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dyaz-stories · 9 months ago

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JUJUTSU BOYS + PDA

how the jjk boys are when you're in public with them

including: gojo, nanami, choso, yuuji, megumi, maki

word count: 3.6k (500-600 words for one character)

cw: intended as canon compliant, established relationships, fluff, tooth-rotting fluff, kissing, public demonstrations of affection, can't think of anything else tbh

a/n: been reading some fics in this format so wanted to try my hand at it again. it's been years since I wrote short pieces like that, so I hope you'll enjoy them!

GOJO

Gojo has no concept of personal space, and that is something you had to get used to since you started dating — if anything, since before you started dating. Even when the two of you were at a more flirtatious stage, he’d always be leaning towards you to talk to you, face inches away from yours, hands on your hips if he needed to move past you, arm casually around you if you were sitting next to each other. It was all the better if it flustered you.

None of this has changed, except that he’s much more extra about it now. Holding your hand while walking? Nah, that’s boring. He’ll have his arm around your shoulders, even if it’s not convenient given the height difference. He’ll also try to put his hand in the back pocket of your jeans, pout if you tell him not to do it. If you’re waiting in line with him, he has both of his arms around you, is resting his chin on top of your head, and wants nothing more than for you to lean back into his chest, relaxing into his embrace. You can both be doing totally unrelated things — you’re reading and he’s checking his phone — but you’re slotted against each other, and that’s how it is ideally for you.

You’re waiting for him to show up to your date when you feel yourself surrounded by familiar arms, and then his cheek is pressing against yours as he surveys the book you’re holding in your hands.

“Whatch’ya reading?” he asks, breath warm against your cheek.

“Just doing some research on emerging curses,” you say with a shrug as you close it and put it in your bag. “So, did you want to check out that new bakery?”

He hums in reply, and you wait for him to move so you can start walking.

He doesn’t.

“…do you plan on letting go of me?” you ask after a while, turning your head to look at him.

He pouts at you, inches away from your face.

“I haven’t even gotten a kiss yet…”

“We’re in public, Satoru,” you say, feeling your face heating up.

“So? Let ‘em stare. They might as well, if you ask me.”

You want to roll your eyes — one day, you’ll have to talk about that exhibitionist streak of his — but in the meantime, you just have to crane your neck a little to peck his lips. They’re soft, as always, and he follows greedily when you pull away, his hand coming up to tilt your chin up gently as he presses more kisses on the corner of your lips, then on your cheek.

“You’re impossible,” you say, badly hiding your laughter. “Let’s go, or we won’t make it to closing time. You’re late, by the way.”

He lets out a heartbroken sigh, but finally frees you, keeping his arm around your shoulders as the two of you start walking towards the bakery. He keeps his strides short, so you don’t have to run to keep up with him, instead allowing you to keep a comfortable pace.

“Yeah, well, what can I say? I’m just too good at my job, they can never get enough of me.”

“Aw, poor darling,” you say. You grab his hand, intertwining your fingers with his, and bring it to your lips to press a kiss on the back.

He lets out a cough that doesn’t do much to disguise the fact that he’s getting flustered, and you grin, satisfied. Two can play that game.

Fortunately, neither Satoru nor you have any intention of forfeiting any time soon.

NANAMI

Nanami is a private man. There is no reason for the whole world to know his business, and he doesn’t feel the need to put his relationship on display for everyone to see. His softness for you is still plain to see in how gentle his voice gets when he speaks to you, in how carefully he chooses his words, in how fond his eyes are when he listens to you tell him about your day. He knows you like him holding your hand, though, so he’ll indulge you, especially when you’re walking by his side through crowded streets.

That is for practical reasons, of course. First, it just wouldn’t do to lose sight of you. Second, people tend to steer clear of him, his serious expression and his broad frame, and that means they realize quickly to steer clear of you. It has nothing to do with how soft your hand is in his, or how the way you use your thumb to stroke his skin sends shivers down his back.

“That’s a lovely restaurant,” you comment, eyes drinking in the elegant decor while Nanami is examining the menu.

“It had excellent reviews,” he answers, not going into details as to the great lengths he’d gone to in order to ensure that this date was as perfect as humanly possible.

“I’ve been in the neighborhood so many times, and I had no idea this was here,” you say. The place is very small, only a handful of tables, all of them now filled. You’re sharing an alcove with Nanami, creating some distance with other customers.

“There aren’t many tables available, so they don’t advertise much,” he explains as he sets the menu down. “But they’re known for their excellent cuisine.”

You give him a smile, then lean closer to him to kiss him on the cheek. Your lips linger just a little too long, and then you move them close to his ear, which is already turning quite red.

“Thank you for planning all that,” you say sweetly. “It looks wonderful.”

He clears his throat when you pull away, avoiding your eyes.

“Of course,” he answers, voice wavering imperceptibly. “Anything for you.”

And you know he means it, too.

Under the table, his hand finds your leg, large palm easily covering your knee while calloused fingers carefully rub your calf. You bite your lip, welcome the warmth that spreads in your body. You know Kento well enough to be sure that that’s as far as he’ll go, that he wouldn’t dare to do anything more in such a public setting, and that makes you enjoy the intimacy of the gesture all the more.

Later that night, while the two of you are walking out, his jacket is around your shoulder at his insistence — “It’s cold outside” — and he’s getting ready to call a taxi.

“Kento?”

He lowers the phone to look at you, and you push yourself on your tiptoe, hand closing around his tie to pull him down towards you.

It’s late at night, he tells himself. There’s no one around, he tells himself. That’s why he closes his eyes and allows himself to melt into the kiss, regretting it when you pull away too soon and catching himself before he grabs you by the hips to get you closer to him.

“I had a great evening,” you say. “Should we take this to somewhere more private?”

How much more merciless can you get?

“Certainly,” he says. “Just give me a second.”

There is nothing he can deny you.

CHOSO

Choso cannot wrap his head around what he can and cannot do around you. The rules for what is proper, what is acceptable, have shifted so much since he was last around, and he would die before he embarrassed you — or worse, before he did something that would make you push him away. He knows that you wouldn’t, and yet the fear is like a weight that tugs on his heart every time he thinks about it. He walks by your side, glancing at your hand that’s freely hanging between the two of you, and though he brushes his knuckles against yours, he just cannot bring himself to do it. It’s to the point where it’s the only thing he’s thinking about — and he just can’t do it.

Then you see something that catches your eye and you grab his hand and pull him with you in that direction, and he thinks his heart could just fall out of his chest. You make it look so easy, so natural, being with him coming as easy to you as breathing, and he couldn’t possibly ask for more. It takes him many other tries, many other dates, before he can take your hand in his. When he does, you glance down in surprise, then grin at him, and kiss his knuckles softly — and he’s so happy he could die.

“So,” you say, sitting on the park bench, knee pressed against his while you’re leaning into him to show him your phone, your hair tickling his neck, “that’s the movies they have on tonight. Think we should call Yuuji to ask him what to watch?”

“Hm,” Choso says, not really focusing on anything you’re talking about, not when you’re this close to him, “isn’t— isn’t that the one franchise he’s always talking about?”

You burst out laughing, then rest your head on his shoulder.

“No offense, babe, but there is no one in the world I’d go see a Human Earthworm movie for. Even if this one is supposed to have romance in it,” you shudder at the thought, “I’d like to go see something actually. You know. Watchable.”

Choso’s mind is going in overdrive. You’re so close, and he knows he should have gotten used to this by now. He isn’t usually like this, but some passers-by are looking — not necessarily being judgmental, though there was an old lady earlier who scoffed and shook her head, but… looking.

“Then I don’t know if Yuuji is going to be much help,” he manages to say as you keep scrolling on the cinema’s website.

“That’s fair,” you sigh, standing up from the bench, and even if he can now think again, he misses your warmth and your smell right away. “Well, maybe we drop the movie and just go get something to eat, what do you say?

“Sounds good,” he answers, standing up after you.

Hesitantly, almost clumsily, he reaches for your hand, fingertips brushing against your thigh as he does, then tightens his grip around your palm, ensuring that it wouldn’t slip away from you. You give him a fond smile, then take a step to get closer to him, and kiss him gently. His breath hitches, and his eyes dart around the mostly empty park.

“T-there’s people around,” he says quietly, and he hates that you step back to look around.

“Oh, sorry,” you say, “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable—”

He takes your hand to pull you with him, and you follow him through the grass as he finds a more secluded spot, behind a tree.

“There,” he says, and you chuckle at how satisfied with himself he sounds.

“Oh Choso,” you coo, leaning against the tree while you grab his shirt to pull him down towards you. His mouth is warm, eager, and his cheeks remain a fierce shade of red as he kisses you back insistently.

You would have missed the beginning of the movie anyway.

YUUJI

The thing about Yuuji is that any type of public demonstration of affection feels so natural coming from him. It’s almost never meant to be suggestive, it’s not something he thinks through, it’s just something he does. You’ll be sitting with Nobara when he appears, and he just puts his arm around you while talking to her, like it’s the most normal thing in the world. You’re walking with him when he lifts his head up like he’s forgotten something, and what he forgot was to hold your hand, silly him.

If you walk by him while he’s sitting, he’ll grab your hips to pull you in his laps, fingers rubbing circles on the skin of your arms, absent-mindedly playing with your fingers as he holds your hand. After all, why wouldn’t he? He doesn’t even realize that it flusters you, and it just feels so natural for him to show his affection like that. He’ll look at you with stars in his eyes while you speak, not seeming to realize that his face is so close to him while you’re sitting in his lap.

No one pays attention to it anymore. You arrive just as Nobara is starting the movie — she’s putting on an action movie, thank you very much, even if Gojo just bought the collector edition of Human Earthworm 4 for Yuuji, with the director’s cut — and with all the students crammed in the room, including Panda, who’s taking most of the space on the couch, there’s nowhere left for you to sit.

“Come here,” Yuuji says cheerfully, waving you towards the armchair where he’s found his spot, “it’s about to start.”

You glance around the room for a reaction, but no one is paying you any mind. You walk over to him, perching yourself on one of the arms, legs over his. He doesn’t seem puzzled by it, just puts an arm around your waist casually.

Of course, you end up still sitting in his lap eventually, just slipping in it at some point in the movie. Can you be blamed? He’s warm and comfortable, and he wraps both arms around you so he can tuck his chin in the crook of your shoulder, nose brushing against your cheek when he turns his head. Not that he seems to notice how it makes your pulse quickens, eyes focused on the movie.

“What are the themes even supposed to be,” he mutters under his breath, eyebrows knitting together in annoyance.

“’Military good’?” you suggest quietly as a guy gets blown up on screen.

“The first half of the movie was about military bad,” he protests. “They can’t just act like that never existed.”

“Would you two shut up,” Nobara shouts from her spot, “or Maki will come beat you up!”

The two of you pipe down, knowing the threat is very serious and not one to take lightly.

When the movie ends, everyone gets up, stretching, but you’ve gotten comfortable against Yuuji’s chest, and you don’t feel like doing that just yet.

“That was terrible,” Yuuji comments, and you let out a brief laugh. Gojo has somehow made a cinephile out of him, and you love how worked up he gets over that stuff.

“Yeah, we should have been watching Human Earthworm 4 instead,” you say.

“Exact— oh, you’re making fun of him.”

You giggle, then tilt your head to kiss him. For a second, he freezes, eyes going wide. Kissing is the one thing he rarely initiates — but when you do, you get to see his gaze soften, before his whole body goes soft. His hold on your waist tightens — and then a pillow thrown with impressive precision hits him, and only him, on the ear.

“Not in public,” Maki shouts from all the way into the kitchen.

“Hey,” your boyfriend protests, “I’m not the one who—”

“You’re such a traitor,” you gasp, struggling to pull yourself free from his arms — but it’s no use against his strength, and he refuses to let go.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he says. “Now, where were we?”

You might have been at fault for the first pillow, but that second one is all on him, as far as you’re concerned.

MEGUMI

Megumi is a private guy. He can be affectionate in public, but there is a side of him that he only wants you to see. He especially doesn’t want any of your nosy friends, or worse, his adoptive dad to see how he can be around you. They would never stop teasing him after, and he doesn’t think he could live with that.

Or that they could live with that. Because he’d kill them.

It does annoy him that he’s supposed to deny himself because of them. If it was up to him, he’d spend most of his time alone with you, preferably in a small house in the middle of a forest with no one around, no curses, no sorcerers, no nothing. That, sadly, isn’t an option though, so he has to find his own way to do things.

“Don’t move,” he says sternly. “You have something on your face.”

You roll your eyes, but tilt your head up towards him, as he carefully runs his thumb under your eye, then over your cheek, blowing on it once it’s done.

“What was it?” you ask.

“Just an eyelash,” he says with a shrug. “You’re good now.”

You study him, waiting for him to give something away, but he doesn’t, just staring at you with the same expression he always wears.

“Should we get going?” he asks. “I thought we were supposed to catch a movie.”

“Sure,” you relent. “We should get moving.”

The streets are quite full at this time of the day, and you have to step aside frequently to let people pass, sometimes losing sight of Megumi. Eventually, with a sigh, he grabs your hand, pulling you with him as he walks, sending murderous glares to anyone who stays in his path.

“You’re going to get lost at this rate,” he mutters as he pulls you with him.

“I mean, worst case scenario we meet back at the theater,” you say, and you grin at the offended look he gives you. He notices it, but doesn’t answer, a light pink dusting his cheek as he glances away.

He hates the idea of being away from you on a day that’s supposed to be about the two of you — but since he refuses to say the quiet part out loud, you get to tease him all you want.

To be fair to him, having Megumi as your scary guard dog does make it much easier and much faster to reach the theater. He gives you a pointed look when you get there, and, to your regret, lets go of your hand quickly, though his touch lingers there a second longer than necessary.

“Should we get a couple seat?” you ask innocently as you approach the register.

Megumi glares at you once more while you give him a sweet smile.

“It’s better that way, right?” he says, clearing his throat. “Otherwise strangers might have to share one.”

“Sure,” you nod, not even bothering to hide your grin. “It’s just more practical, right?”

“Right,” he says stiffly.

Even once you are in the couple seat, he keeps a thoroughly appropriate distance from you, one that you might find a little hurtful if, at the end of the commercials, he didn’t fake a yawn to put his arm around you, in the least smooth way known to man.

“You know you can just do it,” you say quietly as the lights turn off, resting your head on his shoulder. “You don’t have to go through all that.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he mumbles.

Reaching for his face, you tilt his head towards you, and push yourself to meet his lips for a sweet, soft kiss. For the first time since you’ve stepped foot outside, his whole body relaxes into yours, and he stops trying to pretend.

“You had something on your lips,” you whisper when you pull away.

He snorts, then quickly goes back in to steal one more kiss from you before the movie starts.

“Liar,” he says.

As if he’s one to talk.

MAKI

Maki isn’t a demonstrative person as a general rule. She does compliment you without hesitation, words falling from her mouth so genuinely that it never fails to fluster you, but physical demonstrations of affection don’t come easy to her, maybe because she received so little of it as a kid. She does it sporadically, and she does very much enjoy teasing you, loves knowing that she can get those reactions out of you.

It’s the more spontaneous gestures that get to you though. She’ll kiss your forehead after a battle that left you bruised, a way of comforting you. She’ll pat your head after you managed to pull an impressive move during training. On one occasion, when you got injured, she carried you in your arms to Shoko, demanding that you be taken care of right this instant. She’d been the one to get flustered after that, hiding her face in her hand in embarrassment when it was brought up later on.

It might not come easy to her, but she does love it when you do it — when you show her your love in that way.

“You’re late,” she scolds you when you reach her for one of your dates, needing to take a second to catch your breath because you’ve been running since getting out of the subway.

“Sorry,” you say between deep breaths, “there was an emergency.”

Worry flashes on her face immediately.

“A curse? Were you hurt?”

She reaches for you, tilting your face towards her as she examines it, then study your body to make sure you weren’t injured. You let her, surprised at first, then endeared.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she frowns once she realizes how soft your gaze has become.

You grin, then push yourself closer to kiss her. You don’t care that you’re in public, and though it wouldn’t have occurred to her to do it, neither does she. The kiss is sweet, gentle. I’m alive, you’re alive, it says. No need for more.

“See?” you ask cheerfully. “All good. Now, I’m pretty sure you were going to buy me dinner…”

She clicks her tongue, but she’s grinning. It’s nice to see her so at ease, so relaxed. It’s a side of her you’d never see within the walls of Jujutsu High, nor on a mission. You’re the only one that can bring it out of her, and man do you love it.

“I’m buying? Again?”

“I did almost just die.”

“Nice try, but you told me you were fine.”

“I’m fine now,” you insist, “but…”

“Well, I was disowned by my family, so I don’t have money. You’re buying.”

The two of you keep bickering, but, as you walk, you reach for her hand. She pulls away at first, years and years of reflexes kicking in instinctively, and once she realizes what you were doing, she’s the one who takes your hand in hers. She holds it delicately, careful not to break it — to be fair, her strength would probably allow her that.

It’s so sweet and light, being out there with you like that. So normal. She hopes it never ends.

You squeeze her hand, and she lets you guide her across the street, content with just following, knowing that she can trust you to fill in her shortcomings in the relationship, like she does it for yours.

The sky is grey, the forecast said it might run later tonight — Maki’s planned an umbrella, she’s sure you didn’t think of it — but as far as she’s concerned, the day is as beautiful as it could possibly be.

this is my first time writing for... pretty much everyone here except gojo lol. i hope you enjoyed it and that the characterization wasn't too off, but any feedback is welcome! if you want to support me and my writing, please reblog/leave a comment or send me an ask, i'd love to chat! i'll see you later for some more jjk writing ^-^

you can find my gojo x reader work here

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icysab · 1 year ago

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more niki boyfie hcs — falling for you edition!

requested here!

wc: <350 i think

a/n: this is a little different than my standard boyfie hcs but i wanted to try something new, so let me know your opinion in comments, reblogs, asks, etc. of this format !!

a/n no. 2: idc what anyone says riki is a DORKY, RIZZLESS LOSER SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD BOY AND I WILL WRITE HIM AS SUCH.

- bro was CAPTIVATED by your smile

- that was literally the first thing he noticed about you— how your smile lit up the room he was in

- you were one of jungwon’s friends and so he introduced you to all the members

- and when i tell you niki’s heart STOPPED when he saw you

- but niki is loyal to his bros!! so he swallowed the lump in his throat so jungwon didn’t kill him

- (jungwon, in fact, introduced you to the members because you mentioned that niki was cute. he would not have cared one bit.)

- only realizes he’s staring after sunoo nudges him with his elbow

- literally stuttering trying to introduce himself

- “i, uh, my name is- uh- riki”

- (failed) attempts at acting aloof fly out the window when you repeat his name back and smile

- the second you leave jake and sunghoon RELENTLESSLY tease the poor guy

- and he gets so defensive too, like he wasn’t acting like a lost puppy dog

- before jakehoon can strip niki of too much of his pride though, won tells them to knock it off

- after scolding the two goofballs (scary leader) won decides to tell niki

- “you know, i don’t care if you go for her”

- poor riki is not following

- “??”

- “she thinks you’re cute too, and besides, you’d make a good match”

- he malfunctions

- “no nono why would you think that!! HAHA- wait. she thinks i’m cute??”

- he’s all red and blushy

- at this point jakehoon are CACKLING at poor riki

- won explains that you thought riki was cute too and that’s why he introduced you two, but he didn’t expect him to be such a nervous wreck around you

- riki is shocked 😮

- after MUCH coaxing from the members, won finally gets riki to text your number

- riki’s leg won’t stop bouncing with nerves as he types out a message

- “hey, this is riki from earlier. i just wanted to say that your shirt was cool”

- all the members facepalm at his attempts at playing it cool

- you respond almost instantly, to riki’s surprise

- “hi riki!! thank you, + i thought your outfit was cool too :D”

- before he can breathe a sigh of relief that your text was super nice and simple, he sees the typing bubble pop up again

- “did you ask won for my number? hah you must have wanted an excuse to talk to me again ”

- he freezes again

- HOW DID YOU SEE RIGHT THROUGH HIM??

- he’s about to deny, deny, deny, but won stops him

- “dude, just tell her the truth. did you already forget that she thinks you’re cute too?”

- riki’s brows furrow in thought at that, but before he can even begin to construe a cool, smooth response, jake rips the phone out of his hands

- RIKI SCREAMS SO LOUD THE ENTIRE DORM REVERBERATES while jake books it to the bathroom to lock himself in

- after a minute, he walks out with riki’s phone and the most devilish smirk on his lips

- before jake can do anything else, riki snatches the phone back and apprehensively starts to read the damage jake had done

- “lol you caught me. if you want, we could get to know each other better over some ice cream tmr? it’ll be my treat”

- “woah, that was smoother than i expected. ill see you tmr riki :)”

- riki is dumbfounded. did jake actually just score him a date with YOU?? there’s no way this worked

- “thank me later,” jake teases

- he is so in shock that he doesn’t even have the capacity to kill jake. tomorrow, a date (???) with you? he can die a happy man.

- to be continued…. ?

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headkiss · 1 month ago

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hi hi there! Newcomer to your blog here, and I just wanna say that I love love love your writing sm, it makes me warm and happy and I wanna consume it like good soup. I saw that you’re looking for Spencer requests (my beautiful beloved baby) and I was wondering if I could just request a classic friends to lovers where the reader is a member of the team, and gets hurt on a case and that’s what makes Spencer realize? Any format you’d like. This might be a bit tmi but I just got broken up with and honestly fictional men are the only thing getting me through this rn, and seeing you were taking requests was just straight up happiness. Thank you!

this is so sweet what if i cry :,) i hope this helps you at least a little bit (especially since this has been sitting in my drafts for a MINUTE) <3 you will get through this my love (spencer thinks so too!) | 0.7k words!! my first spencer fic so bare with me 😅 tw mention of a knife and a small injury !

You’re no stranger to taking risks. Nobody at the BAU is. It’s practically written into your job descriptions. Split-second decisions, no room for mistakes.

Only, usually they seem to pay off. Mostly. This time, you aren’t so lucky.

After three days of profiling and trying to catch this unsub, of new victims and suspects and secrets uncovered by Garcia, you’ve finally found him. Apprehending an unsub seems to either be the easiest or toughest part of a case.

This time around, it’s the latter. He’s stubborn, and smarter than you’d like to admit, and when you think you’ve got an opening, the upper hand, that one wrong move proves you wrong.

It’s so quick, the way he grabs your wrist and twists your arm behind your back harshly, a pained groan escaping your mouth before you can suppress it. The way the team all springs into action quickly, talking to him calmly, Hotch at the forefront.

And the look on Spencer’s face. The pleading in his eyes that he can’t seem to control.

He’s who you look to first. Who you keep looking at, because you think if anyone could keep you calm in this moment, if anyone could make you believe you’ll be okay, it’s him.

There’s a knife held to your neck, a cruel grip on your arm, and still, you look at Spencer.

“I won’t cut her if you let me go,” the unsub says. You squeeze your eyes shut before blinking them back open.

You know Hotch has a plan, and if he doesn’t, then Emily does, and so on. They’re all incredible, and there’s not a part of you that thinks they won’t get you out of this, but your heart still pounds, your stomach still twists in fear.

“Go ahead,” Hotch says.

“Hotch-” Spencer’s voice is quiet but sharp. He trusts Aaron, he always has, but you aren’t something he wants to gamble.

“You won’t get far,” Hotch continues.

You find Spencer’s eye and nod at him, so slight that he’d be the only one to pick up on it, since he’s paying such close attention to you. Under different circumstances, you might feel your heart flutter from it.

Sure enough, Aaron does have a plan, and before you can really process what he’s said or done to get through to him, the unsub lets you go with a harsh push, and the first place you go is into Spencer’s waiting arms.

“Take her outside, Reid, we’ve got this,” Morgan says quickly. Spencer doesn’t fight him on it.

He walks you out with one arm tight around your waist and the other stabilizing your wrist. His hands are far kinder than the ones that had been on you moments ago, and you let him hold some of your weight until you’re settled sitting in the back of one of the ambulances on scene.

Spencer watches them wrap your wrist with a tensor bandage, watches them assure you that it’s just a sprain, that you’re otherwise injury-free. He holds your good hand the entire time. Maybe too tightly.

You both wait until the paramedics are done and have walked away to help somebody else before speaking.

“Well, that was fun,” you say. Your instincts are always to play things down, to hide behind jokes. Still, you let yourself lean your head against Spencer’s shoulder.

“No, it wasn’t,” he says. The hand that isn’t holding yours covers your bouncing knee. “I know a lot about odds, and they weren’t in our favor back there.”

“It was mostly my fault, probably. I let him get too close.”

“We arrived seconds later than we should have. That car slowed us down in the intersection on the way, and then the rest was off.” He tells you. Comforting you the way he knows how; with the facts. “Time is what went wrong. Not you. Never you.”

You pick your head up and turn your head to look at him, his hair falling around his ears, his eyes still worried but soft. “Never, huh? I’m gonna remember that.”

Reid squeezes your good hand, his pinky running across your wrist to find your pulse, like he’s making sure you’re really okay. “I don’t think I’ve ever been quite so afraid on the job.”

“Not even when you’re the one being held like that?” you ask.

“No,” he tells you. “Not even then.”

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sweetkpopmusings · 6 months ago

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cuddly jisung <3

a/n: ahh !!!! jisung is just a sweet babygirl and i love him DEARLY ! i’ve been in my jisung feels all day, so i needed to write this request <333 i also may be definitely am tipsy, so i’m sitting in front of my computer like 🥺💗thinking of cuddly jisung <3333 i wanted to try a different format for this one, so let me know your thoughts ! :-) pics not mine~~

a/n p.s.: i accidentally deleted the original ask where this request was sent (i'm so sorry!!!), so i hope it finds the original requester, wherever you are now :-(((( </3

content: fluff, established relationship | wc: 0.5k | warnings: none really! | pairing: bf!jisung x gn!reader | requests: open

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

sleepy jisung♡‧₊˚

jisung gets so so so clingy the moment his eyelids droop from sleepiness. if he so much as yawns when you’re nearby, he’ll be glued to your side within seconds. he’s such a whiny baby too. if you push him away, he’ll threaten to cry, his big brown eyes glistening, murmuring why won’t you cuddle me? it does not matter if you are in the middle of folding clothes or working. to jisung, the only cure for his restless state is to be in your arms, and he’ll do whatever he can to snuggle into your embrace.

excited jisung♡‧₊˚

when jisung gets a burst of energy, he is bouncing right at your side. did you get good news? his hands are on your shoulders while he’s jumping up and down, screaming with joy. did they have your favorite snacks at the store? he’s wrapping his arms around you saying i can’t believe it! we’re so lucky! did you smile at him cutely? he’s holding your face in both of his hands, cooing praises of how adorable you are. please return the favor and hold his face in your hands, for that will send jisung to an entirely different dimension of happiness. in the end, any time jisung’s eyes are sparkling, his hand is searching for yours, ready to give an enthusiastic squeeze or pull you into a hug to remind you how lucky he feels to have you around.

stressed jisung♡‧₊˚

it doesn’t take long into the relationship for you to know signals of jisung’s stress. if his shoulders are slumped or his walk is slow, you call his name and outstretch your arms. every time, he melts into you, sighing in relief for the first time in forever. with your fingers twirling his hair and massaging his scalp, he’ll spill all his worries and thank you endlessly. up close and able to hear your heartbeat, he remembers that, with you by his side, he can endure anything. you are his safe space, his cure, and he reminds you every day that he’ll always open his arms to hold you and protect you from harm.

sad jisung♡‧₊˚

jisung gets especially cuddly when he’s feeling down. he appreciates anything you do to lift his mood, but the number one cure is to bury his head into your hair or shoulder or neck or chest, safe from whatever is hurting him. this urge to lose himself in you heightens whenever he misses you. he’ll message you daily, telling you how much he loves you and keeping a tally of how many hugs he owes you. once you’re within arms reach, he’s wrapping his body around you and never letting go. even if there are tears in his eyes, he’s whispering i love you, y/n.

lovestruck jisung♡‧₊˚

jisung is in awe of you from the moment you meet, and that grows stronger the more he gets to know you. when you two have time alone together, he gravitates toward you, settling into your warmth. frequently, you’ll catch him staring at you while you’re watching something together because he cannot believe how real and beautiful you are. he’s a big fan of playing with your hands and hair too. it’s a simple gesture, but it’s his way of appreciating even the smallest details of you. truly, when he is overwhelmed by how much he loves you, he’ll hold you however possible and have the biggest, sweetest, most heartwarming grin on his face because you are his favorite person in the world.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

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bamsara · 8 months ago

Note

I dont know if it was intentional but I love that Narinder when he sees Lamb throwing up he turns gentle and pushes their wool and ears back so they dont get stained with vomit and for some reason it reminded me of how when Nari was throwing up too after the nightmare he had when they were on route to fight Leshy, Lambert helped him with camellias for the nausea.

Ahh, parallels. I think.

IM SO GLAD YOU POINTED THAT OUT allow me to ramble for just a moment.

Narinder was trapped in the Afterlife for over 1000 years, with little social skills and plagued by wishing for vengeance and his only company being two kittens who become disciples under his rule. He has terrible social skills, if not lacking them entirely.

(I would argue that Aym and Baal also have horrific nonexistent social skills, so those three cat's can't really help each other communicate properly to anyone else outside themselves.)

It can be argued that since The One Who Waits had other vessels to pass time and try to kill /annoy his siblings before the prophesized Lamb arrival, that he would have developed them a little bit more, but I would argue that the power balance would have been oodles more severe since the vessels weren't the promised one. He didn't need them, so if they no longer were of service or disobeyed him, he got rid of them. Whether just sending them out or killing them, any how.

Lamb, however, knows they are the last Lamb, the prophesized liberator of The One Who Waits, and therefore his only option. They knew that they were his only reasonable way out of there (whether they asked for it or not) so they were oodles more comfortable than how a professional relationship would have been.

So they asked questions, bothered him, played and ran around him. Complained and vented to him. Yapped and yapped. What is he gonna do? Kill them? Find a new vessel? He can't. "You're as trapped into this prophecy as much as I am, so let's be friends"

Example parts from Chapter 3:

The power balance equalizes because Lamb did not see his presence a God, but rather a fellow prisoner and victim of fate. Rude and demanding, but in the same chains as they were. 'My lord' was simply formalities at first.

This puts Narinder / The One Who Waits in social situations he hasn't been in (or hardly been in) in over a thousand years, and frankly, he had no idea how to navigate them:

Example from Chapter 5:

The God of Death has not needed to comfort or 'be there' for someone in a long, long time. The Lamb's presence is what forces him to try, even if his first attempt aren't perfect. So in that same chapter, he'll ask them a question to distract them. Conversation. Like how they do it.

While I won't post a screenshot of everytime this happens in written format (not including the dreams/memories/flashbacks that haven't been posted yet)-

The One Who Waits is pushed outside of his bubble when it comes to socializing in a way that isn't just 'God-to-Lowly-Vessal' format. He has to talk to them like a person, because he's being talked to like a person, not a god on a pedestal.

Obviously after the final battle and betrayal (to both of them, otherwise known as the Grand Miscommunication) this means nothing for a while as tempers are still high and feelings are hurt. But overtime, this returns, and can show in small ways (ways that may not seem like comfort but is certainly an attempt) like just in Chapter 18:

Trying to bring them an 'offering' (breakfast) mirroring other times the Lamb has done the same for him:

Crudely offering to replace something they are upset at losing/later offering reassurance abet in a curt way:

And what you mentioned: earlier when the Lamb is throwing up, narration shows they're having trouble with keeping their wool, cloak, bell, ect all back at the same time. He can see that. He has a mental boiling pot explosion over the fact that helping them is even a want that he has after the denial crisis he's experiencing where the only answer a minute ago seemed like he needed to kill them, and he chose comfort.

It is intentional. Narinder is learning how to show care, and allowing himself to show care. Slowly, and not perfect, but learning.

#trod au #the rehabilitation of death #ramble #long post #apologies for the spew of words #there are other small instances in the fic outside of chapter 18 where he shows a little #but it's going to just get more and more noticable from this point on #with a lot of his behaviors he honestly needs to be smacked with a rock (deuragatory) /j #but the lamb does not take his shit and doesn't react in explosive anger #a 'be kind but take no shit' kind of vibe that has narinder put in a spot where he has to actively choose #whether the consequences of his actions is something he really wants or if he Wants Something Else

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minniesmutt · 7 months ago

Text

☾ ━━━━━━ 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

☾ ━━━ PAIRING: HYUNJIN X READER ☾ ━━━ CONTENT: ALIEN!HYUNJIN, PLANETARY SCIENTIST!READER, SEMI-PUBLIC SEX, BREEDING, APHRODISIAC, SPIT, LIP BITING, TEASING, PET NAMES (DOLL, HUN, DARLING, BABY), NIPPLE PLAY, FINGERING, OVERSIM, READER IS VERY SENSITIVE THE WHOLE TIME, BIG COCK! HYUNJIN, TENTACLES, PRAISE/DEGRADING, CERVIX FUCKING, EGG IMPLANTING, ROUGH SEX, UNPROTECTED SEX, DOM!HYUNJIN, SUB!READER, SUBSPACE (?), TUMMY BULDGE (?), INFLATION (?) ☾ ━━━ WC: 2.8K ☾ ━━━ repost from old blog ☾ ━━━ 18+ work!! minors and ageless/blank blogs DNI! you will be blocked, put an indicator on your blog somewhere that you are 18+ before interacting with this work/blog

Space was massive. So much to learn about, star formations, their life cycle, other galaxies, planets, and solar systems. The unknown drew Y/n in. Maybe that’s why she fell for Hyunjin so hard.

He was different. Loved the fact she was a planetary scientist. Constantly asked her questions that had her rambling for hours on end. First, it embarrassed her but he always reassured her he found it so adorable when she rambled about her work. He loved hearing about her theories on extraterrestrial life. Not knowing he crash-landed on Earth from another planet.

At least, she didn’t know at first. She had a deep feeling there was something about him that just wasn’t right. Came up with several hypotheses before he sat her down when he came to pick her up from work and explained to her he was indeed an alien.

He was scared. Scared he’d lose her and be stuck alone on Earth until he figured out how to get his stupid ship working again.

But that didn’t happen. No, he saw her eyes sparkle with excitement over the news. Running around her private lab asking him if any of the planets she’d found were his. What was it like in his home world? How was the air? technology? any question that popped into her head

He was sure she was going to implode with excitement the more questions she thought of. That was the night he first kissed her too. It was only a few months ago it happened but it almost seemed like years away.

Since then, he picked her up from work every night. It was rare they left on time. Y/n easily indulged in her work, especially when she could interview an actual alien about his home world. Tonight was no different.

She was so engrossed in her work that she didn’t even hear him come into the lab. Focused on her computer, examining photos of a planet and its moons. She didn’t hear him come in. He closed the door as gently as he could behind him and silently made his way over to her. He stood behind her and slowly leaned down with the intent to kiss the top of her head.

Y/n felt someone behind her and looked back to see the handsome alien pouting at his failed kiss, “Hi Hyune.”

“Ruined my surprise kiss.”

“Can I still get a kiss?”

Hyunjin smiled and cupped her face and pecked her lips, “How’s work?”

“Mhmm. Not bad, just trying to figure out if this planet could sustain life.”

Hyunjin took a look at the planet on the screen. It was a few lightyears away from his own and he’d seen it a couple of times traveling.

“A small one, I think. I can’t exactly remember,” Hyunjin stated as he pulled up a chair next to her

Y/n smiled at him, “I should press you for info on all my exoplanet discoveries.”

“Do I get a reward for all my info?” Hyunjin smiled, pulling her chair closer to him.

“Maybe.”

Hyunjin pulled her into his lap and she squeaked in surprise. Holding onto his shoulders before settling on his lap. “I want a kiss for every piece of alien info I tell you,” Hyunjin stated

“Deal.” Y/n figured it would be harmless. A kiss for info and she got to cuddle her boyfriend while working? Score.

She rewarded him with a peck on his plump lips for the info he previously provided her. She went through some more plants and asked him questions, rewarding him with kisses after he finished answering.

“What about reproduction? Is it similar for all species or is it different?” She asked

“Different. Some have eggs, some are similar to how humans breed. Most species I know have a breeding season.” Hyunjin explained.

Y/n pecked his lips, “What about you? What’s your species’ reproduction like?”

“Mhm. Most liquids in our bodies are similar to aphrodisiacs. It makes the process easier for the female.”

“Process?” Y/n asked

“Hm. Kiss first,” Hyunjin puckered his lips at her

Y/n pecked his lips again. “What process?”

“Egg implanting.”

Y/n’s eyes went wide. Her ears felt like they were on fire, mouth wide open. Hyunjin chuckled and closed her jaw before pecking her lips.

“Don’t go too dumb on me yet doll,” Hyunjin teased, placing a kiss on her shoulder

“When—“ Y/n cleared her throat before wrapping her arms around his neck, “When’s your breeding season?”

“Mm, should be starting in a couple of days.”

Y/n pecked his lips one last time, “Let’s go home, that’s enough information for today.”

Two days went by far too slowly. Y/n used the prior day to let the information her boyfriend had told her to settle in. Today, she was so unfocused with work. The day was going by way too slowly. Most of the time was spent thinking about what he had said.

She read stories on the internet of people claiming they’d been abducted by aliens— in most cases “Grays”— and essentially became a human incubator. The truth behind them was up for debate. No one ever had evidence other than the supposed victim’s word.

Y/n was lost in her thoughts thinking about it when she felt arms wrap around her waist. She jumped and turned around, being met with the smiling face of her boyfriend calmed her down.

“You alright?” he asked

“Yeah. Just scared me,” She replied as she turned in his arms and kissed his lips.

Hyunjin smiled into the kiss and kissed, holding onto her hips. “What’s got you lost in thought?” He asked as he broke the kiss.

Y/n couldn't find the words to tell him what it was she was thinking about. How do you tell your alien boyfriend you’d been thinking about him breeding you for two days?

“Talk to me hun,” Hyuniin said and kissed her cheek.

“Do you remember when we were talking about, uhm… you're breeding season,” Y/n started

“Yeah, why?”

“Don’t make me say it Hyune,” Y/n pleaded, face all red

“But how will I know what you want if you don't tell me?”

Hyunjin slowly backed her up into her desk. Y/n gripped his shirt, trying to gather any bit of courage to tell him.

Hyunjin grabbed her chin and lifted her lips to his. He licked his lower lip before pushing them onto her again. Y/n relaxed against him as she sat on her desk. Hyunjins hands moved up to cup her face, tilting her head back and deepening the kiss.

Y/n moaned against his lips, gripping his shirt tighter. Hyunjin pulled her bottom lip between his teeth and pulled away from the kiss. He locked eyes with her before releasing her lip. “Tell me what you want darling.”

“Want you to breed me,” Y/n finally let out

“Open your mouth,” Hyunjin smiled as he held her jaw as it fell open, “Tongue out.”

Y/n stuck her tongue out for him. Hyunjin hovered over her and let a glob of spit drop from his lips onto her tongue. “Swallow.”

Hyunjin watched her pull her tongue back into her mouth and swallow his spit. He tilted her head back and leaned down to kiss her neck and pull her legs around his waist. “Remember when I said most liquids in my body were similar to an aphrodisiac?” Hyunjin questioned

“Yes,” Y/n replied as his lips grazed over the weak spot on her neck

“Saliva is the main one.”

Her body felt so hot to every little touch. She wrapped her arms around his neck to hold herself up and he placed wet open mouth kisses on her neck. Pulling herself closer to him as his hands trailed down to unbutton her top.

He was quick to get the fabric off her and toss it to the ground. Hands grabbing her breasts and massaging them as he sucked his mark onto her neck.

Her hands pulled up at the collar of his shirt. Mumbling a quick “off” before he pulled away and tossed his shirt off. He grabbed her face again to bring his lips onto hers. Y/n caught a glimpse of his eyes before he was shoving his tongue down her throat. His usual dark brown eyes were a striking dark blue, the whites turning dark.

“Jinnie,” Y/n moaned after he pulled away and pushed the objects behind her out of the way, “your eyes…”

“What about them?” he asked as he looked over her face

“They changed.”

“Happens during arousal during the breeding process.” He briefly explained, unhooking her bra and pulling it off her chest.

He pushed her down on the desk and attacked her nipples. His hands slid under the skirt she wore today and his tongue flicked her nipples. He switched to the other bud and gave it the same brief treatment then pulled away.

Hyunjin pulled the remaining bit of fabric off her body till she was completely nude on her desk. He’d seen her completely nude before. His aphrodisiac saliva explained why everything felt so good when they’d had sex previously.

His physical appearance was very similar to humans. His eyes made her shy under his gaze. Her legs wrapped tighter around his waist as her hands moved to cover her chest. Hyunjin was quicker and pinned her wrists against the table.

“Don't. Wanna see you,” Hyunjin said as he leaned in and kissed her again. Both moaned into the kiss. Y/n snuck her tongue into his mouth.

Hyunjin pushed back with his own. Y/n ground her hips against his crotch.

“Need you Jinnie,” Y/n moaned when he pulled away

“All shy a second ago, now you're beginning for me.” Hyunjin chuckled as his hand dipped down between her legs.

His lips attached to her neck again, two fingers running through her wet folds. “Fucking soaked, all for me.” he groaned as he pushed two long fingers into her. Y/n just about came right there, probably just because of the aphrodisiac.

His fingers curled up into her. Her free hand grabbed onto his arm to ground herself, even a little. She felt so fucked out and they’d barely done anything too far.

“All sensitive aren't you,” Hyunjin teased as his lips came down to her breast again, “My pretty doll gonna come yet?”

“Yes! Please Jinnie! Wanna come for you!”

Hyunjin wrapped his lips around one of her hard nipples as he interested a third finger into her. Switching from curling his fingers into her to thrusting into her.

Her back arched off the surface as a silent screen fell from her mouth. Walls clamping down on his fingers. The knot in her stomach snapped soon after he started sucking on her nipples. Hyunjin fingered her through her high, pulling off her nipples and pulling his fingers out once she came down.

While she caught her breath, Hyunjin discarded his pants. Y/n glanced down at him as he pulled his cock out of his boxers. Somewhere in the back of her mind was questioning how exactly the egg implanting worked since his dick looked like a human dick. It was not in length, that was for sure.

Hyunjin grabbed her legs and pushed them wide open. “Are you ready hun?” he asked, lining his tip at her entrance, smearing his precum between her folds with her slick.

Y/n nodded, then she noticed the appendages sneaking out around his waist. Before she had time to ask, he pushed into her, fitting what he could before her cervix. There wasn’t any pain, just pleasure. His hands left her thighs and the two tentacles took over holding them open. His hands wrapped around hers and pinned her down onto the table below.

“You have tentacles too?” Y/n asked as she got adjusted to his length in her

“Yeah. Seven total,” He huffed

“Why are you only using two?”

Hyunjin smirked as three more came from over his shoulders Two wrapped around her breasts, tips latching onto her nipples as he started thrusting in and out of her. The third hovered and waited to be put to use. No time for her to ask where the sixth and seventh were.

The tentacles wrapped around her were smooth against her skin. Still sensitive from foreplay and his aphrodisiac spit. She was assuming his precum was another aphrodisiac.

Her back was already arching off the desk again as he stood back to watch her as he fucked her. He moved the third tentacle from to pin her arms down onto the desk above her head.

“Wish you could see yourself, baby. Look so good with my tentacles wrapped around you.” Hyunjin chuckled, picking up his pace.

The tentacles around her thighs helped by moving her body with his thrusts, lifting her off the desk just slightly.

“So deep,” Y/n moaned as her head lolled back against her desk, mouth hung open

Hyunjin laughed, he didn't know how much he’d enjoy having her all wrapped and dumb on his cock. “I could be deeper hun.”

“Please Jin… more,” Y/n moaned

Hyunjin smiled and pushed his hair back, shorter pieces sticking to his forehead from the sweat he had worked up. He leaned down and spit in her open mouth. Y/n swallowed it as he grabbed onto her hips, stilling inside her for a moment.

He pulled out for a moment, spitting in her cunt then pushing back in. But his dick felt different. No veins brushing against her gummy walls. It felt like there was nothing, but she knew he was filling her up.

Then she felt it. Something small wiggling its way past her cervix. “Jinnie.” Y/n whined as it got wider, pushing its way into her womb

“Relax doll. I got you,” Hyunjin shushed her. A smaller skinnier tentacle came from above his dick and latched onto her clit.

“Oh fuck,” Y/n’s voice jumped a good few octaves

“That’s my girl,” Hyunjin praised as filled her womb up. He could see his tip under her skin.

He picked his pace back up, fucking into her cervix as she became a babbling mess. This was such a normal thing for his species to go through during sex. But he loved seeing his human girlfriend all fucked out like this.

“Gonna carry my eggs for me doll? Be a good fucking incubator?” he groaned, his tentacles moving her body to meet his thrusts.

The tentacle holding her wrist brought her hands to him. Hyunjin grabbed her hands and pressed them onto her lower stomach. “You feel that doll?” Hyunjin asked

“Yes,” Y/n weakly answered

“Want you the feel me fill you up.”

He thrusted harder into her and the smaller tentacle worked her clit into hypersensitivity as he came all over him, liquids squirted out of her. The tentacle retracted back into him once it finished its job. The remaining still holding onto her and working her now swollen nipples and fucking her onto him.

“Such a good fucking hole,” Hyunjin groaned as he stilled, cum shooting into her womb.

Y/n could feel inside her and under her hand, small little balls filling her up along with his cum.

“‘S too much Jinnie,” Y/n whined as he pressed her hands into her harder

“You’re doing so good, baby. You can hold out a little longer till Jinnie’s done filling you with his eggs, right?” he pulled her up and attached his lips to hers, letting the eggs travel from him into her womb.

Once he was finished, he pulled out of her and laid her gently on the desk. Tentacles retracted into him again as she caught her breath, eyes drooping closed.

“Hyune,” Y/n called weakly

“Right here baby,” He said as he pulled her into his body

“Tired,” she grumbled.

“Go to sleep. I’ll get us home baby.”

Sleep she did. She didn't know how long she was going for but she woke up in the comfort of her bed with Hyunjin laying next to her, arms wrapped around her as he scrolled through his phone.

“Hyune,” she called

“Morning sleepy head,” he said as he put his phone down, “how are you feeling?”

“Fuzzy, weird. What happened?”

“You passed out not long after we finished. I got us dressed and brought you home to clean you up. Was waiting for you to wake up to order food.”

“Hm. Dinner sounds good right now.”

The two ordered dinner and Hyunjin grabbed it and brought it into the room when it got to her place. Feeding her even though she claimed she could do it herself.

While he was cleaning up from dinner, Y/n looked under her shirt. She could see a slight bump under the skin. Hyunjin walked into the room seconds later and lay on her lap, kissing her stomach.

“Think we’ll have little alien babies?” Y/n asked

“If they take. I’ve never bred before, let alone outside my home world.” he said, “either way, you look fucking gorgeous carrying my eggs.”

☾ ━━━━━━ M.LIST TIP JAR

☾ ━━━ please support writers by reblogging and/or leaving feedback

#☾━━━━ [𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐀 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐒]#stray kids #skz x reader #stray kids x reader #stray kids x reader smut #skz smut #skz x reader smut #skz #stray kids smut #hyunjin x reader smut #hyunjin x reader #hyunjin smut #hwang hyunjin x reader #hwang hyunjin x reader smut #hwang hyunjin smut #☾━━━━ [ a different breed mini series]

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kinopio-writes · 11 months ago

Note

Hi! Would you be willing to write something for Adam with a sensitive reader?

Everyone knows that he is loud-mouthed jerk, even reader, and she loves him regardless, but one day he crosses the line and says something particularly mean that makes her cry. Like REAL mean. To the point that he pauses because he did not think before speaking (or, well, less than usual lol)

I'm happy with whatever format you feel like using! Thank you!

A/N: I will be more than delighted to write that for you. But would you excuse me for a moment? AHHHHHHDISJDIOEOFJSKXJND—I’m sorry; I love this idea so much. Reading ‘Adam with a sensitive reader’ got me hooked instantly. But I’ll go over that in the headcanons, along with the general stuff. And I’ll add a oneshot at the end that plays the exact scenario of Adam taking it too far.

Holy sh!t. I made it so that the reader being sensitive is their greatest but also weakest point and it turned out pretty angsty. Has a bit of hurt/comfort, though. Did I go overboard? Maybe. That’s why it took so long. Sorry, anon.

Words: 2,328 (edited)

Warnings: Sex is mentioned (only a bit, surprisingly), Angst, Adam being Adam

———

Adam w/ a Sensitive!Reader

• ha, this man is also sensitive himself

• well, sensitive about himself

• he feels his own emotions strongly, so he’s not the caring, easily able to pick up on other’s feelings and empathize type of sensitive

• you, on the other hand, are on the opposite end of the spectrum compared to Adam

• so you experience other people’s emotions just as strongly as yours

• you easily know what makes someone tick

• you’re selfless

• you’re able to admit your mistakes and apologize

• you’re respectful and actively listen to people when they talk about themselves

• you don’t push people down to make yourself seem better

• you try to make everyone feel good and comfortable

• you’re everything he isn’t

• because you fit in Heaven perfectly

• you deserve to be there

• and Adam knows that he doesn’t belong (subconsciously at least)

• you’re able to draw people in just for being yourself

• and he’s envious of it

• so he demeans you and is snarky about everything you do, and every time people give you praise or affection, he tries to divert the attention to himself or just stares at you with utter hatred from afar

• although all of that is just when he hasn’t even had a conversation with you

• after a while of being around you, he’ll cling to you because you give him the reassurance and validation he oh-so craves (he acts as if he didn’t hate you before. What do you mean? You two were always buddy-buddy!)

• you acknowledge all of the things he puts his worth to

• heck, you hang out with him—you sometimes even initiate it—willingly, and you’re genuinely interested in everything he has to say

• but he‘ll only hang out with you where no one recognizes you (so you don’t get all the attention)

• terrible transition here, but he notices that you mimic people’s expressions often

• he definitely makes fun of you for it

• and also mocks you

• up until he realizes that you do the same thing to him, too

• which is fine and all, if only you didn’t do that when he’s upset

• well, you mimic him when he’s joyous as well, but he (already subconsciously) expects you to. I mean, why wouldn’t you? He’s fucking hilarious!

• so you copying his negative emotions just stands out more

• and he…doesn’t like it

• that’s only really what he doesn’t like about you

• and the fact that you hog all the attention

• and the fact that people see you as perfect…

• buuut what happens when he gets to see a new side of you that isn’t exactly upholding that image?

———

Your phone lit up from your bedside table, brightening your otherwise dark room along with the soft glow of your halo. You only moved your eyes to the light, not wanting your tears to spill and dampen your pillows.

You had an inkling as to who was texting you this late—if the fact that your phone lighting up several times in the span of 5 minutes had anything to say.

When the texts stopped pouring in after a few seconds, you heavily sighed, wings ruffling. You resisted the urge to rub your face as you went to grab your phone.

HEY (2:34) HEY (2:34) HEY (2:34) ARE YOU UP? (2:35) I’M BORED (2:35) GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE (2:36) IF YOU’RE UP (2:37) ARE YOU? (2:38) DID I TELL YOU THAT BITCH WITH THE HUGE TITS GOT FIRED TODAY? (2:39)

Figured. Of course, it was Adam. He was the only person you knew who’d be awake at this ungodly hour. And the only person you knew who’d disturb your peace if it meant curing anything that ailed him. Which was now about boredom, it seemed.

You read a few of his texts displayed on your lock screen before tapping one of the notifications and opening the app, scanning the rest of the unread messages.

Adam was going on about ‘that bitch with the huge tits’—her name was Tiffany, you were sure—and how she was rumored to have slept with an archangel to assume higher authority. He also went on to complain about how he didn’t have the chance to bed her anymore since she was basically deemed an outcast and that he couldn’t be seen with someone like her.

You frowned, not believing any of it, but you didn’t have time to think about it enough when he began typing again.

SO YOU’RE AWAKE (2:43)

You barely finished reading the new message when another one popped up.

DON’T IGNORE ME BITCH (2:43)

You frowned deeper, quick to type out a reply.

i’m not (2:43) i was just reading your texts (2:43) don’t worry (2:43) i’ll be there soon (2:44)

When he stopped typing, you placed your phone back on the nightstand, sitting up on your bed as you carefully wiped away your teary eyes. You hugged yourself for a moment, wings functioning as a cocoon while a hand tugged on your hair.

Today had been draining—both mentally and emotionally. Just like the day before, and the day before that. But you didn’t want to think about it, lest you start to cry some more and smear your face with tears this time. What mattered was that everyone was back on their feet again.

Since you didn’t bother changing into your sleepwear when you got home, you only checked your face in the mirror to see if your eyes were puffy or not. You then took in deep breaths, holding up your drooping wings before putting up a charming smile.

You couldn’t stay in the bathroom for long, quickly leaving to tread the path to Adam’s.

•••

“BOO!” Adam’s masked face suddenly peeked from the corner of his hallway, earning an indescribable scream from you as you jerked back. He burst out laughing, brows creased in confusion but also amusement. He couldn’t even make fun of you for getting scared. “What the—what the fuck was that scream?”

Recovering rather quickly as you blinked, you only smiled at him. You were expecting him to wait for you on his couch as his front door was left unlocked, but you weren’t complaining; his action took away any drowsiness you just had.

When Adam didn’t hear you laugh with him, his laughter subsided as he opened his eyes to look at your face. He raised his brows and placed the back of his hands on his hips. “What’s up with you?”

Shit. There was no way Adam was seeing through you.

“Nothing; I just love hearing you laugh.” You heard a tiny squeak in response. “Anyway, what did you make me come over for? Surely not just to scare me.” You moved past Adam and tightly crossed your arms, entering his spacious living room.

“Pshh, fuck no. You’re so easy to spook. Though that was a first. Didn’t know you could hit high notes, (Name).”

You didn’t know what to say to his…compliment? And sort of insult? Was it really either of them? Should you thank him? But in a sarcastic way? No, you weren’t known for being sarcastic, so he might think you were being genuine and look at you weirdly. And it would also seem highly egotistical.

Not as if Adam had much to say about that…

You tugged at your hair when you caught yourself with those thoughts. Shit, that’s so rude! You can’t think that! You shouldn’t think that!

You settled on an awkward chuckle, making yourself appear smaller as you averted your eyes to his TV space.

It was different, certainly. The modular couch pieces were rearranged into a pit sectional. And it looked as though he had chucked a bunch of pillows and one large blanket as an afterthought. It appeared messy, but at least it looked cozy.

“What’s this?”

“Hm? Oh, well, since you were taking your sweet ass time coming here, I thought to switch things up a bit.” You flinched when his head appeared right on your shoulder. “What’d ya think?”

“It looks super comfy.” Adam wore a goofy grin behind you as you walked closer to the area and noticed that he already prepared snacks on the low table. “Is this a way to say you wanna do a movie marathon?”

“You know it, baby.” He flew past you and landed on the sofa, patting the space beside him with a smile you just couldn’t reject.

•••

Heaven’s natural light beginning to peek through the open windows indicated that it was already dawn. Thank goodness you didn’t have work today.

You two—or rather, Adam—had settled on watching the film series, Die Hard. Every single one. You didn’t mind, but you didn’t understand why Adam invited you over if you two were just going to rewatch the film series for the eighth time.

He had also been pretty immersed in the large screen in front of him, so he hadn’t attempted to converse with you ever since the first movie started. In all honesty, he could have just watched them all by himself.

But you didn’t question it. This time was the same as the last seven, after all. You always concluded that maybe he just wanted someone to watch movies with, no talking necessary. Even if the no-talking part sounded a bit out of character.

Was it though? Because he did that quite often. For instance, he constantly brought you along to whatever mundane errands he had to do during the weekdays and never really talked with you unless he found something cool and pointed it out.

Although, the earlier times you tagged along with him on his errands, he kept yapping his mouth off about the ‘totally awesome’ things he does. He talked about music, his own albums, his band, women, sex, and himself as the first-ever man.

As time went on, however, the talking was replaced with silence. You wondered if he just ran out of things to say or if he found it unnecessary to talk anymore.

You also sometimes wondered what was going through his head when he thought you didn’t see him glancing at you while he was doing something he believed was boring.

The sound of Adam’s stomach rumbling broke you out of your train of thought.

You both looked at each other blankly as if either of you were to blame.

He blinked to break the eye contact between you. “(Name), I’m hungry.”

You snorted, facing ahead. “You ate all of our snacks before the first movie even finished.”

“Don’t blame me.” He hugged the pillow he held tighter. “I’m still fuckin’ hungry, though.”

You hummed as you reached for your pocket. “Do you want me to—oh. I…I forgot my phone.” You frowned. You never forget to bring your belongings.

Adam merely stared at you, unblinking.

You averted your eyes and held your legs tighter. “Uhm, We could get delivery if you want. Can you lend me your phone?”

“Oh, yeah, sure.” He casually tossed you the device before laying on his back and looking up at you. “I’m down for anything.”

His phone hit your knee before you could catch it, silently landing on the cushions. “Are you sure?” You picked it up, opened his unlocked phone, and stared at his basic home screen.

He didn’t really use his phone that often to know that it could be changed. He only really used it to fetch one-night stands or occasional dates, text, play music aloud, look at outdated memes, take random blurry photos, and right now, order delivery.

“Totally.” His crow’s feet displayed on his mask as he puffed out his cheeks.

“Because last time you said that, you didn’t like what I had to pick.”

“That’s because the 5 ʼn 2 is so fucking overrated!” he suddenly started to complain. Your wings ruffled. “Jeez, I swear, every fuckin’ time I take a chick out and ask her what her favorite eatery is, basic bitches always go, ‘Oh, bREaD & fIsH, ceRTAinLy’ or ‘bReAD & FiSh’S a cLAsSIC’” He used his hand as a puppet to imitate their words before waving it. “Like, helloooo? Can’t you see the joint that’s literally on the other side of the street’s a hundred times superior? It’s cheaper, too, unlike Bread & Fish. Overpriced ass. You get me, right—?”

“Then you pick!” Adam jumped at your volume, and your eyes widened upon noticing yourself. You quickly gave back his phone as you turned your face away from him, and he slowly took it with a weird look.

“Shit, chill, (Name). The fuck’s up your ass?” He kept his gaze on you before turning to his phone.

While he was serious about his opinions of your bland tastes, he didn’t think it was that personal. Your preferences were the same as everyone else and that was boring. He was just being honest. And you usually didn’t take the things he said that seriously.

“Adam, I’m sorry,” you spoke up after a moment of silence and ran a hand through your hair. “I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

“ʼs not a problem.” He was still a bit weirded out, but he was willing to shrug it off.

You insisted, however, “I mean it. I’m not mad at you.”

“Okay…?” he muttered when he saw a notification pop up from Lute. Her message consisted of how some of the exterminators got into a quarrel during roll call and the ones involved got injured in the process. She said she was going to discipline them.

Adam did not want to know what she meant by that and was most likely not going to stop by their place today.

“Really. I’m not. Sorry. It’s just that yesterday’s been…”

“Uh-huh…” At this point, Adam was not listening to anything you were saying. But when he still heard the static noise that was your words, he groaned. “Look, sweetie, I really don’t give a fuckin’ shit about your fuckin’ apology, ʼkay? I don’t fuckin’ care. Now what do you want?”

You saw Adam’s confused yet concerned expression after he looked up from his phone and immediately noticed that you were starting to cry. You instantly turned your face away as you carefully wiped your eyes.

“Sorry. Sorry. I’m not crying because of you.” You didn’t know if that was true. You didn’t know if you were crying because of his words or were crying because of everything else.

That was the first time he ever used a sweet petname for you in a long time. He only ever used that to demean or mock other people.

Shit. Stop thinking—you were going to cry more. But even after carefully wiping your eyes away, new tears kept flowing. You couldn’t stop. This was humiliating. You wanted to disappear. You didn’t want anyone to witness you in this state. It was mortifying.

“Shit.” Adam’s voice came out panicky as he held his hands out towards you, but he hesitated. Hesitated in what, he didn’t even know.

He…didn’t think you could cry.

Adam didn’t know what to do; this emotional shit wasn’t his thing. He couldn’t ask you to leave, he knew that much, but he didn’t want to leave himself. This was his place. Why should he leave?

So, he did the only thing he could do in this situation.

You suddenly felt something warm envelop you.

You didn’t look up, but you knew it was Adam. You could feel the texture of his robe on your hands and the side of your face. You could feel his hands on your shoulder blade, but you couldn’t quite feel his arms on you.

You stopped wiping your eyes for a moment.

No one had ever hugged you before when you were sad.

No one had ever let you be sad.

Adam heard you sob.

Fucking great. He made it worse. What the fuck was he supposed to do then?

But when he went to unwrap his arms, he felt yours slip around his midsection, pulling him closer than before as he grunted from your firm hold.

So you wanted to be hugged? Alright. Whatever.

Adam slowly hugged you back after you muttered a ‘sorry’ and loosened your grip.

The next seconds were silent, so when he heard muffled words coming from you, he looked down. You also looked up moments later when he didn’t respond, realizing he must’ve not heard you.

Your gaze softened as you two held eye contact, and with teary eyes, you smiled. “Thank you, Adam.”

Something about his expression changed, but before you could stare any longer, you felt a hand behind your head push you back to his chest as the arm on your back held you tight.

“Yeah, whatever…”

#hazbin hotel x reader #adam x reader #hazbin hotel adam #kinopiowrites

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straightouttherosebush · 17 days ago

Text

King's Dead

Character: Leona Kingscholar

Synopsis: Fluff alphabet for my favorite catboy (template from @snk-warriors), because it's a good format for a romantic/fluffy headcanon post (this might become my niche pookies I'm ngl.)

Content Warning: Fem/AFAB Reader, a teensy bit of spice if you squint, sorry if there is anything I missed ;-;;

(This song is so him so I named the post after it :D)

Activities (What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free-time with them?)

On his own, he is usually lazing around or occupied with Spelldrive training and Housewarden duties. He usually doesn't give others the time of day, either. He makes an exception for you and will go out of his way to ask if you'd like to play Spelldrive with the team. He'll also invite you to his room to just be in each other's presence, talk, and sometimes the both of you end up wrestling/play-fighting. I feel like he'd do that with a partner and it's something he does when he really opens up to someone.

Beauty (What do they admire about their s/o? What do they think is beautiful about them?)

I headcanon that he likes thick people, but he doesn't care too much about how people look. He admires determination, diligence, ruggedness and intelligence. He loves being challenged and watching you attempt to run him ragged in any way, shape, or form intrigues him. It keeps him on his feet and relieves his boredom. A little bit of spice here but he is 100% an ass man, the jiggle scratches his cat brain the right way =3

Comfort (How would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack, etc.?)

Leona would genuinely panic when you're upset. He isn't really the best at soothing people, so he'll just give you a big tight hug and let you cry into his chest, patting/scratching your head. Otherwise, if you're stressed over something or panicking, he'd basically ask "Do you want my advice, or do you just want me to listen?" He leaves it up to you, and it's his attempt to be considerate of your feelings.

Dreams (How do they picture a future with their s/o?)

He could only hope that either he somehow takes the throne of his homeland and you are there to join him, or you two live a peaceful life in the Afterglow Savannah. On the inside, he craves nothing but a domestic life, and an easy one for his s/o. You make him feel important for once, so he wants to return the favor, his idea of that being ease and comfort for the rest of your days.

Equal (Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?)

100% dominant. While his general demeanor is passive, you'd be surprised how quickly that changes around you.

Fight (Would they be easy to forgive their s/o? How are they fighting?)

He is not one to forgive easily, so he holds grudges. If it's his s/o, he tends to be a bit more lenient, but if he feels like he isn't being listened to or heard out, he'll just say "whatever" or something of the like and distance himself. He doesn't like wasting breath and energy, but he's still mad. You two make up eventually, but he's not the one going out of his way to apologize or kiss ass unless he actually feels he did something wrong.

Gratitude (How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o does for them?)

He is very perceptive, so he knows what you do for him and, while he doesn't tell you outright or necessarily thank you, he does something subtle for you in return. He is grateful, so much as to make himself useful if necessary.

Honesty (Do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?)

He opens up more and more as the relationship progresses, though he isn't super forthcoming in general. He especially isn't really open about his family or secret feelings of inadequacy. Pre and post overblot.

Inspiration (Did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems?)

He might be moved to slightly broaden his diet, and he might try harder to work on keeping tidier on his own (definitely not because Ruggie regularly gripes about cleaning up after him, he couldn't give less of a shit tbh.) You're one of the only people outside his family whose opinion of him even remotely matters. He's gunna try to uphold the image of him that you have in your mind, against his better judgement.

Jealousy (Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?)

Yes, he does get extremely jealous. As I said before, he is very perceptive (as are all beastmen, especially felines) so he can tell when someone is hitting on you from facial expressions and body language alone. He mainly gets upset because of his inferiority complex so he feels the need to make sure everyone knows that you're with him. He is usually able to scare off anyone either talking to you or flirting with you regardless, so it isn't a problem for him unless you seem to reciprocate. Even then, he doesn't necessarily blame you because he knows you're being nice to keep your skin.

Kiss (Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?)

He is surprisingly good at kissing and his kisses are hungry and passionate. You kissed him on the cheek after pausing and staring at him for a while. You turned to walk off, and he chuckled at you while you were still close enough to hear. He thought it was really cute and was so taken aback, it was on his mind throughout the day. So, when you meet up after classes at his dorm, the first thing he does is literally make out with you. He has to try hard not to let it turn into anything else, as much as he wants it to. He gladly respects your wishes. "Thereee ya go, got what you wanted. Just ask me next time. I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

Love Confession (How would they confess to their s/o?)

"Hey herbivore, you're cute. No, really. I mean it. Wanna make somethin' happen?" He'd just nonchalantly spit it out at some point. You two could have been literally anywhere and he would have still been this casual about it. He isn't really one for huge gestures or drawn-out confessions. Just plain and simple. He would be a little nervous but that's something he can easily shove down.

Marriage (Do they want to get married? How do they propose? What would the marriage be like?)

Leona has the thought of marriage in the back of his mind. His family badgers him about it, and would even more if they found out that you were in the picture. Out of spite, he has sworn that he doesn't wanna get married. However, sometimes he sees the actions you take and the way you act and he thinks about you as his wife and the domesticity together, it awakens something within him. He gets a little mushy about it, but overall, he isn't getting married for a WHILE. A proposal from him would sound something like "I've been thinking on this for a bit and they will NOT get off my ass back home so... wanna get hitched?" He'll have the ring and everything, but isn't taking a knee or any of the typical stuff. He brings it up just as casually as the way he asked you out. "Mrs. Kingscholar... has a ring to it yeah? Ohhh come 'ere, stop bawlin' yer eyes out." he chuckled as he pulls your face into his chest while you cry tears of joy, his eyes clenched shut with the biggest smile he can muster.

Nickname (What do they call their s/o?)

Herbivore, Omnivore (if he's feeling nice), Hon will rarely slip out, mainly those because he isn't a pet-name person.

On Cloud Nine (What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?)

When this beastman is in love, he becomes slightly more enthusiastic and generous and seems a little bit less tired whenever the object of his affection enters a room or interacts with him. Ruggie takes notice, teases him, Leona scoffs and rolls his eyes, the world keeps turning. It is only obvious to Ruggie because he's close to Leona, but nobody else can really tell that he's in love (he totally holds the crush over Leona's head btw, I also headcanon that bro can actually be a killer wingman.) He pretty much looks and acts normal, aside from the energy bursts. This shows in dorm Spelldrive practice, and the Savanaclaw students will remark on it, not really knowing why he's like this and sore because their asses are getting kicked. Nothing new, but worse than usual.

PDA (Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?)

He isn't upfront per se, but he's definitely not scared for people to know that you two are a thing. He doesn't brag but he has subtle ways of being affectionate. Whether it's his hand casually holding your waist or his tail brushing against you whenever he passes by, he's always subtly staking his claim. He will kiss you in front of someone and stare that someone dead in the eye with this threatening glare if he's jealous enough. (This should have been in the jealousy category technically BUT it's also PDA so... idk bro you be the judge.)

Quirk (Some random ability they have that’s beneficial in a relationship)

I can name a few One thing that makes him an absolute catch is the fact that he actually respects women/AFAB people. Respect really shouldn't be a lot to ask, but you would be hard-pressed to find it. Leona is actually a gentleman at heart. It was how he was raised and he is actually pretty morally upstanding, all things considered. Even moreso post-overblot. Second thing- the lion ears. I have been WAITING for my chance to talk about them. They're so cute and so soft to the touch, it makes him even more attractive, having them. That and he uses his enhanced hearing to sometimes find you and sneak up on you for fun. Though he does let you touch them, never in public. He turns into a cub when you pet him like that. He is very particular about when he wants to be touched period, and can get annoyed/overstimulated quickly, so just be careful. That and he can sometimes seem lazy, but this makes for some pretty great off-days/nights where you guys stay in and cuddle/nap together. He has Ruggie pick up some food (you end up helping Ruggie out a bit and secretly Leona adores seeing this,) and you guys are just set for the time being.

Support (Are they helping their s/o achieve their goals? Do they believe in them?)

Honestly? Purely circumstantial. If he isn't interested, then he won't involve himself too much aside from baseline mental/physical support and advice (if you ask for it.) However, he sees a spark in his s/o and tries to motivate them to keep pushing. Sometimes it can seem harsh, but he's pretty good at tough love. Everyone needs a little "Hey, tell that doubt to shut the fuck up and try your damnedest. I know you can do it, that's gotta count for something."

Thrill (Do they need to try out new things to spice out your relationship? Or do they prefer a certain routine?)

Perfect question for this character because yes, he absolutely needs to keep things interesting. He gets bored easily, and started dating a spunky person for a reason. He enjoys being tested, teased, and surprised, despite how he appears to dislike it. Whether it's making bets on things or physically play-fighting over things (he never initiates that btw, he leaves it up to you,) he will try anything to keep things refreshing and fun. The way he sees it is that it keeps the relationship alive.

Understanding (How good do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?)

He pays attention to things you say and do more often than you think he does, so it comes as a shock to you when he can remember things you said months ago, verbatim, so easily. Usually he's a huge listener, but that just means he has more time to store info away in his cat noggin. He knows you really well, as he notices and takes in everything. He is very observational. Sometimes he'll even cave and get you things because you looked like you wanted something because you were too broke and/or too scared to ask. "Use your words next time, herbivore. You're in luck today." As for empathy...? 50/50. He is generally sympathetic, but he tends to block out empathy to get things done or go through with certain plans. He feels everyone but can't always care about what they think/feel. It'll weigh too much on him and it's not his job to fix people. For his partner, however? He can make exceptions.

Value (How important is the relationship to them? What is it’s worth in comparison to other things in their life?)

He didn't expect your relationship to last as long as it has, so it colored him impressed. Once he realized how long it has been, he was willing to take it more seriously and thus it held more worth to him. As for the worth of the relationship generally, on the scale of priorities you're top 3-5 unless you're in immediate danger or have something special going on (whether good or bad)(in any of those circumstances, you'd be #1 at those moment.) He loves you, but he has his own priorities and responsibilities. Doesn't mean he doesn't think about you though. <3

Wild Card (A random Fluff Headcanon)

Okokok soooo I'm a little chunky and I was thinking (like any normal person does, surely,) "what would my fav twst character (this bastard lmao) think about that?" That said, my headcanon is that Leona actually likes a little chunk on the bones. He sees that as you being "well-fed," if anything. He would offer to help his partner work out and diet if they so desired, but reassures them that they look fine regardless. He, of course, does this bluntly. Same ol' Leona, yeah, but he means it. Suuuuper personal headcanon but I hope you guys like this one :3

XOXO (Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle?)

He likes to cuddle, and he will also sometimes bite/nibble on you (neck, ear, even arms sometimes.) He has to be in a mood to be affectionate, but when he is it's absolutely adorable to see his catlike mannerisms

Yearning (How will they cope when they’re missing their partner?)

He just goes about this normal life and distracts himself with it or sleeps it off. BONUS: Angst/sadness, if you left the Twisted Wonderland- (I feel like this lowkey fits so just hear me out-) He would never be the same after you left, and he would be more angsty, exhausted, and upset. He would sulk around for months upon months until he realized there was no point. The resignation hit him and he just one day realized that there was nothing he could do. He eventually moved on with a different outlook on life... all... because of you. He put no effort into finding love again.

Zeal (Are they willing to go to great lengths for the relationship? If so, what kind?)

He is fiercely loyal, so once the relationship is serious and you guys are locked in, he would do anything short of murder if justified, and even that's debatable under the right circumstances. Do not try to take this for granted, though. He's loyal, not stupid.

This took me FOUR hoursss! I hope you guys like this as much as I do because oH MY LORDD I am eepy :0

So long omnivores, Rosey <3

Masterlist is HERE!

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vxsellie · 1 month ago

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‧₊˚┊simple living things﹗

a hunger games!au ellie williams fanfiction.⌇ 𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔭 𝔦

summary. reaping day. something ellie is rather indifferent towards, wanting only to return back to the warm embrace of nature. meanwhile you're the complete opposite, today being one that'll determine your fate, as well as your placement in your family. this chapter follows the alternate experiences that the two of you go through.

content warnings. depictions of dead animals, domestic abuse, implications of slavery (avoxes). if you see anything else that i missed, pls let me know!

total wc. 10,815

notes!! she's here!!! chapter one of this beauty!!! i've proofread this at least fifty times and i'm still not happy with it, but! here's the reminder that this fic is formatted and meant for ao3, not tumblr (hence why it's so goddamn long). anyway, i advise you read it there rather than here for that reason. it's updated sooner and i actually make sure that it's intelligible. the link is right here ↓

𝜗𝜚 series masterlist ⸝⸝ playlist ⸝⸝ ao3 𝜗𝜚

11:46.

DISTRICT SEVEN.

“Again?” Ellie’s groggy cavil is muffled against the crook of Cat’s neck. Her freckled face is buried into the warmth of the woman’s bare skin, chasing the comfort her proximity provides.

Cat huffs an airy laugh, her fingers absentmindedly running along an auburn scalp. “We’ve gone over this.”

“Yeah, but,” Ellie props up on her elbows to frown at her, “You went last year.”

“It’s a good thing if they’re asking me to attend again, Ellie.” Cat reminds her as she’s done at least fifty times by now. Despite her dwindling patience, Cat’s eyes are filled with naught but fondness as they clash with a pair of viridescent irises. Ellie continues to frown at her, adamant in her show of defiance. Cat continues to fiddle with her choppy hair as she speaks. “The Capitol is extremely picky with their stylists. It’s an honor to work for them, not to mention being chosen by them.”

Ellie has to swallow back the words that crawl up her throat and threaten to spill. Words of which vocalize her personal repugnance for the Capitol. She and Cat have gotten into plenty of fights regarding this topic and she refuses to cause another — especially considering the news she’s been trying to avoid facing all morning.

“I won’t see you for, like, a month.” Ellie grumbles before flopping back down onto Cat’s chest. She turns her head so her ear is pressed against her ribs, the gentle thudding of Cat’s heartbeat almost soothing enough to distract her from the world that envelops them.

Their bare bodies are pressed flush together as Ellie continues to listen to the repetition of her palpitating organ. She can feel Cat’s fingers toying with her hair, the soft caresses providing a sense of calamity. Her chest rises and falls, Ellie’s head shifting alongside each breath she takes. The intimacy it takes for to be near someone in this way — especially for Ellie — is oftentimes overlooked and seen only as crude or lustrous. However, in this case, they’re simply enjoying one another’s presence. Nothing vulgar about it.

Oh how Ellie wishes she could stay like this forever. In this little oasis of solace she’s founded for herself. Waking with Cat in her bed whilst morning sunlight filters through the window and casts golden hues over hardwood flooring. It’s nigh impossible to imagine that in only a few hours they’ll be separated for an indefinite epoch as Cat is escorted off to the Capitol while Ellie remains here.

She shuts her eyes, arms tightening around Cat’s waist as she wishes to cherish what little time she has left with her. Cat doesn’t dare cease playing with her hair, delicate fingers toying with the strands.

Comfortability, domesticity, safety. That’s what Ellie feels when she’s near Cat — like nothing in the whole world could reach her. Like they’ve left the horrors of their District and are now floating through the cosmos all alone. Just the two of them. Though she knows better than to voice that to Cat, having found out the hard way that she doesn’t feel the same.

What they have is impermanent, said Cat when Ellie questioned her on fidelity, it has to be, she’d said. Even now, Ellie is unsure what that was supposed to mean. But she didn’t pry any further, for fear of damaging the fragility of what relationship, or lack thereof, they’d formed. Ever since, Ellie has learned to keep her feelings locked away in a hidden corner of her mind, making sure they never come forth to have the dust blown away.

“Ellie!”

They both jolt to attention as the bedroom door flies open, doorknob slamming against the thick wooden wall behind it. Ellie sits up and narrows her eyes at the perpetrator, only to roll them once she comes to realize who it is.

“What do you want, Riley?” Ellie grumbles, flopping back against Cat as Riley enters the room.

“I want to know why you’re still in bed.” Riley responds, stepping over the clothes on the floor with an upturned lip. Half of them are Cat’s from the night prior. Riley seems to instantly realize this, likely because she’s known Ellie well enough to know that she doesn’t wear Capitol-made dresses. Riley puts her hands on her hips, frowning at her best friend who remains cuddled up against her– Cat. “The Reaping is today and you’re still in bed.”

“It’s in two hours.” Ellie is quick to point out.

“I don’t care if it’s in twenty hours, you’re getting out of bed.” She says, picking up Ellie’s discarded clothes from the floor and tossing them at her. They land where her legs are tangled with Cat’s underneath the thin plaid blanket that’s draped lazily atop them. Riley begins to walk out of the room with a pointed expression before calling over her shoulder, “Oh. And these are Marlene’s orders, by the way.” Then she shuts the door.

Ellie sighs heavily, not yet ready to get up. If anything, she cozies even closer against Cat’s bare chest as she once again listens to the comforting thumps of her heart.

“God, she’s so demanding.” Cat scoffs. “I don’t understand how you put up with her.”

“I barely can.” She responds, causing Cat’s eyes to widen at the unexpected concurrence. “But she’s taken care of me since I was a baby, I owe it to her.”

Cat’s initial shock instantly dissipates. “I don’t mean Marlene, Ellie. I’m talking about Riley.”

Ellie sighs once more, her lips thinning. She knows that Cat and Riley don’t exactly get along. Well. Okay, that’s a major understatement. They literally despise each other. In every aspect that Cat admires the Capitol, Riley loathes it. They butt heads all the time, only ever speaking when it’s absolutely necessary and, even then, it oftentimes ends up in fighting. Ellie tries her hardest to keep them as far apart as possible, hating when they speak ill of the other.

“I don’t want to talk about that right now.” She mutters, having to force herself to sit up. The plaid blanket falls from her shoulders, pooling around her waist. The cool air chills her and goosebumps instantly begin to adorn her fair skin. She quickly reaches to the foot of the bed to grab the clothes Riley had tossed her way. Cat remains in bed as Ellie stands to get dressed, pulling on a frayed hoodie and worn jeans. “I just don’t want to have to choose between you two, that’s all.”

As she laces her shoes, it’s hard not to take notice of Cat’s lack of response. Ellie lifts her head to see the frown that’s plastered onto her features, the sight of it causing her to sigh. She walks over to the bed, shoes lightly padding across the old wooden floor. She leans one hand on the mattress beside Cat’s head, her other coming up to lift her jaw. She presses a kiss to her lips.

“You know where I keep the key.” Ellie whispers, pulling back only slightly as her hand remains on Cat’s chin. “You can get back to sleep and leave whenever you want, yeah? You need rest.”

Cat nods, “Okay.”

With one final kiss goodbye, Ellie leaves. On her way out the door, she grabs her backpack from under her desk, swinging it over her shoulder before shutting the door gently behind her. Not yet ready to part ways with Cat, she stands in the hall for a few long minutes, using this time to straighten out her thoughts.

After the Reaping, Cat will be gone for an indefinite duration as the stylists are taken to the Training Center alongside the two tributes. Not to mention, if the opportunity is provided, she knows Cat wouldn’t hesitate to stay to live in the Capitol forever. And everyone knows how much they love her there. It’s truly a matter of time before she’s promoted to a full-time Capitolite. The mere thought sends a chill down her spine.

Ellie heaves a sigh, mentally cursing anything and everything that relates to their fucked up government before she turns to walk down the hall. Her shoes thud against the floor as she attempts to calm herself, the repetition of her stride mocking that of Cat’s heartbeat. Nigh tauntingly.

Turning a corner, she spots Riley standing in the kitchen. Her back is facing her as she peers out the window at the passerbyers that straggle down the street. District seven isn’t usually this busy, most citizens at work by now. But it’s Reaping Day and therefore one of the few days of the year that everyone gets off work. Parents cater to their kids, teens get into mischief with their friends, pets are walked through the neighborhood. Though, regardless of how one’s morning is spent, everyone will be amassed in town square by two o’clock. If not, they’re to be imprisoned.

Ellie slows her movements, footsteps now inaudible before she jumps out at Riley, causing the other girl to shriek. She nearly drops the glass in her hands as she whips around to scowl at Ellie. “You scared me!” She reprimands her, frowning.

“Yeah,” Ellie laughs, “That was the whole point?”

Riley rolls her eyes at this. “Whatever.”

She leans forward to set the glass back on the counter, a light clink sounding throughout the space as she does so. Ellie had expected it to be a glass of water or some other form of drink. Instead, it’s a vase holding an array of flowers that Ellie has built the habit of collecting on their daily outings. At first, it annoyed Riley the way Ellie would stop whatever she was doing to pick a flower and stuff it between the pages of her journal. It would interrupt the flow of their expedition. Though, with time, she’s grown used to it and even finds herself taking notice of pretty flowers in Ellie’s absence.

“Are you finally ready to go?” Riley asks, turning back around to face her friend with her eyebrows raised. Ellie gestures down to herself — dressed and obviously ready. Riley chuckles, rolling her eyes fondly before brushing past her.

The two of them exit the small wooden home and begin their journey toward the treeline. Four buildings down, they pass Riley’s house. After graduation, they’d chosen this neighborhood due to its proximity to the woods and the fact that two houses were simultaneously for sale closeby. And here they are, three years later, still fleeing to the foliage every morning.

The low hum of conversation isn’t foreign to District seven, but it’s rather uncommon way out here. To get this type of commotion, you’d usually have to be closer to town where the markets are. That’s where most people spend their time, trading supplies. The circumstances aren’t nearly as dire as in District twelve, but they’re certainly not as wealthy as the Capitol. Starving to death here is rare, but not at all impossible.

“So,” Riley speaks up after a few minutes of comfortable silence before turning to Ellie with a regaled expression, “You’re sleeping with Cat again?”

“I never stopped sleeping with her.” Ellie says pointedly.

What she doesn’t say is, It’s just grown more common as you’ve grown more distant from me.

She sighs. “I’m not gonna give you shit for it because you already know how I feel about her. But I want to know, is she going to be a stylist again in this year's Games?”

“Ugh,” Ellie groans, “You know I’m not allowed to go around telling people. She’s technically not even supposed to tell me. We could be arrested for disclosing information about the Games prior to their airing. We could be made into Avox for it. And, I don’t know about you, but I quite like my tongue.”

“Yeah, so does Cat.” Riley adds with a disgusted expression.

Ellie laughs, slapping her in the arm. “Gross!”

“What’s gross is walking in on your best friend naked on top of some Capitolite.” She grumbles.

“We weren’t even doing anything!”

“Yeah, luckily!” She replies with a laugh before another repulsive thought dawns on her. “Oh, and you didn’t even lock the door!”

To that, Ellie has no excuse. “Well– Okay yeah, fine. That’s definitely on me.”

Riley grins at her victoriously as they continue down the sidewalk. The air is practically buzzing with activity. With naught else to occupy their time, the people of the lumber District naturally swarm toward the woods. It’s in their blood. Even more so for Ellie and Riley, who spend their mornings in the woods even when they should technically be applying for jobs.

Yeah, the two of them have received that lecture from Marlene more times than anyone could count — that they’re adults and should therefore be forming some sort of a career path before they’re rendered undesirably old to any future employers. But, unbeknownst to Marlene, the two of them do have a job. Perhaps not a formal one, but it’s enough to keep the bills paid and water running. And, to a pair of girls in their early twenties, that’s more than they could ask for.

See, Riley and Ellie have built a routine. One where they awake at dawn, meet up at Ellie’s house for breakfast, then walk to the woods and spend the following few hours there. They cut trees, chop wood, hunt animals, etc. Then, at noon, they head toward what’s known as the Hob — basically a black market for those desperate enough to trade their hard earned quarry for a bit of cash. It’s located inside an abandoned paper mill, packed full with hundreds of buyers meandering about the derelict space. Every District has their own version of a Hob, well, perhaps not the richer Districts, but twelve is sure to have a huge one that would make seven’s dull in comparison. That thought alone is enough to ease Ellie’s conscience whenever she feels guilty for the illegality behind her line of work. If any of the Peacekeepers in her District found out about the Hob, all participants are sure to be hanged or, at bare minimum, given a whipping — both of which would be public as to make an example of the persecutors. To imagine Ellie hanging from a noose or tied to a pole whilst everyone else watched, while Marlene watched? It makes her stomach churn. So, habitually, she simply ignores the lack of validity to her actions. Plus, there's no malice to her intentions. She’s just a young woman who wants to put food on the table. Is that so much to ask for? She thinks not.

Anyway. Riley and Ellie basically run that place. Everyone knows them there, recognizing the two women the instant they enter the mill. They always have the good shit — perfectly chopped wood alongside undamaged game — and are willing to be paid less than others because they tend to have a higher quantity and manage to amass a large sum in spite of their lowered payment. However, seeing as everyone is off work today, it’s rather awkward to see the people of the Hob out on the streets. Because they all know better than to acknowledge the illegal trading they participate in religiously.

Ellie walks silently beside Riley, the unspoken tension in the air doubling in size whenever they recognize someone. The Peacekeepers are large in aggregate today as well, managing to make this impossibly more nerve wracking. The town square is packed full with Capitolites who are setting up for the Reaping, hence everyone now on this side of the District as they look for something to busy themselves with. And, as said before, the woods are evidently everyone’s collective first choice.

“You nervous?” Riley asks as they enter the woods, the familiar scent of pine and dirt wafting toward them. The air is chilly, yet not unbearably so. It’s a nice medium that Ellie finds herself enjoying. She turns, raising a brow in inquiry. Riley digresses, “For the Reaping.”

She shrugs, “Not really. The Hunger Games are morbid, yeah, but they’re a fact of life. If I get Reaped, what good will it do to have worried about it that morning? I feel that fate is predetermined. Whatever happens, you can’t change it so you might as well live regularly until it’s foisted upon you.”

“Um, wow?” Riley gives her a peculiar look. “Since when did you get all philosophical?”

Ellie huffs a laugh, “I’m just saying.”

“I agree that the Games are morbid.” Riley shakes her head with a sigh, dry leaves crunching under their feet as they trek further into the woods. “But why should we have to live in fear while those in the Capitol live in ignorant bliss? It’s immoral and dehumanizing.”

Ellie agrees with her, of course, though she finds herself glancing over their shoulder fretfully before turning to frown at her friend. “Be quiet, Riley. Peacekeepers are fucking everywhere today.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She huffs. “But I mean it.”

“Yes, I know you mean it.” Ellie rolls her eyes. “And I mean it when I say I don’t want to see you punished for your brutal honesty. Truly, it’ll be the death of you.”

Riley laughs before they fall into another comfortable silence.

Despite the wordlessness being one of easement, it’s foreign to them both. As of late, Riley has been progressively growing more and more distant, causing an awkward rift between the pair. They still go about their usual routines each day and share moments of fond laughter, but it’s different. Only a few months ago, there’d not be a single second of silence as the two would oftentimes end up talking over the other in a coveted rush to share random information. Even after a day’s work had finished, they’d frequently wind up at one of their houses for the night — watching television, feasting on game, or just sharing the space. It got to the point where it was more rare to be without the other than with them.

But now, Ellie feels as though they spend more time in silence than in conversation. Take present for example. Had this happened in July, one of them would undoubtedly be rambling on about something. Though, as it turns out, that’s not currently the case.

Ellie has yet to bring it up to Riley, fearing she’ll say something she’s not ready to hear. She hasn’t even a guess in her mind what could have brought this upon them, but whatever it is, it’s drastic. Hence why she’s recently been hanging around Cat more often, using the woman to both distract herself from her childlike friendship issues as well as make herself feel better. Because Cat always knows how to comfort Ellie, even when she’s not entirely aware of what the problem is.

They continue to walk through the woods, their footsteps nigh inaudible as they’ve grown skilled at adapting to nature. After a few minutes of trekking through the foliage, Riley stops and turns around expectantly. Ellie instantly removes her backpack and crouches to the ground as she sifts through it. She pulls out an axe — which barely even fits inside the bag — and passes it to Riley, who takes it gratefully. Ellie then hands the bag to Riley, who positions it on her back with a few shoulder shrugs.

Where they stopped wasn’t randomized, though. Not entirely. Because, a few yards away is a fallen tree, hollowed out in the center to create a tunnel-like log. They walk over to it, Riley tossing the axe back and forth between her hands. Ellie crouches down and reaches into the log, feeling around the dampened bark until her fingers brush against the coveted items. She pulls out a bow and quiver, adding them to her newly emptied shoulders.

See, they can’t exactly be caught carrying weapons through the District or the Peacekeepers will know they’re hunting illegally. So, as an alternative, they hide the weapons deep in the woods where nobody else would think to look. Fairly smart on their part, Ellie thinks.

“So,” Ellie muses as they begin walking through the woods once more, “This morning, you said you woke me under Marlene’s orders. What exactly did she say?”

“I talked to her last night.” She explains, swinging the axe back and forth. Had Ellie not done this with her a million times before, she’d likely be fearing for her life. But that axe is quite literally an extension of Riley’s arm, moving as though it’s a part of her. It's, admittedly, rather impressive. “She told me to make sure you’re awake at least an hour prior to the Reaping.”

“Ugh, she doesn’t trust me to do anything.”

“Can you blame her?” She laughs. “You were nearly late to the Reaping last year. Had you arrived less than five minutes after you had, the Peacekeepers would have placed you under arrest.”

“I think my timing was impeccable.” Ellie argues, pointing her chin up in an act of superiority.

As she does, something in the trees catches her eye and she suddenly stops in her tracks, Riley quick to do the same. She nocks an arrow, the head instantly pointed in the direction of the movement. After a few seconds of tense silence, a squirrel chitters before ignorantly traipsing across the branch. She releases the arrow and it lands right in its eye, so as not to damage the meat. It hits the ground with a thud. Ellie grins widely as she walks to retrieve the corpse as well as the arrow.

“Talk about timing.” Riley whistles, following close behind.

“What did I say?” She responds, positioning the squirrel to hang from her belt. “Impeccable.”

“Yeah, maybe in terms of your aim, but not in your vigilance.” Riley points out.

“Whatever.” Ellie waves her hand to dismiss the accusation. “Shut up and go chop your wood.”

Riley laughs but obliges, turning to leave the scene. Ellie can’t even listen to her footsteps depart, as she’s rather adept at masking their boistry. But she can tell when she’s gone, though, because the atmosphere alters — shifting from one shared between lifelong friends to one of solitude in the middle of nowhere. And yet, despite the latter being far less preferred by many, Ellie relishes in it. The lack of eyes on her is comforting rather than eerie.

She treks through the trees until she finds a slightly elevated patch of land, allowing her to look down on the forest below her — though, only by a couple feet. But any altitude is better than nothing. She crouches behind a bush and nocks a second arrow, waiting for something to pass by.

Ellie manages to shoot a few more squirrels and a couple of rabbits throughout the following hour they spend in the woods. She then lets out a three-note whistle as she stands to her feet. She’s brushing off her jeans when the same whistles tune is repeated back to her a few hundred yards to the East. Riley.

They’d come up with this tactic a few years back, where once one of them had finished up for the day, they let out a whistle to let the other know of their completion. Then, if the sound reaches the other, they’ll return it.

They split up like this because Ellie requires quiet in order to hunt whereas Riley tends to make quite a bit of ruckus during her wood-chopping. Ellie’s still gathering her things when a twig snaps a few feet away. She doesn't need to look up to know who it is.

“What’d you catch?” Riley asks as she approaches her from behind.

“Nothing good.” She admits. “Just squirrels and rabbits.”

“That’s not bad, though.”

“Yeah, animals are so scarce today due to all the people’s proximity to the treeline. I could sometimes catch the sound of their talking. Even from way out here.” Ellie says as she finishes packing up and turns to face Riley, who’s holding an armful of chopped wood. “Here, turn around.”

Without question, Riley does. Ellie unzips the bag and holds out a hand for a piece of wood. Riley passes it back to her and she loads the wood one-by-one into the pack. She then adds the axe and zips it — well, partially. A few inches of the handle remains sticking out, though it’s doubtful anyone will question the contents of the bag. Not when so much is going on today.

They head back to the mouth of the woods, making sure to return the bow and quiver into the hollowed log on their way by. In minutes, they’re emerging from the trees and walking back through the streets, which appear to have grown even busier in their absence. They’d walked in silence the entire way.

“Welp.” Riley says once they’ve reached Ellie’s porch and she’s returned the bag — which has tripled in weight with the addition of the axe and wood. “See you at the Reaping?”

She sighs dramatically, “I guess so. Not like I want to go anyway.”

“Marlene would fucking kill you.” Riley laughs and Ellie joins in, imagining the enraged expression on Marlene’s face had she not shown up. She couldn't get away with it regardless, though. Riley was right when she said the Peacekeepers would either imprison or hang her. It’s happened to someone before — an old man ripped from his home and put in an icy cold cell for the rest of his short life. He’d apparently used the excuse of saying he was in a wheelchair, but that wasn't enough for the District’s law enforcement as they claimed he could easily be wheeled to the square. So, yeah, maybe the jokes of Ellie not showing up shouldn’t be pondered on but so much.

Once Riley has left, Ellie grabs her key from the top of a nearby windowsill. She notices that it’d moved a few inches to the left. Cat. She unlocks the door and enters her home, almost screaming to see the silhouette of a woman standing in her kitchen. Though she quickly regains normalcy when she recognizes the person’s frame.

“Fuck, Marlene.” She curses, putting a hand to her chest as she — as subtly as possible — slips the bag from her shoulders and places it on the floor next to the door. “You scared me.”

Marlene is wearing a dress, a nice one. The neck is in a deep V shape that shows off her collarbones and shoulders. The sleeves come to her elbows, the skirt to her mid-calves. It’s a soft maroon color, complimenting her dark skin and brown eyes beautifully. Ellie would accolade her for it had she not known it was for the Reaping and thereby the Capitol. However, being aware of that fact rather mars the beauty of her accentuated appearance.

Marlene turns to face her with a frown, “What were you two doing?”

“Seriously?” Ellie groans, walking over to grab a glass cup from the cabinet over Marlene’s head, having to shift around her to do so. “I was hanging out with my best friend before we witness two people being shipped off to die. Do I truly have to walk you step-by-step through everything I do?”

“Yes.” She begins filling the cup with faucet water, Marlene looming like a shadow over her shoulder. When Ellie doesn’t respond, she frowns. “Whatever. I don’t even care what you guys were doing, I just seek the consolation of knowing it was safe.”

“I’m an adult, Marlene. When will you–”

“Was it safe, Ellie?” She repeats, tone growing more agitated.

“Yes.” She replies, the lie coming easy to her now. After all this time of being untruthful, it’s nearly second nature to withhold the truth from her mother-figure whenever she’s pestered on this recurring topic. She has a great poker face, too.

She raises her brows as she takes a sip from her glass, peering at her from over the rim.

“Was it legal?” She questions and Ellie nearly spits out her water. Marlene scoffs at her reaction. “Okay, so I got my answer.”

“I didn’t even say anything!”

“You didn’t need to!” She crosses her arms and gives Ellie that disapproving mom expression that could make anybody feel remorse. Ellie places her glass on the counter and holds her gaze, trying her hardest not to falter under it. “I assume you saw how many Peacekeepers are here, Ellie.”

“I’d be an idiot to not notice them.” She grumbles defiantly, sounding far more childlike than she’d care to admit. Marlene always manages to bring this side out of her — a scorned child who has no choice but to agree with everything she says. Despite how hard she tries to be mature and release herself from Marlene’s iron fist, it’s so far been proven impossible.

“So what were you thinking? I don’t care for the details of what you guys go out doing everyday so long as it’s legal.” She says. “You know that. It’s one of my only rules for you.”

The acknowledgement of their daily repetition is enough for Ellie to stiffen, not having realised Marlene even noticed their outings. However, now that she’s thinking of it, it makes sense. They've been doing this same routine for three years now. You’d have to be a fool to not notice. And Marlene is no fool.

“I know, I just–”

She pinches the bridge of her nose, cutting Ellie off with a sigh. “Just go wash up. I don’t want you smelling like a dead animal for the Reaping.”

The closeness in her comparison of the miasma to a corpse is nigh to laughable. Except it’s not. Because Marlene is unnerving. She cares for Ellie more than anything, yes, but she’s absolutely terrifying in her vehement need to protect her.

But Ellie is an adult now. She doesn’t need protection.

Despite this, she follows her orders and trudges off to the bathroom, making sure to scoop up her backpack on her way down the hall.

She discards the bag of wood and lays the dead squirrel and rabbit corpses out on her bedroom floor. Normally, she’d place them in the kitchen to ready them for gutting but that’s, clearly, not a viable option. If Marlene were to see the quarry from their expedition, she’d absolutely lose her head. First, she’d force Ellie and Riley to get a job, and likely a boring one. She’d forbid them from using the forest for income. And, in those two short acts of discipline, Ellie’s life would be over. The woods are her home; her place of solace. Without it, who is she?

She then heads into the bathroom and takes a bath, scrubbing all the dirt and grime from her skin before redressing into something a bit more fancy — though it’s definitely not Capitol material as everyone else typically aims for. She’s simply wearing a nicer pair of jeans and a flannel. The collar and buttons make it fancy. Kinda.

When she returns to the kitchen, she’s still drying her hair with the towel. Marlene looks her up and down and frowns, though she says nothing.

See, if one is Reaped today, they’re taken to the Capitol. As such, they’re traditionally expected to wear their nicest clothes to the Reaping, just in case their name is drawn. But Ellie cares naught to make any lasting impressions on the Capitol, so she doesn’t give a shit what she wears. The sole reason she’s wearing even a button up is to please Marlene enough so she’s not forced into something else.

Because, when she was fourteen, she tried to wear a t-shirt to the Reaping and was instantly reprimanded. As punishment, she had to wear something Marlene picked out. Needless to say, never again will she do that. Even now Riley laughs at her for the outfit, though Marlene insists it was the most distinguished Ellie had ever looked. She begs to differ.

“Okay, you ready?” Marlene asks.

Ellie shrugs, “Yeah.”

They head down to the square, the entirety of District seven doing the same. The waves of people grow larger and larger the closer they get to the square until it’s practically a tsunami of them. Once they reach their destination, they pause and turn to each other. Marlene looks down at Ellie, a glint of something unreadable behind her gaze, almost as though she wishes to say something to her prior to parting ways. But instead of voicing whatever it is that’s weighing on her, she just pats her shoulder and walks away.

The crowd is sorted by generation. Everyone between the ages of twelve and fifty are required to be within the crowd as their names are among those able to be Reaped. The younger kids are positioned closest to the stage whilst the older crowd is near the back. Ellie stands with her age group, picking at the peeling skin around her nails as she awaits the ceremony’s exordium.

The stage before them has been added purely for the Reaping, as it’s not usually present. Atop it resides a podium, a table with a bowl of tiny slips of papers, and three chairs at the back of the stage — one for the District’s mayor, one for the escort, and one for the mentor of this year’s tributes. Camera crews are perched like buzzards atop the neighboring buildings, readying themselves to document the coming show. Each District is going through the exact same procedure. Tonight, each footage will be broadcasted across all televisions in the country.

About twenty more minutes pass, the square growing supplementarily crowded with each passing second. When the clock strikes twelve, three people are in their corresponding chairs. Ellie hadn’t even noticed their arrival.

The mayor, whose name she doesn’t know despite having heard it repeated throughout her entire life, sits in the far right chair, his jaw set as he overlooks the citizens. The District escort resides in the center chair, a Capitol woman with bright blue hair and a smile that’s so pearly white that it’s almost inhuman — Ellie doesn’t know her name either. The only person whose name she’s sure of is the man sitting in the left chair. That’s Joel Miller. The victor of the 56th Games. Word is, he’s not a pleasant man. Though, Ellie supposes no sane victor would be. Returning from a murderous arena after all other twenty-three tributes have fallen must be the emptiest feeling known to man. She has a deep respect for Joel, despite never having properly met him.

The mayor steps up to the podium and begins reading off his script. The story of how their country came to be. Ellie tunes it out, instead glancing around the crowd for Cat. It takes her an embarrassingly long time before she remembers that she’s absent from the ceremony due to her being the District seven stylist this year. Ellie turns back to the stage just as the escort steps up to the podium.

“Happy Hunger Games!” Says she. “And may the odds be ever in your favor!”

The slogan has grown old and worn out by now, everyone having heard it an indefinite quantity of times. Ellie wouldn’t be surprised if she mumbles it in her sleep.

Once more, she finds herself tuning out the rest of the woman’s speech. Despite her lack of listening not resulting in anything beneficial, it makes her feel better. Like she’s showing the Capitol that they don’t control her. Not like the Capitol gives a fuck if one measley twenty-one year old is tuning out the speeches. But whatever. It makes her feel ameliorated and that’s all that matters.

“Here we go.” The escort says before diving her hand into the bowl of names. The glass sphere is packed full with slips of paper, each one reading a citizen’s name. The entire square is holding their breath as they await the name. The entire country is — as every District is being Reaped at the same time. The woman pulls a slip of paper from the bowl and reads it aloud with a grin. “Riley Abel.”

Ellie’s heart drops to her stomach, body frozen in place as the name is spoken. The world feels far away as she watches Riley walk up the stage and stand beside the escort. Riley’s chin is held high, her eyes dullened; they lack the vibrancy that Ellie adores so much. She’s the epitome of strength, standing on that stage as she’s set to be broadcasted across the entire country.

Ellie knows that expression though. Riley isn’t sad or mourning. She’s pissed.

Fuck. She should have done something. But it all happened so fast. And now the escort’s hand is diving right back into the bowl for a second tribute.

“Aaaand,” She sing-songs before lifting her head joyously, “Ellie Williams.”

11:46.

DISTRICT 4.

“Again.” Your mother’s tone is sharp as a dagger as she thumps the end of her cane against tiled flooring, demanding more, more, more from you. Her voice is tinny, filed through an intercom overhead. To your left is a one-way mirror that scales the entire 20ft wall, through which she pedantically watches your every movement. Though you’re unable to see her, she sees you. And that fact in itself is enough to make you vigilent.

Sweat coats your skin as you reposition yourself, squaring your shoulders and planting your feet in preparation. Your expression is hardened, purposefully so under your mother’s gaze. Her scrupulousness is nigh to tangible, made palpable by the heavy weight on your shoulders, the stiffness in your muscles, the tell-tale feel of her eyes scanning you.

Then, in a flash of flickering blue, holographic opponents begin to charge at you. These humanoid figures are translucent in visibility, but their hits land just as genuinely in spite of their pellucidity. You’ve been fighting them all morning — another cause of the fatigue in your bones.

A few sessions prior, you’d been permitted the use of weapons. Your mother had instructed you to train with each one interchangeably. She wished to see which you were best and worst at — which ended up being throwing daggers and a trident, respectively. The daggers allow you close-combat, which you’re rather skilled at, as a product of these training sessions, whereas the trident’s weight is off balanced and leaves you fumbling with it for a few seconds prior to use. She soon grew bored with the weapons, though, and instructed you to fight bare handedly. Just to be sure you can.

There are currently three holograms presented to you — one with a burly build, one with a dainty build, and one that resides between the two.

The muscular opponent is the first to strike, swinging a right hook toward your jaw. You dodge it, ducking easily under its arm. Whilst straightening back up, the smaller figure grabs you by the hair. Your head is yanked backward. You whip around, snatching the figure by the wrist and throwing its body over your head onto the floor. It lands with a hard thud before you bring the heel of your boot down onto its throat. With a light puff of air, the hologram disintegrates.

One down, two left.

Without a moment’s pause, you spin around to face the other two diaphanous forms. The intermediate combatant surges forward, arm reeled back in preparation for a punch. You swerve out of its way, the figure staggering forward as it misses you by a mere three inches. You kick it in the back of the legs, sending the hologram on its knees. You’re positioned behind it, pulling it into a headlock.

The sounds it makes is eerily human as it coughs and sputters, blue fingers grasping with desperation at your forearm. You’re used to this though, the cruel personification behind these lifeless things. You snap its neck with a deafening crack. It disappears.

Two down, one left.

When you turn around, the burly one is already behind you. It’s at least three times your size, but you’re undeterred. You stand upright and ready your fists.

With a grunt, it charges toward you. You sidestep, but it anticipates this and turns in unison. You back away, putting yourself out of reach, your arms coming up to block your face. It swings and you duck subsequently. While crouched, you grab its left calf and pull, lifting the leg uncomfortably high. The oversized figure hops awkwardly on its right limb. You then hook your foot behind the ankle of the remaining leg it’s balancing on, sending it plummeting toward the ground.

You’re quick to position yourself atop it, straddling the hologram’s chest. It thrashes beneath you, squirming around like a trapped insect. It’s only a matter of time before it throws you aside due to uneven weight advantages. But you had surprised it and therefore withhold the ascendancy. So, while you still have the upper hand, you lift your leg and drive your knees into its neck. With a gag, the hologram vanishes.

Done.

Your chest aches with exertion, lungs fighting for air as you pant. As such, you remain with your knees on the black matted floor in an attempt to catch your breath. You’ve been killing these things on repeat for the past three hours, your mother having woken you at seven in the morning to train.

Frayed hair clings to dampened skin as sweat traces lines down your face. It drips from your chin onto the floor beneath you. Your pants and tank top are soaked, causing you to feel gross and sticky. You yearn for a shower.

You oftentimes have to remind yourself that your mother means well, that she’s pushing you so hard because she cares. But, at times like these — where your body is on the verge of collapse — you find yourself questioning her morality.

“You’re getting slow.” Comes her voice through the speaker system, as though on cue with your thoughts. A tap of her cane against the floor is heard prior to that singular word you dread so vehemently.

“Again.”

It's truly no shock that you’re growing amble considering how long you’ve been at it. But to protest your mother’s orders would be a death wish. You’re still catching your breath as you push yourself to your feet, fully expecting another hoard of holograms to appear.

Though, in their stead, a spear materializes before you. It’s equally as holographic as the figures you’re fighting, blue and crackling, but it kills them just as viable as you would.

As you lean over to pick it up, something kicks you hard in the base of your back. The force of impact sends you to the floor. Your elbows take the brunt of your fall, causing you to feel rather grateful for the mat. Still in a heap, you whip to face the perpetrator. A hologram; a singular female figure with a lean build.

You should’ve known better than to let your guard down.

You glance at the spear concurrently, the weapon lying at a perfect distance between you two. Without vacillation, you hurriedly crawl toward it. The figure notices and kicks you hard in the face, its shoe slamming into the bridge of your nose. You land hard on your back as a wave of pain shoots through you, warm liquid tracing down your face.

By the time you regain your sense, the hologram is thrusting the stolen weapon toward you. You roll out of its way, though the blade manages to slice your bicep. With a reverberated thud, the spearhead burrows into the mat where your head had just been.

You push to your feet, tugging the spear out of the cushioned floor. Now armed, you turn to the hologram. It doesn’t have a face but if it did, you’re sure it’d be glaring at you. The two of you circle one another like vultures, the hologram waiting for you to attack whilst you wait for the perfect angle. Then, once you’re positioned to your liking, you strike. You throw the spear at the diaphanous form.

The blade whizzes through the air too fast for it to dodge, too fast for anyone to dodge. Your aim is undeniably precise as the point wedges right between your opponents eyes. With that, it disintegrates alongside the spear.

Even once the combatant has elapsed, you remain in that position — chest heaving, brows furrows, fists balled. A metallic taste fills your mouth as your nose continues to bleed down your face, getting past your lips. Your bicep mocks it, crimson tracing down your arm.

You await your mother’s reprimand via the intercom. Instead, you hear the door click open and her cane tap against the floor with every other step. She remains in the doorway, not wishing to enter the abhorrent room. She stands expectantly until you walk up to her.

“Your fatigue impairs your ability to fight.” She tuts, wrinkled lip upturned in distaste. You don’t respond, lowering your head as you wordlessly accept her criticism. “Had you been in the arena and those figures sentient, you’d likely have been long gone. Debility is no excuse for inadequacy. L/ns don’t lose.”

You nod, knowing better than to defend yourself.

She goes through each of your performances, telling you how every one was worse than the last. A few times, she mentions your brother, comparing the two of you in a way that makes your chest cave. Ruben wouldn’t have gotten his arm cut, Ruben wouldn’t have had his hair pulled, Ruben wouldn’t have hesitated when she added a child hologram into the mix.

Once she’s had her fill of castigation, she waves a hand to dismiss you.

Your first course of action is to shower. Since your mother woke you so early, you were unable to change or eat prior to training. You enter the bathroom, peeling your sweaty clothes from your skin before stepping into the cool water. Your presence tints the liquid pink with blood as your arm and face stain its cleanliness.

You stand in the shower for a long time, relishing in the feel of the water as you allow your mind to roam. Though, despite how hard you try not to think of it, your thoughts continuously lapse back to your mother’s ceaseless mentions of your brother, her favored child.

See, Ruben won the 67th Hunger Games when he was only thirteen years old, becoming a legend in the Capitol and the light of your parents’ lives. He is the Capitol’s favorite victor, deemed the most attractive man in the country. Anyone would die to get a moment of his time, of his attention. People who the Capitol favor, idolize, and center their entire lives around are known as a ‘Capitol Diamond’. And Ruben is the shiniest of them all.

Your father won his Games two years prior to Ruben when you were only six, so you never knew him all that well. The memories you do have of him are rather bitter, invoking flashes of flailing fists and deafening shouts. Though, acting as a warm blanket to the chill of your father’s acerbity, Ruben appears in your memories like a deity. He’d cover your ears when your parents’ shouting bounced off the marble walls; he’d argue with your father whenever he’d hit you for breaking something trivial; he’d always take your side, even if you did technically break that vase. As a child, Ruben was an angel sent from above. But, now that you’re older, you know better than to deem him as such.

Anyway. Ruben and your father’s triumphs earned them both irrevocable places in the Capitol as diamonds as well as homes in District four’s Victor’s Village — leaving you and your mother to live alone in the house of which you were raised. In fact, your entire lineage is among the victors, aunts and uncles and cousins all diamonds of the Capitol and residents of the village. Well, most of them. Some of your relatives moved to higher Districts after their Games, seeking as much proximity to the Capitol as possible.

A L/n has never lost the Games, not in the entire seventy-three years they’ve been running. The mere thought of someone in your family failing to prevail is something unprecedented.

You step out of the shower and wrap yourself into a towel, grabbing a suture kit from the cabinet under the sink. You pop it open and sit on the closed toilet seat before threading the needle. You’ve stitched yourself up plenty of times, the damned holograms annoyingly good at what they’re made to do — challenge you.

By the time you’ve finished and your bicep is newly adorned in neat stitching, it’s one o’clock. You only have a short bit of time before the Reaping. As you put the kit back into the cabinet, a second thought dawns on you.

Fuck! You think, eyes widening almost comically. Mister Alden will be here in ten minutes.

You tighten your towel around your body before padding down the hall to your bedroom. It’s overlarge, making you feel small. The walls are white with golden mouldings, the floors are made of marble tiles. To some, your family’s mansion would be a dream come true. Though, to you, it feels more like a prison than a home. It has ever since your brother left.

Your mother had an Avox lay your Reaping outfit out on your bed. It’s blue — as most clothing made for District Four is. It’s made of a deep navy satin, jewels embedded into the fabric. It’s absolutely gorgeous and you hate it.

Though, your personal thoughts on clothing matter naught. You once tried arguing with your mother on how extravagant your clothes were, saying it was ridiculous when people in lower Districts struggle for food. That comment earned you a week with minimal food. She said that if you pitied the peasants so greatly, she’d gladly treat you like one, claiming empathy to be far more valuable than sympathy. You’d never made another comment on your clothes again after that.

Though, you both knew her anger was rooted far deeper than your mere clothing preference. It was rooted in the underlying criticism you’d made in regards to the governing of your country — the unfair hierarchy of Districts. You never made a political comment after that, either. Not aloud anyway.

You pull the dress on, something symbolic always laced within the act of holding your tongue.

Each curve and stitch is made specifically for your body, fitting perfectly. Trading fish in this gown will make for an odd sight, but you haven’t a choice. Mister Alden should be here any minute and the Reaping begins in less than an hour; multitasking is your only option.

The halls are just as pristine as your bedroom, walls decorated with fine art and the tile floor kept sparkling. Thanks to the unpaid Avoxes — which are former criminals whose punishments are to be made into servants for the Capitol. You live in the Districts, but your family is so cherished by Capitolites that you’re permitted to have an abundance of your own servants. Despite the fact that your mansion is tended to by over twenty Avoxes, you’ve never spoken to a single one. Not due to your own ignorance, but because their tongues are removed and they’re unable to speak.

One of them holds the door open for you on your journey out to the docks. You thank him shortly, though he doesn’t respond.

Your house is beachfront, back porch providing a wooden path down to your own private piling dock. It’s unnecessarily fancy for your mother to inherit — who just happened to marry into a wealthy family — and you, who hasn’t even become a victor yet. And, if you’re never Reaped, you’ll have never deserved an ounce of what’s been given to you.

The path to the dock is a downward slope. Your house is built on a rocky cliff, hence the path’s existence. You hike your dress up as you rush down the wooden trail, though as soon as you do, you hear your mother’s past lectures ring through your head. “Never above the ankles!” She’d once said, slapping your hand with a stick to force you to drop the dress. Instinctively, you lower it.

You walk down to the dock, happy to see that it’s empty, Mister Alden not having yet arrived. Though, once you’ve reached the end of it, you hear the low hum of his boat’s motor putting through the salty water. He coasts up to the wooden structure. You reach out to catch him as the motor comes to a halt.

His boat is small, just big enough for one man to fit in. It’s made of metal with only one seat at the helm, situated beside the tilling outboard.

Your family has bought from mister Alden all your life. When you were a kid and it was Ruben’s job to retrieve the fish, you would traipse behind him. You’d hobble behind him, small legs having to run in order to keep up with your elder brother's long gait. Then, once at the dock, you were rendered useless. You’d peer over mister Alden’s boat, nosily searching his belongings. You watched as Ruben would speak to mister Alden shortly, pay him graciously, hoist the net of seafood over his shoulder, then head back inside. Due to this, mister Alden watched you grow more than your own father had. And even though his presence is short and biweekly, you know the old man rather well.

Well enough to know that he has three grandkids and the oldest of them is a twelve year old girl whose first ever Reaping is today.

“Oh, what a lovely outfit.” He smiles, crows feet creasing. He remains seated as you moor the boat to the cleats. The metal is so hot from endless days spent in the sun that it burns your hands at the touch. You don’t dare wince, knowing how fast mister Alden would rush to your aid. You’re sure he has enough on his plate what with his granddaughter. “I can carry the fish inside, if you’d like. Wouldn’t want you staining such a stunning dress.”

“It’s okay.” You’re quick to assure him, offering your hand to help him out of the boat once it’s tied off. He takes it, the man nigh senile in his old age. His hand shakes slightly as he steps onto the dock. “I can get the fish, mister Alden, I don’t mind.”

He smiles kindly, “You remind me so much of your brother.”

You don’t respond. You know he’s only saying that out of kindness, he has to be. Your mother ceaselessly reminds you of how different the two of you are. You try to ignore the comment as you lean over the boat to pull the huge net of fish from the creased hull. They’re blue in color, almost mimicking that of your dress, though their scales shine silver in the sunlight.

“Did you ever hear the story of Ruben’s first Reaping?” Mister Alden asks as you drop the net onto the dock, pausing to converse with him for a while despite knowing it’s a bad idea with your lack of time. “He only attended two Reapings, that poor boy. But his first one, I’ll never forget. It was the first time I met your mother, too, the nasty woman. He was out here retrieving fish, as our exchanges always seem to fall on Reaping Day. He was only twelve, but so determined to carry the fish all on his own. I offered my help at least a hundred times, to which he refused each one. He was strong, though, for his size. He managed to carry them all the way to the porch before the net caught on a twig and the fish fell all the way back down the pathway. Every single one.”

Your eyes widen. You recall this, though the memory is rather blurry to you as you were only seven at the time. That, and also because most of your memories with Ruben are tainted, not to be trusted in your bias.

“What’d my mother do?” You ask, unable to help your childlike curiosity from rearing its head.

“Well,” He chuckles, though it lacks any sense of humor. “She wasn't happy, that’s for sure. Ruben instantly began to cry when he saw the effects of his mistake. I tried to assure him that it was okay and I could always deliver more fish, but he said that’s not why he was sad. He wasn’t mourning the loss of the fish. Instead, he was terrified of what your mother would do to him.” Mister Alden shakes his head, grey brows turned in an expression of dispirit. “No child that small should fear his own parent so vehemently.”

You frown. In every aspect where your mother lacks morality, mister Alden has a myriad of it. The old man is practically overflowing with sympathy at all times. He’d always treated you and Ruben as his own, offering comfort whenever you seek it and kind words whenever you forget they even exist.

Just as he’s about to continue his story, your mother’s voice is heard. It’s shrill as she shouts your name. Chills trace down your spine at the sound. Mister Alden gives you a pitying expression before you pass him a small pouch of coins for payment, lift the net over your shoulder, and begin the trek back up to your porch. The sound of his motor starting up carries through the air as you approach your mother.

She’s wearing a baby blue dress, just as fancy as yours — if not more. Her usual wooden cane has been swapped out for a fancier golden one. Her hair is done up in a neat braid, gold heeled shoes adorning her wrinkled feet.

She shoots you a scowl before entering the house, dropping the door on you despite knowing you’re carrying a huge weight of seafood. It slams into your side, the corner of it landing on your stitched bicep. You wince, struggling for only a moment before an Avox rushes to your aid and holds it wide for you. You don’t dare thank her in front of your mother.

You enter the kitchen, placing the bag of fish onto the marble counter.

“We have less than twenty minutes before the Reaping!” She spits, rage evident in her tone as she watches you set it down. “Your feet are dirty and bare, your hair is matted, and you reek of fish!”

“I didn’t—” You begin, though you’re quick to stop yourself, remembering her order of not speaking unless asked to do so.

A sharp pain shoots through your cheek as she slaps you across the face for having spoken out of turn. You lower your head, mouth now sealed shut. She turns to give orders to the Avoxes — instructing two of them to put your hair up, one to put your shoes on, and three to gut and clean the fish prior to your return from the Reaping.

They’re quick to do so, rushing around to oblige.

You’re directed to a stool, two servants doing your hair into some intricate design whilst another crouches in front of you to slip on your shoes. They’re a pair of silver heels that match the jewels on your dress. In record time, the other two complete the updo, holding out a hand mirror for you to examine the design. Two thin braids wrap around the crown of your head, a neat bun resting at the nape of your neck. It’s beautiful considering how little time they had.

“I love it.” You whisper, quiet enough only they can hear it.

Your mother approaches you, thankfully not having heard your words of thanks. She circles around you, looking at the hairdo before she tuts, “It’ll do.”

The journey to the town square is only a few minutes. Though, as you walk beside your mother in deafening silence, it feels like an eternity. Everyone knows who the two of you are, the entirety of the Capitol fond of your family lineage. Their eyes are wide as they watch you and your mother pass through the streets. See, due to your partnership with mister Alden and your large quantity of Avoxes, neither of you ever leave the house unless it’s mandatory, which only adds to the peoples’ astonishment. Not to mention your unnecessarily extravagant clothing. Most people are only wearing plain gowns or linen shirts whereas you two look like you’re about to meet a monarch. It’s humiliating.

Your mother loves the attention, basking in it. You, on the other hand, feel as though it’s rather embarrassing.

You reach the square and part ways with her, wordlessly joining your respective age groups.

Your shoulders are set and your chin is raised as you know everyone is staring. Their gazes feel like spiders crawling all over your body. You fucking hate it, the prestige. Especially since you didn’t do anything to deserve it. You were just born into the family. To you, nothing makes you any different from the people living in the hovels of your District. Even in other Districts. The only thing that separates you from a starving child in Twelve is chance.

Mayor Marriott steps up to the podium and she tells the story of your country’s origin. You already know it by heart, having been taught by your father to memorize it at a young age. Her hair is platinum blonde, younger than most District mayors, though she’s just as strict. Her father was the mayor before her, causing her to take over the career. You oftentimes wonder if she hates lineage inheritance just as much as you do. You doubt it.

Following her speech comes the District escort. You know her by name, you know everyone in the Capitol by name. That’s Alice Reymond. Her hair is bigger than her head, her eyes adorned by lashes longer than her fingers. Capitolites are fucking weird, looking more like disfigured abstract pieces than human beings.

“Happy Hunger Games!” Exclaims Alice Reymond. “And may the odds be ever in your favor!”

She goes on to tell a speech on how much of an honor it is to serve as this District’s escort. Though every escort says that, you’re sure she means it more so than any others. Escorts are paid based on how many victors their District is able to produce. And, what with your family’s abundance of them, you’re sure she’s swimming in more cash than even District One’s escort is. However, more importantly, the bragging rights must be immeasurable.

Behind the podium of which she stands, mayor Marriott watches with a piercing gaze. Her blue eyes are intimidatingly sharp as she overlooks the crown. Though, the man sitting in the mentor’s chair has a gaze even sharper than she.

Ruben. Your brother.

He’s tasked with training and keeping the tributes alive each year. He’s rather good at it. And, even when he fails, nobody blames him. How could they when he’s so perfect? You tune out Alice Reymond’s speech, taking in the sight of your brother after having not seen him in years. The closest you’ve gotten to talking to him is watching interviews on the television.

His features are almost a perfect copy of yours — the same nose shape, same hair and eye color, same lips. But he’s got a certain look to him that erases any sort of similarities you two happen to share. A certain Capitolistic look. His eyes are highlighted with golden eyeliner, all the wrinkles in his face surgically removed. The brother you’d cherished all those years ago no longer exists. In his place sits the shell of a man. A Capitolite and thereby not your brother.

“Here we go!” Alice Reymond grins, yanking your thoughts back to the Reaping. She then begins digging her inhumanly long fingers through the bowl of names. She pulls out a slip of paper and smiles widely before calling it out. “Remy Wilson!”

The crowd murmurs lowly, looking around for the owner of the name. A pause. Nobody steps forward. Then, two Peacekeepers suddenly storm into the crowd and rip a little boy from his parents. The boy, Remy, is frozen in place, unmoving. The Peacekeepers pull him up to the stage. He’s crying, as he stands on the elevated space, trembling under the gazes of the District. Of the country.

He can’t be older than twelve. His cheeks are rounded, his big brown eyes even rounder. His skin is pale with a rosy nose, his wavy hair is an ashy brown that forms a messy crown of innocence around his head. Ruben is watching the boy closely, likely examining whether or not he’ll survive the arena. The answer is obvious, though. This child won’t be making it out.

“And for our second tribute,” Continues Alice Reymond. She pulls another paper from the bowl, her eyes widening slightly as she reads it. A great, pearly smile splits across her face before her spider-like eyes land on you. Your heart sinks.

You already know what she’s going to say when she calls out your name.

[post] notes!! While dual POV will be in this story, this is the only time I'll be showing two perspectives of the same event. This chapter followed Ellie and the reader both experiencing the reaping. It was needed for the plot but grew repetitive at the end, I promise this is the only time that'll happen 🤞 Also, this was a shit ton of exposition & I apologize for that, but the backstory of both characters are very needed. You def needed to see Ellie's relationship w everyone around her as well as have explanatory bg with the reader's family and everything. Also x2, I hope the amount of dialogue in Ellie's pov made up for the lack thereof in the reader's pov. I hate reading huge paragraphs of straight monologue so I try to refrain from writing it, but sometimes it's unavoidable (bc reader literally has nobody to talk to) Anyway, hope you enjoyed!!

⊹ ࣪ ˖𐙚 perm. taglist @luvsturniolo @kasqnxx @xlovla @ilovewomenfr @zzombiegirl @shawangel @defnoteleonor @fatbootymuncher @autisticintr0vert

⊹ ࣪ ˖𐙚 series taglist @kirammanss @dsybouquet @serraphinm @smellovie. @sakiigami. @opt1mistic. @spacecinnamonbuns. @clouded-whispers. @sapphicarribean @corpsebridenightamare. @jaliyah-s. @pixiec4t. @chappellroankisser

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fullsunstrawberry · 10 months ago

Text

a little crush

synopsis: being friends with Intak is awesome and often you get invited to hang out during practice. However, the guys have noticed Jongseob's close relationship with you. His behavior around you seems different, but the catch is you only like older guys…

genre: friends to lovers, angst, fluff ending

warnings: swearing and third person when reader isn't there

word count: 6.8k

[piwon masterlist]

a/n: trying out a new format,, let me know if you like it!! <3

"Intak, are you still inviting your friend to practice?" Theo asked as the group entered the practice room.

"As long as Keeho is still fine with it!" All eyes turned toward Keeho, awaiting his response.

"Quit staring! Of course, she can come..." He dismissed their gazes with a wave. "But only if you all work hard, no slacking off," Keeho glanced at Soul, prompting a laugh and a shrug from him.

"I've already got the choreography down!" Soul defended.

"I've already texted her. She's on her way with food!" Intak cheered.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

The group eagerly got started, trying to get everything down before y/n arrived. Already knowing some of the members would get distracted.

Intak’s phone buzzed with a message, and he quickly checked it. “She’s here!” He announced, rushing to the door to greet her.

With a warm smile, you entered the practice room, carrying bags of takeout. The delicious smell filled the air, making everyone’s stomachs growl. Keeho couldn’t help but smirk knowing he was right, everyone was gonna be distracted.

Before everyone sat down to eat, you made sure to give everyone a small hug as a greeting. Jongseob quickly fixed his hair in the mirror before walking over to you with a smile on his face.

“You brought food again, y/n? You’re a lifesaver!” Jongseob exclaimed, his eyes shining with gratitude. You chuckled at his enthusiasm and started unpacking the bags. You started to hand out the food, making sure everyone had their favorite dishes before settling down yourself.

Before you could even choose where to sit, Jongseob already patted the spot next to him. You settled down next to Jongseob, smiling at him before opening your own takeout.

“You need to try this, It’s so good!” Jongseob held up his chopsticks to your face. Without a second thought, you opened your mouth and let him feed you.

“Holy shit, that’s amazing! Next time I need to get some”

“Here have some of mine,” Jongseob took his takeout out box and shoved some of his food onto yours. In protest you try to move your plate away but stopped because you didn’t want to spill anything, “You’re the one who needs to eat, You’re a growing boy!” You laughed, teasing him with a giggle.

Jongseob rolled his eyes, reaching for another piece of food to offer you. "You paid for it," he said with a grin. You both continued to share food, laughing and chatting animatedly with each other. The rest of the group watched in amusement, some exchanging knowing glances with each other.

You stood up and excused yourself, wanting something from the vending machine. Jongseob also stood up and called out he was going to.

Once you two were out of the practice room, everyone looked around silently. Until Theo broke it, “So does he like her or something?”

Keeho chuckled and shook his head, "Oh, definitely. Have you seen the way he looks at her? It's written all over his face."

Jiung leaned back in his chair, a small smile playing on his lips. "It's about time he made a move. They're perfect for each other."

Soul nodded in agreement, "I've never seen Jongseob act this way around anyone before. It's pretty obvious he's into her."

Keeho nudged intak, getting him to look up from his phone, “What about her, you think she likes him?”

Intak looked a little stunned, “Y/n and Jongseob?” He questioned “No, y/n’s not into younger guys”

Everyone groaned, “HEY! I’m just being honest, she probably sees him as a younger brother…” Intak defended himself.

The group continued their conversation, each member sharing their thoughts on Jongseob and your relationship. Despite Intak's insistence that you only saw Jongseob as a younger brother, Keeho couldn't help but notice the way you always laughed at Jongseob’s jokes, and how your eyes sparkled when you talked to him. It was obvious to him that there was something more between you two.

Suddenly, the door swung open, and you and Jongseob reentered the room, laughing about something only the two of you knew. The group quickly composed themselves, trying to act nonchalant. You resumed your seat next to Jongseob, who was still grinning from whatever joke he had shared with you.

As you settled back in, Jongseob leaned in slightly, his voice low as he spoke only to you. "Hey, y/n, do you maybe want to hang out after practice? Just the two of us?" He glanced nervously at the rest of the group, who were now doing a terrible job of pretending not to eavesdrop.

“Sure, there’s this new night café I want to check out.” You smiled already pulling up your phone to check the time they close. “I’ll pay, my treat!” You grinned, delusional about the fact he wanted this hangout to be different.

“No, I’m gonna pay this time” Jongseob shook his head.

“It’s no big deal, I’m paying!” You argued.

Jongseob chuckled, a fond look in his eyes as he gazed at you. He reached over and gently took your hand, causing a hush to fall over the room as the group watched in anticipation. "Y/n, let me treat you this time," he insisted with a soft smile. You hesitated for a moment before finally nodding, a warm feeling spreading through your chest at his gesture. The rest of the group exchanged excited glances, knowing that this hangout might just be the push their friend needed to take your relationship to the next level.

“Okay, that’s enough! Time to get back to practice.” Keeho shouted, trying to get everyone’s attention and causing Jongseob to jump slightly at the voice of another person.

You laugh and go to sit in the corner of the room, where you normally sit to watch everyone dance. You locked eyes with Jongseob’s and he gave you a smile before focusing on what Keeho was saying.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

“Okay, everyone take a little break. No longer than 5 minutes!” Keeho yelled, his voice already sounding tired.

You looked up from your phone and noticed Intak making his way towards you.

You smiled up at him as he started to sit down. “Am I in trouble? You don’t look so happy…”

Intak sighed, “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something.” Intak hesitated for a moment, trying to find the right words. "It's about Jongseob," he finally blurted out.

Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What about him?" you asked, your heart rate picking up a notch.

Intak cleared his throat, looking somewhat uncomfortable. "I know you see him as a younger brother, but I've noticed something... between you two. And I think he might have feelings for you." He paused, gauging your reaction.

You felt a rush of emotions flood through you - surprise, uncertainty, and maybe even hope but you wouldn’t admit it. "Jongseob?" you repeated, trying to wrap your head around the idea.

Intak nodded solemnly. "Yeah. And I think you should consider how you feel about him too."

Before you could respond, the rest of the group began filtering back into the room, laughter, and chatter filling your ears but it all sounded like ringing.

Before you could even think you stood up and gathered your things. “Um, sorry guys but I need to go home…I’m really tired!”

As you gathered your things in a rush, the group exchanged puzzled looks, sensing the sudden shift in the atmosphere. Intak watched you with a mix of concern and guilt, wondering if he had overstepped by bringing up Jongseob's feelings. Just as you were about to leave, Jongseob caught up to you at the door, his expression a mix of worry and confusion.

"Y/N, is everything alright?" Jongseob asked softly, placing a hand on your arm to stop you from leaving.

You turned to face him, trying to school your features into a neutral expression despite the whirlwind of emotions inside you. "Yeah, I'm just really exhausted. I think I need to rest for a bit."

Jongseob studied your face intently as if searching for any hint of what was truly going on in your mind. "Do you want me to walk you home?" he offered hesitantly.

A small part of you wanted to accept his offer but you shook your head no and mustered a small smile. "It's okay, Jongseob. I'll be fine. Thank you, though," you replied softly, avoiding his gaze.

Jongseob's expression fell slightly at your refusal, but he nodded understandingly.

"Alright, just take care of yourself, y/n. And remember, if you ever need anything, I'm here for you," he said sincerely.

You gave him a grateful look before slipping out the door, the cool night air hitting your face as you made your way home. Thoughts of Jongseob and Intak's words swirled in your mind, leaving you feeling more conflicted than ever.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

Back in the practice room, everyone turned towards Intak. “What just happened?” Jiung muttered shocked.

Intak cleared his throat, his expression full of guilt. "I think I might have upset her," he admitted slowly, his eyes darting between the group members. But not having the courage to look at Jongseob.

“What did you say?” Jongseob’s voice was serious, never daring to use such a harsh tone of voice when speaking to someone older. But he didn't care right now.

Intak hesitated, feeling the weight of Jongseob's gaze on him. "I... I just mentioned that I noticed something between her and you. That maybe you have feelings for her," he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper.

Jongseob's eyes widened in shock, his mind racing with a mixture of emotions. He turned to look at Keeho, who gave him an encouraging nod. Taking a deep breath, Jongseob finally spoke up, his voice trembling slightly.

"I-I do have feelings for her. I just never knew how to tell her," he admitted, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

The group fell silent, processing this new revelation. Jiung was the first to break the silence, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go after her!" he urged Jongseob, nudging him playfully.

But instead of encouraging him, he felt defeated. “I’m guessing by her reaction it wasn't mutual…”

Keeho placed a reassuring hand on Jongseob's shoulder, offering him a supportive smile.

"You never know until you try, Jongseob. Maybe she just needs some time to process everything. Don't give up just yet."

Jongseob shook his head in disagreement, “No, I should have known she wouldn't feel the same way.”

Feeling dejected, Jongseob sank down onto one of the practice room's chairs, his shoulders slumping in defeat. His mind was a whirlwind of regret and self-blame, wishing he had never let his feelings for you surface. The rest of the group exchanged concerned glances, unsure of what to do or say to lift their friend's spirits. Jiung cleared his throat, breaking the heavy silence that hung in the air.

"You can't give up so easily, Jongseob. Sometimes things are more complicated than they seem," he offered softly, trying to offer some comfort. But Jongseob merely shook his head, his expression resigned.

"I've already caused enough trouble. I don't want to make things even more awkward between us," he mumbled, avoiding everyone's gaze.

A few moments of silence passed before Jongseob spoke again, “Can you guys just forget about it and leave me alone.” He huffed out putting his headphones on to escape the awkward atmosphere.

As Jongseob disappeared into his own world with his music, the rest of the group exchanged worried glances, unsure of how to proceed. Keeho let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"This is a mess," he muttered under his breath, feeling the weight of the tension in the room. Theo leaned back against the mirrored wall, crossing his arms thoughtfully.

"Maybe we should give them some space," he suggested, eyeing the door through which you had left earlier. Intak nodded in agreement, his expression still clouded with guilt over potentially causing this rift among friends.

"I'll talk to her later and try to clear things up," he promised, determination flickering in his eyes. With a shared understanding, the group dispersed quietly, each lost in their own thoughts and concerns for their friends. Outside in the cool night air, you walked slowly along the dimly lit streets, your mind a whirlwind of emotions and questions.

“Do you like jongseob…?”

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ-

You decided to sleep it off, for a while week… Just staying in bed and thinking, ignoring everyone's messages unless it was about work. Everything reminded you about Jongseob, you missed him.

As the days passed by in a haze of self-imposed solitude, you couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that maybe, just maybe, there was something more between you and Jongseob. But the fear of risking your friendship held you back.

One evening, when the sun finally set, a soft knock on your door interrupted your thoughts. With a heavy heart, you dragged yourself out of bed to answer it.

To your surprise, it was Intak standing on your doorstep, looking sad yet determined.

"Can we talk?" he asked softly, his eyes full of regret.

You hesitated for a moment, uncertainty swirling in your mind. But seeing the sincerity in Intak's eyes, you nodded and stepped aside to let him in. Intak followed you into your living room, the air heavy.

"I wanted to apologize for what I said that day," Intak began, his voice laced with remorse. "I never meant to cause any trouble between you and Jongseob."

Taking a deep breath, you finally spoke up. "It's okay, Intak. You were just trying to help."

There was a moment of silence before Intak continued, his words careful and sincere. "I know Jongseob's feelings for you are real.“

"He's been a mess since that day, blaming himself for everything. I've never seen him like this before, y/n," Intak confessed, his eyes pleading for understanding. You felt a pang of guilt in your chest, realizing the impact of your silence on Jongseob. Taking a deep breath, you finally found the courage to speak up.

“I care about him too, I just don’t know if it’s romantic feelings,” you admitted quietly.

Intak listened attentively, his eyes reflecting concern. He reached out a comforting hand towards you, offering silent support. After a moment of silence, you continued your voice barely above a whisper.

"I've been avoiding the truth because I didn't want to ruin our friendship. But hearing him so upset... it breaks my heart," you confessed, your eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Intak nodded understandingly, his expression softening. "Do you want to try and see where things go," he said gently.

“How?” You furrowed your eyebrows.

“Go on a date with him, just hang out in a different light.” Intak’s suggestion lingered in the air.

After a moment of silence, you nodded slowly, a newfound determination settling in your heart.

“Okay, I’ll give it a try,” you replied, surprising even yourself with the resolve in your voice. Intak’s eyes lit up with relief and a hint of excitement as he stood up, ready to relay the message to Jongseob.

As he made his way to the door, a surge of nervousness washed over you. “Make sure to get all dressed up” Intak winked before you scoffed and closed the door on him.

You would never admit that you ran to your closet to find the perfect outfit.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ TEXT MESSAGE ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

intake: be at the dorm, tomorrow at 6 😉😙

y/n: WHY ARE YOU BEING SO CRIPTIC???

intake: jongsoeb is nervous 🤪

y/n: im nervous…

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

Now how were you supposed to go to sleep, your heart was beating way too fast. The night felt like an eternity as you tossed and turned, unable to calm the whirlwind of emotions raging inside you.

Thoughts of Jongseob filled your mind, along with a fluttering mix of excitement and nervousness about what the next day might bring. Finally, sleep overtook you just as midnight hit.

As you got ready for the day, your hands shook slightly as you picked out a cute sundress that you had never worn before. It felt weird knowing the guys had never seen you in a dress. You never got dolled up to hang out with them. The minutes ticked by slowly until it was finally time to make your way to the dorm.

When the clock finally struck 6 pm, you found yourself standing in front of the dorm, heart pounding in your chest.

Knocking on the door you heard a bunch of whispers and what you think is Keeho shouting “Places everyone” Then the door opened.

Jongseob stood there looking at the ground. You took the moment to just look at him.

His usual demeanor was replaced with nervousness. His hands fidgeted with the hem of his shirt as he finally met your gaze, a faint blush dusting his cheeks. You felt your own cheeks warm up in response to his shy smile.

"Hey," Jongseob greeted softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "You look... amazing."

A smile tugged at the corners of your lips at his compliment, feeling a rush of courage wash over you. "You don't look too bad yourself," you teased playfully, earning a chuckle from him.

He then stepped aside and gestured you inside. As you looked around you saw Jiung dressed in a waiter's uniform.

“Table for two?” he asked, Jongseob nodded, Jiung gestured towards a beautifully set table in the living room, complete with candles and a vase of fresh flowers. You couldn't help but admire the effort that had been put into creating this special atmosphere. The room was dimly lit, casting a warm glow over everything.

Jongseob pulled out a chair for you, you smiled at him as you took your seat.

Jiung played the part of the waiter perfectly, taking your orders with a mischievous glint in his eye. He disappeared into the kitchen, leaving you and Jongseob alone at the table.

You broke the silence by laughing, “What is happening!?”

Jongseob grinned at your laughter, his eyes shining with a mix of relief and happiness. "I may have enlisted some help to make this night special…Keeho didn’t want us to get spotted outside" he admitted, his cheeks tinged with a hint of pink. You couldn't help but feel your heart flutter at his gesture, appreciating the effort he had put into the evening.

"I really appreciate all of this," you smiled.

"You don't need to thank me," Jongseob replied, a shy smile still playing on his lips. "I just want to make things right between us."

Jiung reappeared with plates of delicious food, and the two of you enjoyed a makeshift dinner together in the cozy dorm room. Jongseob's eyes never strayed far from you, his gaze filled with a warmth that made your heart skip a beat.

“You look beautiful” Jongseob cleared his throat and looked at you.

Blushing at Jongseob's compliment, "Thank you," you replied softly, meeting his gaze.

You saw him playing with the dinner cloth, and with a burst of confidence, you softly grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Jongseob's eyes widened in surprise at first, but then a big smile spread across his face as he interlaced his fingers with yours.

You found yourself lost in his gaze, a tender moment passing between the two of you as if the world outside didn’t exist. The flickering candlelight cast gentle shadows on Jongseob's face, highlighting the soft curve of his smile and the sparkle in his eyes.

He stared into your eyes before his gaze lowered to your lips and lingered there, a silent question hanging in the air.

Your heart raced as you felt the intensity of his gaze. Without breaking eye contact, you leaned in slowly, your breath hitching with each passing second.

Just as your lips were about to meet his, a loud clatter from the kitchen broke the moment, causing both of you to jump apart in surprise. Jiung stumbled out carrying a dessert tray, looking sheepish as he apologized for the interruption. You couldn't help but laugh at the timing.

Jongseob chuckled softly, his eyes still locked onto yours with an unreadable expression. "I think Jiung should give us some privacy," he remarked, a playful glint in his eyes.

You nodded in agreement, feeling a newfound ease settling between you and Jongseob. Just like how you always hung out.

As Jiung left the room with an apologetic smile, you and Jongseob were left alone once again. The tension that had been broken by the interruption seemed to still linger in the air.

“Don’t be nervous, it’s just me” You smiled, trying to meet his gaze once again.

Jongseob's eyes softened at your words, a small smile playing on his lips “That’s exactly why I'm nervous”

“Let’s watch something” You got up but kept your hand interlocked with his.

Settling down on the couch you leaned into him and handed him the remote. “Is Harry Potter okay?”

You nodded setting your head onto his shoulder, feeling him tense up and the physical contact. Jongseob hesitated for a moment, his breath catching in his throat at the proximity between the two of you.

As the familiar opening music of Harry Potter filled the room, he slowly relaxed, allowing himself to enjoy this simple yet intimate moment with you.

You felt his muscles loosen under your touch, a sense of contentment washing over you as you watched the movie together. His warmth beside you was comforting, and you couldn't help but steal glances at his profile every now and then.

As the movie progressed, Jongseob's hand found its way to yours, intertwining your fingers together once again. The gesture sent a rush of butterflies through your stomach.

In the dimly lit room, surrounded by the soft glow of the TV screen, you found yourself lost in the movie and in Jongseob's presence. His closeness was nerve-wracking, but you were starting to get used to it.

The movie came to an end, the credits rolling on the screen as you both sat in comfortable silence. Jongseob turned to look at you, his eyes searching yours for a moment before he spoke softly, "I've missed this... just being with you like this."

You felt a warmth spread through your chest at his words, realizing that you had missed these simple moments too. "Me too," you replied, a smile tugging at your lips.

Jongseob hesitated for a moment before he spoke again, his voice hesitant but sincere, "I know I messed up before, but I really want to make things right. I care about you a lot... maybe more than I've ever let on."

His vulnerability took you by surprise. You gently squeezed his hand, meeting his gaze with understanding. "I should be the one to apologize to you, I overreacted because I didn't know how I felt.”

Jongseob’s eyes softened at your words, a weight lifting off his shoulders at your understanding. "I'm glad we're both on the same page now," he admitted, a genuine smile breaking across his face.

After a moment of silence, Jongseob spoke up again, "I want to give this shot, if you're willing," his eyes never leaving yours.

You took a deep breath, meeting his gaze. "I want that too," you replied.

Jongseob physically relaxed, huffing out with a smile “Oh thank god!”

With a laugh, you playfully nudged Jongseob's shoulder. “I should probably get going, I had a lot of fun,” You watched Jongseob’s face falter for a second before putting on a small smile.

“Or I could stay over…but I didn’t plan for this.”

Jongseob's eyes widened at your suggestion, a mix of surprise and delight flashing across his face. "You...you can stay over if you want," he stammered, trying to hide his excitement. "I can grab extra blankets and pillows."

You chuckled at his adorable reaction, nodding in agreement. "That sounds perfect," you replied, feeling a sense of happiness blooming in your chest at the prospect of spending more time with Jongseob.

He started to take off the couch cushions and placed them on the floor, “What are you doing!?” You chuckled at Jongseob's earnest attempt to create a makeshift bed on the floor.

"I don’t think the couch is big enough for both of us," he teased, using the TV stand to hold up a blanket roof.

You couldn't help but laugh at Jongseob's makeshift pillow fort. "It's perfect," you assured him, settling down on the cushions as he joined you, the two of you squeezed close together in the cozy blanket fort he had created. The room was dimly lit now, the only source of light coming from the TV screen that was asking if anyone was still watching.

As you lay side by side, Jongseob shifted slightly, his hand brushing against yours under the covers. Sending a shiver down your spine. You turned to face him, your eyes meeting in the semi-darkness as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind your ear.

"I'm really glad you decided to stay," he murmured.

"I'm glad too," you replied, reaching out to gently intertwine your fingers with his. The simple gesture felt natural as if it was where your hands were meant to be all along.

As the night grew deeper, the soft murmur of conversation between you and Jongseob gradually faded into a comfortable silence.

Jongseob's breathing slowed beside you, his warm breath ghosting over your skin as he shifted closer, seeking your closeness in the darkness. You could feel the heat radiating off his body.

With a contented sigh, you nestled closer to him, resting your head against his chest as his arm instinctively wrapped around your waist. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat lulled you to sleep.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

Waking up to a bunch of whisper yelling wasn't the best. But you continued to fake sleeping to hear what was going on around you.

You listened to the hushed voices around you, trying to piece together what was happening. It sounded like Jiung had returned and found the two of you in your makeshift blanket fort on the living room floor.

His voice was a mix of shock and amusement as he whispered urgently to someone else. You felt Jongseob stir beside you, his arm tightening around your waist protectively as he too pretended to be asleep.

You remained still, keeping your breathing steady as the voices around you grew louder. It seemed like the whole household was now aware of your impromptu sleepover on the living room floor. Jiung's voice was filled with disbelief as he recounted the scene to everyone who had gathered around.

As the whispers turned into hushed laughter, you couldn't help but crack a smile, realizing how ridiculous the situation must look from an outsider's perspective. Jongseob shifted beside you, his eyes still closed but a small grin playing on his lips as well.

Suddenly, the whispering stopped, and you heard footsteps approaching your blanket fort. You and Jongseob exchanged a quick glance before slowly turning to find Keeho peeking through the blanket roof, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Keeho said with a grin, earning a few chuckles from the others gathered around.

You sat up, trying to stifle a yawn as you took in the amused expressions of the group surrounding you. Jongseob sat up beside you, his cheeks tinged with a faint blush as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. It was clear that the unexpected sleepover had become the talk of the house.

Theo raised an eyebrow teasingly before breaking into a wide smile. "I must say, this is quite the cozy fort you've got here. I hope we're not interrupting anything important?" he quipped, earning a chorus of playful laughter from the others.

You couldn't help but join in, the lighthearted atmosphere easing any lingering nerves you had about being caught in such a compromising position. Jongseob nudged your shoulder with a smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he glanced around at his friends.

Jiung, who had been the first to discover your impromptu slumber party, chuckled and clapped his hands together. "Well, I hate to break the news, but breakfast won't make itself. Who's up for some pancakes?" he announced with a grin, already heading towards the kitchen.

The group exchanged eager looks before scrambling to their feet, the previous moment of teasing forgotten as they followed Jiung into the kitchen.

You and Jongseob shared a smile before joining the others, the warmth of the morning sun filtering through the windows and casting a golden glow over the scene.

As you all gathered around the kitchen island, laughing and chatting while some were arguing about who was going to make the pancakes.

“I’ll make them, but everyone out of the kitchen!” You spoke up, swatting at them to give you some space.

With a playful pout from the others, they begrudgingly left the kitchen, leaving you alone in the cozy space.

You could hear their banter and playful arguments from the other room, a warm feeling settling in your chest at the sound. Despite the slightly chaotic start to the morning, you felt grateful for these friends who had become like family to you.

As you started gathering ingredients and utensils to make pancakes, Jongseob stepped closer, offering to help. You worked together seamlessly, falling into a comfortable rhythm as you mixed batter and poured it onto the sizzling griddle. The sweet scent of cooking pancakes filled the air, mixing with the sound of light chatter from the other room.

Jongseob's laughter rang out as you attempted to flip a pancake, only for it to end up lopsided on the pan. He reached over, his hand covering yours as he guided the spatula beneath the pancake, flipping it effortlessly. Your eyes met his in a silent exchange, a warmth blooming in your chest as you shared a smile.

As the last pancake cooked to somewhat perfection, you and Jongseob plated them up, adding a generous drizzle of maple syrup. The delicious aroma drew the attention of the others, who eagerly crowded around the kitchen island as you set out the breakfast feast.

Intak let out a low whistle as he eyed the pancakes hungrily. "I must say, you two make quite the culinary team," he remarked with a grin, already reaching for a plate.

Chuckling at his comment, you couldn't help but feel a swell of pride at the breakfast spread before you. It wasn't just about the pancakes, you liked this. It was different from any other time you have slept over.

“So what are you guys doing today?” you asked, a part of you hoping they had a free day to hang out, not wanting to leave just yet.

Keeho stopped shoving pancakes down his throat to reply, “We have to go to the studio, we’re planning another comeback.”

Disappointment flickered across your face briefly before you masked it with a smile, nodding in understanding. "That sounds exciting! I can't wait to see what you all come up with," you replied, genuinely happy for their success even as a part of you wished for more time together.

As the group finished their breakfast and began to scatter to get ready for the day, Jongseob lingered by your side. "Would you like me to walk you home?" he offered, his gaze warm and sincere.

A smile washed over your face at his thoughtfulness, and you nodded, not wanting to say goodbye just yet.

Walking side by side, the two of you shared easy conversation and comfortable silence along the familiar route to your place.

When you reached your door, you turned to face Jongseob, "Thank you for last night... and this morning. It meant a lot to me,"

Jongseob's eyes softened as he gazed at you, a gentle smile never leaving his lips when he is with you. "I had a great time too. Let's do it again sometime," he replied, his voice warm and genuine.

You went to go inside but Jongseob hesitated to leave. Giving him a confused look, he spoke up again “I’m going to be busy, with the comeback but please don’t overthink…I like you a lot”

Your heart skipped a beat at his words, the sincerity in his eyes leaving you momentarily speechless. A rush of warmth flooded through you as you met his gaze, the unspoken feelings between you suddenly hanging heavy in the air.

Without a second thought, you stepped forward, closing the distance between you and Jongseob, and wrapping your arms around him, in a warm hug.

Jongseob hesitated for a moment before returning the embrace, his arms encircling you in a tender hold. Feeling his arms encircle you in a gentle embrace, you buried your face in his chest.

When you finally pulled back, there was a softness in Jongseob's eyes that made your heart flutter. "I'll be waiting for you," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

A smile tugged at your lips as you nodded, the unspoken promise between you both hanging in the air. With one last look, Jongseob turned and began to walk away, but not before throwing a final grin over his shoulder.

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

“So have you asked her to be your girlfriend yet?”

Jongseob's eyes widened in surprise at Theo's question, a faint blush dusting his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Not yet... I want to do it properly, not just blurt it out," he admitted.

Theo chuckled, giving Jongseob a playful nudge. "Well, looks like someone's got it bad," he teased, earning a chuckle from the others who had gathered around to listen in on the conversation.

Intak raised an eyebrow, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You better make your move soon before someone else sweeps her off her feet," he added with a sly grin, earning a chorus of laughter from the group.

Jongseob's cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red at the teasing, but there was a determined gleam in his eyes. "I will, it's just you guys know how busy we’ve been!"

But as the day wore on and Jongseob found himself caught up in a whirlwind of dance practices and recording sessions for their upcoming comeback, he couldn't shake the thought of you from his mind. Images of your smile, the warmth of your embrace, and the unspoken words between you lingered in his thoughts, a constant presence even in the midst of his busy schedule.

With each passing day, Jongseob longed to reach out to you, to hear your voice and see your smile once more. But as the demands of their comeback grew more intense, time slipped through his fingers like sand, leaving little room for anything beyond rehearsals and performances.

One evening, way past dinner time, Jongseob was working in his little studio. When he heard a knock on his door, he hesitated for a moment, he wasn't expecting anyone, especially not at this late hour. Setting aside his work, Jongseob made his way to the door. As he opened it, he was met with the sight of you standing on his doorstep, a smile on your face, and a bag of food in your hand.

"Hey," you greeted softly, playing with the hem of your shirt nervously. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything, I have food!" You held up the bag of takeout.

Jongseob's surprise quickly melted into a warm smile at the sight of you. "Not at all," he reassured, stepping aside to let you in. "It's a pleasant surprise. What brings you here?"

You took a deep breath, gathering your thoughts before meeting his gaze. "I... I couldn't stop thinking about you," you admitted, cheeks flushing slightly. "And I missed you."

A rush of emotions flooded through Jongseob at your words, his heart skipping a beat. "I missed you too," he confessed softly, reaching out to gently take the bag of food from your hands. "Come in, please," he added, leading you into his studio and pulling out a chair for you.

You settled in as Jongseob made a makeshift table by clearing stuff off his desk. The atmosphere felt comfortable and familiar as if no time had passed since the last time you were together. Conversation flowed easily between you two, about everything you both have done since you have seen each other.

As the evening wore on, Jongseob found himself caught up in your presence. The stress of the comeback disappeared. The way you smiled, the way you laughed, it all felt so right to him.

“Thank you for checking in on me.”

“Of course! You overwork yourself too much.” Jongseob's heart warmed at your words, a sense of gratitude filling him as he looked at you. "And you always know just how to make me feel better," he replied sincerely, his eyes soft as they met yours.

And in that moment, Jongseob knew that he couldn't hold back any longer. Taking a deep breath, he reached out to gently cup your face in his hands, his eyes searching yours for any sign of hesitation.

"I have something I want to ask you...something I've been wanting to say for a while now," he began, his voice slightly wavering. He continued with a murmur, his voice barely above a whisper. "I want you to be with me, officially."

A smile tugged at your lips as you gazed back at him, feeling the warmth of his hands against your face.

Without hesitation, you reached up to place your hands over his. "of course," you whispered, your voice filled with certainty and love. "I want to be with you too."

Jongseob's eyes lit up with joy and relief at your answer, a wide grin spreading across his face. Gently, he leaned in closer until his forehead rested against yours, “My heart is racing so fast,” He laughed softly.

You giggled at his honesty, “The guys are going to freak out!” Jongseob chuckled at the thought of his bandmates' reactions, but in that moment, all that mattered was the warmth of your hands in his, and the way your eyes never left his. As he pulled back slightly his gaze lowered to your lips before looking back at your eyes with a blush forming on his cheeks.

“What are you waiting for?” you whisper, scared your voice would shake. Without another moment of hesitation, Jongseob closed the distance between you, capturing your lips in a soft and gentle kiss.

When you finally pulled back, after a few seconds, your heart racing and your breath caught in your throat. Jongseob's eyes searched yours, filled with adoration.

"I've wanted to do that for so long," he confessed softly, "To finally call you mine."

“I’m all yours” you smiled, with a smile that reached his eyes, he pulled you into his arms, holding you close in a tender embrace.

“Mmmh and to think you were only into older guys” With a playful swat on his arm, you chuckled, “Don’t get cocky now!”

Jongseob chuckled at your playful teasing, the sound of your laughter music to his ears. “Well, I did change your mind,” he replied with a grin and a wink.

Jongseob buried his face in the crook of your neck, his warm breath sending shivers down your spine. "I think I've always been into you," he murmured, his voice soft and filled with affection.

You tilted your head back to look at him, a playful glint in your eyes. "Well, I'm glad you finally manned up" you teased, earning a mock gasp from Jongseob as he pulled back to look at you.

"I'll have you know, it took a lot of courage!" Jongseob retorted with a playful pout, earning a giggle from you in response.

The rest of the evening was spent wrapped up in each other's arms, talking and laughing as if no time had passed since you were last together. The worries and stresses of the outside world melted away in each other's presence.

Feeling so comfortable, you both started to slowly drift to sleep, cuddling close on the small couch. Jongseob pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead before allowing himself to succumb to sleep.

It wasn’t until a small gasp that you woke up. You opened your eyes to find Jongseob stirring beside you, a look of confusion on his face. Following his gaze, you noticed a group of people looking in the window of the door.

As you both sat up in alarm, Jongseob quickly recognized the faces pressed against the glass. It was his bandmates, looking in with wide eyes and mischievous grins on their faces. They were gesturing wildly and making exaggerated expressions, clearly delighted to have stumbled upon the intimate scene inside the studio.

Jongseob's cheeks turned a deep shade of red as he realized they had witnessed your tender moments together. He scrambled to his feet, trying to shoo them away, but it was too late. The damage had already been done.

Soul, couldn't contain his excitement and started making heart shapes with his hands, while Theo, mimed swooning dramatically against the door frame. Keeho, simply stood there with a knowing smile, enjoying the spectacle. Despite the embarrassing intrusion, you couldn't help.

general taglist: @haechansbbg @chenlesfeetpic @wonootnoot

piwon taglist: @manooffline @youresolivlie @curiousgworge @ezlynkisses @barbiekh86t @jihnyah @beomsl @fishsquishh @astro-doll-the-star @bbyjjunie @catboyieejeno @lakoya @jihnyah @beomsl (click here to be added)

#p1harmony #jongseob #piwon #p1h #jongseob x reader #jongseob fluff #kim jongseob #p1harmony x you #p1harmony x reader #p1harmony jongseob

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