#but it was so vivid and it happened exactly the same as I always did it in the past that it scared me so much

[mondscheinprinzessin]

.

[elleloquently]

could you do maybe something where ellie and reader knew each other from the boston QZ, and then they end up seeing each other again years later?? could genuinely just be a paragraph or headcanons if that’s what you’re feeling (writers block sucks) but you’re so good at describing things so i wanna see your POV with this 😭

| a/n : ur an angel for being so understanding. this is short n lowkey vague but i genuinely had fun with this so thank you for suggesting it!! <3 | c/w : swearing. mentions of weapons but no violence

half return - ellie williams

your eyes looked the same as they did when you were thirteen.

or, it would've been fourteen, the last time you had actually seen each other. but that had been a weird year, hadn't it?

still. your eyes were the same.

wide. thoughtful, but maybe that wasn't a good enough word to describe the look in your eyes now. bewildered was probably it, mixed with disbelief.

after all of these years, ellie would have to assume that there would be a sense of hardness to you. maybe something firm in your gaze, evidence of your life, whatever that had turned out to be.

instead, there was a certain softness to your expression. beneath the disbelief, beneath the shock. something soft, something so inexplicably you.

it made ellie sure, without a doubt, it was you. it had to be, right?

you were looking at ellie like you couldn't figure it out, couldn't decide whether or not the sight in front of you was real, and.. yeah.

it was you.

"holy shit," ellie breathed out, her words nearly inaudible.

her words, simple and quiet, snapped you out of your daze.

ellie's tone was nearly the same, just a little more mature sounding. you were transported instantly, back to when you were practically kids. ellie's voice would rise in defensiveness, arguing against riley in favor of her music taste, denying the claim that it was shitty. the sound of her now, so familiar and so different, filled the pit of your stomach with a strange ache.

your grip on the gun had faltered a little at the sight of her. you tightened it now, only to rid your fingers of their tremble. you wanted to speak, to say anything, but you still weren't exactly processing the sight in front of you.

apparently, you were still horrible at keeping your facial expressions at bay.

ellie caught it, the moment in which you had nearly stepped forward, your lips almost moving. but you had seemingly decided against it. you both remained still, eye contact never wavering. you were a few feet apart, and it was the closest you had been in years.

the sky was gray and overcast. evidence either of the rainstorm that had previously hit, or the hint of another soon to come. if you didn't move soon, surely you would be caught in it. everything always seemed to happen so fast, but time stood still now. it had only been a matter of seconds, but those seconds were weighted, dragging on with each passing moment.

ellie found herself wanting to hear your voice. she had forgotten it, except for a few vivid memories that lived in her mind. she found herself desperately needing to find out if it was the same voice that echoed occasionally in her mind, or if it sounded different entirely.

ellie's eyebrows knitted together, the crease of tension becoming apparent upon her features. as her gaze darted over your face, ellie felt guilty for writing you off.

but boston had been a shithole. and besides, ellie had cared about you. why wouldn't you be dead? another memory planted in her mental graveyard, the lingering whispers that only ever seemed to reach the depths of her dreams on the worst nights. any traces of you were always gone by morning.

but now.

now.

had ellie finally gone crazy? sometimes, maybe, she heard joel's voice. acknowledging it felt... weird. but she did.

but this? had she lost it? lost herself entirely?

it didn't make sense for you to be here. here, of all places. now. after all of these years.

ellie shook her head slightly, attempting to get a grip on her thoughts. she held her gun firmly, but it wasn't exactly pointed at you anymore. her free hand slowly raised, her palm displayed in an unsteady defensive. it was nearly muscle memory, but ellie was uncertain.

you both felt as though you were staring at a ghost.

"ellie?" you finally spoke, her name tumbling from your lips so easily despite not having uttered it in years.

ellie's stomach lurched, her eyes widening imperceptibly as you took a tentative step forward. she felt sick. unable to make sense of it, her name wrapped up in your voice felt terrifying all of a sudden, a reminder of who she used to be, a sharp pain of the past gnawing at her like a pit in her stomach.

her gaze followed your movements, but ellie otherwise felt frozen. the expression on your face was plain as day, but ellie still struggled to read it. no longer a young teenager, but she remained a little clueless, hopeless even at the obvious. she couldn't help it, though, her mind racing and blaring like confusing alarm bells in her head.

ellie had brutally lost the person in which she arguably cared the most about, and now you were standing there, a goddamn blast from the past. ellie could not comprehend it. how did you even end up here?

another small step forward, and you couldn't decide between keeping your weapon raised or discarding it entirely. it was ellie, after all. but she was a stranger now.

to anyone else, the situation might look like a standoff. ellie was painfully aware of the seconds ticking by, knowing they most likely wouldn't be alone for much longer. the others would catch up, ready to defend, ready to fight.

ellie found the phrase bouncing around her head already, ready to roll off the tip of her tongue in a panic.

not a threat. not a threat, not a threat.

because you weren't. you couldn't be, right?

"i thought... i thought you were-"

you cut yourself off with a sharp inhale that nearly feels dizzying. you thought ellie had been dead. or whisked away, running off to join the fireflies after all, ending up... who knows where. because one day, ellie had been gone. and for a long time, you had driven your young mind crazy trying to consider the possibilities, to make sense of the why.

"you're... it's.. i didn't-" ellie attempts, her voice nearly failing her.

the hand holding your gun falls to your side, and ellie nearly doubles over. she doesn't, though, and feels as though her knees lock her into place instead.

ellie's hair was a bit shorter. she didn't wear it in a ponytail anymore, apparently. but half of her hair was still pulled back. the same stubborn strands of hair still seemed to fall into her face.

you had missed her. you never wanted her to be dead. but you could never come to terms with the fact that she had left you, either. the only best friend you had ever really had.

ellie's gun was down now, and she looked like she wanted to move forward, but didn't know how. you took the liberty instead, your steps slow and hesitant before turning more brisk.

"oh my god," you managed, your words slightly hushed and strained.

the sight of you moving towards her caused ellie's stomach to flip. maybe it was finally hitting her, the distance between you closing with each step. ellie watched, frozen, the fingers from her free hand twitching at her side.

you were wary, but a million other things, too.

you stopped once you were just a few steps away from her.

ellie nearly looked exactly the same. just older. more tired. new scars. but you could see her, through her microexpressions, in the way that her eyes remained carefully trained on your own. you realized suddenly, that you didn't have it in you to treat her like a stranger, even though she essentially was one. you didn't have it in you to keep on guard.

it was ellie. your ellie.

you knew her best of all.

and you had so much to learn about her.

[gyorouis]

𐙚 WHY I LOVE YOU - CSB.

— soobin had always known you better than anyone else, and it made the silence between you two more unbearable.

genre: fluff, slight angst but it's just because soobin loves reader sm! established relationship, romance, slice of life.

pairing: boyfriend!soobin x afab!reader

warning: emotional content, themes of self-isolation and self-sabotage, mild conflict, reconciliation, if i forgot anything pls let me know!

wordcount: 7.8k

now playing: orange & lemons — hanggang kailan ୨ৎ

“soobinie~” a sweet voice called out, effortlessly cutting through the hum of conversation that filled the room. soobin’s head turned instinctively, and as his eyes landed on you, his entire face lit up with a warmth that radiated from the depths of his heart. those eyes—bright and full of the same gentle affection that had captured his heart back in college—met his gaze, and he couldn’t help but smile.

“there she is,” taehyun whispered, nudging soobin with a knowing grin.

soobin’s smile softened, the corners of his mouth lifting in a way that only you could bring out of him. “love,” he greeted you, his voice tender. his soft hand made it’s way to your back to caress it.

you beamed, your happiness evident as you took in the sight of everyone gathered around the table. “how are you guys? i haven’t seen you all in so long!” you exclaimed, your voice bubbling with the joy of reunion.

beomgyu glanced up from his phone, a lazy smile playing on his lips. “yeah, i think the last time we all got together was christmas last year, right?” he chuckled, though his attention quickly drifted back to his phone. every now and then, his eyes would dart around the venue, as if he was searching for someone amidst the crowd.

you chuckled, shaking your head. “actually, i’ve been meaning to ask you guys to come over this weekend,” you began, a teasing glint in your eyes as you turned to soobin. “soobin’s been nagging me about how much he misses you all, and he practically begged me to invite you.”

soobin’s eyes widened in mock horror, his cheeks tinged with a hint of pink. “love, i told you not to tell them that,” he protested, his voice tinged with playful embarrassment.

you shrugged nonchalantly, a mischievous smile tugging at your lips as you reached out to caress his shoulder. “why not? it’s exactly what you said,” you teased, watching the way he sighed in defeat, a soft laugh escaping your lips.

“you’re still like that? that’s adorable,” hueningkai chimed in, his voice laced with amusement as he watched the interaction between the two of you.

you turned your attention to hueningkai, grinning. “yeah, he’s still too easy to tease,” you confirmed, casting a loving glance at soobin, who now sat up a little straighter, a playful smirk beginning to form on his lips.

“and she still cries whenever we fight,” soobin shot back, his tone light, but the glint in his eyes suggested he wasn’t entirely joking.

“oh yeah! remember that time? soobin actually cried himself to sleep when you wouldn’t talk to him for days,” beomgyu added, his voice teasing as he finally looked up from his phone, a mischievous grin on his face.

soobin’s expression shifted as he shot beomgyu a sharp look. “just shut your mouth and focus on your phone,” he warned, though the laughter in his eyes betrayed any real annoyance.

you blinked, your curiosity piqued. “eh? when was that?” you asked, turning to soobin with a puzzled expression.

taehyun couldn’t resist jumping in. “it’s happened so many times, she doesn’t even remember,” he joked, and the entire table erupted into laughter once more.

leaning closer to soobin, you whispered softly, “when did that happen, love?”soobin’s lips curled into a fond smile as he let his mind wander back to that moment in time. his heart swelled with the memory, but before he could answer, he found himself pulled even further back—back to the very first time he had ever laid eyes on you. the memory was so vivid, so full of color and emotion, that it felt like he was living it all over again. the moment that had changed everything for him—the moment he realized that his life would never be the same because of you.

the clinking of glasses and the low murmur of sophisticated conversation filled the grand dining hall. soobin, dressed in a tailored suit that made him feel more like a stranger to himself, stood quietly at the edge of the room, his hands neatly clasped in front of him. these business dinners were a common occurrence in his life, but they never got any less daunting. the weight of expectations from his father and the high society crowd often left him feeling out of place, like he was wearing a mask that didn’t quite fit.

he scanned the room, his eyes sweeping over the sea of unfamiliar faces, until they landed on someone who stood out from the rest. you. you were dressed elegantly, yet there was something refreshingly unpretentious about you. unlike the other guests, who seemed engrossed in their conversations, you were gazing out of the large windows, your expression serene, as if you were somewhere else entirely. the way the soft lighting played on your features made you look almost ethereal, and soobin found himself drawn to you in a way he couldn’t quite explain.

it was as if the noise of the room faded, leaving just the two of you in that moment. summoning the courage that often eluded him in these settings, he made his way toward you, his heart pounding with a mix of nerves and anticipation. each step felt like it was taking him closer to something significant, something that would alter the course of his life in ways he couldn’t yet comprehend.

“hi,” he greeted, his voice a little softer than he intended. you turned towards him, your eyes meeting his, and the world seemed to stand still. there was a warmth in your gaze that made the formal setting feel a little less intimidating, a little more like a place where he could just be himself.

“hello,” you replied, a small, polite smile gracing your lips. there was something in the way you looked at him that made him feel like you weren’t just seeing the polished exterior he had to present at these events—you were seeing him.

“i’m soobin,” he introduced himself, trying to ignore the awkwardness that threatened to creep into his voice. “my father... well, he’s hosting this dinner.”

“i know who you are,” you said, your smile widening slightly. “i’m y/n. my father works closely with yours. i think we’ve seen each other at a few events, but we’ve never had the chance to talk.” your voice was calm, steady, and it put him at ease in a way he hadn’t expected.

he nodded, suddenly feeling self-conscious under your gaze. “yeah, these events tend to be a bit... overwhelming.”

you chuckled softly, and the sound of it was like music to his ears, a melody that he wanted to hear again and again. “they do. but it’s nice to finally meet you. i’ve heard a lot about you.”

“good things, i hope?” he asked, trying to lighten the mood, though there was an edge of genuine curiosity in his voice.

“mostly,” you teased, and the ease with which you responded made him relax, the tension in his shoulders easing. “i’ve heard you’re quite the scholar.”

soobin’s cheeks tinged pink at the compliment. “i try my best.” there was something endearing about how flustered he felt in your presence, something that made him want to impress you even more.

the conversation flowed effortlessly from there, as if you’d known each other for much longer than just these few minutes. you talked about everything from school to your favorite books, and as the night wore on, soobin found himself completely captivated by you. there was a warmth and genuineness in your words that made him feel like he could talk to you forever, like you were a breath of fresh air in the otherwise stifling atmosphere of the evening.

the way you listened to him, truly listened, with a soft smile and an occasional laugh, made him feel seen in a way that was rare for him. most people saw him as the polished, perfect son of a powerful businessman, but you... you saw something more, something deeper. and that scared him just as much as it thrilled him.

before he knew it, the dinner was winding down, and guests began to make their polite goodbyes. soobin realized with a pang of regret that the evening was coming to an end, and he wasn’t ready to let go of this connection just yet. as you both stood near the entrance, waiting for your parents to finish their farewells, soobin turned to you, a hesitant smile on his lips.

“i really enjoyed talking to you tonight,” he said earnestly, his heart pounding in his chest. “i don’t usually enjoy these events, but... tonight was different.” there was a vulnerability in his words, an unspoken hope that you felt the same way.

you looked up at him, your eyes twinkling with the same gentle affection that would one day become so familiar to him. “i enjoyed it too, soobin. maybe we’ll run into each other again soon.”

“i hope so,” he replied, and he meant it with every fiber of his being. the thought of seeing you again filled him with a quiet anticipation, a hope that maybe, just maybe, this was the beginning of something special.

as your parents called for you, you gave him one last smile, a soft, lingering look that stayed with him long after you walked out of the grand hall. soobin found himself watching you until you disappeared from view. he didn’t know it then, but that was the moment his life had truly begun to change—the moment he met you.

just a week after meeting you, the universe seemed to have more amazing plans in store for both of you. the university campus buzzed with energy during the university week. booths lined the pathways, each one offering something different—food, games, crafts, and a hundred other distractions that drew students in like moths to a flame. soobin wandered through the crowd with yeonjun, beomgyu, taehyun, and hueningkai, their laughter and banter blending with the lively atmosphere around them.

“i can’t believe you convinced me to skip studying for this,” taehyun muttered, though his lips twitched into a reluctant smile as he watched yeonjun try to win a stuffed animal at one of the game booths.

“come on, you needed a break,” hueningkai chimed in, nudging taehyun with his elbow. “besides, it’s not like you’re actually missing anything important. just think of it as a mental health day.”

“he’s right,” beomgyu added, his eyes scanning the various stalls. soobin chuckled at their playful arguments, but his mind was only half in the conversation. the vibrant colors of the booths and the excited chatter of students filled the air, yet there was something else that caught his attention, something—or rather, someone—that made everything else fade into the background.

it was you.

standing by a fruit stall, you were dressed casually, yet effortlessly chic. your hair cascaded around your shoulders, catching the sunlight and framing your face perfectly. you were smiling, a soft, genuine smile that reached your eyes as you chatted with the vendor, selecting a few fresh strawberries from the display. the sight of you—so natural, so unguarded—took his breath away. he had no idea you went to the same university, but now that he saw you, he couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed you sooner.

“soobin, you okay?” yeonjun’s voice cut through his thoughts, bringing him back to the present. he blinked, realizing he had been staring.

“uh, yeah,” soobin replied quickly, trying to sound casual. “i just... i think i see someone i know.” his voice trailed off, his gaze drifting back to you.

the others followed his line of sight, their expressions shifting from curiosity to knowing grins as they spotted you.

“well, well, well,” beomgyu drawled, a teasing lilt in his voice. “who’s this mysterious girl that’s got our soobin all starry-eyed?”

soobin’s cheeks flushed, but he didn’t deny it. “i met her at one of my dad’s business dinners,” he explained, his eyes never leaving you. “i didn’t know she went here.”

“so what are you waiting for?” yeonjun urged, nudging soobin forward. “go talk to her. we’ll cover for you if anyone asks.”

“yeah, man,” hueningkai added with a grin. “you don’t get chances like this every day.”

soobin hesitated for only a moment before he nodded, his heart pounding in his chest. “okay, i’m going,” he said, his voice filled with a mix of nerves and excitement.

as he made his way through the crowd, the noise around him seemed to fade into a distant hum. his focus was solely on you, the way your eyes sparkled when you laughed, the way the sun highlighted the soft waves in your hair, and the way you seemed so at ease in your own world.

when he reached the fruit stall, you looked up, and your eyes met his. recognition flickered across your face, followed by a warm smile that made his heart skip a beat.

“soobin?” you said, a note of surprise in your voice. “what are you doing here?”

“hey,” he greeted, trying to keep his voice steady. “i, uh, didn’t realize we go to the same university.”

you laughed softly, the sound making his heart flutter. “small world, huh? i didn’t know either. it’s nice to see a familiar face in such a big crowd.”

“yeah, it is,” soobin agreed, feeling the tension in his shoulders ease as you continued to smile at him. “what have you been up to? enjoying the university week?”

“yeah, i’ve been checking out the booths and trying all the snacks,” you replied, holding up the small basket of strawberries you’d just purchased. “want one?”

“sure,” soobin said, accepting the strawberry you offered him. as he bit into the juicy fruit, he found himself smiling too. “these are really good.”

“aren’t they? i’ve been coming to this stall since they opened,” you said with a grin. “there’s just something about fresh fruit that makes everything better.”

“i couldn’t agree more,” soobin said, feeling more at ease now that you were talking. he glanced around the bustling campus, then back at you. “do you... maybe want to check out some more booths together?”

your eyes lit up at the suggestion. “i’d love that.”

the rest of the day passed in a blur of laughter and easy conversation. you and soobin tried different snacks, played games at the booths, and even got caught up in a spontaneous dance performance by a group of students. everything felt so natural, so right, that it was easy to forget about the world outside this little bubble you’d created together.

as the sun began to set, casting a golden glow over the campus, you found yourselves sitting on a bench near the fountain, the gentle sound of water mingling with the distant music from the celebration.

“this was really nice,” you said, leaning back and closing your eyes for a moment, letting the warmth of the day settle into your bones. “i didn’t expect to have such a good time today.”

“me neither,” soobin replied, watching you with a soft smile. “i’m glad we got to spend it together.”

you opened your eyes and turned to him, your expression thoughtful. “couldn't agree more.”

over the next few weeks, soobin found himself increasingly eager to see you again. it began subtly. one evening, as you were heading back to your dorm after a long day of classes, you noticed soobin standing near the entrance, seemingly engrossed in his phone. his eyes lit up when he saw you, and he greeted you with that warm, familiar smile.

“hey,” he said casually, as if it were perfectly normal for him to be there.

“hey, soobin,” you replied, slightly surprised. “what’s up?”

“oh, just waiting for a friend,” he said with a shrug. “what about you?”

“just heading back to my room,” you said, trying to shake off the odd feeling. “care to join me for a coffee? it’s been a long day.”

“i’d love to,” soobin said, falling into step beside you as you walked towards the café.

this happened a few more times over the next few weeks. soobin would suddenly appear near your building, as if by coincidence, just when you were about to head out or take a break. each time, he greeted you with that same easy smile and casual demeanor, making it seem like he was always in the right place at the right time.

one day, as you were walking to the library, you saw him sitting on a bench, pretending to read a book. his eyes met yours, and he waved enthusiastically.

“hi again,” he said, his tone cheerful.

“hi, soobin,” you replied, trying to mask your curiosity. “you seem to be around here a lot lately.”

“yeah,” he admitted, looking slightly embarrassed. “i guess i just like this spot. it’s peaceful.”

you chuckled softly. “well, it’s nice to see you.”

the conversations continued effortlessly, and you began to enjoy these spontaneous encounters. the first time you noticed it, it was a chilly autumn afternoon. you had just finished a long day of classes and were walking back to your dorm, the crunch of fallen leaves beneath your feet. as you approached the entrance to your building, you saw him—soobin, standing casually by the front steps, as if he had just happened to be there. his eyes lit up when he saw you, and he waved.

“hey, fancy seeing you here,” he greeted with a smile that seemed just a little too perfect for a coincidence.

you raised an eyebrow, trying to mask your curiosity. “hey, soobin. what brings you here?”

“oh, just passing by,” he said, shrugging nonchalantly. “thought i’d see if you were around.”

you shrugged off the odd feeling, chalking it up to chance. after all, it was a big campus, and he could have been in the area for any number of reasons. but as the days went by, these chance encounters started to become more frequent.

one morning, as you were heading to the library, you spotted soobin in the distance, sitting on a bench, engrossed in a book, again. the same book that you’ve been seeing him read. he looked up just as you approached and smiled warmly.

“good morning,” he called out, his voice carrying through the crisp air.

“good morning,” you replied, your curiosity piqued. “you seem to be here a lot lately.”

“yeah,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “guess i just enjoy this spot. it’s nice and quiet.”

“it is,” you agreed, sitting down beside him. “do you come here often?”

“only when i get a chance,” he said, glancing at you with a look that seemed to say there was more to it. “it’s a good place to clear my head.”

the two of you chatted for a while, the conversation flowing easily as always. but what you didn’t know was that this was no random occurrence. soobin had planned it with his friends. they had been giving him tips on where you would be, thanks to their own observations and a bit of discreet information sharing.

a few days later, you were at the campus café, waiting in line for your coffee when soobin appeared at the counter, ordering the same drink as you. he gave you a friendly wave when he saw you.

“what a coincidence,” you remarked, raising an eyebrow.

“seems like it,” he said with a grin, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “mind if i join you?”

“sure,” you said, gesturing to the empty seat across from you.

they were always pleasant encounters, but the repetition made you wonder if there was more to them. you mentioned it to your friend, mina, who laughed it off.

“maybe he’s just really into the same places you are,” she suggested, though there was a hint of teasing in her voice.

then came a rainy afternoon. you were huddled under an umbrella, making your way to a small bookstore you loved. as you reached the entrance, you saw soobin leaning against the door frame, checking his phone. he looked up and his face brightened.

“again?” you asked, feigning surprise.

“again,” he replied with a chuckle. “you seem to have great taste in bookstores.”

“or you just follow me around,” you teased.

soobin laughed, shaking his head. “i swear, it’s just a coincidence.”

this was all part of a plan that had been set in motion by soobin and his friends. they had been working behind the scenes to make these “accidental” meetings happen. beomgyu and yeonjun, who had a knack for knowing your schedule, were often the ones feeding soobin with tips about where you might be. taehyun and hueningkai, always ready with a bit of distraction, made sure that soobin was always in the right place at the right time.

one evening, after another of these coincidental encounters, soobin and his friends gathered at a café near campus. the group was huddled around a table, laughing and chatting about their day.

“so, how’s the mission going?” beomgyu asked, sipping his coffee.

“it’s going well,” soobin replied, glancing at his phone. “we’ve managed to bump into her a lot.”

“it’s like magic,” hueningkai teased. “almost like you’re everywhere she is.”

“i just hope she doesn’t catch on.”

“she’s smart,” yeonjun warned, “but she also likes you. if you keep this up, you might just win her over.” soobin smiled, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness.

and as for you, while you couldn’t deny the growing affection you felt for soobin, you still couldn’t shake the feeling that these meetings were more than just coincidence. you just weren’t sure yet whether to laugh about it or confront him about it.

one afternoon, as you and soobin wandered through a park, the warm sunlight filtering through the leaves, you decided to broach a topic that had been on your mind for a while.

“soobin,” you began, a playful edge to your voice, “do you have some kind of magical power that makes you show up wherever i am?”

he looked at you, his eyes twinkling with a mix of surprise and amusement. “maybe i do,” he said with a grin. “or maybe i just really enjoy your company.”

“you know,” you said, teasingly, “if you keep this up, people might start talking.”

“let them talk,” he replied, his smile widening.

as the two of you continued your walk, the world seemed to shrink down to just the two of you. the laughter and chatter of the park faded into the background as you both reveled in the easy comfort of each other’s presence. it was in this quiet, stolen moment that you began to wonder if these coincidences might be leading to something more than you had ever imagined.

your curiosity got the better of you, and you suddenly asked, “i’m starting to think that you like me.”

soobin’s eyes widened in surprise, but then he grinned, that familiar, mischievous glint in his eyes. “you’re not so slow,” he said, his tone teasing. “oh, so i was right…” you chuckled, covering your face as a blush spread across your cheeks. “when did it start?” you added, still grinning.

“the business party,” he admitted bluntly, his tone carrying a mix of nostalgia and warmth.

“wow… just… wow. that long?” you asked, incredulous. “yeah. is there a problem?” he asked, a hint of concern creeping into his voice.

“yeah,” you said, your tone serious but with a twinkle of amusement. soobin’s face fell, panic flashing in his eyes as he avoided meeting your gaze. “w-why?” he stammered.

“because it took you too long to confess when i’ve been waiting for you to,” you said, trying to hide your smile.

soobin looked up at you, his eyes meeting your sweet gaze. “waiting, since?” he asked.

you rolled your eyes, a playful smile tugging at your lips. “i don’t know when exactly, but i probably started liking you when I would run into you ‘accidentally,’” you said, making air quotes around the word “accidentally.”

“am i obvious?” he asked shyly, his cheeks flushing slightly.

“too obvious,” you said with a laugh, “that I was starting to get frustrated because you wouldn’t just come to me and say, ‘hey, i like you, let’s go out.’ i mean, i would say yes immediately. you just have to tell me—”

but your words were cut off when soobin pulled you closer. his eyes searched yours for a moment, and then he asked, “would you mind if i kiss you?”

you were taken aback by his sudden courage, but you found yourself smiling warmly. “i don’t mind,” you said softly.

slowly, as if savoring every moment, soobin’s lips met yours. the kiss was gentle at first, a tender exploration that spoke volumes of the feelings that had been building between you. in that shared, quiet space, everything else seemed to melt away, leaving just the two of you and the promise of something beautiful unfolding.

as your relationship with soobin deepened, the two of you discovered so much about each other, learning the small quirks and habits that made you both unique. each moment, each discovery, only brought you closer. one of the things soobin quickly learned about you was your love for movies, especially ones with complex plots that made you think. every friday, you and soobin would settle in for a movie night, a bowl of popcorn between you, and a stack of your favorite films on the coffee table. it became a ritual, a quiet time that the two of you cherished.

“you always pick the best movies,” soobin remarked one evening, as the credits rolled on another mind-bending thriller.

you smiled, snuggling closer to him on the couch. “i just like movies that make you think, you know? ones that stay with you long after they’re over.”

soobin nodded, his arm wrapped around your shoulders. “i’ve noticed,” he said, his voice soft. “you always have that little furrow between your brows when you’re really into the plot, like you’re trying to solve the puzzle before it ends.”

you laughed, nudging him playfully. “you’re so observant, soobin. i didn’t even realize i did that.”

“it’s one of the things i love about you,” he admitted, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. “you’re always thinking, always analyzing. it’s fascinating to watch.”

soobin also learned that you had a weakness for a particular type of snack: spicy chips. it wasn’t just a casual liking; it was an obsession. he noticed how your eyes would light up whenever you spotted a bag in the store, how you’d always grab one or two, even if you had plenty at home.

one afternoon, after a particularly long day from school, you came home to find a surprise waiting for you. on the kitchen counter was a small basket filled with all your favorite snacks, including a few bags of your beloved spicy chips. a small note was attached to the basket, written in soobin’s neat handwriting: just in case you need a pick-me-up. love, soobin.

you smiled to yourself, feeling a warm rush of affection for him. “you’re too good to me, soobin,” you said as you found him in the living room, leaning over the back of the couch to give him a kiss on the cheek.

he looked up at you with a shy smile. “i just wanted to make sure you had everything you needed. i know how much you love those chips.”

“i do,” you said, laughing softly. “but i love you more.”

as the months went by, soobin also learned the little things about your daily routines. he noticed how you liked to start your mornings with a cup of tea instead of coffee, how you always needed a few minutes to yourself after waking up, just to gather your thoughts for the day ahead. he made a habit of quietly making your tea for you in the mornings, leaving it on the kitchen counter for you to find when you came downstairs.

“you’re spoiling me like a child” you teased one morning as you took a sip of the tea he had prepared for you.

“i just want to make your mornings a little easier,” soobin said with a smile, leaning against the counter as he watched you.

“you always know exactly what i need,” you said, your voice soft with gratitude. “even when i don’t say anything.”

“i pay attention,” he said simply. “i like knowing the little things about you. it’s what makes us… us.”

soobin also learned about your fears, the things that made you anxious or worried. he noticed how you would get quiet whenever something was bothering you, how you would retreat into yourself, trying to work through your thoughts alone. it took time, but he gradually learned how to gently coax you out of those moments, offering comfort and understanding without pushing too hard.

one night, after a particularly stressful day, you found yourself overwhelmed by worries that you couldn’t quite shake. you were sitting on the edge of the bed, lost in thought, when soobin came in and sat beside you.

“what’s on your mind?” he asked softly, his hand resting on your back.

you sighed, feeling the weight of your thoughts pressing down on you. “just… everything,” you admitted. “sometimes it feels like it’s all too much.”

soobin nodded, understanding without needing to ask for details. “you don’t have to go through it alone,” he said gently. “i’m here, and i’ll always be here. whatever it is, we can face it together.”

you looked at him, your heart swelling with gratitude. “i don’t know what i’d do without you, soobin.”

“you’ll never have to find out,” he said, his voice filled with quiet determination. “i’m not going anywhere.”

soobin had always been observant, especially when it came to you. he noticed the little things—the way your eyes would dart away when you were avoiding something, the way your smile didn’t quite reach your eyes when you were trying to hide how you really felt. it was something that became more apparent as time went on, particularly when the stress of school began to weigh heavily on you.

one afternoon, as the two of you sat together in the university courtyard, soobin noticed that you seemed distant. you were both supposed to be studying for an upcoming exam, but while soobin’s notes were spread out in front of him, yours remained untouched. instead, you were staring off into the distance, your expression blank.

“hey,” soobin said softly, reaching out to touch your hand. “are you okay?”

you blinked, as if snapping out of a trance, and turned to him with a forced smile. “yeah, i’m fine. just thinking.”

he wasn’t convinced. “you sure? you’ve been really quiet lately.”

you nodded, trying to brush off his concern. “just tired, that’s all.”

but soobin knew better. he had seen this before—the way you would retreat into yourself when things got overwhelming. it was your way of coping, but it also meant shutting out the people who cared about you. he hated seeing you like this, carrying all that weight alone.

a few days later, the pattern continued. you’d been more withdrawn than usual, spending most of your time buried in your books, but soobin could see the tension in your posture, the way your hands trembled slightly when you thought no one was looking. it was obvious that something was bothering you, but every time he asked, you just shrugged it off with a half-hearted “i’m fine.”

one evening, after another long day of classes, soobin decided he couldn’t just let this continue. you were sitting at your desk in your room, your laptop open but your attention elsewhere. he knocked lightly on the door before stepping inside.

“can we talk?” he asked, his voice gentle.

you looked up, surprised by the seriousness in his tone. “about what?”

“about you,” he said, pulling up a chair to sit beside you. “i’ve noticed you’ve been really quiet lately. and i know you keep saying you’re fine, but… i don’t think you are.”

you sighed, closing your laptop and leaning back in your chair. “i’m just… stressed. school, everything. it’s a lot.”

“i know it is,” soobin said, his eyes soft with concern. “but you don’t have to go through it alone. you know that, right?”

you looked down at your hands, avoiding his gaze. “i don’t want to be a burden.”

“you’re not a burden,” he said firmly, reaching out to take your hand. “i care about you, and it hurts me to see you struggling like this. i want to help, but i can’t if you keep pushing me away.”

you felt a lump form in your throat, the weight of his words sinking in. “i just… i don’t know how to ask for help,” you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper.

“you don’t have to ask,” soobin said, squeezing your hand gently. “i’m here for you, always. whether you want to talk, or just need someone to sit with you in silence, i’m here.”

tears welled up in your eyes, the emotions you’d been bottling up finally coming to the surface. “i’m scared, soobin,” you whispered, your voice trembling. “scared of failing, scared of letting everyone down… letting you down.”

“you could never let me down,” soobin said, his voice soft but unwavering. “you’re doing your best, and that’s all anyone can ask for. and no matter what happens, i’ll be here for you, okay? we’ll get through this together.”

you nodded, tears spilling down your cheeks trying to let go of the walls you’d built around yourself. soobin pulled you into a gentle embrace, holding you close as you cried softly against his shoulder.

but despite his reassurances, you found yourself slipping back into old habits. the demands of school, the pressure to excel—it all felt like too much. and so you started shutting soobin out again, telling yourself that you didn’t want to burden him with your problems.

whenever soobin tried to talk to you about what was bothering you, you brushed him off with the same excuse: “i’m fine, really. just tired.”

he could see the exhaustion in your eyes, the way your shoulders slumped under the weight of everything you were carrying. it broke his heart to see you like this, but no matter how hard he tried, you wouldn’t let him in.

it all came to a head on the day of your second anniversary. the day was supposed to be special, a celebration of two years together. soobin had been planning for weeks, arranging a surprise dinner, getting you a thoughtful gift. he couldn’t wait to see the smile on your face when he surprised you.

but when he arrived at your apartment that evening, his excitement was quickly dashed. you greeted him with a tired expression, your eyes puffy and red as if you’d been crying. the room was dark, the usual warmth replaced with a cold silence that made soobin’s heart sink.

“hey,” he said softly, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. “what’s wrong?”

you shook your head, trying to force a smile. “nothing, just… had a rough day.”

soobin could see right through you, but he didn’t want to push too hard. instead, he pulled you into a hug, hoping to comfort you. “come on, let’s sit down. i brought your favorite.”

he led you to the couch and sat down beside you, pulling you close. “you seem to be forgetting something,” he teased gently, trying to lighten the mood.

you looked at him, confused. “what did i forget? oh my god, i’m sorry.”

“think about it,” soobin said, a playful smile on his face.

“just tell me already,” you said, frustration creeping into your voice.

“no, i won’t. guess it,” he teased, his tone light.

but instead of laughing, you felt a surge of irritation. everything felt overwhelming—the stress of school, the weight of your problems, and now soobin’s playful teasing. it was too much.

“soobin, just stop,” you snapped, your voice harsher than you intended.

he blinked, taken aback by your sudden outburst. “what’s wrong?”

“everything!” you burst out, the words spilling out before you could stop them. “i’m stressed, i’m exhausted, and i can’t handle it anymore! and now you’re sitting here teasing me like everything’s fine when it’s not!”

soobin’s eyes widened in shock, but he quickly composed himself. “i’m sorry, i didn’t know you were going through this…” he said softly, his voice filled with concern.

“how would you know when you never ask?” you shot back, tears welling up in your eyes. “i’m drowning here, soobin, and you’re acting like everything’s okay!”

“i always do, love. i always ask,” soobin said, his voice breaking slightly. “but you always push me away…”

the room fell into a heavy silence, your harsh words hanging in the air. soobin looked at you with such sadness in his eyes, it made your heart ache.

“let’s talk tomorrow,” he said quietly, his voice full of hurt. “come on, let me wash you up.”

he led you to the bathroom, his hands gentle as he helped you wash away the tears and the stress of the day. you were both quiet, the tension from your argument still lingering in the air.

as he wiped your face with a towel, he finally broke the silence. “i’ll leave something for you to eat tomorrow. please eat, okay?” his voice was soft, almost pleading.

you nodded, unable to find the words to respond. after sending you to bed, he caressed your face gently, his touch tender despite everything that had happened. “rest now. i’ll leave when you’re asleep.”

you felt tears prick at your eyes again as you watched him, his caring nature only making the guilt in your chest grow heavier. you wanted to apologize, to ask him to stay the night, but the words wouldn’t come out.

soobin leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to your lips, his touch full of love and understanding. “happy anniversary, love. i love you,” he whispered.

as your eyes slowly drifted shut, exhausted from crying, you felt soobin’s hand gently brush your hair back. he stayed for a moment, watching you as you fell asleep, before quietly leaving the room.

later that night, soobin found himself sitting on a bench in a nearby park, the weight of the evening pressing down on him. he pulled out his phone and called beomgyu, his voice trembling as he explained what had happened.

“give her time,” beomgyu advised after listening to soobin’s story. “she’s going through a lot, and sometimes people just need space to process everything.”

“but what if she needs me?” soobin asked, his voice laced with worry.

“she does,” beomgyu replied, “but you can’t force her to open up. just let her know you’re there for her, and she’ll come to you when she’s ready.”

“i guess you’re right,” soobin sighed, his heart heavy.

taehyun, who had been listening quietly, chimed in. “you shouldn’t have left her alone in the first place. if you really love her, you should stay and support her.”

beomgyu frowned, disagreeing. “soobin’s here because he doesn’t want to push her too hard. he knows what she needs.”

soobin remained silent, torn between his friends’ advice. he knew they both had valid points, but he wasn’t sure what the right thing to do was.

when he returned to his apartment, he felt exhausted, both physically and emotionally. he sat down on his bed, his mind replaying the events of the evening over and over.

meanwhile, you lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. you felt a deep sense of regret for how you had treated soobin, but you didn’t know how to make things right. the weight of your responsibilities and the stress of school had been overwhelming, and you hadn’t meant to take it out on him.

soobin had always known you better than anyone else, and it was that knowledge that made the silence between you two even more unbearable. days had passed since your argument on your anniversary, and while soobin had tried to give you the space you needed, the emptiness in his chest grew with each passing moment without you.

he missed everything about you—your laughter, your warmth, the way your eyes sparkled when you were excited. but most of all, he missed the way you made him feel like he was the luckiest person in the world just by being by his side.

one evening, as the sun began to set, casting a golden glow over the city, soobin found himself walking towards your apartment, his heart pounding in his chest. he couldn’t wait any longer; he needed to see you, to hold you, to tell you how much he loved you.

when he reached your door, he hesitated for a moment, his hand hovering over the doorbell. he wasn’t sure how you would react, but he knew that he had to try. taking a deep breath, he pressed the doorbell, the sound echoing in the quiet hallway.

a few moments later, the door opened, and there you stood, your eyes wide with surprise. you looked tired, but beautiful as ever, and the sight of you made soobin’s heart ache.

“soobin…” you whispered, your voice trembling.

“hi,” he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. “can we talk?”

you nodded, stepping aside to let him in. the two of you stood in the middle of your living room, the silence between you heavy with unspoken words.

“i’ve missed you,” soobin finally said, his voice thick with emotion. “i’ve missed you so much.”

your eyes filled with tears, and you looked down, unable to meet his gaze. “i’m so sorry, soobin… for everything. i didn’t mean to push you away. i just… i didn’t know how to handle everything.”

soobin stepped closer, gently cupping your face in his hands. “you don’t have to apologize, love. i’m sorry for not being there for you when you needed me the most. i should have tried harder to understand what you were going through.”

you shook your head, tears spilling down your cheeks. “no, it’s not your fault. i was scared, soobin. scared that i wasn’t good enough, that i was letting you down… and instead of talking to you, i pushed you away.”

soobin’s heart broke at the sight of your tears, and he pulled you into his arms, holding you close as you sobbed against his chest. “shhh, it’s okay,” he whispered, his voice soothing. “i’m here now, and i’m not going anywhere. we’ll get through this together, i promise.”

you clung to him, your fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt as if you were afraid he might disappear. “i don’t want to lose you, soobin,” you choked out, your voice muffled against his chest.

“you won’t lose me,” soobin said firmly, his hand gently rubbing your back. “i love you, more than anything in this world. nothing will ever change that.”

you pulled back slightly, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes. “i love you too, soobin. i’ve never stopped loving you.”

soobin smiled, his eyes soft with affection as he wiped away your tears with his thumb. “then that’s all that matters,” he said softly. “we’ll take it one step at a time, together.”

he leaned down, pressing his forehead against yours, his breath warm against your skin. “i’ve been so worried about you,” he murmured, his voice filled with emotion. “i just want you to be happy.”

“i am happy,” you whispered, your voice trembling. “as long as i have you, i’m happy.”

soobin’s heart swelled with love, and he pressed a tender kiss to your lips, pouring all of his feelings into that one kiss. it was soft, sweet, and filled with all the love and devotion he had for you.

when he pulled back, he looked into your eyes, his own shining with tears. “we’re going to be okay,” he said, his voice full of conviction. “as long as we have each other, we can get through anything.”

you nodded, a small smile finally breaking through the tears. “together,” you echoed, your voice filled with hope.

soobin smiled, his heart feeling lighter than it had in days. he pulled you close again, wrapping his arms around you and holding you tight, as if he never wanted to let you go.

the two of you stood there, wrapped in each other’s arms, the world outside fading away. in that moment, nothing else mattered but the love you shared—the love that had weathered storms, faced challenges, and come out stronger on the other side.

and so, slowly but surely, you began to let soobin back into your life. it wasn’t easy, and there were still days when you struggled, but knowing that he was there for you made all the difference. he continued to support you, never pushing you too hard, but always reminding you that he was there whenever you needed him.

as the weeks went by, you began to feel more like yourself again. the weight of your responsibilities didn’t seem as overwhelming anymore, and you were able to focus on the things that really mattered—your relationship with soobin, your friends, and your own well-being.

and through it all, soobin remained by your side, his love for you unwavering. he never once made you feel like you were a burden, and he always reminded you of how proud he was of you, no matter what.

it was in those moments that you realized just how lucky you were to have someone like soobin in your life. someone who loved you, flaws and all, and who was willing to stand by you through the ups and downs.

“so you really cried that time?” you teased, a playful glint in your eyes.

soobin shrugged his shoulders, trying to maintain a nonchalant air. “they’re over-exaggerating everything.”

“sure, sure,” you said, grinning.

you both laughed together, the sound of your shared amusement filling the room. soobin playfully nudged you, and you nudged him back, each of you trying to outdo the other in a light-hearted battle of teasing.

the table filled with memories of youth, all of you continued to chat and laugh, the warmth of the evening filled with shared stories and laughter, a reminder of how far you had come and how much more you had to look forward to.

as the night drew to a close, you and soobin knew that no matter what the future held, you would face it together, with love, laughter, and a bond that had only grown stronger over time. taehyun on the other hand starts noticing beomgyu fidgeting on his seat, “you good man?” he asks. “how do i look?” he asks, touching his hair. “chill dude, have you seen her around?” taehyun’s eyes roamed around the venue. “oh fuck,” taehyun whispers. “why?” beomgyu panics, “she’s here, dude.” his voice was a little loud and it had everyone’s attention. “who’s here?” kai asks. “beomgyu’s heartbreaker.” 

gyo's note: heyyy, i'm sorry i didn’t get to post yesterday, and i might change the posting schedule for alumni homecoming. this will be the last post for the week; the rest will be posted next week, starting on monday. ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧ i kind of had a hard time writing this bcs i haven't had a healthy relationship before (ᵕ—ᴗ—) lol, but yeah, i hope you liked it! if you made it to this part, thank you so much. you will be loved, xoxo.

✮ 2024 gyorouis, all rights reserved.

[chilkookiepal]

Greedy

Pt.1

Pairing - lowkey yandere  Kim Taehyung x workaholic!Reader Kind of co-workers au Genres- yandere, comfort, angst, smut if you hold your breath

Summary ; co-worker Taehyung is the only person who makes reader feel safe in the office, he is the perfect gentleman that she falls in love with but what happens when the very trust you put in him is the one way ticket he will use to test your morals to their uncomfortable limits

note, miss gurl is terrible with summaries like I just end up spilling the entire tea whenever I try to invest into a summary 💀

Anyways This is going to be a mini series ,I pulled this one out of my 1am adrenaline and It feels like a personal attack Chile! Here's part one , I have no clue about the amount of chapters we're going to have

Word count: 900+

+. +. +.

MINORS!!GET OUTTA HERE OR IM CALLING YOUR MUM

he was daring…or unhinged who cares when the difference was all in the subtle shift in his set of behaviors towards you

the subtle way in which his dark eyes did not shy away from raking over every inch of you from head to toe

a once-over so subtle yet so affective on all parts of your being

it was as if his dark eyes knew stuff about you you had never shared with him , like the layer of clothes on your body were non existent in his eyes  , only his eyes in this room full of people

in this huge office where his girlfriend just happens to be the chippery conversationalist eager to form a friendship with you on regular work days

Hana ,she was the office crush

desired by half if not all men in the work building, she was hot , confident,outgoing ,friendly and she knew how to dress for the assets granted by her bloodline 

hell if you were a guy you'd line up as well

she was annoyingly perfect and new to your department ,endorsed by THE Kim Taehyung himself after a full year of running a different department brunch of the company , that is where the two met and formed a relationship.

YOU on the other hand had been acquainted with Taehyung the year before his initial transfer , you were an intern that year…he was your senior at work but on a dunken night you learned that you weren't so far apart in age

back then he was just your wonderful senior , he was always hot but you were never one to swoon over people who had no interest in you

so when did energies take this confusing twist?

you're not exactly sure but you can make out a vivid memory of when Taehyung took interest in the selfies you uploaded on your social media casually recommending you for image related tasks in boardroom meetings , you were pretty popular and adored around the office yourself

you were good at your job and rarely took off days , some would say you were a goodie two shoes and while you were beautiful your ability to handle hard tasks at work over shadowed your feminine value in the office .

you didn't  really know Tae out of his suit and ties while seemed to know a moderate enough about you not in a creepy manner ,he was attentive in a respectful manner that a friendly work senior would

the two of you felt far from friends hence you knew next to nothing about him

many of your male coworkers would try to make you feel less than or just attempt to reduce you to a bimbo in your early days but you had him , he was respectful and he spoke in your advocacy when it was necessary

you never felt ridiculed by him and maybe you began to like him ,

you were pretty obvious , warmed by his gentle gaze and the way he gave you all his attention , at other times you could swear you thought he felt the same and you would idiotically turn down guys to wait for him

for unspoken soft gazes sent your way by Taehyung

you're embarrassed for your pathetic self when you forget to transfer a file that needed to be reviewed over night in the office and have to go back after making it pretty close to home  

in your sweaty glory with your blouse stuck to your skin and your heart hammering in your ears you want to believe that your eyes are on a different level of tripping when you walk past the conference room where a nest of dark long hair hides the face of the woman being pleasured into moonlight and you are ready to tiptoe away when something about the man with his face hidden in the crook of her neck  keeps you rooted

and if you felt sick the next set of moments make you want to vomit projectile

the man raises his head eyebrows scrunched in concentration or pleasure…,damned dark eyes heavy with lone hairs from his usually gelled back jet black hair sticking to his forehead in a dangerous way that you did not need to know of , it's when he stares between himself and the woman in front of him that his lips curl in a heart wrenching smirk inflicting a mortal wound as his eyes meet yours that are getting teary for reasons unknown to you yourself .

….

to be continued.

[guiltyasdave]

heaven can't help me now

chapter 3 • series masterlist

pairing: Dave York x f!reader

summary: You're afraid Dave might not like you as much as you like him. ...Meanwhile, Dave is afraid of the same thing. (They're idiots okay)

word count: 6.5k

tags/warnings: explicit smut -> 18+ mdni, dbf!Dave, unhealthy relationship dynamics, dom/sub dynamics, angst, daddy issues (reader’s dad sucks), able-bodied reader, reader has hair, no use of y/n, divorced Dave, phone sex, unprotected p in v, oral (f receiving), rough sex, dirty talk, praise kink, degradation kink, biting, cream pie, use of panties as a gag, orgasm denial, pet names, let me know if anything is missing!

a/n: co-written with my angel @joelscurls, throwing around these ideas with you is so fun, i love you <3

taylor swift said “what if he’s written mine on my upper thigh” and i took that personally

thank you @catchallfangirl for beta reading! <3 (and listening to me freak out about this on a daily basis)

follow @joelscurlsupdates and @guiltyasdavenotifs for updates and find jess’s masterlist here and my masterlist here :)

dividers by the lovely @saradika-graphics 🤍

Dave regrets the message as soon as the small text underneath it switches from delivered to read. 

He knows that he’s been cruel to you, he could see the confusion and hurt written all over your face when he drove you home. But he has to be the responsible one, the adult in this situation. The one who’s able to hold back. Nothing should have happened between you and him, not once, let alone twice. He shouldn’t indulge in this, shouldn’t give you hope. 

He has always looked down on men who were with women much younger than them. Midlife crisis. Not able to have a relationship with someone on the same maturity level. 

That’s not who he is. He understands that the reason why you’re attracted to him lies at least partially in your relationship with your father, and he won’t take advantage of that. It’s not who he is and it’s not what you deserve. 

You’re gonna go back to college in a few weeks and he can pretend that none of this ever happened. You’re gonna meet a nice boy your age, become a lawyer, get married and live your life the way you’re supposed to. Eventually, the memory of you writhing underneath him, your voice so sweet and needy in your desperation, surely won’t be as vivid as it is right now.

But then he found your panties between the cushions of his couch, still damp with your arousal, still smelling of you. His mind started wandering, conjuring images that he should be ashamed of. The things he could do to you, the things he could show you. 

It’s like he’s lost in a haze, stroking his throbbing cock to fantasies of you, all the depraved shit that some respectful fellow student would never do, but that he knows you crave. He hears your whimpers so clearly in his head, pictures your face, so pretty begging him for things only he knows how to give you, until he releases himself all over the lacy bit of fabric that’s clutched between his fingers. 

But now you’re not answering, and shame is swirling in his stomach, surely now he’s overstepped, why did he even think– 

His racing thoughts are interrupted by the quiet ping of his phone and a message from you. Just a photo, no text. 

His eyes widen, taking in the image. He can’t see your face, only the shape of your tits, already so familiar to him, covered in dark, lacy fabric. Exactly the same color, exactly the same pattern as the fabric that he soiled and photographed to send to you.

You put on the matching bra for him, he realizes. Which is probably why it took you longer than usual to answer, you had to get into the lingerie and put yourself all prettily on display for him. He drinks in the shape of you, the skin that he knows would feel so soft underneath his touch, the swell of your breasts, the nipples hidden behind lace, how they would harden for him, how you would squirm if he–

Desire starts coursing through him again, and he feels like a teenager, reduced to this by just a photo. His thumb finds your name on the display almost instinctively.

“Fuck, baby.”

The rasp of his voice hits your ear as soon as you accept the call. Your heart had been hammering away inside your chest since you hit send on the photo. 

“You like it?” 

You hate how needy you sound, how desperate for his approval. David exhales sharply and you wish you were with him again.

“Trust me, I like it very much.” 

Your cheeks heat at his tone. He blows all other thoughts out of your head. You forget how rejected you felt, how you told yourself you wouldn’t let it happen again. It doesn’t matter, not when he talks to you like this. You whisper a thank you and he chuckles. 

“Are you in bed, sweetheart?”

“Yeah.” You bite your lip, considering the words resting on the top of your tongue. Deciding to take the leap. “Wish you were here too.”

You don’t need to see his face to know how he purses his lips, how he slowly curls them into a smirk.

“Mhm? What would you like me to do if I was?” 

Your face burns hotter. 

“I– Touch me, use your fingers to–” 

He groans, a rich, deep sound in your ear. You’re still sore, but your fingertips ghost down your body anyway, chasing the need that’s building up between your legs again. You gasp when they find your clit, already swollen and covered in your slick. 

“Are you touching yourself right now?”

“Yes, please David, I need–”

“Don’t worry, baby. I got you.” 

He keeps talking to you, low murmurs in your ear, directing your fingers over your body. He doesn’t let up until you’ve come twice, until he’s reduced you to a whimpering mess without even being there. 

He doesn’t apologize for earlier, not directly at least. You didn’t expect him to. In a twisted way, that you’re not sure anyone but the two of you would understand, this was his apology. 

You’re not sure what changed his mind, but he doesn’t go back to his distant self afterwards. Maybe he’s come to the same realization as you. That neither of you is going to be able to stay away. 

He’s on your mind constantly, you catch yourself checking your phone for new messages way too often and smiling down at the screen whenever he’s texting you. You know that you shouldn’t act like this, shouldn’t give him that much power in your mind. But it feels so good, to be seen, to be wanted like that. 

You’re both busy; he’s working on an important case and you’re in desperate need to catch up on job applications and college work, which you’ve neglected over the past few days, as your father is quick to remind you. 

But you keep exchanging messages, keep sharing hushed whispers at night. It never lets up, the thrill of his voice guiding your fingers and hearing the sounds that he makes when he’s putting his hands on himself. Knowing that it’s you, the thought of you that elicits them. 

You’re having dinner with your father, who is home earlier than most days, the brightly lit dining room reflecting off the massive windows, when the bubble bursts. 

“You remember Dave, right? From the country club?”

You freeze, your fork hovering in the air over your plate. He knows, your mind screams. No, there’s no way he would know. 

You fight hard to appear nonchalant, to not let your face betray you. You nod, humming questioningly in a way that you hope sounds innocent enough. 

“I told you how he got divorced recently, didn’t I? It’s been hard on him, poor fella…” 

Your dad sighs and shakes his head. You furrow your brow, at a complete loss where this conversation might be going. 

“Well, guess who got him a date?! Cheryl from the office is single and I realized, she’s perfect for him! An amazing match. He never goes out, always been a bit of a loner, I guess… But I set them up and they went out last night! Great, huh?” 

Your mind is running a mile a minute. You force a weak smile, lifting your head to meet your father’s proud grin. 

“Y-yeah, dad. Great,” you echo. You feel hollow.

He leans back in his chair, looking extremely pleased with himself. 

“Looks like I’m gonna have to play matchmaker for you too, eventually, with the way things are going, hm?” 

Under different conditions, the snide remark about your dating life and how he’s never been even remotely happy with any guy you had dared to bring home, would sting a lot more. Right now though, you’re reeling from the fact that David went out with another woman last night. 

“Sure,” you whisper. “May I please be excused?” 

You don’t wait for an answer, already pushing back from the table and rushing up the stairs. Back in your room, you grab your phone, scrolling through your past messages. You didn’t hear from him last night, which you hadn’t found weird at the time, but it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth now. 

Maybe he finally realized that someone his age would be much better suited for him. A real woman, not some little girl who still goes to school, calls him drunk in the middle of the night and can’t stand up against her father. Of course that’s not what he wants. 

You pace in your room, thoughts running through your head. Do you confront him? You never talked about it, never discussed exclusivity, but still… You don’t want anyone else and you had thought that he wouldn’t either.

After tossing and turning in your bed for hours, you decide not to ask David about it, to not contact him at all. Maybe that’s for the best. Save him the trouble of letting you down. It’s like a weight pulling under, the uncertainty and fear of this being it tying itself into a tight knot in your stomach. But you’ve been desperate enough for him already, you try to reason, you need to stop embarrassing yourself by running after him. 

He texts you the next day, sounding just the same way he always does. You can’t bring yourself to not reply to him at all, but it’s clipped, one-sentence answers, which he picks up on soon enough. His name lights up your phone as you’re hunched over your desk in your bedroom, pondering over an essay that you’re supposed to write over the break. 

“Hello?” 

“Sweetheart.” The deep smoothness of his voice travels from the speaker right under your skin, holding you under his spell the way he always does. “Is something wrong?”

You bite your lip, muttering a no in reply. You sound like a petulant teenager, everything that you don’t want him to see you as.

“Now why do I not believe that?”

You hear his smile in the way he sounds. You want to see him so badly, want to be on the receiving end of that smile. You wonder if Cheryl from the office got to see it last night too. If he’s given her all the parts of him that he’s given you. 

“Dunno.” There’s a sting in your voice, not unlike the sting that you feel piercing through your heart at the thought of him with someone else. 

Dave frowns at the way you sound. You’re never this short with him, never seemed so sad since that night you called him drunk and he turned you down. And even then, it was different, not dismissive the way you are now. 

His anxious mind immediately provides him with a variety of explanations. Maybe you’ve finally come to your senses and realized that you don’t want him. That you don’t want a man twice your age, that him wanting you actually makes him a fucking creep, that he isn’t as great as you’ve built him up to be in your head. Maybe you’ve realized that what you’re doing is wrong. He wouldn’t blame you for it. One of you should be reasonable and end things for good. He has been telling himself that.

But you sound so upset that worry settles in his gut. He feels that pull towards you again, only that it’s not explicitly sexual this time. He just really needs to see you, to touch you, to make sure that you’re okay. 

The invitation for you to come over leaves his lips without thinking about it, just the overwhelming need to have you close. You pause, so long that he gets even more uneasy, but eventually you agree.

Dave knows that something is wrong as soon as he opens the door. You look smaller, slightly curling in on yourself. You don’t meet his gaze, eyes downturned and without the spark in them that he sees in his mind when he thinks about you. He pulls you into a hug, one that you barely return.

His bedroom door is once again firmly closed, and he’s directing you towards his couch again. Still the last invisible line, the one that he tells himself will keep him from letting you in all the way. Your eyes linger there for a moment, he can almost see the wheels turning in your head. You deflate even more.

He hates to see you like this. Fights the urge to wrap you in his arms, satisfy his hunger for your lips and fuck you until every trace of that sadness written over your face is erased.

The door that you presume leads to his bedroom is closed, just like the last time you were here. You wonder if he opened it for Cheryl, if she got to see a part of him that you didn’t. Then again, he probably treated her like a lady. Wined and dined her properly, maybe a chaste kiss to say good night. Because she’s someone who’s right for him, someone worth putting the effort in. Not the quick fuck that you had been. 

He probably invited you over to tell you in person that he really can’t see you anymore. That he means it this time. You suppose that in his mind, that’s the decent thing to do. You think that you would have rather had him text you about it. That way you wouldn’t have to pretend, wouldn’t have to tell him to his face that it’s fine, that you understand, don’t worry.

Still, he called and you came running. Like a fucking idiot. 

You sit down on the edge of his couch, decidedly keeping the images of the last time you were here buried in your memories. “Do you want something to drink?” You shake your head no and he sits down beside you. You’re acutely aware of his presence, of the simmering need that you feel for him, even now. Please just get it over with.

“You didn’t have to do all this, you know.” You’re not looking at him, keeping your eyes on your hands, your fingers gripping each other tightly, tense like the rest of your body.

“Do all what?” 

You bite your lip, attempting to swallow down the anger at the fact that he’s gonna make you the one to say it, but it’s no use. Your eyes fly up to meet his. 

“Make me come here, to talk to me in person, or whatever it is you think you’re doing. You– you could’ve just texted me.”

He furrows his brow, a hint of defensiveness in his warm brown eyes. 

“What are you talking about?” 

You scoff. “My dad told me. About your date.” You’re never like this, your voice biting and your eyes glaring. You’re never like this and you have no right to be like this now, getting worked up over the end of something that never even was, not really. “I’m sure she’s nice. A great match, he said, so you’re gonna tell me to fuck off. It’s okay, I understand.”

Your voice breaks on the last word. A lump is building in your throat and your eyes burn with unshed tears. This can’t be happening. It’s bad enough that you feel this much about it, but it’s indefinitely worse to have him know it. 

David’s expression softens. “Oh, sweetheart. That’s not–” He slips one hand in between yours, gently pries your fingers away from each other. “You thought that’s why I asked you to come over here?” 

You shrug, once again unable to meet his gaze. 

“The date was shit. I wouldn’t even have gone if Jim hadn’t kept bugging me about it.”

Inhaling deeply, you slowly trail your eyes up to his face again. 

“Really?”

He nods, wrapping an arm around your shoulder and pulling you into his chest. His lips press against your forehead. 

“Promise.” He sighs. “You sounded so upset, that’s why I asked you to come–”

You sniffle, suddenly feeling stupid about the whole scene you made. He holds you a little longer, and you revel in his scent that’s engulfing you, in the warmth and solidness of his body. When he finally pulls away, his hand finds your chin and lifts it until you’re looking straight at him. A hint of amusement is glinting in his eyes.

“Were you jealous, baby?” 

You’re well aware that he can see right through you, but shake your head anyway. He allows himself a grin.

“What then? Worried that you’ll find no one else to fuck you like I do?” 

Heat is burning in your cheeks, but you can’t help but laugh. He’s not wrong, at least partially. 

Your lips curling up and the soft laugh tumbling out of you soothes him, eases the sting in his chest. The severity of your reaction to the idea of him dumping you for another woman took him off guard. He never wants to see that kind of hurt written over your face ever again. 

He should have told you, he realizes that now. He knew nothing would come out of meeting with that woman that Jim had been boasting about all week, but what was he supposed to say? No need pal, I already got everything I need fucking your daughter? 

He doesn’t know when you began feeling like everything he needed. He knows that you shouldn’t. He knows that he shouldn’t check his phone as often as he does, shouldn’t spend his days fantasizing about you, shouldn’t imagine you by his side almost constantly. 

But how can he not, when you’re looking at him like this, your eyes so wide, so filled with trust. Always ready, always desperate to give him everything of you. Like a dream come true that he didn’t know he had. 

“Maybe,” you admit, teasingly but still so, so soft. Everything about you is so fucking soft. His to touch, his to defile. Because, inexplicably, you fucking let him.

He needs to reassure you that he’s worthy of that trust. He leans in closer, feels your breath ghosting over his face as his nose nudges against yours. He pauses, searches your expression for a moment. You dip your chin down in a tiny nod and he’s onto you, chases your mouth with his. He pours all the emotion that he doesn’t understand, can’t begin to name, into the kiss. How much he misses you, how often you are on his mind. How he doesn’t want to hurt you, wants to do right by you, but has no clue how.

Your lips move against his with more fervor, a mess of tongues and teeth clashing against one another. Your whimpers drip into his mouth, leaving him drunk off you. Heat spreads through him, like a fire that’s going to consume you both. He thinks that he wants it to. 

He trails kisses down your throat, sucks at the skin, relishes in the shivers that it sends through your body. You grasp at his shirt, trembling fingers fumbling with the buttons, but he stops you. Nipping at your collarbone, he looks up at you, takes in your wide blown pupils, the hunger in your eyes.

Maybe this is all he can give you, but he’s going to do that right. He’s going to give you what he can, as long as you let him. 

He hooks his fingers under the neckline of your dress, pulls it down a little, inhales the sweet scent of your perfume. Every new inch of your skin that he reveals fills him with the need to worship it. 

“Will you let me make it up to you, sweetheart?” He mouths at your skin again, his eyes still trained on your face. “Let me make you feel good?” 

You nod eagerly, a breathy please, David falling from your lips. He runs his hands up your thighs, marvels at the almost feverish warmth of your skin, before he lifts your dress and helps you pull it over your head. 

Your underwear is white this time, a picture of innocence that only he knows is an illusion. His arousal swells at the thought, his cock pushing against the confines of his pants. 

“Fuck, I’ve been thinking about this,” he admits, his hands trailing over your waist, tightening his grip momentarily and enjoys watching you squirm in response. “I think about you all the time.” 

Your gaze flickers for a moment, and he realizes what he just said. It’s not a lie, but also not a truth that he intended for you to know. You bite your lip, expression turning thoughtful for a moment. Then a small smile spreads over your face. 

“M–me too,” you whisper, a bit shy, like you’re still half-expecting him to take it back, but putting your trust in him anyway. 

He has to kiss you again, remove all remaining doubts about how much he wants you from your mind. Licking into your mouth, he starts toying with the cups of your bra, pulling them down just so that his fingertips can graze over your nipples. You press your body into his touch, your back arching off the cushions, and he undoes the clasp, lets the fabric fall away from your body. 

He runs his fingers over your flesh, teases the hardening buds, loves the way you keen into his mouth in response. Palming your tits roughly, he pulls away a little to look at them. He doesn’t think that he’ll ever tire of the sight of his hands on you. 

“You’re so fucking perfect,” he murmurs. “Like you were made for me.” It stings only a little right in this moment, while he’s touching you, to know that you are not. He can keep pretending, for a while. It’s worth it, seeing how you light up at the praise, how you drink in his every word, sinking deeper into his touch. His, his, his.

David peels your panties off of you, the image of the white lace against his hand one that you know will burn itself into your memory. His eyes linger on the fabric, a grin slowly growing on his face. Arousal tingles at your spine at the sight. You’re entirely bare now while he hasn’t removed one item of clothing. The obvious power dynamic leaves you feeling vulnerable, you and your body at his mercy, but you trust him. To treat you the way you want, need to be treated, to push you to your limits and to still keep you safe.

The weight of his hands lands on your thighs, slowly pushing them apart, making room for his body between them. You’re acutely aware of how wet you are, and how clearly he can see it right now, with your folds all spread out right in front of him. You feel your slick coating your inner thighs, feel his breath ghosting against it.

He groans at the sight and sinks to his knees, almost at eye level with your pussy. The realization of what he’s about to do sinks in as he leans forward and places a gentle kiss against your clit that has you trembling. But still–

“Y–you don’t have to do that,” you stutter, suddenly feeling a different kind of vulnerable. A shame that you can’t explain starts welling up inside of you. 

He pulls back, sitting back on his haunches and looking up at you. His hands gently push your thighs back together, leaving you less exposed. 

“Do you not want me to?”

You bite your lip, fighting not to avoid his gaze. “I don’t know. I– I’ve never–” Your voice trails off. A fire is burning in his eyes, intimidating you. 

“No one’s ever eaten you out?” He sounds incredulous. 

You shake your head, shoulders moving up in a shrug, a wave of embarrassment growing in you. “Men don’t really… like to. In my experience.” 

He sighs and leans forward, presses a soft kiss to your left knee. “Most men are idiots.” It’s mumbled into your skin, lips moving against it. His fingertips inch up your thighs, leaving goosebumps in their wake. “You deserve to feel good, baby.” His voice sinks into your skin, low and raspy, and you have no choice but to believe it. “Will you let me make you feel good?” he asks again.

His dark eyes are on you, his fingers still tracing shapes over your skin. So close to where you want him. You’d let him do anything. 

“Please, David,” you whisper, for the second time. 

He pries your legs back open, a low growl in his throat as you’re spread out for him. Then he dives in, licking and sucking at your clit, gently at first, but quickly getting more intense, until stars start to burst behind your eyelids and you’re gasping his name. It’s overwhelming, unlike anything that you’ve ever experienced before. 

He lets up momentarily, licking through your slit, drinking up your arousal that’s dripping out of you and groaning at the taste of you. His mouth moves to your inner thighs, kissing and sucking on the sensitive flesh. He bites down suddenly, sinking his teeth into your skin and you scream his name at the unexpected burst of pain that transforms into pleasure almost instantly. 

He does it again, and again, leaving his marks on your body. It hurts just right, the sensation of him leaving his trace on you, marking you as his. You clench around nothing, desperate to feel him on your clit again, to take you the final bit to the top. 

As if he was reading your mind, he lets up his ministrations on your thighs and kisses his way to the spot where you need him so desperately. Your fingers sink into his hair, tugging at the roots, and he looks up at you, smug pride glinting in his eyes. He licks through your folds, nudges at your entrance with his tongue, before his lips find your clit again, closing around the sensitive nub. 

You come within seconds, the waves of your arousal crashing over you so suddenly that it takes your breath away. His groans vibrate against your skin as he laps at you, drinking you down. You feel like you’re in heaven. 

David gives you time to calm down, gently mouths at your heated skin, licks over the spots where you feel the indents of his teeth, before he kisses his way up your body. You taste yourself on his lips when they connect with yours. It’s messy, and filthy, and you can’t get enough of it. 

You whimper when he pulls back and his eyes find yours again, his almost black, the pupils blown wide. He rises to his feet and looks down to where you’re spread out, thighs parted, on full display for him as he towers over you. He leans down, a finger tapping against your mouth.

“Open.” 

Your lips part immediately, giving him all the access he wants. He groans at your obedience, trails his knuckles over your cheek for a moment, before raising his hand to your eyes. He’s holding your panties again. 

“These are so pretty. Would be a shame to just leave them lying around, don’t you think?” 

You let out a sound, something akin to agreement. His grin widens. 

“Good girl.” 

His fingers push the fabric into your mouth, your spit soaking the material, mixing with the arousal that’s already sticking to it. You moan at the taste, your eyelids fluttering shut. 

His palm connects with your cheek in a light slap. Not hard enough to sting, but your eyes fly back open at the sensation. You grind down onto the cushions, desperate for friction as another wave of need floods you. 

“Eyes on me, remember?” 

You try voicing a sorry, but it comes out garbled and he chuckles. Soothing his fingers over the spot he just slapped. 

“There’s no need for you to talk. Just be a good girl and take what I give you, yeah?” 

Your body is buzzing, but your mind is blissfully empty. Ready to give yourself over to him, to submit to whatever he asks. It feels so good, so easily being able to please for once in your life. To follow rules and be praised for it. Simple. Safe. 

He wraps the lace around your head and ties it together in the back, effectively gagging you, leaving your mouth opened, the fabric stretching against the corners. Your desire is coursing through your body with so much force that it’s almost painful. 

He kisses you over the gag, pressing his lips against yours. One of his hands wraps around your throat, applying a hint of pressure. Your hips chase him, your arousal close to unbearable. He chuckles against your mouth before he pulls back.

“Such a good girl.”

He teases you endlessly. Drinks in the sight of you writhing under him as his fingers are back on your nipples, tugging them harshly and eliciting soft mewls from you. You look beautiful in the golden light of the evening sun that’s falling through his windows, almost angelic. 

An angel that he wrecked, already so fucked out when he finally sheds his own clothes and starts sliding his cock through your folds. He coats himself with the slick of your desire, taps his head against your clit, nudges at your entrance again and again without sliding inside. 

Your whimpering cries are music to his ears, your fingernails digging into his shoulders sting just right. You’re pleading with him through the makeshift gag, your words all muffled, and he revels in the desperation in your eyes. Loves the sight of it. 

“What do you want, sweetheart?” he coos, slides over your clit again. “Tell me.” 

You’re trying, trying so hard to get out real words, and he chuckles at your efforts. Deciding to grant you a little mercy, he pushes the head of his weeping cock into you. He throbs at the feeling of it, of how your slick pissy tries pulling him in deeper. You’re whining at the stretch, your hands desperately grabbing at him, before he pulls back again. 

Your eyes are swimming with tears, silently pleading with him. It’s like a rush. You’re always such a good, polite and well-behaved girl, so sweet, and here you are, completely bare and spread out underneath him, crying to get fucked. By him. He’s a bad man, he knows it. He doesn’t care, not when it feels like this. 

He smirks down at you. “Say please.” 

It’s obvious that you’re trying, your tongue struggling against the soaked fabric in your mouth. He lines himself up once more, looks at your face, at the desperate hope written out in your eyes. Then he slams into you. You scream, gripping his shoulders so tightly that he thinks you’ve drawn blood. He couldn’t care less.

Now that he feels your tight walls all around his cock, engulfing him with pulsing heat, it’s impossible to tease you any longer. He pulls back, just to sink deep into you, again and again. You cry out at every thrust, every time that he hits that spot deep inside of you that leaves you such a trembling mess. 

He can tell when you’re starting to tighten around him, your cries getting higher, and he knows that you’re close. Slowing down, he leans his head down to yours, his thrusts becoming more shallow. 

“Hold it,” he murmurs, his lips ghosting against the soft shell of your ear. A whine escapes from your throat, fresh tears falling from your eyes, your whole body trembling underneath him, your cunt squeezing him deliciously tight. He’s breathless, high on the control you’re giving him, on your level of obedience, doing every single thing that he asks from you. 

Letting you calm down a little, he busies himself with kissing every inch of your skin that he can reach. Almost bursting with arousal himself, he knows that he’s not gonna be able to keep this up much longer. 

When he speeds up again, he sets a harsh rhythm, jostling your body with every thrust, mesmerized by the way your tits bounce with the movement. Your walls start tightening around him again, pulling him in. He can’t hold back anymore. 

“I’m gonna come. Gonna leave you just as messy as those little panties of yours. ‘S that what you want?” 

You nod eagerly, more unintelligible pleads stumbling through the gag. 

“Fuck, come here–“ His fingers scramble, ripping the fabric out of your mouth to kiss you properly, to feel your tongue against his. 

His hips move at rapid speed, pumping into you and chasing both your orgasms. He’s breathless, high on the feeling of your wet cunt squeezing him so tight. You come with a cry, muffled by his mouth on yours, and the sensation of you clenching around him sends him over the edge as well. He buries himself deep inside of you, spilling his cum to leave you just as messy as he promised you. 

“Fucking perfect, like you were made for me, only want you sweetheart…” He’s rambling, barely aware of what he's saying, still lost in the bliss of his orgasm. The words only register when an unreadable expression flies over your face in reaction. Shit. He goes through things to say, ways to somehow explain, though he couldn’t even explain the words to himself. 

His mind quiets when you smile shyly and burrow your face in his neck. He moves the both of you until you’re a tangle of intertwined limbs, resting on his cushions, watching as the light slowly fades outside. You’re warm in his arms, your breath coming softly, fanning against his skin. It feels too right to be wrong, he decides silently. 

The peaceful silence between you breaks with a chime from his phone, a message from  your father. 

“Looks like I’m invited to have dinner at yours,” he says, turning the screen towards you. 

“Fuck,” you mutter, grabbing for your own phone to check the time. “I should get going.” 

He helps you get dressed, until your still soaked panties end up in his hands again. His eyes flit up and down your body, lingering on the hem of your skirt, on the bare thighs beneath them. You take a step closer, your hand stretched out for them, but he pulls them away, sliding them into his pocket. 

A smirk grazes your features as you take another step closer. “Again? Really?” 

He shrugs, takes your hand to pull you into him. Your responding giggle is a sound that he’ll never get tired of. He sneaks a hand under your dress, palms your bare ass and presses your body against his. 

“Be a good girl and stay like this, for dinner,” he murmurs against your lips, before he kisses you once more. 

A grin slowly grows on your face as you realize what he’s saying. 

“Deal,” you agree, your eyes glinting. 

You’re sitting down next to him, sliding into the chair beside him with the most innocent, sweetest smile to both your father and him. You’re still wearing the dress that you left his place in, the one that, if you’ve been good, you’re bare underneath. 

He reaches for you almost instantly, hidden under the tabletop, the pull towards your skin too strong to resist. You tense up for a moment, throwing him a quick glance, before you relax into his touch. He draws circles, featherlight on your skin, and you part your thighs a little more, allowing him to slide further between them. 

Focussing on the conversation with your father isn’t easy, not when you’re right here beside him, so pliant under his touch. 

“So, how was it with Cheryl?” your father asks, far too invested in the whole thing for Dave’s liking. You’re looking down at your plate, your shoulders slumped forward. 

He shrugs, his hand traveling upwards, beneath the hem of your skirt, pulling your thighs apart a little more. “She’s nice, but– Not the right fit for me, I think.” 

The memory of meeting the woman flashes through his mind. “You must be Dave,” accompanied by a shake of his hand. All wrong, so different from the way it sounds when David falls from your lips. He had wanted to leave right then and there. His grip on you tightens at the memory. 

“Well that’s a shame,” Jim sighs, leaning back in his chair. “I really thought you two were a good match.” 

Dave grunts noncommittally, taking another bite of his food. 

“This one,” your father continues, his eyes falling to you, “has yet to find a good match as well. Not the best choices so far.” He chuckles, either blind or indifferent to the way you seem to shrink in your chair. You mumble something about focussing on school and your career right now, your voice so small that it breaks Dave’s heart. 

“Boys your age are idiots anyway,” he says, grinning at how your eyes widen, his emphasis on your age in no way lost on you. “Wouldn’t want to have them distracting you, right?” 

You nod silently, but fire burns in your eyes when his hand reaches so high that his fingers swirl through the slick that’s covering your upper thighs. Dave grits his teeth, fighting the urge to kiss you right here and now, consequences be damned.

It’s wrong, it’s so so wrong, but it’s like he’s lost in a haze, high on the feeling of your skin under his fingertips. On the way your thighs fall open so willingly for him, always such a good and obedient girl. On the way you both know that you’re bare underneath your skirt, dripping with the filthy proof of what you did together. On the way he’s staked his claim all over your inner thighs, to the point that he’s certain the indents of his teeth are still pressed into your flesh. All while your father has no idea what’s happening right in front of him. 

The secret rebellion of it thrills you, he understands that now. He wonders if that’s what he is to you, an opportunity to do something so deliciously forbidden that you couldn’t resist. He’ll gladly be that for you. The idea to be the person who brought this out in you thrills him too. 

He somehow makes it through the evening. Not a single conversation topic has found its way into his memories. All he can think about, all that he knows he will remember is the feeling of you under his tight grip. All his. 

You had excused yourself when your father brought out the whiskey, squeezed his hand under the table before you stood up, carefully smoothing out your skirt. Call me, you had mouthed, turning back to look at him before exiting the room. 

He knows that he will.

as always, if you enjoyed this, please consider putting a smile on my face by reblogging, commenting or sending in an ask <3 thank you for reading!

[authorscurse]

hi!! I've seen your work on pjo and was wondering if I could request a Percy jackson x reader? Where the reader is Will Solace's twin, but unlike Will, who Apollo Described to have inherited all of his best qualities, the Reader, however, inherited the "worst"?

[P.J. Masterlist] | [M. Masterlist]

Warning: usage of y/n, Apollo is a bad dad

Pairing: reader x Percy Jackson

W.C: 2k

Note: I'm planning on making my Percy Jackson tag list! Comment if you want to be part of it! Also if you want to be part of my overall taglist!

[Requests]

Synopsis: Apollo!Reader finds solace with friends after her father's hurtful favouritism.

I stare blankly at the breathtaking scenery of the beach. The sky is painted a vivid blue with fluffy white clouds adding ethereal decorations. The sun shone brightly, radiating warmth and light to all it touched. But no matter how much scorching heat and comforting radiance the sun exuded, I felt only the bone-chilling temperature from the bitter winter.

I exhaled and watched the puff of smoke become visible in the frosty winter air. The sun gave no aid to remove the biting cold I felt, inside and out. I'm freezing, I'm numb, and no amount of heat could dispel the paralyzing chill that gripped my heart.

"It's freezing out here," I was startled to hear Percy's voice. I turned and saw him in a cozy sweater, his hands tucked into his pockets, shielding them from the bitter cold. "Go back to your cabin, Jackson," I looked back at the mesmerizing scenery before him. I didn't hear a sound from him, and I thought he had returned to his cabin, but I was extremely wrong when I felt him sit down beside me.

"You should be in your cabin getting some warmth, sunshine." There it was, that affectionate nickname he had given me ever since we first met. I wasn't claimed when we both met for the initial time, but he called me sunshine, and even after I was claimed, the endearing moniker still followed me around. "Are you alright? I heard about what happened," Percy says, concern evident in his voice. I heard him sigh when I ignored him and continued to watch the waves crash onto the shore.

The memory of what transpired this morning kept replaying in my mind, and no matter how much I tried to forget it, I couldn't. Because it's impossible to erase that your own father shattered your heart even before any man could.

Me and Will were twins, we looked alike but not the same in terms of interests and personality. He was calm, and I was like a ticking time bomb. He's seen as humble, while I'm perceived to be arrogant. His likes were different from mine, and the same with our dislikes. Twins but exactly opposite from each other. Other campers thought I was Ares's child until they found out I was Will's twin sister. I guess that's why my father favoured Will all the time.

"Why can't you be like your brother?" Apollo asks in a booming voice that makes me flinch. "Why are you such a disgrace!" It sounded like a question, but it isn't. He meant it to be a declaration. That I am a disgrace. Tears threatened to spill from my eyes, but I did not let them. The last thing I want to do is to cry in front of my father.

He continued to stare at me with so much loathing and contempt in his eyes. He didn't have to say it in words. I saw it, felt it. He despised me. Every single part of me, he hated it. At that moment, I realized that I would never be his perfect little Will. No matter how much I tried to make him proud, it would be useless because I would always be last to Will. I will always be his least favourite daughter.

"Will inherited all my best qualities, and you, inherited all the worst," He said with venom in his words. I looked down and closed my eyes when he turned into light and disappeared. Will entered the cabin seconds later and was shocked to see me alone with tears behind my eyes.

He opened his mouth to ask me what happened, but I darted out the door before he could even let out a single word.

I didn't even realize I was crying until Percy wrapped his arms around me and ran his fingers through my hair to calm me down. "It's going to be alright," He whispered gently in my ear. I cried my heart out into his chest. I allowed all the tears I've been hiding to flow down. I felt guilty for soaking Percy's sweater with my tears, but he did encourage me to continue until I no longer had any tears to give.

It lasted for almost 20 minutes. 20 minutes of my sobs and gasps for air, and Percy stayed the whole 20 minutes, whispering sweet encouragements and soothing words into my ear. As the last few tears I had finally dried, I gently removed myself from Percy's embrace.

He stared at me with his mesmerizing sea-coloured eyes that were filled with so much concern. I took a few deep breaths to calm me down, and when I finally did, I gave him a soft smile. He smiles back at me and places a tender kiss on my forehead.

I gaze off into the distance, admiring the captivating view of the ocean and the sky. Percy continued to draw delicate circles with his fingertips on my bare skin. I release a breath and allow my eyes to close and, for once, relax.

I rest my head on Percy's shoulder and continue to keep my eyes closed. Percy whispered sweet nothings in my ear. I block out every bad memory and thought that entered my mind and focused on Percy's soothing words.

"We should get out of here, you'll get sick my love," Percy whispered. He helped me stand up from the sand and held my hand as we both walked back to the Apollo cabin.

"Are you feeling better now? You can stay with me at my cabin, love. I don't mind," Said Percy. I gave him a soft smile and shook my head before placing a gentle kiss on his cheek. A soft pink tint on his cheeks was evident.

"I'll see you during dinner, Perc," I wave him goodbye and walked inside the cabin. I was immediately engulfed in a warm hug by 3 of my siblings, the 4 of us falling down on the floor.

"Off! Off! I wave the white flag!" I gasp, and all 3 of them got off and laid down on the floor beside me. "Oh, I think I just had a concussion," I say, holding my chest. "You're overreacting, Twinnie," Will said, and I gave him a playful smack to the arm.

"We heard what happened, sis," Kayla says, and I let out another sigh as I was reminded of the painful memory.

"We think you're the best, Y/n. You're the better twin," Austin joked. "I'm hurt, Austin," Will pretended to cry on my shoulder, which I shoved him away, laughing at his antics.

"We love you, Y/n," Austin, Kayla, and Will said in unison. I smiled and felt myself tear up from their heartfelt words. "Awwww, are you going to cry?" Will asked teasingly. "I never thought you were a crybaby, Y/n," Austin joked. Both of them earned a playful slap from me.

The rest of the day was filled with laughter and smiles. The awful memory from this morning had already slipped my mind. My mind now filled with more happy and better memories created with my siblings. I couldn't ask for more.

[shiraishi-kanade]

An Shiraishi is always trying to be someone else: a short and messy analysis on how Vivid Street (unintentionally) messed her up

You know, I kind of have my own issues with the "Wishing to the Blue Sky for Your Happiness!" event, but a lot of my criticism of it boiled down to "huh, it's kind of weird how they gave An this insecurity out of nowhere, she didn't struggle with being herself before. Seems to be a reach just so Shizuku could have a role."

But that was before the Vivid Old Tale, and boy I'll admit I was very wrong.

The relationship between An and Nagi are... Very interesting, to say the least.

But there's no doubt that An absolutely idolizes Nagi. Sure, there's been this line about An always wanting to he a musical like her father, but we also know that for the most part, it was Nagi who taught her to sing, as well as Nagi who acted as An's mentor figure in a more emotional way.

In a way, An won the lottery. She was born into a family that loves her, into a community thay loves her, and just so happened to be talented and passionate about something that community values most. However, that talent has left her little to no space to actually... See herself as someone outside of it.

Now, none of this is actually necessarily negative by default. Having high expectations to one's children isn't necessarily bad either; with the right approach, it can make them grow and want to grow. We've also seen this happen with Touya in his childhood, which us another neat parallel.

But, unlike Touya, An has been very comfortable in her role, precisely because of her talent and being able to reach the very high bar raised for her. That comfort just... never made her reach out to something other than the place and the future she was already familiar with, because she never needed to. She was Ken's daughter and she was talented and everyone in town loved her and she promised to be the better than her dad and everyone took her seriously. What else could she possibly need?

In a way, An had her dole cut out to her before she was even born.

And then there's Nagi.

Yes, Nagi is An's role model. But there's more to that than just An looking up to her.

More than just being taught by her, An actually picks up Nagi's mannerisms, forms or speech, and even moral values (pretty much the entire point of Vivid Old Tale).

An saw, too, how much Nagi meant for the people of Vivid Street. She wanted to mean as much for them, too; rather, she already did mean as much, but she needed to be someone to justify being loved. It's not necessarily a conscious thought process but more of a subtle one: if you notice your community loves some traits of you more than the others, or values some aspects of you more, you start to lean more and more into them in order to fit in and be accepted.

For An, those particular traits were being talented, being Ken's daughter, but also... Being very similar to Nagi.

Them acting "like sisters" has been highlighted over

and over

and over again, even by people unfamiliar with Nagi, well into An's teenage years.

And it's not exactly... A complete coincidence on everyone's part. At one point, Nagi openly states she wants An to be like her, to be able to see things from the same perspective. At least to some extent, some of the actions Nagi takes to make that happen are completely deliberate.

So An tries to be like Nagi. This is both a conscious effort on her part and something that just... Is sort of a hidden force that shapes her into who she is. If you watch Nagi and compare even the way she talks with people of the town to the more mature, somewhat-grown up but not quite there yet An we have today... There's so many similarities it's uncanny. An is still much more hot-headed and impulsive, but that caring, considerate side of her shines through even more than before.

An doesn't try to deny or hide that, too. In fact, she's actually pretty proud of it.

(Whether Ken lied to her to make her feel better or if that expression was just a reaction to being reminded of Nagi passing away & the masquerade that followed after that, we'll never know.)

But here's the kicker: there's so much of Nagi in An it's hard to pinpoint where Nagi-san's traits end and An's own personality begins, if it even does. Because of how early has everyone decided on An's future, and because An never did anything to even hint at wanting to do something different (which she didn't! Sometimes people want to continue their family's legacy and that's completely normal and fine - again, she just got really lucky, both with her talent and supportive surroundings), An subconsciously kind of accepted that being like Nagi is... Just who she is.

That comes with taking on Nagi's part in the community, too. In the same way Nagi took care of everyone in town by helping them out at events, so too, does An - just to a much lesser extent, by going out of her way to keep in touch with everyone, going to events, and helping at a cafe, too.

But An doesn't purposely mold or change her personality to be like her role model, too. This is important: An doesn't wear a mask because she doesn't need to. In her mind, she already is like Nagi, or at least, she's on track to be, without doing particularly anything different. Because they're just so similar they're so close and practically behave like sisters, and because An grew up singing in the town exactly like Nagi did, and because she loves the town just like Nagi did - what else could An possibly need to do except get better at singing and get more grown up?

You know, to reach that mature and down-to-earth side of Nagi that we often see in the past?

That side?

Yeah.

Now the Shizuan event's conflict isn't so out of place, is it?

But anyway, back to the point.

Because of Nagi wording things the way she does and because of people on Vivid Street making such a point of their similarities, An naturally assumed she would eventually become like Nagi. This is why, even aside from Kohane's improvement, aside An's abandonment issues, Kick It Up a Notch is a giant slap to the face for An, as well as her wake-up call.

Kohane taking on Nagi's mantle before An was able to, or potentially ever could, isn't just about singing - it's an attempt at An's entire sense of self, just as well as her place in the world, and on the smaller sense, her hometown, too.

Because if An is not Nagi, she doesn't belong.

Because An never knew how to do anything but sing. Because becoming like her family, like Nagi, was the only option she ever imagined for herself ever since she was a child.

And if An is not Nagi, then who the hell is she?

[this post was very much inspired by @the-one-that-weeps 's An analysis post, who kind of put this much more eloquently than I could! Go check them out.

All translated lines that aren't taken from the wiki transcripts are by lozybug on YouTube!]

[two-white-butterflies]

parallel lines | d. targaryen | part ten

Description: An ordinary middle school teacher moves to a desolate town with her fiancee. After suffering episodes of vivid nightmares, she realizes that his uncle looks exactly like the man in her dreams.

Pairings: daemon targaryen/reader, aemond targaryen/reader

Trope: Reincarnation

series masterlist |

Grief makes us do unspeakable things. It sharpens our claws, and protects us against things that may happen in the future. It forces us to be reserved, makes us shut up.

But sometimes grief makes us explode.

Makes us yearn for the love that hasn't been granted to us.

"You're not allowed to talk to him." the police guard scoffs.

Alicent weakens. Her first child tied in cuffs, never allowed to live life as a free man again. "I'm sorry," she mouthed - staring deep into Aegon's eyes. His lips pressed into a thin line, entirely unsure if the descent into madness was caused by his parents.

He cannot blame them, even if it was.

He walks away.

So you're leaving in the morning, on the early train.

The music in your airpods blasted. Harwin continued loading your luggage into the trunk. He doesn't know when he'll see you again.

I could say everything's alright. I could pretend and say goodbye.

"We'll keep in touch." you promised, wrapping him in a warm embrace. Daemon's hand found the small of your waist. "I'll call you everyday." Harwin made the same promise.

Basically his full-sister at this point.

"- I'll miss you." Harwin pressed a kiss on your forehead.

Daemon opens the car door for you. It was the beginning of your life. A life that you fought hard to have again.

I won't stop loving you.

I'll always be here by your side. I'll never want you to say goodbye.

Aemond smiled, hearing the radio play your favorite song. He wonders if you're better now - living the life that he took for so long. "So Mr. Aemond Targaryen, is it your first time in therapy?" the older woman adjusted her glasses.

"Yes." he answered with a smile.

(FIVE YEARS LATER)

yourname: ❤️ thank you for visiting us in 🇦🇺 thank you for the cute photos @helaenasphotography

liked by harwinstrong and 321 others

>comments

harwinstrong: My Heart 🥲🥺

helaenasphotography: always welcome guys! ✨

RhaenyraStrong: When are you coming home? Missing youuuu soo muchhhh - yourname: soon, i promise!!

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It's been five years since you disappeared off the face of the earth. You can still remember the day that you left. It was a Sunday.

May 7, 2023.

You moved to Switzerland with Daemon, enjoying the snow and the scenery around you. He started teaching in an international school. You postponed your law degree, instead you focused on running a daycare and healing from your scars.

You were lucky to welcome your first child.

Daenerys.

After Switzerland, you moved to Australia.

The warm sand was kissing your barefoot. The beach was beautiful in the morning, you liked the way the sun stung your skin. "Let's go for a swim," Daemon pleads, "I don't want to get stung by jellyfishes, love." you whined, but he continues pulling you in the water.

The water was warm, though slightly colder than the sand. A sigh escaped your mouth feeling the seaweed wrap around your feet. It was another day in paradise. "They won't bite, I promise." he pressed a kiss on your lips.

He was enjoying this life.

"It's not my problem if I get bitten anyways." you wrap your arms around his body, using him as a floater. He chuckles, remembering the time he had to haul you to the hospital because of a snake bite.

It was a garden snake, not the venomous kind.

"I'm sorry for that," he laughed, walking until the water reached your shoulders. The seaweed was ticking your thighs. "I'm glad that everything happened the way it did. I got justice for my mom's death. I got you. I got Daenerys." you whispered.

"I love you, Dae." you confessed.

"I love you too," he hummed, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

harwinstrong posted to his story!

caption: daemon n daenerys. visited australia 🇦🇺! cheers mates

replies

RhaenyraStrong: Aww he looks so cute RhaenyraStrong: Please take more pictures!

Harwin smiled, helping you load the luggage inside of the car. "Two years and you're finally coming home." he states, placing his hand on your head and messing with your hair.

"I'm sorry that it took a while. We had a lot of things going on." you exchanged a knowing look with Daemon.

Harwin takes a closer look at the little boy. "Jesus, he looks exactly like you." he observed. "- don't let Daemon hear that." you placed a finger to your lips, continuing to rock the little boy to sleep.

"The car is ready." Daemon says, opening the door for you.

Harwin sits in the passenger seat, while you and Daenerys are in the backseat. "Is she strapped properly?" Daemon does his final rounds of safety inspection. "We're ready to go, dad." you confirmed.

yourname: thanks for the photos @helaenasphotography ❤️

liked by harwinstrong and 1,382 others

>comments

RhaenyraStrong: Congratulations are in order!!

jacejacejace: I'm so excited for the wedding 😍 ate that

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daemontargaryen: "If there is heaven in this life, it is my mother." ❤️

liked by harwinstrong and 96 others

>comments

RhaenyraStrong: Daenerys was so little then 🥲 they grow up too fast

joffreyminecraft_gamerboy: uncle daemon can u plese by me robux? - daemontargaryen: ok

LaenorVelaryonLaw: Keep posting pics of Dany and (Your Name) I'm tired of seeing your eyesore face on my newsfeed - daemontargaryen: You follow me, so?

"Dany, be careful. Vissy has soft bones." you dutifully reminded. In the span of five years the children in the family grew.

Rhaenyra and Harwin had Aegon, Viserys and Visenya.

"I don't know how you take care of these many kids. Daenerys just by herself is a handful." you chuckled, admiring the way Rhaenyra raised her children with tenderness and affection. "Harwin decided to have an early retirement, so we're with the kids 24/7." she humbled.

6 children. 1 teenager, and 1 adult child.

She's a legend.

"Has Jaehaerys and Jaehaera ever asked about their father?" you inquired, wondering if you should help shoulder the boulder of raising Aegon's kids. "I legally adopted them, as far as they're concerned Harwin and I are their parents." Rhaenyra confirmed.

Aegon was a strange creature. He always had that blank look in his eyes. He'd always joke about the most deranged topics, but when his children entered the room - his eyes would light up. He was a horrible person, but you think that he's a good father.

To some extent.

"Enough of that, I'm so excited for your wedding." Rhaenyra placed a hand on your forearm. Your eyes light up at the thought. "I already picked out a few bridesmaid dresses. I just need y'all to choose." you announced. "- I think they're in my room." you remembered.

Rhaenyra motioned for the maids to grab the gowns.

"Let's have a fashion show!" you smiled.

yourname: 08.23.24 🖤 Officially Mrs. Daemon Targaryen

liked by 1,239 others

helaenasphotography: Congratulations guys! I couldn't stop crying last night :(( ❤️

RhaenyraStrong: We did it baby!!!

harwinstrong: congrats sis and bro

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daemontargaryen: thank you for marrying me.

liked by 100 others

>comments

harwinstrong: Thanks for inviting us. We had fun.

helaenasphotography: Congrats guys!! 🥳 Cheers to forever

[daisynik7]

Iris

And I don't want the world to see me, ‘cause I don't think that they'd understand. When everything's made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am.

Pairing: Eren Jaeger x f!reader

Rating: Mature – MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

Word Count: ~4.5k (I went way over than I was supposed to, lol)

cw: switching POVs (2nd person reader, 3rd person Eren), canon-universe, VERY canon-divergent, consider this a what-if scenario, major AOT spoilers up to season 4, angst, hurt/comfort, fluff, smut – PIV sex (cowgirl position), fingering 

Summary: At the Battle of Fort Slava, Eren Jaeger, hell-bent on launching his ultimate attack on Marley, injures himself to pose as a wounded soldier, granting him admittance to the hospital to finalize his plans. You, an Eldian volunteer working at the hospital, start treating this new patient, nervous about his mysterious demeanor. Eventually, you learn that you have much more in common with each other than you think. 

Author’s Note: Thank you @ichinosejager13 for your second request for the y2k karaoke party! I did something totally different this time; I wrote a fic set in the canon universe. I thought it fit well with this song, so I hope you like it! While it’s set in the canon universe, it is very obviously canon divergent, so please remember I took a lot of liberties with this. I am in no way suggesting that any of this is what I wish happened in canon. I just think it was an interesting idea to write. Also, I understand that this will seem very out-of-character for Eren, but let’s just roll with it because it's all in good fun, lol. 

Like, reblogs, and/or comments are ALWAYS appreciated! Thank you for reading! MDNI banner by @/cafekitsune.

Fort Slava, huddled in the trenches. Blade through his leg, bullet in his eye. This is the last vivid memory Eren can recall as he stands in line outside the hospital, waiting to be admitted. Some asshole Marleyan imitates explosion sounds, causing all of those around him to fall to the ground, cowering in fear. They suffer trauma from the battlefield, and even Eren, with a clear conscious now, is affected by it. A kid, another Eldian dawning the same yellow armband as he is, steps towards them, kneeling down to help them up. He even assists Eren, correcting his armband to his left arm instead of the right. Luckily, it goes unnoticed by everyone else, which is exactly what he wants. 

It's all part of his plan; the attack on Marley. It’s been in the works for months now, starting with his infiltration of the army, fighting alongside Marleyans and Eldians alike. He thought he’d have better clarity of the situation, maybe get convinced to call the whole thing off after bonding with other solders through the tragedies of violence and war. Unfortunately, it’s only made him realize how much more he needs to follow through with it. Nothing will ever change in this cruel world unless he’s the one to do it. 

There are days when he gets cold feet. He’s tempted to re-evaluate, find a way back to his home of Paradis, reunite with his friends, devise a better plan and figure it out together. But in all the futures Eren can see, his current plan is the only one that will work. The only one that will grant him the freedom he’s been chasing his entire life.  

The process is slow to get a room in the hospital. Luck remains on Eren’s side when he’s assigned a private room. It’s barren; a single-bed, just long enough to accommodate his stature, withered sheets and rusted iron on the frame. There’s a small nightstand beside it with two drawers to hide his belongings, which is essentially nothing, and atop is a small lamp, illuminating the room in a dreary glow. It’s not luxurious, but it’s enough for the time-being. Because that’s all Eren needs right now: time. 

Eventually, Zeke will find him. They’ve been contacting each other for a while now, and Eren has a firm grasp on what his older brother is trying to convince him to do with the Founder’s power. While he doesn’t agree with his idea to euthanize the entire race of Eldians, Eren needs to entertain it long enough to manipulate Zeke into letting him use his royal blood. 

It's all convoluted and fucked up, he’s aware of that. Somedays, he wishes he could escape this curse without doing anything at all. That one day, he’d be gone from this world, liberated from his Titan power, saved from this burdened life. This isn’t what he imagined while reading all those books he and Armin would marvel at as kids. This isn’t the freedom he was hoping for. 

He rests in his pathetic, yet oddly comforting bed, staring up at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep. His leg and eye are still wrapped in bandages, so a nurse should be coming soon to check on him. There’s a faint commotion out in the hallway, but Eren is too lazy and too uninterested to investigate. Soon, it subsides, and the door swings open, revealing a women around his age, wearing a nurses uniform and the yellow Eldian patch on her left arm. He recognizes the attire from battle; the army had a few nurses stationed at the fort for casualties. 

“Mr. Kruger?” she asks. 

It takes him a second to remember the alias he decided to use. He confirms it, nodding his head silently. 

She gives him a warm smile, introducing herself. “I’ll be helping you from now on.”

~~~

You started working at the hospital a few months ago. For Eldians, it’s nearly impossible to be accepted into higher education, so nursing school was never an option. With opportunities so scarce, your best bet was to apply for a volunteer position at the hospital in hopes of using that as a steppingstone for an actual paying job. You don’t expect a promotion any time soon, not even in the near future, but at least you’re spending your time helping others.

While it’s rewarding, it isn’t glamorous or pretty in the slightest bit. Because you lack the proper education, your tasks mostly include bathing, feeding, cleaning up any accidents or messes. Occasionally, if your patient is open to it, you spend time with them chatting, doing activities with them, listening to their stories. This is rare, though. Most that are admitted are Marleyans who refuse to speak to you because of your status. Some are even reluctant to have you help them in the first place. The Eldians, sadly, are usually too traumatized to open up, so you do your best to make them comfortable however you can. 

When you meet your newest patient, Eren Kruger, you don’t expect him to be any different from the rest. You are, however, surprised at how young he is; he can’t be any older than you, judging by his appearance. His records show nothing except for his name and his status as an Eldian, which isn’t unusual, so you don’t think much of it. “Mr. Kruger, I know you must be hungry,” you start. “Lunch will be arriving soon. If you need assistance, I’ll be here to help you.”

He acknowledges you with another curt nod, remaining silent. You can’t help but notice how brilliantly green his eyes are. Have you ever seen irises like his before? You let the inappropriate thought vanish quickly before you ask, “Would you like me to bathe you now or after you eat?”

At this, his brows tighten. “Bathe?” 

“Yes, Mr. Kruger. We can bathe you before or after lunch, it’s up to you – ”

“I don’t want to bathe,” he says, avoiding your gaze. 

You blink at him, unsure how to respond. “Surely you must want to be clean – ”

He interrupts you again, muttering, “How can I, when I’m like this?”

You understand his hesitation now, not needing further explanation. Sometimes, patients with missing limbs have expressed concern submerging themselves in a tub full of water, not wanting to get their bandages wet. Quickly, you clarify, “It would be a sponge bath. We can do that while you’re lying in bed, actually. And your bandages will stay intact.”

This seems to be the answer he’s looking for. His expression relaxes when he says, “After. I want to do it after I eat.”

You smile softly at him, noting it on your checkboard. “Understand. I’ll go check on your meal now. Is there anything else you need from me?”

A beat passes before he replies, “Pen and paper. For letters.”

You write it, reminding yourself to bring it when you return with his meal. “Got it.”

A few minutes later, you return with a tray of food along with a wad of paper and two pens. You set it on his nightstand beside him, waiting for him to move it. When he doesn’t, staying still, staring blankly at the foot of the bed, you clear your throat. “Mr. Kruger?”

“I’m not hungry,” he murmurs. 

“But you haven’t eaten all day. You need nourishment if you’re going to get any better.”

“And who says I want to get better?” He glares at you, startled by the intensity in his gaze. 

You swallow hard, nervous, but still resilient. “You have to eat. You owe it to yourself after what you’ve been through.”

“And how would you know what I’ve been through?” His voice is steady, a hint of venom, barely enough to sting. But you’re determined. You sit at the edge of the bed, careful not to touch him. Reaching for the tray, you set it down on your lap, sighing. “I don’t know. I have no idea what war is like out there. All I know is that it’s not great for us here. At least out there, you’re fighting together as a unit. Marleyan, Eldian, it doesn’t matter. You’re working to defeat our enemy. And who knows? If we ever win the war, maybe life will be better for us here.” You shove the tray towards him, glaring back at him. “So the least you could do is try to see it through and survive, right?”

He studies you carefully, contemplating how to respond. Glancing at the tray in front of him, he smirks, scooping a spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth. You ease up, tension releasing from your shoulders. 

After a few more bites, he speaks. “Who do you think the enemy is?” 

Just when you thought you were in the clear, he asks you another question. “It was the Mid-East Allies. That’s who you fought at Fort Slava.” 

“But who do you think the real enemy is?” He’s finished with his potatoes, now moving on to his meatloaf. 

“Well, I suppose it’s whoever the government says it is.” You’re unsure what kind of answer he’s searching for.

“And if they say that we’re the enemy, then what?” He points between you, leaving you confused. 

“We…?”

“Eldians. Devils.”

“No, no. The Devils are on the island. We’re…we’re not like them.”

“Are you sure?” He stuffs the rest of the meat into his mouth, chewing and swallowing it all down. “What makes you think you’re any better here than you are there?”

Your face feels hot now, and you start to stammer. “Because…because that’s what we were told. We’re on the right side. They’re on the wrong.” 

His plate is nearly clean now. He slides his fingers on the remnants, licking it off before chugging half a glass of water. “What if I told you there’s a place for people like us? A place where you wouldn’t have to walk around with an armband. A place where you were treated fairly. Would you want to go to a place like that?” 

You feel yourself drawn in by his words. The idea of it sounds impossible. Ever since you were born, you were taught to know your place in this world. That place was here in Marley, destined to be a second-class citizen. You were told that the island across the sea was full of devils like you, but because you’re here, you’re better. You can’t deny that you’ve been curious what life is like out there. All this time, you thought it must be worst, secluded on an island, hated by the rest of the world. 

But is this life any better? Secluded in your own community and still hated by the rest of the world?

You pick the tray up from his lap, muttering, “I’ll go get your sponge bath ready.”

He doesn’t add anything else, watching you silently. You walk towards the door, ready to leave. Before you do, you say, “And to answer your question: I would.”

~~~

It was supposed to be innocent banter, that’s what Eren intended. He figured he could chalk it up to the trauma speaking for him, that she wouldn’t even be remotely interested in what he had to say. He thought she’d be like all the other naïve, brainwashed Eldians, ignorantly believing everything that was told to them. He realizes soon enough that he was wrong to underestimate her.

She comes to him every day, fulfilling her volunteer duties. Their daily routine begins with breakfast, then a morning stroll in his wheelchair out in the courtyard. Sometimes they’ll play chess at one of the tables, sometimes it’s checkers. Lunchtime comes, and then it’s time for a bath, one of Eren’s favorite parts of the day. Her hands are always gentle, gliding along his skin with a damp sponge. They’ll do another stroll outside, this time on his crutches, where he practices how to walk. Dinner arrives when it’s already dark out, and occasionally, he’ll ask her to read the latest news from the paper. 

While all this happens, they talk. They talk a lot. 

As expected, she figures out that Eren is from Paradis, though he bends the truth about his true intentions for being here. She doesn’t know about his Titan powers, thinking he’s a refugee seeking sanctuary here. Surprisingly, she isn’t offended about it; in fact, she’s curious. They spend most of their time together sharing stories of their childhood. Eren describes life in Paradis, she describes life in Marley. While there are stark differences between their upbringings, there are also blatant similarities. And together, they come to the gut-wrenching conclusion: Eldians are terrorized wherever they are, whether it’s here, or across the sea. 

Eren has only sent one letter in the past two weeks, and that was to his friends back home, informing them that he is in Marley, safe and sound. He doesn’t disclose his plan to them yet. In all honestly, he’s not sure what the plan is anymore. Zeke still hasn’t found him, nor has Eren gone out of his way to be found. What Eren does know is that he enjoys spending time with the woman who helps him. So much that he’s losing grip on what he’s supposed to be doing here. He has to do something soon.

It comes to a head one night, three weeks after he was admitted to the hospital. Eren requests for another sponge bath after dinner; it was a hot day and he worked up a sweat during their afternoon walk. She helps him strip his shirt off, starting with the wet, warm sponge at his chest, massaging small circles onto his sticky skin. He watches her carefully, noticing her eyes lingering on his body more so than usual. 

He speaks softly into her ear, leaning in close. “I have something to tell you.”

She continues above his waist, hands gently scrubbing, not bothering to look at him when she responds. “What is it, Eren?”

He’s thought about this all day. The plan. “Would you like to visit Paradis?”

This time, she does look at him, confused. “What?”

Louder now, and more confident, he says, “Come to Paradis with me. See what it’s like there.”

She scoffs. “I can’t just leave.”

“Why not?”

“Because this is my home.”

“They treat you like nothing here,” he argues. “At Paradis, you’re somebody. We can be safe at Paradis.”

She stops, tossing the sponge into the bucket of water beside her, frustrated. “Safe? After everything you’ve told me? You said it yourself; you’ve been terrorized by Titans since you were a kid. Every nation in the world wants Paradis gone. How can it be safe?”

He swallows thickly, gripping her hand delicately in his. “I can’t explain everything right now, but I have a plan. We have a plan.” He recalls one of the last memories he has of Armin, his brilliant friend, suggesting a small-scale Rumbling, enough to scare the rest of the world from attacking Paradis for centuries. He dismissed it quickly then, but now, he considers it. Could this be their best option? Instead of the billions of casualties Eren had originally devised? “You just have to trust me for now. Once we’re there, I can explain everything.”

She stares at him, clearly in shock from his suggestion. He doesn’t blame her. Eren is asking her to give up everything she knows. 

“Eren,” she starts, squeezing his hand tighter. “I don’t know if I can do that.” 

He smiles at her, brushing his thumb across her knuckles delicately. “I understand. I know it’s a big ask, and I shouldn’t have expected you to say yes. I just…I just think I know what I can do for Paradis to make it safe for people like us. Somewhere we can be ourselves, where people will know us for who we are, and not for what they see on our armbands.”

“It sounds like paradise,” she says quietly.

“It does. And I think I could make it that way. I know I can.”

She sighs, retrieving the sponge again. “I want to believe you, Eren. But I don’t think I can throw away my life for something I’m unsure of.” She starts to slide his pants off, ready to wash below his waist.

“Please, just consider it. I plan to leave soon, within the next few days. I just have to send out a letter tomorrow, and I should be ready to go.”

“You’re leaving? Already?”

“I know what I have to do now. I can’t waste any more time when we can end this war now.”

She peers at him, tears welling in her eyes. “I…” 

“What is it?” He sits up, leaning in close to cup her cheek, brushing away her falling tears. 

“Will we ever see each other again?” Her voice is trembling, lips quivering. His heart sinks into his stomach, seeing her like this.

He presses his forehead to hers. “I’ll find you when this is all over. I promise you. Whatever you do, don’t go anywhere near the shore, okay?” The small-scale Rumbling should only affect the fleets, which will be in the middle of the ocean, far from the shore. Still, he can’t risk anything happening to her. Not when he isn’t there to protect her.

She nods, not asking for any further explanation. He presses a small kiss to her forehead. “I’m going to do whatever it takes to bring us peace.” 

~~~

Eren asks you to drop off a letter in the mailbox, addressed to someone named Azumabito. Apparently, she is an ally to Eldians who is stationed here in Marley, so she can arrange a ship for him to head back home. 

There are still so many questions left unanswered, though you decide not to ask them. Maybe it’s foolish to trust someone you’ve only known for a month. But Eren has given you more truth about this harsh world that anyone else the entire time you’ve been here. And he’s the only one who’s ever promised you a better life. 

Two days after you mailed the letters, you receive a response. It’s addressed to you, though you’re sure it’s meant for Eren. There’s a fancy insignia stamped to one corner of the envelope: a circle with a triangle in the center, formed by samurai swords. You keep it safe in your pocket as you head for the kitchen, ready to deliver Eren’s dinner. 

He reads it when he’s finished with his meal. You watch as he scans the letter carefully, mouthing a few words under his breath. When he reaches the end, he looks up at you, a small grin on his face. “She’s arranged a ship for tomorrow morning, before sunrise.”

You gasp, surprised at how soon his departure is. “Tomorrow?”

He nods, folding the letter and tucking it beneath his pillow. 

You let out a deep breath, unsure what else to say. Noticing your quiet demeanor, he reaches for your hand to hold it. “I know this is happening so fast. But I’ve never been more certain about what I need to do until now.” He interlocks his fingers with yours, smiling. “And you helped me with that.”

“Me? How?”

“By being you. By giving me a chance to explain myself. Even when you found out I was from Paradis, you didn’t judge me. You got to know me. It showed me that there are people, good people, on this side. That even in a ruthless place like this, there is beauty to be saved.” 

You don’t say anything, throat too heavy with emotion to respond. Blinking away your tears, you take his tray from his lap, walking quickly to the door. Before you can leave, he asks, “Can you please come back to help me shave?”

Without turning to face him, you nod, exiting his room, stifling your sobs on your way down the hallway. Your heart yearns for more time with him. For the past few weeks, being here has been an escape from your painful reality. You’re not seen as an Eldian, you aren’t considered a second-class citizen. With him, you’re just you. 

You know that you can’t keep him caged here forever. Like a bird, he’s ready to spread his wings. He’s ready to be free. While you’re heartbroken to see him leave, you’re thrilled for him to fulfill his destiny. All you can hope is that one day, you’ll be reunited in a better place than here. 

You return to his room a couple of minutes later with everything you need to give him a close shave. His facial hair has grown out quite a bit since he arrived. You lather his face with a small amount of soap, scrubbing the suds off with a warm, wet towel. He closes his eyes, indulging in your relaxing touch. After mindful preparation, you begin to shave his goatee with a straight razor, pulling his skin taut, gliding the blade carefully across his chin, cleaning it after every stroke. When you’re done with his beard, you focus your attention on his mustache, delicately moving the razor until his skin is smooth and shaven. You smile as you wipe off any remaining residue with the towel. 

With everything discarded into the bucket of water set on the nightstand, you take this time to admire his face, memorizing every detail. The flutter of his lashes, the bridge of his nose, the sharpness of his jawline, the plush of his lips. It’s only now that you realize how close to him you are. You’re kneeling beside him on the bed, noses almost touching, your fingers grazing his smooth skin. He opens his eyes to look at you, and his breath hitches at the intimacy, glancing at your mouth. 

Before you can move, he closes the short distance, kissing you on the lips. As quickly as it happens, he pulls away, blushing. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I should have asked first. I’m sorry – ”

You cut him off with another kiss, hungry for more. It’s his last day; in mere hours from now, he’ll be gone, and you’re not sure when you’ll see him again, if ever. It’s crossed your mind many times by now, how it would feel to be with him like this. The feeling of his lips on yours, the slide of his tongue in your mouth, the taste of his spit. You’d be lying to yourself if you said you’ve never thought about it. In fact, it’s been on your mind every night as you fall asleep, wishing you were in his arms instead of alone in your bed. 

He doesn’t pull away this time, sinking in deeper, slipping inside your mouth to swirl his tongue with yours. He’s just as sweet as you fantasized he’d be, luscious and rich in your mouth. His skin is smooth against your fingertips, tracing his jawline. One hand slides around your waist, tugging you closer to him, the other wraps around the nape of your neck, holding your head steady. You swing one leg over him, straddling his lap, hoisting the hem of your dress past your hips, revealing your panties. He moans, shifting beneath you in the bed to slip his trousers down, displaying his erection bulging in his underwear.

“Is this okay?” he huffs, catching his breath. His voice wavers, his only visible eye half-lidded with arousal, unable to keep his cool.

“Yes,” you answer, grinding yourself on him, kissing him sloppily. His grip is on your hips, guiding you to rut against his cock faster. The friction between you is enough to make you wet, your slick soaking through the fabric. 

“You’re an angel,” he whispers, dragging your bottom lip between his teeth. “I want to make you feel good.” His thumb teases the elastic of your waistband, hand slipping inside to rub your clit against his fingers. 

“Eren,” you moan, his sensual touch sending waves of pleasure through your body. He slowly slides two digits inside you, massaging your bud with his palm while he pumps his fingers into your sopping cunt. His cock is stiff beneath you, watching you ride his hand, cursing under his breath until you reach your climax, coating him in your arousal. 

You’re breathing heavily, in a daze from your orgasm. He removes his hand from you, slipping it past his underwear to jerk his cock. You reach for him, tugging his bottoms down his legs, replacing his fist with yours, stroking him eagerly. He whispers your name, bucking his hips in tandem with your movements. You’re aching for more, desperate to feel him inside you, feel him deeper. You position yourself correctly, pulling the crotch of your panties to the side to  tease the head of his cock up and down your folds. He sits up on his elbows, watching you with a nervous expression on his face. “Are you sure?” he asks.

You nod, smiling at him. “I’m sure. I want to be close to you, Eren.”

He swears, letting his head fall back into the pillows, staring up at the ceiling. You sink down on him, his dick stretching you out smoothly, still sleek from your previous orgasm. He moans, craning his neck to take in the lewd sight before him. “Oh my god,” he groans, thrusting his hips into you. 

You ride him slowly, his entire length filling you up to the brim. He plants his feet into the mattress to fuck you deeper, the metal frame creaking with every thrust. It doesn’t take long until you’re both coming together. He shoots his load inside you while you gush all over him, creating a wet mess between you that you couldn’t care less about in the euphoric state you’re in. You lift off him, rolling to his side, relaxing into the pillow with him beside you, cradling you in his arms. He gives you a smooch on the cheek, nuzzling his nose with yours. “I meant what I said earlier.”

“What?”

“You really are an angel,” he says, smiling at you.

~~~

Eren wakes up alone, and he’s almost convinced that it was all a dream until he spots the small note scribbled on paper laying his nightstand. 

It’s too hard to say goodbye, so I won’t. I trust you to keep your promise. We’ll see each other again soon.

With daybreak approaching, Eren leaves for the docks quickly with only the clothes on his back and letters in his pocket, including hers. With sunrise teasing the horizon, he makes it to the meeting place just in time. He recognizes Azumabito and greets her, explaining the situation as they board the ship. She informs him that they are waiting for several other passengers, so he makes himself comfortable by a window.  

A few minutes pass and one of the crew approaches him. “Mr. Jaeger, there is a woman trying to board, claiming they are with you. Do you know anything about this?”

He glances out the window towards the docks and to his shock, he sees an angel with a suitcase in hand, talking to Azumabito. His heart races, overjoyed as he jumps out of his seat, sprinting out of the ship to meet her. 

[icedroppedinparasolcider]

to the mizuki5 doomposters, i have to ask: are we reading the same 25ji story? in what reality does this storyline lead you to conclude that mizuki5 will be some sort of breakup event for mizuena or niigo as a whole given every event since the conclusion of Say Goodbye to Masked Me has been a process of confronting their internal conflicts and finally finding ways to heal from their pain? it would be entirely counteractive to the point of 25ji if they were to write niigo, any of them, not accepting mizuki for who they are. yes, they are scared of this possibility, but they're also traumatised and paranoid, as evident by the rooftop scene of My Footprints, Your Destination. that very event makes it clear that mizuki was caught up in her own fears and acting irrationally as a result; we have several events since then where mizuki openly contemplates telling ena The Secret, and we see in multiple events mizuki concluding that they're no longer going to run away from this problem. the cliffhanger at the end of Reeling in the Lights shows exactly that: mizuki telling herself that she's not going to run away and that it's time to confront this fear. which, again, is the entire point of the arc this story has been on since third anni.

you people are far too obsessed with the idea of divorce arcs and breakup events. i know the wxs second arc teased that possibility for several events, but it was also the entire point of that story to have a "don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened" message. the other four units don't even approach those ideas?? ichisaki divorce in Parallel Harmonies was basically the exact same concept as shihonami divorce in Unwavering Feelings, Now Put Into Words: two characters struggling to get on the same page about something they're both very passionate about. the difference between the two events being that ichisaki have literally never argued before and had no idea how to navigate the problem without the interference of the virtual singers, while shihonami managed to figure it out on their own, and thus dwelled on the problem for less time. anhane divorce in Whip the Wimp Girl!! was the direct conclusion of a massive underlying conflict in an's story progression that was first made clear in Bout for Beside You, with an finally expressing the feelings and fears she'd kept hidden from kohane, and not once did kohane even begin to get upset. you can see it in kohane's untrained for the set; she's effectively fallen in love with this girl who completely shook her to her core all over again because of an finally letting loose her raw emotion in an unfiltered way. Whip the Wimp Girl!! wasn't a divorce arc, it was an event that only made more powerful the bond between the vivids, it amplified the aibou magic that's existed between them since the main story. and that event, alongside concluding an's story arc, provided the motivation and drive to kohane to achieve what she does in OVER RAD SQUAD.

will there be conflict in mizuki5? yes, because it's an entire event and they always have some form of central conflict for the characters to confront. mizuki's fears are the conflict, and her finding a way to face them will be the entire point of the event. from the pieces before me, i personally think this will happen through mizuki being forced into a position where they have no choice but to face this, but it's not like they're completely unprepared; Searching for a Reflection Beneath the Waters had mizuki tell themselves they need to face their problems so they'll know how to help mafuyu do just that, Next to the Unchanging Warmth was a reminder of how far they've come and that hiding who they are for the sake of being accepted will only make them more miserable, and then the end of Reeling in the Lights was the decision to confront it. it might not happen in the way they want, but it's not like mizuki doesn't want this to happen at all. they've had an entire story arc since My Footprints, Your Destination; hell, they wanted to tell ena during that event! they just didn't because they were scared, and finding the strength to stop running away has been the point of mizuki's story since Our Escape For Survival. pairing that with her being rejected would be completely counter to everything project sekai's story represents.

[avatarmerida]

Begin Again

Huntlow fanfic. Bonus points if you can guess the inspo. 💚💛

-

She looked different but so did he. Well, not different, he just looked the way he used to look. His hair, his face, his clothes showed that he suddenly found himself months in the past, whether it was the result of time travel or a dream was unclear. Hunter could not summon a memory of what had been happening before this moment, it was like he had suddenly awoken but he just knew that this logically was not where he should be. But he had found her. Her glasses weren’t gold (and in his opinion didn’t compliment her eyes as well) and her hair was shorter, not quite long enough to pull into the braids she wore when they first met, but t it was undoubtedly Willow sitting at that lunch table talking to her plant as she scribbled notations in her notebook. The sight of her melted any fear or hesitation he would normally harbor in this moment.

“Hey!” He called, excited to see her as he practically sprinted over to her.

“Oh, uh hi?” She said, welcoming but obviously confused. It confirmed that she did not know him. He intended to change that, giddy at the opportunity for a second chance at a first impression even if it might not be real.

“Is uh, anyone sitting here?” He asked, gesturing to the seat beside her.

“Oh, uh no,” she said, understanding. “You can take the chair if you need it, let me just-.”

“Oh, no I uh meant uh,” his nerve almost escaped him as she looked up at him with wide attentive eyes. “Would it be okay if I sat there? Here? With you?”

“Oh! Yeah, of course,” she said, moving the large plant off the chair and onto the table. “I mean, as long as you’re okay with a centerpiece.”

“I’m more than okay with it,” he said with a laugh, sitting beside her. “It’s rather impressive, how long have you been growing it for?”

“Oh, just a few weeks,” she said, flushing out the vivid, bright green leaves that cascaded in every direction. “I just switched to the plant track so I finally have access to the good dirt this species likes. But it’s due to blossom any day now and I wanna be there the moment it does. I know it’s probably a little silly to carry it everywhere but I-.”

“I don’t think it’s silly,” he said quickly. He remembered Willow telling her about this plant and how it had bloomed during a test and she had nearly gotten detention for how loud she gasped in excitement. “I bet it feels… special.”

She beamed. “Thank you,” she said softly, quickly turning her attention back to her lunch as she tried to suppress the small blush that crept into her cheeks. “I was kind of hoping it would. But that’s probably actually silly though, right? I mean I know plants don’t technically have feelings but-.”

“Well, plants can respond to sounds and touch so they can definitely feel your presence,” said Hunter, remembering a conversation they had one late night messaging. “I think they have feelings, just maybe not in the same way that we do.”

“Yeah,” Willow chuckled, brushing her hair behind her ear. “I’m… I’m always saying that actually, heh. Oh, um, I’m Willow by the way.” She extended her hand to shake his, tilting her head and offering him a gentle smile that made Hunter’s heart melt.

But it always did.

“Hunter.” he said, taking her hand with a lopsided smile of his own.

“Well it’s nice to meet you, Hunter,” she said. “Are you a new student?”

“Um, well not exactly?” He said, not sure what his technical role was or what version of himself had landed here.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” she said quickly, her voice flooding with guilt. “I guess I mean I just haven’t seen you around before! If it makes you feel better, a lot of people don’t notice me either! N-not that you’re not noticeable! I just mean it’s a big school, and we’re on different tracks, but I promise you’re very noticeable! I don’t mean that in a bad way, not that I would, but I mean it like-.”

“Oh, no!” He cut her off, not wanting to start things with a misunderstanding. “No, I just meant I uh… well, I went here awhile ago but then I went back to… being homeschooled and I just transferred back,” he said, summarizing things as best he could without confusing her more with whatever was actually happening. “But I wasn’t here long enough the first time to really make an impression.”

Willow smiled, grateful to see she hadn’t totally blown it. “Well, let’s hope this time is different,” she said brightly. “I mean, about being here longer. If you want. Not that you don’t have to make an impression, but I mean-.”

“Me too,” he said. “I’m excited to be back too.”

She offered him a sweet smile of relief that made any tenseness he harbored vanish. Even if he wasn’t sure where this dream was going, he couldn't help but feel safe near her.

“Hey Willow, who’s this guy and why are you holding hands?” Gus asked from beside them, holding his tray of food. They both looked over at the same time, not realizing they had never ended their introductory handshake, which had at some point turned stationary.

“Oh, Augustus! Hi!” Willow said sweetly as she slowly pulled her hand back. “This is Hunter! He just transferred back!”

“Potions track, huh?” Said Gus as he took a seat across from them. “That’s cool, maybe you can help me figure out how to make my potions homework not taste like old socks.”

“Did you try enchanting the straw?” Hunter offered, remembering the solution Gus had offered him when he stayed at his house and they had tried to make a human realm beverage but it had ended up far too sour.

Gus’ eyes widened, highly impressed. “What?! Dude, that’s genius!” Gus gushed. “Willow, I approve of new friend,I declare he is officially smart enough to sit with us.”

Willow giggled before looking back at Hunter (or maybe she had never stopped?). “I promise he means it as a compliment.”

“I know,” Hunter chuckled. “I won’t say he’s wrong, as long as you won’t say he’s wrong for calling us friends.”

“Dang, new guy is smooth,” Gus whispered to Willow, only half caring if Hunter heard him. Willow bit her lip,and even though Hunter knew she did not know him but somehow felt that she could tell he did not talk this way to everyone.

“Deal,” said Willow with a grin and nod, and Hunter was over the moon with how pleased she looked. She took a sip of her juice box. “So Hunter, how are you liking Hexside so far?”

“It’s been… interesting,” said Hunter, unable to help but feel like he would wake up at any moment. “But it’s getting better.”

“Do you remember your way around okay?” She asked.

“Yeah, if you want we can show you around,” added Gus. “Not to brag, but we know all the shortcuts and the best water fountains.”

“Sounds like a plan, Gus,” said Hunter.

“‘Gus?’” He repeated, intrigued. “A nickname? Already, new guy?”

“Oh uh yeah sorry,” Hunter chuckled, forgetting that Luz had mentioned she was the one who given him the nickname. Whatever dream or time travel had brought him her must not have included that detail yet. “It’s a nickname I heard they use in the human realm for your name so I guess I just-.”

“Woah! A human realm nickname? Are you also a human realm enthusiast?” Gus beamed.

“Oh, yeah! I guess I am!” Hunter declared. “I’ve read a lot of books about it. Actually, there’s a book series over there I really like if you have any interest in human literature.”

“Do I!” Gus exclaimed, summoning a happy face illusion to empathize his delight. “Do you have any plans for free period because the human appreciation society is having a meeting and you literally need to be there dude.”

“Sounds good to me!”

Willow smiled, her heart swirling seeing the boys hit it off and knowing her friend group was expanding. It seemed like such a natural fit.

“Do you have any plans after school?” Willow asked. “Gus and I were gonna do homework at my house and maybe watch a movie. I’d love it if you came! I-I mean, we’d like it. Heh.”

“Y-yeah! Yes,” he said quickly, clearing his throat. “I’d like that too! Yeah, I mean I don’t have any after school activities yet.” A light went off in his mind. “I was actually hoping to join the flyer derby team, do you know if they already had tryouts?”

“Oh, Hexside doesn’t have a flyer derby team,” said Willow with a frown.

“I bet we have a grudgby team though, right?” Hunter scoffed.

“Yeah,” Willow groaned, rolling her eyes in exaggerated agreement. “People are just afraid that another sports team will take away from the grudgby budget. I mean, Titan forbid they don’t get new uniforms every season.”

“It’s like people don’t realize that flyer derby involves actual skill and strategy,” Hunter went on, easily falling back into the shared rant he and Willow had adopted. “Just because it’s not as well known as grudgby-.”

“-doesn’t mean it’s not as exciting.” They finished together, Willow joyfully stunned to hear her thoughts echoed.

She couldn’t help but beam. “Yes! Exactly, thank you!” She said with vigor. “You know, my dads actually met playing flyer derby. We used to play all the time.”

“I bet you’re really good,” Hunter said plainly.

Willow blushed. “Oh, well I don’t know-.”

“She is!” Gus stated, and Willow mimed that he should shush but he went on. “You are, Willow! Especially when you’re in the zone! And now that you’re finally on the plant track, I bet you can do some sick tricks with your vines!”

“When he says ‘sick’ he means ‘impressive,’ not ‘ill.’” Hunter explained with an assured smile, hoping to show his support. Willow and Gus looked at him skeptically.

“I know,” she chuckled, and she and Gus shared a small, amused look.

“Oh, yeah of course you do,” he chuckled nervously to himself. “I suppose… it might be obvious, but just in case…”

“Well, I actually have been thinking about starting a team,” Willow said shyly, tapping her plate. “More like daydreaming, if I’m being honest. I didn’t think there was any interest.”

“Well I’m very interested,” Hunter insisted with a chuckle.

“Oh I bet you are,” said Gus under his breath as he pretended to take a drink from his cup.

“I mean, it would be pretty cool,” she admitted. “But I don’t think I could do something like that. Not yet. Besides, who would join a team I started?”

“I would.” said Hunter.

“Oh,” Willow smiled, the blush coming back for another appearance. “Well, thanks. But maybe you should try and start one! I mean, it was your idea.”

Oh shoot, he definitely didn’t mean to steal her idea!

“We could do it together,” he suggested. “Be co-captains.”

“I mean, that could be fun…” Willow admitted.

“Wo-ah! Look at you, joining the plant track and starting extracurriculars! You’re really coming out of your shell, Park!” Gus exclaimed happily, sending a small collection of sparkle illusions above her head. “It’s the year of Willow!”

“Okay, okay,” Willow chuckled as she brushed the sparkles away. “Well, it does sound like a good idea. How about we talk about it more after school tomorrow?”

“I can’t wait.”

Willow and Gus quickly noticed he had neglected to bring a lunch and quickly offered him the highlights of theirs. They fell into a rhyme both new and familiar and Hunter was brought out of it for only a moment when he couldn’t remember if he was always able to taste things in his dreams.

-

Okay, meeting Willow and Gus earlier was not an uncommon dream for him to have. But not waking up shortly after realizing he was in a dream was. How odd it was to be aware of being in a dream. He knew this was his mind’s way of indulgence and wishful thinking but he knew at any moment things would be too good to be true or too hard to accept and the setting would collapse in on itself. There’d be a mixture of realities or a menacing shadow or something to interrupt his escape.

But he would enjoy the fantasized alternate reality as long as he was able to.

Time went by as it only does in dreams or times of safety, and he fell into a routine as though he had been his all along. That or he got lucky and every classroom he wandered into just so happened to be his next class. And when he stumbled into the library, of course the first table he saw had Willow there. She waved him over and they studied, another simple yet common occurrence in his dreams.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Willow giggled softly as she looked up from her book to see he had not even been glancing at his. The library felt like it was just them in the cozy corners Willow had secured, the rain outside pouring like a soft soundtrack.

“Like what?” Hunter asked, worried. He removed his head from his hand and adjusted his posture. “Is it bad? I mean, t-this is how I always look at you.”

“How can you ‘always’ look at me?” She giggled again. “We just met.”

“Right! Yes, I-I mean I guess I assume I look at you the way everyone else looks at you.”

“Ehh, I’m not sure if that’s true,” she countered as a faint blush graced her cheeks.

“Really? I’m sorry,” said Hunter, feeling his hand begin the sweat. “I’m sure it has something to do with my eyes, I’m sure they can’t be all that comforting.”

“No no, it’s nothing like that,” she assured him, placing her hand atop his. “I like the way you look at me.”

“Y-you do?”

She nodded.

“Oh, uh, good.” He said utterly relieved. “Because I like looking at you.”

He returned to the assignment, unaware of the starstruck look Willow offered him now.

After school he came home to a simple home that was a castle in its own right and Darius greeted him with a smile that lacked any sarcasm or secrets and asked him about his day. The mantle held pictures of memories had had no other way of holding besides in the carefully picked frames, showing him smiling at various ages holding things he had made or earned or just found interesting. It wasn't overly detailed, but he could tell he had wandered into a version of him that had never questioned that he was wanted. But just as he began to piece things together over the most extravagant home cooked meal he had ever had (Darius could cook???), night came all too quickly and apparently his guardian was very strict about curfew and beauty sleep.

He dreaded turning in for the night as he was never able to fall asleep in a dream and continue it. He knew he’d be waking up soon, which was a shame because this was some impressive and detailed world building. He was cozy and eager to see more but maybe he’d be allowed to revisit another time.

But if this was the last night in the slice of life he had always longed for, he decided he might as well get the full effect as he reached for his scroll and typed the numbers he still knew by heart.

“Oh! Hi Hunter!” Willow said as she answered the video call, subconsciously curling her hair around her finger. Before (was it before this or would it be instead of this?), they had only ever texted or voice called once in awhile because he said a video call could jeopardize something about coven secrets (he couldn’t remember the exact lie) when in fact sometimes seeing her made his brain stop working and it was harder to hide that lull when she could see it in real time. “Sorry I look a little crazy, I wasn’t expecting your call.”

Her hair was frizzy, most likely she had come back from a run or a work out.

He had to stop himself from staring. “Oh sorry if this is a bad time-.”

“Oh no not at all!” Willow said quickly. “I was happy to see it was you! I guess I didn’t think you’d actually call, er what I mean is I-.”

“No, I should’ve asked or messaged before I did! If it makes you feel better, you look lovely as always, Captain ‘

“‘Captain?’” Willow repeated, arching her eyebrow, trudging past the ‘lovely’ part of his sentence but tucking it in her mind to revisit and analyze later. “It’s a little early for that isn’t it?”

“Well, this way you’ll get used to it sooner,” said Hunter, trying out a brand of confidence he was only able to summon in the deepest dream scenarios.

“Well you deserve a title too,” she pointed out, leaning back into her collection of pillows. “What should I call you?”

“Well, what do you wanna call me?” He said in a tone he had only said behind a mask and to a mirror (simultaneously). No one had ever heard this side and it was a risk he would never take in real life or at least not so early, but he couldn’t argue with the results. Dream Willow responded perfectly, an obvious blush covering her face as she set the scroll down for a moment as Hunter knew she did when something was just too much in the best way.

“Well hold on now,” said Willow after a deep breath, coming to match his energy. “We haven’t had tryouts yet. How do I even know you’re good enough to be on my team, huh?” She took obvious delight in her witty response to his teasing.

“Well then I’ll be in the stands cheering as your number one fan,” he countered. “But I’ll still get to call you Captain, right?”

“Yeah I guess so.” She didn’t expect a response so genuine and clever at the same time, it mirrored his very being.

He could see the reflection in her glasses of her opening a new text box. Within a seconds, he had a new message appear right above the view of her on his scroll.

Hey dude I’m not gonna be able to make it to the movies so it’ll just be you and Willow

“Oh Gus just messaged me,” said Hunter. “He can’t make it tomorrow.”

“Oh darn,” said Willow in a way that did not feel clever and genuine. “Well are you okay with it just being us?”

“I’ll think I’ll be fine,” he said. “As long as you’re fine with it.”

“I’m fine with it,” she said, making herself more comfortable in her chair.

“Cool then,” he said, doing the same. “It’s a date.”

—-

They talked until sleep overtook them. Hunter was awoken by the sound of Willow snoring, her scroll propped on one of her pillows to see him even as she drifted to sleep. He checked the time, the new day had come and he had still remained in the world he had fallen asleep in. He decided not to question it, not missing any chance to enjoy what could have been.

And it kept going.

There were days where he found himself forgetting that he was dwelling in a dream, a strange sense of altered deja vu. But just as quickly as he made the realization, his mind could not locate exactly what made him realize it. Soon he succumbed to letting it go, looking forward to looking forward and knowing trying too hard to control the dream could cause it to dissolve.

---

“... and then they turn the wall into a mural!” Gus finished, recalling a story that Hunter wasn’t entirely sure if he was supposed to have heard before (he was enthralled nevertheless) that he had overheard in study hall. Hunter remembered similar issues happening, an act of vandalism that was the perfect balance of severe and uninteresting for the guards to let him do alone.

“They weren’t afraid the Golden Guard would show up?” Hunter asked only to be met by inquisitive stares.

“The Golden Who?” Gus asked.

“Ya know the head of the Emperor’s Coven? The Emperor’s nephew?”

“‘Emperor?’” Gus repeated, confused.

“Oh, is this from one of your human realm books, Hunter?” Willow asked with an enthused smile.

“Oh, yeah!” Gus said with excitement. “Don’t spoil it! I wanna read those ones once I’m done with Cosmic Frontier! Unless the emperor is in Cosmic Frontier and I haven’t gotten to that part yet but where would he-.”

“No I mean like the coven system? Didn’t the emperor start that?”

“Pssh, you know no one follows the coven system,” said Willow. “It’s just there in case you need help finding people with similar interests to learn from and stuff. It’s not like we get tattoos about them or something; although I would actually love to get a plant tattoo someday.”

“So we can study any track we want? Not just one?”

“Yeah bro,” said Gus. “Did they not go over that at orientation?”

He looked around and noticed the multi track colors, some students had more than others and some still chose to focus on one. Of course Willow and Gus’ colors didn’t change, they just wanted to rep the track they loved the most but it didn’t prevent them from doing any magic they wanted to try.

Maybe Willow just knew she looked the best in green.

“Oh yeah,” he fake chuckled, going back to his plate in front of him. “Yeah, I must’ve forgotten. Cool.”

There was no threat or dark secret lurking over his shoulder here. And so the immersion became stronger.

-

What also became stronger was his connection with Willow. As he became more comfortable with himself their dynamic only became more solid, their banter quicker, and their time… well she occupied that whether or not she was physically with him,

He would go to her house to do homework, not letting on that he had already done it and he held the completed packet in front of him as he racked his brain for other ways he had thought about to try and impress her. Knowing or at least suspecting that everything here was temporary had allowed his nerves to calm when it came to the things he said to her. But the less he worried about embarrassing himself, the more real everything felt. Her hand would slowly move close to his until they were touching and neither of them acknowledged it with words, then their shoulders would follow suit and lean into each other as they felt compelled to share the same book for no particular reason. Now he knew why he was drawn to her warmth and had the time to enjoy instead of worrying he was putting her in danger.

He loved relearning things about her and seeing what was unique to this time around. He still loved how excited she got when she talked and how her eyes shone on him when she listened. Time with Willow not being plagued by guilt or secrets or trying to return to an apocalypse felt quicker and lighter. Seeing her and Gus waiting for him by his locker, both of them excited to see him and have lists of things they wanted to involve him in made him consider if he hadn’t been trapped in a nightmare before and that this was how everything really was.

He dared not to say this aloud, in case it was the trigger that sent him back. With each day, he remembered the specifics less and less of what supposedly was as it melted into what felt like a memory of a memory, something that passed through him rather than something that existed inside him. Not feeling even a fraction of the sadness that had once been his norm lured him into acceptance. Why had he ever doubted this was what he deserved?

—

“Okay, how does that look?” Willow asked, securing the last tie on the sign.

“Perfect!” Hunter beamed from the ground.

“Thanks, I try,” said Willow with a confident air as she flipped her hair. Hunter chuckled, knowing exactly what she was doing, taking his words and twisting them in a way that made him blush. The subtle way her tone and eyes shifted just for him, like another language hidden in their conversation that they made up as they went. He used it as a way to mask his compliments so they wouldn’t overwhelm her and he was starting to suspect she was genuinely doing the same.

Gus referred to it as flirting.

“Well, you’re succeeding,” said Hunter, often being the first to falter in this instances but knowing he loved the rush he got when her face lit up when he kept going. He especially loved the way she wrinkled her nose when he added with a hushed flair, like icing on the cake: “Captain.”

Her nose wrinkled just as he hoped it would as she admired the sign they had spent all night on. They had definitely taken their time on each letter as an excuse to spend more time together but that had been happening so much lately that it hardly seemed abnormal. “So you think it’ll attract some good recruits?”

“Oh yeah, I think it’s very attractive,” said Hunter smoothly as he leaned against the post and Willow giggled.

“Do you guys forget I’m here sometimes?” Gus teased in a deadpan as he continued to pass out pamphlets.

“No,” said Hunter and Willow simply as they continued to maintain eye contact, unfazed and unembarrassed by their public display.

“I don’t know if that makes it better or worse,” Gus whispered, shaking his head endearingly.

Lost in each others googley eyes, they almost didn’t notice a grudgby ball spiraling towards her to knock her off her staff. As she lost her balance Hunter sprang into action, catching her as though it was effortless, as though she was always destined to land in his arms.

“How are you going to captain a team when you can’t even stay on your staff, half-a-witch?” Boscha mocked in her high pitched voice that fell on deaf ears because once Willow’s eyes locked on his such close proximity there was nothing else as far as they were concerned.

“You okay?” Hunter asked, his voice low and calm. She was in no real danger, deep down they both knew that, but he would dote on her nevertheless. And she was not complaining.

She nodded. “Mhm hmm,” she murmured with a dreamy sigh. “Good thing you were around, huh?”

“Excuse me! I’m insulting you!” Boscha exclaimed in anger. “Are you not listening?”

“Do you wanna go do the uh, the uh… um.”

“The demonstration?”

“Yeah! Yes! That! The demonstration!” Said Hunter. “That we planned. We should… go do it.”

“Okay.” Said Willow, moving to rest her head on his shoulder to look at him with a look of secrecy and mischief as if to say I’m perfectly comfortable right here.

Hunter gulped, trying to remind his feet how to move as he simultaneously tried to assure himself he had read her expression right. He tried to summon his former courage and replied “Okay,” as though to say I’m comfortable with you right there too.

“Okay,” she said with a subtle shrug of her shoulders. She gently kicked her feet and giggled as though to ask Are you seriously gonna carry me there?

“Okay!” Hunter said, tightening his hold on her as if to say I’ll carry you all day if it’ll make you laugh before running toward the front of the school as Willow giggled and cheered in his arms.

He looked down at the laughing girl in his arms, her braids framing her face

“Your hair,” he said, as though truly noticing it for the first time.

“What about my hair?” she said as the laughter was slowly leaving her voice, looking up at him as though expecting another compliment. Normally he’d love to offer her just that but something was off.

“It’s… in braids.”

“Hmm? Oh yeah, I braided it this morning,” said Willow. “Why? Does it look okay?”

“No, I mean yes, I uh but I mean how is it long enough to be in braids already?” He asked.

“Well because I had braids the first time we started the team so I-.”

“The first time?” Hunter repeated, slowing to a stop. “What do you mean ‘the first time?’ Has this…. Do you know what’s going on? Has this happened before?”

“Um no no it’s not… uh…” Willow struggled to process her own words, as she returned to her feet. “No no because now it’s different! It’s better this time! You’re happier and safe, I mean we both are! And we don’t have to-.”

“Willow, how long has it been?”

“How long has what been?”

“Since we first met,” he clarified. “It feels like things are moving fast like I know it should have been months ago but it was barely days ago, wasn’t it?”

“What? No! Because I mean… well…”

“Willow?”

“We… we have a flyer derby team to start! Together!” She said, forcing a bright tone. “A-and we’ll play a real game, with official uniforms! And in the picture, me and Clover and you and- oh no.”

Suddenly, the light around them dimmed as though unable to exist if Willow was uncertain. The scenery flickered, as though waiting and Hunter felt like he could hear a ringing silence. He felt rooted to the ground, feeling as though he was entering a nightmare. But why now? What had triggered it?

“Willow, I… I’m having trouble remembering,” Hunter said as he realized it, he didn’t know how to describe the feeling but it was like he was suddenly overcome with with a recovering pain. His head had subtle pounding, like how it felt after he had been crying. But when has he been crying? “I-I it’s like I know we’re here but I can’t remember how we got here. Like it’s… skipping things. Does that make sense?”

“Oh um m-maybe you’re dehydrated,” Willow offered, her tone suggesting she was hiding something. “Let me get you some water! I’ll get you some water and we’ll do the demonstration and we’ll get Skara and Viney and we can-.”

“How did you know that?” He cut her off. “How do you know they’ll join?”

“Because well… um…” Hunter wasn't sure if she wasn’t sure how she knew or if she didn’t want to share how she did. “Sorry, sorry I can… hold on.”

A flash of green and suddenly Willow was gone. Everything around him felt… fake. Like nothing had changed but suddenly it felt too detailed, as though it had been staged and not lived in. An edited memory.

Suddenly, he couldn’t recall Boscha actually being there. He knew she had been, but it was like she wasn’t worth describing, worth a detailed vision. Her presence was no more than an idea of her. She existed, but only for this moment. So much suddenly seemed to exist only for this moment. One moment. The current moment. Then once it played its part, it faded like they weren’t meant to go back. Everything went forward. Hunter couldn’t focus on going back to something specific. He couldn’t remember the full layout of his house or his class schedule or how he got to school. Like they were there but too complicated to always be there, like once he left everything went with him and would go back when he did.

Flapjack. Flapjack was… wasn’t he? Where was he? Flapjack was there but somehow out of focus, like a memory of a photo. Like the moments he knew he talked to him were skipped. He knew they happened, he knew because there was no Flapjack to fill his place in whatever trick this was. Hunter knew that he knew, deep down it felt off. But he knew digging deeper would take him from this unfamiliar happiness and whisk him back to a real and familiar sadness. Was it any different than hitting snooze to enjoy a dream a little longer? To pretend it could be forever?

Had this dream been a nightmare in disguise all along?

It was not the first time Hunter had tried to fool himself this way, he would interpret his Uncle’s words over and over again until they made sense. He had to believe he was finding the meaning hiding beneath the surface, that he over complicated things because he was smart enough to understand what most people didn’t.

But now this was less about survival and more about wanting. He wanted a fresh start, he wanted more time with his friends. He wanted to be happy. But somehow, even in a dream, he couldn’t have everything. He did not have his voice of reason to guide and ground him, now he only had an echo he was terrified of misremembering.

“Hunter!” Gus’ voice echoed, even though it shouldn’t echo here. It felt saturated, he didn’t know a sound could feel that way. He appeared like he had to fight the scenery to do so.

“Gus!” Hunter exclaimed, running over to him. He suddenly noticed how quiet it was, no singing birds or even the gentle blowing of the wind. An impossible silence. “What’s going on? Is it the collector?”

“No it's… Willow.”

“Willow? Is something wrong? Is she okay?” he frantically looked around for any sign of her. Gus touched his shoulder, knowing he’d easily spiral if he believed Willow was somewhere needing assistance.

“I… don’t know how to answer that,” Gus confessed, and the color around his seemed to be wavoring. “Because last time this happened-.”

“Last time? What do you mean?”

“Willow she… well, you know Willow,” Gus started, looking around nervously as though his time was limited. “You know how much she cares about people, how deeply she feels everything. How much she wants to help. And when something happens that she can’t fix or help, she feels powerless. She doesn’t doesn’t like seeing the people she loves hurt and not being able to do anything about it.”

“Yeah I-l… I know but what does that have to do with whatever is happening now?”

“When I found out that my mom… left us,” Gus said quietly, the memory still causing him to choke up. “I was a mess. I was hurt and confused and sad and Willow was there for me every minute. But there was nothing anyone could really do, ya know? Nothing could bring her back, nothing could make the part of me that missed her go away. Willow tried everything and seeing me hurt hurt her too and her want for me to feel better took over and she made all these plants…”

“Plants?”

“Poppies,” said Gus. “They make you sleepy, make you have vivid dreams. When they’re made by a witch like Willow with such strong emotions, you forget you’re in a dream. She didn’t do it on purpose, she just wanted things to be better so much that the poppies turned her feelings into… well, this.”

“Willow did… all this?” He wasn’t surprised she had the power to summon such dangerous and potent flowers. “For me?”

He was more surprised that she cared so deeply for him that it altered his universe.

Gus nodded, but Hunter still needed more answers.

“Why?”

“I… I don’t think I can tell you,” said Gus.

“Why? Gus, if Willow is hurting too I want to know why,” said Hunter. “This has to be draining her, we need to find her. Why is she doing this?”

“Hunter I… I don’t think she’ll let me tell you,” said Gus. “She’s trying to protect you and this has gone on longer than before and she could be lost to her own magic. She let it drag her into the narrative she thought would help you. But Amity and Luz weren’t there before, and when they tried to step in they got-.”

“Amity… and Luz,” Hunter said. They hadn’t been there, but he knew who they were. They were part of this world. How did they fit in now? They had been there when-.

“They’re trying to get inside her mind but this feeling… it’s complicated,” said Gus. “It’s putting up walls and shifting things. The longer it goes on the harder it is to stop.”

“How do we stop it? What did you do last time?”

“Her magic wasn’t as strong last time,” Gus said. “Her dads were able to calm her down but I don’t know how to end this. It’s like an illusion, kind of, so I’ve been able to navigate it okay but it’s like it can’t end until she’s convinced you’re happy. It’s linked to you, it’s supposed to be your dream. She’s not gonna be able to stop until she knows you have everything you want.”

Hunter didn’t need to know much more about how this came to be to know it must be draining Willow beyond belief. The ever changing details, adapting to his expectations and maintaining the subtle altered reality. This was dedication and focus that could drive even the strongest witch mad.

“Everything I… Willow,” he whispered. “Willow Willow! I want to see Willow!”

No sooner had the words left his lips did the world around him shift and shuffle and there she was as though out of thin air. Her outfit kept changing like a glitch, switching between her sleek school uniform and a tattered black dress with striped leggings. He knew this outfit, but he didn’t know how. He knew he had made that W patch for her. That he had seen it… in a store? He had been in a store with Luz and Amity and it was… he had to wear a hat… it was all there, just beyond where he could reach but it was like when he tried to focus on it it just made it blurrier.

He saw it and thought of her and when she saw it she was happy… because she could wear it for… where were they going?

It was like there was a shield over it because remembering it meant he’d also remember something painful. Willow took it upon herself to hold that pain for him and it showed.

“Willow-,” he started, stepping towards her but before he could get closer vines wrapped around his ankles and stopped his movement.

“No, don’t,” she said, trying to hide herself. She closed her eyes, and Hunter wasn’t sure if it was the poppies trying to take back control or her trying to tap back into them but either way he knew she was ashamed. She was unraveling. She was tired. She was scared.

“Willow, please we need to get you out of here-,”

“No, no please don’t worry about me!” she chuckled nervously, her voice strained. “This is, uh this is nothing! Really! I just need to uh… to…”

“Willow…”

She sniffled. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, and Hunter swore he could hear her heart breaking. The vines eased for a moment but did not fully release him. “This isn’t what I wanted to happen, this wasn’t supposed to happen. I don’t… I shouldn’t… I’m sorry.”

“Willow, you don’t have to-,” but before he could rebut, the vines grew as though to interrupt him and tell him no amount of reason could make its way through.

“I… I lied to you,” she whispered, as though scolding herself. “I manipulated you and trapped you because I thought I knew what was best for you. How am I any different than Belos?”

“Because you care if you hurt me,” Hunter said simply, slipping his arm out of a coiled vine. “You don’t want to hurt me.You didn’t do this to control me, you didn’t do this to help yourself, Willow you don’t even try to do this; you just wanted me to be happy. The idea of me being in pain made you do all this to try and help me. Willow, I could never be upset about that.”

“But it’s not… it wasn’t… it’s not enough,” she whispered. “This, all this won’t fix anything, it will just make everything hurt longer and hurt more when I mess it up.”

“Willow, I knew at the beginning it wasn’t real,” he said. “I knew and I stayed because I… I wanted to be better, make a better impression. Willow, meeting you changed my life. You made me want to… to have fun, try new things, be myself. Figure out what that meant. I liked who I was around you. I like who I am.”

With each word he said he felt the ground become more unstable. Against his first instinct, he took that as a good sign and continued.

“I know I’ve made mistakes and done things I’m not proud of,” he went on. “And sometimes I wish I could undo them or forget them but I know I can’t. I know it’ll hurt sometimes to think about it but I have to, so I can go forward. So I can do better, know there is something better.”

“But you were,” she said, struggling to speak againest the tears overtaking her whole being. “You were healing, and growing and you were happy. You were silly and you got to relax and it was… it wasn’t fair. You weren’t supposed to get hurt again, you weren’t supposed to lose him. You were… you almost…”

“Mijo! Willow! Sweetheart, please, can you hear me? Are you two okay?” Camila’s voice was a muffled echo just beyond the walls of endless shades green and red.

Scenery flashed around them. The lunchroom, a classroom, his room, the basement at the Noceada’s, the flyer derby field, the throne room, the graveyard.

The graveyard,

The graveyard.

The graveyard.

They were still in the graveyard. They had never left.

She couldn’t keep it up anymore, reality was creeping in. The others were trying to reach them. WIllow was holding on and it was destroying her. She was fighting to be his shield, blinded by her bleeding heart.

This magic was taking everything from her but she could care less so long as she could give everything to him.

Everything came back to him all at once and flooded his being with an intense numbness. It was too much to process, and he instantly accepted that he may never fully be over it. But what kept him afloat was knowing without a doubt that he did not have hide this feeling, he did not have to feel ashamed or bear the weight alone. He may feel this pain forever, but he knew it would not be the only thing he felt.

“I wanted to give you everything you wanted,” she whispered, exhausted. “I should have done something sooner. I should have known something was wrong. I should have… I didn’t save you. I couldn’t save you. We almost lost you. We lost… you lost…”

“I know.” His hand grabbed his chest, an aching feeling washed over him. “I know.”

The ground trembled as tears built up in her eyes. “No no no!” with every word their surroundings shook, her tears hit the ground like waterfalls. “I was supposed to make you feel better! This was supposed to be everything you wanted! I thought maybe… I tried… I don’t know anymore. I don’t know what to do Hunter. I’m so sorry.”

“I know… that you don’t like that I feel this way,” said Hunter, taking a small step towards her. “I know you care about me. But then you should also know that I don’t want you to feel that way either. No ones ever cared about me so much before.”

“But it’s not enough,” she whimpered. “I’m not enough.”

“Don’t talk about my friend like that!” Hunter demanded, a gentle golden glow surrounding him as the rage ran through him.

She exhaled, her breath shaky but slowly beginning to steady. She brought her eyes up to meet his, the green glow was faint now and the bags beneath her eyes envied his own. In reality, perhaps no more than an hour had gone by but she had endured weeks worth. She had gotten just as lost as he had. But she knew this was him, this was not something she had persuaded him to believe or say, no this was truly him. His truth was helping her release the hold she had on herself.

“I won’t lie, I wish I could start over,” he said. “I wish I got to meet you sooner and be a normal witch and have Flap… but I’ll take having you at all, no matter when it happens so long as it happens. I didn’t have enough time with Flapjack but thinking about that doesn’t erase the time I did have with him. And I’d rather make new memories with you guys than dream about what could have been. I know that’s real.”

“But I tricked you,” she said with a tired sigh. “I tricked you to feel the way I wanted you to feel about me.”

“Willow I promise you don’t trick me.”

“But we were… and you said… t-that we… it was-.”

“Willow at first I was aware that things weren’t really like that,” said Hunter. “But I… didn’t care. I took it as a second chance and I promise that the way I feel about you didn’t change, just maybe the way I acted about it did.”

She wiped a tear from her eye. “You say I make things better but here you are making me feel better,” she joked as she adjusted her breathing as the tears dissolved. “It’s just.. hard to let go. To go back. I don’t… want you to have to go through that, you’ve already gone through so much.”

He finally reached her and took her hand in his.

“But now I won’t have to go through it alone.” He realized it as he said it. It was the truth and it didn’t erase the overwhelming weight his grief had collected, but it took away some of the pressure. He knew it would always be there’s but it wouldn’t be the only thing that was there. Willow saw it too. She couldn’t undo the past or guarantee the future, but their present didn’t have to suffer in solitude.

It all came crumbling down as she fell into his embrace. Suddenly, the colors weren’t as vibrant but they were real. The air was chilly but the warmth of her embrace canceled it out. The silence was less deafening. He heard everyone else call out to them, uncertain of how it had all looked from the outside. He knew he was sad, he knew his safety was real but temporary. He knew it wasn’t over. He knew this might be a turning point he’d wish he prepared for more but none of that held him down as Willow wiped away his tears, barely harboring enough strength to stand as she took him into the nape of her neck.

He synced his breathing to the sound of her heartbeat.

“So you’ll really be okay? For real?” Willow whispered as the others surrounded them, keeping them safe from the chill and checking them for injuries.

He didn’t know how but it was like he felt his own heart beating for the very first time.

“Maybe not right away, but I will be,” he said softly into her hair. “As long as I have you, for real.”

[iprobablyshipit91]

Beautiful

Genre: hurt, comfort, fluff

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Plus size!Female Reader

Word Count: 645

Warnings: body issues, negative thoughts, post pregnancy insecurities

SPN Masterlist

I’ve been feeling a bit down the last few days and this happened kind of out of nowhere but it felt good to write something. Sending love to anyone feeling insecure about their body for whatever reason. You are beautiful just the way you are 💕

You look in the mirror with a frown tugging down at the corners of your lips and sigh heavily. In nothing but your underwear it's hard not to notice the way your body has undoubtedly changed over the last year. Your thighs are a bit thicker, your hips a bit wider, your stomach a lot rounder. Your body has always been thicker set, but strong and capable of fighting as was needed for hunting. Now all you see is soft lines and the pattern of discoloured skin now running in lines down your whole stomach.

You’re no stranger to stretch marks and scars, but these feel different somehow. They’re so wide and the colour of them so vivid that they’re all you can see. And there’s just so damn many of them. The whole of your lower stomach is covered.

The worst thing is that Dean still looks, well incredible. You swear he somehow gets even more handsome as he ages which is entirely unfair. He's still muscular and fit, despite the unlimited amount of burgers and pies he seems to devour. And even though you know it’s ridiculous as it’s not like his body had to grow and change to accommodate a small human, you know that’s not the issue. It's not jealousy that Dean’s body is, in your eyes, flawless. It's that stupid, creeping insecurity that whispers nonsense in your mind, that tells you Dean will want to find someone equally as flawless. Someone who looks like the girls at the bars he used to chase in his younger days.

It's crap and you know it. He gave those habits up long ago and you know he loves you for so much more than the body you steer through the world. But inner voices are nothing if not cruel at the worst of times. You sigh, finger tracing down one of the jagged lines when the door opens behind you.

"Sweetheart, have you s-“

Dean stops, mid-step and mid-sentence, catching sight of you judging yourself in the mirror. You scramble to grab your t-shirt, discarded on the bed, but Dean beats you there, crossing the room in a few short strides and standing between you and the mattress, blocking your way.

"What are you doing?" His question is soft, eyes searching your face and noticing the frown lines that have etched themselves into your forehead.

"Nothing," you whisper, embarrassed at having been caught. You avoid Dean’s eye, but he slips a hand beneath your chin and lifts your face to his.

"You're my favourite, most beautiful girl," he says, looking deep into your eyes before pulling you to his chest and kissing the top of your head, "Nothing is ever going to change that, okay?"

"Okay," you nod, closing your eyes as a tear slips unbidden down your cheek. He releases you gently, his hands moving slowly down your arms before landing on your hips. The heavy weight of his hands on your skin somehow makes you feel better. It’s a reminder that there is so much more to both of you than your flawed skin and perfectly imperfect bodies.

"I love you, Sweetheart. Exactly the way you are." Dean’s words are a breath against your lips but said with so much conviction that you feel your heart soar. “And these right here,” the back of his fingers stroke gently down the lines on your stomach, tracing the same path yours did just moments ago. “These show what an incredible job you did of carrying and protecting our little boy. I will forever be grateful and so proud of you.”

You close your eyes again, a few more tears spilling over but a small smile graces your face. Dean wipes your cheeks tenderly with his thumbs before he pulls you into a deep kiss that tells you love is more than just skin-deep.

[henry-fox-biggest-stan]

Okay so I need people are who are diagnosed as autistic to help me out here

I been suspecting for a long time (like around a year, maybe more idk) than I might be autistic, and I did research (genuinely, not just taking some Internet quiz and self-diagnosing based on it) and I want to know if there’s a genuine chance I might be autistic, or if I have a wrong view on autism (basically, if I’m wrong about it and what it means to be autistic).

Some things than happen to me than I’ve seen also happen to a big amount of autistic people

-Problems with food since very little. Not based on taste, but texture. Eating something with the wrong texture is just horrible.

-Always felt different from my peers, never quite fitting in because I didn’t know how to interact with them. As if they knew exactly what to do and I was just flying blind. I heard people say than they felt as if everyone was born with a book of rules, meanwhile they had to learn from watching everyone else already know them, and I think that’s the best way for me to explain it.

-Intense interests on stuff, really intense. Like, is all I can think about day and night, I relate everything to it in some way or another, I know everything about it down to the smallest detail, some might call me obsessed and I wouldn’t deny it. Reminds me of the way people with autism describe their hiperfixations.

-People thought I was “gifted” as a kid, and said than I was a kid with the mind of an adult. I’m no genius, I was just interested on different stuff than other kids. I was the first one to learn to read and I never stopped. I basically lived in the library as a kid. I have a vivid memory of when I must have been like 10 and saying than my favorite thing in the world was reading and some friends looking at me like I was crazy. I’m mentioning this not because people who are autistic are “gifted”, but more because I heard they are usually interested in different stuff than their peers (doesn’t have to be more mature, it can be more immature stuff too, I think. Goes hand in hand with feeling different from everyone). Continuing on books, I also always had a higher reading level than the rest of my class. I was “a pleasure to have in class but should speak out more” kid.

-Looking back they were obviously bullying me, but I thought than they were laughing with me, not at me.

-I can’t hear the tone of my voice?? For some reason?? Sometimes I speak too loudly or too quietly or my mom says I’m being rude for “talking back” but in my head my voice is the same level and uses the same tone. So if I’m ever rude I probably don’t notice (I hate being rude to people).

-I read about overstimulation and under stimulation and it perfectly described the way I feel a lot of time. Specially overstimulation.

-If talking about something I really enjoy (hiperfixations?) I can’t be still. I’ll probably smile and fidget with something and the mere mention of it or anything regarding it outside of online spaces makes me want to scream out of excitement. Like, a really abnormal reaction to it, I believe.

-I prefer to be home on my own than outside (specially if there’s lots of people around). I don’t know if it’s hard for me to see how people are feelings, given than I learnt to notice when people don’t want me somewhere (eventually you get used to it) but sometimes when people are being nice to me I’m completely unable to see if they’re being genuine or not. An example, I was forced to spend a week sharing a room with this pair of really popular girls because of a school trip, and they were nice to me, starting conversations and stuff. So because they seemed nice, I thought they were nice. But at the end of the week I approached them and they gave me the dirtiest look and I realize they weren’t actually being genuine, they were just kind of being forced to be nice to me.

-I hate changes of routine, everyday I have the same routine and if someone wants it to change (go somewhere and do something together) they have to tell me at least a day in advance. Unless I really like them, I will feel uneasy to change my routine because it makes me feel as if I was messing everything up.

-I don’t know if it has anything to do with this, but I’m adding it just in case. I hated physical touch as a kid. Up until some years ago, I couldn’t stand it. Also don’t know if it’s related, but I always had trouble sleeping, I heard that might be a symptom but I don’t know.

-I went to a speech therapist as a kid because I couldn’t pronounce the letter s and I pronounced it as z, sometimes it still comes out. I heard problems in speech might be related but I doubt it, just adding just in case.

-I have a big sense of justice. For example everyone in my class cheats on their exams (they don’t even hide it, is more, they brag about it), and that has always upset me. Not because they can copy while I actually study, but because cheating is wrong. That’s not how it works. Why are they breaking the rules. Or for example they bring their phones to school (not nearly as bad as cheating) which is forbidden, and I don’t understand why they do that. It’s forbidden, so why?

-I notice patterns in almost everything, I also focus more on the little details than the big picture, which leads to both overthinking but also better results.

-I need people to speak to me separately. Having a conversation with two people at the same time feels like a nightmare.

-I need people to tell me things, if they want me to do them. If you made something for me to eat, don’t just put it on the table, tell me it’s for me. Otherwise I won’t touch it out of fear it’s not mine. When given instructions, I need them to be clear and detailed. All people my age are doing stuff like going to parties, drinking alcohol, meanwhile I never think of doing it and also, never knew I could do it? When did the change between going to the park to hang out without our parents for the first time and going to a party with alcohol around lots of strangers happened? Why did no one told me? How does everyone just know when to change and grow up? Why don’t I?

-Something I also noticed is than every fictional character I related to had various autism symptoms (said by people on the fandoms who are actually autistic).

[06sunnybunny06]

Love for three. [18+]

(Diluc, Kaeya)

Tales of happiness have always been represented by bright colors in the picture of life. Happy couples, families and even friends met their end under the sunny sky. This is how the end of almost any work is described. Previously, the world was reflected in your eyes exactly the same, fabulously happy, and only now the awareness of real life is repainting the palette in dark tones.

The Dawn distillery has been gripped by bad weather in recent days. It rained almost every day. The only thing left for you was to sit on a chair near the window, looking at the cloudy landscape. How did it happen that the distillery became your home? Just yesterday, you and your brother listened to your father's stories about his military exploits on a quiet summer evening. The work of a knight is a dangerous business. Not everyone is lucky enough to return safe and sound. And so it happened. Only recently you were holding a death note in your hands. I still remember the funeral well in my head. Now it's just the two of you in this world.

Despite the fact that there was an accident in your family, you tried to maintain a good atmosphere in the house. Unexpectedly for you, your brother decided to follow the path of a knight. He obsessively claimed that his father had been murdered. Every day you tried to get him out of the training ground until late at night, but it was all in vain. It was as if a vengeful spirit had possessed him, driving his body to exhaustion and his mind to madness. It seemed like a black streak covered all areas of your life. The only consolation was the support of the cavalry captain. The young man tried to make friends with you and protect his brother from unnecessary actions. Thanks to him, hope was born in you. Your new friend can help free your brother from his thirst for revenge.

Over time, you and Kaye have become good friends. His company turned your dark days into vivid memories. At first it seemed that he was trying to seduce you, but later his intentions became more sincere. Admittedly, you didn't have enough to lean on a strong, masculine hand, to be in someone else's arms, to feel protected. Perhaps such a person has appeared. But no matter how hard you tried to find happiness, it still did not want to be present in your life.

One evening, brother did not return home. After a long search, you found no trace of his presence. Two, three days have passed, or maybe a week of waiting for at least some news. It was raining just as hard. There was a tall man in black robes on your doorstep. Who but a Diluс, the owner of the Share of Angels tavern, could have such scarlet, flaming hair? Ruby eyes, having studied your restless face, softened.

- You're in danger. Get ready. I'll take you to a safe place. - the only words that came out of his mouth. Then you really got scared.

That's how you ended up at the distillery. The maids have received you as an honored guest. They even allocated a separate room. More than one day has passed since then. The staff went about their business, and the owner was often not at home at all. Your presence was perceived as the norm, although not much time had passed. A lot of questions were eating away at the inside, but no one could answer them. Adelaide calmed you down by serving you a cup of tea when she noticed your nervousness. But she didn't say anything either. Only once did you witness the revelation of the truth.

Sleep did not come at night. I wanted to quench my thirst. You didn't want to disturb the servants, who were probably asleep. It was only through getting used to the darkness that the eyes were able to make out the corridor. Candles flickered around the bend. Someone was having dinner. They say Diluс returned home very late, most likely it was him...

"And what brings you here?" Diluc put the empty plate aside. "You probably didn't just come here to have dinner."

- You know, sometimes you just want to be in the warm company of your brother, but you're right. Two people have recently gone missing. Have you seen anyone like that? - There was someone else there. The voice is similar to the Kaeya.

- Yes, I kind of saw the flyers. Unfortunately, I have not met anyone with a similar appearance.

- Really? But for some reason I'm sure that at least the girl was here.

Dilyuk sighed heavily. "I can't hide anything from you. It may seem difficult, but she is alive and unharmed."

- Where is she?

- Better take care of the second missing person. He's probably looking for help.

- Once their now deceased father was my comrade. I have to solve this case and bring back his children. This young man was one of my soldiers. He kept saying that he would avenge his dead father. His sister often visited to find out how he was feeling. Circled over him like a mommy. And that led me to a conclusion. If he left, she most likely followed him.

Dilyuk shuddered at that moment. He was feeling the bridge of his nose. This whole situation was one continuous headache for him. -

"Okay. The girl is really safe, but the boy is.... he's dead. I killed him."

At that moment, you pressed your hands to your lips so as not to make an unnecessary sound. Tears rolled down cheeks.

"So you admit you killed him?"

- The case is much darker than it might seem. He was recruited by Fatoui. He was their spy. According to my contacts, he tried to sneak into the headquarters more than once. Maybe he even managed to get something out of there.

- And the girl?

- She has nothing to do with it. If they don't know about his death or think he's escaped. Perhaps they will come to their house to find out where he is or get rid of witnesses. That's why I decided to take her away.

- That's how it is.

It may have been a little while, but it's slowed down a lot for you. The legs moved towards the room on their own. Tried to stifle your sobs. Soul ached badly, as if she had been betrayed. Meanwhile, the brothers continued to talk among themselves as if nothing had happened.

- So you can put her under my care. I am ready to take responsibility for her protection.

In less than a moment, a frown appeared on Diluc's face. Kaeya knows that look well. Diluc doesn't trust knights. He looks more like a dog that is ready to protect the innocent until death. Whether it's one girl or a whole Mondstadt. It was bad. They could cross clenches if he decided to take her away like that.

- I think it's worth asking her opinion on this matter. She could have just heard everything.

Diluc, dissatisfied with his position, got up from the table and headed towards your room. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Should have known it differently, but there's nothing can do.

The door to the room slowly opened, letting in a dim light. You were lying on the bed, covered with a blanket. Fear overcame all thoughts, devouring your heart. You felt a heavy hand on your head. A small voice whispered almost soundlessly. - "I'm sorry. I didn't want it to happen like this."

- Why didn't you say anything? Why did you drag me into your house and leave me alone with my thoughts? I didn't know what to think. Why is my brother dead?

- I didn't want to kill him. It just happened. He fought too fiercely against me. I had no choice.

Your sobs are getting louder. A muffled sob filled the small room. Diluc wanted to take you in his arms, but shame and bitterness did not allow him to do so. Meanwhile, Kaeya had already entered the room. The door slammed behind him.

- Well, then. There will still be time for mourning. I wonder what you're going to do now?

- Nothing. She's staying here. Fatuis may be waiting for her in the city. - Diluc answered him without hesitation.

- You can't hide it forever. There are a lot of people at the Distillery to generate rumors.

- My people are quite competent, unlike the soldiers. They'll just leave her unattended. The enemy never sleeps.

- I. I'll stay here. - Your quiet voice involuntarily interfered in their conversation. It's scary to imagine what might happen if you left the distillery. "I'm scared. If you promise to protect me, I will stay. And the people here have made me very welcome."

For a moment, it seemed as if Kaeya's eyes reflected emptiness before assuming a painfully familiar friendly expression. - " OK. If the lady wants to stay, so be it, but at this rate I'm becoming your accomplice. You are considered missing in the city. Only I can hide the information of your arrival. In return, I wish to visit you sometimes. I'm worried about staying in the dark." You nodded hesitantly.

During your stay at the Dawn distillery, it seemed that your shock had passed, but thinking about dead brother gave you reason to be a little afraid of Diluk. Otherwise, almost nothing has changed. In addition, the owner has become more likely to be at home, and Kaeya visits you almost every day. The meetings were more like small dates than regular get-togethers. The guy tried to get your attention as sweetly as possible, starting with gifts and ending with awkward gestures.

In fact, Keia made you his target a long time ago. From the day you first met, he couldn't take his eyes off you. At first it looked like a harmless flirtation, but over time his mania began to grow at an incredible rate. Few people manage to turn the head of a young, handsome, charismatic cavalry captain. In society, he may seem like a ladies' man, because only such a melodious voice is able to convey all the charm of the beauty of femininity itself. It was as if an incubus had come from hell to please the most closed girlish hearts.

On the contrary, you either studiously did not show a reaction, or did not notice at all. The guy was ready to swear that he saw the unsuccessful cupid diligently trying to hit you with an arrow, but fate forced them to fly in different directions. Kaeya mistook your closeness for a challenge. He has to win you over.

For Diluc, your presence has become commonplace. The situation you got into through brother's stupidity made his blood boil. This scene was directly imprinted in head with fragments of the past. He seriously did not understand those who are ready to betray their loved ones. You can't deserve to be treated like this.

Once he managed to capture your figure at an open window with a book in his hands. Just noticing him, your face lit up. A question popped up in the young winemaker's head - "What is it like to meet this smile every day?". Soon, the eternally closed and stingy guy began to exude tenderness in your direction.

Kaeya easily recognized his brother's infatuation. Of course, he wasn't particularly happy about this outcome, because you were supposed to be his alone. If you look at it from the other side, Diluc is a paranoid, focused on protecting his loved ones and just the innocent. Who better to entrust such a fragile flower to than him? Even if you decide to run away, the Distillery itself is a vast territory. There are people everywhere. You can't go anywhere unnoticed.

Diluc is also not a fool not to see brother's love interest. Unfortunately, there is no place to put it and there is no getting away from it. The three of you are connected by the same situation. It remains only to silently agree to the division of your attention between them. If only you could be in his field of vision.

It all started with small signs of attention until you yourself began to notice how suffocated you were by their presence. Personal boundaries were being destroyed right before our eyes. Even if they weren't around, the servants were always watching you. Over time, you began to suffer from panic attacks. Paranoia about other people's views even in a closed room haunted you. The feeling of loss turned into stress, and stress gave rise to a personality disorder.

One day, passing by the mirror, you stopped at a frozen figure. The reflection no longer had that calm smile on the familiar face. Fear appeared in his dull eyes, and his lips trembled. All this did not go well with a beautiful dress, expensive jewelry and delicate makeup. Previously, you might have been happy with such an update, but now. It wasn't a girl in the reflection, but rather a soulless doll.

- Isn't she beautiful? - Kaeya always had a habit of sneaking up behind jokingly. He hugged you lovingly, allowing himself to touch your neck with his lips. The man became more insistent every day. It seemed that his patience could come to naught at any moment, until one day you found yourself on his lap, impaled on his penis. No matter how hard you tried to resist, euphoria was playing in your mind. Strong male hands let go and lifted you up. He was strong enough to grab unexpectedly in any available place. Your desperate eyes excited him. Something dark and unknown was awakening inside. He was always looking for his little fawn. Even if you didn't belong only to him, he desperately tried to fill all your time with his presence while Diluc was away on important business.

When Diluc returned home, you could already be fast asleep. The man tried to visit you as often as his time allowed. Here is your sleeping figure. Diluc felt his heart beating faster and faster in his chest. He loves you, and even if he can't show it that often, he has money at his disposal. Your lace nightgown shows it. Last time, my hands couldn't help but touch your soft skin. Maybe even lips kissed yours. He's ashamed, very ashamed, but how can you stop when you're so obedient and sweet? He didn't want you to see him like this at all. Because of her nervousness, Adelaide often gave you a sedative and Diluc knew it. So now he could have done anything and you wouldn't know about it. In the morning, you could expect a small surprise in the form of a white sticky mass that forgot to remove.

Even if you make a scene, a pile of gift boxes will be delivered to the estate the next day just for you. Many people may start whispering that a spoiled child has appeared in the house. Maybe you don't even know about it. They were afraid of the master, who might even kill for you, and the head maid is not averse to handing out serious punishments if such rumors reach her ears.

Kaeya didn't lag behind either. Fresh flowers often appeared in your room. The captain knows how to take care of girls, unlike his embarrassed brother. He could give his love with affection and attention without fear of being rejected. Although you have nowhere to go.

Endless days in a long-familiar room turned into weeks, and weeks into months. You managed to remember who will be at home when and why. Only once, on the occasion of the holiday, no one bothered to check on you. Everyone was busy. You've rehearsed it many times and you were ready to leave your cage with confidence. Everything went according to plan, everything was fine, you were almost at the border with Li Yue when you suddenly lost consciousness. The eyes opened in the same damn place. This time, the movements were severely constrained. Golden chains were found on the wrist and legs. Your breath caught in your throat when suddenly a red-haired man entered the room. There was anger in his eyes.

- How could you? How dare you leave without saying a word? I almost lost my mind. Do you understand how many monsters are outside and it's not her to count all kinds of scumbags?!

He came too close, but softened when he saw your eyes wet with fear. Nevertheless, your words almost broke out into a scream.

- I don't want to be here anymore. This place is driving me crazy. It's all you and your brother! You've made a doll out of me. I want to live quietly somewhere far away alone. And now you've turned me into a puppet by putting me in these chains. How else can I understand this?!

- I'm doing this for you. Fatuis may be close...

-I'm sure they don't even remember me anymore. These are all your pathetic excuses! I'd rather die than be here and submit to your perverted fantasies!

Diluc measured his anger with a heavy sigh. - "Someday you'll understand why I'm doing all this. We try to take care of you. Wouldn't asking for a little love be a good price to pay for a life of comfort and security?"

- You're already delusional about this idea. I'm sorry, but I don't feel safe around you anymore.

Diluc left the room without hesitation, leaving you all alone. The chains rattled uncomfortably as you tried to get out of bed. There was a box with another gift on the bedside table. You unpacked it automatically, it used to be fun. Now it is not clear what can be dug up. Inside was a leather collar with a leash and a note. "I've heard you've been behaving badly lately. I hope you'll be wearing it when we meet. Do not forget. You have to behave yourself to get what you want. I'll be happy to give you this. With love, Kaeya"

The gift was immediately in the far corner. You huddled into the wall, hiding your face. Tears streamed from eyes. You used to be their toy, but now you've become a pet. After all, this is not the end you were waiting for.

The glasses of the pink glasses flew in different directions, leaving scars in the cornea for the rest of days. The world has changed its palette to dark tones, emptying you and your mind..

[mx-your-name]

His Goddess - 3

Possessive!Adam x Goddess!Reader

Warning: Yandere theme, Possessive Adam, Goddess!Reader giving Adam a kiss, the DickMaster finally getting the love he deserves, mention of you and Adam kinda dating, marriage thoughts, Adam getting some love affection back that he fully deserves and needs

-I would imagine that the Goddess!Reader would sing along with the other gods/goddesses! Like they’d harmonize into making a beauty of a song like fitting puzzle pieces together for some odd reason

-A of the songs that I see all the gods would sing would be ‘Let Us Adore You’ from Steven Universe

-Like it fits so well! White Diamond would obviously you, Yellow Diamond would be Ares and Demeter, with Blue Diamond being Themis and Eros

-When you all sing this would be trying to convince THE GOD that controls everything to stay because he magically left one day or doesn’t show himself anymore

-Another headcanon I would see is when Charlie and Vaggie went to heaven for that meeting, there would be either a small figure of yourself or a orb in the corner of the room watching everything

-As you know before the only people that know of all of your god's existences would be Sera, obviously Adam now, Lucifer (he has met you when you went to help him out once), and the god of everything

Sitting down at the house with Adam beside you watching a movie that you had never seen before, for that matter you haven’t ever seen a movie since you weren’t used to this new technology, you are always stuck with non-internet and future stuff. Weirdly enough Adam was a literal cat when it came to you, specifically one that would be clingy, possessive, and wouldn’t let anyone go near you without a reason. One example of this being when Ares had to come over and discuss his war ideas or technically the ‘Hell vs Heaven’ war that was going on.

He was in a three feet radius of you then all of sudden Adam practically hissing at him. You heard it right. Hissing! Like a goddamn cat, the both of you were confused and shocked by what was going on. So once Ares took 2 steps back that made him about five feet away from you is when Adam went quiet. Sipping his drink as he listened to your guy's conversation that was going about Hell vs Heaven mayhem.

Yeah, that moment was still vivid inside your mind, fresh like it had happened earlier today, that is correct cause it did happen the same day! Though the movie that was playing was a bit weird and not your type of thing. Glancing at Adam from the corner of your eye then back at the screen, “what do you exactly find entertaining about this.. so called movie?”

“What do I find entertaining?! The movies are about me and my life!” Adam said, both shocked and confused on how you weren’t entertained with his life story that people on earth made. “I already know about your life, I was there the whole time watching.” You told him looking down at him with an unimpressed look. “Oh yeah, watching through a crystal orb,” he said, remembering that you could see everything.

“No, not through the orb I mean in person,” furrowing his eyebrows in confusion at your words. “In person? I would’ve seen you through and you would’ve stood out like a sore thumb with your height.” Adam laughed at his own joke that wasn’t even a joke, shaking your head. Of course you were down there in person a few eons ago, it was a command that THE GOD gave to you after all, so how could you not reject it?

There was a knock on the door that made you and Adam look over to, “you may come in.” The person on the other side heard that as the door opened a second later to reveal your angel assistant which all the gods got as a gift from THE ONE. Adam was grumbling on how this angel was ruining your guys' time together, crossing his arms as he glared at the angel who was standing their ground but was actually shrinking on the inside from Adam’s staring. “Good evening, Cassiel. Is there a reason why you’re here?”

Looking down at the angel who had a golden halo and wings on their back with a crystal eye that had wings beside them. “So to interrupt both of your evenings but Lady [Name], there has been a meeting set up later today around 13:25.” Cassiel stated her arms folded behind her back while she stood up straight. “Hmm very well,” nodding your head at her telling her you understand. “Alright, you hear that hot goddess bitch? We are gonna have a meeting to attend to-” Adam was cut off by a cough coming from Cassiel who looked a bit nervous and embarrassed.

“Sorry to inform you but this is only between the gods and goddess this time. After all this meeting is with none other than the Lord himself that scheduled this meeting for the original five and himself.” Your eyes widen at the news that was given, Adam’s smile and excitement gone, now replaced with boredom and a glare. “Why the hell not? I’m fucking Adam I can go to any-” he was once again cut off but by you this time. “Adam, I know I said from the last meeting you’d be able to go to other meetings with me. Though this one is asked by his Lord himself, only with the five of us.”

Crossing his arms, grumbling under his breath that he should be able to go because he was Adam and that Big G would be happy to see him after eons ago. Waving Cassiel off so you could speak to Adam alone about this matter so Cassiel wouldn’t get in the way of his tantrum that he usually throws when he doesn’t get his way especially when it’s involved around you. The door shut as you spoke up, “Adam I know how much you want to go but you cannot go. How about this? When I come back from the meeting we could do whatever you want whether it’s going on a date, to Earth, down to Heaven, or even go kill a couple of sinners down in hell. How does that sound?”

Adam perked up at the suggestion that you are giving him, about the two of you could do together. “Really? Anything? Like.. anything anything?” He said, making sure that what you said was actually what you said. Giving him a firm nod at which he started jumping with excitement and happiness, “fine go to that stupid meeting but I’m gonna hold you accountable for your promise.”

Smiling gently at Adam who was crossing his arms with a huff, raising your hand as you place it on his messy brown hair then planting a kiss on his forehead. His face immediately went red and eyes widening realizing what you had just done, “don’t do anything until I get back!” That was the last thing as you quickly left with a snap of your fingers. Adam placed his hand where you kissed him and his other hand on his red cheeks, a love sick smile on his face.

— — — —

Taking a deep breath as you open your eyes to see the rest of the gods in their own spots in the meeting room. This meeting room wasn’t like the one before, of course not it was completely different. There were six seats, the four gods in their original spots on your sides but your back was to the door this time, at the front head of the table in front of the window sat him. The Lord, God, the Creator, the one before everything, the Heavenly Father, the Father. Yahweh.

You were nervous to say, usually you weren’t since you were always second in command and knew that Yahweh would always listen to your word on everything. It was because you or anyone hasn’t seen him in centuries since the last meeting. And usually there would be a heads up on these types of meetings beforehand instead of the same day. Yahweh even cut off communication between the two of you, he told you that he needed a break from everything so you had taken over his spot so he could have a vacation for once every century.

His vacation was another reason why you couldn’t tell him that Adam was at the Tower of Heaven, living with you. You wouldn’t ever interrupt his vacations because you never had a reason too or want too since he very well deserved it for everything he has done. You’ll have to tell him, after all you’ve never kept anything from him unless it was a gift for him.

“Ah! It is wonderful to see you all again! Themis, Eros, Ares, Demeter, and of course my second in command [Name]!” It was no secret that you were favored over everyone else, and nobody minded because they would also want to listen to your options and favor you more than others. “How are you all doing on this great fantastic day?” Yahweh said, his eyes glancing around at everybody, a big smile on his face all happy to finally see everyone again.

Eros was the first to speak up, “everything has been going wonderful to me! Especially when seeing more and more people fall in love with each other! It is so wonderful to see everyone love and cherish each other again.” Yahweh listened to what he was saying until Cupid finished up, turning over to Themis to see if he had anything to say. “Well, there’s been a quite good balance on Earth, and every person that passed through here to get either reincarnated was accepted and others were not so much from the horrible stuff. Overall I would say that it’s been amazing so far.”

Themis finished up looking over to Ares who was to tell how he felt, “there is nothing much for me to say besides that there is no war going on at the moment between the countries or people. My day is going good though, thank you for asking.” Yahweh chuckled at that as he shifted his gaze over to Demeter. “My day has been going wonderfully, the plants and trees started growing rapidly and quickly. They also started blooming different kinds of new colored flowers.” Demeter tone in her voice was calm and collected making everyone feel at ease, petting her pet bird that sat on her arm chair.

Lastly all the attention looked towards you waiting for what you were going to say, ‘oh, umm what do I say? No no, just stay calm, you're the goddess of creation and destruction you can do anything.’ Taking a deep breath as you talk, “my day has been going wonderful my Lord. The days are lovely, the Tower of Heaven is peaceful as always with the silence mixed with the charting here and there. But umm.. I think there is something that you would need to know that’s very important which you needed to know for a while now.”

Towards the end you started mumbling but quickly picked up your voice so you weren’t quiet so no one besides you could hear. “That’s all wonderful but hold onto that thought real quick because I have fantastic and amazing news to tell all of you!” Standing up in his seat in front of the table, clapping his hands together, a giant smile on his face as his eyes held a sparkle in it from what he was about to tell. “Lord this is a really important and urgent matter-” getting cut off by Yahweh waving his hand saying that you all could discuss it after the information.

“So recently I have realized that you all have been working really hard on duties and the souls, mostly you [Name], and how lonely you have been. So I decided to make you a husband, so you wouldn’t feel alone and have someone to be there for you just like Eros does with his wives.” Yahweh announced exclusively, his facial expressions shows how thrilled and cheerful he was when revealing his message.

The whole room went silent at that, your eyes widened, unable to comprehend what was said while your jaw partly opened up. Demeter stopped petting her bird as she glanced around the room at the others not knowing what to say, even her bird was gawking like it was frozen in time. Ares opened his mouth to speak up about something then quickly shut it, not able to form words. Themis let out a deep breath feeling the slightly tense silence that not even her scale and judgment could fix. Eros covered his mouth that had a gasp escape a second before he did, flashing his eyes over to you, then to Yahweh who was smiling confused, then back over to you again.

‘Oh my! [Name] getting a husband, out of the blue too? But what about Adam? Oh no that’s horrible! He’s so in love with her that he thinks of her life. He's her husband already, that and his possessive and obsessive tendies? This is going to end terribly! Unless someone reveals what’s going on, come on [Name]! Fess up and do something about the matter!’ Eros yelled in his head as he was looking more nervous every second nobody talked, sinking slowly down into his seat.

“So? What is that you wanted to tell me-” Yahweh cleared his throat wanting to know why every god was acting like this, he didn’t feel like he should read your guys thoughts since you’ll tell him everything. Slamming your hands on the desk, interjecting his sentence, standing up with your hands on the table as you shout, “Adam arrived at the Tower of Heaven about a few months ago after he was killed during extermination day! A soul from hell arrived in Heaven not too long before Adam died and arrived here! The now sinner's soul was redeemed and in Heaven. Adam has been staying with me since we didn’t know what we could do and to not break our Heaven rules that involved the matter! I can’t accept the husband either since Adam and I are technically dating as well after the first month he started staying here!”

When you were finished you held your breath in as everything went silent. You could almost hear a pin drop from the end of the hall which was very very far away. The four gods shifted their gazes from you over to Yahweh who was taking it all in word for word. His face no longer had a smile but just a thin line, opening his mouth only to close in a couple times. Putting his hand up in front of you all that said to give him a second, twisting his chair all the way around. Resting his chin on his palm staring out the huge window in the room.

Locking eyes with the others who were confused and nervous to say, taking a seat back in your chair waiting for something. Anything to come whether it was yelling or a punishment for not telling him sooner. Yahweh was in disbelief to obvious state, spinning his chair back around his both held together in front of him as he took a breath in then let it out. “So that is..” crossing their fingers waiting for the yelling or shouting from Yahweh to begin only to get none of that. “Wonderful news! Well not Adam dying but having a redeemed sinner? Finally! I’ve been waiting for so long that it felt like an eternity, ha ha! That is amazing. And you and Adam are dating? I would have never expected that to ever happen, in all of my lifetime!”

“You’re- you’re not.. mad?” Questioning as all of you glimpsed at one another to only see the same confused face. “Mad? Why would I be mad? Well I am upset that Adam had died from the extermination that took place but I’m happy that he was able to get over his last two wives! He has you now! Though I’ll need to check in on that extermination!” Yahweh cleared up smiling brightly, stars stuck in his eyes showing his happiness and giddiness that was a child’s nature.

“I’m calling off the husband thing since you have Adam! For a second I thought I was gonna have to create someone that was another good that was to join the group, oh well! Guess I only need the original five and nobody else that’s new. Though if you two are getting married soon you have to invite me and that’s an order.” Nodding your head at his words.

After that whole ardeal the meeting went off like it normally did, talking about some issues that were going on here and there. Yahweh talked about probably wanting to start over from the very beginning then deciding against it since he could start a new experiment about new creatures that humans talk about. Which they called aliens, which you all started getting to work on, giving ideas on what they should look like and how they should be created differently.

Also butting in that they should be far away from the humans since it might cause some problems and if it ever does then you all should wipe them out. You set up safe measures for anything that could happen, and Yahweh said that they weren’t gonna be able to come to heaven but a different place for them to separate angels, sinners with the new alien creatures.

— — — —

Stretching your arms as all of you went your separate ways to your own houses, Yahweh made sure that you got the message to marry Adam whether it was in decades or centuries or eons. He really wanted you two to get married for whatever reason, even gave you two rings that personally to your liking.

Piping up behind Adam to see him watching tv briefly, his whole body laying across the couch muttering a song under his breath, some words mentioning how boring it was without you and that he should’ve gone no matter what. Taking in a full view of Adam, his brown hair to his hazel-brown like eyes. How could he be this.. attractive? How could you not realize this until now? You felt like your cheeks were heating up, where were you hot? Last time you checked Heaven always had nice temperatures so you’d never feel too cold or hot, it was always the same warmth everyday.

Placing a hand on your cheeks, shaking your head quickly, looking at the tv to see some kind of sitcom show about a family who were arguing or messing around with each other. Glancing back down at Adam who’s eyes were staring to close from how boring the show was, it wasn’t even that interesting or entertaining for his liking. His eyes felt heavier and drooped down. Smiling softly down at him, how could you not realize it until now? You were in love.. with Adam. So Eros was right about what he told you after the meeting in private.

-Flashback-

About to teleport your way back home to Adam before you had gotten stopped by a tap on your shoulder. Turning around to face Eros who was giving you a soft smile that he always wore, “ah sorry to interrupt your time to go home [Name] but I wasn’t to ask you something. If that’s alright with you. “Hmm? Sure I don’t mind Eros, ask whatever you need.” You give him a reassuring smile, making him a bit more confident on what he was going to ask.

“Well, how do you feel about Adam? Like do you like him, like just just in general.” Taken back by the question but coming back quickly as you thought about it for a minute. How did you feel about him? You liked how he was always there when he needed help, how he was always by your side no matter what happened. You liked how he would never back down from a fight or a challenge that you gave him, how his wings felt around you when he gave you a hug that would last for hours.

His golden wings felt soft, you had wings too but you never brought them out like the extra pairs of arms you had in your full form just like the others who looked completely different that they would originally.

“I like everything about him I suppose.. he’s always there for me, always helps me out even if I don’t need it, and try’s keep me warm with his wings whenever we’re watching movies together on the couch.” Laughing at the part of remembering his wings were able to go around your tall frame even when you were in your nine feet tall self. Eros felt it, he felt your heart speeding up a bit when talking about Adam himself, your likes that reflected off him, and how there was the slightest pink blush on your cheeks.

“Oh [Name].. you're in love with him!” Eros squealed in pure enthusiasm, tilting your to the side a bit conflicted. “Eros doesn't take this the wrong way but that’s impossible. I’m incapable of feeling love, I haven’t ever felt any type of love for eons or even yonks(eternity).” You told him trying to get him to understand that, shaking his head at your words. “Yes I know. But as Cupid the God of Love I can feel the love radiating off of you when you were talking about Adam like he was truly the one that was made for you even if you don’t think so.”

“I don’t know, Eros. If you say it is true, I’ll try to keep an eye out for it.” Affirming him as you took your leave, Eros smiled with a shrug and skipped away most likely to go and see his wonderful wives.

-Flashback end-

How could have this happened? Your heart was beating and your cheeks were getting red and heated up from just getting the smallest amount of a glimpse from Adam and that just made lol your emotions go haywire. ‘Maybe.. just maybe this feeling wouldn’t be so bad.’ Creating a blanket from your powers, draping it over his limb body, bending over a bit as you place a kiss on top of his forehead. Pulling away, staring close at him as he slept away the rest of the day peacefully. Not able to resist the temptation, you had kissed him on the forehead again.

Standing fully back up, smiling down at him as you walked off to tend to the paperwork in your office. Missing for a split second of Adam smiling, watching you walk away, his hand on his forehead where you kissed him. Two more times might I add.

[cammslush]

Can I please request a Yandere Wanderer x Reader in which the Wanderer meets the reincarnation of his lover from when he was still Kabukimono

This is my first time doing a request like this, I hope it's up to your standards 🥲

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Content warning(s): Yandere themes, angst (death), mention of blood

Let me know if I missed anything

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Mortals. They all have the exact same fragility. They are born, they live, grow old, and then die.

"Promise me…? That you won't leave me or betray me like everyone else? Please…?"

There was this mortal that the kabukimono met. The same kind of mortal that would live, grow old, and eventually die all the same. The only, only difference between this mortal and the rest…was the fact that he couldn't help but feel some sort indescribable feeling of fondness towards them.

Such a precious mortal, but he doesn't even know the reason why. Is it the fact that they treated him with so much of their golden heart of kindness? Is it the fact that they were the one who stayed with him the longest amount of time? (Yes, he counted.)

That question he asked the mortal sounded so strange. They couldn't fully grasp the true meaning behind those words. They thought what he meant by "betray" was leaving him for someone else.

"Of course. I promise I will never leave your side!"

No one had any idea how absolutely elated he was to hear those words.

.

.

.

Eventually though, the expected occured.

As much as the poor, heartbroken kabukimono deluded himself into thinking:

"This must be one of your stupid pranks again. Either that, or you stayed up all night working at Mikage Furnace again…"

…Right?

But upon seeing how the mortal didn't open their eyes and tell him something along the lines of 'You saw right through me!' while flashing that adorably cheeky grin, he began to have his doubts.

"Hey…You said you wouldn't leave me, right?"

He shook the mortal's limp body. No matter how much he shook, their eyes never managed to open.

"But I, I love you so much! You…you can't do this to me…!"

A tiny stream of blood trickled down from the mortal's mouth.

"...Why…?"

Puppets do not have hearts.

So then, what exactly is this unbearable pain in his chest, where a human's heart is meant to be? Why does it hurt so much? Is he going to die too?

"...Why did you lie to me…?"

All he wanted was to do exactly as he saw humans do. Fall in love, marry, and finally live together forever, and ever, and ever, and ever, and ever, until the end of time…

He just wants to see that precious face every morning he wakes up, that charming smile that always lifts his spirits whenever something awful happens, that alluring voice that reminds him that you will always be right there…

Was that so much to ask?!

…..

….

…

..

.

Padisarahs grew beautifully with the vivid green blades of grass along the streets of Sumeru City. It was currently their blooming season, so Sumeru had received no shortage of tourists who wanted to take in the beautiful and enchanting scenery.

You were one of those tourists who hailed all the way from Inazuma, but besides sightseeing the pretty flowers and trees, you came for another reason.

You were told the cuisine in Sumeru are mainly focused on spice, mostly due to the fact that many plants in Sumeru have spices that can be cooked for extra flavour in a dish. In contrast, Inazuma's food are usually more to the comforting, bland-ish taste.

You just had to take this opportunity to try some of their food. That is what most tourists do when they visit an unfamiliar place, right? They say food is the most welcoming part of a nation.

"You can find lots of herbs and spices in the Grand Bazaar, maybe even the chance to sample some dishes if you're lucky enough. Go there and have some fun, maybe."

Conveniently, you had a Sumerian pen pal willing to share some interesting information.

"In fact, maybe I can meet you there. Don't get your hopes too high, though. The Grand Bazaar is an annoyingly crowded place."

This pen pal of yours is one of the people who sort of got you interested in seeing what Sumeru's spices are all about.

"But I wouldn't recommend you try too much. They kind of suck, in my opinion. There's so much of the spice flavour in every dish, you can't even taste anything else."

Yeah…they made you interested purely because they said they didn't like it.

"Still, do whatever you want. Knock yourself out."

So here you were, in the bustling Grand Bazaar!

Given that it's the Padisarah's blooming season, one could see the pretty petals all over the place. "But also, Padisarah buds can be processed into spices too, so you'll see a lot of people selling them at this time." That is what your knowledgeable pen pal told you.

Already you could smell the sharp, spicy scent that wafted throughout the whole underground market, but you could also feel every merchant smiling even while working hard to attract customers.

…Why does it feel like you've seen a similar sight before?

People working hard to the best of their abilities, trying to provide for their families, but they all still have such happy, friendly faces…

Why does it all look so nostalgic? So distant? …It's not like Inazuma doesn't have an atmosphere like this.

"Hey there, miss! Come over here!" A merchant called you over to his stall, hoping you would purchase some goods, "I haven't seen you around before. Are you a tourist? The Padisarah blooming season has provided lots of beloved Sumerian spices…"

.

.

.

Damn it, why didn't it ever cross his mind to suggest something like a stupid greeting signal so that he knows who exactly he's looking for?

It was all that Dendro Archon's idea for him to get a pen pal that he can talk to so that he doesn't "feel lonely" anymore or "become antisocial". He still has ability to socialize normally with other people, thank you very much. Isn't she the one who should leave her sanctuary once in a while instead?

It was all thanks to Nahida that now he…

"Where the hell are you, (Y/N)?"

…was now desperately trying to find a fragile mortal who could very well get lost in the huge marketplace. But don't get it twisted, Nahida. It's because he's pretty much responsible for the safety of the person he asked to come here.

No, no, it's definitely not because he has developed any sort of fondness.

Mortals. They all have the exact same fragility. They are born, they live, grow old, and then die.

Why should he care deeply about yet another measly human?

Your name was all he had to go off of, but he would sound like an undercover matra if he kept going around asking "Have you seen a person called (Y/N) nearby?", or "Hey, did you see anyone who looks like they have the name (Y/N) around here?"

"One portion of Biryani rice for take away, thank you," the Wanderer placed the needed Mora on the stall table before the owner even realized he was there, "With extra spices, too."

"Oh, coming right up!"

"Also, have you heard anyone named (Y/N) come by here?" Damn…he asked the question anyway.

A familiar voice appeared behind him,

"(Y/N)? That's my name,"

.

.

.

"...!"

The Wanderer almost fell to his knees with how hard his heart pounded against his chest upon seeing your face. He felt the need to pinch your soft cheek, just to make sure that you weren't just part of his delusional imagination. You're real?

Right…his heart. He does have a heart now. It's beating so hard, he might just faint.

"You are…"

The exact same look of confusion on that mortal's face back when they saw a homeless, barefeet kabukimono suddenly following them back to the Mikage Furnace. The exact same expression that just made him want to follow you wherever you went.

"Who are you?"

No one else wears a kimono like you. No one else speaks like you. No one else opens their mouth slightly agape in confusion like you. No other soul in Teyvat can capture your purity, your curiosity, the utter weight of your presence.

He couldn't stop staring at you. He suddenly found his memories rushing back again.

'Of course. I promise I will never leave your side!'

Yes, you didn't lie. You didn't betray him at all! You love him so much, don't you? After all this time, you finally came right back to find him, as if you couldn't get more precious.

"I'm your…"

You found arms slowly wrapped around your body in a tight embrace, as you stood frozen in place.

"...pen pal."

"O-Ohh…!" You didn't know this pen pal of yours likes hugs so much, "Hey, nice to finally meet you too!"

The Wanderer was physically unable to let you go, after you tried to leave his embrace by stepping back. His arms clung around your body so tightly, like he was a General Crab from Inazuma. "Um…I get that you might like hugs, but, we're in public…?"

No.

He must let everyone know that you belong to him. You belonged to him 400 years ago, and you still do right now.

Nahida, are you listening?

Even the gods don't have a say on whether his lifelong darling gets to live or die. Not anymore.

"I really missed you."

"...Huh?"

Now he can finally complete what had begun all the way back then! Fall in love, marry, and finally live together forever, and ever, and ever, and ever, and ever, until the end of time…

You said it yourself. You will never leave his side, right?

Stop trying to run away.