#but management forgot to buy anything so they had nothing yesterday :) just chocolates out the staff room box

[angelmichelangelo]

feeling the emotion burn at work when i check my phone and see a very generous amount of ao3 emails from @wiccamoody <3 u made my day, friend. as did anyone else that has shown me so much love and support and encouragement the last 25 days. i’ll make a longer post later with all the links and the charity link but thank you thank you thank you, my heart is feeling very very full right now <333

[cherryblossomflowers]

Her Special Day

Pairing: Jensen Ackles x Reader

Summary: Jensen wants YN to have an incredible birthday, but when his plans start to fail he's worried he ruined her special day. Luckily, YN is very understanding.

Warnings: Mega Fluff, Slight Cursing, Anxiety/Panic

A/N: Happy Birthday @mlovesstories​ I hope your day is filled with laughter and joy. Here's a little something from me. (I also had to add a JA gif from yesterday, lol) Feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy!

***ASK OPEN***

*LET ME KNOW IF YOU’D LIKE TO BE TAGGED*

Cherry Blossom One-Shot Masterlist

As he pulled into his driveway, Jensen looked down at the clock on his radio, "Okay, she should be here in about an hour. That's plenty of time to get everything set up."

Today was YN's birthday and Jensen was determined to make it an unforgettable one. After all, the two have been dating for 3 years now.

And Jensen believed it was time to take that next step.

Early that morning, he called a local flower shop to deliver a bouquet of roses to YN's office as a surprise for her birthday. Then he made a plan and got ready for the day.

His first stop was the jewelry store in town. It took some time to find the perfect diamond, but after 3 hours of careful looking, he had found it. 

He didn't even flinch at the price when he swiped his credit card, especially since YN's happiness was worth more to him than any amount of money he ever had.

His next stop was the floral shop that he had the roses delivered from. He decided to buy a couple more bouquets of roses and use the petals as a romantic decoration around the house.

Finally he popped into the grocery store to pick up ingredients for YN's favorite meal: chicken parmesan. He also grabbed a chocolate cake mix, frosting, and candles, deciding that a semi-homemade birthday cake was better than having someone else make it in a bakery.

After he purchased everything, Jensen climbed back in his truck and drove to his house. He pulled into the driveway, checked the time, and got to work.

Jensen managed to get everything inside, including the ring, and into the kitchen before setting up a plan of action, "First things first: I need to get that cake made so it has time to cool. Then I need to get everything decorated. I should probably get dinner at least put together while the cake bakes."

In his entire life, Jensen had never been this nervous. He wanted YN's special day to be memorable, but he also needed this proposal to be perfect. She was the love of his life and he wanted her to always be happy.

So everything had to go right and be perfect.

After a half hour of mixing ingredients, Jensen popped the cake in the oven and got to work preparing dinner. Since he's made chicken parmesan several times over the years, mainly at YN's request, it was second nature to him.

He set the dish aside and started decorating the living room and kitchen for YN's birthday. He put one bouquet of roses in a vase and set them on the counter, then he set the table for himself and YN.

A little while later, the timer for the cake went off and he pulled the pans out of the oven. He set them on the cooling rack and slipped the chicken parmesan into the oven.

As he was cleaning up the kitchen, his phone started to ring on the counter. He picked it up and saw the picture from his and YN's first date at the water park.

He smiled as he answered, "Why hello, birthday girl."

Her giggle on the other end made his heart skip a beat, "Hello, love. Guess who got off work a half hour early?"

Jensen pulled back his phone and noticed the time, "O-oh, wow that’s...great," he had to think of something to keep her busy a bit longer, "Um, hey why don't you stop by the store a grab a bottle of wine? I spaced getting it when I was at the store earlier."

"But don't you have like rows and rows of wine in your house?"

"Y-yeah, I do. But I want you to have your favorite and we drank the last of it a week ago."

"Oh, uh, okay then. Sure, I'll stop by the store. Is there anything else I could grab?"

"Nope, that should be it. I'll see you in a bit my love," Jensen sighed in relief.

"I love you, Jay."

"Love you, too," he hung up and set his phone back on the counter, "Great, that bought me some time, but not a lot."

After grabbing the ring box from the kitchen counter, he jogged into the bedroom and swung open his closet. He looked around until he spotted the royal blue dress shirt that happened to be YN's favorite on him. He also grabbed his black slacks and dress shoes to match.

He set the ring on the nightstand by his side of the bed and changed rather quickly before walking into the bathroom to fix his hair, spray some cologne, and make sure he looked as handsome as the first time YN fell in love with him.

He took a long look at himself in the mirror and sighed, "You're all right. You can do this. You're Jensen Ross Ackles. Just a simple question: will you marry me? It's not that difficult. Just take a deep breath and relax."

He walked out of the bedroom and back towards the kitchen. As he stepped into the kitchen, he heard YN's car pulling into the driveway and he panicked.

"Shit!" he whispered, "Nothing’s ready. What do I do?"

He had to think quick on his feet, so he bolted out the front door and over to YN's car. He yanked open her driver door, which startled her.

"Jeez, Jay. Are you trying to scare me to death?" YN sighed.

"N-no, sorry. I...um..." he trailed off, trying to figure out what to say.

YN stepped out of the car and shook the bottle in her hand, "I got the wine."

"Oh, right," Jensen nodded, "I'm sorry I scared you."

"It's okay, love," she kissed his cheek, "Let's go inside and chill. I had a long day and I just want to have a nice relaxing evening with my love," she started walking towards the house.

Jensen panicked, "YN, wait!"

"What for?" she turned to him, "Awe, are you wearing that shirt because it's my birthday? Or just because it's my favorite?"

"Both, I guess," he walked up to her, "But you can't go inside."

YN rolled her eyes and smiled, "Why not?"

"Because...because..." Jensen stood behind her and covered her eyes, "It's a surprise! No peeking, okay?"

"Okay," she chuckled, "You know I'm not one for surprises, Jay."

"I know, but...trust me," he breathed, "This is a good surprise."

He kept his hands covering YN's eyes as they walked into his house. He guided her away from the kitchen and living room and towards his bedroom. He kicked the door closed behind himself, took his hands off YN's eyes, and spun her around to look at him.

"Whoa, okay. Now that I can see, what do you have up your sleeve, Jensen?" YN asked.

"Whatever do you mean, my love?" Jensen smiled, "Now, why don't you get out of your work clothes and take a long, hot bath?"

YN sighed, "That does sound nice."

"And while you do so, I'll get dinner ready."

"What's for dinner?"

"Your favorite."

YN smiled, "You're the best."

Jensen turned her around and walked her towards the bathroom, "I'll take that title for sure, but since it's your special day, I think you should take it back. All I've done is put chicken and sauce in a pan. You, m'lady," he kissed her cheek, "do more for me everyday just by breathing."

YN sighed in content, "You're going to be the death of me, Ackles."

"I love you, too," he smiled, "Now, go take a bath and meet me in the kitchen when you're done. Take as long as you need."

YN nodded as she walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind herself. Jensen let out a long sigh of relief as he walked out of the bedroom and back to the kitchen.

The cake had to be cool enough to ice by now, so he took them out of the pans and layered them on a plate. He grabbed the frosting and a spatula, and got to work on the cake. It wasn't the prettiest thing in the world, but Jensen made it himself.

He added the candles to the top then stood back to look at his handy work, "Not bad, Ackles. Not bad at all."

After setting the cake on the counter next to the vase of roses, he walked over to the dining table, picked up the last bouquet, and started pulling off the flower petals. He scattered them around the dining table then started walking back towards the bedroom while scattering more petals as a path.

When he reached the bedroom, he could hear YN's music coming from the bathroom. He smiled as he thought of how the rest of the night was going to go.

First, she'd walk out of the bathroom, her towel around her body and hair, and relaxed from her long soak. Then she'd get dressed and notice the rose petals around her feet. She'd walk out of the bedroom, down the hallway, and towards the kitchen. She'd see dinner on the table, her birthday cake, and more roses waiting for her.

And Jensen would be there, knelt down on one knee with the ring in his hand. He'd pop the question, she'd say yes (hopefully), and they'd live happily ever after.

It was perfect. Well, hopefully it would be that perfect.

Suddenly, a beeping could be heard coming from the kitchen and Jensen could smell smoke. He went into a panic as he ran out of the bedroom and towards the kitchen.

He abruptly came to a halt when he saw black smoke pouring out of the oven, "Shit! I forgot to set a timer for dinner!"

He ran into the kitchen and pulled the oven open, causing more smoke to pour out of it. He blindly reached around for something to douse the small fire and rolling black smoke.

Unfortunately that thing happened to be the vase of roses. He grabbed it and tossed it on to the flame, which ruined the flowers but extinguished the fire.

When he realized what he had done, he felt himself panic more, "Oh, no. No, no, no. This is bad. The flowers...dinner...they're both ruined."

He took a few steps back from the oven, trying to figure out a quick plan to fix this. When he moved backwards, he ended up bumping into the cake and knocking it to the ground.

He whipped around and gasped at the sight, "No! Not the cake too! What am I going to do now?!"

Just then, he heard the bedroom door squeak open and footsteps approaching the kitchen.

"Hey, uh, Jay?" YN's voice echoed in his head, "Do you, um, do you want to tell me what this is that was sitting by your side of the bed? And why there are rose petals all over the floor?"

She walked down the hallway towards the kitchen, but paused when she saw the devastating sight in front of her.

There was Jensen on his hands and knees trying to somehow salvage the cake that had dropped. YN took a few steps towards him before he looked up at her with tears in his eyes.

She gasped when she saw his face, "Jensen? Honey, what happened?"

Jensen wiped his eyes, "I-I messed everything up. The chicken parmesan is burnt to a crisp, the flowers went up in flames, a-and I knocked over the cake," then he noticed the box in her hand, "Oh, no. Y-you didn't...open that did you?"

"No, not yet," YN shook her head, "I assumed it was a birthday gift that you wanted me to open with you."

He sighed, "Well, the entire night is ruined anyway. You might as well open it."

She glanced down at the box then back at Jensen, "Honey, the night isn't ruined. So dinner got a little burnt and the cake is on the ground and the flowers are toast. So what?" she knelt down next to him, "It doesn't matter."

He blinked up at her, "But your birthday-"

"Is just another day, love," she interrupted him, "You could've just popped in a movie, ordered a pizza, and we could have cuddled up on the couch. Just the fact that you tried to hard to make it perfect let's me know how much you really care about me. I love you so much."

Jensen smiled, "I love you, too, YN. And I'm sorry about all of this."

"Don't worry about it," she kissed him, "How about I help you clean up all of this then we'll watch a movie, drink some wine and relax?"

"I like that idea," he nodded, "I'll handle the cake if you want to try and get the pan of food out of the oven."

YN and Jensen stood from the floor and got to work. After YN placed the ring box on the counter, she walked over to the oven, grabbed potholders, and pulled out the dish. She placed it in the sink and started running water on it to cool it down enough to clean it.

Meanwhile, Jensen pulled the trashcan over to start cleaning the cake off the floor. He grabbed cake by the handful and tossed them in the trashcan.

It took roughly a half hour or more to clean up the mess in the kitchen. Jensen and YN had to change their clothes once they finished as Jensen was covered in cake frosting and sweat while YN was covered in burnt chicken parm and soapy water.

Once back in the living room, YN collapsed on the couch with a heavy sigh, "I could use a glass of wine."

Jensen chuckled, "I think I can handle that."

"You sure?" YN asked.

"Hardy har har," he rolled his eyes as he walked into the kitchen, "That was so funny."

He poured two glasses of wine and moved to walk out of the kitchen when the ring box caught his eye. He had completely forgotten about proposing to her after everything had happened.

Jensen grabbed the box and took a breath, "It's now or never."

He walked back into the living room and handed a glass of wine to YN. She took it from him and immediately took a satisfying sip.

"Wow, who knew wine was the key to your happiness," he chuckled as he sat next to her and put his glass on the table.

"Well, not exactly. Just a long day," she sighed and took another sip.

Jensen took a breath and held out the box, "YN, um-"

"Oh, my birthday present," she set the wine glass on the table.

"Sort of," he smirked, "Look, I know that I'm not a perfect guy. I know that I mess up from time to time, and it's mainly from my nerves. Things like tonight, I know it won't be the last time they happen. But out of all the things I know, there is one that tops them all: I know for a fact that I love you and that you love me back."

YN felt tears welling up in her eyes, "Oh, Jay."

"I've done a lot of thinking lately. And I've come to 3 conclusions: 1) I am a huge dork who's dating the most beautiful and amazing woman on the planet. 2) That amazing woman has had me wrapped around her finger from the first moment we locked eyes. And 3) The finger needs a little something more to make it official," Jensen opened the box to reveal the ring.

YN gasped, "Jensen..."

He smiled at her with tears in his eyes, "I love you, YN YLN. Would you do me the incredible honor of becoming Mrs. YN Ackles?"

"Oh my gosh, Jensen. Y-you're being serious, right? This isn't some prank o-or some cruel joke, right?" she was shaking from shock.

"No, baby. This is real. This is 100% real," he took her hand, "So, what do you say?"

YN chuckled, "What do I say? What do you mean 'what do I say'?" she leaned forward and kissed him, "Yes, Jensen, of course I'll marry you."

"Really? Yes?!" Jensen smiled his mega watt smile as he took the ring out and slide it on her finger.

YN took a long look at the ring, "This is gorgeous, honey."

"I couldn't find the exact one that you wanted, but I hope you'll love it just the same," he kissed her hand.

"It's perfect," she reached for her wine glass, "To my handsome fiance. He has his quirks, but he always keeps a smile on my face."

Jensen lifted his own glass, "And to the birthday girl, my gorgeous fiance. There's not a single flaw about her, well maybe except her small phone addiction-"

"Hey, now," YN interrupted him, "I am the owner of a company. I kind of have to be on my phone from time to time."

"But regardless of that," Jensen chuckled, "she's always there for me no matter how clumsy I get."

"To us," YN clinked her glass against Jensen's.

"To the future Mr. and Mrs. Ackles," Jensen nodded.

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

Masterlist

My Cherry Blossoms

@mlovesstories​​​ @smollestbean-2​​​ @kitwithnokat​​​

@idksupernatural​​​ @desiredposion​​​ @thevelvetseries​​​ @let-me-luve-you​​​

@obsessedwithfandomsx​​​ @mangueweaschester​​​ @starchildwild​​​ @deans-baby-momma​​​

@spnbaby-67​​​ @unicornmadness2444​​​

@emery--nicole--morrison​​​ @spnfamily-j2​​​ @akshi8278​​​ @avocadogirl216​​​

@imthedoctorlove​​​ @x-mypeopleskillsarerusty-x @lyarr24​​

[flowerbunny20]

Part 2 - 5 stages of Grief

Continuation from Part 1. Click the link below to read it!

WARNING: -Swearing, a little balance, payback. Genre: - moving on, angst, breakup

Summary: You went back to your apartment. Hoping to not run into Bucky, but instead, you were haunted with memories of you and him. You found a new item in the apartment that wasn’t yours nor his. You are getting over Bucky, but he was pleading for your forgiveness. There wasn't a funeral, but your feelings for Bucky are dead.

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You didn't know where to go. You are not stepping you're foot into your apartment, especially not the apartment. It used to be a place you called home. Now, you’re not so sure if you can enter a house that was filled to the brim with the lingering memories of you and him. You’re sitting on a park bench, unaware of the hours that flew by so quickly. Everything feels fuzzy, the background noises all tone down to a blur.

You feel so blank and lost. Like nothing makes sense. No place to call home anymore. No arms to hold you close.

You hear thunder. You feel the rain on your skin, and you can’t even tell the raindrops apart from your tears. “Life’s a tornado,” you laugh to yourself bitterly. “And I am the cow spun around for entertainment value.” You feel the pocket of your jeans vibrate; it’s coming from your phone. You had put on silent earlier in any case Bucky calls and his stupid ringtone would always make you feel alert.

Luckily, it was not your cheating ex. You answered the call.

“Hello?” The other end said the sound of heavy rain and thunder was loud, but you can still hear them.

“I..” you feel yourself unable to talk. Words feel heavy on your throat.

“y/n? Is that you? Where are you?” you hear Wanda’s familiar concerned voice. “You’ve been so quiet, I got worried”.

The only thing you did was sniffle and she knew exactly what happened.

“Okay, honey, I’m going to get you, just tell me where you are.” She sounds frantic and you hear her keys jingling in the background.

“The park,” you said.

“The park? Which park?” Wanda questioned, and you imagine the furrowed brows on her confused face. It was a nice distraction from the numbness. You hear Nat’s voice chime in the other end“ I know which park.”

You stayed silent. “We will see you there. Just stay safe, okay?” Wanda said with ease. Wanda didn’t end the call in her haste, so you could still hear the two of them bicker. “Grab the umbrella, it’s a storm outside” Wanda urged. “Knowing y/n, she probably sat there for hours. It’s better to bring a towel too. Let’s motor.” Nat replied.

Pathetic was the word that you would describe yourself now. How did you not see this coming? You knew something was up but you didn't expect that to happen especially in front of you, out in the open, where everyone saw you were humiliated.

The scene flashed before your eyes when you saw Bree being overly friendly with your now ex-boyfriend. You feel a sharp pain in your chest as your fingers curled into a fist. You put your legs up on the bench as you slowly lower your head to your knees. You feel your thoughts spiralling again. If someone were to open a dictionary and look up the word ‘overthinking’, there’d be a picture of you instead.

At times like this, when you get swarmed in your own darkness, Bucky would pull you in his arms, holding you close, whispering “It’s going to be okay, just relax, alright Doll?... I’m here… I’m not -”

But not anymore. Bucky made sure of that. You feel alone, the cold has settled in, it creeps into your skin, everything feels fogged up and-

Your train of thought stops when you hear someone calling out to you.

“Y/N! Y/N !” The muffled voice became clear, as you looked up and saw Wanda’s concerned face. She had cupped your face into the palm of her hands, trying to get you to snap out of it. As she sees your vision settled into her form, she smiles in relief. “Hey…”

You look up at her, with tears welling up. She immediately hugged you, Nat was there as well holding the umbrella over everyone. Nat wrapped a thick wool towel over your shivering body.

“Let’s go home okay?” Nat’s voice was soft. It feels pleasant. She has always shown tough love, but this time she was gentle, feeling every ounce of your pain. “Barnes is going to find himself frozen again the next time he wakes up,” she muttered under her breath.

They brought you back home and got you in warm clothes, wrapping you with blankets to go with the hot chocolate they made for you. They stayed with you, holding you in their arms, comforting you as much as you needed it.

You woke up the next day realising both of your besties are out already. But they prepared your favourite; waffles and chicken nuggets for breakfast with coffee to help you wake up. You haven’t had real food since yesterday. The smell of fresh-brewed coffee and waffles made you realise how hungry you actually are. You took a seat on the table and reached out for a nugget.

Today feels like it’s going to be a long day.

DENIAL

You let whatever happened yesterday sink in. You finally switched your phone on to see if you had any missions today but instead you were greeted with a bunch of missed calls from Bucky. You couldn’t help but clench your teeth, sucking in your breath lest the tears start falling again.

“No new mission yet,” you said and paused. “I’m guessing everyone knew” Without realising your fingers directed you to the old messages Bucky sent you. Rereading everything you guys had said, from when you started talking.

Searching and scanning for answers, every line, for some kind of sign when you were mine.

Your tears started to emerge as you can see how slowly he was disappearing. His “I love you’s” turned to “love u” and even those were only present on good days.

Every emoji he always used after every sentence wasn’t there anymore. Like how he would use the waffle emoji right at the end of “made you waffles!”. And each time you type goodnight whenever he is out on a mission, he would send you back a picture of him holding a polaroid photo of you in his arms before he closed his eyes. “I’m always with you, Doll. Goodnight. I love you (heart emoji, kissy emoji)” was the sentence that would come along.

After composing yourself you texted in BAD BISHES, a group with you, Wanda and Natasha.

“I’m going to the apartment to get my stuff, is it okay if I crash here until I find a new place?”

“Sure Honey” Wanda replied

“You want us to follow you?” Nat said

“No, it’s fine, I can go myself” you replied

“You sure, Hun?” Wanda ask

“Yeah, I can take care of myself.”

“If anything happens, call us okay? I’ll gladly beat the shit out of Barnes” Nat replied. She rarely uses emojis, but this time she sent the smiling devil emoji. You can see she was trying to come out of her comfort zone just to cheer you up. That thought made you smile a little.

“I will” you chuckled at her response, you closed your phone and went back to your apartment.

You stood in front of the door, hesitant to open it. You really don't want to run into Bucky. “Fuck it,” you said underneath your breath. You open the door to find the whole apartment just the way you left it, but a few empty bottles of beer on the table. His shoes were not there, you sighed as you stood in the hallway.

You find yourself seeing the memories that you had with Bucky flashing before your eyes. An old crack on the wall that was left by Bucky when you guys first moved in together as a couple. The stupid ring mark on the table when you guys had iced coffee and he forgot to put the coaster on the bottom. You guys had a playful fight over that. You smile bitterly.

Finally, the bedroom, the place you had lain with Bucky’s arms around you. You went to the closet and started packing the rest of your things. More memories of you and him flooded in, it wasn’t your fault, you’re sentimental. But what kind of new memories is he creating with her.

Every piece of clothing, everything that you had was marked with memories of him.

The influence he had on your life was great. You remember the clothes he’s given to you as presents. The decisions you’d make before buying a new outfit. “Would he like this”, “Would he think I look cute in it?”, “Would this match with his shirt?”

How a fool you were.

When you saw his clothes, you also smelled the scent of very strong perfume. Clearly, it wasn’t yours. You cleaned out your items and went to the toilet to grab your toiletries. You weren’t about to let that woman use your expensive shampoo and the face cream Shuri gifted you from Wakanda.

You paused and saw a new toothbrush by the sink. A stupid red toothbrush next to yours which was pink and his that was black.

She was here.

Your eyes widened. She was here at OUR PLACE?

ANGER

You felt your body boil and every inch of you started to burn. You then heard the apartment door closed, signalling that it was time for you to leave. Furious from betrayal, you took that stupid red toothbrush and flushed it. Who cares if the toilet is clogged? That’s Bucky’s problem now. Not yours.

Bucky heard the toilet flushed and called out.

“Y/n? Is that you? ” he asked right when you exited the bedroom with your stuff in hand.

Your hand clenched into a fist; anger was written all over your face. He was lucky your hands were full at the current moment. He had escaped a beatdown of his lifetime.

“Doll, listen” Bucky pleaded. “She was just a friend. I promise”

You chuckled bitterly. “You expect me to believe that James?”

“James? Doll, you always call me Bucky.”

You sneered, “You're not Bucky to me anymore. You’re just James, James Barnes”

James stood there, brows furrowed in confusion, you continued “ The Bucky that I knew, would never hurt me like this.” Once those words left your mouth you felt a lump in your throat, you can see his blue eyes darken as if you had managed to strike a chord. HAH! If only he knew how much he hurt you.

Oh, how he had offered you a safe haven and cruelly shattered it.

You decide that you don’t want to bother sparing him the details. It’s not worth it. You held the few items you managed to grab in your bag and walked past him, trying to leave while doing your best to not break character. Before reaching the door, you felt cold metal on your arm. James was trying to pull you back.

“Y/n….” he said looking desperate. “Please… I’m sorry…”

“You know what Nat said when I started liking you? ‘Be careful with this one. I should’ve listened” you said swallowing the lump in your throat.

But you and your words flooded my senses. Your sentences left me defenceless, you build palaces over paragraphs, you build cathedrals.

“But…” you begin, choked. Everything feels so heavy and hard but this thing inside you is just begging to crawl out. “When you called me your ‘Doll’,” you almost spat at the word now. “I really thought I meant the world to you just as how much you were to me.”

James stood there, silent.

You can’t even look this man you loved in the eyes now. But you thought to yourself that you must be brave. Your heart starts to race not losing eye contact with James. You pushed his hands off you simultaneously, pushing him away as well. You see James’ furrowed brows as he realises how he has hurt you.

“I thought you would at least be considerate of me. Why did you bring her here? Why replace my spot on the bed with her?” You didn’t intend the last part to sounded so malice, but you couldn’t help yourself.

“Doll…” he pathetically called out. “You don’t understand she-”

“If she was such a friend, why was her toothbrush here?” you said coldly.

His eyes widened, only to confirm that he had had her over.

“How long…” you said hesitantly “How long has she been here?”

Once again, he kept to himself. The room was silent and tense.

BARGAINING

“If you were to walk in my shoes, would you forgive me?” you said.

“YES!” he exclaimed. “Yes Doll, I’ll always forgive you” he pleaded.

“What if the person I cheated on you with, was someone I told you not to worry about a long time ago.” you raised your eyebrows waiting to see his reaction. “You know the person I’m talking about. We went way back, what was it? High School?”

You knew he had bad blood with this person, but James also knew he was your best friend first before you two were together. You had always had a connection with this person, you both were smart, he was a narcissist, but you can understand him even before he finishes his sentence.

“Ah.. I remember… What was the quote he used to say to present himself without the suit?” you look James in his eyes “A genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.” you smirked, you’re delighted to see James’ hand curling up into a fist.

“Exactly…” you said, staring into his eyes. “You would find it hard to forgive me, wouldn’t you?”

He took a while to respond. “I will still forgive you,” he said sternly.

“So what? Are you going to be okay with the fact that I fucked him behind your back?” you said as you took a step to him “Would you be okay that I disrespected your trust and made a fool out of you?”

He shook his head. “No... no.. stop it”

“Laughing behind your back with Stark as we get hot and heavy-” you were cut off by James placing his vibranium arm on your shoulder.

“Okay, I’m sorry! Okay! I was wrong!” he shouted looking at you. You can see him desperately seeking forgiveness.

You could not see anything, other than betrayal spread all over his face.

“I would have forgiven you; you know that…” you graze his face with your fingers. He felt the warmth of your finger tingling his skin, his blue eyes searching for a sign of whether you were going to forgive him.

“But you… you flaunt her around like a prize you just won.” you said, “everyone knew what was going on, how easily you were cheating on me out in the open.” you laughed bitterly.

“How could you?... I loved you…” you said, feeling your tears emerging. “I’m erasing myself from the narratives. Let everyone wonder how y/n reacted when you broke her heart.”

I’m burning the memories, burning the letters.

“You’re distrustful, Barnes” You give him a soft gaze as you placed a hand on his vibranium arm. He looks hopeful, for once. “Why did I ever fall for this stupid pretty face of yours” you scoff.

You forfeit all rights to my heart; you forfeit a place in our bed. You sleep wherever instead, with only the memories of when you were mine.

You swiftly pressed a few buttons on the vibranium arm, smirking when you hear a few clicking sounds, and catching it before it falls on the floor. “I’m walking away from your life. I took all my stuff so you don’t have to remember me anymore. Even this” you wave the metal arm about. “Especially this”.

James looks at you in disbelief.

I hope that you burn.

There were tears on your face, but you didn’t care. Let James Buchanan Barnes see you for the last time like this. How much he has hurt you. “Have fun unclogging the toilet, that’s your problem now. Not mine. Maybe Bree can help.” You spat venomously.

You really feel like laughing amidst these tears now.

You left James dumbfounded on his doorsteps as you slam the door shut loudly in his face.

DEPRESSION

Walking back home you felt more tears streaming down your cheeks. Pain, anger, loneliness, helplessness, everything you felt swarming around you. You wish you could wake up from this reality, but you can’t because it was all real.

The vibranium arm you're holding, you could have lied if you said you haven't tried to hold the hand. Usually, at this point, he would draw a little circle with his fingers around your hand. You got back to Wanda’s apartment and sat there staring at the vibranium arm.

You stared at it. “It’s really over. Huh?”

You heard the door open, Wanda and Nat were back, they walked into the living room and paused. You put it away immediately when they got home.

“Hey hun, where’s your stuff? I thought you went back to go get it.” Wanda asks

You sighed “I already put some away. I gave away some on the way back. They weren’t worth keeping.”

“Was that bitch there?” Nat sounded like she was ready to pounce.

“No… But her toothbrush was” you pouted. “And the apartment just stank of her perfume.”

“It’s okay honey. You’ll get through it” Wanda held you in her arms. The warmth felt nice to the coldness you felt these couple of days.

“I don’t know about you girls… but since I gave some of my stuff away, I could do for some retail therapy.” you are not one to dwell in your feelings. So you know when it’s time to get moving.

“Well, what’re you waiting for, let’s motor” Nat smirked, jingling her keys.

ACCEPTANCE

You’re now at a new café Natasha suggested. You would have wanted to go to your favourite one, but there was a risk of running into Barnes again. It was after all, near your old apartment.

“Well, I did flush her toothbrush down the toilet. Quite sure it's clogged and the toilet is all gross now.” You grinned mischievously.

“WOW!” Nat exclaimed. “And so he has to deal with it with only one arm since you took the vibranium one?”

“Mmhmm,” you said with a smile.

“You’re evil…” Nat grinned. “I like that.”

“What are you going to do with that arm?” Wanda asked. You mulled it over for a while, fiddling with the red velvet cake on your plate, tracing patterns on the cream cheese frosting. This café wasn’t so bad if Nat likes it.

“I’m pretty sure the arm could find me the new things that I need.” You manage to say through a mouthful of cake.

“And how are you going to do that?” Wanda asked, giggling. She tries stealing some of the cake on your plate. Sneaky Sokovian, this one. She is Pietro’s sister, after all.

“Wanda darling, I made the arm! I’m pretty sure I can dismantle it and do something with it” you laugh as you sip your iced caramel macchiato. “Enough about James, so how about we go out and have some drinks tonight?”

“It’s James now, huh” Nat raised a delicate brow. “You’re moving fast, girl.”

“I have to.” You shrug.

After leaving the café, the three of you went shopping, trying on different clothes and experimenting with new styles you never thought of. You’re no longer Bucky’s ‘doll’. You are your own person and learning new things would be fun.

Later that night, it was Wanda’s turn to pick a place. Instead of the usual club, she chose a lounge bar. Wanda has always been quite the introvert, this place suited her. It felt classy, it felt secluded and new. Even the drinks were good. You even ordered nachos to share.

You would be lying if you said the thought of him didn’t cross your mind during the shopping trip and this lounge. But you have to forget. You didn’t walk out of his life, he subtly told you to do so.

It broke your heart, but you have to get up and pick up the pieces yourself. You just need a few months.

-To Be Continued- Hope you guys like it! More coming soon! Thank you for reading✨✨✨

Editing Credit goes to @hoejiicha she helped brought this writing to life.

[pipedream-parrish]

Happy 34th birthday, Twinyards

read on AO3

i

It is Aaron’s 14th birthday and he has just found out that he has a brother - a twin brother, an identical twin brother, who looks exactly like him and might just understand him, too. His mom didn’t do anything for his birthday - she hasn’t since he was little, or maybe those long-forgotten memories were really just dreams that have managed to worm their way so deep into his psyche that he’s accepted them as truth. The kids at school sang to him, which was fine, but Aaron can’t help but think maybe now it will be different. Maybe once he meets this brother of his, then they can celebrate their birthdays together. Maybe they can give each other presents, and eat cake, and blow out the candles using the combined forces of their breath. Maybe, maybe, maybe. 

(Andrew spends this birthday choking down cake that Cas got him, trying to hide the fresh marks on his arm, and thinking about the best way to keep his mysterious brother as far away from him as possible)

((one month later, Aaron receives a letter in the mail. He couldn’t tell you everything it said - he just knows that all of these maybes have just been thrown into the middle of a busy highway to be crushed under uncaring tires.))

ii

Its Aaron’s 15th birthday and his mother has celebrated by beating the shit out of him and then throwing a random assortment of pills from the bottom of her purse in his direction as an apology, and Aaron cannot help but think that maybe it won’t have to be like this anymore. He thinks about what Andrew said (Andrew, who really does look just like him, and who seemed so angry about Tilda, and seemed to believe that Aaron didn’t deserve, that he deserved good things--) had said to him, thinks about how maybe when Andrew moves his mom will stop it, maybe it’ll be alright, maybe nothing will hurt anymore and everything will be okay and he’ll have a brother. It’ll be the two of them against the world, and Aaron may not know this other boy all that well, but he promised to protect him, so that must mean something, right? Even if before that he said he didn’t want anything to do with Aaron, he changed his mind, and thats what matters, right? Right? And so when Aaron blows out the birthday candles that he bought for himself at eh convenience store the night before, he wishes for his brother to come home soon, and for them to be a family like they were supposed to be. Like he deserves.

((Six months later, Tilda is dead and Aaron has stopped believing in family.))

iii

It is Andrews’s 16th birthday and he has not spoken more than two words to his brother for most of the year, but Nicky tries to force them to do something, to celebrate, to be normal teenagers for once. Andrew leaves halfway through the elaborate dinner that Nicky has prepared, and pretends not to see the sad look he aims at his retreating back. Pretends that he doesn’t care what Nicky thinks of him, what Aarons thinks of him. Pretends that he stopped caring about Cass, that actually he didn’t care about that, either. Pretends and pretends and pretends, and convinces everyone but himself. 

((He’s not so great at lying to himself yet. He’ll get better with age.)) 

Late that night, after he’s heard everyone else going to bed, he sneaks downstairs and steals a slice of the double-chocolate cake that Nicky got them. There are already a couple of slices out from where Nicky and Aaron had some, so hopefully, this moment of weakness will go unnoticed. 

(Aaron spends his 16th birthday sad and mourning, refusing to look his brother in the eye. When he blows out the birthday candles with no help from a magical brother, he wishes that he never met Andrew in the first place. Not that he believes in magic or wishes or anything good at all, anymore. He barely has a bite of his cake before leaving the table. He, too, pretends not to see Nicky’s teary eyes as he leaves him standing alone in the kitchen, the remnants of a wasted attempt at love scattered all around him)

((he, too, is not so great at lying to himself yet. He, too, will get better with age))

(Nevertheless, when he hears Andrew come downstairs in the dead of night, he creeps into the hallway to watch his petty theft)

((He never mentions it.))

iv

It is Andrew’s 17th birthday and he is so high off the ground that he never even realizes the date.

Or maybe he does and just forgets.

The meds are still new, and he’s not used to them yet. Not used to the loudness, and brightness, and plastered on a smile. His cheeks hurt all the time now - he is constantly working muscles that have not had much use, the last couple of years 

(the last couple of lifetimes)

Needless to say, it is Andrew’s 17th birthday and he does not even realize it, and instead, he spends it in his room, his precious room that has a lock that works, coming apart at all his frying edges. Boys like him were never meant to grow old. Boys like him were never meant to last. And so he lays there and shakes uncontrollably, and laughs, too, tells himself this is fine, he’s fine it’s all fine and knows better than to believes it. Perhaps it is a mercy, that he eventually gets used to the meds. 

Perhaps it is not.

(Aaron doesn’t celebrate his birthday, either. Instead, he picks up extra shifts at Edens and goes to bed early. 

He cannot wait to leave this fucking house)

v

It is Aaron’s 18th birthday, meaning that he is a legal adult. He finds this funny. He has always been an adult; he was an adult when he was four and creeping across the house on silent feet to steal crackers from the pantry because mom forgot to feed him; he was an adult when he was 10 and forging his mothers signature on school papers, and making excuses for why she couldn’t come into parent-teacher conference night; he was an adult when he was sitting across from his reflection in a juvenile detention facility, and promised protection. One more birthday doesn’t mean shit.

(Andrew agrees. He, too, has been an adult for as long as he can remember.)

((Still, when Nicky slips cards under each of their doors wishing them a happy birthday and telling them he’s proud of them, and that he hopes that adulthood treats them right, well. If Aaron squeezes his eyes shut as hard as he can to prevent the tears from escaping, and if Andrew tares it up into a million pieces because it almost makes him feel something, then no one needs to know))

vi

It is November 4th, and the newly-coined monsters are in Columbia, just like they are most weekends. They make the same stops as always, go to the same club, the same restaurant. 

Never once is the word birthday mentioned.

vii

It is Andrew’s 20th birthday and he is about to make one of the worst mistakes of his life. For now, he sits against the windowsill, watching his smoke dissipate into the afternoon air, absently listening to the sounds of Nicky and Aaron’s video game wash over him. He’s grinning, as is usually is these days, and if he was capable of having a long-lasting coherent thought, he would want to carve that grin off his face.

Alas, he is not capable of long-lasting coherent thought. Oh well. Perhaps it’s for the best.

Renee got him a gift. Silly Renee. Always so nice, so kind, even to monsters like him. Hasn’t she learned better than that by now? It seems not.

When Nicky receives a phone call that leaves him in a panic, it is almost enough to garner Andrew’s attention. 

Almost.

When he leaves the room in a rush only to come beach with Neil, the enigma, the hallucination, the rabbit, in tow behind him, Andrew actually does start to pay attention. Only a little though. 

When Neil pulls him aside, and asks for the unimaginable, and then manages to make it seem like a good idea, well. Andrew’s interest has been peaked, and he agrees. Why not? It might be fun. Might be, might be, might be.

(It’s not. It’s not fun at all, and if nothing else then Andrew is finally allowed to leave that smile behind for good. Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear Andrew, happy birthday to me!)

((Aaron spends his birthday playing video games and wondering why the new kid holds such sway over his brother. When he looks back on that day, he will not remember any of that. He will only remember that that was the day everything went wrong, and he was unable to fix it.))

viii

It is Andrew’s 21st birthday, and it might just be a good one. No alarm wakes him up in the morning, even though he’s sure he set it last night, meaning he gets to sleep in. When he wakes up it’s to Neil bustling about the dorm room, clearly searching for something.

“Practice?” Andrew asks and is told in no uncertain terms that they will be blowing it off for the day. Yes, today is shaping up to be a good one.

Instead, they go out driving, blazing down empty roads as fast as the mas will take them, eating up millage and gas money and caring at all. Neil rolls down the window and lets out victorious whoops into the still afternoon, the wind flushing his cheeks and tousling his hair. Andrew almost thinks something disgustingly sappy about that but is able to rain in his own brain just in time. 

They got greasy diner food for lunch, and Andrew orders a massive ice cream Sunday that Neil doesn’t comment on. They go back to Fox Tower and lounge around their dorm, kissing and smoking and playing video games. They have pancakes for dinner, and Kevin doesn’t bother them once about going to tonight’s practice. Andrew goes to bed full and sated, and almost, almost, happy. It’s a good birthday.

((the next day at therapy, Aaron complains that he didn’t get to skip practice yesterday. Andrew shrugs and says that he should take notes for next year. It’s almost an invitation. Almost, but not quite.))

ix

It is Aarons’s 22nd birthday, and he takes a leaf out of Andrew’s book and skips practice. He and Katelyn drive into town, and walk up and down the streets, popping into stores at random and picking out delightfully ugly things for the other to buy. In one shop, Katelyn shows Aaron a shirt made from a disgusting green fabric with the gaudiest floral pattern he’s ever seen. In another, Aaron finds shimmering, sparkle filled pink and purple shoes with a six-inch heel. They both nearly get sick from laughing. That night, they go out to the fanciest restaurant they can afford and get wine drunk. Aaron tells Katelyn that he loves her, which is something that he’s told her a million times before, but that doesn’t stop it from mattering. This will always matter. She will always matter. He looks at her, just looks at her, and thinks about how lucky he is to have this. And he thinks about Andrew, just for a second, curses him for keeping her from Aaron. But then, for an even shorter second, the thought occurs to him. I hope he’s as happy right now with Neil as I am with her. 

((Andrew may not show it the same way, but he is. He is.))

x

It is their 25 birthday now (which it longer than either of them thought they would live), and after years of therapy and working through their issues, Aaron has decided once again that he wants a brother. And so he books a flight to Boston, and buys a ticket to Andrews game, and watches his brother play exy on their birthday. Their birthday. Sometimes he still forgets that they are a “they” now. He'll still say my birthday, my mom, my cousin, my family. But it's not just his, and so he meets Andrew at the player’s exit after the game and forces him to go to dinner with him. And they spend their birthday together, just the two of them, for the first time since they were born. And its-

Well, it’s not bad. It's kind of nice, actually. Stilted, at first, and undoubtedly awkward, but. 

But they’re still brothers, even after everything. They share family and history and most of their DNA, so it seems right that they also share a dinner. And they talk, about Andrew’s pro team and Aarons residency, and about halfway through Aaron realizes that even though he was the one who forced this, Andrew isn’t trying to stop it. He came with him to dinner, and he’s talked more in the last hour then Aaron thinks he ever has before, and Aaron realizes that he wants this too. Andrew wants a brother too. They part ways outside - Andrew doesn’t offer to drive him back to his hotel or to let him stay at his apartment, but that’s ok.

Because Andrew wants this too. 

Andrew wants this too.

epilogue 

It is the Minyard twins’ 34th birthday, and as has become a tradition they are each awoken by a phone call from Nicky. Aaron only grumbles for a moment before Katelyn is handing his phone to him and he’s picking up. Andrew takes longer, turning over and burying his face in Neil’s neck for a second or a minute or a year, before finally grabbing his phone. To be fair, it’s about 2 hours earlier for him than for his brother. When he was younger he would hang up, and Nicky would call back, and he’d hang up again, until around the third call when he would finally give in and answer and phone. He doesn’t hang up anymore. He supposes that he’s grown. It’s a facetime call, so he’s greeted with Nicky’s over-enthusiastic smile and Aarons bedhead that looks so much like his own. He props himself up on some pillows so that he’s nearly in a sitting position, and gives a halfhearted wave. Beside him, Neil stays lying down, curling himself into Andrew’s side. Andrew absently starts carding his fingers through his hair. Nicky starts to talk, telling them about the business, and the adoption process, and the cute thing that his and Erik’s dog did. King jumps up onto Andrew’s chest, and then there’s a lot of cooing over how cute she is. She starts to lick at Andrew’s temple, which makes everyone laugh and Andrew rolls his eyes. It’s ok. He doesn’t really mind. Aaron talks about the hospital, and then his toddler (who is really more of a kid now, she’s getting so big holy shit) bursts into the room, climbing up onto the bed. She says hi to her Uncle Andy (Neil taught her to say that when she was a baby, and it tuck. Again, Andrew doesn’t really mind) and Uncle Neil, and her cousins Nicky and Erik. they talk more, Andrew waking up and partaking in the conversion, occasionally mouthing things to Neil in Russian to make him laugh. He loves it when Neil laughs (he’s not so concerned with not thinking sappy things anymore).

It’s a good start to a good day. They order take out and eat it on the floor, just like they do every year. Neil gets him a cake, and he sings happy birthday, just like they do every year. 

A plane ride away, Aaron and Katelyn hire a babysitter and go out to dinner, just like they do every year. Katelyn gets him a loudly collared tie, just like she does every year.

It’s a good day for both boys (who are now much closer to men), but more than that, it is a good day for both brothers. For that is undoubtedly what they are now. Brothers. 

That night, they both get a text from Betsy. It says Happy birthday, my lovely boys. I hope this year treats you well. 

And then it does.

It does.

thanks for reading! if you reblog i’ll love you forever :)

[chrwrites]

Worth The Wait (LBSC Sprint Fic Challenge Secret Santa)

Happy Holidays, @sapphicmarinette! For this week’s @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers Sprint Fic Challenge I tried to merge all your prompts but I ended up needing to work on it a lot more so have this while you wait for the other one to be done! The prompt I’ve chosen for this one is “teaching Luka how to bake”, hope you like it!

read on ao3

When Luka asked Marinette to teach him how to bake, he didn’t expect her to make him do something so difficult yet frustrating for a start. He just wanted to do something simple that wouldn’t have made him feel like an idiot for burning a batch of cookies in the oven or said cookies being hard and tasting bad because he forgot some ingredient or added more of the other.

Luka knew how to cook, but when it came to baking somehow he ended up putting himself in danger or hazarding someone’s health. Juleka always picked on him for that, even though he was the one who cooked most of the meals in the house – being the oldest brother be damned – and he wanted to prove that he could do that, too.

Christmas was approaching, and he could use the occasion to do something nice for his family. Asking Marinette for help was the only reasonable choice: her parents ran the best bakery in town, who else could he have asked? It’s not like he wanted to spend more time with her, did he? Right, he definitely didn’t consider that.

Marinette was wearing a cute pink apron decorated with her signature cherry blossom flowers on a pocket when she opened the door for Luka and welcomed him in her house. She handed him a white old apron and smiled at him happily. Her hair was tied in a messy bun, and the blue of her eyes was shining bright. Oh, she was so beautiful when she was relaxed.

After Luka washed his hands, Marinette put him to work, handing him an empty steel bowl where he had to pour the ingredients he was going to measure, “What are we making?”, he asked.

“Panettone”, Marinette said simply, the shift in her voice as she said the word made him feel warm inside, and he turned to look at her, entranced by the sound of her voice. “It’s a traditional Italian sweet bread usually made around Christmas, Papa makes some to sell for the bakery every year but they’re smaller because people don’t buy it that much. This is my favourite recipe and he makes it for me only”, she said proudly.

“Wow, you’re sharing family recipes with me? I’m honoured”, Luka teased, and Marinette responded pointing one finger to his face, the tone in her voice light yet menacing, “You better not share it with anyone”.

“Of course I won’t”, Luka reassured, “Where do we start?”

Marinette immediately instructed him to measure the ingredients before he poured them in the bowl. He melted sugar nto water, then added flour and egg yolks as Marinette made him place the bowl in the stand mixer and started it. They left the machine work for a few minutes and Marinette made Luka measure the other ingredients, the tone in her voice was steady and professional as she guided him, and it made Luka wonder how many times she had done this to be so confident in her directions. Or maybe it was because she was at her place and doing something she loved that made her feel like this.

All Luka knew was that this side of her he hadn't seen before made him fall for her more deeply than he already was.

After they were done adding the other ingredients to the mixer, Marinette put away what remained of them and Luka helped clean the counter that had inevitably gotten dirty with flour.

They kept each other company, talking about everything and nothing, and Marinette ended up joking about how Luka was too strong to make something as delicate as a good dough, to which Luka responded feigning outrage.

When the machine was done, Marinette sprinkled a layer of flour on the counter and took the dough out of its bowl, showing Luka how to knead it in order to give it the shape of a ball before making him have a go.

Luka nervously got his hands at work, only for his quick movements to be stopped by Marinette’s soft hands and her quiet melodic giggle, “Try and be more delicate”, she said as she put her hands on his and guided them in the movements, “Like this”.

Luka couldn’t help but stare at her and notice how graceful she looked as she guided his hands, and when he noticed the patient smile on her face, he also noticed how close she actually was to him. She could feel her body pressed next to his, and not only her hands on his. He took a deep breath, only to end up inhaling the sweet scent of almond and vanilla that made him short circuit whenever she was around.

The dough he was supposed to be kneading was completely forgotten as he turned his full attention to her, focusing on the slight frown in concentration on her face and her parted lips. It made him feel breathless, his hands were still moving guided by hers, but he couldn’t feel anything but the warmth surrounding him.

Then she smiled, satisfied, and raised her head to look at him directly in the eyes. The sweet scent of strawberries hit him as soon as Marinette raised her head and Luka, yet again, got lost in studying her beautiful features as he took in the small distance between them.

“Try now”, Marinette’s voice rang, and her hands leaving his made him come back to reality, forcing him to concentrate on the reason he was there in the first place.

He hesitantly shaped the dough following the movements Marinette taught him, and when she said it was done she helped him put it into a new bowl so it could rise.

She covered the dough with a cloth as Luka looked at her, “What’s next?”, he asked.

Marinette giggled, “Now we wait, Lu”, she said, and took off her apron to put it away, motioning him to do the same. He did, but he couldn’t help the confused expression forming on his face, “Wait, we’re done?!”.

His question made Marinette’s face twist into an amused smile, “For now, yes.”

“But… We didn’t do much. Aren’t you supposed to teach me, Marinette?”, he asked.

“I did! We made a perfect first dough, we have to wait for it to rise now”, she said calmly.

“Oh. Okay. And how long do we have to wait?”, he asked. Having to wait for their dough to rise meant that he would be spending more time with her, and he couldn’t really complain about it, could he? He wouldn’t have traded time with Marinette for anything.

“Twelve hours”, Marinette said, biting the smile forming on her lips as she anticipated Luka’s reaction.

“What?!”, was all he managed to say, his mouth dropping open and his eyes wide. He asked her something simple, not something that would take them that long. But the face Marinette made as she put her hands on her mouth to cover her loud laugh made it so worth it.

“Hey, you wanted something to impress your mom and sister, I’m giving you that!”, she protested, “I promise it will be worth the wait”.

With the look she was giving him, Luka would have trusted her into anything, and when she asked if they could hang out for a while, he gladly took the offer.

It didn’t matter if it wasn’t for baking, he loved spending time with Marinette, especially if she grabbed his hand to lead him to her bedroom. 

It was a blissful afternoon, the shy December sun shone on them before it set down, darkening the sky too early. Luka didn’t mind, Marinette was there with him, and she was happy. That was what mattered the most.

She said goodbye to him with a warm hug and a quick kiss on the cheek, and he left her house feeling all giddy and with the promise to come back the next day. 

The dough had tripled when Luka saw it, and he understood why Marinette used such a big bowl for the dough they had made.

The first ingredients he noticed on the counter were pistachios, candied raspberries and white chocolate chips. Marinette’s smile was as warm as the day before when she welcomed Luka and hugged him, and he lingered to her touch for longer than he would have liked to admit.

She made him zest a lemon and an orange before they mixed all the ingredients together, chatting quietly as the mixer worked. 

“I feel like I’m cheating”, Luka commented as he watched the dough turn yellow and become softer.

It made Marinette giggle, “Come on, we’ll have fun decorating it later! That’s the most interesting part, anyway, now let’s add these”, Marrinette said, handing him the cup full of pistachios and white chocolate chips and keeping the red fruits for her. She popped one happily into her mouth, making Luka look away from her and focus on ingredients mixing in the bowl beside them.

Right before the machine signalled the end of its work, Marinette prepared the counter spreading butter with her hands, and gestured for Luka to do the same. His mouth twisted when he looked at his slippery, hands, but Marinette stopped him from walking to the sink to wash them, “You’ll need it if you don’t want to get the dough stuck in your fingers as you work it”, she said and smiled as she placed the dough on the counter and divided it in two.

Luka looked intently at her quick movements and followed them until his dough turned into a ball, and helped her put her dough into a round case.

“Now we bake it, right?”, he asked as he dried his hands on his apron, but Marinette shook her head, “No, now we wait until it rises again”.

Luka’s brows furrowed in confusion, causing Marinette to let out a bubbly laugh, “It’s less than yesterday though, don’t worry”, she reassured, making Luka let out a sigh of relief. Her mouth twisted into a lopsided grin, “It’s only eight hours now”, she concluded, and giggled again at his reaction.

“You didn’t tell me it was going to be this long!”, he protested.

“It’ll be worth the wait”, Marinette reassured, and invited him to stay with her for the rest of the afternoon.

They sat on the couch, freshly baked cookies standing on the table between them, and Marinette sat right beside him as she put on a movie.

“You know, I would have been happy with you teaching me how to make cookies”, he said, taking one biscuit from the plate and putting it in his mouth.

Marinette responded with a grin, “I wanted to teach you something special”, she said, and snuggled close to him to place her head on his shoulder. Luka closed his eyes, making himself comfortable and wrapping an arm around her. She started playing with the fingers of his free hand, quietly enjoying the moment. It didn’t take long for Luka to forget about the movie running on the tv screen and focus only on Marinette, how her head fit perfectly under his chin and how sweet her scent of almond and jasmine was.

Oh, how he wished he could call her his, and he quite selfishly admitted to himself that he was happy she had decided to teach him a recipe that took so long to learn because he could leave with the promise of her waiting for him every day when she kissed his cheek as they parted.

Marinette welcomed him with warm hugs and happy smiles, and Luka held her in his embrace before he took his shoes off and walked to the kitchen.

This time the counter counted only a knife and a butter stick, Luka tilted his head, grinning, “You know, if you wanted to hang out with me all you had to do was ask”.

It made her blush.

“I- I’m only doing this because you asked me to!”, Marinette protested. She walked to set the temperature of the oven, and Luka shook his head fondly. She straightened up and stood behind the doughs that now were uncovered, a little dome standing proud under the rim of the case.

“Now we have to cut a little cross and put the butter in so it doesn’t burn in the oven and it stays soft”, Marinette said, and Luka followed her instructions. She checked the temperature in the oven and set the timer to 50 minutes.

She walked to the living room and Luka followed, he was getting used to spending time with her like this, and he didn’t mind when she leaned towards him and cuddled in his chest, he welcomed her, his arms wrapping around her automatically.

They laid in silence, the only sound between them was some old sit-com and Marinette giggling at some gags. It was natural, and he wished he could spend more days like this without any excuses. Only him and Marinette being confident around him, and him enjoying her warm and sweet presence that never failed to make him happy.

The scent of sugar filled the room, and Luka allowed himself to enjoy the moment, feeling at peace as he held Marinette in his arms and let his fingers dance aimlessly on her arms.

He didn’t have control on the words that tumbled quietly out of his lips, “You know, I could get used to seeing you every day”. They made Marinette’s head jerk up to look at him, blinking through her black lashes, and the surprised expression on her face quickly turned into a shy smile. 

She looked down at his chest, her fingers tapping delicately on it, “I would like that”, she said slowly, biting her bottom lip as soon as the words left her.

Luka could feel his heart pound louder in his chest, and he reached for her chin, gently lifting her head to look at her in the eyes, leaning in to her.

He felt her shiver under his touch, her big blue eyes locked into his before they fluttered close as she leaned into him, he could feel her sweet breath on his lips, the beat of his heart making it hard for him to listen to anything else. She was there, and she understood what he meant, and she wanted to kiss him, and she was about to kiss him too, like he had always dreamt.

But just like in a dream, he had to be woken up by the sound of a bell ringing.

The timer Marinette had set rang right before their lips met, and Marinette scrambled to get up and go back to the kitchen to get their cakes out.

Luka sighed, taking a moment to recompose himself before following her. She gracefully pulled out their creations from the oven and placed them on the counter, then made him help her go downstairs in the laboratory at the back of the bakery. He followed behind her, carefully watching out for her to make sure she wouldn’t trip on the stairs.

She rummaged through a drawer right after they arrived, carefully pulling out two long skewers and sticking them through the bottom of the cakes before placing them upside down in an empty rack. 

“Let me guess”, Luka said, leaning his back on the counter and crossing his arms, “Now we wait?”, he gave her a lopsided grin, and Marinette nodded, “Exactly, are you coming back tomorrow?”, she asked.

“Oh. I thought we’d have to wait for it to cool up not until tomorrow”, he said, making Marinette start rambling about flavours and how they needed to develop before actually eating it. It was a process that took time and patience but the only thing Luka could focus on as he heard her talk so passionately about the subject was the way her eyes sparked, how her lips moved and how happy her voice sounded instead of the actual words she was saying. Oh, there was a new song begging to be written in his heart.

“It’s going to be worth the wait”, Marinette concluded, and Luka pulled a stray lock of hair behind her ear before lowering his hand, “It better be”.

Marinette gave him a kiss on the cheek as usual, only to linger for a moment longer as she wrapped her arms around him.

She felt breathless when she pulled away and watched him leave, her legs feeling like jelly as she started walking up the stairs that lead to her room.

She had only one day left before all of this was over and she hadn’t managed to tell him how she felt yet. It wasn’t like they wouldn’t be hanging out again. They would, and Marinette would have enjoyed it as she always did. It’s just that… cooking with someone is so… intimate. 

Marinette had never imagined her to be cooking with someone and feeling at peace, she’d usually get nervous if someone else was trying to help her in the kitchen because they didn’t do things the way they were supposed to be done, and she preferred cooking alone for this reason. But as usual, Luka made things different, he made them better. It shouldn’t surprise her anymore.

Luka made things easy, there was harmony, there was warmth and happiness. It made Marinette feel comfortable, and she wouldn’t trade it for anything else.

When Marinette greeted Luka when he walked back into her house the next day, she smelled like almonds and white chocolate, and it made him feel welcome as always.

The two cakes were out of their skewers and waiting for them along with pistachios, dried raspberries, white chocolate and cream.

She instructed him to boil the cream so they could make a ganache, and they spread a thick layer of the blend on the top of the cakes before Marinette sprinkled minced pistachios and the dried raspberries on it. 

“It’s all done now, we just have to wait until the frosting has dried and then we can eat it”, Marinette said.

The sigh of relief Luka let out made her giggle. 

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m very glad you taught me this and that I got to hang out with you, I just- I was running out of patience because I want to know what it tastes like”, Luka confessed, running a hand through his hair. 

Marinette smiled, and checked for one of the cakes standing on the counter, she gave him a satisfied smile, licking the thin layer that got stuck on her finger before getting a knife to cut two slices of their creation.

She passed him a slice, and brought her piece to her lips, smiling happily as she ate the first panettone of the season, it was tradition for her, and sharing it with him made it even more special.

Luka munched slowly, allowing the sweet flavour of the fluffy cake wash over his mouth.

The sweetness of the white chocolate was balanced perfectly by the raspberry and the pistachio, and the tinge of citrus exalted each flavour.

“This is amazing”, Luka said in delight, making Marinette smile proudly. 

“See? It’s worth the wait”, she said, tilting her head.

Luka nodded in agreement, “I don’t think I’ll be able to make it without you though”.

“Oh, I’m sure you can make it, it takes more patience than skill, and you’re a quick learner, too! You did great for your first try”, she said.

“Only because I have a great teacher”, Luka’s compliment made Marinette’s cheeks turn pink. She looked down, fidgeting with her apron and trying to find something to do to avoid his attention, only to notice that he left half of his slice on the counter. 

She straightened up, pulling the top coat he hadn’t eaten yet between her fingers and looking at him.

“You haven’t had the best part yet”, she said, hesitantly raising her fingers to his lips.

Luka hesitated for a second before allowing her to feed him, and just that gesture sent shivers through his spine.

The bite she so gently offered him was sweeter than the first one, probably sweeter than he would have liked, but having Marinette feeding it to him didn’t make him think whether he liked the flavour or not, he liked the girl in front of him, and when he saw her thumb get closer to the side of his mouth to clean it, Luka couldn’t help but take one step closer and wrap his hand around her wrist so it didn’t move from its place.

Marinette stood there, frozen, her pink lips slightly parted as she tilted her head up to look at him.

His free hand reached for her cheek, and she leaned into his touch, almost as she had been waiting for this, the gesture as natural as breathing. When he finally leaned in and their mouths met, it was like fireworks exploded through his chest, sending electric thrills all over his body.

It was sweet and gentle, and it tasted like it too. It tasted like Marinette, and it was love and care and passion and enthusiasm, Luka felt all of it.

She let out a content sigh as she wrapped her hands around the back of his neck, letting her fingers tangle in his short hair. He pulled her close, the kiss slow and dizzying leaving them gasping for air. Luka kissed her smile ligthtly before reluctantly parting from Marinette, and pressed his forehead on hers, not ready to put some more distance between them yet. 

A giddy smile appeared on his face, his eyes still half lidded as his calloused thumb graced over Marinette’s lower lip, “Definitely worth the wait”, he whispered.

[wreckofawriter]

Games (soulmate au)

Pairing: Fred Weasley x reader

Word count: 2,382

Warnings: Making out?

Request: hi! It’s me again, could I request a Fred Weasley soulmate au? The type where their soulmates first word’s to them is tattooed on their body? Please make it fluffy and cute, thank you! :)

A/n: I am so sorry this was late. I had a grad party I forgot about! Also I'm probably going to have the other request out on Wednesday I'm so sorry but I have another grad party 2mmaro and I wont have time to write. Hope you guys like it!

The words in Fred's ankle had always been, well controversial at his household. His mother sure didn't like them. George thought they were hilarious. Ginny thought they were almost sad, sad that was how him and his soulmate would meet. Ron agreed with George, Percy thought they were ridiculous and his other brothers thoughts were pretty neutral. Fred simply thought they were odd. And as he looked down at the words, he couldn't help but smile, this was going to be one interesting person.

You snickered watching as your seeker checked his hair in the mirror again.

"You know Malfoy maybe if you spent less time putting grease in your hair and more time practicing then we would be winning for a change."

He whipped around glaring at you. "That's not very good team spirit y/l/n." He seethed.

"And since when are Slytherins known for their teamwork?"

He rolled his eyes and snatched his broom from the rack and joined the rest of the team in the horseshoe they had made around their captain.

You glanced around trying not to look as bored as you were. You have heard it a thousand times before; kick Gryffindors ass. Nothing new, except for the fact that your seeker was almost ok and theirs was amazing. Which meant it was basically up to you to score a shit ton of points before the snitch was caught. It was all quite stressful.

As you walked out onto the pitch you heard a mix of boos and cheers, the former as always, over powering the latter. You ignored the crowd and boarded your broom. You flew a couple feet in the air and waited for the whistle. When you took a deep breath and then sped upwards. If everything went right Montague should have the quaffle ready and waiting for you. And he did. You snatched the pass and made your way toward the goals where you could see Wood waiting.

You ducked under a bulger, dodged some girl in a red uniform and made for the large hoops. You reached for the quaffle tucked under your arms and shot it in the far left hoop. It soared through and you whipped around to get back to your position.

The game had been going for hours. It was hot and sunny and you had already ditched your outer layer. Currently you had scored 160 points, you were doing pretty well. All together your team had 210 points while Gryffindor was 50 points behind. Things were looking up.

You were headed towards the hoops once again the quaffle locked securely under your arm. You were about to shoot when out of nowhere something hit you straight in your side.

You dropped the quaffle and tipped off your broom with a scream. You managed to keep your feet wrapped around the handle and was hanging there attempting to reach your arms up. When you finally did, the pounding of your heart on your ears stopped and you could hear shrieking laughter.

You turned to see Fred Weasley pointing and laughing at you.

You flashed a brilliant shade of red before shouting, "If you don't shut up Weasley I'll shove that bat up your ass."

His smile dropped. A look of absolute astonishment replaced his joyful features. He felt his heart stop. You flew away with a scoff and an eye roll, you had no clue what you had just done to that boy.

For the rest of the match Fred could simply not focus. He hardly hit any blunders and most of them were completely off target. George scolded the boy and tried to get his head back in the game but it was helpless. He wanted to say something to you but what? What could he possibly say, "Oh hey what's up, your my soulmate by the way." It was all so stupid.

Gryffindor lost when Draco caught the snitch and Slytherin was celebrating in there locker room as Oliver almost killed Fred in their locker room.

"What the hell!" He yelled at the red head. "You couldn't hit a thing this whole match!"

"Look I'm sorry. I was distracted." Fred apologized.

Oliver didn't seem to care for his apologies at all. "You were doing fine." he sighed, "And then suddenly you knock y/l/n off her broom and you cant hit the broadside of a barn with a bludger."

"Look Wood, I'm sorry." Fred apologized again trying to make it sound sincere although his thoughts were elsewhere.

"What in Merlin's name could have made you so distracted any way Fred?"

Fred paused, the whole team was listening there was no way he was saying anything. "I just umm was?" He raised his eyebrows, hoping that his captain would buy it. Which of course he didn't.

"What eas it Weasley?" Oliver practically growled

Fred cast his gaze downwards trying to aviod eye contact with anyone.

"I swear to Merlin Wweasley if you don't tell me what gave Malfoy a free ride to the snitch I will-"

"She's my soulmate alright!?" Fred yelled his patients wore through.

"Wait, y/l/n is your soulmate?" It was George talking this time. His eyes were wide and mouth slightly agape, he was mimicking the rest of the team.

"Yeah." Fred looked down blushing a bit, he wasn't used to these situations. "But she doesnt know so don't tell her." He added quickly.

"Alright, sorry for laying into Fred." Oliver said.

"Its fine." He waved it off. He then turned to George panick in his eyes.

"How is she my soulmate?" Fred asked his twin desperate for an answer. They were now sitting in the Gryffindor common room eating candy they got from honeydukes.

"I don't know mate, but I wouldn't be too concerned. I mean she's hot." George pointed out, stuffing a chocolate frog in his mouth.

"Yeah but she’s Slytherin." Fred groaned.

"It probably won't be that bad Fred, you are destined to be together."

"How are we destined to be together? I mean we sure as hell aren't best buds." Fred said popping a fizzing whizbee in his mouth.

"So what," George started his voice muffled by chocolate, "You'll get along, just wait till Ron finds out he'll flip."

"Ok then what should I do?" Frdd asked

"You have to talk to her idiot." George pointed out.

"WWhat do I say?" The older twin asked.

The younger just shrugged, "Wwhatever you say will be on her ankle anyway so just try and make it romantic."

"Alright." Fred said still quite unsure on what to do.

You sat in potions trying not to laugh your ass off as Angelina a girl from Gryffindor totally ditched her potion.

You had finished ages ago and were simply waiting to be dismissed. You glanced down at your watch. Five minutes.

You had been anxious to get back to the quidditch pitch. You had to get in some more practice before the next match. You were playing hufflepuff and wanted to stick iit to Cadwallader. You had five gallons on the fact you would score more points then him in the upcoming match and you'd don't lose.

So when Snape finally said you could go you practically slept from your seat in excitement.

You sprinted down the hallways as quickly as you could only run striated into someone. You fell backwards landing hard on your butt and letting out a yelp of pain. You book bag had slid across the floor and hit the opposite wall of the thin hallway.

"Oh Merlin, are you alright?" A voice asAsked and you about passed out. Those were the words on your ankle. You looked up to see a mess of red hair with matching red robes and red cheeks. His eyes seemed to glow in the candlelight as he stuck his hand out for you to grab. You felt the heat rise in your face as well, since when was Fred Weasley so attractive?

"Shit, I said something didn't I." He looked upset, as he pulled you to your feet. You felt your face grow even brighter at contact with his surprisingly soft hands.

"Uh yeah ya did." You practically whispered your y/e/c eyes big as golf balls.

"So then you know?" He asked fidgeting with his robes.

"Know what?" You asked completely bewildered by the things that had happened in the past minute.

"That your my soulmate." He laughed.

"Yeah I guess I know that." You said your mind was going crazy. Fred Weasley was your soulmate? What? I mean sure he's incredibly good looking and funny and smart and great at quidditch but, what?!

"You probably don't even know which twin I am." He laughed a bit although the idea of his soulmate not knowing who he was hurt. "Im-"

"Fred." You finished for him. "I know who you are."

"Really?" Fred asked eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Yeah I do. Wait, how did you know o was your soulmate?"

Fred blushed as your y/e/c eyes gleamed up at him. Your y/h/l y/h/c hair framed your face beautifully and he was suddenly struck with how attractive you are. Your face was dusted pink and it made you look incredible. "Well umm, remember when I knocked you off your broom yesterday?"

"Vividly" you answer eyes narrowed a bit, your arms now crossed.

"Well afterward you said-"

"If you don't shut up Wesley I'll shove that bat up your ass." You finished for him again doing your best to contain the laughter inside you. You failed miserably and burst with giggles. He thought it was the most amazing sound to ever grace his ears.

"Wait wait wait," you managed to squeak out still giggling, "Is that seriously tattooed on your ankle?"

"Yep." And to prove it Fred pulled his sock down and showed you the words printed on to his pale skin

You burst in a wave of fresh laughter, "I'm sure your mom loves that." You said between laughs.

"Glad you find my misfortune so hilarious." Fred said rolling his eyes playfully.

"Oh come on. If it was me with those words on my ankle you would be losing your shit." You pointed out still laughing.

"Your right, I should have said something closer to, 'Look where the fuck your going." As payback." He smirked and you burst into laughter once again.

"You should have!" You were crying with joy at this point, "It would have been one hell of conversation starter!"

Now Fred was laughing too, his smile bright. He looked down at your giggling form and he was once again talking by your beauty. Your eyes shining with tears and gleaming with joy. Your extremely soft looking lips a light pink color were stretched into a wide slightly lopsided smile.

As he stared your laughter died out and you had looked back up at him, you blushed a bit to find his gaze on you, "Like what you see Weasley?" You asked a cocky smirk on your lips.

"In fact I do." He said smirking right back and leaning down a bit to be somewhat level with your eyes.

"Well you aren't exactly ugly." You bit your lip as you did so and Fred about lost it. Keep it cool he reminded himself. So instead he placed his hand over his heart dropped his mouth and blinked a few times feigning hurt.

"That's what I get as a complement?" He asked in fake surprise, "I'm offended."

"Ever the dramatic Weasley." You smirked.

"I am quite a good actor." He said leaning closer to you, you could feel his breath on your cheek and your smirk dropped. He had to know that he was doing right? That wasn't fair.

"Im good at more than acting though." He winked, smirking as you blushed a deep crimson.

You attempted to stay on track, "A-and what else might you be good at? I haven't seen much." It would have been fine if you didn't stutter but damn he was really close to you and smelled like a mix of smoke and chocolate. It was completely infatuating.

"Oh, you'll see plenty." You wanted to smack the smirk off his face. He was playing with you, but you weren't in the mood for games anymore.

"Oh shut up." You whispered face burning. With that you yanked him down to meet you lips. He was clearly taken off guard but kissed back quite quickly once your lips moved against his. He quickly pushed you up against the wall and grabbed your waist. Your hands found their way to his fiery hair, it was surprisingly soft. You felt his tongue glide against your bottom lip and you opened your mouth, granting it access.

When he pulled away your lungs were burning and you gasped for air.

"I hope you know this doesn't change anything on the pitch." You said.

"Of course, I'm just going to have to make sure not to hit your face with any bludgers. Wouldn't want to ruin its beauty, would I?" He winked.

"What every weakness you show I will use to my advantage." You smirked shrugging.

"I like the sound of that." He winked again.

"Keep it up and you will only be able to blink with one eye." You said eyebrows raised.

"Winking won't do that." He pointed out.

"Yeah but me poking one of your eyes out will." You deadpanned.

"Has anyone ever told you your a little scary?" Fred asked as he leaned in again.

"Yep-" you were cut off by his lips.

"Y/l/n!"

You pushed Fred off of you to see Malfoy standing a few feet away a disgusted look etched on his face.

"Captain wants you, so get the Weasel’s tongue out of your throat so you can actually talk." He scoffed

"I'll see you later." You whispered to Fred. Before walking towards the platinum blonde. "You call him weasel again and I will cut your tongue off and make you eat it." You flashed the now terrified boy a cheeky smile and walking towards the pitch the young seeker sulking at your heels.

"See ya later Mouthful!" Fred shouted saluting the boy as he walked out the door.

Masterlist

[jjyusmile]

lonely | kang hyung-gu (kino)

kang hyung-gu (kino) | lonely

pairing: bestfriend!kino x {gender-neutral} reader!

word count: 2,693

notes: best friends to lovers au! this story is inspired by kino’s song and music video ‘lonely’ because its pure and he deserves attention. i love kino and you should too :) i take requests!

here is the link to the music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSoN4v1G8Os

__________________________________

The steam rose from the idle cups of black coffee that sat between you. They served more purpose as hand warmers than they did a delicious drink. You were sat outside of a café on a set of wicker chairs opposite one another. The winter sun fell over Tokyo like a cosy blanket; the way Kino’s ears poked out under his cap made the grin that hadn’t faded since you surprised him last night even more endearing.

Everything had been planned with Hongseok and it all went smoothly, except for him being late to pick you up at Haneda airport.

[me: 21:17pm] hey seok, i’m here

[hongseokie 🤪: 21:19pm] ah shit, I uh- forgot

[me: 21:20pm] i swear to god if you’re not here in 5 minutes~ I’ll hide your chicken breasts.

[hongseokie 🤪: 21:21pm] 🗿

He turned up 25 minutes later – hot chocolate in hand with a smiling Hui in the passenger seat. It warmed your heart that you got to see the rest of the boys, as well as your best friend.

Today was their only scheduled day off, and Kino was more than excited to spend it with his best friend. Spending the morning messing about in your hotel room, it was almost sunset by the time you left to start exploring.

He broke the comfortable silence as he sang under his breath, staring into the distance of the skyline. “A day without you is so lonely.”

You giggled, your warmed hand coming to cover your mouth. It had been months since you last saw each other. Your last memory was your brother’s wedding when he had to leave halfway through to catch a flight to Thailand for the first leg of their tour. You smiled fondly at your best friend for a moment.

“Lonely indeed,” you retorted sarcastically. “What are we doing with the rest of our day then, Gu?”

He pondered exaggeratedly, a finger cupping his chin. The movement made you giggle louder. You knew what you would do. You did the same in any city you visited with Kino – wander aimlessly until you found something you liked.

Within moments, you were strolling down the streets of Shinjuku with your arm wrapped around Kino’s. Before leaving the café, he forced you to wear his oversized black ‘fxxking rabbits’ sweatshirt after you had left your hotel room in a short-sleeved shirt on a chilly day. The length of the sleeves drowned your short arms creating sweater paws that you gladly welcomed in the icy climate. Your camera hung from its straps loosely around your neck, bumping slightly against your stomach as you fell into step together.

Heading in the direction of the National Garden, you focused on how the winter sunset caught Kino’s skin with a natural glow. Under his purple NY Yankees, you noticed how the high points of his cheeks turned a rosy pink from the chill, a similar shade covering his nose. With his cosy sweatshirt now on your person, he was left in a faded beige button-up with a black t-shirt underneath loosely tucked into his dark-wash denim jeans.

He must be freezing. You snuggled in a little closer than usual, to which Kino welcomed the warmth.

Usually, silence between people would be uncomfortable, with the occasional awkward glance toward the other. But this was different. Even after months of video calls until early hours of the morning, it only seemed like yesterday he left your brother’s wedding. The silence was oddly comforting, enjoying each other’s company whilst strolling across the overpass of the highway.

“What are you thinking about?” Your thoughts formed into words before you could confirm the action, breaking the silence with his eyes trained on you.

“Nothing… For the first time in a long time, I’m not thinking of anything.” You smiled at his genuine response. It had been a hectic time for Kino and the group; in the last two years, you had seen him for more than a week at only Christmas.

You were nervous to meet him this time. It wasn’t unusual for you to travel to a city to join the boys for a few days, but this time felt different.

You wanted to hold him closer than you usually would. You felt more comfortable when his attention was focused on you, rather than the girl whose attention he caught by just passing by.

With the camera focused to capture his content look, your movements went barely noticed by Kino. As you got older, you knew that your love for him had shifted; you weren’t sure when, or what moment, but absence always makes the heart grow fonder.

He turned his head at the perfect moment as the shutter clicked. His rosy features filled the frame; they complimented his joyful grin as his focus lingered on you.

“Can I try?” He removed the straps from under the hood of his sweatshirt and placed them around his own neck.

You hated being in front of the camera – it was the sole reason you took up photography in the first place. To be the one behind the lens. But the look on his face and his playful mood made you feel more at ease. Attempting to hide your face, your fists came up to shape your cheeks as they knocked against your glasses.

Enamoured by the view, Kino focused on the way your small figure glowed against the skyline behind you. The sun radiated against your skin in a way that made him feel warm. He clicked the shutter on your camera quickly before moving on.

“Kino!” you whined, “please just give it back.”

But within moments, he took out his phone to snap a shot of you, candidly walking toward him with a half-playful, half-serious look that he adored. Your hand was slightly reaching toward him to grab the camera, the sleeve completely protecting it from any sunlight. You failed to notice how that image became his wallpaper from that moment on.

“Fine, fine.” You snatched the camera back, with a playful glare toward your best friend. The look earned you a cheeky grin in return, as his arm looped around your shoulders, heading back into the direction of the Gardens.

You wandered aimlessly as usual, with occasional chatter and playfulness between you. Kino managed to persuade you to buy him Takoyaki from the friendly woman at the vendor outside of the park as you left. She complimented how happy you looked together, causing a blush to arise on your cheeks and your attempt to drag Kino away by his shirt before he says anything stupid was quick.

Before long, Kino had dragged you to a set of escalators that led to an arcade. They lit up in rainbow LED lights that turned Kino’s glowing skin from blue to pink, to orange then green. As you went up the escalator, you admired how he lifted his cap to fix his fair. Another comfortable silence surrounded you both as you looked up into the direction you were heading.

Lost in thought, Kino noticed how your hand was slightly peeking out of his sweatshirt sleeve. You felt his fingers loosely intertwine with your own, making you almost lose your balance as you stepped off the escalator. You stopped walking once you were both off the moving staircase and out of harm’s way, looking up to meeting his eyes.

“What?” he questioned, “your hands are cold.” He turned away mid-sentence, hiding his face under his cap once more.

You missed the small smile that fell on his lips as he started to drag you toward the claw machine.

He spent over twenty minutes on a single claw machine with the promise that he would win you the Eevee plush you have wanted since you were a child. The whole time, his fingers had not let go of your own. The point of contact serving as an energy and warmth booster to you both.

Kino grinned at your captivated look as you pressed your forehead to the glass with your free hand sliding down the glass dramatically. Your breath visible was against the machine as you inhaled and exhaled rhythmically. You watched as the final claw wrapped around Eevee and clung on like its life depended on it; you were frozen in place until it unhinged its clench and the plush dropped into the winner’s pit.

You squealed excitedly as Kino handed you the prize and you squeezed it with a wide grin. Your eyes crinkled genuinely making Kino’s hold on your hand grow a little bit tighter.

You continued to wander the streets throughout the evening. Coming to a stop by a small plaza covered in Christmas decorations, Kino led you under a dome of lights and stopped in the center to take a picture of you. The common occurrence of the day became a lot less daunting, especially when he turned the camera onto both of you.

You smiled fondly at the front camera lens, and noticed Kino pointed to his cheek on the screen. A flow of confidence came over you as you leant up to kiss him on the cheek, which turned his bubbly aura into a shocked, humoured one.

Giggling, your hand came up to your face to hide your slight blush.

“You’re supposed to do it like this,” Kino murmured distractedly.

He pointed to your cheek, and then the other. He moved to point to your eyes one at time, then settled for the bridge of your nose. Each spot met with a soft brush of his lips with a mischievous glimmer in his eyes that failed to go unnoticed.

His face was much closer than it had ever been to your own as he leant down to your eye level. His previous actions were a mere whisper compared to how close his nose brushed your own, and the slight feather of his breath that fell onto your lips.

Although his face serious, the mischievous glimmer had not shifted, confirming your thoughts that this really was your best friend.

His hand came up to brush your fringe that had fallen into your eyes and slowly ran his thumb against your cheek before backing away and wandering into the crowded streets once more.

It took a few moments to catch your breath before you hurried after him with new-found courage. Finding his figure wasn’t difficult after this many years of friendship, and when your hand found his from behind he barely flinched, the movement becoming more natural as the night went on.

As the sun completely disappeared and your breath had become more visible in the moonlit atmosphere, Kino pulled you into the nearest clothing store to buy more layers for you both. It wasn’t much like Kino to be materialistic, but the puffy jacket he bought you was more about his generous personality than the money. That was what you loved about him - Hyunggu had a big heart.

Alongside your black jacket, he bought himself a matching one with a white sweatshirt to go underneath. Hand in hand, you left the shop feeling warm with your layers, as well as the warmth coming from his hand wrapped around your smaller one. Throughout the night, Kino got used to holding your hand, feeling less of an urge to squeeze it to reassure him that you’re still there.

You were still there as you sipped on your milk tea. You were still there when the street performer invited him up mid-performance, earning a giggle from you.

He had become much more intimate with his touches, rather than a soft bump on the shoulder when he found you funny, he resorted to a slight boop to your nose – another endearing trait that made you want to joke all the time.

His longing gazes caught you yawning every so often, the street lights faintly accentuating your tired features. The way his sweatshirt engulfed your body looked much cuter paired with the jacket he had just bought you. Your glasses were slowly slipping down the bridge of your nose.

Sighing, Kino turned the edge of the pavement, his free hand waving down a taxi. You perked up slightly at his actions, questioning with a furrowed brow.

“Don’t even try to tell me you’re ready and raring for another walk around the block. You haven’t stopped yawning since we left the boba place.” Another boop to the nose. So, it’s not just jokes – noted.

You smiled drowsily and huddled into his side to keep warm as you waited. His arm wrapped around your shoulder as he gently caressed the nape of your neck absentmindedly.

The journey back to your hotel was silent, but the buzz that ran through your body mirrored that of Kino’s. You were tired but you knew you were far from sleep.

His hand had barely left yours all evening. This heart-warming feeling wasn’t new – he had ached to hold your hand for a long time. The subtle confidence that had awoken in both of you crossed the boundaries that were automatically set between best friends.

Despite your efforts, sleep had washed over you quickly as the warmth radiated from Kino. Without waking you, he had paid the driver and managed to carry you on his back to your hotel room. Your head rested lightly against his shoulder sending chills down his spine as your breath fanned over his neck.

Silently taking your room key out of your cross body, he stepped into the room and place you on the bed with your head on the pillow. As he went over to close the curtains and camp out on the floor, your hand subconsciously grabbed onto the hem of his jacket, pulling him back. The peaceful look that washed over your face as you realised he wasn’t going anywhere made your unconscious state even more adorable in his eyes.

Leaving the curtains open slightly, Kino lifted you up to remove your jacket and shoes while doing the same with his own. Finding a blanket in the closet, he draped it over your figure while leaving room behind you for himself.

___

You woke suddenly from your dreamy state to a slight weight on your body whilst checking the clock that faintly illuminated the room: 4:03am.

The curtains had been left open slightly with slight flashes of billboards and passing cars leaking through the slit. The weight focused around your waist as an arm wrapped a bit tighter to ensure you stayed in place.

The heat becoming unbearable, you wriggled your way out of Kino’s arms to lift the sweatshirt that you were wearing over your head and lowered the blanket to waist height before you snuggled back into bed.

A wave of confidence washed over you as you turned from your previous position to lie facing Kino. The faint lights from the window created a shadow on the left side of his face that smushed against the pillow – his styled hair now falling in tufts over his forehead.

Subconsciously, you smoothed away loose strands that fell into his eyes as you gazed at the dimples that adorned the corners of his mouth as he slept. Your actions stirred Kino awake slowly, but you didn’t bother to remove your hand from his face.

As his hand grazed your side to pull you closer, your palm fell against his cheek as your thumb rubbed against his cheekbone. His once content face shifted as his eyes began to crinkle along with a shy smile that adorned his lips. His free hand lifted to cup your own cheek and brought your face close enough so his lips could brush against your forehead.

And you remained in that position until the sun began to rise over the Shinjuku skyline, bringing a new day that welcomed the slight shift in your relationship.

Your eyes opened as the rhythmic exhales that came from Kino became more prominent. But Kino was already awake, his eyes wandering across your face trying to memorise every feature he could.

A soft smile grazed his lips. “So, I guess we should talk, huh?”

A day without you is lonely, indeed.

[notalwaysthevillian]

Parent Trapped

Warnings: Not so subtle flirting, anxiety, jealousy, alcohol mention, food mention

Pairings: Romantic Remile, platonic LAMP

Word Count: ~1.7k

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Masterlist

Chapter 10: Parent Trapped

Phase one of their plan was to get their parents to spend some more time together. They decided to have weekly sleepovers, since either father would come in and spend a little bit of time talking while the kids got set up.Since it was summer, there were a few times they managed to have a few a week.

“They might as well live over here.” Remy joked on one such occasion as he brought the boys in. Roman and Logan vanished almost immediately, heading into the living room to make their sleepover fort.

Emile waved a hand. “It’s not like we don’t have the room. And they get along so well, they’re practically family. Did you want some tea?”

“Did you buy more of that lavender one?”

The adults headed into the kitchen, unaware of the whispering happening in the living room.

“Dad hated that tea.” Virgil whispered as he and Roman stretched a blanket over the couch. “He only bought more because Remy likes it.”

“Our dad bought mint extract yesterday.” Logan said as he crawled underneath to set up the pillows. “I only know one person who likes mint in his hot chocolate.”

The four of them crawled inside, getting settled. Patton put his hand out, high-fiving everyone. “Sounds like our plan is working.”

Over the next few sleepovers, the dads starting staying over later and later. At one point, the two of them realized that the four boys had fallen asleep while they were talking. Emile had been a little embarrassed, excusing himself immediately and heading home. But not before Remy had offered for him to stay over as well, causing the therapist to turn bright red before he left the house.

Bimonthly barbecues also became a summer tradition.

“Em, why don’t you come over here so I can show you how to grill?”

Cheeks ever so slightly pink, Emile left the boys at the table, moving to Remy’s side. “I’m a hopeless griller, that’s why I cook instead.”

“Come on, I can help you out.” Remy held out the spatula, smiling when Emile took it from his hand.

“How do you know when to flip them?” He asked, hovering over the grill.

“Sometimes you just know.” Remy said from behind Emile, making the shorter man shiver involuntarily. “And sometimes you have a timer set next to the grill.”

A laugh bubbled up out of Emile as he noticed the small electronic timer. “Oh.”

As it started to beep, Emile slid the spatula under a burger and flipped it. Unfortunately, the burger split in half and fell into the coals below.

“Here, let me…”

Remy grabbed Emile’s wrist, helping him through flipping the still usable burgers. When he was done he let go and restarted the timer, seemingly unaware of how his action had made Emile’s mind start reeling.

Near the end of the summer, Roman was struck with the absolute best idea he’d ever had. He waited until they were at their weekly sleepover to tell the others.

Once their fort was made, he dragged the rest of them inside. Patton knew Roman’s idea face, and squirmed a little while Roman made sure that their dads were still talking in the kitchen.

“Okay, I had the best idea in the universe last night.” He started, looking at each of them. “We need to truly parent trap them. Get them alone on what could be considered a date.”

Patton nodded, completely on board with the idea. “How do we do that?”

“Back to school dinner.” Virgil whispered, shooting a grin at Patton. “Dad won’t know any better.”

“I’m assuming it’s tradition to have a special dinner before the next year of school?” Logan asked, getting twin nods. “Our dad has never said no to a fun dinner. He commonly quotes Donna Meagle - ‘treat yo self’.”

“So we ask if we can go someplace a little fancier.” The gears were turning in Roman’s head, ideas forming left and right. “And then we slowly get out of it. I bet I can claim forgetting about summer reading and rope Lo into helping me.”

“Because you did that last year?”

“Shh!”

Virgil played with the frayed edges of his blanket. “I can tell him the restaurant makes me anxious. It probably will.”

Roman turned to the final member of their mission. “Pat?”

“I, um… I don’t know what to do.”

“You could fake sick?”

Patton made a face at Roman’s suggestion. “He’d believe it and then I’d feel bad. I don’t want to do something that isn’t true.”

“Tell him you worry about Virgil and don’t want him to be alone.” Logan suggested. “It’s not something that would be false, and it’s something your father wouldn’t question.”

“So it’s settled.” The huge smile on Roman’s face was infectious. “We commence stage three, dinner plans, next week.”

When next week rolled around, their plan went off without a hitch. Roman realized he actually had forgotten about summer reading. With how frantic he was, Remy allowed the two of them to stay home.

“Did you want me to help too? I can tell Em -”

“No!” Roman cried out, nearly blurting out their plan. “You can’t help, my teachers will know. They always know.”

A few blocks away, Emile was being nearly pushed out the door by Patton.

“If V is too anxious, we could go somewhere else.” He said, pulling out his phone to text Remy.

Virgil pushed on the phone, shaking his head. “Roman wanted a fancy dinner before we became sophomores. It’s not fair for me to deny him that.”

“Are you going to be okay?”

“We’ll be fine, we haven’t had twin time in a while.” Patton ruffled Virgil’s hair. “And I think some of the blonde is coming back through.”

Virgil’s hands shot to his hair. “We’ll be careful with the hair dye.”

“Alright. Call me if you need anything!”

“Have fun!”

Emile arrived at the restaurant right on time, opting to wait in the entry for the Sanders. Needless to say, he was a little confused when Remy was the only one to walk in.

“I thought the boys were coming?”

“I thought your kids were coming.”

Before they could figure out what had happened, a waitress appeared next to them, holding a stack of menus. “How many?”

“Two.” Remy said, following the waitress as she headed to a table in the back of the room.

“Your server will be by for your drink orders shortly!”

Emile sat down across from Remy, sliding his chair in. “Virgil stayed home because he was anxious about the restaurant and Patton stayed to make sure he wasn’t all by himself the night before they start school again.”

“Roman forgot his summer reading for the second year in a row and needed Logan’s help.” Remy leaned his arm on the table, resting his chin in his palm. “I think we’ve been set up.”

“What?”

“Please, Em, you can’t deny that we have chemistry. Our kids would have to be blind to not pick up on it.” Remy said, his voice dropping ever so slightly. “Does this count as our first date?”

Emile’s cheeks flushed immediately, earning a flirty smile from Remy. “I - what -”

“Hi, I’m Alice, I’m your server tonight.” A dark-haired woman said as she walked up to their table. “Can I get you started with some drinks?”

“Water please.” Emile squeaked out, before hiding his face behind the menu.

Alice looked over at Remy, leaning towards him. “And for you, handsome?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Remy could see Emile glare at the server. “I’ll take a bottle of sparkling rose for me and my date.”

The server immediately backed off, her customer service smile replacing her real one. “Of course. I’ll be right out with those.”

“This isn’t a date, Rem.” Emile put the menu back on the table. His cheeks were mostly back to normal. “A date is planned.”

“It could be a blind date.”

“We’ve met already.”

Remy nodded, before biting his lip. “Em, if you don’t want this to be a date, it doesn’t have to be a date. We can forget I ever said anything.”

“No! I - that’s not -” Emile took in a deep breath. “I would like to go on a date with you. But preferably not one set up by our kids. One that we plan together.”

The soft look Emile gave Remy was sweet enough to make him blush - which was something that other people were never able to do. He glanced down as he felt the back of his neck heat up. “Sounds great.”

“You weren’t wrong about the chemistry though.” Emile placed his hand over Remy’s on the table. Both of their cheeks heated at the action.

Remy laced their fingers together. “Good.”

The two of them took their time with dinner, lingering when they were finished.

“We should probably head out, I think they close soon.” Emile said, standing up.

Before he could grab his coat, Remy slipped it off the chair, holding it up. He helped Emile put it on, sliding it up and fixing the collar. Leaning in close, he whispered, “I can’t wait for our first real date.”

Emile wanted nothing more than to turn around and kiss him, but he managed to hold himself back. Instead, he gave Remy a peck on the cheek. “Neither can I.”

They went their separate ways, each being assaulted by their own children as soon as they walked in the door.

“How’d it go?” Patton asked, a knowing look on his face. Virgil was right behind him, wearing the same expression.

“It went well.” Emile hung up his jacket, hoping to calm his warm face. “Though next time, you could just tell us that you wanted us to go on a date.”

Giggles gave them away immediately. The twins disappeared into their bedrooms, satisfied with Emile’s answer.

When Remy walked in, Roman was at his side in seconds, tugging his coat off. “Well? How was your date?”

“It wasn’t a date.” Remy kept his voice level, cracking once he saw their faces drop. “But we are going on a real date soon.”

“SUCCESS!”

Rolling his eyes, Remy pointed toward the stairs. “Now go to bed. And no more meddling in my love life!”

“So you love him?”

“Bed!”

Once the delinquents had gone to their rooms, Remy pulled his phone out, sending a text to Emile.

Babe: How does Wednesday sound?

Honey: Sounds wonderful <3

[voldemorthatesnose96]

ABRUPT

My second “first meet” AU of SOBBE. Please enjoy❤️❤️❤️

“Happy birthday to me... happy birthday to me... happy birthday dear Robbe... happy birthday to me...”

A lonely brunette hair guy blows the candle on his birthday cake—well, it’s not actually a cake but a single chocolate cupcake he bought earlier after walking from the morning shift at the mini market. Today is his 20th birthday and Robbe IJzermans is celebrating alone, again. His friends back home and his parents are congratulating him, of course, but it doesn’t feel the same when they’re all together.

Robbe is an exchanged student from Belgium and been studying at University of Central Florida (UCF) for two years now. Time goes too fast, and there isn’t a single moment passed without him missing home and everything.

It’s only eight in the morning. Even though, his body is tired but his mind is restless. Robbe’s already know this kind of situation. There won’t be any use if he’s trying to get some sleep. So instead, after eating his cupcake, he grabs the jacket, backpack and leave his humble flat—suddenly have this idea of going to the theme park and treat himself there.

———————————

It takes more than two hours by train from his flat to Universal Studios, and when he’s finally get there, he whispers to the air, “home!” and smiles to himself as his feet enters the theme park.

Robbe ALWAYS love the theme park, any kind of it; probably the second favorite place in the world besides the local caffe near the college. His inner child screams in utter joy whenever he sees rides such as roller coaster, haunted house—basically, everything.

Wizarding World of Harry Potter is the place where he can NEVER EVER get bored. So many things to do, too many things to buy, but he always saves the rides for later. For now, he just needs to take a walk for a bit to clears his mind. Not many people comes at this hour, so it’s a good thing.

After buying a cold butterbeer, Robbe’s first plan is to see the castle and takes a selfie (if he brave enough).

“Ah, what a beauty!” Robbe says while admiring the Hogwarts Castle from afar. He knows he’s a Hufflepuff through and through but would it be so much more amazing if this school actually exists in real life? A guy can dream.

When he’s satisfy enough looking at the magical castle, Robbe continue his walking to the ice cream parlour. When he’s almost there, for the tenth time since he got there, Robbe stumbles over his own feet and.... he accidentally trips his drink over someone’s t-shirt and also knocks down theirs.

“SHIT SHIT SHIT! I AM SO SORRY! SO SORRY!” He panicks without looking at the person. “I DON’T HAVE TISSUE! SO SO SO SORRY! I STUMBLED OVER MY FEET! YOUR DRINK IS FELL TOO! I’M SO STUPID! SORRY SORRY SORRY! I WILL—“

“Dude, stop!”

Robbe’s body freeze for couple seconds after he looks up and sees a guy around his age, wearing black everything but his bleached hair is making a beautiful contrast to the appearance. This guy’s looking... handsome? Devilishly handsome? In a way; and he’s looking rather pissed.

I’m dead, Robbe thought.

“I’m so sorry. I accidentally—“

“Yeah yeah, I heard you before. You accidentally stumbled over your feet, I know. I’m not deaf. But now what’re you gonna do to fix this? This clothes is expensive. Can you buy me another one?”

Robbe is super embarrassed right now. Cursed his feet and his too-clumsy nature!

“Look, I can make everything’s right again, okay?” He finally manage to find his voice and courage. “I can wash your t-shirt, even your jeans and buy you another drink. But please, forgive me! I’m sorry!”

Not long after, the bleached hair guy snorts and laughs loud; he’s too loud, almost everyone looking at them now.

“OH MY GOD, YOU SHOULD SEE YOUR FACE! YOU LOOK TERRIFIED. SMILE A LITTLE, DUDE! IT WAS JUST A JOKE!”

“W-what?” Robbe asks, genuinely confused.

“This fucking t-shirt isn’t expensive,” the bleached hair guy says after he finally manages to calm himself from laughter. “In fact, I wanted to burn it.”

“But why? It’s nice.”

“Nope, you should buy me a cup of stracciatella ice cream then I’ll talk.”

Robbe can’t believe this weird guy; a total stranger, a little bit bossy but also exciting at the same time can stunned him easily. Feels like there’s an invisible sign above his head that speaks “DANGER!” but to hell with this—it’s still his birthday and no danger will be happened at the theme park, as far as he knows.

“Yeah, okay.” Robbe says as he follows the handsome stranger to the ice cream parlour.

Robbe almost trips when the bleached guy abruptly dead-stop in front of him.

“What is it?”

“Almost forgot,” he says, as he turns around and offers his hand. “Sander, 22, Juilliard student.”

Robbe takes Sander’s hand. It feels warm and strong in his, “Robbe, 20, exchanged student at University of Central Florida.”

Sander smirks, letting go the handshake, “cool. Come on, then!”

After they buy some ice creams and eat them on the spot, both agree to ride a Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey after this.

While they walking side by side, Robbe says, “now that I’m finally bought you an ice cream, mind to tell why you wanted to burn your clothes?”

Sander doesn’t answer for a minute or two. But when they walking pass the souvenir shop and Robbe’s being a little distracted by the wizard hat in the window, Sander says.

“Because my girlfriend gave it to me,” then he adds. “Well, an ex now.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Nah, don’t be,” Sander shakes his head. His voice is surprisingly calm and playful still. “She was cheating on me. Here, at this very park.”

“ARE YOU FOR REAL?!” Robbe absentmindedly yell but quickly compose himself. “I mean, what? Here? That’s not possible!”

“But it IS possible, Robbe.”

“I’m sorry...”

“Stop saying that!” Sander giggles. “There’s nothing to be sorry for. I’m glad I could finally get rid of her!”

“Can we... can we just sit somewhere and talk?”

Robbe doesn’t know where he gets the idea but one thing for sure, he also have the need to pour his heart out too to this guy. They may just know each other less than 2 hours, but... don’t know, but Robbe’s already trust Sander; something that never happen with anybody else, ever. And mostly, he feels that Sander need someone to talk to, even though his exterior speak otherwise.

“Because it’s you, I’ll do it.”

Wait, what? What does it mean because it’s me? Robbe thought, feeling bewildered but doesn’t mind.

“Before I continue,” Sander says after they finally sit at the cafetaria. It’s so crowded now, that they have to wait for almost 15 minutes to get a seat. “Do you think I’m a bad person for saying those things?”

“About?”

“That I’m happy for getting rid of her.”

Robbe shakes his head and smiling softly, “not at all. I swear.”

“Okay, then,” Sander sighs in relief. “We’ve been together for nearly a year now. Ups and downs, of course. But never in my life, even for a second that I thought she’d cheated on me,” he sips his iced-tea before continuing. “Like I said before, I’m a Juilliard student, that’s in New York and she’s in USF, which means we had a long distance relationship. You can still keep up, right?”

Robbe nods, not saying anything.

“Long story short, I just got here yesterday and we’re supposed to have fun today blablabla... then when I came back from the restroom, she was supposed to wait for me near the giant globe but she was nowhere to be seen. Was looking for her for nearly half an hour when I accidentally saw her french-kissed this asshole near the haunted house. Well, I took a pic of them, sent her that and said ‘wow! A public porn!’. She still had the audacity to sent “I CAN EXPLAIN, OK?!” but I blocked her number after that. The end. Happily ever after.”

“Wow...”

Sander gives him a mocking snorts, “that’s it? Just wow? What’s wow about that?”

“Um, sorry. No, of course it’s not a wow. Not that kind of wow. It’s just,” Robbe takes a deep breath to calm himself. Damn this nervousness! “I can’t believe someone actually did that. Cheating and everything.”

Sander lets a huff and rolls his eyes, “but some people could. But enough about me. Let’s talk about you.”

Robbe is a bit perplexed by the sudden change of topic, “me?”

Sander smirks while pierce his stares at him, “only you.”

Why does everything he said does something weird to my heart and stomach??? Robbe thought with annoyance.

“What do you wanna know, then? Ask away!”

“Why are you here alone?”

“Because I want to.”

“Give me a better answer, Robbe.” Sander mocks.

Robbe gulps. He plays his thumbs as self-assurance that what he’s going to say next isn’t that embarrassing.

“Well, today’s actually my birthday and I’m celebrating alone for 2 years now. I’m from Belgium, by the way. I always miss it and my friends.”

Looks like there’s only single information that Sander catch because he says “happy birthday” without making any comment about other things.

After saying that, he smiles as his hand ruffling Robbe’s hair. This gesture make Robbe’s heart beats even faster than before. But it’s only a friendly gesture, right? Like what big brother usually do to his little brother? Or as a friend. Right? No matter what is, he likes it too much to care.

“Thanks.”

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

Robbe laughs at this, “no.”

“Boyfriend?”

“No but I’d love to.”

Sander’s green eyes widen, “so, you’re a...”

“Gay, yep!”

“Good for you,” Sander grins. “But did you realise that you just come out to a stranger?”

“You’re not a stranger anymore,” Robbe mumbles shyly as he holds his glass tighter. “I trust you, Sander.”

Both are silent for few minutes before Sander taking off a necklace around his neck and place in Robbe’s palm. It’s a gold necklace with a mini violin as the pendant.

“Yes?” Robbe asks, utterly confused. His brain’s momentarily has stopped working when their hands touch once again, but this time they linger.

“This is your present.”

“For what?”

“For your birthday, dummy!” Sander says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“No, Sander. I can’t! This is too expensive!” Robbe yelps but the bleached hair guy holds his hand even tighter.

“I need you to keep it!” He demands, “my mom gave it to me for my 4th birthday. It’s for a good luck and now it’s yours.”

“But—”

“I gave it to you, okay? Keep it,” Sander cuts him. “Or if you still insist, give it back to me when we meet again next time.”

“What?”

“I’m having a solo concert at Juilliard in two months. Would you be there?”

At this point, Robbe can never say no to him. Probably ever. He doesn’t know the reason why, but he’s certain that this sudden friendship will turn into something more. Hopefully. God, is he already whipped for someone he just met today?

“Are you gonna play a violin?”

“Yes,” Sander beams. “So? Would you?”

“I’d love to.”

“You promise?”

It’s true that they just met, it’s true that both doesn’t know each other that well yet, it’s true that this is quite abrupt but who would’ve thought, behind Sander’s devil-may-cry attitude, there’s an innocent and child-like insecurity? And Robbe is more than happy to get to know more about this special person.

This time, Robbe place his hand on top of Sander’s hand and whisper gently, “I promise.”

He isn’t sure how it’s gonna be, where it’s gonna lead but just them being like this—it’s more than enough. It left unsaid, but both already understand.

And that’s all that really matters.

[lothiriel84]

Can’t Fight This Feeling

What started out as friendship, has grown stronger I only wish I had the strength to let it show

A Cabin Pressure ficlet. Set in my These words are all we have (We'll be talking) universe. Aromantic!Tiffy.

They meet at a horse dressage event; she’s the friend of a friend of Minty’s, and he takes a shine to her right from the start. She doesn’t talk much, until he lets it slip that he’s an airline steward – or airdot, as it happens – and her face lights up all of a sudden. He tells her everything about G-ERTI – well, minus the bit about his Dad, actually – and she tells him about going plane-spotting on the riverbank south of Fitton Airfield sometimes.

In the end, he writes down his phone number on a scrap of paper he finds in his pocket, and she promises she will text next time she’s in the area. She doesn’t give him her number, but that’s okay, he thinks; still, he looks her up on Facebook that night, and he almost sends her a friend request, but in the end decides against it. If she wants to text him, that’s up to her, and he’s fine with it, honestly.

(He scrolls past the relationship status, trying really hard not to think about what ‘it’s complicated’ means, and closes the page.)

Tiffy texts him a week and a half later, but he doesn’t get the text until they land in New Delhi, and they won’t be back in Fitton for another four days, anyway. Pushing away at his sudden disappointment, he sends a photo of G-ERTI all locked up in her hangar, and Tiffy immediately texts back to say she’s a beauty, which brings a huge grin to Arthur’s face.

When he sprints to catch up with Skip and the others, Mum eyes him suspiciously, as if she’s wondering what he’s been up to; he slips his phone back into his pocket and tries to act as if nothing happened, which he suspects he’s not entirely successful at.

A week later, he’s doing the hoovering when his phone pings with a new text from Tiffy; he tells her he’ll join her in twenty minutes, very nearly forgets to lock everything up in his haste to leave the Portakabin. By the time he gets to the top of the riverbank, Tiffy’s already there, camera in hand, snapping away at the small Piper that just took off. For a moment there, he wishes he were like Skip, but Tiffy doesn’t seem to mind his questions about all the different types of plane she’s managed to photograph so far.

He tells her about Karl, how great it is to have his familiar voice welcome them home; she tells him about taking photography lessons, and when it gets too dark for plane-spotting, they go to a nearby café where Arthur buys her the most extravagant hot chocolate he can think of. Tiffy smiles, thanks him for a lovely afternoon, and promises to call soon.

She does, two days later, and he doesn’t care that Douglas is glancing at him across the Portakabin as if he knows exactly what’s going on; he’s just happy to hear from her, and no amount of teasing can change that, not even Douglas’. They arrange to go for a walk together next Friday; Tiffy said she absolutely loves dogs, and he can’t wait for her to meet Snoopadoop in person – or, well, in animal, he supposes, but it doesn’t matter.

It takes all of five minutes for Snoopadoop to decide she likes Arthur’s new friend; they spend a lovely day in the park, playing with Snoopadoop and wandering aimlessly through the trees. Tiffy is smiling a lot, and it makes his heart beat a little faster every time; he’s pretty sure he’s grinning like an idiot now, but she doesn’t seem to mind, so that’s all right, too.

When it’s time to say goodbye, Arthur impulsively leans in to press a little peck on her cheek; he means it as a friendly kiss, mostly, as he’s still not entirely clear what their little outings are all about, and he’s not at all prepared for the way she recoils, as if burned.

“I’m – sorry,” he hastens to apologise, feeling like he just did something unspeakably horrible. “I won’t do it again, I promise.”

Tiffy’s face is carefully blank now, and Arthur has to fight the urge to step closer in his desperate need to comfort her. “I – have to go now,” she speaks stiltedly, almost trips in her haste to get away from him. Arthur stands there for a long time, ignoring Snoopadoop’s repeated attempts at getting his attention, mentally calling himself all the worst names he can think of.

Back home, he leaves a note explaining he’s not coming down for dinner tonight, locks himself in his room, and spends the next two hours writing and deleting several texts in rapid succession. In the end, he settles for a simple I’m terribly sorry for making you uncomfortable, and I understand if you don’t want to see me again.

He presses send, turns off his phone, and spends the rest of the night tossing and turning until he eventually falls asleep sometime around dawn. When he switches his phone on in the morning, there is no text waiting for him, so naturally he assumes she’s still angry for what he did, and he honestly can’t say he blames her.

Mum’s waiting for him at the office, so he downs a cup of lukewarm coffee, and settles for nibbling at a couple of biscuits as he forgoes his car in favour of a brisk walk to the airfield. He pauses in front of the door to the Portakabin, makes an effort to summon a smile so that the others won’t notice – much.

“There you are,” Mum sighs, reaching for her bag on her way out. “Drivers are already out there doing whatever it is they like to do when we’re on standby. I’m going down to the canteen, please don’t do anything stupid in my absence.”

“Right-o,” he shrugs, and very nearly trips on his own two feet when he finally notices there is someone sitting behind Douglas’ desk, and it most definitely isn’t Douglas.

“Tiffy,” he says, idiotically – yes, that’s her name, do keep up Arthur – finding it surprisingly hard to swallow around the sudden lump in his throat. “Hi.”

She stands up, arms wrapped protectively around her front, which doesn’t seem terribly promising. “Sorry I didn’t text you back. I owe you a proper explanation, and didn’t know how to fit it all into a text.”

“It’s okay,” he blurts out from where he’s still rooted to the spot, not daring to come any closer. “I know it’s all my fault.”

“No,” she counters quickly, and way more forcefully than he’s expecting. “That’s the whole point. You were absolutely lovely, Arthur, and I shouldn’t have run away like that.”

He glances down, absently notices there’s a smudge of dirt on his right shoe. “I know I should always ask before kissing or hugging someone, I just – forgot.”

“Oh, Arthur,” she sounds like she’s about to cry now, and he can almost feel his stomach drop somewhere in the vicinity of his shoes.

“I don’t suppose we could still be friends, can we?” he pleads softly, even against his better judgement – which is not that good, admittedly. “It’s just, I really like you, and it’s okay if you’d rather not, but,” he trails off, wishing for Douglas’ eloquence to descend upon him, somehow.

Tiffy shakes her head, her fingers worrying at the thin white gold ring he’s always seen her wearing on her left middle finger. “I like you too. More than just as a friend, I mean. Only, I don’t – I’m aromantic, actually,” she finish in a rush, as if anticipating her statement will invariably get challenged, for some reason.

“Oh! Okay then,” he nods, brain working overtime to slot all the pieces together.

“It’s all right if you don’t know what that means,” she adds, sounding a bit like she’s been through this a lot.

“But I do, I think?” he frowns in concentration. “It’s sort of like being asexual, but with romantic attraction, right?”

She looks at him as if he just offered her a lift on his own charter plane, pilots and everything. “That’s – yes, that’s pretty much spot on. Most people haven’t even heard of either of those words, you know.”

“Oh, you see, Mum sent me on a course on understanding people in Ipswich,” he explains, heart leaping in his throat when the beginnings of a smile play out across Tiffy’s face. “In fact, I know what we could do – if you still want to spend time with me, that is.”

“Believe me, I do – I’m just not sure it’s a good idea, that’s all.”

He’s almost afraid to ask, but he finds he absolutely needs to know. “Because of what I did yesterday?”

“Because I think you’re romantically attracted to me, and as much as I wish I were attracted to you, it’s simply not going to happen.”

“I don’t mind,” Arthur says with absolute conviction. “We can just be whatever you want us to be. In fact, what I was trying to tell you is, we should make a list. Well, could – it’s up to you really.”

Tiffy blinks, slowly. “A list?”

“That’s another thing they taught us in Ipswich! We should write down all the things you’re okay with, and then all the things you’re not, so that I won’t get those two mixed up ever again.”

“That’s – really quite thoughtful, Arthur. It’s not really fair on you, though, is it?”

He tilts his head to the side, considering. “Actually, what is really not fair is you having to put up with stuff you’re not comfortable with, just because someone else assumes it’s fine.”

“Two lists,” she agrees at last, taking a step closer and extending her hand for Arthur to take. He does so with a smile, cradles her fingers ever so gently. “One for you, one for me.”

“Oh, that’s easy. I’m fine with pretty much anything, except shouting – well, and fighting, too.”

They stand there holding hands and smiling tentatively at one another, until Arthur remembers Mum is probably hovering outside, waiting for the two of them to be done talking. “Listen, I need to be here for the rest of the day if the client decides to show up after all, but I’m free tomorrow. Do you think you’d mind joining Snoopadoop and me for another walk?”

Tiffy squeezes his hand, a soft smile tugging at her lips. “I’d love to. And I believe I owe Snoopadoop an apology as well.”

“Well, she’s a dog, so she probably won’t know what aromatic means.”

“Aromantic,” she corrects him, but she looks at least a little bit amused. “See you tomorrow, then.”

Arthur gets the brief urge to kiss her goodbye again, like he was used to with his previous girlfriends, but he clamps down on it straight away. And she’s not your girlfriend, Arthur, not unless she agrees to put that on her list.

He walks her to the parking lot, and she gives his hand another squeeze, before finally letting him go; he waves her off as she drives away, then slowly heads back to the Portakabin. There he finds Carolyn back at her desk, looking for all the world as if she never left the office – if it weren’t for the tall cup of canteen coffee sitting in front of her, and the faintest trace of maternal worry clouding her expression – and on a sudden impulse, he sidles up to her and throws his arms around her neck in the closest thing to a bear hug he knows she will tolerate.

“Not that I’m not touched by this sudden display of affection, dear heart, but if I may, what brought this on, exactly?”

“Just happy,” he mumbles, mindful of not mussing up her hair. “That’s all.”

She ostensibly shakes her head and rolls her eyes, but he can feel her posture relax fractionally. “Yes, well. Why don’t you go and make yourself useful, then? I believe our useless pilots will soon require their teas and coffees, and I’m not splurging out on any more fancy hot drinks from the canteen.”

“Righto, Mum,” he grins, and all but waltzes into the kitchenette.

[jayascorner]

life isn’t that bad

~part 1

josh dun x reader

•

•

•

(past flashback thing i guess..)

i leaned on the small, brown piano as i listened to my boyfriend play beautiful sounding chords on it. i watched his fingers glide across the keys, something about his fingers playing made me feel happy. then he starts singing.

“you know...

i’ve always been collected, calm, and chill.

and you know...

i never look for conflict for the thrill.

but if i’m feelin’...

someone steppin’ towards you, can’t describe just what i’m feelin’..

for you.” he stopped.

“that’s all i have so far.” he smiled up at me.

i always loved his voice and how he had a natural talent. but this song, it’s like he wrote it for someone. i mean... i am his girlfriend.

“that was beautiful!” i beamed.

he smiled shyly. “thanks. i uh.. i wrote it for you.”

“that’s the cutest song i’ve ever heard.”

he smiled and stood up. he came towards me to lean in for a kiss.

that was a good day. but sadly, i never heard the rest of the song.

••••••••end of flashback••••••••

(6 years later)

obviously this is not like how most stories go. no, tyler and i never ended up happily ever after. no, we didn’t end up getting married and having a totally problem less life. life definitely isn’t perfect. and things happen, like my first relationship not lasting forever. crAzY rigHT?! wrong.

it’s really hard to get over someone that seems like ‘the one’ to you. when it turns out wrong, it’s like your whole world flips up-side-down. tyler did seem like he was the one, but i guess he wasn’t. in fact, i bet he’s already married now, he is really good looking.

i did end up getting over the fact that i broke up with a perfect guy eventually. but he is still fresh in my mind. i know, we were young. i was only seventeen. of course it didn’t work out. it took me a long time to get over it, though. even though that was six years ago, i still remember it fully as if it just happened. weird, huh?

yes, i’m still single, and haven’t found anyone, really. it’s kinda sad. well, actually

i’ve found someone. his name is josh.

it wasn’t until later that night, or should i say morning, i got a call from josh.

i picked up my phone to answer the call. it was strange he was calling me at 12 in the morning, so something must’ve been up.

“hey jish. why are you up so late?” i asked through the line.

“sorry y/n. i just wanted you to know that my band made a new album.”

oh yeah! he’s in a band! twenty one pilots! i forgot!

i’ve listened to stressed out, but not anything else really. only because it’s been on the radio a couple times. but the lead singer’s voice sounds very familiar.

“oh. ok... what’s it called?”

“oh it’s called trench.” he said.

“did y’all just now release it?” i asked.

“yup. i bet our fans are going ballistic. we haven’t released an album for a long while, ” he said, chuckling. i laughed “they probably are.” “well, i’m telling everybody in my contacts and i guess you were the first person i thought of.”

i could feel that he was smiling through the other line. “really?!” i asked, all the sudden feeling really happy.

“yeah...anyways, sorry for bothering you.” he apologized.

“no no you weren’t bothering me. i’m wide awake.”

“oh good...are you bored?”

well..i mean...kinda. ok yeah. i’m bored now that i think of it.

“yeah i am bored, actually. i have nothing to do.” i said.

“ok do you want to come stay with me? i’ll just be contacting all my friends about the album.”

how could i say no? he’s offering me an opportunity not to be bored out of my mind! yay!

“yes. anything to make me not bored. uh...you have food right?” i asked, suddenly feeling hunger in my stomach.

“yeah? why?” he asked, confused.

“i don’t know...i’m hungry for some reason.”

“you like pickles?”

“I LOVE PICKLES DO YOU HAVE THEM?!” i asked, pure joy coming out of my voice.

“yeah actually, i have a huge jar of them. i got it from a friend. i’m pretty sure it was a joke, but you can have some.”

“OH MY GOSH REALLY?? THAT IS ACTUALLY A LIFE SAVER. PICKLES ARE LITERALLY MY HOLY GRAIL!”

apparently that was funny to josh because he started cracking up. but really, i was being serious.

“okay then— you-you can have the pick-pickles” he said in between laughs.

“YESS THANK YOU!! okay so i’ll come over right now. we can listen to the album.”

“okay sounds great.”

“‘kay, bye jishwa.”

“bye (y/n/n).”

i ended the call. i’ve always like the nickname he had for me. like, it’s unique. only he calls me that. if someone else calls me that in front of josh, he’ll be like ‘nope. get your own nickname for her’ or something like that. is pretty amusing. he’s also protective over me, and i really appreciate that.

“LET’S GO WOOOO!! I DON’T EVEN CARE THAT IT’S IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!! WOOOOO!!!” i shouted to myself as i grabbed my keys. i tossed them and caught them like a cool person and walked out the door.

“wait.....” i realized i literally had a tank top and shorts on. AND NO SHOES. “i do not look presentable, do i?” i said to myself.

later when i put better clothes on, like a t-shirt and leggings, i slipped on some tennis shoes before finally walking out the door with my keys.

~lil time skip~

*knock knock knock*

i waited for the door to open.

the door opened with josh in a t-shirt and pants. somehow, the man still seemed to attract me.

“hey! that was fast.” josh said, a big smile spread across his face.

“you know me.” i said, josh making a way for me to come in. i spread my arms out so i could hug him. i don’t know...i just really felt like getting a hug from josh. he wrapped his arms around my torso. i rested my head on his shoulder. “how was your day?” he asked. “good so far, it just started.” i smiled.

“oh that’s right. well how was your day yesterday?” he pulled away.

“it was alright i guess. nothing really happened much, but i can tell you that today will be great.” i said, while making my way to a nearby couch. y’all sat down together on the end.

“i know my day will be awesome . it starts with you.”

“thanks. anyways, enough with the cheesies now i want to hear the album.”

“okay. now you can do whatever you want while i contact people.” he said. i nodded in response.

then i remembered that he had a whole jar of pickles, and then suddenly got really hungry. but little did i know, there weren’t pickles so pleasing to my eye. meaning, there was only one.

“oh yeah...so you have pickles?” i ask, a smile creeping on my face.

“oh uh...about that...i got a little hungry.”

he says, looking down.

“YOU ATE MY PICKLES?!!” i shouted standing up. i marched to the fridge.

“well technically they’re not your pickles. they’re mine. i was gonna let you have them.”

“why did you eat them then?!”

“i didn’t eat all of them. and besides, i was hungry.”

i managed to find a jar of pickles, or should i say jar of pickle. i looked up and gave him a death stare. “how much were there originally?”

“um...i forget.” he said, but i could feel he was lying.

“oh really?”

he sighed. “no.”

“that’s what i thought. now how many were there?”

“...” he said. he SAID. dOT DOT DOT.

“wow you just said ‘dot dot dot’. but seriously how much. i won’t be mad.”

“...fine. about six.”

“YOU ATE FIVE?! I THOUGHT YOU DIDNT LIKE PICKLES!” i shouted. i wasn’t mad, i was just shocked.

“there was nothing else to eat.”

“why? i thought you have a lot of food.”

“i’m....on a.....diet?” he said, more a question.

“yeah. a pickle diet. not to mention, i saw you eating ice cream two days ago.” i stated.

“that’s because...“ he paused to think of some made up excuse. “i just started my diet today!” he triumphantly said, probably happy that he found an excuse that i would possibly buy. wrong. i didn’t buy it.

“whatever you say josh. anyways, it’s fine i’ll just have this pickle. i need to go on a diet, too.”

“i’m sorry for eating your pickles y/n.” he said, shamefully.

“it’s fine josh. don’t sweat it. i totally understand though, pickles are amazing.”

“they’re okay i guess. i mean, i have similar foods that you might like.”

i stop mid-bite in the pickle.

“...”

“like what?” i asked, out of curiosity.

“um..let’s see.” he looks in the fridge. “i have cucumbers.” he looked back at me. “if you like those.”

“do you have ranch?” i asked, because like cucumbers, but they’re even better with ranch in my opinion.

“uhm, what kind of ranch?”he asked.

what kind of ranch?? what is he talking about. uhh yeah i’ll have some chocolate ranch. thanks.

“what do you mean?” i asked, because i’ve only heard of regular ranch.

“like flavors. i have chipotle, coleslaw, buffalo, and jalapeño ranch.”

oh.

ohhh.

i’m so dumb.

now i know what he’s talking about.

“can you put samples in bowls so i can taste test them? ‘cause i don’t know what they taste like.” i ask, walking in the kitchen where he was.

“yeah.” he said.

with that he got three small bowls out and put each type of ranch in it. “this one’s homemade.” he pointed to the jalapeño ranch.

“so it must be good.” i said with a smile.

“i don’t know, do you like spicy?” he asked. i shrugged “depends on how spicy it is.” i dipped a cucumber in it and took a bite. i stopped and my eyes widened. i looked at josh like ‘seriously dude? you MADE this?’

he quickly noticed and chuckled. “is it good?” he asked.

“holy crap dude. why haven’t i tried this ranch before? this is amazing!”

josh smiled at me. “so, you want that one?” he pointed to the dip you were using.

i nodded, dipping more cucumbers in it, as if i couldn’t get enough of it.

“okay.” he got some more of the ranch into a bowl that had enough for me to eat.

now lemme say something, josh is really nice. i don’t know if he’s nice like this to everyone, or if he has- well, um...feelings for me. which i don’t think so. and i don’t know how to feel about him, whether he’s a friend, or more. i would only like him if he liked me back, y’know, that sort of thing. of course he’s attractive to me, but i need to wait to see if he would possibly feel the same. but there’s just one thing, i don’t want to ask him in person or anything. so yeah, there’s that. phew! i got it out of me.

after a while of silence, nothing but me crunching on my cucumbers, i hear this voice in a sing-song way say something that vaguely sounded like ‘cover me’.

and then this really awesome bass line kicks in, followed with a drum beat.

i start bopping as i feel the music. josh looks over at me, and smiles at my sudden liking for this song. “this is jumpsuit. the first song on the album.”

“it’s catchy.” i said, a grin finding its way to my face.

“oh, just wait until the words are sung.” he said.

and that’s when i heard the first line. yes the ‘i can’t believe how much i hate.’ and for some reason, the voice is strongly familiar...

“why do i know that voice?” i mutter to myself, but josh seemed to hear.

“um, stressed out was on the radio a lot. you might recognize the voice from that.” josh says, confused.

“yeah i’ve heard that before, but that sounded familiar, too.” i said. i totally knew the person, he was just on the tip of my tongue. “w-what’s his name?” i asked, my nerves picking up as if i had known this guy before.

“his name’s tyler.”

hey guys, so apparently this was too long so i had to cut it in two parts. i hope you liked this first part :))

i will be updating the second part shortly, if you’re wondering :)

—yaya

[smolfangirl]

Drawing the line

For a fic I had no plot idea for, this turned out quite long :D It’s an artist au with some inspiration from @over-the-pink-moon lovely moodboards *-* Also thanks to @miris-xo for helping me to find anything related to a plot. I hope you enjoy this, especially since I might not have a lot of internet to post new things over the next two months at the end of the world ^^

Word count: 2.9k

///

She always leaves a trace when she walks out of his place. A pencil or a brush on the kitchen table, a quick sketch or color study left to dry on his desk. Once he finds a cup with paint water forgotten by the sink. Her thoughts remind Matteo of the TV screens in a tech store – five different movies playing and without the sound, nothing makes sense. As soon as she begins to pack up, new ideas flicker through her mind, so she simply forgets what remains out of her immediate sight.

But he doesn’t mind cleaning up after her.

Instead, he puts on the playlist inspired by her and wanders through every room, searching for her clues. If he’s lucky she forgot something important and asks him to meet up between classes. Some days (mostly Tuesdays) she even asks him if he wants to tag along to the cafeteria. He never says no.

Today, she forgot her notebook on the couch. Luna has been doodling in it while he discussed the grocery list with Gastón, and the moment he walked up to the couch again, she tossed it away like it was on fire. Before he could ask, she pretended to be deeply lost in filling the canvas with colors.

In moments like these he’d trade his first guitar for a glance into her mind.

The notebook feels heavy in his hands as he picks it up. It’s not the small sketchbook she uses for first drafts and carries around everywhere. And, from experience, forgets everywhere too. He’s only seen the fancy sketchbook two times before, and both times she threatened him to not even blink at it or she’ll ruin his mom’s gift the night before her birthday.

Nothing tempts him more than to sneak a glimpse at whatever Luna is trying to hide from him.

///

To Luna: How much is your nice sketchbook worth to you?

///

The moment she holds it in her hands again, she sighs so loud that the people around them turn around and stare. “And you didn’t look inside? Not even once?”

“Is that how little faith you have in me? After all the times I brought you your other sketchbook, or your brushes, or those funny little sponges and…”

“Okay, okay,” Luna mutters, one hand playing with her hair, “I get it. I shouldn’t come over to work on that painting for your mom anymore, given how much stuff I forget every time.”

She wants to walk right past him, into the cafeteria, but Matteo follows her with ease. A smirk rests on his mouth. “That’s not what we agreed on, and you know that.”

With an eyeroll, she takes a step back to let three guys leave the aisle with their heavy trays. When she’s by Matteo’s side again, a corner of her mouth twitches slightly upward. “Just for the record, none of the people I made commissions for so far asked to watch me while I’m working. Only you did.”

“Because I’m curious to see how the magic happens. And didn’t you say you usually don’t do commissions? That this was an exception for being the hero who gave you your sketchbook back?” Five times, to be exact. How anyone could forget the same thing, in the same classroom, five weeks in a row, remains a miracle to Matteo. But no matter the reasons why, he’s happy to have found her along with the book.

They reach the dessert bar. Luna begins to heap chocolate pudding into a bowl, one arm awkwardly clenching her sketchbook. Matteo watches her for a moment, then snickers. “Do you want me to hold this for…”

“No!” She doesn’t even let him get to the end of the question. “I’m good, you don’t have to.” Realizing she had just shouted at him, she flinches. “Thanks, but no. Just pick a dessert, okay? I’ll pay.”

He chooses a strawberry cheesecake.

///

“So, did you cook this or did your mom make that for you?” he asks after they sit down at the only free table for two, nodding towards her lunchbox.

“My mom. If I tried this, everything would look like a giant mess of green pasta.”

Matteo shakes his head in amusement and chews on his homemade sandwich. “Damn, the poor spinach.”

“How’s your sandwich?” She drowns the latest bite with a sip from her water bottle, and her eyes linger on his cheesecake long enough for him to consider teasing her about it.

Instead, he puts on a smirk. “Good, of course. I just prepared it before my first class.”

They eat in silence. It’s a nice contrast, Matteo thinks, because so far, they have always been interrupted by one of her friends. And they were nice, they chatted and laughed with him, but he’d rather sit in silence with Luna alone than to engage in meaningless small talk with her friends.

“So, you haven’t answered my question yet.”

The first spoon with chocolate pudding just went into her mouth, and she looks at him out of wide, beautiful eyes. “Huh?”

“I asked you if you lied to me when you said you didn’t do commissions.”

“Oh.” Another spoon of pudding. She’s still staring at him, half lost in thought again. He wonders if she’d let him get away with stealing a taste of her dessert. (Or of her lips.) “Well, I didn’t lie. I used to make a few back in high school. But I’ve only drawn for fun since I started uni.”

“Then I’m glad you made that exception for me.”

“You mean for your mom?”

“Yeah.”

///

She’s biting her lip again. She always does when she’s thinking about which part to paint next, and in those moments, Matteo has to remind himself that he should appear interested in what she’s doing, and not in her. Perhaps she believes he actually wants to learn about the right paper, or proper colors, but mostly he wants to learn about her. About the dimples in her cheek when she laughs, and the sensation of her fingertips on his skin. One time she forgot her hair tie, so some strands of her opened curls kept falling into her face, like a frame to a masterpiece, and in that moment, he wished he knew how to pin her beauty down on paper.

“Do you draw people too?”

“Is that your way of asking if I would draw you?” She doesn’t even look up from her canvas, just frowns at it as she dips her brush into her mixed shade of light blue again.

Matteo huffs, robbing an inch closer to her with his chair while he scans her face for a reaction. “Is that your way of telling me you thought about drawing me? Because I was just curious, to be honest.”  And if, in fact, she did want to stare at him for hours to get the most delicate lines of his smile right, he’d be the last person to object.

No reply. The movements of her brush are the only sound in the living room. By now Matteo finds a rhythm in those movements, a melody he misses when she’s gone, sometimes.

Luna sighs. The brush pauses in its dance over the canvas. “Your curls would be a nightmare to sketch.”

“Wow, thanks. What have I done for you to be in such a good mood today?” (So far, she barely smiled at him, and he longs for a fraction of her focus.)

For the first time this afternoon, she turns away from her painting and gives him her full attention. “I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant. I like your hair.”

“You do?”

Her eyes pin down the paper on the table. “Yeah. I mean, the curls suit you, and they look super soft somehow. But I couldn’t do them justice on paper.”

Luckily, she already focuses on her painting again before he can’t contain the smile on his lips.

///

He thinks of her constantly. Not as much when he has a task to focus on, or when he’s with his friends or classmates. His imagination waits for him to be alone, when he stands in the middle of the supermarket aisle and can’t decide on what kind of pasta to buy, when his thoughts stray away from the lecture he’s supposed to follow. As soon as he’s alone with his mind, she’s everywhere.

Right now, Matteo walks home from the bus stop down the street and plays through a conversation where she admits she likes him just as much. Then, he makes up a scene where he catches her drawing him. As he opens the door to the apartment building and fumbles with the key for his mailbox, the Luna from his imagination is blushing wildly while he tells her how wonderful exactly he thinks she is.

There’s a yellow envelope in his mailbox. Bright yellow, the color of sunflowers in August, and no post stamp. It surprises him enough to shush every thought of Luna, at least for a moment. As he takes the stairs, he reads his name written in neat, cursive letters again and again, as if they’d reveal their secret like that. Finally, he glances at the back of the envelope, to discover Luna’s signature.

His feet freeze on the spot.

She sent him something, and it’s definitely not his mom’s birthday gift. They had lunch together yesterday, and she didn’t mention anything that could explain why she left an envelope in his mailbox. He has no idea what it hides, and now his heart is beating against his chest as he takes two steps at a time.

///

It’s a sketch. Of him.

There’s no note attached, not even a date. Just his face on an otherwise blank sheet. The smile she drew radiates the same feeling he gets in his stomach every time she laughs, and she added a sparkle to his eyes he never found in them himself. He wonders how she managed to make his curls look like they’re about to bounce out of the paper, and how long she studied him without him noticing. The mere idea heats his chest up.

If this is how Luna sees him, he might be the luckiest guy in this world.

///

Matteo thanks her for this drawing five times, and one more time as she walks through his door two days later. A smile graces her lips, and her hug surrounds him with her scent that never quite seems like perfume.

“How are you?” she asks, spreading brushes on the living room table.

“Fine. And you?” Do you randomly draw your friends all the time? Or is there the tiniest chance I’m more than just a weird guy who pays you for drawing a picture in front of him?

Those questions don’t leave his mouth. Instead, Matteo sits down next to her and listens to her explanations on drawing open water. Meanwhile, he imagines taking her to his parents’ beach house in Italy.

“So, I think I could be finished with this next week. When was your mom’s birthday again?”

In the last moment, he holds back the sigh that tries to slip over his lips. “In two weeks.” In two weeks, this will be over. Luna will draw at her desk at her home, and exams will be inching too close to waste a full hour with him in the cafeteria. The semester is coming to an end, merciless in its rush of time, and he still has no idea how he’s going to see her again.

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Yellow,” Luna replies. “And yours?”

Matteo twirls his spoon in the coffee cup. (She almost dipped her brush into it three times today.) “Blue. Mixed with yellow, it’d be green, right?”

She rewards him with a smile along with her nod. “Yeah.” While she goes on about green and turquoise and color names he never heard of before, his gaze gets lost on her, dragging his thoughts along to the moon. The delicate skin around her eyes wrinkles because she’s smiling so much. Between teal and seaweed green, he stumbles upon the realization of how bright and clear her iris is. Like a gem stone carved out of the earth, polished just so the light could bring his miniature reflection in them alive.

“Like your eyes”, he mumbles, not fully aware his mouth turned his thoughts into words for her to hear.

Luna pauses. “What?”

Matteo clears his throat. “They’re super green.” Quieter, he adds, “And they’re beautiful.”

“Thanks.” Nothing more than a whisper, but her blushing cheeks say enough.

///

The week passes too quickly. He can’t afford to daydream during classes yet curses himself for letting time run out of his hands. Friday night brings him dreams of her, and he shrieks up an hour before his alarm clock. His mind is a Ferris wheel, high and low, Luna and his finals take turns riding it up to the moment she finally rings his door.

For the first time since they met, she’s wearing a dress. Mentally, he congratulates himself for changing into jeans and a decent shirt a few minutes ago, while he also has to fight the urge to stare at her for too long. He’s almost afraid of embracing her during their hug.

“That dress looks amazing,” he says. She hugs him tighter.

///

“I’m gonna miss you sitting here.”

Luna is almost finished, the last strokes of the brush, the last corrections and soon, she’ll scribble her signature into the corner. He doesn’t want her to leave, he doesn’t want to say goodbye to her after handing her the money he still owes her, and he doesn’t want to admit to himself that he screwed this up. It’s a desperate statement he lets slip out in resignation, and it’s of little comfort that his voice doesn’t tremble.

A hesitant smile sits on her lips as she glances at him. “I’m gonna miss you too.” Her honesty catches him off guard, allows him to hope, to search for right way to ask her out, but before he gathers a single word, she clears her throat. “It’s gonna be weird not having you watch me anymore. I mean, not that I’ll have time to draw during finals.”

Matteo silently nods. Inside, everything screams at him to take a chance before the paint dries and the ending can’t be changed anymore. “What’s the weirdest thing for you about drawing?”

A few seconds pass before she answers. Their knees bump into each other under the table, and he apologizes without meaning it one bit.

“Sometimes, when I look at people, I don’t really see them because I start to think about how I’d draw them. It’s like… picking them apart into single shades. Circles and squares and all that.”

His eyes dart towards the window, to buildings hiding the clear blue sky. He holds the air in his lungs, thinks twice, then jumps into the cold water. “Is that what you did too when you drew me?”

“Kinda.”

Silence. He catches her gaze. His breath hitches. “Drawing you was… different.”

“How so?” He knows they’re tip-toeing around each other, round and round, closer to a moment that’ll inevitably change something. Maybe even them. Hopefully.

“I’m not sure I can explain it.”

He doesn’t ask a second time.

///

The last brush is clean, the sketchbook back in her bag. He watches her as she puts on her shoes, heart racing in his chest. The clock next to the wardrobe ticks mercilessly, he can count along when Luna faces him, and they stare at each other out of words. Out of time.

“Thank you.”

She smiles. “Thank you too. I hope your mom will like it.”

“I’m sure she will.”

Her arms around his neck, one last time. Her scent in his nose, her curls falling into her face as they break apart. She hasn’t even left, and he already misses her.

“So, I guess I’m gonna go home now.” Her hand lingers on the doorknob.

“Good luck for studying,” he replies. The door opens. Ask her, say it, keep her here, if only for a second. With one step, she’s in the hallway. Turns around, grimaces. “Bye, then.”

His voice sounds hoarse. “Bye.”

The door closes. He let her go, he didn’t do any of the things he’s been dreaming, hoping for, and he’s the only one to blame. Matteo sighs, closes his eyes, curses.

The doorbell rings. With a frown on his forehead, he opens.

“Luna?”

“I forgot my bag.”

He steps away, and she hushes inside. “I’m sorry, sometimes I don’t know where my head is,” she says. Rambles. Her cheeks have turned into a soft pink. “Anyway, I’m gonna leave you alone now. Greet Gastón from me, okay?”

“Wait.” A plea, crossing his lips at the speed of light. Suddenly, Matteo feels afraid and brave at once, hesitant and determined. If this is his last chance, he won’t waste it. “Can I see you again?”

///

He still searches for her traces when she leaves. They’re not scattered around his apartment anymore, though, they’re all over his skin. A soft kiss, a delicate touch. Sometimes, a hint of paint when he got a little too impatient. Once, between his bedsheets, she whispers that he could be her new canvas. Matteo presses his lips on her temple and prays that she’ll never be done with him.

[cielpurrple]

Make Me 19.5

Pairing/s: Jimin x Reader x Got7 Jaebum

Word count: : 6141

Warning/s: none

Summary: As much as you wanted to forget him, there will always be someone or something that will remind him of you.

“Are you sure you don’t want us to take you to the train station?”

Your father asked as he alighted from the car to bring your bags down while you follow behind.

You just asked them to drop you to the bus stop.

“Yes dad, I am very sure. Besides, these are light. I can manage.” You assured him.

“How long do you plan on staying there?”

It’s your mother’s turn to ask.

“I don’t know, probably my entire summer break. I’m planning to have a summer job,” you told her.

“Just don’t overwork yourself, dear.”

She said as she fix the collar of your open long sleeved shirt.

“Don’t worry mom, I won’t,” you replied with a smile.

She gave you a motherly smile, then she caressed your cheek. You knew what’s next.

She started crying.

“Aw mom, don’t cry!”

You said in a cooing voice as if you’re talking to a toddler.

“Sorry, sorry, it’s just...It must’ve been so hard for you,” she said.

“Don’t think about it as if it’s a bad thing, mom. Remember what dad had just said, maybe it’s not meant to be so I’m in this situation right now.”

You explained.

She nods, and gave you a tight hug.

“I’ll see you both soon. Don’t overwork yourselves.” You embraced the both of them tightly.

“Take care, Y/N.” Your father said and when the bus arrived, you immediately stepped inside. When you’re seated, you looked at the windows to see if your parents are still there and you waved when you saw them.

After a few stops, you alighted in front of the train station. You did whatever things you need to be done so you can board and when you’ve accomplished it, you went ahead and ride the train.

The conductor said you’ll depart in ten minutes. You glanced at your watch and it’s almost 9AM.

You’ll probably be in your hometown by early evening.

You heard the announcement that you’ll be leaving in a minute. The doors starts closing and when it picked up speed, you pulled your phone and plugged in your earphones.

It’s one of the playlists Jungkook added to your phone the last time you hang out at LATE.

The melody of this song makes you feel somewhat lonely but your heart doesn’t hurt. It’s just this song makes you feel longing for something, or someone.

You stopped analyzing the songs you hear and start to enjoy the view from the outside. It’s still the concrete jungle of the city that’s outisde and you don’t really mind.

You tried looking further, trying if you can locate either your house, the Madam’s large house, or even Jimin’s.

You sighed because your head suddenly popped a question that you couldn’t answer.

What is he doing right now, at this moment?

Maybe, he’s still sleeping, or he’s about to wake up, then make breakfast.

You hope so.

Is he still staring into nothingness just like in the picture Taehyung sent you?

You hope not.

Do you still cross his mind from time to time?

You hope so.

Did he followed what you asked him, is he seeing a doctor now?

You really hope so.

Does he still love you?

“What in the world am i thinking?”

You whispered to yourself.

But just to answer your storming mind, as the last view of the city waves goodbye to you, you mentally answered,

You really, really, really, hope he still do.                                                                                                                              

***

“How’s your meeting with the doctor yesterday?”

Jimin’s grandmother asked him.

He’s been seeing a doctor a week after the new year’s celebration. With the help of his grandmother, he agreed. And he’s again living with her.

“As always, it’s interesting and boring at the same time,” he replied.

“Did you told him everything that he has to know?” she asked again.

Jimin nods. She’s referring to  the events that lead to him having nightmares again.

He even told the doctor about you, and the doctor told him that if he’s confident enough to face you and finally explain everything to you, he said that he has his full support in doing so. Also, he mentioned that that explanation might be another opening or possibility for you to get back together which made him very hopeful.

“Son, it’s been six months yes?” her grandmother changed her tone.

“Yes, what about?”

She cleared her throat, and it’s obvious that she’s trying to choose the right words for this.

“Aren’t you going to talk to Y/N again?”

Whenever he hears your name, he always feel a very painful tug on his chest. Of course, he wanted to talk to you again, to explain these things but still, he couldn’t find the courage to do so.

“Give me some more time gram, please?” He looked into his grandmother’s eyes and she gave him a nod.

“How about your father, when are you going to meet up with him? He’s been asking for you for quite a long time now,” she asked in a manner where she’s half ordering, half asking.

“I’ll do it one of these days, gram. I just have to be clear with Taehyung’s company.

“Alright, I’ll take your word.” She said as if she’s defeated and they continued eating.

***

Riding the train back home is one of the most tiring yet calming experience for you. You’re alone during most rides so you don’t have someone to share even a small talk with until you today.

But this time, the ride has a little bit of pain, just like a few years back, involving the same person.

You’re in the middle of choosing some snacks from the train trolley when another passenger get the box of choclate that you want at the same time.

You looked at the person and you’re quite surprised to see who is it.

It’s the security personnel from the resort, Wonho.

You gave him a small smile but he’s squinting his eyes. He spoke.

“Hang on, I’ll wear my glasses,” he said and after doing so, he looked at you once more.

“Oh, Y/N! I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you properly. Forgot my contacts. Good thing I always bring these.” He explained as he pointed to his glasses.

You actually didn’t expect to see someone from the private resort taking a slow paced transportation like this.

“Are you still going to buy?” the lady interrupted.

“Take it. I already picked several,” you said to the man.

“Know what, you take it, I’ll feel bad if you wouldn’t,” he responded.

“Alright, I’ll take it and we’ll share,” you decided and took the chocolate and paid for the stuff that you bought.

“May I sit here, for the meantime?”

He asked politely.

“Of course, go ahead.” You replied.

He chose to sit across you. While he’s looking for his comfiest position, you opened the box of chocolates and took a few and you extended your arms towards him and he gladly accepted it.

“If you don’t mind me asking, do you usually take the train to work?”

He shook his head in response followed by a shy smile.

“I overslept. Our company vehicle left early so I don’t have a choice but to take the train.” He replied.

“I see but, you have a car, right? Why  you didn’t use that instead?” you probed further.

“Yeah I do but to be honest, it’s not practical. And besides, it’s challenging for me to drive for prolonged hours.” He answered.

“I see,” you replied, ending the topic.

“So, what brings you back? Your parents are back in the city, right? They were promoted.” He asked as he took out a few pieces of the chocolate.

“Yeah, I wanted some time away from the city. I’m an incoming senior so might as well enjoy the last vacation that I have as a student,” you replied.

He nods in response.

You looked into the window once again with the expectation that he’ll leave but he asked a question.

“Miss Y/N, if you don’t mind asking, well I was just wondering why you travel alone? I mean don’t you have a boyfriend?”

You glanced at him and upon hearing the word ‘boyfriend’ made your breathing a bit painful.

You shook your head with an awkward smile on your lips.

“No, I don’t have,” you replied and looked at the window once again.

You can lie to everyone else but you can’t lie to yourself. Telling this man that you’re single is more painful than being separated to Jimin.

“Aw, are you serious? I doubt that, not that I’m prying or what but, why?” he continued.

“School first.” You replied and this time, you don’t want to be rude or anything but you can’t go on for hours and hours talking about the one thing that you’re avoiding the most.

You plugged in your earphones back and the resumed the playlist. Through your pheriperals, you saw him move but he doesn’t leave so you just let him as long as he wouldn’t ask you questions like that anymore.

A few more minutes into your daze your eyes starts to flutter and you surrendered to sleep.

***

Taehyung stared at the white envelope that Jimin had placed carefully on his table. With beautifully written letters in black ink it reads: LETTER OF RESIGNATION.

Taehyung glanced at the letter then at Jimin. He did it for several times and sighed.

“Are you sure you wanted to do this?”

He looked at the older man straight into his eyes.

“Yes, sir.” Jimin replied with a firm tone.

“Well then, I’ll acknowledge.”

He slowly opened the envelope and looked for the date Jimn chose to be his last day.

There’s no specific date, it just stated until the company finds a replacement for him, he’ll stay.

“Okay, you know that you’re always welcome here and you can stay as long as you want and if you really need to leave, you may.” Taehyung said.

“Thank you, Tae.” Jimin said.

“Anytime,” Taehyung replied.

“What are your plans after?” Taehyung couldn’t help but to ask.

“There’s nothing else for me to do and you know it, right?” he gave a small smile at Taehyung.

“It’s time to face my father, Taehyung.” With that, he turned and left Taehyung’s office.

Taehyung sighed upon hearing Jimin’s plan. But he’s right, he should reach out to his father as soon as possible.

When Jimin returned to his office, he collapsed on the leather sofa, he kept on asking himself if he’s ready to talk to his father. After all these years of avoiding him at all cost because of what happened in the past makes him think twice. He shook his head, he must do it.

He returned to his desk and pulled a small frame that’s facing upside down, he looked at with longing.

It’s a picture of you and him when he graduated.

When he felt  a sting on his eyes, he returned the frame back and began to focus on his work.

***

You were woken up by a slight nudge on your arm, your head plays some tricks on you again because you expect Jimin to whisper an endearing ‘baby wake up’ to your ears. Your eyes opened in an instant upon realizing where you are.

And it will never happen anymore.

You looked at the person beside you and it’s still Wonho but he’s carrying his things.

“We’re here,” he replied.

You looked around and it’s already dark. The train’s starting to slow down. And after a few minutes more, the announcment said that you’re on your destination so you get your things and get ready to alight from the train. You told him you’ll wait for the bus to reach your house.

“Can I carry that? It looks heavy,” he offered.

“Oh no, no, I’m fine thanks,” you declined.

“You know what, why don’t you just go with me? I have a car waiting for me to get here, and it’s getting pretty late,” he continued convincing you.

“Okay, thanks for the offer,” you agreed.  

“Great! This way,” he said and without any permission, he carried your luggage for you.

You followed him until you left the train station. True enough, there’s a car that’s waiting for him.

He placed your things in the compartment and he opened the door for you. You thanked him. He chose to sit beside the driver and when you two are all set, the vehicle started to move.  

The drive is quiet and you appreciate the soft music from the radio. You texted your parents including the plate number of the car plus a stolen shot of Wonho.  After half an hour or so, your house is just walking distance so you asked to be dropped off there.

Wonho helped you to put your luggage down.

“Thank you again, Mr. Wonho.” You said.

“Oh, please, drop the formality, just call me Wonho,” he replied.

“Okay, thank you again, Wonho.” You smiled at him.

“I’ll see you around, Y/N. Good night,” he gave you a salute and he returned to the car that drives away as soon as he closed the door. You let the car be out of your sight before you walk to  your house.

As soon as you reached the gates, you fished a set of keys from the pocket of your backpak. You inserted the key and twsted it for a bit. You entered, and locked the gate once more. Slowly, you dragged your luggage towards the front door. You lifted it up and pulled it back near you. This time, you pushed the key to the lock of the said door and when it opened, you searched for the light switch using your hands.

“Home sweet home,” you said to yourself.

You locked the door behind you and you didn’t bother opening the windows. You carried your luggage upstairs to your room and you find out how nicely covered the bed is so it wouldn't catch too much dust.

You removed the said cover carefully, folding it in the process. You’ll just remove the dust tomorrow morning.

You lied down on the wooden floor after you placed the cover near your door and stretched. You don’t know how long you’ve been on that position. And as you lie down there, staring at nothingness, wthout thinking anything specific at the moment, you sighed in between your breaths just to know that you’re still alive, still breathing.

You plan on staying like that for longer periods of time but your stomach grumbles so, you went downstairs to check if you have something to eat.

You checked the fridge but unfortunately, it’s clean. Only bottled water’s inside.

You sighed and you checked the time, it’s 8PM and the nearest convenience store is on the next town, which will take you an hour or more.

You sighed and you remembered a pizza place around the area so you jogged upstairs to get your valuables and began walking.

Though it’s summer, the cold breeze from the sea makes you feel that it’s not. As the gentle winds hit your face, you shivered a bit.

You passed by Sejeong’s house and you remembered Potchi so you texted her if she’s around and when she replied yes, you told her you’re in town. To prove it, she even asked for a video call.

“It’s dark, I’m in front of your house,” you said.

[I’m coming!] she excitedly replied. She left her phone so the view from it is the white ceiling of her room.

When you saw their front door open, you smiled, and when she saw you, she came running with an excited smile on her face.

“Y/N!!!!!!!! Oh, I’m so glad to see you!” she said as she pulled you inside.

“Thanks, how are you?” you asked with  a smile.

“I’m fine, and I graduated on my vocational course!” she replied.

“Congratulations!” you said.

“I bet you’re hungry, come, come, let’s eat!” she pulled you inside.

She ushered you to the living room and told you to be comfortable. You asked where Potchi is and she said that the dog’s already asleep. But when you tried to call him, something rumbles upstaris and a fluffy creature came running towards you.

“Hang on, what happened to you?”

Your dog who’s a male, is now in cute little ribbons, plus a tutu skirt.

“Sejeong... what have you done to my dog?” you pretend that you’re mad.

“He’s too cute to be just plain-looking! Sorry I got carried away.” She explained.

“Well yeah, he’s cute, and whoa you get fatter here Potchi!” you chuckled.

“Mom always gives him a portion of our meal, especially during dinner.” She confessed.

You thanked her again for taking care of your dog and the two of you started catching up. She told you she applied at the resort as a kitchen staff and you cheered for her.

“What brings you here though? I mean, you’re with your parents right?”

She asked casually as she munched on a slice of kimbap.

“Well, this is my last summer vacation as a student so might as well I enjoy it,” you said.

This is not a lie although that is not your main reason going back there.

You wanted to move on, you wanted to heal.

You continued sharing different stories until you finished the food she served. It’s getting pretty late so you told her you’re going back home so she walked with you until you’re outside the gate together with Potchi.

When you reached home, you secured the house and went to your room. After changing into sleep wear, you lied down in bed hoping you’ll be able to get some sleep but you’re head is wide awake, filled with different thoughts.

You tried to shut your inner voice but it always wins so, you stood up, and wentto your desk, turning the lamp on.

You pulled a sheet of paper and began writing once again, and it’s addressed to Jimin.

In the middle of your writing, sevral drops of tears fell into the paper which made some parts of it blurred and you don’t even bother, you just let it all out.

After that, you stared at your window, looking at the starry sky for a few minutes with the hopes that he’s doing fine.

 When morning came, the first thing that you did is to open all of the windows on the first floor. You spent the entire morning cleaning the house with a plan on going out in the afternoon to go to the beach.

This became your routine until you feel like going for a jog one morning. You bribed Potchi some treats so he could get up and  follow you.

The jog is rewarding because you’ve witnessed the sun rise. You inhaled the refreshing air from the sea, filling your lungs.

You  sat down on the sand while you watch your dog chase and bark at the waves. You called him and he run towards you. You played with him and gave him some belly rubs and a treat.

“Ah you’re such a good boy Potchi! Rest for a bit, you can’t win over the waves, silly,” you told your dog and you ordered it to sit. The sun’s starting to rise and it felt so calming. You’ve been like that for a few minutes when when you hear the sound of motorbikes.

You turned around and you immediately stood up, Potchi wasn’t used to those kinds of sound so it ran away. You stood up and dashed to catch your dog but you stumbled and fell into the water when three ATVs starts racing towards you.

The last of the said vehicles stopped and approached you.

“Hey, are you alright? I’m so sorry, we didn’t mean---Y/N?”

You looked up and saw Wonho.

“I’m fine,” you said and you checked Potchi and you felt relieved when you saw it’s adorable, relaxed face.

“C’mon, lemme help you up,” Wonho extended his hand to yours and you accepted it and in an instant you were lifted.

“Thanks, but my dog got scared so it ran away,” you exlpained.

“Aw shit, sorry. Which direction did he ran?” he asked.

You pointed the way and he hopped into the ATV.

“Hop in, it’s faster this way,” he said.

“But my dog’s scared of the sound of your vehicle,” you replied.

“Right,” he alighted the ATV.

You started to walk towards the direction potchi ran off while calling its name.

When you can’t find him anywhere, you started to half run-half jog while calling him.

So as Wonho who sprinted passing you.

You looked at his direction and he plunged into the water. He returned carrying your dog.

You ran towards him and you felt a sense of relief when you saw your dog conscious. You chuclked when you saw it’s tail wagging.

“Here you go,” he carefully placed Potchi on your arms.

“Thank you,” you replied and hugged your dog.

“I’m so  sorry, lemme make it up to you, please?” he said.

“I’m fine, my dog’s fine it’s okay,” you replied, trying to assure him.

“I insist, please,” he replied.

You think this will never end so just to dismiss it, you accepted his offer.

“Alright but, I have to go back home and change,” you replied.

“Yeah, sure, how can I contact you? Can I have your number or...” he asked.

At this point, you don’t know what has gotten to you but you gave him your number, he called it and hang up a few seconds after.

“Okay, where should I meet you?”

“Um, at the bus stop near wher you dropped me off,” you responded.

“Okay, cool, see you later,” he flashed a charming smile at you and you nod in response.

As soon as you arrived home, you gave Potchi a bath first, making sure he’s clean and dry.

Then you followed, taking a bit of your time in the shower.

When you hopped out, you opted for a comfortable yet presentable clothes.

You checked your phone and there’s the missed call from Wonho.

You went to Sejeong’s to drop Potchi and her mother welcomed the dog with such adorable response

You took your time walking to the bus stop and as you approached it, you saw the same car that fetched Wonho. He’s leaning on the side and as you approach him, you gave him a slight smile.

“Shall we go?”

You nod in response and he opened the door for you and you entered the car.

You buckled up, and when you’re all set, he started driving towards the direction of the resort.

“Where are we going by the way?”

He glanced at you for a split second and returned his eyes on the road.

“To make it up to you, I’ll give you not just a tour but a first hand experience of the services of the resort,” he replied with a tone of confidence.

“Alright then,” you replied.

A few minutes later you reached the entrance of the resort. He stopped in front of the double doors.

You stepped out of the car and so as he, tossing the keys to one of the people near the valet parking entrance.

He guided you to the insides of the resort and all of the staff seemed to know him and greeted him politely.

He began touring you, and you listen to him as he gives details.

“This is boring isn’t it?” he suddenly spoke in the middle of your walk towards the second floor where the large dining area is.

“No, not at all.” You replied truthfully.

“I highly doubt, let me take you to an early lunch,” he guided you to the entrance of the dining area.

One of the crew there assisted you to your table. The view to your right is the beautiful sea, and it’s so mesmerizing, you relaxed a bit.

You let him order for you and and while waiting for your food, he started asking you some questions.

“So, it has been a few weeks since I saw you. What have you been doing since then?”

“Just the normal things, I guees.” You replied vaguely.

“Normal things like?”

“Cleaning the house, taking care of my dog, TV.” You replied.

“I see,” he responded.

To you, the conversation ended there but to him, his real purpose just started.

He secretly took a photo of you, looking at the sea, and sent it immediately to someone.

[To: Jaebum

The view in this place sure is beautiful.

Photo1121]

The status of the message changed from ‘sent’ to ‘read’ in a matter of seconds and Jaebum started typing his reply

[From: Jaebum

How the fuck did you?]

[To: Jaebum

:P]

As you stare at the sea, your head starts to imagine things. You wish that you’ll see one of your friends from the city.

When the food was served, you started tasting the sweets. You loved the sweet and smooth taste of mango and banana on your fruit shake.

You chatted with Wonho some more and you left the place after that.

He was about to take you on their bar but a phone call interrupted his plans.

“Owww, what a bummer, my boss just called and you know, duty calls,” he said as he returned to you.

“No, that’s okay,  thank you for the tour.” You smiled at him.

“I shall take you back to the bus stop,” he said.

“No, I can manage,” you declined.

“Please, let me take you there, to like formally end this tour,” he countered.

You sighed in defeat with a smile and replied with ‘okay’ and the two of you went back to the entrance of the resort.

                                                        ***

“Thanks for today,” you said as he stopped on the said bus stop.

“Anytime,” he said.

You alighted the car and waved goodbye to him and you started walking towards Sejeong’s house to get Potchi and returned to your house.

You sighed as you sat down on your favorite spot outside your house, a memory of you and Jimin suddenly popped up form your memory.

It was the time that he and his friends helped you sell the stocks that you still had.

You took a snapshot of the now empty spot, and started typing, you typed what happened today and you mentioned bits of information about your tour at the resort.

What’s funny is that the letter ended with ‘I wish you’re here’ as fat tears fall from your eyes to your cheeks and landed on your shirt.

Your dog came closer to you and started licking your face, making you chuckle.

“Yes Potch thank you! You’re such a good boy,” you replied to your dog.

You slowly stood up, and entered your house, securing the door as you jog upstairs.

You stared at your room and you sighed as a storm of thoughts about Jimin starts to overpower your mind.

You plopped on your bed and leaned on the wall, while looking at your window. The buds are starting to bloom.

You thanked the person who’s calling you right now because you’re instantly distracted.

“Yes Mom?”

[How are you my dear?]

“Doing just fine, mom.” You tried to hide your real state as you sniff a bit.

[Are you sick? You should drink lots of water.]

“Nope, I’m fine mom, I went to the sea with Potch this morning, we played there, maybe I dipped too early.”

[Okay, don’t skip meals, we’re worried about you.]

“Don’t push yourselves too hard mom and dad, I love you both.”

[We love you too.]

She hang up and you smiled as you  stared at your phone.                

You were a bit surprised when Potchi jumped to you bed and placed something on your lap.

It’s Peachy, the plushie Jimin gave to you a few years back.

“Oh, wow thanks,” you rubbed the dog’s head as you pick up the stuffed toy with your right hand.

You couldn’t stop feeling the pain that matches the beating of your heart.

“I shouldn’t do this to myself right, Potch?” you turned to your dog who’s loving the head rubs.

“I’m trying to forget him but he’s everywhere, which is so unfiar,” you choked and starteed weeping once again as you were reminded of Jimin’s beautiful smile, his loving gaze as he looks at you every morning.

“What do I do to forget him Potch? It’s so hard to do,” you said in between sobs.

“I bet you miss him too, right?”

You heard your dog whimper, as if he’s replying to you.

“Yes? You miss him too. I know, I miss him too, Potch.”

You now lie down as you sob, eventually, you grew tired and fell asleep.

***

How long has it been, Jimin?” Namjoon asked from across the billiard table.

“Seven months and a half,” he replied while throwing and catching a black ball.

“Wow, that’s how long it has been,” the older replied.

“Do you still have plans in reaching out to her?” Yoongi butted in.

Jimin  let out a sigh, sat straight and looked at Yoongi who’s sitting on the opposite sofa.

“Yes, I do. But now is not the time yet, her vacation’s gonna end and I don’t want to affect her studies, this is her make or break year,” he explained.

“What if this too, is her “hold on or move on” season?” Yoongi replied.

“I’ll do everything to win her back.” Jimin replied.

Yoongi gave a shrug and exited the room.

“How are things with your father?” Namjoon asked.

“It turned out pretty well. He welcomed me as if I am a hero that came back victorious from the war,” a hint of annoyance was obvious on his response.

Namjoon chuckled and Jimin continued recalling what happened between him and his father’s meeting.

He’ll start soon as CEO in training, being his grandmother’s the over-all chairman and her father as the vice president, nobody in the group of companies that they own seemed to oppose the idea. They even welcomed him warmly.

“I wish you all the best because I know you can surpass all of ‘em there,” Namjoon replied when Jimin finished talking.

“Thanks, hyung. Um, will she be in the meetings if ever?” he closed his eyes, regretting the question he asked in an instant.

“No, I don’t think so, because she was absorbed in the research department, but we can make arrangements if you want,” Namjoon offered.

“No, no, it’s totally fine,” he wished to dismiss the topic.

Namjoon left after playing one game of billiards alone and Jimin was yet again left with his thoughts.

Thoughts of you to be exact.

He sighed as he whispered ‘I wish you were here’ to the wind, hoping it’ll reach you.

***

You woke up to a gentle knock that’s coming from the other side of your door. You looked at Potchi who seemed to be more excited than alarmed so you slowly get out of bed and slowly opened the door.

“Mom!” you hugged your mother as soon as you see her face. And  she hugged you back.

“Have you eaten the entire day besides the snack Mr. Wonho said he had with you?” she asked.

You couldn’t hide the suprise that you showed to her.

“He actually asked permission to your father  so you wouldn’t get bored, also he apologized for scaring Potchi about the ATV thing,” she said as the two of you went downstairs.

“Okay,” you replied.

“I don’t want to assume but he might be...you know,” she said.

“Oh, no mom. I’m not ready for that,” you understood what she’s saying.

“I know,” she replied.

“But you should be ready for these becuse I know you haven’t eaten much today,” she said as she served delicous foods.

You watched five episodes straight of a drama, which is on a ‘catch up marathon’ on weekends.

“This drama is so good!” your mother commented.

“It is! I liked it a lot,” you replied, searching for another episode on your phone.

You downloaded it and when it’s done, you continued watching three more and your mother was in tears at some point. It made you laugh and you teased her because of that.

“Would you look at that, the sun’s now rising, she said which made you realize this is the first time you spent a light night marathon with your mother.

“Yeah it is,” you replied.

“Which means I have to show you something,” she said.

“What is it?” you looked at her in confusion, and she stood up, slowly offering her hand to you.

“Come with me,” she said and you followed.

You walked towards the back of your house and you were surprised with what you’re seeing.

Pots and pots of flowers started to bloom, yellows, orange, reds, and magentas. There’s some small white flowers too.

“It’s so beautiful mom, how did you do this? “

“I didn’t, Jimin did.”

You don’t know what’s going on but as much as you wanted to forget Jimin, there will always be someone or something that will remind him of you.

You slightly frowned at your mother, asking what’s going on and she smiled.

“He went here during spring last year, asking for our approval, to redecorate the garden. We agreed and this was the outcome,” she explained.

“He also told me that the flowers will bloom during this time so I went back just to make sure it does,”

You remained silent as you stared at each pot, imagining how he planted each one of it.

“What kind of flowers are those, the magenta ones?” you asked.

“Those are Zinnias, magenta Zinnias means lasting affection. This was supposed to be his gift for your first anniversary, honey.”

“Awww mom, why are you like this?” you couldn’t help but to cry once more.

“Let it all out, love, I understand. You miss him, we know, because we miss him too.” She gave you a tight embrace. This time, you let it all out.

“Yes mom, I do, I do miss him so much, I don’t know what to do anymore, he’s always in my thoughts.”

You confessed.

“Love him a bit longer, love him until it no longer hurts,” your mother starts crying too.

The two of you stayed like that for a few more minutes and returned inside your house.

You cried at random times that day, and your mother remained silent, just placing some water or any drink near you.

She tucked you into bed and you thanked her for being there for you.

You were supposed to stay there for another week but you decided to come back to the city with your mother the day after tomorrow.

So the very first thing that you did the next day was to pack your things and get ready to be a senior college student.

You helped your mother in some of the chores and you asked her who’s gonna take care of the house and she said that Sejeong’s family volunteered to tend and look after your house and Potchi.

You lazed around that afternoon and you decided to take some pictures of the flowers while experimenting on some filters.

One looked so beautiful yet sad. You chose it to be your wallpaper.

You stared and adored the plants for a few minutes and you played with Potchi.

Dinner came early so you and your mother decided to finish the drama you’re watching together before you go to bed.

The two of you were statisfied at the ending. You shared some comments and what ifs like what if it’s not a good ending or what if the ending is somewhat a cliff hanger, would they still watch it? and your mother replied ‘we’ll see,’

You fell alseep quite fast that night, making you wake up just in time for breakfast.

You get ready early since you’ll drop by at Sejeong’s.

You and your mother thanked them in taking care of Potchi and looking after your house.

They wish you the best and Sejeong cheered for you in your studies.

You’re surprised to see a car waiting for you and there goes another appearance of Wonho, greeting politely at your mother. He carried your bags as if it weighs nothing,

He opened the door to the backseat and your mother entered first followed by you.

He sat on the passenger seat.

You started playing the playlist Taehyung added there and you didn’t stop letting your mind wander to where Jimin is this time. And as the car starts to move, you’re determined to make this journey the last time that you’ll be thinking of him.

  ****

A/N

Hello lovelies! I miss you all. and I apologize for not posting for a month(?)

First week of may was not good  because I got sick and the rest of the month ws full of activities BUT I’m okay now :)

anyway, I’m trying my best to adjust on the changes about my work and I hope that I will be able to bring back my writing schedule ASAP!

i THINK I only have like 2-3 chapters for this series because I have a lot of stories in my head that I have to write down. 

please enjoy, 

thanks for reading!

~cielpurrple

[ellaintrigue]

Trigger Warning

This fall was like summer, an Indian summer if you will, chilly at night, warm during the day. I squeezed in more time in my dry-rotted kiddy pool and drank some more beers. I limit beer to holidays and summer because they are gross and fattening. One day I got off work a bit early and went to the nearby small town grocery store, grabbing some nibbles in the truck. Once bought to work in, my truck is now more of a toy and is listed like-so on my insurance plan. In 1998 my dad’s work helper had a candy striped Chevy Silverado and I wanted a square-body like that ever since. No joke, I have loved vehicles since I was around 4 years old. I had Barbie Dolls, pet toads, pet snails, and a ton of little toy cars. My grandmother spoiled me rotten by buying me a toy every Sunday, either a Barbie or a Hot Wheels car. I still have both, the dolls are put away now but little cars still litter my room on shelves.

Driving my truck home from the store that last truly warm day of the year felt good, the sound of the engine and little vibrations like old trucks do. One speaker is fucked up, both rusted and water damaged from the former windshield leak and having had no window. But most music comes in clear and as I scanned the radio, “Watermelon Sugar” by Harry Styles came on... “Strawberries..” he sighed. I mostly listen to country music but we’re stuck in a generation of boxes: listening to country isn’t cool, and listening to pop music IS SO ICKY, OMG BOYBANDS? LOL SO LAME. Everyone is stuck on “obscure” hipster shit to sound cool, but hey fam, I like what I like.

I stuck a hand out the window zipping down 113 and hummed along with the song, my hair whipping slightly. If you ever want to be free, get in an old car and feel its power. Mine may be a rusting piece of shit but they don’t make them like they used to. Cars will always be my first love... I am not sure about men anymore.

When I got home I did two hours of chores, grabbed a beer and lay down in the pool for one last time this year... and played “Watermelon Sugar” again, then Ray LaMontagne’s “For The Summer” which was a favorite of mine... a decade ago? I caught a nice buzz and lay down in bed later on feeling nice and clean although my pool doesn’t have the prettiest water. More “Watermelon Sugar” and then S messaged me. I never hear from him, never met him, but it’s good to know they’re still out there... people that care enough to say hi and make me feel smile for a moment. A limber, attractive Irishman with big chocolate eyes.

Some nights my memories slide back to little moments like my hand caressing the shoulder of a plain worn work shirt and resting my face against my ex’s neck after a long day. But I don’t get that anymore, times have changed. There’s no ex, there’s no S, just scrambled fantasies in my head. Only one man has my phone number. Four people have my phone number: him, mom, dad, and my cousin. I can’t really text.

In 2016 I met Dothan and gave him my phone number so we could talk while we were at work. I had one of those little flat-faced pre-paid phones that was so small that I could almost fully enclose it in my fist. I don’t know what on earth they’re called, but they were like a flip phone without the flip part, lol. Anyway, I was so invested in him that I bought my first smartphone that summer so I didn’t have to pay per text (I’m old damnit, leave me alone) and didn’t have to tap tap tap to get to each letter. Well, he didn’t work out of course but I used the phone to talk to some other men until I met Jeff.

Then I cut my fingertip off. This was one of the stupidest things that have ever happened to me, and just like in my previous blog where people will say I wasn’t assaulted, people will say it never happened. In 2010 when I was stupid and binge drank I gave myself alcohol poisoning and my boyfriend at the time said I was making it up. I guess people live in a perpetual state of distrust... but anywho, I have hypoglycemia, another thing that never happens according to my parents, because I haven’t gotten diagnosed. Which is fair, no one believed me about having PTSD until I got professionally diagnosed either. Sorry, I ramble off the topic. I have so much in my head...

Ever since I was about 14 I started getting weak, dizzy, and light-headed if I delayed meals. After 6 hours without food I start to feel disoriented, faint, and slur my words. So I have to drink some juice or eat something sugary then get to some real food or I’ll just shut down and start to pass out. It’s pretty serious, when I was 20 it hit me while driving and I couldn’t feel my gas or brake pedal and nearly crashed at full speed into a guardrail at the end of a rural intersection. I managed to wake up enough to find my brake so I was incredibly lucky because I could have been killed. This is the first time I’ve ever talked about it, the only person I told was that boyfriend from back then, the original Irish prick. And he was kind and comforted me, letting me know that sometimes shit happens when we are off guard. Since then I’ve always tried to make sure I wasn’t compromised while driving because driving with low blood sugar is just as bad as driving drunk. (And yes, I have been checked for diabetes.)

In 2017 I got distracted and forgot to eat so I started shaking and having trouble walking. I went into the kitchen and got out some vacuum sealed fish out of the freezer to fry up for lunch. The way they were packaged was hard to open so I had to use a knife, one of my cheap plastic handled serrated ones. I like them because they are really sharp for junk knives.

Really sharp. So I held the fish with my left hand and quickly slid the knife between the fish and the plastic. And took the very tip of my left index finger off. I didn’t realize what I had done until blood started pouring everywhere and I started screaming like a stuck pig. I’m not really a screamer but that day I was. I wrapped it in a towel and called my mom like the big pussy I am. “MOM I CUT MY FINGERTIP OFF.” She asked me some things and soothed me then I got off the phone and looked at it. The fingertip, mind you, not a large amount of it, but just the very tip, was hanging off by a thin piece of skin and flesh. There wasn’t anything to stitch, just a fleshy hole and the flesh of my fingertip dangling. There was only one thing I could think to do.

I reached into the drawer and picked up one of those big heavy cartoonish looking pairs of kitchen shears and cut my fingertip the rest of the way off. And I could feel it and hear this noise as it snipped through the little piece of flesh holding it on. I screamed some more, grabbed some peroxide and squirted it on the end of my finger which intensified my howling. I screamed for about 25 minutes total. And you know, I’ve had people that have told me it’s nothing, there are plenty of people with their whole fingertip missing or whole fingers. But in a group I’m in they say it’s not worth comparing traumas. Cutting your whole finger off is obviously way worse, but that day was absolutely awful for me. I went to work the next day and showed my boss and she stepped back in shock and almost threw up into her hand.

I wasn’t able to text using the finger after that and by 2018 I ended up with lack of sensation in all of my fingertips due to damage caused by Ciprofloxacin, which I was on for years, also causing tendon damage. So I stopped texting people after my last ex left me. I can’t feel the screen so I jumble my words and my finger hurts. I can literally still feel it even when not touching anything. My fingerprint is missing under where my nail starts and the bone is closer to the skin now. So I don’t give out my number, I just use FaceBook messenger.

This morning I stepped out into the remaining light snow from yesterday and watched the sun rise, my shoulders hunched in my fuzzy white jacket. My New Dawn rose is still trying to bloom despite being frozen, as it does every year. Man, I wish I was tough like that.

Wishing user “HereForTheHarold” a happy New Year’s, you’ve been following me for a long time and I appreciate that. I know you’re a big Harry Styles fan.

[ask-a-moogle-kupo]

A day in the life of Una Dragmire

MORNING

5:35AM

Una - So, is there a reason why you ushered me into my office at 5 in the morning?

Ralnor - Forgive me for waking you up, young sister. I’m currently interrogating a suspect in our dungeons and he’s proven to be...uncooperative.

Una - (Sigh) You know how I feel about...this.

Ralnor - I would not have woken you up if it wasn’t important.

Una - Ralnor...

Ralnor - Do you have knowledge about the drug going around in the lower slums of Hyrule?

Una - Angel Dust? Yes. It inhabits the user to dangerously hallucinate and lose control of their senses making them believe that they are flying. Hence the name, Angel Dust.

Ralnor - I found one of the people responsible for putting this disgusting drug on our streets.

Una - That’s good. I’m glad you were able to apprehend him. My question though, is why do you need my help? Why not ask Covarog for his assistance?

Ralnor - Because i overheard from one of my agents that you have a serum that will not allow the patient to fall unconscious, even under times of great stress.

Una - Ralnor! That serum isn’t even ready! I haven’t even tested it yet and still don’t know if it’s harmful...you don’t care, do you? 

Ralnor - Una, I need that serum.

Una - Give me a reason. A good reason for me to give you that serum.

(A small silence before Ralnor nods to himself)

Ralnor - Because Ukuri gave me a sample of Angel Dust when she came home from her friend’s house yesterday. Apparently, the same man i have in the dungeons at this moment, tried to trick my daughter into thinking that they were sweets. 

(Another small silence ensues before Una opens a draw at her desk)

Una - Let me know if the serum checks out. Tell me of the patient’s symptoms and call me immediately if anything goes wrong.

Ralnor - You don’t want him to die?

Una - With these new facts presented to me, i don’t really care how, where or when he decides to move on to the afterlife. I’m just saying if he decided to give up so easily when you still need answers...

Ralnor - To call for your assistance.

Una - Exactly.

Ralnor - Thank you Una. I’ll keep you updated.

(Ralnor starts to leave.)

Una - Ralnor? Is Ukuri ok?

Ralnor - Shaken up, but Cass has managed to distract her from the incident. She’s a smart girl, she knows not to accept anything from strangers but she often heard rumor of the drug itself and gave me a detailed description of the suspect that we now have in lockup. If anything, this has bought us even closer to shutting this drug ring down for good.

Una- She’s a brave girl. To be able to keep her cool while also remembering every detail of the suspect. So grown up, just like her father I guess.

Ralnor - I agree, but for now I would like to keep her as she is. Before, she grows up.

Una - Tell her to come by here anytime. I know about her love and thirst for knowledge, she definitely got that from you and Cass.

(Ralnor chuckles deeply)  

Ralnor - I’ll be sure to let her know.

7:48AM

Corsaire - Hey, if it ain’t the little spitfire herself.

Una - Oh Captain, my captain. What brings you here?

Corsaire - Oh nothing, just wanted to hang out with my favorite Dragmire sister.

Una - Uh-huh. That charm and wit would have worked on Orana, but I’m not gullible. What did you do this time?

Corsaire (Chuckles nervously) - What makes you say that? 

Una - Captain, you wouldn’t have forgotten a certain date did you?

Corsaire - I would never! And for you to accuse me of such a thing-

Una - You forgot about your wedding anniversary today, didn’t you?

Corsaire - Forgot is such a strong word to use, Una.

Una - Moronic is also a strong word. Would you like me to plan your funeral?

Corsaire (Chuckles nervously) - You make it sound like my wife is gonna kill me.

Una - You said it, not me.

Corsaire - Crap, you’re right! What am i gonna do? Tell the truth?

Una - A noble choice. A quick death, but i’ll certainly respect your decision.

Corsaire - I could hide out on the ship?

Una - You seem to be forgetting that your wife knows more about you than you do.

Corsaire - Heheh, your point spitfire?

Una - She knows where you’ll be and if she can’t find you, she’ll ask your crew.

Corsaire - My crew would never...Actually you have a point.

Una - Bear with me a moment. 

(Una ducks behind her desk and gets out a beautiful gift basket wrapped with a red silk bow)

Una - Lorleidian Caramel chocolates, The best Hyrulian wine rupees can buy, A giant fur coat from the north, a map that will guide you to the best view in Hyrule and I’ve already booked a table for two for the most prestigious restaurant in the city.

(Silence ensues, as she pushes the gift onto Corsaire)

Corsaire (visibly shaken) - Una?

Una - Your welcome Captain. You owe me though, ok?

(Una gets up and starts pushing Corsaie to the door)

Corsaire (Stuttering) - Wait, wait! But...how did you...what did you...

Una - Now, now. Just do me a favor and have fun with my sister. I’ll look after the kids tonight so you don’t have to worry. Have a good time Captain!

(Una closes the door on an ever confusing Corsaire. Una then turns towards her curtain drapes)

Una (Sighs) -  Were all those gifts really necessary Orana?

Orana (Reveals herself from her hiding spot) - He forgot the day we got married. Of course, I had to set it all up for him!

Una - The coat, the chocolates, the wine-

Orana - So I had a me day! Who doesn’t have a me day?

Una - And the restaurant?

Orana - ....

Una - Big sis...

Orana - It was a 5 month wait. Hey what’s with all these questions? Aren’t you on my side? 

Una - Hey, I am on your side. But in his defense, he was gonna make it up to you and tell you the truth anyway.

Orana - Yeah, I heard. I still would’ve throttled him though, regardless.

Una (Dumbfounded) - I have no words. I don’t know how you two do it.

Orana - Love comes in many forms baby sis. You’ll know when you get to my age. See you later!

(Orana leaves the office with a happy whistle)

Una (Sits down at her desk) - I know you’re there Captain.

Corsaire (lifts himself up from the window) - I KNEW IT! SHE SET THE WHOLE THING UP!

Una - I really do wonder how you survived your marriage. 

[artificialqueens]

Royals (A The Selection AU Fanfic) Chapter Seven - TheQuartzMermaid

A/N: Hey Selected Ladies (and gentlemen), I know I promised the chapter for yesterday, but I got some birthday stuff going on so I totally forgot. Take this as a belated birthday gift from me to you.

Sadly Chapter Seven doesn’t mean Royals is back from war. I’m still struggling with college, but I decided to drop this chapter here as a birthday gift. Enjoy, because I don’t know when Chapter Eight is coming!

Oh, this chapter features Superstar, but since it’s an AU, Ru is not the responsible for this song. Can’t say much ‘cause SPOILERS.

Again, if you’re not familiar with The Selection, I highly recommend you to read the prologue for this fanfic. If you like it enough, you can read the original books by Kiera Cass, they’re amazing.

Now let’s go to the chapter you’ve been waiting for… (or not)

Royals - Chapter Seven (or The one before the royal version of The Bachelor starts)

Dinner was… weird. After the Capital Report was ended, Bianca led the girls to the Dining Hall, commenting how their lives would change after the show they just watched. Next week, they would appear live. LIVE. Even though everyone responded well to the past week, it was still terrifying. Adore wondered if she could stick that silver fork in her hand instead of in the food.

And about the food… Oh, it was glorious. Last time Adore had such a delicious meal was six years ago, when Charlie sacrificed two months of work to buy them some good meat. It was Adore’s tenth birthday and her mom wanted a special celebration, with all the works… Well, at least all the works a Five single mother can afford.

After the delightful pasta with broccoli they had for dinner, waiters came from all the corners of the Dining Hall to serve the desert. It was a rich chocolate cake with cream topping and some fruits. All vegan, according to Bianca.

“The menu of The Selection has been fully thought out to suit everyone’s diet preferences.” Bianca answered Courtney, who seemed to be trying too hard to avoid eating the cake right away. “The chefs have been told who is allergic, who is vegan and who is vegetarian. Don’t worry about it.”

“Mother, I’m dying of chocolate overdose again”, Katya tried to whisper, doing that creepy voice of hers. She realized her attempt failed when she heard the chuckles of the girl seated across her. “It is good, isn’t it?”

“This is the best shit I ate in years, God bless”, Adore replied with a full mouth. Katya couldn’t help but smile, not paying attention to Violet’s eye roll.

All the other ladies were looking at the girl from Sonage, clearly disgusted with the poor choice of words. Suddenly Adore looked small, as if she shrinks in size everytime she’s not feeling confident.

The rest of the evening was silent. After everyone finished desert, Bianca took the girls back to their rooms. She acted like a mother – a caring mother of 35 -, telling each one of the girls to go to sleep, so they could look their best next morning. They are meeting the prince tomorrow. Like earlier, Nicole, Joslyn, Adore, and Katya were last. The first two said their goodnights and entered their rooms. Adore was about to do the same when the blonde touched her shoulder.

“Hey, first of all I’d like to say I’m sorry, but I kind of heard your talk with Miss Bianca at the Women’s Room”, Katya let the confession go before she could regret it. “Well, if you want to talk to someone, just knock on my door. I’m right here, you know.”

“Oh, thanks”, Adore had a half-smile on her face, she didn’t know how to react. Yekaterina was also smiling, perfect white teeth framed by bright red lips. What a view.

“Eh, you’re welcome”, Katya squeezed Adore’s hand before heading to her door. “Good night, Adore. See you tomorrow.”

“Good night, Yekaterina.”

“Just call me Katya, darling.”

With these words, the blonde left the tall girl alone at the hallway. Adore suppressed a smile, finally knowing why she had the Russian’s eyes on her during the whole day. But the doubt still managed to pinch her: what if Katya was acting all friendly and sweet just to stab her in the back? In Sonage, the only girl who proved to be anything but a bitch at the end was Rosie, all the others were fake to Adore. And they weren’t even fighting for a prince.

Adore’s maids greeted her with bows. The girl giggled at the scene. Only one caste separated her from Mabel, Ashley and Lola, but the three girls acted like Adore was already the crowned princess or God herself.

“Is this really necessary?” Adore took her shoes off, still smirking. Mabel quickly grabbed them and turned to the closet.

“It’s to show respect, Lady Adore. We’re here to serve you”, Lola answered as she helped the Selected girl to take off the dress.

“Respect for what? We’re not that different, are we?” She hated to be treated like she was big deal. If she ever crossed paths with Rosie again, bitch would have her face slapped for being so dumb to break the law and becoming an Eight. “And you’re not here to serve me. I’m no better than any of you.”

“But, Lady Adore, we…” Ashley tried to protest. “I mean, you’re a Lady of the Selection. We’re just maids…”

“Ashley, how old are you?”

“I just turned 17, my lady.”

“See, we’re almost the same age!” Adore exclaimed. “I’m not any better than you. You don’t need to bow whenever I enter the room, it’s… It’s annoying!”

Three pairs of eyes stared at Adore with sheer surprise. The tall girl was trying to be nice to them, but… Well, things didn’t go that well.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry… It’s just… I’m not used to be the center of the world, you know?” She was being honest, what softened the looks of her maids. “I mean, I know I’m here, but I’m just a girl who got lucky over the misery of another. And I really appreciate you guys, it’s just your job. I’m so fucking sorry…”

She didn’t expect Ashley’s smile. “It’s OK, Lady Adore. We know you meant no harm.”

“You are so sweet! Even with that potty mouth of yours”, it was Mabel’s turn to talk. Just to be called out by her mates. “What? She curses a lot!”

Adore was giggling. “Okay, I promise I’ll be more like a princess when I talk. But you have to promise you’re not going to treat me as I’m any better than you. Deal?”

The three maids exchanged concerned looks. They were instructed to obey Adore’s every command, but what would their boss think about this deal? Would they be punished? Fired? Made Eights, maybe?

“Deal”, Ashley was the fearless one to break the silence, being followed by Lola and Mabel. The four women smiled at each other.

Adore was taken to her bathroom – her OWN bathroom – and bathed by the maids. They chose Adore a fine blue nightgown that fit her perfectly, making the girl from Sonage look like an older, taller version of Wendy Darling from Peter Pan. The clock on the wall marked 8 PM, their curfew. Lola insisted that one of the maids should stay in the room, but Adore said they could go rest, she would call them if she needed. Goodnights and goodbyes were said, soon Miss Delano was all by herself.

She walked to the tiny bag she brought from home, the belongings she couldn’t leave behind. Pictures of her family, that she put on her mirror so she could take a look at them whenever she was getting ready. A pair of purple dance shoes, to remember home. Some clothes, so she would have something to wear when she is eliminated. The sign her own father painted for her, with the words “mermaids don’t lose sleep over the opinion of shrimp”. This one she hung at the door. Her diary, where she wrote all her lyrics. And last, but not least, a letter from Charlie. Wait, a letter?

Adore opened the envelope carefully, inhaling the aroma of tea and comfort. There it was, Charlie Delano’s impeccable calligraphy filling a whole page. The girl enjoyed the faint light that came from the outside and started reading. Tears would come from her eyes every now and again as her mother described how much she loves her. She didn’t like to feel like a cry baby, but it was less than one day and she already missed Charlie a lot.

At the back of the sheet of paper, her mom left a small note followed by what looked like lyrics to a song. Realization hit her like a bullet in her brain: Charlie wrote her a song, like she always did whenever she wanted to celebrate or just make her daughter feel better. There was no hint of a melody, so the girl started singing it just the way it felt right.

Here’s where you belong

Planets align for this moment

Singing the sweetest song

A melody full of emotion

And everyone will see

What you were meant to be, oh…

All of the glamour and all of the fame

People are gonna remember your name

Now and forever, your dream’s coming true

They’re gonna love it whatever you do

Gonna love you, as you are

Gonna love you, you’re a superstar

Katya was already laying in bed when she heard the angelic voice coming from her window. It wasn’t Courtney, for sure – their rooms weren’t even close – and the only other girl she predicted that could sing is Adore, her neighbor.

She kept quiet, enjoying the song – beautiful lyrics she’s never heard before – and the voice that came along with it. Fuck, I guess her parents didn’t call her Adore for nothing.

***

“Still awake, Your Highness?” Bianca was standing still at the door frame of Prince Casey’s room, looking over the young man as if he was her own son. “Anxious, maybe? I can get you a tea to help you sleep…”

“Thanks, Bianca, but I’m fine” The prince looked at the friendly woman with a hint of a smile on his face. “Well, I guess I’m a little anxious… Who would be perfectly okay knowing they would meet the love of their life the next day?”

Bianca finally entered the room, sitting by Casey’s side. She was there since he was a little boy, being his tutor – and sometimes closer to him than the queen. Of course the prince was nervous: being only 19 and forced to find a wife out of 35 girls he’s never met before. She held one of his hands, shaking it faintly. He grinned thankfully, she grinned back, trying to encourage the prince.

“I can assure you every lady downstairs is as nervous as you are. In the end of this thing, you’ll still be a member of the royal family, now with a lovely girl by your side. 34 of them will just be lucky women that got to meet the prince” Bianca said softly, trying to get Casey calm.

“Thanks, Lady Bianca.” The prince pulled the woman for a hug, but abruptly let go of her, heading to the balcony. Bianca stared at him again, appreciating his expression of focus. “Who is singing?”

“Oh God, they are already disrespecting the curfew?” Bianca got up, suddenly looking mad. “That must be Adore Delano, her room is right under yours. I’ll talk to her…”

“No, don’t!” Casey’s urgent tone stopped Bianca right away. She was by the door frame again, just turned 180º degrees back to the room and saw the biggest smile she’s ever seen Casey flash since he got a pony for Christmas. “That’s the most beautiful voice I’ve ever heard. Don’t make her stop, please.”

Bianca was baffled. Casey was never into music before – that was his sister’s thing. His thing was reading as many books as he could and spending way more time than he should with the guards. Now he falls in love with a girl just because of her beautiful voice?

This Selection thing will be easier than I thought.