#her family are so amazing and have welcomed me so enthusiastically and i love them and feel loved by them

[sapphicautistic]

I had such a specific and strange upbringing in many ways and there are so many ways in which joining my partner's family has really brought that home. Again and again.

My partner and I have so many things we have to explain to each other, like we're from different cultures almost even though we're essentially not. And it's normal for different families to have different traditions. But I'm always aware of the fact that her family's traditions and foodways and social expectations and history are essentially normal in a way my family's never was or will be.

They have their little family-specific things of course but overall, they have a shared history and culture with lots of interconnected families. They can so easily find people of a similar background that they expect many of their traditions and expectations and history to be not just instantly understood but frequently shared even among the people they meet as strangers—and they often are.

But there's so much that my siblings who came up with me are the only people in the world can really understand.

When I ask my partner about something her family does, it's often essentially a question about how things are normally done for people of their background. When she asks about mine, I'm often finding myself grasping for words to explain arcane knowledge so specific that half a dozen people at most can fully understand it.

I know it's not that deep and we have much more in common than not. But my isolated and weird upbringing haunts me. I'm not only an outsider for being autistic and disabled, two traits her family readily accepts and are supportive of. I'm also constantly playing catch-up with what's normal. I don't even know what I'm expected to already know by default. It makes me feel alien.

And then I call one of my siblings and they know without any explanation a hundred things I don't even know how to articulate to my partner. It makes me feel very far from home, even though our family was never really integrated into the place where we grew up either. We were strangers there too.

[sunny44]

Meeting Hazel

Pairing: Charles Leclerc x Wife&mom!reader

Warnings: hospital, mentions of birth

Summary: Y/n and Charles welcome their second born.

Finally, the hustle and bustle of the hospital had subsided. After hours of labor, I finally held our little Hazel in my arms. Her angelic face, wrapped in a soft pink blanket, seemed too perfect to be real. I looked at Charles, my husband, who smiled radiantly beside me, his eyes shining with pure admiration and love.

“You did an amazing job, amour.” he murmured, kissing my forehead tenderly. “She’s perfect.”

I smiled, tears of happiness streaming down my face.

“Thank you, Charles. I couldn’t have done it without you.” He smiled. “Literally couldn’t.”

“Very funny.” He gently brushed my forehead. “She’s perfect.”

“She is.” I smiled, looking at her. “But it’s the second time I get pregnant and the second time they look just like you.”

“What can I say, I’m very good at what I do.” He held my hand delicately, his fingers intertwining with mine.

“I’ll always be by your side, Y/n. And now we have our little family complete.”

As we got lost in the emotion of being parents again, a kind nurse gently reminded us that it was time for Charles to go home, take a shower, and rest a bit. He nodded, reluctant to leave our side, but knowing he needed a moment to recharge. But before leaving, he promised to bring Harvé, our three-year-old son, to meet his baby sister.

It was already night, and Charles waited for me to take a shower because I didn’t want to leave her with anyone else, so the nurses helped me in the shower, and after I got out, he said goodbye and left, promising that he and Harvé would be here first thing in the morning.

I went to breastfeed her and held Hazel in my arms, admiring every detail of her little face. She was so small and fragile, and she looked just like Charles.

I was almost certain that she would at least resemble me a little bit, but no, she was his spitting image, just like Harvé is.

Even their eye color was the same.

…

When Charles returned the next morning with Harvé, my heart filled with joy at seeing them walk through the door. Harve ran up to me, his eyes shining with excitement.

“Mommy! I came to meet Hazel!” he said, trying to climb onto the bed, and Charles lifted him and put him there.

“Be careful buddy. Don’t hug mommy too hard.” He agrees and lies down next to me and hugs me.

I hugged him affectionately, feeling tears welling up in my eyes again.

“She’s here, Harvé. Do you want to meet her?”

He nodded eagerly, his curious eyes fixed on little Hazel in my arms. Charles approached, smiling proudly.

“Harvé, this is your little sister, Hazel.”

he said, holding Harve in his lap so he could see better. “And Hazel, this is your big brother Harvé.”

Harvé looked at Hazel with admiration, his expression softening as he looked at her little face.

“She’s so tiny, daddy.” he observed, gently touching Hazel’s hand. “Does she knows I have Grand-père name?”

“You can tell her later when se wakes up.” He nodded.

I smiled, watching the instant bond forming between them.

“Do you want to hold her, Harvé?” I asked, carefully offering Hazel to him.

He nodded enthusiastically, his eyes shining with excitement. Carefully, he held Hazel in his arms, his expression one of pure happiness. I obviously supported her weight, she was just lying in his arms.

“Hello, Hazel.” he said softly, stroking her face with his finger. “I’m your big brother, Harvé. I’ll always protect you.”

My heart melted at Harvé’s kind words. He was so sweet and gentle, so ready to love his little sister from the moment we told him I was pregnant. I knew they would have a special bond that would last forever.

As he held Hazel carefully, he suddenly remembered something and asked to get off the bed and ran out of the room. He returned shortly after, holding a small stuffed animal in his hands.

“I brought this for you, Hazel.” he said, handing the stuffed animal that Carlos gave him when he was born and he’s giving to his little sister. “It’s my favorite bear, uncle Carlos gave it to me. I hope you like it as much as I do.”

I smiled, touched by the look of pure happiness in Harvé’s eyes as he gifted Hazel.

“Oh sweetheart, thank you so much and I’m sure she’ll love it.” I said, holding his hand gratefully. “And Is also gonna help her sleep like it did to you.”

Harvé smiled widely, his eyes shining with joy.

“I love you, mommy. I love you, daddy. I love you, Hazel.” he said, looking at each of us with love and tenderness.

We hugged him affectionately, feeling the love and gratitude flooding our hearts. I knew that from that moment on, our family would be united forever, facing life’s challenges together and celebrating its joys.

As I watched Charles hold Hazel in his arms, Harvé beside him with his stuffed bear, I felt complete. The journey to this point had been long and challenging, but now, with our little family by my side, I knew it had all been worth it. And as I held Charles’s hand and watched our children together, I knew I couldn’t ask for anything more in life.

Bonus scene!

Y/nleclerc instagram post

Liked by @charlesleclerc, @maxverstappen, @yourmom and others 293729

Y/nleclerc These past few months have been an emotional rollercoaster, Charles and I welcomed our daughter into the world and we couldn't be happier. Thank you to all our friends, family, and even fans who have given us so much support during this time.

Charles, myself, Harvé and little Hazel are incredibly grateful for everything.

[kitthepurplepotato]

Chapter 16 - Fight!

Summary: Y/N fights Midoriya and Shouto in front of an audience. Is she able to win against the two top heroes and go back to being a hero? We shall see.

Feat. Present Mic and Aizawa!

Warnings: Swear words, Katsuki makes a few horny comments here and there, mentions of Shouto’s PTSD, one broken rib. Or two. Or three.

First Chapter Master List

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

“Ladies and gentlemen and everyone in between, welcome to the battle of the year!” Present Mic yells into his speaker with utter enthusiasm. Why is Present Mic here? You have no idea, but you can’t wait to get a signature because you freaking love his talk show. “Y/N versus Midoriya and Todoroki! Yeaaaaaah!”

The whole building cheers.

You heard it right. The whole building. It’s a fucking full house.

The whole agency is here except a few who decided to stay behind to keep the business going (Katsuki had to give them a double hourly wage to make them stay at work, by the way.), which doesn’t surprise you as Katsuki’s team is quite known for being overly enthusiastic when it comes to mock battles and hero stuff, then there’s Mina, Kaminari, and a shit load of people from the wedding, possibly Katsuki’s old classmates and friends, all sitting in one corner and cheering for both teams which doesn’t make any fucking sense, but okay. Next to the famous Present Mic there is a grouchy black haired man with a massive white scarf thingy around his neck; he has a camera by this left side and a notebook on his lap.

“Why. Just why.” The man mutters under his nose; thankfully you are amazing at lip reading, so you don’t actually need to hear him to know what’s up. His face is contorted into a frown as he stares at the blond with nothing but pure judgment.

“Oh come on, sensei! Have some fun!” The guy snickers but “sensei” only rolls his eyes at that.

“I’m here to take notes and to film the fight for Midoriya for analytical purposes. I’m not here to have fun.”

“We are here to have fun, let’s go, Mic sensei wooohooo!” Kaminari yells and the whole audience cheers at that.

Dang. You’ve never had a stage fright before. Needless to say, now you do.

“Deku, what the actual fuck, do you want to die, you idiot?! This is not what we’ve discussed!” Katsuki clearly felt the nervous vibes coming from you and is absolutely fucking livid right now.

“Kacchan, I swear it wasn’t me. I only asked Aizawa-sensei! No one else!”

“Why is Auntie Inko hiding behind the pillar then?!” Katsuki tries his best to look less aggravated as he waves to the shy, green haired woman with a forced smile on his face. Midoriya then stares at his Kacchan with nothing but gratefulness, tears prickling his eyes from seeing his childhood rival being nice to his one and only mother he loves so much.

“Mum doesn’t count, does she? She’s family.” Deku mutters, ready to have his face blasted off.

“Do you see my shitty family here, Deku?! Huh?!” Kacchan yells at the poor guy; Midoriya points right where his mum is with a barely concealed smile.

“Yeah, they are right behind my mum.”

“The fuck?!”

Katsuki is having a brain fart moment. He’s so fucking confused it’s kinda hilarious.

“It’s my fault, Katsuki.” Kirishima comes over with guilt deeply etched into his face. “I accidentally told Denki about it and then… well, you know him. I’m sorry.”

“Fucking hell.”

“My family isn’t here.” Todoroki adds. The guy didn’t make a single noise until now so you kinda forgot he’s also here.

“Shouto, you are not helping, but thank you for trying.” Izuku, who’s clearly used to Todoroki’s miserable attempts to save the day, leaves a tiny kiss on his boyfriend’s cheek.

“10 minutes until show time, are you guys ready?!” Present Mic’s voice comes through the speaker again as the light around the outer edges of the building dramatically go down.

“If you hurt her, I’ll fucking kill you, you fucking overpowered energizer bunny.” Katsuki grabs the green head’s shirt by the neck and pulls him closer with a sneer. “One fucking bruise and…”

“Kacchan… I respect you but I’m here to win. You wouldn’t want me to go easy on her, would you?”

Katsuki only contemplates for a few seconds, the tips of his ears coated pink as he lets go of the poor guy, completely defeated.

“I can cauterize wounds if things get out of hand.”

You’ve never seen Katsuki so terrified in your whole life. His face is pale like a sheet and he looks five seconds away from throwing up all over the floor.

“Nope. We are not doing this. We are going home. Nope. Fuck this.” Katsuki is about to pull you towards the exit but Izuku jumps between the two of you.

“Shouto, you were doing so well...” Midoriya sighs and puts his hand on your shoulder. “Y/N, Katsuki. I swear I won’t do any serious harm to your girlfriend. I also think she can protect herself and she’ll be able to keep up with us with no problems. Please, sit down and enjoy the show.” Midoriya pushes you to the side slowly, but Katsuki’s grasp on your hand is relentless.

“Come on, bro! I heard Auntie Inko brought you some muffins!” Kirishima chimes in, pulling him towards the seats, his hands massaging the blond’s shoulders. “Come on now!”

“Just one minute and I’m going.” Katsuki tears himself out of Kirishima’s grasp. Todoroki and Midoriya make their way towards the other end of the battlefield while Kirishima takes a few steps back to give you some privacy. “Kick their asses, baby. I fucking… I fucking believe in you. I love you and shit. Fuck.”

The whole audience gawks as Katsuki snuggles into the crook of your neck like a little kitten looking for attention. You rake your fingers through his messy hair out of habit, playing with the strands and leaving tiny kisses on the top of his head until he finally looks up and lets you kiss him properly, right in front of the whole fucking building.

“Oh my god! What a day to be alive! Bakugou Katsuki aka Lord Explosion Murder God Dynamight just got a kiss from the mysterious hero! You go, lover boy, good for you!”

“That’s his girlfriend!” Kaminari yells into the air helpfully. “He’s in love, sensei!”

“Oh my god, dear listeners! The beast has been tamed! I’m so proud!”

“Shut the fuck up.” Katsuki mutters into your neck, his whole face probably the color of a ripe tomato.

“He said shut the fuck up!” You yell to the interpreter with a shit eating grin on your face.

“Ahh, well, there is a lot of things I can do but that ain’t one of ‘em!” Mic giggles and the whole audience roars.

“That’s true.” Sensei mutters with a nod and Mic makes an offended face at that.

“Five minutes to go. Are we are ready, dear listeners?!” Present Mic yells again and the audience cheers. Loudly. Dang, they are really fucking excited for this shit.

“Keep your eyes on me, loverboy.” You wink at your boyfriend; he visibly shivers under your confident gaze.

“Couldn’t keep my eyes off you even if I’d try.”

… damn, you two won’t sleep a wink tonight, that’s for sure.

~•💥•~

“Three, two, one… go!”

The two heroes charge at you right away, their movements completely synchronized and clearly planned out; needless to say having two heroes that are so used to each other fight against you should be a huge disadvantage for you but here’s the thing; you can do whatever you want. And by whatever, you mean you can literally just…

“Goldfish.”

Deku’s movements halt right away, his face contorted into a confused frown as he looks at his partner in pure terror.

“Goldfish is a quirk that makes the other person forget what they were about to do a few minutes prior. It’s quite harmless unless used… well… in cases like this. Well done.” The “sensei” steals the speaker from Present Mic who’s completely bamboozled by seeing the number one hero so lost on the battlefield. This would be the perfect time to counterattack but seeing how many people have gathered here today you decide to give them a little show instead; Todoroki comes out of his own stupor and charges towards you while Midoriya slowly tries to put himself back into the present but suddenly, his quirk changes sides in the most literal sense; his right side becomes his hot side while his left side starts to frost over rapidly; having such a change is already quite a pain in the ass but here’s the thing - to be honest this was a bluff but it clearly worked -; while his quirk swapped sides, his body didn’t, hence why his body is now affected by the effects of the quirk.

“Fuck!” Shouto yells as the flames start to burn his heat-sensitive skin…

“Y/N, stop! Anything but that. Please.” Izuku begs and he looks so horrified you cancel the quirk right away. There is something in his eyes, something painful and deep and you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to see that you somehow managed to touch a sensitive topic here. You look at Katsuki who’s standing by the side of the battlefield; he looks at his friend apologetically, his eyes somehow regretful.

“This is good practice.” Shouto’s sudden grin surprises the whole audience. “Sometimes, you need to face your biggest fears and if this would be a real fight, there wouldn’t be a pause. On the battlefield, there is no time to dwell on the past.”

“Is pro hero Shouto giving a speech in the middle of the battle?!” Present Mic screeches. “Also, how many quirks…?”

“All of them. Her quirk is called ‘quirk manifestation’. It’s the strongest quirk in the whole world as she can use several different quirks at the same time for as long as she wants to. Until she can stay focused, she’s unstoppable.” Sensei answers with a deadpanned face.

“Wow, you did your research.” You yell back to him with a grin. Thankfully, the mood is slowly shifting back to relatively normal now.

“I’m Eraserhead. I work underground. Gaining intel is my virtue.” He mutters smugly. “But for this intel I must thank my former student, Midoriya. His notes on you were quite… detailed.”

“Quirk me again.” Shouto suddenly yells, completely ignoring his old teacher. Midoriya looks at the guy like he just lost his mind and by the absolute manic grin on his face, he might be right about that.

Also, can we stop for a moment and talk about the fact that Todoroki Shouto is wearing his emotions on his face? You are a taken woman, but damn, he should do this more often.

“Are we going berserk? Plus fucking ultra then.” Midoriya grins back and by the random eye fucking those two just did a few seconds prior you are quite sure they’ll also have a long night after this.

“Come at me you gay disasters.” You give the two a manic grin and… well… they do.

First, Todoroki somehow finds a way to use his quirk even with the disadvantage. You manage to slip on the tiny, almost invisible ice he manages to sneak under your legs; the ice travels further up, pinning you to the ground but not for long; with your quick thinking you manage to counterattack with pink flames, because why the fuck not, melting the ice on your legs then charge forward towards the half and half hero but you change your stance last minute; you attack Midoriya instead, your emotions concealed with a quirk you just came up with to not trigger his danger sense; he catches your hand with black whip but you make your body intangible and slip out of the grasp; he tries to save himself by using his Smoke Ray but it’s all in vein as your favorite quirk is X-Ray Vision; Midoriya also made a massive mistake with using this quirk of his as he also made it impossible for his partner to see you, basically rendering him useless for the next few minutes until the smoke dissolves.

“I really want to gossip about the sexual tension between the two boys on the battlefield but… what a mistake! Todoroki’s lost in the smoke and Midoriya is just about to get hit by… uuuuh, that must have hurt!”

You just landed a massive hit right at Midoriya’s ribs using a mixture of Kirishima’s hardening and super strength while Todoroki is still wandering in the smoke, trapped and probably extremely frustrated.

Something cracked. Fuck.

“Izuku!” Todoroki finally emerges from the smoke, putting on a massive ice wall right between you two.

“She broke my fucking rib, Shouto.”

Suddenly, a furious Todoroki jumps through the wall, shattering it into pieces as he lands a massive hit on your shoulder and you fall to the ground.

“Midoriya is OUT! Nothing is as strong as a fury of a wounded lover, though! Get her, Todoroki!” Present Mic yells, exhilarated.

Katsuki looks like he’s about to pass out which is quite understandable to be honest. This fight is fucking intense.

“Was that really necessary?!” Todoroki yanks your wounded arm and pushes you down.

What he doesn’t know is that you are not actually in pain anymore; you already healed yourself but he doesn’t need to know that.

“You know I didn’t mean to do that.”

“Ten more seconds and Todoroki wins!”

“What kind of monster are you?!”

“The one on the good side. The one who really fucking wants to go back to work and save people.”

It all happens really quickly. You use a slime quirk to get out of Todoroki’s intense grasp and blast his face using your own version of your boyfriend’s quirk; the pink, cotton candy scented one you used to bully Katsuki with. You make sure to not use too much power this time and mostly just blind the hero for long enough to use your own version of Midoriya’s black whip - it’s quite a useful quirk as it’s heat and frost-resistant, basically indestructible. In only a few seconds, the half and half hero is rolled up like a little burrito, surrounded by black whip everywhere but his face.

“Sorry about triggering your PTSD in the beginning. I’m also sorry for hurting your boyfriend. I’ll heal him as soon as this is over.”

“Ten…”

“It’s fine, it has been ages since I’ve been challenged by someone. Felt fucking nice.” Todoroki tries to wiggle himself out but it’s all in vain. It’s game over for him.

“Five…”

“You guys are amazing. If this would have been an actual life or death situation I’m quite sure you would’ve won.”

“Three.”

“Stop flattering me, you literally took that hit on your shoulder just to be even.”

“One.”

“Anyway… it was a great fight. Thank you.”

“Todoroki is out, Y/N wins! WHAT A FIGHT! Congratulations!” Present Mic yells while the whole audience whistles. Midoriya’s mother is crying so you make a note to yourself to apologize to her later.

Todoroki is by Midoriya’s side the moment he’s free. You are just about to go over to heal him and say sorry when Katsuki jumps on you from behind, turns you over to him and kisses you with so much fervor your legs almost give up under you.

“You fucking madman.” Katsuki grins, his worried eyes long gone in exchange for pure exhilaration. “You don’t know how to hold back, do you?” Suddenly, Katsuki’s lips skim your ears. “Why don’t you go all unhinged in bed with me tonight? I want to see what else you can do…”

“Katsuki, this is not the time.” You reprimand with a little giggle. “I need to take care of your broken friend first.”

“You can take care of my…”

“Oh, shut the fuck up, you horny weirdo.” You put your palm on his face and push him away playfully in the middle of his sentence. The shit eating grin on Katsuki’s face is so fucking adorable you kinda want to kiss him but this is really not time for it.

“Y/N!” Todoroki yells, frustrated. By the look of it, it isn’t just Midoriya’s rib that’s broken but his mind as well; he’s mumbling to himself, still sitting on the floor, avoiding eye contact with anyone in the facility. Needles to say, he’s crying.

“Let me reboot the crybaby.” You grin at the big lump on the floor while most of the audience goes back to work. Katsuki’s friend group and the two senseis are still seated, probably waiting for you guys to wrap up and listen to their feedback.

This will be a long fucking day.

… Next Chapter!

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Potato ramble:

- I know. This is fucking late. Honestly, I had the busiest two weeks of my whole life and I only had one day off which was the 25th and that was all. I don’t remember the last three days. Like I actually don’t think my soul was in my body. I have no recollection of the days either so yeah, I’m sorry folks who always tell me to chill the fuck out, I definitely did not listen this time. 😂

- Midoriya’s grave mistake and the whole drama around his behavior will be explained in the next chapter. Aizawa will give him a harsh feedback. 😂

- I’m really excited about the last chapter because it will have Steven in it. I fucking love Steven. I will miss him so much.

- The next chapter will be the last official chapter, then there will be one extra part and that’s probably it! BUT! If you guys have any ideas for possible extra chapters I’m more than keen to listen and maybe one day I’ll come back to this and write some cute extra chapters for you guys! So even if you read this months after I posted this, feel free to leave a comment about what would you like to see and stuff!

- Also, I’ll will start posting the Kirishima spin-off a few weeks after this one ends so if you want to be on the tag list, leave me a comment!

- I got myself a really aggressive looking cactus today. He has MASSIVE spikes all over and he looks like he could literally kill a person. His first thing after I bought him was to prick my finger. So obviously I named him Lord Explosion Murder God Dynamight because he’s a prickly little fuck like him.

- I’ll shut up now. Happy new year and all that jazz. 💜💥💜

TL: @sixxze @iwannahaveaprettyaesthetic @hanatsuki-hime @cloroxisadelectabletreat @cheesenmax @coffeent @smolsleepybat @therealpotatobish @qardasngan @canarystwin @unofficialmuilover @nanamomo1 @mikestuffffs @p4ndawrites @yao-ai @porusuniverse

[starcandybby]

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the cutest fic about newly weds jisung and reader :((

i love jisung so bad- and this fic is just so him. yall have to read it to understand

☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬ ✮ ☆ ✬

multi-member

differences - 00s Line Series @jenonctcity

a short series for each of the 00s line dreamies

every single series is so good- you must read them all. they’re bad boys but the character development goes CRAZYY one of my favorite nct series

[topsyturvy-turtely]

Fluffbruary with turtely

(missed days edition)

Day 19

[day 18] [day 20]

prompts: mosaic | dragon | nursery by @fluffbruary <3

fandom: BBC Sherlock

will be uploaded to "That Stuff Called Fluff" on Ao3!

♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡

Sherlock closed the book and kissed Rosie's forehead. "Did you like the story?"

"Yesss!", little Rosie said.

"Who was your favorite character?"

"Fagoa!"

"Falkor? The dragon?"

Rosie nodded enthusiastically. She was young and her speech wasn't fully developed yet, but she was intelligent and she understood most of 'The Neverending Story'.

"It seems like a wonderful creature indeed, little Watson."

Rosie nodded again, stretching her little arms and blinking sleepily.

"Finally ready for sleep, my Flower?"

"Did you bore her to sleep?" John Watson's voice reached over to the two from the door. He was leaning against it, his arms crossed looking at them with - in Sherlock's opinion - the most besotted expression on his face.

Rosie made a little noise and Sherlock turned towards her. He bent down and gave her another kiss. Silently, John followed his example. Then he wrapped his arm around Sherlock's waist. Together they looked at their sleeping daughter, and let their gazes drift around the nursery: A bright colorful picture painted on the wall by Harry and her new girlfriend (of course there was a big rainbow in it); Rosie's bed, covered in stuffed animals. Robot curtains, a little abacus for simple math exercises, toys all around the room, and of course books everywhere. "It's a colorful mess but I would have loved it as a kid.", John whispered.

"Rosamund certainly does love this colorful mess.", Sherlock agreed.

"We are a bit like it, aren't we? A colorful, messy but lovable patchwork family?", John asked.

Sherlock hummed. Then after a few seconds, "Mosaic family."

"How do you mean?", John asked, looking at him with curious eyes.

"Mosaic family as in indeed colorful, maybe even a bit chaotic at times, but together we are an artwork.", Sherlock said, facial expression dreamy, looking around the room.

John stared at him in complete awe. Sherlock turned and knitted his eyebrows. "What? What is it?"

"You continue to amaze me every day, Sherl.", John stated, his voice sincere and full of love. Sherlock smiled at him. They hugged, they looked at their little piece of human artwork, and silently left the room.

♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡

A/N: *watches the cheese DRIP off this fluffocious thing she created* phew... hope you like cheesy stuff, my turtles! feedback is as always very welcome :3

tag list! (tell me if you wanna be added or removed💚) @justanobsessedpan @helloliriels @fluffbyday-smutbynight @inevitably-johnlocked @hisfavouritejumper @rhasima @forfucksakejohn @ohlooktheresabee @turbulenttrouble @so-youre-unattached-like-me @totallysilvergirl @peanitbear @train-mossman @loki-lock @smulderscobie @timberva @grace-in-the-wilderness @chinike @pansherlock @the-smol-bean-libby-blog @jawnn-watson @whatnext2020 @escapingthereality @missdeliadili @kettykika78 @musingsofmyown @7-percent @speedymoviesbyscience @astudyin221b @francj15 @almosttinycowboy @ladylindaaa @we-r-loonies @mxster-jocale @sherlockcorner @noahspector @our-stars-graveside @jobooksncoffee @baker-street-blog @psychosociogentleman @quickslvxr @macgyvershe @myladylyssa @johnlock2708 @battledress @a-victorian-girl @dreamerofthemeadow @oetkb12 @ohnoesnotagain @mutedsilence

[lovelyteng]

My Bio and My Social Media Accounts

Full Name: Trisha Jane Postrado Nickname: Teng (Alias), LovelyTeng (Main Social Media Name), TJ Birthday: November 30, 2002 Age: 21 Sexuality: Aroace Gender: Female (She/Her) Nationality: Filipino Fandoms: Mixels, Brawl Stars, Luigi’s Mansion Series, No Straight Roads Interests/Inactive Fandoms: Cuphead Series, Bendy Series, Balan Wonderworld, Welcome Home, My Singing Monsters Series, Object Shows, Cookie Run Series, Rainbow Friends, Alphabet Lore/Number Lore, Garten of Banban, The Amazing Digital Circus Favorite Foods: Cookie & Cookie Desserts, Cheese-Powdered Potatoes, Berries Drinks, Choco Drinks Likes: Characters who same voice actors in one show, characters dressed up with other series, dark/mystery/horror stories, music/songs, science fiction, favorite characters got major roles in story, Dislikes: Bullying, haters, insults, forgetting and ignored about happened events, danger in real life, her sister’s ego, anyone talking about doing my secret and private as violate by family Favorite Characters: Dribbal (Mixels), Mortis (Brawl Stars), Neon J. (No Straight Roads), Dr. Potter (Luigi’s Mansion Series), Dr. Kahl (Cuphead Series), Edgar (Bendy Series), Cal Suresh (Balan Wonderworld), Howdy Pillar (Welcome Home), Kinger (The Amazing Digital Circus) Personality I’m so introverted, self-awareness, social anxiety, possibility, over-cautious, self-absorbed for my family and neighbors, self-assertive, sometimes obsessed with infection event like virus as turn into forms in stories as I’m made my fanfiction and characters are sometimes creepy or/and nervous from everyone else, kindness, respect to my family's right decisions, popular items as bought by app, sometimes sadness, friendly, knowledge of mathematics, skills of art, passion of science fiction and video games, I have a short-term memory loss due to autism as I am, but I rather remember about passion as focus, quickly boredom when run out of idea and then quickly entertain to something interesting as special event, I always laughs when awkward silence as I’m always shy. I’m always quiet and can't speak properly, but loud out when I’m being serious.

Note - I’m a lot of scars from my childhood as foreshadow about my sadness started in 2021. - Figured out that I am autistic, thanks to my cousin when he talked to my mother about me for my major issues in 2022. I thinks he figured out to me during my childhood which I rivalry him, but after years he becomes less mischief and more respect to me at teen years onward. My mother and I don't know I was autistic at all until 2022 as figured out by my cousin. - Coming out as Aroace in 2020 when I’m lacking love for my former love interest after breaking up as I've moved on, I don't want to romance anyone else due to a traumatic event. - Secretly, I officially don't like snakes, cockroaches, spiders, and frogs in real life as I have seen that, but I like them in any video games and cartoon. - I have a fear of heights, fire, stares at me in real life, sometimes speaking in public, sharp objects, and being dark when alone. - I'm a little enthusiastic (and obsessed) with dark stories about infection events, characters with the same voice actor in one show at arts and fanfictions, and my favorite characters in the story as major roles. DeviantArt - https://deviantart.com/lovelyteng2002 Twitter - https://twitter.com/LovelyTeng2002 Wattpad - https://wattpad.com/user/LovelyTeng YouTube - https://youtube.com/channel/UC82acvZ47-bmY3CF3l7SkzA… FanFiction Net. - https://fanfiction.net/u/10938801/ Archive of Our Own - https://archiveofourown.org/users/LovelyTeng/profile… TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@lovelyteng

[enderevynne]

DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS ➤ SHIP GIFS: Nessmore

NESS COUSLAND x SER GILMORE

↳ Howe Treachery

Mod creators are truly the Maker’s blessing upon us ohmygod

From the very first time I played the Cousland origin (a mere few weeks ago lol but I’ve replayed it a bunch of times already), I had the headcanon that Ness has been silently in love with Ser Gilmore for years; never saying anything or acting on it, as Gilmore works for his family (and will never not call him My Lord - which everyone does and Ness always hates but especially hates hearing from Gilmore), and that’s a line Ness will not cross. 

But even if Gilmore didn’t work for his family, even if his love for Gilmore wasn’t highly inappropriate, Ness still wouldn’t have acted. Because Gilmore never said anything either, and so Ness always assumed it was unrequited. Ness is someone who likes casual hookups; mostly with men, and maybe once in a blue moon with a woman - and that’s no secret to anyone. The only part of himself he’s ever hidden or felt shame for is his love for Ser Gilmore. Ness doesn’t give a shit about wealth and stature, but is well aware of the power his stature grants him, and so is careful not to abuse it. 

That’s also been my headcanon for why Ness hooks up with Dairren after learning that Gilmore is likely going to go off to become a Warden, never to return to his old life. Dairren is safe, Dairren is hot, Dairren loves books too, and Dairren is unabashedly interested. Ness is heartbroken and desperate to find a way to move on... and sweet, red-headed Dairren reminds him of Gilmore (and hoo boy does that add to his self hatred and guilt when that ends up killing Dairren right in front of Ness later). 

I also headcanoned that their night together actually ended up with them both enthusiastically agreeing to a proper date once Dairren returned - and that was before I knew Dairren was about to fucking die (I was so not prepared for that T_T). I’ve searched about for answers on whether he can be saved if your oc does not bed him because if so I’d go back and save him, but a small, evil part of me loves the hurt.

(I was not prepared for anyone at the castle dying, tbh. I thought his father and brother were definitely going to not return but damn what happened was nothing I was prepared for.) 

And I thought it couldn’t hurt more than not being able to say goodbye properly to Gilmore, other than Ness trying to stay behind with him to hold the gate but being refused.

Buuuuut then I found the Farewell Ser Gilmore mod. And it’s amazing and it hurts. Way, way more. And I love it!!

And even though yes you get to choose whether or not your character kisses him, I’m just gonna headcanon that Gilmore is the one who initiates the kiss. Because that hurts so much more. 

Another part this tiny but amazing mod added to my Ness story, is the awesome parallel that headcanon-turned-kinda-canon mod brought. 

See, even before the bi Alistair mod, I was convinced Alistair is pining for the Warden whether you can romance him or not. It’s painfully obvious in his jealousy etc. Then once thanks to the mod Ness finally could romance him, I let it drag on a while before they get together even so. 

Because Ness first has a very brief casual thing with Morrigan (very brief not because he doesnt like her, but because he breaks it off immediately after Morrigan suggests they just let everyone in the Circle get slaughtered) then with Zevran almost immediately after he’s recruited (he doesn’t much care if that might cause his assassination; he kind of welcomes the idea, but then breaks it off once he trusts and cares about Zevran). 

Like with Gilmore, Ness is silently in love with Alistair. But he is very well aware this time that his love is returned. But he is in no shape to deal with it. 

Ahhh this mod added so much to his story, it’s killing me and I LOVE IT SO MUCH

[mercerislandbooks]

A Double Dose of 50 Years of Island Books: Rachel Linden / Martha Brockenbrough

Rachel Linden is a novelist and international aid worker whose adventures in over fifty countries around the world provide excellent grist for her writing. She is the author of The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie, The Enlightenment of Bees, Becoming the Talbot Sisters, and Ascension of Larks. Currently Rachel lives with her family on a sweet little island near Seattle, WA where she enjoys creating stories about strong women facing big challenges, travel, food, and second chances at love. She promises her readers a happy, or at least very hopeful, ending and infuses each of her stories with a touch of magical realism. Her newest novel, Recipe for a Charmed Life, comes out in early 2024.

Miriam: Welcome, Rachel. Let's start with your first visit to Island Books. Where were you in your career then, and what stood out about the store?

Rachel: When I think of Island Books, I feel I can sum it up best in the word "inviting". I first visited Island Books when my second novel, Becoming the Talbot Sisters, was about to release. If I remember correctly, I came bearing homemade cookies my husband and son had made, and an advanced reader copy of my new book. I was hoping to meet some of the staff and see if they'd be interested in stocking my book. I was instantly charmed by the special Island Books vibe. I love independent bookstores and feel so fortunate that we have so many in our area. Island Books has always been one of my very favorites because of the wonderful, friendly and knowledgeable staff (with fabulous owner Laurie at the helm), the inviting places to sit and stay awhile, and such an excellent and extensive selection of books. They were so warm and welcoming to me on my first visit, and I continue to greatly enjoy and appreciate their enthusiastic support and care for local authors like me! I love every chance I get to be at Island Books because I always feel so welcomed. It's an inviting, enjoyable space with true book lovers, and for a bookworm like me, that's basically my definition of paradise!

Miriam: Rachel, you can't drop a teaser about bringing cookies to Island Books and not share the specific recipe. When many of us think of you, we think, foodie book club, mmmm.....Will you share which cookies you brought to that first event here on the blog? We can make them official "Rachel-Linden's-Take-a-Trip-to-Island-Books cookies" or something. 

Rachel: Absolutely! I can't remember exactly which cookies I brought the first time I visited Island Books, to be honest! But here's a recipe for some amazing lemon bars that I know I brought along with an advanced reader copy of The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie!  These delicious lemon bars are super easy and super yummy! I enjoy this recipe from one of my favorite baking sites, Sally's Baking Addiction! I amended it slightly, but mostly it is her recipe. 

Rachel-Linden's-Take-a-Trip-to-Island-Books-Luscious-Lemon-Bars

Ingredients

SHORTBREAD CRUST

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour 

optional: you can add a bit of the zest of the lemon to the crust for added lemon flavor

LEMON FILLING

2 cups granulated sugar

6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

6 large eggs

1 cup lemon juice (about 4-5 large lemons)

powdered sugar for dusting over the top of the bars when cooked and cooled

optional: add a bit of the zest of the lemon to the filling for an added kick of lemony flavor 

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 325°F. Carefully line the bottom and sides of a 9×13 glass baking pan (do not use metal for these bars) with parchment paper, leaving the paper hanging over the sides so you can easily lift the finished bars out. This is an important step and makes cutting the bars much easier!). 

Make the crust: Mix the melted butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the flour and stir to completely combine. The dough will be quite thick. Press firmly into your prepared pan, making sure the layer of crust is nice and even with no holes. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until you see the edges of the crust are lightly browned. Remove from the oven. Using a fork, poke holes all over the top of the warm crust (careful not to poke all the way through the crust). This helps the filling stick and holds the crust in place. Set crust aside.

Make the filling: Sift the sugar and flour together in a large bowl. Whisk in the eggs, and then add the lemon juice (and zest if using) and stir until completely combined.

Pour filling over the warm crust. Bake the bars for 22-26 minutes or until the center is relatively set and no longer jiggles. (You can give the pan a light tap with an oven mitt to test that the filling is set.) Remove bars from the oven and cool completely at room temperature. It is recomemnded to cool them for about 2 hours at room temperature, then stick in the refrigerator for 1-2 more hours until fairly chilled. 

Once cool, lift the parchment paper out of the pan using the overhang on the sides. Dust the bars with confectioners’ sugar and cut into squares before serving. Enjoy! 

Miriam: Thank you! Okay, one last question, now that I'm thinking about The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie. One of the big messages in that book is that instead of looking backward, we should make the best of things and focus on the road ahead. With that theme in mind, as we head toward our store's 50th anniversary, what do you think the road ahead looks like for indie bookstores?

Rachel: Looking forward, I believe indie bookstores will continue to thrive because of the amazing connections they provide between people and great stories. In an increasingly digital world, to walk into an independent bookstore, talk to smart, book loving booksellers, and walk out with amazing stories in our hands...that personal experience cannot be replaced. For authors, independent bookstores offer wonderful opportunities for us to make personal connections with book lovers—both bookselling professionals and readers. I think Island Books does this so beautifully, and what they offer will continue to be valued by readers and authors alike. 

Miriam: Thanks so much for stopping by our blog, Rachel. We always love hearing from you.

To our community—if you make Rachel's Lemon Bars, send us a picture! In the next installment of Island Books, I'll be talking to...

50 Years of Island Books: Martha Brockenbrough

Martha Brockenbrough (rhymes with broken toe) is the author of Frank and the Masked Cat and more than twenty books for young readers, including YA fiction and nonfiction, picture books, a middle grade mystery, and a chapter book series. Her next nonfiction book for teens, Future Tense, will hit shelves in 2024.

A faculty member at Vermont College of Fine Arts, she's also the founder of National Grammar Day (every March 4), and she's written game questions for Cranium and Trivial Pursuit.

The former editor of MSN.com, Martha has interviewed lots of celebrities, including the Jonas Brothers and Slash. Her work has been published in a variety of places, including The New York Times. She also wrote an educational humor column for the online encyclopedia Encarta for nine years. 

She lives in Seattle with her family. Her favorite kind of food is Indian, although Thai runs a close second. Besides writing, she likes dogs, cats, cooking, weight-lifting, and laughing.

Miriam: I'm so excited to have you here, Martha, especially because my 10-year-old twins LOVED To Catch a Thief and we are big fans of yours. Let's start with your first visit to Island Books. Where were you in your career then, and what stood out about the store?

Martha: That makes my day! The book is set in a slightly distressed Seabrook—if you ever go, the kids will recognize some of the sights!

Meanwhile, I can’t even remember the first time I went into Island Books. I’m a Bellevue native and only a few years older than the store. So let’s just say I have no memories of life without Island Books. As an author, though, I think one of the first events I attended was for the wonderful Jennifer Longo debut novel, Six Feet Over It, inspired in part by her life growing up at a cemetery. My first event with Island Books was a King County Library fundraiser—Garth Nix and I were in conversation with each other. I really love his writing and it was so much fun learning more about how he thinks about storytelling. 

I led here with the people, because in truth the writing and reading life isn’t lived only on the page. I love Laurie (and we share appreciation for a good Old Fashioned). I’ve known Lillian and Caitlin for years and through other stores, and I so appreciate people who make a life out of literature. The store itself is an absolute treat. It’s exquisitely edited and I find something I didn’t know I needed every time I go in. It’s also a place I love to shop for gifts, and not just books—the whole store is full of beautiful and joyful objects.

Miriam: We've been to Seabrook and yes they did recognize the sights, funny you mention that. I think that's half the fun of reading local authors who write about the Pacific Northwest! These are great memories, and for us it's all about the people too, so we love that. Tell me, I know we've offered special pre-orders of signed copies of your books over the years. Do you have any special memories of signing in the store?

Martha: Coming to Island Books is like a visit with old friends. Seeing Lillian and Caitlin at Island Books gathers all of those fond memories from other stores in one place—and it’s a testament to the deep knowledge that the stores booksellers have. They are in this work for life. I was a reader first, and truly I always will be. So to have my reader heart in such good hands means the world to me. 

Miriam: Thanks, Martha. We're so grateful for to have you and your books in our lives too.

To our Island Books community: In the next 50 Years of Island Books installment, I’ll be talking to author Elise Hooper about how she crashed a staff party the first time she visited our store, and why her underdog stories have a special appeal at Island Books.

—Miriam

[deeksblye]

I haven't decided if this should be a multi chapter or not so let me know what you guys think. Hope you like it!

Kensi, Deeks and Rosa had spent the last hour or so packing their bags and talking about how fun their vacation in Japan would be. After a lot of insistence from Eric and Nell they had finally accepted to spend a couple of weeks with them, in Tokio.

Rosa had been showing interest in Tokio ever since she found out that Kensi worked there and Kensi end Deeks were very excited to finally introduce Rosa to Eric and Nell, so this vacation seemed like an amazing opportunity for all of them.

During the flight Kensi couldn't stop talking about all the funny things she wanted to do and the places she wanted to show them. She also spent a fair share of the time telling funny stories about her time in the city.

They arrived at the airport after a very peaceful flight, grabbed their bags and started to look for the Wonder Twins. After just a few seconds Deeks spotted Eric who was holding a sign that said in big letters "Welcome to Tokio, family Blye-Deeks". Kensi and Deeks walked in their direction as fast as they could without stopping to comment on the sign. They would have time to make all the jokes later, but in that moment all they wanted to do was to hug their friends.

When the 4 of them finally encountered there was a lot of hugs and warm greetings. Nell immediately hugged Kensi tight while Deeks and Eric also shared a warm hug. After that was time for Kensi and Eric to share a quick hug while Deeks and Nell hugged and commented something on a low tone about Velma and Shaggy.

After the few seconds of hugs and warm smiles the quartet turned their attention to Rosa who was right behind Kensi and Deeks.

It definitely wasn't necessary to introduce them because Nell and Eric had known everything about Rosa since the moment Kensi met her, and Rosa knew them just as well because Kensi and Deeks had talked a lot about their friends and how they loved all the years they worked together. Despite all of this Kensi still formally introduced the 3 of them.

"Guys, meet Rosa. Rosa, this is Eric and Nell." She said with a big and warm smile.

Nell rushed to give Rosa a tight hug, and even tho it was unexpected for Rosa she rapidly huged her back.

"I can't belive I'm finally meeting you!" Nell said with as much enthusiasm as she could put in one sentence.

"Me too. Kensi and Deeks have told me so much about you two." Rosa answered with a shy smile.

Eric, on the other hand, didn't hug Rosa, trying not to overwhelm her. Instead he gently squeezed her shoulder while telling her it was a pleasure to meet her.

After they were all done with greetings and hugs Eric lifted his hand as fast as he could like he had just remembered the most important thing in the world and exclaimed "GUYS", which left everyone else looking at him with wide eyes and expectation.

"We're about to take you to THE MOST amazing sushi restaurant in town" he said enthusiastically with a little bit of his usual drama.

"That's it?" Kensi asked looking slightly confused.

"Oh how I have missed your classic drama, Eric Beale" Deeks said between a small laugh.

"Drama?" Eric asked slightly offended while they started to walk towards the exit.

Rosa watched all of this with amusement, smiling and looking to the four of them while they spoke.

As they were leaving the airport Kensi and Deeks couldn't stop thinking about how happy they were to finally introduce Rosa to the wonder twins. They were more than just friends to them, they were family, and they couldn't wait to see Rosa bonding to them. And as the conversation evolved they realized how much they have missed their friends in the past 2 years. This trip was everything they needed right now and they planned to enjoy every second of it.

[thesimpsbasement]

My friend showed me your blog and I love your works! Could I request Prompt 4 or 9 with Miss Moneypenny from Moriarty the Patriot x gn! reader? (For the 100 followers event)

character : Miss Moneypenny x Gn!reader

Fandom: Moriarty the patriot, Yuukoku no moriarty

Genre: fluff

Prompt 4 and 9

-Mod Saya

“You look amazing tonight” Miss Moneypenny said leaning on the doorframe you were preparing for a party, an important one where nobles and important businessmen were attending and you were attending because you had connections and it would help out with getting information.

“Thank you,” you said with a smirk.

“We have a few minutes left make sure you have everything” she said then leaving 

Sighing, you looked at your watch and picked up the letter that you had not opened yet and started to read it.

“When the sun has fallen the people have gathered you shall meet your doom -from the kiss of death” your heart beat starts to beat faster feeling the ominous atmosphere slowly you made yourself out of the room still feeling threatened.

“Are you ok?” Sebastian  asked where he was leaning his back on the wall.

“I think we need to keep an extra eye out today” you said passing the letter to Sebastian then walking towards the carriage where you were escorted you knew being a noble didn’t mean you were safe either you only had power and sometimes that may not be enough for protection from danger.

As you got off the carriage Moneypenny offered her hand which you took but this was the last time you would see her until this large event was over feeling nervous your eyes darted around outside as if you felt eyes were already on you.

“I heard everything from Sebastian,” she reassuringly said.

Taking a breath in you tried to calm down then put your head up confidently and went in the sound of chatter and glasses touching each other echoed through the room. Everyone masking their emotions for their own benefit as if each one of their eyes were money itself .

You noticed a nobleman who is close with your family members approach you offering a drink which you gladly accepted and you smiled.

“Greetings to you sir” you said seeing he was accompanied by 2 other men which you didn’t notice before.

“Ah these two young gentlemen, they are my sons they just debuted into society” he added as you noticed they were twins.

“Well it's a pleasure to meet you two please call me (name)” you said then looking at the clock you noticed you had to leave this conversation.

“Well i’ll have to get going, I hope you enjoy the party” you added while rushing up the stairs near an indoor balcony where you could see everyone more clearly.

Before you could process anything, a loud scream from a further distance could be heard and everyone was panicking.

“She’s been poisoned,” someone yelled. You examined the situation from your position and you noticed three men in black seemed to be walking away from the crowd. They seemed suspicious so you kept your eyes on them however.

They started to split ways and you noticed one of them walking up towards you then the letter you read earlier started to make sense. Without looking back you started to run away from the man who started to walk towards you.

You made it outside through the back doors. You started making signs that Moneypenny and Sebastian would understand so they could come out of their hiding spots.

Suddenly you felt a pair of hands pull you into an embrace “come on we need to get to safety”

“Moneypenny its 3 of them i think they sent the letter” you said sort of panicked still

“Don’t worry about that right now” she held your hand tightly as you guys made it inside a shop then she led you inside and it seemed like she knew the shopkeeper. 

“Now where are we “ you asked looking around you noticed Sebastian and von were already in the room.

“Welcome my place” Von said enthusiastically which you smiled back at.

“(name) you are bleeding” Moneypenny noticed your arm.

“Don’t worry it’s just a scratch” you said, covering it remembering you must've been so scared that you forgot that you scratched your arm on a sharp surface while running.

“Follow me” you gladly followed her into a small room which was neat and you sat on the bed.

“Here give me your arm” she said as you held out your arm then looking at her pretty features.

“How are you gonna deal with those men” you winced at the pain from her dabbing the ointment on the scratch.

“It will be dealt with,” Moneypenny said, concentrating on your arm.

“I’ll take your word” you said, moving some of her hair behind her ear since you noticed it had been bothering her.

“I won’t let anyone hurt you”

.........................................................

Hope you like it and thank you

[theshotsheardacrossworlds]

Being exposed to Wolchefant week has been asking alot pardon me for this just the four of us request. How did Haurchefant and Aymeric react to the new Agni was pregos with Esme?

(I love all your asks so don't worry!)

With Estinien volunteering to go with Alphinaud and Thancred to deal with other Lunar Primals, Agnes found herself trudging in the freshly fallen snow back to Borel Manor by herself. At least it's a short walk. Then I can tell them, lie down, and hopefully not vomit anymore today.

As soon as she opened the front door, she smiled seeing Aymeric (out of his armor and in some yummy tight trousers) and Haurchefant (SO CUDDLY ALWAYS) chatting.

"Mon ange! Welcome home, darling. But...wasn't there supposed to be a certain grump with you?" Haurchefant said as he hugged Agnes.

"He's on official Scion business with Alphinaud and Thancred. Should only be a day or two, love." She turned to Aymeric, who held out his arms. "I know it's not been that long, but I missed you both so very much." She leaned her head on Aymeric's chest. He gives such amazing hugs. I always feel safe with him. With all of them. Just want to snuggle and NOT VOMIT. "There's...erm, something I do need to tell both of you." Agnes stepped out of Aymeric's embrace and smiled sheepishly.

Aymeric raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Take a breath. Be calm. This is what we all want, even if the timing is shit. "So after everything at Pagl'than and then Arenvald's injury and getting back to Mor Dhona..." Oh gods, Haurche looks like the anticipation is going to kill him. Faster, Agi! "I almost threw up on Thancred, and we found out I'm pregnant. We're having a baby." YES THEY KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS, AGI!!!!

Agnes was not prepared for the reaction.

"PRAISE THE FURY!!!!!!! WE'RE GOING TO BE FATHERS, AYMERIC! FATHERS!!!! OH MY LOVE!!!" Haurchefant kissed Agnes passionately and then turned to a beaming Aymeric and kissed him too. "WE'RE GOING TO BE FATHERS!!! I MUST TELL FATHER, ARTOIREL, AND EMMANELLAIN IMMEDIATELY!" Before she could say another word, Haurchefant was out the door.

"Oh dear, I fear all of Ishgard is going to know by the end of the day." Agnes wrinkled her nose and giggled. She felt Aymeric's arms hugging her from behind, his lips pressing small kisses to her head.

"Nay, all of Ishgard will know within a bell. I wouldn't doubt Emmanellain's ability to spread the word. How are you feeling, dearest?"

Agnes sighed. "Very tired. I was thinking of lying down for a bit before dinner, if that's alright, love."

"Would you mind if I kept you company?"

WOULD I MIND, SER?!?!?!? She turned and touched his cheek. "Of course, love. Are...are you happy?"

His sapphire eyes shimmering, Aymeric nodded enthusiastically. "Beloved wife, I'm the happiest man on the star. Tis the beginning of a new adventure, one that I'm excited for. And besides," he purred as he palmed her lower belly. OH GODS. "tis also only the beginning for our family. This little one will never want for siblings, will they darling?" Noticing her blushing, he chuckled. "Quite right. Shall we?"

She nodded. "Yes, love. Could use a cuddle or two or three or--"

Aymeric silenced her with a sweet kiss and led her upstairs. Where I didn't puke anymore today! Yay!!!

[daimyosprincess]

WHEN I TELL YOU THIS IS MY FAV ARMORLESS BOBA GIF 🤤🤤🤤 i just want to lick up all those water drops 🥴😵‍💫🤧

I'm so honored you finished off the beautiful, amazing Princess Saga with my ask 😭

Best of all, despite no longer needing Fett’s protection, she chose to stay in his palace, in his bed, and in his arms. He would spend the rest of his days showering her with gifts and affection but for now, he wanted her to have this beautiful place and her Daimyo all to herself.

BOBA MY SWEET BEAUTIFUL MAN I LOVE YOU SO MUCH

She wrapped her arms around his neck and his hands found her waist. She felt so familiar now. The curves of her body felt like home.

🥲 I'm not crying I promise I'm a big ole liar

“Mesh’la, I’m so proud of you,” he whispered into her temple before kissing it. “Seeing you stand like a pillar of strength and defy the man who sent you to me so broken, it made my heart swell.” ... “I’ve drawn my strength from you since the day you welcomed me into the palace and into your family, my Daimyo.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “The strength was always within you, mesh’la. What you needed was a tribe. I am so grateful you found yours here with me.”

Screaming Crying Throwing Up!! This is it right here!!! The encapsulation of their love and bond!!! Boba is true power and true power is not diminished when it strengthens others!!!!!! It only increases!!!!!!!

Fett kept himself in check knowing that they had their whole lives ahead of them to learn each other’s bodies. He wanted her body to only ever respond to him enthusiastically and he knew this meant giving her as much time as she needed to adjust to the feel of him inside of her and the new sensations of fullness and friction. In time they would explore new desires together.

Despite his rough exterior, daddy daimyo Boba is patient lover who relishes his partner's pleasure--he likes to be the one who wrests those whimpers and sounds from your throat, to be the one who holds you as you climb the heights of ecstasy. That trust is something he craves and enjoys in his older age especially, as he looks to create with the hands that only ever got to destroy.

~~~

I am truly emotional over the end of this saga, it has been a true pleasure to experience from start to finish.

And I even got to make a new friend on top of all that!! @thirsty-boba-fett-posts I'm so glad to have you in our fandom and I can't wait to see what you do next. Love you bb 💖💕

OKAY SO

I've had a busy weekend and am behind on our beautiful princess' saga BUT I always have time for Boba Thots ✨. So I'm thinking that Boba takes the princess on a surprise trip to a pretty oasis somewhere secluded in the desert, something to get her out of the palace and away from some of the stress of her past. Spice or not, maybe they end up laying under the stars while Boba tells her how beautiful she is ("you've got eyes prettier than all the stars, mesh'la")..... and then we get some soft Boba vocalizing some of his deeper feelings for her 👉👈

Thank you for indulging us with your amazing writing 💖💖💖

OH YES.

Is this about to be the finale of The Princess Saga? Yes. Yes it is. Did I proof read? No, because I didn’t want to keep my fellow thots waiting.

tw: SMUT, GLAMPING

It was a seasonal underground oasis and a closely guarded secret of the Tuskens. Only his reputation, and oath to keep its location a mystery, and a handsome bribe allowed The Daimyo of Tattooine access to the cavern paradise during one of the few times a year when it was safe to inhabit. But she deserved all that and more, having demonstrated the courage to face her tormentor and cast him out like a demon. In front of his entire palace, his Princess had banished the tyrant who turned her world upside down and sent her fleeing to the Daimyo she’d only ever known as the ruthless bounty hunter Boba Fett. Best of all, despite no longer needing Fett’s protection, she chose to stay in his palace, in his bed, and in his arms. He would spend the rest of his days showering her with gifts and affection but for now, he wanted her to have this beautiful place and her Daimyo all to herself.

Pale pink crystals reflected sunlight in a thousand directions off of the cavern walls. A waterfall fell into a clear blue pool. Beneath her bare feet, the sand was soft and white. Fett watched as she shed her clothes and waded into the crystal waters. He thought about his own childhood surrounded by water and about the vision he experienced during his initiation into his Tusken tribe. He thought about family. He thought about his own father.

He disrobed and joined her. The water was warm and he was once again glad he could give his Princess the gift of this experience. She turned and waded to him through the shoulder deep water with an expression of utter bliss on her face that he’d never seen before. He realized then that in the act of humiliating and banishing the wretched, pitiful excuse for a general who had done all he could to break her, she had taken back all he stole from her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and his hands found her waist. She felt so familiar now. The curves of her body felt like home.

“Mesh’la, I’m so proud of you,” he whispered into her temple before kissing it. “Seeing you stand like a pillar of strength and defy the man who sent you to me so broken, it made my heart swell.”

She blushed, but did not look away. “I do endeavor to please you, my Daimyo,” she said coyly.

“My darling, you please me every second of every day.”

She kissed him and held him close for a few heartbeats and then looked him in the eyes like princess he knew she was, all dignity and nobility.

“I’ve drawn my strength from you since the day you welcomed me into the palace and into your family, my Daimyo.”

He pressed his forehead to hers. “The strength was always within you, mesh’la. What you needed was a tribe. I am so grateful you found yours here with me.”

…

As their dinner warmed in a stew pot over an open fire, he laid his Princess down on a warm, soft bantha hide. Her skin was cool from time spent in the pool with him and gooseflesh formed as he kissed his way up her body. She followed him with her hands, feeling the ripple of the powerful muscles in his back and shoulders. She’d never imagined feeling so safe with a man as strong as her Daimyo. He paused at her breasts to knead them and take his nipples into her mouth one at a time. She arched into his touch and the feel of his wet, warm mouth.

“So eager, my little Princess,” he said as he gently pinched one of her pebbled nipples.

She giggled and threw one of her arms over her eyes. “Don’t keep me waiting, my love,” she begged as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

His Princess was so bold now compared to those first days out of the bacta tank. With all the layers of protracted agony were stripped away, he could finally experience his Princess at her most authentic - naked underneath him, begging him to take her. Her bright eyes were half-lidded in a seductive expression.

“You’ve got eyes prettier than all the stars, mesh’la.”

She was so tight when he entered her, but they’d practiced and he knew to still and stroke her hair and kiss her temple until she relaxed. He nuzzled her and whispered into hear ear.

“You’re doing so well, Princess.”

She exhaled and held him tighter. He felt her relax around him and he moved inside of her for the first time. She moaned and bit her lip. He placed her hands on either side of her face and she held his wrists.

“Keep going,” she said breathily.

Fett kept himself in check knowing that they had their whole lives ahead of them to learn each other’s bodies. He wanted her body to only ever respond to him enthusiastically and he knew this meant giving her as much time as she needed to adjust to the feel of him inside of her and the new sensations of fullness and friction. In time they would explore new desires together.

The sounds she made and the way she gripped his wrists and moved her hips with his was almost more than he could bear. Fett stroked her cheeks with his thumbs and pressed his forehead to hers. Her moans echoed off of the crystal covered cavern walls as she came and the feeling of her contracting around him drove him to his climax as well. He remained inside her afterwards as her heartbeat slowed and her breathing shallowed. His Princess looked so peaceful.

She seemed to be drifting off to sleep, then abruptly she opened her eyes and kissed him.

“Is our dinner ready?”

He laughed heartily. “Of course, mesh’la!”

…

@daimyosprincess

@ladytano420

@dukeoftheblackstar

@acatalystrising

[newtonsheffield]

Ok but what is rockstar Anthony like when he finally gets to squire Kate around Rome as her boyfriend? How big does he go??

Wait… Kate and Anthony are going back to rome? But this time they’ll be openly in love with each other???!!!

Oh Do you mean when Mary invites him on her birthday holiday? And Anthony can't stop reminding people.

"Sophie, have you remembered thatI'm unavailable next week? I'm going on a family holiday."

"Mum, remember I can't make any appearances next week. I'm going on a family holiday with kate's family."

And Violet sighed, "Yes, Sweetheart. We've all remembered that Kate's Mum invited you on their holiday. Yes it's a very big step in your relationship. Yes, I'm very happy for you Darling."

Anthony had been startled, when he'd been sitting in Mary Sharma's living room, Kate's head in his lap, his fingers in her hair, barely listening as they went through their travel plans. Really he'd just been enjoying being in Kate's presence, enjoyed being welcomed into Mary's home.

"I assume you and Anthony will share, and then Edwina and I can as well."

Anthony's head had shot up at the mention of his name, his heart leaping. "Sorry, what am I sharing with Kate?"

Mary had blinked back at him as Kate's fingers had twisted in his shirt "A... hotel room... when we go to Italy?"

Anthony's stomach lurched excitedly, but he shook his head anyway. "No, No, This is for you guys to enjoy as a family and-"

"You're part of our family, Anthony." Mary had said gently interrupting him. "You might have shared a few too many details of my daughter's private life with the world, but you're one of us now."

"You're busy though." Kate said gently, her eyes guarded as she stared up at him, her fingers in his hair now. "So I get if you can't come, or don't want to."

It had settled on his shoulders, that he'd been let into this family, tears pricking at his eyes. "You're ridiculous, I'm cancelling everything! Now, ladies, we need to talk restaurants!"

He'd been bouncing with excitement ever since. Excited to go back to the city where he'd realised he was in love with Kate. Where he'd stood in front of the fountain and wished desperately that she would fall in love with him. That she would see him for something other than what everyone else did. But more than wanting to be openly in love with Kate, to stand next to her in pictures and press his lips against hers to taste the gelato on her tongue just like he'd wanted to last time: Mary and Edwina were Kate's very people. No one meant more to her than they did and he was sure if he could make them happy, Kate would be happy. He knew she would be.

"So, Anthony, what's up next for you?" The interviewer was looking curiously at him while they wrapped up the interview. "Headed away for more promo?"

"Mmm nope!" He couldn't keep the smile off his face as he leaned back in his chair. "Me and my girl are going away with her family for her Mum's birthday! Super excited! It's gonna be GREAT!"

The interviewer blinked back at him. "You're... going on holiday with your girlfriend's family? And you're excited about this?"

"Ahhh absolutely! Shout out to Mrs Sharma! She's a legend!"

"Man, this is way different than the last time we interviewed I have to say."

"Love, Man! Romantic epiphanies are dope!"

And sure maybe it was a little enthusiastic to call the airline and upgrade everyone to first class, and maybe it was too much to upgrade the hotel to suites, but he didn't care. Because when he saw Kate standing in the sunshine, laughing with her arms around her mother and sister, he fell in love all over again.

And his heart pounded in his chest as he raced forward, ladened down by bags.

"Okay! Ladies! Big smiles, like we're shooting the cover of vogue please!"

"No one smiles in vogue, Annie Leibovitz." Edwina said dryly.

"I am not going to apologise for buying her book! It was very helpful, Edwina, You all look amazing right now!" Anthony rolled his eyes, climbing up the steps to get a better angle. "Especially you, Katie! You're beautiful and I love you!"

"Thanks, babe!"

"Kate, your boyfriend is absolutely ridiculous. How could you actually let him leave the hotel in those birkenstocks? Don't you dress people for a living." Edwina sighed and really, it should have bothered him.

But it didn't. Not when Mary sighed. "Edwina, be nice to Anthony. we all know you're actually friends with him, and he's sweet." She paused for a moment before she turned towards him, "You could tone it down a little though, Anthony."

And it definitely didn't bother him when Kate's eyes caught with his. "He's a bit ridiculous, I think I'll have to marry him one day. And I'm actually kind of into the birks and shorts, he's got legs for days."

It took everything in him not to burst out screaming.

[alluringjae]

au cours de l’été - jjh

⤑ translation: over the summer

⤑ summary: this is a story of an exhausted painter who needed a breather from the hectic city life. so aside from moving to the countryside, the needed air in your lungs also came in the form of a person. this summer meant for pure relaxation, perhaps your heart may dive into him too.

⤑ pairing: jaehyun x female reader

⤑ word count: 15.2k (so much for saying that i’ll be writing shorter stories)

⤑ genre: fluff, romance, smut | author!jaehyun, painter!reader, strangers to lovers!au, 50s-60s!au, summer love in france!au

⤑ warnings: me inserting some french phrases because I want to practice (feel free to correct me if I made mistakes, i’ll appreciate them), fictional interpretations of real-life people, explicit language, jaehyun being such a romantic pls im in tears, mentions and scenes of burnout (the worst)

⤑ playlist: everybody loves somebody by dean martin | c’est si bon by eartha kitt | it’s always you by chet baker | les yeux ouverts by emilie-claire barlow | a sunday kind of love by etta james | the most beautiful thing by bruno major | try again by jaehyun and d.ear (duh) | free love (dream edit) by honne | petite fleur by jill barber | plus je t’embrasse by blossom dearie | so this is love by ilene woods and mike douglas

⤑ author’s note: this was an idea that just came to me after pinterest kept recommending me poetic beauty/try again jaehyun, so here we are! i intended to write less than 5k words but sometimes plans don’t go as planned once you really invest in the story yet i’m really happy how this turned out!

the romantic exhilaration in my bones are off the charts because this is jaehyun we’re talking about lol enjoy!

⤑ masterlist

⤑ leave me some feedback, constructive criticism, or hellos!

3 juin 1957

The city life overstimulated your entire system, losing your brainpower and inspiration. Another exhibition that’ll feature your works with other influential painters was happening at the end of the year, and you had nothing prepared so far. You’ve crashed to the deep end of creative fatigue.

So you needed to get away again; somewhere quieter and surrounded by nature.

That’s why you ended up in the countryside down south, somewhere within Provence. It’s purely just for the summer, but extensions were okay as long you get back at least a month before the show. Filing that leave of absence at the studio you worked at was worth it.

You rented an apartment overlooking the marketplace, where the heart of the village was. After arranging things from your boxes and luggage the entire day, you found out that you lacked in the food department.  

So the succeeding day, the entire morning was spent on grocery shopping downstairs then stocking them inside your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. Right after changing out of your pajamas into a flowy floral dress and sandals, you decided to bike to the bakery that locals suggested. A must-go place for newcomers, they all raved.

“Café des Étoiles Perdues.” (Café of Lost Stars.)

The clear chimes of the bell resounded through the small, cottage-like lobby as you entered inside. An old woman, whom you assumed was the owner, welcomed you openly.

“Oh la la, vous êtes belle! Vous vous appelez (Y/N), la nouvelle venue, n'est-ce pas?” (Oh la la, you’re beautiful. Your name is (Y/N), the newcomer, right?)

She complimented, making you shyly mutter your answer. Wiping off the flour from her apron, she introduced herself kindly.

“Je m’appelle Camille. Mes spécialités sont les macarons pisctaches et des croissants avec des amandes. Autre chose que tu aimes?” (I’m Camille. My specialties are the pistachio macarons and croissants with almonds. Is there anything else you like?)

“J'aime tout ce que vous suggères, Madame.” (I’d like anything that you suggest, Madame.)

A younger man, who went by Jaemin, was a part-timer barista who asked for your coffee order. As he directed you to the best seat of the café, which was outside overlooking the garden of blooming sunflowers, you pulled out your sketch pad so you could capture this dreamy view. It was nothing like you’ve ever seen in your life.

You’ve decided on a theme already for your exhibit thanks to your conversations with locals yesterday, which was related to freedom. After being chained to cities for so-called better living and financial standards, it’s actually how your inspiration to create squeezed the life out of you like a lemon. Although it was fun at first to see those tourist spots, it eventually got tiring.

Another matchstick to graze intensity through your bones was what you prayed for.

While you’re engaged in a rough sketch of the scenery, the dandy presence of a young man entered the café with his books. White shirt, red trousers with a matching beret, he sported freckles on his pale face. Despite visiting his favorite café numerously, Camille was overjoyed to see him and his serene smiles.

“Jaehyun! What brings you here?”

“Bonjour, Madame! I’m starving for your croissants because I ran out back home.”

“Not to worry! I’ll pack up some so you’re on your way.” She lightened him up like one of her kids, taking one of the bigger paper bags.

“No rush though, Madame. I’ll be reading and working here for a bit here.” Jaehyun affirmed, bringing it out his wallet and called out for Jaemin.

“Un café crème, s’il vous plait.” (One cup of cappuccino, please.)

Jaehyun’s usual chair was by the large window, overseeing the wide garden planted by the citizens of the village way before he was born. It was places like this he missed after moving to the city for his education and work’s sake. 

That’s the thing when you’re coming from a rich family; you don’t have much of say with what your parents order you to do. However, his recent request to stay in his childhood home (or mansion) again was fulfilled because he couldn’t search for what he needed in the cities anymore.

Jaehyun was a sucker for romance; an old romantic others would say. A lot of women mistook his kindness as flirting on many occasions, but ironically he just wasn’t looking for anyone yet. 

Starting as a novelist in the said genre based on real-life stories of people he met in Paris, Barcelona, London, and more, his stories were popular hits especially to young adults who aspire to find love one day.

However, traveling to the known places no longer felt fun as he got older. The stories he gathered were very similar, just in different languages. It took an enthusiastic dinner with his family, specifically his only older sister Krystal retelling fond stories from their younger years to get the idea of moving back for a bit. So consumed with the city life, he wanted to see things from another perspective.

What was the difference between a love story formed in the countryside than in the city?

It’s been a month since he arrived, but he didn’t hurry himself to do his research. He’s been reading books in his family library, revisiting monumental places, exploring around the village, and reconnecting with old friends as if he never left. 

Readjusting to his former life would make writing easier when he’s motivated enough to do it again. Besides, his books were profiting well enough to his taste; good enough for the next 10 years according to his personal accountant, Kim Jungwoo.

Jaehyun resumed reading this book his mother recommended him before he left. Entitled “Réessaye”, which was about a young man who reunites with his childhood sweetheart after his arranged marriage failed. After what she put her through, he’s hesitant whether to try again or let her go.

Jaehyun enjoyed reading books with realistic outlooks on love because he found them more meaningful, enlightening how exactly it makes you feel and do. Even if he enjoyed reading sappy, fairytale-like stories from time to time, he always returned to the real ones as they only displayed the truth.

That love isn’t always rainbows and sunshine, but something that can also break you especially if you go after the wrong person. This kind of mindset was how he toiled on his stories, which gained him a status outside of his unavoidable labels such as “the only striking son of the Jeong family” or “Valentine Boy”.

He diligently browsed through the climax, where the main male character confessed all his constrained emotions to his sweetheart. But it was until Jaemin pressed the bag of croissants in front of his face after placing down his childhood friend’s drink to disturb his peace.

“Reading again?” He taunted, snatching his book away and throwing the bag on Jaehyun’s lap. “When are you writing that book already? Everyone is practically dying for you to release something new again!”

Jaehyun flatly shook his head, drinking his coffee quietly. It’s not the first time anyone asked (or pressured) him about his next release, and it’s the last thing he wanted to think about. “Not in the mood right now, Jaemin. Now off to work before Madame Camille scolds you again.”

“You’re just stalling because you have nothing to write, don’t you?” Jaemin cunningly expressed, raising a brow. He’s known to catch onto the people’s bs easily; the last person you’d want to say your secrets too and Jaehyun realized too late. Though lucky for him, Jaemin shut the topic down right away so he wouldn’t pop a vein.

“Sais-tu de la nouvelle venue dans le village, d'ailleurs?” (Do you know about the newcomer in the village, by the way?)

“Une nouvelle venue?” (A newcomer?)

Being stuck at his mansion recently, news about village affairs were now late to him. Jaemin’s finger discreetly pointed outside the window, pertaining to a young woman sat outside painting her view in front of her.

That would be you, shading all the flowers in bright colors.

Seeing a new face amazed Jaehyun, especially when she was almost someone right out of a book. In a neat bun with white daisies printed in her dress, she crossed her legs whilst continuing her movements. She bit her lower lip, frustrated over an accidental smudge she made and trying to fix it by blending it with another color. When she accomplished it, she swapped brushes. A thinner one, to outline the shapes of the flower. Her lips curved to a smile after finishing another one perfectly with the rest.

“Jaehyun?”

Jaemin snapped his fingers to his distracted friend, zoning out the window. Still something he hasn’t stop doing, he pondered. With a final snap, Jaehyun broke away from falling hard from his abstract. Jaemin calculated the problem so quickly, analyzing his friend breezily like his medical school requirements.

“Elle est splendide, n'est-ce pas?” (She’s gorgeous, right?)

“Elle ressemble à une personne décente.” (She looks like a decent person.)

Jaehyun pushed it aside, flipping back to the page where he stopped reading. Before Jaemin responded, the door chimed open again to alarm him that a new customer came in. He excused himself to his friend, warning him that this wasn’t the last time he’ll talk about the newcomer too.

Jaehyun nodded along, not taking his friend’s cheeky words so seriously. However, the final result you attempted to create tickled his curiosity, so he slyly peeked from his book to the window.

You’ve freed your hair down, victorious to have started your collection this early in your break. A fantastic start, you let the paint dry first and munch on the croissant that served as your reward. However, you ‘re quick to notice a manly figure glancing through the window. From the side, his brown eyes appeared lively even if his entire face was hidden by the book.

Réessaye by Mark Lee; he must be a romantic. Every person in your studio read it, excluding yourself. Painfully beautiful, they’d summarize it.

Daring to meet more people, you locked eye contact with him. He didn’t expect it, almost flipping from his chair. Bashfully, you waved him a hello to somewhat break the ice. However, it broke his composure, and suddenly, he scurried off with his things from the café.

Now, you got quite worried. You checked your tiny mirror if he saw anything unpleasant with you, but you’d say you look relatively fine. Oh, maybe you could redeem yourself the next time you saw him. After bidding goodbye to Camille and Jaemin, the latter chased after you when you prepared yourself on your bike.

“By any chance, did you say hi to a guy with brown eyes and a red beret?”

“Well, more like I waved at him, then he zoomed out. Did I do something wrong?” You questioned with concern, putting your hands on the handles.

“That’s my friend, who’s quite reserved with strangers. I’m sorry on his behalf.”

“Nah, it’s fine.” You brushed it off politely. “See you again soon, Jaemin!”

Peddling away, letting the cool breeze fan you, your mind reverted its thoughts to that strange man. Maybe you’ll give it some time; you had a lot of it.

“Shucks, he was pretty cute.”

12 juin 1957

The world must really be on your side with these good decisions because you crossed paths with the strange man again in the café a week later. But instead of running away, he asked nicely if he could sit across your free chair in front of your table outside. It was a Saturday, and the place was packed.

“Joignez-moi, s’il vous plait.” (Join me, please.)

You insisted, giving yourself time to subtly observe his physique a lot more. Freckles dotted under his eyes like a constellation, bushy eyebrows, pink cheeks to match his pale complexion, and wearing a fuzzy knit sweater that meshed well with his green beret. He had some sort of necklace too; there was a heart pendant.

“Vous êtes une artiste.” (You’re an artist.) The small wooden palette of paint beside your small sketch pad was exposed, finding it as a great icebreaker.

“Une peintre, spécifiquement. Franchement, les visuels ici sont trés captivants qu'à Paris.” (A painter, to be specific. Frankly, the visuals here are more captivating than in Paris.)

“Je suis d’accord,” (I agree,) Jaehyun leaned against his chair, taking a better look at you with the remaining light from the descending sun.

“Oh, vous êtes comme moi. J��habite à Paris aussi.” (Oh, you’re like me. I live in Paris too.)

“Bon, je suis née à Londres. Puis, j’ai déménagé où je voulais en Europe depuis j'avais 18 ans. Mais oui, j’habite définitivement à Paris maintenant.” (Well, I was born in London then moved wherever I wanted in Europe for inspiration since I was 18. But yes, I live permanently in Paris now.)

You clarified, beginning to enjoy his comforting company. Initiating conversations with people you’re not acquainted with wasn’t in your range of skills, though he didn’t have an intimidating vibe. He looked too youthful to act like that.

“Je m’appelle (Y/N), d'ailleurs.” (I’m (Y/N), by the way.) You stuck out your hand as a sign of respect, which he enthusiastically obliged.

“Salut, (Y/N). Je m’appelle Jaehyun.” [Hi, (Y/N). I’m Jaehyun.]

He kissed it in a gentleman fashion, applying the manners he’s been taught since he was a child. Should you have been flustered, but no.  It’s been a long time since anyone greeted you like that, specifically back home.

Throughout your talk, you learned more about who he was, his job, and what his life in the countryside is like. He was an author of romance novels, yet you’ve never heard about him prior. Heavily prioritizing your work, you don’t keep up with the new releases or trends at all. Though after mentioning his last name, it piqued your interest.

“Jeong? As in the business, Jeong Tea Inc.?”

“Correct.”

His family was one of the most affluent families in Parisian society. Old money immigrants from South Korea, they brought their tea business to France and it boomed successfully. You’re quite sure you’ve seen his parents in past exhibits, but never did you approach them because you were a rookie then. But he reassured you that it was fine, and to just treat him like you’d treat your friends. Plus, it came to your knowledge that he was the same age as you too.

He opened up how this village was where he lived his childhood, so he asked his parents if he could hand over their mansion for a while for rest. It then shocked both of you at how identical your reasons were for staying in the countryside.

“I’m burnt out from the city, so I’m trying to regain my spirit here hopefully. Besides, I needed a change of scenery after living there for 3 years. My longest stay yet outside of London!”

“I need new ideas for my books. The cities don’t charm me anymore, so I returned here for peace and quiet. Maybe let these ideas come to me rather than me going after them.”

From a bigger lens, people would conclude your interaction as a sight of two artists who passionately talk about their art. But to you, you’d interpret it as two relaxed, young adults in their twenties who simply wanted to run away from the pressures of their art and enjoy the summer as every young adult should.

Not cooped up in the studio or office, but innocently waltzing around with your youth while it’s still there.

début de juillet 1957

“Dépêche-toi, (Y/N)!” [Hurry up, (Y/N)!]

Jaehyun yelled at your open balcony from downstairs, parking his mini car beside your bike. He planned on taking you somewhere a little farther this time; to absolutely feel like one of the locals.

The countryside urged you to wear more dresses and flat shoes, so you took out a turquoise dress with a white scarf to wrap on top of your head. Like your relaxed fit, your mindset too was calm. Upon meeting him, he wore his round spectacles with a red knit sweater over a white turtleneck long-sleeved top. His fingers were adorned with silver rings, then around his neck was a thin black ribbon. He curled some of his hair again, a style you really liked of his.

You can’t lie, but this man could pull any trend or style and still look extra pretty.

Out of all the locals you’ve befriended in your stay, Jaehyun was always your companion. He took you to varying places that those locals don’t visit nor tourists acknowledge in their reviews for the past few weeks. For someone who hasn’t been in the village for a long time, his memory didn’t disappoint. His childhood was only filled with cheerful moments.

Today, he was taking you to a peaceful district of shops in the farther part of the village. It’s where he’d buy sweets, journals, and accessories with his mother, Krystal, and one of his housemaids every other weekend.

All the stores there were currently bombarded with blooming flowers along their alley, bringing more enticement to those who were roaming around. There was so much life here; the head waiter of one restaurant smiling at every passing customer, one florist handing a free flower to anyone who asks, and a young lady showcasing her jewelry collection to a bunch of women who looked like tourists.

“Cette librairie vendent des livres enveloppés dans du papier. Ma mère m'a offerte l'un d'eux pour mon anniversaire tous les ans comme une surprise.” (This bookstore sells books wrapped in paper. My mother gifted me one of them on my birthday every year as a surprise.)

He trained his attention at a rustic shop with open wooden windows giving a glimpse of their shelves.

“Avez-vous fini les lisant?” (Have you finished reading them?)

“Du début à la fin.” (From cover to cover.)

He took you to this rooftop restaurant overlooking the entire plaza. Since he didn’t arrange a reservation yet didn’t get rejected, he must know the owner. Especially how a lot of the staff gave casual hellos and high fives.

Speaking of the owner, he walked out of his kitchen to introduce himself to you. He went by the name Moon Taeil, another one of Jaehyun’s childhood friends whom he used to play at his house whenever his parents came along.

Gobbling up in the appetizing food Taeil prepared beforehand, Jaehyun brought up your painting exhibition again. He loved hearing artists talk about their works, wanting to know more about their driven mindset and what their imagination is like. After all, it does vary for everyone.

“So far,” You poked your fork through the chicken, taking a bite of it. “I’ve produced 3 paintings. The garden of flowers outside Café des Étoiles Perdues, the kids playing hopscotch in the alley, and the peach tree outside your house.”

“Woah, you’re on a roll.” Jaehyun clapped across you, pouring you another glass of water. He recalled the nights you ranted not having any clue what to do for the exhibit. Then after taking you to more places, he’s rewarded to see you be creatively active again. “How many artworks do you left to make?”

“Around 3-4 left. I have ideas already, but I’m still brainstorming.” You internally rejoiced, loving how much progress you’ve made. “How about you, Jaehyun? How’s your progress?”

Unlike you, Jaehyun still felt stuck. Although he did find couples around the village, none of them intrigued him as much as his past stories. But he won’t give up easily; that’s not in his work ethic.

“Still searching, but I’ll get there.”

Recently, you got ahold of some of Jaehyun’s books from him personally since they weren’t sold in the village. You wanted to understand how he became so well known outside the labels people put him under. Reading his first novel entitled “Des Papillons” (Butterflies), it was about a couple separated during World War II without contact or knowledge about their well-being. Yet whenever they saw butterflies on the day they parted, they took it as a sign that the other was alive wherever they were.

You’re always hanging on the cliff when the scenes revert back and forth to the main male lead getting stuck in intense war scenarios, rooting for him to get out alive each time. In the end, it took 7 years before they were reunited and wed.

Jaehyun had a wonderful way with his words and descriptions, managing to enwrap you in as if you’re also a character in the book. Like how you rooted for that male lead, you’re rooting for him to find his spark again.

Following this uplifting conversation, Jaehyun finally took to your greatly anticipated spot. It was the main viewpoint of Gordes, one of the most beautiful hilltop villages in the country. The sunset was about to hit, and the lights from the city across you slowly turned on like a bunch of dominos.

As you marveled at its aesthetics, Jaehyun leaned against the hood of his car. He sensed how in awe you were, more than you ever were in the city he assumed. So used to the city that being surrounded with nature became foreign to you.

He took out his polaroid camera from his trunk and captured a photo of you from behind. The shutter sounds were obvious, turning your back at the commotion. Jaehyun fanned the freshly printed photo to dry, giving a mischievous smile.

“What can I say? While you’re fawning over the view, mine was more enamoring.”

Although Jaehyun felt overwhelmed the first time he locked eyes with you, he can’t resist the power of his developing feelings for you. The more time he took you around, the more his heart found different details about you to admire. After listening to all those love stories in the past, the people he spoke to shared how there will be some distinct moment where your heart decides who they’re longing for.

That exact view of you by the cliff, he already knew.

He’s infatuated by you.

“Tu es très ringard, Jaehyun.” (You’re so cheesy, Jaehyun.) You scoffed sassily, with a hand on your waist.

“Un gentleman ne ment jamais, (Y/N). Allez, il fait nuit maintenant.” [A gentleman never lies, (Y/N). Come on, it’s night already.]

He cleverly responded, grabbing his car keys from his pocket. The trip back to the village was energizing, putting down the roof of his car to relish the chill breeze of the night weather. You even raised your arms in the air, losing your scarf even from the speed Jaehyun went at!

The two of you belted along to the songs on the radio when the fields were the only ones surrounding you, no neighbors to shout at your rambunctiousness.

The late-night hours drew by so quickly almost like dinner with more of Jaehyun’s friends didn’t happen. Arriving at the front doors of your apartment complex, Jaehyun raced over to your side to open your door. Always maintained proper observation of manners, you appreciated that side of him. Rarely anyone in Paris that you’ve encountered treated you that way because you were a foreigner.

“Bonsoir, (Y/N).” [Goodnight, (Y/N).]

“Bonsoir, Jaehyun. Quand est-ce que je te revois?” (Goodnight, Jaehyun. When can I see you again?)

“Demain et après-demain. Appelle-moi quand tu es libre.” (Tomorrow, and the day after that. Just give me a call when you’re free.)

With a short wave, you entered your building and marched up to the stairs. A good day only meant being tired to the core, ready to crash and fall in your soft bed. Opening your wide windows to let more of the cool breeze in, your eyes easily caught Jaehyun’s classy car still there. As for the owner, he didn’t move an inch from his leaning position.

“Rentre à la maison, Jaehyun! C’est tard!” (Go home, Jaehyun! It’s late!) You shrieked, peeking side to side to make sure none of the neighbors scold you.

Jaehyun laughed wholeheartedly, not budging at all. “La nuit ne fait que commencer, ma chérie.” (The night has just begun, my darling.)

“Comment tu m'as appelé?” (What did you call me?)

Either your ears were fooling you or he addressed you by a divine pet name. The gasp you swallowed, as your entire body tingled with exhilaration. Your mind would simply disregard it like his former teasing words, but your heart begged to differ.

Rather than responding with words, Jaehyun’s voice serenaded you with a wondrous song, C’est Si Bon by Eartha Kitt, that played on the radio earlier. Out of the blue, a random guitar accompaniment followed his baritone vocals.

“En voyant notre mine ravie,”

Against the railing of your wired balcony, your body shifted forward to watch him better.

“Les passants dans la rue, nous envient,”

Your hand perched on your cheek, admiring his talent.

“C'est si bon de guetter dans ses yeux,”

It was like a lullaby, and here you were drowning in its peacefulness. Sensing the passion he gives off in his singing, your heart couldn’t refrain the strings inside from being swayed and tugged.

This was your moment of realization: that you too were smitten.

“Un espoir merveilleux, qui donne le frisson…”

À la mi-juillet de 1957

“Hello, nature!” You greeted brightly as your legs raced the huge garden in his manor. It was the first time he invited you over, too lazy to go out of the city. His social battery needed a recharge for the weekend, so a picnic within his home would do the trick. Additionally, it was an excuse to bring you over after the numerous times you’ve begged him to.

Jaehyun merely shook his head, enjoying the rush of childlike fun in your veins while you squealed and grazed your hands through the flowers.

He carried a wooden basket full of treats his family maids cooked, taking his time to venture through the rows of flowers. They were growing healthily and phenomenally these days, sometimes riding his bike to personally water them since he became busy with writing again. Lately, he found inspiration again, and so he wrote day and night to set them free.

“Voila!” You yanked out a sunflower, sniffing it a little. “Come on, Jaehyun! Pick up a few for our lunch!”

He followed your order, picking out some he found ideal. But just for fun, he put down the basket and carried you from behind out of the blue. You tried kicking him away, but his muscular arms can’t compete with your soft ones.

“What are you doing?”

“You said to pick up a flower, so I did. The prettiest of them all.”

His flirtatious words were never serious, yet you took it as a compliment. That’s how high your confidence is. Only we define our own worth, not others. The two of you chatted more about your lives until the first rain of the season poured down, chilling down from the raging heat. None of you had an umbrella; the weather was too unpredictable.

Deciding to just run for it, he gave you the wooden basket to protect yourself whilst he used the blanket you’ve sat on. Running with laughter to return to his mansion in the muddy dirt, the cool drops shivered your figure yet felt fantastic.

If you were in the city, you’d panic because it’d mess your appearance and your boss would be infuriated by your unprofessionalism. But in the countryside, it didn’t matter at all. The condition of the rain wasn’t budging to improve, getting stronger by the minute. His entire house even lost power, his housemaids having to bring candles to his bedroom and your assigned one once night dawned.

It was hopeless to return home for you, plus it’s dangerous to drive in in the dark, narrow streets too. Jaehyun handed you some of his fresh clothes so you’d be free from flinching from cold dress sticking to your body.

“Get dressed and some sleep, (Y/N).”

Nodding, you excused yourself to find the bathroom. You’d assume it’d be easy, but this was your first time in his house; a mansion even. Doors from left to right, long corridors that seemed never-ending, no maids were within the vicinity whom you can ask for guidance.

Resorting to return to Jaehyun’s chamber for help, you were taken aback by what your eyes laid on. In front of his full mirror, he discarded his now-dried shirt. Even with the dim lighting, you could make out that he was fit by the transparent view of his abdomen. Peeping like this was wrong, yet you couldn’t turn away just yet. The heat in your cheeks was inevitable, finding composure in such an unholy sight.

Though a gear in you suddenly twisted; a gear that straightened your nerves. You’re taking a bold move on the chessboard of your feelings. Wholly opening his bedroom door again, you leisurely sauntered inside without warning.

“Oh, (Y/N)! Ne peux pas trouver la salle de bain?” (Oh, (Y/N)! Can’t find the bathroom?)

Unbothered as he stood shirtless, you on the other hand silently dropped his clothes on the floor. Holding intense eye contact, your fingers graciously unzipped the side of your dress. Inch by inch, the tension built up like the strong tiny flames lit on the candles around you two. Joining the pile of clothes, all that remained were your white lace undergarments. Unplanned for the get-go, it’s the ideal set for your earlier outfit at the picnic.

“Je me suis perdue, mais je pense avoir trouvé quelque chose de mieux.” (I got lost, but I think I found something better.)

Your fingers grazed your arm up to your collarbones, faking your naivety. From your lust-filled stare, the glint in Jaehyun’s eyes darkened. He gulped at the revealing sight of you, brushing his hair back to restrain himself.

None of you could utter a single word, only the vivacious rain being the only sounds ringing around you. Thus, you allowed your actions to pursue precisely what you desired to do.

Taking baby steps towards him to test the waters, he met you right in the center and closed the leftover space. His hands cradled your face, whilst yours clung to his chest. His lips tasted like red wine, watching him pour in a glass for himself earlier. He did offer, yet you declined.

Your tongue darted his lower lip, gaining access after. Sensing the edge of his bed, you plopped yourself down the cushion. His knee urged your legs to widen, letting his body slide in. From your face, his fingers lowered to the back of your bra, snapping the clasps open.

“It takes skill to accomplish that in one try, Jaehyun.”

“I lived in Paris too, ma chérie. You out of all people would understand and have the experience.”

His palms massaged your freed breasts, throwing your head back even more to his pillows as his lips ravaged down from your stomach until the fabric of your not-so pure panties.

“Call me that again, please.”

“Ma chérie, seras-tu mienne?” (My darling, will you be mine?) He kissed and licked the tiny ribbon in front repeatedly, where your now-swollen clit laid. It electrified your bones, pulling on to his ruffled hair.

“Tu peux m'avoir.” (You can have me.)

Sex in the form of one-night stands were all you’ve invested; upcoming artists like you weren’t capable to maintain long-term relationships. Les plans à trois even if you’re extra freaky or drunk from the afterparties of your events. All that these occurrences had in common were not seeing those men ever again after sneaking out of their apartments in the morning.

This time, it’s different.

When they said that doing the deed with someone you’re romantically entangled with was more special, they didn’t bluff. You could plan bits of your life, but it can sometimes change aspects of it when you least expect it. Sometimes for the best or the worst, but right now, it went beyond your expectations.

It’s rewarding that the man you’ve slowly fallen for within your stay returned your affections.

Around late 3 am that night, your brain jolted with artistic ideas that awoken your sonorous rest. There are no hopes of sleeping them off because they tend to bother you for hours until you do something about it. But you’re already so cozy having Jaehyun’s arms around you, skin to skin under the duvet. His lips daunted right above your forehead, recalling his endless kisses there that helped you fall asleep.

Well, these ideas don’t work themselves unless you do. Untangling him tactfully, you stepped out of the blanket and wore one of his long white shirts he gave you earlier before pulling out your sketchpad and palette of oil paints.

Luckily, there was still one available candle to use as the rest have melted indefinitely. You slid the matchstick again to the sand surface, boring a flame from the friction which you placed on top of the wick.

All your ideas that night leaned towards one thing, or person rather: Jaehyun.

You spent a few minutes retracing how he vividly looked at the picnic, leaning back from the chair of his work desk. His outfit of a turquoise turtleneck underneath a white button-top with trousers matching the said turtleneck looked good together, how his ears tingled red after you complimented his newfound inspiration for his book, and the prominent veins in his arms when he rolled his sleeves due to the heat.

The thin brush you held defined the shape of his face, then paying attention to the messy strands of his hair. Stroking in a circular way to outline his eyelids, a hoarse grunt disturbed the peaceful silence.

“Get back in bed, ma chérie.” His eyes drowsily opened, lying on his side. The moment he no longer felt your warmth, he worried something happened. Instead, you’re working late at night after quite a rough yet romantic night.

“Shush,” You shunned him down with your index finger. “Give me a few more minutes.”

“Perhaps, are you painting me?” He hunched from the covers. “Your eyes looking back and forth would never lie to me, would they?”

“Maybe…” You teased, batting your eyes at him without any risky intentions. Or not?

He deeply chuckled, sluggishly removing himself under the covers. In his pure nudity, he advanced himself towards you. You shrieked, covering yourself with your free hand.

“Jaehyun, stay back! I told you I’ll be there soon!”

Not listening, he carried your bridal style, making you drop your precious palette to the fur rug. Laying you carefully, he popped each button open. By the sight of his cock hardening again, you knew you were in for another round with him.

“Wet again, ma chérie? Oh, this will be fun.”

Fin de juillet 1957

So this kind of summer romance concept that everyone fantasized about… it became your present.

Together you’d stroll in the smaller streets and immerse yourselves in the unique culture of the village. Whenever anyone saw you together, holding hands, biking, or what-not, they’d praise in the name of love for bringing you both together. A romance like yours in the countryside was a lively sight.

Remember how extensions were a possibility if your search for inspiration wasn’t found? Well, it’s not a question that you’d make one, except inspiration found you instead. And he had one arm around you as he slow danced with you in the open grounds of the village, listening to the live band covering song classics.

In particular, Chet Baker. He was Jaehyun’s favorite artist at the moment.

There was an ongoing week-long festival dedicated to summer, giving more plants their bloom and spreading gratitude to the hardworking people. Especially the students, off on their break.

The faint radiance from the post lights as Jaehyun swayed you around, making you laugh as he tried to mumble the lyrics of the song. All those glasses of wine he tried earlier with you from the bartender offering it for free had its effects, and you weren’t off the hook from them either.

Blisters started to form from your ankles, adjusting to the new pair of heels Jaehyun gave (or insisted to buy) you a while ago after staring at them like lasers. You’ve always provided things for yourself that being spoiled by someone else felt weird to you.

“If there’s anything you want me to buy for you, just tell me.”

“How can I buy you if you’re already mine?”

His smooth talk often made you punch his shoulder, but it’s just a mechanism to hide the exhilaration.

Under each other’s spells in your dance, you laid your head on Jaehyun’s chest. Feeling the strong beat of his heart, you were reminded of how much life he’s filled with. And you became a part of it, in the same way he crossed yours.

Jaehyun’s lips sank to the top of your head, pecking it affectionately. The first-ever summer where he wasn’t stuck at his desk working or drinking his life away with his rich friends in their Parisian homes, it couldn’t get better than this.

“Oiii! Flirtez ailleurs!” (Oiii! Flirt somewhere else!) The distinct voice of Jaemin, handing out pastries to passersby, shouted at the both of you, making you flip your middle finger at him.

“Trouve une copine d’abord, d’accord?!” (Find a girlfriend first, alright?!) You shouted back jokingly, almost falling due to the ache of your feet. Your immodest behavior was censored by Jaehyun’s large palms, not wanting the kids around to see it. Whispering closely to your ear,

“Tu es ivre. Laisse-moi te ramener chez toi.” (You’re drunk. Let me take you home.)

You changed back into your sandals as Jaehyun led you through the different alleys. Your vision was too hazy to navigate, so he had one arm wrapped around your shoulders. The weather grew cold too, shivering your bones so he draped you in his blazer.

“Wait,” You stopped, making him do the same. But before he could ask for your reason, your hands yanked him by his suspenders and your legs walked backward to reach the brick wall. Standing in his 5’11 glory, you were overpowered.

Yet your lips captured his effortlessly, raising to your toes to press yourself closer to him. He moved fast, one arm hugging your waist while the other hoisted your leg up. Tangling around his waist, the urge to move your hips against his crotch couldn’t be contained any longer.

Everyone was probably still out at this time or sleeping. The sloppy sounds you’ve produced were beyond suitable for any audience. Not to mention, the nasty words Jaehyun’s pretty mouth spoke in your ears desired you to fall to your knees.

“Not afraid of getting caught, ma chérie? You want me to ruin you right here, right now?”

“God, Jaehyun,” Your hands tugged his belt forward, the friction it gave to your core twitched the naughty side out of you. “Do it, please.”

The idea of public sex thrilled your mind into overdrive, yet you’ve never done it. In Paris, a city where several people started to know your name, you didn’t need a scandal to be plastered in your resume yet.

Jaehyun himself included, and still opted not to give it to you.

“Another time, ma chérie. Your apartment, now.”

The moment you unlocked your apartment door, Jaehyun was far from gentle like in the mansion. Ripping you out of your frilly dress didn’t take long, so was unbuttoning his trousers down to the floor.

On your knees, his hand gave you a makeshift ponytail as your tongue flicked the slit of his cock. Then slowly taking him inch by inch on your mouth, you’d let out a loud pop when you needed to breathe. Your hands fondling his balls, he groaned from the edge of your bed and tightened his hold on you. Tears formulated in your eyes as you got to swallow him whole, uncontrollably bobbing your head.

He felt like putty when he released, your throat taking the salty base. You hastily unhooked your bra in front of him when suddenly, his hand flicked on the fabric of your panties, cueing you to stop your motion.

“Keep them on when you ride me.”

Straddling on his lap, his head laid against the headboard of his bed. His arms roaming around your back to stabilize you, your fingers pushed your panties to the side as you pushed yourself down his protected length. Your moans became shaky. Up and down, you bounced while bracing on his shoulders.

Against his ear, your moans were harmonious. His hips moved against your beat, hitting your g-spot like the sexual ace he is. His thumb rubbing your clit, you shuttered your eyes at the impending high approaching you like a bus.

“I’m close.” You choked out, the overstimulation overwhelming your nerves.

“Fuck, me too.” He grunted, slapping your butt that made you shriek.

Soon enough, everything hit you both all at once. The knot snapped, and so did your body falling on his chest after a single scream. Panting, Jaehyun pecked on your temple as his cock softened up. Once you returned to your senses, you lifted yourself from his length, laying bare beside him.

His eyes started to fall, but before they did, he muttered huskily. “Je t’aime, (Y/N).”

It was the first time he’s said those words in the way they meant, and he’s more than certain that it’s what he felt with you. Sure, it started as mutual infatuation, but now, it can’t leave. Not on his watch.

Love was a concept unfamiliar to you, but Jaehyun slowly taught you what it was and how it felt like. Books and films may give sneak peeks, but to personally give and receive it back was made possible by him.

From this moment on, you could conclude that yes, you reciprocated it.

“Je t’aime aussi, Jaehyun.”

16 octobre 1957

Autumn made its way to the countryside.

The leaves switched into red-brown shades, the weather in the south was warmer, and the wine harvest was highly anticipated. Jaehyun’s camera was a common item in your outings, taking as many photos as he could so the two of you had something to look back on.

Planned and candid, his range was wide. These were moments that proved that your youth was as happy as you wished it to be. You wouldn’t trade it for anything else.

Painting in his mansion was a regular thing, having new canvases prepared at his patio. There were so many items that amused you there like you could base your entire collection on his home. It’s not like Jaehyun could argue; it meant more time with you whenever you came over.

“Jaehyun, if you smudge paint on me, so help me Go-” He refused to listen to your “threats”, smearing black paint on your cheek.

“You were saying?” He cockily pestered, showcasing his paint-filled fingers. You dipped one of your brushes into the new paint and chased after him without hesitation. The entire evening became a paint war, a laugh fit even after seeing your reflections in the mirror. But before you could clean yourself, Jaehyun’s camera was by your face and he pressed the button.

“Still breathtaking.”

But the middle of the season arrived, that’s where your planned extension you’ve reached its end. The exhibit was next month, getting calls from your boss regarding your return and the paintings you’ll present. You informed her that you already had them mailed to your studio way back, so there’s nothing much to worry about.

All your bags were packed in the private car Jaehyun rented. Here, you’re bidding your goodbyes to every friend you’ve made outside the doors of your apartment complex, saving your last words with Jaehyun.

The night before, he stayed over and helped you pack your last items in luggage bags. He even brought extra clothes for you so you wouldn’t work extra. You’ve talked it out the whole evening through what happens next to ease your worries. In your bed, he opened the wide windows and pulled you under the sheets.

“Write to me.”

“Call me when you’re free, or whenever you feel like it.”

Leaning against the railing of the stairs, watched the sorrow in your face over this parting. He sensed how bittersweet everything was, but he wouldn’t change anything about it. He’s positive that your story won’t end here, not right now.

Sauntering to him, you sighed whilst taking your bag he held the whole time from him. His touch was tighter as the two of you hugged tenderly, nuzzling his head on your shoulder. The scent of his citrus cologne that implanted in your brain felt comforting, despite the uncertainty of everything between you.

You hinted a minty taste from the menthol candies from his home as his lips brushed yours, colliding it timely. He waited when everyone left, relishing these last seconds.

Stepping inside the vehicle, you waved your summer love farewell one more time before the driver hit the pedal. Your eyes couldn’t stray away from looking back, the distance between him and your former apartment widening. Only when he was no longer in the frame, you shifted your focus back in front.

Your fingers fiddled with the charm bracelet he gifted you from the market. It was custom-made by a jeweler who was great friends with his mother in his younger years. There were two pendants chained on it: a paintbrush and the sun.

“A paintbrush to remind you of your passion, and the sun to remind you of the summer we first met.”

The man was like one of his romance books, in human form. He knew how to catch your breath effortlessly.

Your stay, for now, may have concluded, but there was always next summer. And the ones after that. The village felt like a second home, one you can’t neglect like the other places you’ve lived. Then having Jaehyun here, the more reasons to return.

Undoubtedly the best vacation you’ve ever been in your adult years, one that didn’t sacrifice for your art so you could compete with other artists. The weight on your chest poofed into thin air, and you felt ready for what the next steps as a painter were.

Appreciating the greenery you passed by, you peeked over the side mirror of the car only to find Jaehyun quickly biking in your direction.

Now, what was he up to?

You instantly requested the driver to slow down his pace, rolling down the window of the car. Not caring about the strong winds, “You fool, what are you doing?!”

Although he trusted your last words, he had the greed to see your face again. It would be a long time until he’ll see you in person again. So he pedaled as fast he could to still reach you. Oh, the things you do when you’re in love.

“Mon cœur bat la chamade pour toi, (Y/N)!” [My heart beats loudly for you, (Y/N)!]

You giggled at his silliness, throwing out flying kisses.

“Je reviendrai bientôt, Jaehyun!” (I’ll come back soon, Jaehyun!)

21 octobre 1957

Only your friends at the studio gave you a warm welcome back, receiving comments like “get back to work” from your first encounter with your boss. Popping a champagne glass open after work hours on the rooftop of your studio, they interrogated you with all the questions they could think of.

“So this village in Provence…. was it beautiful as the tourists said?” Ten, who moved from his home in Thailand to Paris at a young age, expressed his curiosity whilst leaning against the railing overlooking the Eiffel Tower.

“Beautiful is an understatement, Ten. I miss it dearly!” You heaved a sigh, twirling your glass.

“So this inspiration you were looking for…” Amélie, your dear friend since your university days, created some tension as she prolonged her last word. Playfulness twinkled in her eyes, crossing her legs. “Was a person involved by any chance?”

For a moment, your throat almost gagged on the sizzling alcohol going down.

“What do you mean?” You acted clueless, pouring your now empty glass with more booze. But the moment Ten gave you the troublesome look coordinating with Amélie, you already knew you wouldn’t hear the end of it. These two were such gossips in and out of the studio.

Ten took the seat across you on the table and leaked all his pent-up information.

“So you know Seo Youngho, the only son of the Seo family. Rich, socialite, a total hotshot… yeah, all that jazz.” He dived in, seeing you nod over knowing that man. Someone in the past you’ve slept with, but that’s another story. “Well, Amelie and I attended one of his parties at his large penthouse. He had his usual crowd there; Kim Doyoung, Lee Taeyong, Nakamoto Yuta, and Lee Minhyung. But fun fact: there’s another member in that friend group who doesn’t go to these kinds of events.”

“Here’s where it gets interesting,” Amélie excitedly took off like the pipelette (chatterbox) she is. “Youngho, who was talking to us for a bit, asked where you’ve run off. Poor him, he must’ve missed you in his bed but anyway! We told him that you went down south somewhere in Provence for a break. Oddly enough, he mentioned how the mentioned member moved back there for the same reason.”

Ten and Amélie gave each other another frisky look, merely to piss you off. So predictable of them.

“Get to the point please!” You screeched.

“Jeong Jaehyun, ever heard of him?” Amélie imitated your tone of voice. “I mean, you should since you made a whole painting of him.”

“H-How,” Speechless, that’s what you were. Ten went on a fit of giggles, signaling the build-up of his intoxication.

“Youngho visited the studio to find a specific painting for his home, and we helped him in choosing. Then when your deliveries of paintings arrived that day and were unwrapped, the look on his face when he saw Jaehyun’s painting was priceless. Things started to add up, especially when he told us that he called up Jaehyun prior, he said that Jaehyun was seeing a girl during his stay there.”

“A young, burnt-out painter from Paris, to be specific.”

They’ve put you on the edge of the cliff, and it was too close to call it a coincidence. Of all things to be revealed, this had to be the first.

“Well, I was waiting for another time to tell you guys about him though.”

Their gasps of joy could give you guys a noise complaint by the neighbors, telling all about your escapades of him and you. During it, the more you missed seeing him daily either on his bike or his car. It was stuck in your routine, but now it’s reverted to your old one.

Could the next summer come any faster?

14 février 1958

Perhaps your newest collection at the Louvre was your most successful one yet.

Entitled “Inspirez, Expirez” (Breathe In, Breathe Out), your sceneries during your stay in the village varied. An old couple slow dancing under the night sky, and the quiet district of shops Jaehyun took you, those were some of your last additions.

A multitude of positive reviews on the newspapers and art magazines came in, commending on taking on a fresher, brighter outlook for a change whilst finding your spark again. As fulfilling it was, what you longed the most was the one responsible for it.

Lately, it’s been tough to contact him. His maids always answered the calls, informing you that he was busy with work or family matters. It’s so rare for him to act like this. Whatever it was, it wasn’t grand or serious hopefully.

Back to your collection, tonight was the last night of it. Just in time for Valentine’s day, where numerous socialite lovers embarked on this event, but you’re more fixated that it was also Jaehyun’s birthday. A boy full of love born on the day dedicated for it, things made more sense. In case, you’ve sent your birthday wishes to him through letter and passing the message to one of his maids. Even on his special day, he hasn’t reached out to you.

But to momentarily forget about that, there was a closing ceremony held for this exhibit with the other artists involved, and it was your turn to give your final remarks. More esteemed socialites and journalists were present, which didn’t halt your nerves the slightest. You were a professional after all, holding pride in your craft as you stood in front of the microphone wearing your new favorite custom-made gown.

There are perks when you have close friends in the fashion industry, specifically Kim “Key” Kibum from the House of Key. After defending him from a disrespectful client when you were picking up a dress for your boss during your internship years, not only did you earn his respect, but an invite to his shows and first claiming of new items from his collections. Dining in expensive restaurants in the metro was a plus, catching up on your lives. Sometimes calling each other out for your sexcapades too.

Speaking of him, he was in the crowd that night, ordering every photographer to take photos of your gorgeous self in one of his dresses. Or in your opinion, bribing some by how he stuffed a few thick stacks of Euro bills down their pockets.

Only one of it ever made. A dark green satin v-neck off-the-shoulder gown, where diamonds adorned your neck and ears and white stilettos kept your perfect balance. Also courtesy of Key.

Because it’s the winter season, he gifted you a limited edition white fur coat every socialite tried getting their hands on. Your hair was styled in a bun, emphasizing your dark tinted lips from this new lipstick Amelie insisted you buy.

Most people would get the first impression that you were one of the socialites, a child from one of the affluent families even. But you were a lot more remarkable than that, having inborn talent in the arts that you specialized over your youth and rising to the top without any parental help.

“Thank you to everyone for their endless support towards the magnificent collections of each artist present. As for mine, I am grateful to rechannel my creative side by taking a break. Rather than romanticizing overworking our bones to the core, there’s nothing wrong with taking a step back from the pressure. Being alive is a blessing, realizing further how our youth won’t stay with us forever. Being away from the boisterous cities, I found relaxation in the countryside of Provence.”

Your lips quirked into a grin as every single memory during that time reeled in your head like a movie. “The beauty of Provence cannot be simply put in words. The muses I’ve encountered were more than lovely, especially the man behind the Poetic Rose. With that, I sincerely thank everyone from my bottom of my heart and I hope to continue to support me in the years to come.”

The applause roared once you stepped down the platform, shaking hands with every esteemed guest with more gratitude as they praised you. These days, socializing with them was a lot easier. You’ve even taken more initiative to greet people first before they do, conversing with them easily about anything.

Key definitely noticed that as you toured him around your section, holding his nth glass of wine for the night.

“You, Madame (Y/N), transformed into a social butterfly.” He nudged your shoulder, smirking once he got a better view of his favorite painting from you. “I guess that’s the thing when you’re in love.”

“I beg your pardon?”

With this free hand, he motioned it up and down at the painting in front of you. “The Poetic Rose is none other than the youngest son of the Jeong family, whom I’ve met through his older sister, Krystal.”

“Am I really the only one who doesn’t know him?!” You stressed, jokingly. Key was elated to capture you in his trap, the changes of your personality too evident in his eyes. Figuring it out that it was love took a while, but being acquainted with Krystal, she’s the one who told him that her younger brother was in love with a painter in Provence. Do the math.

“I’ve met him through his older sister, one of my highly favored clients. He’s not much of a socialite like her, so I don’t really blame you for that.”

Searching for a waiter to refill your wine glasses, a surprise emerged the both of you.

“Madame Krystal, you’re absolutely stunning.”  Key complimented her, giving the engaged heiress of Jeong Tea Inc. kisses on the cheek as respect. Her recent engagement to Kim Donghyun, her childhood sweetheart and also the heir of Kim Couture, was the talk of the town.

They arrived at the event together, drawing the attention of everyone in the room earlier. Now, he was speaking to a few influential socialites he made a deal with this week about the art collections present.

“Key, you never fail to look fantastic,” She remarked positively, poking his necktie before placing her undivided attention on you. “So you must be (Y/N) (Y/L/N). You’re beyond bewildering in that gown.”

“Flattered to hear that, Madame Krystal. Such a pleasure to meet you.”

The three of you chatted as if you were the only people there. From art, passion, and love, pride filled in your chest when you toured your collection. It was like walking down memory lane for her, adding out how she used to climb the peach tree with her younger brother during their childhood. Once her eyes laid on Poetic Rose, she took her time admiring it.

“My younger brother grew up well. That’s all I could ever hope for as his only older sister.” She paused, noticing how silent you became when you stared at the painting along with her. She observed the passion lit in your eyes, yet there was longing behind it by the way your lips pouted briefly. “You must really love him, do you?”

“I do, truly. After meeting him, not only was I boosted with so much ideas, but my heart embraced him for what and who he is in this universe.” You professed confidently, earning an approving smile from Krystal.

“If that’s how you feel, why not tell him that yourself?”

Her fingers gestured you to turn around. Stood in a grey suit with his brown hair slicked back, it was like seeing a completely new person. A handsome one though. His fashion in the countryside heavily differed from his fashion in the cities. So sophisticated and refined, he looked like a prince straight out of a fairytale.

Your fairytale.

“Jaehyun.”

It’s like everything stopped once he sprinted towards you, pulling you off your feet for a snug hug. Your arms threw themselves on his neck by instinct, not wasting a single second in his grasp. Your nose inhaled the woody scent of his cologne, something more formal than his usual fruity scent.

The smell of aftershave in his jaw couldn’t go ignored either, assuming that he must have had plans to go out tonight. Nonetheless, you squealed as if you were back in Provence, giggling at his boldness. Once he put you down, neither of you could get your hands off each other.

“What are you doing here? You didn’t tell me you’d be in Paris!” Clutching your waist, you gazed at him with doe-like eyes, instilling confusion.

“J’ai voulu te surprendre, my chérie.” (I wanted to surprise you, my darling.)

He chuckled, pushing some straying strands of your hair behind your ear. His eyes evoked so much endearment towards this elegant look you prepared, making his heart race as if he were in the gardens of his manor again.

Hearing his petname for you again attacked your heart every time no matter how much time passed, he lifted your chin high. Jaehyun urged himself to kiss you senseless right there, leaning lower. And yes, you anticipated it by how your eyes instantly closed.

Only if it weren’t for Krystal to clear her throat, obviously ruining the mood. Flinching away from your sensual lover, you rubbed the nape of your neck. Towards an heiress like her, it must’ve been unprofessional.

“Couldn’t you at least wait until I left, younger brother?” Her fingers flicked Jaehyun’s forehead, a teasing trick they used to do as kids. Even if she was a lot shorter now, it didn’t mean the impact was weak. He cursed under his breath, covering his forehead.

Stifling your laughter was a failure, crinkling your eyes to unleash your emotions. So this is what their sibling dynamic was like?

“Now excuse me, older sister. You didn’t tell me you were visiting the exhibit after my birthday dinner with our parents?” He crossed his arms, exchanging a judgmental look. For his sake, he wanted to maintain his pride. “All you said after dinner was that you were going straight home with your fiancé after all the alcohol mother gave you because it made you lightheaded.”

“Well, you know Key and his persuasiveness. He insisted I attend this event last minute because all the collections were amazing.” She explained, shedding a subtle glance at you. “Plus, it’s an excuse to finally meet this lovely girl you raved so much through your letters.”

Jaehyun kept his family life private, so this piece of information was new to you. The unpredicted way the fluttering feeling drew in your stomach, all you could do was smile from the flattery.

“He spoke about me to you?”

“More than speak, my dear. He practically professed his love for you, asking me advice on how to court a girl, make them smile, etcetera. You’re the first girl he’s been this affectionate with, and I completely understand now.” She patted your shoulder, hopeful. She had such a strong older sister vibe, reminding you of your older siblings back home. “You’re a clever, talented woman. I look forward to seeing you more often.”

As you nodded in approval, she turned towards her brother with her recurring teasing look. “Yah, Jaehyun. You better take care of her. If she ever sheds a tear because of you, I’m hunting you down in the gardens.”

“Harsh of you, Krystal.” He planted his hand on his chest, feigning pain. “But no worries. Having you and mother around me kept me well-mannered towards women growing up.”

Playfulness aside, Krystal felt honored towards her younger brother. Men these days maintained their sexist beliefs and rudeness, especially those who doubted her high position in the family business once her father stepped down. Nowadays, it’s men like Jaehyun who could really challenge the patriarchy and make women pursue a lot more than being limited as a housewife.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Now please excuse me, I’ll be on my way.”

Krystal waltzed her way out without tripping from her slight intoxication, which Jaehyun worried about earlier. But anyway, that left him alone with you. Filled with so many questions, you didn’t know where to start.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to Paris? Why didn’t you acknowledge my birthday wishes to you? Why aren’t you answering my calls and letters?” You blurted without wasting a breath, weren’t trying to come off as needy, but it became peculiar when he was contacting you like usual.

You pushed off thinking of the worst scenarios, not wanting it to ruin your drive and your emotions either. Yet you trusted Jaehyun enough to know he wasn’t the type of person either.

“Okay slow down, ma chérie.” His hands maneuvered for you to stop for a bit. “Ask me one by one and I’ll give you a solid answer for each while we roam around.”

He arrived in Paris last week, which was initially for work. Then his birthday clashing was a coincidence. It would be too lonely to go home and celebrate his special day alone, so he extended. But again, it’s his work that caused his abrupt contact.

When you were too busy delving into the success of recovering your inspiration, he also found his spur to write again too. Day and night, his mind kept him tedious with an endless trail of thoughts and words. Overall, he finalized it then brought the end product to the same publishing house where his books in the past went through.

In fact, he decided to publish them specifically today on his birthday. The only day in his itinerary he planned, where after publishing, he’d hang out with his friends, have dinner with his family then run off to reunite with you.

“I didn’t intend to make you feel like a second choice, so please forgive me for that, ma chérie.”

“All is forgiven, Jaehyun.” You held both his hands, kissing them tenderly out of habit. “I’m overjoyed that you rekindled your creative side again.”

You were so understanding and empathetic, and Jaehyun aimed to act that way too. He learned so much from you as his friend before being his lover. Quickly enough, you’re both back to his portrait in the center. Like a critic, he narrowed his eyes and scrunched his nose. Tapping his chin with his finger,

“This man in Poetic Rose, he’s quite dashing.” He commented with conceit, walking closer to it to view it better. “His freckles are on point, his dimples and dazzling eyes too. Why exactly is he described as a Poetic Rose?”

“Well sir,” You stood beside him, imitating his actions. “This man here always spoke so eloquently, like he had a very poetic approach on life. He reminded me also of a rose by his rosy tinted cheeks and his beauty. He was alluring inside and out.”

“Is he your favorite muse?”

“I never quoted him as a muse because he’s more than that. Muses can be replaced once they no longer serve purpose towards the artist. Though with him, he’s the never-ending flame that I want to keep for the rest of time."

You held on to his hand, interlocking your fingers with his. The apparent reddening of his ears proved that he was flustered, yet you spoke no lies.

“Joyeux anniversaire, ma flamme.” (Happy birthday, my flame.)

“Merci beaucoup, ma chérie.” (Thank you, my darling.)

Something about his new release piqued your attention so you brought it up again.

“So tell me about your new book.”

“Let me show you instead.” Inside the blazer, there was an inner pocket that sealed a small hardbound book. Taking it out, he handed it over to you. “This is your copy.”

The cover of the book had an illustration of two young adults running down the fields under the bright sun, with the title written in cursive and placed in the center.

“L’Été de 1957.” (The Summer of 1957.)

Like a child who received a new gift in the mail, you flipped the book open. Seeing the table of contents and credits to other important people involved in the process, there was a detailed dedication right before the starting chapter. It’s an unexpected page, noticing that he never put anything like this in his last works.

“Pour ma chérie, qui a peint les couleurs manquantes de ma vie.” (For my darling, who painted the missing colors of my life.)

Although Jaehyun planned to write about the couples he met in the countryside, he chose to change his perspective. Instead, he based this new book on your summer romance, installing more original characters who made your romance blossom more.

“I was once so engaged in listening to people’s love stories, hung up on what they felt.” He expounded, pacing around the floor whilst you skimmed through the pages. There were black and white photos from your adventures too to wrap the reader further in the story.

“While I was struggling to find the next story, I realized late that my story with you was a perfect choice. When I fell in love with you, it’s like I didn’t have to fret anymore about anything. Everything slowly yet surely aligned into place for me. Like how we found inspiration in each other.”

A poetic speaker meant having a poetic, wise mind. You kept an open mind whenever Jaehyun shared his thoughts on life with you, an intimate time that didn’t require using your bodies. Whether you were stargazing or drinking wine by his patio, his soulful personality never changed.

“So I recapped every single memory we had and compiled them,” He resumed, taking a closer step towards yours. His warm hands grasped your waist again, catching a glimpse of your astonished face. Mostly, towards your lips that he missed feeling against his.

“This book expressed my own take on love this time, the one I want to grow in.”

You’d care less if you dropped the book and your coat right there, your major desire to kiss him again was driving your senses to the edge of a cliff. Nothing could’ve braced yourself the second you fervently collided your lips with his. It didn’t feel like you were in this exhibit, but somewhere back in his mansion engulfed in each other’s presence.

Your legs almost melted by your daring move, if it weren’t for Jaehyun’s arm moving upwards to your back to stabilize you more. Your body tingled with goosebumps due to his relaxing fingers all over your body. His tongue caved in your lips, and you couldn’t ban its access.

Such an explicit sight, it felt forbidden as you were inches away from the public crowd. Yet it was the least of your worries if they made a big fuss over it. Jaehyun was here again with you, and that was more valuable to you. He savored every trace of your touches, taking his delicate time with you. No past birthday could defeat this, especially when it’s the first one to celebrate with you. The first of many.

As much you wanted to keep this up for hours, your lungs started feeling constricted of air so your lips timidly let go. Though your hands couldn’t, your overwhelmed eyes couldn’t shift away from the heart-stopping view of your lover. Wherein even after such a fearless session, his eyes fused with love and need with his plumper lips.

“Everything about Provence, especially you, that’s the life I want.” You confessed this concealed secret that’s revolved your head for a while now. Yet its certainty was true.

“Are you sure, ma chérie? What about work?” As an artist, he believed you should stay where everything is accessible. Yet as his woman, he wanted you to follow your heart. Jaehyun didn’t want you to choose or struggle.

“I’ve grown out from the idea that the city life was the only life meant of an artist like me.” You replied, confident enough to discuss it after deep thought. “Cities like Paris hold exciting, vigorous flames that will have you clinging on to them. But then, they’ll eventually die the longer you stay. You get burned in the process too. However, I stand by what I said earlier. I found an endless flame when I met and began loving you, Jaehyun. It doesn’t sting at all; it illuminates strongly every living day.”

Urging him to lower his stance with your fingers, you stated one last phrase. “Wherever you are, that’s where I want to be.”

“If that’s the case,” Jaehyun acknowledged, sticking his arm out for you. “Let’s get out of here.”

Astounded expressions crowded the socialites in the event as they watched the both of you exit together. If the news of Krystal and Donghyun weren’t crazy enough, some journalists figured the mysterious man behind The Poetic Rose and spread it like wildfire.

How was the youngest son of the Jeong family turned renowned romance novel author connected to the impressive, up-and-coming painter from London?

What really went down in Provence?

“How can you miss out on the signs? Did you not see them share a kiss earlier?” Key protested to those who weren’t approving whatever relationship you guys had. He loved his tea but hated those who simply were money hungry. Wanting a chance to be a part of the rich family, only to fish them out of their riches sooner or later.

Meanwhile, the winter season didn’t stop any of you from roaming the streets of Paris. Moments like these were a preview of the future you’ve envisioned with Jaehyun. Youthful, free, and fiery, a love between two artists created more magic not just in their crafts but to those around them.

Promenading a street overlooking the Seine River, Jaehyun took out a smaller instant camera from his pocket and took a candid shot of you. Stunned, you slapped his chest with your bag.

“Hey! Just how many more things are hidden in your blazer?”

“Just my wallet and a few condoms. Why’d you ask?” He raised a suggestive brow, feigning good intentions.

You hummed, faking your deep thought mindset. “At this rate, I don’t think we’ll make it back to my apartment alive.”

Jaehyun tugged you by your coat, his lips hovering your ear to whisper. “If we call a cab right now, I can finger you in the backseat.”

You chuckled at his vulgar idea, but it seemed ideal. You loved the thrill of getting caught or having someone overhearing you two, just like him. Besides, his fingers don’t match up to yours when you touch yourself alone in your apartment. You bat your eyelashes, giving in.

“Deal.”

6 ans plus tard (1964)

Summer returned, the sun strongly smiling down to the plentiful flowers at your family garden. By the patio of your home, your canvas was already laid by the easel stand. Shades of yellow were applied first to symbolize the brightness of the day, following the outline of your desired scenery for this piece.

Dipping the brush in water to change colors, you took another glance at the breezy sky. Light blue with clouds resembling soft pillows, you inhaled gently as your brush faintly stroked the canvas again.

Your hair was tied in a bun, meaning that you’re in for a busy session. But a more soothing one as the jazz music flowed from the vinyl player inside. Stress was the last thing you needed right now.

“What’s madame artiste up to right now?” Your husband piped in from behind, placing down a tray of tea and crackers. With some top buttons of his white top left unattended, you glimpsed on his toned chest when he leaned down. But you mustn’t pry whilst working, even when temptation was calling your name repeatedly.

“The summer sunshine healed me of my discomfort, so I think it’s about time I painted again.” You chewed on the snack, looking back and forth to the view. As enchanting as all the flowers you and him planted over the years grew, you’re more amused by a little boy strolling around it with his magnifying glass and tiny wooden basket with his furry puppy by his side.

His tiny legs often troubled the two of you because he enjoyed spending time with nature. Only God knows what he found in the garden this time.

“Adrien est explorer encore. Devrais-je lui dire qu’il change de place, ma chérie?” (Adrien is exploring again. Should I tell him to change places, my darling?) Jaehyun cautiously asked, not wanting his 3 year old son to impair your perspective.

“Non,” (No,) You held on to his hand, kissing it sweetly. Although you peeved any unnecessary details found in your scenery in the past, Adrien was an exception. As his mother, it’s hard to say no to him unless necessary.

“Il est un garçon curieux, alors il devrait explorer et flâner où il veut.” (He’s a curious boy, so he should explore and wander wherever he wants.)

Life ever since you returned to the countryside shifted into something more precious than you imagined. From moving places constantly, you found a home to settle in for good. A home with overflowing love and inspiration. A home within Jeong Jaehyun.

Recently, you halted your work-related activities in Paris and came home because you were heavily homesick. It even affected your health as a whole. So you made adjustments with your schedules, postponing appearances to events to next year.

On the plus side, you could be more active as a mother to Adrien. It felt like you burdened Jaehyun to take care of Adrien most of the time because he mainly worked from home, wherein important people who wanted to meet him would have to fly out to the countryside.

Back and forth to Paris, your presence towards Adrien often lacked. Here came your biggest fear, which was Adrien forgetting you. But Jaehyun told you over and over again that it wasn’t the case. As he listened to every wrenching thought you had, but he’d combat it with heartfelt words of reassurance so you wouldn’t overanalyze things.

He vowed to love and take care of you when times get hard, and he will continue doing so.

Remember when you said how his mansion felt too big?

It no longer did after getting married.

It gave more room to grow and breathe more life into it. When Adrien was born, he was the prime reflection of your and Jaehyun’s love. He mirrored his father’s physical traits but with a daring personality like yours. A perfect mixture, the world worked amazingly to bring a boy like him into your life.

“Maman! Papa!” Adrien bolted to where you and Jaehyun stood. From the clothes he wore, it’s very much clear that his father was in charge of it whilst you slept in the entire morning. Suspenders, capri shorts, a white shirt, and a red beret, he deserved his title as Jaehyun’s mini-me.

Jaehyun swelled with pride and love for his only son, peeking over what he brought to show and tell you both. “Oh Adrien, what do you have for us today?”

In his basket, there were 3 sunflowers stuck out from the edge. It’s been a while since you’ve seen some in full bloom, lowering your stance to get a more vivid view. He took them out to hand them to you and your husband.

One flower for Jaehyun and two for you. You let out a gasp, scrunching your brows to the center. He always gave one of each item to you and Jaehyun, never more or less.

“Ooh, deux fleurs pour Maman. Pourquoi, Rien?” (Ooh, two flowers for Mama. Why, Rien?) Jaehyun let his nickname out for his lips while you grasped his small hand.

“Well, I heard from Olivier next door that on his birthday, he gave extra flowers to his mother so he could have another sibling. And it worked!” He spoke so innocently, yet it hitched a choke from Jaehyun’s chest. Your eyes widened from disbelief. The information he collected due to his curiosity, no boundaries truly.

“Le mois prochain, c’est mon anniversaire. Je me demandais si je peux avoir un frère ou sœur comme Olivier? Tu es toujours occupée, comme Papa. Je ne veux plus être seul, alors je veux une amie aussi.” (It’s my birthday next month, and I was wondering if I can have a sibling like Olivier? You are always busy, like Papa. I don’t want to be alone anymore, so I want a friend too.)

You exchanged looks with Jaehyun, not knowing how exactly to respond. Although you and Jaehyun did agree that you wanted more than one child when you were younger, neither of you brought it up again since your careers were always loaded with plans.

Adrien was a surprise child actually, conceived on the night where you and Jaehyun celebrated after L’Été de 1957 was announced to be the best-selling romance novel of the decade in the country.

In Paris at his family home, where his parents brought out all their prized liquor, the two of you drank the entire night away to the point Krystal and Donghyun had to push you away from each other from your public affections because their children were present.

But it didn’t stop you two once you reached his bedroom, far away from everything and everyone. And you’ll never change it.

“Oh, Rien,” You eased in, consoling him. “Je suis désolé. Mais c’est franchement une grande demande, n'est-ce pas?” (I am sorry. But that’s quite a big request, right?)

“Mom and I will think about it first, okay? Another kid is a big responsibility, and you’ll be their older brother. That’s another important job, can you do it well?”

“Yes, I can, Papa!” He beamed with glee, his covered head patted by his father after. As you placed the sunflowers beside your palette, Adrien then proceeded to ask you if he could paint with you like old times.

Never you refuse especially with his sparkling round eyes and chubby face that makes you want to squish every time.

As you lifted his light body to sit on your lap, you placed your brush between his stubby fingers and carefully aimed in whatever angle seemed fit so the painting process would run smoothly and perfectly. He let out sounds of amazement when the strokes get bigger, jumping slightly too because the picture became more vivid. You’d smile and coo at him, commending whenever he followed instructions well. As his mother, you only encouraged your child in whatever they want to excel in.

Adrien was the child of two artists, so it was only natural that he had an artistic side in his veins.

Too caught up in your fun, hearing the automatic shutter of the camera from your side was delayed. The source was none other than Jaehyun hiding behind his camera. Jaehyun’s heart soared at the heavenly view of the most important people in his life, wanting to treasure the moment as a lovely memory.

“Hey!” You shouted, placing down the messy brush by the palette. “Je suis très laid!” (I am very ugly!)

“Shh! Tu est rayonnant, ma chérie. Papa est juste, Rien?” (Shh! You are glowing, my darling. Papa is right, Rien?)

Jaehyun politely quizzed the peppy boy, nodding excitedly. His dimples deeply showed up, the main trait he claimed from his father.

“Oui, papa! Maman est toujours belle!” (Yes, papa! Mama is always beautiful!)

He exclaimed, pecking your cheek numerously. You squealed, attacking him with tickles and kisses back. His shouts of delight, then he was suddenly carried by your tall husband in the air like he was flying in the sky. Adrien enjoyed that motion highly, ending up on Jaehyun’s shoulders shortly after to play by the garden again.

“Go paint. I’ll take care of him now.” Jaehyun persuaded, roaming through the long rows of flowers in full bloom. Though seconds after adding some strokes to your piece, you let down your hair, put a hat and sandals on, and ran to the cute duo to join them.

And that’s how your family spent the entire afternoon. By the garden, running around and taking photos and short videos from Jaehyun’s camera. Freezing these valuable memories, this was truly the life you loved so much.

After your break, you could convince the company you worked at that you’d prefer fewer trips to Paris and stay in the countryside longer. How badly you’ve wanted to hold your exhibits here instead. Plus like Jaehyun, let influential people visit you. You’ve already made a big name for yourself now, so that should be valid enough.

Dinner time passed by quickly too, eventually putting Adrien to a smooth slumber as you massaged the roots of his soft hair while Jaehyun sang him a lullaby. This was your joint parenting technique with him since he was a newborn, and it worked quickly as lightning.

You redressed into your silk nightgown after bringing your canvas to the master bedroom, opening the balcony doors to invite the cool breeze in. You tweaked some bits of your painting, including a silhouette of your small family. Regarding where to place it, probably by the living room as it matched the theme.

“What a spectacular day, don’t you think, ma chérie?” Jaehyun conversed, admiring the calm movements of your brush. He noticed a quirky smile grace your lips.

“It’s been a long time since we had quality time like that with Rien. He’s a feisty ball of energy these days.” You replied with a nostalgic daze. “It’s so crazy how one day, he was still crawling to us. Now, he could outrun the both of us.”

“Comme le temps passe vite, hmm?” (How time flies fast, hmm?) Nodding, nothing braced for what your husband had in mind. You almost dropped your brush mid-way. Jaehyun’s lips impatiently devoured your neck, his huge hands fondling your breasts. Violently throwing your head back against his chest, a needy moan parted your lips.

“Jae-” His touches reaching south to where you desired him highly, dampening hastily as your legs naturally spread apart. Rushed exhales, “À quoi tu penses maintenant?” (What are you thinking about right now?)

“Rien se sent seul,” (Rien feels alone,) His hot breath whispered against your ear, his fingers dangerously trailing your thin panties up and down. With your hands tightly clutching on his bicep,

“Alors, donnons-lui une amie.” (We should give him a friend.)

Ever since Adrien mentioned such a daring topic, it hasn’t left Jaehyun’s mind the whole day. After seeing you in utter bliss with your son earlier, he found you so majestic and radiant. It’s a different kind of happiness, especially for parents.

Now you went on hiatus, he thought that it was the right time to have another. He enjoyed his younger years with Krystal, and he wanted Adrien to experience it too. 3 years was quite a wait, and it seemed ideal to try again.

From his nude chest, you flipped around to intensely clash his lips with yours. Draping your arms behind his neck, Jaehyun lifted your entire figure from the chair. His hands gripping on your butt, he delicately lowered you down your bed.

Drowning into his sensual kisses with his hands all over you, this could prolong for hours. Reddening love marks started to resurface whilst your fingers tugged on the drawstring of his pajama pants. Jaehyun’s fingers dove under the fabric of your panties, his index finger rubbing figure 8s the sensitive bundle of nerves.

You struggled to swallow your moans, not wanting Rien to hear it. You wouldn’t want to repeat history, covering it as Jaehyun massaging you after a hard day.

“I know you want one too, ma chérie.” His fingers began to drape down the straps of your gown, presenting your breasts in its full, perky view. But before his lips could suck on your erect nipples, you parted momentarily from him and got up on your feet. Pulling up your straps again, Jaehyun simply laid down but he wasn’t pleased from how you left him hanging.

“Où vas-tu, ma chérie?” (Where are you going, sweetheart?)

He was growing impatient. You were never to interrupt such a sexy atmosphere ever.

From one of your drawers in your vanity table, an important, half-opened envelope was hidden. You were supposed to give it tomorrow but now seemed like a perfect time. Reading it as soon one of the maids handed it to you gave you the jitters, but in a positive way. Sitting back down on the edge of your bed, you exhilaratingly passed it to your husband.

“Qu’est-ce que c’est?” (What is this?)

“Ouvre-le.” (Open it.)

Jaehyun slowly opened the edges and once he took out the contents. Reading it thoroughly, he couldn’t believe it as his jaw dropped, pacing from the letter and you back and forth.

“Vraiment, ma chérie?” (Really, my darling?)

It was from a doctor you visited in Paris a few days before you left, who confirmed just exactly what caused your health to go feeble suddenly. You already had one certain suspicion, which you addressed in your leave of absence letter. Amelié, who finally got the position as the head, couldn’t believe her ears and insisted you take all the time off you needed.

“On dirait que Adrien a reçu son cadeau d'anniversaire en avance.” (It looks like Adrien received his birthday gift early.)

Overall, it turned out the headaches and repeated vomiting you mistook as motion sickness from traveling was a surprise hello to your second child.

A girl specifically, thanks to the blood test she recommended.

“Je t’aime, (Y/N).”

“Montre moi combien tu m’aimes, Jaehyun.” (Show me how much you love me, Jaehyun.)

The whole night through, the two of you vigorously celebrated with the moonlight from the windows and a few scented candles set in the room. Wet kisses left on your collarbone, words of devotion exchanged, holding his hand as he groaned from heartily thrusting in you, the number of moans from your lips overlapped with the vinyl playing in the room. The intimacy between you two increased, almost as if you made love for the first time again all those years ago.

Excluding being drenched from the rain.

Once the two of you grew tired, Jaehyun lied down beside you. Wrapping one arm around, one hand trailed down your naked skin again. His wedding band flashed your eyes, reminding you of the commitment you promised each other. For better, and for worse.

Jaehyun promised to love you endlessly as a woman and his wife, and it didn’t cease when you became the mother of his children. He respected how strong you are, physically and mentally. He helped you in any way he could as you endured the struggling process.

At the end of the day, his family was his biggest priority. More than ever now, you needed him as you go through the pregnancy phases again. Specifically, his index finger lingered on your stomach. There was no bump or other signs of showing, except for that glow he complimented you earlier on.

“We met and fell in love over the summer, got married in summer, had Adrien mid-summer, and now found out about our daughter at the start of summer.” He smiled, blessed at all the good he’s received during this time.

“The summer gods must adore us.” Your vacant hand with your wedding band topped his. To love and to cherish. “Ils m'ont amené à toi.” (They brought me to you.)

His power on you was simply addicting, as if your early twenties revisited you. You straddled himself once again, your fingers caressing his face sweetly. When it reached his lips, he placed longing kisses there and pulled you closer again for another kiss on your lips. In between, you mumbled in a silvery tone,

“Then they led us to say I do. Pour toujours et à jamais.”

copyright © 2021 by alluringjae.

[dualnaturedscientist]

Once Matthew and Doohickey sat down in the lawn chairs in the backyard, the former villain looked the other in the eyes. Causing the poor guy to become extremely nervous. He knew Matthew said there wouldn't be violence involved but that didn't stop him from being terrified. "First off, I want to apologize." That had caught Doohickey off guard. Blinking at him, slack-jawed. "What?" Matthew frowned at that. Having a genuinely guilty expression on his face. "I'm sorry about how we started off. I reacted out of fear, in all honesty. Thinking you were one of them trying to take us back to that hellish place. I'm sorry for blasting you like that." Doohickey definitely wasn't expecting those words to come out from the former villain. "Water under the bridge. Believe me, I know I shouldn't have been skulking around like that." Matthew sighed in relief. This man just kept surprising the former scientist. "Thank you. Now. About my daughter." Doohickey tensed up at that. Thinking this was going to turn into yet another shovel talk. "I'm happy that you make her happy. She really cares about you. I think it's amazing, what you two have." He stared at Matthew, who was genuinely smiling at him. Nothing threatening in his expression or words. "Oh. Well. Um. Thank you. She makes me incredibly happy as well. I love her very much." Matthew was content with what he said. "I'm glad. I have to let you know. Even though you have no need for it. You have my blessing. It's really wonderful that you're starting a family. Marriage or not. As long as you two are happy with each other. That is what matters. Even if others aren't as enthusiastic, just to let you know. I support you and my daughter." Doohickey was left stunned by this encouragement from Matthew. "Oh, thank you. Sir." He shook his head in amusement. "You can call me Matthew. So. James. That's not all I wanted to talk to you about. I also wanted to say, I understand you. About mistakes being made. As bad as they can get. Everyone deserves a second chance, if they're willing to make that change. I'm glad that you did. I can relate to that. Considering what I've done." Doohickey seemed touched by this. It was certainly unexpected. "I want to welcome you into the family. Even the others are reluctant to do it. Just know that I do accept you. Thank you for making Emily smile so brightly. I've definitely noticed that. No one made her smile like that. From what I can remember." Doohickey smiled. "Thank you. That means a lot.” Matthew felt lighter, having gotten that off his chest. He really did feel guilty about their first meeting. “Thank you for taking the time to talk with me.” Matthew had gotten up first. “You're welcome. Matthew.” He chuckled. Of course it would take getting used to. Doohickey followed the retired villain back into the house. Though Matthew had stopped in the kitchen. Doohickey had gone outside to go home with Emily. They quickly said their goodbyes to Gene and Carl. Matthew had picked up the phone,fishing out the card from his pocket. Dialing up the number printed on it. It rang a few times before Corbin had picked up. “Hello, it's me. I decided that I do want to find out more. I'll be able to meet up with you soon. Where? Yeah, I can get there. It's not too far from where I am. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. I'll see you soon.” Back in the living room, Carl was telling Gene about something he saw on TV. They both noticed Matthew coming in. “How did it go?” Carl asked first. “It went well. He's not as terrified as he was before.” If Carl was being honest, he wanted Doohickey to be afraid. Though he couldn't interfere much. “Thank you for listening to us, Gene. I think we better get going soon.” Gene nodded at them. “I'm sorry it got so chaotic there.” Matthew shook his head. “We should be used to it. It's no problem. We'll see you tomorrow.” Gene got up to give both a hug before they headed out. Though that feeling didn't go away. Something told Gene to follow after them. Once out of earshot. “I decided to meet up with him. I called him earlier. Corbin isn't far from here.”

Heart of chaos

A year had passed since the B.E.A.W Labs organization had fallen. Since all the events had taken place. Becky being taken along with Bob. The poor girl being experimented on by a cruel scientist who had no love for anyone but himself. Matthew had broken out of the facility with her, Carl and Steven. Gene's true identity being revealed along with losing his Dr.Two-Brains persona. Shocking revelations unfolded. Betrayals and redemption. Things had calmed down significantly since but that didn't mean life had been dull. It certainly wasn't for Fair City. Especially with the villains, heroes and its eccentric inhabitants livening up the city. Becky had been making a wonderful recovery. Though she still wasn't at her full recovery Becky was still making so much more progress than the year prior. Gene still had identity issues, dealing with the loss of Squeaky. Though he didn't go through it alone. The still mad scientist had his family and friends help him through everything. Matthew and Carl took up residency within the city. A house that wasn't too far from their sons. Life in this place was definitely lively and peaceful in comparison to the hellish place many innocent souls were imprisoned in. Matthew was less exhausted than before. Relaxing within the living room in his son's house, watching whatever was put on the television. Matthew felt his eyes beginning to droop. Sleepiness hitting him out of nowhere. He simply allowed himself to doze off, not fighting it. Knowing that he was safe there. It wasn't until he felt weight on him that Matthew opened his eyes. Usually a dog or cat would be the cause for this but Matthew met many eyes. Fluffy had snuck into the house yet again. A small warm smile spread across his facial features, patting the spider on its head. Fluffy leaned into Matthew's hand, making soft happy noises. It was funnily cute to him. Though he understood as to why Gene was so afraid of him. Even Carl was squeamish around the giant spider. “Aw, who's a good boy? You are! You're a good boy!” Matthew couldn't help but baby talk the arachnid. He looked up, wriggling his chelicerae in response. As to say ‘Me! I'm a good boy!’ He chuckled at that, giving Fluffy gentle scritches. It was like a huge puppy in a spider's body. Though the peacefulness was interrupted by a sudden shout. “NO! WHY IS IT HERE AGAIN?!” Gene was in the doorway of the living room. Looking quite terrified at the huge arachnid. Fluffy instantly moved around on Matthew's lap to look at Gene. Excitedly jumping off of the supervillain's lap in favor of his son. He bolted right for the mad scientist, causing him to yelp loudly and make a run for it. “SOMEONE KEEP THAT ABOMINATION AWAY FROM ME!” Matthew gave a small laugh. “Can't help but feel abit rejected there.” Archie, who was quiet until then, responded. “I know that feeling.” This caused Matthew to jump up startled. “Don't do that! I'm old. Also I could accidentally blast you.” Archie blinked in confusion. “You didn't notice me? I came in with Fluffy. He got loose and snuck into the house. I just came to bring him back before he got to Gene. Too late for that now.” Archie frowned. “I can't help but be jealous at how much Fluffy loves him. Though Gene is terrified of him. That spider just won't listen to me when it comes to his favorite person.” He shook his head disapprovingly. “You want me to help you?” Matthew was being genuine with his question. He didn't want his son dying of fright from the giant arachnid. “That would be greatly appreciated. I have to take him back home. He can't avoid taking his medication this time.” Matthew got up, stretching first before doing anything else. This earned him a strange look from Archie. “What? I said I'm old. If I don't stretch I'll pull a muscle.” The hero shrugged. “Let's go get him soon. I have to look after Charlotte as well.” Archie always had the brightest smile when Charlotte was brought up. Either by him, Sunshine or anyone else. It was sweet. “Alright, alright.” They were completely unaware of an enemy observing them. Waiting.

Miss Power growled in frustration at the display she was witnessing through a window to the Boxleitner or rather the Woods household. A display she thought was very disgusting. How badly the alien conqueror wanted to charge right in their and obliterate everyone in her sights. She couldn't do her usual tactics and tricks right now, not after what she learned after coming back. She was still ticked off after that little alien brat Wordgirl and her parents dupe and tricked her into leaving the planet in defeat. There was no way she could go back to her planet and face her people with such a shameful stain to her otherwise brilliant record. Fueled by revenge and hatred, Miss Power spent her time preparing, training, and waiting so she could exact her revenge against those who wronged her, against the little hybrid girl and her freak of a family that humiliated her. Sadly when Miss Power and her loyal sidekick Colonel Gigglecheeks did decide to return, they were not prepared for the recent changes that had happeend in their absence. Miss Power did not care much for this Darius person or B.E.A.W labs, she had seen those like them a dime a dozen before on other worlds. The alien wished she could have congratulated the person who tortured and dehumanized Wordgirl and her sidekick. If it was up to her, Professor Ross Moran would receive high honors among her people for his actions. She did give her condolences at his unmarked gravestone. While the recent trauma Wordgirl and her sidekick have suffered gave Miss Power an opportunistic advantage, the alien conquerer unfortunately could not risk using it especially with her grandfather around. Miss Power was amazed at hearing about the past and recent exploits of Maddrix the Malicious. She was shocked that someone so bloodthirsty and powerful was the father of that scientist who used to have a mouse brain attached to his skull as well as a weird cheese obsession. To her disappointment, Miss Power could clearly see the man was too human and had regretted his actions in the past. Actions that would have made him highly respected among her people despite him being human. Still Miss Power wasn't going to risk striking back while that old coot was still alive. Age did not always equate to weakness according to what she had been taught. Even though he was old, Maddrix was clearly still powerful. It was likely that her and Gigglecheeks would wind up dead by the man's hands before they could claim revenge and victory. A chittering sound snapped Miss Power out of her musings. She turned her head to see her sidekick give her a concerned look. He chittered again and asked 'So what are we going to do?' Miss Power smiled and scratched her sidekick's head which he enjoyed. "Don't worry Colonel Gigglecheeks. We'll get our revenge soon. We just need to learn more about Mr. Malicious and what weaknesses he might have so we can use it to defeat him." Miss Power cooed. She then took her sidekick and flew off without anyone being the wiser. Miss Power was brash and bold and could be tricked sometimes, but she was no fool. The alien conqueror learned long ago that the best way to win your battles was to be prepared and know your enemy more than they know themselves. Carl sighed with relief and slight exhaustion as he sat down in a comfy chair. He had just finished sweeping the floor of his and Matthew's home. Now all he had to do was sit and relax until his husband got home. Carl wanted to try a nice 'mom and pop' owned restaurant that one of Gene's friends, Chuck, had recommended to the man. Carl had been itching to get out and do something more and more recently. If he had to be honest, he was getting bored. In the past, Carl had his job and work as a scientist to keep him occupied along with spending time with his husband and kids. Unfortunately after his 20 year imprisonment, Carl couldn't step in another official science lab ever again without a severe anxiety and panic attack @dualnaturedscientist

[whatwouldvalerydo]

Summer break - part 1/3

What could possibly go wrong when Slytherin bitch Scarlett Tempest visits Phil Baker during the summer break? Well now you will have to read and find out. But just don't ask how her confused ass managed to end up with accepting an invitation 😂

Phil belongs to the amazing and sunny @samshogwarts

“Mom, I’m leaving.” entering her room, she looked at her mother who was still not done packing everything for their trip to the Maldives.

“Have fun with the girls.”

Cocking a brow, Scarlett shook her head securing her backpack properly “I told you that’s next week when you are on your trip. I’m going to Nottingham now.” Her mother rose her eyes, however she did not appear to remember what Scarlett has been telling her for over a week “The boy I mentioned?”

“Oh honey, you don’t need to lie to me in order to see the girls, you know I like them. Now, you know where the money is, you have your phone and credit card yes?” Scarlett only nodding “Keys?”

“Of course.” Hearing a scoff, she turned around looking at her half-brother who was leaning against the wall, listening in for God knew how long “What?”

“Now I know you are off to do something stupid since no guy would even look at you with that nasty ass attitude.”

“Language!” her mother shouted from the bedroom.

Looking at him up and down Scarlett frowned “That’s rich coming from mister I spend an hour in the shower.” Gesturing as if wanking off, her brother showed her the middle finger.

“Now, now you two, settle down. Are you really sure you don’t want to come with us on holiday?” shaking her head, Scarlett turned on her heels and was out the door, not even bothering to say goodbye to her step father.

The train ride was uneventful, her keeping busy with music and reading, arriving in the Nottingham train station at the agreed time. How she ended up agreeing was still a mystery. She was playing an online game with Phil, one he insisted on buying her since it would be fun. Somewhere between game tactics, him talking about an anime she could not even remember, she suddenly said yes to coming over to his place so they could both leave for a convention later on during the week. In retrospect, it was far better than spending time with her family, Maldives or not.

At the train station, Phil waited for her with a handmade sign with her name on it “I do know how you look like you know?”

“I know.” He answered lifting the sign slightly “But I wanted to make you feel welcomed.” Scarlett only nodding as she changed the subject quickly.

“So did you pass the Apparating test?”

“Yes, it went ok. You?”

“Aced it. So…are you going to take me to your place?”

As if he actually remembered why she was there, he rubbed the back of his head offering to carry her bag which she declined, Phil ending up talking about the convention they were going to go to so fast and with so many unknown terms, Scarlett could only just nod away, offering a smile once in a while at his enthusiastic schedule.

Opening the front door, he called out to his parents, both of them arriving in the hallway only to stand amazed as they looked at the pair “This is my friend, Scarlett.”

“Hello darling” his mother snapped out of her stupor first “lovely to meet you. Phil didn’t mention that you are a…”

“What? A girl? Born one actually.” She had something way more nasty to say, however she bit her tongue, smiling politely “Don’t worry, I told mom I was coming over and she didn’t believe me so we’re sort of in the same boat.”

His father was still blinking in surprise, eyes going from Scarlett, to Phil, to his wife, clearing his throat when Scarlett stared at him “Right, well welcome. Come on show the lass upstairs, she must be tired after her trip.”

“Energy drink?” Phil asked finally finding a way out of the awkward discussion. It wasn’t like he did not try to tell his parents that his friend was a girl but every time he wanted to bring it up, he went on a rambling spree about something else entirely because he was actually nervous. Not that his parents would not agree or anything, they were actually happy Phil was hanging out with friends.

Smirking, Scarlett looked his way “Is that even a question? Of course.”

Leading the way upstairs, he showed her to his room, Scarlett’s eyes going wide at the collection of action figures, manga and posters he had “Oh my fucking God. Ok.”

“You will sleep here, the bed is comfier. You can read any manga you want, or watch movies, or we can play. Oh slippers.” He quickly went to retrieve a pair of big fluffy slippers from under his bed “I bought you these so you would have a pair. I hope pink is ok, they only had pink, but I can give you mine, but they might be too big for you. And I have snacks, right, energy drink. I’ll be right back.”

Watching him leave, she chuckled staring at the slippers, ending up laughing as she stood there in the middle of his room, managing to calm down right before he came back, carrying in his arms what she believed was probably one of each item from the store in terms of snacks.

“We can order pizza too, anything you like. Or we can go out if you want to go out, I’ll go out with you.”

“First time having a girl over?” she teased as he finally discarded everything on the bed.

“Umm…I…” he stammered slightly before nodding “but it’s fine, because we’re friends.”

“Right.” Scarlett nodded trying to refrain from smiling “We can do whatever, it’s fine by me. As long as I don’t have to be at home all is good.” She added sitting down on the bed.

Looking at her, he wanted to ask if something happened with her parents, but knew very well she wouldn’t share anything that actually bothered her “Want to play a game, I got an extra controller.”

“Sure, let’s do that.”

Pulling the bean bag from a corner of the room, he invited her to sit down first, placing the controller in her hands. Also taking a seat a bit farther from her, when he placed his entire weight on it, Scarlett’s petite figure could not stand a chance as she practically leaped over to his side, almost bumping heads with him as their bodies collided “I bet this is one of your nerd fantasies isn’t it? Move.”

“I didn’t do anything.” He tried getting up, only to lose his balance as Scarlett pushed him, somehow both of them landing on the floor, the bean bag now empty, her glaring daggers at it as she ran a hand through her hair.

“Great.” Huffing, she glanced over at Phil “I take the chair, you can take the bean bag. Deal?”

“Deal.” He stated, getting up and offering him her hand. Hesitating initially, she finally took it, both settling down as they played a fighting game with some weird characters. Even if Scarlett was raised in a Muggle environment and knew technology, mostly being addicted to it, when it came to anime and games, while she did try a few, there were some gaps in her knowledge.

“How?” she turned to look at Phil “I almost had you.”

“I used the ultimate attack since my mana recharged.” Him offering her a proud grin “I can show you how to do it.”

A few failed attempts later, Scarlett finally relented “Alright, fine, show me.” Trying to replicate his moves, however his fingers appeared to press those buttons at inhumane speed “Really? Alright, move.” She shooed him further up the bean bag, getting between his legs “Come on, I’ll watch.” Phil stood there for a few moments, until Scarlett looked behind her shoulder, her famous glare enough to snap him out of his daze. Placing his hands on her lap, he replicated the moves, a lot slower this time.

Not even bothering to get up since she found a comfortable position, they continued playing, her trying to watch his controller and the screen. Glancing down at her hands, Phil removed his finger from the X, Scarlett finishing off his character.

A second later, she threw her hands up in the air, cheering “Ha! Finally. Did you see that?”

Smiling, he shrug his shoulders “Lucky shot, again.”

She didn’t need to know he let her win, that he could play any character with his eyes closed, having memorized the sequence to every fighting stance. She still cheered when she won, sometimes even getting up to do a victory dance, Phil laughing as he accepted his apparent defeat.

Hours passed, snacks being shared between them on the bed as they watched an anime he picked out, her not complaining, half paying attention as she watched it but also spent time on her phone. By the time they said goodnight the sun was already rising and they were exhausted.

At 12 Phil finally woke up, Scarlett an hour later, already showered, dressed and dolled up. His family greeted her, Phil’s mother asking her what she would like to eat “Oh no, I don’t eat. Just a coffee for me.”

“Aren’t you a bit too young for coffee?”

“Let her be, they are after all 17, practically adults in the Wizarding World.” Phil’s father chimed in, Scarlett thankful for the intervention.

Seeing the ingredients on the counter, Scarlett got up checking everything out “I can make the pancakes, you take a seat and drink your coffee.”

“Oh no, you’re a guest, I couldn’t possibly.”

“Oh I insist. That way Phil will have to take me Starbucks and I won’t have to watch another episode of Dungmon.”

“Digimon.” He corrected her “Can I help with anything?”

“Neah, you relax. I know you will talk my ears off later.” Turning back to the counter she started on the batter, Phil smiling as he looked at the table.