#i also had this reply n my tags in my drafts for the longest time yikes

[ameliasbitvh]

MANNERS ; J.P.

a/n : you guys i couldnt post it the first time so i just decided to redo the post & shit but i’m lazy so it felt like a real chore 💔 anyways! happy birthday to my old man james potter <33 ik i usually write sun!james so this is a lil different from the usual 🙏 (also i’m not adding in links & tags rn bc i’m scared i’ll lose this draft so like i rather not risk it and add them in later 😁).

library account 📚; @ameliasbitvhlibrary

summary : james has had his eyes on you for awhile now but you being his best friends daughter and him having a wife & child obviously restrained him. but on his birthday, there you were, at his birthday party. your pretty thighs on display, glistening as the sun hit them. your skirt flowed behind you, revealing your ass and white laced panties for a moment. fuck, he thought. he knew it was wrong to think about his best friends daughter this way. but how could he not? you were gorgeous, absolutely mesmerizing. he didn’t know if he wanted to fuck your pretty brain dumb or hold you in his arms to protect you from the big and bad people out there. himself. ( READER IS OF AGE )

wc : 2.8k (2827)

warning(s) : reader calls james “uncle james” in the beginning 💀 dacryphillia, crying, crybaby!reader if you squint, smut, daddy kink, innocence kink, breeding kink mentioned, oral sex (f & m receiving), brat!reader, jealous!james, dads bsf!james, dilf!james, james is married & has a kid, cheating, and some cringe parts i should’ve left out LMAO

REBLOGS ARE APPRECIATED !!!

there you were, at his birthday party. your pretty thighs on display, glistening as the sun hit them. your skirt flowed behind you, revealing your ass and white laced panties for a moment. fuck, he thought. he knew it was wrong to think about his best friends daughter this way. but how could he not? you were gorgeous, absolutely mesmerizing. he didn’t know if he wanted to fuck your pretty brain dumb or hold you in his arms to protect you from the big and bad people out there. himself.

he wanted to protect you from himself, because god wouldn’t even know what he’d do if he got his hands on you and you let him. fuck, he didn’t even know.

slowly, his eyes traveled up your body. your back faced him as you picked up a toy that had fallen in the grass, his eyes glued to your ass. picking yourself up, you gave it back to the little girl who dropped it. james’s little girl, his daughter.

oh yeah, he has a daughter and a wife.

you granted her with a smile and kiss on the cheek, the man's heart warmed at that. a small smile rested upon his lips.

james knew having a wife and child was even worse, but he couldn’t stop himself from the filthy thoughts flooding his mind. it was like a tsunami coming down on him and he relished in it, letting the salty water decorate his skin, he glistened in the dark. he took advantage of every moment he had with you. either it was a gentle touch on the shoulder or tucking your hair behind your ear. he did it all. he craved you, fucking needed you.

“hey, y/n!” he heard a voice shout, a male voice. his head immediately snapped towards the direction of a young man, maybe around eighteen to twenty. around your age.

he saw you smile at the imbecile, fucking smile. “hi, jason. what are you doing here?” you replied, opening your arms to welcome him with a hug.

yeah, what the fuck was he doing here. james thought agreeing with you. the fury in him only rising as he saw you embrace him, jason’s hands way too far down for his liking; right above your ass.

of anyone’s hand were to be there, it’d be his.

james had wanted you for the longest time, and he was disgusted by it. he had watched you grow up, from a little girl to an adult. you were his best friends daughter, god he was filthy. he had a wife, a child. but something, something about all these things made him want you even more. you were the forbidden fruit that he took a bite of. he just wanted a taste. just so fucking bad.

just as you and jason were about to continue talking, you heard a voice. a cold, deep, alluring voice call out to you. the same voice that sent chills down your spine, the voice that you thought of when you got yourself off, the voice that you heard spewing dirty words and phrases from his filthy mouth when your hand was down rubbing your clit. you felt like a slut, an actual slut for wanting him. a married man. a father. your dads best friend.

you knew it seemed insane, but sometimes you feel like his eyes are on you. watching your every move, and you would be lying if you said it doesn’t make you feel cautious. careful that you short skirt wouldn’t lift up too high, you didn’t bend too low, or your top didn’t rise up, showing your bare stomach. but you wanted him to see it, all of it. tell you how pretty you were, how pretty you looked full of his cum, or maybe just how pretty you were, his dirty little secret.

“y/n!” james called your name out again, snapping you out of your embarrassingly erotic daydream.

“i — um — yes, uncle james?”

“c’mere for a quick sec, doll.” he beckoned you over, his legs man spread on the chair he sat in.

you nodded your head yes, he loved how obedient you were. quickly you scrambled to him. standing in front of him your fingers fidgeted with the edge of your skirt. you swore to merlin he was looking at your thighs for a moment. clearing his throat, he got up from his chair and looked you straight in the eyes. your cheeks flushed, you felt your stomach churning. your lips pursed together. “so, who is he?” his voice was liquid smoothe, yet crisp and sharp. “oh — jason? he’s a friend.” you mumbled, your eyes looking anywhere but him.

“when i ask you a question, speak up and look at me, baby.” he said softly, so fucking soft unlike the hard in his pants. his fingers found your chin and tilted it up, your eyes stared into his. his blue eyes, always so mesmerizing, you could get lost in them for a million years and yet you’d want more time.

he felt the same about yours.

“y — yes.” he was always so assertive and demanding, maybe that’s what drew you into him. well, ever since you were fifteen, you thought he was quite attractive. but you also thought any guy older than you was hot. you had a type, what can you say?

“so tell me, who is he and what is he doing here.”

“i’m so sorry, uncle james! he’s just a friend, i didn't know he would come. he asked me where i was and i told him i was here and then he just…came?”

“mhm, tell him to leave then.” he demanded.

“wh — what, why?” you questioned, your eyebrows immediately furrowing, a frown on your pretty lips, forming a pout. a pout that he longed to kiss away.

“because, if you’ve forgotten, sweetheart: it’s my birthday and i get anything i want, i wish for him to be gone.” and for you to be in my bed tonight.

he smirked. his fingers leaving your chin making your frown deepen until his fingers caressed your jaw, moving up to tuck your hair behind your ears. this man wanted you to die, you just knew it. your cheeks grew hot and merlin, you hope he didn’t notice it.

“i’ll tell him — tell him to leave.” you sputtered out, your teeth bawling on your bottom lip.

“atta girl.” he praised you and sat back down, man spread. heat flowed through your body down into your core and you clenched your thighs for a moment, a moment too slow because he saw you. he fucking saw you close your legs together to try and get rid of the ache in your core. he knew it and you knew it.

his eyes trailed from your calves to right where you needed him to be. where you wanted him deeply buried in you.

you swallowed the lump in your throat, you were embarrassed.

shit, james thought. there was no fucking way that you just — something inside him, something ruthless, shameless, filthy, dirty and savage erupted. he knew where he was looking wasn’t for a man like him, but fuck it was right there. and he wasn’t letting this opportunity slip away from his grasp like that.

“forget the boy, let’s go inside to have a talk.”

following him, you both entered the comfort of his home. it wasn’t too big nor too small, it was perfect. a home you would want in the near future, with a man.

james hoped that man was him.

he led you up the stairs into his bedroom, the bed both he and lily slept on.

once he closed the door shut and locked it, he saw the look in your eyes. you were in shock, adrenaline pacing back and forth, it took everything in you to not pounce on him. fuck you needed him so bad and he barely even touched you, yet. pathetic.

your eyes screamed, fuck me! to him.

“look at you,” he cooed, his hand reaching out for your face and you nuzzled into it.

“prettiest little thing i’ve seen.” his thumb drawer out and dipped into your mouth. you gasped feeling it in your mouth, innocence, pure fucking innocence coating your eyes as you slowly began to bob your head up and down. your tongue swirling around his thumb. the things you could do, things you could do to him. he could’ve came just looking at you suck his finger like a dumb whore.

but then you remembered why you both came up here, pulling away from his thumb, “what did we need to talk about, daddy?”a pout decorated your face.

“we need to talk about that little boy who’s been following you around, hun. tell me, do you want him?” he asked, his hand then trailing up and down your leg, getting dangerously close to your sex. you felt the bundle of tingles inside erupting, you needed him so bad.

“want him like how? like how i want you? like how i want your cock inside me, like how i want you to fuck me?” you teased him, pushing him into the bed. someone was feeling bold today. usually, you’d never do this, obviously, but you couldn’t let him go like that. you threw your legs over him, now straddling him, your hips rocked slowly. his hands came up and gave your ass a tight squeeze and a slap. “no teasing, sweetheart.”

his strong hands then gripped your waist, drilling you down onto his hard cock. you moaned, head thrown back feeling his sex against yours. whimpers falling from your lips as he bucked his hips up.

you felt that churning in your core again, you were about to snap and let loose. and he had barely done anything to you.

“‘m getting close. s’close, james!” you cried, your arms wrapping around his neck and in response he captured his lips in yours. fuck, you finally got a taste of him and you couldn’t hold back, neither could he.

he immediately flipped you both over. his clothed sex thrusting against yours.

your arms were still latched to him, his hands on your hips, bucking them up to his, bringing you closer to the edge.

“please, can i cum!” you sobbed, tears streaming from your face and this was all from dry humping.

“yes, baby. such a needy thing, barely touched you and you’re a little crying mess.”

letting go, the coil snapped and you writhed beneath him. your legs jerked up and a cry let your lips, he relished in the pretty noises you made. an animalistic growl ripped from his throat and he buried his lips into your neck, immediately nipping and sucking; finding your sweet spot.

his lips traveled, but stopped at the fabric of your shirt. “can i take it off, bun?” you nodded your head eagerly in response, your mind still foggy from your recent orgasm.

he unveiled your soft skin, he watched the shirt slide up revealing your tummy to the delicate skin of your breasts covered by your white laced bra. immediately his face dove into your breast and planted hot kisses on it. “so pretty, love.” he praised and your back arched, bringing your breast closer to him. “want to taste them so bad.” he murmured more to himself,

his hand crawled behind your back and unclipped the restraining bra.

peeling it off, your nipples peaked feeling the cool air surround it quickly. “you’re my birthday gift, aren't you? all mine, not his. mine.” he smirked, his lips quickly attacking your nipples. your mouth opened in an “O” shape feeling his skilled tongue on you. “taste so sweet,” he mumbled.

“all f’you, james! please want y’to use me, wanna be y’good girl!” you pleaded, a pout on your lips, finally one that he could kiss away. pulling from your breast, his lips melted onto yours, the fit perfectly together, molding together.

his hands tracked down your body, finding your skirts zipper, he unzipped it: revealing your hot skin.

you began tugging at his button up shirt, that’s when he realized you were only in your panties, while he was fully clothed. “tut, tut, tut, baby. want daddy’s clothes off, gotta ask first. mhm?”

you nodded your head and asked, “can i take your clothes off, daddy?”

he gave you a nod and your hands quickly nimbled with the buttons and took his shirt off; revealing his toned body, your hands caressed from his chest down to his strong v line. a smirk graced his damned good looking face and his hands played with the waist band of your panties. “white laced panties, baby? so pretty on you, but i wanna see something even prettier.”

planting kisses from your breast down to your inner thighs he placed a kiss on your clothes core, his nose nuzzling into your clit. he inhaled you, so fucking intoxicating. his tongue teased your hot cunt, he licked and lapped and you could barely feel it through your panties. “so wet, so fucking wet and for me. i feel selfish for keeping you to myself.” (a sequel? 🙈)

he peeled your underwear off your hot and sticky skin. finally, fucking finally. he thought as he saw your cunt, “fuck, sweetheart — so — fucking…beautiful.” he said in between the kisses he gave your sex, you whined, your body twisting a bit, feeling all the butterflies in your stomach soaring through the roof.

suddenly his tongue dived into your pussy, immediately your back arched as a cry left your lips. “shh, i know, i know, princess.” he groaned against you. he needed you quiet, he didn’t need his wife to come up here and find him eating out his best friend's daughter.

now wasn’t the fucking time to be disobedient but you couldn’t hold back all the pleasure spiraling through your body. a loud cry, maybe even a scream ripped from your throat. in a blink of an eye the tongue against you stopped it’s movement and a slap was delivered to your breast. you whimpered from lost of pleasure and the burn in your breast. “what did i say, toots? you need to be fucking quiet, don’t need no one finding us.”

your eyebrows furrowed. “what if i want someone to find us? huh? what’re you gonna do about it? tell my dad?” you laughed, teasing you opened your legs wider and lifted a leg up, giving him a better view.

getting off his knees, his tongue rolled against his cheek, you could tell he was fuming. he grabbed your jaw, his grip was fucking strong. his other hand fell to his buckle and immediately unbuckled it, his pants falling to his ankles. quickly, he took his pants and boxers off. his tip leaking with precum slapped his defined abdomen, all those years of quidditch really paid off didn't it.

his hard fucking cock was right in front of you and holy shit…it was bigger than you thought. how could a dick be that big —

“you wanna be a fucking brat? hmm? i’ll give you something to suck on so you can shut the fuck up.” his hands grabbed the back of your head, gripping on your hair and pushed you onto your knees. he slammed your mouth against his cock. his dick quickly slid into your mouth, hitting the back of your throat, you immediately gag and tears fill your eyes. your mascara smeared against your delicate eyes.

“yeah? try to fucking talk back to me like a bitch, ima treat you like one.”

your head cocked back and forth, your tongue swirled against his tip and your hand pumped the rest of his shaft that you couldn’t take.

he gripped your hair even tighter and began to thrust, fucking your mouth with all his might. tears streamed down your face.

you looked up at him, giving him your best good girl eyes. “keep looking at me like that and im gonna cum — fuck, you stupid bitch. i’m not gonna be able to fuck you if you keep doing that.”

i guess all those times you practiced giving head on a popsicle worked out after all.

you didn’t care, you wanted him to cum: in your mouth, in your cunt, on your stomach, back, or hand.

almost about to come undone he pulls away from your warm mouth and you whine at the list of him.

immediately he man handles you and tosses you onto the bed, his hand grabbing your throat, giving it a tight squeeze closing your air way. a dumb smile graced your face, only a slut was stupid enough to do that. your body squirmed under his, his lips came close to your ears. “you never fucking listen, do you?”

backing away from his former position, his hand still on your throat. “guess i gotta fuck some manners into you.”

[sluttywonwoo]

study buddies || k.mg x reader

Pairing: frat!mingyu x fem reader 

Summary: studying for midterms with the guy you’re hooking up with goes exactly how you’d expect

Warnings: swearing, light smut (18+)

Word Count: 1.6k

a/n: reworked this old blurb originally posted on my tom holland fic account ( @wazzupmrstark ) for my gf’s birthday :)) happy birthday @hotgirlmingyu

Masterlist

You woke up to banging on your apartment door. Groaning, you rolled over to check your phone and saw that it was six am. You pushed yourself up and out of bed and padded into the kitchen to answer the door. You were surprised the relentless knocking hadn’t woken up your roommate, but she was a pretty heavy sleeper.

You yanked the door open to see Mingyu with a handful of textbooks. You squinted at him in confusion, wondering if you were seeing things. Mingyu had never been to your place before, you didn’t even know he knew where you lived.

His appearance startled you a bit. His hair was messy where it was usually slicked back or styled and he was wearing gray sweatpants and a white t-shirt. You didn’t think you’d ever seen him in anything other than khakis and a douchey printed shirt.

“What are you doing here?” you asked, rubbing your eyes.

He frowned. “You said we should study for midterms together.”

You thought back to the last time you’d seen Mingyu. You couldn’t remember saying anything like that.

“Was I drunk?”

“Probably.”

“So why are you here?”

“To study. You agreed that we could help each other out.”

“Mingyu, I don’t even remember agreeing to that.”

“Well I’m already here,” he said and pushed past you into your apartment.

“Seriously? It’s Saturday.”

“Yeah, and midterms are next week.”

“Couldn’t you have waited until the sun was up?” you grumbled, mostly to yourself and shut the door behind him.

“We’ve got a lot of material to cover.”

You cursed under your breath as you watched him set up at your kitchen table, knowing you should probably study even though you desperately wanted to go back to bed.

You and Mingyu had met at a party at his fraternity and woke up the next morning tangled in the sheets of his bed. To say it was awkward would have been an understatement. You didn’t think you’d ever see him again, but to your horror, you saw him in your stats lecture on Monday and your mythology class on Thursday. This was a pretty big university. Why did the same asshole have to be in two of your classes?

As much as it annoyed you, you couldn’t stop thinking about Mingyu, and apparently, he was having a similar dilemma because every time you went out he seemed to be there, and every time you hooked up.

That was the extent of your relationship, though. You didn’t even speak to each other in class or at parties. The only time you talked was behind closed doors when one or both of you was naked. Even then you kept your guard up because you refused to let yourself fall for a frat boy with commitment issues who never wanted to be seen with the same girl twice. A boy who wouldn’t even talk to you in public.

But you couldn’t ignore the way your heart fluttered when he said your name as he was about to cum, or the way his lips felt against yours. He could be a total dick, but you’d also seen a softer side of him that he didn’t show many people. You forced yourself to forget about that side. It was easier that way.

“Okay, what are we starting with?” you asked with a sigh.

“We have the stats exam first, we should work on that.”

You made a face. Statistics was the harder out of the two for you. In fact, it was the hardest class you were taking this semester.

“I can’t believe I’m doing math before seven am.”

“You won’t be complaining when you ace the midterm,” he quipped, already working on a practice worksheet.

You watched him solve problems like he was checking items off a list. You knew he was good at statistics, but you didn’t know he was that good. Figures, a guy like him was good at pretty much everything. Everything except mythology apparently, because once you’d switched to that he was flustered and frustrated. You would quiz him on myths only for him to get every single question wrong.

“Mingyu, did you even read any of these?” you asked, pinching the bridge of your nose.

“Yes, y/n, I read every one. How do you think I passed all the reading quizzes?”

“Cheating?” it slipped out before you could stop it and Mingyu gave you a hard glare. You held up your hands defensively. “Just a joke.”

“I don’t think it was.” He licked his lips. “But for what it’s worth I read them all. I just can’t keep them straight.”

You sighed. You felt bad, but you were getting frustrated too. And not just because Mingyu wasn’t grasping the myths. This was the longest you’d ever spent together (at least while you were awake) and you hadn’t even had sex. He just smelled so nice and looked so cute when he was concentrating that you couldn’t help feeling a little impatient. You had been at it for hours, you thought you would’ve done it at least once by now. But Mingyu was more serious about studying than you thought. It was kind of admirable and kind of annoying.

“Okay well reread through the Egyptian myths and I’ll quiz you again.”

“Alright.”

He pulled out his reading packet and flipped to the section you took out your phone and scrolled through social media mindlessly as he read, but it quickly got boring. You wished Mingyu would take a break so he could rail you. He was still reading intently, but you figured a little distraction couldn’t hurt.

You started by taking your hair down from your bun and shaking it out so that it fell around your shoulders. You knew your shampoo drove Mingyu crazy and hoped it would have an effect on him today. He shifted his seat, but didn’t look up from the packet. Next, you leaned over and rested your head on his shoulder. You’d never done something so domestic like this with Mingyu, but it seemed to work because he cleared his throat and adjusted his sweatpants.

“You know you could be working on math.”

You shrugged. “We already did stats for hours today. I think I’ll jump off a bridge if I look at one more differential equation.”

He fell silent and tried focusing back onto the reading, but you moved your hand to his thigh and kept it there as you continued to through twitter, not even reading what was on your screen.

“Stop that,” Mingyu muttered, making you jump a little.

“Why?”

“Fuck, because you’re distracting me. You look too hot right now.”

“I’m wearing pajamas.”

“I really don’t care. You still look hot and I’m trying not to fuck you senseless right now.”

“Well what’s stopping you?” you asked lowly and nipped at his ear.

“Need to finish this,” he replied through gritted teeth.

“I can’t convince you to take a break?” You moved the hand on his leg up so that you were cupping him over his pants.

He shook his head. “After.”

You leaned over and kissed his neck, then his jaw, and felt him get hard under your hand. “If I have to stop what I’m doing you won’t be able to walk for the next week.”

“That sounds like more of a motivator than a deterrent,” you admitted. “I’ll suck you off,” you offered and hooked your thumb in the waistband of his sweats, trying to bribe him.

“If you let me finish I’ll eat you out,” he countered.

You straightened up. It sounded like a pretty good deal.

“Fine.”

A few minutes passed in silence and you were waiting patiently, typing up a rough draft of an essay you had due for another class when Mingyu groaned.

“What?” you asked, wondering if he needed help.

“Can you please stop that?”

“Stop what? I’m literally doing nothing.” You were genuinely confused now.

“Just- I don’t know you’re making it so hard to concentrate.”

“Am I making it hard?” You smirked.

“Very funny.”

“Would it help if I put a paper bag over my head?”

“Probably.”

“Come on, keep reading about Osiris.”

“I don’t want to read about Osiris anymore, he’s a dick.”

“The faster you finish the faster you can get off.”

“I thought you didn’t want to wait,” Mingyu pointed out, trying to deflect.

“I think I recall something about you going down on me if I let you finish reading.”

“Fine,” he grumbled, but didn’t turn back to the book. Instead, he continued to gaze at you with those big brown eyes. You couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

“What?” You felt your cheeks get warm.

“I just really want to kiss you right now.”

You smiled and raised your chin, challenging him. “Then do it.”

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to yours. You closed your eyes and kissed him back, savoring the moment.

When you pulled away, Mingyu’s eyes were dark with want and you could see that he was now fully hard in his sweatpants.

“How about I eat you out now anyway?” He suggested, leaning forward to kiss your neck.

You moaned and brought your hands to his hair.

“You trying to bribe me?”

“Is it working?”

“Fuck yeah.”

Mingyu stood and picked you up from your chair. You wrapped your legs around his waist again. He pulled on your bottom lip with his teeth and smirked.

“Promise you’ll finish studying after?” you asked.

He considered it. “Does what we’re about to do count as studying mythology? Because it’s going to be legendary.”

You scrunched up your face in distaste. “No, I take it back. Put me down.”

Mingyu grinned. “Hey! You know no ones gives it to you as good as I do.”

“That confident are you?”

His grin turned into a smirk. “Is that a challenge?”

lmk what you think i always appreciated feedback!!

forever tags: @haven-cove

shoot me an ask to be added/removed from my taglist

[thekidultlife]

The Most Convenient Escape | Jihoon Soulmate!AU (5)

⍟ Pairing: Jihoon x fem!reader

⍟ AU: Fantasy/ Soulmate AU

⍟ Genre: ANGST, SLOW BURN, fluff

⍟ Warnings: mentions of abuse, drinking, and sex

⍟ Word Count: 8.5k

⍟ Synopsis: For all your life, you have a deep disdain towards Soulmate Bonds, so much so that you are able to write opinions about it in a local newspaper. However, as life would have it, you wake up one day bonded to a person you hardly knew. Throwing in an investigation, annoying roommates, and a revolution looming just beneath the surface, you had to seek for the most convenient escape.

⍟ A/N: So on to the next chapter! This is probably the longest I’ve written for this series! Anyway, please excuse my tarot reading skills, my knowledge is only limited to watching pick a car readings in youtube and google. Now that’s out of the way, please enjoy! -Hyeri

⍟ Taglist: @shoshishua, @woozisnoots (I also want to thank @minkwans and @oprandomfeels for leaving such a nice messages on the tags in the previous chapter!! I dont want to sound creepy but i do comeback to them if i needed motivation to write! so thank you!!)

CHAP 1 | CHAP 2 | CHAP 3 | CHAP 4 | CHAP 5 |  CHAP 6 |

CILVEKAN ESPIONAGE TURNS PARLIAMENT INTO A BATTLEFIELD by Jeon Wonwoo and Kwon Soonyoung

The Porta Persa Edition, October 12th

Words that break like cannon shots, arguments that burn like incendiaries, bulwarks of statements that are hardly impenetrable—such is a terrifying and impressive sight to behold upon the ancient halls of the Parliament in these last few weeks. The fate of the two Cilvekan agents who were previously caught in Lower Efendel had been a divisive force upon the venerated legislative body of our nation; rendering them into a heated stalemate. 

Armed with wit and sound proofs, Conservatives led by Atlen County Representative Kang Jinho campaigned for stringent travel restrictions, as well as a thorough examination of all Cilvekan nationals entering and leaving Porta Persa. He contends that the security of this powerful nation must not be compromised for simple material gains. 

Pointing an accusing finger at the trading and tourism industry which has seen immense growth in profits due to the inflow of foreign immigrants and visitors into the country, Conservatives have been critical of lax travel regulations over the years in which they view, as in Rep. Kang’s words, as a means for ‘alien entities’ to ‘wreak havoc in this peaceful land’ and ‘further their covert operations to diminish and weaken the stability of Porta Persa’. According to Rep. Kang, it is rightfully so that sacrifices are to be made to ensure that no foreign powers would dare to assert their influence over this country. 

On the other side of the argument lie Santaragossa Assembly Representative Lee Jihoon, the flagship of both Libertarians and Moderates on this matter, who, with his rapid fire responses, have advocated for softer regulations and an extensive counterintelligence program instead. 

In his speech to Congress today, Rep. Lee disputes that economic factors are hardly simple, and should not be diminished into mere ‘increase of gains’. In his words ‘There are people who, if harsher travel restrictions are thus placed, will be left for wild dogs to eat, for the weather to beat and rattle their bones on the cold earth. With no means of a livelihood to provide for themselves, what will become of them? For us who have a roof to sleep in, and food on the table to eat, it is easy for us to say that travel restrictions are a minor inconvenience. Yet for these people, harsher travel restrictions are equivalent to a death sentence.’

He further advocates for a better counterintelligence program wherein proper and stronger defenses are to be implemented only at the appropriate areas, as this is not only cost effective, but also ensures that the livelihood and the human rights of all people in Porta Persa, whether be citizen, immigrant, tourist and whatnots are protected and venerated…

◇

“Lee Jihoon was truly frightening during that session. I swear to god, sitting there feels like he’s attacking me personally.”

Unlike the usual, the three of you were not relaxing comfortably outside the lush courtyards of the Royal Academy, eating carefully prepared lunches and enjoying the view. Instead, late morning sunlight poured from the open windows, illuminating the wooden desk and chair you were sitting on, silently listening to your friends.

To your right, sat said friends: Wonwoo and Soonyoung who were fresh from the printers, the rancid smell of ink sticking to their regal school uniform. On Soonyoung’s hands was the freshly printed draft of your newspaper, which was to be released the next day. 

He folded the newspaper and tossed it beside you on the desk. 

“He’s been like that for what? A week now, I reckon?” 

“Two, in my opinion.” Wonwoo answered, adjusting his glasses. He was the calmer kind of fellow. Soonyoung was more theatrical. 

“Oh good god, it’s been two weeks already?” Soonyoung exclaimed, his lips ajar. “No wonder Y/N is here all the time!”

Wonwoo glanced at you, who simply turned away and faced the open window. “Why are you here exactly?”

You continued to grind Alizarin berries on your portable mortar and pestle with a nonchalant look on your face. “I’m making your allergy medicine.”

“Not yesterday and in the last few weeks,” Wonwoo retorted back, giving you an inquisitive look. “Now tell me, is it because of Lee Jihoon?” 

Groaning, you continued to pour all of your irritation at the poor powdered berries in your mortar. “Must the reason always be Lee Jihoon?” 

“Well, why are you here then?” Soonyoung shrugged, glancing at you with raised brows. 

Exasperated, you sighed and left the mortar and pestle alone for once. In all honesty, the reason was indeed Lee Jihoon. After he saw your breakdown two weeks ago, you were avoiding him at all cost because you knew he was going to ask you about it and you were not one to divulge such sensitive topics. 

Of course, you wouldn’t let them know. “The way my room looks is just nauseating.” 

Soonyoung made an incredulous frown while Wonwoo snorted. 

“Right.” They both said.

Having childhood friends has its own disadvantages: you couldn’t really hide anything from them. Yet you wouldn’t tell them anything for that matter. Your room was indeed nauseating, spinning around and around as your vision blur if you just stay in one position for far too long.The way your stomach churns and your legs buckle because of the amount of suppressants you were taking to block your soulmate connection was something you simply cannot express into words. 

You stare at the red powder inside the mortar. The smell was making you lurch, reminding you of the suppressant, yet you expertly concealed it with a cough and a broad change of subject. 

“Aren’t we supposed to go somewhere today?” you asked, adding more berries to the mortar. 

“No, it’s on Friday, 3pm,” Wonwoo replied, checking his travel sized planner. “For some time, Soonyoung and I have been tracing documents from Luce Trading to see if they could give us some clues. But most of them inexplicably got lost or destroyed from last year’s flooding, but thankfully, Soonyoung found some in a novelty shop.” 

Upon hearing, you quirked a brow at them. “That is quite interesting. It is possible that something important is in those documents, especially when they had deemed it necessary to destroy them. It seems like fortune is on our side today.”

Wonwoo nodded. “Exactly my thoughts.”

“I reckon, those documents can finally settle the question of who their actual victims are,” the other male remarked with a considerate nod. “We can actually take a step forward in this investigation!”

You forced a smile. Truly, you were elated but the way your heart was palpitating wasn't feeling that great to you. Wonwoo adjusted his glasses once more, a habit he has acquired whenever he was thinking of something.

"Quite frankly, I still haven't forgotten what Jihoon had told me a few months ago," he started, fidgeting with his hands. "And god knows if he's telling me the truth or throwing us off the scent." 

"Oh that one..." Soonyoung exclaimed, nodding. You glanced at the two of them, looking betrayed. 

"Why have I no knowledge of this?" You asked, eyes shooting daggers. 

The two boys quickly exchanged glances and panicked.

"You haven't told Y/N?" Wonwoo asked the other male, who was beginning to pout. 

"What…I thought you told Y/N!" He replied, pointing at you. 

What seemed like a little misunderstanding was going to become a lot of bickering later on, so as you rolled your eyes, you put yourself between the two of them. 

"Alright, enough. Just tell me what Lee Jihoon said," you spoke sternly, hands on your hips.

“It’s not as straightforward as you think,” Wonwoo recounted. “Jihoon kept going in circles about our newspaper, Alex Fireflower—”

“Me?” you exclaimed, furrowing your brow.

“Yes, you. And the Gestalt case,” Wonwoo continued, acknowledging you. “At first, I was under the impression that he was simply inquiring what my thoughts were with regards to the Gestalt case as a fellow classmate, yet as it turned out, he appears to be hinting that it was a suicide case.”

A bewildered look was what you gave him, not understanding how a blatantly homicide case could possibly be a suicide. “I need you to expound further than that.”

Your friend shrugged. “That’s where the problem lies. We know that the Gestalts might be involved in the sex trafficking ring due to the judicial records we’ve discovered before, yet to what extent is a matter we have no knowledge of.”

“Oh, yes, that tax evasion case filed against Luce Trading that was suddenly dismissed by court with no apparent reason…it seems malicious, yet I still doubt that it should be considered a connection to the syndicate” Soonyoung remarked. 

“Those things usually happen yet everything involved in this case should be accounted for. Even including the possibility of it being a suicide,” Wonwoo continued. 

“Yet logistically speaking, how can it possibly be a suicide?” You asked, clearly unconvinced. “Lee Jihoon is merely giving us chaff.”

“That is the reason why I cannot just stop thinking about it. It’s perplexing.” 

“You’re just doing mental exercises, Wonwoo,” you dismissed him. “Trusting Lee Jihoon is definitely not advisable. He’s a politician. We might be unaware that he is in fact a part of that syndicate, and is simply playing cat and mouse with us.”

Wonwoo heaved a long sigh, leaning against the bedpost. “That, I won’t deny.”

“Rather than running on conjectures, we should proceed with the investigation instead,” Soonyoung interrupted solemnly. “We simply do not have the entire narrative.”

"I completely agree," you replied, leaning against the table as you go through another wave of stomach cramps with much composure. "Let's…lay out what we know first." 

The two of them nodded at you, which you considered a signal to begin.

"So, we know that some government officials are involved in a sex trafficking scheme. Why do we know that?" 

Soonyoung answered. "Because Wonwoo unintentionally eavesdropped a conversation between his father and a parliament member, who was trying to ask him to vote against the amendment of the Soulmate bond." 

"He offered my father membership to the syndicate among other things…" Wonwoo quietly continued, perusing his thoughts. 

"Right. We know that the Gestalt case is somewhat related to the syndicate. Why?" 

"For one, that parliament member who had attempted to lobby for my father's vote was asking him to vote against the amendment which has stemmed from the Gestalt case. It could possibly be a stretch but we should not deny it." 

Nodding, you continued. "And the fact that we had found out that Rene Gestalt had already died right after the High Court suspension. And had died under a different name and under a mysterious circumstance."

"If Rene Gestalt was a simple nobody, he wouldn’t have died in that manner," Soonyoung added. "And that tax evasion case shouldn't have been dismissed so easily."

"Luce Trading is more profitable than Kwon International, isn't it?" You asked, but Soonyoung immediately replied.

"Hey now! We had better sales for the past decade!" 

You giggled, "Alright, my apologies." 

"I still find it hard to fit the pieces though," Wonwoo interrupted. "Why Luce Trading? Why did Himi Gestalt die but not Rene? What exactly happened?"

The three of you exchanged glances.

"We need more information."

You leaned back, sighing as you felt the heaviness of the possible truth you have in your hands. Wonwoo and Soonyoung were pretty much the same. That’s why, more than anything, you didn’t want any sort of distraction, especially those that involve soulmate bonds.

“In the meantime, Y/N,” Wonwoo began, giving Soonyoung a look and then the two gazed at you with concerned expressions. “Are you truly, definitely, a hundred percent, alright?” 

You knitted your brows, and immediately replied. “I’ve never been better.”

“No…! No, what we meant is…” Soonyoung was the one who responded. “You…you fought with your father, didn’t you?”

It was a sudden inquiry, you can admit that, but you were not at least surprised they had asked. Your father must’ve gone to Soonyoung’s father and then they informed him of the matter. 

“A few weeks ago, yes,” you told them, nonchalant as you added more berries to the mortar. “I have decided to cut ties with him once and for all. He’s nothing to me now.”

You noticed that they were taken aback, but it was an expected reaction. The decision was indeed done in the heat of the moment, yet you didn’t feel anymore remorseful. 

“You do not have to worry about me. I have you two, and our newspaper is doing quite well in sales,” you reassured them. “Cutting him off is simply removing dead weight off my shoulders.”

Without any warning, Soonyoung pulled you to a tight embrace and Wonwoo followed soon after. You simply stayed still in surprise, as they continued to console you silently, knowing that you didn’t need any words to make you feel better. 

“Y/N, please know that we will always be here for you,” Wonwoo began. “We’ve been together since we were children, and we’ll always will be.”

“If you wish to get something off your chest, we are always here to listen. You don’t have to carry everything by yourself.”

You grimaced at this, but hid it easily by burying yourself underneath their embrace. You’ll tell them everything someday, but now, you simply wish to brave the storm by yourself.

“I will.”

◇

"Jihoon!"

Heavy footfalls echo across the marbled hallways of the Parliament. Rows of white columns line up on the curve, the view of Porta Persa easily seen with just one turn of a head.

"Jihoon, please wait for a moment!"

Harsh steps that march through with controlled frustration, and another set which was running after them. Nobody was on sight other than two men who were adorned by their heavy purple robes, billowing with the wind.

"Lee Jihoon!" 

"What is it ?!" The other snapped, his eyes piercing and intense.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs sighed, his demeanor tinged with concern. The whole Parliament hearing was tense and unnerving, and Lee Jihoon seemed to be in the middle of the swirling storm. 

"I simply wanted to see if you are doing well," Joshua offered, his voice calm, yet the other simply scoffed.

"What do you suppose?" he replied, his tone filled with frustration and sarcasm. "If we lose next week's vote, it'll be all over!" 

Joshua reached out for Jihoon's shoulder, trying to help the other through his temper. 

"Alright Jihoon, listen to me. We still have time. We can still convince the others to vote against the bill." 

"But we need fifty more votes! Where in heaven's name are we going to find those?" He exclaimed and then groaned, resounding through the deserted hall.

"You need to calm down, Jihoon!" Joshua reminded, shaking some sense into him. "You're making a mountain out of a mole hill!"

The dark haired male blinked, stunned by the sudden loudness of his friend's voice. The high had finally subsided in his veins as he huffed and removed himself from Joshua's grasps. 

"Jihoon…"

"I apologize. I'm simply exhausted," he replied, sighing as he turned his back to the other. "While this issue has been particularly draining, my soulmate bond is eating my energy away as well." 

Joshua blinked, wondering what was the matter this time. They had left Jihoon in his dorm room that day as instructed, yet for some reason after that, he seemed to have become more snappish and gloomy. 

Jihoon sighed once more, probably the nth time for today. 

"She…she was crying when she arrived, you know. I have no inkling as to why but it did hurt me…seeing her like that," he continued, now more to himself than to Joshua. "I wanted to comfort her or do something, anything…but she pushed me away, both physically and mentally. It's been weighing on me since then."

Without a word, Joshua walked towards him and placed an understanding tap on his shoulder. "I wish I can offer you some help."

At this point, Jihoon simply shook his head with a downcast smile. "There is nothing we can do about it if she doesn't want me." 

Those words, as he said it, felt more painful than he had anticipated. Yet that was the truth—she had blocked him, in more ways than one. Jihoon wished he knew why yet he had already spent enough sleepless nights on it that he didn't need more.

"In the meantime, it would be nice if we had those fifty votes before the weekend."

◇

Oct. 14th 

Desmere District, Porta Persa

"So, it's here?" You asked, standing in front of a decrepit shop, flanked by two of your friends. "Are you sure it's here?" 

You weren’t really one to judge but the way the roof shingles were about to fall, the dull green paint peeling off the door, and the dusty shop window filled by various junk accumulated over the years, was telling a rather clear story. 

You could even  hardly read the name of the shop. 

“52nd Oppleton street, Esmond Novelty Shop….Yes, without a doubt this is the one!” Soonyoung replied cheerfully, grinning ear to ear, “Come on now! No time to waste!” 

Wonwoo glanced at you with a knowing look as he followed after Soonyoung through the door. Today seemed to be one of those days where Wonwoo was in a rather irritatingly playful mood. “You heard him. No time to waste now, Y/N.”

It wasn’t new for you to be the victim of their teasing, but you didn’t appreciate it either when it comes. Thus, as you rolled your eyes and pursed your lips, you threw your hesitation out of the window. Following closely behind, you heard the charming bell chime above you as soon as you entered, yet the dust which wafted through the air was not as charming as you had feared.

“Welcome to our shop! Feel free to look around and see if anything suits your fancy!” A male voice greeted you three, though you cannot make out a clear image of him as he seemed to be covered by the centuries old dust. 

“Ah, we’re actually looking for someone…” Soonyoung replied, fishing a piece of parchment inside the pocket of his vest. “Um…a Madame Adora?” 

While the three of you seemed to be unsure, the tall burly man, which you have now seen after the dust has settled, nodded in understanding. 

“Yes, yes. Please follow me. Her shop is at the back,” he replied and turned around, not waiting for you to respond. 

Exchanging curious glances, you followed close behind—carefully studying your surroundings as you did. There were a lot of books for one. Stacks upon stacks of leather tomes piled on top of another which was rather deadly if one wrong move was made. The shopkeeper, seemingly used to this dangerous environment, easily navigated his way through the path provided. 

There were a lot of miscellaneous items as well: old shoes, typewriters, some ornate desks which were long forgotten. Dirty porcelain dolls, dull grey candelabras, and even a baby grand piano covered with various knickknacks—essentially, this was a shop of extras: once loved, tossed away and buried under the sands of time. Their fate seemed to have given you a melancholic mood, yet there is little you can do to change it. 

“Where do you find all of these?” Wonwoo asked, curious as he perused over an old book about outdated potions. 

“There are numerous ways,” the man shrugged, dodging a stray pole which was protruding from a pile of junk. “Sometimes we buy them from people who move houses, sometimes they just give it to us, and some just find their way here.”

His words immediately reminded you of the thought that objects do have souls in them. They used to be someone’s important thing; they were once given meaning and context by the people who used to own them. This place had become their new home now, amidst the sea of other objects that were no different.

A light knock on wood snatched you from your thoughts as you averted your attention back to the matter at hand. The shopkeeper had stopped in front of a slightly ajar door, peeking carefully at the space. 

“Madame, these people wish to speak to you,” he called out, yet he was met by silence and a rather loud creaking of a chair being moved. A grainy “let them in” soon followed, though you were not as sure since it was just above a murmur.

Nodding, the shopkeeper moved and allowed you space to walk inside the room. With rather modest postures, the three of you silently entered in file, easily spotting a worn out loveseat, which was probably a bright emerald in its youth, to sit on. It was a rather small space, enough to be a breakfast room, with second hand furniture and astrology-related objects littered around to give a sense of mystique. 

“Robert, fetch those documents for me please,” the old woman ordered, who you hardly noticed with how she was almost covered by the wooden desk before her. The shopkeeper, who was apparently named Robert hummed and disappeared, closing the door shut. 

As soon as he was gone, you scooted on your seat to take a closer look of the old woman. Just as you had anticipated, Madame Adora was petit, but was made to look larger by her bulky dress adorned by stars and moons embroidered in metallic thread. It had the same fabric as her headpiece which was wrapped around her head like a towel. The one which caught most of your attention however, was the large dangling sun and moon earrings which were as big as her head. You wondered if they were as heavy as they looked. 

“Um…we’re—” Wonwoo began but was instantly halted by the Madame with just one hand. 

“I know what you seek, my dear children,” she began, her voice croaky. Probably from smoking a bit too much; you thought as you noticed the ashtray on her table next to the burning sage. 

The three of you raised your eyebrows, wondering what Madame Adora could’ve meant by her words. She seemed to be the eccentric type, and you wouldn’t be surprised if she busted out tarot cards and a crystal ball any minute. 

“You are on your path to fulfill a great purpose for humanity. It is a fate neither you nor this country can avoid,” she continued, making you glance at Wonwoo and Soonyoung. You wanted to ask them if she was sane, but out of courtesy, you decided to keep your mouth shut. 

“O-Of course…that—that’s what we’re trying to do,” Soonyoung replied awkwardly as he shifted on his seat. “But we do need to—”

“Yet be cautioned. This path does not offer refuge nor solace for the tired and weary. You will be accompanied by danger, deceit and the deep dark evils of this world. You will face adversaries stronger and larger than you had anticipated. Poke the bear, and its claws shall appear. Be strong and always seek for the truth.”

“Uh…yes, of course,” you replied, ending with uncertainty. “So the documents—”

“Ah, yes. Robert will be here soon,” she interrupted yet again. “While we wait, would any of you like a tarot reading?” 

“T-tarot reading?” Soonyoung exclaimed, as he leaned forward, not sure if he had heard it right. 

What a surprise. You simply smiled.

Interrupting your gloating, Soonyoung suddenly nudged you with his elbow, making you look at him. 

“What?” you asked, your voice a whisper. 

“Y-you do it, Y/N!” He replied, his expression not betraying the fact that he was a bit afraid. 

“What? Me? Of course not! Do you suppose I believe in such buffoonery?”

“Now, now. It’s just tarot cards, what harm could it possibly do to you? Attack you with a paper cut?” Soonyoung immediately replied, even though he was the one who got frightened first.

“Soonyoung is right, Y/N,” Wonwoo joined in, though you knew he was trying to gang up on you. “Besides, you wouldn’t be so cruel to deny this poor woman an income, would you?”

You closed your eyes, and breathed in—incredibly irritated by this game Wonwoo was playing today. However, you just didn’t have the energy to pick up a fight with how your stomach was beginning to churn once again; the suppressants returning with a vengeance after the pain relievers had worn off.

“Fine then! I’ll do it,” you seethed through gritted teeth as you stood up and walked towards the old woman. “I’ll do it.”

Now much closer, you saw Madame Adora smile warmly at you, which made you feel a bit guilty for getting angry. Sighing, you turn your gaze down to the wooden desk, unable to look into her eyes. 

“Boys,” the Madame suddenly called in her raspy voice. “Robert is waiting for you in the other room to look at the documents. Your friend will join you shortly.”

At this development, both Wonwoo and Soonyoung glanced at you, asking if it was alright for them to leave you. You smiled at them encouragingly. You’ll be fine. It’s just a tarot reading.

“Please don’t start without me,” you turned to them as they left the room. “I’m looking at you Kwon Soonyoung.”

Your friend simply grinned and gave you a salute. “Aye, aye!”

When the door was finally shut and you were left alone with the old woman, you glanced at her, wondering what was about to happen, or if she was going to do something.

“What’s your name, my dear?” she asked, something you hadn’t expected.

“Uh…I’m Y/N,” you soon replied, fiddling with a stray lock. You tried to deduce what the Madame was thinking, but nothing came to mind. She was eccentric and unpredictable; there was no use trying to predict the next set of events.

“Well then, please take a seat, Y/N,” she offered the armchair beside you which you quickly sat on. “Is this your first time getting a reading?”

“Yes, I…” you tried to evaluate your next words. “I’ve never been to a shop like this before.” 

She simply chuckled at you, pulling out a deck of cards from a drawer. “I understand, dear. We readers are few in number, yet believe it or not, just like magical practitioners, it is necessary for us to have proper licenses.” 

With the new information, you raised your brows and nodded, wondering why you haven’t known of this field before. As you continue to swim in your thoughts, Madame Adora began waving the smoking sage around the area. 

Knowing your curious look, she gave a small smile. “To cleanse the space, my dear. Sometimes we carry residual energy from people, objects or situations. It is necessary to cleanse before we begin the reading, so we can only pick up your own energy.”

Nodding once more, you didn’t really know what she was talking about. You were no magi, and your knowledge of magic was limited to alchemy and potions, which was grounded more into the material world than the metaphysical. 

“Alright then. What kind of reading do you wish to do?” She asked and you only gave her a blank look—completely innocent to the kind of readings a reader could perform. 

Without you needing to say a word, the Madame nodded in understanding and explained it to you. 

“A reading, in its base form, is a medium to provide some clarity. The Universe itself provides the answers. So if there is a question, a situation which you wish to seek clarity on, then we could begin with that.” 

Even before the old woman had finished talking, your head was already turning gears and cogwheels. You wanted to ask about the syndicate and the investigative reporting you were doing, yet for some reason, a niggling feeling inside of you was telling you it wasn’t the right question to ask. 

So you searched for it, concentrating on the feeling that you knew you could trust. However, at the end,  you were surprised to where it had led you. You didn’t want to ask about it. It was done, it was there. It didn’t matter anymore. But you felt it. It was so strong that it made shivers creep under your skin. You know you needed to hear it. 

You sighed. It’s just a tarot reading. No harm done. 

“I…uh…” you gazed downwards, finding your wrist wrapped in ribbon to be quite fascinating; deciding for one last time if this was indeed the decision you were making.

“My…uh, soulmate bond.”

You were not sure if she had heard you with how small your voice sounded, but there was no way you would repeat yourself. The way you finally said those words out loud felt like some sort of acceptance; an acknowledgement that a soulmate bond existed between you and that person. Before, it felt like it was simply a figment of your imagination.

To your surprise, the Madame nodded at you, smiling proudly. “Then it shall be. Let us begin.”

You nodded back, watching as she began to expertly shuffle the cards. 

“I will be doing a simple spread for you. A first card or cards would explain your energy, and then his energy. Afterwards, your strengths and weaknesses, then the state of this connection. Finally, we will be asking for the future of your soulmate connection.”

Unaware of how specific tarot can be, you only stared at her quite agile hands, not fully understanding everything. 

“Please be reminded, dear that energies do change. What is shown here is simply the current energy of the soulmate bond. You and your soulmate still do have the agency to change your future, yet for now, this is what it is.”

You definitely liked the sound of that. If tarot had been in any way fatalistic, you would’ve soured on it in an instant. You always believed that you had some semblance of control over your life, or at least you wanted to. 

Quietly, the Madame began drawing out cards, mostly cards which jumped out while she was shuffling. As she began to neatly arrange the cards into a grid-like form, you watched out for any reaction or expression from her. As it turned out, the most you could get was a slight raise of a brow. 

When it was all done, she flipped the deck over and placed it beside the spread. Peering overing, you saw that there were a lot of cards, some were upright and the others upside down. You wondered what these all meant.

“Well then, my dear,” she spoke to you, glancing all over the spread and then nodded in understanding. “Let us begin with your energy—Eight of Swords, Queen of Swords reversed and the Hermit reversed.”

“Are those good or bad?” you asked, curious, yet the old woman simply tightened her lips.

“What I could say is that, you may seem to be trapped in your situation right now, whatever your situation may be. Look at this woman in the Eight of Swords,” she replied, holding out the card to you. “ She is blindfolded and surrounded by these swords. She seems to be trapped and imprisoned. It could be your thoughts or what you are telling yourself, as swords symbolizes our mind and how we communicate. You could be suffering from self-doubt.”

Taking in her words, you could feel a lump forming in your chest, knowing that she was indeed right. 

“And then we have the Queen of Swords, which is you. When she is upright, she is a force to be reckoned with: intelligent, independent and the speaker of truth, however dear, we have her in reverse, which only shows the shadow side of this energy. The Hermit in reverse is telling me the same thing. My dear, I must apologize, yet this is what I see. As you continue to trap yourself with negative thoughts, you are slowly closing off your heart, becoming coldhearted and bitter, leading you into more loneliness and isolation. Whatever has caused you to become like this was incredibly painful that you have been pushed into fear, creating these defensive walls which then became the swords blindsiding you at this moment.”

You were silent, knowing full well what the old woman was talking about. You wanted to be angry at her for speaking a truth you were trying to avoid all this time, yet there was only sadness in your heart. 

“I’m so sorry dear, but this is what the cards say, but please rest assured that your energy could still change. Considering the strengths of this connection, I have high hopes that this soulmate bond will succeed,” Madame Adora consoled you, seeing the deep hurt in your eyes. 

“It’s fine,” you replied, swallowing the bile forming in your throat. “Please continue.”

Hesitantly, the Madame moved to the two cards beside the first ones she had read. “For your soulmate’s energy: the Two of Pentacles in reverse and the Hierophant.”

“As for now, your soulmate is in an imbalance. Look at how this person is trying to juggle the two pentacles in the card. He could hardly balance them at all. It could possibly be that your soulmate finds it difficult to manage their career and this connection with you, as this is a pentacles card which usually pertains to finances and the material world. Or, it could possibly be that they cannot find the balance between their traditional values and the constantly changing world with the Hierophant. Their views are definitely being challenged by you and your connection. Nevertheless, they seem to have felt your withdrawal and decided to focus on their career instead, which has now become two burdens on their shoulders.”

Making a downcast look, you felt guilty for making him feel that way. If he had indeed felt your pain through the bond, then he was no better than you. He was hurt too and the thought of you unintentionally inflicting pain on someone was something you were not keen on. 

“Now then, let’s  move to the strengths of this connection with the Chariot and Strength cards, which are incredibly powerful cards to have. Even this whole spread is powerful, considering how much Major Arcana you have.”

You leaned your head to the side. “Oh, is…is that so?”

“Yes. The Major Arcana holds more significance than the Minor Arcana, that is why having numerous cards from this suit could mean that this connection could be life changing for the both of you. With that said, having the Chariot and Strength implies that the both of you have a tremendous amount of strength and willpower. You and your soulmate are influential people who will stop at nothing to achieve your goals. That is why, even through all the pain and difficulties this bond will bring, this connection will survive.”

Not knowing what to make of that, you simply nodded. You were unsure if you do want this connection to survive. You hardly know your soulmate and you had no interest in doing so. You had long abandoned the idea that you will find love in a soulmate bond.

“Well now, look here, Y/N. I have been called upon to draw three cards for the weaknesses of this connection. We have the Five of Swords, the Nine of Swords in reverse and the High Priestess in reverse,” she continued, showing you the three cards.

“At this moment, there is conflict and disagreement in this connection. It could possibly be that the both of you have fought and that was the reason for your stagnant energy and his withdrawal, and with the Nine of Swords in reverse, usually this card means your anxieties and fears, and in reverse, it could be a release of those negative energies. However, in this reading, it seems like the both of you are hiding this inner turmoil in your hearts. Look at the image here,” the Madame pointed at the Nine of Swords.

“The woman is crying on her bed at night while these swords loom above her—she is crying alone, only the night is her companion, when everyone else is asleep and oblivious to her pain. In a way, you both are mirroring each other. You try to keep this conflict in your heart, making you feel disenchanted with this connection. You had lost hope of finding this love you seek. They on the other hand, try to bury themselves in their career or material possessions. They want stability and a sense of normalcy, yet cannot find it. The Universe has been providing divine guidance, yet with the High Priestess in reverse, the both of you cannot hear or perceive the signs.”

“This is further clarified with the Hanged Man and the Tower, both in reverse. These two cards represent the state of this connection, which further confirms the stagnation and fear of change in this connection. I felt this in the beginning when I was tapping to your energy, but dear, have you been blocking your soulmate bond?”

For some reason, you could only look at her and speak no words. There was fear in your eyes and guilt in your gut. It felt like you had done something unforgivable. You cast a glare to your arm, unable to utter any words of admittance. 

“Dear, may I see your wrist?” Madame Adora asked softly. You were hesitant at first but eventually gave in, pulling the ribbon that was wrapped around your wrist and placed it on the table. 

Gently, she examined the dull black bars on your skin as you watched curiously. You would ask what she was doing if she hadn’t begun speaking once again. 

“You are in pain, dear. Deep, deep pain you need to heal from. It’s not a fresh wound, but scars inflicted from so long ago yet continuously being pried open over the years. You keep on ignoring, burying these scars, hoping that time would help it heal someday,” she said, her fingers on the marks. 

“Yet when this soulmate bond came, it had forced you to face them even if you have no wish to, even if you were not ready to. This bond is making your fears rise to the surface—the fear of heartbreak and of disappointment. Thus, instead of waiting for someone else to do this to you, you decided to nip it in the bud. You try to convince yourself that you wish to be alone, that you are comfortable alone, yet deep inside you, you long for someone to share the heaviness which weighs down your heart.” 

Without even realizing, you had furrowed your brows and was glaring at the offending soulmate mark on your skin. There was a feeling deep inside you which refuses to accept the old woman's words. It was too painful to acknowledge the yearning that was deeply-rooted in your heart. It was too embarrassing to say that you had made a mistake.

You were simply protecting yourself. Those scars had long healed itself. You had already cut ties with your father and that was the end of the story. There is nothing more to talk about. There was no need to face any more of this. There is no need to reconcile with your soulmate. 

Gritting your teeth, you could sense anger rise deep inside of you. 

“But dear let me reassure you that despite everything, you will come together in the end. For the future of this connection, you have the Two of Cups which signifies a union. It is my soulmate card because as you can see, these two people are sharing, exchanging cups—”

—!!

You slammed your fist on the table abruptly, the cards jumping in disarray. Madame Adora looked at you sadly as you snatched your wrist away, holding it close to your chest. Your eyes were burning with rage, yet the old woman knew that that anger was rooted from deep longing and sadness.

“I don’t want it,” you muttered in a low voice, and then, after a short pause, began shouting as if it would relieve the guilt in your chest. “I don’t want it! I don’t want this! Could you please leave me alone!”

Without waiting for a reply, you ran out from the room, from the shop. You were in no capacity to continue the investigation with your friends when you are in this state of instability. You just want to leave and disappear for a while. 

Just for a while.

◇

Back inside the room, Madame Adora was greeted by Soonyoung and Wonwoo, who were surprised to know that you had left running out of the shop. 

“Ah, did Y/N lose her temper again?” Wonwoo asked as he had heard you shouting earlier. “We must apologize, Madame.”

“No, it is I who wishes for your pardon. I must have hurt your friend,” she replied. “Please give this to her as an apology.” 

The two men watched as the Madame pulled out a small box from one of the desk’s drawers and placed it on the table. They wondered what the Madame had said in the reading that made you lose composure. 

“We will deliver this to her immediately,” Soonyoung replied as he took the box and dropped it inside his pocket. “And thank you for the documents.”

“It is meant for you. I had been called upon to buy the desk which it was stored in, and when you came to this shop in search for such an item, I knew it was meant for this purpose,” Madame Adora replied, intertwining her fingers together. “But more than that, please watch over Y/N.”

Both Wonwoo and Soonyoung exchanged glances. “W-we will.”

“Simply watch over her and give her support. She is going through something which only she can resolve.”

As the Madame said those words, her gaze was caught by the single card by her side. It was the card at the back of the deck—usually meant to summarize the energy of the whole reading. 

It was the Lovers.

◇

It was already dreadfully dark when you had decided to return to your dorm room.

The wisteria trees were already a midnight grey, the unlit path, a dark purple. Only a few streetlamps offered illumination through the pitch-black night as you waded through the campus in silence.

You took your time alone—wandering on random alleyways, sitting on deserted park benches, watching people pass by as they live their own lives, with their own problems. Nothing seemed real during those hours of isolation in the midst of the crowd. It was like the pain was too far away for you to reach; the events from that afternoon too far away to be reality.

Yet you knew you needed to return somehow. Thus, with eyes exhausted from crying tears unshed, and the ribbon you used to conceal your soulmate bond in your hands, you opened the door to your dorm room and saw its gauche splendor in shameless display.

With a sigh, you wrapped the ribbon on your wrist haphazardly, not caring if not seemed sloppy as long as the black bars were far from your sight.

Walking to the common room, you scanned the area for your roommate, wondering if he was asleep or still at his office on a Friday night. It would be better if you didn’t see him, you thought. There would be less explaining to do.

Yet the common room was depressingly empty. It had occurred to you that you never even spent much time in there as much as you would’ve liked. Was it simply because you were avoiding him or you were just not interested in sharing the same space with him, you didn’t know.

As you move past the wooden dining table and towards the kitchenette for a glass of water, you bumped into something fleshy and soft which definitely made you shriek and fall onto the floor in a painful thud.

“What…on earth?” you muttered, gradually coming down from your sudden adrenaline rush, your sight refocusing.

To your astonishment, you found one Lee Jihoon lying on the floor, obviously drunk by the whisky which was once inside the bottle he was clinging on to for dear life. Apprehensively, you crawled towards him, to check if he was still breathing. Yet before you could touch him, his dark brown eyes were on to you, still cold and jaded as the nights of December.

“Jihoon—“

You were about to reprimand him for bringing in prohibited alcohol inside the dorms and for sleeping on the floor during a cold autumn day, when you realized that his skin was red. Bright red.

Concern immediately shoots up to your brain as you reach out to him.

“Jihoon!” You exclaimed, shaking him to sobriety. “Jihoon! Are you intolerant to alcohol?”

Despite your concern, he could only hum groggily. “It’s…fine.”

“What do you mean ‘it’s fine’? How many bottles have you drunk?!” You asked, looking around and saw several bottles of the same whisky he was holding. “Oh god, you even chose one with high alcohol content! You shouldn’t be drinking this.”

“It’s…fine, Y/N. I only had a few… just a few…”

He simply groaned in reply, lying comfortably on the floor without a care in the world. You only stared at him in exasperation, brushing your hair as you sighed.

You felt an urge to just leave him like that on the floor until dawn breaks. He can take care of himself, and being drunk probably isn’t something new to him. Yet you knew you can’t just do that. Whether or not he was Lee Jihoon, you had the obligation to not leave him to die of alcohol poisoning or of hypothermia.

The last one was a stretch, you admit but still, there was no way you could leave him like that as someone who tries to be compassionate at every point of day. At least, the sofa was a lot better than the cold floor.

Reaching for his arm and placing it around your shoulders, you tried to carry Jihoon to the sofa just a few steps away. Yet you hadn’t anticipated how heavy he actually was as you barely dragged him across the room, huffing and panting. You were not one with the best fitness

“Come on, Jihoon. Hold yourself up!  You’re simply too heavy for me to carry!” You exclaimed as you tried not to stumble on the way.

“Mmn…I’m sorry...I’m trying…” he drawled, his eyes half-lidded and unfocused—obvious indications that he has drunk too much for his own good.

Just a little bit…

Taking that one step remaining, you immediately tossed Jihoon to the soft sofa with a long and exhausted sigh. He only groaned, his hair in a disarray. You had only noticed now that he still had his work clothes on: a grey suit piece sans the tie which he must’ve tossed somewhere in the immediate past.

He had his eyes closed as you sat closely to him, watching his chest rise and fall with every breath. Jihoon seemed to be in peace this way, far from the constant creases in his brow or on his lips. Brushing away a stray lock of hair from his face, you noticed the angles on his face, the fullness of his cheeks, the rosiness of his lips. Was he always this familiar to you? It was a question you had no immediate answers to. Yet you had never anticipated to end your exhausting day with a drunk Lee Jihoon, yet that’s where you are now.

“I should give him some medicine to ease the redness,” you muttered to yourself as you stood up, your mind already listing the ingredients you needed to make one tablet, but before you did, a hand had stopped you in your tracks.

“Please…don’t leave me,” his voice, still lethargic, echoed behind you and you were forced to turn, your eyes captured by his unrelenting gaze.

“Jihoon…” you spoke softly, returning to your seat beside him as you helped him sit up clumsily. “But you’re still flushing.”

“Doesn’t matter…” he replied back, leaning unsteadily until you caught him in your arms. Now he was peacefully resting his head on your shoulder, burying himself into your embrace.

“J-Jihoon…?”

To say that you were wholly surprised was an understatement. You were floundering and unable to make anything out of this situation. This was something incredibly out of character for the Lee Jihoon you thought you knew.

“Y/N…I must….must apologize,” he began, which definitely made you furrow your brows in bewilderment. “I’m so sorry… I—I failed you…”

You stared into the air incredulously, not understanding what page Jihoon was in.

“You didn’t fail me,” you replied back. “You didn’t fail anyone, Jihoon…”

However, it seemed like your words fell into deaf ears as he snuggled up to you, wrapping his arms around you tightly.

“I’m so sorry…Y/N…please…please forgive me…”

Concluding that this was probably one drunk confession, you allowed him to find comfort in your presence, placing a consoling hand on his back as he continued to apologize to you.

This was a side to him you hadn’t expected to see. It was vulnerable, raw and unapologetically real—words you never thought you’d associate with Lee Jihoon. Yet there you were, as you hugged him back, finding solace in his arms as well when there was no one in the world you could share your burdens with.

“It’s okay, Jihoon…” you replied to him as you closed your eyes. “At least you tried, and it’s good enough for me.”

“Yet…yet…why can’t I feel you…?” he cried out, his voice clearly in pain. “Why can’t I reach you…? I…I always…alwaysss wanted to know you…to hold you like this…”

“Jihoon…”

You wished there was something you could say or do, yet you didn’t even know what he was talking about. It felt like the two of you were talking in a circle of riddles; finding yourselves in different pages.

“Y/N…please don’t be angry…please….please….don’t reject me,” he continued on as if in a trance. “I’m so sorry….so sorryyy….”

There was something in his words, or the way his voice shook that had pierced right through you. You wondered what you had done to him to plead to you like this. Yes, you did push him away a few weeks ago, yet that was the farthest you had gone to hurt him. You couldn’t understand what was happening, nevertheless, you still felt called upon to take action.

Moving your hand, you brushed his soft locks gently.

“I won’t reject you, Jihoon. I won’t push you away. I promise you.”

◇

PARLIAMENT PASSES BILL CRACKING DOWN ON CILVEKAN NATIONALS by Jeon Wonwoo

The Porta Persa Edition, October 27th

 In a historic vote, the Parliament has passed a bill on harsher travel restrictions for Cilvekan nationals as well as an extensive program which allows for the investigation of all Cilvekans in Porta Persa. This bill marks a tantamount win on Rep. Kang Jinho and his Conservative party—warranting a speculation of a bid on the Prime Minister seat.

This soon-to-be law highlights restrictions set on the amount of Cilvekan nationals leaving and entering Porta Persa wherein local governments can monitor their actions inside the country. It is also in the prerogative of the local government to deny entry to any Cilvekan wishing to enter.  According to Rep. Kang, it is necessary to be able to detect any sort of preemptive strike against Porta Persa to avoid endangering the security of the people.

This bill also boasts a program which, in conjunction with the restrictions, shall implement a vast inspection of all Cilvekan nationals present in the country. They are to undergo a thorough investigation conducted by the police and shall be warranted to arrests if ill-intentions against Porta Persa is proven.

With this bill, according to the Parliament, the government shall be able to ensure that the national security of Porta Persa shall not be threatened by any means, even if it meant sacrificing privacy and material gains. Sacrifice is and always will be inevitable on the road to peace…

◇

In the pitch black darkness of the night, echoes of footfalls resounded across the streets of Porta Persa. There was breaking of glass, breaking of wood, and shouts of women. 

Fear was high in the scent of the night. The streets of Porta Pera enshrined by men and women—rounded up in handcuffs and tied by accusations. Half the town was awake and afraid, half the town asleep and aloof. 

The night had just began.

CHAP 1 | CHAP 2 | CHAP 3 | CHAP 4 | CHAP 5 |  CHAP 6 |

-Hyeri

[kirkwallgremlin]

Author interview

I was tagged by @andrew-blackthorn, and I mostly completely this and saved it in my drafts only to forget about it until I was tagged again by @rpgwarrior4824 💕 thank you both!

Name: Emily

Fandoms: literally just Dragon Age, I’ve enjoyed a bunch of stuff but never really been involved in fandom?

Where You Post: Ao3 if it’s something longer, with lots of tumblr prompts posted on tumblr. I don’t tend to put short things on Ao3 unless I have a bunch of connected ones, e.g. I started collecting Frankie x Alistair ones on Ao3, and modern au Handers

Most Popular One-Shot: I’m linking 2 bc there’s only 2 notes difference but based on the number of likes/reblogs/replies!

You make me want things I can’t have (handers)

We’re out of time, the Kanders prompt that stomped on my heart and also on some other people’s I think

Most Popular Multi-Chapter Story: A New Thing to Figure Out, the Handers modern AU. Of course, it’s also the longest multi story thing, and really the only one, most of the rest of my work is oneshots ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Story You Were Nervous to Post: the Kirkwall Medic because it was kinda the first long thing I’d posted? Prior to that I’d only shared 2 little ficlets on tumblr (ever). It’s n I’m only like 4000 words but that was A Lot. And then A New Thing bc I had no idea if anyone would be interested or if I’d even get it finished.

Complete: I have 3 “complete” stories on Ao3 but the incomplete ones aren’t really stories that have an ending? They’re just collections of ficlets and oneshots so...

Incomplete: see above

Coming Soon/Not Yet Started: oh boy I have a List that just Wont Stop Growing

Multiwarden AU

The Fenders fic

Inquisitor in Ostwick, where Avery confronts her family while also dealing with some kind of blood magic Venatori plot (this one is my current nano project, currently on track for my 20k goal 💪)

Templar!Carver and Hawke argument

Anders before Awakening (feat. Karl)

DA2 Anders romance from Anders (and justice) perspective

Fenris gardening as a way of positive growth

I have like 4 more Darktown Days ideas I wanna write about Anders being loved and adored

A whole bunch of Frankie x Alistair ficlets

Like 9 various angst and/or kiss prompts in my inbox

More modern AU handers ficlets bc I love these boys so much?

Hawke singing to Merrill

Do You Accept Prompts? Always! I actually have a bunch in my inbox already that I kept not getting too bc I was focusing on other non prompt projects but I love prompts. Especially Anders ones because oh no what if I have to write about Anders more 🥰

Upcoming Story You Are Most Excited to Write: definitely the multiwarden au!! I’m so sorry to everyone who I’ve been talking at about it for like 2 months straight now but it’s definitely going to happen! I just...need to finish sorting out my planning so I don’t get lost and give up the planning doc is currently 12 pages rip me

I haven’t tagged anyone bc anxiety brain but also I know I’ve seen a bunch of people do this? So idk who’s already done it?

[kxdust]

“Moonlight”

Title: Moonlight Chapter: 3/? Fandom: R5  Pairing: Rocky x Lucy (Fem OC) / Rydellington Word Count: 3,280 (all chapters) Summary:

This story is sligthy based on the novel/movie ‘A walk to remember’, with Rocky Lynch as the main guy. I would like to emphasize the “ sligthy based “ part, because the final product is a bit… AU/OC. You see, I haven’t seen A walk to remember since forever (because is the saddest thing ever!!) and have a really bad memory, so it’s not completely alike, which I actually think is a good thing because in that case is more /interesting/ since you don’t know how it’s going to end (to be honest, neither do I /o/)

Warnings: (for this chapter)

please if there is any warning (anything at all) you need me to write/tag let me know. be save, ppl!!

swearing... that’s all, I think.

Disclaimer: I don’t own R5 or the members of the band, sadly. But I do own their representation used here. Lucy, Will and other characters are all mine. I’m not saying anything of this is real and of course I mean not warm by writing this. 

A/N:

[ let me point out the fact that I left this on drafts for like two weeks thinking I posted it *slow clap at self* ]

I’ve been enjoying writing again so here is another chapter, the longest so far!

I change the time while writing. I believe so far I have been writing on past tense, and this one I wrote it on present... trying to figure out which way is better for me. Sorry if that bothers you. (Also tell me which one you like better????)

Enjoy your reading!!

                                               [ Chapter III ]

Lunch time goes as any other day, and so does the rest of the classes. Then, before Rocky can tell, he finds himself on the school auditorium. The guy can’t help but feel a bit weird being in that place since the only times he goes there are when Principal Patton does an important assembly and everyone is forced to attend.

The auditorium is a big outbuilding (all the students had to be able to fit inside after all, Rocky thinks). On two opposite sides there are six doors from where you can enter, each one leads to a few seat-rows higher the more they’re away from the main entrance.

Rocky walks throw that door; to his right there is a path of stairs and the seats, to the left the stage with a couple of steps on each side so that people can climb without having to go all the other way to the backstage entrance.

He gets distracted from admiring the place when someone runs into him, “Watch it!” he snaps right away.

“Sorry, bro.” the guy says back without even stopping, continuing his way to the stage.

Rocky groans, been incapable of doing something else, and turns around, making his way to the door. Not even five minutes have passed since he entered, but the entire atmosphere inside (the students, the noise and the decorations) is stressing him out.

“Hey, Lynch.” Someone calls before he can make it outside, “Where do you think you are going?”

Everything goes silence and Rocky knows is the teacher who is talking, Mrs Jackson? Jayson?

“Uhmmm… I forgot something on my looker,” he answers.

“Oh, is that so?” She asks, “And I guess you /reaaally/ need it, right?”

“Yes?... I mean, yes… I do.” Shit. “I forgot the detention thing you must sign to prove I was here.” Rocky actually finds an excuse after mentally hitting his head with the nearest wall for all the ramble he is doing.

“Okay, you can go for it,” the teacher said, believing him, “but Lucy is going with you.” Or not.

“What?” Rocky and a girl, Lucy, he suppose, say at the same time.

“I don’t need a babysitter, I’m capable of going on my own.” He complains, not only because his plan of getting out of there is mostly ruined, but also because he has never deal well with adults telling him what to (or not to) do.

“Sure you are. But you’re also capable of not coming back if I let you go by yourself,” the woman says back and Rocky kind of hate her.

“Whatever.” He groans, walking out of the auditorium, the soft taps behind letting him know Lucy is following him.

.

"So..." Lucy starts after a few minutes of silence, half way to the main building where the lookers are located. "Why theater?"

"I ask myself the same," Rocky answers through a laugh.

"Hmm?" the girl is puzzled of his internal joke.

"Do you really think I'm there because I want to?" is not a real question, but as he stops in front of her, to make his next point clear and lost as much time as possible, Rocky sees her shrugs. "Well, not. Is for detention, and believe me when I said I plan to spend little to no time there."

His voice is stern, almost making a promise out of it without even saying it. And he turns around to start walking again, slowly, so he can hear her question.

"Because of what happened with Will?"

It shouldn't be a surprise that Lucy knows, the whole school knows by this point, after all. But her being a wallflower just confirms it, and also makes Rocky wonder what people are saying about him that he doesn't know.

Not that he normally cares, but the idea of people thinking he is some kind of idiot for getting William on that situation and not helping him, makes Rocky feel a bit... Uncomfortable. Because yes, he is an idiot, but he didn’t meant for the accident to happen.

Wow. Mr. Patton will be surprised to know he does have a conscious after all.

"That's not your business" he defends himself.

"If it's for that then I will like to-"

"Hey!" Rocky cut her off. "Don't pretend you know me... Or what happened, for that matter, okay?" he is serious with his words as he stops once again, but this time to consider his options. They could continue to the hall at his right, go to his looker and then back to the auditorium or they could go to the left, where the football field is, lose more time and then go back with an excuse.

Yes, definitely that is the winner idea.

"I thought you said the paper was on your looker...” Lucy mention when she realized the guy isn't walking in the direction he should, “Rocky? Where are we going?" but he doesn't bother with replying.

No one says anything for a while after that, and for a moment he wonders if she is still following him. The constant sound of Rocky's rider-boots while hitting the ground with every step is the only sound between them until they arrive to the field and it is muted by the grass.

Rocky sits down, legs spread out in front and using his arms to support his weight as he leans back, the sunlight brushing his face. And sooner than wanted, his little moment of joy is interrupted with Lucy's voice.

"What are you doing?"

"Enjoying the sun," he honestly answers, opening just one eye to look at the girl with folded arms in front of her chest. "Don't you see?"

"I do. But you were suppose to go for the detention sheet, not a tan." she reprimand.

"Can't you let me have this? I have been indoors for the last eight hours."

"Just like every student any other day," Lucy points out. And it is truth, eight hours is the general period of school plus the time on extracurricular classes, that Rocky attends just the ones he wants on a daily bassist is different. But apparently the girl is tired of dealing with him, or realizes he isn't going to move any time soon, either way, she sits down next to him, cross-legged and less relaxed than the chestnut.

Their looks cross as Rocky turns on her direction to make sure she isn't going back and get him in trouble. "Oh, I'm Lucy, by the way." she introduces herself with a smile, offering a hand to the guy but retracting it when he glares at it. The smile despairing, as well.

"Don't bother with introductions," he says as he throws his head back once again, "I know who you are."

"You do?" there's is a slight tone of surprise on her words.

"Of course." he nods, "You're Lucy Pentland, we have been in the same schools since second grade when I first moved here. I honestly think you have been wearing those glasses since you were born." Rocky goes back to look at her, continuing enlisting things Lucy didn't know he was aware of. "Your dad owns the pizza place in Masson Avenue and you don't have plans to going to collage even though you're the only one in our class that actually could have a future out of this joke of a town... Like, why do you even bother with been the teachers' pet if you don't care?"

Rocky's lack of filter with his words is what always get him in trouble, he doesn't plan on been mean while talking, is just that he takes been honest way too far. Most of the time not even realizing how others can feel, most of the time not even caring.

That's why when Lucy's soft features become harsh as she glares at him, the guy doesn't understand what is her problem.

"You know, because if you- "

"Don't pretend you know me, okay?" this time is Lucy who uses the phrase, interrupting him as she stands and shakes off the bits of grass that managed to stick to her jeans. "And better get back soon, you don't want to make Mrs. Jayson angry."

And then she is off, leaving Rocky to question himself about why people are so sensible before he takes the detention sheet out of his bag pack, unfolds it and decides that no, he doesn’t want to make the teacher angry.

A/N: 

Soooo... any thoughts? Do you think Rocky is actually going survive theater? What do you think about Lucy? I promisse you will get to know her better soon. Anyways… Thanks for reading, any kind of feedback is always welcome c: (and it also motivates me to write more *^*)