standby until you met Miles. He was perfection in every sense of the world. And somehow, when your relationship inevitablely got leaked, he was calm about it. Well of course during first week Miles was the definition of a mess because who wouldn’t be. He was constantly refreshing the comment section of posts and the like.

But after that he went private and kinda moved on. Two months later and it was like the leak never existed. You moved on with your lives and the rest of the world did too.

Miles was hanging out in your room, music playing in the background. You were writing lyrics in your book and he was sketching in his. With the afternoon sun lighting up the room, the scene felt picturesque.

You felt someone watching you, and when you looked up, it was Miles. His face was resting on his palm and he had a lovesick expression on his face.

“You should take a picture, it'll last longer,” you joked and that broke him out of it whatever daydream he was having.

“Oh…oh. Um, was I staring?” He asked sheepishly.

“Yes, you were,” you chuckled. “But it’s cute.”

You leaned over and caught a glimpsed of his sketch book. But only that as he snatched the thing out of your reach. “Hey, hey, you know the deal. You look into my book, and I look into yours.”

You stared at Miles, mulling over the offer in your head, weighing the pros and cons in your head. “Okay, fine.”

You really wanted to see what that boy was so secretive about in there. And you always wanted to stare at the lil sketches he made of you. You exchanged books and went to looking.

You just hoped he wouldn't be a dork (affectionately) about what you written in your book.

But this is Miles we’re talking about here. Being dork is practically his middle name.

He glances up at you and his eyes says it all. Your cheeks were getting hot but thankfully with your complexion, it won't show.

“Can’t stop thinking ‘bout the way you kissed me, under the stars’?” Miles recounts the lyrics you wrote.

You ignored him and continued to look through his sketchbook. Even though you were enjoying his reactions.

It's one of your favorite parts about thing whole singing thing (other than the money obviously), it was how people reacted to your songs. Especially the ones who inspired it.

“Oh, and another one! ‘You’re the water when I’m stuck in the desert. You’re the Tylenol I take when my head hurts. You’re the sunshine of my life.’” He reads the words from the book with a smug smile on his face.

“What you cheesing for?” you asked with a big smile of your own.

Miles sets the book down on his overcrowded night table and comes closer to you, “You know, while reading this book, one would assume that I'm your muse."

He's staring at me with a teasing smirk on his face, “Well, am I?”

Instead of answering you shoved his book in his face and flipped through the multiple drawings that Miles has of you, “And what about this? Does this mean I'm your muse too?"

“Okay, okay you got me. I guess we’re both muses for eachother then?”

You look at him and can't help but smile, “Yea, I guess we are.”

Tags: @butterfi, @somber-dreamz, @jam-skullz, @hoeboat101, @randomhoex, @badbehaviorxx, @gw3ndyswonderland, @midnight-the-shadow-wolf, @eight-cats-in-a-box, @itstooearly-its3am, @sleepdeprivationis4coolkids, @rosebunny, @maypersonne, @yourtsahik, @mur-docs, @sawi-06, @707xn, @andhdi68a, @emgavi, @nagi3seastorm, @ghostsimp000, @cloudstrifefantatic, @vixqn, @ellatienesuscosas, @laylasbunbunny, @minimari415, @im-jisoo-im-okay, @universallypeanutpizzapersona, @avatarl0v3r, @nerdyparker616, @jell0buss-37, @centipider, @keawio, @skullux, @luci1fer, @jazisc00l, @thebestandrealestever, @baneofthemultiverse, @1uvvmi,

Anonlist & Reqs Info & Masterlist & 500 Followers Celebration!! & Taglist

Songs used: ur so pretty - wasia project & best part -HER ft. Daniel Caesar

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justanamesstuff · 2 years ago

Text

All I Need

Chapter 7

Matty Healy!dad x f!reader

A/N: what was promised is debt! I'm uploading it hours earlier than I was planning...I really hope you enjoy it, guys. It's a BIG ONE! I'm so nervous about it! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ♥ Thank u for reading and supporting!!

Warnings: explicit +18 scenes MINORS DO NOT INTERNACT!; swearing; angst; crying; typos.

Word count: 12.5 K (sorry not sorry haha)

MASTERLIST

2 weeks later…at home.

Y/n felt pathetic checking her phone like a teenager waiting for her crush to reply and keep the conversation going. She left the device on the kitchen table as if it burned her hand; returning to the list of emails waiting for her. No matter how hard she tried to focus on her tasks, her attention was else where.

Since her phone call with Grace – after the horrible second date —, she tried to give Paul a real chance. It was the only reasonable option. ‘Matty doesn’t want to be with me, Paul does, right?’, Y/n repeated like a mantra.

Therefore, Paul and Y/n had been texting none stop, like –literally– teenagers. Everything went smoothly, until it didn’t. A few days before, Paul stopped answering suddenly; making Y/n felt awful. She didn’t talk about it with Grace, not even with Matty. Y/n felt childish; she tried to think that Paul was probably busy with work, and she was being irrational about everything.

Y/n was sulking, when her phone started ringing. It took seconds for her to reach for it. Paul was calling.

“Hello?” She answered, trying to keep her feelings at bay.

Paul started talking at the other end of the line. “Hi, darling.”

“Hi…” ‘What should I say?’, she wondered.

“Are you at home? Are you busy?” He asked quickly, almost, desperate.

Y/n felt uncomfortable with Paul’s approach. “I’m home and…depends. Why?” She inquired him.

His hot and cold attitude surprised her, at the same time, it made her wonder. Made her worried, to the point of pondered multiple scenarios about what was really going on with Paul.

“What about if I pick you up in…” He started saying. Y/n waited him to finish his phrase, hanging from each word. “Let’s say, one hour?”

Y/n bit her lower lip. “For what?”

“I have an evening event, work thing…it won’t last long, and then we can go to a nice restaurant…or to my house, if you like…” Paul suggested lowering his voice.

Y/n felt the impulse to say no, but remembered Grace’s words. “Okay. Should I dress up or something?” She consulted, feeling her pulse going wild.

“No, no…it’s a little bit formal, not too much though.” He explained, at the same time, Y/n could hear a second voice speaking at the other end. Maybe an assistant, maybe not. Y/n shocked her head, she was looking too much into this.

“Okay, fine.” Y/n finally agreed to it.

“Perfect, you’re a saint!! See you in an hour!” He hung up without giving Y/n the chance to say her goodbyes.

Y/n stared at her black screen, her mind razing with thoughts. She needed to ask Matty or Grace to look after Amelia for the evening, possibly for the entire night. She decided asking Grace was the best decision.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Le grand salon,

Center of London.

Y/n felt like a fish out of the water around those people. Paul left her as soon as they arrived, promising her to be right back after talking with a few important CEOs or whatever. Y/n sipped from the champagne they were serving. It tasted awful, but she was past the mood stage of having enough anger to complain.

She tried to wait patently for Paul to return, for someone to be remotely nice. Although, after an hour and a half of walking around the salon, gaining sketched looks from Paul’s co-workers or people there –she thought worked with/for him–, Y/n was done with standing like part of the decoration. Y/n decided to actually search for the man.

Y/n looked around before leaving the safety of the corner that hosted her. He wasn’t at any part of the salon, she looked around multiple times, expecting to find him. Nothing.

Defeated and ready to leave, Y/n approached a man she saw Paul greeting with a friendly hug after they arrived together. Maybe he knew where Paul was.

She touched him on his shoulder, “Excuse me.” Y/n cleaned her throat. The man in questions turned around after pausing his conversation, looking at her as if he was ten feet above Y/n. She felt tiny.

“What do you want?” The man spat at her.

Y/n tried not to feel interpellated by his poisonous words. “Do you know where Paul is?” She queried, arranging her form to look bigger and stronger than she felt inside.

“No, haven’t seen him in a few minutes.” He replied, starting to turned back around. Y/n stopped him. “What now?” He almost shouted at her.

“Have you seen where he went?”

“No. Fucking hell, search the patio… at the back… or, the bathroom. I don’t know, I don’t care. Bye.” He ended the conversation all at once.

The idea of leaving without Paul crossed Y/n’s mind, although she quickly brushed it off. Where was he?

The wonder made her walk to try the places the man mentioned. It was the last chance, if he wasn’t there she was going to leave without caring.

Y/n felt pathetic walking down the long alley between the grand salon and the patio. She felt bad to even care about this people’s treatment, they were all horrible. Y/n was mad at Paul again; because he left her alone, yes, but also because he wasn’t in fact the Prince Charming she expected. Y/n felt like her own error to pretend him to be that.

Her heels stopped making a rhythmic sound on the tiled floor when she stood at the opening door connecting with the back patio. A couple of little groups of people were smoking, even though Paul wasn’t there.

“Sorry,” She interrupted the closest group’s conversation. “Do you know Paul?”

“Yeah.” A woman said shortly.

“Great! By chance, have you seen him?” Y/n asked innocently, gaining a sceptical look from the woman.

“Um, yeah, he’s…” She looked around the group, as if she was expecting some kind of help. She continued. “He’s in the bathroom-”

“Perfect, thank you!” Y/n felt relief washing over her, turning around to finally found the person she had been looking for.

The woman spoke from behind Y/n, “If I were you, I won’t go there.” She was clearly trying to warn her, Y/n feared the worst.

Her feet moved as if they had life of its own; Y/n crossed the hall, reaching for the bathroom area. The sounds coming from the lady’s bathroom confirmed her fears.

Y/n pushed the door open. The picture in front of her broke her heart. Paul was between a pretty girl’s legs, with his pants all the way down, clearly pushing inside her. Both of them repeating the sounds she had been hearing from outside. Paul was fucking another girl.

“Oh my god!” Y/n could only say, making them stopped immediately.

The girl looked at her in shock, poking her face from behind Paul’s neck. “Fuck…” She breathed out.

Y/n stood there, with her head foggy, just staring at them. The girl looked back at Y/n, she looked familiar. Y/n shook her head, she didn’t care up to that point.

The girl was seated on the bathroom counter and Paul was still in front of her, not moving away. They had been fucking while she waited like a moron.

“Y/n!” Paul exclaimed, tugging his trousers up – or trying to —, failing miserable. His voice took her out of her hypnotic trance.

“Fuck no.” Y/n told her. “I’m leaving!” She pointed at Paul, feeling her eyes burning with tears. “Don’t call me, don’t text me…nothing, I don’t want to know anything about you, arsehole!” Y/n let her anger took over.

She stumbled through the venue as fast as she could. Y/n wanted the refuge of her house, of her home. She needed Grace and to hug Amelia.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Living room, home.

Grace felt worried immediately as she saw Y/n appeared on the living room. Her makeup was all mushed and running all over her face, the pair of heels on one hand and her hair all messed up.

“What happened to you?” She approached her friend, leaving Amelia on the floor playing.

Y/n tried to form a sentence, but nothing came out of her mouth. She was still too stunned to speak. Grace didn’t think twice, embracing her in a big hug.

“It’s okay, I’m here…we’re here.” She rocked Y/n from side to side.

After a few minutes, Amelia noticed her playing partner wasn’t beside her and looked for Grace. Noticing her mother was there too. “Mommy!” She greeted her.

Grace let her go, shielding her from the child’s view until Y/n ran her hands under her eyes, trying to get rid of the makeup as best as she could.

“Hi, baby.” She kneeled down, opening her arms. Amelia ran to her.

Y/n started to crying in silence when she felt the soft weight of Amelia pushing on her chest. She gave her mother a comfort she wasn’t aware of. Amelia grew bored after a little time, returning to her toys. Y/n stayed down on her knees, looking at her daughter.

Grace kept a close eye on her friend’s form during the whole interaction. “Y/n, go and get change, clean your face…whatever you need. I’ll make a cup of tea, and then we can talk, okay?” Grace commanded Y/n.

“Yes. Thank you.” Y/n agreed.

******************************************************************************************

After she did everything as Grace told her – because Y/n hadn't had the strength to do anything apart from that – she returned downstairs.

Graces awaited for her in the living room, watching Amelia live inside her own bubble of imagination and games. Y/n sited besides Grace on the big couch, looking at the toddler as well.

The mugs were steaming in the coffee table. “Come on, take a big sip.”

The tea was strong, very sweet for her liking, but it was a consolation at the same time. “He was with another girl.” Y/n told Grace, her sight still on her daughter, while she held the cup closer to her face.

“What?”

“He left me for an hour and a half, almost two hours…alone. I went searching, he was…you know…with another girl, on the bathroom counter. Not any other girl, the one from the park…”

“I’m going to kill him!” Grace stood up as if she was going to do it right there.

“Sit back down!” Y/n instructed her best friend. She desperately needed her close, not far away – committing a crime, metaphorically or not.

Grace couldn’t contain her surprised, while she sited back. “I can’t believe it. My cousin Paul?”

“Yes, your Prince Charming cousin Paul…” Y/n forced herself to take another sip of her infusion.

“He’s such an arse-”

“Language!”

“She needs to know men are horrible.” Grace justified herself, pointing towards Amelia. “And what did you do?”

Y/n recalled the situation on her head. Her hands shock a little around the tea cup. “Scream at him, told him not to reach out, and stormed out.”

“Y/n, I’m so sorry.” Grace apologized genuinely. If it wasn’t for her, Y/n would never have known Paul. If she had never let Y/n’s get away with her way, asking for Paul’s number, she would never be in that situation; trying to hold the tears back because she didn’t want Amelia to suffer seeing her upset.

“It’s not your fault, Grace.” Y/n took Grace’s on her own, she squeezed it.

“I feel like it is. He’s my cousin-” Grace insisted.

“You’re not responsible for your cousin’s actions.”

“Still.”

Y/n knew Grace enough to keep insisting. Instead, she decided to leave it be for now. She was convinced Grace wasn’t guilty of his sorrows. The only one in the wrong was Paul, and her too.

She felt the tears coming back.

Y/n self-reproached herself while she asked Grace, “Can you take Amelia to your house? I don’t want her to see me like this. I can ask Matty, but he’s working on the last album…” Y/n started to ramble.

“Yeah, yeah. We can have a pyjama party.” Y/n’s friend tried to erase the guilt. Y/n was in her right to take some time-off from parenting.

“Thank you.” Y/n said while her voice broke.

Grace felt a wave of worry. “Oh, no…you sure you want to be alone?”

“Mhm…” Y/n reply through her bitten lips.

“You call me if you need me, okay? I’ll be here in a heartbeat, yes?” Grace insisted, making Y/n to turned her head to the side. She searched on Y/n’s eyes for some sort of reassurance that she was indeed going to be okay staying on her own.

“I know, Grace. Thank you.”

“Stop that…I love you…I’m so sorry.”

Grace pushed Y/n on a new hug, rubbing her back. Y/n let some tears drop in silence, while hugging her friend back.

“I love you too.” Y/n mumbled on her shoulder.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the couch…

Y/n dried the tears from her eyes. Her whole face was hurting. Her eyes were moisturized but by all the wrong reasons; her head was pounding loud, making here wince with pain. She felt so pathetic, crying for a man. She never learned to pick the right ones, apparently.

‘It was my fault or the guys I chose? What was wrong?’, Y/n recriminated herself.

She wasn’t asking for a fairytale. Y/n wanted a true man, someone who can be there for her, someone wanting to share life with her. Apparently, it was a lot to ask.

Y/n let her body fall into the couch, closing her eyes. Wishing, praying, this was a bad joke, a dream; whatever instead of this stupid situation. Paul was an asshole, why was she crying about an idiot who didn’t deserve her sorrow?

Y/n groaned loud and turned around, screaming into the cushion; trying to get reed of part of the angsty feeling. She wasn’t aware someone else was hearing her download.

“Y/n?” Matty asked out of the blue, scaring her.

“Jesus, Matty! You scared the shit out of me!” She prompted herself enough to turned around and saw his face, without leaving the couch. Y/n returned to her previous position, laying down.

“Sorry.” He apologized. Y/n heard him walk closer to her. “Are you okay? Where’s Amelia?” He was crunched down at her right side.

“Grace took Amelia to her flat…I needed a minute alone, and you-” Y/n dodged his first question purposely.

He interrupted her, worried. “Why?”

“Don’t ask, Matty.” Y/n massaged her temples roughly, the headache persisted.

“Should I worry?” Matty moved her hair to uncover her face; he wanted to find answers on her factions at least.

“Yes…no. I don’t know-” She turned to the side, looking directly into his eyes. The soft blue glow of the TV was illuminating her face, meanwhile the orange light coming from the hall reflected on Matty's factions.

He went, without thinking, to caressed her cheek. “Y/n, please.” She closed her eyes before his plead.

Keeping her ground, she muttered. “Prince Charming wasn’t so charming after all.” Y/n tried to hold a whimper, against of the idea of sounding like a fool.

“Paul?” Matty inquired.

“Yes, him…” Y/n spoken as if she was naming the devil himself.

Matty started to fear the worst. If that fucker did something to her, he wouldn’t respond of his actions. His heart was pounding hard on his chest when he asked, “What did he do? Did he-”

“No, no.” Y/n lift her head, resting her weight on her elbows. “Nothing like that- He was seeing another girl…a co-worker, or maybe she wasn’t a- I don’t even know. Maybe he was going out with other girls too. Fucking with them. Heck-The possibilities are infinite…”

Matty stayed on his place, beside the couch, clenched down, battling with his head. He didn’t know what to say or do too, he didn't want to make her feel worse. Matty stated his case before about not liking Paul, even though this was about Y/n, not him or his opinions.

“How did you find out?” His words were careful, Y/n noticed.

Y/n let her body fall again on the comfort of the couch. “I saw him fucking a girl…a girl we bumped into before.. In a bathroom at his work event, after he left me for hours alone-”

Her sight was on the ceiling, she couldn’t look at Matty and saw the pity on his eyes. Not from him.

“Y/n…”

“I think she wasn’t the only one he was with…” She continued to ramble about her thoughts she went through after Grace left with Amelia. Y/n was conscious she was spiralling, but her mind couldn’t help it. The repeating conspiracy theory making her feel sink even deeper on a hole of sadness and self-pity was on.

“Baby…” Matty tried.

“Don’t pity me, Matty. Not you.” Y/n tried to hide her face behind her hands. Her voice came muffled from behind them.

“Do you want me to go and kick him down from his white horse?” Matty tried to get rid of some of the tension. He kicked himself for trying to joke when things get complex, although he didn’t know what else to do. Matty wanted – needed – to make Y/n feel good again.

Y/n’s body shook with laughter. Matty smiled at her. “Not worth it.” Y/n finally admitted.

“It’s if it makes you feel better, baby, it is.” Matty said, his words dripping with sincerity and full of his own emotions.

Y/n spoke again after a short silence, “Why I didn’t see it sooner?”

“No, no…” Matty started, pushing her a little further into the couch, making space beside Y/n’s form. He let his left arm served as a pillow for her head, simultaneously, his right hand touched her owns, uncovering her face. “This is not your fault, at all!” Matty held her face, so she was looking at him.

Y/n diverted her eyes, further. She felt something, she couldn’t quite place, looking at Matty’s soft eyes. “I should-”

“Nothing. You should nothing. He’s the wanker here, not you…you did nothing wrong.” Matty insisted.

“Matty?”

“Yes?”

“Since you’re a guy-”

“Up to discussion-”

“Why they don’t like me? There’s something wrong with me?”

Matty stopped breathing for a second, his body started to felt hot, and he was too aware of his heartbeat. ‘How could he tell her without actually telling her?’, he debated with himself.

“Love-” Matty tried to gain some time.

Y/n had other plans, she insisted, “Seriously, tell me.”

“Y/n there is nothing, absolutely nothing, wrong with you…” Matty told her without lying.

She continued spoken up her wonders, “Am I ugly? I think I look okay…No, don’t answer! This is so dumb. Fuck-” Y/n started to lift her body from the couch, she wanted to hide in the safety of her bed.

Matty was quicker and pushed her –without too much force– back down again. He was almost on top of Y/n, making her blush strongly like a teen.

“Stay here and listen to me….listen to me.” Matty accentuated every word.

Y/n tried to protest, failing. “Matty.”

He took a minute to think what to say. “There’s nothing wrong with you. Far from that. You’re the prettiest girl walking this town, this earth-”

“No.” Y/n interrupted.

“Yes. You’re so gorgeous, baby. From all perspectives. You’re one of a kind. There’s no one like you…I wish you could see yourself through my eyes, Y/n.” Matty’s words brought tears to her eyes. There was something unspoken under his words, something she wanted from him but was scared to acknowledge it at the same time.

Y/n rounded him with her arms, running her hands through the curls on the nape of his neck. “Matty?” She asked.

“Yeah?” Matty replied, feeling weak from the proximity and Y/n’s touch.

A force was pulling him down, closer to her face, until their noses touched. Matty breathe deeply, surrounded by her essence.

“Please.” Y/n begged.

“What?” He asked, brushing her nose with his own.

“I need you.” Y/n implored through half open eyelids.

Matty tried to reason with her, “Y/n, you’re upset.”

He was against taking advantage of her. Y/n was still very perturbed about the evening events. No matter how much Matty wanted her to ask him to be with her, to love her, to take care of her, he had to hold his ground.

“Yes, I’m fucking pissed…and I want you, please.” Y/n pushed her body up, coming in contact with his front.

“Baby-” Matty placed a comforting hand on her left hip. His mind started to fogged, he needed to stay composed. This was about Y/n, not him.

“Fine.” Y/n spat, angry, moving from under Matty. “I’ll find someone…at least-” Y/n started to say when she finally was again on her feet.

Little she could let out before Matty took her by the arm, crushing his lips to hers. Y/n didn’t reciprocate at first, although her whole body woke up after a long slumber. Every single part of her was on fire, asking to be touched. To be touched by Matty, him and only him.

Matty grabbed her face with both of his hands, keeping her in place, letting Y/n go wasn’t an option now. No after so many years apart. Y/n kissed him back, holding her own self from his neck, feeling weak on the knees.

Matty noticed her body trying to sink down and held her by her waist. He noticed, because he always noticed every one of her needs.

Kissing Matty again was like coming home after a long trip, to your own house and the comfort of your stuff. Kissing Matty once again felt like returning home.

He broke the kiss to take some air. Y/n opened her eyes, looking up at him. He’s searching for any sign of doubt. Still with the pounding feeling of not taking advantage of Y/n.

“Are you sure about this, baby?” Matty spoke, low, brushing their lips together.

“Mhm.” Y/n confirm her desire, tightening her grip on his neck, meanwhile she approached her body to his.

“Words. I need words.” Matty persisted on.

Y/n arched her back, “Please, I can’t wait any longer.”

Matty looked at her eyes; his deepening by lust. “You don’t have to…” He finished it, gifting her a smile.

Y/n pushed him back down again, crushing their lips together once more. She remembered how addicting it could be kissing him. Matty explored every corner of her mouth like an expert explorer, he hadn't forgotten her weak spots. Y/n moaned without caring.

The sweet sound coming from her, made Matty push back and asked her in a hurry, “Your room or mine?”

“Yours.” Y/n sentenced.

************************************************************************************************

When Matty shut his bedroom door close, all the rush was gone. Y/n waited at the end of his bed, looking around. She hadn’t been there except from a few times. The bed was newer from the one he had back on his flat, and the decoration changed as well. Multiple guitars, a lot of pictures of Amelia and them adoring the walls. Even the mess of clothes wasn’t there, he was strangely more organized now, more mature Y/n supposed.

Matty’s arms rounding her took Y/n out of her scrutiny; he brushed her hair out of her neck, leaving kissing here and there. Nibbling on the exposed skin, bringing goosebumps into it. Matty smiled to himself. Y/n closed her eyes, placing her hands on top of his on her stomach. The memories of him caressing Y/n’s belly when she was pregnant came to her, every touch is full of their history.

Matty's hands sneak under her shirt, coming in touch with her bare skin. He pushed Y/n’s body back towards his body, making his clothes dick came in contact with her bum. Matty groaned on her neck. Y/n kept rocking her hips back, searching for friction.

“Can I take it off?” He asked slowly, tugging on the shirt.

“Yeah.” She said breathlessly.

Y/n turned around inside his embrace, Matty reached for the bottom of her t-shirt and pulled it up. Y/n couldn’t help to feel self-conscious in front of Matty without her top on, only in a black bra and her pyjama pants. Even though, he’s focusing on her face and nothing else. Matty still worried she didn’t want to go further. Y/n connected her eyes with his, smiling shy.

“Beautiful.” He stated, holding the left side of her neck.

“Stop-” Y/n blushed.

“Never. Come here.”

Matty pressed their chests against each other, savouring her mouth once more. Matty felt complete; having Y/n on her embrace was what he had been wishing for years. He noticed a little wave of panic, what if I’m not enough for her?

Although, Y/n was very pleased already by everything, even when she was merely touching the skin hiding under his shirt. Y/n’s touch reached first the hairy skin of his abdomen, and made a trail until she felt his back. He was bulkier now than she remembered, there were a lot of muscles to held onto now. Without her asking, Matty went to take off his t-shirt. Both of them longing for the skin to skin contact.

Once his chest was fully visible, Y/n detached her lips from Matty’s. Inspecting the expanse of it. She kneeled down, kissing the centre of his chest. Matty couldn’t help to reach for the back of her head, feeling like his dreams were coming true. Y/n diverted her attention to his nipples, feeling encouraged by the moans he was letting out.

She tried to kneel down all the way to her knees, starting to unbutton his trousers, but Matty tried to stop her, “Y/n.”

Y/n ignored his weak protest, going for his boxers, although Matty paused all of her actions; he brought her back up by her chin. “No.” He said, sternly.

“But I want-” Y/n whined.

“Later. Now it’s about you, darlin’.” Matty let Y/n know his intentions for the night.

Matty started to pull her trousers off, after she signal him to go on with it. Y/n wiggled out of them, and the self-consciousness came back running. She wasn’t expecting to end the night like this when she changed after the fatidic event. Her bra and undies were far from sexy or even matching.

“Sorry about this.” She tried to apologize.

Matty chuckled, brushing the embarrassment off, or trying to. “Don’t. I have the solution for that.” He said instead cheekily.

“What?”

“Here.”

In a few instants, Y/n was fully naked, standing in front of Matty. The singer feeling ecstatic with his simple work, resulting on having her entirely naked in front of his eyes. She was too aware –for her liking– about the changes that happened to her body between the last time they had sex and now years after the birth of their child. Her body showed the permanent marks of her pregnancy. Sometimes she felt okay with them, but other times –like that moment– she despised them.

Y/n went to shield her breasts, facing opposition from Matty, who took her arms sweetly. “Don’t-” He said, looking at her eyes only. “Can you lay down for me?” He said instead.

“Okay.” She agreed, moving from the end of the bed where they had been standing. Y/n felt his sight on her, watching every move. She tried not to think at the moment she fell back on the mattress, in the middle of it, resting her head against the pillows.

Matty got rid of his boxers slowly, but with decision. He watched Y/n leaned back awkwardly. What if she was regretting this?

“Do you want to stop?” He asked, without emotions.

Y/n looked at him worried, she didn’t want to stop. The idea of Matty not wanting to have sex with her would completely end up destroying her after the horrible day. “Do you?” She fought back.

Matty noticed her face turned into a sad expression. He clarified, “Hell no…but I’ll if-”

Y/n let the air she didn’t notice she was holding, begging for him to come closer, “Please, come here.” She lifted her hand up in the air.

Matty quickly obeyed her. Her wishes were truly his command. Specially during that night. He positioned himself, naked as the day he was born, on top of her. Without an exchange of words, Matty plopped down himself, kissing Y/n.

She rounded him once more, feeling the hardness of his dick on her belly. Y/n could feel her body responding to the contact.

Matty kissed all the way from her lips to the space connecting her face and neck. Y/n let the loudest whimper of the night when he sucked on there. She scratched his back, pushing him inevitably closer. Her nipples hard as sharp diamonds pressing on his chest.

“Fucking hell, you’re so hot, baby.” Matty told her, leaving a trail of smooth pecks until his mouth came in contact with her right boob. Sucking with intention, as if he was starved and she was his nourishment.

“Matty.” Y/n moaned at his acts, he remembered very well how sensitive were her nipples. How could he forget details about the love of his life?

“Yes, baby?”

“Please. I need you.”

“Where?”

“Please…” Y/n’s mind couldn’t come up with a better word, or even formulate a phrase.

“Where, sweet cheeks? Tell me…” He continued playing with her breasts, changing his focus to the left one. Matty let his right hand hold his weight, meantime his free hand held the fullness of her breasts.

“Ugh, Matty…” She breathed out. “Touch me…down. I need you.” Y/n’s words came out all messy, and mispronounced.

He returned to be face to face with her, while he let his hand get wet by his own saliva and returned –when he thought it what moisturized enough– to draw circles on her boob. “Can I eat you out, love? I’ve been missing your taste for ages.” Matty bluntly expressed.

Her walls closing around nothing, making her hips lift to meet his. “Please.” Y/n agreed. The thought of him making her come with only his mouth sounded like heaven.

“Greedy girl.” Matty called her out, drawing a path with his fingers from the underside of her breasts, stopping at the top of her mound. He paused to admire her get lost under his touch.

Before Y/n went to protest, Matty felt her slit from top to bottom with the digits of his fingers, slowly, testing her. “You are so wet.” It wasn’t a question, it was a fact. “All for me, baby?”

Y/n shake her head as a yes. She couldn’t keep her hips still, trying to make his fingers come in contact with her pulsing clit. “Stop teasing, Matty.” Y/n begged.

“Shush, you have to be patient, baby.” He knew very well the effect of his nicknames on her. “I’ve been waiting for this to happen again…”

“Really?”

“Yes, so many times…” He said, trusting one finger inside her slit, making of her a whimpering mess. She wanted to ask him more about it, but all of her thoughts went out of the window. Y/n took the sheet at both sides on her fists, arching her back trusting forwards, so Matty’s finger touches her soft spot.

“Fuck, Matty!” Y/n breath out.

“You’re so tight, baby. I need to prepare you for me.” His hot breath coming in contact with her entrance, making her entire body shiver.

“Please, more.”

“Another finger?”

“Yes.”

“That’s my girl, taking my fingers so well”

“Matty-”

“I know, I know…don’t come before I say it, okay?”

“I don’t know if I can…I’m going-”

Matty stopped all of a sudden. “What the-” but before Y/n could complete the sentences, his mouth was on her, his tongue trusting inside her hole, making her head spin. The knot in her belly growing, making her dizzy, sensing her release closer again.

Y/n came undone under Matty, merely seconds after he tasted her. He helped her surfed the orgasm, taking every drop of it.

Once she came back to reality, her sight fell on Matty’s smugly expression, still closer to her pussy.

“Good?” Matty asked, kissing her right thigh.

“So good, babe.” She let out, closing her eyes.

Matty went to kiss her, “Do you want to stop?” He asked once again. Y/n moaned, tasting herself on his mouth. She shook her head against the idea. Matty chuckled.

He looked at her enamoured, admiring her cheeks all blushed and her messy hair on his pillows. She was back, she was his again.

“What?” Y/n asked, without understanding his pause, his staring.

“Nothing.” He touched her slightly on her hip, drawing imaginary forms.

“Tell me..” She encouraged him.

“I missed you.” He admitted one more time, feeling pathetic as a teenager screaming ‘I love you’ to his first sex partner.

Y/n force him to look at her, keeping the eye contact, smiling wide. “I missed you so much.”

Matty scrunched his face, preventing himself to look completely warmed by her words. “Liar!”

“Excuse me?” She pushed his shoulder, protesting.

“You went out with a wanker…” He regretted bringing Paul between them at that moment.

Y/n didn’t take it, choosing to say, “Let’s not name the devil, please?”

“I’m not-”

“Besides, you fucked with pretty models-” She counter-attack, smiling wide. ‘Everything was okay, she was joking’, Matty reassured himself.

“Are you jealous, Y/l/n?” He asked, cheekily.

Y/n was quick to answer. “As much as you, Healy.”

“No one compares to you, Y/n.” His sight dancing around her eyes.

She threw her head back, whining in protest. “You can’t say that!”

In fact, her heart was growing a couple of sizes with every sweet word he was drooping.

“Why? It’s the truth!” Matty fought back, burring his face on her neck.

“Because- Nothing, not fair!”

“No, what?” Matty murmured, without leaving his position, crushing against her. Y/n let her hands roamed through his curls. How much she had missed doing it.

Y/n was against telling Matty how she was feeling, risking the moment to end. She chose to divert his attention.

“Are we going to fuck or…?”

Matty bursted into a fit of laughter, coming back to be face to face again. He could let her get out of that conversation for a little longer. Specially when his dick was hurtfully hard.

“Are you begging, darling?” Matty said, brushing his lips with Y/n’s. She parted her mouth open.

“I’ll make you beg.” She declared.

“A warning or a promise?”

“Both.”

Matty took her lips in a heated kiss, rocking his hips forward. Y/n felt bereaved enough to reached for his dick, stroking him slowly.

“Fuck, baby.” Matty moaned on her mouth.

“You like that?”

“Aha-” He confirmed, losing his senses under her attentions.

“Words, babe.” Y/n teased him back.

“Please-” Matty begged, trusting into her hand without control.

“I’m not on the pill, Matty.” Y/n tried to inform him.

Matty snapped out, taking her words into account. “Okay, let me get a condom really quick.”

“Okay.”

Y/n watched him moved around his room. Opening drawers, bags and lastly his wallet finding one. She crooked an eyebrow, wondering in silence.

Matty acknowledge her silent question. “It’s not like I’ve had sex in the last few months…” he said without looking at Y/n, feeling a little embarrassed, while he put the condom on.

“Sure… Or you used all of them…” Y/n felt light and happy, between passion and happiness.

Matty shook his head. “Stop it-”

“Nah, I like messing with you…” She let him know.

“Yeah, I can see.”

Matty returned to be on top of Y/n, she rounded him with her legs as a way to let Matty know she was more than ready. Matty went to obey her but stopped, kissing her sweetly. “Are you ready?”

“Yes, please, Matty.” She was starting to get desperate without him inside.

“If it’s too much-”

“Matty!”

“Fuck- Sorry, I’m a tad nervous…” Matty admitted for himself first, and for her too.

“Really?”

“Mhm…”

Y/n felt her chest get warm with his demeanour. Not many people knew how sensitive and fragile can Matty be in moments of intimacy. Y/n felt special when he communicated his emotions.

“Come here.” Y/n instructed him, resting her forehead on his and placing her arms –as well as her legs– around his body. “I want you. I want to feel you inside me…again.” She reassured Matty, holding the eye contact. Matty nodded with his head.

He sank down without second thoughts. “Fucking hell!” Matty groaned while her walls took him in.

“Matty!”

“Y/n…”

Matty threw his head back, detaching his chest centimetres away from Y/n. She couldn’t help to admire –through half open eyes– his face turning by the pleasure. He was so pretty.

Matty whipped his head forward, cheeking on Y/n. “Are you okay? Tell me when I can move, baby. There’s no rush…” He reassured her, even when his words came all over together.

Y/n nodded as best as she could in her position, getting used to him. Matty studied her breath deeply, having some difficulty to adapt to his dick.

After a few minutes, she signalled for him. “Matt-”

He didn’t wait for her verbal command. Matty trusted forward, and retracted all the way out. The tip of his cook coming to tease her clit. Y/n bit down on her lower lip hard. Matty wasn’t going to have it, he wanted to hear all of her sweet sounds.

“Don’t hold it back, Y/n. I want to hear you.” He stated, releasing her lip with his finger.

Matty’s dick disappeared inside Y/n’s pussy under his watchful eyes. They fall quickly into a rhythm that worked for both of them.

Shortly after, Y/n felt incredible close to the edge. “Matty, I’m going to-”

“I know, baby. Let it go for me” He allowed her. “You’re doing so well for me…taking me so, so well…” His words stumbled, while his trusts got rapid and sloppy.

Y/n moaned, scratching his back, chasing the sweet twisted feeling inside her lower stomach. Even with her eyes close, everything went black when her orgasm finally hit her fully.

Matty felt Y/n’s pussy clench around him fastening his movements until he was coming as well, screaming without caring, “Y/n!”

He kept it going until their bodies relaxed again, letting his entire weight fall on top of Y/n. She welcomed him happily.

****************************************************************

“Matt…” Y/n spoke after a few minutes.

Matty shivered on top of her, burring his face further into Y/n’s neck. “Mhm…”

“I need you to pull out.” Y/n let a nervous chuckled out.

“Don’t wanna.”

“Well, I see…but I need to use the bathroom, baby.” She insisted.

“Fine.”

Matty pulled out and moved to the side, letting her move freely. He wasn’t happy to let Y/n go so soon, even though he understood her request.

Y/n left a kiss on the top of his head, before going to the bathroom. Leaving Matty alone with his thoughts.

Matty was thorned between the euphoric feeling of his orgasm, his feelings, and the memory of Y/n crying on the couch when he came home after an exhausting day in the studio. He tried not to think about Prince Charming and his wishes to put him in his place. Instead, he let his right arm serve as a pillow for his head while he admired the ceiling.

Y/n and him had sex again. Y/n and him together. Those were the thoughts he chose to dive into. His hands ache for her skin, he wanted her close again. Matty tried to calm himself, Y/n was only meters away, and she was coming back. Y/n was coming back to his room, to him.

The idea only threatened when Y/n walk back inside the room and started to pick up her clothes that adored the floor of Matty’s room.

“Are you leaving?” Matty desperately asked.

Y/n stood in the middle of Matty’s room, with half of her clothes, looking at him. “Shouldn’t I?”

“If you’re going to your room…I’m going there too-” Matty let her know, standing up from his side of the bed, getting the sheets out of the way dramatically.

“Cute.” Y/n laughed at his actions.

Matty, frozen beside the bed, exclaimed, “Please…” Offering his hand to Y/n.

“Look who’s begging now.” Y/n said amused.

She didn’t take his hand, roaming around the other side of the bed. Y/n stared at his eyes, with the place where they had sex minutes ago in the middle, almost challenging Matty. She broke the eye contact to get under Matty’s sheet with grace. He couldn’t only admire.

Y/n pat on his side a few times, instructing him to get in. Matty followed shortly after, gaining a few laughs from her.

“Fuck, I’m not lying when I say I missed this…” Matty let her know, after her head fall into his chest.

The amount of times he thought about Y/n doing it again or the occasions she did years ago crossed his mind, and now were happening. He kissed her head repeatedly as a silent thanks.

“Fucking or cuddling?” Y/n bantered.

“Both?”

“Mhm.”

“Are you feeling better?” Matty asked, still worried about Y/n’s feelings.

She looked up towards his face. “So much better…thank you, Matty!”

“My pleasure.” He winked suggestively.

Y/n protested hitting him as a joke on his shoulder.

Matty let his arms rounded her, swallowing her in a big hug that lulled them to a deep sleep.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day.

Matty woke up very early after a heated night. They woke each other up a few times in the middle of the night, not being able to be fully satisfied. So, he decided to let Y/n sleep for a bit longer until he had breakfast ready for her.

The singer was in the middle of meal prepping when the doorbell rang. He swore under his breath, he was hopping Y/n didn’t hear it and woke up. Matty ran as fast as he could towards the front door, opening it with all his force.

“Fuck no, go away, mate.” He spat when his eyes fell on the man at the other side.

“I want to talk with Y/n, not you.” Paul tried to stay calm.

Matty let a belly laugh out. “Well, she does not want to see you or speak to you.” He uttered his reasons to deny Paul the entrance to his house.

Matty went to close the door, even though Paul was quick and put his foot to prevent that. The lead man moved the wooden door agape once more.

“She can tell me that…what are you trying to do? Pretend to be the nice guy? You’re the asshole fucking around and leaving her alone-” Paul provoked Matty.

Matty tried with all his strength to not engaged on Paul’s game. He wanted to return to Y/n, that was kept him motivated against taking further actions. “I’m going to destroy your prince charming face if you don’t go the fuck away.” He threatened him.

“Such a man, ha? You can’t keep her, but you don’t want anyone to have her..” Paul was good at this, Matty bit his tongue.

“You’re pushing your chances, Paul. Leave my house!”

“It’s Y/n’s house as well.” Paul replied smugly. “I want to see her.” The man demanded.

“You would’ve thought about it when you were fucking another chick.” Matty exposed Paul’s actions, which took the aforementioned by surprise.

“She told you?”

Matty wasn’t going to exchange more words with Paul. “Go…away.”

“No.”

He felt his fuse run out, decided this time to punch Paul once and for all. “Fine, you asked for it.” Matty tried to move forward, but a hand on his arm coming from behind prevent him from fulfil his wishes.

Y/n stood beside Matty, looking without believing who was in front of them.

“Paul?”

“Hi, darlin’.” He said, like nothing had happened the night before.

“He was leaving.” Matty touched Y/n’s hand as a reassurance, as a way to tell her he was there.

Paul looked at their hands intertwined. “No, I want to talk with you.” Paul kept pushing.

“I told him you don’t want that-”

“Matty, please go inside. I’ll be there in a minute.” Y/n looked him in the eyes, squeezing his hand.

“Baby-” Matty protested, titling his head.

“I’ll be short, okay?”

Something inside her eyes communicated to him that she can manage with the douchebag. “Fine. Shout if you need me.” Matty finally gave in; looking at Paul, who looked back with a big winning smile.

“I will.” Y/n simply kissed his cheek, and let him returned inside.

Y/n waited for Paul to start talking, in reality she has nothing else to say. She didn’t understand how he had the face to appear on her house.

Paul went straight to the part that hurt his ego the most. “You told Matty about last night, Y/n?”

“I’m going to be brief, Paul.” She cut his speech. “I don’t have anything more to say apart from what I told you last night…in that bathroom. You left me alone for- I don’t even know for how long-”

“I’m sorry, Y/n. It’s all a misunderstanding.” He pulled a face as a cute, innocent puppy. She was not buying his facade any more. Paul showed his true colours the night before.

“What about Meredith? It’s a misunderstanding having your dick shoved down her, huh?” Y/n spat roughly. “Don’t take me for a fool, Paul.”

“Meredith? She wasn’t- The girl was…her name was-” He genuinely asked, making Y/n laugh sarcastically. He was truly an arsehole.

“Fucking hell, you don’t remember the names of the girls you shag.” Y/n stated.

Paul couldn’t fight against her accusations. “Y/n-”

“No, I don’t want to hear anything. I don’t care. You lost your chance.”

“So, what? You’re going back to the arsehole now?” Paul mentioned Matty with anger.

“That’s not your business, Paul. But for your information, that arsehole help me bring our daughter to this world and held me through the most horrible moments since I know him. Included last night. You don’t know him, you don’t know me, us…so stop talking shit! Bye, Paul.” Y/n stated her case and turned around without giving Paul time to react.

Y/n closed the door. Keeping her eyes shut, resting her forehead on the door, until she heard the scratching sound of his car wheels announcing Paul’s depart. Y/n turned around on her spot, adamant to walk towards the kitchen but stopped dead on her tracks. Matty was staring at her with a big smile.

“You think that highly of me?” He asked her, which made her rolled her eyes. “Y/n?” Matty tried again, smiling at her.

“Maybe…” Y/n blushed visibly.

“Oh, you do!” He affirmed, catching her when she tried to pass by him. “You’re so cute!” He kissed her all around her cute blushing face.

Y/n felt the embarrassment all over her body. “Stop it.” She demanded, still inside Matty’s embrace.

“You defended my honour…” He chanted too content.

Y/n looked up at him, crooking her eyebrow, “I don’t think he was a real threat to your honour, Matty.”

“No, but still.”

“Can we go and make breakfast, please?” Y/n tried to end the conversation, finally going to the kitchen.

Matty trailed behind her, saying, “Yes, my swordsman-Sorry, woman.”

“Idiot.” She faked to be annoyed.

“Are you okay?” Matty asked all of a sudden, returning to a more serious tone.

Y/n brushed him off, inspecting what Matty cooked for breakfast. “Yes, he’s an arsehole.” Y/n exclaimed.

“He definitely is. You deserve so much better.” The singer rounded her waist lovingly from behind.

“I don’t know…” Y/n couldn’t help to blush again. “Okay, breakfast, I’m starving!”

“Long night, huh?” Y/n laughed out loud at Matty’s seductive tone.

It was time for them to enjoy –finally– the morning together before Amelia returned home. —------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few hours later…

An old episode of Brooklyn 99 was playing in the background, they paid attention to it from time to time when they weren’t making out on the couch. Jake was interviewing a victim, making her choose between suspects making them sing.

Matty’s left arm was around her shoulders. He threw his head back, screaming –not singing– the lyrics of the Backstreet Boys’ song. Making Y/n laughed loud. They were waiting for Grace to drop Amelia back home.

After the scene finished, Grace came through the living room door holding her goddaughter. The little girl wiggled out of her embrace when she saw her parents. They screamed and cheered for her, making space between their bodies.

“Hi, mel-mel!”

“Did you have fun with Grace?”

Matty and Y/n spoke at the same time, Amelia felt good with all the attention of her parents on her. The little girl moved her focus from one to the other. Exclaiming, a cheerful, “Yes!”

They cheered back. Grace looked at them sceptical, trying to understand what was going on. The fresh memory of Y/n’s state last night was a big contrast with this happy girl sitting on the couch. Grace wanted only the best for her, even though she couldn’t connect the both versions -the day before, and the one in front of her.

Grace opened her mouth to ask, but doing that implied breaking the happy bubble. A bubble that included Amelia. She wasn’t mean. So, she waited.

“How was she?” Y/n asked her best friend.

Y/n couldn’t help to feel a bit guilty about leaving Grace to take care of her daughter, even when she well knew it was for the girl’s and her own good.

Grace stared at her for a second. “Good, good…we ate dinosaur nuggets and chips, we saw Mulan…again. And then she slept like an angel, she’s truly the best.” She explained to Amelia’s parents, forgetting her doubts for a moment, just focusing on the little girl who smiled wide at her from the couch.

“Thanks for that, Grace.” Matty told her.

“It’s nothing…” Grace felt like a cat, paranoid, waiting for the moment to jump. “I love to help Y/n and spend time with Amelia”

Matty looked at Y/n, keeping his eyes on her, while Grace watched his point of attention. Weird, she thought. Y/n turned to look back at him, smiling when she noticed his eyes on her. Very peculiar, Grace sentenced inside her head.

“So, what did you do last night?” Grace interrupted their moment.

Y/n felt a hot feeling creeping from her chest towards her neck. Matty held a laughter and proceed to make an offer, “Do you want tea?” He asked suggestively, still looking at Y/n.

“Shut it.” Y/n tried to stop him.

“What?” Grace felt like she didn’t get the joke.

“I’m going to leave you ladies alone” Matty stated, kissing Amelia’s cheek and proceed to do the same with Y/n. “Bye, Grace!” He wiggled his eyebrows, moving from the couch.

“Daddy!” Amelia called for him.

“Yes, my dove?” He turned around.

“Daddy, daddy-” She slid from the couch, approaching his legs running.

“You want to come with me?” Matty asked down to her. Amelia said yes. “Okay, we’re going to start your training to be the biggest rock star…”

“Over my body, Healy.” Y/n joked.

“Nice name for her first song.” Matty winked at her, taking Amelia’s hand and leaving the room.

Y/n turned to gaze at Grace, who was still seated a few meters from the couch, on a puff couch, analysing her friend.

“Yes, Grace?”

“What the fuck?” Grace screamed without being able to hold it.

Y/n tried to play it cool. She knew she was going to tell her all the truth, but Y/n feared her best friend reaction. “What do you mean?”

“No!” She stood up. “You can’t play that card with me!”

“Which-”

“The dumb one. I repeat Y/n, what the actual fuck?”

“Grace-”

“No, nothing of ‘Grace’” She quoted on the air. “I took Amelia to my flat because you were a fucking mess-”

Y/n patently agreed with Grace. “Yes.”

“And now, I came back to this different you…” She continued explaining her point of view, moving her hands around Y/n’s form. “Cuddling Matty on the couch, laughing with Amelia…”

“Aha…”

Grace stared at Y/n. “So, explain, please!” She screamed again.

Y/n breath in deeply. That was the moment to tell her everything. “Are you done?” Grace shook her head as a signal for her to continue. “I’ve slept with Matty.” Y/n finally admitted.

Grace moved messily from the puff couch.“I’m leaving-” She in fact moved towards the living room door.

Y/n stopped her. “Grace!” Couldn’t help to laugh about her antics.

“You what?” Grace turned around asking.

“And Paul came this morning trying to apologize…” Y/n felt a rather strange calm washing over her.

“Did he? He dared to face you…in your house?” Grace wasn’t expecting this amount of information when she asked.

“Yes, Matty tried to make him go away…I heard, and then I told him my final thoughts, asked him to leave, closed the door on his face”

“Oh my god!” Grace screamed. “But, but- How did you go from crying to fucking your ex?” Grace rounded back to the main information.

Y/n shrugged her shoulders, smiling content, “It just happened, Grace.”

“But- what about…everything?” Grace was desperate to understand.

“I don’t know. I haven't thought about it…yet. I’m just enjoying it from the time being.”

“What if everything goes wrong?”

“I don’t know, Grace. I just know that I felt bad and Matty helped with it.” Y/n admitted.

Grace scoffed. “Yeah, I get that.”

Y/n laughed. “He was really sweet. He tried to stop it, but I insisted-”

“Whore!”

“Hey!”

“And?”

“What?”

“How was he?” Grace inquired her.

“So good…excellent…I-” Y/n threw her head back, remembering her orgasms.

“Are you delusional or is he that good?”

“He’s good, Grace.” Y/n kept her voice low, scared that Matty appear and hear her say it.

“Why I asked? I don’t want to know!” Grace shield her ears, crushing her body on the couch beside Y/n.

Y/n chuckled. “He said he missed me…”

“He’s good with words!”

“He sounded sincere.” Y/n stated. She had been thinking about it on and off during the entire day. Matty’s words and actions matched.

“I bet.” Grace was getting cynical.

“Don’t be an ass.” Y/n tried to warn her friend because she got pissed.

“Fine, fine. I’m just worried.” Grace admitted.

“I’m okay, Grace.”

“Yes, now but what if…”

“We’ll see.”

“So, how this continues…are you guys back?” Y/n shrugged her shoulders. “Are you just fucking around?”

“I don’t know…we can just call Matty back and…” Y/n started to get up, playfully suggesting it.

“Please, no…god!” Grace took her hand, bringing her close again.

“I really don’t have the answers.” Y/n shared with Grace. She didn’t and it was alright for now. All happened the day before, the night before, it was too soon to know yet.

“Aren’t you scared? After last night…”

“Matty is not Paul. I know Matty, I really know him…” Y/n was very sure of her words.

“Exactly, Y/n.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know his doings-”

“Don’t start with that. The time we saw each other -before having Amelia- he never.” Because Matty and her were in fact faithful to the other, even when they weren’t a formal couple.

“I just want you to be happy.” Grace said, exposing her wishes.

“I’m really content now…” Y/n tried to reassure her friend. It was cute from Grace to concerned about her.

“Yeah, I’d be too after a good round of orgasms!” Grace mocked Y/n.

“Grace!”

“You can’t deny it…”

Y/n laughed. “No, I can’t”

“Oh my god!” Grace hide her face behind her hands.

“Stop acting like a child!” Y/n accused her.

“Disgusting.”

“Idiot.”

“I guess- I want you and Amelia to be okay…” Grace stated, looking at the palm of her hands.

“I know, I appreciated that.” Y/n took one of Grace’s hands on hers.

“I still haven’t had the chance to talk with my own cousin…and I don’t plan to be nice. If the rat does something to you two-” Grace felt the temperature of her body raise.

“You’ll be here to support us, nothing more.”

“Yes, but I also will kick-”

“Nothing.”

“Okay, fine. Promise me to be careful!” Grace pleaded.

“When I wasn’t?”

“Don’t get me started on that…”

“Shut up.”

Grace decided to let the topic of Matty and Y/n go for now, she was still interested to know about his idiotic relative.

“Go back to the ding-dong of my cousin coming to apologize, please!”

Y/n continued to tell her the story without leaving details out.

✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻✻

One month after, at the studio.

“Play it back” Matty instructed George to press play to the track they had been working on.

George – without turning his attention from the computer– obeyed Matty’s order. The frontman turned around, looking at Ross swing Amelia from side to side. Her daughter was a big distraction during one of the busiest days for them, but Matty didn’t really care. Amelia could mess all the process and he would smile.

Y/n had some errants to run through and asked Matty to take her with him, which he agreed happily. All the boys cheered for Amelia when they entered the studio.

Matty looked at his phone once more, checking the hour and his messages. Nothing from Y/n. He felt like his young self waiting for his crush to answer. She promised to drop by and spend some time at the studio with them after she finished with everything. Matty was waiting –impatiently– for her arrival.

Ross let his hair fall, hiding his face and falling all over Amelia’s little one. The girl laughed at Matty’s friend antics.

“You’re not paying attention….” George scolded him from his chair, still not looking at Matty.

“I am, I am..”

“Yeah, sure.” Gorge sarcastically said.

Matty rolled his eyes to the back of his head. “I’m paying attention, George.”

“So, tell me what you think about the change I just did…” He challenged the frontman.

Matty opened his eyes wide, looking up at George. They got themselves inside an eye battle. Matty looked down, defeated.

“Fuck-” He mumbled.

“Right.” George smugly said.

“Keep it…and play it back.”

When George let his digits direct the mouse around the complicated program in front of his eyes, Adam and Y/n made their appearance thought the studio door.

“Look how I found at the front door…” Adam said, suggestively, distracting the rest of his band and the little girl.

“Hey!” Matty cheered up, standing to come closer.

He knew he couldn’t kiss Y/n there, with his child and bandmates around. Y/n and Matty agreed to not tell anyone about this new state of theirs relationship. Just trying to keep Amelia’s sanity as the top priority.

The drummer groaned loud, clearly annoyed. “This is getting impossible.” He muttered.

“I can’t leave if you want, G.” Y/n offered him, signalling with her hand the door behind her.

“No, it’s not you, Y/n/n.” George let her know, scratching his eyes. He loved to have Amelia and Y/n around, he considered both of them part of the ‘the 1975 family’; although, he wanted to finish this song. They had a tight schedule for those few weeks before the big show. “Hi…” G saluted her, engulfing Y/n in a big hug.

“He’s stressing you?” Y/n questioned George barely loud, even when she knew everyone around could hear. She liked to tease Matty with his bandmates, it was a way to bond with them. A harmless way.

“Yes!” George protested.

Matty complained, joining the joke, “Oi!”

“He has his head else where…” George let her go, wiggling his eyebrows, “I’m going to take a piss.” G informed the room.

Y/n moved to the side, letting George exit the room. Y/n’s attention fall in Amelia playing with Ross and Adam. The cutest sight her eyes witnessed that day. She felt another pair of eyes looking at her. Y/n blushed, returning Matty’s look of fondness.

She allowed herself to lift her arm –without the guys noticing– to press quickly Matty’s hand; he returned the gesture.

“Hi, baby.” Matty whispered, kissing her cheek.

“Y/n, watch out…a bug is sucking your face!” Adam teased Matty. Knowing that Adam had his attention on them made the couple step a few feet apart.

Matty went to continue the bickering, “You are…?”

Y/n swiftly cut them, acknowledging the last member of the band she hadn’t had the chance to say hello to. “Hi, Ross!”

“Hello! Look who’s here, Ames!” The cute man lift Amelia on his lap, making her dance holding both of Ross’s hands. She cackled happy, which was contagious to everyone around.

“Hi, baby.” Y/n went to hold Amelia.

“Mommy!”

“Are you distracting all this fine boys?” Y/n dare to look around, at the same time George returned from his break.

“Yes!” Amelia answered without fully understanding the question. The whole band joined into a group laugh. The little girl wiggled out of her embrace, returning to be close to Ross.

Y/n’s sight fall on the computer, showing complicated patters. She felt guilty for distracting them and weighed the idea of bringing Amelia home. “I think we better get home…” She said out loud.

“No!” Matty protested. “Stay a little bit…you promised!” He insisted, making puppy eyes.

Adam supported the idea. “Yeah, stay, Y/n…we barely see you now days. Does this one…” He lifted his hand, pointing at Matty’s face. “...have you trapped in a big tower or what?”

“Piss off, Hann.” Matty shot back.

Y/n chew her lower lip, anxiously. “Are you sure? I don’t want to delay you-”

“Believe me, Y/n. We need you here.” Ross said sweetly. It was probably the biggest lie, because she wasn’t going to help with any of the production, but he was too nice to say the contrary.

“See?” Matty said to her.

“Come on, I’ll tell you all the surprises for the show…” Adam offered.

That piqued her interest. Matty hadn’t told her anything. “Will you?”

“Course not!” The frontman protested against.

Adam smiled. “Off course…yes, only for you, Y/n!” He let her know, only to mess with Matty.

“You’re going to spoil it for her…” Matty continued with his objection.

Y/n looked at Matty, sternly. “I mean- You haven’t invited me…” Y/n folded her arms.

“I did!” Matty exclaimed, not overly convinced.

He remembered talking about the show and all the hard work for it. Maybe he took for granted that she was going to be there. Matty feared the opposite, most of the surprises and new bits were thinking about Y/n’s likings.

“You did not, Healy!” Y/n stated.

“I think I did…but, anyway- Will you come to show, Y/n?”

Y/n stayed in silence for an instance, playing with his patience. “I have to see if I can manage to squeeze it on my agenda-” She finally said, winking at Adam.

“Y/n…” Matty warned her.

“Since you notified me on such a short notice…. I’ll think about it!” Y/n explained as if it was the reasonable response.

“I don’t like you.” Matty told her, returning to sit beside George. Giving her his back, which made Y/n laugh. Amelia did the same when she got angry.

“I really like her…” George spoke, still on his designated place in front of the big screen.

“Same!” Ross and Adam shout from the couch in unison.

“Oh my god!” Matty breathed out, Y/n laugh softly, massaging his shoulders sweetly.

*******************************************************************************

((Kitchen area))

“Fancy seeing you here…” Matty pestered Y/n, coming from behind her, rounding her form with his arms.

Y/n took a break from the madness of the studio after hours of hearing them bicker about the song. She excused herself, even though no one heard her. Matty noticed, instantly screaming he needed a bathroom break. He followed her like a lost puppy.

Since the new situation between them started, he grew enormously attached to her. He wanted to be on her presence almost every time. Matty was still scared she would come asking to be friends again. He tried to keep the thought buried.

“Matty, someone might see us.” Y/n protested, leaving the glass of water on the counter.

Matty didn’t care at the moment. He selfishly wanted her. “Mhm.” He breathed in her perfume, hiding his face on the back of her neck.

Y/n caressed his hands, trying to sound collected. “I’m serious.”

“I just need a kiss…” He sweetly asked for it, she chuckled. Sometimes he unarmed her with simple words or requests.

She turned around on his embrace, feeling at ease with him. Y/n let her hands go to his head. It was addictive to run his hands through the mope of curls he had on the top of it. So alike as Amelia’s, still different.

Matty moaned way too loud for being still at the studio.

“Shh!” Y/n shut him up.

“Sorry.” He mumbled, bringing his face closer to hers.

Brushing their lips together, feeling a strange force bringing her into his body, Y/n whispered, “We shouldn’t-”

“We definitely should.” Matty stated, pecking her lips shortly. “Couldn’t wait till we get home… I need you.” He said, biting her lower lip softly tugging it from its place. It was Y/n’s turn to moan.

Y/n didn’t wait anymore, bringing him closer by his head, kissing Matty. Her body pulsing, screaming for him to do more, to touch her more, where she needed him. “Matty-” She said on his lips.

“Tell me, baby.” He replied, sneaking his hands under her clothes.

“Please-” She groaned when his hands stopped under her bra.

Matty smiled, full of himself, enjoying having an effect on her. “What do you need, Y/n?”

“Touch me.” She begged.

Matty cheekily uttered, “I am touching you.”

“No-”

“No?”

“Under…”

“So needy and perfect…” Matty went to suck on her beck, while his hands found the fullness of his breasts.

“Yeah, yeah!”

Matty’s hands grew impatient. He wanted to feel her completely. With the idea imprinted on his head, one of his hands started the path towards her jeans. He unbuttoned them without a protest from Y/n, the opposite in fact.

When his hand come in contact with her clothed cunt, he could feel the material all wet and ruined by her arousal. “You’re so wet, baby…who got you this worked up?” Matty asked, kissing her cheek. Y/n couldn’t answer, too lost. “Who, Y/n?” He insisted, he needed to hear her say it.

“You, you…Matty, please-”

He continued, tracing the clothed path of her panties. Pressing on her clit not enough for Y/n’s liking, she needed more.

“Do you like watching me work?” He teased her. Matty caught Y/n’s sight focused on his fingers when George asked him to show what he was pointing out on his guitar.

“Aha-”

“Please tell me more, baby.” Matty supplicated now.

“Matty!” She screamed on his shoulder, feeling her insides burn. “The way you were touching that- damn…red guitar-” Y/n admitted for him.

“So naughty, with the rest of the band here-” He made sounds with his mouth, showing some sort of disappointment he wasn’t feeling. Matty felt incredible without knowing she wanted him as much as he wanted her. All the time.

“I know…please, please, Matty.” Y/n was getting closer with only him touching her clit.

Matty was painfully hard inside his trousers, but he wanted Y/n to come before thinking about him.“You make the prettiest sounds, baby.” Matty admitted.

“Matty, where the fuck are you?” George started to shout from the other side of the closed kitchen door.

“Agh!” Matty groaned, taking his hand off Y/n’s body. “He’s the biggest cock block.” He spat.

“It’s okay. I should go…” Y/n said, trying to make herself presentable again.

Matty didn’t let her go. “It’s not” He pecked her neck. “I want you here.”

“I’ll be waiting at home…”

“That’s what I like to hear.”

“Matthew!” Now George and Adam started to scream from somewhere around the studio, close, way too close to the kitchen.

“I swear…they’re worse than Denise.” Matty rearranged her trousers to hide his hard on.

“Come on.” Y/n tried to push him off.

Matty wasn’t having it. At least, he needed a few more kiss before having to face more hours without her presence.

“Kiss me.” He deadpanned said.

“Last one.” Y/n declared, going for it.

After a few more smooches, they brook apart reluctantly, even though they had to part ways because the steps coming from outside were getting closer and closer.

The door flown opened, showing an agitated George. “Here yo- Oh!” He stopped his reprimand for Matty when he saw Y/n standing there too.

“I’m going to get Amelia.” Y/n said, leaving after touching Matty’s arm and sending George’s way a shy smile.

George kept his silence, looking at Matty blush visibly. G was ready to take the piss of Matty.

“Oh?!” He inquired Matt, still holding the handle of the door, pointing the way from Y/n left and his best friend simultaneously.

“Hold it!” Matty stopped him, passing by, exciting the room.

George followed him. “Okay!” He lifted his arms as a surrender.

“Don’t want to hear a-” Matty warned G.

“Fine.”

They continued the walking back to the studio. Matty felt incredible uncomfortable, meanwhile George was having the most fun of the situation, even when he didn’t know anything about it. He laughed during the entire short walk back.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Home sweet home.

Matty shut the door closed after his arrival. The house was in complete silence. He tried not to make a single sound, scared to wake Amelia or Y/n. He hopped the mother of her child was waiting for him, although it was unbelievable late, so he would understand.

The lead singer climbed the stairs towards his room. At the top of the steps, his sight fell inevitable on Y/n’s room door. It was closed and there wasn’t light coming from underneath. His heart sank down into his stomach.

Since the night Y/n spend on his room she hadn’t returned to her own for none a single night. She spent it with him, inside his bed. And the fact that her room door was shut was strange because since no one sleep there, she left it open. There was no reason to close it, she chose to leave it opened.

Matty couldn’t build the strength to open it just to check. ‘Was she mad with me about something? Did I do something to upset Y/n?’, Matty couldn’t recall anything.

Defeated, with the idea of her not wanting to sleep intertwined with him, he made his way to his room. Stopping in the middle to kiss Amelia goodnight.

Matty opened the door of his room, not paying attention around him. It wasn’t until he clicked the light from his bedside table on that he noticed Y/n’s form under his comforter.

He sighted relived, at the same moment, Y/n turned around to look at him. “Hello.” He whispered.

She wasn’t happy with the disturbance. Y/n turned around, mumbling, “Hi.”

Matty got rid of his clothes, just leaving his boxers on. He swiftly got into bed, pressing his front on Y/n’s back, spooning her.

“Thought you went back to your room…” He communicated to her, rounding Y/n’s body tight, as if he was scared she was going to disappear.

“Feeling needy, Healy?”

“Yes, got scared for a hot second…”

“I’m here, babe.” She tried to calm him down, drawing circles on his wrist resting on top of her belly.

“Which makes me incredibly happy.”

“Soppy.” She teased him.

“Only for you, baby.” Matty let his nose moved behind her ear, showing his affection.

“Lucky me.” Y/n stated with her sleepy voice.

“Mhm.”

Y/n let her hand reach back, towards his curls. “You need to sleep.” She caressed them as best as she can while in that position.

“Are you staying right?” Matty scared asked, kissing her lifted arm.

“Yes, Matty. I’m not going anywhere.” Y/n comforted him, getting annoyed.

“Good.”

“Come on, big baby.” Y/n turned around, letting him cuddle with his head on her chest.

Matty tried to protest against her accusations. “I’m not-”

“Whatever.”

Matty pushed his cheek into the soft pillow her boobs were for his head. He felt how his body relaxed again.

“Y/n…?”

“Mhm?”

“Are you…you and Amelia…are you coming to the first show, right?”

“If you want us there, we will, Matty.” Y/n said with the last bit of strength she had.

“I want you there.”

“Okay.”

“Just sleep, Healy.” Y/n ended the conversation as sleep took over her.

Matty stayed awake for a few more minutes, enjoying holding Y/n for the time being. He felt a wave of emotions hitting him hard. Matty almost wanted to cry because of it. He held it back, instead whispering above her heart, “I love you.”

Scared, after saying it, he waited for Y/n to wake up and storm out. She didn’t move a muscle, her breath even from sleep. Matty breathed deeply.

One day he would be able to tell her; he fell asleep repeating it like a mantra.

#matty the 1975 #matty 1975 #matty healy smut #matty healy fic #matty healy fanfic #matty healy imagine #matty healy x reader #matty healy x y/n #matty healy x you #matty healy #matty healy!dad #george daniel #ross macdonald #adam hann #all i need #all i need fic #matty healy fanfiction

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humanjeff · 7 months ago

Text

Scarlet Nexus

got gifted this 2021-era game randomly by a friend, and ... it's kinda great actually?

it calls itself "brainpunk", which is exactly like cyberpunk only with the word "brain" stuck in front of everything to denote that it's weird psychic technology. this doesn't quite work, but I freely admit that I would definitely 100% call psychic texts "brain messages".

"I AM SENDING YOU A BRAIN MESSAGE. FROM MY BRAIN." <- all my friends would get this Brain Message every single day, until they Brain Blocked me

anyway, first I should cover the bad: this is an anime-style game; some of the characters have semi-skimpy outfits (however there's zero fanservice). the main character in the male playthrough is of the Romantically Oblivious subtype that - naturally - all the girls incessantly flirt with. some of the jokes are ... dated, or poorly translated. at it's heart it's a JRPG, so there's a fair bit of grinding. etc.

now the parts I like: the game is all kinds of fucked up.

[I'll try to stick to non-plot spoilers (i.e. background info) but I probably won't 100% succeed.]

at the start of the game, you pick one of two different characters, which follow two radically different plotlines - I chose the male, Yuito. both characters are psychokinetic (though their weapons differ), both are new volunteers in the psychic branch of the military. after selecting your character you get to watch as the special brain equipment is attached to you and your fellow volunteers/conscripts and you all collapse screaming in agony. perfectly normal start to a game.

yeah so straight away it's revealed that most of the soldiers - not just the new guys - look like teenagers, and are being given grown blockers to slow their aging (to various degrees). if you pay attention to what one of the characters says about how she was forcibly conscripted a few years earlier, you start to realise that the occasional Actual Children you see walking about are extremely powerful psychics subjected to mandatory enlistment when they were very young; they invariably outrank you.

older-looking soldiers are either new adult conscripts (that everyone expects to die) or child soldiers that the growth blockers are ceasing to work on.

also hey there is government censorware in your eyes that prevents you from seeing certain things. don't worry about it!

so on to the game itself. first of all, you don't have skills as such - you modify your own brain. sometimes the map of your brain gets larger and more irregular. don't worry about it!

you are in a squad of guys with variable powers (different to your own) that you can briefly share. as you hang out in your Secret Teen Hideout and become closer and more compatible, this sharing will start to last longer, and you will begin to have visions of your friends that will help you out. sometimes you become them, just for a second. this is normal and fine. sometimes you forget little things, like who is supposed to be giving you orders, or which side you're on, or how you got here, but on the other hand nobody is stopping you from dressing as bad as you could ever want.

haha you can put a stuffed owl on your head! there's a hole in the sky that nobody talks about any more.

after a while, you unlock the Brain Field power, or as I prefer to think of it, AKIRA MODE, where you become psychically overpowered and get to smash everything. your character staggers around drunkenly, clutching their head and laughing and saying things like "I'll destroy EVERYTHING!", "WITNESS my POWER!" and so on. it's unbelievably fun, and will immediately kill you after a few seconds. none of your friends - who see all this - ever tell you to stop doing it.

none of this, though, prepares you for the moment when the media - having had all their computers trashed - releases a sketch of a suspected criminal (the other playable character). I'm putting it behind a break for reasons that I hope will be self-explanatory.

(the effect this picture has on your squad is devastating, by which I mean it immediately cures them of all some of their ailments.)

#scarlet nexus #akira #psychological horror #my unsolicited video game opinions

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jortschronicles · 2 months ago

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The Don Marcus Project - a costuming diary

At Vindheim's first Accademia della Spada, the tournament for Princess Octavia's champion was held. My brother white scarf, Master Marcus von Furth, WSA was chosen as HSH's personal champion to be sicced on her foes and to defend her good name and honor. Several years ago, when Marcus was chosen to be Deanna I's champion, she approached my wife to make him one new suit so he could better look the role. That she did, and in addition a second hand silk suit (seen below) we had bought hoping it would fit me did not, but it sure did fit our boy!

(I'm still mad about that suit not fitting me, I'm OBSESSED)

This time, Marcus approached me about making 1 new suit and 2 extra doublets to help him better look the part and to accommodate his sick new gains! Ah, the joys of working out and eating sufficient protein. All your old stuff no longer fits right, and specifically in the difficult areas to let out and take in. Marcus's preferred style of doublet is almost more of a jerkin, with little sleeve puffs as seen in his old doublet and in Don Gabriel de la Cueva y Giron Duke of Albuquerque by Giovanni Battista Moroni (Moroni my beloved <3333) as seen below. Obviously, the heat of Ansteorra contributes to certain styling decisions and the removal of the full length doublet between the undershirt and the puff-sleeved doublet.

The time had come for my second attempt to figure out the barra system and pattern drafting method featured in Matthew Gnagy's The Modern Maker. For those of you who haven't yet used it, it is genius and intuitive in how counterintuitive it can feel. Gnagy walks even an intermediate (begrudgingly) sewist through a historical pattern drafting method that relies on the tendency of the human body to be proportional in certain measurements to the bust, waist, hip, and height. It makes an incredibly good first draft which, for the doublet I'm working on myself concurrently, only took one pass. In defense of the mockup for Marcus, I was figuring it out as I went, okay?

I used multiple colors of sharpies to keep my brain from melting as I went, starting with a fine pointed light pink as a "sketching" sharpie and frequently clarifying lines with an orange or blue sharpie. I did run into issues where my math failed me and had to insert extra fabric, as seen above, but who knew what chaos those simple insertions would portend....

Behold, the frankendoublet. The result of me screwing up and miscalculating in some places, learning after the first try on that the wearer had gained 2 inches of bicep and almost 3 inches of chest and back muscle in the months since I'd last measured him, and in confirming his preference for a more modern, long-torsoed garment than the higher waistline seen in late period. I swear there was a method to this madness, but it gives a few of my apprentice siblings headaches looking at it and I don't blame them. I transferred the pattern to paper, and we were off to the races!

A quick interjection about the fabric choices: we are both in the middle of financial tight spots, so as much as I'd like to work with natural materials (that don't melt by campfires at the very least) we agreed to opt for 1 silvery-blue shot silk-look polyester doublet, 1 crimson shot silk-look polyester doublet, and 1 royal blue polycotton striped brocade full suit, all intended to be interchangable for a variety of outfits. I bought 2 yards for each of the doublets and 3 yards for the pants, rocking out at $40 flat for the self fabric. While not ideal for breathability and late night campfires, right now it's hard to beat costs like that. The silvery-blue can be seen for the remainder of this post as I chose to use it for the first doublet.

In one full day's work I have managed to chalk and cut out the full doublet from the self and the lining (a slate blue linen I pulled from stash) and used approximately 1.6 yards of each. Behold my selection of pattern weights, including a remote, a basket hilt, 3 bottles of paint, most of a block of wax, some drill blocks, sticky notes, and a can of coke I was putting off drinking so it could continue to serve as a pattern weight.

By the end of day 1 of sewing I had assembled the full body and sleeves and begun pinning the collar. This is my first suit lined doublet so I am definitely taking things a little slower than usual. Thus far all the seams have been machine sewn aside from the finishing on the sleeve cuff. After some extra thought considering biceps and the volume of fabric, I patterned the bicep cuffs to have approximately 2 inches of excess cuff to hide within the seam to be easily let out if further size changes do occur. At this point I left the cuffs open for one more fitting before seaming them closed. By the end of the night I also finished the strip of waist eyelets, sewn on linen canvas provided by Asa inn blindi, so in the future pants can be pointed to this doublet. By this time, however, I was a little too dangerously sleepy to be trusted with a sewing machine so with the collar pinned I ended for the night.

The next day saw the attaching of the collar, the reopening of the shoulder seam to "zhuzh" more of the length of the back into the shoulder to accommodate the natural volume of shoulder muscles and to make the collar fall correctly. The eyelet strip was first sewn to the seam allowance of the waist line, after which the seam allowance + eyelet strip was pressed to the body and stitched down securely. After that, some lovely hand dyed wool twill tape was donated by Asa in blinda to cover and protect the raw edges along the waist line.

Rather than the strip of silk taffeta Gnagy recommends the tailor tacks in to the left side to reinforce the buttonholes, I ironed in a strip of fusible interfacing as reinforcement.

Glamor shot of the interfacing being sewn in by hand. My hand seams are getting a wee bit straighter.

In absence of the much sturdier taffeta Gnagy recommends for both trimming and reinforcement, I used scraps of a much lighter weight silvery-gray silk fished out of Asa's scraps, like a raccoon through a trash can. This does not provide the same structural benefit as the taffeta trimming, but it does introduce a little extra "pop" to the colors imho.

Then I tackled my first-ever hand sewn buttonholes. I opted for 3 strands of DMC 930 cotton embroidery floss on the final project after testing with buttonhole thread, all 6 strands, and 2 strands.

And finally, some glamor shots of the completed garment. From left to right, the "secret ease" on the bicep meant to make adjustments for more muscle growth easier to accommodate, the collar lining sewn in, and the final garment waiting in my office to be handed to the recipient at Coronation.

Overall, I think we're both very pleased with the results. Master Marcus retained his full (and simply absurd) range of motion on and off the field, the garment is machine washable, and it is a lovely color on him. The combined power of the ladies of our Princess's household has convinced him to let me raise the waistline on doublet 2 a whole two inches, which I am very excited about.

What did I learn?

The barra method is not nearly as terrifying to manage as I think it is, as long as you trust the process

Multiple colors of sharpies are a game changer.

I'm actually faster at hand-sewing buttonholes than I am at machine sewing them, because I get so anxious about sewing them by machine.

Suit-lined garments are SO much easier to do seam finishing on, it's absolutely night and day.

I think I want to make an entire doublet of silk taffeta. This is a problem. I need money and confidence to do so.

What's next?

Update the 14th C English clothing powerpoint to what I currently use for classes

I am currently making an Elizabethan suit for Darien de Shameless with my apprentice sibling Asa in blinda, with aims of finishing it for Queens Champion

I am currently making an Elizabethan-ish suit for Viscount Micauley Morison ahead of Winter Crown (but cheating on the pants so he has one pair of breezy breeches). The construction is largely the same to this one, so if I make a post about it it probably won't include an entire construction diary. Just some glamor shots.

I am making Rus for Dona Halldora Hrafnsdottir, but I keep getting distracted on which Navershnik I want to finish first.

I am looking forward to making some new and improved Rus for myself and Centurion Runa Bjarki ahead of the Crown/Coronet season, with an eye towards moving us to more accurate pieces.

I need to do a Shift Weekend where I just churn out shifts, chemises, and rubakhas

#sca #society for creative anachronism #historical costuming #elizabethan #historical reenactment #elizabethan era #garb #sca garb #sca costuming #a&s #arts & sciences

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spooo00oky · 1 year ago

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Siren’s Spell

Chapter one.

Pairing: siren!Wooyoung x reader

Genre: fantasy, eventual smut, romance, fluff

Word Count: 11k+

Warnings: swearing, mentions of sex and sexual innuendos (MDNI), mentions of past near drowning, Thalassophobia, cliff hanger for chapter 1 and more to come!

Author’s Note: Hello! This is my first story posted on here and I’m still getting used to tumblr and it’s been years since I’ve written anything and I’m rusty, so please be nice! The world was inspired by Crescent City so there will be some similarities, and I lightly edited this so there’s going to be grammatical and spelling errors. I already have chapter 2 in the works. I hope you enjoy!

༄

“y/n where’s the order I asked for yesterday?” a voice suddenly asked, jolting me from my thoughts as I worked on the finishing touches of a design in my sketch pad. The line now scratched right across the folds of the dress would have to be fixed, but for now that was ignored in favor of glaring at my boss.

“Belle, I told you to knock. The order is sitting on your desk as per the text I sent you yesterday,” I sighed.

Mirabelle leaned away from the glass door of my office, looking to her own which was two doors down, her blue hair swaying with the movement. Her lips formed a perfect circle as the realization dawned on her that she had completely missed the neatly wrapped box on top of her desk that contained a new shipment from a catalog. “Thank you! Sorry for startling you!” she said before quickly disappearing.

I couldn’t help but chuckle as I went to correct the mistake on my design and continue on with my dress design. Belle was an eccentric fae, always fluttering around and mumbling to herself about whatever upcoming project. She was a great boss but needed help with remembering things, like things such as humans don’t have sensitive hearing and can’t hear most of the staff in the building long before they actually appear. That last part wasn’t entirely her fault though, I was only one in a handful of humans in the office building. It was hard to get accepted into places like this, even more so for humans in a supernatural creature dominated business.

Most humans in the city of Fairhaven stuck to their own sections of the city, where they were safest and not at the bottom of the food chain. Any further away from the human neighborhoods and it became more dangerous for us; not to say that they weren’t protected in the city by law enforcement but there were shady characters everywhere. It didn’t help that other supernatural creatures loved to view us as either toys to be played with or food. It had been a struggle to convince my parents that I would be fine away from home and in the heart of it all, the transition from a sleepy countryside town to a big city was draining enough for them.

I sigh and shut my sketch book. I note the time by the sun beginning to set. I packed my bag and grabbed my purse, heading out of my office. The sound of my door shutting didn’t disrupt the chattering of my other coworkers who were whispering around the coffee machine. “That’s the third one this week alone, do you think it’s a rogue vampire like it was the last time?” one of them whispered, to which the other replied that those were murders and the bodies were found; these were kidnappings.

“Ah there you are! Are you leaving already?” Belle suddenly appeared in front of me, nearly scaring me out of my skin and causing me to drop my things. I placed a hand on my chest in an attempt to calm my racing heart.

“Belle! We’ve talked about that!” I said in exasperation, not having the heart to even scowl at the already apologetic looking fae. She began to rock on her feet, her hands hidden behind her back in embarrassment. It was hard to stay upset with that warm, heart shaped face.

“She can’t hear you coming, remember?” a new voice said from behind me. I turned to see a blonde male come to stand next to me. He began teasingly patting my head at the drastic height difference between us. I narrowed my eyes at him and lightly knocked away his hand from my head, fixing my hair.

“The warning extends to you as well Mingi. There have been plenty of times you’ve scared me as well by sneaking up on me. Belle doesn’t do it intentionally at least,” I shot back at the lion shifter. “Plus she’s sweet so I can’t stay mad at her.”

Mingi rolled his eyes. “This is the thanks I get for getting you coffee every day? I don’t ask for payment or anything, and the coffee shop you like is really out of the way coming into work as well.”

“Mingi, you bought me coffee once like a month ago.”

“The coffee shop is right next to where you live as well. It takes you five extra steps to do it,” Belle pointed out, causing a burst of giggles to erupt from me at the look Mingi gave her. “And if my memory serves me correctly, she’s bought you lunch more times than you’ve bought her coffee.”

Mingi was quick to leave the conversation then, grumbling something about how Belle only has a good memory when it comes to pointing embarrassing things out. I wanted to tell him that it didn’t matter much to me if I treated more than he did, but he was gone before I could even get the words out. I didn’t dwell on it for long though. I’d talk to him when his wounded pride was healed up a bit. Turning back to Belle I wished her a goodnight and safe travel home before heading out myself, adjusting the strap of my bag on my shoulder as I made it down to the streets.

The streets were busy this time of day in Fairhaven. Workers returning home to their families and the nightlife only just began as people milled around, the air alive with music and voices. I headed closer to the small sidewalk near the river that cut straight through the city, they were usually less crowded now as everyone flocked to the riverside store fronts and restaurants for food and company. My eyes gazed out at the deep blue river only a few feet beneath me and my stomach dropped towards my feet. I gave the bank of it a healthy distance to ease some of my nerves, but the idea of falling into it was enough for unease to creep down my spine. My mind flashed back to frigid waters and gasping for air before I shook my head, shooing the memories away. Fairhaven wasn’t the small town I grew up in.

‘You’re right it’s much worse.’ I let out a small huff of air at that small voice in my head, but I couldn’t dispute its accuracy. Here in Fairhaven, the land met the river and eventually the sea along its northern border. The Brighbalt was deep and large and wound its way through the center of the city, and stretched far deeper than originally met the eye. It housed some of the most monstrous creatures in its depths, all citizens of the underwater kingdom, Socix, that merely migrated into the city borders from the sea. It was an unspoken rule to all that no one entered the waters unless on a boat; no one knew for sure what lurked down there. There have been some occasions in which I have looked out at the river and nearly jumped in fright to see eyes staring back at me.

The very thought of those black, dead eyes staring back at me was enough to make my body shudder.

Something flashing in the corner of my eye brought me out of my thoughts, and my eyes glanced over towards the river again. I would’ve missed him if I didn’t do a double take on a secluded dock hidden between some fishermans’ boats, the dark scales camouflaging him in the shadows but the pearlescent sheen caught the sun at the right moment. He was sprawled out on the small dock, nearly taking up most of it as he rested his head on his arms. I would’ve been concerned that he was dead if it wasn’t for the massive dark colored tail sitting half in the water and the patches of scales that littered the upper half of his body.

A siren, I thought to myself in shock. While they most certainly weren’t unheard of, seeing one this far in the city was almost rare. They preferred to stick closer to the ocean, where they were able to sing their songs with no repercussions and prey on humans and supernatural creatures alike. In the city there were laws to follow and repercussions if said laws were broken, and from what I understood most sirens didn’t like that as it controlled a core part of who they were; their voice.

This siren looked like it was only sunbathing, but it was my first time seeing one that it was hard to look away. It became a problem when I suddenly bumped into a gorgon, his snakes hissing at me in irritation as I struggled to regain my footing after the sudden stop. I apologized profusely, seeing the way he had to adjust his sunglasses before walking away. That wouldn’t have gone well for anyone had those slipped any lower on his face. I sighed and glanced towards the siren and nearly froze when I saw his dark eyes were open and on me now, a smirk curling his lips as he leaned his head on his hand to watch me. I flushed in embarrassment and hurried towards one of the numerous bridges that connected the two halves of the city, embarrassed that I had a witness to my blunder.

The rest of the trip to my apartment was, thankfully, uneventful, and I made sure to lock the door behind me before I headed further inside.

With a belly full of reheated leftovers and my skin clean from a shower I fell into bed with a sigh, hoping sleep came quickly tonight. My mind wandered back to the siren I saw earlier, that smirk he had on his face still running through my mind. Of course he had to be attractive too, but that was as common as humans breathing air. It was all part of the trap, as if their voice wasn’t lethal enough their good looks could draw in unsuspecting beings as well.

Sleep did come quickly, but it was filled with nothing but black scales and white, sharp teeth.

༄

The rest of the week went as it usually did, working every day and arriving back home at my usual time. With work being as hectic and chaotic as it usually was for a big designer label, partially thanks to my friends Mingi and San, it was enough to keep me busy and come home exhausted each day. The only thing that stood out as a new occurrence each day was the presence of the siren, much to my own shock. I had thought seeing him that night was going to be it and he would return back to his home in the sea, but he was near that dock at the start of my day and at the end of it. He wasn’t always sunbathing, other times he was floating on his back in the water or he was eating a fish on a nearby rock, but his reaction to seeing me was always the same. He would seemingly perk up and that same smirk from our first encounter with each other would appear, and his eyes didn’t leave me until I couldn’t see him anymore. If it wasn’t for buildings separating his line of sight from me I have a feeling he would only continue to stare.

It was hard to tell if he had genuine good intent with the looks he gave me or if he was planning on making a meal out of me in his head. I was hoping that he was only awkward and didn’t know how to approach a land dweller, so he was hoping a smile would come across as nice. But I’ve heard the stories. Anything was free game if one went deep enough into the water, and sirens had a taste for things other than fish. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve seen that headline flash across the screen on the news channel; a person went missing only to be found a few days later with a chunk missing from them. There was a reason there were strict laws in place when it came to the ocean dwellers and their powers.

A knock on my door brought me out of my thoughts, and I looked up to see San standing there with a bright grin on his face. “A special delivery for a Miss l/n,” he said and produced a large bouquet of flowers from behind his back. His barbed tail swished excitedly behind him as he handed me the bouquet.

My brows scrunched in confusion as I took it from him, looking to him for answers. The demon looked at me with anticipation and I gathered that he wasn’t the sender of these flowers, and he was waiting for me to look at the card attached and spill the tea. San was such a gossip and so nosey, but it was hard to say no to him. No he didn’t use his demonic powers to sway people to tell him their secrets, he just had really cute puppy eyes. It was a weakness to everyone in the office.

I took the card and opened it, quickly reading through the romantic poem written inside to see who sent them. “They’re from Logan,” I said simply, looking back up at San when he sucked in air. His eyes were practically sparkling with enthusiasm and his tail was wagging like a dog’s.

“Logan as in that forest nymph? The one with the red hair?” he asked excitedly, now sitting on the edge of my desk to lean closer. “He seemed nice when he stopped by last week to give you lunch,” he began before he noticed the less than enthused look on my face. “Unless you guys are fighting and these are apology flowers?”

“What? No no!” I said quickly, laughing as I shook my head. “We’re not even together so it’s not like we can fight like that. This is just another attempt to win me over is all. He’s being very persistent.” I still had the gaudy necklace he gifted me two weeks ago, the wrapping paper and the box it came in worth more than some things in my apartment. The piece he gave me was yellow gold and the emerald that sat in the center of the metal was nearly the size of my palm, weighing a lot more than I was expecting as well. It was fit for someone with expensive tastes, and I was not that kind of person. We’ve only been tentatively talking for two months at best, and a gift as grand as this was too much at such an early stage. Now it had a better use of being a paper weight on my desk at home.

San frowned and his tail drooped. His head lowered slightly as he pouted down at me, the fluorescent lights glinted off of his black horns. “That’s disappointing. I was hoping something would have become of this too, you guys seemed like such a good match!”

I rolled my eyes. “San you’ve seen us together like two times and each of those times lasted ten minutes cumulatively. He’s just being too forward and pushy with it all and it gives me a bad feeling, you know? Like who gives someone a gold and emerald necklace after knowing them for two months?” I was also almost always busy with work. With how busy the design label was even on a slow day the last thing on my mind was a relationship. Logan seemed to want to monopolize my attention and he was about to be disappointed that it wasn’t going to happen. “I think I’m going to try and gently tell him no when I see him next. He should find someone that’s actually willing to give him the attention he wants.”

San pouted more but nodded. “I hope that goes well for you, and you know where to find me if he takes it poorly,” he said before standing to his feet again. He began to head towards the door before he turned to face me again, a serious look on his face. “Don’t let work keep you from being happy romantically, y/n. If you need a couple of nights off to go flirt with people and try to take someone home, just tell Belle. I’m sure she’d give you all the time off you want because she knows how much you do here.” A devilish smirk suddenly appeared on his face. “If you need help in the sex department as well, you know you can come to me for help. I don’t shame people if it’s their first time.”

My face burned bright red and I sputtered. “San! I’m not a virgin! I don’t need sex advice!” I cried just as Mingi stepped in with a folder in his hand. He gave me a wide eyed look as I looked at him in mild horror, having obviously heard everything I just said, before he nodded and walked out of the room without delivering what he had obviously come to do. I groaned and let my head drop to my desk, San’s laugh bouncing off of the walls. I was praying the floor would just swallow me up right about now. “What have I done in a past life to deserve this?” I whined.

“Lots of good things to deserve this blessing,” San said with a smirk as he motioned to himself before he showed himself out of the room, the smugness radiating off of him as he disappeared.

I lifted my head from the desk and began to pack up my things, done being teased for the day. Mingi nor San wouldn’t be letting it go anytime soon, so it’d be best if I disappeared for the rest of the night and recover before the storm tomorrow. Knowing those two they’d get Belle in on it as well, and she’d be buzzing by my office every five minutes to tease me about it.

“Y/n!”

Speaking of Belle. I turned to face her with a tentative smile, nervous that the two idiots that are my friends already got to her. “Yes?”

“I was hoping to catch you before you left, I just wanted to say to be careful getting home,” she said, a concerned expression on her face. “There’s a report of another kidnapping happening in the area, and I worry about you.”

Ah, that’s right. Fairhaven was experiencing a random influx of missing persons, all random citizens with no connection to the other, and all were residents from different parts of the city. Unfortunately there have been no witnesses to these events, and authorities are at a loss on what could’ve happened to them. Some citizens are already pointing the finger at the sea dwellers, while others are more skeptical and say it’s a rogue creature. It wouldn’t be the first time something like this has happened, serial killers are a thing after all. Unfortunately the unknown depths of the river took most of the blame for anything mysterious that happened in the city, even though creatures such as vampires or shifters were capable of such things.

I gave Belle a small smile and nodded. “I’ll be careful I promise, thank you for your concern Belle,” I said with a wave before heading towards the doors and into the night.

The air made my clothes stick uncomfortably to my skin tonight, and I was dreading the walk home already. I sighed to myself as I headed down to the sidewalk, moving past the crowds of people towards the bank of the river. I found myself almost looking forward to seeing the siren tonight, his presence quickly becoming a part of my routine. Was it a little ridiculous that I was eager to see someone I hadn’t even spoken to? Maybe. I didn’t see the harm in it though, it wasn’t like I was doing anything drastic like suddenly marrying a stranger. I was just excited to see someone who was slowly becoming a constant sight is all.

I scanned the waters for any sight of that familiar head of dark hair, not spotting him at first. Has he already moved on and gone back home? I frowned a bit at the thought, but I didn’t get to dwell on it for long before the familiar mop of hair was breaking through the surface of the water. He ran a hand through his long hair as he waded in the blue waters, and I was so caught up in staring that I stumbled over a loose cobblestone. His head shot up at the noise and his eyes landed on me as I struggled to act like I hadn’t been staring at him, and that familiar smirk curled his lips. I smiled back at him as I continued to walk towards my apartment, and my heart nearly skipped a beat as I watched him swim closer to me. I paused in my walk as he opened his mouth, and there was a flash of his sharp teeth as he got closer.

“Little lady like you shouldn’t be walking alone at night,” a voice said and it was a moment later when I realized it wasn’t the siren speaking at all but the voice had come from behind me. Something flashed in the siren’s eyes before he ducked back under the water, quickly disappearing. To say I was a little disappointed was an understatement, but that thought fled my mind when I turned to see who had spoken to me.

“I can handle myself,” I grinned at the tall male behind me.

Logan smirked down at me, his green eyes shining in the setting sun as he reached to grab my hand. “I don’t know about that, it’d be better to have someone walk you home. Just to be safe.”

I made a show of fixing my hair due to a nonexistent breeze, trying to be subtle about not wanting him to hold my hand. If he saw through me he didn’t comment on it, instead he lowered his hand back down to his side. “Are you just coming from work? Did you get the flowers I sent you?”

I nodded. “I did, thank you for sending them. How did you know that roses were my favorite?” They really weren’t. Marigolds were my favorite, but I was trying to be nice at this point. Anything to soften the blow of telling him that I wasn’t interested anymore. Just the thought of doing this was making my hands clammy.

Logan grinned at the praise, his chest puffing out slightly. “Call it a special nymph power if you will. It’s kind of my job to know flowers and what people like, you know? Magic and everything.”

I felt slightly less bad for being mean.

“Well thank you again it really meant a lot. They’re sitting in a vase in my office actually.” They weren’t, I had accidentally knocked them off of my desk and into the garbage can while I was hiding in shame while San was teasing me. I wasn’t inclined to dig them out of there either, so in the trash they remained. I began to walk away from him, mumbling some excuse about needing to get home with a wave of my hand but was stopped as he grabbed it, keeping me in place. I swore I heard a deep rumbling sound but assumed it was a motorbike passing nearby.

“I want to take you out tomorrow night. It’s Saturday night, we’re young and deserve to have some fun, and I feel like I don’t see you enough anymore. You’re so cooped up in that office anymore, it’s driving me crazy,” he said and there was a strange edge to his voice that I didn’t quite understand but my gut was telling me to run. That could also be due to the fact that he could break my hand if he applied enough force right now. “I’ll pick you up from work and I’ll take you out on the best date of your life. Wear something pretty,” he said with a wink before he let go and walked away, disappearing into the crowd before I could even so much as begin to say no.

I groaned, running a hand through my hair in annoyance because now I was going to have to figure out a way to sneak out of work and away from him so I didn’t have to go on what would no doubt be the worst date of my life. Maybe I could call in a favor with San and Mingi?

I felt eyes boring into me and I glanced around to spot the source before they settled back on the water, nearly jumping seeing those dark eyes staring at me. The siren had popped his head out of the water and there was a dangerous glint in his eye, no sight of the friendly smile he had earlier. Already beyond flustered and annoyed with how this day was ending I was quick to leave the bridge, feeling the siren’s eyes on me until I disappeared around the corner of a building. The look in his eyes would follow me into dreamland tonight, and they had the same malevolent look to them as he watched me drown in my nightmares.

༄

I was dreading the morning today. It meant that it was Saturday, which meant Logan would be prowling around my office building when my day ended. I had already notified Belle of the situation and she was quick to respond by telling me to stay home today. I frowned at that option as well, because if he couldn’t find me at work there was no stopping him from trying to find me at my own apartment. I wanted to keep my apartment as a sanctuary for myself and myself only, I didn’t need Logan’s presence to interrupt the peace I had there. Plus he’d probably critique my interior design skills, claiming it needed his so-called “nymph magic” to make it more aesthetically pleasing.

Quickly coming up with a plan, I responded to Belle with what I had come up with before putting my phone away and getting ready for work. In my mind it was a win-win situation, I would still be able to go into work and get some things done and I would also be able to avoid Logan as well. All I had to do was miss him today and the next time I saw him I’d be able to tell him that it’d be best if we saw other people.

There was a pleasantly cool breeze today as I left my apartment building, and after the humidity of last night it left a small smile on my face. It was comical in the way that I kept glancing over my shoulder for any sign of the head of red hair, even though there was no threat of him until later on today. His presence was unsettling and irritating enough to put me on edge for the morning.

Crossing over the usual bridge I took, habitually I glanced out over the water to where the siren usually resided only to be further disappointed. There was no sign of him today, and I kept my eyes in the waves in case he made a sudden appearance like yesterday. There was no sight of him and a frown pulled at my lips when I entered the office building. Maybe it was the look he had on his face yesterday when I walked away from the river that left a sour taste in my mouth at not seeing him this morning, or maybe it was the fact that subconsciously he had become part of my daily routine. Whatever the case may be, the lack of him had definitely affected my mood and it showed.

“Belle filled San in on what's going to happen today, but San won’t tell me about it because I apparently give things away too easily. Would you be so kind as to explain what the plan is so I’m not walking in blind?” Mingi asked, walking beside me to my office. I half heartedly chuckled at his wounded expression, it wasn’t his fault that he didn’t have a good poker face. Mingi was just too honest of a person to hide things well.

“Logan said he was going to pick me up from work today and that he was going to take me out on a date. He didn’t even give me an opportunity to say no and to break things off with him before he left, and I really don’t want to go on this date. So, I have things to get done still but I’m going to be leaving early so there’s no chance of our paths crossing. San is going to distract him and tell him I left early because I wasn’t feeling well, while I sneak out the back and head to somewhere that isn’t my apartment. Your job today is to be a concerned friend because your best friend is sick,” I explained to him, setting my back down on my desk.

Mingi raised a brow as he watched me get settled. “That’s barely a job though, I can do more than that! At least let me be a look out in case he comes in earlier, my office is near the entrance,” he pouted. He was attempting to replicate San’s puppy dog eyes but unfortunately it didn’t quite meet the standard. His presence brightened my mood a bit already though, so I decided to humor him.

“Fine you can be a look out. I doubt he’d come any earlier than when I get off though, he knows Belle wouldn’t let me get off any earlier than what I was scheduled unless it was an emergency.” A total lie. Belle would let me take a month off right now just because I wanted to, but she took on the role of a harsh boss if it meant I could have even a bit of peace in knowing Logan wouldn’t come around during working hours and disturb me. She took great care in that role as well, her usual bright demeanor clouded over by an angry expression and her tone turning harsh and snappish towards those she was close to. It never ceased to amuse San and he struggled to keep his composure when Belle would snap at him about him leaving a coffee cup out and it had spilled all over a magazine she had been reading or whatever else she could come up with.

Mingi’s expression brightened at his now upgraded role in the plan today, and he hurried out of my office and towards his own, leaving me to my own thoughts. I suddenly missed his presence as I began to get to work creating a rough draft for a new dress design, pulling out my fabric and pins to begin the process. He was a great distraction that I didn’t realize I was wanting as I began to work, my mind focused on anything else but the task at hand. I was sluggish from the lack of sleep last night due to recurring nightmares, and my thoughts were centered around iridescent black scales and dark eyes that had bored holes into me even in my dreams. Why had he looked almost furious after I had spoken with Logan? Maybe forest nymphs and sirens had a long history that I wasn’t aware of and his presence had irritated him being so close to his home turf?

I shook my head in an attempt to clear the thoughts away. It was dumb to be this concerned over a person I had never even spoken to. He was a stranger that I saw everyday, nothing more. There had been no contact between us other than glances thrown at each other, so why was it that one morning I didn't see him and it’s enough to dampen my mood? Maybe I should find a different route home from now on so I could distance myself from his usual spot.

The morning dragged on, time crawling ever so slowly as I struggled to stay focused on work. It wasn’t until the rough outline of a dress was pinned to the mannequin that my phone began to buzz excessively, and I dropped everything to grab it. Ten different text messages flashed on my screen, all from Mingi, and my stomach dropped when I read them. Logan had come early with yet another bouquet of roses, asking to speak to Belle about letting me off early today so that he and I could go out for a lunch date. Mingi texted me that he had already sent San out to deliver the news that I had been sent home sick, and that he’d cover for me to sneak out the back door.

I quickly thanked him before I packed up my things, not even bothering to put away the skeleton of a dress before I was walking down the hall to the stairwell. I wouldn’t take a chance on the elevator today because the door to it was right next to the front entrance, and about halfway down the steps I was cursing myself for wearing heels today. If things kept going like this I’d have to make it a point to keep a spare set of sneakers in my office to make a speedy and comfy escape.

Thankfully the building was busy this morning so remaining hidden from Logan’s eyes was easy. Most everyone was taller than me so ducking behind groups of people milling about made my escape quicker, and soon enough I was making my way down the road and away from the office. I wasn’t planning on going home in case he decided to try and show up there, so I headed in a different direction than what I usually took. Instead today I headed towards the busier sections of the city, getting lost in the crowds of people that were out and about. Nymphs have better senses than humans, but my scent would easily get lost in a crowd this large for a nymph. If Logan had been a shifter of any predator variant then it would be a different story and I would’ve had to have been more illusive with my escape.

I trailed along one of the busier streets of Fairhaven, vendors and small riverside restaurants dotted alongside the road. The air was filled with the voices of people wandering around and bartering or ordering their meals, and it was easy to get swept up in it all and just aimlessly wander around as well. I window shopped as I walked, admiring the latest fashion trends and some apothecary shops selling crystals and potions, passing groups of children gazing at a toy shop that had mechanical dragons flying around inside. If I had grown up in the city I would’ve been right there with them, the shop was magical even by adult standards. What I wouldn’t give to see it through the eyes of a child as well.

My head whipped up when I saw red hair out of the corner of my eye and I didn’t even think twice before I was ducking into the nearest building which happened to be a cafe. I got a few looks from the patrons at my rushed entrance into the building but they all went back to their coffee cups with no comment as I made my way to a table hidden behind some plants. I took a seat and kept glancing towards the door, tense as I waited to see that familiar face pass by the glass. It very well could’ve been someone else, but I wasn’t willing to take any chances when it had been going so smoothly thus far. It was possible he had decided to take the same route I had by random chance.

I vaguely realized I looked like I was being chased with the way I kept glancing towards the door, and I was only drawing attention to myself. I pulled out my phone and began to aimlessly scroll through my social media, anything to try and blend seamlessly into the background of the cafe. I’d have to make a point of buying something soon so I wouldn’t get kicked out for loitering, that would be counterproductive to what I was trying to do right now.

The bell above the door chimed and I shrunk further into the shadows of the plant, not even bothering to look up in an attempt to hide my face from whoever had just walked in. Anyone with sensitive hearing would’ve been able to pick up on the way my heart seemed to thump loudly in my chest as my body tensed, seeing the newcomer walking past my table slowly out of the corner of my eye. The conversation seemed to die down momentarily as they passed before resuming at normal volume, and it only made my heart race. Was Logan’s presence enough to cause such a reaction? He was good looking, yes, but nothing worthy of quieting a room full of people. Who exactly had walked in then?

I had been so absorbed in trying to figure out if a celebrity had walked in from the conversations around me and trying to disappear entirely that I missed the deep voice that ordered at the counter and the steps that were rounding back to me until it was almost too late. I shrunk inwards on myself as the steps neared and I didn’t dare to look up until a cup of coffee and a plate of scones was placed in front of me. Confusion swept through me and I ignored every instinct telling me to keep looking at my phone in favor of looking up who had stopped at my table, and when I say I looked “up” I mean it.

He stood at about seven feet tall and I had the startling realization that with how tall he was with legs he had ultimately shrunk from the even bigger size he was with his tail. He seemed pleased by the shocked expression on my face, because there was humor dancing in the deep brown coloring of his eyes as he smirked down at me. Those teeth looked even sharper up close, and my heart skipped a beat in my chest at the sight. He obviously heard it because his smirk grew into a downright devious grin. It wasn’t entirely my fault though, I’d never thought I’d see a siren walking around on land is all. “You look like you could use something to brighten your day, so here,” he said, his voice deep and smooth and I felt myself being subconsciously drawn to it. I quickly regained control of my actions though, scolding myself for being swayed by his powers.

My mind had quickly become scrambled from the sudden appearance of the siren, let alone on legs, and I blinked before finally being able to form a coherent thought. “Oh, thank you…”

“You can call me Wooyoung. It’s about time you got to know what you’ll be moaning later,” he said with a wink and it was a knee jerk reaction to roll my eyes. If I had a dollar for every time I heard that line I’d have enough money to never work a day in my life again. My reaction only seemed to amuse him more as his laugh bounced off the walls of the cafe, the sound infectious. By now the other patrons had turned to watch our interaction, and a quick glance around confirmed that all eyes were on us. In my attempt to disappear I had become the center of attention.

Wooyoung seemed to notice as well, but it didn’t seem to bother him as he winked at me again. “I’ll be seeing you around…” it was his turn to trail off, his gaze expectant as he watched me.

“Y/n,” I introduced myself, reaching a hand forward for the cup of coffee. I didn’t make a move to drink from it yet, though, wanting to see what his next action would be. Also I didn’t want to make a fool of myself if I choked.

“Y/n,” he said the name softly, his smile growing as he tasted the word on his tongue. He nodded to himself before beginning to walk away from the table, sending one more look my way over his shoulder before he disappeared in the crowd of people, sipping his own coffee as he left.

I only turned to the coffee and food on my table when I was sure he was gone for good, taking a tentative sip of the beverage and humming happily. For just guessing he had gotten pretty close to what I would prefer, the sweet taste coating my tongue. The scones were also delicious, but that I already knew from previous times of stopping here for a pick me up. He had been right after all, I did need something to brighten my mood.

༄

Thankfully the rest of the week went by Logan free, and he seemed to buy the excuse of me being sick and didn’t question it much. I did have to put my foot down when he offered to come and feed me his homemade soup though, claiming that his nymph magic would heal me right up. I may be human but I wasn’t stupid, I knew nymphs of any kind didn’t possess healing magic. I was starting to grow concerned that “nymph magic” was a euphemism for something else, and it was all the more reason to keep him away from me.

Belle suggested I take a day off of work to play up the pretenses that I really was sick, and I took her up on the offer. If he had the nerve to try and take me away from my job in the middle of the day I wouldn’t put it past him to try and see me in the middle of it again. I think she was also using it as an excuse to give me a day off, she’s been pestering me about it for weeks now. She tries so hard to be more accommodating to her human employees, knowing that we can’t work as much as the others because our bodies need rest. My pride wouldn’t let me take a random day off in the middle of the week, so we often butted heads on my work schedule. She won this time though, but I’m using Logan as a legitimate excuse to miss one day.

Once that day was over though it was work as usual, the office was busier than usual with the upcoming fashion show in only a few weeks. My excuse of work being super busy to keep me from seeing Logan was a partial truth now, my schedule was packed with meetings and finishing touches on designs. I preferred this though, it kept me busy and kept things interesting. Mingi’s usually well kept long blonde hair looked a little messy each day he came in, like he had just rolled out of bed and barely made it on time, and San had the faintest of shadows beneath his eyes from the long hours. It was during times like this that morale was low and Belle usually stepped in with buying us all lunch to encourage us to keep working hard, despite the bags under her own eyes as well.

Another daily ritual that has begun this week were the gifts from Wooyoung. At first I didn’t think much of it, I had spotted a shiny rock on the sidewalk on my way to work and I had picked it up and brought it home. The second day was different because in the exact same spot were a handful of more rocks, all of varying size and color and all were shiny. It looked like someone had taken the time to hand pick these and set them here, and I had looked around in case a child had set them here for a reason. As I was looking I nearly jumped out of my skin when my eyes met those of Wooyoung who was right at the edge of the river, much closer than I was expecting and making absolutely no sound as he appeared. Had it been a less kinder creature I wouldn’t have even realized that death was looking me in the face until it was too late.

Wooyoung only stared at me, half of his head poking out of the water as he watched me with curiosity. I made no move to grab the stones, holding my hand awkwardly above them as I waited for any word if they were his or not. He was looking at me like they were, and I think dying from touching a siren’s special rock was a really embarrassing way to go, so I had frozen up in the act of reaching for them. We had stayed like that for a few minutes before his eyes flicked to the stones and back up to me, a small nod accompanying the movement.

I got the message and I picked up the stones, smiling at him as I held them up for closer inspection. “Thank you, they’re really pretty,” I told him, putting the rocks in my pocket. His eyes crinkled at the corners and even though I couldn’t see it I knew he was smiling, and the tips of his ears turned red as well. Was he the bashful type? He certainly didn’t seem like it when we had spoken on Saturday, he seemed to be very confident in himself then. “You seem to like to wear this color,” he said, raising out of the water slightly and pointing to a blue stone in my hand before motioning to my ears. I realized he was talking about my earrings. Before I could ask anymore questions he dipped beneath the water and didn’t resurface, and I was left staring at my rippling reflection.

After that the gifts were still left in the same spot accompanied by Wooyoung’s lingering gazes. It remained as pretty rocks and crystals before they slowly transitioned to pearls and even some small gemstones, and I would be concerned he was robbing banks if I didn’t already know there were hundreds of shipwrecks in the waters of Fairhaven. With each grander gift he seemed to grow more confident in himself, winks and compliments often accompanied the stones and gems. “This gem reminds me of your eyes,” was a common one he liked to say, and the usual grin he had grew each time I blushed. Most of the time the gifts were colors that he seemingly picked up on that I gravitate more towards, and others were colors he thought would compliment me. I wasn’t sure if this was just a Wooyoung thing or customary for those who lived below the surface, but it felt wrong to receive so many gifts and not return the favor.

The morning I surprised Wooyoung with a cup of coffee was the day I was sure there were stars in his eyes. I had finally braved getting closer to the water than ever before, walking to the edge of the water and kneeling there. He had arrived a few minutes later, looking like he was in a rush before he deposited a handful of pearls and gems before me. He gave me a sheepish look as I picked them up, seeing that some of the pearls this time were slightly distorted and bumpy; different from the near perfect pearls he would usually bring.

“These were the only ones I could find in time, I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I can take them back if you don’t want them, I’ll find you better ones.”

I closed my hand around them and put them in my pocket, already planning on adding them to the box I set aside just for these gifts. “I love them,” I told him honestly, smiling to try and reassure him. That worried look on his face melted away before being replaced by a warm smile.

I suddenly remembered that I had a gift as well before I held out the cup of coffee, giving him my own sheepish smile. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I just guessed,” I explained as I waited for his reaction. I knew he drank coffee at least, if he had a sweet or bitter preference was beyond me though so I settled for the bitter. I had mentally cursed myself for not paying attention to his order when I was in line that morning.

Wooyoung’s entire expression lit up like a child on the Winter Solstice, and he quickly propelled himself out of the water and settled himself down on the ledge before taking it from me. He took a sip and hummed happily, his tail swaying in the water as he looked at me like I had hung the stars and moon in the sky, and I took his reaction as if he liked it. “Thank you so much,” he said, a genuine smile spreading across his lips as he gazed at me with a mixture of awe and something else I couldn’t quite place.

I nodded and kneeled beside him, not even making a move to dangle my feet in the water. “Thank you for the gifts you’ve given me. It’s not much but I hope you like it,” I told him, feeling guilty for how mundane and simple my gift seemed to be in comparison to the actual gems he’s given me. I didn’t want to come off as rude if it was customary to give back a gift if you receive one in his culture, so it was better than nothing. I’d find a way to make it up to him somehow at a different time, but for now the coffee will suffice.

“It means a lot to me,” he said before going back to sipping it, watching me closely.

I suddenly felt exposed under his gaze and I had to look away, anywhere but at his eyes that looked like they were waiting for something else from me. My eyes settled on his tail then, the black scales shining in the morning light as I focused on that instead. My guess is that while in this form he reached around thirteen feet from the top of his head to the tip of his tail, and I nearly blanched at this revelation. Was everything in the water big?

“Your tail is pretty,” I said simply, and had to resist cringing at how lame that sounded. Was it socially acceptable to even say something like that to a siren? I wasn’t sure, in fact, I don’t think anyone really was. Socix was very secretive and withdrawn from everything up top, and gave away very little about their own laws and customs that would be very helpful for situations like this. To be fair, these interactions were rare.

Wooyoung laughed, the sound loud and infectious as he smiled at me. He scooted himself closer to me, swinging his lower half closer in the same movement before he wiggled his brows in my direction. “You can touch it if you want,” he said, truthfully looking like he was talking about something else and not his tail. I decided to believe that he had good intentions and not it was an innuendo and tentatively reached out, my fingertips grazing the smooth scales. It was softer than it looked, and I was quickly mesmerized by just how many colors were hidden in the shine of them. There were even small dots speckled around them, lighter in comparison to the rest of his body.

“You’d be able to see it better if you came into the water with me,” he said suggestively and I was quick to shake my head. He raised a brow at that, reaching out and taking my hand in his. He was noticeably cooler to the touch than I was, but I didn’t pull away. “There’s more tricks that you won’t see up here.”

“I’ll stay up here, actually. I’m afraid of water,” I explained, my cheeks burning in embarrassment.

Wooyoung’s eyes widened comically and then he was cackling, dropping my hand in the process as he nearly toppled over from the force of his laughter. His tail moved and I grimaced as my pant leg was now soaked, thankful that Belle wasn’t a stickler for dress code.

“Well isn’t that ironic,” he said once his laughter had subsided, looking at me with mirth shining in his eyes.

I chuckled and nodded in agreement. “Yeah I guess so.” A girl who’s least favorite thing to do is be around water moves to a city where one of the main focuses is the water? I could see the irony in it, but I had little choice in the matter. It was either this or stay in the small town I grew up in where nothing happened. I was fine with being this close to it before I had met Wooyoung.

“That’ll have to change if this is to continue,” he said before finishing the last of his coffee, neatly tossing the garbage into a nearby trash bin. I was only mildly impressed by his aim and precision. He hopped off the ledge and sank beneath the surface only slightly, his tail propelling him upwards so his head remained above the surface so that he could still speak to me. “I’ll let you be on your way to work though. I’ll see you tonight, be safe please,” he said with a smile before he was gone.

That had been two days ago, and like clockwork I saw Wooyoung each morning before work and on my way home. Each morning he would give me a gift of gems and pearls and I would try to give back when I could, some mornings being just coffee and other mornings being coffee and a pastry from the cafe. He was delighted by each one, propelling himself out of the water to sit on the ledge next to me and talk before I would have to head into work. Most of the time they were really basic questions, such as what was my favorite food or what my favorite color was. Other questions were along the lines of “if you’re afraid of water then how do you bathe?” to which I lightly slapped his shoulder in response to.

Today was no different, I sat by Wooyoung on the side of the river and chatted away with him before he was lowering himself back into the water. He reached out and grabbed my hand, stopping me before I could get to my feet again. He smirked up at me but I was immune to it by now. I figured out a while ago that Wooyoung was a flirt by nature. “I want to show you something tonight, so now you have an excuse to see me when you leave work,” he told me.

I rolled my eyes. “Like I wouldn’t be stopping by anyway.” I gently pulled my hand away from him and stood up from my spot, smiling down at him. “I’ll stop by here I promise,” I said with a final wave before I began to head towards the building, a small smile pulling at my lips as I entered.

The sound of rustling paper reached my ears before a familiar presence reached my side, and I greeted Mingi cheerily.

“Oh someone’s in a good mood today,” he said with a smirk and I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes as I walked to my office. “What happened to put you in such a good mood today? Someone buy your coffee at the shop?”

“Can’t I just be in a good mood? Maybe I caught up on sleep finally and I woke up feeling well rested.”

“Mmm nope, that smile says that you met someone. I’ve seen it many times before. So who’s the lucky guy? Or did Logan finally manage to pull his head out of his ass and you’re finally coming around to him?”

I nearly jumped into Mingi at San’s sudden entrance. He at least had the decency to look guilty for startling me so suddenly, but I huffed in annoyance before entering my office. I was one jump scare away from putting bells on everyone.

The boys made themselves comfortable in the chairs around the room, making it apparent that they weren’t going to drop the subject. That was fine, I was great at ignoring outside distractions and focusing solely on my work. I silently answered in the way of settling in and dragging the mannequin towards me, obviously about to start working on it. San narrowed his eyes before sighing and crossing his arms over his chest, his tail flicking in irritation. “You know we can smell him on you, right? There’s no sense in hiding that you met someone else in front of two creatures that can pick up on the distinct smell that isn’t yours.”

I sighed, sinking low into my seat. Of course I had to be friends with beings who could smell a male on me, and probably knew that he wasn’t of the human variety. The males before me were stubborn as well and I knew they wouldn’t let it go until I spilled the beans, especially San. He was the worst when it came to subjects like this, and it was worse with those he cared about. He wanted to know every detail of my love life and I swear he was more invested in it than I was. “It’s not like that I’ve only known him for like two weeks.”

“Details details, who is it? He smells like seaweed, so did you jump from a forest nymph to a river nymph? Or maybe a shifter? I can’t think of any shifter that I know that can live in water,” Mingi stated, already beginning to ramble a bit. He didn’t show it but he was just as invested as San was in my love life.

“He’s a siren,” I whispered and I swear you could hear a pin drop with how quiet it got in the room. Mingi visibly paled and San’s eyes got so wide it looked like they’d fall out. They didn’t say anything and neither did I, beginning to play with a piece of skin on my thumb as I waited for them to collect themselves. I knew they wouldn’t react the best to the news of Wooyoung’s presence in my life, but no one really did when it came to matters concerning what happened below the river. If Wooyoung was aiming to kill me he had plenty of opportunities to do so, so I don’t think he was a threat to me. If he was a threat to others was a different matter.

“How in the seven rings of Hell did you meet a siren in the city?” San asked, looking like he still hasn’t fully processed what I had just told them.

“He was laying on a dock and it just kind of happened from there,” I said with a shrug.

“Do you make a habit of talking to random half naked men on docks then?” Mingi asked which earned him a smack on the back of the head from San. “What? I know they’re not big on clothes down there!”

I groaned and flopped backwards in my chair. “No I don’t talk to half naked men on docks! Look there’s a lot more that happened and it’s not like that. Wooyoung is only a friend I just happened to make, nothing more, alright?“

San gave me a concerned look before he eventually sighed, giving up on the matter. He stood from his seat and pet my head, concern for my well-being in his eyes, no judgment at all. “We just worry about you, y/n. A siren suddenly appearing in the middle of the city when these kidnappings are suddenly sprouting up is concerning. We don’t want anything to happen to you.”

I huffed. “There’s more than just sirens in those waters, you all know that, and there’s no proof that those missing people are due to things in the water. If Wooyoung truly meant me harm he had plenty of opportunities already but the only male that’s been a burden to me was Logan. I’ll be fine, I promise,” I told him, holding his gaze.

The mention of the fact that Wooyoung has done nothing to harm me yet seemed to lessen the tension in both of their shoulders, and San nodded before patting my head one more time before leaving the room. “Time to actually do work Mingi, no more gossiping!”

Mingi groaned before following him out, giving me one last smile over his shoulder before he disappeared around the corner. I relaxed in my chair once they were gone, letting out a long breath. Their worries were valid, there wasn’t much knowledge about the citizens of Socix and their customs and culture, only the laws that kept everyone safe in both parties. Wooyoung’s arrival to the city was just poorly timed with these disappearances, that was all. He was just a resident like anyone else here.

Finishing up the dress didn’t do much to take my mind off of things, but it did make the time go by faster. Happy with the final touches, I sent the dress off to be approved by Belle and be fitted for a model before packing up my things and heading out of the building. I waved to Mingi on my way out, and he waved back enthusiastically. It seems like our conversation earlier didn’t bother him much, and it was a relief to see that as I left the building.

My first stop was Wooyoung’s spot, but upon arriving I didn’t see him. I frowned and knelt where I had this morning, checking my phone to see the time. I wasn’t early or late by any means and he was usually already waiting here for me, so to not see that cheeky smile waiting for me was disheartening. I decided to wait here for a little longer in case he was running late.

Now that I think about it, did Wooyoung have a job? Were jobs even a requirement to live in Socix or was everyone able to live without needing a nine to five there? It was just now dawning on me that I didn’t know much about Wooyoung and what he does when I was at work. I only know that he shows up in the morning and at night as I’m heading home. I know some of the time is used in searching for the he’s been giving me, that much is obvious, but what about the rest?

I checked the time again and sighed, rising to my feet and starting to head to the bridge. I realized that a part of me had been excited to see what he wanted to show me, even if I ran the risk of having to go into the water. I had been curious and subconsciously looking forward to it, or more likely it was just him. I had been looking forward to seeing him again tonight as I did most nights now, his presence warm and inviting and it was hard not to fall for his charm.

I didn’t even realize I was halfway across the bridge as a voice shouted for me. I turned to look and my stomach dropped to my feet when I saw a face I had been avoiding like the plague for a week now running towards me. I had half a thought to bolt in the opposite direction, but nymphs were faster than humans and I didn’t even have that cover of a crowd to hide in; the bridge was empty right now. Plus it was time I put a stop to this finally, no more playing this game of hide and seek and no more looking over my shoulder as I was walking around. It also wasn’t fair to him that I didn’t have the courage to voice my feelings, he didn’t do anything wrong besides having a not so pleasant personality. He deserved to go find someone that could tolerate him.

“Hey Logan,” I greeted, moving off to the side in case of anyone wanting to pass by us. I glanced down at the water and felt my stomach lurch, and I turned back to the nymph before I could start to panic.

“How are you feeling now? Better I hope, you were looking pretty haggard the last time I saw you before our date. We still have to reschedule that by the way,” he said, flashing me a smile.

I felt my brow twitch in annoyance considering the last time I saw him in person I wasn’t even sick. Was he really that self absorbed to even notice that my appearance had never changed? Or was he that concerned with getting in my pants? I was choosing the latter with the way his eyes flicked over my body, a movement I would’ve missed if I had blinked.

I plastered a fake smile on my face, hoping it was convincing enough for him. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that date.”

Suddenly there was a loud splash that rang out, making both of us turn towards the sound just in time to see Wooyoung arching perfectly over the side of the bridge and straight towards me. His eyes glowed with fury and his teeth bared in a snarl as he reached out for me and panic surged through me at the sudden realization that this was it for me. I only had time to gasp before his arms wrapped around me, securing me to his chest and we were diving into the water on the other side of the bridge.

The water was colder that I was anticipating, and I sucked in water on impact. My lungs burned as water filled them and my heart thundered in my chest as I struggled in Wooyoung’s grip. He held on tightly though, his grip strong as he dragged me deeper and deeper until I couldn’t see the sun anymore. Dark spots were beginning to cloud my vision, my lungs feeling like they were about to burst and my struggles began to weaken before stopping all together. I went limp in his arms, too weak to struggle as he drowned me. At least he was giving me that courtesy before he ate me.

His laughter was one of the last things I heard before I slipped into unconsciousness, the sound bringing me back enough to hear his last words to me.

“You’re not supposed to breathe in water, dummy.”

༄

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