#collabs make the world go round

[junkissed]

ocean view

member — junhui x f reader genre — romance, smut, strangers to lovers, soulmate au word count — 8.8k synopsis — an all expenses paid trip to greece for your friend's wedding seems too good to be true, but it gets even better when you meet a handsome stranger on the beach. with the help of a mysterious old lady, her magic deck of tarot cards, and one too many coincidences, you're starting to believe things really do happen for a reason. warnings — descriptions of female anatomy, unprotected sex, fingering, marking, an oddly romantic one night stand, mentions of past hookups, reader wears dresses, way too much yearning, happy ending ! notes — my part for the @svthub world tour collab; check out the masterlist here! thanks to @multi-kpop-fanfics for answering all my questions and the biggest thanks ever to @onlymingyus for proofreading & helping me brainstorm throughout !! inspired mostly by the spell mv but also a little bit from nana tour and in the soop bc of the vacation vibes. disclaimer i know nothing about tarot but i did a ton of research so i hope that part makes sense anyway :) this fic was a huge challenge to write so please please reblog if you enjoyed reading, the feedback is super appreciated and it helps me keep writing!! read bonus material here!

they say time flies when you’re having fun.

it felt like just days ago when your best friend had announced she was flying everyone to athens for her destination wedding. between helping prepare for the wedding and getting yourself packed for the trip of a lifetime, a weekend on the beach sounded like exactly what you needed to unwind.

but now that you’re here, you’ve quickly realized that your dreams of lazy spa days, massages, and lounging on chairs in the sand with cocktails aren’t on your friend’s itinerary.

what is on her itinerary, however? clubs. lots of clubs, and bars, and raves.

the night before the wedding, you’d showed up at the place you had all planned to meet at for her bachelorette party, a popular bar right on the beach in the center of everything. you hadn’t been sure what to expect, so you’d worn your swimsuit underneath your sundress just in case. between wedding plans and jet lag, you hadn’t yet had the chance to explore the beaches, and you weren’t about to let your favorite white strappy one-piece go to waste without wearing it the whole trip; especially not when you’re surrounded by gorgeous clear waters you don’t get to see while you’re at home.

you tug at your dress a little awkwardly, a simple off-white piece with buttons all down the front. cute and casual, the perfect thing for an evening on the beach. except an evening on the beach is not what you’re getting.

“next round is on me!”

all the girls let out a cheer, clapping and whooping as they raise their glasses. you’re still not even halfway through your first drink; the night is young, but your friends are more enthusiastic partygoers than you are.

you lean away to check the time on your phone, trying not to feel defeated when you see how early it still is. you’ve been trying to hype yourself up for tonight all weekend, but it doesn’t help that your friends are bigger partiers than you. that isn’t to say that you dislike parties, or that you never go out; but parties like this, huge events with hundreds of people packed into a small space with loud music and flashing lights, aren’t really your ideal way to spend a saturday night. even for such a special, rare occasion like a bachelorette party in another country, you can’t bring yourself to get lost in the scene. you should’ve known how this would go, and yet here you are, standing at a cocktail table by yourself surrounded by drunk women.

you turn back around and suddenly the bar is a sea of unfamiliar faces, everyone around you lost in their own worlds jumping and dancing to the music that booms from the speakers. you stand up on your tiptoes to see above the crowd, trying to push your way through in search of someone you recognize, but it seems like they’ve all vanished.

the pounding of the music is starting to give you a headache, so you down the last of your drink and head away from the bar, pushing past people until the crowd eventually starts to thin and you break out into the open air.

it’s still light outside, but the contrast from the darkened bar makes it feel like stepping into another world. the noise gets quieter the farther away you move, and you find your feet carrying themselves down the beach. you walk backwards, turning to look over your shoulder one more time to see if you can spot your friends, but all you see is a crowd full of strangers.

it’s easier to breathe out here, feeling the freshness of the ocean breeze and the salty air in your lungs as you get further and further from the people and the businesses. you turn around again and almost run straight into a man walking from the opposite direction, and you stumble into his arms before you realize what’s happening. you let out a little squeak in surprise and jump backwards, almost tripping over your own feet but his hand instinctively shoots around your waist to help keep you upright.

your cheeks burn with embarrassment, an apology already ready on your lips, but he beats you to it. “sorry,” he says with a shy laugh, slowly letting go of you and offering his hand for balance as you slip your sandal back on that had come off. he steps back and gives you a polite smile, trying to move out of your way. “you look like you’ve got somewhere to be.”

“the opposite, actually. escaping my friend's bachelorette party," you explain. 

"we're in the same boat, then," he chuckles, tucking his hands into the pockets of his shorts. "trying to ditch the bachelor party. it’s a popular place for weddings, huh?”

“seems like it.” you hum, turning to look out over the water. the setting sun glints off the surface, a clear and bright sparkling blue, and you lift your hand to keep the glare out of your eyes. “i just didn’t think it’d be so…”

“…hectic?” he asks, and you laugh a little.

"yeah, you could say that.” a warm breeze ruffles through your sundress, and you cross your arms over your chest. “i guess all weddings are like that, though.”

he nods, following your gaze off into the horizon. you go quiet, listening to the music still loud in the distance and the sound of seagulls cawing above your heads. "i was hoping to get a chance to explore more of the beaches while i'm here. i don’t get to see it often."

"wanna go for a walk?” you ask suddenly, uncrossing your arms. maybe it’s the fresh air of a new place, maybe it’s the comfort of finding another person wanting to get away from it all, but some part of you wants to stay here and find out. you’d wanted to see more of the landscape anyway, and now seems like as good a time as any, especially now that you’ve got company.

he looks over at you, judging your expression before his face softens. “that sounds perfect.”

it’s still early enough that the beach is still mostly full of tourists, adults lounging on towels while reading books and kids splashing water at each other and playing in the sand. you walk further down the beach, passing in front of a grey haired old woman sitting cross-legged on a towel, shuffling a deck of cards in her wrinkled hands.

"always lovely to see couples enjoying the islands,” she calls out to you. there’s an almost rhythmic lilt to her voice, and it’s so sudden that it makes both of you pause and turn around, having paid her no mind as you walked past before. she gestures down at the deck and you finally notice that she’s holding a set of tarot cards, a deep matte black that seems to glitter and sparkle even while shadowed. “would you like a reading?”

your cheeks start to warm, and you push down the butterflies that flutter to life when she assumes you’re together. "oh, no, we're not—”

"sure," jun says over you, and you sneak a glance up at him when you think he's not looking. "how much?"

she clucks her teeth and shakes her head, staring directly at you although she’s answering his question. "no, no, no, my dear. just offering a bit of friendly advice. won’t cost you a thing."

jun nods, but she seems like she’s waiting for your answer so you quickly nod, too. “okay. what… do we have to do?”

she places her palms over the deck and closes her eyes, falling silent. you stand in front of her, feeling a little awkward to be hovering over her like this, but she it’s like she doesn’t even notice. you share a look with jun, but after a beat he grabs your hand and grins as if to say, just go along with it.

her eyes suddenly fly open and she seems pleased with whatever she was doing. “i knew i could feel it,” she says cryptically as she begins shuffling the cards. “but let’s just see what fate has to say about it.”

she stops and pulls the top two cards from the deck, placing them face down on the towel as she motions at them with her hand. at her signal, jun bends forward and turns over one of the cards, reading it aloud. “ace of cups.”

“ace of cups,” she repeats. “an invitation. the open, uninhibited flow of emotions, creativity, and love; the awakening of your spirit. this is a new beginning for you, the start of a new season. trust yourself and your feelings, and embrace the opportunity to grow with your emotions.”

jun nods seriously like he’s taking in her words, but you can see the hint of a smile at the corner of his lips that he’s trying to suppress.

she looks at you expectantly, and you hesitate before realizing she’s waiting for you to flip over the second card. you cheeks heat as you read it, but you try not to let it show. “the… lovers?”

she smiles, and although her face looks kind you have a sense that there’s something she’s not telling. “the lovers,” she says, almost solemnly. “many people think this card is strictly about romance. and in some ways it is, but what it really represents is a choice. two diverging paths, two responsibilities. will you choose with your head, or with your heart?”

she stares at you for another moment, then looks back at jun. you both stay quiet and still, subconsciously hanging on her every word as she pauses, clearly having more to say. “having these two cards come up together… now, that’s fascinating for you two, isn’t it?”

you find yourself nodding silently, although you have no idea why. you feel jun’s hand in yours, warm and soft and grounding, and the smallest shiver runs down your spine.

“the lovers and the ace of cups are the potential for new beginnings and the fulfillment that comes with following your heart,” she says, her eyes locked with yours. “this is a very powerful and meaningful connection, but only if you make the choice that is most heartfelt. you must be willing to be your most authentic self and hold nothing back. keep your eyes open, and you will be rewarded with profound joy and happiness.”

immediately you turn to look at jun to see his reaction. he looks just as confused—but is that a hint of excitement in his eyes?—as you do. the woman’s words are… cryptic, to say the least, but it stirs up a feeling of excitement in the back of your mind that you’re trying to ignore. it probably doesn’t mean what you think it does, right?

"hey, wait, so what does—”

you turn back to look at the woman for another explanation, but there's no one there. the beach is empty except for you and jun and the slowly setting sun, a few boats tied up at the dock. you’ve walked so far down the beach that even the distant music has faded into obscurity and you’re left standing alone together, surrounded by nothing but the sounds of the waves. even the wind has died down, and it feels eerily quiet but in an almost comforting sort of way, to be alone together in a place like this.

"you believe in that kind of stuff?" you ask curiously as jun starts to walk away.

"mm… not really. but she seemed like a lonely old lady. i thought it'd make her day." he looks down at your entwined hands and squeezes lightly, almost teasing as you look up and see the grin on his face. "why, do you?"

you can't help the butterflies that instantly flutter to life in your stomach when you feel his warm hand in yours, but you shrug. "why not?"

jun doesn't reply, just nodding thoughtfully as you continue to walk hand in hand. 

with the way the atmosphere has suddenly changed, it feels like time has stopped as you meander your way along the edge of the water. you chat off and on with jun, but there’s a hefty amount of silence that neither one of you feels obligated to fill. talking to jun feels like talking to an old friend, and maybe it’s the beautiful scenery or maybe it’s the way both of you had found yourselves here looking for company.

after a while you come to a stop just below the rocks where you’d started. your footprints from where you’d run into each other are still visible, little indents in the damp sand, and it reminds you of what you were running away from in the first place. maybe you don’t want to run anymore. 

"well…”  jun says, inhaling slowly. "we should get you back to your friends. i'm sure they're looking for you."

"would it be so bad if i said i didn't want to find them?"

he pauses to gauge your reaction, and you don’t miss the flicker in his eyes as he looks at you. after a moment nods and points up the shallow cliffs, towards a little stone staircase worn down from years of being travelled on. "my hotel is just up there. if… if you wanted to stay a little longer? with me?"

you pull your lip between your teeth, looking up at him and the way the fading sunlight shines through his soft brown waves, and it only takes a second to make your decision. “i’d really like that.” 

it turns out that missing out on your friend’s party for a few more hours is an easy price to pay for more time with jun.

the door of his hotel room barely has time to shut before your hands are on each other. you tug him closer by shirt with an eagerness you rarely allow yourself and he immediately reciprocates, pulling you by the waist until you’re pressed chest to chest.

his hand skims over your collarbone towards your neck, and you shiver at the warmth of his fingers caressing the side of your jaw. he angles your chin upwards and leans in as you meet him halfway and your lips finally touch, a low sound escaping from your throat as his nose brushes your cheek.

he makes a soft noise as he inhales, deepening the kiss until you feel your knees go weak. his hand cups your jaw harder, trying to draw you further into him, unwilling to break apart. he kisses you so softly yet you can still feel the intensity behind every movement of his lips, exploring your mouth with a gentleness that feels more natural than anyone you’ve ever kissed before.

jun curls his arm around you tighter, and you’re sure he can hear how fast your heart is beating as he kisses you again and again until you’re breathless. you slide your hands away from his chest and start to undo the buttons at the front of your dress, but he stops you. you look up and meet his gaze as his hand on your cheek moves to wrap around your waist, carefully walking you backwards until the backs of your knees hit the bed and you let yourself fall back onto it.

he lets out a quiet groan as you pull him down with you, landing on top of you and catching himself on his forearms beside your head. his face is inches away from yours, staring into your eyes for a beat before he presses down to capture your lips again.

his kisses feel like magic, and you almost forget exactly what you’re here to do. you’d be content to spend hours with his lips on yours and nothing else, but you’re quickly pulled away from it when he sits back and starts to slide his hands down your body, his nimble fingers skillfully undoing the buttons of your dress one by one.

he pulls the fabric away and lets it fall to the floor before leaning to kiss you again, and a grateful sigh slips from your lips at his touch. your fingers tug at his shirt and he breaks away once more to quickly pull it off over his head, tossing it behind him without a second thought.

your hands slide earnestly across his body, your fingertips trailing down his torso and the deep lines of his abs. his fingers brush over your swimsuit in tandem, tracing the cutouts of the fabric where your skin is visible and making you prickle with goosebumps at his touch.

he seems equally as content to just continue doing this, but eventually his hands make their way upwards and gently slip the straps off your shoulders. he doesn't move any further than that, waiting for you to move instead, his fingers resting at the base of your neck just beneath your chin. 

you follow his actions and shimmy the suit down, letting it bunch up at your hips. only then does he finally break apart from you, moving his mouth down to your exposed breast and letting his tongue glide over your peaked nipple. your skin tastes like salt and sweat, like sunny days and warm breezy nights, and he can't get enough of you.

the first moan you let out is like music to his ears, and immediately he craves more of them. he wraps his mouth around your other nipple while keeping his hands attached to your body like magnets, desperate to be the one to draw more of those pretty noises from your lips.

you lift your hips just a little and he quickly gets the hint, wordlessly pushing his fingers between your skin and the fabric of your swimsuit before tugging it all the way off. he pulls it down your legs and you help him kick it away, leaving you completely bare beneath him.

your hands slide across his shoulders and up the back of his neck, tangling in his hair with another moan that sends a shiver down his spine. you can’t help but roll your hips upwards against his body, squirming for more friction as your nails scratch at his scalp.

his face stays buried in your chest for a long time, moving between your breasts and planting wet kisses all along your skin. your head is spinning at the sight of this gorgeous man working his magic on your body, his hands wandering up and down with a tender purpose. you don't even know his name but you already know you're gonna be thinking about this night for months, probably even years. you're shocked at how good he is at this; there's a melancholy feeling looming in the back of your mind, knowing that this is probably the first and only night you’ll get to spend with him, but you don't have time to focus on that when you have the tingly feeling in your stomach to focus on instead.

despite not saying anything aloud you can tell exactly what he wants from you, and something about how easy this is sends a feeling of relief through you. all of the mistakes of your past hookups feel like a distant memory. there’s none of the empty conversations meant to do nothing more than fill the silence and the awkward, tentative movements that you’ve become accustomed to from strangers who aren’t familiar with your body. 

but something about the way jun touches you does feel familiar, like you’ve been waiting all your life for it, for him. his silence, something that most of your partners in the past had fought so hard to avoid, now only leaves more room for you to enjoy the sounds that often go overlooked: the wet hum as his lips connect with your skin, the distant crash of waves outside the window, the quiet whir of the ceiling fan.

jun leans down and kisses you again, shifting on top of you as his hand wanders down your hips. you pull him closer and let your hand travel a similar path, and you bite your lip in excitement when your fingers skim over the bulge straining against his shorts.

he lets out a strangled noise almost like a whimper at the contact but the sound only encourages you to add more pressure, soaking in his reactions. he whines again, pushing his hips into your hand and exhaling a shaky breath as you continue to palm him, feeling the hard outline of his cock as he struggles to keep his composure.

his knee is against your thigh and he repositions himself to press it higher between your legs, returning the favor and giving you something to grind on. instinctively your legs widen a little to give him easier access, and he rewards you with another hot, messy kiss.

you groan at the feeling, pushing your hips down towards him and rubbing yourself on him. it’s a little rough at first, but you’re already so wet that it doesn’t take long before his knee is coated in your arousal and you slide along him easily. 

after a minute he pulls back just an inch, giving you room to breathe, but one hand is still on your hip and the other curled behind you to support your neck. “good?” he asks breathlessly, and even though it’s clear as day that you’re enjoying this as much as he is, you still nod and give him an encouraging smile, and he returns it with a smile of his own. “just let me know,” he says, and the sultry yet sweet tone of his voice makes your heart skip a beat.

at your approval his hand begins to wander again, trailing over the top of your thigh. his finger slowly make their way down and you shiver, your hand stilled against his abdomen as you anticipate his next move.

you take this moment to get a good look at him; you’d been too shy to stare earlier on the beach, unsure how things were going to go. but now that he’s on top of you, shirtless and obviously just as eager as you are, you let your gaze roam unabashedly across his body. your eyes glide over his torso, the hollow slope of his collarbones and his hardened nipples, the deep-set grooves of his abs and the faint lines of his ribs beneath his skin. you want to reach out to touch him and run your hands over every inch of him, but you’re trying to be patient. and although you know your time here is limited, it seems like jun is only just getting started.

his fingers finally make it to your inner thighs, tracing the area around your pussy, but it’s still not close enough for your liking. you wiggle a little to try and encourage him, whining softly and letting out a little plea. his lips quirk up and he nods, his grip on the back of your neck tensing and tangling in your hair. 

his fingers finally brush against your entrance and you gasp, writhing at how gentle his touch is. he dips his middle finger into your heat before pulling it back out, trailing upwards to your clit to circle it for a moment before heading back down and repeating the process. it’s barely enough, yet it leaves you breathless almost instantly.

he’s staring down between your legs with an intense focus, spreading your arousal around before sinking back into you for more. and just when you think you can’t take it anymore, he pushes his finger in deeper, holding it still for a second even though you’ve already adjusted to it. he waits until you start moving, arching your back and trying to get him to go further, before he adds his ring finger and begins slowly thrusting both fingers in and out together.

you whimper and curse under your breath, trying to roll your hips to match his rhythm. he starts to curl his knuckles and you swear you see stars, despite the fact that he’s barely moving at all.

after a moment when you’ve regained the ability to breathe normally again you start to move your hand back against his bulge, shaky fingers dipping beneath the waistband of his shorts. you wrap your hand around him and your eyes widen at the thickness, the heavy weight of him in your hand and how you’re sure he must be aching by now. you feel the way his cock jerks when you squeeze ever so slightly, his fingers inside you freezing for a split second as his brain tries to process before he plunges them in even deeper, curling into you with even more fervor than before.

you hold him tighter and run your thumb over his tip, swollen and leaking with precum. he gets a little noisier with every move you make, unable to contain the pleasure he gets even from this. even the smallest touches from each other have both of you on edge in a way you’ve never felt before, drawn to each other like no one you’ve ever had before.

his clothes in the way are starting to frustrate you, so after another second you release his cock and move your hand up to the waistband of his shorts instead, trying to tug them down but it’s difficult from the position you’re both laying in.

“please,” you pant out desperately after having little success, and he obliges, pushing his shorts away as fast as possible before resuming his motions. he’s still almost completely ignoring himself as he continues to focus on you and only you, and his complete devotion gives you another boost of confidence.

now freed, his hard cock slaps against your thigh and you moan happily at finally being able to see all of him. it looks even better than it felt, thick veins bulging out across his length and his tip flushed a deep red. you wrap your hand around him once more, flicking your wrist as you start to jerk up and down.

his fingers curl upwards to massage the spot that makes your eyes roll back, and if you had any functioning thoughts left you would’ve marvelled at the fact that he was able to find it so easily, but you’re too busy arching your back against his pillow to think about that.

he can feel you starting to clench harder around him, making his fingers stutter inside you, so he pushes his other hand down on your hip to stop you from moving so much. he pulls his fingers out and your eyes dart back up to his face for an explanation, unable to stop the whimper that escapes from you at the loss, but the look in his eyes instantly puts you at ease. you can already tell he knows what he’s doing, and somehow he seems to know exactly what you need, so for once you don’t mind sitting back and letting someone else call the shots.

“can i fuck you now?” he murmurs, and it takes you a second to even hear what he said because you’re shocked at how low and rough his tone is since the last time you heard him speak. he wipes his fingers against the inside of your thigh as he waits for your reply, and you shiver at the cool wetness on your skin.

the best you can manage is a stuttered “yes”, and without a word of acknowledgement he pulls you off the bed, guiding you off your back and onto your hands and knees.

you let out a squeak at the sudden change but you let it happen, and a second later you hear his voice beside you, his breath warm against your ear. “still okay?” he asks, and despite the gruffness in his voice you can still hear the soft edge to his words.

“yeah,” you repeat, suddenly losing the ability to say anything else to express your pleasure, but somehow you know he understands. your stomach flutters at the low tone of his voice, steady and calm but so full of warmth and lust.

you feel the heat from his face move away from your skin, and you know he’s sitting up on his knees behind you. his hands slide down your sides, reaching under you to cup your boobs with both hands as he groans at the feeling. you let out a matching whine, pushing your hips back against him to feel his hard length against the soft flesh of your ass.

his hands still holding your breasts, he leans down over you to keep you flush to his body, your back pressed against his chest. he presses a kiss in between your shoulder blades, letting his tongue trace lightly over the ridges of your spine.

you grind backwards against him harder, your body on fire from his kisses as he starts to suck gently at the back of your shoulder. you’re not sure if it’s hard enough to leave marks, but you kind of hope they do, because then you’d be sure this encounter wasn’t a dream. what other explanation is there for the fact that you’ve not only met the most handsome man you’ve ever seen in your life, but that you’re currently on your hands and knees in his bed as he runs his lips over every single inch of you, waiting for him to fuck you? it’s too good to be true.

but it is true, and you know it when he pulls away to brush your hair to the side and expose more of your back for him. his fingers are still so gentle against your skin, his touch heavy but soft, and it makes you even more desperate for him.

after a while he lets go of you and leans back, taking his cock in his hand and gently tapping it against your ass. you groan and fall forward, pressing your face into the pillows and arching your hips up into the air. his hands slide down your sides, gripping your waist with a low groan as he leans forward to kiss the side of your neck again.

he finally pushes all the way into you, and it feels so good it takes your breath away for a second. you can feel your walls throbbing around him, struggling to adjust to the feeling of being so full in the best way, a way you haven’t felt this strongly in so long. it’s a feeling like no other, and it makes you wonder why you ever settled for anything else before this.

his hands are all over you like he can’t decide what to do first, but after a while they settle at your hips and give them an encouraging squeeze, waiting patiently for you to set the pace. finally you bring yourself to move, tipping forward to let him slide out of you just a bit before you lean back into him.

he adapts quickly to your rhythm, thrusting in and out and matching your pace, using his grip on your waist for leverage to push himself deep inside with every stroke.

“fuck,” he moans under his breath, finally breaking the silence, and with just that one sound you feel yourself starting to let go.

the words tumble out of your mouth and you ball your fists into his sheets, clinging to the bed to keep you grounded while your head is spinning. “please, please, yes—”

everything finally hits you all at once, like a tidal wave pouring over you as you fall forward and bury your face into the pillow with a broken whimper.

“don’t stop, please,” you whine breathlessly. your words are muffled by the pillow, but you can tell he’s heard them because his grip on your hips tightens even more, slamming into you with just as much force as before and carrying you through your orgasm.

jun has to bite his lip not to sail right over the edge with you, focusing all his energy on holding himself back until he feels your body go limp all at once, the waves finally subsiding and you let out a deep, pleasured exhale. he’s so close he can practically taste it, his skin flushed and damp with sweat and his abs burning with exertion. only once he’s absolutely sure that you’ve finished cumming does he let himself break, pulling out as fast as he can and wrapping his fist around his length with all the energy he has left.

he moans weakly at the loss of your tight, warm walls hugging him so perfectly, but the view as he jerks himself over you all but makes up for it. the sight of your ass pressed flush against his thighs, your lower back arched and on display like a gorgeous blank canvas, and it gives him such a rush until he can’t hold on anymore.

the warm, sticky liquid hits your back and you whimper into the pillow, instinctively lifting your hips even more towards him. his cum spurts out in thick ropes, painting your skin and pooling in the little divot at the base of your spine, running down your ass until it feels like you’re soaked in it.

he finally pulls back and lets out the breath he didn’t know he was holding in, groaning as he sees you sitting still on the bed with your hips in the air. you feel the bed shift with his weight as he gets up, but you don’t pay any attention to it as you focus on trying to steady your breathing instead. something in your gut tells you to stay put, and sure enough, a minute later you hear the sink running and then feel the cool fabric of a damp washcloth brushing over your back.

he lays his hand on your ass and gently gives it a little squeeze to signal that he’s finished, and you finally fall over onto your side. you’re coasting on cloud nine, and everything feels both dulled and hypersensitive at the same time. the whir of the overhead fan is a little more prominent now, and the quiet drone echoes around in your brain.

“do you need water? or do you want a snack, or something?” jun asks, and while his voice still has a touch of shakiness as he’s recovering himself, you can tell his tone is back to the gentle and polite sound you’ve become used to hearing from him.

you shake your head, and he hums softly in acknowledgement as he points to the nightstand on the side of the bed closest to you. “there’s an extra water bottle there, if you need it. i haven’t opened it.”

you nod against the sheets, suddenly too tired to even think about forming words. jun climbs back onto the bed next to you, stretching out his long limbs and leaning against the headboard with a satisfied sigh. 

you surprise yourself when your body automatically reaches out for him, curling into his body and laying your hand across his forearm like a weight keeping him close. but what surprises you even more is when he mirrors the action, scooting closer to you and letting your head rest against his stomach. your first thought is that he makes a very comfortable pillow, and you let your eyes fall shut for a moment as your breathing returns to normal, wanting to savor this moment as you collect yourself and prepare to leave.

you open your eyes what feels like minutes later, but when you reach over to check your phone you realize you’ve been asleep for more than an hour. you inhale slowly and swallow, blinking a few times as the sore feeling in your hips reminds you of where you are.

instinctively, you start to panic a little. your friends are probably looking for you. you disappeared without telling anyone, and now you have to get back to your hotel and make sure you have enough time to sleep properly and get ready for the wedding in the morning. never mind that it was probably the best night you’ve ever spent with another person, and never mind that your friends are probably still out partying and haven’t even noticed you missing yet.

you slide off of the bed as quietly as you can, stumbling a little when your feet hit the floor. you crouch down to pick up your swimsuit off the floor and put it on, hopping on one foot as you slip each leg through the holes. it's darker outside now, but the street lamps and the moonlight shining through the sliding glass door that leads to the balcony of his hotel room are bright enough that it still feels like day. you're so focused on getting dressed and mentally running over your to-do list that you completely forget there's another person in the room until you hear his voice cutting through the silence.

“you don’t have to do that, y’know.”

you freeze and look up, your half-buttoned dress hanging loosely from your shoulders, your cheeks burning at the realization you’ve been caught.

jun swings his legs off the bed, crossing the room in a couple of strides before he’s standing in front of you. he’s wearing nothing except for the boxer shorts he threw on right before you fell asleep, and your cheeks flush even harder at the sight, despite the fact that you’ve already seen much more of him than this.

it takes every ounce of restraint you have to keep your eyes from straying, locked on his face before your gaze falls quickly to the floor where your sandals are left in a heap.

you didn’t mean to sneak off. but what else were you supposed to do? you hadn’t meant to fall asleep and stay as long as you did, either, and now you were stuck with the awkward conversation that always comes afterwards. the inevitable hurried goodbyes and uncomfortable tension as you try to put yourself back together and leave as fast as possible.

jun takes a small step closer to you, and despite all the confidence you know he has, it feels almost… tentative. as if you’re meeting for the first time and he isn’t sure whether or not he’s allowed to touch you yet.

there's a lingering feeling that you can't quite put your finger on yet. it's conflicting, because you know you can't stay but everything in you is screaming not to leave. maybe there's something you can do, anything you can do. is it all worth it? to turn your life around in a complete 180 for someone you barely even know— and yet, the last few hours that you’ve spent with him have been incomparably the best of your life.

after a moment he reaches out and starts to finish buttoning your dress for you, his fingers working them back through the loops with just as much care as he did when he was taking them off earlier.

“sorry,” you manage quietly, though you’re not even really sure what you’re apologizing for. a lot of things: sorry for running away, sorry for having feelings you probably shouldn’t be feeling, sorry for knowing this won’t work out despite the way you really, really wish it could.

but he just shakes his head as he finishes buttoning the last button. “i took it off. i can help you put it back on, too.” you can tell he knows what you had actually meant, but he’s ignoring it either for your sake or his. something about his words feels so easy, like all the problems in your head don’t mean anything anymore. here you are, an anxious and awkward and confused mess, and there he is, smoothing out the wrinkles in your dress like it’s something he’s been doing all his life.

he adjusts the strap on your shoulder with a gentle pat, but his hands linger for a few seconds longer than they should, and you lift your eyes to meet his. “can i kiss you again?” he asks quietly, and for some reason his choice of words sticks with you. not one final kiss, not a goodbye kiss, just again. like he’s refusing to admit this will probably be the last time you’ll ever see each other.

and you nod, and his hands slide up to cup your cheeks and pull you back into his lips, just as warm and just as soft and just as familiar as the first time. there’s something so innocent about kissing him, even in the midst of a complicated and confusing mess of emotions that makes you second guess everything. somewhere in the back of your mind you vaguely register that this is the last time you’ll ever kiss him, but as long as his lips are on yours it doesn’t matter. you’ll figure out how to deal with all that later; for now, the only thing you’re concerned about is the way he grips your chin and pulls you even closer.

it feels like hours later when you finally pull away, letting out a slow exhale as you try to blink yourself back to reality, and you know what has to happen now. “can you find your hotel on your own? do you want me to walk back with you?” jun asks, and you can feel the hesitancy in his voice.

“it’s not far,” you sigh quietly, turning away to slip your feet into your sandals that wait by the bed where you’d taken them off earlier. you should’ve said yes. “but… thank you.” your words hold a sincere weight to them, and it’s silent for a few seconds as you cross the room quicker than you want to.

“you could stay,” he says finally, but his hand is already on the doorknob and you both already know the answer. you hate that you have to be the one to tell him no, even though it’s been clear from the start what the outcome would be. you give him a small shake of your head, and he pulls on the knob. 

he stands and stares for a minute, watching you walk down the hallway and praying you’ll turn around. and then you do, glancing back at him over your shoulder, and he almost allows himself to have a little bit of hope that you might come back, even though you both know you can’t. when you find him still standing in the doorway your eyes light up just the slightest bit, and finally you disappear with a tiny little wave.

the door clicks shut again, and the silence that follows is louder than anything he’s heard all day.

“and you didn’t even get this guy’s number?!”

you wince at the tone in jeonghan’s voice, rubbing the back of your shoulder guiltily. “his name, either.”

“even after the magic old lady said all that shit about soulmates?”

“she didn’t say that!” you huff. your tone rises almost defensively, although it probably has no reason to. she didn’t say anything about being soulmates… right? “she said something like, ‘keep your eyes open for stuff around you’. but he said he didn’t even believe in it, anyway.”

a waiter carrying a tray of champagne glasses walks past, and he snags a couple of them, holding one out to you. “well, it doesn’t sound like you’re keeping your eyes open. it sounds more like your eyes are closed, actually. are you blind?”

you scowl and take the glass from him. “my flight home is tonight, hannie. i’m not gonna see him again.” you take a sip, letting it sit in your mouth for a second before you swallow. “and besides, he said he was here for a wedding, too. he could be from anywhere in the world. it would be impossible to find him.”

“doesn’t hurt to at least try.” you both stop in front of a circular table covered in flowers, with a little placard next to one of the plates with jeonghan’s name on it. “i guess this is my table. you want me to help you look for yours?”

you shake your head, pointing to a table a little ways away. “i saw mine on the way in, it’s over there.”

“whatever,” he hums at you, but you know he’s just teasing. “i still wouldn’t blame you if you ditched and ran off to try and find him.”

“not happening!” you call over your shoulder as you walk away, matching his playful tone. but you can’t help but feel like maybe he’s right.

jun taps his fingers against the table, staring mindlessly at the bubbles floating in his glass of champagne. he’s stuck in his head— no, that’s not right. that’s not the problem. you’re stuck in his head. it’s nearly a full day later and he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about you, the taste of your lips, the feel of your breasts in his hands, the scent of the shampoo in your hair. if that wasn’t the most perfect hookup in the history of hookups, then he doesn’t wanna know what is.

he still feels bad for not even paying attention during the ceremony, because he was too busy imagining you and him up there on the altar kissing instead. god, what he wouldn’t give for another kiss like that. but just like you, he knows it never would’ve worked out, and despite the what-ifs that are chewing him up inside and the fact that he definitely, absolutely, totally would’ve tried to make it work however large the distance was, he knows it’s probably for the better. even if it means he’s gonna spend the rest of his life pining after a girl he met on vacation for less than a single day, and he’ll never even know your name.

he takes a swig of his champagne and tries to put on a cheery face. this is a wedding, after all, and he can’t afford to spend all his time pouting when he’s in a beautiful city by the seaside enjoying delicious food and near perfect weather.

and then he sees you.

not really, of course, because it’s probably the champagne going to his head after chugging the majority of his glass like a frat boy at a college party. but then he blinks, and it really is you, wandering around for a second before you sit down at a table on the other side of the venue, wearing a soft blue dress that’s even prettier than the one he saw you in yesterday.

he blinks again, not fully believing that it’s you and not just the combined effect of the alcohol and his daydreams, but you’re still there when he opens his eyes again. and he knows it’s you, because he can see the faint hickies on your back and shoulders that you clearly tried to hide with makeup but couldn’t fully reach.

the chances that he’d see you again—not even that, but the chances that you’d be attending the very same wedding he was—must be one in a billion. maybe even more. yet there you are, picking at your nail and staring wistfully at your empty plate as you wait for the reception to start.

he stares for another minute, just to make sure you’re actually real, before he stands up and makes his way to the terrace at the back of the venue where the groom is standing next to a tower of cupcakes.

“gyu,” he greets him, “hey. are we allowed to switch tables?”

“i… don’t think so?” mingyu hums, a little off guard by the sudden question. “i made sure we put you next to hao, but—”

“if i give you twenty bucks, can you put me at table 8 instead?” jun’s eyes flicker with desperation, and he has to force himself not to look back over at you.

mingyu whines apologetically and hesitates, glancing at his bride a little ways away as she talks to a table full of guests. “she did all this planning, jun, i can’t just change everything now…”

“it’s not changing everything.” jun pulls his wallet out of his pants pocket, already rifling through the bills. “i’ll make it a hundred. mingyu, please, just switch me,” he says.

the whine in jun’s voice makes him pause, and he bites his lip as he considers it. on one hand, he could have his brand new wife a little bit mad at him for a while (who’ll probably forgive him the second she gets in bed with him tonight), plus get to help his friend and get an easy hundred dollars out of it. or, on the other hand… he could not help him, and his wife would never know, and jun would probably hate him for some unknown reason even though he doesn’t think jun has a single bone in his body capable of hating anybody. the decision is easy.

mingyu takes the bills from jun’s hand and stuffs them in his pocket before anyone can notice. “go ahead,” he says, tossing his head in the direction of the table. “i don’t know what it is you want, but don’t let anybody see you.”

“thanks! i owe you!” jun grins and hugs him, letting out a noise almost like a squeal before he turns and dashes away.

you’re barely paying attention to the reception anymore as you sit with your chin in your hands, again mentally running over all the things you need to pack and how on earth you’re going to be able to board your flight tonight and leave everything behind. the beaches, the city… and him. how are you supposed to just get on a plane and get on with your life, knowing that he’s out there somewhere in the world, and you’re never going to see him again. 

you’re trying not to sulk, but you can’t help the way your mood has been sour all morning, already filled with regrets and you haven’t even left yet. maybe you should’ve skipped the wedding altogether and spent another day in his bed, wrapped up between his sheets and lying in his arms. but then the rational part of your brain reminds you that he was also in town for a wedding, so even if he’d wanted to or even been okay with doing that, he probably had other plans anyway.

you’re still trying to figure out what to do about your hopeless situation when you hear a sound close behind you. it startles you into putting a smile on your face, preparing yourself to socialize although you really aren’t in the mood to.

“is this seat taken?” jun asks as he pulls out the chair to your left and sits down.

your brows furrow in confusion, trying to place the familiar voice, until you turn around and your jaw drops when you see who it belongs to.

you stare at him in shock, your eyes darting back and forth between his trying to figure out what to say. “you’re not joshua,” is the best you can come up with as your mouth hangs open and you whip your head around to check the list of names assigned to this table. you recognize them all, yet here he is: the nameless stranger you’ve fallen so helplessly in love with in so short an amount of time.

he smiles at your reaction, and it’s such a genuine smile that you know he’s feeling exactly the way you do right now. “i guess you’re right. i’m not.” he brushes the name card in front of him to the side and sets his own down in its place instead before he holds out his hand to shake. “it’s nice to meet you. i’m jun.”

you pause for a minute, staring at his hand. you can’t believe this is real, you can’t believe he’s real; you’d almost been able to convince yourself that the whole encounter last night was a fever dream, if you hadn’t woken up in the morning with a soreness between your legs that screamed that it definitely was not a dream.

finally you reach out and take his hand, and even in that little touch you can tell it really is him, from the way your heart picks up when you feel the familiar softness of his skin and the gentle squeeze that sends goosebumps down your arm.

“it’s nice to meet you, too.”

i hope you enjoyed this!! if you did, consider reblogging or leaving a comment or an ask :) it shows me this is something people want to see more of, and knowing people like this makes me want to write more of it! thanks for reading!!

if you want to be notified when i post a new fic, you can join my taglist here!

taglist — located in the replies

[cheriladycl01]

hiya could you maybe write a Fernando x Reader one shot, where something happens between the two of them they get into a fight and Fernando gives the reader the silent treatment refuses to talk to them. Goes on for a few days and finally the reader cracks and is really upset and cries in front of Nando reader thinks he doesn’t love her anymore etc.. and they make up in the end.. as much as I want it angsty I do love the fluff in the end

The Silent Treatment - Fernando x Reader

Plot: You and Fernando get into a rare fight. It’s a big one though and you say something you didn’t really mean making Fernando give you the pouty silent treatment …

You and Fernando were like salt and pepper and butter and bread. You rarely argued and always got alone, if you did argue you both had effortless communication skills meaning that whatever happened was resolved pretty quickly.

But after a not so good race weekend for Fernando that you couldn't attend because you were halfway across the world singing for a collab bran deal you were doing and a stressful weekend for you creating content for this brand deal you were exhausted when you got him straight from the plane Monday night.

"Hey" you smile tiredly at Fernando who is sat on the sofa. You're so sleepy you don't even notice his sour look.

"What is this?" he demands looking around the house and you look over to him confused at his raised voice.

"What?" you ask and he gestures to the house, you look around and you could tell it was a little disorganized and messy than it usually was but not dirty or unclean.

"Sorry honey, but we've both been extremely busy this weekend! I left only a few hours after you. You came back before me" you giggle thinking he wasn't actually mad, but the minute he stood up starting to do everything himself in an overly aggressive way had you at a stand still. Like a deer caught in headlights. He'd never acted like this before. It must have been a really bad weekend.

"Baby, why don't you sit down. We're both tired and I can just do it tomorrow while you are on the sim!" you exclaim coming closer to him to try and pull his arm away from the clothes hamper he was currently putting stuff into.

"God, why wasn't any of this done before you left?" he asks with almost a glare and you are in shock.

You and Fernando never expected anything from one another, whether it was Sex, Chores, Help... nothing was expected at all. So why was he demanding this should have been done by you before you left.

"I guess I was just busy" you explain.

"Busy more like lazy" he mutters, which was true sometimes you did have a tendency to have home days off where you didn't do any chores or shopping and would just laze about, but every needed those kind of days... right?

"Alright says Mr Crash on turn 1, maybe you should be focusing more on racing than bothering me about stupid little things and you might actually win again!" you say in the heat of the moment.

You regret it almost straight away blubbering after trying to back track what you said but it had already all come out.

"Nando, I- I didn't mean that I'm so so sorry!" you exclaim, but he just walks off going into the spare bedroom shutting and locking the door behind him.

Tears fill your eyes as what you said really settles in. You start to make dinner for the both of you with scraps from the cupboards and whatever was in-date in the fridge. It ended up just a simple pasta and home made garlic bread.

"Nando?" you knock on the door to the guest bedroom hoping he might come out for some food. When he doesn't after a few minutes you sigh going back to the kitchen. You wrap up his food with some clingfilm, leaving it out on the plate to cool down while you go round the house doing all the bits that hadn't been done while you and Fernando hadn't been here.

They were just little bits, like the clothes and drying up and putting the blankets from the sofa away in their basket, hoovering and dusting the stairs. Small little jobs that weren't taking you long.

The more you thought about it, the worse you felt. You could have just done these jobs before you left it wouldn't have been difficult and it wouldn't have taken much time. You were just very stressed over the brand deal.

You went to bed feeling incredibly guilty. You tossed and turned the whole night not being able to sleep with your husband not cuddled up in the bed with you.

You woke up the next day, going straight to the shower trying to wash away all your emotions from the previous night ready to start on a clean slate with Fernando.

However, what you didn't expect was Fernando to be waiting outside the ensuite for you.

"Buenos Dias!" you smile at him, but he just brushes past you, ignoring your morning greeting to him.

And that's how it went for the rest of the day. He would just leave the house without saying anything, coming back sweaty and with his trainer. He would refuse to eat the food and drinks you made for him, making you have to double up whatever you made for lunch as your dinner so the food didn't go to waste.

You tried at ever opportune moment to try and talk to him but he kept on ignoring you. It was stressing you out, all of this silent treatment. Was he really being this petty.

But once it got to day 3 you'd had enough. You were practically pulling your hair out at the fact the he had said nothing. You were doubting yourself wondering if you were really that horrible of a person and that Fernando no longer loved you.

You were laying in bed when he came home, sobbing into the pillow that still faintly smelt like him despite him not having been in the bed for the last few days.

Fernando was shocked to not see you, for the last few days you'd practically been running yourself raw trying to get himself to talk whilst cleaning then house. You'd even cancelled a few job opportunities that had come your way, feeling as though even more distance between the pair of you would be awful.

Now Fernando was the one to feel bad, he knew he was being petty by not talking to you, and he agreed with himself that he over-reacted when it came to your arrival home. But at the same time what you said to him, really really fucking hurt.

He knocked on the door and your sobs turned into small hiccups as you attempted to calm your breathing down.

"Yeah?" you ask, but it sounds a little chocked up to Fernando who feels just awful.

"Mi Amore!" he says as he pushes open the door a little. You fully sit up on the bed, red puffy eyes and tear stains down your cheeks making him sigh.

He didn't mean to make you this upset.

"I'm sorry Nando, I really didn't mean it I just was so confused why you were so angry with me and then you called me lazy which I know i can be but you've never said it as more than a joke and ..." you ramble until he comes forward pulling you into a sweet and short kiss.

"I'm the one that should be sorry, I didn't mean to call you lazy. I was just exhausted after an awful weekend and it didn't help that you were absent for it... i just felt useless" he explains and you nod.

"Please can we go back to talking things out? I don't like it when you freeze me out! It feels awful. I thought ... you didn't love me anymore and were looking into a divorce" you almost whimper at the thought of Fernando cutting ties with you in such a legal fashion. You genuinely thought that would break your heart.

"I'd never leave you mi amore! You are without a doubt the best thing in my life!" he exclaims pulling you into a hug and kissing the top of your head.

"I love you so so much! I'll talk to you next time okay? I promise" he sighs kissing all over your face, knowing you'd both be working overtime for the next few weeks, apologizing to one another.

Taglist:

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[neiptune]

to hell with the stars, keep shooting for the moon

cw: 3k wc, female reader, established relationship, suggestive if you squint, reader is a gymnast, my entry for the super fun summer olympics collab by @tetzoro! hope you'll enjoy the little surprise i squeezed in hehe

“For the last time, I’m not having sex with you on one of those cardboard beds”.

Atsumu isn’t the least bit discouraged by your exasperated scowl, which is met with a pout.

“But babe-”

“I don’t care how many times Tobio’s done it, ‘Tsumu” you click your tongue.

“It’s just so fucking bizarre that he gets so much action, the guy doesn’t even do anything! Shoyo agrees, we discussed it and still couldn’t find a reason” the blond, excessively petulant Miya who makes it a point to be the bane of your existence, keeps listing all the reasons why he believes his teammate shouldn’t be getting laid in the olympic village. Or anywhere else ever, for the matter.

The heated arguments float through a distant hemisphere of your brain, where they dissolve before you can quite catch their meaning and soon enough become simple sounds you’re passively absorbing, thoughts too preoccupied with something entirely different.

The choreographies you put together with your trainer have been playing in the back of your mind ever since last night, after the all-around individual qualification round. You are part of the 10 gymnasts with the highest scores, four performances with each apparatus earning a fairly decent ranking and good enough points. Well, they’re certainly good enough, given that you get to represent Japan at the individual final. But you just know they could be better. Your feet should’ve been firmer, hands less sweaty around the clubs, you should’ve stretched for at least 50 minutes prior to the routine instead of the usual 40 ones.

Pulse picks up in pace, heart thrumming faster against your ribcage, dizziness clouds your mind for a moment as different moves chase each other in rapid succession: the penché comes first, then follows the elbow stand, front walkover, one forward roll, a chest stand-

Gentle, calloused fingers grasp your chin and tilt your head upwards in silent demand. Look at me.

“Get out of there and talk to me, sugar” the fondness in his chocolate gaze is a balm that instantly soothes the churning sensation sabotaging your stomach.

“I won’t make it” it’s blunt, raw in its honesty “I’m too scared”.

“Ya worked your ass off the past four years. Your entire life actually”.

“I know”.

“And whatever happens, you’re one of the best ten gymnasts in the world”.

“I know”.

Atsumu gets closer as his hands hold your face now, gentle but firm, an all too familiar flame starts dancing in feverish eyes.

“But?”.

You recognize that gaze, the raging, febrile determination taking over. He gets it on his side of the net, where he gets to run the show. And oh, isn’t that always a sight for sore eyes? It certainly was at the olympics too, when the entire world got to witness what Japan is already used to. The game against Argentina was nothing short of glorious, the way Atsumu coordinated his team’s offense, established the entire tempo and overall built the confidence in his passers had the crowds chanting his name over and over again. By the evening, you’re positive at least a hundred new Miya Atsumu fan accounts had started following you on instagram.

And yet he doesn’t take any of it for granted. Atsumu always gives his very best, at the olympics or during regular training with his friends. Whether Tobio is going to play or not. That passion simply sets his soul ablaze at all times, with no exception. He’s the man you love and the only one who can truly understand how you feel, the one person who is ignited with the same delirious resolve currently burning in the pit of your stomach.

“But I really want that fucking medal” you whisper. Not to prove him that you have it in you just like he does: truth is you’re the only person who needs additional convincing.

Sharp canines make their appearance when Atsumu smiles widely.

“Then go get it. The hell are you scared of? That medal belongs to you”.

Your eyelids flutter as they fall shut, a deep breath filling your lungs with fresh air. When you open your eyes again, you feel your heart filling up with something else too.

“I love you”.

His eyes soften at that, affection pools within crinkles by the eyes as a confident grin morphs into a warm smile.

“Love ya more, champion” Atsumu kisses your forehead with tenderness, lingers for a moment too long with lips pressing to your skin with intention. Then he lets go of your face but not before searching for any remnants of self-doubt. His chest swells with pride when all he can find in your eyes is that determination he adores.

“Will you be there?” you ask because you can’t help it. It’s perfectly understandable that he might not be able to, his schedule is just as busy as yours and Japan’s final game is just two days away. It’s not entirely fair to ask and someone else might’ve rolled their eyes with a sigh, reminded you that they don’t get to decide that. But not Atsumu. He takes one of your hands and brings it to his lips to kiss each knuckle.

“I’ll do everything I can to be there”.

“Thank you” you lightly pinch his nose with an infatuated smile and he fakes a groan “see you later”.

“I love you!” he shouts as you run away, loud and obnoxious and passionate, just like his affection always is. Once again, Atsumu’s love is thrown over your shoulders like a comforting blanket that weighs just right.

Back at the beginning of your relationship, you had to unlearn a very specific thought process that posed the risk of ending something that still hadn’t had the chance to fully start. It was your first time dating another pro athlete, a very talented and quite renowned one no less. You were first introduced to him at a party, he had no idea who you were but of course you were all too familiar with his name and accomplishments.

Miya Atsumu was a pro volleyball player, known for his exceptional flair and fierce passion ever since high school. His reputation made you believe that, as an athlete yourself, you had to prove him that you were just as good in your own sport. Wasn’t that all he’d be interested in? Dating someone who wouldn’t embarrass him with their mediocrity, someone who wouldn’t stain his polished reputation?

Turns out, by no means Atsumu was interested in all that. He asked if it was okay for him to come watch one of your competitions, coincidentally one of your worst ones. You were all too aware of how badly you had competed, nerves and a recent flu contributing to a terrible performance, yet at the end of it Atsumu greeted you with stars in his eyes. He couldn’t stop talking about how elegant yet strong you looked, going as far as describing your choreographies as breathtaking. With a nervous chuckle, he half-jokingly said he couldn’t believe you’d let him date you. 

That’s when you kissed him for the first time, fiery and feverish in a way that would’ve probably scared anyone else off. Not Atsumu, though. He wrapped his arms around you without so much as an ounce of hesitation, kissed you back like it was the last action he was allowed to perform on this earth. And you knew: he didn’t need you to be a winner, to be shiny at all times, to feel proud. To love you. Whether you end up bringing the medal home or not, he will still be your biggest fan and loudest supporter.

The intensity of the crowd doesn’t bother you at all: given your anxious nature, Chisaka-san has been adamant about training you with headphones and loud tapes for years. Music, cheers, booing, clapping, national anthems, you’re used to it all by now.

You observe the ukrainian gymnast, the way she moves so elegantly with her colorful ribbon. It looks like she’s flying, hopping on invisible steps made of air, sparkly leotard catching the light just right. Yours cost a fortune: handmade, sewn in Italy, a triumph of colorful stretch mesh, thermal crystals and sew-on rhinestones in various sizes and shapes.

As Chisaka-san helps you practice the usual deep breaths with a hand pressed to your chest, your eyes are still glued to your opponent. The podium is yours, unless you fuck up so badly even the bronze slips away. Daryna currently has the highest score and it’s certain she will protect the lead at the end of her final routine. Then follows Bulgaria’s Katerina, but you’re hardly worried about her: she finished her last exercise without catching the ribbon, a penalty you can easily overcome if luck and nerves are on your side.

When after an impeccable Daryna your name is announced at last, your trainer gives your butt a friendly, encouraging pat. She believed in you more than anyone else, more than yourself. She knew you’d qualify for the olympics and would be flying to Paris before you could even dream of such an achievement. And now you get to honor her trust, you get to prove that Paris is where you belong. The podium is yours because like hell you’re allowing it to slip away. But you want more, you want that gold.

The crowd seems louder now, flags raised in flashes of white and red in your peripheral as you smile radiantly and position yourself to start the routine. You don’t check if Atsumu was able to make it, don’t allow yourself to think of anything but the way your feet and legs and arms and hands are supposed to move.

The longest 85 seconds of your life begin along with the music, Piazzolla’s libertango but with a modern, energetic arrangement. The ribbon is not as scary as the hoop, it moves with you like an old friend, seamless and reliable. You throw the handle into the air and perform two forward rolls before catching it again in one fluid motion, lips perpetually stretched into a confident smile. The crowd erupts in deafening cheers at your backscale pivot, the more you keep cutting through the air with precision, control and passion, the more your smile grows. Yes, this is where you belong, this is what you love and were made to do.

There’s your signature move, difficult and risky and one Chisaka-san always attempts to talk you out of: a technical element, Bessonova’s swan, while simultaneously kicking the ribbon into the air with your foot once more. You catch it one last time, perform an aerial cartwheel and then a perfectly balanced backward somersault, wrap yourself in the colorful shades of your apparatus and gracefully conclude the routine on the floor.

The crowd is ear-splitting in their support and you don’t have to wait for the score to know: it was perfect. It’s the best you ever did and the tension finally melts into hot tears as you wave and smile and foolishly attempt to wipe the wetness from your cheeks at the same time. Chisaka-san wraps you up in her comforting embrace and you hide your face in her white uniform, ears ringing, blood scorching in veins throbbing with adrenaline.

“I can’t look” you whisper into her shoulder and she gently guides you to the bench, all emotional murmurs and soft touches. She sits next to you, holds your hand as you force a quivering smile to the camera, peace sign held high. And then you can barely catch a glimpse of your scores before Chisaka-san forces you into her arms and against her chest again, right as fresh tears stain your cheeks. She lets you have this moment, shields your first reaction from the world and the prying eyes of cameras that are on you once more because holy shit, Daryna has a 140.60 but you have a 142.850. They gave you a difficulty score of 19.300 and an execution one of 8.550.

“I knew it!” Chisaka-san is the only thing keeping you grounded because it truly feels as if you’re floating. It doesn’t matter how badly you wanted it, how much you fought for it, the moment doesn’t feel real. Not even as the other gymnasts come to hug you and you congratulate them in turn, it’s a whirlwind of all-encompassing love and support and mutual happiness. Moments like this make your sport truly special, they remind you that fierce competition only feels right when balanced by appreciation for your opponents’ efforts and individual journeys.

The crowd erupts in new, loud cheering and you catch a glimpse of the different face the cameras are now focusing on. A handsome face with suspicious dampness glistening on cheeks and a smile so warm, beaming with pride. You can’t help but smile back as your legs move on autopilot, a bottle of water dropped to the floor as you sprint towards the bleachers. Atsumu is in the front row and he easily catches you right as you jump onto him, arms wrapped around his neck.

“Told ya. It belongs to you” he whispers in your ear and you almost start crying again at the trembling in his voice, so many overwhelming emotions swarming in your chest at once.

“Thank you for believing in me” you mutter and pull back to look at him, because even in a venue packed with people and cameras and journalists he still manages to be the brightest, the one thing you could look at forever without ever growing tired of it.

“Always” Atsumu grins, eyes glazed with defiant tears “you did so well. Look at ya, my girl’s an olympic medalist!”.

And because you know he won’t do it, god forbid he takes the most special moment of your life away from you, you kiss him. It’s brief, two pecks that linger just enough before he lets you go, urges you to go back out there and celebrate. You don’t care that videos of this moment are probably going to be flooding every social media platform in a matter of minutes, similarly to how Atsumu hardly gives a damn about all the phones and cameras he has in his face when he runs to you after a game, whether his team wins or not.

It’s hard not to tear up again as the japanese national anthem echoes through the building, so many people singing along as you stand on the podium you have dreamed of every single day of your life. You smile, proud and big, take selfies with the other two medalists and make sure you hug every single gymnast you come across goodbye before walking out of the venue, a promise to catch up with your trainer in the evening.

Atsumu waits for you outside, he doesn’t have any additional training left for the day and you want nothing more than to walk back to the village with him, lovesick smile growing in size when you spot him underneath the afternoon sun, golden light caught beautifully in that honey blond hair.

“There she comes, the girl of my dreams” he coos and you roll your eyes with affection “I hear she’s now the greatest gymnast in the world, too!”.

“Corny” you murmur against his lips as he pulls you in for a real kiss, one of those you’re never willing to give him in front of the cameras.

“About those cardboard beds…” it’s a faint whisper into his mouth but it’s enough for Atsumu to pick you up and twirl until you’re both laughing between kisses, until someone clearing their throat prompts you to abruptly pull back and force your feet onto the ground again.

When you turn around, the embarrassed smile quickly grows into a surprised grin. The stranger is looking back at you with the faintest hint of a smirk and Atsumu isn’t entirely sure he loves the way you take a tentative step toward him.

“Congrats. It was a good routine, not your best though”.

“Oh my god” you chuckle, astonished, and Atsumu is now certain he doesn’t enjoy watching you run to hug this weird, 6’1 stranger with dark hair and teal eyes. He definitely doesn’t enjoy the way the stranger wraps his arms around you with a sigh.

“I should’ve known you’d be here! How long has it been? Look at you, all grown up!” you let him go, still smiling so hard your cheeks hurt.

“Too long” he concedes and if the stranger wasn’t still all caught up in old, familiar patterns of stubborn coldness, maybe he would be able to utter the truth about how much he’s missed one of his oldest friends.

“I missed you” as usual, you take it upon yourself to fill the spaces left empty by his obstinacy with warmth. His eyes soften and you smile again as you turn to look at your boyfriend.

“’Tsumu, c’mere!” you’re holding out a hand, an impatient invitation “come meet Rin!”

Atsumu is openly wary of your friend, one you’re obviously close enough to address by his first name. As he shakes his hand with a fake megawatt smile, Rin seems to be equally skeptical and does nothing to hide it.

“He’s your boyfriend?” he asks, briefly scanning Atsumu from head to toe with an openly dubious gaze “came all the way here just to support you?”

“Atsumu is a pro volleyball player, he’s in the national team just like you!”

“Volleyball, huh?” Rin cocks his head “doesn’t really interest me. I find it to be overrated”.

“I mean…”.

“And what would your sport be, Itoshi?” Atsumu can feel a vein throb on his forehead as he politely interrupts you.

“Soccer”.

“Oh!” a seemingly friendly laugh bubbles up from his throat but you recognize the petulant vibration to it “soccer! I think there’s only so long you can watch a player throw himself on the ground because he stubbed his toe on the grass or, I don’t know, try the same failed corner kick for the millionth time”.

You uncomfortably clear your throat and Rin directs his attention to you once more. Isn’t that what being a mature adult is all about? Ignoring pretentious assholes he doesn’t even know?

“I mean it, by the way. You deserve that gold more than anyone else I know”.

“C’mon, say it” you chuckle “I know you noticed”.

He mirrors your smile, pleased that the familiarity strengthened by years of friendship is still here.

“Barely catched that ribbon in the end, could’ve made that front walkover less stiff. Good job overall, though”.

Atsumu wants to punch him in the goddamn face, especially as you laugh once more.

“How come he’s so familiar with gymnastics?” he asks instead.

“Rin used to come watch my training sessions back in high school, although it’s insane to me that he still remembers!”.

“She never missed any of my trainings either” Rin smirks once more, gaze locked to the man in front of him.

“Speaking of!” you lightly smack his arm “when are you guys playing?”.

“Tomorrow. I can arrange special seats if you want”.

“Oh, I’d love to come! We should totally go, ‘Tsumu!”.

“Yeah, totally” Atsumu forces another smile onto his lips.

That night, as you’re cuddled against his chest on that infuriatingly uncomfortable cardboard bed, he believes it’s of the utmost importance to share the picture of you with an adorable smile and the medal around your neck as you stand proudly on that podium, followed by the two of you kissing right after your win.

miyatsumu the most hardworking person I know. my golden girl, now an olympic champion ❤️🥇

He thinks it’s a good caption and, as you softly snore in the quiet of the dark room, Atsumu also believes he’s in a mood good enough to decide not to block Shoyo on the spot after receiving his stupidly enthusiastic text about befriending some super nice dude on the national soccer team.

Whoever the hell Isagi Yoichi is anyway.

[sturn-saturn]

The Vegas Affair

pairing: matt x fem!reader

warnings: drinking, dry humping, that’s it i think???

a/n: in honor of the triplets turning 21 me and @flouvela collabed on this little fic. be nice pls and happy reading!!

WORD COUNT: 1,803

people always say, "what happens in vegas, stays in vegas."

and boy, were they right.

the whole crew was here. me, sam, colby, tara, jake, johnnie, larray, nick, matt, and chris. we're all here in vegas to celebrate the triplets' 21st birthday. they originally weren't going to do anything, but you only turn 21 once, right?

we all got settled into our hotel, and i'm rooming with matt on this trip; while getting ready for the night, he got a call from the front desk saying the party bus was here to pick us up.

matt and i go out into the hall, knock on our friends' doors, and run to the elevator, telling them the bus is here. i'm super excited because i've never been to parties like this.

we finally pile onto the party bus as the music fills our ears. matt pulls out his digital camera, a relic in the age of smartphones. he's determined to capture every wild moment that happens tonight.

though their career is based on social media, and they put out videos every week, matt wanted to vlog something for him and his brothers to remember: a night with the people he loves.

larray pops the champagne, which catches us all by surprise. "alright bitches! it's time we take over vegas!" we all cheer and hold our glasses out for him to fill.

jake, being jake, gets up and messes with the stripper pole, with johnnie smacking his ass to hype him up while we let out a laugh.

tara and i were in charge of documenting the night for the three boys, taking turns to capture the moments they may want to look back on.

the bus suddenly stopped, signaling our arrival at the nightclub.

this nightclub felt like walking into another world. the strobes of light switching from side to side, the music blasting in our ears, the colorful, sparkly outfits the party girls are wearing, and so much more.

the crew and i stood still to take it all in, and we looked at each other. "i don't know about y'all, but i'm gonna get fucked up!" larray yells, pushing past us as he gets a hold of nick's hand.

after four rounds of shots, we are all completely drunk. i take a hold of matt's camera and turn it around to capture this moment.

"how you feeling party boy?!" i yell over the music.

"i f-feel fine." he yells back, stuttering. "holy fuck. y/n... AM I DRUNK?!"

"you absolutely are," i laugh at him.

he reaches into the pocket of his pants and pulls out his shades that he had on earlier in the day. he puts them on and smiles at the camera, crossing his arms.

"WOAHH LOOK AT MR. COOL GUY OVER HERE!" chris yells as i point the camera at him.

i'm not sure what it is; it may be the alcohol rushing through my body, or maybe the crush i've had on matt for years, but the tattoos that cover his arms, the all-black outfit he has on, and the shades resting on the bridge of his nose are making me feel the things i've been trying to ignore for so long.

"you look so hot," i mumble.

"what was that?" matt asks, as he stands up, hovering over my small frame.

"o-oh, i just said it's so hot in here," i let out an awkward giggle.

"wanna get some air?" he asks, tilting his head to the side.

"no, no, it's okay. i'll be fine," i say, smiling up at him.

matt and i catch up with the rest of our friends, and we have the time of our lives. at that moment, all i can think about is how grateful i am to have found such amazing people.

we returned to the hotel and hugged each other goodnight, heading to our rooms. i place matt's digital camera on the desk as matt and i flopped on our shared bed. i grabbed my head as i winced from the pain from hitting my head on the pillow.

"holy fuck, i feel like my head is about to explode," he slurs.

"i know exactly how you feel right now," i replied, eyes shut.

"hey, y/n," matt calls out. i looked at him, "hey, matt," i replied, copying the tone of his voice.

"you looked really pretty tonight," he says, looking at me.

my cheeks flush into a rosy pink as our eyes meet, my heart beating faster than ever.

"you just looked so carefree and so beautiful. i love seeing you have fun and just be you," he whispers, his hand reaching out to tuck my stray hairs away from my face.

"matty, are you confessing to me right now?" i joke, to cover up how nervous i am at that moment.

"maybe i am," his eyes, holding an intense gaze.

"you're drunk, you fool," i say, averting my gaze away from him.

"so are you, y/n." matt looks deep into my eyes and smashes his lips against mine. my mind took a second to realize what was happening before i kissed back.

he hovers over me as i hook my ankles around his waist, flipping him over. i straddle him, rocking my hips swiftly against his clothed cock, the friction of his jeans sending me to the edge.

he grabs my hips, rutting his cock against my pussy. i let out a choked moan, "feels so good." matt licks a stripe on my neck and i feel him smirk, "does it?" he repeats the same action, filling the room with sounds of heavy breathing and me chanting matt's name like it's a mantra.

unbeknownst to us, the digital camera is still filming and caught every sound we made.

"mine," matt whispers in my ear. the word echoing then the world turns black.

i wake up to the sun shining through the blinds of the hotel room. my head was pounding from all the alcohol i consumed last night. i turn over to see matt's side of the bed empty. i get up from my spot and walk to the bathroom.

"oh good, you're awake," matt says, as he spits the toothpaste in his mouth into the sink. "breakfast ends in an hour, so we should head downstairs soon."

i nod, feeling a little off. matt picked up on it and asked, "y/n, what's wrong? did you sleep alright?"

"i don't know but something feels... off? i don't know how to explain it," i replied, scratching my head as i sit on the bathroom counter, waiting for matt to finish his morning routine.

"maybe, you just need some food in you, sweetheart," he says, smiling softly.

"yeah, maybe," i reply, returning his smile.

after breakfast, matt and i decided to go to nick and chris' room with the digital camera to transfer the footage into nick's laptop. though they aren't uploading it we want to see the affairs from last night on a bigger screen.

"alright, this should transfer onto my laptop in like five minutes," nick claps his hands together.

once the footage is transferred, nick presses play, and we all sit on the couch of the hotel room with our eyes glued to the screen.

there she was, tara with a mic in her hands drunkenly singing the 90's song, "always be my baby" by mariah carey. we all laugh when nick picks up a mic and joins her.

the second clip is larray on the sidewalk, teaching sam and colby "his cool dance moves," as he liked to call them.

following clip was matt and i, attempting a makeshift dance routine and engaging in a heartfelt conversation about our friendship and the future.

"oh my god," matt groaned, burying his face in his hands as we all laughed.

"awh, matty, i'm glad you're my best friend too," i tease him, rubbing his back.

the next clip was matt with his shades on again and attempting to do some michael jackson moves with his leather jacket on.

"ok, guys, enough. this is so embarrassing," he says, laughing.

"wait, there's one more clip," chris says, pointing to the laptop.

we all shift our direction to the screen.

"wait, turn it up," nick says.

all our faces drop in unison as our ears are filled with moans and groans that obviously belong to matt and me.

"no, no, no, no," i say, getting up and running out of the hotel room.

i run to our room and locked myself in the bathroom, crying because of the embarrassment i felt.

i suddenly hear a knock on the door. "y/n... it's me, matt. can i come in?"

i unlock the door to let him in and he closes it behind him.

"y/n. what do you feel right now? hm?" he asks, crouching in front of me on the floor.

"i don't know. I feel embarrassed that your brothers saw that, and I didn't know the camera was still on. i'm so sorry, matt," i rambled as i sob into my hands.

"hey, look at me," he says, lifting my chin with his finger and wiping my tears away.

"you have nothing to be sorry for sweetheart. your feelings are valid. is there anything i can do to make you feel better?"

"i don't know. it's just.. i-i've liked you for so long, and maybe last night was a mistake, maybe it wasn't. if you want to forget about it, i can do that. i can act like it never happened."

"hey, hey, hey y/n. i enjoyed last night. i just want to make sure you're alright. the camera being on was just a mistake, i'm not upset about that, alright? and i've liked you for a while too, you know," he smiles at me, trying his best to comfort me.

we sit on the bathroom floor for a bit before we hear nick and chris on the other side of the door asking if they can come in as well.

matt unlocks the door to the bathroom and the other two walk in.

"are you okay, y/n?" nick asks.

"yeah, just a little embarrassed, i guess," i say looking down.

"well, you know what they say 'what happens in vegas, stays in vegas'" chris says, a smug smile on his face.

"oh, fuck off!" me, nick, and matt yell, looking at chris and we all burst out into laughter.

one thing i'll forever be grateful for is having these three boys in my life. we made a silent vow to cherish the everlasting memories we made last night with our favorite people.

well, i guess vegas have brought us all closer in more ways than one, if you know what i mean.

[miniseokminnies]

waste a moment —- w.jh

❅ pairing: wen junhui x gn!reader ❅ theme: fluff, strangers to lovers ❅ w/c: 5k ❅ warnings: mentions of food, stressful work environment, mentions of death (not plot relevant) ❅ a/n: written as part of the Winter with You collab put on by @camandemstudios - make sure to check out the full collab masterlist here!! every writer involved is so extremely talented! send over some love! shout out to @tusswrites and @haologram for keeping me sane and beta reading! ❅ tags: @ylangelegy, @gyubakeries, @seungkw1, @myhimbomingi, @crab-ranjun, @heechwe

The only sound you can hear is your own steps on the pavement as you run to your bus stop, you are late,  so late.  You knew the ninth time hitting snooze this morning was too many, but of course, you did it anyway.  The weather outside is slowly getting colder and gloomier as the world prepares for autumn to come, so what could a few more moments in your warm bed hurt? 

As it turns out, your feet, the concrete was unforgiving and your flat-soled shoes provided little cushioning.  Pushing the last few blocks to your stop your lungs were starting to burn, running was not typically something you took joy in.  Rounding the corner, something felt out of place.  

The early morning haze was interrupted by the glow of a neon “open” sign affixed to the window of the only permanent building near the bus stop shelter.  This building never stood out to you, it was always quiet and dark when you got on and off the bus.  Every morning and every evening, without fail whoever owned the building got there after you and left before you.  The smell of spices wafted out of the door and almost made you stop before you realized this all meant that you were even later than you thought you were.  The bus you usually take was long gone by now and you didn’t even know the schedule well enough to know when the next one would arrive.  

Sighing, you accepted your fate and moved toward the shelter and squatted in front of where the stray cats always play.  A small orange kitten was playing with the weeds growing out from the cracks in the sidewalk.  You reached out to pet him, and as soon as his attention settled on you, he flopped to the side and tried to playfully bite your fingers as you wiggled them. 

You heard the bus approach the kitten trotted away toward the restaurant.  Once settled in your seat on the bus you check your watch, 7:45 am and still another 15 minute bus ride to work.  You sigh and prepare yourself for the reprimand you will surely get once you arrive.      

“You’re late.”

“I know, I’m so sorry, Ms. Lee,” you bowed your head apologetically, “I missed the first bus…I had to wait for the next one.”  Ms. Lee, the head nurse of your unit, swiveled around in her chair.  

“Well, you could have called,” she gestured to the phone at the nurse’s station, “Eunbi had to stay after her night shift to cover for you.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“Just don’t let it happen again,” she stood up from her chair, “Get changed,” she began to walk away and turned back to you briefly, “Oh, and Y/N?” You nodded, “I’m sure you won’t mind staying late tonight to even out the shifts for Eunbi, hm?” 

“Of course not,” you muttered, a certain dread settled in your stomach as you walked to the nurse’s changing room.  By staying late tonight you will run into the same problem you had this morning.  You don’t know the next bus after your usual one.  You shuffled into the room and caught sight of Eunbi slipping into her coat.  

“Good morning, Y/N!” She smiled at you.  

“Eunbi, I’m so sorry for making you stay late!” You slumped against your locker, “it was a total accident I missed my bus and-”

“Woah!” She laughed and reached out to smooth her hands over your arms.  “It’s totally okay, it happens, you’ve covered for me before.”  

“It’s just that…Ms. Lee,” you started.

“She’s a crotchety old bat,” she rolled her eyes.  “We all think so, no one else here is mad at you.”

“Thank you,” you let go of a breath you didn’t know you were holding in, “but I’m still covering the first 45 minutes of your shift tonight, don’t try to tell me no.”   

“Alright, alright, see you at shift change.” She smiled and squeezed your arms before leaving you alone in the quiet room.   After changing as quickly as possible you made your way back to the nurse’s station to catch up on what you missed.  

“Mr. Kang in 304 has been looking for you all morning,” Ms. Lee informed you as she pushed his file into your hand, “he will only take his medication from you if you could help him right away.” 

Your knock on the door of room 304 echoed down the hallway.  It was still early so the quiet of a hospital before a day begins was generally still intact.  You pushed through the door to see Mr. Kang propped up on his pillows, smiling at you.  

Mr. Kang has been in your care since you started at this hospital a few months ago.  You work in the long term care unit, so it isn’t uncommon for patients to form attachments to nurses here.  He was an old man, probably old enough to be your grandpa, who became a widower years ago.  A week or so before you started here he had a terrible fall at home, breaking his hip.  

“Good morning Mr. Kang!” You mustered a smile.

“Good morning, Y/N.” He smiled softly and attempted to sit up straighter.  You moved to his side quickly to help him with the pillows.  

“So,” you sat in the chair near his bed when he was settled, “I hear you aren’t taking your pills from  Ms. Lee or Eunbi?”

“Is that what Ms. Lee said?” He chuckled, “it’s not that I won't, it's just that I’m used to it being you in the morning, and when it’s not, I have trouble.”  

“Be that as it may, you still need your medication, Mr. Kang.” You informed him before moving to retrieve the medication.

“It’s a bit late now,” he started, you sighed thinking he was going to try and get out of taking the medication, “but could you take me to the big windows to watch the rest of the sunrise?” 

“Tell you what,” you begin to divide the pills into small cups, “take your pills, no complaints, and I’ll take you.” Mr. Kang eagerly agreed.  You helped him into his wheelchair and the two of you made the short trek to the back of the wing where the big windows were.  

Mr. Kang told you about how he and his wife used to watch the sunset every Saturday morning while they ate breakfast together.  These mornings were the highlight of his week, he was so happy to just have moments with his wife where time didn’t matter, just the two of them.  Every time he tells you this story, or something similar about his wife, you are struck with the fact that you never have the time to do anything like this. Since graduating nursing school your life has been scheduled out to the minute.  This morning at the bus stop was the first time in months that you felt the urge to go against that schedule.    

“It’s going to snow soon,” Mr. Kang pulled you out of your thoughts. He pointed a crooked finger at the dark clouds overhead.  “Be careful going home tonight, I remember how unreliable those buses can be.”   

The cold winter air stung your cheeks and whipped your hair.  Mr. Kang was right, it would snow today, the day you had to stay late and miss your bus.  Because of the weather the buses weren’t running on schedule, you waited for almost an hour at the bus stop and no one ever came.  You had to walk home.  

The snow swirled around you and made it difficult to see, you knew that you were almost home, or at least, it felt that way.  You were soaked and freezing to the bone, you’d be lucky if you woke up with just a cold tomorrow.  Just as the shelter of your bus stop was starting to materialize through the snow you felt your foot catch the curb in front of you. You attempted to catch yourself but there was no use, you were falling. When you open your eyes to assess the situation you realize you fell into an alleyway and were lying on the ground staring up at a few trash cans.     

Just as you decided that maybe you should just lay here and die, you hear the door of the building to your left open.  A man is yelling in a language you don’t understand, is he yelling at you? Before you had any time to think about that you felt a hand on the back of your coat, pulling you up off the ground.  

“Oh,” the man blinked down at you, “it’s you.” With that he pulled you inside.  He placed you in a corner near the front door.  “Stay there.” He instructed you and held his hands out as if he was taming a wild animal.  He backed away from you slowly for several steps then turned on his heel and ran into a back room.  You heard him rifling through things for several minutes.  

Beyond that the only sounds in the small room were the dripping of melted snow off your coat and on to the floor.  You took in your surroundings, slowly dethawing.  The room was actually a small restaurant, with tables crammed into the small space. The room the man disappeared into was near the kitchen, judging by the location of the window behind the counter.  

“You must be freezing,” he emerged from the room with a stack of clothes, “why didn’t you take the bus in this weather?” He was scolding you like you were best friends for years.  

“I’m sorry? Do we know each other?” 

“No, not really,” he blinked at you.  

“Then…” you searched his face.  

“You get on the bus when I get off,” he stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, “and in the evenings, you get off the bus when I get on.”  He held the clothes out to you again, as if to remind you why you’re in his restaurant.  “You’re dripping on my floor.” He mumbled.  

“Oh!” You gasped and began searching for a place to hang your coat. He placed the stack of clothes on a nearby table and helped you out of your coat.  

“Take them,” he gestured to the clothes with his elbow, “the bathroom is back near the kitchen, change and warm up.” You nodded at the strange man’s kindness and headed to the bathroom to change.  

You peeled your wet clothes away from your skin, grateful to be rid of them.  In the kitchen you heard pots and pans clanging and soon there was a spicy aroma engulfing the entire building.  Once you were ready you walked back into the main dining area.  The clothes he lent you were far too big for you, the sweatpants were dragging on the floor and you felt like you were swimming in the oversized hoodie, but you were thankful to be warm.  

“Have a seat anywhere!” He called through the window from the kitchen, “it’s almost ready!” You had no idea what he was making or why but you would be thankful for a warm meal after the day you had.  The chair scraped across the floor of the otherwise quiet restaurant.  Now that you could feel your toes you took another look around the space.  The neon sign that you remembered from this morning was turned off, and the windows had their blinds closed.  It was like the entire building was shut off from the outside world.  Seeing it this way from inside was strange, as it usually was buttoned up like this when you saw it waiting for the bus.  Which would make sense, you realized, if what he said was true, that you were on the opposite side of the bus schedule on a normal day.  

“I made soup,” he emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray with two bowls.  He sat the tray on the table in front of you and contemplated sitting down for a few seconds too long for someone who made two bowls, clearly for the both of you.  Finally, he plopped into the chair across from you and passed you a spoon. He moved one of the bowls from the tray so it was in front of him.  You watched as he took a large spoonful, blew on it lightly, and popped it into his mouth.  His eyes closed and he was obviously proud of the dish.  

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and he stared at you.  “Do you like spice?” he asked around the soup in his mouth, sounding muffled and panicked.  You couldn’t help it, you burst out laughing.  His eyes grew wider than you had seen them all night and he swallowed his mouthful.  

“I’m so sorry,” you tried to control the giggling, “yes I’m fine with spice.  Is this spicy?” 

“Oh, yes,” he nodded enthusiastically, “it’s called Hulatang which literally means peppery and spicy soup.  It’ll clear your sinuses.”

“You didn’t poison it, right?” 

“What?” He looked at you bewildered.

“Well, you picked me up out of the trash,” you bring your spoon to your lips, “and I don’t even know your name.” You put the spoon in your mouth.  The flavor blossoms on your tongue.  

“Junhui” 

“Okay, Junhui.” You nod, “can I have a glass of water?”  He scrambled behind the counter to find a glass.  He returned quickly.  

“Is it too much?” He asked, sitting back down, “I handle spice well, so I can’t tell.”   

“No, no,” you sipped your water, “it’s good, so good.” He smiled and went back to his meal.  The two of you ate in silence until the bowls were empty and you felt warm from the spicy broth.  

“I thought you were a raccoon earlier.” He blurted out of the blue as he was clearing the dishes from the table. “The raccoons always get in my trash, I was surprised they would be out in this weather though.” He continued, “I do worry about the cats though…” 

“First snow of the year, and it’s brutal,” you agreed, “wait, you’re the one who feeds the cats!” You exclaim over the sound of the water turning on.  You follow him back to the kitchen so you wouldn’t have to yell.  

“Yeah?” He doesn’t look up from his task, “if I didn’t, who would?” He moved the pot he used to make the soup into the sink.  You smiled to yourself, remembering the kitten you played with this morning.  

“How long have you been feeding them?” You asked, helping him move glasses from the side into the sink.  He smiled at you.  

“Since I started renting this building,” he thought for a moment, “Almost three years ago.” 

“That long?” You gasped, “I’ve only been living in my apartment near here for a few months.  I just graduated nursing school and I got a job at the hospital.” 

“Oh I live near there,” he nodded, knowing exactly where you were talking about, “we live near each other’s work places.” He pointed out.  

“Suppose we do,” you smiled.  

“What’s your name?” He asked, turning off the sink.  

“Oh my God,” you blushed realizing you never told him, “Y/N.” 

“Y/N.” He repeated softly as if tasting the new information on his tongue.     

It has been four days since you met Junhui at his restaurant.  You made sure to look for him while getting on and off the bus.  He always smiled at you, no time to talk so smiles do just fine.  You never did get the chance to ask him why he was still out that night.  

You rolled over in bed and checked your phone.  It was 10:40 am on your day off and you couldn’t stop thinking about the man who runs the restaurant down the street.  It would be lunch time soon, maybe you could convince yourself to make the short trip over.  To eat, certainly not to see him again.  

Without a second thought you were out of bed and fixing your hair in the mirror.  Once satisfied with how you looked, you threw on your coat and went out the door.  The walk to your bus stop is short and relatively easy.  The weather today was much nicer than the last time you found yourself inside Junhui’s restaurant.  

The bell above the door twinkled at your entrance.  You shifted awkwardly at the entrance of the building as the only other patron shot you curious glances.  

“One moment!” You heard Junhui call from the kitchen.  Soon, he appeared from the kitchen holding a tray similar to the one he brought your soup on a few days prior. He stumbled and almost dropped the tray when he saw you in the doorway. The other man in the room laughed and said something teasingly in a language you didn’t understand. Junhui glared at the man and then glanced back at you.  “Y/N, do you speak Mandarin?”  As soon as you confirmed that, no you do not, Junhui was uttering what you could only assume were curses at the other man.  He set the plates of food on the table. “You can have a seat wherever you like, I’ll be right with you!” He smiled at you.  

You selected a table near the kitchen, the other man was at a table near the only window in the building.  The two of them continued to bicker in Mandarin for a few minutes.  You smiled to yourself, Junhui seemed close with him.  Eventually, he broke away, and made his way to your table.  

“Hi,” you smiled at him.  

“Hi,” his lips broke into a small smile, “I’m sorry about him, he’s my best friend, we’ve known each other for ages.” 

“No worries,” you assured him.  

“What can I get you?” He bounced awkwardly on the balls of his feet.  He looked less tired today, his eyes were bright and his dark hair was tucked up into a beanie.  You eyed the menu he still had tucked under his arm.  “Oh!” He scrambled to grab it and all but threw it down on the table in front of you. 

“Any recommendations?” You asked, scanning the menu full of dishes. He took a deep breath and sat down across from you.  He started in on an explanation of the menu.  You struggled to listen to everything he had to say because you were busy admiring him.  He was so passionate about his recipes and the food he got to make. 

“This one is my grandma’s recipe,” he pointed to an item on the menu and looked up at you with expectant eyes. “It’s ground pork and egg basically.” 

“Oh yes, that sounds lovely,” you smile at him.  “Tell me how to pronounce it so I can ask for it by name next time.”

“Xiándàn zhēng ròubǐng,” he collects the menu and practically skips back to the kitchen with the promise of you coming back again.  You watched him go until he disappeared then you pulled out your phone to pass the time.  

“I’m Minghao by the way,” you looked up to see Junhui’s friend standing in front of you.  “I’ve heard a lot about you, I hope you keep coming around to keep him company.” He smiled at you before shouting Junhui’s name and telling him something in Mandarin.  Junhui responded from the back and with that Minghao knocked twice on your table and turned to leave.

About ten minutes later, Junhui reemerged to clear Minghao’s table. He began clearing it of the dishes left behind.  

“Did he bother you?” He asked as he passed your table with dishes stacked in his hands.  

“Oh, no!” You assured him, “he just introduced himself.” You conveniently omitted the part about Minghao letting you know that Junhui had been talking about you.  

“Oh, good,” he nodded, “your meal should be ready in about ten minutes, I’ll be back then.”      

As promised he returned with the food you ordered and a glass of water.  He set the food on the table and sat in the chair across from you.  “Taste,” he told you, he could hardly contain the giddiness he felt.  It was bubbling in his chest and he bounced his knee under the table to expel some of the extra energy he felt.  

“Have you eaten?” You asked, picking up your spoon.  

“Hm?” He blinked, “oh, no, not yet.” 

“Get a spoon,” you pointed toward the counter, “we’ll share.” He smiled widely at you and quickly retrieved a spoon.  The two of you split the meal, getting to know each other as you ate.  You told him all about your job at the hospital and your trouble with Ms. Lee.  Junhui made a disapproving noise when you told him about what happened on the day you showed up in his trash. 

“She sounds horrible,” he mumbled around a mouthful of rice.  

“She is!” You threw your hands up, “we all think so, even Eunbi, who is the nicest person there.” 

In turn Junhui told you about how he ended up owning a restaurant at a bus stop thousands of miles from where he was raised.  He was feeling stuck in the monotony of his job, which he found extremely boring, in China.  So he set out to find something new and he ended up here. He tried finding a job but ultimately decided to open up this restaurant which is like a tiny slice of home for him.

The bell above the door rang out, ultimately stopping your conversation.  Junhui looked up at the customer now standing in his restaurant.  He shot you an apologetic look, to which you shook your head and shooed him away so he could take care of the woman.  

He greeted her as you began to stack the dishes up for him.  You gave a small wave as he was getting her seated.  He glanced at you and held up a finger, as if to ask you to hold on for a moment.  After the woman is settled in he jogs back to the room near the kitchen and comes back with his phone clutched in his hand.  

“Not to be weird,” he smiled sheepishly, “but could I maybe get your number? I’d like to continue talking to you.”           

Over the last week Junhui texted you a few times, mostly to send pictures of the cats.  Every so often the two of you would update each other on how things are going.  On one occasion Junhui requested you come retrieve leftovers from him on your day off so you had lunch for the following day.

You placed said leftovers in the microwave of the staff lounge, you felt your phone buzz in the pocket of your scrubs as you set the time.  You were taking lunch later than usual today so you figured it was Junhui checking in on how the food reheated after he finished up the lunch rush.  The screen lit up with text messages and notifications as you pulled it out.  

Junhui: today sux 

Junhui: this guy just came in DURING A RUSH and screamed at me that there wasn’t a table

Junhui: i hope the congee tasted okay reheated 

Junhui: can’t talk more. people are the worst!! 😾

The microwave beeps, making you jump.  You opened the door and sighed, you knew that there were bound to be days where things got to be too much for him.  You were no stranger to bad days, even when you’re passionate about what you were doing.  It was one of those days when you met Junhui, you knew how he felt.

As soon as your shift was over you were flying out the door.  You wanted to make it to the convenience store on the corner before your bus came.  Your left shoe felt like it was coming untied but you didn’t stop to check, no time.  Filling your arms with jelly snacks, ramen, and a few drinks you made your way to the checkout.  

You made it to the bus stop with your haul as the bus was arriving.  Letting out a sigh of relief you paid your fare and found a spot to sit.   Feeling a buzz in your pocket you pull out your phone once more. 

Junhui: if i see another person today i might lose it 

Junhui: [Attachment: 1 Image]

You smiled at the picture, it was taken from the window of Junhui’s restaurant.  The neon sign is shut off and the blinds are drawn already.  Perfect, this meant that he was more than likely waiting for the bus already.  You could just grab him and drag him back inside.

Junhui was not at the bus stop.  You walk to the front door and turn the knob, it was unlocked.  His forehead was resting on the counter, he looked silly hunched over it like that.  He let out an annoyed groan hearing the bell above the door.  

“I’m closed,” he mumbled against the counter.  When he didn’t hear you leave he snapped his head up, “I said I–oh, hi.” His tone softened immediately when he saw you standing there with a plastic sack held out in front of you.  

“Hi,” you hazarded a few steps toward him, “is it safe? Or are you gonna bite my head off?” 

“I’m sorry,” he chuckled airily, “it has been…a day.” 

“I know,” you nodded, “I come bearing gifts.” You hold up the sack again, as a peace offering.  He held out his hands, looking slightly childlike.        

“Show me the haul.” The two of you go through the small store bought feast in the bag.  Once he saw the cup ramen at the bottom he trotted to the kitchen to put some water on the stove to boil.  

You set aside two sets of chopsticks as Junhui plopped the noodles into the pot.  He told you all about the people he saw today and about while he was grateful for the business some people could just be so draining.  You agreed, you loved your job but some patients were just too much to handle at times.

You watched as he tore open the flavoring packets with his teeth.  He sprinkled it over the noodles in the pot, but you were still fixated on his full lips.  You know that Junhui is handsome, it’s hard to miss.  But should you have been staring so intently? Probably not, right?  

That was what you thought until he turned and held your gaze for several moments.  He seemed to be just as frozen as you were, his eyes flicked to your lips and for a second you swore he was going to kiss you.  

“Ramen’s done,” he said, barely above a whisper.   

The day had been uneventful.  Your job was monotonous and boring, and to make matters worse you hadn’t heard from Junhui in several days.  You still saw him smiling at you from the bus stop but he seemed like he had been avoiding having a real conversation with you since that day you thought he might kiss you.  

You watched the city speed by out the window of the bus and wondered if you had done something wrong.  Did you read him wrong? Maybe he didn’t like you at all, you’re just some weird person that showed up in his trash one day.  That day wasn’t all that different from today, it was snowing again.  You were surprised that there was this much time between the first and second snow this year.  

Your fingers wrapped around the cord as you alerted the driver that your stop was up next.  You gathered your things and prepared for the cold walk from your stop to your apartment.  Junhui was standing in front of the bus stop shelter, you knew it was him by his height and the way he shrank into himself to look at his phone.  The blue light caught his features in a way that made him look almost dreamlike.  The brakes on the bus squealed to a stop, making him look up from his phone.   

You expected him to brush you off with a smile, just as he had every day for the last week.  However, he just stood there, waiting, until the moment your feet hit the ground in front of him.  

“Happy second snow!” He beamed at you.  You smiled up at him, just happy that he was talking to you.  “I’m sorry about the other day.” 

“For what?” The bus stop was clearing out quickly, no one was worried about whatever reconciliation was happening between the two of you.  

“I didn’t kiss you when I should have.” He stated plainly as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He moved closer to you and cupped your cold cheeks in his warm hands.  Soon his mouth was on yours and you felt so warm that it could easily have been summer.  He somehow made all of the ice melt away and it was just the two of you in the world for this moment.  You wrapped your arms around his waist in an effort to bring him closer.  

He broke away from you and searched your face, “Date me?” He breathed.  

“Date you?” You whispered, your breath turning into fog that he breathed in as he connected your lips to his once again.  This kiss was more urgent, like he was trying to convince you to say yes.  

“Yes, me.” He mumbled against your mouth, “please?” 

“Like right now?” You reach up to kiss him again.  He hummed into your kiss.  

“Like right now, tomorrow, for the rest of your life if you’ll have me,” he swept his tongue across your bottom lip, which made you shiver.  You accept his tongue into your mouth for only a second before he breaks away again.  “Was that too forward? I just really like you.” 

“No, it was cute.”  You assure him.  A blush crept across his cheeks, already pink from the cold. 

“Cool,” he grinned, “So?” 

“Oh sure,” you rolled your eyes, “but could we maybe date inside, I’m getting cold.” He grabbed your hand and tangled his fingers with yours.  He began to drag you back toward the restaurant where this all started.  

 “Yeah, come on,” he looked back at you, “I made soup.”

[manchesterau]

helloooo for the fic prompts thing… cat and bear halloween 2009? pls (no pressure) 🐱🐻

thank you anon! i love this prompt!

send fic prompts to keep phan high on the fandometrics pls

quick little halloween gathering fic under the cut 🐱🐻 ! hope you enjoy!

“Do you think I look silly?”

Phil stops in his tracks, turning to give Dan a once over.

If Phil were a little braver he’d say he thought Dan looked hot. The ears, haphazardly done eyeliner, and poorly drawn bear features would have anyone cooing over Dan. It made Phil want to kiss him until he couldn’t breathe, and even though their relationship was way passed the point of just being friendly he still finds himself hesitating when it comes to Dan.

So Phil settles on, “Uh, I think you look adorable.” And tries to stop his heart from beating out of his chest.

Dan rolls his eyes and continues walking. “I’m not trying to look adorable,” he says. “I’m a bear not a bunny.”

Phil runs to catch up with him, it’s night and they’re walking around London without a care in the world. They’re supposed to be meeting up with some friends for the Halloween gathering but Dan wanted to make a quick detour and get some coffee to warm them up.

“Well I think bears are adorable.” Phil mutters, his face is heating up and he hopes with the chill in the air he can blame it on being cold.

Dan bumps their shoulders together, his fuzzy covered hand briefly makes its way into Phil’s, squeezing lightly, and it’s so sudden he can barely react before it’s gone again.

If Phil were as brave as he thought he was he’d reach out and hold Dan’s hand again. Maybe if he were back home in Manchester he’d have kissed him already, but they’re not in Manchester they’re in London. Phil’s only been a hand full of times and while the city is so big and he knows no one is paying them any mind be can’t bring himself to do it. To bridge the gap and make a move, to qualm his beating heart.

He can tell he’s been quiet for too long because Dan taps him on the shoulder.

“You alright?” he asks. He’s giving Phil a look as if he’s scared he’s just done the wrong thing.

Phil quickly shakes his head and smiles. He is happy tonight, his best friend is with him and he’s out in London without his parents or his brother watching over him. Most importantly it’s Halloween, his favorite holiday. Tonight will be a good night, he just knows it will.

“I’m alright,” he says, just as they round the corner and see two zombies and a witch run up to a person dressed as Scooby Doo. Just down the road a bit, near a small fountain are growing groups of people and judging by the volume of the crowd that starts to steadily grow by the second, he can tell they’ve made it to the gathering.

His nerves start to dissipate when he spots a couple of mates. He grabs Dan’s arm and pulls him along.

“I see Aaron and Yaz.” Phil says, he hopes Dan can hear him over the loudness of everyone. They reach them and quickly say their hellos, a couple of people stop to chat with them. Video cameras have been pulled out, and Phil briefly wonders if he should have brought his to capture the night but he’s glad he gets to live in the moment instead.

Dan is chatting with someone dressed as a lady bug and Phil has somehow gotten someone to give him a plastic sword to wave around. The night has just started but he can tell it’s going to be a good one.

Somewhere in between chatting with a pirate about collabing on a Youtube video and trying not to lose Dan in the thick crowd, someone proposes they catch the tube to go get some good and walk around the shops.

Phil spins around to try and talk to Dan about the change in plans and finds that he’s already beside Phil, smiling at him.

“Are you hungry?” He yells, crowding in closer so that they can hear each other. Phil is well aware of the cameras lurking around but he can’t seem to care because Dan is looking at him with a twinkle in his eyes from the lights hung around and he’s so beautiful. Phil wishes they could have a moment alone so he can kiss this boy breathless.

Dan shrugs, “Yeah.”

They say goodbye to his mates and walk with a slightly smaller group of people to the nearest station.

Their shoulders bump as they walk, as close as they can be around a group of people they barely know.

“Are you having a good time?” Phil asks, just as someone walks by videoing the group as they walk.

Dan makes a small noise, “Yeah, I guess I didn’t expect it to be so many people.”

Phil nods, “It is a lot. Hopefully we can make it on the tube.”

They begin the decent down, going down the stairs in a crowd of people trying to go down and others just trying to leave is a bit of a hassle but soon they’re swiping their cards and making their way into the station.

It’s congested and a bit confusing, Phil almost trips over someone and their spider costume when he feels a hand on his back. He looks over at Dan who’s looking ahead and guiding them onto the proper tube with the group. Soon the hand on his back turns into an arm around his waist and Phil can’t help but lean back into it.

They’re standing together, holding onto the railing and Dan still has his hand around Phil’s waist. No one is paying them any attention and it’s too crowded for anyone to really see or care.

“Is this alright?” Dan asks quietly in his ear.

Phil can feel himself blushing, and judging by how red Dan is he can tell he feels the same. The butterflies he’s held in his stomach all night start to flutter and even though he’s nervous he’s also incredibly happy.

“Yeah,” he whispers back, slightly breathless and giddy with excitement. They don’t really do pda all that often if at all. They haven’t defined anything outside of promises to be in each other’s lives for as long as possible. There is something growing between them that both fills him with thrilling anticipation for what will happen next but also scares him to his core.

Growing up Phil always thought that when he was older he would be brave enough to go after the things he really wants.

He realizes he doesn’t have to be brave all the time, because sometimes Dan is brave enough for the both of them.

🐻🐱

[accio-victuuri]

July CPNs round-up ❤️💛💚

• xz as backing vocals for the song everything is lovely

• clowning about screen protectors

• both of their names together on hs for being posted by xinhua news agency

• same city in Beijing on 7/6 - there was some talk that xz’s flight out has been changed to the 12th, probably to spend more time with wyb who will leave on the 10th. which didn’t happen cause wyb left 7/8 but still got to to spend that time together. some were clowning about how his airport shirt had a crease on it & how that made it seem like it was folded like how xz does it so ya know, is it a sign? lol.

• 7/10 XZS paris vlog clowning: posting so close to yibo’s appearances and similar shots // the two bros focused in the video, paris olympics and torchbearer route.

• 7/12 XZS vlog - possibly texting wyb and little prince figures + snowy mountain ; jacques tati films bgm used

• 7/14 xzs vlog clues! more symbolism and that goose laugh

• walking in the streets of paris

• similarity between tao and yibo showing off a photo of their significant other

• continuing on with the off white with “painting” shirts that xz wears, which is already strike 3 && kind of proves the sdc 3 clowning. he wore this during his off work hours. ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

it follows the pattern 👀👀👀

• 7/15 xzs vlog clowning continues - same place different time / confirmation of the bystander lyrics connection and E142 cue

• NOT TOTALLY CPN BUT ME BEING EMOTIONAL. LOL. SEEING YIBO do that torch really in that simple outfit everyone was wearing. mostly bare faced and all eyes on him. that moment — and then you see him wearing that bome necklace makes me go somft. 🥹🥹🥹🥹 he will go to so many places and experience a lot of things but he will always have a piece of xz with him.

some are getting excited about them with silver jewelry necklace but xz’s is boucheron which he is endorsing. as much as i love jewelry cpns, i always get picky when it’s something they endorse, unless there is an additional clue. but i understand why people got 👀 when they saw that silver chain with GG. unfortunately, this is not the necklace we think it is.

another one is this “couple” / same style jacket they both wore when they went abroad. RBS already explained this and i totally agree with their stand on it. i guess what makes this cpn-y to me is the “style” it, showing how their preferences overlap in clothing. and that’s why we think they have a “shared closet”.

<< previous post

• On 7/19, the booting ceremony of XZ’s new film DeXian JinZhi, the cast was revealed and we learned that Yin Zheng is there. Yin Zheng is WYB’s very close friend, so we will definitely keep an eye out on how he will interact with XZ 😂😂😂😂 and oh, Peng Yucheng is also there! who is Bobo’s friend and someone he fake kissed HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! so many common friends!

• some minor cpns from xzs 7/20 vlog + something i forgot to add, same acne studios plain shirt. HAHAHAHAHA! twinning! 👯‍♀️

• xz vlogs appear to be countdowns 🤔🤔🤔

• BJYX related hs on them speaking goose language! HAHAHAHAHA! we shall remain relevant forever!

• what a nice magazine! our boys! side by side! and it’s like a fanfic cover for pairing wei ruolai and chunsheng!

• them posting for public welfare and in support of the olympics for CCTV ( here and here ) also with mengniu’s short film. i love seeing them supporting the same thing and hopefully they get to collab someday for a common cause 🌎 if there is any type of project they can work together, this may be it, cause fans can’t even be outwardly toxic especially if it’s a government project.

• 7/26/2024 xzs vlog candies

• 7/28 coco crush posts clowning

• 7/29 throwback video uploaded by rufeng

• 7/30 XZS vlog clowning time: dancing like wang laoshi, possible mv for bystander and wonderful world lyrics.

plus some more ⬇️⬇️⬇️

ohhhhh. a snowy mountain or is it? i mean who wouldn’t be taken by that and especially someone like xz. love how he took pictures of it and drew it too. in the post by xzs it’s in the c-position, probably cause it’s drawn by xz but also it’s photo #5/18 WYB.

p3 is also our colors! green (ish), red and yellow!

SEE YOU ALL NEXT MONTH!!!!!

<<< previous post

[serxinns]

Fins and magic~

Yandere Mermaid 1a x mage gn reader!

Glad to be in @lady-ashfade collab event I hope you enjoy!

In a world where mystical creatures like unicorns, witches, dragons other animals that people think weren't real are considered rare valuable treasures or pieces of history that need to be protected and cherished, which sounds good but it was way more darker

Since people discovered that even a picture of a creature worth over 200k dollars people started to try and hunt down the creatures and take them to labs to study which can be described as hell and torture so mystical creatures are forced to hide their powers and change their identity to look more "socially acceptable" in order not to get caught

And thats where you came in you're just a regular high school student who lives alone with their pet cat in a small cozy house by the tides and beaches the reason you live out here but you like the water and view and there are more special items that can go to your potions, you would collect seashells washed up seaweed, sea plants and more! To the point people looked at you, some called you weird and some called you an explorer which gave you the nickname sea collector you didn't really mind the name and you honestly thought it was cool!

One day while you were gathering some items on the beach this time it was some seaweed for a potion-breathing potion you heard someone whimpering and smashing around you looked around to see where the noise came from and you landed on a small Rocky Hill peaked down to see a girl with a single black ponytail with Rudy red tail crushed under some rocks squirming helplessly

You looked around to see if the coast was clear and slid down to help her when the mermaid saw you her claws came out and started hissing and growling "Hey hey I'm just here to help you I swear" You slowly went up to her trying to feel of the rock her tails crushed under and you heard her hissed turned into a whine in distress "it's ok...I'm gonna help you I swear!" You said with a reassuring smile the mermaid calmed down a bit still in pain but seemingly trusting the human

You then begin trying to lift up the rocks you manage to pry off 2 out of the 3 rocks the 3rd rock tho was budged in there deep so using your hands was useless, you then got a stick and tried wedging it between the rocks then pushing down on it trying to open the gap enough for the mermaid to finally free itself quickly crawling its way into the water safety while you cheered for her at the end of the shore

You were about to walk away when you saw something shiny and round In the water you squinted your eyes a bit realizing it was a big pinkish white peral shiny brightly in the moonlight you held it observing it looking around to where it came from and saw there you saw the mermaid again smiling at you then disappearing into the sea

It's been a couple of days since you didn't see the mermaid again but her pearl still shined brightly ever since the day it was handed to you

But Other than that, everything's been acting weird around you, like there would be small pieces of jewelry and other stuff suddenly washing up in front of you, whenever you leave your stuff at the shore like your sock, pen, marbles, etc it's suddenly gone never to be returned and you swore you put it far away from the water

Another then if you would multiple figures from, the water watching staring directly at your house for a few seconds then jumping back Into the water .... Yeah after that incident you started making sure your doors and windows were locked up shut before you sleep

....

Momo couldn't stop thinking about you, your soft h/c hair, your adorable face, your everything! She just couldn't! She would always watch you from afar behind a rock Watching as you observe a piece of an item washing up on the shore momo blushed she had never seen a cute little mage like you she just wanted you to take you down with her so you could be with her forever but reality struck knowing humans and mages can't survive I the water

Izuku was the 1st to know his friend's strange behavior Watching how she suddenly left after the pod dinner and brought a piece of the fish to the shore when he asked her one time she said she was going to feed the shark mermaids which was weird since Kirishima, is the only shark mermaids they know for now

Izuku then talked about it with Iida and I thought it was weird too so the Two boys followed Momo one day and hid behind a rock behind her, a hour has pass as they saw nothing, iida just thought that momo just wanted to watch the humans so when he was about to swim out of his hiding spot nand izuku panicked trying not to blow thier cover all 3 of them stopped when they saw the human

Iida and Izuku couldn't pay attention to what they were doing like they were under a spell, you were so beautiful in their eyes the way you giggled and had fun playing with your pet and ran out, the way your h/c hair flowed in the wind, and the way you were running around without care so free in those things you humans call legs, the 3 mermaids were all so mesmerized by the new human they have to have you heck WANT YOU

Momo turned around and saw the 2 mermaids staring at Her human she snarled at them, causing them to flinch back "Why are you staring at what's MINE" "yours?! Since when did you claimed them?" Izuku said glaring at the female iida broke the two of them up "now its not the time to fight let us go before the other humans see us" izuku and momo both stared at each and reluctantly agreed

they quickly swam back to their cove where they were met with the other mermaid tribe all suspicious and worried about their whereabouts, iida then reassured them it was nothing but Izuku interrupted him saying they saw a kind human, a magical human! everyone then gathered around the three of them asking questions about the mage, "they were so lovely their laugh their hair and everything" "perfect to be a mate.." iida murmured just imagining the possibility while momo glared at the both of them

"Noah they sound so manly"

"and cute!"

"Maybe they'll perform magic with us!"

"Do you think they'll like dead fish as a gift"

"OF COURSE NOT SCOTCH TAPE THEYLL PROB LIKE WHAT I BRING THEM"

Ever since then the mermaid fixation was all on you whenever someone mentioned your name they felt warm and fuzzy they wanted you to be their mate their little mage they would fantasize about you having a cute little mermaid tail would it be black Would it be orange would it be mult color or a great shade of f/c? Yea thatll prob suit you!

But they were all too scared to come up because the two-legged monsters were prob gonna hurt them so they came up with a plan to finally meet you! To be their mate~

you were sleeping soundly in your bedroom the only sounds you could hear were your soft snores, your cat's soft purring, and the waves accompanying your room until the pearl started to glow brightly, you glanced at the glowing pearl and grabbed it, you grumbled trying to find an off switch "Follow the music..." you jumped hearing the sudden whisper in your ear you looked around seeing who was responsible but you heard it again this time it was coming from the now glowing pearl..

"Listen to the pearl follow the music"

You were confused until you heard some music playing You know where and tried looking around to find where was this music coming from, you looked out the window and realized it was from outside but it was cold so you grabbed your slippers, a scrap your jacket, the pearl and your staff and stuffed them in your bag and looked closely out the window one last time to observe where the song was coming from you heard some singing a male singing...

You look quite divine tonight~

Here among these vibrant lights

You slowly open the door and creak the open peeping to see where was the beautiful singing from... realizing it came from the ocean you grab put on your slippers get your bag and staff and quietly go out the door observing the beautiful singing It was so addicting and alluring.

Join delight surround us as we sail~

Signed yours truly the whale~

You then heard multiple people joining in the song not just men but women too... you looked around desperately to try and find the singing voices looking around in the water then suddenly you see it no them

Joy's Mirage's kingdom come

No one left at stake

You then see about 20 mermaids in the water coming together and singing a beautiful song your eyes widen as you go closer as the mermaids all spot you the mermaids are in shock at your beauty giggling and gossiping at one another about you, you then suddenly blush in embarrassment, Momo then swam u to the shore and reached out her hand to you, you hesitated since you spotted her sharp claws but momo gently smiled signaling you they were gonna harm you, you then pulled our your arm to the mermaid and she sniffed it a bit and hugged you tightly

You blushed and were adored by her sudden action it made the other mermaids jealous so they all swam up right beside her with open arms trying to do the same which you giggled "Guys guys! I got enough hugs for everyone" You then went up to each of them and hugged them, they then started to introduced themselves with gifts along side it as a greeting

Izuku: a con shell

Iida: a chain necklace with a cotton cap

Shoto: a shiny small crystal

Tsuyu: a shiny rusty fork

Ochako:some beatiful coral

Bakugo: a Shark tooth bracelet

Denki: a worn out watch and a kiss on your handn

Mina: a pretty pink dead seastar

Sero: a dirty looking doll that look like you

Kirishima: Shiny Rock

Momo: a adorable pearl necklace

Jirou: some sea flowers!

Hakagure: a Musicbox

Ojiro:a Cup!

Sato: some Gold coins

Aoyama: a Mirror!

Koda: a torn up plushie!

You put the gifts in your bag and thanked them when you saw how the sun was going up soon you had to leave "I'm sorry guys I gotta leave soon I got to school in the morning but we'll meet each other every day!" They all whined they didn't want you to leave them so soon! Momo even gripped your hand a bit hard but you Glanced at her and smiled "I promise!" You quickly got her hand out of her grasp and quickly left waving behind her they all waved and shouted bye at you as you left their sight to their sadness

They didn't want to say bye not yet not ever! They'll find a way.. they'll do anything for you to have you by their side forever~

Dolphin divider by @anitalenia (for the cute dolphin dividers!)

[mikareo]

⌗ SNOWDROP ₊ ˖ ་. nagi seishiro x fem reader (5.4k)

⊹ ⠀⠀ it's the end of the world and he's possibly the most unprepared person alive…perhaps he can rely on the pretty girl with perfect aim who just so happened to save his life at the very last second. he’s never been in love but maybe this love could last…so long as the both of you stay alive.

contains; resident evil inspired, badass agent!reader, helpless civilian!nagi, zombie apocalypse, guns, knives, blood, gore, swearing, angst, fluffy flirting, love at first sight, major character death, reo cameo!!!!, cannibalism (zombies) author's note; this fic destroyed my sanity, but i hope u like it! there are parts that are so unserious asjkl just trust me that it's a good read and pt2 is gonna be fucking crazy

⋆⋆⋆⠀ ⠀ videogame au milestone collab masterlist !

This can’t be happening. There’s no way this is actually fucking happening right now. 

He’s sprinting at full speed, his laces are barely tied, and the smoke in the air is surely clogging his lungs into a blackened pulp of nothingness. To be quite frank, Nagi would rather have those poisoned lungs than discover whatever the hell happened to his neighbors down the hall…because damn they look like they’re in some rough shape. With their sunken eyes, flaking skin, and very obvious urge to suddenly turn to cannibalism, that’s not really his vibe…but that’s a falling telephone pole! Holy shit that’s a falling telephone pole coming straight his way in 3…2…1. JUMP!

Whew, that was a close one. Good thing he’s tall!

The shift in humanity didn’t exactly happen overnight. It was actually just twenty minutes ago when his peace was so rudely interrupted. There he was, snuggled up in his gaming chair with a fresh bag of Cool Ranch Doritos opened and ready to meet his belly, when he finally beat the last level of his new favorite game; only to discover that those screams of terror and fear…yea those weren’t coming from his PC and his living room window is now a pile of ash. Nagi doesn’t think he’s ever seen so much red and yellow in his life, all of it becoming one big blur of flames that he somehow jumped through and landed on the street below— thankfully he lives on the ground floor, otherwise his body would join his couch in a pile of broken limbs. Damn, this is all such a hassle.

No one would be able to guess what it was that caused this chaos…okay, actually it’s not too out of this world; just a commercial jet falling from the sky with a monstrous thing (??) crawling out of the window onto the streets of Tokyo, whilst an oddly green gas dilutes the air.

Yeah, not too crazy— but just crazy enough to make even Nagi Seishiro, laziest man on earth, leave the comfort of his homely apartment to find his neighborhood in complete and utter chaos. He even saw his delivery man devouring the convenience store owner that always gives him an extra bonus off his nightly midnight snack. Man, he loved that guy. That’s a sight that’ll make him shudder for years to come; assuming he can stay alive for the next however many hours and days this newfound apocalypse is going to take.

Nagi thinks it’s been nearly an hour since he started running and he didn’t even know he had this much stamina in him. Maybe he’s secretly a superhuman or another one of the monsters the city has been consumed by— or perhaps his adrenaline rush is nearly infinite since he’s never utilized it in his entire life. He’s not sure of the logistics. He failed high school biology…and chemistry…and physics. There’s a reason why he turned to gaming and shied away from college. This thrill and rush isn’t meant for him. He’s a couch potato that wants to do nothing but rot and enjoy the satisfying ding Twitch gives him whenever he receives a new sub. His generation needs instant gratification…and right now? Well, he’s in desperate need of some water. 

Hesitantly, Nagi rounds into the glass doors of the nearest and safest looking building he happens to see— which is luckily a convenience store similar to the one near his apartment. He’s more than surprised when the automatic doors open in a pinch and he’s able to enter with no difficulty. The store is somehow in little disarray, with its grocery items on the shelves in their rightful spots and few sparse bags of chips laying on the tile floor. However, what is in disarray is the pharmacy section. There are drugstore pills scattered everywhere. He can’t even tell what kind of medications were being scavenged in a clear panic for medical amenities, and highly doubts that whoever was searching for supplies was able to get any with the state the back of the store is in. The font on the labels is so small that Nagi, the man who stares at a screen all day, can’t decipher what they say; and he’s assuming that whoever was in here is long dead and gone. But then again…

…he’s never been the kind of guy who’s always right.

“I come in peace!” His voice is two octaves higher than it normally is. If this were a choir audition, he’d absolutely ace it. “I swear I just came for some water! Please don’t kill me, zombie, please!”

Both of his eyes are shut whilst he awaits his inevitable demise, assuming that the unknown presence in the room likely has an appetite for human organs. There were so many things he wanted to do with his life…like ride a hot air balloon? Actually, that would be really hot if he were that close to the sun. Surf in the Caribbean? Ew, he could get bit by a crab. Get a girlfriend? He can’t complain about that one, that would be very very nice. 

Oh no, he’s already getting eaten…he can practically hear her imaginary laughter already.

“Really? Those are your last words?”

Zombies can talk?

Nagi fearfully inches one eye open to see the most gorgeous person he thinks he’s seen in his entire life. Sure, you look a little disheveled— with your soaked hair and dirt-crusted skin— but to him, you look like something out of his imagination. The female protagonist that he could only dream about campaigning with in a first-person-shooter game, and would later search for a worthy poster to stick on his wall. If love at first sight is real, then this is definitely it. The only issue? Your barrel is pointing straight at his face.

“You’re going to shoot me?” He exclaims, scrambling to back up but ultimately tripping on his own laces and landing on his ass. “Ah shit, that hurts.”

Elegantly, you rush to his side. “You have injuries?” With eyes scanning over every inch of his body, there’s genuine concern dripping from your tongue like honey. Your voice is like a melody, oh man. Nagi thinks he’s a goner— not because he could be eaten by zombies, but because he feels like he’d jump in front of a moving bus to protect you. Pfft, and some protection he’s doing, embarrassing himself like this…

“Nope, nothing’s hurt…” he mumbles, sitting up with an attempted nonchalant look on his face. “...only my ego.”

A small smile reveals itself before him and your eyes crinkle as you let out a little laugh, and instantly he’s almost more obsessed with you. It’s as if you’re some higher being that he was blessed to see on his final day on earth, with golden rays radiating from your skin and big irises that he could drown in. Perhaps if it weren’t the end of the world, the two of you could’ve walked to this store together— holding hands and speaking softly about your shared interests and passions— and he could make you laugh a million times and more…now that he’s really thinking about it, you’re the first girl he’s made laugh probably ever and he really wishes there wasn’t a menacing zombie apocalypse getting in the way of his beautiful fantasy. 

“I’m assuming you’re alone?” You stand up, looking down at him. 

Alone as in single or…

“You don’t have any family that you escaped with?”

…okay not alone as in single. Got it.

“It’s just me,” Nagi stands to his feet and is loving your shocked reaction to his towering height. “My family’s overseas right now, so I think they’re alright. I mean, I hope they’re alright. I don’t have any service to reach them, right now. My phone is down.”

You nod, reaching in your bag for something he can’t quite see. What he can see, though, is the massive shotgun strapped to your back and three large cartridges hanging from your belt— somehow you’re able to carry all that and four grenades, two handguns, and six rolls of bandages in that pack of yours, which you lay out for him so lovingly on the floor. 

“Take what you need.” Oh hell, what has he gotten himself into?

As he backs up cautiously, realization dawns upon your face. “You’ve never done this before have you?” 

“Is living through a zombie apocalypse a common experience?” His mouth is agape. “Yeah, sorry…can’t say this isn’t the first time for me.”

A sigh slips from your lips and you gather your things, packing everything into your bag except for a standard handgun. Nagi can feel his heartbeat picking up as you take three steps closer to him. One. Two. Three. He wishes you’d chosen to take a fourth— that way you’d be nose to nose, he’d get to see your beauty up close, and then memorize the curves and features of your face— which he’d surely never forget as he’d think about them morning, night, and day. He’d love to fantasize about you for hours but you have other plans, dropping said standard handgun into his palms. 

“Just aim for the head, okay?” 

Um. No. Not okay. 

“I don’t really shoot real guns…” he rambles, attempting to get rid of the deadly weapon you’ve so casually given him. “I’m more of a lover, y’know? Talk things out instead of shooting things in between their eyes? I like digital zombies! Yeah, those guys are chill…love ‘em so much…please take this away from me.”

You shake your head, already on your way out of the door. “Nope, you’re coming with me.”

“Why?” If this were a video game, there’d be a massive exclamation point flashing above his head, along with a grave that he could crawl into instead of joining you on this suicide mission. Being six feet under sounds pretty nice right about now…but he’s sure that the look you’re giving him is more deadly than any threat outside. “I don’t think I’m going to be much help to you.”

“Nagi, is it?” You clarify, to which he nods. “There are only two choices right now, and I know we just met but I’d rather you live than die. You’re tall. Your height is going to give you a range advantage when we’re out there, and I can already tell that you have great spatial awareness…not many people would’ve noticed me in the shadows. You know this area far better than I do, and sure, you’ve never held a gun before, but you’ve got to fight to live.”

As your voice continues in a soft-spoken tone, he’s mesmerized. “I want you to live, and I’m going to make sure you do.”

He can feel himself nodding along to your words— his heart getting lighter by the second, perhaps out of adrenaline but he’s going to believe it’s love. He needs something to look forward to when this is all over, if this is ever over, and that something is the image of you and him on a date. With you looking stunning in your favorite outfit and him hopefully looking better than he does right now…clear skies with the cicadas shushing themselves so he doesn’t miss a single thing you say…enough money in his bank account to cover anything and everything you wish for…and the biggest bouquet of your favorite flowers that he can find. What are your favorite flowers?

“Can I ask you something before I say yes?” Nagi’s voice is sweet, seemingly comforting you as your shoulders drop from their automated offensive stance. You look a little curious, likely assuming that he’s going to ask you some tips on how to shoot a gun— which he probably should if he’s being honest with himself, but that’s an issue that isn’t as important as his current curiosity. “Do you have a favorite flower?” 

With teeth shining at him, he’s blinded by the overwhelming beauty you send his way and for the second time, he makes you laugh. 

“My favorite flower? You’re so strange.” Overcome with a fit of giggles, he thinks that this is your first time laughing at something a man said as well. “Why do you need to know that? Are you asking me out or something?”

“I am.” He states bluntly and your cheeks flush red. 

There’s a minute of silence between the two of you and each second is more excruciating than the last. With a heavy clock ticking in his ear, telling him that he’s made a fool of himself as the hand inches more and more to the left; he’s counting down his probable rejection as he’s just shot his shot in the middle of the end of the world. What a stupid decision. He knows his timing could be better— could be a lot better actually— and there’s a part of him that regrets even attempting…but none of that matters, because you’re smiling.

Maybe he makes you just as nervous as you make him…

“Okay Nagi,” you grin and adjust the shotgun strap across your chest. “If we both survive this, I promise I’ll go out with you…but I have some high expectations. I want the most expensive flower arrangement money can buy.” 

“And what kind of flowers are you wishing for, gorgeous?” His voice is a sexy whisper, and Nagi didn’t even know he could be so seductive.

You jokingly roll your eyes at the pet name and toss him one of your inactive grenades, which he catches with ease, urging him to follow you into the chaos— but not before you give him the answer he so desperately desires.

“Snowdrops.”

There are two things that Nagi has realized in the past thirty minutes. 

1.) He’s a lot more athletic than he thought he was. 

Running for a half an hour straight is something that he never imagined himself doing— especially considering that he’s never stepped one foot into a gym in his entire life. What he originally thought to be clumsiness, turns out to be raw strength untouched. You were right to assume that his lengthy limbs would do him some justice in the fight for his life, and he’s thankful for his towering height as he’s blocked falling debris from smacking you atop the head nearly five times now; though, he did miss a flying sneaker that happened to nail you straight in the nose. He’s trying his best, give him a break. 

2.) You might be a figment of his imagination. 

Sure, this idea is likely false as he definitely felt your weight when you were sent flying from a stray hand grenade and landed on top of him, but you just seem so perfect. Getting to know you has been a dream come to life— though making conversation while running for his life isn’t the easiest feat, he’s managing. Some of the things you’ve told him do seem to be made up, though. For instance, you were the culprit behind the plane crash and while he’d love to picture a sunsetting sky with the two of you floating in the breeze, you’re not going to be piloting that jet. However, he has to give you a break because he’s never flown anything other than pixelated aircrafts, especially aircrafts that contain a deadly monster oozing toxic gas that turns people into zombies. Yeah, he couldn’t quite believe that either.

“On your left!” The sound of your voice snaps him back into focus and he realizes there are four zombified citizens barreling your way. “I could use some help here!”

You definitely don’t need his help. For God’s sake you have a shotgun the size of your leg that’s already mowed down three of them and Nagi’s just barely getting used to the sound of the bang. So far he’s pretty much been useless if not for letting you know what’s coming up in the distance, and also being the absolute last resort solution— which is rare, but oh shit it’s happening right now! You’re out of shells! How exactly does he fire this thing again?

Shakily, he attempts to point his handgun in the direction of the lone zombie bounding towards you. “Deep breaths, Nagi! Focus and aim!” Your words of encouragement are appreciated, but ultimately useless as he desperately starts stray shooting. 

“Fucking aim!” You’re losing your patience for him so fast, to which he tries his best to calm down and breathe.

In and out.

His heart rate begins to slow.

Breathe and concentrate. 

His eyes become unclouded by his anxiety, and his vision clears. 

Lock on.

He has a mark on the target. 

With his pistol’s aim assist shining against the zombie’s forehead, he confidently fires a single bullet. It soars through the air, squealing in its flight, and he lets out a sigh of relief…a sigh that he exhaled far too early.

Aw shit, he missed. 

You grunt, bracing yourself against his bullet that ricochets off of the nearby telephone pole and grazes your right arm. He has a clear view of the scarlet blood dripping down your elbow and onto the pavement, and his heart feels heavy. He’s so fucking useless that he’s injuring you. Nagi doesn’t think it’s even possible to be worse at flirting than him; he can’t imagine that there are many guys who are accidentally shooting the girl they like, yet here he is. 

Thankfully, you being the badass agent you are, you’ve managed to reload your eleven shells of ammo in the time it took for him to fire one bullet— and you easily dissolve the zombie to bits and pieces. 

“Your aim can use a little work.” You snort, brushing your fingers against the small wound.

He rips the sleeve of his t-shirt off and attempts to wrap it around your arm. This is what you’re supposed to do, right? The only training he’s had in the medical field is from that one surgeon simulator game he played in middle school, and to be completely honest, it was a pretty good game! However, he’s definitely doing something wrong because you place your hand over his and show him how to properly treat an open wound. Normally, Nagi would be embarrassed that he’s failing so miserably right now— but honestly, the only thing on his mind is how this is the first time you’ve held his hand. He can’t tell if there are butterflies in his stomach or if the smell of blood is triggering vomit. Hopefully the former.

It’s no surprise that your perceptive self notices his focus on your intertwined hands, to which you take the lead and insist on pushing forward. “As romantic as this is, we should find some shelter before we get eaten in the midst of making out.” 

Oh?

“You want to make out with me?” 

Oof that slap hurt. His priorities clearly don’t align with yours.

“Okay, okay.” Nagi holds his hands up in surrender before you can smack his chest for a second time, and he’s finally able to notice your surroundings. Since when was the Mikage Buildingright behind you? Hm…the imminent fear of death must have distracted him. “My best friend’s family owns this tower here. I promise it’s safe.”

Your gaze narrows at the wall of glass windows that are seemingly spotless. There isn’t a single crack, faulty line, or zombie-sized hole that’s visible to the naked eye and he feels a little swell of pride for Reo’s family. Yeah, that’s right! My best friend’s parent’s architects are great at making buildings! It finally seems like he’s had his first good idea of the night, and Nagi couldn’t be more proud. Progress is progress (even if he shot you in the process)! 

“It looks good.” You nod in approval and begin cautiously making your way towards the doors.

While following closely behind, he watches your back and ensures that there’s no one on your trail; which isn’t difficult in the slightest. Most of the civilians have died by now and you’ve already cleared every undead in the area…without his help. He doesn’t know how he managed to be so lucky that he ended up with you, but he’s grateful for every second— and now that you’re finally in his familiar territory, he can finally show you what he’s worth. 

“There’s an elevator up these steps.” Nagi leads you up the grand staircase, remembering how he lazily trotted down it yesterday after Reo tried, once again, to convince him to join his football club. “I think it’ll work, I know they have emergency systems and everything.”

“I don’t know, Nagi…” your voice trails off, something amiss about it. “I just have a weird feeling about this place.”

“I promise Reo’s family’s going to take care of us, they’re the best.” He deflects your concerns, trusting that his friend will pull through and have some crazy solution to save the world. There’s never been a time where he couldn't count on Reo and as soon as you reach the top of these steps, you’ll agree. The text he sent out asking for help is almost delivered, just a few more seconds and that blue line will slide all the way to the right and Reo will be right down the elevator as soon as possible. 3…2…1…sent! There! You’ll both be saved!

But if Reo’s on the top floor in his room…why did his ringtone ding just meters away?

There’s a corpse laying in front of the elevator doors, mangled and bruised. How did Nagi not notice it before? Was he too distracted thinking of his closest and only friend he’s ever had? No way. The security team must have destroyed all of the zombies in the building already, he’s sure Reo and the others are fine— but why does that body look so familiar?

No.

It can’t be him. 

Three steps away. 

There’s got to be some kind of mistake here. A prank right?

Two steps away. 

He can’t be dead. His best friend can’t be dead!

One. 

“No…” With his voice trembling, he stands over his best friend’s body. Reo’s violet hair is drenched in blood, seemingly resembling the color of a plum rather than the typical lavender hue. If it were a normal day, Nagi would laugh at the awful color— telling his partner in crime that the shade didn’t suit him in the slightest and Reo would laugh in annoyance, aiming a ball straight for the taller boy’s head…but this isn’t a normal day. This is the end of the world; and that beautiful lavender flower that Nagi associated with his teammate is wilting. It’s dying. It’s dead along with the heartbeat within it. Reo is dead. 

“Nagi. I need you to step back slowly.” He spins to see you with your barrel aimed at Reo’s corpse, but he can’t seem to move. It’s almost as if he’s been stunned, frozen in place with frostbite cementing his legs to the granite floors, and mouth encased in ice. He’s so overwhelmed that he can’t even open his mouth to give you a warning that there’s something moving behind you. Why can’t he speak? He needs to tell you! However, right when his teeth quiet their jitter, you’re tackled to the ground with a loud pummel. 

Immediately, gunshots ring out in the grand hall. You’re firing in every direction in an attempt to blast off your opponent, but this zombie is particularly agile and you don’t have much room to move with your large shotgun…looking back in retrospect, giving Nagi your only handgun wasn’t the greatest idea.

“C’mon!” Repeatedly, you call out to him, but he remains paralyzed in fear. “Stop being useless!”

He watches as you struggle to wrestle off the infected woman, grunting and groaning with every punch you deal to its face. The skin on her cheeks is almost a greyish shade, discolored and decaying with a potent smell that burns his nostrils. It’s hard to tell who’s who under the blanket of shadows she’s trapped you under, but occasionally he catches a glimpse of golden eyes that tell him the zombie is still alive. 

Somehow, with your almost supernatural raw strength, you’re able to hook your thighs around the zombie’s neck— pinning it down to the pearly floors and trapping it beneath your weight. It claws and cries out, desperately trying to escape your grasp, and Nagi almost feels bad for it. Just a few hours ago, this woman had a life. A real life that she likely looked forward to living every day; and now she’s nothing but a brainless carnivore with cannibalistic intentions. She could’ve been a mother. There could be a little boy out there missing her and waiting for her to come home, tell him that he’s safe, and that everything is going to be alright. When was the last time Nagi talked to his own mother? Why does he deserve to live and this woman doesn’t? Why is he so special that he was saved, while the rest of Tokyo was left to rot? 

It isn’t fair. 

None of it is fair.

He doesn’t deserve to live. He doesn’t deserve to be here. 

He’s taken his life for granted from the moment he learned to walk. Why should you be wasting your time trying to get him to safety when he’s nothing more than absolutely useless? He needs to help.

He needs to be brave…

…but he misses his chance once more. 

Letting out a wailing scream, you muster up enough energy to crush the woman’s head between your thighs, and Nagi is splattered with blood and guts. He doesn’t know how you’re so strong— it’s almost eerie in a way— but he’s more concerned with the state of your well-being. The look of exhaustion in your eyes acts as a glaring sun against his icy posture, and his feet are thawed from the floor, rushing towards you in mere seconds. 

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” he kneels on the ground before you and cups your face closely, “Hey— hey, don’t close your eyes. I’m right here. Please stay awake.” Nagi doesn’t think his voice has ever been so gentle nor has he ever felt this kind of worry for a girl before. Sure, he hasn’t known you for long, but he knows he can’t go on without you. You’re a team and a team sticks together. You can’t die right here! He’s not going to allow that!— but before he can lift you up like the knight in shining armour he wishes he could be, there’s a faint rustling behind him…a familiar rustling. Nagi knows that sound. He knows those movements. He’s heard them a million times and he’d be able to recognize them even in the midst of Shibuya Crossing in the busy hours. 

Where did Reo’s body go?

Perhaps it dissolved or maybe it was kicked aside in the midst of your fight. 

That has to be it, right? Where else could he be?

Nagi’s confusion is understandable. He’s thinking rationally given the circumstances and his heartbeat is somewhat steady. The mass of his body hovers over yours in a protective stance, like a dragon guarding a princess, and for once he appears to be confident. However, that confidence has been set aflame. He can feel his blood racing, burning through his veins in fear and distress, and he wishes he could simply rip his vitals from his skin to destroy the wretched emotions. The sight before him is something out of a horror movie…a horror movie where Nagi is the main character. 

“Oh fuck.” 

Reo leaps out of the shadows before Nagi can even react. 

There’s a blur of hands and feet, hitting and kicking at each other, and the snow haired boy never knew he was this agile. Reo is clearly doing his best to hit Nagi’s vital arteries; to which he’s blocking each attack with his forearms. This is chaos. He doesn't even have a second to think for himself and consider the possibility of blasting Reo’s head off with his handgun. He can’t do that…this is his best friend! 

As Nagi’s leg lines up to knock him off his feet, Reo lunges down and grabs a hold of it. In a panic, he attempts to shake his friend off— wiggling his leg up and down whilst reaching for his combat knife in his back pocket— and slices the skin in between Reo’s forearm and bicep…which is ultimately ineffective. Oh, shit he just got angrier! Growling, zombie-fied Reo clasps his hands around Nagi’s waist, lifting him off the ground with ease and throwing him into the elevator doors. The sound of his body slamming against the metal slab rings out, echoing in the grand foyer and deafening Nagi’s left ear. His breathing is heavy and he feels like he can’t get a single ounce of air in his lungs. Everything seems to be blurry, foggy with mist covering his irises as he attempts to see what’s right in front of him. 

A carnivorous Reo…

…and an unconscious you.

It’s clear to him what’s going on. There are two outcomes to this horrific situation and whatever decision Nagi makes is going to impact the rest of his life. 

1.) Let you go and join the afterlife with his best friend. 

2.) Save you and never see his best friend again. 

His heart is at war within himself. One side fighting for Reo, the boy he’s known for so long. The boy he’s laughed and cried with. The boy who knows everything about him. The boy who believed in him when no one else did…until you came along. 

Just the thought of seeing your lifeless eyes, bloodied body, and severed limbs flips a switch inside him— and Nagi finally comes to realize what’s happening. This isn’t Reo. This shell of a man with a monstrous hunger isn’t his best friend. Reo is a ghost now. He doesn’t exist anymore and now his body is being possessed by the undead, or whatever zombies are. He can miss his friend all he wants, but that doesn’t change the fact that the thing creeping towards you is nothing but a stranger who knows all of Nagi’s secrets. 

It’s time for him to fight to live. 

As he swiftly stands and tackles Reo to the floor, a wave of memories flash before Nagi’s eyes. 

The moment he first heard Reo’s voice. It was light and friendly. He had used a tone that Nagi hadn’t ever heard before, and although he had no interest in playing soccer, he still wanted to impress the popular boy— not because he wanted a higher status or a girlfriend, but because he knew this stranger needed a friend…and he really needed a friend, too. 

His palms grip Reo’s throat, ripping him off of your body.

The first time Reo laughed at something he said. It wasn’t intended to be funny, but the plum-haired boy couldn’t help but burst into a fit of giggles and Nagi found himself laughing as well. Sitting in the school courtyard, side-by-side with crumbling onigiri falling from their mouths, there’s no doubt that they looked like two elementary schoolers finding humor in something obscurely immature— but despite that, it’s one of his fondest memories. 

Reo struggles against Nagi’s weight, pinned to the floor with nowhere to run.

When he’d first shown him his concerningly large collection of video games, Reo hadn’t batted an eye. In fact, the very next day, Nagi received a friend request from him. Which seemed like a small act at the time, until he found out that Reo had gone to the tech store and purchased an entire PC set up just so he could be the Player 2 to Nagi’s Player 1. They were partners in both the real and virtual world— an unstoppable pair that won more tournaments as time went on— and Nagi will never clean out his xbox inventory filled with their trophies. 

His finger grazes the trigger.

This is it. 

No more memories.

It’s time to say goodbye.

In movies, when the protagonist has to kill their loved one, a single tear rolls down their cheek. 

For Nagi, his face drowns in his cries. 

“I’m sorry.” 

He’s gone.

“I love you.”

Reo’s body dissolves into ash…

…then dust…

…then nothing. 

“I’m so sorry.”

PART TWO COMING IN THE NEAR FUTURE (i’m a slow writer pls forgive me)

⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⊹₊｡ reblogs are greatly appreciated! ˚₊⊹

[onlymingyus]

Bed of Roses (sax, settlements, and speakeasies collab)

pairing; lee seokmin (dk/dokyeom) x afab reader

genre; smut (minor dni), fluff, romance, angst

warnings; unprotected sex, marking, scratching, use of a rose as foreplay (rubbed against pussy), mentions the readers hair being pinned up and longer, cigarettes/smoking, alcohol, fighting, use of 1920's slang (probably poorly)

w/c; 6.7k and some change 

sax, settlements, and speakeasies masterlist

a/n; this was a fun fic to write, i tried to do as much research as i could but as with any period fic there will be inconsienctancies and lack of knowledge. thank you to @hyucks-rose for hosting this collab! thank you to @junkissed-replies and @wonwussy for reading and proofreading! please be sure to read all the fics in the collab as some will overlap -- mine will overlap some with @lipglossjun especially as she is writing for jihoon

Seokmin’s fingers run along the microphone, a smile crossing his lips that makes your stomach tighten even before he looks in your direction. A rose in his left hand, his signature prop every performance. Seokmin’s voice feels like silk against your skin as it reaches your ears.  

He grins into his song, his voice melting every person’s heart as he makes eye contact with a choice few before settling on you. You press your lips together, crossing your legs from one direction to the other and drawing his eyes down to them before he looks away. He knew better than to linger too long with all the eyes on him, especially Lee Jihoon’s, his boss and your brother. 

Your teeth catch your lip as he sings, making the women next to you swoon as if they get to go home with him at the end of the night. He had that effect on people. He could look at them, sing or talk to them, and make them feel like they were the only person in the entire world. When in reality you were the only person he wanted in his world and in his bed every night. 

Moving around the bar, Jihoon pauses to lean on the end, watching Seokmin with careful eyes. He was proud of the man, not only as an employee but as a friend. He had watched him grow into his voice over the past few years and over the past few months it had seemed his confidence had gotten even stronger. 

Jihoon’s eyes fell on you sitting at a front table, your finger running around the rim of a Jack Rose, a recent favorite of yours. You spent most of your nights here, though he urged you to find something better to do with your time. There were much better places for a woman who looked as nice as you to be, but you insisted on coming to The Diamond Glass night after night. 

“God, he’s a real cake-eater.” You narrow your eyes slightly to the conversation to your right, two girls swooning over Seokmin as he makes his way down the steps finishing his set. The rose dangling from his fingers. Each night he would hand off that rose to a lucky lady and most nights, just like tonight it ended up between your fingers. “Miss Lee.”

You laugh, feeling your cheeks burning at his attention and everyone else’s in the room. The girls at your side scoff, “He only gives it to her because she’s the owner’s kid sister. Sucking up to his boss, pretty smart of him. He’s using his head, can’t fault him for being smart.” 

Seokmin sighed softly, his back turned to the women. He had heard their conversation as well but he was a smart man who knew which battles to choose…even if they included you. Walking back up the stairs, Seokmin takes a bow then gestures to his band taking extra care to give more attention to the piano player, Junhui. The man grins, his fingers running across the ivory like he was born on that stool and to be in front of an audience. 

“Thank you ladies and gents. Refill your drinks and give another round of applause for Mr. Lee Jihoon for making any of this possible.” The patrons gasp in awe, many of them turning towards where Seokmin gestures at the bar to look at Jihoon. The man clearly not wanting the attention, simply lifts a hand and presses his lips together. His eyes scan over the crowd for you but in the excitement he had lost track of you, the only thing left on your table is a half finished Jack Rose and a long stem red rose. 

You smile against Seokmin’s lips, his fingers pressing against your sides to hold you against the wall of the dressing room. He couldn’t help but to return the smile having watched you as much as he could during his performance. You had fueled him and also frustrated him. “God, doll…you drive me crazy. You know that?” 

Nipping at his lips causes a small groan to slip from Seokmin’s lips. He knew that you were a minx and that you knew exactly what you were doing. “I don’t know nothin’, Seokmin. I’m just some girl who’s fallen head over heels for some singer.” 

Shaking his head, Seokmin’s smile pulls at the corner of his eyes. Your fingers clinging to his suit jacket feels like the only thing keeping him grounded to Earth. “Is that what you are?” Lifting his hand, Seokmin runs his thumb along your cheek, his index finger folded under your chin to lift your gaze to meet his own. 

“I think you are so much more than that. I’d give it all up for you, but you know that. Couldn’t stand hearing those girls running their traps off about something they don’t know anything about. Wanted to tell them you are my girl and to mind their business…” 

When you laugh, lowering your eyes, leaning your head to press your lips to Seokmin’s palm he feels like he is melting on the spot. You didn’t have to do anything special to get him wound up. “You know you can’t.” 

Yeah, Seokmin knew but that didn’t mean it made it any easier. It wasn’t like this was just some crush, this was the real thing. He wanted to tell the world, most of all he wanted to tell Jihoon so the two of you could just stop hiding but even the thought of it made his stomach twist up in knots. 

Jihoon sighed heavily, pushing through the crowd trying to make his way towards the back hall. He wanted to figure out where you had slipped off to but after Seokmin’s gracious words the patrons had flooded him with talk. It wasn’t that he wasn’t grateful for them but he had a feeling and he wanted to follow up on it. 

Jun watched Jihoon carefully, managing to step in front of him before he reached the corner that would lead to the dressing rooms and bathrooms. His voice boisterous and cheerful as he leaned to pat his boss on the arm with a huge grin on his face. “The place is packed tonight Jihoon. What are you doing back here? You had people falling on their faces for a look at you.” 

Furrowing his brows Jihoon looked up at the piano player who was speaking far too loud for such a confined space. Junhui was a bit odd but this was strange even for him. “I’m doing something. What are you doin’? Nothing? Shouldn’t you be going back up on the piano soon?” 

He was right, Jun had taken his break so he was expected to be back on stage and getting people on their feet dancing. “Ah, yeah. I’ll head back out there. You know me boss. I’m just taking my time. So many people were up during it, I’m giving their dogs a chance to rest. Don’t need ‘em barkin while Seokmin is trying to sing, if you know what I’m saying.” 

You and Seokmin had already caught on to what Jun was doing for you two. He was one of the few people who knew about your relationship and also one who would help you hide it from Jihoon. With one final kiss that lingers longer than it should, you slip out the door and towards the bathroom as Jihoon groans at Jun’s words. 

“I get it. Have you seen my sister?” Jun swallows hard at the direct question, his elbow leaning awkwardly against the wall to block Jihoon when you open the door, slipping out only to open the bathroom door causing your brother to raise a brow. 

“Nah…why? She ain’t out there?” Raising his brow again, Jihoon scoffs, reaching up to pull Jun’s arm from the wall so he can push past him. It was all a little too suspicious at this point. You were up to something and this knucklehead knew more than he was saying. 

“No, obviously not so buzz off.” His shoulder hitting Jun on the way past him Jihoon starts to push open the dressing room causing Seokmin to take a sharp breath in when you open the bathroom door letting out a small sigh. 

“Jihoon?” His attention moving to you, hand dropping from the door, your brother scoffs glancing around before considering seeing who was in the dressing room again when you speak up. “What are you doing, following me?” 

“Question is, Y/N, what’re you doin?” 

You gesture back to the bathroom as if it should answer his question. Jihoon’s eyes look over your outfit then up to your face to your lips seeing your lipstick slightly smeared. “Yeah, sure and I’m a chump. If I’ve told you once, I've told you a hundred times not to be fooling around with these guys.” 

Narrowing your eyes, you push past your brother in a similar fashion he had pushed past Jun, only for Jihoon to put his hand around your arm pulling you back gently. “Y/N…I say it cause I care about you. I want you taken care of when you find someone to settle down with. Especially depending on who you were locking lips with…you ain’t gonna find that here.” 

Seokmin could hear the conversation moving away from the dressing room. His heart in his throat, he knew that Jihoon wasn’t wrong. He couldn't give you the life that you were already living, much less something better. All he could give you was what he had and his heart, and that you already had. 

Jihoon had walked you back to your seat, his hand moving from your arm so you could sit down. Gesturing to Joshua then your glass he got a nod knowing your drink would be refilled quickly. “Ya mad at me?” 

Your fingers ran over the stem of the flower in front of you as you shook your head no. Your heart is telling you something much different. You wanted to be upset with your brother but you knew he was trying to look out for you. You just wished he could see the same potential in Seokmin that you did. If he only knew it was Seokmin you were seeing and not just one of the randoms he had coming in for a week only to leave a couple of days later after making a couple of bucks. 

“No, Hoon…I’m not mad. Just wanna drink alone for a bit.” That told Jihoon all he needed to know. Leaning down he places a kiss to the top of your head and mutters a short ‘alright’ before he is taking his spot back near the bar, his watchful eyes never leaving you. 

Seokmin was trying to put away the overhead conversation from the club. You were standing in front of him in his apartment, no interruptions, no need to worry about anyone sticking their noses where they didn’t belong. It was just you and him. 

You smile when Seokmin moves behind you, his nose brushing against your neck next to your ear. A soft sound of pleasure slipping from his lips when he takes in a breath of you. You smelled sweet, a bit like apples and cinnamon. It was such a nice break from all that scent of booze and smoke earlier in the night. 

Your fingers slide over Seokmin’s forearm when he pushes his fingers along your lower stomach to pull you back against him. You could feel he wanted you just as much as you wanted him. Leaning your head back on his shoulder, you tilt your head to the side and just like you had hoped, Seokmin’s lips brush over yours gently. 

“Everything about you is too good for me. You know that?” Seokmin was finding it hard not to let his mind wander even with you in his arms, even with your lips so sweetly pressing against his own. When your nails gently scratch over his skin, Seokmin sighs against your kiss, his brows furrowing deep in thought. 

Turning in his arms, you drape your own around Seokmin’s neck looking up at him with curious eyes. “Why do you get to say so?” He couldn’t help but to let out a short, quiet laugh at your words. You were so headstrong, your entire family was like that. He had seen it with Jihoon and clearly when you wanted something you were going to get it. 

“I’m just sayin’, doll. I can only give you my heart…my voice, you know what I make.” His fingers slide along the back of your dress, undoing the buttons of your garment slowly. Each brush of his fingers caused you to take in a breath to steady yourself though you wanted to argue with his words. 

“I can’t buy a nicer place than this…you see what I got. This is probably all I ever have.” Lifting his hands, Seokmin runs the back of his fingers along your throat before dropping them to your shoulders to push your dress down your arms as he speaks. “I can’t give you the life you are living, much less a better one. I can’t put ice and marbles around your neck, as much as I’d like to.” 

The weight of your dress causes it to pool around your feet leaving you in your undergarments in front of a fully clothed Seokmin. He had only bothered to take off his suit jacket and shoes once the two of you had gotten to his place, but even as you stood in front of him feeling so bare you never felt uncomfortable. 

“If you think I care about all that mess, maybe you don’t know me as well as I thought you did Lee Seokmin.” Your words cause the man in front of you to scoff into a smile, one that pulls at his eyes and draws his cheeks a bit higher on his face. Moving your hands back up you start to undo Seokmin’s belt only for him to put his hands over yours and for him to walk you backwards towards his bed. 

Feeling the mattress behind your knees, you sit. your eyes lift to meet his loving gaze as Seokmin reaches one of his hands up to brush over your cheek, thumb tracing your lips slowly. “I know you, just like you know me. I was just saying what’s on my mind.” 

You knew why it was on his mind, mentally cursing your brother and his big mouth while also trying to just enjoy the fact that you were alone with Seokmin. In this apartment you usually didn’t have to worry about your family, about who you were, nothing but Seokmin. 

Moving his hand from yours to his pants, Seokmin lets you finish what you had started, his Adam’s apple moving dramatically as he swallows hard watching you closely. “And I’m just sayin’...why don’t you just make love to me and stop fussing over a bunch of bunk?” 

How could Seokmin say no to that? A grin forms on his lips, his pants falling to the floor at his feet. Seokmin takes another breath lifting his own hands to his shirt to make quick work of it while his eyes follow you moving back on to his bed. 

You were like a dream, some painting that had become real and Seokmin had to shake his head to keep himself moving. “Jesus, you make it hard not to just lose my mind. Ya know that?” Seokmin watches you smile, that pretty grin that drives him mad. You had a pull on him like no other person had in his entire life. 

Dropping his underwear to the floor, Seokmin puts one knee on the bed, reaching a hand out to run it over your leg. His nails scratch lightly over your thigh-highs causing you to bite at your lip until he reaches the end of your chemise. 

His fingers scratch back down your leg to unsnap the top of your stockings from the garter keeping them attached to your chemise. Seokmin’s eyes never leave yours, a warm look of intensity trapped behind them as you feel his fingers run over your leg where your stocking once was. 

“Unwrapping you might be my favorite part of the day…” Your cheeks burn at Seokmin’s words, he was bold with you in this room once the two of you felt comfortable. You enjoyed this side of him, how he would lean to kiss your thigh while his hands worked your other stocking from your leg only for him to move his lips to your now bare leg. 

“I just think you like teasing me Seokmin.” He smiles against your skin, his fingers running back up to your hips where he runs over the silk of your chemise on the way up to your shoulders to pull down the straps almost desperately. “Oh, God…careful. Don’t rip it, baby.” 

You say those words but Seokmin wonders if you mean it. He didn’t know how much your undergarments cost but though he had just said he didn’t have money to spare, he’d figure out a way to buy you more if it meant he could tear them off of you the way he wanted to. “Mm I’m not.” His lips brush over the top of your breast, his hands working the silk down your body as you arch your back then lift your hips allowing him to remove it from you completely. 

When Seokmin drops the final piece of clothing onto the floor he lets his eyes wander over your naked form. From your legs to your face, back down to your breasts, and finally between your legs. “Prettiest dame in the entire city…” 

Your eyes narrow, lifting your leg you push your foot against Seokmin’s chest. A laugh rises in his throat, his hands move to run over your calf to your ankle and back down as he stands in front of you, his cock standing hard and at attention for you. He only breaks eye contact with you long enough to lean and take a single rose from out of a vase next to his bed causing you to lift your brow and bite at your lip. 

“You do this almost every time.” 

“And every time…you like it.” You couldn’t argue with Seokmin when you feel the soft petals brush over your skin when he lightly drags the flower against your inner thigh up to your knee. A quiet moan falls from your lips, your hips lifting towards Seokmin and the flower only for him to pull it away running the rose along your shin, a smirk on his lips. 

“And you thought I didn’t know you. You got some moxie sayin that…” There was amusement in Seokmin’s voice that seemed to trail out into something more sensual when he heard you moan once again. Your own fingers were pressed against your breasts, Seokmin couldn’t take his eyes off of them even as he teased you with the flower letting it brush over your folds only to be taken away. 

You wanted him, you wanted more than the rose. As much as you loved the rose and his teasing you wanted him even more. “Seokmin…please. I love you baby, make love to me like I said.” 

That was his favorite thing to hear you say, that you loved him. It meant more than anything in the world to Seokmin. No amount of money could match the feeling of those words. The rose falls to the bed beside your head and Seokmin lays between your thighs, his lips finally finding yours once again. “Tell me again, just one more time, doll.”

You try to speak but Seokmin’s hand runs along your outer thigh to your knee, his cock brushing against your needy pussy causing you to moan his name instead. “Babe, you sound like a dream come true. Say it again…” 

Moving his hands between your legs, Seokmin slides his fingers between your folds relishing in how wet you were for him. The desperate whimpers falling off your lips were like the best song he had ever heard. Wrapping his hand around his length, Seokmin presses his tip against you and breathes softly against your lips muttering out a soft ‘please’ waiting for you to speak. 

“I love you Seokmin. I love you so much.” As soon as words leave your lips Seokmin slowly pushes into you, taking your breath away. A groan escapes his lips, feeling you clench around him instantly as he works kisses from your lips to your ear where he mutters “I love you too, more than anything in this life” against it. 

He was yours and you were his. That was all that mattered to either of you. At that moment no one’s approval was needed. If he had asked you to run away with him and elope you would have without question. 

Seokmin’s mouth pressed to your jaw, his hand sliding along the other side of your neck up into your hair. His fingers tugging some of the pins loose, letting it fall into his grasp. Seokmin smiled against your skin, his cock buried so deeply inside of you when you let out a low moan of his name feeling overwhelmed. 

Between your soft walls clenching around him, and the drag of his nails against the back of your scalp as he tugged at your hair, Seokmin was overloading your senses. He knew how to make you fall apart for him, every little button to push, every piece of skin to kiss in order to make you his all over again. 

Your nails scratch across his shoulder and Seokmin groans into the crook of your neck. His warm lips pause in their search for more skin so that he can whisper your name. The feeling of his own climax building causing his brows to furrow when he lifts his head to meet your eyes full of love and need. 

Leaning back, Seokmin wraps his arm around your waist pulling you up into his lap. The way he is reaching you so deeply now causes a breathy whine to slip from your lips before Seokmin claims them with his own muttering against them. “You’re my heart and my life, ya know that, doll?” 

Smiling on his lips, your arms wrapping around his neck, you roll down over Seokmin as he thrusts up into you granting yourself a deep groan from his chest. You were seeing stars, your orgasm so close you felt like you were going to burst. “You’re mine, Lee Seokmin.” 

The words seem to push Seokmin over the edge, his brows knitting together as if your words were the most profound speech he had ever heard. His thumbs press against your hips, fingers splay out along your lower back when Seokmin holds you in place before rolling over to his back letting you sit over him. 

He could feel the rose under his back, many flowers had met their end like this. Their petals soon covered the sheet under your bodies but neither of you seemed to care. You were too lost in one another to worry about the bed of roses you had always seemed to create. 

Seokmin’s head falls back, his throat exposed to you while your hands slide along his chest up to his shoulders. Your knees planted on the bed next to his hips you use what strength you have along with his hands lifting you to push yourself over the edge. 

You gasp out Seokmin’s name when your thighs begin to shake, your walls clenched tightly around him as you cum. His head lifts to the sounds of your pretty moans, Seokmin’s eyes never leave you, his hands holding you secure even as his hips meet yours hard and fast. “Oh, baby…so damn pretty. Shit…shit.” 

The words become breathy groans, your eyes open to fall on him getting your turn to watch him fall apart for you. There weren’t many things in the world as beautiful to you as watching Seokmin experience bliss.

His hands hold your hips to the point it's almost painful but you know he would kiss each mark later. Seokmin’s eyes close tightly, a smile forms on his parted lips before his hips stutter hard against yours and you feel his warm release begin to fill you. The feeling is almost enough to send you back over the edge to follow him again causing you to clench and for Seokmin to groan your name. 

“You’re gonna kill me…” Falling onto his chest and into his arms, you relish in the feeling of his long fingers running along your back up to your neck only to continue that path for several minutes. Neither of you are in any rush to move from one another even as he softens completely inside of you, the mixture of his and your cum dripping from you onto his thighs. 

“I’ll just kiss you back to life.” Seokmin laughs against your hair, his breath warm causing a shiver to run through you. You finally whine when he moves your leg and then his sliding from you causing you to feel empty. 

If he could be inside you for the rest of his life he would. He wished that those fancy scientists could figure that one out. Stop wasting their time on other bullshit and figure out the important things like how he could never have to be separated from you and out of this bed. 

“Don’t whine, doll. Gotta get cleaned up and get some food in you. You’ll fall asleep and wake up be sore at me if I don’t. Can’t stand when you are anything but happy.” Seokmin leans back to look at your face, running his finger along the bridge of your nose, a smile crossing his face when you can’t help but to smile at the gesture and his words. 

“Mm, fine but I want a Jack Rose.” You roll from Seokmin letting him slip from the bed, your eyes following him before they fall to the petals now covering the bed. A smirk forming on your lips you gather a few of them rubbing them between your fingers glancing back up to your boyfriend to find him watching you. 

You were a minx and a handful but Seokmin couldn’t help but know that he wanted you for the rest of his life. Watching you play with those rose petals melted Seokmin and made him want to fuck you all over again. Shaking his head, Seokmin grins, lifting his hand to rub the back of his neck at your request as his cock ached slightly just at the sight of you. “One Jack Rose for the dame comin’ right up.” 

Seokmin could never sleep very late into the day. It didn’t matter how long his nights were, even if they were longer with you. He had to have a little daylight in his life. Sitting on his small balcony, the doors open to let in the breeze and so that he could watch you sleeping, Seokmin let the cigarette rest between his fingers as he let the smoke out of his lungs on a slow breath. 

It was a beautiful evening, the sun was even with the horizon but as much as Seokmin wanted to admire that he couldn’t help but sneak peeks of you in his bed. You had started to stir, your fingers reaching out for him like you had so many times when you woke up at his apartment. He watched a frown form on your lips and felt bad instantly, but instead of going to you he decided to watch you for a bit longer, bringing his cigarette back to his lips. 

You knew Seokmin couldn’t be far, your frown didn’t last long when you realized where you were. Arching your back you smile, the sheet sliding down your body to your stomach, a happy sigh escaping your lips as you look around for any sign of him instead landing on the vase of roses. 

Wrapping the sheet around your chest you reach up to take one from its place. Bringing it to your nose takes in the sweet scent that makes you think of Seokmin and how much you love him. Seokmin leans on his elbow watching you run the rose along your shoulder and down your arm much like he had many times before. 

Swallowing hard, he brings the cigarette to his lips one last time to take a draw from it before tossing it away letting the smoke slip from his lips. Your lips were caught between your teeth, your face so bright, cheeks full. You looked so happy. Seokmin’s heart was pounding so hard as he thought to himself that ‘this is what love songs look like.’

Glancing up hearing the floor squeak, you can’t help but to smile seeing Seokmin standing in the balcony doorway, the curtains blowing in the wind, his hand in his pocket. He was still shirtless, pants unbuttoned, his hair only tamed by his fingers. Dropping the rose, you extend your hand for him and he wastes no time taking it, leaning down to press his lips to yours tenderly. 

Both of you knew you wouldn’t have long. Not as long as either of you would prefer before he would have to go to the club, but that wouldn’t stop you from melting into his kiss. That wouldn’t stop Seokmin’s hands from sliding into your hair holding you to him desperately as if you would fly away from him like a bird.

Smiling on his lips, you finally do pull away shaking your head when you hear him sigh. “I love you so much.” You feel his lips pull up, a small kiss brushing against your cheek as Seokmin nods, his hand sliding along the sheet to pull it open. He wanted to touch your skin and you weren’t going to deny him. 

“I love you too. Never wanna leave this bed, doll. Wanna be your husband.” He had said things like that before but it had been in moments of weakness and passion. Both of you had laughed it off knowing you would probably only ever be this. 

“Ask me then.” 

Seokmin’s lips were on your neck, his hand holding your side, his thumb gliding along your soft skin just under your breast when you spoke causing him to freeze. He had to have heard you wrong. Almost afraid to look up, Seokmin kisses your neck again before finally lifting his eyes to yours nervously. “What’d ya say?”

Your fingers rake through his hair, a smile on your lips though you were clearly nervous. “I said to ask me. You wanna be my husband, you gotta ask.” You weren’t the only one he’d have to ask or deal with when it came to this but god if he didn’t want this. 

“I–Y/N? Ya serious?” Seokmin watches you nod, no signs of this being a joke on your face. “What about Jihoon? You know I gotta ask him too. You heard him yesterday, no one in that club…me included is good enough for you. I don’t much disagree with him, you know what I said yesterday. As much as I love you, doll…I can’t give you anymore than what I got.” 

Your fingers tighten in Seokmin’s hair making him sigh out a slow breath. His eyes locked with yours. “I didn’t ask for excuses of why you don’t wanna marry me, Lee Seokmin. So if that’s all you’re gonna give me–” 

Seokmin doesn’t let you finish your sentence, panic rips through him at the idea of you denying him because of his own fear. His lips press to yours, his brow furrowed tightly, you feel how his hand clings at your skin as he mutters against your lips. “God no, I’m sorry. Marry me? Will ya? I’ll figure it out. I’ll rebuild the damn world to make it better if I gotta…just want you to marry me.” 

Your small laugh followed by a gentle kiss to his lips allows Seokmin to calm down. His heart is still beating so hard you can feel it against your body. Lifting your leg, you run your thigh along his hip, a smile on your lips as you nod leaning your head back so you can look at him once again. “You ain’t gotta rebuild nothin’. I love the man I got, just give me that and you got me. ‘Course I’ll marry you.” 

You knew he was right, soon he would have to talk to Jihoon, you both would. He would be furious, not only at Seokmin but mostly with you. Family didn’t lie, at least your family but you had been keeping a lot from him for a very long time, but that could wait. 

Seokmin sighs happily, his head lowering to rest against your breasts. You smile to the feeling of his warm breath against your skin as you close your eyes allowing yourself to push away any thoughts of Jihoon for now. That was a problem for later, this was now and you had your future husband in your arms. 

“I’m just sayin’ I gotta figure out a ring. Something that will look good enough to be on your finger.” 

You can’t help but smile, Seokmin lifting your hand to his lips to press them to the back of your knuckles. His eyes pull slightly at the corners when he meets your gaze, finding you giving him ‘that look’. 

“Somethin’ we can worry about later, babe. I got plenty of rings for now, ‘sides…we still gotta talk to Hoon.” Seokmin sighs beginning to speak, his head nodding as the two of you stand in his dressing room when the door closes causing you both to jump. 

“Yeah, you should’a talked to Hoon a while ago, it seems.” Seokmin’s eyes close to the sound of Jihoon’s voice. There was no way to know how long he had been outside of the door but that didn’t seem to matter anymore. 

Letting go of your hand, Seokmin clears his throat slowly turning to face your brother. “Jihoon, I –” He is cut short by Jihoon’s knuckles meeting his jaw with a loud crack causing you to let out a gasp. 

Seokmin’s first instinct was to fight back, his arms lifting to push Jihoon back, his own fist pulled back ready to make contact with someone he considered not only his boss but his friend. Tears were already on your cheeks as you pushed between them watching Seokmin lower his fist on his own accord. 

“I’m not going to fight you, damn it Jihoon!” Lifting his hand, Seokmin rubs his jaw wincing at the pain that radiates into his neck, turning away from both of you to curse under his breath before speaking louder. “I love her, and I ain’t sorry ‘bout that. So, if that means you gotta throw your fists at me some more, so be it. I’ll take it, I know I went about this all wrong.” 

You weren’t sure who to even give your attention to but when Seokmin groaned in pain, his hand moving over his jaw you couldn’t help but to move to him sliding his hand out of the way so you could look at his face. The skin was already red and you could tell there was some swelling, your brother had always been strong and wasn’t afraid to use his fists when it was needed. Glancing over to him, you watched Jihoon stand stoic, his eyes never leaving you or Seokmin even as your fingers tenderly tried to soothe the man. 

“I should have told you. I know that, alright? You didn’t have to punch him.” Jihoon doesn’t speak, instead he continues to watch as your attention is drawn back to the man in front of you. He watches how you look at him, how Seokmin’s fingers hold your wrist so carefully for a man so much bigger than you. He can see how much you two care about each other but that still didn’t make this okay. 

“Yeah I did. You know I did, and you should’a. We talked about this, Y/N…you know how I feel.” You start to speak but Jihoon lifts his hand moving closer to you and Seokmin, his eyes narrowed. “I think I get the chance to talk a bit, don’t you? I got a lotta catchin’ up to do.” 

Your cheeks were burning, you were angry and embarrassed but you knew he was right. You had hid so much from him. You owed him the chance to speak. Nodding you simply lean against Seokmin, his hand in yours while he also pays close attention to Jihoon trying to to piss him off anymore than he already has. 

“This thing, I dunno how long it’s been goin’ on, but if I had’ta guess it’s been a while.” Scoffing, Jihoon reaches up to pinch the bridge of his nose, the memories of all the times in the past year he had caught you in different scenarios beginning to make complete sense. “All under my damn nose. Maybe I’m the chump, huh?” 

You knew that was rhetorical but you still shrug making Jihoon suck in a breath and reach out his hand to push his index finger into the middle of your forehead playfully. “Don’t push it. You really love this sap?” 

Jihoon watches a smile spread across your lips that even he can’t help but to feel a bit warmer because of. Your eyes lifting to meet Seokmin’s gaze, who presses his lips together trying to hide his own smile. “Yeah, I love him. I wanna marry him, Hoon. He’s mine…don’t want him with nobody else.” 

Wrinkling his nose, Jihoon didn’t know if he liked the sound of all of that. You were better than this, all of this, but of course you had fallen right into the lap of this world. “And you always get what you want, kid.” Sighing loudly, Jihoon looks at Seokmin before narrowing his eyes almost angrily, his hands lifting expectedly. 

Seokmin glanced at you a bit confused before Jihoon sighed, reaching to smack the man’s head as if to knock some sense into him. “You gonna at least ask? Or I could just knock your head off, your choice Seokmin.” 

You couldn’t help but be slightly amused, your brother using similar words that you had when you had brought up Seokmin asking you to marry you earlier in the day. A pained laugh leaves Seokmin’s mouth lifting his head, his mouth opening and closing to stretch his swollen jaw. Nodding he finally meets Jihoon’s eyes, “Yeah, I’mma ask. I really wanna marry your sister, can I please get your blessing to go ahead with that? ‘Cause I may not have much Jihoon but I still plan on making her a very happy woman.” 

Jihoon could see you were already happy, and to him that was already a pretty big step. He had half a mind to say no, to put you both in your place but watching the way you looked at him with your big puppy dog eyes even he had to melt, an annoyed sigh slipping out of his mouth. “You got my blessing. Don’t keep things from me ever again.” 

Moving from Seokmin you cause your brother to groan out another annoyed sound when you wrap your arms around him hugging him tightly. Only Seokmin sees the smile pull at the other man’s lips when he puts an arm around you holding you closely. “Yeah, yeah. Like I said, you always get what you want, kid.” 

Seokmin grins at the scene leaning his head back against the wall, a wave of relief falling over him when you finally move away from Jihoon and back to him, sitting on his leg. He shakes his head feeling a bit shy knowing your brother is still in the room as your lips brush against yours but he doesn’t pull from the kiss, instead he laughs against your lips hearing Jihoon groan once more then the sound of the door shutting. 

“Told you that you were mine, Lee Seokmin.” 

You smirk on his lips, Seokmin’s fingers pushing against your side as he holds you to him. “That you did, and you’re mine, doll.” 

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[flurrys-creativity]

Quondam

Quondam (adj.) ~ belonging to some time long past; once but no longer

Pairing: Chwe Vernon (Seventeen) x GN!Reader; Genre: Jurassic Park AU, 90s AU, aquaintances to lovers/distant friends to lovers, Fluff, Angst; Rating: sfw, PG-15; Warnings: a boat crash, mentions of prehistorical animals, dangerous animals, mentions of possible deaths, reader falls down while running.. twice, Vernon being in moderate danger; Wordcount: 4.431; Collab: SVT 90s Collab by @mingsolo and @beomcoups

Summary: It should have been a fun weekend trip but after the boat got caught by a storm and crashed on one of the dinosaur islands, you got separated from the group. You nearly despaired until Vernon found you.

Your heart hammered inside your chest as you ran along the rocky beach. Tears streamed down your cheeks and blurred your vision, yet you didn’t slow down. The harsh wind from the open sea tousled your hair but you couldn’t care less about it. Same with the pain radiating throughout your whole body.

As you jumped over another boulder your footing slipped and you fell face first to the ground. Your whole body heaved for air, lungs burning inside your chest. A sob ripped through your throat. “I shouldn’t have joined them”, you whispered and pulled your limbs to your core, making yourself as small as possible.

Three days ago your friend Sorn dragged you on a small cruise among friends. What was supposed to be a vacation with lots of fun, turned sour the second the group had decided to head towards the Las Cinco Muertes - better known as Jurassic Park. Even though Ten, who had steered the cruise, promised to only round the archipelago without stopping to set a foot on the shore, none of the group had thought of the sudden weather changes.

None of them could have predicted the storm that turned strong enough for the yacht to go shipwreck.

You had no idea how long you had been in the freezing ocean. The current and the waves had made it nearly impossible to swim towards the nearest island you had seen from the yacht before the accident happened.

Even after those three days your clothes still hadn’t dried. You shivered involuntarily, the cold after two nights had finally seeped into your bones. You curled in on yourself even more. While you hadn’t encountered any dinosaurs yet, you had found footprints of a Smilodon - the whole reason you just ran for your life.

You inhaled shakily and gnawed on your lower lip, mind racing with thoughts. Without the others and without a chance of contacting authorities the dread and knowledge you might die here, finally settled in. You had no idea how many of your friends survived the accident and how many actually made it to the shore like you.

“Y/N?”

You blinked several times, trying to clear your vision before you turned your head to look at the person that called out to you. Despite your pain, you pushed yourself up and rubbed over your eyes with the back of your hand. “Vernon?”

He simply stared at you, without saying another word. His expression appeared stoic and unreadable to you. 

“Are you alone?” You asked and got up on your knees, ignoring the small rocks digging into your skin. The pain actually felt welcome and like an escape of this awkward silence.

“Hm.”

You hummed as well, looking down on the ground to avoid eye contact with him. Despite both of you being in the same friend group, you barely interacted with him. Vernon always seemed to be in his own world and rather closed off. Not that you were any different with your archaeology and palaeontology studies. Unless people were from the same field they rarely shared your passion.

Before the silence could stretch on, you stood up and dusted off your clothes. “We need to leave or find the others. Either way we’re not safe on this island.”

Vernon raised one eyebrow, questioning you without saying a word. 

You sighed deeply, wanting to shake your head but you focused on the issue at hand instead. You grabbed his elbow and pulled him into the direction he came from. “I found footprints of a Smilodon and-”

“A what?”

“A sabertooth tiger.”

Vernon’s face twisted in understanding, right before it turned into surprise and worry. 

Seeing his strong expressions, nearly made you giggle. If it weren’t for the situation though. “If this is the hunting ground of it, we have to leave immediately. I am pretty sure that we’re the easiest prey around here.” 

Vernon grimaced but followed you without any resistance. He quietly listened to you ramble about the prehistoric animal, fascinated by the knowledge you presented him.

“I only saw one set of footprints which indicates the researchers claiming Smilodons were no social predators are actually right. Honestly, if they wouldn’t be so dangerous, I’d love to observe or research them. There’s still so much that we don’t know!”

You stopped talking, realising you just dropped lots of information on him. You awkwardly glanced towards Vernon, trying to gauge his reaction. Usually people appeared bored or stopped listening but to your surprise he looked at you with interest. The apology you usually sputtered after a knowledge vomit about prehistoric animals got stuck in your throat.

You shook your head momentarily to clear your thoughts, deciding to go a different path instead. “We need to find a hideout.”

This time Vernon grabbed your wrist and pulled you along the foreign terrain. “I got a place.” Vernon didn’t say more afterwards, simply guiding you further and further away from the coast.

Soon enough some sort of cliff appeared in the distance, its steep edge looming into the grey sky. 

For just a second worry clouded your thoughts, fearing Vernon had found a cave that might even be the home to a prehistoric creature. Though the closer you came, you couldn’t see any opening in the stone wall.

Instead a small ledge protruded from the stone and right underneath it were parts of the ship that got washed ashore. 

“You carried all of these things here?”

Vernon glanced over his shoulder, upon your surprised question but only shrugged them and looked back ahead. He let go of your wrist after you reached the ledge.

While you stayed rooted in your place, you watched Vernon wander around and move stuff to the side. “I wasn’t able to start a fire so far. So we’re at least not a roasted meal for the tiger.” He looked up at you, his stare growing more and more intense as he waited for your response.

You made a grimace - barely able to pull off a smile at his weak joke. “I… yeah, nor a smoked meal, I guess.”

Vernon grinned at you, satisfied, and sat down on a piece of rubble. “You mentioned we needed to find the others.”

You sat down as well with a deep sigh. “I honestly don’t know if any of them even survived the crash but I mean I found you-”

“Technically I found you.”

You chuckled softly and shook your head. “So you found me and that gives me hope some of the others might be alive as well. It’s just. The more time passes the slimmer the chances of finding someone.”

Vernon frowned in thought, hiding his lower face behind his hand as he hummed.

You shivered involuntarily, the dread of being the only ones alive silently creeped through your mind. 

“How much do you know about these islands?” 

Your head snapped back up again. “Not much, to be honest. It’s some twisted version of science and research. There was Isla Nublar, several miles up north from the archipelago. That was the island to start it all, I guess. Then there’s Isla Sorna. As far as I know, it was for evolution purposes and to get more animals for the theme park. I don’t know much about the other four islands. I just assume they are for evolution too.”

“I thought they only researched dinosaurs.”

You scoffed and shook your head again. “If we were completely true to the name, they should have only researched dinosaurs from the Jurassic era. But here we are with animals from the Ice Age.”

“Do you think we’ll see a Mammoth?”

You shrugged with your shoulders, another shiver running through your whole body. “I don’t even know whether I’d wanna see any prehistoric animal.”

“Why not?” Vernon tilted his head, his eyes trained on your face. “Aren’t you studying these animals?”

“I am”, you nodded shortly before you sighed once again. “It’s just. What if everything I learned, everything I imagined them to be turns out to be wrong? I don’t want my little bubble to burst.”

“Ah.” Vernon nodded exaggeratingly in understanding before he turned quiet again. Yet he still stared at you. 

You shifted uncomfortably in your place, avoiding eye contact. You could still feel his eyes on you but you desperately tried thinking of something else. “Actually, I just remembered. Even though this was all some hoax research they would have needed base camps to stay updated on the population and the animals in general.”

“We could have been camping all along, huh.”

Now you simply stared at Vernon, trying to understand what was going on inside his mind. “It’s late already. We should get a good night’s rest and then search for the base camp. It’s our best chance of rescue.” 

Vernon nodded and stretched his arms above his head, groaning when his joints popped. “Sounds like a solid plan.” He lied down almost immediately and made himself comfortable.

You couldn’t take your eyes off him, stunned how easily he relaxed in such a situation. You on the other hand felt too much on edge to even think of sleeping. Once again another shiver ran through your body. You got reminded of the cold that seeped into your body and slowly but surely cooled your core temperature down.

You ignored the trembling of your body and scooted closer to the stone wall behind your back. While it wasn’t truly any warmer, it shielded you a little more from the wind and starting rain.

For the longest time you just sat there and stared ahead with distant eyes as the sky turned darker and darker. Despite the rain your ears picked up on various sounds and each one of them made you feel even more on edge.

“You should rest too”, Vernon mumbled, turning only his head to look at you.

Your attention snapped back to him, surprised he was still awake. “Someone has to stay awake in case something comes up.” You wrapped your arms even tighter around your torso, barely suppressing your shivers.

Vernon pushed himself up again and moved closer to you. He didn’t say another word but he gently pulled you against his body, sharing his warmth with you. Vernon wrapped his arms around you as well and pulled you down until you laid next to him. 

You were now between the stone wall and his body, facing away from him. You felt your muscles slowly relax with his warmth engulfing you. 

“Better?”

You hummed softly and turned around in his hold, ignoring the building embarrassment inside your stomach. “Thanks, this really helps.”

Vernon only hummed in return and closed his eyes again. “Relax now, tomorrow will be another long day.”

~~~

Once the first rays of sunshine appeared at the horizon the next morning, both Vernon and you headed back towards the coast. You assumed a base camp would be near the sea and convinced Vernon to walk along the shoreline. You also hoped to limit your chances of meeting any of the creatures roaming across the island.

It took everything within you to suppress yet another sigh. While you thought you got somehow closer to Vernon during the freezing night, the journey towards the base camp turned out to be just as awkwardly silent.

The terrain changed the further you two walked. At first it had been forests connected to the shore but those cleared out for wide fields of grass. “This would be the perfect habitat for mammoth or other horse-like prehistoric animals.”

“So there is a chance to see mammoths!” 

You chuckled softly. “Technically. I’m not certain it would be that safe to meet them though.” You glanced at Vernon, who shortly appeared quite disappointed before he nodded in resignation.

“Maybe from afar.”

A sad smile played over your lips as you focused back on your surroundings, still searching for the base camp even after being out for so long already. You nearly wanted to give up and suggest finding a place to stay for yet another night, when Vernon tapped your arm.

“Isn’t that a path for cars?” He pointed towards an overgrown passageway, barely visible if you weren’t actively searching for it. The path crossed the wide fields and vanished into another forest like area. 

You gasped in surprise, your heart thumping loudly within your chest as new hope bloomed inside. “Should we follow it?” You glanced at Vernon, sudden nervousness creeping up your spine.

“It will be alright.” Vernon grabbed your hand and pulled you along, steadily walking along the path without a worry in the world.

You on the other hand looked around, unable to shake off the feeling being watched. It only increased the minute you two entered the forest. 

Since the forest wasn’t as dense as the last one, you easily noticed how the sky darkened - the weather changing rapidly yet again. 

“I heard that the weather is unpredictable on Isla Pena.”

Vernon looked up at the sky for a second. “So you’re telling me we’re on Isla Pena due to the sudden changes?”

“Well, I only assume it could be that. I mean it’s definitely not Isla Nublar, which is not part of the Los Cinco Muertes and it’s not Isla Sorna since we saw hints of mammals living on this island instead of dinosaurs. Also I don’t think it’s Isla Tacano, because I haven’t noticed a sign of an active volcano.”

“Lucky us”, Vernon grunted with a soft chuckle as he pulled you further along the overgrown path. He tried to appear unbothered but even he felt like he was being watched and it made the hair on his neck stand up. “You’re like an expert, right? What kind of animal could live in a forest like this?”

You saw how Vernon glanced over his shoulder, uncertainty and worry mirroring in his expression. You bit on your lower lip, letting your gaze wander around one more time. “A light forest connected to a wide plain of grass. It honestly sounds like the perfect habitat for Terror Birds.”

Vernon sighed deeply, shaking his head. “I hope you’re wrong about this.”

“I hope so too”, you whispered.

As if on cue though you noticed a large nest a little to your right, half hidden behind the large roots of a tree.

You silently cursed under your breath and picked up your pace, tugging at Vernon’s hand to indicate he should move faster as well.

A huge weight got lifted from your chest when Vernon quietly pointed towards the outlines of a building, new hope making your steps lighter than before.

By now both of you nearly ran towards the base camp, trying to escape the sense of trepidation behind you. Safety was just at an arm’s length, when you heard the loud cries of something behind you.

Like a mechanical doll you turned your head around, eyes widening in horror when you saw a gigantic bird standing in the middle of the road behind you. Two more birds rushed to its side, tilting their heads in curiosity as they stared at your retreating forms.

Just as you wanted to inform Vernon about the Terror Birds behind you two, you tripped and fell to the ground. Due to the rain your hand slipped out of Vernon’s grasp and with a dull thud combined with a surprised yelp you found yourself flat on the ground.

Vernon immediately stopped in his tracks. He turned around, ready to help you when he saw the birds slowly approaching. “Fuck.” Not only did these birds appear to be twice as tall as a human, no they had incredibly strong legs with sharp claws at their feet. 

If someone thought the emus in Australia were scary, they truly hadn’t seen this terror. 

You groaned when Vernon helped you up, feeling a stinging pain shooting up from your ankle and through your whole leg. Yet, you tried to fight the pain, biting down on your lip and pushing through.

Vernon half dragged and half carried you towards the building, constantly looking behind him at the birds that came closer and closer.

You felt your heart pounding within your chest, louder than the thunder above your heads. It didn’t calm down either after Vernon pushed a metal door with a small window panel open. He helped you through and slipped inside right behind you, before he slammed the door shut again.

Vernon glanced through the small window, flinching when he saw and felt one of the Terror Birds running against the door. He pushed his whole weight against the metal, silently praying it would survive the onslaught. 

When the banging subsided, Vernon looked through the mirror again. He saw one bird marching from side to side, patiently eyeing the closed door as the other two birds rushed away to each side - probably searching for another entrance.

You leaned against the wall next to the door, trying to keep the weight off of your foot. You narrowed your eyes and tried to identify your surroundings. “I think this is some kind of hallway that leads to the centre of the base camp.”

“Then we should follow that. Those birds seem more intelligent than I had hoped for.” Vernon came to your side and slung one of your arms around his shoulder, snaking his own around your waist and steadying you as he pulled you along the hall.

“If those birds live around the area of the base camp, we’re lucky we got inside”, you mumbled, eyes cast down. “I’m not sure any of the others would have been just as lucky.”

Vernon stayed silent, understanding what you were trying to say but just like you he didn’t want to think about that possibility. So far he easily ignored the thought his group of friends might have been killed or died another way on this island already.

Soon enough you two reached an abandoned laboratory. Vernon helped you to sit down on a chair, before he roamed around the room, checking for possible light sources and other useful things.

You looked around, picturing how people in white lab coats rushed through the room, typing quickly on keyboards, analysing data from a large computer or scribbling down notes. You assumed this site got abandoned right after the Isla Nublar or Sorna incident, leaving all the animals to fend for themselves. You wondered how much changed since the controlled growth stopped.

Vernon stepped next to you again, presenting you a dusty emergency bag. “There’s a first aid kit, some energy bars and a satellite phone in it.”

You smiled up at him. “Everything we need.” You held out your hand, waiting for Vernon to give you the bag. You then opened it immediately and pulled out the satellite phone, hoping it was still able to operate. 

Meanwhile Vernon grabbed the first aid kit and crouched down before you, gently grabbing your leg and placing it on his thigh so he could secure your swollen ankle.

The phone cracked a few times before you finally got through and heard the voice of another person. Static interrupted their words from time to time, making it incredibly hard to understand what they were saying.

You assumed your voice would be just as broken off like theirs and therefore decided to simply repeat the same words over and over again until you heard some form of confirmation. “S.O.S. Isla Pena. Need rescue. Base camp.”

Both Vernon and you held your breaths for a moment, trying to understand their reply through all the white noise.

“Chopper after storm?” Vernon mouthed silently, raising an eyebrow questioningly as if he wanted to confirm you heard the same.

You nodded vigorously and thanked the person gleefully before cutting the call again. A relieved laugh escaped your lips as you slumped down on the chair. “We’re actually getting rescued. I can’t believe it.” Before you could hold it back, tears streamed down your cheeks and your laughter turned into quiet sobs.

Vernon stared at you with wide eyes, feeling somewhat awkward witnessing your vulnerable side.

“Can you hold me?” 

Your voice was barely above a whisper but Vernon immediately scooted closer and pulled you against his chest, gently rubbing over your back in a soothing manner. “It’s going to be alright. We just need to stay here and wait until the rescuers come and get us.”

You slowly shook your head. “There must be a landing place. We should find it and stay near it, so when the helicopter arrives we’re able to leave immediately before the next storm starts.”

After you had calmed down, Vernon helped you walk around the base camp. Thankfully there were signs everywhere and the constant lightning illuminated your paths enough for you two to walk freely and find the heli-port rather easily.

“I don’t think they’ll be able to land on here”, Vernon mumbled as you two stared out of the window, seeing fallen trees and broken things scattered all over the port. “Is there another place where they could land on?”

“Maybe the roof but I don’t know whether it’s strong enough to hold the weight of a helicopter.”

��That only leaves the option of climbing a ladder.” Vernon sighed and rubbed over his face. “Will you be able to do that?”

You nudged his shoulder with yours and grinned reassuringly. “I probably won’t be fast but yes, I got that.” You turned back to look outside, watching the strings of raindrops falling to the ground and the trees bending in the wind. You easily pretended that everything would be just fine but the nervousness still had a tight grip around your thoughts.

Vernon and you rested next to the door leading outside to the port. Any unusual sound made you tense up, worrying you missed something and would be stuck on this island until your last breath. 

You slightly turned your head, looking at Vernon. He had his eyes closed and brows furrowed, appearing tense and stern. You leaned over and cupped his cheek, smoothing down his features with a soft smile. “Don’t worry, we’ll get out of here unhar- we’ll get out of here.”

As if some benevolent god heard your voice, the storm subsided. The rain got reduced to a soft pitter-patter against the window and the dark clouds dissipated. Only minutes later you heard the distinct sound of an engine and the chopping sound the rotor blades of a helicopter made.

Vernon jumped up, pulling you with him as he pushed the door open and hurried out into the open - forgetting about his surroundings completely.

Both of you stared up at the sky. You shielded your eyes when the helicopter halted right above you, the strong wind whirling up puddles and small leaves.

Just like Vernon predicted they threw a ladder out of the open side of the chopper, motioning to the both of you to climb up.

Vernon grabbed the lower end of the ladder and kept it steady as he turned towards you. “You’re going up first.”

“But I told you I’m slower-”

“Which is why I’m holding onto this to make it easier for you.” 

You sighed, sensing he wouldn’t budge. Carefully, you climbed the first few steps. The higher you got, the more thankful you felt for Vernon holding the ladder as still as possible. You already made it halfway up the ladder when the rescuers yelled at you. Confused, you looked back down.

One of the Terror Birds appeared at the edge of the heli-port. While it eyed the helicopter warily and kept as low as possible, it didn’t seem phased enough to flee. No, instead its focus turned towards Vernon, who still stood on the ground holding the ladder.

“Vernon!” Your voice sounded borderline hysteric. He didn’t react, your voice probably drowning out by the noise from the helicopter. You knew he wouldn’t start climbing before you made it up. You bit on your lower lip and pushed yourself to climb up faster, ignoring the stinging pain that flared up inside of your ankle again.

The second the rescuer pulled you into the chopper, you turned around and screamed at Vernon. 

He already climbed a quarter of the way, when the Terror Bird decided to charge. 

Your mind got filled with white noise as you stared at the scene unfolding underneath you. You barely registered the yelling of the rescuers, nor that the helicopter suddenly pulled up. You could only see how the Terror Bird had its beak around the ladder, right underneath Vernon’s foot. 

As the bird struggled and sent tremors through the ladder, Vernon was barely able to ascend further. 

Your eyes met with his, before you watched in horrible silence how Vernon climbed the few steps back down, kicking against the beak of the Terror Bird.

Another scream got stuck in your throat when the helicopter shook from another tremble. This time because a Sabertooth Tiger jumped from the roof of the base camp and attacked the bird. 

As both fell to the ground, the ladder got pulled back into the helicopter by the rescuers. They pushed you aside, obstructing your view and sudden fear immobilised you. 

Only after Vernon got pulled into the chopper as well, did you feel like you were able to breathe again. You scrambled over to his side, basically falling into his form. You wrapped your arms around his neck, mumbling your thanks for him being unharmed over and over again.

Vernon wrapped his arms around your torso and pulled you into a tight embrace, the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. He nosed along your temple, placing soft kisses on your skin.

You didn’t pull back. Instead you ever so slowly turned your head until the tips of your noses met and your breaths mingled. 

Vernon closed the gap, being just as careful as before. He gave you enough time to pull away but you only leaned more into him. 

The second your lips met, all your worries, the dread and fear melted away, leaving a soft fluttering and tingling that spread throughout your body.

You actually made it out alive and with the help of the authorities you could also find your missing friends. Most importantly you found something else during this experience. 

Vernon broke the kiss, leaning his forehead against yours as he chuckled softly. “Next time I’ll try a simple museum date to get closer to you.”

“Or library.” You giggled and shook your head, surprised you found love within this rollercoaster ride.

[druidberries]

🍁✨💚🌿

the world has been missing butterberries collabs 😌 round 2 of the simoji challenge by @folkbreeze but make it a collab with my fav @buttertrait! we each made a sim based on the same emojis and I just think they're the cutest <3

go see how max's sim turned out here!!

[megabuild]

i've seen some people (mainly techno/quackity fans from the alliances) interested in getting into etho content after the polls, but it can be a little daunting when the guy's been making videos semi-consistently for over a decade, so here's your ✨ not definitive ✨ guide to Watching Ethoslab!

for starters: etho's videos can get a bit technical! he's a redstoner and is known for making lots of crazy stuff, like the original hopper clock design, a working tamagotchi, and a massive storage system that uses hexadecimal to sort and pull items.

if you're familiar with the life series, that's arguably where you'll get the most "character"/"lore" content from etho! he's been in all three seasons, starting with 3rd life. this is also where he shows off his pvp, and though it isn't as obvious in his own pov, you get to see everyone else being really intimidated and hyping up his mysterious guy persona... while he's busy crying over his stuff getting burnt.

however, if you want to start with some regular single player content, his lp series has been going for over a decade! if you're a big fan of older, nostalgic vids and can deal with him being a bit awkward, his season 1 is just over 100 episodes and imo is still very fun to watch today. if you're less into that, it can be intimidating to try and pick up a series with nearly 600 episodes, so you might want to start with his most recent world tour! it's a long one, but it summarises all the work he's done so far, and there's only 25 episodes after that which is a lot more manageable! (and then you can go back and watch the rest ^_^)

his current hermitcraft series is only 9 episodes long so it's pretty accessible, though he does start halfway through the season (and purposefully exiles himself across the world with no tools or help until he can beat a raid single-handed. because. jeez.) if you're looking for a more rounded experience though, his season 7 is where i personally started with etho content and is still one of his best series yet! he gets plenty involved with the overarching "story" of S7 too, so it's a great jump-off point if you're just interested in HC in general.

other iconic etho videos and series include

- king of the ladder, a fan favourite from his time on mindcrack (the series which, dare i say, made him the og mcytblr sexyman- seriously, look into nebtho and you'll see what i mean)

- team canada escape the nether, for a quick look into his dynamic with pause and beef, two other mindcrackers he collabs with a lot

- (and if you like that and want more, team canada's sky factory)

- lp episode 404. please watch lp episode 404.

overall, etho is a very chill guy to watch.. most of the time.. and i would highly recommend him to basically anyone who likes mcyt. he's your fave's fave, a pillar of the community, but also a guy just Doing His Thing, and even after a decade he's still finding new ways to improve and change his content... so even if i haven't convinced you to give him a try, hopefully i'll still have convinced you to give him a vote since he's about ~30 votes behind at the time of posting this ;)

thanks for reading, and happy watching! and of course, any other ethogirls are welcome to add their own recommendations in the notes!

[leahsfavefics]

All I Want for Christmas is Joon (Teaser)

Title: All I Want for Christmas is Joon

Banner: the incredible @kithtaehyung

Pairing: art historian!Namjoon x art historian!reader (f)

Rating/genre: m (18+) angst, fluff, smut, second chance au

Estimated WC: 20k - this teaser is 792 words!

Posting Date: Dec 21st

Summary: You have had a rough year following the mutual break up with your grad school sweetheart. On a whim, you book a spontaneous trip to Europe for the holidays to help get you out of the funk you’re in and assert your independence. It would be great, if it weren’t for the fact that you keep bumping into your ex boyfriend.

Part of the Jingle All the Way collab!

BEFORE:

Your fingers itched over your computer mouse, hesitating on the ‘click’ you so ardently wanted to make. Anxiety held you back.

“Just do it,” Melissa hollered from your kitchen. You smiled, impressed at how she sensed your hesitation somehow. Outside of your family, she’s one of only two people that could ever read you that well. Though you guess that now she’s the only person that can, since the other is your ex-boyfriend that you haven’t seen in over a year.

You took her encouragement with a grain of salt. She was always egging on whatever hair brained idea you had, ever since elementary school. This time, though, maybe she was right.

“It’s expensive. And I’d be all by myself. I’ve never traveled all by myself,” you whined in response.

“Bitch, it’s literally cheaper than it’s ever going to be,” she shot back, strolling into the living room and leaning against the couch where you sat. You couldn’t argue. The Travel Tuesday flight deals this year were insane. You’ve never seen a round trip flight to Europe be less than $500, and somehow the itinerary you’ve secured rang in at $386.00 round trip, taxes and fees included. It was probably a bulk fair with a million restrictions and you’d be fucked if you wanted to change it, but the flight left in 3 weeks. If you booked this, you were going no matter what.

“And traveling by yourself is not bad,” Melissa continued. “Obviously I’d rather be on a girls’ trip with you or on a trip with Taehyung, but it’s also really nice to not have to worry about anyone but yourself. Sure, there’s no one to take cute pictures of you unless you want to ask a stranger, but you can do whatever you want without consulting with anyone or taking their feelings into account. Craving sushi? Go get sushi! Want a nap? Go take a nap! Want to check out an obscure museum no one would be interested in but you? Do it! You only have yourself to worry about.”

You sighed. “You’re right, I know you’re right. But you’re so much more adventurous than I am.” Mel and her husband, Taehyung, were always going off and doing the wildest of things. Going on amazing trips around the world, skydiving, scuba diving, the list goes on. Whether they were a match made in heaven or hell, you weren’t sure- they rarely said no to each other’s schemes. They were happy though, and beyond in love, and that’s all you could ever want for your best friend.

“That’s not true.” Melissa said. “You’re adventurous, you’re just also nervous. Ever since…. You know what. You’ve been complaining that you want to get better at doing things on your own. This is your chance. And you’ve wanted to go to Norway for ages. You can’t achieve your dreams if you’re afraid to pull the trigger when the opportunity presents itself.” You winced, but it was the truth. The hard truth, but the truth nonetheless. And you trusted Melissa to give it to you straight when you needed it. Since the breakup with Namjoon over a year ago, you’d been wallowing. The two of you did everything together, attached at the hip since you met in your grad school apartment building the weekend you both moved in. You’d made it all through college, moving in together the second year of school into a nice apartment off campus that you still occupied. The study abroad semester Namjoon spent in Paris had been tough, especially because you’d only had enough time and money for one brief visit, but it wasn’t until college was over that things fell apart. Art History is a tough field to get a job in. You were both insanely lucky to land jobs fresh out of college. Grades and letters of recommendation helped, but still. It was unfortunate that they were across the country. You’d barely made it through one bout of long distance. You thought it better to end things rather than face that again, and with no end date in sight. 

“You’re right. I know how to travel. Namjoon and I took a few trips together. And you and I have gone on trips together. I need to learn how to be comfortable doing things on my own. I’m 25 years old. I can’t wait around forever.” You nodded as you spoke, convincing yourself. Taking a shaking breath, you squeezed your eyes shut and made that final click. 

Melissa squealed in excitement and pulled you in for a constricting hug that pulled a laugh from you despite your nerves about your newly booked solo adventure. “I’m so proud of you! And excited! You’re going to fucking Norway!!”

[alexusonfire]

Warmth of Your Doorways - Chapter 2

Jane Murdstone x dressmaker!Reader

A/n: Artwork and beta done by the spectacular, amazing, show-stopping @booitsrue !! Collab once again with loml @daydream-cement and her Big Foldy Plant Brain. Get ready for the gay y'all!!

Summary: The love language begins.

It was a lovely spring day, the sun shining, a gentle breeze blowing through the grass. You'd been mulling over your visit to Lady Marjory's residence for the past few days, a certain raven-haired resident occupying most of your thoughts. Though you tried to remain focused on your work, you often strayed to the way Jane's nose crinkled when she found something distasteful, or how elegant her hands looked with crochet needles in them. Huffing when you realized you'd once again missed a rather important stitch, you decided perhaps it was time to pay Lady Jane a visit, see if the thoughts nagging in your brain were of any merit. You carefully packed up your supplies and wished the Matron a good afternoon, claiming family plans for your early departure.

The fresh air hit your lungs and gave you a swift boost of confidence, one you desperately needed as you began your trek to the Manor House. Doubt pricked at your skin the closer you got, and you were picking at your nail beds by the time you reached the front door. Considering your options, you suddenly found yourself frozen to the spot; perhaps this was a mistake, you'd put too much thought into it, or maybe not enough-

"Do you always loiter around people's houses, or just this one?"

Her voice caught you off guard, the very woman you'd hoped to see now standing not more than ten feet from you. Her hands clasped in front of her, ramrod straight as always, she cocked her brow in wait for an answer.

"Lady Jane. Pleasure to see you again. I um… well, I was hoping perhaps you'd join me for a walk. If you were interested. Or not busy-"

You cut yourself off before beginning to ramble, the small bubble of confidence deflating as none of this was going to plan. Hoping to come across a bit more suave, you felt slightly ridiculous simply standing there.

"You came all this way, presumably even left your workplace early… to ask me for a walk?"

Well, put like that, you really did feel ridiculous. Shuffling your feet, you replied with a quiet "yes". She seemed to consider you for a moment, her bright gaze sweeping you up and down, before nodding her head and turning, expecting you to follow. Hastily you caught up with her, matching her pace as she led you round the manor, large hedges and flower bushes indicating the start to what you were sure was a magnificent garden.

“Are you well versed in the world of botany, y/n?” Jane glanced at you from the corner of her eye, her hands folded behind herself. Her tone was impossibly indifferent, making you wonder what she was thinking beyond her question. 

You take a moment to survey the garden, mind picking out the few plant species you actually knew. Roses, london plane, boxwoods, lilac, and hydrangeas were some of the simplest species you knew off the top of your head. Glancing up to Jane and back to the mown path, you speak timidly, “Some… The matron requires me to know some as some plants are often printed on our fabrics…”

“Hmmm…” Jane hummed in response, remaining fairly silent which made you increasingly nervous.

Silence fell between the two of you, only the sounds of your footsteps and the occasional birdcall filling the air. You continued to steal glances up at the statuesque woman, her immense beauty making your heart skip a beat. There were a few moments where your hand would brush against the fabric of her dress, each time you expected her to draw herself away from you, but she remained close to you with her head held high. 

You had started to grow comfortable in the silence, beginning to gaze about the beautifully maintained gardens, thoughts wandering away. It was exceptionally embarrassing when you heard Jane clear her throat from behind you. Your wandering thoughts must have led you to continue walking even though she had stopped under a tree near a small bench a few meters back. 

“Y/n.” Her tone was cold and chiding, making your stomach turn as your cheeks grew redder as you turned back and caught her narrow gaze. Only if you would’ve known that she found your absentmindedness to be quite endearing, a nearly undetectable smile gracing her lips for a fraction of a second before you turned to face her. 

You mumble a quick apology and rush back to her side, waiting for her to sit first before taking a seat next to her, “Where is Lady Marjory today?”

"She's off shopping with a few of her friends. I offered to go with but she insisted I have some time to myself."

You felt a pang of guilt, wondering if you'd intruded on her personal time.

"I suppose it was a good thing though, otherwise you would have been left standing dumbly at our front door."

You couldn't help but chuckle at that, and were pleased to see Jane's lip twitch in humor as well. Though her comments were often framed as mild insults, you suspected dry wit was more to blame than any cruel intentions. You shifted slightly so you were facing more towards her, eager to get to know more about her whilst you had the chance.

"You had asked if I was well-versed in botany. Is that a particular subject of interest for you?"

Jane nodded, looking out at the gardens. You'd noted she hadn't made much eye contact with you since arriving, and you had to wonder if it was due to boredom or a lack of interest in you. You hoped neither.

"My mother had a wonderful garden when I was growing up. All sorts of beautiful plants, ranging from poppies and primrose to columbine. She of course never tended to them, our gardeners did… So on days I was bored or had no lessons to complete I'd stay in the gardens, and they would teach me the names of all the flora. I found it fascinating, how different plants grew better together than others, the differing care needed for what I assumed to be similar species."

The entire time she spoke you gazed at her with a sort of unbridled affection, not quite believing she was so open with you about a passion of hers. You could see her, tiny Jane, running about in the gardens with dirt-caked nails and flowers in her hair… quite the stark contrast from the woman who now sat beside you.

You wondered what it would take for her to put flowers in her hair.

"That sounds lovely Jane, truly. Do you still like to spend your time outdoors, amongst the flowers?"

"I do. I find it… relaxing. Peaceful."

You felt the need to contribute your own knowledge to the conversation, not wanting Jane to find you dull, “I’ve heard of the language of flowers once... From a customer who runs a flower shop with her husband. She says that each kind of flower, even down to the color, has a unique meaning.” Thinking back on the short lesson the florist had provided, you begin reciting some of the flowers and their meaning for Jane, “Yellow carnation for disdain, hollyhock for ambition, morning glory for affection, red tulips to declare your love...”

“Yarrow for everlasting love, blue salvia for when you are thinking of someone... I am well versed in the language of flowers.” Jane glanced down at you with an air of mischief around her, much like she knew a secret that no one else did. With a smile tugging at the corner of her lips, she leaned in close, her voice hushed, “Violets are my favorite, however. Many see them to be a religious symbol of modesty and humility, but of course... there are many interpretations.” 

The mention of other interpretations made your brow furrow, thinking hard about if the florist had mentioned anything about violets. Rather than dwell on the fact that you had no concept of what the other interpretations could be, you turn your attention back up to Jane, who was still lingering close, “I can’t say I know much about violets... Other than that, they are a lovely spring flower.” 

“That they are... That they are...” Jane murmured in agreement, turning back to face forwards. Her arm was pressed against yours, evident of an increased proximity after your discussion of flowers. Once again, she didn’t move away from you, but instead, continued glancing about the gardens as if you weren’t slowly dying inside. 

The small talk continued for a few minutes before Jane suggested you keep walking. Unbeknownst to you, she was actually rather eager to share her vast knowledge, especially with someone who actually seemed to care. She spent the next hour or so walking you through the various plant life surrounding you, answering all of your questions and adding little tidbits in here and there. It was… nice to have someone to share with, someone willing to listen when she accidentally started to ramble on. 

You couldn’t hide your disappointment when you saw the front walkway come back into view, bringing an end to your walk with Jane. There was a small part of you desperately hoping she would invite you in for tea, just to spend a few more minutes enraptured in your conversations. After your time together in the gardens, you were not only enthralled by her beauty but her immense intellect and wit. 

“May I call on you again, Miss Murdstone? For another walk?”

“Jane, please...” She corrected your formal usage of her name, making your heart flutter. After all the walking and discussions, something about her face seemed softer as it observed you from its lofty position. With a smile, Jane affirmed your request, “Yes. Yes, you may.” 

--

Slow to rise from bed the next morning, you took a moment to linger in the warmth of your bedsheets, face pressing into the comfort of your pillow, mind wandering back to your walk with Jane. She had you entirely smitten, her voice, words, and form filling every corner of your mind. After taking a few minutes to think about your crush, you pull yourself from bed, ready to make yourself presentable and begin your chores before Matron Mary is in for the day. 

After your morning routine, you trot down the back stairs, straight into the shop, headed towards the front door to check for the morning mail. Eyes scanning the shop, you make a mental note of how everything was in order, aside from the small project Mary had you working on in the far corner of the room. Once at the front door, you twist the door handle with your right hand while flipping the ‘Closed’ sign to ‘Open’ with your left. 

Stepping one foot out the front door, you dip one hand into the mailbox mounted on the side of the building. Immediately, you retract your hand at the feeling of something that was anything but paper. You crane your neck outside the front door, looking down into the mailbox to see two letters and a bundle of purple flowers, undoubtedly violets. Scooping the contents from the mailbox, you swiftly retreat back into the dress shop, closing the door with your foot. 

You deposit the two letters from Mary on the front desk and turn your attention to the miniature bouquet before you. There was a small note tied to the front of the flowers, reading: 

As Sappho once said: 

Many crowns of violets,

roses and crocuses

…together you set before more

and many scented wreaths

made from blossoms

around your soft throat…

…with pure, sweet oil

…you anointed me,

and on a soft, gentle bed…

you quenched your desire…

…no holy site…

we left uncovered,

no grove…

J.M.

[smileyfacemojisworld]

Let’s say eah had a talent show. What would the eah characters preform? Who would win?

Duchess Swan, obv, but maybe an ice skating collab w Ashlynn🥺 That’d b sooo wholesome thooo❤️❤️❤️

Justine Dancer, Duchess wld obv b competing against her, Justine cld ask Humphrey for help (again, but pretty sure he’d agree since he helped her in The Shoe Thief) for some special effects🤔

Meeshell Mermaid, swimming or singing, or swimming while singing(instead of “Just keep swimming”, “Just Keep Singing”)

Sparrow Hood, perhaps after Meeshell gives him singing lessons and Melody gives him guitar lessons💩

Ginger Breadhouse, pro cook/baker

Apple White, singing and attracting animals for the music?🤔

Raven Queen w Nevermore, guitar solo while dragon riding, wld beat Sparrow 100%

Hear me out here me out, the wonderlandians do some sort of acrobatics/magic trick performance while waiting for Maddie to make the worlds biggest cup of tea while wearing the worlds silliest hat, MUST HAVE😭

Ashlynn and Lizzie wld do another fashion collaboration🤔❤️

Cedar wld compete in art(painting), maybe Raven wld help her make it to life w her magic🥺

Can we get a round of applause for Sparrow being last🥲

Imagine if Duchess and Justine tied😨Duchess wld b furious while Ashlynn tries to calm her down

If they tied, Apple and Raven wld surely too, cuz yk Royal vs Rebel

The Fashion Collab wld b represented through the Dragon Games Showcase🤔

Maybe Meeshell & the wonderlandians wld mix up their show timings and accidentally go tgt but end up collabing? 👏FIRST PLACE👏

Idrk 4 Cedar, wdyt @zvmz?

TYSSSM FOR THE ASK❤️