#half their songs are silly as fuck so this is. objectively embarrassing

[jaskierx]

at this point i don't even consider the mountain goats to be 'music that i like' it's more 'music that has me in a fucking chokehold'

[noirandchocolate]

Time for funny comment roundup for Round 1B! There were LOTS of really good thoughtful responses about who would win, too. I wish I could reblog everyone but it'd be such a flood, omg.

Match 1, Vetinari vs. Willikins

Is it funnier if Willikins wins? Yes. Is Willikins one terrifying son of a bitch? Also yes. But Havelock Vetinari is the most terrifying son of a bitch of them all.

--@always-burningbright

They would casually hold common household objects at each other while giving pointed glances for half an hour.

--@ahno-nimus

I do see this as being as close a fight as Vetinari would ever see. Because Willikins hides in plain sight in a very similar way. I 100% see them comparing notes afterwards though. About tactics and about Sir Samuel. Much to his chagrin.

--@onwardsandsideways

Match 2, Adora Belle vs. Pump

Close call but Mr. Pump's gonna get grounded for two weeks after this, probably.

He's already grounded he's made of clay.

--@purpledemoncat and @thestuffed-alligator

Gotta go with Mr. Pump on this one, because while Spike is determined and kind of mean, and also knows a lot about golems, all Mr. Pump has to do is pick her up and hold her until she has a nic fit and gives in.

--@javaelemental

Match 3, Nanny vs. Cheery

Nanny's gonna win just because she'll set Cheery up with one of her kids and assimilate her into the Ogg family.

--@purpledemoncat

I definitely see Nanny winning here. But that's just the precursor to a truly epic Girls' Night Out organized by Nanny. So everyone wins in the end. Until the truly epic hangover kicks in.

--@onwardsandsideways

Gytha Ogg could make anyone give up from sheer bashfulness. She would get through her song about the wizard's staff and Cheery would give up out of embarrassment.

--@stonebluerue

Match 4, Lu-Tze vs. Otto

Lu-Tze taps into his years of camouflage and sweeping prowess that Otto arrives for the fight and doesn't even realise Lu-Tze is there. Then when he turns to leave Lu-Tze is stood directly in front of him and Otto suddenly remembers he had been hit 60 times.

--@critfumbled

I think I have to go with Lu-Tze. I fully believe Otto is capable of killing very nearly anybody or anything. But he's trying so hard to be good these days. He's trying so hard to be just a Silly Little Guy. So he wouldn't put the real effort in. And though the fight would be long and increasingly ridiculous he'd inevitably lose like Elmer Fudd vs Bugs Bunny.

--@omicheese

Otto is unhinged and undeathly strong but I think Lu-Tze would carry this one. Possibly by winning before Otto was even born.

--@chuthulhu

Otto would lose immediately. He'd want to get a pre-match photo to commemorate the occasion and immediately disintegrate himself again. Lu-Tze would take a moment to sweep him into an aesthetically pleasing design before reconstructing him.

--@nerdomancer

Match 5, Ridcully vs. Polly

Read this description of the fight by @genreral-systems-vehicle, it's great.

On one hand, Polly is military, with all the (trial by fire) training and surviving by the skin of your teeth that entails. Ridcully on the other hand was able to fuck up the UU's tendency towards murder based on promotion and is very in favor of aggressive friendly conflict. In the end I voted Ridcully because a man who can stomach wow wow sauce like that is not to be trifled with.

--@nerdomancer

Cmon people, being the most competent wizard is not a high bar as wizards are inherently incompetent. Polly on the other hand is hypercompetent and has zero chill and no shame. The gall who can impress Vimes in sheer audacity clearly has the upper hand.

--@askteamgrey

Match 6, Jason vs. Carrot

But Carrot wouldn't just win. He'd make Jason feel like losing was a kind of winning, and leave everyone starry-eyed in their support of Jason. ...while very definitely, very straightforwardly, outright winning.

--@doomspaniels

I think they should have a wrestling match. In oil. For charity. I think they'd have fun and become friends. Nanny is selling the tickets.

--@n3cropants

I feel like Carrot would be more of a disciplined fighter and Jason wouldn't hesitate to fight dirty but also it's Carrot he's like the tallest human in the disc.

--@cake-my-beloved

Match 7, Angua vs. Rincewind

I think Angua would put up a damn good effort, being a pursuit predator and all, but I think Rincewind would fall into a well and emerge in Ankh-Morpork circa -2812 The Year of the Scurrilous Sea Urchin and he'd have a whole new set of problems.

--@purpledemoncat (I screamed.)

Now, obviously Rincewind is no match for Angua physically, but I think we can all agree that the correct storyline for him being in a tournament would be to accidentally win while attempting to get himself disqualified.

--@wyrdsisterspodcast

I think that because it's a Fight Angua would win. Meanwhile if she had to actually Arrest Rincewind for something she would never ever succeed. He's the Roadrunner beep beep.

--@omicheese

Match 8, Agnes vs. Jackrum

Jackrum. Agnes would scream really loud and big but then Jackrum will be like "Hahaha I lost my ear drums IN THE WAR!" and do a flying kick.

--@purpledemoncat

I really wanted to say Agnes just cause vibes but the Jackrum picture looks like it's about to stab me personally for considering that option so uh. Jackrum I guess.

--@violetren (this literally made me start wheezing)

Agnes vs Jackrum--Jackrum would win easy peasy. Perdita vs Jackrum though would get really messy REALLY quick. But all that said Jackrum lives in the trenches he lives in the pit he's coming out of this one on top. NOthing is too low to stoop for him, no trick is too underhanded.

--@omicheese

Can't wait to see what y'all have to say about Round 2! XD

[earnestly-endlessly]

hi! hope you're doing well :) do you have any domestic!cherik fics? or established relationship ones?

Hi anon, thanks for the ask. I'm doing very well, been super busy because I'm currently moving but it's all good. I have plenty of great domestic/established relationship cherik fics for you. I hope you enjoy!!

Domestic/Established Relationship cherik

Daycare ‘Verse’ – orphan_account, pocky_slash

Summary: A modern AU in which Charles runs a mutant daycare and Erik is his long-suffering engineer boyfriend.

Runs in the Family – Anonysquirrel (chibirisuchan)

Summary: Alex knew his own reputation. Hell, he'd started some of his own reputation, because it kept some of the smarter thugs off his back. Everyone knew Alex's reputation. There was no way Hank didn't know his reputation, but he'd brought Alex into a house with some really expensive things and a lot of innocent little kids and his too-friendly, too-harmless dad.

But clearly Hank hadn't told his family anything about Alex, just like he hadn't told Alex anything about his family. At least, not about the brain-breaking parts of his family.

"I didn't know where to start," Hank said, for the dozenth time.

Gift of the Magi, But Screw it Up – librata

Summary: He doesn't know if he's buying too much, too little, or even the right things at all, because he's never entertained a guest as important as Edie Lehnsherr.

Making perfect – aesc

Summary: As is the case with most trials in Erik's life, this one starts with Charles gazing beseechingly at him and asking him for a favor. Not that their going-on-three years relationship is a trial, even though it started with Charles giving Erik the full benefit of sad blue eyes and asking him if he wouldn't mind opening his car door since he'd locked his keys inside, but still.

Continue firm and constant – aesc

Summary: Moira hasn't seen her old partner in saving the world from threats human and intergalactic, Erik Lehnsherr, for a few years. When she finally does see him again, she finds a man different from the one who's been with her down in the dark and the dirt and the blood... or maybe he isn't so different after all.

After School Special – listerinezero

Summary: Charles was barely seventeen and Erik was his social studies teacher. But after almost fifteen years together, does it really matter how they met?

Terrifying Domesticity – ishipitsobad

Summary: Erik is the most dangerous and notorious mafia boss around for miles, and yet the strangest things terrify him.

For example: his children, and his very pregnant mate.

Trying is Half the Battle – Pookaseraph

Summary: Post-Cuba, no divorce, Charles and Erik are in an established relationship and when Charles gets sick with a random flu bug, they discover that Charles can get pregnant. They then try to get pregnant, and try, and try.

We’ll all be gone for the summer – pocky_slash

Summary: Charles and Erik's usual family beach vacation gets a little bigger when they agree to watch Erik's teenaged twins for the summer. Charles is looking forward to a chance to bond with his step-children. Erik is terrified of screwing them up even more.

A Summer Day So Late in Coming – helens78

Summary: Fifty years after they fell in love, Erik comes to Charles with a proposal that rocks Charles's world.

Still Going Strong – JackyJango

Summary: Speaking of forty-eight, Erik hates it. Hates it even more that others are aware of it. While he’s pragmatic enough to know and accept that aging is inexorable, the increase in number gives the people around him the freedom to pounce at him with questions, opinions and advice he'd fought to keep at bay all year.

Besides, Erik believes that youth is a state of mind, not a phase in one’s life.

You have a child’s mind in a man’s body, Charles constantly tells him.

But despite his age, Erik is healthy. He works out daily. His muscles are steel and he can dead-lift four hundred pounds. He can break bones without breaking a sweat. Most importantly, he can still carry Charles to the bedroom and fuck him senseless. And as long as Erik can do that, he’s perfectly happy.

Before You Attempt Me (Fair Warning) – kianspo

Summary: Charles helps Raven get ready for the prom. Surprisingly, that part goes well. The prom itself not so much. Erik cooks a lot of unhealthy comfort foods and is incredibly patient. Charles mostly frets about everything, until Erik does something neither he, nor Raven see coming.

And now you will not be alone any more – pocky_slash

Summary: Erik gives driving, sewing, and cooking lessons, soothes nightmares, bolsters self-esteem, and still can't figure out why Charles keeps smiling at him like that.

Some sense of touch and a melody – pocky_slash

Summary: On a day when Charles, for once, finds himself saying the right thing to everyone he sees, he allows himself to be talked into a field trip to a local orchard.

It’s kind of our whole thing – pearl_o, pocky_slash

Summary: After two years of best friendship, Charles and Erik thought they knew everything there was to know about each other. They're surprised, then, when their first summer as a couple reveals that they have a lot to learn about each other and themselves.

Indulgence – grim_lupine

Summary: “The children are still asleep,” Charles murmurs groggily, flinging an arm out as if searching for Erik beside him. “The house is still standing, this is a ghastly hour, and more importantly, I’m still here. Why do you insist on doing this every morning?”

Your Father’s Daughter – ConsultingWriter

Summary: Wanda proves just how much she takes after Erik.

Pietro reeled back before leaning back in "They didn't tell you what happened? Wanda got in a fist fight and totally wailed on this guy, I mean, on one hand I feel kinda embarrassed for him, but it was so epic."

Erik's eyebrows shot to his hairline. Wanda got in a fight? That was....surprising, to say the least. Wanda tended to take after Charles in temperament and preferred talking to violence.

This Crazy Game Called Life – chiasmus

Summary: Raven declares game night in the mansion. Sean finds an elephant, Erik inherits one hundred unwanted cats, and Charles scars Hank for life with misdirected dirty thinking. This is five thousand-something words of crack with a dose of schmoop. I'm not sorry. Written for this kink meme prompt: Raven is tired of the boys going off to play chess (if they're even playing chess!) and pulls out a load of board games from one of the closets in the mansion. Madness ensues.

To my roomba with love – sareyen

Summary: There are a lot of things that Erik loves about Charles. He loves all of the obvious things; Charles’s kindness, his intelligence, his laughter, his eyes. He also loves the little private things; the way Charles sneaks Erik his unwanted tomatoes, his warbled opera singing in the shower, that sensitive spot on his hip.

And he loves the silly things about Charles, especially the way the man has a habit of talking to inanimate objects when he thinks no one is looking. Charles has conversations with the kettle, the washing machine, and their roomba – and every time Erik eavesdrops on him, he falls in love with the man a little bit more.

Everything About it is a Love Song – pocky_slash

Summary: Erik's spent fifty years being a figurehead and he's ready to leave that behind. Luckily, so is Charles.

(aka Old Retired Dudes in Love)

A Very Xavier-Lehnsherr Christmas – zamwessell

Summary: Erik is discovering new things about Charles Xavier all the time. Charles sometimes talks in his sleep. Often about food. Occasionally in Latin. Charles has a scar on his left thigh from attempting to demonstrate relativity to a girl by sitting on a hot stove. Charles doesn’t mean to be so loud when they make love, but sometimes Charles can’t help himself.

Charles is a voracious reader. Charles has an unspeakably filthy imagination. Charles will try anything in bed twice to make sure he wasn’t wrong the first time.

Charles is unexpectedly fond of Christmas. Perhaps that is not the phrase. “Unhealthily obsessed” might be better.

The fluffiest holiday fluff you ever read in your dang life.

Of Crabs and Castles – flightinflame 

Summary: Charles and Erik take their children to the beach. Wanda builds a sandcastle, Nina makes some friends, and Pietro gets some exercise. Some family fun in the sunshine.

Bring Your Daughter To Work Day – listerinezero

Summary: Charles brings three year old Lorna to class with him.

Glasses – grim_lupine

Summary: Charles blinks at him bemusedly, but Erik barely notices because Charles is wearing glasses— wire-rimmed, and Erik can feel the metal humming, traces without touch the way they follow the curve of Charles’s nose and rest behind his ears.

Genetics Isn’t Sexy – pocky_slash

Summary: Charles lectures. The kids aren't very responsive. Erik, on the other hand....

Peanut Butter and Honey (The Fairytale Remix) – pocky_slash

Summary: Once upon a time there was a Princess named Anya who lived in a house with her Daddy and her wicked stepmother Charles. (A wicked stepmother is the person who comes and lives with princesses and their daddies after their mommies go away.) She had a best friend named Leroy, and one day he was lost.

The Bystander (The Consultant (aka A Westchester Telepath in the Avengers Tower) Remix) – Nanimok

Summary: When it comes to Professor Charles Xavier, telepath, SHIELD consultant and compulsive flirt, no one is safe.

Not even the Big Three.

[artificialqueens]

Tree House Kisses, Chapter 43 (Adorney) - Scorpio and Veronica

A/N: Click here for previous chapters here on AQ or here if you’d rather read on AO3. xoxo!

And thank you again to our wonderful betas: @saiphl, @sillylittlecandycane

Chapter Summary: It’s finally the night of senior prom!! It starts out great...but will it end in disaster? (Spoiler alert: yes)

Chapter 43: I Just Wanna Dance

There were a million things Courtney loved about being in the The Scarlet Pimpernel--finally getting a chance to play a lead role in a musical, the songs themselves, the beautiful costumes they’d borrowed from a nearby university’s theatre company, the warm encouragement from Mrs. Maguire, watching her friends and castmates shine, when her dad surprised her by showing up for one of the weekend shows with a bouquet of pink roses…

But her favorite thing of all was being onstage with Adore. It was the first time they’d had multiple scenes together since playing Annie and Miss Hannigan in 5th grade, and for Courtney, it made the experience a million times better.

Closing night was bittersweet. In some ways, Courtney wished that it would never end. But she was excited for prom and graduation, their Mexico road trip and their first apartment. So even though it was a little bit sad, she didn’t cling to it. Instead, she focused on the excitement she felt about everything to come, and really tried to live in the moment, committing every single second to memory.

In the garden scene with Adore, she noticed the little wisps of hair around her face that were lit up by the bright stage lights, the way her hazel eyes gleamed, and when she leaned toward her, it was the closest they’d ever come to actually kissing in this scene. All Courtney wanted was to surrender, to just close her eyes, let their lips touch, but she fought it, finally pushing Adore away like she was supposed to at the last possible second, heart pounding, feeling a bit light-headed while she watched her sing. Really listening to the lyrics for what felt like the first time.

“Marguerite, don't forget I know who you are. We were cut from the same surly star, like two jewels in the sky, sharing fire. Where's the girl, so alive and still aching for more? We had dreams that were worth dying for. We were caught in the eye of a storm! Come again!”

Adore grabbed her hands, spinning her in a circle, and a lump formed in Courtney’s throat.

“Let the girl in your heart tumble free. Bring your renegade heart home to me. In the dark of the morning, I'll warm you, I'll rouse you . . .”

As they slowly stopped turning in a circle, Courtney swallowed hard, the dizziness getting to her, stomach in knots, and it was if Adore could sense it. She pulled her in by the waist, singing the last verse softly, directly to her. And something happened for the first time that Courtney couldn’t explain--a single tear began to slip down her cheek.

“Where's the girl? Is she gazing at me with surprise? Do I still see that blaze in her eyes? Am I dreaming or is she beside me . . . now . . .?”

The music slowly faded out, and Courtney knew that Adore was waiting for her next line, her eyes soft and expectant. She knew that she had to get it out; this was the script, and she couldn’t change it no matter how much she wanted to. So she mustered up all of her strength, squaring her shoulders and speaking, firmly and hoarsely.

“No. Get out.”

Adore’s eyes went cold as she turned and left the stage, and for a second Courtney really did think that she was going to fall, to faint or throw up or something else entirely unexpected. She knew she only had about three seconds before Willam and Gia entered, so she quickly swiped the tear from her cheek and took a deep breath, pushing down the terrible feeling that something had broken inside of her, something she wouldn’t ever be able to fix.

-

“Hey…”

Courtney whirled around as Adore touched her shoulder, a startled look on her face that softened when she saw Adore.

“Oh, hi.”

“Are you alright?” Adore asked. She’d noticed the tears while they were onstage, and had a feeling that it was more than just acting.

“Yeah, sorry, it’s...I guess just that this is the last time we’re gonna be doing the show. Kinda silly.” She wiped her eyes, looking a bit embarrassed.

Adore smiled softly, pulling her in for a hug. “Nah, I know how you feel.”

Courtney squeezed her back tightly. “Thanks, Dory. I love you.”

“Me too, babe.”

-

“You girls are just so gorgeous and grown-up,” Bonnie said, sniffling a little as she snapped photo after photo.

It was finally the night of their senior prom, and as a treat, Bonnie and Karen had gotten together and treated the girls to a little spa day: mani pedis - the fancy kind with paraffin wax and massages and rhinestone embellishments, lunch at their favorite café, and professional hair styling. Courtney had gone for a glamorous updo studded with tiny red roses, Adore for a half-up style with criss-crossing fishtail braids, and Tati for smooth finger-waves that made her look like an old-time movie star. Afterwards, they’d all headed back to Adore’s house to do their makeup and get dressed.

To Adore’s relief, Courtney hadn’t brought up her weird objections to Tati being her date, and she was friendly as can be to Tati just like usual, gossiping about their classmates, giggling, having a grand old time.

Adore was very pleased with the outfit she’d ended up with: an amazing thrift store find, a short, square-necked black lace dress, very bruja, and she’d paired it with studded black boots, fishnets, and the leather choker that Courtney’d gotten her for her birthday last year. Tati looked amazing as always, her skin-tight hot pink minidress really pushing the dress code limits, but the color so fun that she’d probably be fine.

And then there was Courtney. Adore was surprised when she’d chosen it, the sleek white two-piece so unlike her: no sparkly embellishments or flouncy girliness--just a simple, spaghetti-strapped, open-backed top and long slitted skirt that made her early summer tan glow. When she first put it on, Adore had to look away for a moment, so as not to get choked up about how beautiful she was. Then of course, she completed the look with sparkly silver star accessories, red stones in her necklace matching the roses in her hair. Before they’d headed downstairs for photos, Adore gestured to her charm bracelet, the rose-gold obviously not fitting the color theme of her ensemble.

“That doesn’t really match,” she noted, and Courtney bit her lip, meeting Adore’s eyes with a look that made her insides twist.

“I don’t care.”

Now, in Courtney’s backyard, they posed for the dozens of pictures that Karen and Bonnie insisted on. First all the girls separately, then together, then Adore and Tati, who were still posing when Roy finally rounded the corner in his white tux. The second Adore caught sight of his red pocket square she burst out laughing, unable to help herself.

“Thanks, Delano, exactly the reaction I was hoping for,” he said.

“No, it’s cause your pocket square is...Courtney, I fucking knew that you’d do that shit again!” Adore laughed, and Courtney just shrugged, accepting first a kiss on the cheek and then the wrist corsage with the requested red roses.

“I never denied it!” Courtney said. She reached out and adjusted Roy’s lapels, grinning. “I think he looks perfect.”

“Thank you, babe, and you’re beautiful,” Roy said, before ruining the moment by turning and blowing a raspberry in Adore’s direction.

“That’s mature.”

“Adore, please pull it together for two more shots!” Bonnie interrupted, and Adore put her arm back around Tati’s waist.

Courtney and Roy were next, followed by group shots, and then Karen insisted on a couple with Courtney and Adore.

Adore swallowed, letting Courtney take her hand and lean a head on her shoulder, feeling slightly awkward.

“It’s kind of funny, don’t you think?” Courtney asked, between shots.

“What?”

Courtney gestured to their outfits. “Black and white.”

“Oh yeah. Very fitting, huh?” Adore said.

Courtney gazed up at her, a starry-eyed smile on her face, and Adore could feel herself melting right back to the place she’d insisted she’d never go again as the camera flashed.

“Mom! I wasn’t ready!”

“It was cute!” Karen defended herself.

“Do you think we should call Pearl and ask when-”

“Limo has arrived, bitcheeeeeees!” screeched a voice, and everyone turned to see Willam at the gate, along with Trinity, Pearl, Fame and Violet, who all came bounding in, dressed to the nines.

Courtney squealed happily, clapping her hands. After about ten or twenty more pictures of the whole group, Bonnie and Karen finally dismissed them, letting them pile into the limo, laughing and screaming happily, music blasting.

Adore was the last one to go, turning to give her mother one last little wave, pretending not to notice the tears shining in her eyes as she called, “Bye Ma! Don’t wait up!”

-

The hotel ballroom where their prom was held was the fanciest place Adore had ever been. After looking up at the huge crystal chandelier over the dance floor, Adore turned to Tati with a look of confusion and asked, “Oh my god...is our school bougie?”

Tati laughed, pulling her onto the dance floor with the rest of their group. The DJ was surprisingly good, and they twirled and laughed, dancing for hours before Tati finally admitted that her feet were killing her and she needed a break.

“Ugh, same,” said Pearl.

“This is why you wusses should have worn more comfortable shoes,” Adore proclaimed, modeling her combat boots as they trooped over to grab some punch and sit down.

“Not everyone can pull that off, dear,” Tati told her.

“Or you can just do what Trinity did,” Pearl said, gesturing to her prom date, platform sandals kicked off to the side of the dance floor, her bright yellow dress hiked up with her hands as she, Courtney and Willam shook it to Shakira’s ‘Hips Don’t Lie,’ Roy awkwardly joining in with decidedly less enthusiasm than the others.

“Still think my solution’s better,” said Adore, settling down at the table with a glass of sugary punch.

They relaxed for a few minutes, chatting and giggling, before they were joined by first Violet, then Fame, then Bob, who came bounding over with April to hype up the afterparty.

“You guys are going, right? It’s gonna be amazing!” he exclaimed, and Violet shook her head in disbelief.

“You really think a school-sanctioned afterparty will be that much fun?” she asked.

“I’m telling you! Everyone says it’s the best part of the night.”

“Really? I would think the best part of the night is how sexy your girlfriend looks,” said Pearl, sending a wink in April’s direction, making her giggle and preen.

“Okay, yes, she does, but also...after the afterparty, there’s a pancake breakfast. So, come on...”

“Robert! Hello young man! Lookin’ slick!” Roy called, walking over to give Bob a hug and slap on the back. He looked a bit sweaty and disheveled, and it made Adore chuckle.

“Courtney’s giving you a real workout, huh?” she teased.

“That girl wouldn’t leave a dance floor if you paid her,” Roy answered with a sigh, dragging a chair over from a nearby table to sit heavily. “Luckily, Willam and Trinity have much higher endurance than me, so-”

“Guess again!” Trinity exclaimed, as she flopped into Pearl’s lap. “I’m fucking exhausted.”

“Aww, you guys all abandoned the blue-eyed devils,” Bob said, gesturing to Courtney and Willam on the dance floor, making April crack up.

“They’re fine,” Roy said, leaning back in the chair, eyes closing.

Adore looked over at the dance floor, watching them while everyone chatted. When the song ended, to her surprise, Courtney made her way over to the group too.

“Whoa, maybe she’s actually tired! Did someone slip you some Benadryl, Court?”

Turned out, she was only there to ask Adore to come back onto the dance floor.

“Will you come dance with me?” she cajoled, reaching out her hand, a soft and hopeful look in her eyes.

“Uh…” Adore knew this was a bad idea. As much as she tried not to, told herself not to, she’d already spent too much of the evening with one eye on Courtney with Roy, fixated on the way they laughed and flirted and touched each other--it was like regressing two years, and she just wasn’t in the right headspace to confront her feelings.

“Please?” Courtney touched Adore’s lace-covered wrist, adding with a twinkle, “I’ll be your best friend...”

Adore had to chuckle at that, standing up with a resigned sigh. “Good one, bitch.”

Courtney beamed at her, leading her to the dance floor. Of course, it was some slow, schmaltzy pop ballad. And of course, Courtney’s arms immediately went around her neck, pulling her close. Head resting on her shoulder.

Adore didn’t know where to put her hands. Courtney’s skimpy top left so much of her back exposed, she could feel herself panicking before finally letting them settle on her hips. Even then, it was impossible to avoid her waist, her thumbs grazing the soft bare skin a few times before she tried tucking them into her palms.

“I love you, Dory,” Courtney murmured, and Adore gulped.

“Love you too.”

Adore tried to get her heart to settle, tried to stop the churning in her stomach, the song dragging on for what felt like an eternity while she sweated and held back her tears. When it finally ended, she broke away immediately, mumbling about how she needed a cigarette, and bolted from the dance floor.

-

Courtney watched Adore go, misty-eyed, wondering why she always ran away just when it felt like they were getting closer, and couldn’t help the dejected feeling inside, stomach twisting with regret.

“Punch?”

Courtney turned around to see Roy, holding out a cup of red punch for her. Of course he was. He was always there: dependent, steadfast, the one person in her life that she could always count on. The guilt Courtney felt would be crushing if she didn’t love him so much.

She slid her arms around his waist, pulling him close, asking, “How did I end up with the best boyfriend in the world?”

Roy sighed, setting the cup on a nearby table and wrapping her into a hug, resting his chin on top of her head.

“Just lucky, I guess.” After a few moments, he ventured softly, “Do you wanna dance some more?”

“Yes,” Courtney said, arms tightening around him even more. “Yes, I really fucking do.”

-

“There you are…” Tati said, when she finally found Adore in the hotel courtyard, sitting against a stucco wall, smoking a cigarette. “You alright?”

She settled in beside her, maneuvering the best she could so as not to let her dress ride up around her hips. This didn’t feel like a conversation where it would be productive to have her underwear showing.

“Just fucking peachy.” Adore took a long drag.

“Yeah. Listen, I-”

“I really don’t want any advice right now,” Adore said, and Tati immediately closed her mouth.

“Ooookay,” she breathed, realizing that now wasn’t the right time to say what she had to say.

“Sorry. It’s just, my head is all-”

“Nah, I get it.” Tati patted her fishnet-covered thigh.

“Thanks.”

They sat in silence for a few moments, Adore’s head leaning back on the wall, Tati watching the smoke curling up into the midnight sky.

“Can I ask you a question, though?”

“I guess.” Adore’s voice was tired and hoarse, so Tati tried to phrase it as gently and tactfully as possible.

“What’s the worst thing that could happen? If you, like, told her?”

Adore took a long drag of her cigarette, pondering the answer before saying, “I could die. I could literally die.”

“Alright.” Tati said, stretching her legs out in front of her. She wasn’t inclined to push it, adding a simple, “Just seems like something to think about.”

After a few more moments of tense silence, Adore sniffled, and Tati realized that she was crying.

“I should get out of here,” she said, stabbing the cigarette out on the pavement, using her lacy sleeve to wipe her eyes.

“Do you want me to go with you?”

“No. It’s prom. Stay and have fun,” Adore said, and Tati was overcome with sympathy, wished there was something she could do to make her feel better--or at least, enough better to have a carefree and fun night like they all deserved. It had started out so well, and Tati still wasn’t sure where it’d gone wrong.

“Adore, come on, you can-”

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Tati said, staying on the ground while Adore got up, resigned to just let her have her feelings, realizing that there really was nothing she could do in that moment.

-

“Yeah, I know! There’s just something off about his face!” Violet laughed, following Trinity out of the bathroom, still talking about an idiot jock who’d tried to feel her up on the dance floor.

“I think it would be an okay face if he wasn't such a jerk,” Trinity said.

“Okay face is probably the best he can hope for,” Violet agreed. “But don’t you think he-”

Violet stopped short, abdomen twisting when she spotted Fame, in the same location they’d left her outside the restrooms, looking beautiful as ever in her full, floor-length gown covered in a large-scale blue flower print. Only she wasn’t alone. There was a blonde girl chatting with her...a blonde girl in a short, sparkly pink dress who was acting awfully familiar, a hand on Fame’s bare upper arm, flashing a bright white smile.

“Who the hell are you?” Violet asked, and the girl turned to her, blinking her brown eyes slowly.

“Excuse me?”

“I said-” Violet began, but Fame jumped in.

“You know what? We should talk later,” she told the girl, mouthing ‘sorry’ in an annoyingly obvious way, clearly not caring that Violet could see her. Or maybe doing it specifically for Violet’s benefit. Violet’s nails dug into her palms at the thought.

“Alright. Later then. Can’t wait to hang out again,” the girl said, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to Fame’s cheek before sauntering away with a victorious smirk.

“Who the fuck was that?” Violet asked, and Fame turned to her with crossed arms and a crosser expression.

“Hey, I think I hear...something...uh…” Trinity stammered out, backing away so as not to get caught up in the drama, calling out to an imaginary person, “What? Oh, you need-okay, coming!”

She turned and ran back towards the ballroom, leaving Fame and Violet alone.

“Well?” Violet asked, her tone still hostile, but how else was she supposed to be right now?

Fame let out a long sigh, asking, “Why are you so difficult?” She began to walk away, but Violet reached for her, fingers closing around her wrist and tugging her back.

“Fame. Who was that?”

“She’s just a girl I know from working at the bakery,” Fame said, eyes closing as if the conversation was too exhausting for words. “She graduated last year, but I guess she’s here with a friend, so-”

“No. I mean, why were you flirting with her? I thought tonight was about us.”

“Vi…” Fame finally looked into her eyes, blue eyes a bit sad, shaking her head. “Why do you always have to do this?”

“Do what?” Violet could feel herself growing more and more agitated, more and more uneasy, the ground shifting beneath her.

“Talk about us, like that. You’re my best friend. You know how much I love you. But not...not like that.”

Violet didn’t like where this conversation was going, not one bit. She bit back her anger, her impatience, her jealousy, and made her voice as soft and calm as possible.

“But you agreed to be my date. You came here with me-”

“As friends.”

“I don’t get it!” Violet exploded. “You finally broke up with Patrick, officially, and-”

“This is not about Patrick!” Fame exclaimed, exasperation all over her face. “It never was. I guess it was easy to use him as an excuse, but...I just don’t think of you that way.”

Bitterness swirled in Violet’s chest, and before she could stop herself, she spit out, “But you think of that random slut that way?” She gestured angrly in the direction of the blonde, the girl who it seemed had single-handedly managed to ruin her night. “And what did she mean by ‘again’?”

“I...we kind of...hooked up last year,” Fame admitted. “When Patrick and I were on a break, after-”

“You hooked up with a girl and you didn’t tell me? What the fuck?” Violet said, anger and confusion combining, the whole thing like hands wrapped around her throat, making her eyes water and her chest constrict.

“Well, I wasn’t sure how you’d react. I guess I was wrong, since you’re being so understanding.”

“Fuck you,” Violet spat out, turning and walking away.

“Violet, wait!”

Violet stopped walking, but she didn’t turn. She couldn’t bear to look at Fame’s face right now, not when tears were burning in her eyes, threatening to spill over any second.

“Look, I’m sorry! Okay? I guess I just...I didn’t want to say anything that would risk hurting you. Because I don’t want to lose you as a friend. I do love you-”

At that, Violet whirled back around, those angry tears streaking hotly down her cheeks.

“No you don’t,” she said. “You never have. God, I’m so stupid.”

“Vi-”

“Enjoy your prom,” she choked out, before breaking away and rushing towards the lobby. She had no idea where she was going, but she knew that she couldn’t go back into that ballroom, with those people. Not like this.

-

Adore trudged slowly through the parking lot, wondering where she should even go. This part of town was mostly new--lots of pointless high-end stores, yuppie restaurants, hipster bars.

“Hey! Where the fuck are you going?” demanded a voice, and Adore smiled to herself, turning around to find Violet, face streaked in tears, stomping from the hotel angrily.

Adore chuckled sadly. “You look like I feel.”

“Well you look like shit,” Violet countered.

“Okay, so I guess I look like I feel too.”

“God fucking damn it, why can’t we just have one night where we’re like, normal teenagers?” Violet exclaimed, face turned upwards, and Adore shook her head.

“I dunno.”

“Where were you going, anyway?”

“I honestly don’t know. Just...anywhere but here.”

“Same.” Violet took her hand. “I think there’s a diner a few blocks away that’ll be open. Come on.”

[zoyaalinas]

rosa suburbia

written for @jonsadrabbles

day 1: prompt ~ linger

summary: sansa's world is glossy pink. jon wishes she'd let him nurse his heartbreak in peace. he also wishes she'd let him stay.

“Can I work here for a bit? Robb’s so bloody loud I can’t hear myself.”

A listless shrug. “Sure.”

“Thanks. I’ll be quiet.”

She nods, and says it again, sure, her rs clipped off like dead lobelias to make space for drags. Sometimes he wonders what Sansa dreams about when she’s perched this way- looking out a window with the secrecy of a sniper at a periscope, cigarette dangling from the left corner of her mouth. It’s how Jon finds her every morning on his way downstairs, seeking six o’clock supplies (hard-to-ration things: dental floss, Xeroxes, coffee, mental peace). A ritual viewing to keep balance: Sansa Stark in her too-pink bedroom wearing too-pink lingerie staring at too-pink sunsets, although on retrospection, sunsets here are never quite as brilliant as his idea of them.

Most things aren’t.

Outside, it’s summer. In the canon of atmospheric literature, there is something artificial about the way summer is described. Sunshine and great bursts of leaves. Air that smells of crushed fern. Summer in the foothills isn’t half as proprietary; it arrives in silence and gets into crevices like beach glass and thoughtless exchanges made in the heat of a single moment. The air, in fact, hadn’t smelt like crushed fern when Val had slammed the door upon his face in a hot blaze of tears and told him he had developed a pathological affinity for self-centeredness. It had smelt like the wine they’d drunk before.

That was two months back. Jon Snow lost two months to an error of judgement, though some of it was probably the wine too.

Anyway. Non, rien de rien, non, je ne regrette rien.

Thump, thump, thump. Insane acoustics. When Jon is sad, he drinks a lot and rhapsodizes on the lines of Richard Siken. When Robb is sad, he plays Post Malone. From the looks of it, Jon’s roommate must be fucking devastated today, but one can only endure Rockstar so many times before one feels a burgeoning need to pop in half a Percocet and seek refuge in the room of a greater, more tranquil being for the first time in forty days.

Thump.

Or, maybe he’s beating shit up? The Stark kids are a weird lot, Jon has come to realise from his time playing hanger-on: they keep to themselves and operate strictly on an eat-or-be-eaten policy, running on cool crisp cocktails of narcotics and self-hatred. Combinations vary: Arya punches jocks; Bran plays Ted Bundy podcasts during morning yoga sessions. Etcetera.

“What are you writing?”

Nothing to be exact, not since he got distracted from self-pity an odd minute back. More of guilt than anything else, Jon shuts his laptop. “Nada.”

 “You working on that novel?”

“Trying.”

“Feel you.” She taps on a fissure in the cool granite of the sill. “When Harry dumped me, I locked myself into a room and watched Elizabeth Taylor movies for 72 hours. Naked.”

“Sounds terrific.”

“The binging or the nudity?”

“Both. Invite me next time.”

“Alrighty!” this in a sing-song lilt, like playing Harley Quinn. “Bring your best Arbor Red and we’ll watch Gone with the Wind.”

“Don’t forget the other half of the pact.”

Sansa pulls a silly face, and he thinks, Percocet-hazed, funny girl. Conversations should’ve been initiated before, but she wasn’t, well, Val. Embarrassing.

“Here, have a whole drag. Cleanses your mind.” She proffers the cig at him, rolling-paper stained by a very bright, very bubblegum-pink lipgloss. Jon manages to complicatedly maneuver accepting the cigarette without making contact with Sansa’s fingers, a feat he’d thought impossible for any human in hypothetical pick-me-ups.

Not that he minds. Not that he’s-

“Close the laptop darling, if the angst doesn’t come in fifteen minutes it sure wouldn’t materialize in twenty.”

Not used to being told off by anyone in a camisole, Jon does, indeed, close his laptop.  It’s a very becoming camisole, objectively. In fact all of Sansa’s room has the strange congruity of an organized film set, there’s clutter, but it’s organic, prettily messy, an 80’s pinup-girl-dorm with the mandatory young Leo poster behind the door. The one in the floral shirt.

Jon looks at her again. Funny girl, yes, but also quite lovely, objectively, with that shock of red hair falling all over her face and big blue eyes with liquid flourishes at the creases that probably have a cosmetological name Jon doesn’t know. He watches her reapply her lipgloss in the dresser mirror. That particular pink would look atrocious anywhere else but somehow it looks just correct on her mouth. Glossology- proclaims the tube in bright gaudy silver letters. Shade 245: Rosa Suburbia. Christ above.

His phone buzzes. Val, says the ID, with the two blue hearts she’d added the day they’d swapped contacts. Jon hesitates, delaying the imminent. Lingering. Just another five seconds.

Mirror Sansa looks at him and flashes a dazzling smile. He smiles back only to realise she’s checking her makeup. Bit of an idiot move, classic Jon.

Another buzz.

“You better get that, Johnny,” Sansa chimes in her Harley Quinn voice.

Summer is untyped sentences waiting to be born, a room plastered by Vogue cutouts, a bed strewn with nail polish bottles, lacy underthings and empty boxes of dessert crumbs. Summer is ugly pink lipgloss and ridiculously lovely blue eyes and the epiphany that Gone with the Wind is that movie you’ve been planning to watch your whole life but simply never got around to.

“It’s probably dad, checking in. I’ll call him later. Listen, you want to go out on the terrace or something? It’s too smoky in here.”

“Shit, you just asked me on a date to my own rooftop?”

“Wait, what?”

She laughs.

The glow on Jon’s phone screen informs he has three missed calls. They can wait.

Being with Sansa is good. Being with Sansa works a bit like holding a red hot iron tong to an open flesh-wound. It’s overwhelming, and sometimes the bite in her words is hostile, but it heals. It cleans. If it were upto him, he would be cauterized by Sansa Stark every time the Percocet didn’t dissolve.

Outside, the summer too, lingers.

Inside, the room is thick with nicotine and Rosa Suburbia.

(follow the notes to read this on ao3)

[foxofthedesert]

RedQueen & Mythology Part 2

Hey, @loudestdork​, guess what?  Here I am again, this time at 4 am, because your fucking glorious manip has me obsessing over this brilliant little universe where Regina and Ruby are Hades and Persephone.  I don’t know whether I should love you or hate you for fueling this hopeless addiction.   

While I decide about that, you can read the latest installment.  I can’t promise any more but holy shit there are so many ideas to play with.  Hope you enjoy it you absolutely magnificent enabler! 

Also, please forgive the song insert at the end.  It has long been an earworm and this was the perfect ficlet, IMHO anyway, to use it in.  The song is “Listen To The Wind” by James Horner (one of my most favorite film composers and I was utterly devastated when he passed) for the Terrence Malick film The New World.  The whole score is incredible, but this one in addition to “An Apparition in the Fields...” are the standouts for me.  I’ll post the URL to the referenced song after the ficlet.  Give it a listen if you are a James Horner fan or a connoisseur of film scores in general.  

“Would you please stop?  Your needless fretting is tying my stomach into knots.”

Clutching the sheets to her bare chest, Ruby observes her spouse’s restless pacing as anxiety crawls up her spine.  She hates this time of year – a twist of fate she could never have predicted when she was a maiden free to roam the Earth at her leisure.

Before she was married there were no seasons.  The land was healthy and green year around.  Birds and butterflies and wolves, her very favorite animal, flocked to her side, forgetting their natural impulses in the presence of Ceres Eugenia’s progeny.  Ruby always had an affinity for animals and had always felt as if she were a part of their various cycles.  When younglings were born she rejoiced in song and danced in celebration, and when they perished she mourned as if having lost a member of her family.

Common sense should therefore dictate that she prefer spring over autumn if only to spare herself the grief of watching the whole world die year after year in endless repetition.  And yet nothing could be further from the truth.  Already a thousand years have passed since she struck the eternal bargain with Jovia Zelena to bind her to Dīs. A thousand years she has observed the flora and fauna endure the frigid snows and gales of winter.  A thousand years she has buried her four-legged friends in the frosty loam and held vigil over millions upon millions of trees and flowers and insects alike as they struggled, often fruitlessly, against the remorseless cold intent upon feeding the insatiable engine of death.  She has cried enough tears in that millennium to replenish both the Mediterranean and Aegean were they to succumb to a terminal drought and still she would rather endure another rather than spend the coming six months away from her beloved.

Speaking of Regina, as she stops abruptly and swirls around, Ruby can’t help but notice that her sheen toga clings wonderfully to her curves and that the part in the garment has separated to reveal nearly the whole length of a shapely leg her lips long to taste. Eyes blazing, hands on her hips, raven hair spilling over her shoulders, Regina cuts such an impressive and irresistibly handsome figure that Ruby can hardly keep herself from drooling.  And how very embarrassing that would be!

Not for the first time, she silently contemplates how anyone with functioning vision and a shred of reason could choose Venus as the fairest of them all. Lips red as the rose, hair black as ebony, and skin white as snow; surely Ruby’s closest childhood friend possessed all of those physical virtues and more, yet even Venus Mater Caelesti – known to those who lover her as Nix Alba (or in the common tongue Snow White) – failed to compare with the banished goddess that all with breath either feared or loathed.

In the vaulted halls of Olympos they derisively referred to the ruler of the Underworld as Regina a Malo, the Evil Queen.  But to Ruby she will forever be Regina in Corde Meo, the Queen of My Heart.

Survival for half the year without the sovereign owner of her love and devotion is a torture so unbearable that the Deam Optimus Maximus is no doubt thrilled that her faux attempt at leniency was failing so spectacularly.  Were it not for the unyielding support of her mother and Snow, she cannot imagine how she would even function.

True Love, as it turns out, is not only a source of unimaginable happiness but also of indescribable misery.

“Needless fretting?” Regina says, responding to Ruby’s request in a less than accommodating tone.  “In less than a fortnight you will leave me once again to the mercy of my imaginations.  I can do nothing else but fret when you are not by my side!  Beyond the borders of Dīs I cannot protect you, cannot watch over you, cannot...”

“Hover like a mother hen over her chicks?” Ruby supplies, interrupting in an attempt to forestall her wife’s spiraling descent lest she succumb to one of her abyssal depressions.

There is scarcely anything to be done when the darkness has taken hold of Regina in earnest.  In such instances, Ruby does what she can to provide whatever comfort her ailing partner will accept.  Usually space and time are required for Regina to wrestle off the impossibly heavy blanket of sadness that has engulfed her.  But sometimes she lets Ruby sing to her until the fog lifts or hold her hand while they go for a walk through the Fields of Gladness or the Blessed Groves. When the despair becomes too much, Regina will curl into Ruby’s body while they lie abed and it is all she can do during those evenings to keep from empathetically sobbing as her beloved trembles miserably in her arms.

Thankfully Ruby has discovered through trial and error that humor is a method of dispelling Regina’s souring moods that is effective more often than not.

“I resent that comparison,” Regina says, brows furrowed in objection.  Ruby breathes a sigh of relief, though, when her shoulders relax into a more neutral posture. “For your information I am nothing like your disgustingly virtuous mother, and I’ll thank you not to imply such again any time in the near future.”

“Aww.  Don’t be cross, love. I meant no disrespect,” Ruby says, then invitingly pats the empty space beside her.  “Now, be a good girl and come back to bed.”

One sable eyebrow quirks up as Regina eyes Ruby with a small grain of incredulity.  “’A good girl’?  Do you address Zelena with such remarkable insouciance when you deliver your annual report?”

Said report is part of the deal with the chief goddess Ruby acquiesced to so that she could have six months of the year with Regina instead of the originally intended three.  Her first destination each spring is Mytikas, the summit of Mount Olympus upon which the great temple of the gods was erected eons before she was even born. There she is to give account of Regina’s activities, however benign, as assurance that Zelena’s grasp on power remains uncontested.  It is a distasteful duty that Ruby executes with all of the precision she can muster, especially since it always makes her feel dirty, as if she is being employed against her will as a spy in her own wife’s domain.

“Of course not, silly,” she replies, smiling at how cute Regina is when acting absolutely ridiculous.  “I try to keep interactions with your sister to a minimum, and when I report to her I make sure to maintain the proper formality she most certainly does not deserve.  Now stop beating around the bush and come to bed.  As you said, I have a fortnight left with you and I do not intend on wasting even one minute.”

When Regina remains mulishly still, Ruby switches to a tried and tactic: batting her eyelashes and pouting shamelessly.  To her delight, Regina caves within seconds and responds with an affectionate if not exasperated roll of her eyes.

Once they are settled back in together, Ruby’s back nestled flush with Regina’s front, they both heave sighs of contented pleasure.  An easy, familiar silence reigns over them for a space that Ruby does not care to account for.  Not when the only thing she needs and desires is right here in this room holding her just right, nuzzling into her cheek and neck in between pressing patient kisses against the skin of her shoulder and arm.

This is her home, Regina is her home, and there is no other place where she feels more safe and loved and cherished in all the universe, which has garnered a fair few questions as to her sanity when she has admitted as such to her friends and loved ones in the planes above Dīs.  Some of them have been so bold as to declare to her face that she is insane.

“If that’s true,” she told one such acquaintance, “then sanity is not for me. Better to be deranged and blissfully happy than a sensible busybody like you who will never experience real love or understand how it feels to be desired for your heart instead of your tits!”

That particular individual has not spoken to Ruby since, not that it is a big loss. Drizella always was and always will be a vacuous hussy.

“What am I to do when you’re gone?”

Regina’s plaintive whisper shatters the silence as if she had screamed.  Ruby’s heart lurches from a pang of acute melancholy. She already knows the answer to that question, and has since it was first asked a thousand years earlier.  

While Ruby cries herself to sleep upon her plush bed in the Aventine Temple, Regina will be working herself ragged by micromanaging every last operational detail of the entire realm. She will spend countless hours draped in thick furs brooding upon her throne while being buffeted by cutting winds that sweep through corridors and hallways of the palace – for while above the spring breeds balmy, gentle breezes, in the Underworld the atmosphere turns ever more frigid and capricious and violent in tune with the temperament of its ruler.  Against all logic she will refuse nourishment far too frequently and eat meager portions only when necessary, forego rest until she is too haggard and weary to perform even basic functions, harshly dismiss all attempts to lighten her load until the majority of the staff is too frightened to even approach her, and generally wear herself down until all that is left is an exhausted husk that Ruby will have to revitalize all over again come the fall.

She hates that her beloved will segregate herself to such a degree, but there is little she can do to prevent it.  The Laws of Olympus cannot be broken, not even by those who decree them. However, that does not mean they cannot be bent.  She may be forbidden to physically see and touch Regina during her time on the surface, but the laws Zelena established dictating their separation make no mention of the metaphysical.  

Although eternal beings such as themselves do not require sleep, it is a luxury that provides many physical, emotional, and mental benefits.  For them, though, something unique occurs when they are asleep at the same time. Somnus himself had taught her that they are what mortals refer to as Soul Mates.  They are, he had told her, two halves of one whole and because of that no force known to heaven or earth could keep them completely isolated from one another.  Space and time are irrelevant to them when they can bridge any distance to be reunited in their dreams.  Unfortunately learning how to control this ability was quite complex and required many secretive lessons over the centuries for Ruby to even summon the most simple of dreamscapes for herself.

Thankfully this past summer she had at last managed to recreate the broader forest in which she and Regina first met.  And tonight she was going to draw them both there as indisputable proof that there was a place beyond prying eyes they could always be together.  

“Close your eyes.”

“I bet your pardon?” Regina replies, and when she attempts to prop herself up by an elbow, Ruby latches on to her arm to keep her close.

“For once do what I say without being difficult, would you please? I need you to hold me and close your eyes.”

For a long moment Regina does not comply, and though it starts to appear like she never will, Ruby continues waiting all the same.  She is very good at that – waiting on Regina.  In her experience, doing so never goes without reward. The woman may be more intractable and ornery than the hound that guards the gates of her dominion, but she is worth the expense of every single second of patience expended and every last ounce of effort exhausted on her behalf.

As if determined to prove her correct, Regina eventually settles back down and snakes an arms beneath the covers to wind over Ruby’s waist.  A cool hand then settles in the valley of her breasts, fingers splayed wide over her heart, and Ruby shivers more in response to the welcome touch than to the algid temperature of her wife’s flesh.

“Alright then,” Ruby says, wiggling further into the embrace, “are your eyes closed?”  Regina hums confirmation into the shell of Ruby’s ear. “Now, just relax, breathe, and listen...”  

And when all is still and quiet once more she begins to sing:

“Time is a river that flows endlessly and A life is a whisper, a kiss in a dream.

Shadows dance behind the firelight, 

And all the spirits of the night remind us: We are not alone.

Tomorrow, a sun soon rising, And yesterday is there beside us,

And it's never far away. If you listen to the wind you can hear me again.

Even when I'm gone you can still hear the song

High up in the trees as it moves through the leaves.

Listen to the wind, there's no end to my

Love is forever a circle unbroken.

The seasons keep changing; it always remains. Spring will melt the snows of winter and the summer gives us days of light 

So long till autumn makes them fade.

Remember the sound of laughter. We ran together through the meadows;

Still we thought our hearts could break.

If you listen to the wind, you can hear me again.

Even when I'm gone you can still hear the song

High up in the trees as it moves through the leaves.

Listen to the wind and I'll send you my love. Listen to the wind where the sky meets the land.

I'm not really gone I've been here all along

High up in the trees in the sound of the leaves.

Listen to the wind there's no end to my...

Time is a river that flows to the sea

And a life is a whisper, a kiss in a dream.”

As the song draws to an end, there is no sound or movement from Regina save from her steady breathing, by which Ruby can tell she is fast asleep. With a soft, peaceful smile, she shutters her eyelids closed and inhales deeply.  

By the time she has fully exhaled, she is already kissing Regina in their meadow.

[ohh-baekhyun]

Just For One Night | Final (5-8)

✨Foreword: Baekhyun has always been carefully platonic in his interactions with his best friend’s little sister. He resolved to keep her at arm’s length despite his attraction towards her. But one night, one kiss changes everything.

✨Genre: romance, there’s a bit of badly written smut in there sorry, fluff!

✨Word Count: 10.5k (it’s long)

Turn out, the pianist who was supposed to play for Kyungsoo’s wedding backed out last minute for an urgent matter. There's not enough time to hire a replacement, hence, I was asked to help out since I was the only who knew how to play the instrument. I was freaking out. It had been years since the last time I performed in public. Hell, I couldn't even remember the last time I played the piano. I'd stopped completely after that one incident in which I broke down during a performance for a national competition. It was embarrassing and also traumatizing.

I was all alone in the backstage waiting room, sitting on the cold ground with my legs crossed. I was nervous and my head was spinning like a washing machine as I worried about all the worst case scenarios that might or might not happened. 

As my thoughts were running, a click from the door startled me and I looked up. The door slid open and Baekhyun stood in the doorway, one hand grabbing the doorknob to hold the door open. He made quick glances across the room until his eyes found me, "Why are you sitting on the floor?"

I gave him a small smile, "Come sit with me."

He stepped in and pushed the door closed behind him, "I’m starting to think you are anti-social.” he teased as he made his way towards me.

I chuckled half-heartedly, “I just need some time to calm myself down.”

When he reached me, I tilted my head up to look at him. "Is everything okay?" he asked, eyeing me down with concern.

I shook my head hopelessly.

Sighing, he lowered himself to the empty spot next to me. "Nervous?" he asked.

"Very."

He placed his palm over my hand on my thigh and gave it a light squeeze, "I think it's perfectly normal to feel that way. I'd be very nervous too if I were you."  

"I'm afraid I'll screw up and ruin everything for Kyungsoo, it's a big day for him."

And I went on and on about it, telling him all the worst case scenarios that might happen in a long endless ramble.

As I finished, I looked to my side and found him smiling at my rambling. I return his stare with knitted eyebrows. "Why are you smiling? I'm freaking out right now."

Shaking his head, he moved his hand to cup the side of my head, and then he gently pushed it down so I was leaning on his shoulder. “You need to stop doubting yourself, sweetheart,” he said, stroking my hair comfortingly. "You did well for the rehearsal and I'm sure you'll do well later."

“What if-“

"No more," He cut me off sternly. ”You are going to be fine."

“How can you be so sure?”

He didn’t answer to that, instead, he slipped his free hand beneath the jacket of his suit and pulled something out of it. “I know whatever I say is not going to help, so I have something else that might help.”

“What is it?” I lifted my head from his shoulder and peered at the shiny object in his palm.

He reached for my wrist and tugged it to him. “It’s a lucky bracelet.” he circled the chain around my wrist and fastened the clasp. When he was done, I pulled my hand back and observed the new piece of jewelry on my wrist. It was a rose-gold bracelet with six mini charms dangling around it.

Dolphins, piano, books, snowflake, four-leaf clover and a heart-shaped locket.

They were all my favorite things.

I grinned from ear to ear while eyeing closely at the cute little charms, “Thank you. I really love it.”

“It's not for you,” he replied, surprising me. “I’m lending it to you just for a day.”

Lend?

Not expecting that answer, I squinted my eyes at him, “Why do you have this girly thing with you?”

“I found it under my bed on a Christmas Day when I was ten.” he explained, surprising me again, “I believe Santa gave it to me."

I snorted once, twice and then I laughed, “Remind me you’re twenty-nine.”

“You can laugh all you want."  he muttered. “this bracelet brings good luck everytime I wear it."

"You wear this?" I asked in awe and at the same time suppressing my grin. It was hard not to laugh at the visual of him wearing such a cutesy piece of jewelry.

He nodded, “Only on special occasion."

“And it works?"

“Every damn time.”

If it wasn't for the fact that he and my brother used to fool me a lot when I was little, I'd easily fall for his silly lie.

I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously, “You sure you are not messing around with me?”

Baekhyun curled his lips in annoyance, "Hand it back to me.”

I retracted my hand and hid it behind my back before he reached it, “I trust you. Sorry."

“You better do because the magic is not going to work if you don't believe it."

Is he telling me to believe in magic?

Must. Not. Laugh.

"What? You still think I'm lying to you?" he frowned at me.

“I believe in you.” I muttered through my pressed lips, trying to hold back my laughter.

“Good.” he said, “You’re going to be okay now.”

“I hope so."

“Are you still feeling nervous?”

For some reason, I wasn't feeling as nervous as I was before. Was it the bracelet? or Was it him?

“I told you it works.”

He must be right about the magic. I was suddenly so in love with this bracelet.....

"You know," I climbed onto his lap, straddling him in kneeling position. He looked perplexed as I circled my arm around him. “Christmas is just around the corner,” I hinted.

Finally understanding my intention, Baekhyun smirked, resting his hands on my hips to hold me still. "Trying to lure me, sweetheart?"

“I'm just saying you can forgo the hassle of choosing a gift for me." I coaxed. "I don't mind having this as a gift, even though it has been used."

He didn't spare any time to consider my request, instead, he just answered, “No."

"Please?" I begged him with my voice, and then my eye.

He stared at me, completely unmoved.

Dammit, it used to work when I wasyounger...

I harrumphed. “You are so not generous.”  

"It's good enough that I'm lending it to you. Stop complaining."

“You know, If it were Chanyeol, he would gladly give it to Soyeon if she asked for it."

"Do I look like a Chanyeol to you?"

"No."

He raised one brow at me, "So?"

"I mean, If it were me, I'd give it to you as well. You don't even have to beg for it."

"Are you guilt-tripping me?"

"No." I denied, "I'm just saying it doesn't hurt to be nicer to your girlfriend."

"I'm lending it to you for a day. That's nice enough." he said firmly, "Take it or leave it."

I wrinkled my nose, "You stingy human."

"Don't make me change my mind, you ungrateful woman."

"You are so not getting any gift from me." I lied. I had actually bought him a watch for Christmas.

A knock on the door surprised me and I scrambled off his lap immediately and looked over my shoulder. The door slid open and this time my brother appeared peeking into the room. "What are you guys doing here?" he asked when he saw us on the floor.

"Chatting," Baekhyun answered calmly.

"Come and join us." I patted on the space next to me.

"The ceremony is starting soon. We have to go now," he said.

"Let's go." Baekhyun said as he raised himself off the ground and then helped me up.

Chanyeol held the door open with his elbow and once Baekhyun and I stepped out of the room, he shut the door closed and fell into step next to me. I was now sandwiched between the two males as we made our way into the main hall.

"You feeling okay?" my brother asked, sounding worried.

I nodded and raised my hand to show him my bracelet, "Baekhyun lend this to me. It's a magic bracelet from Santa."

"Santa?" Chanyeol peered at Baekhyun and threw him an incredulous stare. "For real?"

Not liking the look Chanyeol gave him, Baekhyun frowned at him, "What?"

"Stop messing around with my sister, dude." he accused, "She's not five anymore."

"Shh," I nudged at my brother's elbow and whispered to him, "He's quite sensitive about it."

"You know that asshole is lying to you right?" my brother whispered back to me.

"Fuck you all," Baekhyun cursed his breath.

"See. I told you he's sensitive."

The room was quiet as everyone waited in anticipation for the bride to walk down the aisle.

I placed my fingers on the keys and looked up at the cellist seated across the piano. Once he nodded at me, I knew it was my cue to start. Inhaling a deep breath, I pushed the keys down to the very first chord of the song. The strings followed afterward, blending in beautifully with the melody. My heart beat a little faster, but my mind was calm and my hand wasn't trembling as they did earlier. The bracelet really worked its magic.

The music lasted around three minutes before it finally drew into a stop the moment the bride reached the groom at the altar. I was glad I could finally watch the rest of the ceremony and I couldn't take my eyes off the couple. By the time the couple finished exchanging their vows, and kissed, I had tears all over my eyes.

The speeches that followed afterward was like a breath of fresh air. Suho cracked us up with his hilarious speech, keeping the atmosphere bright and far from sentimental. Jisoo's father was next to deliver his heartfelt speech as he spoke about her in glowing terms. We ended up with teary eyes again. Lastly, it's Kyungsoo's turn to give his speech, swooning all the girls in the room with his loving words as he sang his wife's praises.

The moment Kyungsoo ended his speech and the MC announced that the dinner started, everyone swarmed towards the buffet station to queue for food. I walked off the stage and glanced around the crowded hall to look for a toilet but midway through searching, an arm stopped me.

"Can I speak to you?" the EO asked.

"Sure."

"Come with me."

I followed behind him as he led me to a quieter place backstage. We stopped at the dark corner of the hallway and he turned around. "I need your help again," he said, passing me a few set of papers. 

I glance down at the music score, confirming that the song was famiiar before glancing up at him. "Sure, I can help."

He sighed in relief. "Thank you so much. You’re really a lifesaver.”

“Don’t worry about it,” You assure. "May I know when is it starting?

"Once I get all the guests to be seated, we're ready to go. It'll take about fifteen to twenty minutes."

"Enough time for toilet break?"

"Sure, go ahead."

Inside the restroom, I bumped into Aera and our encounter was awkward to say the least. The girl sounded so excited as she told me about Baekhyun, how funny and sweet he was, how good-looking he was. Instead of feeling envious, I felt guilty. It was bad enough that I had to lie to her about my secret relationship with Baekhyun, now I had to also pretend that I was happy for her. It's a good thing what she had for Baekhyun was merely just a crush, because anything deeper than that would result in a heartbreak. I'd be the worst person on the planet if that ever happened to her.

Aera and I headed back into the main hall together. As we walked, she did most of the talking and I listened. When we entered the hall, people were scattering all over the place, some were chatting, some were taking pictures and some holding plates with a mountain full of food. We parted halfway as she returned to her table and I walked back to my seat behind the piano on stage.

Around twenty minutes later, I had played a total of four songs and I was starting to feel hungry. Good thing this was the last because I'd been eyeing the food at the buffet table for a long time now. As soon as I hit the last note of the song and the guests cheered, I hurried down the stage towards the food station. I made a stop at the dessert table, picked a piece of mini fruit tart and shoved it into my mouth immediately.

"You seem very hungry."

A voice caught my attention and I looked up at the man standing before me. He grinned, and I flash him a polite smile with my mouth full, "I am."

"It was a nice performance. I forgot how much I enjoyed listening to your music."  

I tilted my head to the side, "I'm sorry, but have we met before?"

"We used to be duet partners, remember?" he hinted.

My brows knitted together in a deep thought, trying to remember him and his name. I had numerous duet partners a few years back when I was still attending the music academy.

"I'm Kai."

Kai....kai.....kai.....

"Oh! Kai as in Kim Kai?" I guessed, finally remembering. He smiled an nodded. "I'm sorry I couldn't recognize you earlier. You look so different from the last time I saw you."

"You mean I look older now?" he deduced.

"No, that's not what I meant." I corrected, afraid that he'd be offended. "You look young, just slightly older.... but still not that old...you know....” I giggle nervously. “gosh why am I saying....you know what...I look older too. We've both aged."

"Relax, gorgeous, I was just teasing you." he laughed.

I couldn't help but blush, feeling embarrassed at my own rambling.

"Are you here alone?" he asked.

"Not really."

"Not really? So where's your date?"

As if he was answering to Kai's question, Baekhyun suddenly appeared at my side, one hand slid around my waist to pull me close. "Can I speak to you for a moment?" his voice brusque in my ear.

I shifted my gaze to Kai who looked perplexed at the moment, "Will you please excuse us?"

"Sure. I'll talk to you later then."

I had no time to reply to him as Baekhyun wrapped his hand around my wrist and pulled me away.

"Where are we going?" I asked to his back as he hauled me through the crowds and dragged out of the main hall. "Baekhyun?"  

He wouldn't answer to me.  

We were now reaching a dark hallway where the female's toilet was located at. He banged on the door and when there's no response, he pushed it open and shoved me inside.

"What's wrong?" I asked, still confused by his frantic actions.

He locked the door behind us.

"That guy was flirting with you." he kept his voice low despite the anger vibrating off him.

I finally understood where his anger was coming from. He was jealous. But I was honestly clueless that Kai was flirting with me.

"Is that how it looked like?" I asked, "I wasn't aware."

His jaw clenched, "Jesus, how could you be so oblivious?"

"We were just having a conversation," I explained softly. "I didn't know he was flirting."

His dark eyes stared deeply into me and I could tell he wasn't convinced. I'd be lying if I said him acting all jealous hadn't thrilled me. But I'd still like him to put more trust in me.

My hand moved up to squeeze his arm as a gesture of reassurance, "I wasn't flirting with him."

The tension slowly eased from his hardened face and he sighed wearily, "I know. I trust you." he said gruffly, "But that doesn't mean I can just sit back and watch some good-looking guy younger than me ogling at my girlfriend like she's his last fucking meal."

I hadn't noticed Kai was good-looking until Baekhyun mentioned it. Maybe because all along, I only had my eyes on one man. And he's right here with me.

"You are the only one I'm attracted to, Baekhyun," I told him sincerely.

His response was to push me up against the wooden door, pinning my hands next to my head as he kissed me hard. It took me half a second to get over my surprise and I kissed him back. He pressed his body into mine as though he couldn't get any closer and I gasped at the feel of his erection against my crotch.

"Mine." he breathed over my lips as he continued to grind his hard-on against me.

A rush of tingling pleasure strike right through my core and my breathing hitched, "Baekhyun," I panted, "W- we are in the toilet..."

"There's no one here." his lips traveled down the side of my neck and I arched into his kisses.

"What if someone hears us." I whispered frantically.

"There's no one here," he repeated, his voice thick with arousal.

"But- Ohhh," I whimpered at the feel of his teeth piercing down my skin. Another pleasured sigh slipped through my lips as the tip of his tongue darted out to lick the bruised skin, then it trailed its way back to my mouth.

My hands were suddenly free as his hands slid down to shove the hem of my dress up so it was bunched around my waist, his fingers immediately found its way to the wetness he had caused down there.

"B-Baekhyun." I moaned as I felt a subtle brush of his thumb over my clit.  

"Shh, baby, Let me take care of you." he pushed two fingers inside me, pumping them in and out and edging me closer to climax.  

My legs quivered and I gripped his arms tightly. His fingers worked me rough and fast. I dropped my head to his shoulder and let out a muffled cry against his neck as my first orgasm rolled over me.

"Fuck!" His chest heaving as he watched me and his breathing grew harsher.

Baekhyun pulled his fingers out of my throbbing heat and his hand went down to his trousers. My stomach flipped with need and anticipation as he unzipped. He shoved his trousers down his legs and his erection sprung free.

Keeping his eyes on me, he tore my knickers down. "Put your legs around me," he ordered.

I did as he asked me to, my legs went up around his waist and my arms wrapped around his shoulders. His erection poked against my entrance and I gasped at the sensation. For a few torturing seconds, he ground his dick against my aching heat while his mouth latches on my neck, sucking and licking until I begged him to fuck me right there and then.

"Say it."

"I want you inside me." my plea came out desperate.

He didn't need to be told twice.

His fingers dug into my hips and he thrust into me, filling me completely with his thick length.

"Oh God!" My head slammed back against the door with a loud cry of pleasure.

Baekhyun let out a low grunt as he continued to move his hips and drove his cock deeper inside of me. My whimpers grew louder and I bit my lower lip to suppress the lewd sound, worried someone might hear us.

"Louder!" he growled, as he thrust harder. "Let me hear how good I make you feel."

The lewd sound of my moan blended together with the loud sound of my back pounding against the toilet's door. I clenched my fingers into his shoulders, watching the restrained on his face as his cock slid in and out of me.

"Come!" he ordered.

"Baekhyun!" My body shuddered and I clenched around him as I came hard for the second time.

"Fuck baby, you feel like fucking heaven," he groaned huskily, "Keep squeezing my cock like that, I'm coming."

And I gave him what he wanted. My inner muscles squeezed around him and a low guttural growl emitted from the back of his throat as his own climax hit him hard.

His body slumped against me, and for a while, we just stood there trying to catch our breath and gain back our senses. When we finally came down from our high and our breathing was more controlled, he pulled back to look me in the eyes.

"I'm sorry I got jealous for a stupid reason," he whispered, affection and tenderness shone in his brown eyes.

A smile touched my lips. "You need to get jealous more often," I joked. "That was hot."

Chuckling, he pulled me into a long kiss. I ran my hand through his locks and sighed into his mouth, feeling the contentment rose in my chest.

"You really didn't notice he's good looking?" he asked as he pulled back.

"You think he is?"

"I mean...he's tall." He shrugged. "Women prefer taller guys. Right?"

"That's not true. You aren't tall but I still like you very much." I said. "Aera likes you too," I added. "Oh and don't forget Jaesi."

His forehead creased at the mention of the two girls, "You know I'm still inside you right?"

I hummed. "I can feel it."

"Can't you at least wait until I pull out before you mention about my ex?"

Baekhyun pushed the toilet’s door open, making just enough space for his head to peek through. Once he checked that the corridor was empty, he turned to give me a nod before shoving the door further open. We sneaked out and strode down the hallway towards the revolving door at the lobby hall.

We were leaving the venue to get some cakes at a well-known pastry cafe nearby. The wild bathroom sex had left me famished since I barely eaten anything for dinner. I could’ve gone back into the hall to get some food but Baekhyun insisted that we leave this place for a little while. I couldn’t say no to him and of course I couldn’t say no to to cake...

The parking valet approached us as soon as we came through the door, “Should I get you your car, sir?”

Baekhyun turned to me for an answer.

“Let's walk.” I said, "It's not that far anyway."

The valet guy took my answer and gave us a courtesy nod before stepping away.

"Let's go."

I was feeling like one of that child on Christmas Day while we strolled side by side down the peaceful street. My eyes wandered restlessly at the beautiful lights and decorations twinkling all around us. That, along with my present company, gave me an immense sense of joy. I’d never thought it was possible to be this happy. But I was. Deliriously, exhilaratingly, and wonderfully happy.

Every so often, as my eyes caught something I admired, I’d stop and stare at it for a long time, and I loved how Baekhyun would wait patiently next to me and let me have my own sweet time. He told me he used to not understand why people love Christmas so much, but now, he had started to get it. When I asked him how so, he shrugged and told me he simply loved how much I loved it.

My my,  If this man isn’t perfect, I don’t know what is.

“I am going for Christmas shopping next Saturday.” Baekhyun announced, breaking our comfortable silence.

I looked at him, cocking my head in thought, “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying.” he said, “I might start putting up Christmas tree from this year onwards.”

It was strange because Baekhyun had never put up a Christmas tree before. He thought it was a hassle and he didn't quite like the smell of pine tree.

“Why the sudden change of heart?” I asked, curious.  

“Because you’ll be staying over at my place more often now.”

“What does thathas to do with Christmas tree?” I asked, still clueless.

“You are just as slow as your brother,” he muttered, shaking his head at me.

“Come on, it’s not like you to beat around the bush.” I muttered with quirked eyebrows, “Why do you all of a sudden decide you want a Christmas tree?”

“Christmas tree makes you happy and I love seeing you happy.”

I see now...

Liking that a lot, I beamed, “You really know how to impress a girl.”

“Only you, baby. Only for you.”

Grateful that I had a boyfriend who loved to make me feel happy and special, there’s nothing more I could say but a simple thank you.

“So, would you like to join me?” He asked.

“For what? Christmas tree shopping?”

“Yes, and we can decorate our first Christmas tree together.”

There’s something blissfully warm in the way he said “Our”. Right then, it occurred to me that we'd soon be spending our first Christmas together as a couple. The idea alone put a smile on my face. I wished this wouldn’t be the last.

“So? Is that a yes?” he asked, breaking into my thoughts.

“I’ll have to check my schedule for that day.” I was completely messing with him.

Baekhyun skidded intoa halt and turned to face me with furrowed eyebrows, “Do you have to work on Saturday too?”

Enjoying his reaction, I giggled on the inside. “You know I am a very busy woman.”

“What about Sunday?”

Has he really thought I was serious? How cute…

“Don’t worry, my love. I’ll clear my schedule just for you.”

His eyes rolled at me, “Glad to know I have such a thoughtful girlfriend.” He said in a tone laced with sarcasm.

I chuckled, tugging at our entwined hands to cue him to move,  “Then maybe you should treat her better.”

“Do I not treat her well enough?”

“You do, but, she’ll be happier if you let her have your bracelet.” I hinted.

He snorted, looking down at my wrist and back at me, “Say I let you have the bracelet, what do I get in return?”

“Hmm…” I pondered, “Me?”

“What can you do for me?

“Anything.”

“You’ll stay with me tonight?”

“OK.”

He smirked, likingmy offer. “And you’ll let me do anything to you?”

“What will you do to me anyway?” I asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

“Something that involves lots and lots of orgasms.”

A smug grin spread across my face, “That sounds like a very good deal.”

“After you.” Baekhyun said, opening the door for me.

“Thank you.” I said, stepping into the two-storey cafe.

The smell of freshly baked pastry welcomed me us. I glanced around and noticed a few pairs of curious eyes turning to us, some started to whisper something to their company. I immediately felt out of place in my attire, and knowing that people were talking about it made me feel a little self-conscious.

Sensing my discomfort, Baekhyun pulled me to him and let me stand in front of him in a queue. “What do you feel like eating?” he asked.

I knew he was just trying to distract me and I was thankful for that. I looked down at cake slices sitting insidethe display fridge next to me. There were too many choices that I had a hard time choosing. “Should I order this, this or that one?” I pointed to the strawberry shortcake, mango mousse and tiramisu.

His face appeared next to mine as he stared down at the cakes I was pointing at, and his arm naturally came around me, “We can order three and share.”

“Oh okay.” I mumbled, feeling my heart race at his closeness.

“Next order, please.”

“It’s our turn.” Baekhyun prompted, kissing me on the cheek before letting me go.

At the same instance, my eyes met with a female counter attendant who was eyeing me with slight disgust on her face. “Next order.” she repeated, sounding impatient this time.

Too mortified to face her, I pulled at Baekhyun’s wrist and pushed him forward towards the counter. He glanced back with question in his eyes. I hurriedly whispered to him to order for me before leaving his side to find a table for us.

It was amazing how completely unbothered Baekhyun was. Sometimes I wished I had that attitude in me.

The seats on the first floor were fully occupied. I went upstairs instead. As I reached the second floor, I felt a small relief seeing the almost vacant space with only three tables occupied by two young couples, and a middle-aged lady with her little boy.

I sat in the corner at a table next to the window, waiting for Baekhyun to come up with the cakes. He appeared not too long later, carrying a tray of cakes and drinks. He’d ordered an Espresso for himself and a Latte Macchiato for me. I praised him for ordering the right drink without me having to tell him, though I thought it was a little too late for caffeine. Baekhyun insisted that we needed it to keep us awake. I didn’t need further explanation.

“Why are you rushing?”

“They should be looking for us now, we’ve been away for so long.”

“Your brother knows we’re here.” He said, lifting his phone up to show me the text he had sent to Chanyeol.

“What about your date?”

Baekhyun took a slow sip of his drink before calmly answered tomy question, “I told her that we’re together.”

At that, I choked on my cake and couldn’t stop coughing. Baekhyun pushed a cup of water to my side, suppressing his laughter. I downed the liquid in one go and set the cup down on the table.

“When did you tell her about it?” I asked, giving him the nervous stare.  

“When you were on stage. She asked me to dance but I told her I can’t.”

I frowned, “Why can’t you dance with her?”

“Just holding hands.” He recited my words, “Remember?”

Of course Baekhyun took my words literally. I couldn’t decide if I should be happy or...

“What did she say? Was she upset?” I asked in a hurry.

“She’s pretty cool about it, she said she wasn’t surprised.”

“Wasn’t surprised? What do you mean?”

He shrugged, “No idea. That’s all that she said.

I let out a sigh, yet I wasn’t completely relief. I needed to find a way to explain to her that I wasn’t in any way trying to hurt her. I didn’t want this to destroy our friendship. I might not be as close to her as I was to Soyeon, but that didn’t diminish her value to me.

“Stop worrying about it,” his hand came resting on mine, “I’ve explained everything to her. I’m sure she understands.”

I gave him a small, uncertain smile, “I hope so.”

“Just don’t think too much and enjoy your cake.”

I nodded, eyeing the strawberry shortcake now. I was about to pull the plate to my side when a little boy appeared at next to Baekhyun, staring keenly at the cake. I gave Baekhyun a curious look and he shrugged.

“Want some?” I offered.

The boy hesitated, looking back and forth at the both of us, probably considering if it’s safe to accept foodfrom strangers.

I picked a new set of pastry fork, place it on the plate next to the cake and shoved it forward to him, “You can have it. It’s very yummy.” I smiled.

He was still doubtful.

“Don’t worry, we are not bad guys.” Baekhyun re-assured, patting on his back gently.

The boy finally picked up the fork, and I watched with amusement at how his face lit up as he shoveda piece into his mouth, chewed and swallowed it.

“Like it?” I asked.

He nodded enthusiastically, scooping up another big piece and quickly dove in for another bite. That last piece was too huge for his tiny mouth that he had icingall over his lips.

Chuckling, I grabbed a serviette and leaned over to wipe the mess on his mouth.

The boy stared at my face quietly and his gaze drifted down to my blue dress, then, he turned to look at Baekhyun, “She looks like a princess.”

Baekhyun gaze onme turned deeply affectionate as our eyes met, “She’s my girlfriend.”

I felt a giddy flutter in my tummy. This was the first time Baekhyun introduced me as his girlfriend instead of his sister like how he used to do.

“Your girlfriend is very pretty.” the boy said to Baekhyun again.

I smiled on the inside, wondering if he was too shy to say it to me that he had to tell Baekhyun instead.

Baekhyun hummed in acknowledgment at the compliment, “She’s more than just pretty. She’s perfect.”

I nearly choked from the embarrassment. His cheesy side was one that I loved (oddly but true), and I wouldn’t mind hearing it when there's nobody around.

Baekhyun laughed. His laughter was so infectious that the boy started laughing along with him. I wasn't sure if he understood what he was laughing about.

My cheek blushed furiously as Baekhyun continued teasing me with compliments. Thankfully, the boy’s mother came to my rescue. She apologized profusely upon discovering that his son had finished our cake. We assured her that it’s fine since we were the one who offered it to him but she insisted to pay for the cake. Inthe end, she broughtus two extra cakes and two chocolate croissants, telling us it’s a must-try.

"I don't think I can finish all of these," I told Baekhyun once I finished eating my share of croissant. There were two more cakes left untouched. I didn't like to waste food but I was too full.

“I’ll get the server to wrap it for us.” he said, sliding back in his chair as he stood up.

“Thanks.”

While Baekhyun was downstairs, I went to the toilet to freshen up.

I looked into the mirror and nagged inwardly at myself when I found a chocolate stain on my dress. I unrolled layers of toilet paper, dampened it and wiped the brown stain carefully.

A loud explosion startled me. The sound was later followed by a terror scream coming from the outside. I wasted no time to rush towards the door, but pulling it, the door wouldn’t open. I tried again, it didn’t work. My heart sank. I called out for help and pounded onthe wooden door repeatedly, yet there was no answer, all that I could hear were bloody screams. I paced back and forth in the small confined space, anxiously searching for tools I could use to open the door.

“Sweetheart, are you in there? You need to come out now.”

Baekhyun's voice alerted me and I moved nearer to the door, "I can't get out, it's locked. What’s going on out there?”

“This place is on fire.”

His answer was followed by another sound of explosion. My shoulders jumped at the shock and fear quickly overcame me. I held onto the door handle and started pulling at it frantically. I needed to get out of here.

“Step away from the door.”

Fifteen minutes later…..

Sweats were trickling down my forehead from the heat and the trepidation. I’d lost count of how many times Baekhyun repeatedly crashed himself against the door, trying to knock it down to get me out of here. But the door wouldn’t open and the scariest part was, I was starting to lose hope. As much as I feared to be left alone to die, I couldn’t let him stay with me any longer. He’d been out there inhaling far too much smoke. He’d die too if he didn't leave.

“Baekhyun.”

He wasn’t listening.

“Baekhyun. Stop." I begged, my voice broke and I was nearly in tears.

He did and we were left with the soundof blazing fire. My heart was slamming hard against my ribcage and I inhaled a long deep breath, mustering every ounce of courage left to say what I was about to say.

“You need to get out of this place.” I tried to sound tough but my voice came out just as hopeless as I felt.

“No!” he refused strongly, voice loud and determined, “I’m not leaving you alone.”

And just as determined as his words were, he continued crashing and slamming himself against the door, each time harder than the last. My chest hurt so bad thinking of how much pain he had to endure just to saveme.  

Suddenly, the smell of burning oak hit my nose and stared down with horror as I saw wispy fingers of white smoke seeping in through the gap beneath the door. My knees almost buckled seeing how the smoke crept in, traveled up and spread in the air

“Baekhyun, please listen to me.” I begged, panic filling my voice.

He still wouldn’t listen.

“You have to leave now. I will be okay.” I convinced, "The firemen will arrive soon and they'll come and save me.”

Tears were welling up in my eyes as I said that because honestly, I wasn’t sure if I’d still be alive by then.

“Please stop, I don't want you to die because of me.” my voice broke as my tears flowed freely. The thought of me dying had scared me, but the thought of himdying had terrified me to my very soul.

“No one is going to die.” He persisted. “I’ll get you out of there.”

Baekhyun did as he promised. With one hard slam, he managed to shove the door open and stumbled inside. His eyes found me, in no time, I was in his arms, hugging him tight

“Are you okay?” He pulled back, staring at me with deep concern filling his eyes.

"I'm okay, what about you?" I asked, making a quick scan from his head down to his toe. I felt more than relief that he wasn't injured, "Let’s get out of here.”

Baekhyun glanced around the toilet and headed towards the sink. He shrugged off his jacket, dunk it into the sink and jerk at the faucet, letting the water soak the fabric. “Go and wet your dress with water, quick.” he directed.

I did as told, hurrying into the toilet cubicles, reaching for the bidet and started spraying water all over myself. Baekhyun came in not too long later to help.

"Ready?" he asked once we were all set.

For all I knew, we might or might not survive the blaze. If there’s one thing I regretted, I regretted those years I wasted not telling him how I truly felt. Now that we only had hours, maybe minutes, to be together, I wanted him to know that I loved him, even if it’s a little too late.

"Thank you for staying back for me.” I stepped closer, wrapping my arms around him. "I love you and I’m sorry I waited so long to tell you that.”

Baekhyun leaned back so he could look into my eyes, “Say that to me again when we are out of here.” he said it as if he knew everything would be just fine.

“But we might not-.” I trailed off. Saying it out made it even more frightening than it already was.

"We will," he said confidently. “We will survive this.”

With that, I gained a little courage. Baekhyun had always been right. This time, I hope he’s right too.

“If we made it out of here alive,” I said, “I’m marrying you, Baekhyun.” I wasn't kidding. "I'll be the one to propose.”

That's a promise because I told myself if I were able to survive this, I'd be able to do anything.

The corner of his lips curled into an amused grin. One that managed to grant me hope in such a hopeless situation.

“We’re getting married, baby.” He promised.

And I prayed so hard that we will.

Even though we managed to escape the fire, Baekhyun had unfortunately sustained a second-degree burn on his left arm caused by the falling debris. We were rushed to the ER and he was treated in the trauma room at the moment.

By right, I wasn’t supposed to be in here. A few nurses had tried to drag me out but I wouldn’t budge. At last, they gave up and allowed me to stay next to Baekhyun so long as I remained calm.

The pungent smell of disinfectant, in which I’d describe as the smell of death, brought uneasiness down the pit of my stomach. Sitting on a chair next to the gurney, I kept my eyes trained on the blisters on Baekhyun’s forearm. They were excruciating and my gut wrenched just by the look of it.

“I’m going to scrub the wound on your arm and peel off the dead skin. You might want to take a deep breath first.” the nurse instructed, causing my stomach to twist unpleasantly.

I reached for Baekhyun’s hand and held it tight. He turned to look at me and still managed a smile despite the pain he was enduring. “Don’t worry. I’ll be okay.” he ensured.

“This is going to sting just a little,” the nurse said before landing the tip of the forceps on his blistered skin.

I knew by a little, she meant the opposite.

Baekhyun dropped his head to my shoulder, his grip on my wrist turned bruising as he roared in pain. I reached behind him and ran my hand up and down his back soothingly. My chest hurt so bad I could barely breathe. Nothing hurts deeper than watching your loved one suffers yet unable to do anything to help.

“Can you give him something to ease his pain?” I begged the nurse.

“I’m sorry but Mr. Byun is allergic to pain medication.” she said, sympathy masking her eyes as she spoke.

Baekhyun lifted his head from my shoulder, his chest heaving and beads of sweat were trickling down his neck. I sighed helplessly and brushed his hair from his face. The anguish onhis face was piercing through me. “I’m so sorry.” I whispered, tears burning in my eyes.

Noting that I was about to start weeping, Baekhyun frowned. “I’m not letting you sit here if you’re gonna cry.”

I returned his frown with a deeper one, “You’re weird. Why am I not allowed to cry?” I said, fighting back the tears in my eyes. (just in case he kicked me out of here, he might, who knew).

He quirked an eyebrow at me, “Will your crying help with my pain?”

“It won’t but-“

“Then there’s no need to cry.”

“Nonsense.” I argued, “It’s only natural to feel sad or cry when someone you love is in pain.”

A slow smile forming on his lips, “You love me huh?” he asked.

Silly man.“Of courseI do.”

“You are right, of courseyou do, I saved your life.” Baekhyun said smugly.

“And I’m thankful for that.”

“You shouldbe, I saved your life.”

I rolled my eyes at his bragging, “You are going to use that to your advantage aren’t you?”

“Of course. I saved your life.” he said it again.

“I believe you’ve said that three times, Sir.”

My gaze moved to the nurse who had just joined our little argument, “Thank you.” I mouthed to her, giggling.

Baekhyun shot me a glare for laughing, “How dare you. I saved your life.”

“Four times, sir.” she reminded.

I really liked her...

Baekhyun parted his mouth, about to mutter something, but a loud hiss left through his clenched teeth. "Shit, that hurt like a bitch." he grimaced.

Feeling my heart ached at his pain, I brushed the back of my thumb across his knuckles comfortingly.

“We are almost done here,” the nurse informed. “I’m just going to apply an antibiotic onyour skin to prevent infection. You’re not going to feel a thing, I promise.”

With a heavy sigh, Baekhyun slumped back against the pillow.

Relief moved through me as I stared deeply at the man who had just risked his own life to save mine. He looked exhausted and I felt sorry he had to go through such pain because of me. No amount of words could ever be enough to express my love and gratitude for him, not only for saving me today, but for the countless time he stepped in to rescue me from dangerous situations since I was little.

Always and forever fighting my battle for me.

Leaning down, I pressed my lips to his forehead, “I can never thank you enough for what you did.”

“Don’t need to thank me, you just have to marry me.” he said, a tinged of amusement in his voice.

I couldn’t tell if he was being serious but I wasn’t kidding when I said, “I’ll marry the hell out of you, Byun Baekhyun.”

That got him to smile. And naturally, I smiled too.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” the nurse chimed in, earning our attention. “How long have you two been together?” she asked.

“Just for a day.” I answered honestly.  

She gazed at me in disbelief, “No way.”

“She’s telling the truth.” Baekhyun convinced. “We just got together this morning.”

“But you two look like you’ve known each other for life.” she remarked. “And you’re already talking about getting married?”

“You’re right, we’ve known each other for life,” Baekhyun agreed, then I saw a glint of mischief in the back of his eyes before he said, “She’s my sister.”

The nurse was struck mute by his revelation. Eyes and mouth agape as she stared back forth at the both of us.

”My best friend'ssister I mean.” Baekhyun clarified, snorting loudly at her dumb-founded expression.

“Thank God,” she muttered sarcastically, “I was planning to file a police report.”

At her remarks, Baekhyun threw his head back and burst into deep laughter. The nurse giggled along with him while dressing a bandage on his injured arm. I was last to join the bubble.

Frankly, I didn't find that funny at all, but I felt warm all over at the sight of Baekhyun laughing again. Happy that he was no longer in pain, happy that he was safe, happy that we were together.

One week later...

“Baekhyun,” I whispered into his ear, tugging lightly on his t-shirt. 

He made a little groan of protest under his breath, turning away to give me his back.

I grip his shoulder and pull him back so he’s lying supine. “Baekhyun, wake up,” I try again, tugging a little harder than before.

His arm moved to cover his eyes as he groaned. “What time is it?” He asked sleepily.

“Four.”

He removes his hand to stare at me in disbelief. “Are you crazy?” 

“No, I’m not. Wake up,” I urge. 

He finally propped himself up by the elbows. “What do you need?”

I smiled at him. “I love you.”

There’s a pause where he narrowed his eyes at me, then he finally mutters, “You’re definitely crazy.”

My lower lips jut forward in a pout. “Can you at least say it back?”

His eyes softened and he reached out to cup my face. “I love you too, baby, but it's four freaking a.m.” 

“But there’s something I want to say to you,” I told him enthusiastically. 

“This better be important.” 

“So, I was thinking, since we both love each other very much and we’re both so perfect for each other. Isn't it a good idea to, you know, get married?”

He gives a bark of laughter. “Are you proposing to me right now?” He asked. You nodded in response. A flicker of mischief flashed in his eyes as he realized what this was about. “Come on baby, you can do better than that. Why don’t you try again?” 

Now that he is fully awake, I was suddenly feeling shy. “Uhh, will you...” I hesitated, my cheek growing red. “Will you marry me?” I finally say with a small voice. 

He pursed his lips, contemplating. “Uh, shouldn't you be getting down on one knee when you propose?”

I grabbed a pillow from my side and threw it at him. He caught it with a bark of laughter. I grumble. “You are just being annoying, Baekhyun.” 

His brows went skyward in a teasing way. “Do you want to marry me or what?” 

I slumped back against the mattress and rolled to my side, giving him my back. “Just go back to sleep.”

“I’m not sleepy.” He said, a hint of smile in his voice. 

“You were sleepy just a few seconds ago,” I said, huffing in annoyance. 

“But I’m not anymore. Come on baby, try again.”

Two weeks later...

 Christmas Eve-05:30pm.

Weeks had passed since the fire incident at the cafe. Aside from the injury on Baekhyun’s arm, we were both very alive and well.

That night, Chanyeol and Soyeon arrived at the hospital just as the nurse was done treating Baekhyun's arm. We had completely forgotten about the wedding and missed to inform them about the accident. They were upset, worried upset, and still very upset at us for not letting them know earlier. In the end, we forgo the chance to share the news about our relationship and decided to wait until today. We agreed it was the right time since everyone would be present. Not sure how my brother would react but I wasn't afraid anymore. Maybe it was the near-death experience that made me a little braver than I used to be. It did change my perspective and made me realize how fragile life could be.  

I was spending my afternoon at my parent’s house, helping them prepare for the gathering tonight. My only duty was to clean up the place. My mom could no longer trust me with the cooking task after I nearly exploded her oven last year while attempting to bake brownies.

Once I finished my chores and the house was immaculate, I headed back into the kitchen. Leaning back against the counter, I watched as my mom busied herself with her signature shepherd's pie. The house was unusually quiet that afternoon. My dad had gone to the grocery stores to stock up on snacks and drinks. My brother was out for lunch with Soyeon and her parents. Meanwhile, Baekhyun was visiting his parents in his hometown. He’d been away for three days and would be back tonight in time for the dinner.  

Baekhyun: I'll be there around 6.    05:35PM

Me: Noted.    05:35PM✓

Baekhyun: See you soon.   05:36PM

Me: Ok.    05:36PM✓

Baekhyun: Love you.    05:36PM

Me: Thank you.    05:37PM✓

Baekhyun: WTF     05:37PM

Me:   ;-) 05:37PM✓

Christmas Eve-9:45pm.

The dining room was empty once everyone left the table and moved to the sitting room. Since no one volunteered to help with the kitchen duty, I had to do it all by myself. Not that I was complaining, but again, no one loved doing the dishes.

For not once I thanked God for the men who created the dishwasher. After loading the life-saving machine with bowls, plates, and the cutleries, I went on to hand-wash the mugs, cups and those that couldn’t go in.

Minutes into my lonely chore, Soyeon walked into my mum’s kitchen, humming a tune I didn’t recognize.

“Please tell me you’re here to help.” I begged, turning my head towards her.

“Nah.” she muttered offhandedly as she moved past behind me to get to the fridge.

“Your lack of consideration is fantastic.” I rolled my eyes at her back as she held the handle open.

“I need soda.”

“There’s no soda,” I said as I continued washing the mug in my hand. “We have lager though.”

“But I’m craving for coke.” she whined, closing the fridge just as I turned my head to look at her again.

“Wine?” I suggested.

“No.”

That’s odd...I narrowed my eyes, “You never said no to wine."

There was a pause before she revealed, “I’m pregnant.”

The mug slipped from my grip and fell into the sink with a loud clank, “You’re PREGNANT?” I asked hysterically.

Soyeon raised her finger to her lips, gesturing me to keep my voice down.

“You are pregnant?” I asked again, softer this time. She nodded to my question. “Like pregnant pregnant?”

“Is there any other type of pregnant?” she quipped, grinning.

“Oh my god. Congratulations.” my face beamed a thousand colors, “How pregnant are you?”

I meant to ask how many months was she into pregnancy but I was too thrilled I couldn’t form a proper sentence.

She snorted at my question, "What's the scale?”

"One to nine."

"Two."

“Does Chanyeol know?"

“I’m going to surprise him later."

I cooed, imagining how thrilled my brother would be. He loved kids to bits. "Is that your Christmas gift for him?"

She nodded, smoothing her hand over her tummy as she stared down at it lovingly. I was so happy for her I nearly teared.

“Can I hug you? I really want to hug you.” I pleaded.

She glanced up, eyes drifted from my wet lathery hands to my face, contemplating.

“No, thanks.” she said eventually.

I jutted my lips forward grumpily, “Mean.”

“Bye.” she patted on my bump before dissapearingfrom my mum’s kitchen.

Back to being alone but feeling a whole lot brighter this time, I picked up the mug I had just dropped and started humming happily as I did my chore. When I was nearly finished, someone else sneaked into the kitchen causing the skin on my neck to prickle.

I knew it was him just by the sound of his footsteps.

Excitement danced wildly in my belly. He stopped a few meters away from me, and then he just stood there and stared at my back silently.

“I can feel you there, Baekhyun.” I muttered without looking back.

Then, his footsteps came closer and they drew intoa halt when the warmth of his sturdy chest met with my back. My heart pounded hard and fast. I gasped softly as he slid his arms around me, “Need my help?” his low voice whispered in my ear.

“A little too late, don’t you think?” I said, already washing the last mug.

Soon as I placed the mug down on the drying rack, he twirled me around and pressed closer to me. Two hands moved to cup my face and he welcomed me with a deep loving kiss on my lips.

Suffused with contentment, I sighed into his mouth, slid my hands up around his neck and kissed him back with all the love in the world. We didn’t even care about getting caught anymore, well, they’d find out soon anyway.

“You have no idea how much I missed you" he murmured against my lips.

I was going to tell him how much I’ve missed him too but he started dusting butterfly kisses all over my face, eliciting giggles from me.

"Baekhyun," I smoothed my hand over his chest and pushed him back gently. He stopped and stared down at me with amusement flittering in his eyes. "How did the talk with your parents go?” I asked.

He brushed a strand of hair from my face and tuck it behind my ear, “They got the shock of their life when I told them we’re getting married.” he said.

“I figured too.”

Who wouldn’t be? We’d been together for less than a month and already the talk about marriage. It was too quick, I agreed, but taking into account our history, and the fact that we loved each other to bits, why bother taking it slow? Life is short, take a chance.Marrying Baekhyun was a chance worth taking. He’d be the most wonderful chance I'd ever take.

“Were your parents against it?” I asked.

“Not at all,” he smiled, “In fact, they couldn’t stop bugging me about wanting to meet their daughter-in-law.”

Heart blooming, my cheek flushed and I burst into a shy smile.

His gaze on me softened, filled with warmth and tenderness, “I wish you were there with me.”

“I know.” I heaved a regretful sigh, “I’m sorry I couldn’t go.”

Baekhyun and I were supposed to go on this trip together. I’d even requested for annual leave and it had been approved. But our plan was canceled when my boss called to inform that the company was short of staff and that they needed me at the office.

“It’s alright.” he consoled, “We’ll plan a visit again soon, and we'll visit my grandparents too.”

”Oh yeah!” I chirped.

As usual, my excitement over his grandmother’s house amused him, “Since you are so obsessed with my grandmama’s house-“ he said, hand digging into the pocket of his jeans. My eyes followed the movement of his hand. “This is for you.”

A key.

I looked up from his hand, puzzled, “You’ve passed me your spare key, remember?”

”I know.”

”So? what’s this?”

”I should’ve asked you first before I decided to buy it." he said apologetically, "I hope you are not mad.”

“You bought a house." I deduced. "Where?"

He bobbed his head, ”At Dolphin Island."

I was so speechless I couldn't say a thing.

Baekhyun chuckled at my astonishment, "It's a villa just a few blocks away from my grandparent’s beach house.”

Still speechless...

“I thought it would be great to have our own place to stay whenever we visit.” he said, “In the future when we have kids, we should bring them along too.”

Overwhelmed with joyful emotions, I enveloping him in a big tight hug and kissed both sides of his cheek. He shook in laughter against me, burying his face in my neck.

”How many kids do you want?” I pulled back to ask, likingthis conversation about our future.

He shrugged, “Doesn’t matter to me. As long as it’s ours, I’m happy.”

"Why do you have to be so perfect, Mr. Byun?"

My words pleased him very much that he smirked, “Can't help that I'm born this way, Mrs. Byun."

"Mrs. Byun huh?"

"Soon to be," he said surely, "Let's go tell yourbrother now."

"Right now?"

"Right now." Baekhyun asserted, backing away from me.

Before he took my hand and pulled me away with him, I clenched the sleeve of his sweater and pulled him back to me. "Wait."

He quirked an eyebrow, "Are we waiting til' next Christmas?"

"Promise me that no matter what happens, we'll stay together."

His gaze on me softened. And as a promise, he leaned forward and kiss me on the forehead. “Always and forever.” he vowed.

I smiled up into his beautiful eyes, and as always, feeling fulfilled that  I’d found a lover, a confidant anda home in this man.

“I love you." I whispered earnestly.

For a while, I waited for him to return the three words, but instead, he turned his back to me and walked away.

"Love you?" I repeated.

"Thank you."

Huffing in annoyance, I reached for a washcloth and tossed it to his back. "Asshole."

His steps halted and he looked over his shoulder.

”What?" I said, two brows raising in defiance.

A slow devilish grin spread across his face, “We're screwing like a teenager tonight."

Christmas Eve-10:30pm

"Ready?"

I nodded.

With our hands intertwined, we walked into the sitting room where everyone was gathered. The TV was on and all eyes were fixed on the screen. Hana, seated in between my parents, was first to notice our appearance and her eyes drifted down to our hands before she looked back at us. Confused, she nudged her elbows on my mum and dad's arms and nodded in our direction. My parents looked clueless as well.

Soyeon was next to lift her head from Chanyeol's shoulder and looked at us. Once she understood what's going on, she turned to the man next to her. Chanyeol was unaware and she smacked him hard across his arm, causing his body to jump in complete shock, eyes widened.Baekhyun chuckled next to me and I tried my best to hold my laughter.

"What was that for?" Chanyeol whined, frowning at her.

She grinned, grabbing his face and turned his face towards us.

Tension permeated the air now that everyone was staring at us, eagerly and anxiously waiting for our announcement. This was more nerve-wracking than I imagined it would be.

”Chanyeol,” Baekhyun started. “You are like a family to me and I know years ago I’ve made a promise to you that I will never date your little sister.”

There’s a momentary silence that caused my heart slammed harder against my ribcage. I squeezed his hand tighter and held my breath.

“I’m sorry I have to break that promise now.”

Chanyeol frowned, his eyes shifting from Baekhyun to me, and then to Baekhyun again, “What are you talking about?”

“I love your sister, Chanyeol. I've loved her for a very long time now. And I-“

“You sick bastard.” my brother’ voice roared across the room as he rose from the couch, his hands fisting on his sides.

Taken aback by his anger, everyone in the room turned wide-eyed. Never had I ever seen my brother this furious before, it's as if he was possessed.

“Listen-"

My brother’s tall figure prowled towards us until he stood face to face with Baekhyun, his jaw clenched and his glare at Baekhyun was menacing. Panic rippled through me when he had Baekhyun by his throat. My body acted on reflex and I moved to step in between the two male, “You should calm down, Chanyeol.” I confounded, pressing my palm to his chest.

“Get the hell out of my way.” he barked, scaring me so much that I flinched away.

Suddenly I was standing behind Baekhyun's back as he lunged forward on my defense, “Don't you dare talk to her like that ever again." he warned, tension vibrating from his body.

When I peered through his shoulder, Soyeon was already standing close to my brother, one hand resting on his shoulder, “Hey, you really need to calm down.”

"Shut the fuck up." he snapped, riping her hand away roughly.  

My jaw clenched and I was about to step in to defend my best friend, but Baekhyun held me back. My eyes instinctively searched for my parents, but I was bewildered when I found out how unbothered they seemed to be. My mum had his arms tangled around my sister, while my dad was lying back with his legs and arms crossed.

"Are you guys just going to sit there watch?" I chastised, frowning deeply at them.

Three of them shrugged.

Annoyed by their lack of concern, I huffed and glanced back at Soyeon. From the fury in her eye, I knew she wasn't going to let my brother get away so easily.

I was right.

Her next move sucked the soul out of me. I had no idea where did the glass of water in her hand came from, everything happened too quickly, the next thing I knew, my brother had water splashed all over his face.

My brother looked completely lost, but in a jiffy, he returned to being enraged again.

I thought I heard Baekhyun sniggered but maybe I heard it wrong because when I looked at him, his expression was still tense.

“What the hell is your problem?” Chanyeol growled.

Urged by the need to stop the fight before it turned nastier, I pushed past Baekhyun and marched towards the couple. As I reached, Soyeon had this knowing smile spreading across her face, then out of the blue, she announced,

“I am pregnant."

Chanyeol blinked in perplexity, then he leaned forward and whisper in her ear, “Babe, that’s not part of the script.”

Script?

"I know it's not in the script, but I'm really pregnant," she whispered back.

They probably thought I couldn't hear them but I could, and I was confused. 

“What are you talking a-”

Chanyeol’s word was being cut short by my mom's dramatic entry, “Did you just say you're pregnant?"

Soyeon turned to my mum with a smile and a nod.

"Oh my god!" she shouted in victory as he looked over to my dad's side, "We're having a grandchild, honey."

"Congratulations." Hana and Dad said concurrently.

"Thank you."

However, Chanyeol wasn’t fully convinced yet. He took a step closer and stared down skeptically at his girlfriend, “Are you joking? Because if you are, babe, that’s cruel.”

She giggled, “I’m not joking, darling. there’s a baby in here.” she convinced, rubbing her palm over her belly, “Our baby.”

With his lips falling agape, Chanyeol stared down at her stomach, then back at her face. Their eyes locked and there’s this silent conversation going on between them before Chanyeol finally believed. An elated smile spread across his face. In one rapid motion, Soyeon was in his arm as he lifted her feet off the ground and spun her around. She clung to his neck and squealed with delight. As he lowered her down, he cupped her tiny face in his big hands, "I fucking love you, Jung Soyeon." he whispered before leaning down to kiss her lips.

The sight of their happiness warmed me through and through. It was such a beautiful distraction that for a moment I'd completely forgotten about the chaos we had earlier. Now that I remembered, I twisted my head around to look at Baekhyun for an answer.

And there he stood, arms crossing over his chest as he gazed at me with that signature smirk resting on his lips.

That was when I realized I'd been fooled.

Christmas Eve-11:38pm.

The eventful gathering ended with me jokingly threatening my family that they were not invited to my wedding. And for some reason, Baekhyun was under a wrong impression that I was changing my mind about wanting to marry him. As a form of retaliation for the prank he pulled on me, and also because I was enjoying his panic very much, I decided to remain silent.

As we bimbled down the pathway in a quiet park, I ignored him for a good ten minutes. For that good ten minutes, he talked and he couldn't stop. It was until he pulled the 'I saved your life'card on me that I finally spoke up. Partly because a tiny fraction of me felt guilty, but mostly because I loved him so much that ignoring him became such a difficult task.

We spent the next twenty minutes strolling around the park with him chattering away and memostly listened. This place used to be our playground when we were both young.

When we walked past a bench under a willow tree, I remembered having a crush on him for the first time there.

And then, I led him up the bridge over a water lilies pond in the center of the park. There, we stood behind the railing and stared out into the calm water.

Eight years ago, on the same day and right at the very same spot, was the day I knew I loved him.

That was why I decided to take him here tonight because when the clock stroke twelve, I was going to propose to him. The idea had been stuck in my head since the day he saved me from the fire. It was my Christmas gift for him and also my way to repay him for all the good things he had done for me.

"It's getting cold sweetheart, should we go now?" he asked, huddling closer to me.

I stared down at my wristwatch that said two minutes before midnight, “Let’s stay here just for a bit."

”We can come back in the morning when it’s not freezing, I don'twant you to get sick.” he advised, adjusting the scarf around my neck.

”Just one more minute.”

”Fine. One minute and I’m dragging you away.”

I nodded and started counting backward from sixty. When I reached zero, I turned to his side. Slowly, I lowered myself on one knee and looked up.

His brows furrowed as he dropped his gaze to me, “Wha-”

“You are my best friend, Baekhyun. Always and forever will be.” I said and inhaled deeply. “I loved you since I was fourteen and that feeling never stopped growing...I doubt it will ever stop because you are too perfect you made it so hard not to love you...You are too perfect that sometimes I get worried I’ll never be enough for you.”

I smiled shyly, feeling vulnerable and a little frightened, but, they eased away as Baekhyun gazed down at me with a growing tenderness that calmed me.

“I know you deserve all the best in the world, but I’m nowhere near that. And I know that I will never pass as a good wife material because I can’t cook and will likely burn the house if I tried.” I said, scoffing at my own words.

While watching him chuckled at my confession, I tucked my hand into the pocket of my coat.

“There’s nothing I can give you other than me and my promise to love you forever as long as I’m living...and I am not sure whether that’s good enough for you, but if it is,” pulling my hand out, I held the ring up to him. “Will you take me as I am and marry me, Byun Baekhyun?”

THE END

A/N: Hiiii, thank you for reading even though it’s so lenghty! That’s chapter 5-8 combined. I hope you enjoyed it! I personally love the part where she proposed 💕 It’d be nice if you could leave your thoughts in my ask!! Thank you💕😚

[myeyesarenotblue]

Hey @rewouu​ guess what?? I was your secret santa ❤️

I wrote a silly little thing, hope you’ll like it!!! @secret-santa-klaus

Read on AO3

Ben shuts his bedroom door behind him.  

He sighs, taking a deep and heavy breath, after. He shrugs his jacket off. It’s like Dad doesn’t even care that since December rolled around it’s getting nearly impossible to stand outside for two minutes too long without freezing their asses off. He still makes sure they spar, and train, and run around in circles like idiots. Ben hates it.  

He never listens. One of them could say, “But Dad, there’s a gym in the basement! We could easily spar there!” and then Dad will reply, without exception, “The fresh air will do you good”  

It could be, “But Dad, we could run laps in the big staircase!” and then, “You’ve done enough of that already, you should know your regimes need variety”

Or, “But Dad, do we even have to train? We know all the moves already”  

And Dad says, “One can never know too much”  

“You asshole, it’s fucking snowing, we’re gonna get fucking hypo-”  

“You’ve just earned ten more laps, Number Four”  

He never listens. Ben hates it.  

He’s tired, and worn, and he’s pretty sure there’s a big chunk of snow melting somewhere in his underwear. He’d like to blame Diego, but truly, truly, he can only blame himself. He thinks he should remember by know, that going against Diego and making the rookie mistake that is not letting him win after two seconds always results in an array of random objects being thrown into places they shouldn’t be thrown in. He should remember by now.  

But he’s an idiot like that, and he didn’t. There’s snow in his underwear.  

He sighs again, long and heavy and hard, just because he can- and even if there’s no one to listen to his moping, it makes him feel the tiniest bit better.  

He considers turning back into the hallway and taking a shower like a normal person would do, but immediately decides against it. He’s too tired. He’s too tired, and the thought of doing anything at all but letting himself fall face-first into his bed and sleeping for maybe a decade is a little too much to handle at the moment. So he does just that.  

He lays haphazardly across his bed, not even bothering to take off his shoes. He resolves to sleep and sleep and sleep, and plan exactly how surprised and oblivious he’s going to act when Diego’s favorite knife goes mysteriously missing. It won’t exactly be hard, he thinks, to fall asleep after the day he’s had- even the creatures are tired, humming quietly and displeased under his skin.  

Tired, tired, tired.  

He lets the ever-present quiet lull him under, the tap-tap-tap of melting snow dripping down from the roof and into the courtyard. He thinks he can hear Vanya practicing that new song she’s been working on somewhere in the house. He breathes deeply, content, comfortable, resting.  

He’s just about to fall asleep when-  

“Ben!”  

Knocking on his door.  

Ben groans, rolls over until he’s lying on his back.  

“Ben!”

More knocking, gliding into pounding. Ben snaps his eyes shut and makes the very smart choice of ignoring the noise and hoping it’ll go away.  

“Benny!”

It doesn’t go away.  

“Ben, Ben, Ben!”  

Ben pats blindly for a pillow and pushes it tight against his face, hoping it’ll muffle even the tiniest little bit of the noise by some miracle.  

It doesn’t.  

“My best bro, Numero Six! Benny-boy!”

The knocking grows into pounding, and then the pounding sounds like straight up kicking and punching and whacking, and there’s just one person in the academy who’d do that after waiting for exactly five seconds, is there not?  

Ben huffs, annoyed, but not surprised.  

He drags himself off the bed long enough to unlock his bedroom’s door and then plops right down again, this time kicking off his shoes and tucking himself under the covers.  

Klaus strolls inside, looking all smug and proud, and not even a speck of guilty after nearly kicking down his door. But that’s to expect. What’s not to expect, though, is that Klaus is carrying something with him, something hidden behind his back, unseen.  

Ben squints, tilts his head and just barely makes out a sharp edge, wrapped in red.  

He throws Klaus a questioning look and immediately regrets it.  

Klaus squeals a high noise, full anticipation and excitement, and before he knows it, he’s jumping right into his bed. It’s half a second, and he doesn’t have any leverage with his hands behind his back, but somehow, he still manages to make his knee land right somewhere over Ben’s ribs.  

“Ugh- Klaus! Watch it” Ben moans, clutching his stomach while straightening up and scooting over to the side, because apparently, they’re having a sleepover now, whether he wants it or not.  

Klaus sits there, and unsettling expression on his face. Far too giddy for his liking. It can only mean trouble. “Ben,” Klaus gushes and doesn’t say another word, instead of explaining himself. He keeps staring on and his eyes are- sparkling.  

Ben narrows his eyes, “Klaus?”  

He sort of wants to ask if he’s high, but he doesn’t really think that’s it. Drugs tend to make him fuzzy and slow and compliant (at least the ones he usually takes, anyway) and right now he seems far too energetic to be anything but his usual sober self.  

“Hey, Ben” Klaus blurts, giggling like a maniac.  

“Yeah?”  

“Guess what’s behind my back”  

Ben frowns, makes a face. He doesn’t like surprises. And besides, besides, “How are you not tired?”  

“Oh, no. I totally feel like I’m gonna pass out any second” Klaus mutters, but he’s chewing- his tongue, or his cheek, or something, and he’s jittery and frenzied. Ben starts doubting that drug thing, but then- “I drank like, half a pot of coffee an hour ago”  

“I thought you hated coffee”  

“Yeah, fuck coffee! That thing tastes like shit”  

Ben blinks, very carefully doesn’t ask where the hell Klaus even got coffee since Dad absolutely loathes the thing and doesn’t allow it in the house. “Yeah,” he says, because he doesn’t know what else to say. “Yeah, it tastes pretty awful”  

Klaus nods along, but then he seems to remember he barged in into his room for a reason. “You haven’t guessed” he moans, pouting. “Guess!”  

“Uh, I don’t-”  

“Fine, I’ll tell you”  

Klaus doesn’t waste a single second, and in the blink of an eye, he’s pulling the something he was hiding from behind his back and shoving it all of two inches away from Ben’s face. Ben scrambles backwards instinctually, nearly falling off the bed, but he manages to keep his balance just in time to look up, and then-

And then he sees it.  

Shiny red and pretty, a little rectangle wrapped in craft paper.  

He’s left blinking dumbly at it, again, and again, and again, and for the longest, most embarrassing moment, he doesn’t quite understand what he’s seeing, doesn’t understand the carelessly thrown pieces of glitter, or the giant green bow, or the crude little drawing in the corner, all sharpie lines and messy scribbles, of what can only be a reindeer sprouting tentacles in place of antlers. 

“Merry Christmas, Ben” Klaus says, smiling softly, eyes twinkling.  

Christmas.  

Ben’s-

They’ve never done Christmas. Ever. They’ve never done Easter, or Halloween, or Thanksgiving, or any of those pretty and entrancing theme days- holidays, those ones from the movies and the billboards, the ones where everyone looks happy and relaxed and loved.  

They’ve never done any of that.  

They barely do birthdays. Dad hands them some pen or some journal or some keychain with an engraved umbrella, all wrapped up in the dullest paper, and that’s it.  

Ben’s-

Ben stares up at the shiny rectangle, stares up at the big bow.  

He always did wonder what those children in the movies and the billboards were feeling when they found a present under their Christmas tree. They always look so unexplainably, unmistakably, irrevocably, plain happy-  

Overwhelmed and overjoyed, entranced.

Ben never understood.  

He thinks he understands now.  

“Klaus, you-” Ben starts, amazed, eyes wide, but he thinks he’s been staring dumbly for a little too long, speechless and way too startled. Klaus’ pulled the little rectangle closer to himself, away from Ben, away and into his chest.  

“I mean,” Klaus mutters, and he’s lost a bit of that twinkle, now shifting nervously, “I know it’s silly, so it’s cool if you don’t, like-” and he’s biting his lip, avoiding Ben’s eyes, “like it, or want it, y’know? It’s just-”

Ben huffs, decides to make the very wise decision that is interrupting Klaus’ rambling before it gets any worse, “Hey, Klaus, you don’t-”

But Klaus doesn’t listen.  

“-you're always watching all those Christmas movies in our half hour, so I thought-”

“Klaus!”  

“What?”  

Klaus looks up sharply, startled.  

Ben doesn’t even have the heart to tell him the reason he watches all those Christmas movies during their half hour is because he might or might not have developed an unhealthy obsession with romcoms over the past few months. He had to get to the Christmas ones at some point. There’s only so many times a person can watch 13 Going on 30.

Ben swallows, pushes down his thoughts and instead focuses on what’s right in front of him. “Is that,” he starts, far more nervous than any shiny big bow has any right to make him, “Is that for me? A present?”

“Yeah, sure” Klaus says, and it sounds almost like a question. The smile’s back on his face, though. “A Christmas present, if you will”  

Ben chuckles, disbelieving and happy. “Isn’t that thing about Jesus”  

Klaus gasps, “Well, yeah, but-” he sighs, very clearly annoyed. “We can just ignore that part. Besides, I once had a really fucked up dream that I died and God was an ethnically ambiguous teenage girl who called me a loser and then kicked me out of heaven, so I’m not really big on religion”  

Ben blinks. Tries to make sense of Klaus’ words.  

He can’t.  

“What?”  

He has a feeling that particular dream of his might have been fueled by some strong hallucinogens.

Klaus rolls his eyes, “Do you want your present or not?”  

“Of course I want it” Ben hisses, maybe a little too aggressive. Even the creatures stir, rumbling under his skin. Ben snaps his eyes shut briefly, takes a deep breath and wills them to settle. Is he really getting all that possessive over what’s probably a pack of smokes, or a beer, or some dirty magazine snatched from that creepy convenience store down the street?  

Yes, yes, he is.  

Klaus watches him, amused. “Good” he says, a breath from laughing, and Ben kind of wants to punch him in the face. “I was starting to get a little worried, here”  

Ben glares at him, crosses his arms over his chest.  

Klaus sighs, all dreamy and annoying, and then, and then, “Merry Christmas, brother o’mine!” he announces, incredibly loud, and bright, and obnoxious, and before Ben can do anything to stop him, he’s launching forwards and planting the wettest, grossest, biggest kiss right on Ben’s cheek.  

“Ugh-”  

He tries to push him away, only half succeeds. Klaus laughs- the asshole, and then he promptly shoves the bright little rectangle on Ben’s lap, climbing out of bed with uncoordinated movements. “May your days be holy and bright” he gushes, a glaring smile on his face.

Ben rubs his cheek, scrunching up his nose. There’s actual spit smeared in there, and he- “What the hell, Klaus? You can’t go around licking people, that’s gross”  

“I did not lick you” Klaus retorts almost immediately, all sure words and confident stance, even though he very much did lick him. Ben rolls his eyes. “Anyway,” Klaus says. “Merry Christmas, bro. Enjoy your present”  

And then he’s gone.  

He squeezes Ben’s shoulder, shoots him a dizzying smile one last time, and then he’s snatching open his bedroom’s door, stepping out.  

“Hey, Klaus” Ben calls, before he can leave.  

“Yeah?”  

Ben levels him with a look. Out of everyone in the house, he’s not surprised it was him, Klaus, of all people, the one who’d actually want to do something special for the holidays, or anything at all. Still, he feels- warmed, loved. Happy. Overwhelmed and overjoyed, entranced.  

Just like the people in the movies.  

“Thank you” he says, and he means it.  

Klaus nods, looking down, shy all of the sudden, and then he’s shutting the door behind him without another word.  

Ben stares at the door, unblinking.  

He doesn’t move a single muscle for a long moment, too busy trying to make sense of what just happened. He’s almost afraid of looking down and to his lap, and to his present , afraid that somehow- somehow, it won’t be there.  

Ben swallows, rubs the last of Klaus’ spit away from his cheek and then ghosts his fingers over the craft paper, shiny red and pretty. The drawing is, indeed, a sad attempt of a red-nosed reindeer sprouting tentacles. It’s got googly eyes, and everything. Ben’s kind of impressed.  

He unties the ribbon carefully, mindful not to disturb the paper too much, and then he’s peeling the mess of tape away, and- he knows, he knows the children in the movies always tear and rip and shred, and maybe he should, too, but he can’t really bring himself to do it. He thinks he’s going to end up keeping that little piece of red paper forever and ever, tucked away along with his most prized possessions.  

When he’s done with the tape, done freeing his present from the paper, Ben holds his breath, stops just shy of revealing what’s inside.  

From the weight and feel of it, he thinks it might be a book, and isn’t that the most wonderful thing ever? He’s read everything half-decent in the house already, Klaus knows that- Ben's told him, in several occasions, late at night when neither one of them can sleep and the only thing they can do is whine about their lives to each other.  

Ben smiles, bites his bottom lip.  

He lifts the paper up and away slowly, stets it aside, and then he’s left staring at-

H. P. Lovecraft – The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories

Oh, Ben thinks. Oh.  

And he thinks back to the handful of short stories by Lovecraft he managed to read before Dad confiscated the forgotten book he had found lying around in the house, thinks back to the endless hours he had rambled non-stop about it, very nearly talking Klaus’ ear off.  

It’s perfect, Ben thinks. It’s the best Christmas present he’s ever gotten.  

The only Christmas present he’s ever gotten.  

He lets a burst of hysterical laughter bubble out of his throat, holds the book tight against his chest, carefully, so very carefully. Maybe he’s ought to have a long talk with Klaus about dialing down the whole tentacle-themed-everything thing, but-  

Most importantly, Ben thinks, laughing deliriously, insane, happy- most importantly, he needs to sneak out of his bedroom’s window the second the opportunity presents itself, climb out, and then he needs to wander all of the streets and the stores and the shops, looking for the perfect gift.  

It’s just not fair that Klaus can now say he’s given a Christmas present but not that he’s received one.

[parodoxthestrange]

My first real contribution to this site

I’ve been loving the travels of @bace-jeleren‘s character, Megumi and felt that I had to try my hand at it with my first fanwalker, Fomos Oper.

The undergrowth was cast in an array of shadows and dim green light. A man, wrapped in a tattered blue and grey headdress and robe, hunched over a bush laden with berries as he attempted to block out the quiet cacophony of the jungle.

“~Let splash the wave of silver o’er my home upon the tin. A Vanished master’s metal chain ne’er plague our kind again. And now-”

A sudden rush of wind somewhere above his head was enough to pause the human’s song but an object impacting the shrubbery not ten feet from him inspired the man to re position behind the nearest tree, drawing his bone knife.

Or more accurately, to curl up behind it, trying vainly to keep his knife steady in his hands.

“Hhh....Hhh....”

It was around his third attempt to suck in a breath that Fomos realized he wasn’t being attacked. Keeping his movement slow, he leaned from cover to glance at at the now crushed plant. Not seeing anything dangerous, he approached further before starting at the sight of a child sprawled on top of the bush. Her skin was a pale white, dark curled hair pulled into wild pigtails and two long ears draping from her forehead. But what was most shocking to the man upon getting close to her was that she had seemed to be overcome by exhaustion, yet even her sleeping form was restless and twitching.

‘What is she?’ was the immediate thought for Fomos ‘and what is she doing here? A planeswalker?’ The man paused for a few moments longer before sheathing his knife and turning away. “S-sorry, but you’re not my problem.” After taking a few steps away, he paused and turned back to her prone form ‘....’

________________________________________________________________

The sound of bubbling liquid stirred Megumi from her rest. Her eyes still adjusting, she glanced around the inside of a large tent, the only light coming from a fire under a large clay pot. The figure staring at her over the pot quickly roused her from her half-conscious state as she let out a surprised “Aah!”

“Aah!” the man quickly ducked behind the pot, visibly shaking. Megumi appeared shocked for a moment, before swinging out of bed and walking over to him.

“Sorry! Did I scare you?” Megumi asked as the man, still staring at her, slowly nodded. She looked at the human still hiding behind the pot for a moment before speaking again “Are you trying to hide behind that? But you’re so much bigger than that thing is, silly!”

At this, she could see the man’s nose blush from embarrassment. He straightened his back before walking over to another section of the tent, grabbing a wooden bowl and spoon, and presenting it to Megumi while he mumbled something under his breath.

“Huh?” Megumi asked “Did you say something?”

“........” the man stared down at Megumi “.....you should.....eat.” at that, he placed the bowl into Megumi’s hands and ladled some of the contents of the pot into it before serving himself and sitting down.

“Oh, Okay! Thanks mister!” she began to eat at a rapid pace, before stopping to talk. “My name’s Megumi! Thanks for helping me out”

“........Fo......” Fomos cleared his throat before tugging at his headdress, exposing his face. “..I’m Fomos...Oper....wha...er, what are you.....doing here?” practically whispering the end of his sentence, Fomos returned to his stew.

Megumi’s face fell as she stared into her meal, her next words much softer than before “I’m running from someone. Someone really scary. S-she keeps trying to hurt me. I don’t know why!” Tears began to collect at the corners of her eyes “I don’t even know where I am! Or where home is!” Her meal forgotten, Megumi began to cry into her knees.

Fomos’s breath hitched in his throat as he felt tears run down his cheek. Shaking his head, he focused upon a point of mana within. A spark began to hop between small shards of metal upon his cheeks as he breathed in deeply, allowing the mana to mix with his breathing. Slowly exhaling, the tent became tinted by a light blue aura as he continued to breath.

Megumi raised her head from her knees in confusion to look at the aura now surrounding Fomos and slowly, she began to breath in deep as well. After several seconds of the two of them slowly breathing, the aura began to fade away until Fomos was left looking sheepishly at Megumi.

“.....you...okay?” the taller man asked.

“Um. I think I am now, mister” Megumi said as she wiped some tears from her eyes “Mister Oper, what was that? Did you do that?”

“....Yes..sorry.....I...I think I made you feel worse....so I t-tried to help......”

“It’s okay mister! Mommy says it’s okay to cry so you don’t keep the bad feelings inside” Megumi gave Fomos a toothy grin as she slowly rose in the air, not noticing his wide-eyed stare “Mister Oper was that light your magic? Is that what stopped my crying?”

“....um...yes. I’m an.....empath. I can...er, feel the emotions of other creatures and share.......or....strengthen...them.” Fomos slowly sucked in another breath “So I’m sorry.. I-I think I accidentally tacked my fear onto...what you felt...about that monster...”

“Does that mean you have trouble with your magic too-whoa!!” Megumi interrupted herself upon realizing she had continued to float higher into the air “Mister, what’s happening? I didn’t try to fly at all!” Upon performing a couple mid-air flips, she let a small giggle loose “But it’s super easy right now! This is super, fucking, cool!”

Fomos couldn’t resist a small chuckle himself “Wel-welcome to Muraganda, little planeswalker.”

Spinning over upside down to face him, Megumi’s eyes widened “You know what planeswalkers are? Does that mean you’re one too??”

“Yes, though I don-don’t do it....much.”

“Have you met my Mommy and Daddy? They’re both planeswalkers!” With her enhanced flying, Megumi zipped directly into Fomos personal space. “Mommy’s a nice Moonfolk lady with black hands and is the prettiest Mommy ever, and Daddy’s a super cool vampire who’s not always a Daddy...but they’re always my Daddy!”

“A....vampire?” 

two fingers curved into dark blades, corroded metal jutting from a gash in its spine

“.....Sorry, no. You....um, said earlier you couldn’t control magic?......Is t-that why you can’t go home?”

“Yeah, I don’t know how to aim when I travel. The other planeswalkers I met all seem to know how to do it but I can’t figure it out.”

“Well, at the very least.......you...should..rest here.” Fomos nodded to himself “You we-you were completely unconscious when.....I found you.”

Megumi seemed to draw into herself again “I shouldn’t. The mean monster will find me again. She’s always tracking me. fucking Always!”

This time, Fomos looked in confusion at her “Are you sure?”

________________________________________________________________

“Th-thirteen hours!?” Megumi shouted “I couldn’t be sleeping that long, mister!”

“It’s true though. And I haven’t sensed any monster like what you’ve described.”

“But she never stops, Fomos, sir! And she always knows where I am.”

“Hmm...” Fomos stopped to add a few more sticks to the flame. “Well, you are on Muru-muraganda. It’s just like your flying....I think”

“What? Do some planes make magic weird?”

“Yes. Mana is everywhere here and super potent. This makes even s-simple magic stronger....but...harder to uh, concentrate on. That’s why....I....lost control earlier.....and why you flew on accident.” Glancing out toward the jungle, Fomos gestured to Megumi to finish laying her blankets down. 

Not seeing anything, he set the rest of the lumber down and continued “Also.....difficult spells can go out of control here. So, since she...must be tracking you with magic, the plane’s probably causing the spell.....to er, go haywire.” Forcing a laugh, he leaned over “lucky you.....right?”

Peeking her eyes open, Megumi said “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Thank you mister Oper, for everything today. You’re nice.”

‘Nice?’ Fomos felt his cheeks flush as he settled in “Well, you um, you’re much easier to talk to.....than most people here......So, thanks Megumi” But as he turned his head he realized she had already fallen asleep. Drawing his blankets around him, he mumbled out loud “I understand kid. Unstoppable monster that you can’t escape from? I completely understand.....”

________________________________________________________________

~A Vanished master’s metal chain ne’er plague our kind again. 

And now we cheer our freedom on the seas of Mirrodin........

[anpanbts]

Of Hate and Love - Chapter Eight

pairing: OT7 (all members) x reader

genre: smut, angst, romance

word count: 3,400 words

warnings: smut, mentioned rape, violence, gore, blood kidnapping, character death, drug use, weapons

description: In case for you to be finally free from the chains of your uncle’s mafia, you need to spy on one of the youngest but already most successful mafia in Korea - Bangtan. But for some reason your heart doesn’t want to betray the boys. You want to be with them, but for them you are probably just a sexual object they can have whenever they want to. So what will you decide? Do you want freedom or want your heart at peace?

chapters: {prologue} {1} {2} {3} {4} {5} {6} {7} {8} {9}

Special thanks to @stargazingmoonchild and @vincent-j-clint-renoir for being so adorable and sending me so much love!

After lounging around in your room for a few hours; watching tv and thinking about how your life became since your parents died, you finally get up to brush your teeth. Luckily you have your own bathroom like every other room in this mansion probably has. The floor and the walls are made of black marble and in the middle of the room is a beautiful white bathtub. Next to the sink you find some toothpaste as well as a packed toothbrush and some wonderful-smelling shampoo. After you brushed your teeth, you step inside the glass enclosed shower in the corner of the room. You can't shake of the thought that this bathroom is specifically made for you. All things a girl needs are here and you wonder how many girls have lived in this mansion before. You have absolutely no right to be jealous, but who would like to share such handsome boys if you can have them all to yourself? Anyways, you step into the shower and let the warm water run down your body and rub your sweat away with shower gel. You grab the razor and shave off each hair from your skin and peel your skin, just in case, of course. The shampoo smells like flowers and you massage it gently onto your scalp while humming a song. After half an hour, you step outside the shower, grab a towel and dry your body before moisturizing your skin with the cherry blossom lotion. Completely naked you walk out of the bathroom, hoping that there will be a few shirts you can wear in the black wardrobe across from your bed. As you open the huge sliding door, you see a few shirts, sweatpants and thick socks lying at the bottom. There are many clothes hangers, but no clothes, so you go for the thick socks, loose sweatpants and a white loose shirt, hoping that nobody will notice that you're not wearing anything underneath. You would have liked to wear the underwear you previously wore, but it got so dirty and sweaty that you would rather go without it. You can ask the boys for some more clothes later. It is already afternoon and your stomach rumbles when you are about to close the wardrobe door. Realizing that you haven't eaten since breakfast, you decide to leave your room to fetch something to eat. You tiptoe over the red carpet which leads to the staircase. Your previous visit to the mansion, makes you assume that all the private rooms of the boys are on the first floor and that the kitchen is probably downstairs. There is also a staircase that leads to the second floor, but is kitchen on the top floor? Following your guts, you go downstairs while directing your gaze to the ground, afraid of falling down. You don't notice Yoongi, who is focused on his phone as he balances something that looks like an iced coffee with his other hand, and walk straight into him at the end of the staircase. His drink lands on your shirt and makes you scream in surprise. “Fuck! Can't you look where you’re…” Yoongi yells frustrated, but falls silent when he realizes it's you. “Oh my god… I am so sorry. I didn't-” Your cheeks heat up, embarrassed by this accident. You don't notice it, but Yoongi stares shortly at your hard nipples that he can see through the drenched shirt, but captures himself fast. “Yes you didn't.” He shortly states. “Now get out of my way.” Dumbfounded by his tone towards you, you realize that it was not just your fault. He doesn’t have any right to be so pissed at you. “Wait! You could have also looked where you're walking to. It isn't solely my fault!” you shout at him as Yoongi walks back into the kitchen to get rid of the now empty glass, “Idiot!” Such a rude brick… you are about to walk upstairs to get yourself a new shirt but someone grabs your arm and makes you halt. “Hello, beautiful," Taehyung chirps as he turns you towards him. But you were having none of it. At first you liked his flirting. He made you feel flustered and beautiful, but now you know that he just wants one thing and that annoys you beyond belief. Your anger towards Yoongi doesn't make it better. “What?” you ask him annoyed. “Hey.. why so moody?” he steps closer to you as he takes your appearance in, “Ah… I see why you’re yo grumpy. Maybe we should go and get you something new to wear.” You huff at him, “There are only a few shirts and sweatpants in my wardrobe. Maybe I could go in the city and buy some clothes?” “No need for that. We already sent someone to do it for you,” Taehyung snickers, wondering why you think you will stay here for long. Did Jimin perhaps already talked to you? He hasn’t seen him since last night. “You don’t even know my size so how-” you skeptically stare at him before he stops you. “We asked Minjoo about it so there should be no problems,” he gives you a weak smile before he begins chuckling because of the rumble of your stomach. Your cheeks flush and you quietly reply, “I’m quite hungry so that’s why I came downstairs in the first place.” “Then you go and get yourself a new shirt and I'll get something to eat, alright?” Taehyung muses before he lifts an eyebrow. You just nod in response as you run up the stairs. While you wash the remnants of coffee off your skin, Taehyung makes some sandwiches in the kitchen and puts them on a huge plate. A few minutes and a new shirt later, the two of you meet in the huge marble hall. With hungry eyes, you stare at the plate full of food as your mouth waters. “You must be starving,” Taehyung chuckles, seeing how fixated your eyes are on the food and walks to a wooden door behind the staircase, “May we eat in the library?” You nod, not caring where you would eat as long as you get something to eat in the next few minutes. When he opens the door, your eyes nearly fall out of your head. Never have you ever seen a room as beautiful as this one. There are bookshelves on each wall, full of old and expensive-looking books. There is a huge window with heavy green curtains and a stone chimney with a comfortable couch and armchairs made of brown leather. You feel like Belle in the Beauty and the Beast and you think eternity wouldn’t be long enough to take in all the beautiful little details about this room. The golden ornaments on the shelves and especially the smell of old books make you forget your rumbling stomach until Taehyung interrupts your daydreaming. “It’s Namjoon’s room. Well not exactly his, but he wanted to build this library in the first place.” he muses. “I knew you would like it.” “It’s truly beautiful,” you smile at him and take a seat next to him on the couch, the plate in front of you on a small wooden table. “You are beautiful,” Taehyung replies, his voice dripping honey. This comment makes you groan because this was just so cheesy. “Just shut it and stop embarrassing yourself,” you grab yourself a sandwich and shove it into your mouth, dwelling on the taste. The two of you sit next to each other in uncomfortable silence while munching the food before Taehyung speaks. “By the way, why was your shirt so wet earlier on?” Taehyung grins, remembering how your nipples perked through the thin and wet fabric, much to his delight. “Ah I just walked into Yoongi and his stupid coffee landed all over me,” you huff, annoyance rises as you recall his rude behaviour, “He’s a grumpy idiot. Accusing me of not looking.. pff.. He was the one that was staring at his phone.” Taehyung sighs, “Look, Yoongi-Hyung is a really good person, but he has gone through some shit in his past. He used to be really cheerful, but now he treats everyone as if his heart is made of ice.” “Everyone who has eyes, can see that Yoongi treats others badly… but that isn’t my fault,” you reply annoyed, but your inner self wonders, what Yoongi went through. Maybe if you stay here long enough, you will know one day. “Why do I have the impression, that you are the closest with Jimin? Did he do something special to get your attention?” Taehyung really wants to know, why you’re so fond of him. “And why do I have the impression that this is a questioning and not a normal conversation?” you squint your eyes suspectingly as you stare into Taehyung’s beautiful hazel-brown eyes, “I don’t think that I have to give you any account on this matter.” “So there is something,” he wiggles his index finger as if he is an detective who just found out who commited the murder and shifts closer to you. You groan out in frustration, “Fine. If you really want to know his secret...” you curl your finger and signal him to come closer. You lean over to him and whisper in his ear as if you’re going to tell him a big secret, “Jimin is the only one who has been nothing but kind to me.” Taehyung pushes you away with a huff because he expected more, “That’s it?” “That’s it,” you reply with a chuckle. “But listen Y/N…” Taehyung’s deep and sultry voice becomes serious and sends a shiver down your spine, “Jimin is not the sweet boy you might take him for. He is manipulating and probably sees you as his property.” You laugh loudly, because of his little prank. You almost thought that he is going to tell you something of importance and not such a silly joke, caused by jealousy. But soon, you realize, that Taehyung is not laughing so you stop as well. He stares deep into your eyes. His gaze pierces like hundreds of needles into you and makes you nervous. You think about what he said and reply curtly, “Don’t say such things. He is your friend after all and just because you’re jealous-” “Me? Jealous?” Taehyung cocks his eyebrow, “I just want to warn you, silly.” “Well, if Jimin had such intentions, why did he tell me to leave this house after Jungkook brought me here?” now it’s your turn to quirk an eyebrow. “So that’s why you left,” it seems as if Taehyung thinks about what to reply, to make you believe his warnings, “He would rather not have you near him instead of sharing you with us. That’s why he told you to go. He is possessive and you can’t imagine what he is capable of doing if someone questions his behaviour.” “You can’t be serious,” you think about the evening, you walked upstairs and onto the balcony, only to be met with such a beautiful and captivating man. The memory of you two making out on the couch, makes you blush and sends waves of heat through your entire body. Jimin is strong. He could have easily hold you down and fuck you. But you told him to stop. And he actually did. There is no way that someone as humble as him could be a bad person. Or could it be? “Believe it or not, but I’m telling you nothing but the truth," Taehyung sighs in annoyance because all he wanted to do is warn you, but you, as stubborn as you are, won’t listen. You both stay silent for a while, not knowing what to say. Munching on the last bite of your sandwich, you look at Taehyung, who stares holes in you, “Well, anyways, thank you for making me these sandwiches and not letting me starve to death.” Taehyung wonders if Jimin has already talked to you about his plan. But your chuckle brings him back to reality and makes him shake his head. “Have I disturbed your thoughts? I beg your pardon,” you stand up from the couch and make an extravagant bow. “You are dismissed,” Taehyung gives you a quick wink, “See you for dinner?” “Sure thing,” you smile at him, turn around and leave Taehyung to himself. But the things he said to you about Jimin still linger in your mind. You walk through the huge marble entrance hall, your steps echoing from the walls. Everything is so quiet that one would think you live in this mansion on your own. Walking up the stairs, you hear a faint humming. The voice sounds beautiful and with each step you take to get to your room, the melody becomes clearer. You haven’t heard it before, but you definitely want to hear more of it. You freeze in your door frame when you see Jungkook standing next to your wardrobe with dresses in his hands. He looks like a deer caught in the headlights and you can’t deny how adorable he looks at this very moment. The both of you haven’t really talked with each other since he drugged you and dragged you here. But who are you to stay mad at such a stunning and handsome man? Maybe he really didn’t think about what he did. After all, he saved you from getting abused by Chansoo so he probably deserves a second chance. “What-What are you doing here?” you quirk an eyebrow and chuckle lightly at his scared expression. “I… I just...” he looks at you before his gaze shifts back to your wardrobe, searching for an explanation, “Our assistant bought clothes for you, so I just placed them in… I thought you would be outside so I just...” “Don’t be so nervous. It’s fine,” you laugh and grab your tummy after Jungkook’s loss of words, “Thank you.” “You’re welcome,” he gives you a sheepish smile, happy that he was able to make you laugh, even though he made a fool out of himself, “Well, I think I should go now.” You watch him disappearing like a prey running from its predator. Cute. As soon as Jungkook left, you close your door and walk eagerly towards your wardrobe. You feel like a little child on christmas morning - ready to unpack all those presents. Scanning over the content of the wardrobe, you notice that there are mostly dresses hanging on the hangers, except for some shorts and shirts. You take one out and ogle at the red dress that seems way too short and probably too tight for your liking. “Do they want me to wear this in their house? Those clothes can’t be comfortable...” you think to yourself. Next thing you do is looking through your drawers and staring at the beautiful sets of lingerie. They might not look comfortable, but whoever bought these, definitely knows what’s sexy and seductive. The longer you stare at the sets, the more you become aware of the fact why they bought them and what you are going to do. You are going to lose that one thing that you cherished and protected the most since your parents had gone - yourself. Never would you've ever thought that you are going to have sex with men only because they’re going to protect you instead and give you something like a home. Suddenly you start crying. You burst out in tears because of all that has happened. Once again you remember your cruel uncle and how he told you that he'll let you go if you spy on Bangtan even though you don’t even know who they are. He wouldn’t give you your freedom back anyways, so why looking for this organisation if there is no way out? You would rather stay here in this mansion and hide from him. That’s better, isn’t it? It doesn’t matter what you have to do in order to stay here. You don’t know for how long you’ve been crying for. Maybe it has been one hour maybe just a few minutes. However, you hear a faint knocking on your door that makes your ears perk up, “It’s me, Hoseok. Seokjin told me to fetch you to eat dinner with us.” “Give me a second. I’ll be right there,” you reply, hoping he doesn’t notice your unsteady voice. With an underwear, a cute dress and a pair of shoes you go into the bathroom. You wipe away your dried tears with some water and freshen up your face after going to the toilet. You don’t want to say that you look beautiful, but when you stare at your reflexion in the mirror, you can’t deny the fact that you look cute in your baby-blue dress. After slipping in some simple white sneakers, you open your door and step outside only to be met with Hoseok, leaning against the wall with his phone in hand. “Took you awhile,” he chuckles faintly and you somehow know that his laugh isn’t honest. Hoseok seems nonchalant to you, but even without looking at him, you still can feel his gaze roam over your body. “Well, then let’s go. Would you be so kind and show me the way?” you blush and don’t dare to look into his beautiful but intimidating brown eyes. He only nods and leads you downstairs before going left and opening the wooden door next to the kitchen. As soon as the door opens, the heads of six unbelievable handsome men turn to you. Seokjin and the one youngest men of them, Taehyung told you all of their ages in the library, smile at you meanwhile the other two give you glances which you can’t interpret. Hoseok closes the door and walks to one of the two empty chairs. Hesitantly, you take your seat at the head of the table, directly across from Namjoon. Great. “I hope you find something to eat. I don’t know what you like, so I made a few things,” Seokjin says. “She should be happy in the first place that she gets something at all,” Yoongi snorts. “Not my fault that you can’t look where you’re walking so don’t be so pissed at me just because you spilled your fucking coffee over me,” you retort with a louder voice than you intended to and regret it immediately. You’re a guest and have no right to speak to him like that, but damn, he deserves it. “Wow. We have a feisty girl here...” Namjoon chuckles along with the others. Only Yoongi stays silent and huffs. You put a few things on your plate and you must say that what Seokjin cooked, looks delicious. The sight and the heavenly smell of the food alone makes your mouth water and when you actually take a bite, you have to repress the urge to moan quietly. “I haven’t eaten such delicious food in a very long time,” you gush at the older, “Thank you.” “You’re welcome,” he is happy that you like what he cooked, “The boys never make me such compliments...” Seokjin theatrical exclaims. “Ah, come on.” Everybody groans. “Do you want some orange juice, Y/N?” While everybody talks, Jungkook asks you with a sheepish expression on his face. “Uhm.. I don’t know. Depends on whether you put something in there again or not,” you curtly reply only to tease him. You really shouldn’t joke about serious matters like this, but you accepted what happened. Jungkook instantly flushes like a tomato and Yoongi begins to laugh for the first time since you met him. What a nice sound. You could get used to it. “I’m only teasing,” you chuckle and take the orange juice from him and pour it in your glass, “But don’t you dare to do it again.” The small conversations between the others continue while you eat the delicious food quietly and drink, the apparently not poisoned, orange juice. After you contemplate whether it’s the right time to say it or not, you decide to speak up, scared you might change your mind. “I’ve thought a lot about this, but since I don’t have a choice. I’ll do it.” “Do what?” Namjoon asks confused. You take a deep breath before speaking out loud. “I will sleep with you.” 

previous / next

Masterlist 

Notes: Thank you for your patience... I hope it will never took this long again to write a chapter... Please let me know what you think about it. Does Taehyung say the truth about Jimin’s intentions? What about the other boys? Are they good guys or bad boys?

[cassercole]

put together a bunch of otp questions from @the-moon-dust-writings cause i wanted to reblog all of them cause all of them are SO GREAT -- send me an otp! 

Who offers their jacket when the other is cold?

Who likes to nuzzle their head into their partner’s chest?

How many and what colours are the blankets they like to snuggle in?

Who runs up and hugs their partner and who stands arms wide open to catch their partner?

 Who would be more likely to get matching scarves for themselves and their partner?

Would they much rather go on a romantic date or a laid back date? Explain why.

Who still gets butterflies after years of dating?

Who is the one who makes their partner laugh so much that their face hurts?

How would each of them explain how they met?

Who accidentally drinks too much caffeine and who has to deal with their partner bouncing off the walls?

 Where is a special place they hold close to their hearts? Why is it special?

Who giggles uncontrollably when the other playfully picks them up?

Who compliments the other in front of everyone?

Who is more likely to tell the other a pun and what is the other’s reaction to the pun?

When one of them has a bad day, what does the other do to help cheer them up?

If they got to pick what one another wears for a day, what would one another wear?“

Who introduces their partner to their family first? How does it go?

In a coffee shop AU, who would be the coffee shop employee and who would be the customer?

When they sit side by side, do they touch one another? For example, does one person has their arm around the other, do they sit holding hands, or linked arms, ECT.

What is a small thing that one another does to make their partner happy?

What would they do to celebrate their one year anniversary?

When did they know that loved each other, and when did they first tell each other that they loved one another?

Who likes to give the other hugs from behind followed by a kiss?

Who would make a playlist for the other person? What would be featured on the playlist?

Who would bring their partner on a romantic date under the stars?

Who pulls the other closer while sleeping?

How do they wake up next to each other? Ex - Tangled in each other’s arms? Is one falling off the bed? ECT.

What movie do they watch when they both had a bad day and just want to turn off their brains for a little while?

Who picks something up, says a pun with the object then laughs as if it’s the funniest thing they ever heard?

How do they hype one another up?When one of them gets a new outfit, how does the other react?

Who tries to playfully scare the other person and who always knows where the other person is?

When they grocery shop, what is one section they love to plaufully mess around in and why?

When their partner has a bad day, what is something the other picks up to try and make their day a little better? Ex - Fast food, flowers, a punny card, ect.

Who runs up and hugs their partner while the other catches them?What song reminds them of each other?

Who presses their nose against their partner’s cheek before kissing them?

What small quirks do they love about each other?

Who accidentally snorts when they laugh and that makes both of them laugh harder?

What are somethings that they do for one another because they know their partner hates it? Ex- do the dishes, phones to make an order, talks to sales clerk. ECT

Who laughs at their own joke and who deadpans at the joke?

If they had a secret handshake, how would it go?

It’s movie night, what movies are they gonna watch together?

It’s time to name their pet they adopted together, who gets to name it? How do they come to this decision?

Who would they love to go on a double date with?

Who wakes the other up in the morning? How do they wake them up?

How do they celebrate Halloween?

Who is more likely to call their partner ‘dude’?

Which one cried during a fucking disney movie?

Who put a goddamned fork in the microwave?

Who does the silly hands-over-the-eyes “Guess who” thing?

Who puts their cold hands/feet on their partner?

Who had that embarrassing Reality TV marathon?

Who laughs more during sex?

WHO IS THE LITTLE SPOON?

During a thunderstorm how do they react? Is one scared? Do they both love it? Do they take pictures? ECT.

Who would looking lovingly at their partner and call them ‘idiot’?

It’s time to get groceries, who likes to look at everything and who just wants to power through and get everything done so they can go back home?

Who is more likely to make a mess in the kitchen?

Who likes to try to prank their partner?

When scrolling on their phone, who is more likely to show their partner a cute picture/video of an animal?

Who causes the tomfoolery and who has to try and stop the tomfoolery?

Who plans a romantic night and who can’t stop making puns the whole time?

Who can’t stop giggling when they are supposed to be serious which then makes their partner start giggling?

Who says funny things in their sleep? What do they say? Does the person who sleep talks believes they are saying these things?

Who likes to play with their partner’s hair?

If they had a podcast what would they primarily talk about?

They are grocery shopping and this turns into a race on who can get their half of the list completed faster. Who wins?

They decided to throw their pet a birthday party, who do they invite? Close friends with their pets? No one?

Who would be more likely to buy their partner a scarf with planets on it?

Who would go out of their way to do something silly to make their partner laugh?

Who is causing the ruckus and who has to try and stop it?

Who playfully hugs their partner from behind when they are cooking/prepping food?

Who high fives the other when they do something cool?

 How do they playfully roast one another?

What songs are on their road trip playlist?

Who is the one who continues to use cheesy pick up lines after years of dating?

Who is more nervous on their first date?

Who can’t stop giggling when their partner kisses them all over their face?

Who accidentally wears the other’s hat one day?

Who is in love with the other person’s laugh?

Who covers the other person with a blanket when they fall asleep somewhere other than their bed?

Who cracks open their beverage before handing it to their partner?

What dance moves do they break out on the dancefloor together?

What would be their dream vacation?

If they tried to do the yoga couple’s challenge, how would they do?

Where do they spend most of their time together?

Who runs their thumb over the other person’s skin to comfort them?

Who accidentally falls asleep on the other?

Who would run a bath for the other person?

What would their wedding look like?

Who would try to do something artsy for their partner and just before they were going to throw it out because they thought it sucked, their partner comes in and loves the art piece?

Who likes to jump into the other person’s arms?

Who likes to take artsy photos of them together?

Who makes puns with numerous things that they find?

What do they like to watch together after a long day?

Who is most likely to kiss the other on the cheek?

Who is more likely to break out in a spontaneous dance?

Who would hide in the couch to try and playfully scare their partner?

Who would sing a love song to the other in the car?

Who can’t help but giggle when the other compliments them?

What do they say to one another before they go to sleep?

What would they do/go if they were to have a weekend just to themselves? For example - small getaway, stay home and watch movies, go to an event, ECT.Who looks at the other person like they are their world when the other isn’t looking?

If they were to have matching pyjamas, what would they be?

Who would win in a pillow fight?

Who prepares/orders takeout for the other person just because they know how much their partner loves it?

Who poses and who encourages the other by yelling sweet things at them?

Who sighs and rests their head on their partner’s shoulder while the other pulls them closer?

Who is more likely to start a pillow fight at an obscure time at night?

How do they greet one another when they come home?

Who laughs and exposes their cover when they try to playfully scare their partner?

Who starts the dance off in the kitchen while they are baking cookies?

Are they more likely to built a pillow fort with aesthetically pleasing string lights or sit in a bed of a truck looking up at the stars?

Who continually tries to prank the other but fails each time?

Who is ready to throw down and who is ready to make a flower crown?

Who gets the spider out of the house?

Who laughs so hard that they make no sound and whose laugh can you hear from a mile away?

Who is more likely to create an absolute disaster in the kitchen?

Who tries their best at a new hobby and who is ready to hype their partner up?

They get looped into going to a party they don’t wanna go to, do they, A) Get out of it with a mediocre lie, (what is the lie) B) Go and decide to try and have a good time, C) Go and decide to start chaos or D) Go and steal some food?

Who would be more likely to buy their partner socks with dinosaurs on them?

Who said I love you first?

Who laughs and kisses their partner on the cheek while their partner isn’t happy about something trivial to try and make them feel better?

Who cuddles up to the other after a long day at work, and this soon escalates to a playful pillow fight?

What is something that they gave one another that has a lot of meaning?

How would one another describe their partner?

Who wraps their arms around their partner as they look them in the eyes and compliments them with a goofy smile?

Who loves saying ‘my wife’ or ‘my husband’ or ‘my spouse’?

Who always talks about how amazing their partner is when their partner isn’t there and they just light up with genuine love and happiness?

Who loves it when their partner kisses them good morning?

Who shows the other how to balance a spoon on their nose?

Who loves to pull pranks on the other? What type of pranks do they pull and do they pull their pranks off?

What is something small that they would randomly pick up for one another?

Who is the one who can’t stop laughing when trying to tell a joke?

Who would plan the other a surprise birthday party?

Who picks the other person up when hugging their partner?

[sweetasssuga]

Taegi Fic Recs

personal favorites = ♡

new additions = ϟ

Little Lion Man by mucha [3k] [teen]

Deep down, Yoongi always knew that making rash decisions would one day send him early to his grave.

(Or; Yoongi confesses to Taehyung via text and immediately regrets it)

in all dishonesty by fruitily [3k] [teen] ♡

while taehyung is trying to figure out whether or not min yoongi wants to stab him with a fountain pen, they find out they make an excellent team when it comes to board games.

feelings you provide by sugarlizard [3k] [teen] 

Feeling a little daring, Taehyung slips the ring on his finger. He’s not expecting it to fit, he knows that part of the victorious appeal of this jewelry is it was designed to fit only Yoongi, but instead it slips over the knuckle of his ring finger like a glove.

*

taehyung borrows one of the SUGA diamond rings when he needs a comfort object

help me out by clumsy_taegi [4.6k] [teen] ϟ

Taehyung talks Yoongi into helping him rehearse for a play.

Of Handlebars and Heartbreak by bananamilks [5.5k] [teen] 

Totally unprepared are you, to face a world of men.

[or, the mutual pining fic in which: one of them is in denial, one is oblivious, and both of them are idiots]

caught in a lie by booksinaballroom [5.6k] [teen] 

Ten years, one acting degree, and a frankly embarrassing amount of student debt later, his plans have...changed, a bit. Turns out waiting for callbacks from Colgate toothpaste commercials and roles as extras in dramas isn’t exactly lucrative. Certainly not lucrative enough to pay off his mountainous student debt.

Which is why he has turned to a spinoff of the acting industry. The underground of the acting industry, if you will. A place to hone his skills while raking in plenty of cash. A high-stakes challenge, something that tests and proves his ability to perform under pressure.

In other words, Taehyung is what might be better known as a con artist.

(soulmate au: you can't lie to your soulmate)

A Different Kind of Magic by tryst [5.8k] [teen] ♡ 

Wherein, Taehyung doesn't really need extra Potions help, but could definitely use a hug and Yoongi is pretty indifferent about being a tutor, but is down to hold hands.

my heart flutters from the sugar high by hoars [5.9k] [mature]

Yoongi and Taehyung sneak around together, cheating on their diets. The group? They’ve drawn different conclusions.

Birds in Your Heart by m_aur_a [6k] [not rated] 

Origami cranes with cute, if kitschy, words of advice are popping up on campus. Yoongi is struggling with a lot right now, but they help. So does the pretty boy that leaves them.

Ring the Hogwarts Bell by mucha [6k] [general audiences] 

“No, it’s fine,” Taehyung interrupted him, circling his fingers around Jimin’s wrist and squeezing reassuringly. “It’s just a few days, I’ll be okay.”

It was the furthest thing from truth, though. Christmas was always his favorite holiday and in his mind, it was irreversibly connected to home and family and watching silly Christmas movies with a mug of hot chocolate in his hand and his puppy, Yeontan, in his lap. He was hoping that maybe at least one of his friends would be staying in school too, but that hope quickly vanished when he checked the list in the common room and saw no familiar names. Well, he saw one familiar name but it belonged to someone Taehyung had never spoken to, so it didn’t matter anyway.

As if he could read Taehyung’s mind, Jimin spoke up again:

“I noticed that Yoongi is staying at Hogwarts too.”

(Taehyung spends his Christmas at Hogwarts and makes a new friend)

human by awsuga [7.7k] [mature]

Taehyung almost kills the most beautiful mortal he has ever seen.

yesterday’s tomorrow by locks [8k] [mature] ♡

Yoongi just wants to get through the night with his pride intact.

Enter Kim Taehyung.

Or, the one where they used to date and meet again at their ten year high school reunion.

but not for me by raviolijouster [8k] [teen] ♡ 

Taehyung’s straightforward, he thinks. A 2 + 2 = 4 kind of guy. He’s just not always sure that his 2’s are other people’s 2’s. Sometimes it seems like they might be 3’s. Or 7’s. But Yoongi’s 2’s are the same 2’s, they’re just in italics, size 8 font, while Taehyung’s are in bold and size 72.

or,

People think Yoongi and Taehyung are dating. Taehyung wishes they were.

ring ding dong by chlexcer [8k] [explicit]

the one where taehyung loses his precious gucci ring the very first time he meets yoongi, but he doesn't lose it just anywhere, oh no— he loses it inside of yoongi.

By Tomorrow by Oh_Hey_Tae [10.6k] [teen]

“Why are you freaking out now?” Seokjin asks, and the seconds tick by and suddenly the atmosphere shifts. “Ahh, I get it.”

Yoongi perks up, swivels, spots Taehyung stepping from the hall into the room and he’s in fitted slacks and the baby blue button-up from earlier and he looks divine.

Yoongi’s heart just stopped and he’s not sure how to get it beating again. Namjoon’s a doctor. A doctor in training, but some form of medical professional regardless. Namjoon knows CPR and cardiac arrest symptoms and all that shit. He’ll know Yoongi’s dying.

“Perfect timing. Let’s eat.”

Or he’s going to wink at Yoongi and send suggestive eyebrow raises the whole night. Great. Fabulous.

(Or: Yoongi loves Taehyung and Taehyung loves Yoongi and somewhere along the way they figure that out.)

neons and watercolors by aimandignite [12.6k] [explicit] 

“Do you stare at the sky in the middle of roads at night often?” he asks.

Yoongi shrugs. “Do you join random people staring at the sky in the middle of roads at night often?” He glances at the guy and his heart slams in his chest at the wide smile he sees.

“I’m Taehyung. Everyone calls me Tae though.”

Yoongi nods slowly, “Yoongi.”

Tae seems to repeat the name to himself, carefully remembering how it feels in his mouth. Yoongi can’t look away. “Yoongi? Do you want to get out of the middle of the road and get hot cocoa?”

812 (rock my world) by aileron [13k] [explicit] ϟ

Jimin sniffs in a way that lets Taehyung know he’s an ungrateful brat. “Look, some people would pay good money to get a free pass that allows them right in front of the stage and hence right under the nose of Min Yoongi.”

“Min who?”

Jimin waves his hand dismissively. “The rock star you couldn’t care less about but whose face you have to stare at through your camera lens tonight.”

Taehyung slings his camera bag on his shoulder and shoves the press pass into his back pocket. “Sure, whatever. Just point me in his direction when we get there.”

- or: the fic where Taehyung thinks Yoongi is an arrogant piece of shit (albeit a hot one), but as Jimin puts it, “Which memory is going to be more awesome to look back to when you’re eighty: the time when you went and fucked a rock star or the time when you didn’t and went home instead?”

Chasing the Sun by almostsophie1 [17.6k] [mature] ϟ

Yoongi calls it a phenomena.

Whatever it is, it brings Taehyung to Yoongi again and again, twining their lives together. If it's a kind of magic, it's not one that Yoongi understands. But it pulls Taehyung to him and him to Taehyung, and somehow that's all that matters.

Out to Lunch by roebling [19k] [teen]

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Taehyung is not above taking a soul-killing office job solely for the benefits. The drab cubicle he now calls home is bad enough, but his new boss Yoongi is possibly a robot and definitely an asshole. Vision and dental coverage are enticing, but Taehyung’s not sure how long he can stick this out.

Siren of the Interstate by fringecity (indiachick) [23k] [mature] ϟ ♡ 

Yoongi is a traveling salesman circling the same set of weird towns and highways. Taehyung is a gas-station clerk in the middle of nowhere.

"Won’t space be lonely?” Yoongi asks. Taehyung shrugs—Yoongi can feel him move beside him, just a finger-breadth away. “It’s lonely down here too.”

Heart of the Matter by fringecity (indiachick) [33k] [teen] ♡ 

Disaster witch Kim Taehyung meets perfect senior Min Yoongi in the poison greenhouses of witch school. Years later, Taehyung owns a clinic that fixes hearts, Yoongi has a celebrated apothecary, and they (don't) get along.

Harry Potter-ish, but not in that universe.

A Breeze Blows, and My Heart Swells by roebling [36.6k] [teen] ϟ

Former Idol Min Yoongi is struggling to write his next album. He knows he'll never live up to the success of his first solo outing, and the pressure is getting to him. After a series of minor scandals, his manager and best friend Jimin ships him off to Harmony Retreat, an ecotourism resort deep in the Daegu countryside. With electronics strictly forbidden and no company but a rooster, a dog, and his eccentric host Kim Taehyung, Yoongi's not sure how he's going to get through this -- let alone write a hit song.

a spoonful of suga by ellievolia [38.6k] [explicit] ϟ ♡ 

“Good evening, ladies and gents. You’re listening to First, the premium digital station, and this is Spoonful of Suga, hosted by your very own Suga. Relax, let the music do its job. We’ll be taking requests later, but first, please enjoy the next uninterrupted half hour of music.”

Min Yoongi, a late night radio show host, has a regular caller. He also has busybody best friends, too much music on his playlists, dreams that feel too big for his heart, and a genius dog.

Kim Taehyung works nights as a mortuary cosmetologist, likes to listen to the radio, and he also has a genius dog.

Say My Name (And I'll Lie in the Sound) by fadetomorrow [51k] [explicit] ♡ 

Taehyung wakes up 500 years in the past and catches feelings for a Joseon prince.

The Romance of Old Clothes by fringecity (indiachick) [59.6k] [explicit] ♡ 

Min Yoongi is an art director with zero tolerance for bullshit, looking for ultimate perfection in everything he creates. Kim Taehyung is the co-owner of a vintage fashion boutique who talks to clothes and learns magic from Tumblr.

It’s a match made in the depths of hell.

[“Taehyung-ah,” Seokjin says, wily and soft, “You’re not scared of meeting Yoongi, are you?” Taehyung knows this is bait. Seokjin knows this is bait. Even Yeontan, running circles around Taehyung now, knows this is bait. His angry brows are very expressive, and right now they’re saying 'don’t take the bait, don’t be a stupid fish.' Taehyung's a stupid fish.]

[local-idiot-heartbroken-blog]

08.10.2018: 2-0 + Dried Up Opportunities

For my third date with Taylor we went to the Golden Road Brewery and Laguna Beach. The ride situation was a little uncertain because on Fridays she gets off early (1pm). Before getting off work I texted her saying I can pick her up since she lives really close to the brewery. This was crucial because I wanted to take her to the beach and taking one car was most convenient. She agreed and things seemingly were shifting in my favor. One 40 minute drive later, I arrived at her house. I walked up to the door because I like old fashioned gestures like that and it felt right to do so. Taylor walked up to the door and my goodness she looked stunning.  It was either a dress or a romper (it’s hard to tell the difference); I could see why she chose it because it showcased her figure really well. When we started walking towards the car, I decided to do something that I’ve never done: I opened the car door for her. While this sounds silly, I actually have never done that for anyone in my 21 years of life. I can definitely say the gesture got easier the more I did it. After struggling to find parking for 20 minutes or so (thanks to the Angel’s game/who even watches baseball it’s boring af) we walked towards the brewery. I used that time to ask her what kind of beer she likes to drink because I needed to gauge her experience given that I have 0. Luckily for me, we were about the same experience level and had some suggestions for good beers from my coworkers. While we were walking in Taylor noted how the place was really lively and colorful. She seems to be easily entertained like me so I was happy she was enjoying the environment. We ordered two entrees and one appetizer to share. For the drinks I ordered a Hefeweizen (honestly wtf kind of name) and she ordered a Mango Cart (one of their most popular signature beers). The conversations this time around were a bit more serious, we talked about family and past relationships. I felt like these topics really determined compatibility between us.  Once we finished our food and drinks, we headed over to play ping pong because that’s the main reason we came (I challenged her through text and suggested we make a date out of it). When she said she was good, she definitely wasn’t bluffing. I lost 2-0 and the margin between our points was pretty bad (21-9 & 21-13). Although I hate losing in most cases, I was just happy that she was enjoying herself. I see some similarities between me and her: she’s withdrawn but also easily excitable, she laughs at the simplest things but also overthinks. After sweating out the alcohol over ping pong I told her we have another destination to go. I didn’t tell her where we were going because I wanted to surprise her. Thanks to the freeway signs she caught on pretty fast so she knew we were going to Laguna. The original location I wanted to go to was Victoria Beach, but it was blocked by private property. We walked around for about 15 minutes trying to see if there was an alternative route to get down there. There was no luck so we decided to walk towards the resort to see if there was any beach access. Once again luck was on our side because there was a pathway labeled ‘beach access’. We followed it until we hit the stairs leading toward the shore. I asked her if she wanted to sit on the sand because I brought towels for this very reason. She looked at me and said “we could sit on the sand orrrrrr we could sit on the lifeguard tower”. Objectively the lifeguard was the superior choice so we climbed onto it and settled in. The visuals were insane, part of the water was illuminated by a spotlight and the waves were crashing all around us. The beach we ended up at instead of Victoria Beach was called Treasure Island. It was more private and had a strange curve to it which created an illusion of it being an island. The 30-45 minutes we spent there, there was less conversation, but it also felt much more intimate. She noted that my anxiety was pretty bad because she could see how fidgety I was and my speech patterns. She told me to just enjoy the view and take it in (something I get quite often). After that I spoke less and instead focused my attention to the scenery. The cycle of the waves was really hypnotic and I really did feel more at ease. After a little bit of enjoying the view, she leaned her head onto my shoulder so I held her. Because of how close we were I could feel her breathing and heart rate. I can't really say whether that calmed me or gave me more to think about. It felt really nice sharing physical intimacy with someone because it’s been more than half a year since I’ve experienced it. Because she had to get up early the next day I told her we should probably head back to the car. She really didn’t want to leave the beach, so I knew then and there that I definitely did a good job with this date as well. On the drive home we held hands while she sang along to the songs on the radio (that typical almost end of the date type scene). To my dismay, the 55 was closed so I was forced to ride the toll road for about 2 miles. I exited the soonest I could, but once I took it we got flashed by the booth. We finally got back to her place after another 40 minute drive. This is where quite possibly my worst date mistake happened. She’s standing on the curb of the sidewalk and I’m on the street we are about eye level. I hug her tight to say bye, but I notice she’s a little jittery and I’m like what the heck. What comes out of her mouth next really shocked me. She said “you can try and kiss me now” and I was just so taken aback that I said something even more shocking than her. I fucking said “my lips are a little chapped, can I use some chapstick?” (WHO THE FUCK SAYS THAT?!). She laughed and said “nvm moment ruined” and I was trying to salvage the lost opportunity so I said “they’re not that chapped, how about just a peck?”. Holy shit, I was so embarrassed, she closed her eyes and nodded so I did it. I’m a true embarrassment to society. I scuffed that opportunity so hard, it seems even though the dates go smoothly I never finish strong. 2-0 describes how many L’s I’ve taken in ping pong and at the end of my dates. I feel bad she has to deal with my awkward and outspoken ass. If she somehow forgives this and gives me another chance I shall continue this chapter of my life as the local idiot heartbroken. 

[defenestrata]

Kisha + ykw questions 👀

why is this a daily routine. when will the government stop your sinful hands from sending me these ksksksksksksk

QUESTIONS FOR YOUR OCs

What’s the maximum amount of time your character can sit still with nothing to do?

fairly long, maybe even forty-five minutes. she’s a meditative person who can probably keep herself entertained trying to recall things like song lyrics.

How easy is it for your character to laugh?

kisha has almost never laughed out loud in a solid holler more than twice in her life. But getting a chuckle out of her isn’t that hard. surprisingly, short zingers, puns and slapstick are what truly get her.

How do they put themselves to bed at night (reading, singing, thinking?)

reading the medical journals that she should be reading for work. But those things can knock you out so goddamn quick, it’s amazing. either that, or rambling in her journals about nothing in particular.

How easy is it to earn their trust?

difficult. kisha is a private person who absolutely hates confiding in others. moreover, because she’s so professional and detached by nature, she doesn’t speak to others much about herself. therefore, to hear her deepest thoughts and secrets is really a privilege.

How easy is it to earn their mistrust?

easy. do one thing that she doesn’t expect from you and her trust in you is gone forever, and you are wiped out from her psyche. good thing is that she may entertain an explanation, but you’ll have to be ready with a good excuse.

Do they consider laws flexible, or immovable?

hey, she wants a carefree, healthy life without getting into trouble from the police. besides, laws are absolutely necessary to keep order. if you don’t like law, good, you likely live in a democracy, and can protest in a healthy manner. otherwise, don’t break the law unless you’re fine with everyone breaking the law.

What triggers nostalgia for them, most often? Do they enjoy that feeling?

everything to do with family. media remotely related to siblings will make her miss her own baby sister. a lot of things make her miss the days when she didn’t have to do taxes by herself. also, shitty fast food triggers memory of home cooking. nostalgia is not a good feeling. it makes her mournful and mopey.

What were they told to stop/start doing most often as a child?

child kisha was very shy, but also vaguely a prick. she had to be told consistently to be a little more outgoing and involved in school activities. she didn’t really take to sing-alongs and clay-modelling. also, for a long time, she had a mildly snobbish attitude, and didn’t make friends easily. just had to be softened around the edges a bit, be a little more considerate and flexible and enthusiastic.

Do they swear? Do they remember their first swear word?

well, back at home, she never did. now, in london, the habit is sort of growing on her. her first swear word was probably something along the lines of shit, and it probably made her super guilty when she did say it.

What lie do they most frequently remember telling? Does it haunt them?

kisha doesn’t lie. she doesn’t like to. but in her line of work, she’s also relatively inexperienced with delivering hard truths to her patients (she’s a physical therapist). the worst lie she’s ever told in that context was to an old patient of hers, who was terrified of surgery, insisting that she wouldn’t need it. the comfort slipped out of her without much meaning. the patient got better, yes, but she feels terrible about it regardless.

How do they cope with confusion (seek clarification, pretend they understand, etc)?

she has no pride about asking. especially given that even the slightest gap in her knowledge leads to her having immense anxiety.

How do they deal with an itch found in a place they can’t quite reach?

suffer. run to the nearest bathroom as soon as she can to get at it with some kind of string of toiler paper.

What colour do they think they look best in? Do they actually look best in that colour?

kisha likes to keep it simple and elegant, so she wears a lot of white and beige, without getting too wild with it. it’s a shame, because she looks really good in blues and greens.

What animal do they fear most?

kisha fucking hates anything that flies. birds, bats, insects, you goddamn name it. just, doesn’t trust anything that flies.

How do they speak? Is what they say usually thought of on the spot, or do they rehearse it in their mind first?

you bet that she will repeat a sentence in her head three times before she actually says it because she’s that scared of looking silly or incompetent. her style of speech is usually curt, eloquent, and to the point, without a lot of metaphor.

What makes their stomach turn?

the idea that she’s going nowhere. that her career doesn’t really contribute anything meaningful to people’s lives other than the fact that she’s helping just one or two individuals. in her, there’s a selfish desire to do something remarkable, give herself some purpose. Right now, she feels a little lost, losing her life in-between each workweek.

Are they easily embarrassed?

by others? no. but if she does something herself that’s in any way even slightly a little awkward she’s going to shrivel up and die inside.

What embarrasses them?

making mistakes, mostly. making factual inaccuracies. being put on the spot and interviewed about her personal life. talking about herself in general, to be quite honest. she doesn’t have a very clear picture of the kind of person she is. she cries if she has to submit statements of purpose to anywhere.

What is their favorite number?

maybe — 12? a pleasant enough number. It’s a multiple of one, two, three and four. Very aesthetic.

If they were asked to explain the difference between romantic and platonic or familial love, how would they do so?

oof, you’re not asking the best candidate to answer. kisha would state that platonic love is more or less omnipresent in all positive relationships. platonic love for blood relations is the same as familial love, and romantic love means a best friend that you’re willing to marry and kiss and do all that sort of romantic stuff with. thinking about this would give her a headache.

Why do they get up in the morning?

bills don’t pay themselves. and, you know, the chance to help people yada yada yada. but the bills first. god, rent is expensive.

How does jealousy manifest itself in them (they become possessive, they become aloof, etc)?

kisha has the capacity to be remarkably cold and controlling if she needs to be. she can be immensely vitriolic. if she’s jealous, which, incidentally, isn’t a very common phenomenon, she will become hypersensitive to the actions of people around her and majorly possessive of the object of affection, and become aggressive.

How does envy manifest itself in them (they take what they want, they become resentful, etc)?

she takes a completely different approach to envy. genuine envy just makes her upset and causes her to have 11pm existential crises with silent and soft tears streaming down her cheeks about how there’s so much that she wants and will never have, like a stable, anxiety free life.

Is sex something that they’re comfortable speaking about? To whom?

she’s pretty meh about sex, to be honest. she isn’t especially prudish but also not especially liberal on the subject. if she can be said to have any opinion at all, she thinks sex is a little overhyped in media.

What are their thoughts on marriage?

marriage is cool, but would be massively inconvenient given her current financial situation. so no thanks. besides, ya girl is way too busy to even date (trust me, she’s tried) so there’s no way wedding bells are ringing anytime soon.

What is their preferred mode of transportation?

bus. there’s a bus stop right outside her apartment block, aka god is real, and it’s a convenient way of getting most places — without being too packed with people on weekday mornings. as long as she starts early, she usually gets to work on time.

What causes them to feel dread?

the idea that she’s not really getting anywhere. the poor girl is stuck in a 24/7 existential crisis please save her. just, she wants so much more meaning from her life, but she isn’t able to really implement anything to change her life. she’s been stuck in a crap apartment for almost all of her adult life with no significant opportunities coming her way.

Would they prefer a lie over an unpleasant truth?

absolutely not. dealing with the truth is critical to growing up. so she’d like to give it as it is in theory. in practice she may just buckle once or twice, but she dislikes lying greatly, and isn’t even a good liar.

Do they usually live up to their own ideals?

hahahahahaha. not really. kisha isn’t even sure of what her ideal is, to be honest, she just knows that she’s got a pretty long way to go to get there. this existence of bill to bill doesn’t cut it.

Who do they most regret meeting?

lowkey? her roommate, melanie. if she didn’t contribute half of the rent, kisha would’ve booted her out three years ago. she’s almost never home at night, doesn’t help in cleaning up and/or cooking, and fawns over her boyfriend all the time. of course, her leaving would cause more problems than her staying, but what do you do. good thing she leaves later in the plot :) she also lowkey regrets meeting erich because let’s be honest she could have had better things to do than ward off an organised crime unit.

Who are they the most glad to have met?

jamie. at first, she was the biggest thorn in kisha’s side, just showing up at her workplace one fine day and asking for mentorship. kisha had agreed pretty much instantly, out of general social pressures, but truly wanted her to leave in a week. soon, jamie became important to her — a massive help in warding off social anxiety and general dread.

Do they have a go-to story in conversation? Or a joke?

she has stories about her old school because it was lowkey pretty wild with its traditions and stuff, but she never really participated in them as much. it doesn’t diminish the value of the stories in any way.

Could they be considered lazy?

never. no. if she isn’t doing something meaningful one every six hours she’d die of boredom and nervousness.

How hard is it for them to shake a sense of guilt?

impossible. kisha is probably the most moral character I have, she’s really committed to doing what she believes is the right thing, and doesn’t believe that the end justifies the means. therefore, anything she does that conflicts with her moral compass will make her guilty for a super duper long time.

How do they treat the things their friends come to them excited about? Are they supportive?

yes, if she’s genuinely excited. fake it if she’s not, which she’s good at. the trouble is that she’s also relatively quick to see problems in people’s plans and ideas — but she wouldn’t dare say them out loud; it’s just gonna fester in her head for the rest of eternity. on the surface, she’ll support them, and if it backfires later she will stay mournful and silent.

Do they actively seek romance, or do they wait for it to fall into their lap?

listen, a part of kisha is hoping so goddamn hard for a nice meet-cute on the subway or at work and everything to just fall into place and happen. then she can be happily married and in a stable job. but actually talking to cute people ?? skull emoji.

Do they have a system for remembering names, long lists of numbers, things that need to go in a certain order (like anagrams, putting things to melodies, etc)?

she just makes notes on her phone. it’s the twenty-first century, bud.

What memory do they revisit the most often?

christmas time memories, always. chelmsford would always be absolutely lit up, and there would be carollers, snow, her sister would be home, she’d be home, they’d have a great dinner, she’d get her sister all the presents she wanted from london. every year it gets better and better. she also has memories of certain patients that were really lovely.

How easy is it for them to ignore flaws in other people?

difficult. she can find flaws in anything and everything. but she is level-headed enough (most of the time) to acknowledge a person as someone despite their flaws. someone valuable to her. however, when these glaring flaws come into play in interaction, she will take note of them.

How sensitive are they to their own flaws?

oh, she thinks she’s super flawed. she’s not bold enough, risk-taking enough, charming enough, warm enough, fun enough, loving enough, smart enough. and she’s especially sensitive about these flaws if pointed out. her poor ass tries so hard to be unemotional but to be honest she’ll cry at the tip of a hat if you say the right thing.

How do they feel about children?

overrated germ sacks. there, she said it. dealing with kids gives her a plain old headache, and while she’d never ever hurt a child or even do anything to them that’s not an expression of care — she just doesn’t like kids that much. even her own baby sister really took a lot out of her.

How badly do they want to reach their end goal?

what is a goal. what is reaching. is anything real. i mean okay to be real she would not risk her stability and health to pursue her goals, which is probably why she hasn’t achieved very many of them at all.

If someone asked them to explain their sexuality, how would they do so?

she’d just say she’s straight. aside from the fact that she’s never had a crush in her life.

QUESTIONS FOR CREATORS

A) Why are you excited about this character?

she provides a kind of one sane man archetype to the rest of the plot, so in that way her dynamic in the larger setting is going to be fun. also, she has major chardev ahead of her. 

B) What inspired you to create them?

well, the need for a one sane man. also erich needed a therapist. no particular reason, i just wanted to write a determined, hardworking professional type of woman. 

C) Did you have trouble figuring out where they fit in their own story?

nope, she fits in rather smoothly. i love her ; she’s my least problematic oc. 

D) Have they always had the same physical appearance, or have you had to edit how they look?

i think she might be the only oc who’s appearance hasn’t changed much at all. she was a little shorter when she started i think, now she’s the tallest of all my ocs in this story. 

E) Are they someone you would get along with? Would they get along with you?

we’d be very good friends. in my opinion, she’s a pretty darn valid person to have on your side. smart, caring to a degree without being too emotional. just, a cutie. 

F) What do you feel when you think of your OC (pride, excitement, frustration, etc)?

pride. she’s gonna do such amazing things in her life, and in the story. god bless.

G) What trait of theirs bothers you the most?

she’s so self-doubting and passive for the first half or so of the story. it’s her character so i can’t really fault her for not having a bigger role in the first bit but uggh she’s got potential she just runs away from anything risky. 

H) What trait do you admire most?

she’s the reasonable one. the person that sees through almost all of the bullshit and mind games the protags play with each other. the people on her team would be straight up be dead if not for her. also she’s just a cutie please. 

I) Do you prefer to keep them in their canon universe?

you know what i’m gonna say. 

J) Did you have to manipulate or exclude canon factors to allow them to create their character?

mostly related to the roommate. her roommate sort of shapes her initial dislike for jamie in a way too. also i had to switch up a coupla timelines to make her story possible.

[crimsongenetics]

all the SO questions

Gdi Russian. I’m not even going to link the damn thing.

1. Tell the story about how you met.

Everyone knows how we met. Jeez.

You know what? I’ll link the very first thing he ever sent me. I think that’ll be new material.

2. Was it a gradual increase of trust and love, or was there a specific moment where you knew “I want to be with this person for a long time”?

I think at first it was gradual, for the friendship, learning to trust him, and then all at once I realized I was actually in love with him

3. Describe their eyes. Describe their hands. Describe their laugh.

The first thing I see when I wake up and the last thing I want to see before I go.

The most stable things in my life at any given moment and exactly what I don’t realize I need in any way possible.

One of my favorite sounds even when it’s at my pride’s expense. 

4. What’s your zodiac sign and mbti type? What about your partner’s? Do things like that reflect your actual compatibility or is it just bunch of bunk?

Gemini and fuck if I know ok fine I think I’m ISFJ. Maybe. I don’t know how this shit works. Strider is a Saggitarius and shit he’s sitting right next to me hold on ISFP?

Load of shit straight from the bull’s anus.

5. Are you long distance? Have you met in person before? When do you get to see them again?

We lived a block from one another for years without realizing. We still live a block from one another but now we spend most of our time together.

6. Tell me a story about a happy experience you two shared. Something that makes your heart warm whenever you think about it.

That first New Year’s eve when we started dating. He almost didn’t fucking kiss me because he thought I wouldn’t want to, and when I initiated it anyway, kissing was still so new to us that his reaction is one I’ll never forget.

7. Tell me a funny story. Did they do something silly? Did you do something silly? Talk about your inside jokes.

He called me daddy the other day and it was a hot fucking mess, let me tell you.

And yes, I mean in the standard way of calling something a hot mess. 

(Mostly.)

8. Are your families supportive? Does it matter if they’re not?

Yes, they are, but I went into this 100% willing to defy the fuck out of Dirk and expecting him to not even look in my direction. 

‘Lo and behold I now call him at least once a week to catch up on things.

9. Would you ever have a pet together? Do you already have one?

I guess so? We have separate pets, I don’t know if we’d have one together. 

10. Do you have children together? If not, are you both interested in raising children some day?

Whoa there. Slow your roll, we’ve only been dating two years at this point.

Plus, me raising kids? How cracked is your skull right now?

11. If they’re having a bad day, what do you do to help?

He likes to be held and cuddled somewhere, maybe with a movie or some music or something, and he talks to me if he needs it.

12. If you’re having a bad day, what do they do to help?

Usually just him being there makes things significantly better. If I need to talk he listens. It’s basically the same shit I’d do for him, except I talk a lot more than he does when he’s upset.

He always listens to what I need to say even if it takes half an hour to get it all out.

13. What’s something that your partner does that would be annoying if anyone else did it, but it’s cute when they do it?

His incessant tapping or moving. It’s not necessarily cute but I know it comforts him and I know when he’s doing it something’s happening that’s affecting him.

If anyone else did it I’d probably tell them to calm their shit.

14. Have you ever went on a vacation or adventure together? Tell me about it. If not, do you have plans to do something fun in the future?

We went to Malibu with his family. I was tricked and then pleaded to. I liked it, the beach was really cool and I get along with his family like they’re just friends of mine, and I learned how to kind of surf while I was there.

Also other things I won’t mention here. It, admittedly, was a good vacation.

15. What’s something that you learned about yourself because of being with your partner?

I’m not as good at being alone as I tried to tell myself for a while there.

17. Which one of you kills the bugs (or captures the bugs and places them safely outside)?

I have cats.

18. Describe the perfect day with your partner. It can be something that’s already happened, or something that you plan to do.

Anything without work or school where we can be together without deadlines and just do whatever the hell we want to do that day, even if it’s never getting out of bed.

19. Do you prepare meals together? Does one person enjoy cooking more than the other?

Don’t let either of us cook. Ever.

20. What are the best restaurants to go to? Do you see movies at the theater? Do you do things like golf or bowling, just to bond more?

We live in Manhattan, really? Any of the non-chain places have a chance at being fantastic, but the pizza’s always good.

Yes to movies, no to ball sports. We have other things involving balls we can do to bond, thanks.

21. Tell me about a time that you got into an argument over something silly.

We bicker all the damn time, ok. How could I possibly pick one out?

22. Tell me about a time that you got into an argument over something serious. How did you compromise? What did you learn?

I honestly can’t even remember one enough to explain. We’re way better at communication than we were in the beginning.

25. Do you two have a “song”? What is it and how did it become your song?

Pfft. Closer.

I’ll just let that live.

26. Has your partner ever inspired something creative like your art, writing, etc?

The boy character in my book is vaguely based off of him, which was more accident than intentional.

27. Do you have extremely similar personalities and interests? Or extremely opposite? Or is it a balance that just makes sense? How do you try to better understand each other? Do you ever have to experience things you’re not interested in, or vice versa?

That’s…

Hm. We’re pretty different, but something about the way we work together keeps us pretty in-tuned to one another? At this point, understanding each other isn’t hard, it’s just trying to figure out what the hell kind of a point he’s trying to make.

I understand him a lot better when it’s serious matters. Other things? No fucking idea what goes on in that head of his.

28. Has your partner ever changed one of your opinions on morals, politics, society, etc?

Just on movies, but I don’t think that counts.

29. Tell me about a time that you were really proud of them.

He won two awards for his work last year and it wasn’t until I was sitting at that stupid table watching him go up for a second speech that it hit me and I realized I was unbelievably fucking proud to see what he did with something he didn’t believe was something he’d be good enough in to win at.

30. Does physical affection and/or sexuality have a role in your relationship? Are both of your needs being respected and fulfilled?

He’s clingy as hell, I’m horny 24/7 it seems like. We even out and aren’t ever left hanging.

31. How often do you talk? On the phone, Skype, in person? Are you two the type that stays up too late because the conversation is too good to end?

We nearly live together, you can guess this one.

32. Talk about your sense of humor, and your partner’s. Do you laugh a lot together? Which one of you is funnier?

We barely have the same sense of humor but we still laugh at things together. It’s usually in the vein of things we say to each other.

33. Is there anyone who doesn’t like the idea of your relationship? What’s the reason? How do you and your partner overcome disapproval from others?

I don’t think so? If there is, they haven’t stepped forward yet.

34. Have there been any hardships that have ultimately brought you closer than before?

Getting Strider to pass Creative Writing 101.

(Also one time he hit his head so hard he forgot he was dating me. Turns out he was in love with me a lot longer than I realize though, so that ended up being a learning experience. Hardest damn few days of my life until he confessed a second time, though.)

35. What’s their contact name in your phone?

Just Strider.

36. Tell me about what your partner is good at. Are they an artist, are they good at math, do they play a sport, etc?

Have you ever seen the pictures he takes? Jesus, I’m no art guy, but the colors on them. And the way they look when he does those set things, where they all fit together even if they’re pictures of totally different places or objects. I don’t get how he does it.

I don’t always get his films either, but he’s good enough to have won things, so I know he’s better than I can give him credit for. He’s not half bad at DJing either.

He’s also really damn good with those fingers of his.

37. Get really sappy and gross for a moment. Be so gushy that your friends would groan in mock annoyance if you told them. What’s adorable about your partner? What makes your heart melt? What’s something cute that they did that you’ll always remember no matter what?

Sometimes he says something really stupid and he knows it was really stupid but his embarrassment ranges from full-on red-faced to just the tips of his ears or the back of his neck and between the paleness of his skin and the color of his hair it never manages to look anything less than flattering and I kind of hate that but at the same time jesus he’s gorgeous.

Which is only exemplified when he takes off his sunglasses. You don’t realize what someone really looks like when they wear tinted eyewear and, while he’s attractive with them on, being able to see his eyes and discern what he feels is so absolutely stunning half the time I stop computing for a second or two.

Sometimes, if he’s done something he knows was a really good idea or was something I didn’t think of, he gets this stupid shit-eating grin on his face and it’s the cutest goddamn thing I’ve ever seen, even when I’m so annoyed at seeing it that I almost don’t want to look at it.

38. Let’s talk about life goals and hopes. Do you two have a similar idea for the future (regarding careers, getting a home, family, finding meaning)? Do you two make a good team? Can you imagine spending the rest of your life with them?

I think we’re both just taking it one step at a time and promising to stay on our track together for support, be it as boyfriends or best friends. I’m not going anywhere.

39. Reflecting on all of your experiences, what advice would you give to a young couple?

Communicate. God, you can’t know you’re with the person you’ll love forever if you don’t talk to them and listen enough to love them no matter what you hear.

40. Is your partner on tumblr? Tag them here and write them a small message, it can be anything.

@fuckdavestriderheistheworst

Hey bitch you’re on tonight. GIF war? Just you wait.

[lukeysgirl]

The Note Tree ❋ L.H. Pt.4

Part  F O U R 

Summary: A cherry blossom tree, residing at the farthest part of the schools courtyard. Nobody dwelled there, and you didn’t care much for it. Until you kept hearing one song played over and over, with lyrics changed to touch at your curiosity. They knew you were listening, and one day you gave in and made your way to the pink tree. Waiting for you, a series of notes tied to a single strand of string.

Word Count: 3k+

AN: back again with another part! im so sorry this series is slow due to the notes thing, it’s kinda a bummer aha. ill be more lenient and release them regardless of the note count sometimes. but as usual, lets try n hit 100. also to everyone who is so supportive and reblogging this more than once: ya’ll are the real MVPs aha im so glad you guys like this series :) xx 

Parts: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty.

I M A G I N E 

Thursday 

“I told you that I owed you. I never said when we could talk about it.” 

At the brink of your literacy period, first period, was the infamous blonde with ocean eyes. Luke had sat across from you on the oak wood table, his hands planted nicely on the glossed object. His hair was curly, as usual, with locks of gold shining from the ceiling lights. He was wearing a slightly ripped Blink-182 shirt with the usual black skinny jeans and converse. He stared at you curiously, like he’s never seen you before. 

“But now is a good time, is it not?” Luke asked, a smile forming on his lips as you put your book down to rest and stared at him. You couldn’t help but feel a twinge of annoyance just staring at the pompous boy before you. 

“It’s way too early, Hemmings,” you began tiredly, a yawn escaping your mouth. “It takes a lot of energy to put up with you at times, and I have little to no energy right now.” 

“Hey man, I forced a paper cut on myself to cover you,” Luke pointed out, showing off his hand. The cut was now covered by a Hello Kitty bandaid, with the cat herself in a nurse outfit. “It’d be nice if you can give me some of the energy when I want it.” 

“Fucks sake,” you muttered, stuffing a piece of paper in the page you left off at and closed your book. “For one thing, I didn’t ask for you to cover for me. Also, of all ways to cover me, why the hell would you give yourself a paper cut?” 

“I covered for you because I know how much you care about your attendance,” Luke said softly, having your expression soften to a more ponderous look. “You never, ever want to be seen as a tardy student, so I respect that greatly and just want to help–” 

“I don’t need your help,” you quickly interjected, but Luke was quick to drop that.

“For the paper cut, I thought it’d be more comical,” Luke said simply, having you shake your head with a small smile. You had to admit: Luke is quite silly, and that makes him fairly endearing. “Can’t lack any chance to be me, ya know?” 

“Of course,” you said simply, still retaining your soft smile for a few brief moments before straightening your lips. “So, about me owing you–” 

“You look really beautiful when you smile like that.” Eh?! You looked up at Luke, seeing him smile fondly at you. His sudden words left you slightly speechless. Blood surged to your cheeks, staring into his ocean blue eyes to see the audacity. 

“Don’t be so candid!” You exclaimed, looking away to allow your embarrassment to slowly dissolve. Luke put his arms up in defense, a smug smile painting his lips as he did. You wanted to punch it right off his face, but you couldn’t. After all, that dude did cover for you willingly. “A-anyways, what do you want?” 

“That’s quite the offer, Y/N,” Luke began, sitting back in his seat while folding his arms together. “I desire a lot of things, but obviously there’s a limit.” 

“Nothing sexual or stupid, alright?” You vaguely specified, having Luke squint his eyes in contemplation. You then watch as he reached down for his bag, shifted a bit inside, and conjured a piece of paper. 

“Here.” 

You took the paper and held it up, reading the contents of it. You noticed a list of band names, and beside them, times. There were details of the location, including the venue name and the street number. Blues, reds and blacks were splashed all over it, having your index finger rub down the names as you compared the colors to your skin. 

“We’re having a concert this Saturday,” Luke informed as you continued staring at the paper. He brought his finger to the paper, staring attentively at the page as he pointed to a time. The row of that time held the band name 5 Seconds of Summer. “We’re on at 1 A.M. Michael was handing them out like a maniac the other day. It seems like you didn’t know?” 

“Oh, I did know about the performance,” you said simply, putting the flyer on the desk to begin folding it. “I wasn’t paying attention when the boys came to talk to the girls about it. I was half asleep.” 

“As usual?” 

“Mm.” You filed the paper in your backpack. Luke watched you attentively, his arm bent and leaned against the desk with his head leaning against his forearm. He stared at you, having your heart stop for a brief moment. “What?” You asked, glaring at his obnoxious behavior. 

“So is that a yes that you’re coming?” Luke chimed, his eyes full of hope and anticipation. You let out a sigh, thinking for a moment before slowly nodding. “Wait, like actually?” 

“We can pinkie swear on it,” you began, swallowing harshly as you put your pinkie up. 

“You… you still do that kinda stuff?” Luke commented, his pink, chapped lips parting to stare at you in wander. You found yourself blushing again, really hating the fact that Luke Hemmings was putting you in this flustered position. “That’s damn cute, Y/N.” 

“Just shut up and swear already!” 

Without hesitation, Luke’s pinkie found itself wrapped around yours. You felt the roughness of his skin, the thickness and callouses dancing around your pinkie due to his guitar playing. A few seconds pass and you attempt to let go of his grip, but his pinkie was strongly attached to yours. You stared at Luke, questioning his deal. But he just gazed distantly at you, seeming unaware as to what he was doing. 

“You… can let go now,” you murmured, watching as he quickly reeled his pinkie back and began blushing. You rolled your eyes, curious as to why he was embarrassed. He then quickly placed his hands behind his neck, scratching the nape with his light, blonde locks. 

“Anyways, how did it go with the tree? Did you go?” 

“Oh, yeah I did,” you said simply, feeling your cheeks smudge slightly with blush. You took your book back in your hands, allowing your eyes to fall to it to occupy your sight. You traced the dents worth of the title, feeling the smooth, fake-gold print on it. “It went well, more or less. Didn’t meet the stalker but he left kind words on notes for me. He was the reason you covered for me.” You revealed an accidental soft smile that made Luke widen his eyes a bit. 

“I see this stalker is somehow advancing better than me,” Luke began. You tilted your head up to stare at the boy attentively. He leaned back into the chair and threw his head back. You watch his Adams Apple bob up when gulping. “Ah, he’s making it so difficult…” 

You hadn’t bothered to question his words. Luke was always one to say things that were deemed empty for you. Not that you hadn’t cared, but you didn’t know what he meant and knew he was only going to dodge telling you. But he was acting somewhat annoyed, which doesn’t seem like a trait Luke would own. Mister popular, irresistible, and ecstatic Luke Hemmings isn’t someone to get annoyed, but rather be the one who is annoying. 

“Anyways, where are your boyfriends?” You asked, watching as Luke regained himself and leaned his elbows onto the desk again. His large hands held his head up by the jawline as he began blowing away his curly locks from his eyes. 

“Probably with your girlfriends,” Luke said with a shrug. “Where are your girlfriends?” 

“Probably with your boyfriends,” you mocked, having Luke roll his eyes before chuckling. You then rose, picking up your bag to put it on. “I’m gonna go to Mr. Tanners to reprimand him over bad choice in history study.” 

“But Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in fourteen hundred ninety two, Y/N!” Luke exclaimed as you picked up the literature on Christopher Columbus’s voyages. 

“He also thought he ‘discovered’ India when he actually ‘discovered’ America,” you hummed annoyingly as you used one of your hands to curl your index and middle fingers when saying discovered. Luke chuckled, watching as you took your leave from the library. 

You were at the cherry tree once more. And this time, with a watch wrapped around your wrist. 

With your legs bend into a pretzel, you seated yourself on the soft grass. Right in front of you was the math textbook you were analyzing. It was open to a page that resided in the 200s with a sandwich on the page (courtesy of Alexis’ mother.) Your bag, in it’s sky blue glory, was sprawled just above the textbook, unzipped and still. Then, in your hands, were the notes of the day. There were only 4, but each one held words of sentiment that made you just a little happy. Just a little. 

Note 1: You look so beautiful today. You were practically radiating. I’ve never seen you smile so much before until now. 

Note 2: I honestly hope it were by my words. Not because I think you have low self-esteem, but because I like seeing your smile. Your lips are perfect, I want to see it to everything. 

Note 3: Stretching out a smile so much that it hurts your cheeks. I want to see them be parted slightly from shocked expressions. I want to see them pucker up together to make mockery of the duck face. I want to see you touch them being touched by your fingers when you read or trapped in some sort of thought. 

You smiled widely at the way your stalker tried so hard to make all his words fit into one piece of paper. His letters were more put in order rather than the messy, barely-legible handwriting he owned. His words were stretched longer by length and shrunk in size in order to fit his words of sentiment. And you honestly appreciated it. 

Note 4: I’ll start telling you stuff about me that not many know. I really adore penguins, I think they’re the cutest, flightless birds ever. Okay, so now that I’ve told you something about me, do you mind telling me something about you? Something I wouldn’t expect?

You smiled widely at this. This boy enjoyed the penguin, even though it was flightless. It really gave you an idea about this boy. He must be someone who doesn’t care if someone lacks in something vital that supposedly labels them. A penguin can be flightless, but they don’t lack in being fantastic caretakers and clever hunters. It made you further your curiosity over this stalker. 

You stuffed the notes in your pocket before looking up at the tangling piece of paper hung from the branch. You got yourself on your feet, feeling grass get stuck on the back of your thighs due to the jean shorts you wore for the day. While you used your hands to brush the green flecks off, you walked towards the note and cautiously opened it. On the top of one of the bends, it read: You can also request anything you’d like that isn’t revealing my identity. 

You thought a lot as you held the note, yanking it kindly to get the sharpie down to the grass. You bent down to pick it up, straightening up once more to hold the note. You nibbled at your lower lip kindly, glancing down at your watch to be weary of the time. You then realized what you wanted but wanted to give away something more personal. Something that would maybe push him to be more personal as well. 

I am a very sad person, stalker dude. I won’t tell you the reason just yet (if we’re lucky enough for a yet) but I will admit that your singing makes me smile. Nobody has ever sung a song to me before, even if it wasn’t to convey feelings for me like a cheesy romance flick. So instead of me coming to the tree tomorrow, maybe you can sing during my English class. Like before.

You had mentally thanked this boy for providing you with one of those thin sharpies, because you hadn’t realized how much you wrote. You subconsciously wrote small due to lack of space. Placing the sharpie on the ground, you lifted your wrist to check the watch. 

Oh fuck! You were urgent to stuff all of your things and put them in the bag, keeping the sandwich in your hand. You began dashing away from the tree, finding Des back at the school ground with an unfamiliar face. And although it was a bit blurry, you can tell Des was fuming as she glared at the boy. 

As you began slower and noticed your pace gaining progress, you noticed this boy was far taller than Des. But then again, who isn’t? His head of hair was chestnut, and in the sun it looks like a lovely kind orange, like one of the inside bark of a tree. His eyes were not too easy to see, but they were a generic set of blue eyes, one incomparable to, for example, Lukes. He was handsome, you give the boy that much, with his simple sharp nose and salmon-colored lips. 

“If you’re annoying my friend, you really should back off now,” you said simply, panting to regain your breath. You dusted yourself off a bit, unsure if you had any more bits of grass stuck on you. “I’m not in the mood to use so much energy on an entity like yourself.” 

“Calm down, Y/N, I haven’t been harassing your girlfriend here,” the boy joked, having you roll your eyes. Des shoved him a bit, receiving more laughter from him as she folded her arms and glared at him. 

“I’m not her girlfriend,” Des muttered, having you smirk at her baby-like behavior. “I ain’t gay–” 

“And dating is a lot of energy,” you continued for her, having Des shove you playfully in response. The boy looked down at the both of you, slightly nodding. “Anyhow, how do you know my name? Have we met before?” 

“Seriously, Y/N?” The boy said, his cheeks developing in pink as he looked down at you. “Y/N, we’ve literally had all the same classes in freshman year. We sat right next to each other that entire year.” You then realized and parted your lips slightly. 

“Oh, Holland,” you began, addressing him by his last name. “Nathan Holland, right?” 

“Right,” Nathan nodded, his blue eyes softening over the fact that you recalled his name. “It’s been a while, no? 3 years in the same school and we haven’t interacted since. How unfortunate, yeah?” 

“It’s not my job to keep up with people I know little to nothing about and can’t be asked to care about,” you said simply as you turned and began walking for the door. “It’s your fault for not trying then, if it personally affects you.” 

“As cold as ever I see,” Nathan attempted with a chuckle, having you blatantly ignore his words as Des clung to your side. Her arm wrapped around yours, having you watch as she glanced back at Nathan following us. “So what’s the deal with you and that tree, Y/N?” 

“Do you ever shut the fuck up, Nathan?” Des growled, rolling her eyes in annoyance as she walked you to your classroom. Luckily the halls were still a bit crowded, so you knew you weren’t going to be late. No required rush. You were just a few feet from the doorway of your Anatomy class until the infamous blonde asshole blocked your access. 

“Seriously,” you muttered with a sigh, looking up as Luke gave you a suggestive grin. He looked over at Des and gave her a wave, in which she rolled her eyes but smiled at his stupid, smug look. But then his ocean eyes darkened like a storm when he rose them up to the other tall, lanky boy behind you. 

“Lucas! Buddy! How you doin’?” Nathan played off, a wide smile painted on his lips to flaunt his white teeth. But when you looked at Luke, he was practically fuming. His lips pursed into a straight line, his jawline clenching in disturbance as he stared at the boy offering his hand for a handshake. “Okay then,” Nathan uttered awkwardly, clenching his hand into a fist before dropping it. 

“Go away.” You were a little shocked to hear the cool, super chill Luke Hemmings telling someone to go away. You always figured that guy got along with everyone (and he does). But this one character must be his limit. But why? 

“Calm down, Hemmings. I haven’t made any moves yet,” Nathan began, having Luke scoff before Nathan allowed himself to tilt his head down to you. “It’s nice to finally meet your eyes again, Y/N. See you around?” 

“I suppose,” you responded nonchalantly. With that, Nathan gave you a wink before giving Des and Luke a mere wave. He turned and took his leave, shoving his hands in his pockets before losing himself in the midst of fellow classmates. 

“See you later, babes?” Des caught your attention, nodding at her with a smile before watching her disappear, too. You then turned to see Luke now leaning on one side of the door frame. You walked in, rolling your eyes at the annoying boy as you took your seat. 

“What’s with the attitude?” You asked Luke, audible enough while he trailed you and took his seat beside you. He piled his arms together before lying his head in his arms once more. “Are you hungry again? So much so that you own an attitude?” 

“‘You’re not you when you’re hungry,’“ Luke joked, giving you his usual smile as he closed his eyes. You looked back down at your hands, seeing the two hold onto the plastic-sealed sandwich. You threw it at him, listening as the food slapped his cheek. He sat up and took the wrapped sandwich in his hand. He studied it curiously before looking over to you.

“It’s a homemade BLT, relax,” you said simply, retrieving your materials from your bag as Ms. Lee entered the classroom. You prepared your pens and pencils, with the Bic pen you had stolen only days ago. As you prepare your fresh, new page for notes, you glance over to watch Luke eat the sandwich graciously. He loved it, not even dare hesitating to eat where you left your bites. Luke was hungry, that was evident, but he also ate with some sort of thought. He kept a smile on his face as he did, as if the sandwich was the greatest thing he’s ever had. 

Whether it was because you had gifted it to him or not was beyond you, but for some odd reason, you felt slightly happy that Luke had been eating it contently. 

ahhh im back at it again! please lemme know whatcha think right over here and ill see ya in chapter 5 xx