#i’m extremely pro-amber by the way

[chaosology]

Depp’s lawyer, Camille Vasquez, admits to spraying his cologne in the bathroom Amber Hears used during the trial to mess with her.

Odours have the known tendency to cause panic attacks and trigger flashbacks in people with PTSD. Camille Vasquez, who claims to stand for victims of abuse, weaponised a rape victim’s trauma to throw her off and scare her.

There is a special place in hell for people who protect abusers.

[detachable-tits]

Life is strange double exposure review:

I wasn’t sold on the trailers and tid-bits leading up to double exposure so I instead watched someone play the game, but since the life is strange games are more story driven, I’d say I still got a similar experience if I had actually played the game. Anyways in my opinion this new instalment has absolutely killed the series for me😭

Pros:

•the start of the game actually wasn’t that bad, the new setting and the supernatural murder mystery was a good angle. And a good spin on the first game with Rachel amber, expect this time with more of a supernatural twist.

•The characters like Moses and ESPECIALLY Gwen were my favourite characters. (Gwen is such a big hear me out I’m sorry, like 😮‍💨) we’re great and I enjoyed their time on screen.

•graphics are good as expected

•Chloe’s character (even tho she never shows up) is done so well! If you chose to sacrifice Arcadia bay Chloe builds upon her character arc in the first game, she’s learning to live with the consequences of her actions and learn that she has an impact on others and that other’s feelings matter. And in the texts in this game she states she wants to look toward the future. Very good character building👌

Cons:

•The ending of the game, chapters 4-5 were horrendous imo. It fundamentally went against what life is strange is about.

•my MAIN criticism is the way they end the game. I’ve never been a big superhero fan, I couldn’t care less for them (except deadpool he’s funny) but that’s why I love life is strange cause it’s a realistic depiction of what people would really do if they got superpowers. Max tries to question why she got hers but can’t come up with a clean answer. In these games the power feels more like a burden rather than a blessing. The focus is more on the relationships between the characters. I also love how in the first game it feels like max is somehow not meant to have this power but nonetheless she does, and whenever she uses it it just destroys reality. However in this new game it goes too much towards that marvel vibe in my opinion. Making safi evil with her powers made kinda sense? But the way the set up like a future battle between safi and max was just too outlandish for me. In the first game max doesn’t fight crime, she just gets on with her life and tries to deal with her strange new ability. However in this one she acts like the superhero of the local town.

•The way that multiple people know in the game that max has powers puts me off, I like when only one or 2 characters know about the power as it makes the bond between them stronger and more meaningful. But in this one max just feels like your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.

•the whole storm sequence I interpreted as a nightmare, like the first game. Almost like the physical embodiment of time is taunting max. But in this one the fact that all the characters were really there and experienced the weird time line thingy makes it feel like a high stakes endgame scenario and not a person’s inner struggles. And the fact that not everyone is traumatised from that beyond belief is unbelievable. They just kinda like “oh damn that was weird”

•Giving safi powers was… a choice. I didn’t hate it and it was an interesting avenue to explore but I didn’t exactly love it either. We as the player know that there are more than one person in this universe who has powers but the magic of being the only one is lost when these super powered people interact with each other. The shapeshifting for safi was also a bit out there. Max Daniel and Alex’s powers work I feel like cause it’s a force and not a physical change as their power. But now that safi has shapeshifting It just feels too ridiculous. Like how could you hide that?

• dialogue was really bad at times especially when safi goes “I am my own mom” 💀

• I don’t understand what the thing safi’s mum kept secret from her was. Was it the fact that she cancelled her book? That seems a bit extreme to pull a gun out on your mum cause she cancelled your book. And then she was like “ everyone lies to me!” Girl WHO!?!?

•max is made into a bit of a dick head in this game. She wants to keep Chloe around even though Chloe doesn’t need her rewind, but she keeps insisting it upon Chloe. And it’s cause of this that Chloe can’t be around max anymore cause max can’t focus on the future and reminds Chloe too much of her past mistakes when Chloe needs to look to the future.

Anyways sorry for rambling so much but if you read it all thank you for listening to this girl groan on about how she didn’t like the newest lesbian powers game.

Anyways I give this game a 5/10

At least we got this absolute gem out of it

[laurellavenderhaze]

rant because I’m pissed off at the world: (TW: domestic abuse)

if you ever believed johnny depp you have no critical thinking skills sorry because yes there was propaganda but if you’re that easily manipulated by a couple of tiktoks then that is a sign you need to start using your brain a bit more because the evidence she was innocent was right there the whole time. So either you have no ability to form your own thoughts and just followed what everyone else was saying without bothering to find information for yourself, or you actively enjoyed harassing and mocking a DV survivor. Like you can’t just turn around now and say “oh society has messed up I was manipulated” because some of us saw those hateful things against her and actually made the effort to think about it and look into it more before forming an opinion.

Also for people saying now “oh they were both bad” mutual abuse is not a thing and the idea that it is is very harmful to survivors and even if it was mutual abuse (which again - literally impossible) you should still be outraged that she lost (because mutual abuse would mean she wasn’t lying in the article) and outraged that she received about 10x as much vitriol than he did.

I still see people spreading and saying stupid shit that they’ve see in other comments like “oh she was caught lying” or “oh but he admitted his faults but she claimed to have never done anything” when those things are simply not true but you see it in a comment somewhere and for some reason unequivocally believe it.

People claim to be feminists or progressives but still have opinions and biases which influence how they see cases like this, but many people don’t understand domestic abuse. So instead of listening to abuse experts telling you she’s the victim and he’s the abuser you watch ‘body language’ (a pseudoscience based on: nothing) videos and listen to the opinions of lawtubers who just want to make money (which they clearly aren’t making being a lawyer since they have that much time to spend making videos and tweets about a case they’re not involved with.) And then you claim to have watched the trial but don’t know the most basic things that happened or only watched his arguments in the trial (just look at the views of her teams part of the trial versus his) or watched through a biased streamer or commentator telling you what to think.

Just because you aren’t your great aunt believeing anti-vax things on Facebook and supporting trump does not mean you are immune to propaganda. And many in this generation seem to think they are but then go say “my dog stepped on a bee😂😂😂😂😂😂” and then act like they formed an anti-Amber opinion based on fact they obviously looked into and not because tiktok and Facebook told them to believe that. But the fact that some people are changing their minds now is telling. So maybe next time use your critical thinking skills whilst something is happening not months after because this type of shit keeps happening, and this is probably the worst and most extreme example.

Not to mention a lot of the initial propaganda and misleading information and pro-depp stuff was pushed by right-wing people and companies and MRAs (aka huge misogynists). And everyone bought into it. And then started spreading it even more! This case has given many people a gateway into these things and anti-feminist ideas, ideas of lying whores etc. have spread so much more and become more normal. And that is what these disgusting right-wing misogynists wanted; to get more people on there side but in an entertaining subtle way people would buy into so they could spoon feed them their anti-women, anti-‘woke’ views. A big reason for the publicity of this case is just societal backlash to the me-too movement. ‘Me-too has gone too far’ they say but not much has really changed that’s made a big impact and it’s all gone backwards now because so many fell for it, because your hatred for amber (and your hatred for women you were putting into hating amber) was more fun for you. This has been an MRAs wet dream. You are on the same side as Ben Shapiro in this. That should tell you all you need to know about the real reason this case has become so popular. Because they paid (literally: the daily wire put 10s of thousands of dollars into pro-depp propaganda) to make you think he was innocent, in order to push their right wing misogynistic ideas. And so many fell for it.

I’m not gonna go into why she’s innocent or the evidence rn but you can find it in many places and it is obvious to anyone with a brain she is telling the truth. Unless you would rather believe she fortified evidence of abuse since 2012, got people to go along with it (with no trace that she did this) just to not take all the money she was entitled to in the divorce, and then only use any of the evidence to write one vague op-Ed in which no details were even brought up up, than believe a known substance abuser may have hit his significantly, younger, less-powerful wife a few times, in which case I don’t know what to say to you. Johnny Depp is a truly evil, despicable man. Hopefullyy amber will win her appeal and get the justice she deserves. Imagine being her sat in a court room with your abuser and a bunch of his fans, a jury who will decide your fate, with millions at home mocking you and tearing you to shreds whilst you recall traumatic instances, then walking out to people screaming horrible things at you. I could not do it. Nor could most people.

I don’t wanna hear “we all owe Amber an apology” because who is we? I, and many others have always been on her side.

[arctichotch]

I once saw you reply to someone regarding something about not watching/listening to what lawyers say about the case because "they know way more than me about the law, so I'm not gonna watch because and I'd just have to take their word for it." and it didn't sit well with more for the longest time and I just figured out why.

That's the same stuff anti-vaxxers say about doctors. Like I'm not calling you an anti-vaxxer, but when your reasoning for not listening to what an expert says about something is because they're an expert and you're not and somehow that makes them more likely to lie for some reason? I'm sorry but that gives real bad vibes.

lmao literally never said that. anything i’ve ever said in relation to lawyers on this case (that weren’t representing either party) was in conjunction with a “conversation” i had with an anon who was trying to get me to watch a very openly pro-depp lawtuber.

i refused to watch that video, not because he was a lawyer or that he knew more than me or whatever, but because 1. he was a lawyer on youtube, rather than somewhere more reputable and 2. because he had spent weeks making i think like 100 videos being very openly anti-heard.

that’s why i refused to watch it. throughout this whole case people are acting like whatever a lawyer says goes and that their opinions are 100% impartial when that’s not the case. like it’s more complex than a doctor because a doctor should base what they know purely on the science, which is that vaccines are obviously needed. and anti vaxxers don’t believe that or whatever.

whereas, there are many lawyers with very different things to say. like that chap on twitter who is a lawyer, but is also accusing amber heard of having satanic sex parties. should i listen to him, and believe what he’s saying cos he’s a lawyer? despite the fact that it’s not based on any evidence? or should i listen to the lawyer on youtube who has talked about the trial and been openly very pro depp, who also literally victim blamed breonna taylor, simply because she has more expertise on the law?

if you’re referring to what i think you are, i’ve explained many many times why i refuse to watch any and all lawtubers. also, if they were so excellent in the field of law and know oh so much, why don’t they write an article or a paper or some shit? why are they instead making youtube videos with extreme clickbait for the titles? like i’m obviously not going to look at a thumbnail saying “AMBER HEARD DID WHAT ON THE STAND??” with a big red arrow pointing at an unflattering picture of her on the stand and think, damn this guy is going to give me some real objective facts on this case.

[papirouge]

I never got kicked out or be asked to leave a church or youth group before. Only got disowned lmao by my qanon parents (they actually pray to trump because they believe he’s the messiah) for quoting Matthew 25: 35-36 when they said that socialism (what they really meant was helping other people) isn’t biblical. So uh yea I’m dead to them lol even though they’re on benefits and still try to email me for money.. but I do it. And just pray for them tbh. Anyway, to anyone reading this too, keep Pakistan in your prayers with puerto rico and the women of Iran fighting for freedom. Free Palestine from zionists and fuck any lib fem thats quiet on this and an extra fuck you to the Christians that believe we should stay quiet and ignore it too. You know damn well brown Jesus himself would ask us to be as God wants us to be protective to those that need it against the arrows of the enemies

No offense but your parents are a trainwreck 😭 bless their souls. I hope they'll come around though 🤍

The way USAmerican interchangeably use socialism, globalism and Communism like they were synonymous is just yet another reason why I will never take them seriously when it comes to political commentary 🥴 Anything involving any remote wealth distribution is cOmMuNIsm to them, and they will pull out all sorts of reach to argue it's paving the way for seizing their valuable (bc 100% of the time, people seeing communism everywhere are raging materialists)

I'm fascinated by the Trump cult/Q anon squad. American Christian nationalism at it's finest. Only the Whites could breed this brand of mess and I find it extremely exotic. I already said a Q anon movie would be awesome. Q was secret services plant tho. They wanted to see how guillible and stupid people could be. Q anon wouldn't have become that big if the world wasn't in dire need of a savior. But instead of looking out for the real Messiah (Jesus) they try to (forcefully) cosplay someone else as such. Here in Europe I feel like the same phenomenon happens with Poutine. His popularity among tradcath nationalists has become stellar.

And yes, the feminist are quite silent about Iran. Women are literally getting killed by the police but the reactions have been pretty tame so far .. Those women were louder when it came to defend Amber Heard because netizens were clowning her online....🥴 Tells you everything about their selective outrage. Arab women don't have allies in the West ; I already told how pro Palestine Arab women were called salafist by these whitefeminists... They are clowns who are not to be trusted, especially if you're a WOC.

Western Christians are on brand though: cowards and spineless lmao I hardly know any other Christian blogger calling out Israel and the mistreatment of Christians in Palestine so I'm not surprised they are only "protective" of themselves and their"White western Christian culture"....

[medli20]

I saw Brendan and have rarely been so instantly infatuated with a character. Will you be dropping more lore about him? How did Curse of Strahd go?

Thanks anon, I’m so glad you like him! I’m always unsure about posting about my OCs since I’m worried about coming off too self-absorbed whoops. BUT SINCE YOU ASKED 👀👀👀👀

Curse of Strahd is still ongoing-- we’re fairly close to being done though. Our DM estimates that we have anywhere between 5-10 sessions left before the end of the campaign. I’ll go into more detail about the campaign (spoilers included), Brendan lore, and a lot of art/sketches under the cut. CW: blood/dismemberment, mentions of abuse:

(☝ the status icon we use in our campaign on Roll20 to keep track of who has Bardic Inspiration btw)

So before becoming an adventurer, Brendan was a violinist in the Neverwinter Philharmonic. He’d always lived a pretty sheltered life since he was born to two human parents, and his mother was ashamed of how “un-normal” he was. 

Joining the orchestra gave him the opportunity to actually socialize with other people, and-- surprise, surprise-- he was actually pretty good at it. Doing so helped him realize that the way his mother treated him was NOT in fact the norm, and that he should probably move out, like, yesterday. He also realized that despite his best efforts, the orchestra was not in fact giving him the recognition and individual attention that he was craving. After being assigned to the “boring” 2nd violin parts one too many times, he quit his job and hit the road to try and make it big elsewhere-- clearly Neverwinter’s music scene had too much competition to be able to stand out. He needed somewhere to grow.

So upon leaving the city border, he was almost immediately accosted by a starving owlbear that chased him up a tree. Trapped and unequipped to deal with the situation, he did the only thing he could think of in the heat of the moment: scream and hurl insults at it.

Well anyway, the owlbear died and Brendan immediately leveled up 3 times, at which point we actually started playing the campaign.

Anyway CoS stuff started happening, and Brendan immediately becomes attached to the grannies in the old mill, because we’re not playing exactly according to source material and they’re actually really sweet in our DM’s version of the game instead of being overwhelmingly obviously evil. Ireena is there, and while Brendan and the rest of the party was initially super excited about finding her a safe place to live, lately he’s starting to have some second thoughts. 

Anyway at some point or another the party arrives in Vallaki and nearly burn the orphanage down while dealing with the shadow-thing that was living in it. The police arrive and we all put on our best liar faces to try to talk our way out of the situation when we meet Izek.

Turns out our DM re-wrote him to be less of an asshole and more of a friendly supportive Chad of an older brother who has been having dreams of watching Brendan grow up. He’s absolutely thrilled to find out that this pink tiefling is actually real and not the product of an overly-active imagination.

Then more campaign stuff happens, Izek quickly becomes a party favorite, and Oh No! Strahd shows up and starts wrecking shit in Vallaki!! So obviously this is too much for a group of level 5 adventurers, and we run to the biggest, strongest NPC we know and ask Big Bro for help.

Well, tl;dr: Strahd took Izek’s cool demon arm off and Izek very nearly died. Brendan blames himself for this.

(yeah, we uh, might’ve immediately fucked with the suspicious caged cart near the coffinmaker’s house)

(we also did not side with the Wachters.)

So obviously we all feel bad about Izek losing his arm, but also I’m an asshole when it comes to fictional characters and drew our party dabbing while Izek looks mournfully on, completely dab-less:

Anyway all sorts of miscellaneous shit happens including way too many people mispronouncing the word “brazier” 

And Brendan (the kissless virgin) miscalculating with Dimension Door, leading to a painful, awkward moment with Ezmeralda.

Our Eldritch Knight, Korag, also came with a couple NPC retainers as part of his background feature, and one of them in particular has been falling into a deeper and deeper spiral of self-loathing because the entire party (except our Cleric, Diana) bullies him mercilessly. We’re awful people.

And then we went to the Amber Temple. Brendan’s fortune was there so he ended up getting pulled into a tentacle-sarcophagus where he had bad dreams about being at home in Neverwinter with his mother, who would physically beat him whenever he underperformed in her eyes. I’ve already posted this pic on Tumblr but it’s relevant so here it is again:

Reviewing your marks from yesterday’s lesson, an icy pit forms in your stomach as you hear a noise from the hallway.

It’s far too early for this. You haven’t even had the time to make yourself presentable.

It’s Her.

Cons: He got dream-stabbed by a bizarre corrupted version of his mother and now he has a weird necrotic hole in his chest.

Pros: He got a sick new cantrip out of it.

Oh also we met a lich who took all this info and was able to deduce that Brendan isn’t actually a tiefling and his mom isn’t actually human.

Anyway we’ve just recently made it out of the Amber Temple since then and now we’re off to wrap up a couple more things before we head off to Castle Ravenloft to kick Strahd’s ass and (hopefully) find Ireena someplace safe to live.

other tidbits:

He actually has hooved feet and is designed to walk on his hoof-toes, but he’s extremely self-conscious about it and is still hung up about looking “abnormal” so he just kinda crams his feet into human shoes and forces himself to walk around on his heels.

He’s gay but suuuuuuuuper in denial/closeted. He has a huge crush on an oboist in the Neverwinter Philharmonic, but he chalks it up to it being admiration for a fellow musician.

(IDK IF THIS WILL SHOW UP PROPERLY; IT’S ALL FUZZY AND PIXELLATED AAA)

if the above image doesn’t display correctly I’ve also got a link here

Anyway that is my pink boi and WOW this ended up being a long post

[sadsilktrader]

Secret Admirer

I apologize for my extreme tardiness for posting to the Geraskier Holiday Exchange. This was written for @gotfanfiction 

A modern Geraskier AU in which Jaskier is receiving gifts from an admirer.

...

"I'm telling you Yen, the man doesn't even know I exist. It can't be him," Jaskier paced the living room of his small apartment, small watering can in hand, completely forgotten. His plants looked on forlornly. 

"Hm," she replied, he could hear the scritch-scratch of the emery board while she only half-listened to his prattling. "All I'm saying is that he was there at the pub the night you played and he lives in your building and he can hear you when you practice and those have all been the nights you've got gifts from your secret admirer." 

"Half the building goes to that pub, it could be anyone! Plus, he doesn't even know I exist. " He flopped dramatically onto the couch, spilling water on himself. "Anyway, I'll let you go do whatever important business you have to do. You'll be here before my show on Saturday with Triss, right?" 

"We'll be there. We just have to drop Ciri off at her dad's first. Now promise me you'll at least talk to him next time you see him."

"Maybe." He grumbled. 

"What was that?"

"Fine, fine! I promise!" 

"You better. I'm tired of listening to you wistfully sigh every time we speak."

"You're the worst."

"I love you too Jaskier, bye." 

The phone clicked. 

He'd met Yen online, a friend of a friend of a friend. They played DnD together, starting off as catty enemies and somehow developing into the deep friendship they had now. She was a good person, just a little rough around the edges. Well, very rough around the edges. 

She'd settled down a lot over the last few years when motherhood had fallen into her lap though. He wasn’t certain about all the details, they were close but she was a private person. She shared custody of her adopted daughter, Ciri, with her ex. He'd never had the pleasure of meeting the man but he'd heard enough about him to form his own opinions. Heart in the right place but not exactly open about his feelings. 

Sounded a lot like his own mysterious love. He sighed again, there was no way it was his gorgeous and stoic upstairs neighbor. The man was gorgeous and kind and lovely. He was tall and pale with silky white hair. Not to mention outrageously muscular. Jaskier had seen him in their apartment's gym working out on more than one occasion. It had taken every ounce of his self-control to keep himself from openly ogling him. He'd seen him feeding the feral cat that lived in the parking lot. Helping their elderly neighbors with their groceries. Playing with his daughter on the weekends. The man was too good to be true. Which was why he was absolutely positive he couldn't be the one leaving the gifts at his door. 

The mystery man was perfect but he, Julian Alfred Pancratz, college drop out, jobless, barely squeezing by with the money he made by doing odd jobs in the apartment complex and occasionally performing at the neighborhood pub, was an absolute mess. There was no way someone like the man would give him more than a passing glance. 

He sat up quickly leaving the forgotten, spilled watering can to the side to search for his notebook and pen. At least all the angst and longing seemed to also be a fantastic inspiration. 

...

He chewed his lip, the leather-bound notebook balanced on his knee. He strummed a few chords on his guitar before setting it back carefully down to scribble something down. 

The sun was fully set now and his balcony light had flicked on giving the small area an ethereal glow. He loved the process of writing and creating outside where he could feel the world around him. There was something about feeling the gentle breeze against him, the sun and moon shining down on him, and the fluttering hummingbirds that visited his feeder that just felt right.  

He stretched and yawned and was contemplating packing up for the night when he heard it. A barely-there, soft knock at his door. Eyes gone wide he all but threw his things down and ran to the door to open it. No one. As always. There was however a small box tied in a ribbon and a note attached. 

A voice so sweet deserves something sweet in return. -love, your admirer 

He undid the ribbon and opened the box. Inside was an assortment of homemade chocolates. He popped one in his mouth and let it slowly melt over his tongue. Dark chocolate, caramel, sea salt. He couldn't help the sappy smile that plastered itself on his face and would stay there the rest of the night. 

It had been a little over a month since the gifts started arriving. Most of the time they were baked goods or sweets of some kind but occasionally it was something different.  A clutch of flowers, a silver bracelet with music notes engraved, once there was even a picture of a particularly beautiful sunrise left for him. He treasured them all. 

He was a hopeless romantic down to the core of his being. He had never met his admirer but he was sure it would be love at first sight.

…

He was bone tired. He'd spent the day hauling furniture away to the thrift store and painting the walls of one of his elderly neighbors who was soon moving to a rest home. For all the work he was paid thirty dollars and a batch of very good snickerdoodle cookies. He knew it was all the woman could afford to give him and he was grateful for that. Not exactly enough to pay the rent but enough to buy a few groceries at least. 

He stood in the deli section, weighing out the pros and cons of value pack meats when he saw him. The man, his white hair hanging loose around his shoulders, dark jeans, and a leather jacket. His breath hitched and his mouth went dry. 

Gods how can anyone look that attractive just going to the grocery store. 

The man looked up, catching him staring. His eyes the color of amber and honey. He felt like a deer in the headlights caught in his gaze. A few faint scars visible on his face and neck. He couldn't help but wonder if there were more on the rest of the man's body and felt a blush rise to his cheeks. 

"It's leaking." The man said.

"What?"

"The honey ham your holding, it's leaking."

He stared at the gorgeous being before him for a moment longer before it clicked. 

"Oh fuck," he dropped the squishy package on the ground, ham juices splashing on the both of them. 

"Oh, gods I'm so sorry," he wasn't sure his face could get any redder. 

"It's okay, really. I've had much worse things spilled on me before. You looked pretty lost in thought."

An employee glared at him with a mop and trash can. He smiled awkwardly, wishing he could just disappear. 

"You're the musician, right? I live in the apartment above yours. I can hear you playing from my living room." The way the man said it had him wondering if that was a good thing or not. 

"I'm Julian, well Jaskier to my friends and fans." He mustered up the courage he usually reserved for the stage and gave the man his best smile. 

"Geralt. I'd shake your hand but," He nodded to his arms full of groceries. "You know when you go into the store thinking you only need one thing?" 

"Well, you're in luck," he gestured to his cart, "I just so happen to have the best cart in the store. Not a squeaky wheel in sight." 

"Are you sure?" 

"Absolutely! The life of a musician leads to a very sparse diet. More than enough room for both of us. Plus we're headed to the same place." 

Geralt had an amused smirk on his face that made Jaskier's heart skip a beat. Conversation between them came easy. Geralt was the quieter of the two but his dry wit and cheesy jokes had him laughing harder than he had in ages. Handsome and funny. 

They made their way back to the apartment complex walking slower than was necessary, he noticed. 

"So you have a daughter? I'm not stalking you or anything, I just noticed her around the complex sometimes."

"Ciri," he replied. "My ex and I share custody, its-" he sighed, running his hand through his hair, "it's a bit of a complicated situation actually. But they’re moving closer soon and that should help.”

The elevator stopped at his floor and he stepped off. 

“So, I’ll be seeing you.” he mentally berated himself for not being able to come up with something more clever. The door was closing between them and he suddenly shot his hound out, stopping the door. 

“Actually, and please forgive me if this is too forward, maybe I could give you my number and we could grab a coffee sometime? Or do our grocery shopping together again?”

Geralt chuckled before reaching into his pocket, tapping at the screen a few times, and passed it over. He added his number with the name Jaskier followed by a heart and music note emoji. The moment the elevator door closed he was dancing, groceries in hand, for his forwardness paying off for once. 

…

It was colder tonight but he still played outside until his fingers were near numbing. His cheeks were flushed red from the cold. After his run-in with the man, he felt like he was walking on clouds. The world was at peace and he was the luckiest man in the world. He’d almost forgotten about his secret admirer completely until the same soft knock came from outside the door. Today was different though. Today he was brave and he had left a note for his admirer to find.

I beg of you to reveal yourself to me. I will be performing at the Royal Oak this Saturday. Please, wear this token so I may recognize you amongst the other patrons. Love, Jaskier

He strained his ears and purposely walked slowly to the door, giving his admirer time to leave the gift and find his note. He swore he heard mumbling of words. He closed his eyes and counted to ten before opening the door. 

His note was gone and in place of it a container he opened to reveal a miniature-sized three-layered cake elaborately decorated with chocolate-covered strawberries. It was, as always, delicious to the point of sin. 

He felt a twinge of guilt. He didn’t want to string along his admirer, especially if things with Geralt turned out well. But he was getting ahead of himself. They had spoken once and here he was already planning their life together. 

…

The next few days passed quickly. His wish of getting more work around the complex had come true but he was, unfortunately, unable to do any more practice for his upcoming performance. Every day he came back to his apartment with every intention of playing only to wake up from an unintentional five-hour nap on his couch. 

To make matters worse, he hadn’t received a single text from Geralt, and since his sleep schedule was completely messed up he hadn’t caught a single glimpse of him since their last accidental meeting. He thought of swinging by his place to invite him to his show but decided against it. Maybe he needed some space? Maybe he had come off as too clingy? The doubts and second-guesses were mounting.

He arrived at the pub early to set up and get some practicing in before going on stage. Geralt wouldn’t be there but at least, he hoped, his soon-not-to-be secret admirer would be. Inside the note, he’d left a silver brooch of a songbird in flight. It was small but something he would instantly recognize. The glimmer of it from the stage lights would catch his attention. At least that’s what he was hoping. He felt more nervous about this performance than he had in a long while.

“You okay there Jaskier?” The voice came from behind him and he turned to see Triss, her curls down, beautifully framing her face. 

“Oh thank the Gods,” he hugged her tight. 

“Where’s your better half?” he asked looking around the growing pub’s crowd. 

“Outside on the phone. It’s her ex, they don’t argue often but when they do,” she made a face. “Something about him needing her to watch their daughter.”

“Doesn’t he only see her on weekends? What an asshole.”

“Right?” 

He felt more at ease with a friendly face by his side and felt even better when Yennifer joined them. He was smarter than to ask her about the phone call and instead chatted about everything and anything to get his mind off his nerves. Time went by more quickly now and soon it was time for him to play. 

The second he stepped on stage his demeanor changed. Gone was any trace of nerves and doubt. The stage was his solace, the place he could bare his soul to the masses, or in this case to the forty-odd people crammed into the pub. 

It was halfway through his third song when he remembered to keep an eye out for his admirer. He scanned the crowd hoping for the familiar glint to catch his eye but there was nothing. He chewed his lip. 

The third song blended into his fourth and fifth. Still nothing. He took a break to grab a drink. He made small talk with Yennifer who raised a delicate brow at him. 

"Alright, spill it. What's got you so distracted?" 

He finished his drink and let his smile fall into a grimace. 

"I left a note. For my admirer. I asked them to come tonight. I left them something to wear so I would recognize them and-" 

"And they did show?" She finished for him. 

"Nope. Wait how did you know?" 

"First off you're terrible at hiding your emotions, and second I was fucking right and you owe me.”

“What?”

She laughed, shaking her head. “I guess I’m partially to blame, I should have realized it earlier.”

“I- what?” he asked again. 

“Jaskier. Darling. Sweetheart. I was right.” she said the words slowly as one would do to a small dog. 

“Right about what?”

“Your admirer. It’s your neighbor. You never told me but let me guess. Pale, white hair, roguishly handsome, looks like he could snap you in half like a twig?”

“How do you?” He was feeling a little faint now like he was at the edge of realizing something terrible.

“Your neighbor, your admirer, and my ex are all the same person.”

His eyes went wide. It all made sense. All the clues were there but he had just been too dense to put them all together. He’d seen pictures of Yenifer’s daughter but he’d never spent more than a passing glance at Geralt's visiting daughter. 

“Oh fuck.” he sat down, suddenly unsure of his legs beneath him. 

“He called me right before I came in going on about needing to go out for a few hours and if it was alright with me if he left Ciri alone.” she chuckled. “I told him to not be an asshole and spend time with his daughter.”

Jaskier’s head perked up. Geralt had wanted to come. He hadn’t blown him off. 

“I have to go. Fuck, I can’t leave in the middle of a set though.” 

Yennifer waved him off, “I’ll sort things off here, you go to him.”

He kissed the top of her head and gave her a quick, tight hug. “You would tell me if this bothered you right? I mean, he’s your ex and all.” 

“I think you two would do a very good job at evening each other out, now go!” She smacked him on the shoulder and off he went. 

…

He ran home, or at least halfway home before running out of breath and proceeded to briskly walk the rest of the way. He was still trying to decide what to say when he found himself outside the door, sweating profusely and looking an absolute mess. He knocked on the door before he talked himself out of it. 

“One minute!” A voice from beyond the door answered followed by the sound of an oven door closing and the chain sliding from the door’s lock. 

The door opened. He looked beautiful, even like this, wearing an apron covered in flour cocoa powder. Especially like this maybe. 

“I’m friends with Yennifer and she said it was you but I didn’t believe her and I didn’t realize that your daughter Ciri was also her daughter Cirilla which in retrospect should have clued me in but-” he took a deep breath in. Geralt looked nervous and his rambling wasn’t happening. He started over. 

“You’re my secret admirer?”

The man blushed. “I am. Is that okay?”

“Very, very okay.” He smiled. 

“Would you like to come in? I was just baking. For you.” his blush deepened and Jaskier heart felt like it would burst with affection. 

“I’d like that very much.”

[nafeary]

“Just Shut Up.”

⚬ Pairing: Yukimura Sanada/Reader

⚬ Characters: Yukimura, Reader

⚬ Word Count: 1.2k

⚬ Genre: Fluff, a tad bit of Angst

⚬ Warnings: Tiny description of a bruise

⚬ Event: 500 Follower Milestone Celebration [Requests Closed]

✧✎ Prompt: Requested by @juminly

2. “I was supposed to confess first!”

✧✎ A/N: Attempt #2 at writing flash fiction—failed. I’m hopeless brrrr. Anyway, my dearest penguin mum, I hope you enjoy our prickly tsundere. Everyone, please take care, eat, drink water, take your meds, and sleep 💜💜💜 I’m sorry this took so long

“You’re too cold,” he claimed as he positioned his head a little above your lap. Despite the harsh voice, his tawny orbs sought for permission before following through with his intention. “Give me your hands. You’re so clumsy, you’d end up getting sick if someone isn’t there to keep you warm.”

The last you saw of his handsome face was the crimson tint his cheeks harboured—mirroring your own flushed ones. It was short-lived, however, as he turned away from you with a heated huff.

You two had found yourselves in a tranquil meadow, away from prying eyes, and you were leaning against a tree, bathing in the dimming light of the sun. Sunset cast a golden glow as it peeked around branches and leaves, reflecting off of dewy drops. As it was wonted to be, bickering had found its way into the conversation, yet it quieted down once you took notice of the merchant‘s fatigue—but your head was full of noise.

It hadn’t taken long for his breathing to steady, his body much too exhausted to disregard this opportunity. And yet, his hands tightly clasped yours, sharing their warmth with you as though you were trapped within a fortress of cashmere blankets. You managed to sneak one hand out, lightly brushing it through his chestnut strands.

“And you’re too warm, Yuki. You don’t even seem to realize that at times.”

You hadn’t meant for these words to tumble past your lips; however, the maelstrom of your mind had different intentions. Your eyes widened for a split second, making sure that the addressed man was still tightly asleep. Relief washed over you in waves, bringing your free hand to your heart, only to feel it bellowing within your chest.

It’s not that you didn’t mean what you had said—there was so much more enveloped by your heart, begging to come free in the hopes that these feelings might find reciprocation. But you couldn’t just confess to Yukimura... it wasn’t that easy. You’d frequently burnt the midnight oil the last few weeks, weighing the pros and cons. It was either living in puzzlement, dense fog making you uncertain of anything and everything, and regretting the missed opportunities, or risking the exposure of your heart’s conquest while also risking its prosperity.

But... there shouldn’t be any menace if he cannot hear you speak, because you were certain of one thing: you couldn’t keep your thoughts to yourself anymore.

“Everything about you is warm. Most people would probably say that you tend to act cold, but the underlying intentions... they only reflect the sun itself,” you began your confession. Despite your initial anxiousness, you weren’t as afraid as you’d anticipated. In contrast, you could almost feel your heart pumping as steady as the ocean tides.

“You just have to know how to decipher your prickly words, and one would realise just how pure your intentions are.”

Never before had words flown out of your mouth this easily, any restrictions and insecurity lending them wings.

“When I’m around you, my heart loses control. My head spins and I feel fluttery, like it's full of butterflies. You make me feel... invincible—all my fears, all my anxiousness just vanishes when I’m at your side. You make me feel like I belong.”

How would he react, were he to acknowledge these feelings? Would he laugh it off, concluding it to be a jest? Would he pull you close, telling you to stop being so needy, with his cherry lips brushing your ear?

Would he... would he reject you?

“There are so many things I love about you, from your tactlessness to your awkward self-expressing. I—“ you stopped your rambling, taking note of something rather frightening.

Yukimura’s ears were red. So red they could easily rival even a blooming field of roses. He couldn’t possibly be awake?

He couldn’t be.

Adrenaline still holding you upright but the hidden anxiousness returning and settling in your mind, you rested your hand against his silken tresses once more, feeling him twitch against you. “Yuki... you’re awake, aren’t you?”

You felt him inhale. Once. Then twice. Perhaps, he was simply dreaming, an embarrassing occurrence responsible for the red rushing to his ears? Oh, why couldn’t you just shut up for once?

That’s what you theorised, at least. But he proved you wrong, swiftly raising his head as if he were a cat doused in water. Miscalculating his momentum, however, he hit your chin, making the back of your head collide with the tree’s bark.

You both groaned in pain, Yukimura holding the crown of his chestnut mop while you rubbed at the spot that hit the wood you were leaning against. But in spite of that, bubbly giggles erupted. Yuki first looked at you with perplexity, yet he soon joined your laughter. “You’re such a strange woman,” he said with a slight smile, settling across from you.

You stilled, applying pressure to the pulsing pain. “I’m the strange one? You’re the one that unapologetically hit me.”

“It was an accident!” he exclaimed, the furious blush returning once again. “Besides, it’s because you—“

He stopped himself from continuing, reminding you that he must have heard your confession—at least a part of it. You wished you could simply peek into his mind. Yuki merely continued to stare at you incredulously, his irises minuscule and his mouth slightly agape. About to nervously wring your fingers together, you noticed that your other hand was still tightly held by his.

“I’m... did you hear what I just said—“ A crack in your voice halted your timorous stutters. You didn’t even notice that you’d started play with the fabric of your obi when Yukimura pulled your hand towards his kneeling form, enfolding it just like your other one within his hands, chasing away the cold fronts that had started to pour upon you.

Maybe it was because Yuki didn’t immediately turn sour or attempt to disparage your sentiments. You couldn’t tell what he was thinking as he blinked at you, but it didn’t matter. When it came down to it, he never failed to carefully pick his words.

Perchance your trust in him was foolish, but your trepidation ceased regardless.

“Dummy,” he muttered with a slight pout before averting his gaze, “I was supposed to confess first!”

“Huh?”

“You heard me!” he shouted a bit more forcefully, lifting his face to meet yours.

“So what if I told you that I want to be together with you?” Butterflies erupted in your stomach, fluttering around, creating a sensation that could only be described as extreme exhilaration.

“I’d tell you that I want the same thing,” he admitted, his tone deepening, and the amber in your cheeks sparked with surprise. “In case you didn’t catch it the first time... I—I like you, too.”

Mirroring his earlier actions, now you were the one staring at him, absolutely flabbergasted.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Is it that shocking that I like you?” Your slight nod prompted him to let out a sigh, bringing your bonded hands just in front of his heart. “Do you feel this? I knew you were difficult, but stop looking like a fish and just accept this.”

With the gentle tang of pine in the air, you wriggled a hand out of his tight embrace to set it on his shoulder, burying your face against his warm neck. His heart was still beating just as furiously as yours, and you nuzzled deeper into his locks of chestnut.

You felt a soothing pat at the back of your head, another arm coming around your back. “I’m sorry I hurt you earlier.”

“You should be.” In contrast to your words, your smile was no more menacing than the butterflies within yourself.

Tag List of the most wonderful sweethearts (just message me if you’d like to be added or removed): @juminly @kisara-16 @sweetlittlemouse @thesirenwashere @nad-zeta @delicateikemenmemes

[sabraeal]

Age of Reason, Part 2

[Read on AO3]

Obiyuki AU Bingo 2021 Supernatural AU

The looming wrought-iron glares down at him; even choked with briars, it stands as proud as any guard, denying him entrance with a glance. She’d gotten in, she said, and out again even quicker. It’s possible. He just has to find the way.

His shoulders twitch, unimpressed.There’s a reason he wears gloves.

One hand wraps around a twisted bar, and a briar pierces through the leather like it’s paper. He recoils with a hiss, and to his extreme displeasure, the needle comes with him, broken right off near the glove.

He’s had worse splinters-- hell, he’s had worse stabs, but the thing’s hard to find even with the moonlight behind him. His head and shoulders keep falling into the worst angle, casting shadows shadows no matter which way he turns, leaving him to work half blind as he tries to pull it out. It makes it worse of course, each movement of his muscles sends the thing dancing around his palm, probing deeper into his flesh until he tears it out.

These damned gloves are supposed to protect him, but blood coats them still, shimmering black in the moonlight. He gives them a real contemplative look, some real consideration, and then cusses a streak so blue fire would be jealous. Damn that woman. If she’d gotten in, she owes him the professional courtesy of telling him how. He has half a mind to stomp right back to that tavern and shake her till she spills her secrets.

He takes a breath, holds it. It’s fine. This is far from the worst job he’s ever done.

The thing slides across the packed dirt, sand and scree skittering beneath its bare skin. It’s a woman in shape, diaphanous nightrail clinging so scandalously to its curves that wives clap hands over wandering eyes. She would have been a pretty girl in life, but in her undeath, she makes more than a convincing monster.

He stands in the holy circle of the Heavenly Maiden, salt staining his hands, and it hisses at him, back arched like a cat’s. Red stains its front, dribbling from full lips down to soak her gown.

“Kurei!” The name catches on the wind, already torn away. The mayor clutches at his door, lifting a hand to point through his wards. “It’s her-- the demon--”

“I know.” It’s an effort to lift the words out of a deadpan. “She’s no match for me.”

The spirit cocks its head; he knows that angle too well, the one that says, oh you think so? He lifts his shoulders, a subtle shrug. No hard feelings.

Her claws clench in the dirt. Ah, he’ll pay for that little line later. Already he’s at a disadvantage-- a full moon might have shone through, but with a chunk shaved from one side he’s stuck waiting for the wind to hurry it all along while he stands here, stalling.

His breath mists in the night air. Just one of the hazards of the job.

“You’re trapped in here with me, spirit.” In the dark, its hair is coarse, thick and black, rippling with each breath. The perfect hand-hold, should it dare tread close enough. “Your fight is with me!”

He grins as it growls, edging around his circle of salt. It follows, mimicking his movements, it on all fours and him on the balls of his feet. Already his cheek stings-- its limbs are long and strong but he didn’t expect the elbow to be so sharp-- but he doesn’t lift a hand to rub at it. Each moment here is the space between victory and condemnation, and he has none of them to spare.

Finally, the clouds part.

“I have you, beast!” Around him, the circle flares to life, the pure light of the heavens infusing it, glowing with an intensity would blind to those outside it. “Tempus fugit! Sapere aude! Ad meliora!”

For a moment its body leaps into the air, lunging for him, trying to tear his throat, but in the next it’s thrown to the ground, as if grabbed by heaven’s hand itself. With his last words still echoing in the square, the spirit spasms, voice railing to an unholy keen.

“Erat ergo sum! Quid pro quo!” He calls out, shaking holy water over it, black and red spotting her as he washes away its monstrous desires. “Non ducor duco!”

It gives a single, great heave of its body, and suddenly she’s limp, no longer a vengeful spirit but a girl once more. A mere husk that once held life. Mist rises from the circle as he lifts her body, curling coolly around his fingers.

“Caveat.” The night carrying his voice further than any earthy words should-- “Emptor.”

The villagers all peer out their windows, the more daring of them peeking out doors. Now that the danger’s over, everyone wants to see the monster hunter and his prey. He’s heard plenty talk about the noble nature of man, but none of them know the truth-- when fear strips away all else, it’s only cowardice and curiosity that remain.

“Kurei,” creaks the mayor. “What--?”

“It’s over,” he announces. “I must bring the corpse away from here, and bury it.” With a dark look, he adds, “Alone.”

He turns his back on them, letting the moon burn away the mist he leaves behind.

The barmaid here is all curves, coarse tawny hair tumbling down her back, meant to draw the eye straight to her swinging hips. A tempting morsel; at least by the way the men here follow her with their gaze, hungry for more than ale. The barman must have tripled his profits having a girl like her on; there’s no limit to drink a man can have while he’s thirsting with his eyes.

But not Shuuka. His stare is fixed right across the table, brows drawn tight in thought. “That’s some story, mister.”

“And all true.” He waits until the man takes a good, long draught from his cup to add, “I earn my keep traveling, finding spirits to soothe and monsters to cull. Or maidens to save, when the situation demands it.”

“Just maidens?” The barmaid sidles up to him, a frothing mug in hand, and already his mouth is watering. “Or are you looking to expand your repertoire?”

He lets his lips lilt into a leer. “I’m willing to help with any problem that needs solving, maiden or--” he lets his gaze rake up her-- “otherwise. Provided I’m welcome.”

Her own mouth is a mirror of his own. “You seem the sort to always be finding doors open, if you don’t mind me saying, mister.”

“Ah.” He hums, leaning close. The other men in the pub lean in too, faces ripe with envy. “That’s the trick of it-- I wait to be asked.”

Amusement flickers through her eyes, as amber as his own. She sets the mug in front of him, its thick head sloshing over the rim. “Here you are, on the house.”

The maid casts one last, linger look over at him, all hooded. The sort that says he could find more than a drink on the house if he played his cards right. And here’s him, a man who never lost a hand.

“So that’s what brings you here?” Shuuka says, voice tight. Nerves, he thinks, the sort a rational man might have in the face of the unknown. “Sh-- the prince’s mistress?”

Ah, or maybe that’s guilt, he’s hearing. “So it’s true, then? There’s a girl sleeping in that manor house?”

Shuuka’s fingers clench, knuckles white where they lay on the table. “If it was...?”

He doesn’t move, doesn’t breathe, just waits.

Dark eyes lift, glimmering as they meet his. “You could do something about it?”

He lets his mouth ease, swallowing down the victory in his throat. “I can’t do anything that would hurt.”

For a long moment, Shuuka sits still. Not the sort that comes from fear or hope but indecision. A man on a precipice.

And oh, how easy it is to see when they jump. “What’s your name? What do they...” He hesitates, swallowing. “What do they call you?”

“Lots of things. Jack of all trades, for one,” he hums, settling back in his seat. “Monster Hunter. Miracle Man. Savior.”

Shuuka’s brow draws tight. “You’re some kind of...priest?”

“Oh, no.” He lets his eyes linger when the barmaid bends at the waist, leaning over the counter to talk to the barman. “Not that. But you can call me...Nanaki.”

There’s a tree.

He surveys the old gnarled grandfather, its thinning leaves rustling in the wind, a single branch hunched over the briars. He should have guessed; it wasn’t like she was going to get her hands dirty and bleeding to take a look at a dead girl.

His hands flex, the leather around them creaking. His palm aches when he presses it to the trunk-- that’ll teach him to get impatient-- but he knows how to climb without relying on his grip. It’s nothing to shimmy right up, soles planted solid on grandfather’s inquisitive arm. He’d call this sloppy-- nobles often were, thinking that guards and dogs and a lady’s scream could keep them safe-- but...

Ten years. Plenty of time for even a well-trimmed tree to insinuate an elbow where it didn’t belong. Especially one that looked as nosy as this old grandfather did.

He edges out, the branch solid beneath his feet. Each step is inquisitive; impatient he may be, but enough tumbles from too high had taught him the value of respecting nature’s limit. The last thing he needs is for this to break over one of those fleur-tipped spears. Career limiting, his old master used to tell him, followed by one of those hideous braying laughs.

Dead was his preference. He might make his money putting on a show, but it didn’t serve to forget that some finales were final.

The branch bows beneath his feet, those iron-tips scraping at its bottom. Looks like he’s ridden this particular pony as far as it’ll go. With a breath and a wish, he leapt from the tree, tumbling down, down--

His feet catch, hard earth beneath them. No, stone, since his foot slips, nearly spilling him straight into a knot of brambles. Pretty ones, at least, dripping with roses as bright as an apple’s skin.

He whistles, plucking a petal off one. “Well now,” he breathes, letting it flutter away in the wind. “Isn’t that lucky.”

Cat calls and wolf whistles cleave through the din when the barmaid wraps her fingers around his wrist, leading him away from the table. There’s glares too, envy making eyes dark as he passes. There will be men who hate him in the morning for no other reason than he had what they couldn’t. It wouldn’t be the first time, and it certainly won’t be the last.

Fine by him, anyway. Angry men are easy to predict-- they only want to do what will cause the most pain. It’s the ones that cheer him on that are dangerous; they need to be courted, molded.

Shuuka is neither. Curious.

“Hey, hero,” the barmaid purrs, pressing her body against his. “Keep your eyes where they belong.”

By the swing of her hips, she means on her. Well, it’s certainly not a bad view.

She sashays up those last few steps, shoving him into a room--

Torou’s smile is gone the moment the latch catches. “You are on your own with this one. I am out.”

Leaving Oberwald takes an extra day; the villagers keep him plied with ale until he tumbles into bed. When he wakes while the sky’s still moonless and dark, two sets of hands rubbing down his chest. Who is he to deny himself a reward so justly earned?

Still, waiting makes the spirits restless.

“Serves you right,” he grouses, rubbing at the new lump dulling the sharp edge of his cheekbone. “You’re supposed to make it look good, not actually hit me!”

The spirit folds her arms across her chest-- or under it, rather, framing their best asset when it comes to fooling these bumpkins. A barmaid with big tits never fails to turn heads, and should someone get suspicious of the girl who disappears when the evil spirit does, well-- no one can pick her face from a crowd.

“Oh, complain, complain.” The huff she lets out doesn’t even have a hint of remorse. “I’m sure you got those village girls to kiss it all better.”

He can’t help his grin. “Two of ‘em.”

“Ugh.” Her eyes roll, the kohl still clinging to the corner of them. It’s the most stubborn part of the makeup, but Torou makes do; by the next town she’ll have wings drawn on so sharp they could cut a man’s throat. “How is it you get to bed down with every miss looking for a good time, but I can only look at all those strapping young farm boys?”

“Pitchforks. Torches,” he reminds her. “Us, running away in the middle of the night...”

No one remembers the barmaid, except for an angry wife. And they know how to drum up some bloody-minded friends once night falls. That’s another thing that makes the spirits angry, but well, that’s not his problem. Maybe if they were more circumspect, they could tumble a few village boys-- or girls-- if they liked.

“Fine,” she mutters, itching at her neck. Some red flakes off, falling to the dirt below, lost beneath the tread of their boots. “Where to next?”

He’d thought he’d been mulling it over still, but the second she asks, it’s the answer at the tip of his tongue. The only one.

“Nowhere that needs a drowned girl!” Torou warns him, pitch raising to one that would make dogs howl. “My ears still don’t feel right after the last one...”

“Clarines.”

She scuffs to a halt. “Clarines? The ‘realm of reason?’ That Clarines?”

He doesn’t stop, just shortens his stride as he puts a jaunty skip in his step. “The very same.”

Her steps start again, hurrying to keep pace with his. “Why? I thought they were enlightened out there. Above all this folk talk.”

“No one is, if we play them well enough.” He slides her a sly smile. “And we will.”

“Best of the best,” she agrees. “So what’s the score?”

His grin pulls wide. “I hope you have your kissing lips ready. We have a princess to awaken.”

His hands fly up between them, trying to ward off her waggling finger. She’s carrying five knives at minimum, but of all the weapons on her body, that finger scares him the most. “Torou, come on--”

“Don’t you ‘come on’ me, Nanaki.” She doesn’t need a steel when her tone’s already so pointed. “I’m not going back there, not even if you beg me. Not even if you drag me. I’ll gnaw off my own leg if you try.”

“Torou, what--?” She shifts, just enough for him to see the wide stretch of her eyes, pupils blown and white all around the rim. “Are you...scared?”

“Scared? Scared?” Torou laughs, wild. “I’m terrified. We’ve played a lot of games, but this, this-- this curse thing, it’s real.”

“Oh, c’mon,” he huffs, leaning against a bedpost. “You know that’s not true. We’ve been running this grift for how long now, and the only supernatural thing out there is how easily everyone will believe it.”

“Listen, that’s what I thought. That’s what I always thought, you know that.” Her voice trembles, shoulders hunching around her chest. “But I went there. I went right into that manor to case the joint-- I knew there’d be stuff in there, stuff we could sell and get out of this rat race.”

His jaw slackens. They’d never talked about that, about what could lie at the end of a real good grift, of what they would do if they had enough coin to stop. He hadn’t even known she’d wanted to, let alone that she--

“I went in there,” she murmurs, rounding into herself. “And someone-- someone screamed.”

He licks his lips, brain jittering with the thought of this ending, or having somewhere to stop. “Screamed?”

“Don’t laugh.” Torou’s voice barely wavers above a whisper. “Someone screamed, and I-- I went to find them. Maybe some kid got in there and broke a leg. I could get some credit you know, really get those bumpkins eating out of my palm. But I walked in and--” she chokes, fingers clawing at her throat-- “there was blood, so much blood, just covering the floor, and then--”

Her breath fills his ears, so harsh, so pained. He’s only heard her like this once, back before, and his blood runs cold.

“And then.” Her hand comes out to grip his wrist, drawing him into her terrified gaze. “It sounded like someone was dying.”

[bestworstcase]

Considering how much you love the saporian au, I have a I guess alternative pitch to ask about. In Rapunzel's Return, if it was revealed that Cass was Saporian instead and still goes through with crossing the line in canon. So when Rapunzel and the gang gets home, do you think the Saporian invasion fight would've gone differently with this new information brought to light for her, especially since Varian is working with them now? Do you have any input on this?

why yes i do

so to start. let’s skip back to like august/september of 2019, which is when the tts hyperfixation kicked in but before s3 started to air. at this point in time my thinking was:

the separatists are definitely coming back in some capacity because the series made a point of putting their symbol on the book in RDO, signaling that andrew was not a one time deal.

there’s a press release that says raps will encounter an old enemy when she returns to corona and while it might be varian, my money is on the separatists.

cassandra encountered zhan tiri behind the door in the shell house and learned or saw something that soured her pretty hard on corona

i have been theorizing that cass is saporian since the first time i watched under raps, like, a year ago

i have also been theorizing that zhan tiri is saporian since she was introduced, mainly because it’s fun and it ties two great antagonists together

if cass IS saporian, and the separatists ARE the threat awaiting rapunzel in corona, these two things are probably going to end up intertwining down the line in s3.

sigh. [puts on my clown shoes]

a big part of the appeal of saporian!cass to my mind is that it gives cassandra an excellent reason, completely unrelated to rapunzel, to return to corona after she takes the moonstone. right? in my head, before s3 aired, my theory was kinda: zhan tiri got into her head and drew a connection between cassandra’s individual feelings of being neglected/overlooked/treated unfairly, and the systemic problem of saporians being oppressed/cast aside/treated unfairly.

and cass wants so badly to be a hero. she wants to be admired. she wants to be a protagonist, basically, and if cass is saporian that positions her perfectly to become the hero of the saporian separatist movement after she takes the moonstone. it fits so well!

so if, beyond just cass being saporian, this were the direction the series had gone with cass being saporian—and taking into account that this is a disney princess show and it is going to be pro-monarchy at the end of the day, and trying to stay within those bounds—i kind of imagine it playing out like this: 

1) cass takes the moonstone and angrily lashes out at rapunzel, telling her about what zhan tiri told her in the HOYT (which boils down to ranting about how saporians in general and cass in particular are treated badly and she’s not going to take it anymore and this is my destiny, rapunzel). then she leaves, with CtL going exactly as it does in canon. 

2) reeling, rapunzel returns home—only to find that it has been taken over by saporian separatists. talk about a punch in the gut! and then to make matters worse, varian is working with them. i think “rapunzel’s return” can still end with victory over the separatists in this version, but the separatists aren’t imprisoned at the end—they escape, swearing that it isn’t over. [the conflict itself plays out similarly, except for preference the separatists aren’t trying to glass corona, they’re just trying to stay in charge / drive team corona out. this allows for escalation later with zhan tiri and also doesn’t paint. people fighting back against their oppressors as pure evil,]

2a) varian and rapunzel still have their emotional conversation and sort-of apologies, but! varian doesn’t turn against the separatists yet, and when they escape, he goes with them. however, fundamentally their cause isn’t personal to him, and he’s now all conflicted because rapunzel doesn’t hate his guts like he’s been telling himself she must. 

3) rapunzel frees quirin from the amber despite varian’s continuing betrayal, because it’s the right thing to do and also because she’s desperate for SOME sort of victory after all this. varian doesn’t find out about this until after his redemption.

4) the separatists continue to cause problems in B-plots throughout the first half of the season. someone (probably eugene?) tries to broach the subject of cass with rapunzel in the context of cass potentially joining the separatists and throwing the power of the moonstone behind their cause. rapunzel brushes this off on the grounds that no matter what cass is still her best friend. meanwhile we keep getting cass stingers, with cass struggling to control the rocks and zhan tiri helping her, except instead of driving her into rages at rapunzel, she’s focused on radicalizing cass to the separatist cause (although she does not spell this out at first).

5) BVA kicks off with zhan tiri dropping the bomb that she wants cass to join the separatists. cass is shocked (she knows how extreme and violent they are—and she’s not like that, is she? she hasn’t hurt anyone!), which triggers the burst of red rocks. 

5a) in corona, the red rocks cause varian to have horrific visions of his father/all of corona trapped in amber, confronting him with his own guilt. he’s been sticking with the separatists mostly out of fear of being rejected if he tries to return to corona now—after all, rapunzel gave him another chance, and he threw it back in her face. but the visions are too much for him, and after he sees that they’re capable of petrifying people, he rushes straight to corona, sneaking in through the tunnels to warn rapunzel. she decides to trust him again, and they set off to the demanitus chamber to stop the red rocks a la canon.

5b) as varian and rapunzel emerge and see that their efforts paid off, rapunzel assures him that she’ll make sure everyone hears how he put himself in danger to warn them, and how he saved the day... and as varian is thanking her, he hears a very quiet “...son?” from behind them. he turns around, unable to believe his ears. it’s his dad. his dad is free. for a second he’s terrified this is some sort of lingering effect of the rocks but rapunzel explains that she found an incantation that she used to free quirin, and there is a BIG EMOTIONAL MOMENT as he reunites with his dad. because varian realizes quirin must know everything he did after his dad was trapped in the amber, and he’s so afraid his dad will be ashamed of him, but quirin is just like. no, son, you may have gone to a very dark place but you found your way back all by yourself, and you did the right thing, and i’m so proud of you. tears, and so on. 

5c) BVA ends with cassandra and zhan tiri, rather than eugene and rapunzel, debriefing. cass reveals that she felt rapunzel’s fear of her during their moment of connection, and she is upset because even though cass hasn’t done anything, rapunzel seems to see cass as just as violent and dangerous as the separatists are, perhaps even moreso. and zhan tiri comes in with “they’ve already written you off as a monster” and “what do you think forced the separatists to such extremes? they tried to be reasonable, and they were persecuted just as you have been” and “really, what do you have to lose?”

6) and that is how cass gets on board with zhan tiri’s joining the separatists plan. [if cass doesn’t already know at this point, i think this would be the part where zhan tiri mentions that she’s saporian, too]

7) then we hit pascal’s dragon, and this is the episode where rapunzel starts really considering what cass being saporian means, basically using LBB as a proxy for working out her feelings about cass and ultimately coming to a sort of hopeful conclusion that maybe... cass being saporian is important to her and maybe—just like the enraged dragons that destroyed nigel’s village—the separatists have valid reasons for their anger... but also that a peaceful resolution can be reached if rapunzel doesn’t let fear consume her.

8) islands apart, then, becomes a little more focused on rapunzel trying to get the whole story out of the captain; how did he end up with a saporian kid, what do the separatists want beyond blowing corona up [he’s the captain of the guard, he must have dossiers on these people], and most importantly, what options are there for compromise? fresh off her own commitment to meet cass halfway, the conflict between rapunzel and the captain vis a vis fountain cass can also be nice and sharp. 

9) in cassandra’s revenge!!! we just scrap the entire eugene surprise birthday proposal subplot. the first half of the episode is cass cruising into the separatist camp in the woods with the moonstone and ghost!ziti. she and andrew are immediately at each others throats because both of them want to be in charge but cass ends up winning by dint of a) having a magical rock with enormous destructive power at her disposal, and b) having a clear plan. she steals the scroll to distract everyone while the separatists in to steal [insert magical saporian artifact macguffin here] from the palace vaults, with the intention of using it to free zhan tiri. 

10) cass’s part of CR goes very similarly to how it does in canon: team corona turns up to rescue varian, rapunzel tries to talk to cass about finding a viable compromise on the saporian issue, and cass, not wanting to hear it, goes berserk and attacks her. partly this is venting her very real personal anger at rapunzel (i like the idea of rapunzel reaching for her burnt hand being the thing that sets her off) and partly she’s just furious because rapunzel still doesn’t really get it. “nobody has to get hurt? saporians have already gotten hurt! i have already gotten hurt!” <- that kind of thing

10a) also!!! a “nothing left to lose” where varian is saying “i worked with the separatists and it wasn’t worth it!” and cass is saying “don’t you get it? i’m not like you, i don’t have other options, i’m saporian” would be sooooo goooood

11) in any case cass gets yeeted off the tower and injured, as in canon. team corona leaves. the separatists come back, find the tower in ruins and cassandra crawling back up from her ledge. they help her up, treat her injuries, and then reveal the bad news: the macguffin they were after, the one they need to free zhan tiri? it’s gone. corona sent it to the keeper of the spire for safe keeping. 

12) race to the spire! is about cass and the separatists trying to retrieve the macguffin from the spire. and it is also about an extremely shaken rapunzel talking to xavier about all of this, realizing what the separatists were probably after when they broke in, freaking out (cass joining the separatists is one thing, but bringing zhan tiri back?!) and reluctantly turning to edmund and adira for help... because she thinks she knows where cass is going to go next. 

12a) cue crazy cass + separatists + ghost ziti vs team corona + brotherhood battle at the spire. with all the canon insanity of the weird ass artifacts getting thrown into the mix. cass and the separatists win, possibly because ghost ziti advices cass to grab and threaten calliope to force rapunzel to cooperate and cass does it. 

13) TOTS is now the freeing zhan tiri episode. and the gothel disciple backstory episode. because turns out! none of them really know how to do the actual jailbreak with the macguffin, so... they need gothel’s old research, from when she and the other disciples used the same artifact to free zhan tiri last time. rapunzel is in the cottage with a similar idea: she’s trying to learn more about the sundrop and its connection to the moonstone. loredumps, idk. maybe all this takes place in the ruins of the tower instead; i like the idea of gothel having a creepy little laboratory in the cellar or something. 

14) rapunzel pleads with cass to think about what she’s doing. the separatists have a point—does zhan tiri? what is zhan tiri after, what’s her agenda, what is she, even? and it nearly works, she nearly gets through to cassandra, but then... cap shows up, and cass does not react well. cap is there to try to apologize for their last altercation, but she does NOT want to hear it and the whole situation escalates. team corona gets driven out of the valley, cass and the separatists do the ritual to release zhan tiri and wow things are really bad now aren’t they!!!

15) flynnposter... idk. cap recuses himself from the whole fighting cassandra thing because he cannot handle it and because everyone agrees he’ll be more effective at getting through to cass if he’s not showing up in the captain’s uniform, eugene gets put in charge... and zhan tiri is out to cause problems. i just think she should get an episode of zany hijinks all to herself. she deserves it. to keep the plot relevancy going let’s say she’s impersonating eugene-as-flynn because a) it’s funny and b) it masks her real agenda, which is, let’s say, wiping corona off the map, stealing the sundrop, and using it to plant/grow a new great tree on the ruins of the city. seems like a fitting vengeance against both demanitus (for banishing her) and rapunzel (for destroying the great tree), yes? 

16) once a handmaiden. with zhan tiri now fully out and about cass has been sort of demoted to second in command and she is struggling with that, because it’s making the inferiority complex bubble up and bringing with it doubts that this is really the right thing to do, or even really what she wants. she slips away to clear her head, perhaps even using the cloak to disguise herself so she can wander around corona... and finds the nasty little magical traps zhan tiri planted earlier. she realizes that whatever zhan tiri has planned for the eclipse, it’s a lot worse than she’s letting on. (maybe some of this is connected to gothel’s research: gothel wanted to retrieve the sundrop from rapunzel, and cass recognizes ritual prep for that from gothel’s notes and is like. oh no.)

17) so... at a loss for what to do, she impulsively goes to rapunzel to try to... warn her? apologize? take her up on that offer to negotiate? cass is really not sure, and seeing herself in wanted posters and of course demonized in feldspar’s play does not. help. this part of the episode can go pretty similarly to canon, except that when cass is confronted by zhan tiri it’s a lot more cutting, with zhan tiri focusing how even now she feels like she needs to serve rapunzel at cost to herself, needling her about her lack of conviction etc etc, in addition to goading her with the news about project obsidian. cass angrily rejects her and goes to talk to rapunzel, publicly reveals herself on purpose because a) sometimes she’s not smart and b) striding onto the stage in the second act of feldspar’s terrible play to tell everyone in the audience that corona is in grave danger really seems like a good idea at the time and ziti is lying about project obsidian so everything will be fine right!!!!

18) everything is not fine 

19) cass gets shot in the back with project obsidian courtesy of panicking guards and a teeny tiny bit of help from zhan tiri and, crushed by the realization that rapunzel must have authorized this, cass does the “no you know what? fuck you, i see all that talk about negotiation was just pretty words after all” thing and wrecks the place, while zhan tiri stands by watching like >:) 

20) PLUS EST EN VOUS. im sorry anon this has gotten way longer than i thought it would. but i am Passionate About Saporian Cass. the situation is now dire! everyone in corona is hunkered down in old corona, frantically trying to draw up battle plans or like, any plans at all. corona itself is in ruins. it really looks like cass/the separatists have won... but rapunzel keeps thinking about how cass tried to warn them of some greater danger. she can’t give up on cass just yet. 

21) so, desperate, rapunzel turns to the separatists. she takes... varian, because he knows them, and lance because he’s good at talking to people, and eugene, because she needs him with her. and she walks into the separatist camp and says look, i know that ultimately what you want is for saporia to be free to be its own country. that you only took over corona and tried to destroy it because you thought you had no other choice. and maybe under my dad’s rule, that was true. but i’m the queen now, and i can accept a declaration of saporian independence if i want to. so i’m going to do that right now, no strings attached. saporia is free. 

22) and the saporians are like holy fucking shit

23) what brought this on???

24) rapunzel is like cassandra is my best friend. and i didn’t treat her well, and i made her feel like she couldn’t talk to me about how she was hurting, so she did all this. she’s angry and she’s right to be angry, but more importantly, she’s hurting and scared. and i want to make it right. and also i’m terrified that zhan tiri is going to hurt her, because she said something about zhan tiri going after the drops?

25) and like the best she’s hoping for here is for the separatists to drop out of the conflict and go build their kingdom back up again, but they huddle up and decide that a) cassandra is their friend / one of theirs, and if she’s in danger they’re gonna side with her over zhan tiri, and b) if they team up with rapunzel now and it turns out rapunzel was lying and this was all some elaborate set up to attack cass while she’s without allies, then they will be there to help cass hold the line

26) there are ABSOLUTELY NO MONKEY SHENANIGANS 

27) cass sort of miserably is going along with zhan tiri’s plans but she’s also just kinda hoping rapunzel doesn’t show up for the eclipse. 

28) rapunzel shows up for the eclipse with a bunch of separatists and cass is like rapunzel what the fuck

29) there is...an attempt by rapunzel/cass/the separatists to get everyone’s story straight which is interrupted by zhan tiri doing the “traitors to saporia pay with their lives” thing and just. going ballistic on the separatists and cass. and also rapunzel, except she needs rapunzel to not be smushed like a bug until after she retrieves the sundrop so she’s a little gentler.

30) cass and rapunzel team up to protect the separatists: with both of them using the full power of the drops, they can hold their own against zhan tiri (she is VERY POWERFUL and she PROVES IT during this fight by going toe to toe with both of them without breaking a sweat)... but things go from bad to worse when the eclipse hits, because the sundrop goes dormant, and zhan tiri pounces. gets the sundrop, and now it’s just cass trying to solo this demonic sorceress lady before the eclipse ends and zhan tiri gains the power of the sundrop. It Is Not Looking Great For Our Heroes.

31) zhan tiri stomps cass into the curb and is about to land the killing blow when the rest of the coronans + the brotherhood charge in (they were waiting on the mainland on rapunzel’s orders, not wanting to escalate the situation if it could be solved via talking, but it is now very obvious that rapunzel needs back up). zhan tiri deals with them pretty handily too, but her distraction is enough for rapunzel to shake off her depowered exhaustion/pain and help cass back to her feet. 

32) raps, cass says, i’m so sorry. i never meant for any of this to happen, i just—

33) and rapunzel says, i know, it’s okay. i’m sorry too, for taking you for granted. i love you.

34) cass, tearing up, is like, i love you too. and i’m gonna stop this.

35) rapunzel is like ??? but there’s no more time because zhan tiri has finished smashing/immobilizing everyone else and cass is already charging at her, no longer trying to attack or defend, just get close enough. 

36) as the eclipse comes to an end and the sundrop wakes up again, cass latches onto ziti, grabs the sundrop. and slams it against the moonstone still embedded in her chest. there’s a huge explosion, and when the dust clears... cass is in the epicenter, very dead, and there’s really nothing left of zhan tiri but a bunch of spasming vines and shadowy magic, burning slowly away in the brilliant light of the unified power. everyone else is pretty damn battered too.

37) horrified, rapunzel crawls out of the wreckage, grabs the unified drop. revives/heals everybody (except zhan tiri, rip), ending pretty much goes as it does in canon. except i like the idea of the epilogue / ending sequence of life after happily ever after (reprise) also being a montage of both corona and saporia being rebuilt, the countries now equals and allies... and also cass, when she leaves, is explicitly going out in search of saporians whose ancestors were displaced by the conquest, both to invite them to return to their ancestral home if they so choose and also to reconnect with her own heritage. 

38) THE END!!!

[kpoptrashibnida]

Enough Pt. 16

A/N: Hello everyone! I am so thankful for all of your support and patience with my update. I hope this chapter doesn’t feel rushed, but I really wanted to put it out. I will say, I am pretty happy with it and I hope you all feel the same way. As always, I appreciate feedback and criticism. Happy Reading!

“Is everything alright?” Sehun asks, noticing that Chanyeol has been oddly quiet.

“Yeah.” Chanyeol sighs, brushing his hands against his face. “I’m just tired.” He lets out, leaning back on his chair.

“Are you having troubles with noona?” Sehun questions, dreading the answer.

Sehun was happy for his friend because he knew he cared about you and he was happier lately than he had been in a long time. But also as your friend… well, he was worried about you if he was being honest. Chanyeol was like a brother to him but Sehun was well aware of his flaws, he just hoped that Chanyeol would not hurt you again. 

“No, we aren’t having any troubles.” Chanyeol says, “but I have been having some… trouble.” Chanyeol sighs, confusing Sehun even further.

“What do you mean? Like, with work? I can cancel some of your less important meetings if you’d like me to.” Sehun takes out his iPad and brings up Chanyeol’s schedule.

“No, it’s not work. It’s… it’s her.” He finally admits, referring to you and Sehun caught on.

“What’s the matter with her?” He questions, really hoping Chanyeol didn’t screw things up already. You had been dating for a couple of weeks and if Chanyeol already messed things up, then he deserved to die alone. 

“Things have been fun and light-hearted. Which is great. But, when she agreed to date me, she put one condition.” He explains, looking at Sehun to see if he was following along.

“What condition?” Sehun asks, slowly losing his patience with Chanyeol.

“Her condition was to not sleep together until further notice. She wants to take things slow.” Chanyeol exhales, glad to finally talk to someone about this. 

“Is that a bad thing, or something?” Sehun doesn’t understand why it seems like such a big deal. It sounds pretty reasonable to him, especially given their past relationship.

“I mean, no. I understand where she is coming from. But at the same time, I am a man with needs and after a while, my hands don't really do the job.” He reasons, making Sehun roll his eyes.

“Dude, grow up. If this is the only condition she gave you, consider yourself lucky and wait it out. I’m sure it’ll be worth it once she is ready.” Sehun tried to reason with Chanyeol. He can’t ignore the uneasy feeling in his stomach, but he pushes it down and prays that his friend is not going to mess up. But even more so, he doesn’t want you to get hurt again. 

_______________________

“Good job this week, I am extremely impressed with all the work you have accomplished.” Namjoon compliments as the both of you exit the conference room. You had just finished another project and the investors were very happy. Which of course, made you happy because this meant that at the end of the year, your bonus was going to be nice and fat. 

“Thank you Mr. Kim, it was also thanks to my great team.” You say with a smile, knowing that you would not have been able to finish as fast as you did if it wasn’t because your team was made of rockstars.

“Always so modest, I like that about you. Well, I’ll let you go now, I have a few conference calls I need to take in my office.” Namjoon says, nodding goodbye.

“Make sure you make time to eat.” You call behind him, smiling at the dismissive wave he gives you. 

With your extensive work history together, Namjoon and you have created more of a friendship as well and Namjoon hates it when you mother him. 

You wouldn’t have to do that if he wasn’t such a workaholic, putting work before even the most basic of needs like eating or a bathroom break. It did explain his great success, however; what good is it for him to be so successful if he never gives himself time to enjoy the fruits of his labor?

Maybe you can convince Jungkook to force him out for a night or unwinding and getting wild, for once in his life.

“Hey noona, congratulations! I heard that the investors were very happy with your latest project.” Jungkook says, entering your office and giving you a cup of coffee.

“Thanks Kookie. It was all thanks to the hard work of my team, but I am glad they liked it and I am glad it’s over.” You sigh as you take a sip of the coffee Jungkook gave you, needing it like an extra lifeline.

“We should celebrate! We should go get some drinks tonight.” He offers excitedly, wanting to hang out with you again.

“I’d love to, but I already have plans with my best friend tonight.” You say, hating that you have to decline. Jungkook is a lot of fun to go out drinking with. 

“Aww man. Alright, well another time. Have fun noona!” He waves as he exits your office. Boy did he have a lot of energy, you don’t know where he gets it from.

Taking one last sip of your coffee, you log in to your computer and sigh at all the new emails you have to answer. You should have drunk your coffee slower because now you were going to need all the energy in the world to get through all these emails.

___________________________

“Come on girl, I am going to need more enthusiasm from your part! I finally have a day off from being a mom and you are not matching my energy! You are not passing the vibe check!” Mina whines, she was barely one drink in and she was already getting messy. 

“Okay I’m sorry! I just had a long day at work but I am trying to match your level! Why do you have to be such a crazy bitch?” You complain, downing the rest of your beer. 

“It’s my charm and you know it.” Mina giggles, ordering some shots from the bartender.

“You are not wrong. You’re hot and you’re bitchy, the perfect combo.” You tease, expertly dodging her fists as you grabbed the shot glass and downing the amber liquid.

“So, how have things been going with Chanyeol?” Mina changes the subject, catching you off guard with her question. You knew it was going to come sooner or later and you are actually surprised that she waited this long to ask.

“Things are fine. We are taking it slow.” You say, not really in the mood to talk about your relationship. 

“Slow? What is that supposed to mean?” She asks quizzically, downing her shot like a pro.

“Well, we don’t know much about each other, so we are working on that. And we are also not having sex until further notice.” You say, downing the other shot that seemed to magically appear.

“Shut the fuck up! Are you serious? Did you come up with that rule?” Mina cannot believe the words that she is hearing.

“I did, I told Chanyeol that if we were going to make this work, we had to wait because I didn’t want to be just a physical relationship again.” You explain, trying to catch the bartender's attention so you could order a cocktail.

“Wow. And he agreed?” She asks in disbelief. As long as she knew Chahnyeol, he has always been a notorious play boy and the fact that he was willing to wait to have sex was very unlike him. You nodded as you sipped from your cocktail, amused at her bewildered expression.

“Wow. Well that makes me feel a little better. If he is waiting to have sex with you then he must really like you.” She sighs, still processing the information.

“I guess so.” You agree, finishing your drink. “Okay enough of that, let’s go dance!” You cheer, dragging Mina out to the dance floor so you can enjoy your girls night.

_____________________

Yeol: Hey, want to get some lunch?

You smile at Chanyeol’s message, amused at the fact that he knew your lunch time. He texted you right on time because your stomach had just started growling. You were stuck on a video conference call all morning and you were famished. Since it was on video, you could not sneak any snacks and that ruined your mood. Thankfully it seems like your giant boyfriend was coming to your rescue. 

Me: Yes! I am so hungry. How soon can you meet?

You furrow your eyebrows when you see that he left you on read and did not answer. You were really hungry and you did not want to wait for him to get here if he was going to take too long. You got horrible headaches when you went too long without eating and you did not want to get to that point. You heard murmuring near the lobby and wondered what was going on.

“Oh my god, is that him?”

“What is he doing here?”

“Is he collaborating with the company again?”

“Oh my gosh, he's so handsome!”

“Do you think he would be willing to take a photo with me??”

You were confused as to what people were getting excited about until you saw a familiar towering figure standing near the entrance of the building, looking very distinguished. 

“Hey! I was hoping to surprise you!” Chanyeol waves at you once you are in his line of sight.

“You succeeded!” You smile, happy that you didn't have to wait long to eat.

“What are you feeling like today?” He asks, casually draping an arm around your shoulders and bringing you closer against his body.

You ignore the whispers that break out and some glares from some of the female staff present, no longer being able to hide the fact that you were dating Chanyeol. Or, Loey, as most people know him by. 

“I really want ribs.” You say shyly, making Chanyeol laugh.

“I love your appetite.” He teases, a small blush gracing your cheeks.

“Shut up.” You playfully bump your hip against his, enjoying the walk from your building to the restaurant.

“So, I have a question.” Chanyeol says after you had ordered your food, gaining your attention immediately.

“What is it?” You ask uncertainly, not knowing what he could possibly want to ask you. 

“So the Asian Music Awards are this Sunday and I wanted to know if you’d like to come  as my plus one?” He asks, hoping you would say yes. “I am nominated for a few categories and I’d love it if you come.” He adds, not wanting to pressure you but really hoping you’ll agree.

You think it over for a few seconds but cave when you see his big puppy eyes, feeling like you’d kick a puppy if you were to say no.

“Of course I’ll go with you. I am so happy for you.” You smile, genuinely meaning it when you said you were happy for him. Being nominated so soon after being a producer is such a big accomplishment and you want to be there for him.

“Thank you so much! I want you by my side whether I win or not.” He smiles, happily digging into the food that was just brought over to the table. 

You joined him in eating the delicious ribs as he told you about his nominations and what he was working on, excited to be sharing everything with you.

__________________

“Noona, I can't believe you are dating Loey and didn’t tell me! He has made some awesome songs!”  Jungkook says excitedly, distracting you from your work as he kept asking questions about Chanyeol.

“Yes, well I don’t feel like I need to broadcast my personal life.” You mutter, really trying to concentrate on the work in front of you. 

“ I know that, but you could have told me! I am a huge fan!” Jungkook is very excited about the possibility of meeting his favorite composer because his noona is dating him.

“Jungkook, you are so weird. Usually it’s the artists that people are obsessed with, not the composers.” You say, not understanding this boy at all.

“Well yes, agreed. But without great composers, there wouldn’t be great artists.” He explains simply, making a good point.

“Can’t argue with that.” You agree, giving your attention to your work once again.

“I’m so jealous you get to go to the award show with him this weekend. You know, if you can’t make it, let him know i’ll gladly be his plus one.” Jungkook offers, making you laugh.

“That’s creepy Kookie. And I have loads of work to do, so if you could leave my office, that would be great.” You say sweetly, making him roll his eyes and mutter about how you no longer have time for him. 

You laugh to yourself, amused by his fan boy tendencies. Before you could get distracted even further, you concentrated on your work so you could finish soon and start your prepping for the award show.

“So, like, you are going to re wear that dress?” Mina asks, appalled that you are going to be an outfit repeater at such an important event.

“Mina, I wore that dress in the states, not in Korea. Different countries and different types of events. It’s fine.” You argue, picking out the color for your mani-pedi.

“Yeah, I get it and that dress is gorgeous. But you should wear something else.” She insists, much to your annoyance. 

“Well the award show is tomorrow and after this and the spa I am not going to have time to go dress shopping.” You say, hoping she gets the point.

“Well, I do have this gorgeous black dress that I impulse bought before I had Minjun and have not had the chance to wear it. After the spa, check it out and see if you like it. If you do, take it and use it. If you don’t re-wear the blue dress.” She suggests.

“Okay fine.” You agree, her idea not sounding too bad.

After the spa, you went over to Mina’s house to try on the black dress she insisted you try on. You were not complaining because it was a good opportunity to see Minjun and shower him in kisses, which always ended up with him getting a little fussy. Suho pried his son out of your hold and pacified him with a bottle, throwing a mock glare your way. You snickered and let yourself be dragged by Mina so you could go to her closet and see the dress she was talking about.

“Okay, come out! I want to see how totally awesome you look in the dress!” She urged oin a sing-song voice.

You stepped out of her closet and did a small twirl, laughing at the surprised gasp that escaped her lips.

“Oh my gosh! You look amazing! I cannot believe how great you look in this dress! Okay, I don’t care what you think, you have to wear this dress to the award show.” Mina insisted, loving the way you look in the dress.

“You know, you were right about this dress. It’s amazing. I just feel weird wearing it before you ever did.” You say, examining the dress up close in the mirror. 

“Don’t worry about it. It might not fit me for a while anyway. I need to lose a bit more baby weight before I can fit into it.” She explains.

“Oh shut up. You look amazing.” You scoff, not believing the words you were hearing. Mina looked incredible, no one would believe her if she told them she had a baby.

Once you were back home you plopped down on your bed and sighed deeply. The week had been long and your preparations to be Chanyeol’s plus one to the awards show were exhausting. You were glad to finally be home and enveloped in your cozy bed. Tomorrow was a big day for Chanyeol and you wanted to look good. It was a very public event and it could also bring in a lot of good publicity to the company. You got ready for bed, deciding that getting all the possible beauty sleep possible so you look good tomorrow.

____________________________

“Are you nervous?” Chanyeol asks, holding your hand in the back of the town car. He had picked you up to go to the awards show together. His company set him up with a town car and driver for the night so the two of you were more than ready to party. 

“A little. I’ve been to big events before obviously. But tonight it’s about you and I am nervous for you. I hope you win.” You say with a smile. You squeeze his hand in yours and rest your head against his shoulder, enjoying the comfortable car ride. 

Walking the red carpet next to Chanyeol, or, Loey was very exhilarating and exciting. It was all fast paced, flashing lights everywhere. Smiles and poses every five steps as more news reporters and media personnel took the photos and screamed Loey’s name. Asking him about his nomination and asking about the woman next to him. It was a little overwhelming for you but you were pleasantly surprised to see how well Chanyeol was handling it all, he did not seem phased at all. It was a breath of fresh air to see him in control and in his element. 

Once inside the venue you were ushered by an employee to your designated seats. You were surrounded by a lot of celebrities and talented people, it was a little intimidating. But tonight was not about you, it was about Chanyeol and you were going to be there for him and be his supportive plus one. The award show was about to begin and you sat excitedly next to him, really hoping he wins. 

After the award show there was a huge after party for all the nominee’s and Chanyeol wanted to make an appearance for at least a couple of hours. He was riding high because he won the award for Best Song and Best Producer of the Year. They were great awards and it was amazing that a new producer like Chanyeol was able to win them. You were extremely happy and proud of him and you were ready to enjoy rubbing elbows with celebrities. 

Chanyeol was introducing you to some artists he has worked with and you were trying not to be starstruck by everyone you were meeting. Seeing Chanyeol own the room in his post-win glow was very exciting and it was making you feel a certain way. Perhaps tonight was going to be the night that you put an end to your no-sex condition. Chanyeol has been able to respect it just fine and he seems to really have changed. You were just trying to protect yourself from getting hurt again, but it seems like you no longer need to worry about that. 

“Loey! Hi!” Ara exclaimed excitedly as she came up to the two of you. 

“Ara, hey.” Chanyeol smiled as he greeted her.

“Congratulations on winning tonight! You totally deserve it.” She said and then she noticed your presence. “Oh! I’m so sorry! I’m just yapping away and I haven’t greeted you, that is very disrespectful of me!” Ara apologizes and bows to you, making you a little uncomfortable.

“Oh it’s okay Miss Ara, no need to bow or apologize.” You say, giving her a small smile. 

“Well I’m pretty sure part of the reason both Chanyeol and I won awards tonight is thanks to your expertise! I’ve gotten a lot more work since the gala from your company.” She smiles, giving you a small squeeze on your arm. 

“Well, you are very talented so I’m sure you would have gotten there anyway.” You smile, happy to see that great talent is getting recognized.

“Well, I better go and mingle. My manager wants me to get connections.” She says with an eye roll. “Have a great night you two.” She leaves with a wink, making both you and Chanyeol laugh. 

“She’s so sweet.” You comment, giving your attention back to Chanyeol.

“She is. She’s like the little sister I never had.” He muses, a soft smile gracing his lips.

“Aw, that’s cute.” You tease, thinking it was adorable he was looking out for other rookie artists.

“Hey, so there’s something I want to talk to you about.’ He says, making you arch your eyebrow. He sounded quite serious, which was unusual for him.

“What is it?” You ask, letting Chanyeol guide you back to your table and sit down. 

“So just before I picked you up tonight my manager called. You remember I told you about a new artist I’m helping out?” He asks.

“Oh yeah! The Korean-Japanese girl… umm… Arisa, right?” You say, remembering the conversation you had a while ago. 

“Yes, her. Well we already recorded her whole album and I recorded two songs with her. They are releasing her album tomorrow.” He explains.

You nod, not really knowing where he is going with this. That’s great. I’m sure she is going to do great with sales.” You say enthusiastically.

“Well, the thing is, she has already created a great response and they decided to have a tour and they want me to join them to help oversee and to perform with her on the songs we collaborated.” Chanyeol explained.

“Well that’s amazing! It’s a great opportunity for the both of you!” You say, genuinely happy for him.

“Yes, well you see, her label wants her to start her tour in Japan and then come to Korea.” He further explains. Now you understand where he was going with this.

“I see. Well how long will you be in Japan?” You ask.

“About two weeks. She is doing two concerts in Tokyo, one in Osaka, one in Kobe and Sapporo.” He says, hoping you won't be upset.

“Oh wow. Busy schedule. Well, it’s part of the job, right? When do you leave?” You ask, a little disappointed to hear he was going to be gone for a long time.

“We leave in five days.” He says, eyeing your reaction.

“Oh.” You say, surprised. You did not expect him to be leaving so soon. “Well that’s sudden. But I am so excited for you!” You say, hugging him and hoping he doesn’t hear the slight disappointment in your voice. 

“Thank you, I really appreciate your support. I know it’s a lot at such a short notice. But this opens up new business opportunities.” He explains, squeezing you tight. “Besides,  you could always come and stay with me for a couple of days.” He suggests with a smile, hoping you agree to go to Japan.

“Yeah, most definitely. I think that would be fun.” You agree with a smile, enjoying the rest of the night with Chanyeol. 

____________________________

“Okay, well have a good concert. I miss you too, okay bye.” You hang up, focusing back on the work in front of you.

“Who were you talking to?” Jungkook asks, coming into your office and plopping down on a chair in front of you.

“Chanyeol.” You mutter, focusing your attention on the important information in front of you. Your deadline was approaching and you needed it to be done before you left for Japan on Friday. 

“Oh cool! I can’t believe you are not taking me to Japan with you.” Jungkook pouts. He really wanted to go to a concert but he could not afford it. 

“Sorry darling, I’ll see if he has tickets for a concert here in Seoul.” You offer, already knowing Chanyeol was going to agree.

“You’re the best noona! Thank you!” He hugged you and exited your office, finally letting you focus on your work. You sent a quick text to Chanyeol and got back to work, eager to be done for the day.

“So have you finished packing?” Mina asks, eating popcorn from the comfort of your bed. You were leaving for Japan in two days and you wanted to get your packing all over and done with. Your suitcase was open on top of your bed and you needed to finish packing a few more essentials. You did not want to wait until the last minute to pack and you knew your next two days were going to be long days at work because you needed to finish your current project before you left. 

“Obviously not since I’m still putting things into the suitcase.” You mutter, rolling your eyes at her question. 

“Well can you please hurry, I want to start the movie.” She whines, flailing her legs like a child throwing a tantrum.

“Girl shut up. I won’t let you drag me to a midweek movie night next time.” You grumble, annoyed at her whining.

“Okay fine. What else do you need to pack?” She asked, figuring you are going to be done faster if she helps you out.

“All I need is for you to help me choose between these two.” You say, holding up two sets of lingerie. A black one and a white one. They were both sexy but you could not choose between the two.

“Oooh are you finally going to get dicked down by Chanyeol?” She asks, choosing the black set. Claiming that it was sexier and he has already seen you naked so it spiced things up.

“Well that’s a vulgar way of putting it but yes. I think it’s finally time to put that issue to bed… pun intended.” You laugh, putting the black lacey set into your suitcase.

“Okay, I am finished, let’s go watch that movie.” You say, zipping up your suitcase and leaving it near your bedroom door.

Your phone dinged with a notification and you saw that Chanyeol had replied and sent you an email with the printable tickets for the Seoul concert. Jungkook was going to be so excited. 

You texted him back, thanking him and wishing him good luck with the concert. They were on the last week of the Japan portion of the tour and you were going to their last show and flying back to Seoul with Chanyeol. Your relationship had been going extremely well and you didn’t miss him much because he called you every day and would tell you about the concerts and promos they had. It seems like Chanyeol really grew up and that made you very happy.

____________

‘What the hell is going on?’ You think as you make your way to your office this morning, everyone you passed was murmuring and giving you side glances. Every time you made direct eye contact with someone, they would look the other way and it was starting to feel very awkward.

“Noona, hey…”Jungkook came up to you with a manic look on his face. He grabbed your arm and quickly pulled you towards your office.

“Jungkook, what the hell? What’s going on?” You question him, trying to pull your arm from his vice-like grip. He didn’t let go and didn’t stop until you were inside your office. There, he let go of your arm and closed your office door behind him.

“Okay, now will you tell me what’s going on?” You ask, annoyed at how he uses his muscles to manhandle you.

“You really don’t know what’s going on?” He asks you incredulously. You raise your eyebrow in further confusion and he curses under his breath. 

“Okay, please sit down. You need to see this.” Jungkook instructs. He was making you very nervous and you did not understand his strange behavior.

“Jungkook, you are making me nervous, this better be important.” You say, annoyed at the fact that aside from manhandling you he hasn’t said much else. 

He ignores you as he turns on your computer and opens the web browser, typing something into the search bar.

“Look.” He says softly, moving out of the way so you could read the screen. 

No matter how odd Jungkook was acting, you were not prepared to see what was on the screen. 

                                         Love Blooms In Japan!

                     Award-Winning Producer Loey Spotted Leaving 

                            Muse Arisa’s Hotel Early This Morning!

                          Loey Leaving Kobe International Hotel Early

                          This Morning Accompanied By His Manager

                                And His Personal Protection Service.

                                It Seems As Though More Than Music

                    Has Been Happening Between This Musical Genius

                                                  And His Muse!

 You read the news article over and over, trying to make sense of what it meant.

“Jungkook, does he not stay at the same hotel as Arisa?” You ask, since it seems like Jungkook knows more about your boyfriend than you do.

“During the whole tour, Loey and Arisa have been staying in different hotels per her manager's request. Loey was staying in the Four Seasons in Kobe while Arisa was staying at Kobe International. So the fact that Loey left her hotel this morning…”

“Means he stayed there the night.” You finish for him, finally connecting the dots.

“Yeah… It might be nothing, but I felt like you needed to know.” He says, and you hate the pity you hear in his voice.

“Well that explains why everyone was staring at me, like I’m some kind of joke.” You huff, annoyed that you were some kind of cheap entertainment for these people.

“Noona, you’re not a joke. Loey is….. A jackass. I’m really sorry.” He did sound apologetic, not like he was pitying you. He placed a hand on your shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze.

“So I guess you no longer want the tickets I got you for the Seoul concert?” You ask, raising your eyebrow slightly. 

“No, he is a bastard.” Jungkook huffs, making you laugh. 

“Okay, well, I am leaving them in my inbox. If you want them, I am not going to hold that against you.” You wink, laughing at the cheeky smile he gives you as he leaves your office. 

You sigh and look at the monitor once again, refreshing the web browser and seeing more pictures and articles pop up. 

There were photos of Chanyeol and Arisa at an after party drinking and dancing, other photos of them getting into a taxi and some more of them kissing in front of the hotel entrance and going into the hotel hand-in-hand. 

The evidence was all there, staring you in the face. You really thought that Chanyeol had changed, that his player days were over. You couldn’t believe you let yourself fall for his changed-person pretext.  You ruined everything you loved for...what? A man that claimed he changed but didn’t? You let out a huff, shaking your head in disbelief at your idiocy. 

You finally had enough.

Me: We are done. Lose my number and get the fuck out of my life. I never want to see you again. 

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[dragynkeep]

Qrow & Raven vs Tyrian & Hazel

Tyrian: 

Strengths 

- Speed. He’s one of the fastest fighters perfectly capable of keeping up with Qrow, and since both Qrow and Raven are evenly matched in speed, it’s fair to say Tyrian can keep up with Raven too.  - Acrobatics. Not just in his fighting style, but in the way he can use his environment also. If he’s in a place with various levels, he can use them to gain any advantage he can, though it’s less useful in more open areas.   - Semblance. His Semblance is a pretty useful one, as even his opponents’ Aura can’t protect them if he gets his hands on them. A downside, however, is that he needs to physically touch their body, as Clover managed to avoid getting his Aura spliced by blocking Tyrian’s hands with his weapon, which both Qrow and Raven wield.   - Prehensile Tail. That thing is far more flexible than an actual scorpion tail should be but I’m not here to argue biology in a show with cat people.  - Venom. Fast acting to boot, Qrow was almost on death’s door in just half a day. Add in combination that Tyrian can splice through Aura without breaking it first, he can slice and poison opponents at first chance he gets. - Intelligence. Tyrian knows how to spot and pick at one’s weak points, emotionally crippling them. He managed to get right under the usually chill and cocky Mercury’s skin just by saying something over his abusive father. If he figures out Qrow or Raven’s weakpoints, he could deal some serious blows, but I think Raven has far more control over herself in battle compared to Qrow, who’s been pretty hurt over the loss in his life and the curse he believes he is. 

Weaknesses 

- Mediocre at Long Range. Besides his mounted wrist guns, Tyrian doesn’t have many options for long distance. From his fight with Qrow in V4, his guns don’t seem to have that much range in them, and he barely uses them after, preferring to get up close and personal. Given that Qrow and Raven have the ability to put distance between them and their opponents by turning into birds, this can be a problem for Tyrian.  - Personality. Tyrian has a problem of taking a bit too much pleasure in the kill. Repeatedly over his fights, he tends to stop midway to pontificate or savour something before going for the final strike. This has already bitten him in the ass since his slow ways of taking Ruby out the fight allowed Qrow to reach the scene of the fight and save her, ultimately leaving Ruby fit enough to rejoin the fight and ultimately take Tyrian’s original tail. Raven and Qrow won’t let him have too many breaks in an all out fight. 

Hazel:

Strengths  

- Strength. Hazel’s one of the most physically strongest characters in the show, easily outweighing both Qrow and Raven. While Raven and Qrow are certainly faster and has greater agility, if Hazel managed to land a hit on them, it will hurt. - Durability. It’s noted in the show that Hazel’s Aura regeneration is unlike anyone that the heroes had ever seen. Not only does this protect his body from damage, but it means that he can keep it running faster than Qrow or Raven can wear him down, unless they hit him with some serious force that might be possible with Raven’s Maiden Powers.   - Semblance. Feeling no pain would normally not be so useful, and actively harmful in certain situations, but combined with Hazel’s unnatural Aura amount and regeneration rate, this actually works in his favour. Since a person can still feel the pain despite having Aura to protect from actual damage, they can reasonably be stunned from pain if hit hard enough, but Hazel doesn’t have that weakness. Downside is that he wouldn’t know when his body is straight up starting to give up until the effects become apparent.    - Dust Use. Hazel uses dust outside of the typical bullets by injecting raw crystals into his arms, giving him augmented speed and strength, as well as the ability to use both fire and lightning as seen in his only fight in the show. The use of these projectiles give him the ability to go more long distance than he usually is able to, and has the side effects of burning and electrocuting Raven or Qrow if he manages to hit them.

Weaknesses 

- Speed. Besides the use of lightning dust, Hazel isn’t exactly a very speedy person. Realistically, he wouldn’t, given his large frame meaning he has to sacrifice speed for strength. When against Qrow and Raven, who are both very fast and athletic fighters, Hazel would have difficulty in hitting either of them, especially since the blows he managed to get on Qrow in Haven happened because Qrow also had to worry about protecting Oscar.   - Lacking Without Dust. Ultimately, Dust is what turns Hazel from a extremely durable fighter to a serious threat. Take the Dust away or wait until he runs out of crystals, and he loses not only the long range options listed above, but his augmented speed that gives him more of a chance against fast fighters. - Strategy. Really, Hazel doesn’t really show the initiative for strategy? Granted, we’ve only had one fight that he actively partakes in, but even then he just constantly charges and tries to hit his opponents. Unlike Tyrian, he doesn’t really try using cheap tricks or manipulation to gain an advantage, and when he manages to get any lucky shot, it’s more based on the characters acting outside his influence, e.g. him punching Qrow into space because he was trying to protect Oscar, who Hazel would’ve hit instead if Qrow hadn’t pushed the kid outta the way.

Raven: 

Strengths  

- Speed & Agility. Similar to Qrow, Raven is up there alongside Tyrian and way above Hazel, meaning that however fast Tyrian can zip around and use his surroundings to fight, Raven can match him.  - Versatility. Raven has far more in her arsenal than Tyrian and Hazel. On top of her weapon, Semblance, magic in both the Maiden Powers and her bird form granted by Ozpin, she has shown impressive ability to use them all together during her fight with Qrow and Cinder.   - Her Weapon. Raven’s sword has numerous blades that’re made from various types of Dust, giving her spares to wield in the event that the blade of her sword shatters. However, seen in her fight with Cinder, these blades seem more flimsy than other weapons and shatter way more often, and with Raven only having a finite amount of Dust blades, she runs the risk of running out and losing a valuable part of her arsenal and fighting style.  - Semblance. Normally, Raven’s Semblance wouldn’t be that big of an advantage in a fight, since she can only teleport to those she has formed a bond with. Meaning that while she can escape the fight with Tyrian and Hazel, she’d have no means of returning once she’s gone due to no one being there. However, with the addition of Qrow on the battlefield, someone confirmed to have a bond with Raven and allow her to teleport to him, she can reasonably use her Semblance to teleport herself to Qrow, or Qrow to herself, meaning that separating them would be a difficult task to do. - Maiden Powers. As the Spring Maiden, Raven has access to abilities that outclass normal people in the world of Remnant. She can fly, deflect bullets, have access to the elements, can create storms, and her powers are not connected to her Aura like a Semblance is, meaning that here’s no end to what she can do even if her Aura breaks. However, it’s still connected to Raven’s ability to fight, meaning that if she is too exhausted, there’s nothing she can do, similar to Amber and Cinder. - Bird Form. Similar to her Maiden Powers, Raven’s ability to transform into a bird is not reliant on her Aura and has the same advantage of being a technically infinite ability that doesn’t impact on Raven. In use of fighting, her bird form gives her more agility to outmanoeuvre other opponents, especially larger and slower ones like Hazel, allowing her to move into more prime positions to strike back.  - Intelligence. Similar to Tyrian, Raven is supposedly a clever and sneaky woman, capable of manipulating people into situations that end in her favour. While I don’t think she can easily manipulate Tyrian and Hazel like she did Cinder, her intelligence also means she isn’t as easily ruffled by Tyrian as other characters may be. 

Weaknesses 

- Big Ego. A problem with her complete faith in her cleverness and ability to survive. Raven thinks too highly of it, and it’s shown that this is her downfall with Raven refusing to acknowledge any problems in her plans, e.g. stealing a Relic from an immortal witch who would no doubt hunt Raven down and kill her for it. Since it appears that only Yang can get under Raven’s hardened layer and make her acknowledge her mistakes, with not even Qrow there, Raven is going to have a hard time accepting when she’s just not as smart as she thinks, especially against an equally smart and adaptive player in Tyrian. - Fighting Style. While it’s more than her fighting style, Raven has a tendency to copy Yang in that she tries to fight harder rather than smarter. Since her arrogance in her strength and capabilities, along with having taken the Spring Maiden’s powers, Raven more often than not prefers brute shows of strength and magic as opposed to deflect and evasive tactics. She does take cheap shots, such as freezing Cinder’s feet and using her sword to stop her fall only to kick an approaching Cinder again, she does have a preference.   

Qrow: 

Strengths  

- Versatile Weapon & Fighting. Qrow has one of the most combinations in his weapon compared to the more straight forward weapons in RWBY, similar to Blake’s Gambol Shroud. It can be a giant sword, a shotgun, or a scythe, and all of the various forms give Qrow a new set of pros and cons in his fighting, including range, speed and strength. On top of that, he’s shown to be quick on his feet and use whatever he has to fight, including punches, kicks and even any debris around to hit his opponents for him. Out of the fighters in this ask, this versatility outranks even Raven’s.   - Speed. Similar to Raven, Qrow has the speed to keep up with Tyrian and run circles around Hazel.   - Bird Form. All the pros and cons that are listed up in Raven’s category, save for that Qrow has actually been shown to use his bird form in fighting, while Raven has limited herself to using it for spying and retreating.  - Semblance. Qrow’s Semblance is a double edged sword. While he can amp it up to affect his enemies and trip them up so that he has an opportunity to strike, it can also affect Raven. Since he also has no control over it aside from purposely increasing its influence, and is unable to turn it off, Qrow’s Semblance is both an advantage and disadvantage in a fight since he’s fighting with a partner rather than on his own.  - Observant. Likely because of how his Semblance works, Qrow is shown to be far more observant than even Tyrian on the battlefield, looking for weaknesses in the surrounding environment to use to deal damage against his opponents.    - Strength & Durability. Even with all his other strengths, Qrow has been shown to actually possess some considerable strength and durability, able to take numerous blows from not only Tyrian, but Hazel himself, without his Aura breaking and still being capable of fighting afterwards. His strength comes from wielding his heavy weapon; Harbinger, and is shown to punch and kick hard enough to send Tyrian, another fully grown man, several feet away from him.  

weaknesses 

- Semblance. As noted above, since Raven is also on the battlefield with Qrow, his Semblance would affect her just as much as it would affect Tyrian and Hazel.   - Weak Teamwork. Given that he prefers, or at least forces himself, to work alone because of his Semblance, Qrow doesn’t really have the ability to fight well alongside other people. Given that most of his fights are alone, or 1 v 1 in the situation that other people are fighting around him like the Battle at Haven. The few times he actively fights with partners is with Clover, and it could be argued that Clover’s own Semblance likely calmed Qrow down enough to fight without having worry about his Semblance affecting others.  - Personal Blindness to Tyrian. Now, I’m not here to argue the validity of Qrow somehow managing to manipulate Qrow into teaming up against Clover, but Qrow has repeatedly shown that he has a grudge against Tyrian and that his grudge does affect his judgement. Given what happened in the show, it is feasible that his anger towards Tyrian would impact his abilities and focus.   

Verdict: Mixed. It makes sense how Tyrian and Hazel managed to kill most of Mistral’s Huntsmen, some implied to be Qrow’s friends and likely around his own age, so they would no doubt be a serious threat even to Raven and Qrow. However, the addition of Raven’s Maiden Powers tips the scale more in their favour.

Honestly? I think the Branwen twins would win, if by a scrape. 

[uwuwriting]

My OCs

Okay okay so these are my OCs, I’m sorry if their names aren’t really Japanese I googled most of their names back when I started creating them. I hope you enjoy them and well let's get started. I didn’t include Sky aka Shirakumos daughter even though technically she is one of my OCs, I felt that since I have introduced her in my fics *by name* I’ll leave her a rather blank slate for yall *I can describe her as well if yall want that though*. Hope you like them and yes some of the quirks were inspired by Avatar. Love ya💖💖💖

Kenushima Akane

 Akane is in her mid 20s, her birthday is on 30th of December making her a Capricorn and is part of our favorite villain group, the LoV. She was the eldest child of two pro heroes who married because it would satisfy the media and boost their careers. She had two younger siblings, the twins Annya and Arakan. She is around 5’7 (170cm) with fairly long auburn hair which are always braided so they don’t get in her way, amber eyes and a burn mark on her right shoulder from a small scuffle with our favorite fire user. Her hair and eyes become a dark red when she uses her quirk making her even more menacing. She wears a black mask over her eyes, keeping that way her identity a secret and a rather tight uniform consisting of black leather overall-shorts matched with a black-red plaid shirt and thigh highs with black military boots. Her weapon of choice is anything you can swing. Her quirk is a powerful blood bending type which she inherited from her mothers’ side. She can control the blood in someones’ system to the point of a heart attack or a stroke. Once the blood is out of the persons’ system she can still wield it, sharpening it into a blade like shape and cut through both flesh and bone, the new blood adding to the power of her makeshift blade. Her limits begin when she gets a nose bleed followed by either her eyes or ears starting to bleed as well; the final stage is giving herself a heart attack but she has never reached that point thankfully. It’s a self-destructive quirk since she pushes her body’s boundaries everytime she activates it, making her vulnerable to diseases after a particularly hard fight. She is a master of many forms of martial arts, kicking anyone's ass without even having to use her quirk.  Her family is wreck *lmao*. Since her parents married out of convenience the kids were results of moments of weakness between the two adults. Her household wasn’t very affectionate, partnered with her fathers’ constant absence and negligence and her mothers overly obsessive quirk demands, her relationships soon turned abusive. Excessive training and brutal punishments were her mothers’ tactics to ensure a picture perfect quirk state which she could boast about in the media. Her father was a decent figure during the sparse moments when he was actually in the house. He treated his kids with some trace of humanity and not like objects but he too didn’t really care. Everything went downhill when rumours of affairs surfaced and her mother lost her senses, killing their father on the kitchen floor before getting to the children. Akane tried to protect her siblings but was easily tossed aside by her mother and she doesn’t remember what actually happened that night. The only thing she knows for sure is that she was now an orphan and one sibling short, losing both her home and her brother that night. She didn’t stay in foster care for long since she dipped, joining a group of castaways called the Deck. Due to her quirk she was named the Queen of Hearts and became one of the most feared and powerful villains in Japan. Soon she joined the LoV after Shiggy approached her, officially meeting Dabi *who is her s/o btw lol*. She’s still close with her little sister Annya and owns a bookstore so she won’t have to steal. She has morals *shocker*, killing only those who have comitted crimes varying from abuse to murder or fraud. She is against useless killing and would prefer to clear the streets from scum rather than litter it with herself. She’s kinda like an anti-hero. She joined the LoV so she could have easier access to the insights of the hero industry and slowly help take out those hero frauds. She likes cooking Mexican food, her favorite animal is the fox and she is deathly afraid of spiders to the point she once burned her table using a lighter and hairspray because she had seen a spider on it. All in all she is a lovely person *I think*.

Kenushima Annya

Annya is 15 and part of class 1-A, her birthday is on the 3rd of January *like me heh* making her a Capricorn. She is the youngest of a twin set and has an older sister, while her parents were pros. She is around 5’7 (170cm) with shoulder length dark brown hair, amber eyes and faint lightning like scars scaling down both of her arms. Dark lavender streaks appear in her hair when she over uses her quirk and her scars shine the same color many times pulsating along with the surges of her blasts. Her uniform consists of a tight black crop top with azure and magenta details alongside black pants, black boots which are specially designed to give her extreme jumping power helping her also levitate for a short period so she can unleash her attacks and lastly gloves that cover almost all of her scars *also black with the same patterns as the top*. Has basic combat skills but she mostly prefers to rely on her quirk. Speaking of her quirk, she has a combo of a water and a lightning quirk making her able to easily electrocute others without short circuiting like Kami. She can control any form of water, making her easily overpowered in seaside missions but she can also control any liquid which has some water in it. However she cannot create water from thin air, like Shoto can make ice, and she can’t freeze it. Much like her sister she uses water mostly as a whip or a blade. Lightning is used mainly as one of her ultimate moves since she doesn’t have full control over it and it tends to hurt her scars when she does use it. She can let the purple strings of light course through her and hit her target with incredible force making her excellent for range attacks. Just like her sister she reaches her limits when her nose starts to bleed and she can pass out from dehydration  due to her quirk using up some of the water inside of her body with each attack. Now for her family life. She was a late bloomer and that was unacceptable according to her mother. She didn’t showcase signs of having a quirk until the age of 9 when her mother attacked her and her siblings. In a fit of rage and despair her mother tried killing her for ruining the familys’ image with her quirklessness. Her twin brother tried to save her from her mother *just like Akane did* only to be tossed aside as well, hitting the back of his head on a nearby table. Seeing both of her siblings on the ground *and almost being choked to death by her abuser* Annya activated her quirk, losing complete control over her powers resulting in her scars and the death of her mother. Arakan was pronounced dead on arrival leaving the two girls the only surviving members of the Kenushima family. After Akane’s disappearance, Annya was moved from home to home for about a year before being adopted by a couple and living as much of a normal life as she could. Her mental health isn’t the best as one can imagine, suffering from PTSD from the incident and having self hating tendencies. Becoming a hero is her way of proving to herself that she’s not a monster and that she can indeed help others. In class 1-A she tends to hang out with the Dekusquad and two other girls who I’ll introduce down the line. Her hero name is Electra and her s/o is Shoto *lol siblings are dating siblings tf*. She likes Autumn and Winter, loves going ice skating, has many plants in her room and loves watching horror movies with her friends.

Aizawa Kaiya

Kaiya is 15 and part of class 1-A despite her father being the homeroom teacher. Her birthday is on the 19th of June making her a Gemini. She sports the legendary jet black hair, her hair is also pretty long so she always has to braid it or put it up in a ponytail and she has egirl bangs *I don’t know how else to describe them*. Her eyes are a striking azure and she has dyed the tips of her hair the same color. Ya girl is shorter than the Kenushimas, barely reaching 5’2 (160cm). Her hero costume consists of black cargo pants with multiple pockets, a black turtleneck and chest straps(?) around her waist and collarbone finishing the look with black military boots. Sometimes she might wear a gas mask which helps her control her breathing.  Now for her quirk. It’s some type of psychic power, she can hear people’s thoughts making it easy for her to know what they are about to do, giving her the upper hand almost every time, but she can aslo channel her own and others thoughts and make dark shards out of them. These shards can be thrown with amazing speed or create a protective wall in front and above her. Her quirk ,though drains her very easily, making it hard to breath and walk in a straight line. She gets light headed while the voices inside her head get overly loud. Through practice she can push her boundaries and use more of her quirks’ power. Lastly in order for her to hear your thoughts she needs to see you. Once she sees you for even a quarter of a second, she can see into your head even long after you have left her line of sight. Her family life is very calm compared to the Kenushimas. She is the daughter of Aizawa’s sister who vanished when Kaiya was five. Having no one else to care for her since her real father wasn’t in the picture, Aizawa took his niece in and raised her as his own. She was too little to remember her mother and for years she believed that Shouta was her actual dad but Dadzawa did tell her the truth. Nothing really changed, she still calls him dad and they have a lovely father-daughter relationship. She loves Eri and loves being her older sister, playing with her, doing her hair and taking her to the dorms to meet her friends. She has a pet cat named Majesty who she uses to bribe Aizawa to buy snacks. She likes rainy days, beating Shinsou’s ass during training, being pinned by Shinsou while training, Halloween, cats and fluffy blankets. She is friends with mostly Annya, Shinsou and Sky but she doesn’t mind hanging out with the Deku or the Baku squads. Her hero name is Calypso. Her s/o is Shinsou much to Aizawa’s dismay. He is salty because this happened right under his nose, Dadzawa was too busy looking out for the 1-A boys that he completely ignored his trainee pinning his daughter down during training *he is really glad that she likes Shinsou bc he knows that he is a good kid*.

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[aquaminwrites]

Fake Love | Jung Hoseok (M)

PAIRING: Jung Hoseok x F!Reader, mentions of Namjin

GENRE: Fake dating AU, enemies to lovers, fluff, smut, minor angst

WARNINGS: Explicit sexual content, dirty talk, slight dom!Hoseok

WORD COUNT: 16.2k

DESCRIPTION: Every year, your family spends the holidays at your parents’ cottage in the country. Freshly single and not wanting to be picked apart by your family for being alone, you decide to recruit one of your friends to pretend to be your boyfriend. The only available volunteer? Your brother Namjoon’s roommate, Hoseok. Only problem? He absolutely hates your guts.

I should get up, you think to yourself. Daylight is precious in the dead of winter, and you’ve probably already wasted at least half of it wallowing in self-pity. You’re lying in bed, duvet pulled high over your head, wondering exactly how and when your life took such a left turn.

Breakups have never been easy for you. You’d always had trouble when it came to dating—you’d always described yourself as the girl that no one would fall in love with, but who had a lot of friends. You were social, flitting around with ease between one group of friends to another, but you had always wondered if your absence would be noted if you were to just stop showing up to parties or work functions.

But then you met Jackson.

The office you worked in had a Christmas party three years ago, back when you’d just been an intern and were keep on rising through the ranks to a full-time position. You were well liked, always offering a helping hand to anyone who asked and generally did your best not to make waves. You didn’t know what to expect when you showed up at the bar, which had been totally rented out for you and your colleagues. You also didn’t really know anyone at the party—the one other intern that you’d befriended having gone home for the holidays—so you’d just lingered by the bar on your own, silently surveying the crowd.

Jackson had come to join you, muttering something about how he hated office Christmas parties. You weren’t sure if he’d been speaking to you, or just muttering to himself, but the smooth, dulcet tones of his voice had you turning to look at him.

He was handsome. More than handsome—he looked like he just strolled out of a men’s fashion magazine, wearing a black turtleneck, a dark grey blazer, and a pair of ironed dress pants. He held a glass that held two thimblefuls of amber liquid that he casually sipped as he leaned against the dark oak of the bar. He tilted his chiseled jaw in your direction with an eyebrow raised, and you hoped he hadn’t caught you openly staring.

“I don’t know if I’ve seen you around the office before,” he noted with a curious glint to his eyes.

“I’m just an intern,” you admitted, breaking eye contact to fiddle with the sleeve of your dark green crushed velvet dress.

“Not just an intern,” the man corrected, leaning his elbow against the bar so that he could turn to fully face you. You offered up the same courtesy, though, you felt heat rushing to your cheeks as you realized just how close he’d been standing. He held out his hand, a warm smile on his face. “I’m Jackson, by the way.”

“Y/N,” you replied, feeling the warmth of his palm pressing against yours. “Nice to meet you.”

And that’s how your relationship with him began. It was a whirlwind, the two of you falling in love hard and fast. Within the first three months, you’d moved into his penthouse apartment, and you’d both met each other’s parents. Jackson had been a blessing in your life, teaching you what it meant to be in love and how to love another person. Your happiest memories were of his smiling face, of him telling you for the first time that he loved you, and the nights that you two explored one another’s bodies until the sun came up.

There was so much good in your relationship that it felt easy to slip into a false sense of security. You’d been hired on as a full-time employee at the company, taking on additional responsibilities and getting your own cubicle on a different floor. Jackson had been working hard as well, his eye on a big promotion that would have bumped him up to a six-figure salary if he landed it.

Of course, he did. And it was when he did that things started to fall apart.

He was never home. He always promised that he would make it in time for dinner, than he would spend the weekend with you and work wouldn’t be involved. He made reservations at restaurants, and wouldn’t show up. He’d take you to the movies, but have to leave halfway through to make an important phone call. On your third anniversary, as he was balls deep inside of you in an expensive hotel room, his cell phone rang and he actually had the audacity to stop and answer.

The breakup had been mutual, though it had been you who initiated the conversation. You loved Jackson, and part of you still does. But he was married to his job, loved it more than anything. It was his priority, not you. And to his credit, he’d admitted his faults and that he’d been a neglectful partner. You knew that you hadn’t been the best girlfriend either, not wanting to try to communicate with him because you were scared he would just leave you for someone better.

It’s been about two months since the two of you ended your relationship. You hear he’s dating someone else. Someone as handsome as him never stays single for long.

With his promotion, Jackson had also become your boss. And after your mutual split, working under him proved to be too difficult. So after a week of severe anxiety about even setting foot into the building and living in a hotel, you quit your job and had to find a new apartment.

The only saving grace had been that your older brother, Namjoon, knew that there was an empty apartment in his building, on his floor. You’d moved in without much thought, glad to have family nearby. Namjoon was only a year older than you, so the two of you were extremely close. You were the first person he’d told when he started dating his boyfriend, knowing that all you cared about was his happiness. Namjoon had started seeing Seokjin about a year ago, and the two are still going strong.

As for the job part, you’re still figuring that one out. Thankfully you have enough savings to last you for a while, but finding employment was definitely something at the top of your list. Right underneath ‘Get out of bed’.

Having your brother as your down-the-hall neighbour has its pros and cons. One pro is that you sometimes buy groceries for him and vice versa, the two of you always looking out for one another and making sure your pantries are always full.

One con is that Namjoon has a key to your place. And he likes to use it.

“Sis, where are you?” Namjoon calls from your front hallway. “I thought you were coming over for lunch today. Jin’s already here.”

You tug the blanket higher over your head, releasing a whine. You hear Namjoon’s socked feet padding towards you, and the sigh of disapproval at your current state.

“You have to get out of bed sometime, you know?” He says, and you can hear his frown before you see it. “It’s been two months, Y/N. You can’t just stay in bed all day. You’ve barely unpacked your apartment.”

You grumble, though you know he’s right. You don’t have that many belongings, nor is the apartment even that big. But you still have boxes in stacks in the corner of your living room, the bare minimum having been unpacked before you began to sink into the pool of self-pity that you find yourself in now.

You feel a light tug at the duvet before it’s yanked halfway down our body, exposing you to what remains of the afternoon sun. You’re in your typical pyjamas, an oversized shirt and shorts, and with how quickly Namjoon had ripped the sheets off, you begin to shiver and pout.

“Fuck you, fine, give me fifteen minutes to shower and freshen up,” you groan, blindly grabbing your pillow and swinging it in Namjoon’s direction.

Your brother dodges the blow and hops backwards, opening all your curtains and flicking on every light switch he can find. You haven’t moved yet, but you shout an affirmative when you hear him asking if you’re awake yet by the front door. He leaves you to your own devices, and not wanting to keep him and Seokjin waiting, you stumble out of bed and towards your bathroom.

The shower does you good and you examine your reflection in the mirror. The dark circles under your eyes haven’t gone away, no matter how many daytime naps you’ve taken over the past few weeks. You swipe some concealer under your eyes so you don’t look like a total corpse, slip on some leggings and a sweater, and tie up your wet hair in a bun.

With whatever remaining energy you have, you trudge down the hall to Namjoon’s apartment, rapping lightly on the door. You hear shuffling inside, and the unmistakable sound of Seokjin’s windshield wiper laughter. The door finally swings open, revealing the last person in the world you ever want to see.

“Wow, Y/N, you look like shit,” Hoseok says with a smirk, as if his insult is in any way charming. You shoulder your way past him into the apartment.

Jung Hoseok has been the bane of your existence since your junior year of high school. He was a transfer student, same age as your brother. Namjoon had been the one to take Hoseok under his wing when he’d first arrived, and the two of them quickly became best friends. But for some reason, he absolutely hated you. Whenever you were around, he would only ever tease you and try to get a reaction out of you, and you could never figure out what you had done to make him treat you this way. It’s infuriating, to say the least.

“What are you doing here? I thought you were going home for the holidays,” you grunt, not expecting your brother’s best friend and roommate to still be home so close to Christmas. Usually, Hoseok spends the holidays with his parents and his sister, and you don’t have to deal with him being a total pain in the ass whenever you come to visit Namjoon.

“My parents decided to go to Europe on vacation, and my sister is with her boyfriend’s family for Christmas,” Hoseok shrugs. “So I’m stuck here. Aren’t you lucky?”

You roll your eyes, heading towards the kitchen where you hear Seokjin trying to keep Namjoon away. “Lucky as a heart attack.”

“Y/N!” Seokjin cries when he sees you, his arms opening so you can shuffle into his grasp for a hug. “There you are. Namjoon and I were taking bets on how much longer it would take for you to get here. I beat him by one minute, so now he owes me a shoulder massage.”

“You cheated!” Namjoon pouts as he sets the table. You notice that he places down four sets of cutlery, and you inwardly groan knowing Hoseok will be joining you. “You just guessed one minute sooner than what I guessed, then she happened to walk through the door.”

Seokjin tuts. “Strategy, love.” Though he saunters over to where Namjoon stands, pressing a sweet kiss to his forehead before hip-checking him back into action.

“Oh, that reminds me,” Namjoon pipes up as everyone takes their seats. Hoseok decides to sit across from you, in a move that you can only assume is to aggravate you further. “Don’t forget that we’re all driving down to Mom and Dad’s cottage on Friday for Christmas.”

You give a solemn nod, and pick at the green beans on your plate. Every year, you and Namjoon join your parents for a weekend at your family’s cottage for the holidays. It’s a long-held tradition, one that you were more than happy to share with Jackson when the two of you had been dating. He’d always been the perfect buffer between you and your parents—not that you don’t love them, but they have a tendency to be a bit overbearing. They’d toned it down when you and Jackson had gotten together, and now that you’re single, you’re dreading the flood of questions and pitying looks from your mother in particular.

“Why the long face?” Hoseok questions, spearing a piece of chicken with his fork. “I thought you loved going to the cottage for the holidays.”

“She’s glum because her and Jackson broke up, so she has to carpool with us,” Seokjin supplies unhelpfully. You kick his shin under the table, earning a loud, indignant yelp.

Hoseok’s eyes widen. “You and Jackson broke up?”

“Don’t act as if Namjoon didn’t already tell you,” you scoff. “I didn’t move down the hall just for the fun of it.”

He shrugs, speaking between mouthfuls of food. “I thought maybe you two were downsizing. No need to get snippy with me, I don’t know or care about every minute detail of your life.”

You’re rolling your eyes before you even realize that it’s happening. “Maybe if you actually used your brain, or the power of observation, you’d realize that Jackson and I haven’t been together in almost two months.”

“Again,” Hoseok repeats, slower this time, as if you’re a child who can’t understand his words. “I don’t care about your life.”

“Hey,” Namjoon warns. “That’s my sister, bro.”

“Okay, let me rephrase,” Hoseok declares, tapping his long index finger against his chin. “How’s this: I don’t care, period.”

“Seokjin, babe,” Namjoon asks softly, back straight, cutting into his chicken with far too much calmness. “Where do I keep my rubber flip flops?”

“In the front hall closet,” Seokjin replies around a mouthful of food. “Why?”

Namjoon immediately focuses on Hoseok, eyes narrowing significantly. “My roommate is about to have an accident.”

You clear your throat loudly, muttering to yourself about how annoying it is that men can’t just figure their shit out with words. “I’m not upset that I have to carpool with Joonie and Seokjin, if you must know. It’s just…” Your voice gets quiet, and you can’t believe you’re voicing these fears out loud, but it’s too late to stop it now. “It’s my first Christmas in years without Jackson, you know? Even though we broke up, I really miss him. And I haven’t told my parents about it either, so now I not only have to break it to them, but also have to field all their questions about my love life, and my mother will inevitably try to set me up with one of her friend’s sons.”

Namjoon can’t help but snort. “Yeah. Remember that time she made you go on a date with her coworker’s nephew?”

“Of course I remember,” you grumble. “He took me to dinner and then tried to get me to invest in his pyramid scheme.”

Hoseok cackles, shaking his head.

You prop your elbow up on the table and place your chin in your palm, blowing few loose strands of hair from your face. “Maybe I could bribe a friend to come to the cottage and just pretend to be my boyfriend for the weekend. Mom and Dad will be shocked that Jackson isn’t there, but at least they won’t try to set me up with anyone and I can go back to wallowing in self-pity once the holidays are over.”

Namjoon considers it, his head titling from side to side. “Not the worst idea in the world, if you’re really that stressed about going alone.”

You give a nod. “You think Jungkook would want to come? He’s a little young, but at least he’s easy on the eyes.”

Seokjin shakes his head. “Jungkook and his brother are with their parents on a cruise or something. They’re not due back til after this cottage debacle is done.”

You frown. “What about Taehyung? Or Yoongi?”

“Taehyung’s got plans, and Yoongi went back home for a few days,” Namjoon responds apologetically. “I could maybe ask Jimin if he’s free.”

You shake your head. “I spoke to Jimin the other day, he’s going back home for the holidays to be with his family, too.”

Hoseok raises an eyebrow, looking around at everyone at the table. You’re purposely not making eye contact, but when he speaks, he voices the one thing you desperately do not want.

“I’ll go.”

You regard him wearily, your heart hammering in your chest. No. He did not just offer to come. “What? Why?”

Hoseok shrugs, listing off the reasons on his fingers. “My family’s not around this year, and your parents already know me. I’ve got nothing better to do, and if I’m being honest, I’m curious as to how this train wreck of a weekend is going to go.”

You frown, wanting nothing more than to faceplate into the spring mix on your plate. “I have no other option, do I?”

Hoseok smirks. “Get ready, babe. You’re in for a hell of a weekend.”

It’s just for a few days, you can survive a few days. Besides, if this is going to happen, you are absolutely writing down a list of rules for Hoseok to follow. Groaning, you decide to just accept your fate after weighing the pros and cons. When you finally agree, Hoseok blows you an exaggerated kiss, causing you to gag.

From his seat across the table, Namjoon watches the two of you with cautious eyes. He glances over at Seokjin, who just subtly shrugs his shoulders.

A hell of a weekend, indeed.

—

You end up driving down with Namjoon and Seokjin to the cottage, Hoseok having to work last minute. He had promised he would still be in time for dinner, he just needed to wrap up some stuff at his dance studio before the weekend began.

You’re about ten minutes away, the three of you driving in comfortable silence, when Namjoon turns in the passenger seat to look at you. “Are you sure this is a good idea, Y/N?”

You shrug, tucking your phone into your coat pocket. Nothing interesting is happening on social media away. “What other option do I have?”

Namjoon mimics you, his shoulders lifting nonchalantly. “Just seems like a lot of trouble just to get Mom and Dad to get off your back about being a single Pringle.”

“First off, you and Jin have been spending way too much time together,” you state with a frown. “Second, you have no idea what it’s like dealing with Mom and Dad when it comes to this stuff. They honestly worshipped the ground Jackson walked on. At least with Hoseok there, I have some sort of buffer.”

Seokjin eyes you from the rearview mirror. “Still surprises me that Hoseok was down to do it in the first place, to be honest. Are you paying him or something?”

“I offered,” you say, leaning back in your seat and watching the snow-covered trees pass by. “He said he didn’t want my money.”

Namjoon glances at Seokjin with a weary expression, but you don’t see it as you lean your head against the window.

You arrive at the cottage, which is really more like a second house. Your parents had always wanted a vacation property, working hard and making sacrifices to turn their dream into a reality. And the house was beautiful—you and Namjoon had spent many summers there as children, running through the woods behind the house until you reached the lake, splashing about without a care in the world. You spend every Christmas there as well, a long-held tradition that carries on to this day.

The cottage itself is a two-storey home with tan bricks and a wrap-around porch. White Christmas lights line the edges of the dark-shingled roof, wrapping around the porch banister and creating a pathway to the front door. There had been a decent amount of snowfall earlier that day, so some of the lights are diffused under the powdery blanket that covers the house.

Seokjin parks the car and you all file out, collecting your bags. You’re just about to ring the doorbell when the door flies open, revealing your mother, washed in the golden light emanating from inside. She’s wearing one of those god-awful patterned Christmas sweaters that Seokjin got her last year (he’s sporting a matching one, to your chagrin), with a Santa Claus hat perched atop her head.

“My babies!” She coos, dragging all three of you inside. The house smells like home, a combination of spiced scented candles and home cooking, and stepping across the threshold feels like a warm hug. Or perhaps it’s your mother’s arms locking around you, cutting off your circulation. It’s hard to tell.

“Hi Mom,” you smile, looking around. “Where’s Dad?”

She waves a hand flippantly. “Your father got a new barbecue for himself as a Christmas gift. He’s out in the backyard, bundled like a fool, cooking up more meat than we could possibly eat.”

As you, Namjoon and Seokjin file inside, you notice as your mother does a mental head count, and see the look of realization dawn on her face as she catches that there is one less ball of testosterone than she is expecting.

“Where’s Jackson?”

“Oh,” you begin sheepishly. “We, uh…you see, he’s…”

“They broke up,” Namjoon offers, taking everyone’s coats and dutifully placing them on hangers in the hall closet. “A few months ago.”

Your mother’s eyes widen and that look of pity that you hate filters into her irises. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry,” she sighs, tugging you close as you allow your body to go limp in her hold. Tears start to well in your eyes, which you don’t expect. But it’s also the first time you’re telling her about your break-up, and sometimes you just need to be held by your mom. “You know, if you’re looking, I have a coworker who has this son—”

Ah, there it is. You peel yourself away, going so far as to take a step back. “Actually, Mom, I—”

You’re cut off by the sound of the doorbell, and your mother cocks an eyebrow. She peers out of the window, and suddenly looks taken aback. She swings the door open to reveal a rosy-cheeked Hoseok, overnight bag slung over his shoulder, holding a bouquet of red roses and what looks like a pie.

“Hoseok!” Your mom says his name with a slight inflection at the end, both a statement and a question.

“Hi, Mrs. Kim,” he beams at her, and she allows him inside. “Sorry I’m late. I hope I didn’t interrupt if you guys already started dinner.”

“Oh, no, the kids just got in,” she waves off. “But…and pardon my rudeness, but what are you doing here?”

“Mom,” you interject, taking a step towards Hoseok. “That’s what I was going to tell you just now. Hoseok is…uh, he’s…”

Oh god, I’m so awkward, you chastise inwardly. Why can’t I just say it?

“We’re dating,” Hoseok offers. “Y/N didn’t tell you because she wanted it to be a surprise.”

Your mother tilts her head before she nods, a smile breaking across her face. “That’s so great! I always thought that you two disliked each other, but I suppose love always finds a way.”

“Uh, yeah,” you say unconvincingly. It’s then that you take notice of the giant bouquet of roses he’s carrying, and you point at it dumbly. “What are those for?”

Hoseok smirks, breaking character for a split second before his face transforms once again into that of an angel. “For you, Mrs. Kim,” he responds, giving a slight bow and offering the flowers to your mother. She gushes, because of course she does. She’s always considered Hoseok to be one of her favourites amongst Namjoon’s friends, and she loves roses.

“How sweet! Thank you so much!”

Hoseok’s smile grows wider at her acceptance of the gift. He then, however, plucks one rose from the bunch. “You’re welcome. Except for this one,” he says before he turns in your direction. “This one is for you.”

When you take it from his grasp, he leans down and presses a gentle kiss to the apple of your cheek. It takes all your willpower to not jump back, but to keep your feet planted where they are. You’re meant to be posing as a couple, of course he’s supposed to kiss you. So how come your heart won’t stop racing in your chest?

You decide to ignore it and just accept the rose with a bashful smile, one that has your mother in an absolute joyous fit.

“You’re too kind, Hoseok. Here, let me take that into the kitchen, and Y/N will help you with your coat. We still have some preparations to do with dinner, and Seokjin’s already offered to assist. Y/N, why don’t you bring yours and Hoseok’s bags up to your room and give him a tour? It’s been ages since he was last here.”

You mutely agree before taking Hoseok’s coat to put in the hall closet. As he sheds his layers, you can’t help but notice how nice he looks when he cleans up. His hair is styled so that it’s parted close to the middle in loose waves away from his face, and he’s sporting a thin, dark green knit sweater over a pinstriped dress shirt. It looks like he even ironed his dress pants.

“Okay, babe,” Hoseok grabs your bag as well, emphasizing the pet name. You want to gag. “Let’s go to our room.”

That was one thing that you’d somehow forgotten in this whole mess. You and Jackson had always shared your bed, which obviously was never an issue. But sharing a bed with Hoseok means…well, sharing a bed with Hoseok. And you’re pretty certain you would rather cut off both legs and serve them with Christmas dinner than have to share a bed with him.

You curse yourself for not fully thinking every detail of this arrangement through, but begrudgingly lead him upstairs nevertheless. It’s too late now. Your room at the cottage is at the end of the hall, beside Namjoon’s. You’d decorated the room as a teenager, and your parents left it largely untouched, never bothering to change it. The same went for Namjoon’s as well, except they knew not to touch anything because your brother was—and still is—so particular.

The room itself is pretty simple. It’s painted an off-white with a combination of framed art and little polaroids and other photos pinned to the walls. String lights frame the window, and there’s a dresser, and a vanity with more pictures of you and your friends throughout the years taped to the sides. It’s cozy and warm, and being here reminds you of all the happy memories of your childhood. Hoseok looks around the room with an expression that you can’t quite place before dumping his bag on the bed. He saunters over to your vanity to look at the pictures you’ve kept up there all these years.

You watch him with both curiosity and apprehension as his eyes skim over the pictures of you and Namjoon as kids, you and your best friends in high school, and you almost miss the imperceptible clench of his jaw at a strip of photo booth pictures of you and Jackson. You see where his eyes are trained and immediately stride over, placing the rose he’d gifted you earlier on the tabletop, and pulling the photo down.

He watches as you regard it with a heavy heart, noticing how you breathe out heavily through your nostrils. You look as if you want to tear up the pictures and throw them in the trash, but instead you just open one of the empty drawers of the vanity and place it gingerly inside.

“Not over him yet?” Hoseok asks, his voice quieter than you’re expecting.

You look up at him, expecting to see either mirth or pity, but surprisingly, when you look into his eyes, you see gentle understanding.

“I…” you begin, unable to maintain eye contact. You run your hand through your hair and fold your arms over your chest. “I miss him,” you admit. “But our relationship was over way before we broke up.”

Hoseok gives a nod, but doesn’t prompt you to explain any further. He just shoves his hands in his pockets and moves away from the photos, understanding that maybe he’d overstepped his bounds.

It’s then that Namjoon pops his head in the doorway.

“Hey, lovebirds,” he grins, obviously having a hard time maintaining the façade. You can’t help but roll your eyes. “Dinner’s ready.”

“We’ll be down in a second,” Hoseok states, and Namjoon just shrugs before disappearing.

You turn and give Hoseok a wry smile. “Gonna try to kiss me again or something?”

Your brain nearly short circuits the minute the words leave your mouth. Am I…flirting with Hoseok?

He snorts in reply, hands still in his pockets. “No one’s around, so nah, probably not. This weekend is just for show, remember? I know I clean up nice, but try not to fall in love with me, yeah?”

“Ah, there he is,” you say with just the slightest hint of irritation. “For a second, I thought aliens had kidnapped you and replaced you with someone who was actually tolerable.”

Hoseok holds his hands over his heart and makes a fake pained noise. “My lady, you wound me! How doth I go on in a manner such as this?”

You blink at him. “Doth?”

He just shrugs. “Don’t worry about it. Look, I just, uh…I wanted to let you know that…”

You wait for his response, unsure of what he’s about to say. Your eyes meet his, and you can see the conflict plain as day on his face. With a sigh, he shakes his head.

“Never mind. I just wanted to say that I hope this weekend goes well.”

You regard him curiously, but give a slight nod. “Yeah. Me too.”

The two of you head downstairs to find everyone else in the dining room, Namjoon and Seokjin sitting and sipping wine while chatting animatedly with your father.

Your socked feet pad along towards the delicious smell of a home cooked meal, Hoseok following close behind. You’re not used to being so physically close to him, and you can feel the warmth radiating off of his body. You try not to think about how you can smell his cologne, a delicious, perfect smell that has you biting the inside of your cheek.

You sneak a glance at him. Has his jawline always been so sharp? Admittedly, Hoseok has always been good-looking, but you’d never bothered to notice until now. You mentally slap yourself for thinking these things—this is Hoseok. Asshole extraordinaire, your brother’s best friend and roommate, and the bane of your existence since you were sixteen.

“Hoseok! Y/N!” Your mother calls as she lowers the hot dishes down onto the placemats. You turn away from Hoseok momentarily to eye her, a frown forming at the obvious giddiness filtering into her voice. She nods skyward, causing the two of you to look up as well. And then she says the one word you’d been dreading since you set foot into the cottage: “Mistletoe!”

She’s right. Pinned to the entryway into the dining room is a sprig of mistletoe, dangling over your heads. She’s evil, you concur. My mother is the devil.

Hoseok turns to you, and your eyes widen at his proximity. He smirks, that insolent, infuriating half-grin that both has your blood boiling and your heart racing. “Well, baby,” he purrs, wiggling his eyebrows. “Shall we give them a show?”

Before you have the chance to vehemently protest, One of Hoseok’s hands is on your lower back, and the other is cupping the back of your neck. He dips you down, catching you off guard. Your arms instinctively loop around his neck so you don’t fall, and in that split-second of shock, he kisses you.

Like, really kisses you.

This isn’t the peck on the cheek that he’d given you when you’d first lied to your mother about the two of you dating. The way he’s kissing you now feels different, like it’s grounded in something you can’t quite place. And, perhaps in a moment of temporary insanity, you kiss him back.

As soon as Hoseok feels your lips moving along with his, a deep groan rumbles in his chest. Your fingers curl into his hair as he presses you so close, and you swear you feel the wetness of his tongue gliding across the seam of your mouth.

Namjoon wolf-whistles and the two of you break apart before it can get too heated. A good thing, since you were starting to lose yourself in the feeling of Hoseok’s lips against yours, the gentle way in which his thumb rubs circles against your lower back. Hoseok lifts you back to standing and you immediately hide your face against his shoulder, your back to the rest of your family as he holds you close. You’d never been overly affectionate with any of your exes in front of your parents, even Jackson. So having practically made out with someone who you consider your nemesis in front of them is mortifying.

You feel his lips against your crown, almost imperceptible. You peel yourself away from him to look into his eyes, his expression unreadable. You hear someone at the table clear their throat, and it breaks the spell, causing you to take a step back, trying to hide the deep blush on your face behind your hair.

“If you’re done,” your father states in a teasing tone, “the rest of us would like to start eating.”

You bite the inside of your cheek as you and Hoseok take your seats opposite Namjoon and Seokjin. Your parents are sitting on either end of the table, Hoseok closest to your mother and you closest to your father. The spread of food on the table looks delicious, and you all start to dig in. Seokjin won’t stop piling sweet potatoes and turkey slices onto his plate, and when Namjoon scolds him for it, he proceeds to lick every item just to lay his claim.

You wonder what it’s like for your brother and his boyfriend to share one brain cell.

“So,” your father finally pipes up once everyone’s plates are full and the sounds of forks and knives clinking has filled the room. He gestures to you and Hoseok, an eyebrow raised. “When did this happen?”

You turn to look at Hoseok, realizing in your stupidity that you hadn’t come up with a backstory. Hoseok sees the apprehension in your eyes and decides to be the one to speak up.

“It was a few weeks after her and Jackson had broken up and she moved into our building,” Hoseok comments, addressing both of your parents. “I hadn’t seen Y/N in a while, since she was always working. But then one day she came over to visit Namjoon, and…” He then turns to look at you, making sure your eyes don’t stray from his. “I just thought she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, and that I was an idiot for not noticing sooner.”

Your jaw can’t help but drop just slightly at the confession, but then you remember that this is all an act. This is just so your parents will leave you alone about what happened with Jackson, and Hoseok is just a better actor than you’d ever given him credit for. It sets a sharp bitterness in your mouth, forcing you to remember that you hate Hoseok, and that he hates you too.

For some reason, though it’s been fact for the majority of your adult life, the harsh reality has your heart clenching in your chest.

“How romantic!” Your mother’s cooing interrupts your thoughts. Hoseok is smiling gently at you, and you can’t help but blush and turn away to pick at your food as you gather your thoughts.

“Yeah,” you agree, clearing your throat. “We both thought that maybe it would be a little too soon after everything that happened, but…”

“It just feels right,” Hoseok finishes for you.

You can’t help but wonder if an alien really did abduct the real Hoseok and left an imposter as a replacement, but you play along, nodding slightly.

“Yeah. It does.”

—

Dinner passes with the expected amount of painful questioning, mostly from your mom. Your dad has always stated that he trusts your judgment when it comes to the guys you date, and since he already knows Hoseok, his questions are thankfully minimal. When you’d first brought Jackson home for dinner, you were worried that he and your father wouldn’t get along. But as was in your then-boyfriend’s nature, he won them both over with his sharp wit and bold sense of humour.

You sink into your chair as the memories long since past swirl around in your mind and have you staring off into space. Hoseok seems to notice immediately and he nudges you under the table as Seokjin and your father engage in a dad-joke competition that has your mother and Namjoon each refilling their glasses of wine.

“You okay?”

Your fingers drum along the stem of your own wine glass before pushing it away. “Had too much to drink maybe. I think I have a bit of a headache.”

Hoseok frowns, glancing at the others. “Do you want to get some fresh air?”

You offer up a small smile. “Actually, yeah. That’s a great idea.”

Hoseok beams at you before pressing a kiss to your forehead, catching you off guard, and rising to his feet. “Y/N and I are going to go for a quick walk. Too much wine, you know?” You hear him joke, though the ringing in your ears that began when his lips touched your skin hasn’t stopped just yet. You take a second to gather yourself, ignoring Namjoon’s apprehensive eyes, and follow Hoseok to the front foyer to collect your coats.

Winter has never been one of your favourite seasons—in fact, if you were forced to rank them, it would most likely place dead last, with summer being at the very top. But you have to admit, as you and Hoseok walk one of the trails that leads down to the lake, winter truly can be beautiful.

The sound of your snow boots crunching against the snowy ground fill your ears as you take in the sight of evergreens coated in snow, of other cottages in the distance glowing in the frigid night, and the decorative lights that break through the dark blue of the night sky. It’s quiet, save for the satisfying noise of snow being displaced under the rubber soles of your boots. Beside you, Hoseok is silent, chin tilted upward as he quietly observes everything around him.

Hoseok has been to your cottage before, just once, in the summer when you were teenagers. It had been the year he’d first moved to the city, and Namjoon had wanted him to feel welcome. That was the summer he’d wound up on your shit list, pushing you off the dock and into the lake where your foot had caught on some seaweed and you’d nearly drowned. After you’d been rescued and it was confirmed that you were alright, he’d laughed in that loud, maniacal way that you would grow to detest, dramatically making fun of how you’d fallen when he’d shoved you. After that, you had urged your parents to ban him from ever visiting the cottage again, having humiliated and nearly killed you that summer.

The path to the lake winds through the woods, though it’s a path that has been trodden by so many that you could walk it with your eyes closed. Neither you or Hoseok say anything—there’s no need to, you find, as the silence doesn’t feel as awkward as you’d expect. If anything, it feels comfortable and familiar. You chalk it up to just having known Hoseok for a long time, that his presence at your side isn’t as unfamiliar as that of a total stranger.

Eventually, the trees part and the sound of the lake lapping against the shore fills your ears. You’d always loved your cottage for this reason—being by the lake, hearing the steady rhythm of the water, always fills your mind with calm. There are a few fallen logs that serve as seating, and you dust off the snow to make room for you and Hoseok to sit down.

Your hands are shoved into the pockets of your coat and you sigh, glancing out at the horizon. It’s dark, but you can see dots of warm light on the other side of the water, and you smile to yourself at the thought of other families getting together and enjoying the holidays.

You wonder if Jackson is with his new girlfriend.

Prying your eyes away from the waves, you stare down at your boots, suddenly hyper focused on pushing a small pile of snow from the outside of your foot to the inside, and back again. Hoseok notices, his voice soft when he speaks.

“You know, it’s okay to miss him.”

Your head snaps in his direction as you peer up into the warm chocolate of his eyes. “What?”

“It’s okay to miss him,” Hoseok repeats with a shrug. “I can tell that you’re not totally over your breakup.”

You frown, turning back to fixate on the snow. “Is it that obvious?”

Hoseok snorts. “I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m doing the majority of the heavy lifting with your parents, right now. If Namjoon ‘secretly’ rolls his eyes one more time, I think they might actually fall out of his face.”

You nod absentmindedly, remembering once again that none of this is real. Hoseok isn’t your boyfriend, and neither is Jackson. You’re alone, single and horribly lonely, and the weight of that reality starts to really sink in.

You don’t want to cry, but you feel tears escaping as you take in a shaky breath. “It’s just hard to get out of bed sometimes, you know?” You admit feebly, ashamed of how small your voice sounds. “I just can’t help but think that if maybe I had done more, or been more, then maybe we might still be together. I wish…I just wish I was enough for him. He was always enough for me.”

Hoseok seems to hesitate, but then he apprehensively lifts his arm and places it around your shoulders. It’s a little awkward as his hand gives you a good natured pat, not trying to pull you into his body heat, just sitting beside you and trying to offer you comfort. You can’t help but notice the distinct difference between this Hoseok and the one that was trying to charm your family. In there, he was cool, funny, and warm. Out here, he’s awkward, contemplative, and nervous.

You can’t help but think that you kind of prefer this version of Hoseok.

“You know,” he begins, his voice cutting through the chill in the air. “You can’t live your life thinking about shit like that. You’re always going to look back at moments in your past and think that if you had done something differently, that the outcome would be more favourable. But honestly, dwelling on it is only going to make it worse, since you can’t change it now. What’s done is done. You gotta move on.”

Deep down, you know Hoseok is right. But still, as your breath hitches in your throat, it doesn’t stop you from asking, “Do you think it’ll ever stop hurting this much?”

It’s then that Hoseok scoots a little closer, pulling you into the warmth of his embrace. You let yourself melt against him, your head resting upon his shoulder, as he rubs your arm and places his cheek against your crown. You close your eyes, the scent of sandalwood and spice filling your nostrils. And for the first time in what feels like ages, you don’t see Jackson’s face when you’re met with the darkness behind your eyelids.

No.

This time, you picture Hoseok.

And when he speaks, you nearly forget about Jackson altogether.

“Yeah, sweetheart. I know it will.”

You arrive back at the cottage, not feeling nearly as horrible as you had when you’d left. You apologize to your parents about not sticking around to help clean up or clear the table, but your mother just winks and says it’s alright, that it’s only natural to want some alone time with your new boyfriend.

You hate that you’re lying to her, but you also can’t stop the way your breath catches in your throat at the insinuation.

Alone time with your new boyfriend.

You pretend that those words aren’t circling in your brain as you sink into the covers, squishing yourself on one side of the double bed. Hoseok is on the other side, doing something that you can only describe as touching himself.

Not in a sexual way. But he’s lying down, arms shot straight up in the air as he runs his fingertips along his inner forearms, alternating every few seconds. His eyes are closed, and he looks absolutely insane.

“What are you doing?” You have to ask, turning your head on your pillow to face him. He’s moved on now to gently caressing his own chest, looking just as  odd as before.

“My mom used to do this to me when I was a kid,” he explains, his eyes still shut. “It helps me fall asleep.”

You blink owlishly at him, unable to help the small giggle that escapes your lips. He cracks an eye open, glaring at you.

“What?”

“Nothing,” you respond, fully turning your body to face him now. “You just look crazy, is all.”

Hoseok drops his arms against the sheets in a minor huff. “Well, princess, sorry if it bothers you. You gonna volunteer to do it for me, then? Because if not, it’s going to be a long night.”

You gape at him for just a moment, though it morphs into an amused smile. “You really can’t get to sleep without someone touching you?”

Hoseok grumbles, annoyed that you know at least one of his secrets. “Unfortunately not.”

In a moment of boldness, you scoot towards him and gesture for him to face you. He does so with an unsure look, and you can’t help but notice his eyes widen as you start to run your fingers through his hair.

You don’t know what possesses you to do so, but all you know is that the strands are silky between your fingers, and your ministrations has Hoseok’s eyes starting to flutter shut. As your nails gently scrape along his scalp, he lets out a low moan, one that has him immediately darting awake and pulling away from you.

“I’m good,” he stutters out, creating distance between your bodies. “Th-thanks for that. But I’m okay.”

“Oh,” you respond, surprised and just slightly disappointed. “Well…goodnight, then.”

“Goodnight,” he replies gruffly, turning his back to you and tugging the duvet up to his chin. You sigh and do the same, attempting to get comfortable. You wind up staring at the wall as the minutes tick by on the clock, sleep deciding to evade you on this night.

From the other side of the bed, Hoseok also remains wide awake, his hands twitching as if he wants nothing more than to reach out and touch you.

But he doesn’t, because you’re his brother’s best friend, and you hate him. You’ve made that clear. So instead, he forces his eyes shut, and counts sheep until slumber decides to consume him in all-encompassing darkness.

—

The rest of the weekend passes by in a blur. There’s a new, underlying tension between you and Hoseok that you’re trying your best to ignore, although you know that at least Namjoon can sense that something is off.

You don’t tell anyone that when you’d awoken on Christmas morning, that Hoseok had been clinging to you like a koala, arms looped around your middle and a leg slung over yours. You’d carefully extradited yourself from his grasp without waking him, heading downstairs to help your father prepare breakfast for everyone.

But over the course of the entire weekend, Hoseok had been nothing but a total gentleman, always offering to help out with the dishes and setting the table, indulging your dad in talks of sports he knew nothing about, and even going so far as to help your mother with cooking. It made you look at him differently. He was so domestic, and you couldn’t deny the butterflies in the base of your stomach whenever he smiled in your direction. It had been confusing, to say the least.

It’s with the utmost relief that you find yourself backing your bags alone in your room, happy that you can finally return to your apartment to wallow in self pity all by your lonesome. You hear a rap against the doorframe, and as you turn, Hoseok steps into view. He’s dressed casually, wearing an oversized sweater and a pair of loose track pants, but you still can’t help but think that he looks effortlessly handsome.

You’re not sure when your brain started to produce these thoughts, but you try your hardest to ignore them.

“Hey,” he greets, almost sheepish. “You packing?”

It takes you a second to find your voice. “Yeah,” you nod, going back to sorting your belongings in the confines of your duffel bag. “You have all your stuff?”

“Yeah,” he confirms, pushing off from the door frame to make his way over to you. You feel his presence before you see how close he is, and his proximity has you standing up to your full height as you face him.

“Did you need something?” You ask, barely above a whisper.

Hoseok smiles with a shake of his head. Has he always looked this radiant?

“No, nothing like that,” he states, scratching at the back of his head. “I just, uh…wanted to say that surprisingly, I had fun this weekend.”

You can’t help but grin. “Yeah, me too. Definitely got my parents off my back, so I definitely owe you my thanks in that department.”

“Oh?” Hoseok raises an eyebrow. “Do I get to choose my token of gratitude?”

You tilt your head in confusion. “I mean, sure, I guess? Do you want money or something? Because that might have to wait until I’m employed again—”

“No,” Hoseok interrupts. “Nothing like that.”

You feel your palms starting to sweat. “Then what?”

You see his Adam’s apple bob in his throat as he swallows hard. His voice sounds almost husky as he breathes out, “Kiss me.”

You almost take a step back, but force yourself to remain rooted in place, though shock is evident on your features. “W-what?”

“Kiss me,” he repeats, and you feel the warmth of his palm against your hip. “Without anyone watching, without the whole fake-boyfriend pretence.” He looks into your eyes, hopeful and oddly sincere. “Please?”

Your throat feels dry, and you swear the room is starting to spin. But your mouth speaks before your mind can catch up, asking, “Just once?”

The look in his eyes becomes unreadable, almost distant, before he answers, his breath fanning across your face. He’s so close. “Yeah. Just once.”

Your body feels like it’s running on autopilot as you lift your arms to loop around Hoseok’s neck. His grip on your waist tightens as he draws you in, closer and closer. You rise to the tips of your toes and feel his nose grazing against yours. You feel his lips barely grazing against yours, almost touching but not quite. You feel dizzy with want, this inexplicable spark of desire growing within you and warming your body from the inside out. For the very first time, you realize that you want him, that you want Jung Hoseok, and it terrifies you.

You’re just about to finally close the distance when you hear your mother from the doorway.

“Y/N, Hobi, I just wanted to—oh! Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt!”

You practically jump back from Hoseok, the moment shattered as you retract your arms from his body and curl in on yourself, squeezing your eyes shut for a second. You hear Hoseok sigh before he reluctantly moves his hands from your waist.

“That’s okay, Mrs. Kim,” he says in a strained voice. “I should probably finish packing up my car anyway.” He leans down and presses a kiss to your cheek, oddly close to the corner of your mouth. The next question he whispers into your ear, so quiet you almost don’t hear him. “See you back at the apartment?”

Oh. Part of you had hoped that Hoseok would offer to drive you back, but you suppose it makes more sense for Namjoon and Seokjin to take you. You and Hoseok need some distance, a little space to figure out the whirlwind of confusing emotions that have threatened to consume you whole. You just nod dumbly, still not looking at him. If you look at him, you might say or do something you’ll just regret later, with your mother as a witness by the door.

He lingers a moment longer before finally leaving the room. Your mother smiles at him as he goes, and he offers her a small upward quirk of his lips in return. Once the two of you are alone, and you’ve shoved the rest of your things into your duffel, your mom walks over to you and sits on the bed. She pats the spot next to her, and you take a seat, hands folded in your lap.

“How are you doing, sweetie?”

You’re confused by the question. “Uh…fine?”

“No,” she shakes her head, reaching up to play with a strand of your hair. “That’s not what I’m asking.”

You’d known that from the beginning. Your mother had always been your biggest confidant, and she hadn’t had a chance to really talk to you by yourself since getting to the cottage. You’d been expecting this conversation, dreading it even. She continues.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner that you and Jackson had broken up?” She asks gently. You’d known that your mother had loved the boy, taken him in as a second son. She had joked in the past that the two of you should get married, and that had been the direction you thought your life was going in. But life has other plans. It always does.

You take a moment to gather your thoughts before replying. “I was embarrassed,” you admit truthfully. “I…I don’t know, Mom. I guess I always thought that Jackson was going to be it for me. I told so many people how much I loved him, and everyone would always tell me in return that we were the perfect couple. What kind of perfect couple breaks up because he’s married to his job?”

You take in a shaky breath and let it out slowly.

“I’m sorry for not telling you sooner. I just needed time to figure out my new normal again.”

She nods, staring off into space. After a beat, she pipes up. “Hoseok is great, though.”

You glance over at her, not realizing the tiny smile that has made its way onto your face. “Yeah. He is.”

“You know,” your mother muses, the distant look in her eyes full of nostalgia. “When you two were in high school, I always suspected that he had a crush on you. Boys always show that they like girls in the stupidest ways when they’re younger, what with all the teasing and such. But I have to say, the two of you together just make sense.”

You bite your lower lip. “We do?”

“Yeah,” she affirms. “I see it in the way he looks at you when you’re not paying attention. He really cares about you. And I know this relationship is new, and it’s coming off the heels of a breakup, but don’t let him go. Okay? At least not without a fight.”

In that instant, you almost tell her that the entire thing is fake. That none of it is real, that Hoseok is just a talented actor who had wanted to see how much of a shit show this weekend would truly be. But as your mother beams at you with all the love and warmth that you’d missed being holed up under the covers in your apartment, you just smile in return.

“Okay, Mom. I promise.”

Hoseok is already gone by the time you all pile into Seokjin’s car, saying he needed to get back to the studio to check on something, even though it was the day after Christmas. You don’t say anything, opting to put your headphones on and drown out everything around you as you stare blankly out the window.

“Can she hear us?” Namjoon asks his boyfriend as your eyes start to flutter shut. Seokjin’s hands tighten around the steering wheel as he glances back at you through the rearview mirror.

“I don’t think so. She’s got those giant noise-cancelling things on her head, and I think she’s taking a nap.”

Namjoon sighs, running a hand through his hair. “This is a mess, Jin.”

Seokjin agrees with a grunt. “Honestly, I still can’t believe Hobi actually agreed to come this weekend. Volunteered, even.”

“Yeah, well, you know how he feels about my sister,” Namjoon whispers, just in case you’re secretly awake or between songs. “This isn’t healthy for either of them. One of them is gonna get their heart broken, and it’s gonna be Hoseok.”

Seokjin tries to be optimistic. “But it looked as if she was into it, no?”

He strokes his index finger along his chin, pensive and frustrated. “I don’t know. Y/N has always been pretty good at hiding it in front of people whenever she’s upset or anxious. But whatever happened this weekend didn’t feel fake to me. From either of them.”

“Ah,” Seokjin tuts, driving with one hand as he leans his elbow against the windowsill. “They’re both adults, Joonie. They’ll figure it out, and everything will go back to normal.”

“I don’t know,” Namjoon responds with an air of trepidation. But he doesn’t say anything else.

—

Before you can blink, it’s New Year’s Eve. As soon as you’re back from your parents’ cottage, you pretty much go back to your previous routine—hiding out from the world in your apartment under the covers, only really coming out to eat or go to the bathroom. But this time, you’re not only hiding from the chaos that’s outside, but also from Hoseok.

You’ve never been more confused. You haven’t spoken to him since that weekend, nor have you gone over to his and Namjoon’s apartment. Your brother has reluctantly been giving you space, something that he only ever does when he knows you’re experiencing inner turmoil.

You flop down on your bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering just how you got here. You try to think back on when exactly these feelings had sprung up. Part of you wants to believe that it’s just because you were dying for affection of any kind after your break up, and Hoseok was just the one to provide it for you. You try to reason that if it had been any of your other friends, like Jungkook or Yoongi, you’d probably feel similarly.

But the larger part of your brain knows that that isn’t true.

You shut your eyes, taking in a deep breath. You need to be honest with yourself for once.

Truth be told, you’d always had a bit of a thing for Hoseok. When you’d first met him, you had just come home from varsity soccer practice, still wearing your uniform and dripping with sweat. He was sitting on the couch with Namjoon, joking around and teasing him as he struggled through some video game you didn’t recognize.

You’d immediately been attracted to him, his smile being the first thing that had you mesmerized. But you don’t really know what happened after that. He’d taken to teasing you, purposely pushing your buttons just to get a reaction. He was never particularly cruel, mostly annoying, but you figured that he hated you all the same. And because you refused to be pushed around, whatever he gave, you returned. If he was rude to you, you were rude right back. If he was passive aggressive, you accused him of being a giant baby.

Things only got worse when you started dating Jackson. Hoseok absolutely despised him and you could never figure out why. You figured it was because Jackson was quick-witted and often left Hoseok speechless, and he defended you whenever Hoseok decided to act foolishly. You never thought much of it until now, your mother’s words echoing in your head.

Had Hoseok been jealous all this time?

You try to shove the thought away, along with the butterflies that are still occupying your stomach, but to no avail. Maybe Hoseok really did like you, and maybe you like him too. Why else would he ask you to kiss him at the end of the weekend without anyone there to witness it? Surely that had to mean something.

You groan in frustration as your eyes shoot open.

You’re falling for Jung Hoseok.

In that instant, your phone buzzes. Part of you hopes it’s him, but instead it’s your brother’s name that pops up on your screen.

[Received: 10:07pm] Namjoon: The guys are all here. Are you still coming over for the countdown? We have wine

[Sent: 10:07pm] Y/N: How dare you tempt me with the devil’s juice

[Received: 10:08pm] Namjoon: Bitch

[Received: 10:08pm] Namjoon: You love wine. Come over

[Received: 10:08pm] Namjoon: Put on real people clothes. No ratty PJs allowed.

[Sent: 10:09pm] Y/N: You sound just like Dad. Fine. I’ll be over in 10

[Received: 10:10pm] Namjoon: Love you sooooo much. Jin and I are just doing some last-minute stuff, let yourself in whenever you’re ready

You heave a sigh and sit up, realizing you can’t hide from Hoseok forever. You drag yourself out of bed, quickly changing, making sure you look presentable, and trudging down the hall to Namjoon’s apartment.

You can hear the ruckus that is seven boys from behind the door once you approach. Everyone had come back from visiting their families, gathering at Namjoon and Hoseok’s, as is their tradition. You feel your palms start to sweat as you reach for the doorknob, slowly twisting it open and slipping inside.

No one seems to hear you come in, as there’s no break in conversation between the five boys situated in the living room. Jin and Namjoon are nowhere to be found, so you assume they’re still in the process of getting ready for the evening’s festivities. The television is on, showing one of the many New Year’s Eve countdown specials, some musical group performing their latest hit blaring from the speakers. You’re just about to make your presence known when you hear someone mention your name.

“Hobi, is it true that you actually went to Joon and Y/N’s cottage for the holidays?”

The voice belongs to Jimin. You peer around the corner into the living room, still going unnoticed. Hoseok is there, sitting on the couch nursing a beer.

“Yeah,” he responds gruffly, as if he doesn’t want to talk about it.

A new voice pipes up, this time belonging to Jungkook. He sounds incredulous as he asks, “Is it true that you went there posing as her boyfriend to her parents?”

Another affirmative grunt. You hear a chorus of laughter, and you can’t deny that it stings. Are they laughing at Hoseok having to spend a weekend with the person he hates the most, or are they laughing because your situation is just that pathetic?

“And how was that?” Yoongi asks as he downs the rest of his bottle of beer.

You can really only see the back of Hoseok’s head, but you can tell based on how he grips his beer a little tighter that he’s getting annoyed with his friends and their teasing. You’re about to step out from around the corner to put an end to all of it when he finally speaks up.

“Honestly? A waste of fucking time. She didn’t even put out. I figured she would be easier than that. Not that I want Jackson’s sloppy seconds anyway.”

Time stops.

You can’t breathe.

You can hear the guys speaking, but you can’t process it. You feel like you’re underwater, being dunked in a frozen lake with the ice trapping you below the surface. You don’t realize you’re crying until you hear your name being called.

“Y/N?” Namjoon asks as he pokes his head out from his bedroom. Immediately, all of the eyes in the room fall on you.

Hoseok stares at you, wide-eyed and mouth agape.

You want to throw up.

Namjoon approaches you quickly, hands coming to rest on your shoulders. “Y/N, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

You don’t break eye contact with Hoseok as you start to shake your head.

Finally, you spit out, “Fuck you, Jung Hoseok.”

You wrench yourself from your brother’s grasp and head for the door, slamming it shut on your way out.

None of it was real.

None of it was real, and you feel so absolutely fucking stupid for believing that it could have been. Every touch, every kiss, all of it was just Hoseok doing what he does best—pretend. You were right all along. All he wanted was just some sick entertainment, and to maybe lure you into bed so that he could go back to his friends and brag about it behind your back.

You make it back to your place and throw the door open, not looking back when you swing it shut with your foot. But instead of the sound of the door slamming against the wooden frame, you hear it whack against something soft. You turn and immediately become furious at the sight of Hoseok stepping foot into your private space.

You march over and shove him hard, causing him to stumble back.

“Get the fuck out of my apartment.”

You’re almost shocked at how eerily calm your voice is. But you know that the dam is about to break, and if Hoseok doesn’t leave right this minute, you’re going to unleash a tsunami upon him.

“Y/N, wait, I can explain—”

That does it.

“Explain what?” You can’t help but yell. You’re just so tired, so embarrassed, so humiliated that all you want is him to leave so that you can cry your eyes out under the covers in peace. You try to shove him again, but he’s expecting it this time, his feet planted firmly on the ground. “Explain how this whole thing was just so that you could have more ammunition to make fun of me? So that I could be another notch in your bed post? Well, guess what, I don’t want to hear it, so why don’t you just get the fuck out and leave me alone!”

Hoseok vehemently shakes his head. “I’m not going anywhere.”

You bite your lip to stop from screaming at him, staring up at the ceiling in a feeble attempt to stop the tears from flowing.

“I’m asking you nicely, Hoseok,” you whisper, your voice trembling. “Please just leave, I can’t even look at you, I can’t—”

Before you can blink, he’s on you, lips pressed so firmly against yours that the contact makes your teeth click. Hoseok soothes the sting as his movements slow, his mouth coaxing a light moan from your throat. His hand lifts to cup your cheek, and for a delirious moment, you sink into the feeling of the kiss, of him kissing you.

It isn’t until you feel him tugging you against the length of his body that his words come rushing back to you in a flood of shame, anger, and hurt. You plant your hands on his chest and forcefully push him away, a resounding CRACK ringing through your apartment as a red mark in the shape of your handprint blooms across his cheek.

Hoseok is stunned, immediately letting you go. He rubs at where you’d slapped him, his lips downturned in a frown that doesn’t suit his beautiful face. He gapes at you for a few minutes before finally choking out, “What the fuck was that for?”

“Stop toying with me!” You practically wail, tears stinging your eyes. “You don’t get to just…just kiss me like that out of nowhere and pretend like everything is okay! What am I, a joke to you? Someone you can play around with and then go back and brag about to your friends?”

You take in a deep, wavering breath, shaking your head as you force yourself to look him in the eye.

“I can’t believe I trusted you.” You see Hoseok’s face fall, his hands twitching at his sides, and somewhere in the back of your mind, you imagine that it’s because he wants to reach out and touch you. You hate yourself for wanting it to be true. “I can’t believe I confided in you, that I—”

You clamp your mouth shut before the secret you’ve been holding back ever since Namjoon had introduced the two of you all those years ago slips from your tongue. This seems to spark something within Hoseok, and his face sets in determination.

“That you what?” He demands, taking a step forward. “I’m not playing around, Y/N. I wouldn’t do that. Not to you.”

“Then why did you say those things about me to the others?” You cry, hot tears streaking down your face. You helplessly swipe at them with your sleeves, hating that you’ve allowed yourself to get this emotional, that he’s seeing you break down in front of him. You turn away burying your face in your hands. “I’m so stupid, I’m so, so fucking stupid…”

You feel his arms circling you, and you start to cry harder when you feel his lips press against your crown.

“You’re not stupid,” he promises quietly, a large, warm palm rubbing gentle circles against your back. “This is real. The entire weekend with your parents—every touch, every kiss, I meant it.” He lets out a laugh. Not one of humour, but one of weary exhaustion. “You’re really gonna make me say it, aren’t you?”

You force yourself to take deep breaths, force yourself to pretend as if his touch isn’t a welcome comfort. You will the tears to cease, shakily asking, “Say what?”

Another laugh, this one followed by a short, hitched breath.

“I’m in love with you.”

You immediately try to wrestle yourself out of his hold, though his hands remain steadfast on your waist. “You what?”

His grip tightens ever so slightly, his gaze soft as he smiles down at you. “I’m in love with you.”

Your eyes search his, breath caught in your throat. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not,” he promises, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “I’ve been in love with you for as long as I can remember.”

You’re too stunned to speak. How long had you dreamed of Hoseok saying those exact words to you? For him to want you, only you, for the weekend at your parents’ cottage to have been real instead of just a ruse to get your family off your back? Your eyes are still fixated on his, trying to figure out whether or not he’s telling the truth.

Hoseok must sense the thoughts racing through your mind, so he decides to continue. “When Namjoon introduced us back in high school, the first time I came over and you’d come back from soccer practice, my jaw nearly hit the floor. Namjoon figured out how I felt and warned me to stay away from you, so I kept my distance.”

Namjoon knew? Your brother knew this whole time?

“I was an asshole to you because it was the only way I knew how to get your attention. We were kids at the time, you know? Just stupid teenagers. But by the time we’d all grown up, that was just how we spoke to each other, and it was the only way I knew how to get you to even look in my direction. And then you were dating that asshole Jackson, and you just seemed so happy, and I couldn’t do anything about it.” He scoffs at himself, letting out a deep sigh. “I’m an idiot, right?”

You don’t answer. You can’t. Your voice is locked up in your throat, refusing to come out. So you just stare at him, stunned.

He continues. “I shouldn’t have said what I did back there. The guys…they don’t know how I feel about you, and they wouldn’t leave me alone. I know that it was wrong, and I regretted it the second I said it. But I don’t regret spending time with you, getting to really know you, or getting to pretend like you were actually mine, if only for a few days. I know I have a lifetime to atone for, and I just need you to know that I’m going to try, if you’ll let me.”

You don’t know what to say.

Hoseok smiles nervously, one hand coming up to rake through his hair. “You know, Y/N, I’m kind of bearing my heart and soul to you here, a little feedback would be appreciated.”

You still can’t will yourself to speak, and you feel Hoseok’s hand on your waist starting to slip.

“Look, I’m really sorry, I should have just kept my fucking mouth shut. Forget I said anything, I’ll just go—”

Before he can turn, you cut him off with your hands on either side of his face and your lips against his.

Words evade you, so you hope that you can convey everything in the kiss. Hoseok melts against you, his hands holding you close, slipping under the hem of your shirt to fan across the skin of your lower back. You reach up to tangle your fingers in his hair, only pulling away for a second to catch your breath.

“Holy shit,” Hoseok pants, his breath fanning across your lips. “You just kissed—”

You kiss him again, effectively shutting him up, because there are more important things the two of you can be doing with your mouths. Hoseok sinks into the kiss, moving you backwards until he’s crowding you against the wall of your front hallway. You moan when his tongue traces along your lower lip, and you open up for him, knees nearly buckling at the sensation of the first touch against yours.

The kiss is everything you’ve dreamed of and more. You can feel the sincerity, the desire, the love as Hoseok’s movements slow, stealing all the air from your lungs. His tongue gently caresses yours as he takes control, and you can feel his eyelashes fluttering light as a feather against the curve your cheek. Your fingers card through his hair, nails scraping against his scalp. He moans into your mouth, the same erotic sound that had escaped him the first night at the cottage. Hoseok presses you more firmly against the length of his body, and you can feel his arousal against your lower stomach.

Pulling away with a great amount of reluctance, your eyes search his. All you see is the truth.

Both his, and yours.

“It was real to me too,” you confess, breathless in the best way possible. “I didn’t know I wanted it to be until you kissed me under the mistletoe, but I do. I want you, Hoseok. All of you. Deep down, I think I always have.”

The smile that spreads across his face is so beautiful and radiant that it rivals the sun. Hoseok presses his forehead against yours, and takes in a deep breath as his eyes shut. He doesn’t say anything, and you run your thumb along his cheek, pecking at his mouth.

“What is it?”

“I just…” he begins, his voice so soft and so full of emotion. You press your palms against his shoulders so that you can see him fully, and you’re shocked to see the tears clinging to his lashes. “I love you,” he confesses, and you still feel your breath hitch at the words. “I love you, and I just need a second to make sure I’m not dreaming.”

“You’re not,” you promise, smoothing out the collar of his shirt absentmindedly. You want to say those three words back to him, but you know that you’re not ready yet. There’s still years of hurt to work through, to resolve and fix. But your heart longs for him, marvels in how right it feels to be in his arms, to kiss him, to be as close to him as possible.

Hoseok seems to be able to read your mind, his thumb rubbing gentle circles against your hip. “I know I have a lot of apologizing to do,” he says, barely above a whisper. “I’d like to show you just how sorry I am, and how much I love you, if you’ll let me.”

Even after his confession, and though he’s holding you so close that nothing else but the two of you exists, you have to feebly ask, “Promise you won’t use this to make fun of me behind my back with the guys?”

Hoseok’s head hangs in shame for a second before he rises to look at you, the smile gone from his face. It’s replaced by a look of sadness, pain filtering into his gaze. “Please, Y/N. I need you to believe me when I say that I don’t want to hurt you anymore. I’ve never felt this way about anyone, ever. I’m not about to blow my chance with you for some stupid prank.”

You worry your lower lip between your teeth before you raise your hand, holding up your pinky finger. “Promise?”

A tiny smile begins to spread across his face as he holds his up as well, hooking his little finger with yours. “Promise.”

You’re not sure who leans in first after that. All you know is that his hand is cupping your jaw and you’re clinging to his shirt as he kisses you with so much love, passion, and adoration that you swear your heart is going to burst out of your chest.

Hoseok guides you in the direction of your room, and the two of you stumble along, clothes thrown overhead and shed along the way. By the time you feel Hoseok gently push you down on the bed, his shirt is off and you’re only in your bra and panties, a plain, boring white set that you wish was just a little fancier. Hoseok doesn’t seem to mind though, as he climbs over you and looks down at your body as if he wants to devour you whole.

“You’re so fucking perfect,” he pants, his mouth scorching hot as he pulls bruises with his teeth along your neck and collarbone. You whine beneath him as he noses your bra strap down your shoulder, sucking and licking down the curve of your breast.

“Hobi, please,” you whimper as he tugs your bra down to expose your nipples, immediately looking you dead in the eye as he elongates his tongue and traces the very tip along the edge of your areola. He lavishes your breast with attention, his thumb grazing over your other nipple before he switches his ministrations. You arch into his mouth, and Hoseok takes the opportunity to slide his hands underneath you to unhook your bra.

He tosses it aside flippantly before pressing open mouthed kisses between the valley of your breasts, and down your stomach.

“I’ve been thinking about you ever since that first night at the cottage,” Hoseok breathes against the band of your panties, causing goosebumps to rise on your skin. He tugs them down slowly, his voice deep and husky as he tries to keep himself under control.

You can tell it’s a losing battle, if his blown out pupils and the tent in his jeans are any indication.

“The things I want to do to you,” he growls, his palms spreading your legs wide so that they’re flat against the bed. You whimper out a moan as he trails kisses from your knee up your inner thigh, stopping just before where you need him most. “With my tongue…with my hands…” Hoseok runs his thumb along your dripping slit, not adding much pressure, but just a ghost of a touch to let you know that he sees what a mess you’ve already made. “Fuck, you have the prettiest pussy I’ve ever seen.”

“Jesus Christ,” you gasp as you feel his calloused digit swipe lightly over your swollen clit. “Hobi, please, I need more—”

He smirks up at you, and you watch as he, with all the time in the world, bends down while maintaining steady eye contact. His tongue pokes out of his mouth and he flicks the tip of it against your clit, and it’s enough to already having you buck up towards him for something, anything.

“Are you gonna be a good girl and give me what I want?” Hoseok purrs before leaning down to suck on your clit, hard. You yelp at the sensation but then he moves away, looking up at you expectantly.

You card your fingers through his hair, tugging lightly at the roots. “Yes, Hoseok, please, anything. You already have me. Please, please, I need you.”

“Mmm,” he hums, sucking on it again before backing off. Part of you wants to smack him upside the head. How is he still so infuriating? “Can’t wait to make this pussy mine. Can’t wait to claim you, to ruin you for anyone else.”

You can’t help but grumble. “I don’t know, at this point, I’m starting to believe you’re all talk—”

You’re abruptly cut off my Hoseok latching his mouth to your clit, delivering the perfect amount of pressure as he licks and sucks at your most sensitive area. You moan out something akin to his name, and it only spurs him on further. He growls against your pussy and you feel it vibrating deep in your core, your fingers grasping for purchase against his soft strands.

Your eyes flutter shut as he focuses all his attention on your clit, drawing out more and more obscene moans and whines from your lips. It’s when you feel two of his fingers sliding into your heat that your eyes fly open and you start to squirm in his grasp.

“You’re so wet, baby,” Hoseok growls as he continues to massage your inner walls with his long, deft fingers. He curls them upward until he finds what he’s looking for, the spot deep inside of you that has you keening when he presses on it. You feel him grin against your skin. “Ah, there it is.”

You’re not sure if you can survive this experience, not if he keeps talking like that. But it stirs something within you, something primal and desperate, and you buck your hips as his movements get faster and faster.

The obscene sound of his tongue flicking against your clit stops as he suddenly sits up, and you let out a whine of protest. His fingers remain inside of you but he moves so that he’s draped along your side, slightly hovering over your body. He leans in to kiss you, just as his hand starts to move. The heel of his palm beats against your clit with every thrust of his fingers, and you cry against his lips as he shifts to whisper the filthiest things into your ear.

The wet sound of his fingers fucking you and his palm slapping against your pussy fills the room and has your legs starting to shake.

“Press those legs really wide for me, baby,” Hoseok orders as his hand picks up speed. You do as he says, and to reward you, his hand fucks you a little harder. “Good girl. Fuck. I’ve been thinking of making you come all fucking week. Mmm, how does it feel, baby? How does it feel to have my fingers fuck you open, prepare you for my cock?”

You want to scream, but you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, the release that you’d so desperately been longing for rapidly approaching. Instead you whimper out a barely-there response, Hoseok’s fingers dragging brutally against your g-spot.

“Always dreamed of watching you come, of making you come. It’s all I’ve ever fucking wanted, and now I have you right where I’ve always wanted you. Now I want you to come for me. Can you do that baby? Can you come on my fingers?”

One of your hands fists the sheets while the other holds him close, nudging him with your nose until he gets the hint to kiss you.

“Come for me,” he murmurs into the kiss, and you feel your walls begin to clench down on him.  The fluttering begins, and Hoseok’s tone becomes gentle, almost reverent. “Good girl,” he praises as he feels the beginnings of your orgasm. “Good girl, come on, come on…”

You come with a scream, bucking your pussy against his palm as he helps you ride out the pleasure. Shockwaves tear through you as Hoseok extends your orgasm for as long as possible, peppering your face and neck with kisses as you finally start to come down.

“Mmm, baby, look at you,” Hoseok purrs, sliding his fingers out of your wet heat and holding them up so you can see how they glisten in the dim light. “Open your mouth for me, Y/N.”

You do as you’re told, and you see his nostrils start to flare as he slides his fingers into your mouth and you suck the evidence of your own bliss off his skin. His prominent Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows, removing is fingers before he kisses you for all he’s worth. Your fingers tremble as you struggle with his belt, still feeling lightheaded from his earlier ministrations. Hoseok eventually just lifts himself off the bed and shucks off his jeans and boxers in one go, abandoning them in a pile on the floor as he palms his hardened cock.

You sit up on your elbows as he places a knee back on the bed, and you bite your lip at his size. Hoseok is gorgeous, truly having a dancer’s body. He’s streamlined and lean, and his cock is thicker than you expect. He strokes himself steadily while gazing upon you like a wolf about to pounce on a rabbit.

“How do you want it?”

You bite your lip before reaching over to gently grasp his wrist. “I want to see you.”

Hoseok nods as you sit up fully and open the drawer to your bedside table to retrieve a condom from your stash. You open the foil and help slide it down his length, watching with a hint of smugness as his eyes roll back in his head when you squeeze his shaft. Once it’s rolled on all the way to his base, he nudges you to lie back, and you part your thighs for him once more.

He lets out a groan, hooking your legs over his elbows, before he leans forward, the head of his cock brushing against your still-sensitive lips. “I still can’t believe this is finally happening,” he chuckles breathlessly as he effectively folds you in half, leaving you completely open and exposed for him. You reach down to guide him in, your other hand cupping the back of his neck as he rests his forehead against yours.

You feel the head of his cock parting your lips and then the delicious sting of him slowly filling you up. You don’t realize you’re both holding your breath until Hoseok releases a choked moan and you whimper out his name in response. You take him, inch by delicious inch, until you feel his pelvis pressing flush against yours.

He takes a moment to just breathe through the feeling of your tight, wet heat wrapped around him, and it allows for you to adjust to his girth inside of you. Once you feel ready, you peck at his mouth as a signal to move.

More proof that Hoseok is a dancer—his hips, once they start to roll into you, are absolutely fucking deadly. He fucks you like he’ll never get the chance again, like it’s his last day on Earth and he wants you writhing beneath him to be his final memory. Your nails scrape along his back as he starts out slow, his cock filling you so perfectly, going even deeper than his fingers had just moments before.

You also notice that when Hoseok isn’t whispering into your ear with the some of the filthiest shit you’ve ever heard, he cannot stop kissing you. It’s almost as if he can’t believe you’re real, and the feeling of your lips against his grounds him in a way that he just can’t explain.

He starts to pick up the pace, his hips slamming against yours with more vigour. “How does it feel, baby?” He grunts, grinding into you. “How does it feel to have my cock buried deep inside of you?”

He doesn’t give you a chance to respond as he braces his knees against the bed and starts to fuck you harder, the sound of skin slapping against skin filling your ears. You moan as he nips at your jaw, your nails dragging long, angry red marks along the honeyed skin of his back.

You’ve never seen Hoseok like this before in all the years that you’ve known him. His brow is furrowed in concentration, forehead dotted with sweat. You can tell that he’s trying to hold himself back as he explores every inch of your body, worshipping and revering you like he goddess he knows that you are.

“Your pussy is so fucking wet,” he praises, sucking in harsh breaths as he pounds into you, the bed frame creaking under the force of his thrusts. You’re helpless beneath him, and you see the veins in his neck start to protrude as he starts to lose control.

“Baby, I’m so close,” you keen, pushing his sweaty bangs out of his face.

“Yeah?” He asks, even though he can tell that you’re almost there. He presses the full length of his body against yours and fucks you until there’s nothing left in the entire universe but you and him. “Come with me, baby.”

When you come for the second time, you come harder than you ever have before. You scream out his name as you cling to him for dear life, your back arching clear off the bed as you feel wetness coating you both. Hoseok nearly chokes as he comes, burying himself deep inside of you as he spills into the condom, pinning you to the mattress as your name falls repeatedly from his lips.

Hoseok collapses on top of you, effectively squishing you under the weight of his body. You pout and squirm, nudging at his shoulders, though his spent body makes no effort to move.

“Hobi,” you whine with an air of laughter in your voice, limbs going limp. “Get off.”

“Let me just…bask in this for a second,” he pants, face still buried in the crook of your neck. “I’ve never made a girl squirt before.”

“Oh my god,” you wheeze, shoving at his shoulders. He moves off of you and you roll onto your stomach, burying your face in your pillow. He takes the opportunity to peel off the condom, tying it in a knot and tossing it in the trash. You say something, but it’s muffled by the fabric and Hoseok can’t help but giggle.

“I can’t hear you, dumb-dumb.”

You lift your face, but then cover it with your hands. “I’m so sorry. I’ve never done that before.”

“Sorry?” Hoseok asks, rising slightly before wrapping his arms around you and tugging you flush against him. “That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen, and the best sex I’ve ever hand, and you’re trying to apologize?”

You peer at him through the gap in your fingers. “It’s embarrassing.”

Hoseok wrenches your hands away from your face and kisses you before you can protest.

“Believe me when I tell you that it was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. You don’t need to be ashamed of yourself, or your body, or anything. I love you. Every part of you.”

You bite your lip and look away, knowing you’re unable to say the three words that you know Hoseok wants to hear more than anything. But again, sensing your discomfort, he lifts his hand to brush your hair away from your face.

“Don’t feel guilty,” he says quietly, stroking his thumb along your cheek. “You don’t have to say it back. I hope that one day you will, but I don’t expect you to reciprocate right away.”

Your eyes bore into his, and you wonder why this version of Hoseok couldn’t have been the one you’d met when you were sixteen. You lean in and kiss him so softly and so shyly that it’s barely there. But when you pull away, he’s smiling at you. That beautiful, radiant smile that makes you glad you’re lying down because it makes you weak in the knees.

“I’m getting there,” you promise, nose brushing against his. And you know it to be true. Even as you’re in his arms now, nestled perfectly like you were always meant to exist in his hold, you’re falling, falling falling. You just need some more time. But you know you’ll get there, if his tiny, hopeful smile is any indication.

You suddenly start to hear a ruckus from the hall, and also loud cheers from street level outside. You rise slightly, trying to peer over at your alarm clock, but Hoseok drags you back down with a pout.

“Clean up later. I’m comfy.”

“What time is it?” You ask, ignoring his petulant frown.

Hoseok caves and rolls over, emitting a small noise of surprise. “11:59.”

Then you hear people starting to count down.

10!

9!

Hoseok turns back to you, his eyes wide and shining as he takes you in, still basking in the after glow.

8!

7!

6!

You smile at him, the tiniest tear clinging to your lashes, and as you blink, Hoseok wipes it away with his thumb before it can tumble down your cheek.

5!

He leans in closer…

4!

Your eyes slowly close as you slide your hand along the back of his neck…

3!

His arms pull you in until there’s no space between you…

2!

You feel his warm breath fanning across your lips…

1!

Happy New Year!

The clock strikes midnight just as Hoseok kisses you, fireworks exploding just outside to ring in the new year. You lose yourself in the feel of him once more, in the taste of his tongue as it glides along the seam of your mouth. You don’t protest as he rolls on top of you, his thigh pressing between yours to spread your legs yet again.

When his questing hand blindly reaches out for the drawer of your bedside table, you detach from him momentarily to pant out, “Shouldn’t we go back and rejoin the others?”

Hoseok merely chuckles, tearing open another condom. “Screw the others,” he grins, and you can’t help but bite your lip in anticipation as you feel his arousal growing stiffer between your thighs. “I have a lot of lost time to make up for. They can wait.”

And as he pushes inside of you again, you can’t help but agree. You’d spent so long feeling so sad and so lost, you’d nearly forgotten what it was like to experience true happiness, and true bliss.

But as Hoseok worships your body and makes you forget about the outside world, you figure that you deserve to cling to whatever small piece of joy that you can. And you do—over and over, until the sun comes up and neither of you have the strength or energy to carry on.

Even after all of that though, Hoseok still bugs you to run your fingers along his arms and chest to help him fall asleep. You snort and call him a brat, to which he taunts you by saying you’re going to need to buy extra sets of sheets for every time he comes over.

You just shake your head as he drifts off, snoring softly, looking more and more like an angel as slumber finally takes him. You press a kiss to his forehead and nuzzle against him, his arms automatically wrapping around you, even in sleep. You sigh with a smile, relaxing in his grasp. You know that you still have a ways to go, but with Hoseok by your side, you finally feel ready to step into the sun.

Happy New Year, indeed.

A/N: It is FINALLY DONE! This is the longest one-shot I’ve ever written. I meant to have this out sooner, but you know how life is sometimes. I hope you enjoyed! And I hope you all had a happy and safe new year. Drop me a line and let me know what you think!  Please share if you liked it!<3