#if ANYONE else had the day i just had they'd be sobbing at a friend's house or something

[unusualshrimp]

people might be better or worse than me but literally no one can be me tbh

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Playful prompts for tadc cast playing hide and seek with hider reader?

Awe this is a cute idea! (not including Caine bc I see him as the one organizing this game).

.........

Pomni

During her first week inside the Digital Circus, she's slowly adapting to everything...although she refuses to give up on finding an exit.

But when Caine forced everybody to play some hide n' seek, with you being the hider, she really doesn't want any part of it.

However you convinced her to play along, whispering that if she found you first, you'll share what you remembered from your old life as a "prize".

Although initially annoyed you wouldn't just tell her, she becomes motivated searching high and low, opening doors, looking down barrels, etc.

When she finally finds you (courtesy of a glitching object), she's anxious to hear what you had to say-

Unfortunately Caine decides to pop in and put on a big celebration for Pomni winning the game...which goes on the whole damn day up until everybody goes to bed that night.

You seemingly forgot what you were gonna tell her, to which she gets upset and angry that you gave her false hope, sulking in her room.

But you slide a note under her door, explaining that you only recently remembered your real name.

Suddenly she realizes that maybe her memories weren't 100% gone.

If you could suddenly remember your name, then....surely she can, too!

Gangle

After Jax was mean to her during the last hide n' seek game, you try cheering her up by playing another one.

It didn't involve Caine or anybody else. Just you two.

She mopes about being a terrible seeker. But since you're her best friend (and you promised her a prize), she'll go along if it makes you happy.

You decide to hide in spots that she would 100% think to check, deliberately allowing her to win.

Since she's all ribbons, it's easy for her to slink around and squeeze into tight spaces.

After finding you three times, she gets suspicious that you're purposefully going easy on her-

But she stops her accusations as you finally present her prize:

It's a brand new comedy mask!! Except this one wasn't made of porcelain or ceramic, instead being unbreakable material (or at least material that's couldn't casually be broken by anyone, especially Jax).

Gangle sobs with happiness before putting the mask on, squealing over how perfectly it fits, and hugging you tightly.

Thanks to you, she can finally feel joyful again!

Zooble

They'd rather do anything else....

But since this little hide n' seek "adventure" was all Caine's idea, she has no choice but to go along with it.

Even so, she puts the least amount effort into the game.

When you're the hider and she's the seeker, they just pray to whatever god is in this world (besides Caine) that you aren't anywhere in the Gloink cavern.

She'd rather not get discombobulated again.

Sometimes, she'll throw parts of herself in the direction where she thinks you're hiding, hoping to startle you into giving away your location so this dumb game can finally end.

Lucky for you, you know their tricks and keep quiet.

She doesn't expect any prizes (unless it's a limb that makes her body not look like a hot mess).

If they find you, she'll be like "yay I win..now I'm going back to my room" and saunter off.

Kinger

Like Zooble, he'd much rather do something else.

But he goes along with Caine's game anyways after you enticed him into playing for a prize.

Whatever momentarily stops his sanity from spiraling, I guess.

He searches high and low, getting nervous when he can't find you anywhere in the places he'd 100% expect you to be.

Lowkey starts to wonder if something terrible actually happened to you--like if you were trapped and not even Caine could help you.

The last place he could think of was your room but.....he doesn't have your key.

At the same time, he knew you weren't a cheater. You wouldn't hide somewhere that nobody else (except Jax) could access!

In the end, he goes back to his fort to sulk, openly declaring that you've won the game.

As it turns out, you chose to hide in that same fort, and you jump out with a grin, feeling victorious.

Kinger just stares at you for a solid 10 seconds.....before he suddenly screams and asks why tf you were in there.

You feel bad for scaring him, so you reward him for at least trying: a jar with a caterpillar currently wrapped up in a chrysalis.

He LOVES it, but now he carries around the jar every second of the day, staring at it until the little bug hatches.

At least now he has a reason not to fall off the deep end just yet.

Jax

Hide n' seek is like child's play to him.

Somehow this cheeky bastard knows exactly where you're hiding no matter what, even if it's outside the tent (like at the lake or fair).

It's definitely tarnishing your reputation as the best "hider" out of all of the gang.

When you ask him how tf he knew, he just shrugs and says "you're too predictable, try a better spot next time".

Hiding in your room is definitely not an option, as he's stolen your key (and would point out that would be cheating if someone else was the seeker instead)--so there truly is no place to hide.

Like Zooble, he's not in it for some prize.

It is, however, quite rewarding seeing you get so frustrated when he effortlessly finds you.

And that's enough for him

If it's a game involving everyone, then he just straight-up mocks the others for not realizing the very obvious spot (or at least to him it was obvious) you were hiding in.

Ragatha

She's probably the most enthusiastic about Hide n' seek (like you have mentioned, it's a good distraction from the stresses of being stuck in this virtual world).

Is also a fair and honest player, never once peeking while she counts to 10.

Like Pomni, she does her best to find you first, searching places she knows you frequent--or mentioned liking in the past.

But you're definitely the best hider out of everyone, so it's a little challenging.

Still, she refuses to give up!

When she does successfully find you, you and Caine decided that she should get a prize for being such a great seeker.

It's her very own centipede-repellent spray bottle.

While it won't stop Jax from trying to sneak those little pests into her room, the mist will deter them from coming near her at all and help her conquer her fear.

She's forever grateful and sprays it around her bed every night before she sleeps.

Oh, and she'll definitely threaten Jax with it if he even mentioned centipedes around her.

[cinnamonroll-anon]

lmk request!

wukong and mac (separate) had a nightmare and s/o came to comfort?

a/n: thank you both for the request! Since you both had the same prompt i decided to just put the two together! Sorry for my long absence have some comfort for your heart!

Terrible Visions: Sun Wukong x Reader, Macaque x Reader (Separate)

Warnings: angst to fluff, comfort (giving), mentions of violence and mentions of death. SEASON 5 SPOILERS! (not much but will brush up on events that take place!)

Sun wukong:

Honestly, what hasn't come back to haunt the infamous monkey king? Behind his usual suave facade, he was constantly stuck in his own head, thinking about his past and what problems could await on the roads ahead. If we're being honest here, he's stressed of having to save the world or having to face his own mistakes and shortcomings. He can never live down his own choices, not entirely at least. There would always be a whisper of doubt breathing down his neck, it would never fail to make him feel ashamed of himself. Luckily for him, he can play things off perfectly and no one would know any better from his usual laid back attitude. He wouldn't allow anyone to see the burden on his shoulders, or see how weary he's grown over these recent months. Well, everyone else except you.

You have been with Wukong for a while, so you're no stranger to his attempts at keeping you at an arm's length. It was a prominent problem in your relationship. He simply wouldn't tell you what was bothering him, even if it was something so miniscule that you could stop doing. Nowadays, he tries to open up to you and to express himself to the best of his ability. It was a promise you both made to each other as your relationship continued to flourish. He'd communicate with you and you'd understand him and try to meet him in the middle. It was a fair compromise that has saved your relationship on multiple occasions.

It took a great level of trust for him to feel like he could share his worries with you, he didn't want to trouble you... At least it was partially true, especially with all the guilt that's been dying to swallow him whole. He felt as though he had dragged you down into a mess like he did with MK, and that he was the one to blame for all of his suffering, as well as yours. Another part of him wouldn't allow him to love or care as deeply as he used to. Not again because, he knows what love really leads to... To pain. He had promised himself once in the past to not let his heart suffer again, to never go through another heartbreak. It was that promise kept getting in the way with his new ambitions and his heart's desire. To be with you.

Unfortunately as all things do, these emotions build up, and when they resurface, they present themselves to the great sage as he finds enough tranquility to sleep at night. He could only keep his thoughts to himself until they started pouring into his subconscious. The nightmares weren't as frequent but they'd manifest horrors that would leave him restless and fearful. Even in his slumber, he couldn't find rest.

Maybe he would be trapped in the mountain with no one to talk to, feeling condemned, forgotten, unloved and lonely. He'd stay there, unmoving and vulnerable for eternity. Perhaps it would be all the splitting headaches with his circlet, punishing and agonizing. No matter how much he begged for it to simply disappear, the torment would only continue. He would dig his nails into the groud, clawing into his head in desperation, howling in pain and sobbing for anything to stop it. He'd never find that solace here.

Maybe it was the day he struck Macaque. It would always be the same outcome, no matter how hard he tried to fight it. To change it. His body would move without his permission, his mind torn in-between this urge to kill him and hopelessly trying to stop himself. He saw his old friend laying beaten down, he watched as Macaque tried to move to get away from him helplessly. Was that fear or hatred he saw in his eyes? He couldn't tell before he felt the way his staff punctured through his eye, cracking entirely past his skull. No matter how many times he'd watch the scene unfold, it never ceased to be any less gut wrenching when he drew the final blow. It was all worse when he could smell his blood, practically taste the hot irony liquid in his tongue.

Sometimes it was failing MK. Failing him as his mentor. He knew he wasn't the best at teaching, honestly it had stung him when MK searched for guidance in Macaque. It just didn't help ease his nerves or reassured him that he was doing the right thing. He's put the kid through so much, yet he always kept his distance from him. He couldn't afford for him to get close, not again, not after everything he's been through. MK sacrificing himself was painful to watch, and luckily for him, he'd get to relive that moment. One second he was contemplating losing his Immortality and his life, and the next that familiar excruciating pain would crush his head again. He couldn't't move to save him, to sacrifice himself instead. The worst part was seeing that look on MK's face through his tears and screams. He almost lost him, but in his dreams he wouldn't come back, and in his eyes his world would still remain shattered.

The lady bone demon's control was the worst dream he could ever be faced with, because instead of any other circumstances hurting his friends, he was killing them all... One by one. A ruthless frenzy and an unstoppable slaughter, all for her destiny. Her voice would pound against his head and her command over him was absolute. He couldn't even cry if he wanted to.

He'd wake up in cold sweat, lunging to sit up and gasp for air. He had startled you awake, promoting you to wearily sit up with him.

"Wukong? What's the matter?"

He gripped his heart feeling it's frantic palpitations as he took harsh breaths. Maybe, the worst nightmare of all... Was losing you. He condemned his head for getting so creative with ways he could lose you. Meanwhile, you observed him, trying to read his expression. You sat there for a minute before you gently placed your hand ontop of his own.

"Wukong-"

"P-peaches, hey y-yeah, sorry about that! Just ah, y'know ehe thought i lost my streak. And to Macaque no less!" He answered with a strained smile, you could see a him covered in sweat.

"Uh-huh, so you're expecting me to believe that you're this worked up... About your videogame?" You deadpanned as you were fighting to keep your eyes open. With or without them open you can hear how shaken up he was.

He stumbled over his words and another half assed excuse before taking a deep breath and looking down at his hands.

"You're right- It, It wasn't about videogames... I had another nightmare."

You noticed how fragile his voice sounded, that and how ashamed of himself he looked. Was it his pride or perhaps it was the horrible attempt to brush you off? It didn't matter to you in the moment as you gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Honey, that's awful. Do you want to talk about it? Or maybe cuddle-"

Before you could finish your sentence, he quickly pulled you into a tight embrace. You gradually hugged him back, wrapping your arms around him, gently rubbing his back in a comforting manner. You could feel his racing heartbeat against you, how ragged his breathing was before they began to even out. Much of your relief, he was slowly calming down. His tail wrapped around your waist, giving it a tight squeeze, trying to ground himself in the present.

"It's okay Wukong, you're safe. I'm here for you, thank you for telling me. I want to help you with things like these, okay?"

"Even if i wake you up in the dead of night?" He spoke through a chocked sob, he was trying really hard not to cry, but it was so hard when you were so willing to sacrifice sleep and time just to help him. He tightened his hold on you, burying his face against your shoulder, either for comfort or to hide his face from your view, you didn't bring it up as you placed a kiss to his head.

"Yes Wukong, even if you woke me up at four in the morning," You replied with a chuckle. "I'd rather have missed a little time asleep than having you dealing with a nightmare all alone. Especially if I'm already here for you."

He shook his head as he let out a heavy sigh, you could feel your shoulder getting wet by his tears. After his initial fear had finally passed, he began to move again. He first placed his hand behind your head before he hesitantly pushed you away, only enough to look into your eyes. He mused to himself how sleepy you looked, before remembering he was the reason you were so worried about him now and awake.

"I'm sorry... you shouldn't be up at this hour Peach, i didn't mean to-"

"It was a nightmare Wukong, you didn't exactly plan it." You interrupted him as you delicately held his face in your hands, "Besides I already told you I'm not going anywhere. Im sticking with you no matter what, be it sickness, a nightmare or the world ending, again... I'm with you Wukong."

He swore he could barely blink back the tears in his eyes threatening to pour again. Despite it all you, were still here. You stayed by his side. You were still kind and loving to him, even if he wasn't always as vulnerable or open with you. You were more than willing to help him through it, to save your relationship... to save him. That was so brave of you, he hoped you knew that. He wished he could tell you, but he wouldn't say it... not today at least or now. He smiled warmly before laying back down, pulling you into his arms as you laid your head on his chest. He held you close as he felt himself become more tired, but before he could close his eyes again you pressed a lazy kiss against his lips.

"I love you Wukong, goodnight my love." What wonderful words to hear, he thought to himself, before finally letting his muscles relax and his jaw unclench. He finally felt safe and loved... all in his beloveds arms. He truly felt like everything would be okay. He looked down at your already sleeping form, god, you must've been truly exhausted he thought to himself. He waited a bit until he knew you were sound asleep, not taking any chances to wake you again, before he placed a loving kiss against your forehead.

"I love you too Peaches, if you only knew how much you mean to me... Goodnight love, see you in the morning."

Macaque:

He's more open to you about his nightmares. You've been with him for this long, so he trusts you're not going to hurt him when he lets down his guard. You've proven yourself to him time and time again that you won't take advantage of him or harm him. On the contrary, you treat him with compassion and respect, even when he has felt undeserving of your grace and patience. Youve always so considerate and understanding to him. He swears he doesn't deserve you, he knows he's definitely not the best guy around, but if you stayed this long and showed him you're not going anywhere, then he'll be damned if he doesn't try his hardest to appreciate you and show you how much he cares about you too.

But his nightmares are a sore spot for him, especially telling you what happens in them. He'd rather forget they happened at all, but those images in his mind refuse to leave him. Why must he be reminded of how much he suffered now that he's living a better life? He's gotten close to wukong again, albeit the two still bicker, but he knows now that wukong trusts him. It's a work in progress, but their relationship was mending slowly, it all starts with a little bit of trust. And then there's you.

He'll admit that he wasn't planning on ever having a partner, with all his issues, he considered himself the least qualified in the romance department. And yet there he was, spending his days with you happily. You had even stayed with him while he was on flower fruit mountain, you would enjoy the cuddle sessions the little monkeys had with Macaque. Even if he wasn't all too thrilled with the arrangement but, he couldn't deny how adorable you looked with the little ones clinging to you.

It's been a little over a day or two since the pillar of heaven was restored, you and Macaque having been enjoying some down time from the world's end. It was such a shame that in these peaceful moments his mind would still be plagued with these horrible nightmares. Even before he met you they were quite common, it made his lifestyle change as he avoided sleep, staying up throughout the night until eventual exhaustion would overtake him. If he pushed his body to the limit the chances of having a nightmare would decrease. Not the healthiest choice on his part, but the one that has worked for him over time.

But that all changed with you. You have given him a safe space, a home he could call his own. He trusted you and he let himself relax around you, and this would cause him to fall asleep at a more reasonable hour. He was still a night owl but it was harder for him to stay awake when you were so close to him, so warm and peacefully asleep. He couldn't overcome the temptation of resting alongside you. Although that peace would be short-lived.

Every bad experience he's had gets relived and reimagined in each nightmare. The most common type is getting betrayed. It ranges from getting abandoned and feeling worthless to being used for someone else's benefit. If he's had a nightmare of you betraying him, he would be a bit distant. Luckily he was willing to talk with you about it, in which you reassured him that you just wanted to be with him because you loved him. You weren't going to leave him or cheat on him.

Another common nightmare he's had was recollecting the day Sun Wukong not only turned on him, but killed him. It was always a brutal but hopeless cause. His heart was heavy with how wukong so easily sidelined him, how everything they had been through meant nothing. That he no longer meant anything to his friend. This dream was too realistic, he could feel every strike and how tired he was becoming. Nothing he could do was enough. Not against a force like wukong. The most horrid part was when he finally looked up at wukong in defeat only to be met with an agonizing pain to his eye. This nightmare would cause him to wake up yelling and holding his eye, feeling the phantom pain the dream left behind.

The least common dreams he had that would leave him mortified were the ones of the Lady Bone Demon. Being forced to do her will or have his life taken away from him again. He thought he was clever losing the key, but somehow she always escaped. Having the slow threat of her crystals on his body being a horrifying experience, especially the days in which he would become paralyzed in fear, going stiff in his sleep. Sometimes she would make him kill Sun Wukong and MK and there wasn't any fire of Samadhi to save him from being entirely consumed by her will. The worst one of all was when she found out about you, sending macaque to kill you, her champion didn't need any distractions after all. No insignificant mortal will stand in the way of his destiny.

Macaque would jolt awake, taking in gasping breaths before looking around the room. Hed sigh in relief, he was home, he was safe, just another stupid dream. He'd stay awake in bed, looking up at the ceiling in hope's of falling asleep. He couldn't shake the vivid images from his mind and he felt agitated and restless, he couldn't sleep again. He then looked over at you and the sight warmed his heart a little. You were peacefully asleep, it was a miracle his sudden movement didn't wake you, but he was silently grateful. Hed hate to wake you up since you looked oh so blissfully asleep. He couldn't do that, not to you. So he decided to discreetly get out of bed before using a shadow portal to drop himself into the couch. It was a better option than having to maneuver himself quietly through the room with you soundly asleep. Waking you up was simply a chance he didn't want to take.

He would sit in silence on the couch simply trying not to think about whatever dream plagued his mind. At first the silence was normal but he quickly found out how not wanting to think of something made you think of it more. The silence would become unbearable so he grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. He opted to mindlessly watch tv, turning the volume down to the lowest possible. It was the perks of having six ears.

You woke up, having stirred from your rest at the lack of his presence. You drowsily felt his side of the bed. It was empty, so you sluggishly got out of bed to look for him. He could hear you coming towards hims, yet his entire focus was on the nonsensical noises of the TV, he couldn't bother to pay attention to what was happening. You eventually made your way over to him and plopped yourself down on the couch next to him. You leaned against him, laying your head on his shoulder. He went tense at the sudden contact, not like he wasn't already stiff as a board as he tried to force his attention away from his own thoughts.

"Hey Honey, what's got you up so early?" He asked casually as if he also wasn't up at four in the morning.

"I didn't feel you in bed with me anymore... Are you okay Macaque?" You fought off the drowsiness in your eyes, but leaning against him and feeling his warmth was lulling you back to sleep. No, you had to make sure he was alright, sleep can wait. You slowly were able to get your hazy mind working before you felt how stiff he was against you. He usually eased up to your touch by now, even when he was caught by surprise.

He notices your discomfort before he wraps an arm around you, slowly relaxing against you. He gave you a soft smile as he took in your sleep ridden state. It was heartening to him that you missed his presence, even when you were asleep. But he wasn't exactly thrilled that he still somehow woke you up, but having you with him did relieve him of his worries.

"Sweetheart, listen... I'm sorry for leaving you alone but i just... Had a nightmare and i didn't want to wake you up about it. But i still did." His answer was honest but filled with disappointment in himself. He really wanted to handle it by himself, but a part of him knew he could never ease his mind the way you could. Having heard his explanation you leaned into him, giving him a tender hug. He's still for a moment before he finally wraps his arms around you tightly, allowing himself to be comforted by you. You gently ran your finger through his fur, it was like your every caress alleviated his aching heart and it wasn't long enough until he began to quietly cry against your chest.

"I-I didn't want any of this to happen... I didn't want to go through with it, I had to-" He murmured against you. You could tell it had been a horrible nightmare, especially if it broke him down like this

"I know baby, but you're not there anymore. You haven't done anything, you're at home... It was only a dream, you're safe... I'll keep you safe." You quietly reassured him, calming his anguish and placing kisses where his tears ran, gently wiping them away with your thumbs as you held his face. It was when you held him so close that you noticed it. His glamour was off. You could see his six ears, all the scars on his face and his eye, you wondered how you didn't notice it before. Then again being awake at four wasn't exactly peak conscious behavior and it was still dark, the only light being the dim glow of the TV.

Macaque felt safe in your embrace, enjoying the sound of your voice. He would normally be uneasy listening with all of his ears, but your voice was like a serene river to him, calming and comforting. He would gladly listen to you talk for hours about anything, but when you directed it at him and used it to ease his pains, it was simply heavenly.

After a while of hugging he thinks you might've dosed off then and there.

"Hey darling, are you still with me?" He asked quietly as he gave you a soft shake. The only response you gave him was a low, albeit late, hum of acknowledgment.

"Yeah, yeah, wide awake." Which ears a soft chuckle out of him before makes sure you're secure in his hold. Before you can ask if he wanted to head back to bed, you feel a swoosh before having landed on the soft and familiar mattress. You weren't even going to lie, his shadow portals were convenient. You probably wouldn't have made it back to the room with how tired you felt.

"A heads up would've been nice." You mumbled against him.

"Nah, I'm sure you could've handed it." You could practically hear his signature smirk in his tone.

"What if i couldn't and it scared me?" You joked as you pushed yourself away from him, earning you the sight of his handsome grin and un-glamored glory.

"Come on sugar, you're telling me you're scared of a little gravity. You'd think you'd be used to it by now." He chuckled as he patted your head before ruffling your hair.

"Hey! My hair, you're messing it up!"

"You have the wildest bed-head baby, you should be thanking me."

"Oh, I'll give you a thank you, alright. Keep this up and I'll smother you entirely." You challenged him with your own mischievous grin. He didn't believe your little threat for one second.

"Oh really? I'd like to see you try~" You then held the sides of his face before pulling him into a barrage of kisses. He's caught by surprise, unable to get away from your devoted kisses. He nuzzles against you trying to fight off his embarrassment, but you're so cute and oh lord, he feels like he's malfunctioning. Even after all this time he wasn't immune to being overwhelmed by your affections, having gone most of his life without them. Eventually you slow down your kisses, instead you poured out adoring words about every feature you love about him before giving it a kiss. You took your time, letting him know how much you loved him with each soft murmur and soft peck. That you loved him dearly and found him captivating, even with his glamor off.

"I think the scar makes you look hot" you ended off on, trying to brighten up how he might've felt about his appearance.

"Oh really? Is that so?" He smirked before finally wrapping his arms around you, pulling you against him to cuddle. You soon felt the familiar sensation of his tail curling around you protectively. You both held each other tenderly and you leaned closer to leading him into a slow kiss. Your lips molded into each other lovingly, parting to look into each other's eyes with nothing but adoration. You trailed your hands through his hair until you reached his ears, gently scratching the back of them and caressing them. He let out a content huff before resting his head against your chest, closing his eyes, allowing himself to be lulled back to sleep by your warmth and the steady rhythm of your heartbeat. You place a final kiss against his forehead.

"I love you Macaque, I hope you only have sweet dreams tonight." He didn't need to when his time awake with you was his greatest dream come true.

"I'll always love you, thank you my love." That was all he said before pleasantly falling asleep, safe and loved in your embrace.

back

[thatfreshi]

Forever and Ever (Astarion x Reader)

I'm going to sob and throw up everywhere this was so incredibly sweet.

Tw - mention of scars (i think that's it)

Recommended Song: Ronson Princess - Clarence James

Waking up to the sunlight gleaming through the red fabric, you and Astarion wrapped in each other's arms. It's odd for you to wake up before him, especially since he doesn't have to sleep all that much, but he's been particularly stressed the past couple of days. Baldur's Gate has brought up a lot of unpleasant memories, things he would've rather left behind. But sadly, everything has brought you back here, and he still wants Cazador dead. Perhaps that's what's weighing on him so heavily, knowing facing his master is so close.

You stare at his sleeping face for a long while, letting the sun continue trickling in, knowing soon he won't get this, soon that freedom of being in the sun, it'll be taken from him, just like everything else. Today you've prepared very special plans, kindly getting everyone to leave camp for the day. Before things change drastically, you want him to have something nice, a day without fighting, a day without talking about Cazador, a day without walking past taverns that he'd rather forget. You continue to smile at him, as his eyelids slowly flicker open. He smirks.

"I can practically hear you staring at me you know."

"Well good, at least you know how gorgeous I think you are."

You leave a kiss on his nose. Locking his fingers into yours, you start tracing his knuckles, all the little lines, tiny scars from fights, the callouses on his palm. He'd deny that he had them to anyone else.

"So... I have a surprise for you."

His ears perk up.

"Oh really? Whatever did I do to deserve such a thing?"

"You know I've said this a million times, but you don't have to do anything to deserve a gift my love. I just know you've been really stressed since we got back in the city, so I thought it would be nice if we had a day away from everything, just to ourselves."

"As if we could ever get time to ourselves with our hooligan friends."

You grin.

"That's the best part, I got them all to go do something else today, so we have the entire camp to ourselves!"

You feel a little bad, being so excited that your friends are leaving you alone, but Astarion likes the quiet. Sure, he's a performer, making little quips in a crowd, but it's that solitude, especially with you, that he cherishes. Maybe he was Stockholmed into it, being forced to be alone so often, but it was usually better than dealing with his 'siblings,' or Cazador. At least rats can't cut you up when they feel like having a good time.

"You seriously kicked out all of our friends so we could be alone for the day? However did you manage that?"

"I may have put some of your manipulation tactics to use..."

Last night, you just so happened to make an off-handed comment about something that would interest each of them. It wasn't too hard, especially since everyone in your group is obsessive over one subject at least, if not more. One by one, they decided they'd spend the day checking out something in the city.

"I have never been more in love with you."

You lock lips, running your hands through his hair, realizing that quite uncharacteristically, he hasn't washed it in days. He's usually quite ritualistic with his appearance, no doubt due to how he always had to look perfect. The habits simply stuck around, but he doesn't mind all that much.

"So, I have a whole day of activities planned!"

He sighs, thinking you mean some intensive itinerary.

"Okay maybe not activities, but nice little calming things to do. I call it... self-care day."

You look way too proud of yourself, and Astarion makes it known.

"What, dear gods, is self-care day? I am all for caring about yourself, as I am spectacular, but an entire day?"

"Yes. It's supposed to be overkill. Just a whole day of absolute bullshit, so you don't have to worry about anything!"

"As if I have ever gone a day without worrying."

You sit up, lifting him up to sit with you.

"Well, we're going to try, because you deserve it. Pleaseeeeee, I just want to spoil you."

He can't ignore your pleading, especially when you look at him with those soft eyes, a gaze that could ask for anything and he'd oblige.

"Alright fine, I will follow along on your self-care day, even if it sounds a little silly."

"Great! So, remember how I went out after dinner last night, and I told you that you couldn't come with me because I was doing something super special and secret?"

"Oh, when I was terrified of you roaming the city by yourself? No, why would I remember that at all?"

His voice is absolutely dripping in sarcasm.

"You know as well as anyone that I can take care of myself, you just like being a chivalrous piece of shit to people that are mean to me."

He shrugs.

"Yes. That sounds entirely reasonable, why would I not do that?"

"Okay yes whatever you like protecting me blah blah blah. We're getting away from the story. I found lots of cool little things, for example..."

Your voice trails off as you dig through your bag, trying to find the cloth sack you got your hands on yesterday. After you find it, you slowly open the pouch.

"I found your favorite tea!"

It's quite a particular brew, one you're pretty sure was made in this city. It's almost impossible to find anywhere else, and when you find it here, it's usually expensive. You hand the bag to him, and he takes in the scent. Blackberry, lavender, ginger, and a couple notes of citrus. Is it way too complex? Yes, quite, but he likes to dissect the flavor, focusing on the different components in the drink.

"You remember that thing I said, what was it... about saving money for, oh I don't know, a place to live after this? You know this is far too expensive my dear."

"It's fine, I can pickpocket a few people."

He laughs.

"You mean I can pickpocket a few people and you'll say you were there for moral support?"

"Yes."

Astarion simply sighs, because if he didn't love you, gods would he absolutely hate you. You could probably say the same thing about him though, so at least you're even. He grabs two cups from somewhere in the mess of his belongings, and the two of you make your way to the dying campfire. As you grab some water from one of the carafes, he adds some more wood to the fire, casting ignis instead of actually putting in the work to start a fire. Usually you would tease him about how he doesn't know how to start a fire, but today he's allowed to take the easy way out. You begin boiling the water for your tea.

"Okay, time for surprise number two while surprise number one is still cooking up."

"Oh, a second surprise?"

"It's self-care day, not self-care hour. There are many surprises to come."

You quickly walk to Gale's tent, bringing back a charcuterie board, filled with small finely cut fruits and mini cheese wedges.

"Ta-da!"

Astarion takes in the beauty of the spread, his heart fluttering a little. Sure, he doesn't have to eat, but he certainly lives for the finer things in life, and a charcuterie board is one of them. After all, eating things that aren't bloody animals makes him feel a little more normal. You smile, realizing he's actually excited and isn't relentlessly teasing you.

"I bought them last night and had Gale put together the spread this morning. I know it's less romantic but-"

"No my sweet it's... it's wonderful."

The two of you eat heart shaped strawberries and little pieces of cheese while you wait for the tea to brew.

"I know I joked a lot, but I do really appreciate all of this darling. It's nice, to know someone cares about me this much. Especially to know that you care about me this much."

"Of course my love. You deserve this and so much more."

You kiss his neck, leaving a little bit of juice from the strawberries. It's hard sometimes for Astarion to remind himself that the worst is behind him, that all he has to do now is deal with his master, and he can finally leave all of this shit behind him. He can finally have that life he wants, with you in some nice house, sleeping together in a nice bed every single day. It's also hard to remember that you love him, that he isn't some charity case you picked up, that you do all of this out of the kindness of your heart. He thought for the longest time that no one was truly kind, and that if they were, they were going to be dead soon enough, and yet he would do anything it took to keep you safe, one of the kindest souls he's ever met. He tears up a little, thinking about how you would care this much, that anyone could care this much about him.

"Are you okay Aster?"

You wipe a tear off his cheek.

"Yes, I'm alright. Just sentimental, that's all."

The way his eyes get wide when he cries, as if he's letting the world in for once, you always notice it.

"That's okay, you can cry all you want. Besides, usually makes you feel better after."

While you're consoling him, you pour out two cups of tea, handing him the first. You take a sip, realizing why this is his favorite. Sure, it's a lot going on, but there's something luxurious about it, soothing, as if made for royalty. Astarion wipes at a couple of his tears, and takes a sip.

"I'm serious though Tav, you have got to stop spending all of our money after this. I'll take this one nice day, but after that, it's back to pinching pennies for us."

Always worried, always thinking about the next thing, always five steps ahead. He's always had to be, playing his life like chess, knowing he's a pawn in some far greater game, knowing if he makes one wrong move he'll lose everything. You don't blame him one bit. After all, the two of you do need enough money to buy a place after all of this is over, and yet you don't worry about it, knowing you'll figure it out. Things have worked out for you so far, and they'll continue to. They simply must.

"Alright, deal."

After sitting and drinking your tea for a while, talking about what you want in the house when you finally buy it, you lead him down to the nearby creek so you can wash his hair.

"Now I know what you're going to say-"

"What, that I could simply do it myself and that you don't have to do something ridiculous like wash my hair for me?"

"Yes... something like that, yeah."

"Then why would you even try asking if you could?"

"Because I love you, and I want to, and I don't want you to have to worry about it."

You stay silent for a second.

"...and I may have bought a really nice shampoo from a store in the city even though I probably shouldn't have splurged but I just want you to have nice things..."

You make those puppy eyes at him, expecting him to say no or give you some lecture.

"Alright, if you insist."

"Wait, really?"

"Yes. Now go ahead and start before I change my mind and lecture you about how to properly bargain for things."

Now this, is a truly rare occurrence. He's so particular about his hair, to the point where he has to fix it every time you mess with it. You swiftly fill a bucket of water and take the nice shampoo out of your bag, putting yet another strawberry in your mouth.

"Seems like you're enjoying the strawberries much more than I am."

He says as he turns his back to you, the two of you sitting in the grass by the creek.

"Hey, it's a board for the both of us. If you're not eating off of it, that's your loss."

You mumble while still chewing on the fruit. He realizes you're right and grabs another piece of cheese before you eat it all. You motion for him to take his shirt off so he doesn't get water all over it, and soon you start working through his hair. It's sadly become quite knotted the past couple of days, due to neglect from the slump he's been in. You try your best not to get sad about it, knowing it's the truest sign of just how out of it he's been. Between dirt and knots and dried blood, there's plenty for you to work through, slowly but surely cleaning it all out, combing through it along the way.

"Are you sure I'm not going to look like a wet cat when you're done?"

You laugh at him.

"Hey, I never said anything about styling, just that I'd wash it. How it looks after is on you."

You don't see it, but he smiles. He has this moment of realization, a sense of clarity. This is it. The thing he's wanted all his life, he's found it, and it's someone so unlike him. And yet somehow, here you were, madly in love, eating fruit and cheese by the water, simply taking care of each other.

"I want it to stay like this forever."

He says suddenly. Your face lights up.

"Me too."

You put down the comb, wrapping your arms over the tops of his shoulders. He holds onto your hands, as if he's realizing for the first time just how real you are. You're here, and he's here, and you're in love. What a wonderful thing, to truly be in love, to have a plan, to have a future. He never really had a future, just a present, day after day. But now there's hope, a life after today, and tomorrow, and the day after.

"Would you do this again sometime? This whole, self-care thing with me? It's been quite nice."

You leave a couple of kisses on his shoulder, and he feels you smile into his skin.

"Of course. As many times as you want my love. Forever and ever."

[ikarakie]

what if they won? what if steve was trying to get the injured eddie out of the upside down as the gates were sewing themselves back up again? what if he knew that not everyone could get out safely, so he sends robin and nancy through. then he sends them eddie and hoists dustin after him and by the time everyone else is through, he knows there's no time.

dustin screams. he curses him out and sobs as the gate closes between them. steve promises it'll be fine, just take care of eddie, he'll be fine, but they both know he can't know that. robin looks so betrayed, so heartbroken, he can't bear to meet her eyes. just looks to the floor and tries to tune out their pleads until the gate's shut for good and he's all alone.

maybe he hadn't really thought it through. just figured his chances were better on this side than trying to squeeze through an actively closing gate and possibly being torn in half between worlds. decided that, out of all of them, he was the one who deserved to go back the least. they all had families that actually cared, that were waiting for them. they had each other, and soon enough they'd forget about him. it was all for the best.

but it still hurt. he still sat in the upside down version of eddie's trailer and wept. wished to tell dustin he loved him like a little brother, wished to kiss robin on her head one more time, wished to know if max was okay, wished that he and eddie could've become real, proper friends.

wished to know if there was something else eddie had wanted to tell him before they split off. if he'd misread things, especially after he'd pushed so hard for him and nancy to get back together. but none of that mattered anymore, because he was stuck here now.

after a few hours of crying and wallowing he gets his ass up and decides he's gonna at least try to survive for a while. he decides to stay in eddie's trailer. doesn't feel like he could make it to his own house, and doesn't even think he wants to. though he does trek to the nearest convenience store (and cries there, too, because he remembers bringing max and the kids here for snacks so many times). picks up whatever non-perishable food he can carry and then holes up.

he thinks of little will byers. cries some more, for him. so small, all alone in this place. how strong he was, how he was braver than steve ever would be, even at his young age. thinks he'd like to tell him that, if he ever could.

he's not sure how long passes. maybe days, maybe weeks. not like it's easy to tell how time goes down here. he would say he lost hope, but he never really had any hope to lose. he never intended for anyone to come and get him, made his peace with the fact he'd die here when he watched the ceiling gate close back up again. it's pathetic, how he mopes around and sits in a single spot for days on end. staring at the walls, not moving a muscle.

that's how she finds him. when he hears the door to the trailer jiggle, he just sort of thinks: ah, this is it. something's come for me. wonders if his parents will come to his funeral, if he even gets one.

it slams open. he doesn't even turn his head, doesn't want to know what it is that'll have him. just closes his eyes and waits, listens as it quietly comes towards him. crouches between his legs and- and takes his hands- what-

"steve." he opens his eyes and the floodgates start up again because it's el. her hair's buzzed again, which breaks his heart because he'd been the one to show her how to take care of it when she was growing it out. knew how proud she was of how long it'd gotten. but she's smiling so brightly, like she's won the lottery.

"el?" he asks, and he's shocked at how broken he sounds. "why are you here?"

"i have come to take you home." she says, rather matter of factly, leaving exactly zero room for argument. there's a fierce determination in her eyes, and she squeezes both of his hands.

but it's so dangerous here, he wants to say, you could've gotten hurt. why go through all of that for me?

and maybe she's been hiding mind reading powers from them, because she adds, "everyone misses you. i would have come sooner, but it took a while to get back to hawkins." then, she smiles. "i think they would have found a way even if i didn't, though."

it's like it all hits him at once. they've missed him. they've all been... looking for ways to come get him, this whole time. however long it's been. they didn't just forget about him like he wanted expected. the very idea suddenly seems so silly.

he takes a shaky breath. "well, in that case, let's not keep them waiting, yeah?" she smiles, big and happy, and nods.

part 2

[oracle-of-dream]

hi can you do a xiaojun x male reader smut?

I totally can, I've already been trying to write something for him so I'll put it here! It's gonna be in parts so hang tight <3

Never Really Alone

Minors DNI

Summary: A feeling, at the corner of your mind. Always with you–even when you know you're alone. Someone's watching you, following you, getting closer...

Warnings: Male Reader, Stalking, Thunderstorms, Psychological terror, Fear of darkness

Wordcount: 1.5k

As your eyes opened, dark circles under them, you felt it again. The same feeling you've been experiencing for the last few weeks. It feels like you're never truly alone–someone you can't see is always with you. At first, you believed it was just the feeling of settling into your new apartment. You moved in about a month ago, but the feeling followed you outside your apartment.

At Work. The Cafe. Walking down streets. Everywhere you went.

It was to the point that you couldn't stop looking over your shoulder, even in broad daylight. You'd bought a taser, keeping it with you always even when you went to bed. The extra security still never was enough to make you feel safe enough.

You didn't have anyone to talk to about it. You'd just moved because you started a new job, if you told any of your coworkers they'd think you're crazy. Calling your parents was out of the question, they'd see it as a reason to bring you back home. You even thought about seeing a therapist. You could only text your friends from back home, they made you feel heard but couldn't do anything to help you. You were alone.

Work was the only time that you felt okay. You were surrounded by people who were at least semi-familiar, and it made you feel comfortable. But one night, after a long day of work, there was chatter about a get-together of all your coworkers.

"Y/n, you'll come, right?" Your team lead asked.

"No, I'm sorry, not tonight. I... have to look after my cousin tonight," You lied.

Your coworkers didn't press you for more as they left to enjoy each other's company, leaving you alone again. Almost alone. The feeling returned as you walked out of the work building, rushing to get home. The clouds were dark, thunder sounded in the distance, and rain was coming. You liked the rain, the soft sound of rain distracted you from feeling watched. It sometimes even made you smile, having something else to be focused on for a change.

As you got to your apartment, hustling up the stairs, a man stood outside your door. It was your landlord, Xiaojun. He was a thinner man, with black hair, always having a tired look in his eyes–like he never slept, draped in a black sweater you had always seen him in. He was standing outside your door, holding a bundle of mail.

"Hi, y/n," His voice was deep and soothing. "I noticed you hadn't picked up your mail in a while, so I wanted to drop it off."

"Thank you, that's so nice." You put on a smile as you took the mail from him.

"Have a good night, watch out for the storm. I've heard some people have had outages. Call me if anything happens," Xiaojun said as he walked down the hallway before descending the stairs.

You entered your apartment and closed the door, sighing in relief. Xiaojun was a nice man, and you felt safe around him. He offered your apartment to you at a discounted rate, after mentioning how expensive all the others were. He always went out of his way to make you feel comfortable. He also looked pretty handsome when he wasn't super tired.

You put the mail on the counter and then realized–the feeling was gone. You didn't feel like you were being watched... The urge to break down and cry was too powerful as you sobbed silently. Your chest had a weight lifted off of it. But your celebration was short-lived. As soon as you started changing out of your work clothes, you felt a sharp coldness run up your back. It was back. Now you wanted to cry for different reasons.

You took your taser out of your bag and took it with you as you swept through your apartment, just like every day, checking your home. But, just like always, you never found anyone.

You returned to your mail and started to sort it right as your lights went out. Xiaojun mentioned power outages so this is probably it. The storm must've knocked it right out. You stumbled through the darkness that invited itself into your home until you found your phone–Xiaojun asked you to call him if anything happened so he must have a way to fix it...

The phone rang as you waited for him to pick up, the sound of the rain getting louder and less friendly.

"Hello?" Xiaojun's voice came out of your phone.

"Hi Xiaojun, it's y/n, we just spoke?"

"Of course, I know who you are, silly. Can I help you with something?"

"Yeah, you told me to call if my power went out. Is there anything you can do about this?"

Xiaojun was silent for a moment. "I can get a flashlight, and bring it to you if you don't have one. I'll also check your power box, in your laundry room, to see if the circuit tripped."

"I'd appreciate it." You hung up the phone and waited by the door for Xiaojun to arrive. You opened it cautiously as you heard the knock, your camera for the front door was also not working so you couldn't see who it was unless you opened it. A flashing beam of light hit your eyes as they tried to adjust.

"Sorry about that, y/n. I didn't mean to shine you like that." Xiaojun's voice rumbled dryly. You blinked a few times, waiting for the dazzling sensation to fade.

"It's alright, come in," You mumbled as you rubbed your eyes. You felt Xiaojun's arms hold you as he shifted past you, pushing the door with his broad shoulder. You shut the door and followed him as he navigated your apartment, using the flashlight to light the way.

"You live here alone, right?" Xiaojun asked, trying to make conversation.

"Yes, that's right."

"What about your parents?"

"They're far away... I moved out here for a job opportunity, but I'm still trying to see if it was all worth it." You shivered, "What about you?"

"My father passed away, leaving the building for me to rent out."

Xiaojun got to the breaker box and opened it. "Hold this for me?" He handed you the flashlight so he could use both hands to work. You didn't know much about what was happening as he fiddled with wires. "Got a girlfriend?"

"Not really my type."

"Boyfriend?"

"No, I don't have anyone in my life like that..." You sighed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to–I was just wondering." Xiaojun tried to change the subject, "So how do you like the apartment?"

"It's nice. Cozy."

"Really? No issues, at all? You're the only tenant who doesn't complain about something in their apartment."

"Well..." You hesitated, thinking about the feeling. This was your chance to talk about it. For someone to finally understand. "There's been this... one thing."

"Oh?" Xiaojun said without looking at you.

Your jaw tightened. "I've been having a weird feeling since I moved in. Like I've been followed. It started in the apartment, then went outside. I only don't notice it when I'm at work..."

"That's strange. I haven't heard anything on the news or something. You should be careful, is there any other time you feel okay?"

You blushed at the answer, "Well, I don't feel it now."

"Now?"

"I think it's because you're here?"

"So I'm making you feel safe?" Xiaojun chuckled. "That's so cute. I'll keep you safe, anytime." Xiaojun smiled, trying to focus but couldn't stop thinking about you. He sucked his teeth in frustration. "I think I need to grab a tool, can you hold this in place? It's gotta stay like this for me to fix it." You nodded as Xiaojun guided your hand over his, pressing down on a bundle of wires. "Okay, I'll be right back, so stay put." Xiaojun hopped to his feet, taking the flashlight with him as he left you in the dark. The second you couldn't hear his footsteps anymore, your chest started filling with anxiety. You felt incredibly vulnerable, and you'd left your taser in the kitchen–not wanting to scare your landlord with it. Your breathing got heavier, shadows danced in your vision, and your hands shook as they were glued to the wires.

Then you felt it. The feeling, creeping up your back, was the most intense you'd ever felt. You couldn't hear or see anything, but every hair on your body stood on end.

"W-who's there!?" You shouted into the darkness.

The darkness responded with nothing but dead silence.

You could run to the kitchen, grab your taser, and hide somewhere. But what if you attack Xiaojun by mistake? You needed something, anything. Your mind raced, but even in your panic, you could hear something. Someone breathing. They were excited, ready for you to fight back. You felt more helpless than before. You were doomed from the start. They stepped into the laundry room, finally making a singular footstep.

You stood, trying to see who it was, but only saw a shadow. There was sudden pain, and then darkness.

You were knocked out cold...

To continue, click here!

[suuuupernovaaa]

mong

mong [m·oŋ] vtr. depend on, rely on, trust for protection

Anonymous Request: I was wondering if you could do a Neteyam x f reader who grew up with/around the Sullys and Jake and Neteyam are protective of her. And then one day she walks into their tent or a gathering and just rushes into Neteyams arms and clings to him they are all worried. Neteyam comforts her and holds her while Jake tries to solve the problem?

1,551 words

My mother's grip on my upper arm was so tight that I knew it would leave bruises.

"You will do this," she hissed in my ear. "There is no other choice. Don't be foolish."

With much effort, I pulled my arm from her grasp and stumbled back, staring at her, horrified.

Before anyone else could speak, I ran.

--

"Was Y/N hunting today?" Jake Sully asked his eldest son as he and his family sat around a small fire, finishing up cleaning and drying their kills from the day.

"Yes," Neteyam replied.

Jake nodded, wiping off his knife. "You should have gone with her."

Neteyam sighed. He knew his father worried about Y/N, a girl - now woman - his age, and everyone knew why, but no one really said it.

Her parents were... unkind, and that was putting it lightly. He didn't think they'd ever put a hand on her, but even for Na'vi, they were harsh and unforgiving, and not for the sake of raising her right and keeping her safe in a dangerous world.

Just for the sake of being harsh. They didn't seem to like their own daughter very much, which confused the Sullys. She was kind, soft spoken, intelligent, and always supportive to her loved ones. There wasn't anything not to like about her.

Jake had watched her grow up, from a distance at first, and then encouraged his children to be friends with her. She'd latched to them immediately, and eventually to him and his wife as well, becoming almost a part of the family.

It seemed to be getting worse lately, and anytime she wasn't with the Sully family, the worry was there at the back of Jake's mind. He supposed he was really starting to think of her as a third daughter, and having her away from him for long periods of time caused him some anxiety.

He knew his oldest son felt a similar worry for the girl, but for entirely different reasons.

As if summoned by the mention of her name, Y/N burst through the door, causing every Sully head to turn her way. She breezed past everyone and threw herself right into Neteyam's arms, crying loudly, which was very uncharacteristic for her.

Jake jumped up immediately, and Neytiri ran to Neteyam's side, placing her hand on Y/N's back as she sobbed.

"What have they done now?" Jake huffed under his breath, wondering what kind of laws were in place that would allow him to punish her parents for the way they treated this poor, sad girl.

"What is it, child?" Neytiri asked, but Y/N was too upset to speak. Her breaths were coming in shallow gasps, and Neteyam looked to his mother and then his father with wide, panicked eyes.

Kiri joined the three of them on the floor, placing a hand on Y/N's back right next to her mothers. The two women in unison closed their eyes and began taking in deep breaths, low and slow, in and out.

It took a while, but Neteyam felt Y/N doing the same as she clung to him.

"There you go," Neteyam whispered, stroking her hair as she breathed. He had never seen Y/N so much as frown, none the less cry. No matter what she was put through, her dispositioned always remained sunny and calm. Something terrible must have happened.

"Tell us what happened," Neytiri said, and Y/N finally sat up, but Neteyam would not let her out of his arms. She had to turn, settling in his lap, with his arms crossed over her chest.

--

Even though I knew the Sullys had noticed that my parents were different, I had never spoken of it to them. What was the point? I could not change who my parents were. I could only keep my head down, be respectful, and hope to escape when I was older.

And now, I had been offered and escape, and I would rather die than accept it.

"They have... they are forcing me to mate with Marek," I said finally, and Neteyam's arms over my chest tightened, pulling my back into his chest, as Kiri gasped.

I cast my eyes downward, embarrassed at my outburst, and at burdening their family with this - but I didn't know where else to go.

"Marek is awful," Kiri whispered. "He's mean, and cruel, and he's..."

"Just like my father," I whispered, tears pricking at the corner of my eyes again. I looked up to Jake, the man I'd always wished had truly been my father, and the expression on his face was dark and malicious.

"This will not happen. Neteyam, with me, now."

Neteyam frowned, holding me tightly to him, but his father demanded he join him a second time, and they left without so much as a word.

Neytiri and Kiri held me tightly as Lo'ak and Tuk stood nearby, and I wished for the millionth time that I had been born into this family instead.

--

Netyeam and his father returned almost an hour later, very quiet, somewhat relieved and mostly nervous.

When they entered, Neytiri was braiding Y/N's hair while Kiri and Tuk sang softly by the fire. Lo'ak sat nearby, looking oddly out of place.

"Okay, well," Jake said as he entered, spreading his arms to the side. "I think we should give Neteyam and Y/N a little space to talk."

Y/N furrowed her brown. Netytiri squeezed her should and Kiri patted her on the knee before the entire Sully family, minus Neteyam, rose to leave.

Jake approached before he left, and put a hand on her shoulder. "We would never let anyone hurt you, Y/N, and we did what we thought was best to protect you... but nothing is set in stone. You get to decide your path."

Y/N tilted her head to the side, extremely confused and in the dark, but Jake left, leaving just Y/N and Neteyam there.

"Neteyam, tell me what's going on!" she said, and the two of them quickly approached each other, meeting in the middle of the tent.

"My dad and I, we went to speak to your parents and..." Neteyam cleared his throat. "On the way there, I told my father the truth, Y/N. I told him that there were many reasons I want you away from Marek, and your parents. I want you to be safe, and loved, and treated the way you deserve. And I want all this because I... I have been in love with you for a very long time."

Y/N was quiet before him, her face nearly expressionless, extremely hard to read, so Neteyam pressed on.

"We spoke to your parents and we made them an offer. I asked them for your hand. I asked their permission to be your mate."

Remaining stoic, Y/N's expression did not change. Neteyam reached out, taking her hands into his.

"If this is not what you want, you only have to tell me, and we will find a safe place for you. You will have the protection of your Olo'eyktan. Of my family."

Y/N opened her mouth, and then shut it again, and to his great horror, she was crying once more. Soft, quiet tears rolled from her eyes and down her cheeks.

He was prepared to tell her again, she didn't have to do anything she didn't want to do, when she took her hands from his, put them on either side of his face, and pulled his lips to hers.

--

I was frozen as Neteyam spoke. Not only had he saved me from my parents and from Marek, but he had somehow granted me the deepest desire of my heart? A hope that I had never spoken to a single soul?

For years, I had harbored a love for Neteyam, that only grew as we spent more time together.

He was standing before me now, offering me everything I'd ever wanted, and making it clear for the first time in my life, that I had complete control over my own destiny.

Overtaken by relief, gratitude and joy, all I could do was pull him to me in a long overdue kiss.

When I pulled away, Neteyam wiped the tears from my eyes.

"Is that... a yes?" he asked, and I had to laugh.

"Of course it is. And, Neteyam, please know this is not just to escape. I have loved you for a long time. We could have both saved each other some anguish by just admitting that a while ago."

Neteyam pulled me in for a tight hug, and I reveled in how completely safe I felt in his arms. I reveled in the joy of finally becoming a Sully. I reveled in the delight of never having to see my parents again if I didn't want to.

Soon, the tent was full of Neteyam's family once more, cheering, and crying a little, and celebrating.

Jake was the first to pull me into a hug, and he whispered in my ear. "I always knew you were meant to be my daughter, one way or another."

We smiled at each other, and the feeling of calm and safety grew, settling over all of us - and it would never disappear again.

[danisbrainrot]

jackie taylor x reader

how have I not written about her yet??? anyways, doing the lord's work (aka what shauna should have done).

everyone stood in shock, watching as jackie stormed out of the room after her explosive argument with shauna. you glanced at the door and back at shauna, unsure whether or not to chase after her or stay and comfort your friend.

tai was by shauna's side immediately, comforting her as the girl sobbed into her chest. still, none of the girls made a move to follow jackie outside.

you weren't stupid. it was hard not to notice how it was getting colder recently, or how all the animals were stocking up and going into hibernation. you knew winter was just around the corner, and feared that jackie could fall prey to it.

you didn't want to be that girl who followed after her, since shauna was a good friend to you and you didn't want to show her you were picking sides. however, you knew that if you didn't do something, no one else would; jackie was one of the most stubborn people you'd ever met, she wasn't going to come inside on her own volition. no, she'd have to be convinced.

at first, you found yourself standing above coach ben, who was still shocked from watching the argument unfold. "coach, you need to do something about that. jackie can't sleep outside," you whisper, glancing back to see if anyone was watching you.

he shook his head, "sorry, but I don't want to get involved in you girls' arguments," he replies, groaning softly as he moves to readjust himself into a better position.

"you're an adult. jackie will listen to you," you beg, but to no avail. ben shakes his head and refuses again, forcing you to look elsewhere. your eyes land on nat, who—granted held a bit of disdain for your captain—would surely see the consequences of leaving jackie outside to freeze.

however, you were no longer sure when travis pulls her in and whispers something in her ear; they both glance towards the door and you knew they'd be no help.

you stared out the window, watching jackie's pathetic attempt at starting a fire with pity. she really wasn't made for the wilderness, that was obvious. it was clear from day one she wouldn't contribute much, since all she'd done was complain, whinge and refuse to help with the chores. but you still remember the sweet and inspiring team captain on your soccer team; you can't help wonder what went wrong.

finally having enough, you quickly slipped outside, going unnoticed by no one. you'd take the dirty glares and rude comments if it meant coercing jackie back inside. you always listened to your gut rather than what people had to say, and right now, your gut was yelling at you to go talk to her.

jackie's gaze lingers on you as you sit beside her. after a beat of silence, she crosses her arms over her and chest and says, "if shauna sent you out here—"

"no one sent me out here," you reply, watching the flickering flames about to go out. it's silent again as you work up the nerve to beg her to come inside and she tried to work out why you were talking to her.

jackie sniffles, trying to hide the fact she'd been crying; it doesn't matter, since you can tell from her red eyes. "she's my best friend and she hates me," jackie mumbles, resting her arms against her legs and her chin on her lap. you're silent, happy to listen to jackie vent—it was for the best, because you weren't going to pretend to know anything about her relationship with shauna. "and you know what's the stupidest part? I don't even love jeff. . . I don't know if I even like him. she broke my heart and I don't know why."

"talk to her about it—and I mean talk, not argue," you reply earnestly, not sure how else someone was supposed to react to this situation. "you feel betrayed, and she feels overshadowed. you still have time to sort this out. fuck! we're in the woods and no one's coming to find us. you have plenty of time to tell her how you feel," jackie looks up at you with tears in her eyes. she's lost for words, and you smile at her gently, assuring yourself that she'd listen.

she shakes her head and sits up, however, making your smile fade. "no, she doesn't want to talk to me right now," jackie mumbles, kicking at one of the stones and accidentally sending it flying into the fire. "and I don't want to talk to her," she adds hastily, making you raise your eyebrow questioningly, "she's in the wrong, I shouldn't have to apologise to her," you roll you eyes at her stubbornness.

"fine, but I'm not leaving until you're inside with me," you snap. you watch her rub her arms up and down, and notice how chill the weather had gotten. was it always like this at night? how did jackie expect to survive through the night. "come on, jackie. I don't want to wake up in the morning to you looking like a smurf."

jackie burst into laughter, making you join too. "god, I'll be fine. don't worry. no frosty the snowman here," she promises. but you're no stranger to the cold. to snow. "I'll be alright, I just can't stand to look at her right now."

it falls quiet again, as you both mull over what she said. you can't help yourself, fearing the worst, you blurt out, "dying isn't worth it, y'know," she raises her eyebrows, "jackie taylor, you're the pettiest person I know. . . but to freeze out here because you're mad at shauna? that's a lot, even for you," you softly explain.

jackie scoffs, rolling her eyes before shivering again, "oh my god, I'm not going to die out here. I have a blanket, I'm wearing a jacket and a roaring. . . well, not roaring, but I have a fire," she points out. "it's not just gonna randomly snow in the middle of the night," you sigh, realising that she was convinced. there was no bringing her inside—and it was getting cold, even for you.

you bite your bottom lip, getting up to kiss her on the forehead. "I love you, okay? I don't want anything bad to happen to you," she looks up at you in shock, "come inside when you're ready, but please, don't stay out here all night. if not because of the weather, then because the wolves that attacked van are close by," she nods, and turns to face the weak fire again as you walk off.

"wait!" she calls out, standing up and chasing after you. your body fills with warmth as you silently rejoice at convincing her to come inside. "what do you mean you love me?"

you froze in your spot, feeling your heart race and your cheeks fill with heat. "I think you know," you reply, hoping that if she didn't feel the same way, she'd assume you were talking platonically.

jackie stares at you, breathing heavily, before she pulls you into a hug. "thank you, for caring enough to come out here," she whispers. you smile softly in return; she leans into you, kissing you gently on the lips. you were in shock for a moment, in complete disbelief that jackie liked you that way—that she liked girls that way. soon, you realised that the kiss was real, and that she wanted you; savouring the sweet moment, you mourned the loss of her lips on your own. "wow, your lips are so warm," you laugh at her, glancing back at the cabin ready to grab her hand when she flinched out of your grasp. "I'm not ready yet. . . stay out here with me?"

you nod, joining her to sit on the log again. you added some kindling to the fire as she snuggled up close to you. it was nice to feel her this close, and know she liked you back—even if it seemed like it was because she was lonely. it didn't matter to you, however, as you focused instead on the way she relied on you for warmth, and the way the flames danced.

after what felt like half an hour (but was closer to two hours) you notice the lights turning off, "it's cold, I'm going back inside," you announce.

jackie nods, "okay. I'll just be a little longer," she replies, shooting you a reassuring smile. you kiss her forehead again, and take sullen steps towards the cabin.

you glance at her once again, tempted to drag her inside, kicking and screaming, but you decide to leave her be. you receive dirty glares when you come back inside. you feel even smaller knowing you'd failed to bring her back in, so it was for nothing.

you accidentally lock eyes with mari, before glancing back at the ground. once you reached the fireplace to warm up, that's when the comments began. "of course you'd chase after jackie," mari snipes, shaking her head.

"it's so cold outside! I was worried she'd actually sleep out there and freeze," you reply, defending yourself.

you heard tai scoff, and looked for shauna, only to find her missing. "she chose to go outside," van mumbles, staring at the floor to avoid your gaze. you stare at her in disbelief.

you glance around the room, seeing no one agree with you—not even misty. nat and travis stared at the ground, also avoiding your eyes. "guys, now is not the time to be petty, she could've been in serious danger," you cry. no one responds, and you can't help but groan and roll your eyes.

"we saw you kiss her," misty announces. you look taken aback, but don't say anything. "three times," she adds, and you bite back the retort you were ready to sling at her.

instead you walk towards your bed, slipping under the sheets and pretending like you didn't notice everyone's gaze on you. eventually, tai heads upstairs and you hear everyone shuffle into their beds—but still no jackie.

your eyelids grow heavy, and as they do, you could swear you hear a door creak open. you smile in your dreamy state, knowing that jackie had finally come back inside. . .

"no, no, no, no, no!" shauna screams, jumping over you and racing outside. you jolt awake, your heart racing as you look around at all the confused faces of the girls. suddenly, it occurs to you, jackie's not one of them.

scrambling to your feet, you and tai are the first ones out the door after shauna. you have no idea why she's carrying on when you finally realise the ground had changed from green to white overnight. shauna was hunched over something in the snow, which at first glance, looked like a log.

it takes you a minute to process the scene in front of you; when it does, it feels like you've been hit by a train. your stomach drops and you feel your heart shatter into a million pieces.

shauna was on her hands and knees, screaming and crying while shaking her best friend. "jackie, wake up!" she wails. tai is by her side immediately, holding onto her and trying to comfort her.

your hand flies to your mouth as you begin to sob as well. no, no! this isn't right! jackie came inside last night! I heard her! you can't help but think. you could've sworn the door was opened. . . but here jackie was, covered in a blanket of snow, as you fell to your knees and mourned the girl you'd had a crush on since middle school.

you feel a pair of arms on your shoulders, as you lean into them for comfort, letting your tears run freely. you couldn't stand to look at the sight anymore without feeling guilty. you'd done everything you could, but was that truly enough? you should've done more! you should've dragged her inside! slapped some sense into shauna or the coach! you should have stayed by her side! tried harder to convince her! or at least kept her warm all night!

but you didn't, and you knew that would haunt you til your dying breath.

[gabessquishytum]

Dream attempting to punish World Pussy-Eating Champion Hob with oral sex is so funny to me. Hob intends to tell Dream eventually. Just, not yet. He's still having more fun with this than guilt over the deception.

Except, he doesn't get the chance to come clean.

Dream is with his (friend? sibling? someone he likes well enough to tolerate this sort of thing), and they start to tell the story of this guy they hooked up with a few times who ate them out better than anyone else before or since. And this guy LOVED doing it. So much, in fact, that they couldn't keep up with him. They felt a little bad about it, honestly, especially when he confessed that he'd NEVER had a lover who wanted as much as he wanted to give.

Dream is only half paying attention, until they drop this former hookup's name. And then? Dream has to leave. Immediately. There's somewhere he needs to be.

He shows up unannounced at Hob's flat and explains that he knows what Hob has been keeping from him, and Hob absolutely WILL be punished for this transgression (Dream isn't mad--he expects nothing less than this sort of behavior from his beloved brat--but he's not going to let something like this slide, either), but first? First, Hob is going to eat him out until HOB has had enough. It is a tragedy and a crime that no one has ever made PROPER use of that mouth.

Hob is hesitant at first. He's had lovers ask for this before, and none of them really understood what they were asking for. They'd all tapped out, and a few of them just ghosted him after. But he also wants to give Dream everything he asks for, and he can't deny he WANTS to eat Dream out until they're both sobbing. So he sets about eating Dream's pussy with all the enthusiasm and skill he's been holding back.

And that's how Dream discovers his hitherto unknown overstimulation kink. Which opens up a whole world of possibilities for Hob's punishment. Just as soon as Dream remembers how to speak in coherent sentences.

(Hob has to cancel his lectures the next day because there's no way he can give them with his tongue this sore from overuse, but he's honestly never been happier)

I'm so <33333 about this whole concept. And low-key emotional about Dream postponing Hob’s punishment so he can finally, finally sate his appetite for Dream’s pussy. That's love right there, baby. Make Hob feel proud of his incredible greed and skill for eating cunt. He should never ever have to hide his desire ever again.

I can fully imagine them going at it for hours. Dream is comfortably propped up in a throne of pillows, with Hob between his legs. And the first few orgasms are lovely, really. Dream can take it easily. He pets his hand through Hob’s hair, praises him, encourages him. It's only the beginning.

Hob wants to stay there until his fingers are wrinkled from being wet for so long. He wants to stay until his own mouth is dry and aching, until his lips are swollen and his nose is bruised. He wants to stay there until he passes out from exhaustion, with his tongue still buried in Dream’s pussy. He wants to give all that he has, to completely dedicate every bit of energy to Dream’s pleasure.

And Dream lets him. To be entirely fair, they both need to spend the next day in bed. Dream may not be attached to his physical form, but he's not sure he can actually stand up. Hob isn't doing much better, but he can't stop grinning.

Dream will have to come up with a punishment when he can find 2 braincells to rub together, but right now, all he wants to do is sip tea and give Hob lots and lots of cuddles. Safe to say, they will be doing it again.

[wen-kexing-apologist]

Top 5 Emotional Outbursts

See if no one else on this website has my back, I know Ben has my back because he is giving me a chance to talk about my boy Patts once more

TOP 5 EMOTIONAL OUTBURSTS OF 2023

Patts, La Pluie

gif by the beautiful, marvelous @liyazaki

Episode 10 was just an absolute masterclass in emotional outbursts. The fight between Lomfon and Patts, then Patts and Tai, then Lomfon and Tien, then Patts and Tai again. Like goddamn, finally thank fuck, Patts is able to let out years worth of frustration and pain at Tai's silence was just so beautiful, and cathartic, and necessary. What an absolutely incredible moment to not only witness but experience. Patts has been so kind, so patient, so forgiving, and it was time for all the pain that he's been letting simmer for two years out. Good! For! Him!

Uea and His Bio Family, Bed Friend

There are few characters in this world I hate more than Uea's mother, and it was so so so so so so wonderful to see Uea finally give her a piece of his mind. I am so proud of him for speaking his mind, standing his ground, and getting the ever living fuck out of his bio family's house. Too personal, sorry, but this fight hit especially well for me because I too have had a parent say they'd live perfectly happily without me, and it was great vindication of my reaction to that to see Uea GTFO immediately after.

Secondarily, James' sobbing screams at the beginning of episode 4 and in the flashback of him getting dragged in to the bathroom when he was an adult have never left my brain. James absolutely crushed those scenes and this was going to be my Bed Friend pick before I remembered this fight exists.

Jim and Li Ming // Heart and His Parents, Moonlight Chicken

I don't think I am exaggerating when I say that Jim and Li Ming's relationship dynamics is one of my favorite of all time. Aof is such an incredible screenwriter/director and I feel like he's able to make such realistic depictions of families in all their complicated glory. The screaming match between Jim and Li Ming is SO good, and really is what solidified my appreciation for Fourth's acting skills because there was a fucking storm cloud on his brow. Happy fucking birthday to you Uncle Jim I guess. Poor fucker.

And then of course, one of the first ever posts I made in the BL Sphere of tumblr was a full essay on Heart's confrontation which I loved so motherfucking much. Once again a much needed fight with lots of interesting, complicated emotions flying around the room.

Kiyoi and Hira, Utsukushii Kare Season 2

gif by @itsallaboutbl

"I'm sorry that I like you" one of the best moments of the year for me by far. This fight between Kiyoi and Hira was desperately, and I mean desperately needed. I know changing will be a slow process for the two of them, and even in Eternal they are no where near where they need to be, but Hira needs/needed to cut this Pebble to a God bullshit out and I am so glad that Kiyoi was able to call him on it. Also from a performance standpoint, Yagi Yusei had his work cut out for him as a scene partner to Hagiwara who absolutely bodied his role as Hira. In season one Yagi did not need to do all that much for his performance because we didn't know as much about Kiyoi until closer to the end, but that cannot be the case for Season 2 and Yagi knocked it out of the motherfucking park.

Sunshine and Q, 7 Days Before Valentine

Okay, almost positive this isn't a BL but I love when people structure TV shows like stage plays, and there was a fight between Sunshine and Q in like Episode 4 or 5 where they were shouting over each other and it just felt so real and the dead silence that hit the room when Q said something that struck a chord with Sunshine was expertly handled, and some of the best work I've seen out of Atom the whole show. I don't think anyone gifed it so I can't put the scene in, but I think you talked about it in your Stray Thoughts @bengiyo

And just cause I wanna, the Top 5 Emotional Outbursts of the pre-2023 shows I watched this year:

In and Wang's fight in 180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us, Ep 8

Gav sobbing about his aunt in Gameboys (the movie, i think?)

Pran sobbing in to Pat's shoulder in Bad Buddy, Ep 10

Tarn's fight with Teh in I Told Sunset About You, Ep 4 (shout out to Smile there because I still cannot believe it was the first thing she filmed on set)

Shiro being terrified Kenji was dying and Kenji being worried Shiro was dying and the resulting clownery from them blurting that out in What Did You Eat Yesterday? I think it was the New Year's special.

ASK ME MY TOP 5 OF ANYTHING BL 2023

[becca4leafclover]

Thinking about the ending of Purgatory again, how the two people with wings saving people were Philza and Fit.

Phil, everyone knows had the wings. HAS the wings, now, in this miracle of this place, where nothing good grows and yet it's given Phil the chance to regain his lost limbs. Even after they were pushed to their fragile limits and broken again to save Tubbo, Phil's wings still exist on his back after they'd been gone for far too long.

But what about the other person who miraculously had wings? Who never had any sort of phantom pains of lost limbs in all of his life, who touched the sky only through mechanical marvels and the husks of void insects and never craved the feeling of flight as a wingfolk does.

Unlike Phil, who returned from the End challenge nearly sobbing for his children and the healing of his wings, Fit had no such thing when he went through those portals. He went through and grinned at the sight of a pair of elytra, a trusty tool back on 2b2t. He raced through the course and jumped through the other side and physically looked no different.

But who knows how long it's been since the last time Fit touched the void? Since he went to go solve the mystery of his airship's ghost voyage? That was years ago. It was nice to feel- free. Of Purgatory, of Quesadilla, of his mission and all the complications of the past few months. It was just him and the empty infinity below him for a few minutes.

When Fit left the End, he didn't miss the elytra. No, he was no Philza. But his body felt abuzz in a way he couldn't explain. It came and went, a slight background noise or strangely absent. Fit didn't pay much attention to it- his focus was on surviving. Grinding. Winning, for Ramon. But he found himself idly noticing it when he was helping Tubbo, or wandering with Pac, or defending Tina.

Days past, and the end of the world seemed to come from one of their own. Fit saw the writing on the wall of the fate of their kids and knew that he didn't have time to look for a lost cause. He pushed his limits to get to the escape boat. It was intense, but he didn't think for a moment that he wouldn't make it. He knew that not all of his friends would be so lucky. But it was survival of the fittest, and Fit knew it better than almost anyone else.

When Phil and Tubbo made it to the boat on Phil's broken wings, something stirred inside Fit. It was the two leaders of the surviving teams, the two that had just dueled to the death, holding each other like lifelines. These weren't more survivors in a wasteland, they were his FRIENDS. Could Fit really stand here on this boat, knowing if he didn't do something he'd never see them again?

"Give me the lasso, I can save people," Fit offered once Phil collapsed when trying to get up.

The old crow and his young adversary looked at him with wonder. That buzzing feeling was back, stronger than it'd been before. Fit held out his hand for the fraying rope. Fit backed up on the boat's deck and sprinted, planning on jumping over the edge and diving into the water-

But he never fell once he went up.

Fit used all of his willpower to keep going. Find someone- ANYONE, to save one more life so it wasn't just him, the unconscious people he'd managed to get to the boat, and those other two going home. Anyone else.

One minute. Bagi.

Fit screamed her name through the air. She shouted in surprise when she spotted him.

"Fit! You have wings?"

Fit took the second to glance over his shoulder. Wings, on his back, glowing against the hazy red light that covered the island.

"I'm getting you out of here," was all Fit said as he tied the rope around Bagi. He hefted her up, and then took off again.

They made it to the boat with twenty seconds left on the timer. Tubbo had gotten the engine revving and he heard Charlie screaming somewhere inside. He pulled Bagi out of the water, and then everyone's MDA's went off violently with notifications. Their time was up.

The buzzing in Fit's body faded as the boat sped away from the island- and their remaining friends, and the little buddies, and the corpses of their children, and the black dot rising in the sky that spelled total destruction. And the next time Fit noticed, the magic wings that had allowed him to be the hero of the hour were gone too.

It wasn't until they were back on Quesadilla Island that anyone mentioned the miracle Fit had pulled. Phil showed Fit so much trust, in revealing to him his mangled wings that he was able to keep coming back home. And he gently asked- what happened to Fit's? Why did Fit never tell that he had lost his wings too?

"I'm not like you, Phil. I've never had wings to lose."

"...But we all saw them, mate. Were you at least born with them?"

Fit shook his head. "Not that I ever knew. But I don't remember much about where I came from before 2b anyway."

Phil had frowned at that, but left it.

The next person to bring it up was Tubbo, along with Bagi and Pac while they were waiting for their somehow-alive kids to wake up from their comas.

"Hey Fit, what happened to your wings?"

"Oh yeahh! You were my hero, Fit! I don't think I'll ever be able to make it up to you," Bagi said. Fit waved them off.

"Don't worry about it, Bagi, we're all good."

"You have wings?" Pac questioned, his voice filled with such pure wonder. Fit shook his head.

"I... I really don't know what that was. I just knew I had the chance to save one more person, so I did. I wouldn't be surprised if that fucking Eye did something just to try to get under my skin! Good thing I'm tougher than that," Fit said with a smile. For the first time since the boat, that strange feeling prickled along his back.

Bagi frowned, while Pac looked at his whole being with his observant eyes, and Tubbo tilted his head.

"I would have loved to see you with wings... How cool you would look!" Pac breathed. Fit chuckled at that, but couldn't find the words to quite reply.

"What if you did have wings before?" Tubbo said, "Like how Phil had his healed back there?"

"I already talked to him about it. I've never had wings in my whole life. Or if I did, I lost them before I ended up in 2b2t, but that was when I was still a kid. If I ever came from anywhere before 2b anyway."

"They weren't really like Philza's either, when I saw them. They seemed- magical? They weren't really- I don't know the word- they weren't really real. They were all glowy," Bagi added.

Pac hummed thoughtfully. "You sound like a guardian angel that only got his wings in a time of need..."

That struck a chord with Fit. The feeling in him settled pleasantly, like he'd gotten an answer he didn't know the question to. "Maybe, maybe. Maybe you're closer than you think, I don't know. guess we'll never really know unless we end up in hell fighting each other again and have to escape another nuke!"

"Do NOT even joke about that!!"

"I don't know, I kind of want to see my guardian angel fly me to safety..." Pac said, a tease in his voice and cheeks flushed pink. Fit, admittedly, balked at this, and couldn't come up with a response. Tubbo, meanwhile, gagged.

The last clue Fit had to the strange event in Purgatory, was when he was stretching in the new yoga room of Fit's Fitness.

He was alone in the calming space, the tinkling of the water feature an easy background noise. He was doing some final stretches after a workout, to relax his muscles before he called it a day. His sweaty shirt was in the corner by the shoe rack- he really needed to change out of his Purgatory clothes, now that the islanders were slowly starting to be able to put that behind him.

In the mirror as he was just doing a shoulder stretch with his mechanical arm, for the first time Fit noticed a pair of scars on his back.

Now, Fit was familiar with his plethora of scars that covered his whole body. He knew the major ones- the ones that were closer calls with permanent death than he'd like to admit. His scar tissue had layers, with the way that explosions left their marks on the same spots over and over again. But despite the size of these scars, Fit couldn't remember where he got them from off the top of his head. Two long slashes- fairly clean. One was partially covered by the metallic plating that was embedded into his shoulder- maybe that was why he'd forgotten about them before?

It was still weird though. Nothing on 2b2t left such clean slashes. Especially not so symmetrical, or in what really was a vital place... strange indeed...

Fit looked back at himself in the mirror, examining the scars with mild curiosity.

For a moment, pale glowing wings were aligned with those slits. Fit blinked, and they were gone. That fuzzy feeling returned, and lingered as Fit's mind raced.

He had a feeling there was something he didn't know about himself.

[riordanness]

stranger - [l.valdez]

1.5K wordcount

warnings: angst

requested: no

prompt: you have the power to forget anyone if you say the word ‘stranger’ to them

"All you care about it your stupid machines!" I spat at my best friend, slamming my hand on a workbench in frustration. My voice was trembling, and my hands shook.

"All you care about is wasting my time!" Leo shot back, tears in his eyes. He blinked repeatedly, forcing them away.

"Wasting your time?" I scoffed. "That's what you call wanting to be around you? You're my best friend, and- and-" I swallowed back a sob.

Leo didn't take any notice, his attention already back on his newest invention, whatever it was. We were in Bunker Nine, the only place Leo ever spent any time in anymore. I barely saw him outside of his favourite workplace, and if I did, it wasn't for very long.

I had to come to the bunker to talk to my best friend, and ever then, our conversations were mostly one-sided, Leo being preoccupied with whatever gadget he was working on.

I felt like I was losing him, and it hurt, bad.

"Look," Leo said finally, "I don't have time to waste arguing with you, so either shut up or stay here, I don't care."

"Leo, I really need to talk to you. It's important." I stared at him, ashamed at how pathetic I sounded. I did want to talk to him, and it was kind of important. Today was the day I planned to finally tell Leo about my feelings for him. They'd been there for months now, ever since I'd first met him, really.

But recently those feelings had been growing burning hot. I could barely stand how much I liked the short Latino boy I called my best friend. In fact, if I was serious with myself, I was deeply in love with him.

"I don't have time for you."

Leo's words stung like nothing else ever had. I was so stunned I actually stumbled back a few steps, hot tears blurring my vision.

"Leo..." I began to cry, bawling like a child into my hands. I felt absolutely, ridiculously pathetic, but I truly couldn't help it.

"Look, just leave me alone, please," Leo said dismissively. "I'm really busy, and you're kind of bugging me."

I couldn't take this. It hurt too much. I'd promised myself I'd never use my power (or curse as I preferred to call it), but this was the final straw. I didn't want to live with this pain any longer.

"Stranger," I whispered, and crumpled to the ground.

***

"Y/N!"

My eyes slowly fluttered open, and the first thing I saw were a pair of concerned looking brown eyes, which were filled with tears.

I pushed myself up onto my elbows, and found myself lying on a battered old couch in a large workshop.

I blinked a few times, then looked at the person who'd been crouching beside me.

"Y/N...?" the Latino boy asked me, worry and guilt in his eyes, though I wasn't sure why. I didn't even know this kid.

"Who are you?" I asked softly, frowning a little in confusion.

"No..." the boy mumbled, tears spilling over his cheeks. "No, no, no. I'm so freaking stupid!" He kept muttering angrily at himself, and I couldn't help but feel a little bad for him.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked him, gingerly placing my hand on his arm. "Don't beat yourself up over it, whatever it is. I'm sure it wasn't your fault. And anyways, if it was, I'm sure you can fix it."

My words, while I intended them to help, only seemed to worsen the boy's despaired crying.

I looked on nervously, while this boy I didn't even know cried his heart out next to me.

"Um..." I said after a few minutes. "Where are we? And who are you, anyways? I need to get back to Camp Half-Blood -- its my home..." I paused. "Why a, I in this workshop? How did I get here? And who even are you?"

The boy slowly met my eyes. "My name is Leo Valdez," he said gravelly. "And we're in the secret bunker in the middle of the woods at Camp Half-Blood. Don't worry, I'll take you back in a minute."

I smiled. "Okay, thanks."

I settled myself into a more comfortable sitting position on the old brownish vouch, and watched curiously as the boy hurried to clean up a mess he'd aapparently made while building something.

"I am so sorry."

Leo's words startled me. "What for?" I asked in surprise. "You didn't do anything. I've never even met you before just now."

"You have the power to forget someone when you say 'stranger'," the boy replied miserably.

My eyes widened slightly, and I swore my heart skipped a beat. How did he know-? There was only one way... and it made me depressed just thinking about it.

"Did I..." My voice failed me. "Did I make myself forget you?"

The boy's expression told me all I needed to know.

"Oh." Even to myself, my voice sounded small. "I'm sorry." I meant it. I had no idea who this boy was, or what he had meant to me, but it was all gone now. Permanently, irreversibly, completely gone. All I could do was make new memories, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to. Who knew why I'd decided to forget him.

"Why did I do it?" I asked cautiously, watching Leo to gauge his reaction.

"Because I'm a stupid asshole," he replied. "You are- you were, my best friend, and I was stupid... I told you I never had time for you, and that spending time with you was wasting it."

I was quiet, listening. My fingers played with a loose thread from the couch's armrest.

"I was lying," Leo continued, "to you, and myself. I- I'd fallen in love with you, Y/N, and it scared me. I said I didn't have time for you because I was terrified that you'd be weirded out. That you'd not want to be friends anymore, or something. I-I know this is really weird, and I know you don't even remember me-"

His voice trembled, and I sensed that if he said anything more, he'd cry. I decided not to make him say anything.

I got up off the couch, and slowly stepped over to him. "Hey..." I started. "Don't worry..." I stopped myself. Why wouldn't he worry? Clearly, this was my fault, but he was blaming himself. Maybe he'd played a part in making me want to forget him. I wasn't sure, but I didn't want Leo to beat himself up over this. I wasn't worth that.

"I-" Leo shook his head. "I'm so freaking sorry, Sunshine."

"S-Sunshine?" I asked, my breath hitching. Maybe I didn't remember him, but something deep inside of me recognised that nickname.

Leo's face went red. "I'm sorry," he stammered. "That's what I used to call you, you know, before-" He blushed, looking down sadly. "Because, you know, you're a daughter of Apollo and he's the sun god, and--"

I stopped his rambling with a sudden hug, surprising us both. "Like I said, don't worry about it," I told him. "I- I think I made a mistake in making myself forget you. I really want to be friends again, if that's okay with you."

I watched his eyes light up. "Yes, yes please," Leo almost begged, squeezing me tightly. "I am never ever gonna forgive myself for making you so sad you wanted to forget me, but I don't want to lose you for anything."

I managed a smile, and sent a quick prayer to my dad, hoping he'd listen to me.

Hey dad? Please undo my curse. I mean, super awesome blessing from you. Just this once, please. I think- I think I was in love with this boy, and I don't want to lose that. Please let me remember him.

A few seconds later, I gasped, blinking a few times. "Oh my gods, Leo!" I said. "It- it worked! I-I remember you!"

Leo stared at me. "Really? But-"

"My, uh, power- it's from my dad, and I asked him for a huge favour and begged him to undo it just this once. Because..." I went red. "I had a feeling, and well, it turns out I was right."

"A feeling about what?" Leo asked curiously, fiddling with his tool belt.

"I had a feeling I had been in love with you before I, uh, chose to forget." I grinned sheepishly, kicking the ground with the edge of my sneaker. "And I was right."

Leo's smile was brighter than my dad's sun chariot, and his kiss filled me with much more warmth, too.

[feverdreamsanddelusions]

27

inspo by @painsandconfusion

[tw chase, past trauma, past hostage situation, revenge, knives, implied murder, psychological whump, dehumanisation]

Whumpee was running through the woods, panting and sobbing and wishing they were anywhere else. They'd already survived that fucking hostage crisis, and now this? Was there something wrong with them? Did they walk under a ladder, shook hands over the threshold? What the fuck was wrong with their life?

"Please, leave me alone!" they screamed. "Please! I didn't do anything!"

Their pursuer didn't respond. They weren't wasting their precious breath like Whumpee.

It didn't take long until Whumpee's shoe caught on a branch. They hit the ground with a loud thunk, making leaves and bugs scatter. They didn't have the chance to scramble to their feet again.

Whoever had been chasing them pushed them right back into the mud with a boot on their back, and all they could do was thrash like a pinned butterfly. "Please!" Whumpee tried again, positively wailing. "Please, let me go! Not again! Not again!"

"Do you have any idea how lucky you are?" The stranger sounded angry, and Whumpee couldn't imagine what the fuck they were talking about.

"I'm not! Evidently, I– please, I'm sorry, I don't understand, please, just let me go!"

"Do you think my friend got to go on little hikes after the incident?" They removed their boot and bent down, hoisting Whumpee up and slamming them against the nearest tree with a knife to their throat. "Do you think they were frolicking around, enjoying life?"

"I don't understand," Whumpee cried. "I don't understand, please..."

"Oh, you don't understand." The stranger looked at them with pure disgust, and Whumpee wanted to scream that they had the wrong person, because surely, there was no way they could've crossed someone so egregiously without even knowing. "Do you never think about the innocent person who died that day? The one the police and all of you let down? You know, the 'sacrifical lamb', as the reporter had called them."

Traumatic memories came flooding back by the dozen at the phrase. It was one they'd blacklisted on every platform, trying to avoid the news coverage as much as possible. "There was nothing I could've done!" Their therapist had said so. "I didn't want anyone to die!"

"Well, someone did." They pressed the blade into Whumpee's flesh, those empty eyes fixed on whatever monster they thought they were hunting. "And it shouldn't have been them. The sacrifice. It should've been anyone else. Anyone."

"No, no, please–"

"'Police treats hostage crisis like a chess game, sacrificing a pawn to save the rest.' Is that any fucking way to treat a human being?"

"I'm not the police–"

"It should've been them. It should've been you."

"Don't render their death useless!" Whumpee blurted out as a last ditch effort to at least get their attention. "If you kill me, if you kill all of us– Then why did your friend die? They saved us! It was unfair, it was horrible, I wish it didn't happen, but–"

"Shut the fuck up!" they snapped. "Shut up! Shut your fucking mouth! They didn't die as a sacrifice! They didn't die for your useless life to go on! They died because you were all incompetent and stupid! They died for nothing! They shouldn't have died!"

Whumpee flinched, their crying continuing with renewed momentum. "Killing me isn't going to bring them back!" they sobbed.

"No, it won't. It certainly fucking won't, because your lives are nowhere near of equal value. But maybe if I get all of you fucking parasites... Maybe then, they'll be able to rest."

[amberjazmyn]

lost but always found💔🫶

pairing : charles leclerc x platonic!fem reader

summary : it was the last thing she had of her beloved father's only for it to go missing, only realising then just how much she missed her father. thankfully, her best friend, charles was there to lend a hand in understanding.

warnings : mentions of reader's father passing away, panic, charles + the rest of the grid being the sweetest friends in the entire world, a swear word?

a/n : this is actually the most exciting thing for me to say but this is my first ever request so thank you to the gorgeous anon who requested this! and because she gave me permission, reader's name is bridget!

her ears started to ring into white noise when she realised that the ring she always wore on her left ring finger was no longer there like she had thought it was earlier when she had been out and about in monte-carlo. if it was just a regular old ring that could be replaced, she wouldn't be feeling as though she was having a heart attack. however, that's the thing, it wasn't just any old regular ring. it just wasn't. it was the most special ring that bridget ever owned. it was a vintage sapphire ring with a passage from her father’s vows to her mother engraved in its inside. it was the ring of her mother’s that her father proposed to her with that just like their daughter now, wore on her left ring finger. and this very ring was the last thing she had of her father's since everything else had been given to the rest of the estranged family. the only other thing bridget owned of her father was the photos but even then, it was cruel that her own family only had the decency to give her the sapphire ring. to be fair though, they legally had to since it had been written in her father's will that if their family were too selfish in giving her anything else that they had to give her the ring otherwise they'd be legal consequences. so, obviously because her family didn't want to get into legal troubles, they reluctantly gave the grieving girl her the ring but nothing else.

because she had been out all day and couldn't remember the last time she saw her ring, she decided to take her ugly crying self to her instagram stories. all for the sake of desperately trying to find her sapphire ring. she needed to find this ring otherwise she would have no clue on what to do since it was the last and only thing that she had left of her dad. and there was no way in hell she'd let herself live if she couldn't find it.

bridget.l.n posted to her instagram story

[caption 1: i'm literally sobbing hysterically rn guys, i have lost my vintage sapphire ring that my dad proposed to my mum with that everyone always sees me wear on my left ring finger😭. i've been all around monaco today so it must have fallen off in the middle of that since i literally never take it off unless i need to. so if anyone knows where it is and finds it, i will genuinely love you forever! i am an actual wreck cause i've never lost it before and the only reason i have this ring is because if my family didn't give it to me there would have been legal consequences so please, help me find it! caption 2: for those wondering, this is a literal product photo of what my ring looks like, it's so simple yet so intricate at the same time, it's a gold band with little diamonds and a sapphire in the middle with a passage out of my dad's proposal speech to my mum engraved on the inside! again, thank you to everyone in advance!]

yourbff replied to bridget.l.n's story: omg, i am so sorry to hear that, hun! i was out and about as well around the same time you were and going into similar stores as you, i can for sure retrace your steps if you need me too my love!

bridget.l.n thank you my love, you are such a sweetheart! i am hysterical because i have never lost it before and i don't know what to do!

yourbff i know honey, i can't even imagine just how freaked out you are! i'm about to leave for the gym now so i'll go check now xx

landonorris replied to bridget.l.n's: story oh, bridge, i'm so sorry hun! do you remember where you had it last?

bridget.l.n no, lan, that's why i'm freaking out sm! i'm trying to remember so hard but i just can't and i don't know where i last had it!! all i do remember though is that i didn't take it off otherwise i would have remembered so it had to of slipped off my finger!!

landonorris it's okay bridge, please breathe cause i know you're not right now! hopefully you can find it soon, i'd hate to see you without it because i know how much you had to fight to even get it in the first place <3

carlossainz55 replied to bridget.l.n's story: oh corazon, i'm so sorry to hear that! i know how much that ring means to you, if you need anything, i'm always here for you but i have no doubt that charles will be the best person for this in helping you out <3

bridget.l.n thank you carlitos, it feels awful and i wish it didn't feel like this because it feels like i've lost him all over again and it felt as though i had finally gotten better! and don't worry, i can already see charles getting his keys ready, he's on his way <3

carlossainz55 i have full faith that with charles beside you that he'll help you find it <3

maxverstappen1 replied to bridget.l.n's story: oh, bridget, that is heartbreaking! kelly's gone out to do some food shopping, i can call her and ask if she can ask around if that'll help?

bridget.l.n thank you so much maxie, that is so helpful! i love you and kelly sm and tell her i say thank you! i'm so sorry, it's so silly but i'm literally a mess!

maxverstappen1 of course bridget, we love you too! and this isn't something that's silly, it's serious since we all know how much you fought to get this ring back!

charlesleclerc replied to bridget.l.n's story: oh...bridget...i know how much that ring means to you! do you want me to look for it or come over to you?

bridget.l.n can you come to me please? i need you! i feel so sick, char, i just cannot believe i let myself lose it like this after having to fight so hard with my own family just to get it back!

charlesleclerc of course i can bridget, i'm in the car right now!

as soon as bridget turned off her phone, leaving her best friend on seen as well as all the others who replied to her story, her tears no longer allowing her to see. her head dropped to her knees as her cries grew louder through her apartment. knowing that charles wasn't too far away, she just wallowed into her grief as much as she could whilst she waited for him. of course, other people would tell her to stop crying and to stop being stupid and that it's 'just a ring' but it wasn't. and she was glad all of her friends that saw her plea on her instagram stories and responded to her that they never once said it was stupid. even when she herself apologised and said that it was stupid. they knew just how much her father's (technically mother's) old engagement ring meant to her and how difficult it was for her to make sure her family that she was no longer speaking to actually obliged by the legal document of her father's will and gave it to her. posting again, this time a photo of her dad, it was clear that this was hurting her more than everyone thought it would.

bridget.l.n posted to her instagram story

[caption 1: dad, wherever it is you are, for the love of everything holy, please help me find this ring! caption 2: tb to when we were happy family before dad fell ill and we lost him forever💔💌]

charlesleclerc replied to bridget.l.n's story: i'm here, bridge, please let me inside!

bridget.l.n omg charlie i thought you'd never make it! it felt like you were taking forever!

charlesleclerc i know and i'm so sorry but i'm here now! please open the door

landonorris replied to bridget.l.n's story: you'll find it, i promise you, bridget!

bridget.l.n i hope so, lando! i don't even know how i'm still breathing

landonorris i'm glad that you're still breathing but i already know that charles is looking after you. he's not gonna give up until you guys find it okay?

carlossainz55 replied to bridget.l.n's story: bridget, please tell me, is charles with you? i'm sure he'll help you and so will your dad! he'd never let you be without his ring, i promise!

bridget.l.n yes, he just arrived and i'm able to breathe a lot better and i know he'd never let it happen but i just hope it's not been stolen

carlossainz55 that's something neither charles or your dad is going to let happen okay? no one has or will steal the ring!

now that charles had finally arrived and bridget had let the monegasque into her home, before the two could do anything else, charles opened his arms. allowing the girl to practically collapse into his arms and hugged her as tight as tight could be. and once again, when bridget thought she had cried out all of her tears, there was a slight shock for her when sobs left her mouth and tears streamed down her cheeks the second she made contact with her childhood best friend. but charles didn't say anything. there was no need to. all he did was hug her tighter and comfort her as that was all he could do and everything the grieving and distressed girl needed him to do. however, it didn't take charles too long to get bridget's tears to stop and when they eventually did, charles spoke up.

"...you okay mon ange?" charles whispers, pulling away slightly as bridget nods her head and wipes the remaining tears off her cheeks

"yeah...i'm sorry..." bridget trailed off as charles sighed as he shook his head with a small smile

"...don't apologise bridge. this ring you've lost is an important item for you, it's not silly, it's not stupid and it shouldn't be something you feel embarrassed about crying over! hell, if i lost something i was given from jules or papa, i'd be hysterical as well! but i promise, we will find it, if it's the last thing i'll do! i'd stay awake for as long as i physically can, not even thinking about sleep until i help you get this ring back, okay, bridget? i'm being serious, so serious, because i know these feelings that you're feeling and it is gut-wrenching and nauseating knowing that you've lost something you love so dearly with no memory of how you lost it..." charles was out of breath, his hands cupping bridget's cheeks as her eyes widened as she nodded her head

"...okay, thank you charlie!" bridget whispered as charles smiled at his best friend as they then pulled away from each other

it was now time for them to retrace bridget's steps starting from the very beginning. her bedroom. although she was fairly confident she had memory of waking up with her ring still on, she didn't want to take any chances just in case it had fallen off into her bedsheets whilst she had slept. even though it was highly unlikely since she always wore it to bed, only taking it off to shower, she still looked in, around and under her bedsheets. and if on the odd chance it slipped off her finger (which only happened once before it was resized to literally fit her finger) she would feel it underneath her due to the diamonds and sapphire stone. whilst she was doing that, charles was looking through her walk-in-wardrobe as well as her ensuite bathroom. every single morning of every single day, she would do her morning skincare routine, no matter if she was leaving the house or not, she couldn't skip her skincare. she had recently started to take off her hand jewellery whilst doing her skincare but she had a designated ceramic bowl that she had made specifically to put her jewellery into whilst doing her skincare so she wouldn't lose it. and like both charles and bridget suspected, the sapphire ring wasn't in either her bed, walk-in-wardrobe or her ensuite.

so, now, the next places to look was downstairs in the kitchen and lounge room. charles took the kitchen and bridget the lounge room. bridget knew for sure that it couldn't be in the kitchen because she doesn't take off her jewellery whilst she's cooking and she had only spent less than two minutes, maybe three, in the lounge room before she left the house and got into her car. the car was the next spot the best friends were going to look into since, like expected once again, no ring was found in either the kitchen nor the lounge room.

the second charles and bridget opened all five car doors (yes all five, including the boot of the car) it was clear that there was no way in living grace that her ring had fallen off in her car. because she left it absolutely spotless every single time, all the time. so it would have been obvious if she had lost her shiny and polished sapphire ring in any spot in her car, even in the deep crevices between the seats, she'd see it. she couldn't deal with a messy car in the same way she could deal with a organized messy loungeroom. so, once again, it was back to the blackboard for charles and bridget as the distressed girl tried to remember where she went after getting into her car to leave. then, duh, it was still entered into her iphone's google maps so, she checked the address there and then groaned, smacking her face against the steering wheel. thankfully though it wasn't damaged because charles made sure his hand was resting against the steering wheel before the girl could even think of smashing her head against it. the address saved into her google maps was to the monte-carlo square shopping mall and of course, that place was huge! there was no way they would find it in such a big centre with just the two of them. so, that was when bridget went back to her instagram stories and posted for backup of those that lived in monaco that could help her.

bridget.l.n posted to her instagram story

[caption 1: i know it's not that obvious from the look on my face but charlesleclerc and i are struggling with operation find bridget's beloved vintage sapphire ring! we have deduced that i didn't lose it in my bedroom, ensuite, kitchen, loungeroom or car! however, we now conspire that i may have lost it in the monte-carlo square shopping mall. so, charles and i are on our way but the mall is too big for just little charlie and i to find it ourselves due to how big it is. so, for those of mine that i know, love and adore that live in monaco that are able to, i would love you forever and ever if you could help me and charlie in the next stage of finding this ring! because like charlie told me, we are not stopping this conquest until we find this ring! so, if i can get as many of my monaco lovers to help me in this quest i will genuinely love you forever and probably kiss every single one of you on the mouth! thank you my darlings, see you at the square <3]

landonorris has replied to bridget.l.n's story: i was literally just thinking you may have lost it whilst you were out shopping at the square! and i'm legit there currently, where are you and charles at rn? i can come to you <3

bridget.l.n you are a godsend mr lando norris! we are just walking in on the north entrance near the food court because that was where i went first for a vanilla chiller so if you could meet us there, that would be fantastic lando <3

landonorris i'm on my way there rn! see you soon, we will find this ring, bridget!!

maxverstappen1 has replied to bridget.l.n's story: me, kelly and p are currently at the food court at the square right now! we've almost finished eating our food and because i can see you, charles and lando, we can link up and help you three!

bridget.l.n another godsend, thank you so much maxie! i appreciate you, kelly and p so much for helping us!

maxverstappen1 it's not a problem at all, bridget! i'd be doing the same thing if the same thing happened to kelly, p or even myself! i have full faith we'll find this ring!

oscarpiastri has replied to bridget.l.n's story: seems like all of the monaco crew is all currently in monaco at the same time! lily is also with me as is carlos and rebecca! we're just walking into the food court right now and we see you and the rest of the crew!

bridget.l.n omg thank you so much osc! but why am i shocked that carlos and rebecca are here? i thought they were in madrid? but at this point i don't even care because now we have a big enough group that we can split up and potentially find it quicker!

oscarpiastri our pleasure, bridge! and genuinely i think carlos and rebecca flew over the moment they saw the first instagram story of you explaining what had happened

now that most of the grid as well as some of bridget's best friends who weren't connected to formula one had arrived to help with the quest of finding her ring, it was go time. however, it had seemed like it didn't even take long before bridget's phone followed by everyone else's buzzed when they got the message from carlos saying that he had found the ring!

carlossainz55 has messaged operation find bridget's beloved vintage sapphire ring: I FOUND THE RING! IT WAS IN THE POTTERY MAKING SHOP! i had wandered in not even knowing if you had gone in there today, bridget, only for the shopkeeper to smile and immediately give it to me. she had seen your instagram stories and knew that you had been looking for it. she told me she tried to message you that she had it but for some reason she couldn't. so she kept it underneath the checkout desk, only hoping that one of us would have the inkling to check in her store before it was closing time. it's over, we found the ring carino, we found it and i told you we'd find it <3

bridget.l.n omg i fucking love you so much carlos sainz vazquez de castro! i am literally gonna kiss you right on the mouth(don't look iamrebeccad my love i'm sorry)

jumping up and down and embracing carlos, bridget was true to her word when she said she'd kiss the mouth of the person who found her ring. but, thinking about it, she decided to just do the sweet double cheek kiss. because why would she genuinely kiss someone else's boyfriend's mouth? the double cheek kiss though was genuinely a funny thing because it wasn't an everyday thing that they'd do so it was obvious it was lighthearted. although it wasn't coming from a lighthearted situation, everyone, rebecca especially, knew that it wasn't a romantic kiss at all. it was genuinely a kiss of thanks and of all the stress and distress that this entire situation had put her through. that, finally finding her ring and getting it back was such a weight off her shoulders that she couldn't just say thank you to carlos and that be it. she didn't just kiss him twice on the cheeks i mean...just look at her newest instagram post at this point.

bridget.l.n has posted to her instagram

liked by carlossainz55, charlesleclerc, oscarpiastri, maxverstappen1, kellypiquet, landonorris, lily.zneimer, iamrebeccad and 12k others

bridget.l.n posting this to the grid because i got sick of all the insta stories but good news my darlings, my sapphire ring has been found! the search party is officially over and my baby is back where she belongs! a huge thank you to the person though that found my ring carlossainzz55! the second photo was me buying him a bouquet of flowers as an extra thank you present after giving him the double cheek kiss and the third photo was his face before i gave him the flowers. because men also deserve flowers, ladies and gentlemen!! the face he made after i gave him the flowers was too sweet and so emotional that we were both so teary-eyed we couldn't see our phones properly to take a proper photo of it. but again, thank you to every single person who messaged me and helped me in the search for finding my ring. although it was technically my mother's engagement ring, as soon as she and my dad divorced, she no longer wanted it and gave it to him. and the only thing in the way of 'rules' she gave to him was that it had to be given to mine whenever i had met the man that was going to marry me or if one of or both of were to pass away before me getting married. and because that happened, my mum and then my dad, i was finally given the ring. but it wasn't that easy to get the ring since my dad's second wife was an awful woman who despised that i was actually loved and appreciated by my father and mother. to the point that she made sure she got the rest of the family on her side and make them hate me which is the reason why i only have this ring and the photos and videos because if they didn't give me the ring as stated in my dad's will, it would have become a legal problem. so i am ever so grateful and blessed that i was able to get my ring back <3

view all comments

carlossainz55 i am so glad we were all there to help you get your ring back! and those flowers were so sweet of you, i was so not expecting it and nor was i wanting anything in return for finding the ring. that was why it made me so emotional <3

bridget.l.n carlossainz55 so am i, carlitos! i don't think i would have been able to sleep tonight if we hadn't of found it today! and i am sorry for making you cry, it wasn't my intention and i didn't think it would make you cry <3

charlesleclerc we all told you we'd find it and i'm so glad we could all keep that promise <3

bridget.l.n charlesleclerc yes you did charlie and i'm so glad as well <3

oscarpiastri what a moment in time this entire day was! for sure never felt this stressed in years!

bridget.l.n oscarpiastri for sure a moment in time that i never want to go through again

maxverstappen1 glad we were able to get the ring back otherwise who knows what could have happened if that witch somehow found out

bridget.l.n maxverstappen1 i am too maxie! and for sure, she would have found someway to find out and call me out for it, she probably already has but i don't really care anymore about her

kellypiquet those are some gorgeous flowers and congratulations again to carlos for finding the ring

bridget.l.n kellypiquet aren't they just, kelly? they were the exact flowers i was looking for too! and literally, good on him for going into a store that he didn't even know for sure if i had gone into or not and just trusting that

landonorris what a success this search party was

bridget.l.n landonorris absolutely, i think we could be good detectives for sure!

lily.zneimer good on all of us for getting your beloved ring back

bridget.l.n lily.zneimer i know right? big slay for sure!

iamrebeccad so proud of all of us but carlitos specifically for finding the ring in the end <3

bridget.l.n iamrebeccad so am i! we did such an amazing job but carlos especially <3

username omg i am so glad you found it, bridget! where was it and well done carlos for finding it!

bridget.l.n username so am i my love! and it was in the pottery making shop that i am almost always in! he literally had no idea if i had gone in there at all this morning since i usually either post about it or i tell our group chat. and because i didn't, carlos and the others legitmately had no idea if i had gone in there so, it was real smart and amazing of carlos to just trust the feeling that he had to check out the pottery making shop! so i am for sure proud of our carlitos for sure

fin

this was my first ever request so i hope it wasn't too awful for the beautiful anon who requested this! and i am so sorry it did take a little bit to get out since i usually like to just write it out and then publish it in the same day but it's been hard lately due to starting and then getting stuck halfway through. but i do hope this was somewhat good enough and is what anon wanted! and if anyone else wants a request, please don't be afraid to ask as i am happy to oblige to any requests within reason of what i have in my guidelines <3

©⠀amberjazmyn's original work. do not translate or steal any of my fics. 2024

[blossomwritesthings]

𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

pairing: minho x felix (minlix)

genre: nonidol!minho/nonidol!felix. minlix are professional dancers. childhood bfs to lovers au. confession au. post-breakup blues. angst!! fluff. smut - MDNI, 18+ only. felix pov.

content & warnings: explicit & strong language. thematic elements. there's angst in here (felix's in an abusive relationship, a scary incident happens between him and his ex). mentions of physical assault/violence is detailed. sexual assault is also alluded to. minho is really soft for him in this and takes care of felix a lot because... he's his baby. smut warnings below cut!! 

word count: 9.6k

summary: felix thought he'd always be with his long-term boyfriend jicheul, until one drunken night ruins everything they'd built up together. and the only person he can turn to in his time of crisis is his childhood best friend, minho.

18+ warnings: dom!felix x sub!minho (but also they're both switches). minho finally gets to be the bottom in this one. unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it, friends). anal sex/fingering. jerking off happens. one hot blowjob. slight degradation (but not too much this time). pet names (baby boy, darling, kitten, etc). dirty thoughts/fantasies. LOTS of hair pulling & lube. slight breeding kink (🙄). dacryphilia. somewhat dumbification. overstimulation. nipple play. lots of dirty talk. subspace. loud sex.

a/n: first of all, this is dedicated to my lovely friend @cb97breathing... I love you sm and I hope this brightens up your day if only by just a tiny bit, honey!! 🤎 I felt like writing something angsty, so my original idea turned out to be a minlix piece. honestly, this one was a little hard to write since it brought up bad memories of my past abuse, but I like how it turned out so that's a win haha! enjoy, you guys!! ✨

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ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ʀᴇᴘᴏsᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ sɪᴛᴇs (ᴛʜɪs ɪɴᴄʟᴜᴅᴇs ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴs). do not copy, spin-off, or write inspired work based off of this fanfic without full permission to do so. ©ʙʟᴏssᴏᴍᴡʀɪᴛᴇsᴛʜɪɴɢs ⤐ ᴀʟʟ ʀɪɢʜᴛs ʀᴇsᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ

Lee Felix never intended for things to get this far. 

He never meant to let everything escalate to this extent. 

After having met Jicheul during his freshman year in university, he was all starry-eyed with love for the man. And for a while, everything was amazing. It felt like he was living in a dream - floating above the clouds thanks to his love. 

But then the change started ever so subtly. 

During their first anniversary, Jicheul had spent the night before drinking and partying with his friends at a nearby club. And when he came back home to their shared apartment that morning, he was drunk out of his mind. 

When Felix tried to get him sober by making him some hangover stew and brewing him some green tee - Jicheul blew up at him. Cursing him out, smashing a nearby plate onto the kitchen's tiled floor. Then he was storming out of the apartment before Felix could even register what was going on. 

On their first anniversary, they didn't celebrate it together. For one thing, because Felix didn't see his boyfriend for the entire until late that night. And secondly, because he couldn't pick himself up from his bed - buried deep under the covers, sobbing for hours on end because his boyfriend had practically abandoned him on such a special day.

That day, he cried so much that he physically ached by the time Jicheul returned home. His chest hurt so fucking much, and his eyes were puffy from all of the tears. But then Jicheul apologized to him, giving him a bouquet of red roses, and all was well in the world. 

Although, Felix never told anyone else about his boyfriend's outburst. None of his family or friends knew about the broken dishes and spewed curses, and that's how he wanted things to stay. 

But ever so slightly, over his sophomore year, Felix realized that he was pushing away his friends and family. He didn't see them quite as often anymore, and when he did, his mind was occupied with thoughts of his boyfriend - what he was doing right then and who he was with. 

Felix watched on the sidelines of his life, as Jicheul gradually pulled him away from his entire support system. Like an infection that lazily spread throughout his body, his boyfriend took up everything - his thoughts, his habits, his entire life. 

He chose to ignore the snide comments from his boyfriend - when he'd wear certain outfits or when he'd hang out with certain friends around the university. That's just his way of showing he cares about me, Felix always thought whenever Jicheul would degrade him for something. 

And before Felix knew it, they were both graduating and celebrating their fourth anniversary together. But once again, just like their first and third one, Jicheul was nowhere to be found. All day, he was out of the house - and with each second that he was gone, Felix's heart broke just a little bit more. 

When he finally arrived home to a sad-faced Felix, Jicheul rolled his eyes exasperatingly. "Oh fuck- I forgot, didn't I?" He said, voice all gruff from a long day at work. He had just started his new job at a local architect firm and they were working him to the bone with overtime. 

Felix couldn't even find it in himself to say anything, instead swallowing around the dry lump forming in his throat. After that, Jicheul came over to him on the living room couch and sat down slowly. 

"Let me make it up to you, hun," Jicheul started, leaning down to capture his lips up into a passionate kiss. "Let me fuck you nice and good for our special day, okay?" 

And Felix didn't even say anything after that, instead choosing to let him take the lead. Before he knew it, Jicheul had them completely bare and was fucking him atop the living room couch, hands gripping tightly into his hips as his cock stretched him open. 

"Feels good?" Jicheul asked, tucking a few strands of Felix's whispy blonde hair behind his ear. He thrust up into him a little more, the squelching sounds of lube and cum mixing around the apartment. 

"Yeah, feels nice." 

But Felix was lying. 

It didn't feel nice, not at all. 

It felt super fucking painful. 

He wasn't in the mood and he couldn't even bring himself to cum at the end. So instead, he faked it, like he had done many times with Jicheul before. Felix was too depressed to feel anything blissful at that moment - head swimming with too many thoughts about them and their uncertain relationship. 

For one thing, Jicheul fucked him way too hard. Although Felix liked it rough sometimes, he also liked things to be soft and gradual. Jicheul was like a bull, charging right out of the gate as soon as they had their clothes off. And initially, that had been something really hot to Felix. But after four years of the same raw power, the blonde male was pretty fucking sick of it all. 

It wasn't until some months later after Felix had landed a job teaching dance at a local studio, that everything fell apart. The day had been long and some of his students hadn't listened to his teachings, which made things even worse for him. 

As he stepped through the door to their apartment, he noticed how all of the lights were off. He froze in the kitchen when he saw a shadowy form sitting on the living room couch. 

Running a hand through his hair, Felix sighed heavily. "Ji? Is that you?" He asked out into the gloam, too tired to even flip on a light. 

"Where were you?" He could hear his boyfriend's voice extend out across the apartment, serious and monotone. 

It was only then that Felix noticed the bottles of soju strewn across the kitchen's granite countertop. Oh fuck- not again. They had never really talked about Jicheul's drinking habit, it was just the elephant in the room that was always there. 

And when he drank, he got violent.

"Uhm- I have work at night, remember? I was at the studio." Felix said, beginning to clear the countertop of the bottles and throwing them into the recycling bin. "I thought you knew." 

"No, I didn't fucking know!" Jicheul exploded, and before Felix could even register the movement in the shadows, his boyfriend was right in front of him in the kitchen, all looming height and broad shoulders. "Are you fucking cheating on me?" 

Felix stared up at him with wide eyes, the moonlight bleeding in from the nearby window, casting darkness across Jicheul's scowling face. "W-What? No, of course not! Why would you even-"

"I saw you with him..." Jicheul started, voice low as death. Felix looked down to see his hands balled into tight fists at his side, and he could smell the alcohol on his breath. He reeked of it. "With that- loser." 

Felix frowned at that, the insult burning deep inside his veins and causing the anger to rise in his heart. "He's not a loser, Ji. he's my best friend." 

"Best friends don't hold each other's waists and lean in to whisper shit to each other." 

"Well maybe if you had a friend, you'd know when to tell the difference between romantic touch and platonic touch."

Felix didn't know why he had said it. It just... slipped out. The words fell from his mouth before he could even comprehend what he was insinuating. 

And the next thing he knew, Jicheul was glaring down at him with that same devilish expression he sometimes got when he was especially angry after a drink. "Oh- you worthless piece of shit." He roared out, and before Felix could even react, he was moving again. 

His head twisted towards the right, left cheek burning from the impact. Squaring his shoulders, Felix stared back at Jicheul. At that moment- there was nothing there. Felix felt utter emptiness, a shell of the person he had once been. 

"I should teach you a lesson, huh?" Jicheul continued, hitting his cheek again with his fisted knuckle. "Teach you how to be my good little bitch." 

He was wrestling Felix onto the kitchen floor in the next breath, legs coming around Felix's hips as he reached out to his face again and again. The blows were loud inside Felix's ears, his vision bursting to life every time Jicheul took a hit. 

He could feel his face growing puffy, his heart beating wildly in his chest as the pain began to spread across his body. He desperately tried and failed to pry Jicheul off of his form - but the older male was too tall and strong to fend off. 

And when Jicheul fit his two meaty hands around Felix's neck, everything came to a standstill. The gloam of the apartment bent and twisted around them, as he squeezed just a little harder. 

"Fucking useless cunt- think you can cheat on me with that fucker from your childhood." Jicheul was spitting out, breathing down on Felix's face as his fingers dug into his windpipes. 

Desperately, Felix grabbed at his wrists, trying to pull Jicheul off of him. "P-Please, I-" He gasped out for dear life, the tears streaming down his face, running across his cheeks and into his hairline. 

"Yeah, that's right... Beg for it, you bitch. Beg for my mercy." His voice was venomous and seething, but already growing faint in Felix's ears.

He was losing air, and fast. If he didn't do something drastic, he'd die at the hands of Jicheul. "Please, Ji- I'm sorry, please- I won't see him again, ever. I promise, j-just please!" He sobbed out in a scream, the sound of it echoing around the apartment walls in a resonant, horrifying kind of way. 

Jicheul peered down at him with a deep sneer, white teeth glinting in the darkness as the foul scent of soju danced around them. "I could kill you right now- kill you for your worthlessness." He began, nails clawing at the column of Felix's neck and drawing blood as the younger scrambled to get free. He felt lightheaded, eyes rolling into the back of his skull from the agony of it all. "But I won't... because I wanna teach you a lesson," then, almost as quickly as it had started, he was letting go of Felix. "That if you ever go behind my back again- I will end you." 

Felix gasped out, taking in shallow breaths as his lungs filled up with precious air again. Jicheul said nothing more after that, leaving him a pile of messy, bloody flesh and limbs on the kitchen floor there. And before he knew it, Felix could hear the resounding slam of the front door. 

Just like that, it was all over. 

For a few heart-pounding minutes, Felix lay there. The cool tile underneath him soothed his inflamed skin. His fingers hurt from the clawing he had been doing at Jicheul, and everything else was in burning agony - his face and neck. 

But especially, his heart. 

Finally, coming to terms with what he had to do, the blonde male rose from the floor on shaky legs. He wobbled over to their shared bedroom, ignoring the bed they had fucked on top of for so many years and stumbling over to the closet. He ignored the burning in his heart and the searing pain radiating across his face. In a matter of minutes, he had a duffle bag packed - stuffed to the brim with clothes and a few toiletries. 

Then he was hobbling over to the front door, slipping on his sneakers and fitting a severely oversized black hoodie over himself. You know, to cover up the abuse. He flitted out of the apartment in less than ten minutes, frantically looking around to make sure the coast was clear. 

He had no plan for the road ahead, but he did know who he could go to for help with figuring it all out. 

Lee Minho. 

His best friend since childhood and the single most person Jicheul had continually thought Felix was cheating on him with. The accusations had been brewing for years, things Jicheul would throw Felix's way whenever he was extremely angry with work or drunk out of his mind. 

The hour to Minho's place was grueling, as Felix moved rather slowly through the subway station. But when he finally made it to Minho's apartment in the heart of Seoul, Felix took in a relieved breath. He didn't even know if he would be up - since it was so late at night. But seeing as he was also a professional dancer himself, Felix assumed Minho would've just gotten back from the studio. After all, he had been working on perfecting this one new choreo of his for the past two months. 

He rang the doorbell and knocked three times. For a few moments, nothing happened. The silence stretched on around him and the dread took over his entire system.

Maybe he wasn't home, maybe he was out having dinner with some friends, maybe he was still at the- 

But then the large door in front of him was swinging open, and a wave of Minho's scent washed over Felix - of sharp, woodsy cologne and deep roasted coffee beans. 

"Lix? What are you-" He began, voice a little incredulous with surprise.

Felix wasn't looking at him, he had his face pointed down to the ground, studying his shoes. The shame washed over him then, dragging down his shoulders and making his heart face. "D-Don't be mad at me... please." 

"Yongbok-ah..." Minho said in a quiet voice, using Felix's Korean name that his parents had given to him. Although he went by Felix, Minho was the only one who called him Yongbok on rare occasions. 

He found the courage inside himself to raise his head from its bent position, and the moment he met Minho's eyes, he knew he was a goner. 

Immediately, his best friend was gasping out loud sharply, fitting a hand over his mouth in utter shock as his eyes roved down the length of Felix's face and neck. He could only assume what he looked like just then - battered, bloody, and bruised. 

"I-I'm sorry, I-" Felix was already crying out, the sobs wracking through his entire body and making his heart beat out of his chest. 

But Minho said nothing more, and instead just pulled him through the doorway, closing and locking it behind him before he enveloped Felix in the tightest, warmest hug the younger had ever felt. 

"Yongbok..." Minho started in a quiet voice, hand running through the younger's blonde tresses as he cried harder at the name. "Yongbok-ah, what... what happened?" 

Felix just buried his face a little more in Minho's chest, clutching at his shirt for dear life as his tears blurred his vision. "D-Don't wanna talk about it..." He mumbled between his wails, legs growing weak from all of the mental exhaustion he had been dealing with for the past few hours. 

"Baby boy..." Minho said in a faint voice, the sound of the sweet pet name ghosting over the younger's ears and causing his mind to grow a little light-headed again. "Can you let me help you? Let me make it all better, hmm?" 

And how could Felix ever say no to that? Say no to his best friend that was trying - wanting to help him so fucking much, when no one else would? When his boyfriend had destroyed him so much. 

"Y-Yeah... yes please." Felix leaned away from his chest, peering up at Minho. The edges of his vision were cloudy, but he could still make out the way Minho stared down at him tenderly. And when he reached out to gently tuck a strand of Felix's hair behind his ear, the younger let him. He didn't flinch away, instead leaning into the touch. 

"Wanna pick you up... can I do that, sweetheart?" Minho asked. He always wanted to know what Felix wanted - he never did anything that made the younger feel uncomfortable. 

Felix found himself nodding in the next moment, and then Minho was picking him up from the ground bridal style, holding him close to his body and carrying him over to the bedroom where he sat him down atop the downy mattress before gathering up the first-aid kit. 

The silence fell between them after that, as Minho diligently worked to clean Felix's face up. He swiped rubbing alcohol against the cuts, applying a healing cream to the small ones on his neck before wrapping everything up in bandages. 

"It was...Jicheul," Felix began, while Minho tried to fix him up as best as he could. In the past, Felix had come to his best friend after incidents with Jicheul had happened - after they had gotten into a fight or Jicheul had broken something in the house out of anger. But nothing had been as bad as the present moment. "I came home from work and he had been drinking and he was fuming- spouting all this bullshit that I was cheating on him and then, the next thing I knew, we were on the ground and he was on top of me and-"

He didn't realize he was starting to cry again until Minho placed a delicate hand atop his shoulder, squeezing ever so slightly. "Kitten... you don't have to say anything more if you don't want to." 

Minho fit the first-aid supplies back into its container and sat back on his heels, taking Felix's hands into his and rubbing his thumbs across his knuckles slowly. "You know... I knew something like this would happen one day," he started to say, staring down at the way their hands were interlaced perfectly together. "After all the times you told me about his outbursts- it was only a matter of time before he turned everything onto you." 

"I know... I know, I should've listened to you and everyone else... all the warning signs and the things you guys told me. And left his sorry ass, but I didn't." 

Minho squeezed his hands a little bit then, forcing Felix to look up into his eyes and the way they held a delicate, sincere kind of light to them. "Honey... you were blindsided by the abuse. It's alright- I understand how such a thing can diminish your mind to a small thing." 

"I know you're mad at me." Felix stared down at his lap and the way that their hands entwined together so flawlessly. 

"Don't say that, Yongbok-ah," Minho said in a stern tone, just as he lifted Felix's hands to his mouth, offering his knuckles a gentle kiss. "I could never be angry at you. This isn't your fault- it never was. You were just the unfortunate person to get caught in the crossfire of... him." 

  Felix looked at him then. Like, really looked at his best friend. He saw so many emotions there on the elder's face - compassion, love, tenderness, and hidden beneath it all... rage. 

"I just... wanted to make you happy, you know?" Felix whispered, voice cracking at the end of his words with all the feelings he had right then. "I wanted to make you proud. That's all I've ever wanted to do-" 

"And you have, Yongbok-ah... you always do. Nothing you say or do could make me love you any less." 

"Yeah, but it sure feels like I've let you down." 

"It doesn't fucking matter how I feel, okay? You just escaped a psychopathic boyfriend, you are the main priority right now." Minho said in a grave voice, shaking his head slowly as he said the words. "Honestly, I should kill him with my bare hands for what he did to you- what he's been doing for the past five years." 

Felix gaped up at him, eyes growing wide with concern. "N-No, please... don't. I can't lose you too. If you get locked away, I think I'll fucking die." 

Minho leaned into him then, pressing their foreheads together gently. He chuckled softly, the warmth of it spreading across Felix's body and causing his heart to beat a little faster. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna do anything drastic. I just... I'm really fucking angry right now, that's all." 

"At me?" Felix asked, suddenly filled with so much concern again. 

Minho leaned away just a tiny bit from him then, so close, that Felix could feel his warm breath fanning against his face. "No, never at you, Lixie." Then he was reaching out, brushing a gentle thumb across his tear-streaked cheek. "Who could ever be angry at such an adorable face?" 

Everything grew quiet then, as their breaths mixed. For a moment, Felix thought his best friend would do something more - tip into him a little bit and kiss him. But instead, Minho just stared... into his eyes and around his face. 

"Jicheul thought I was cheating on him with you." 

Felix didn't know why he said it, the sentence just slipped out before he could reign his thoughts back in. Minho lifted a perfectly manicured dark eyebrow at him, chestnut-brown eyes glinting with a little bit of mischief. 

"Well, isn't that comical..." His voice lilted off into the distance, as Felix caught his eyes lock onto his lips for just a second before they were rising again to meet his gaze. "But enough about that asshole- let's get you into bed." 

Felix found himself agreeing with the older male, allowing Minho to help him underneath the thick duvet covers. He snuggled under the blankets, burrowing his face against the velvety pillow. But Felix opened his eyes again when he realized that Minho wasn't getting in next to him.

"Aren't you going to sleep too?" He asked, peering up at him with imploring, big eyes. 

Minho stared down at Felix with a faint smile adorning his face. He tilted into his tucked-in form, brushing a few fingers through his blonde locks. "In a little bit... I have something to do first." 

Felix nodded slowly, closing his eyes again at the absence of Minho's touch. "Okay, just... don't be too long, hmm?" He didn't want to admit it right then, but the thought of being left alone in such a dark room in such a large bed made his heart leap a little bit with anxiety. 

"Wouldn't dream of it, baby boy."

Felix hid the smile that bloomed across his face at the nickname underneath the covers, and distinctly heard the click of the bedroom door shut as Minho left him to sleep. 

As he was falling into dreamland, Felix could distantly hear Minho's soft voice through the apartment's thin walls. 

"Yes, hi. My name is Lee Minho," he said in a hushed whisper. He waited a few beats and then continued. "I'd like to file a domestic violence report for my... friend..."

The next three weeks passed in a blur of Felix staying quiet and Minho allowing him time to heal. Felix didn't leave his side, and he was practically glued to his best friend's hip from the moment he woke up in the morning to the moment he came home from work at the dance studio. 

It was two mornings after the incident, when Felix was practically clinging on for dear life to Minho's side that the elder looked down at him with a softness in his eyes. "I hate to leave you here like this..." They had spent the past weekend together, chilling out at his apartment, eating yummy food, and distracting Felix from all of the issues. 

Shaking his head, Felix offered him a tiny, unconvincing smile. "It's fine... I'll be fine." But already, he could feel the prick of tears clouding the corners of his eyes." 

"My poor, poor baby doll," Minho cooed softly, brushing a thumb underneath one of his eyes gently as he gave Felix's arm a light squeeze. "I won't be gone too long, yeah? Lunch is all ready and waiting for you in the fridge and there's plenty of shows to catch up on while I'm away." 

"Okay..." Felix nodded, sniffling back the tears as he burrowed his face into Minho's thick jacket. "Just... come home right away, mhm?" 

Minho was brushing some of his blonde locks behind his ear then, prodding him to look up and catch his stare once more. "Of course, doll face... you know I'll always come back for you." 

And just like that, they had fallen into a rhythm together. Felix had decided to take a few weeks off from work - since he very well couldn't show up as bruised and beaten as he was. The worst part about it all, though, besides the wounds that Minho would help clean out every single night, was the mental effects of it all. 

The late nightmares would keep him up until the wee hours of the morning. The loss of an appetite, the boredom and cloudy mind, racing heart, and the fear of being alone. And only after three days of sleeping out on Minho's living room couch - since he needed to put a boundary down somewhere - he found himself cuddled up next to the elder man, curled around his body as a wave of nightmare-fueled fear overtook his entire system. 

Each time, Minho would lull him back to sleep. With gentle touches and satiny words and rocking to-and-fro. Like magic, Minho knew exactly what he needed, whenever he needed it. 

But Felix could almost feel in the back of his mind - feel the knowing pulling deep within him - that he was beginning to overstay his welcome. After three whole weeks of being so cooped up in Minho's apartment both for safety reasons and for his sanity, Felix needed to get out. Needed to do something, look at something different, besides the four white walls of his best friend's place.

So that's how he found himself sitting in a corner booth at a local cafe near Minho's apartment. He had been there for hours already, sipping the day away with two whole cups of a pumpkin-spiced latte. He had brought a book to keep his mind busy, but instead of reading a single word, he just stared out the window. 

Unfortunately, he had forgotten his phone back at Minho's apartment, so he had no way to check the time. But by the look of things outside the nearby cafe's window - he could take a pretty good guess as to the time of day. The sun began to set over the horizon, painting the sky in brilliant shades of dusty rose and golden topaz. Minho would be coming home soon from work since he usually finished up around six thirty on most nights. Living with him, Felix was quickly beginning to learn - memorize - his best friend's schedule. 

Just when Felix was about to stand up from his comfy spot in the cafe, he spotted a couple walking by, bundled up against the frigid October wind, holding onto each other's hands as they walked with wide smiles adorning their faces. The sight of it all caused Felix's heart to shift and squeeze inside his chest, and he found himself sitting back in his chair, taking in the sight of them... not having a care in the world, oblivious to the pain that could happen in the future. The rift that might ultimately split them apart.

Seeing the couple reminded Felix of Jicheul... of the way they used to be when they first started dating back during their university days. They were so fucking in love with each other and head over heels. And within only a few months of dating, they were moving in with one another... that's how much they always wanted to be together. 

But then, somewhere along the way, things had irrevocably shattered. Jicehul's drinking problem got worse and he got angry more easily and everything just... started to turn to shit. 

Felix could feel the tears streaming down his cheeks in silent rivulets as he sat there, staring off into the distance, eyes trained on the waning daylight and how the moon slowly began to rise high in the sky. He sat there, oblivious to how late it was growing, wallowing in his sorrow. 

It felt like his heart was about to shatter all over again, cracking open and turning raw and bloody... just like it had some weeks ago. Everything hurt - his body and his mind and his heart and... he just wanted to forget about it all and move on. 

But apparently, he couldn't. 

Nothing could help, not the movies, the food, or the board games. Not the moments he'd spend with Minho late at night at his apartment. 

No one could help him. 

He was all alone and- 

His frantic, dark thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a finger tapping on his shoulder. He turned to the side to catch a glimpse of one of the cafe's employees looking down at him with a concerned face. "Uhm- sir... I'm about to close up the store- it's almost eleven." 

Felix shot up from his seat with wide eyes, running an embarrassed hand through his hair and chuckling softly. "Oh, my bad- I didn't realize how late it had gotten... have a good night." Then he was flitting out of the cafe's front doors before the young girl who had served him his drinks a lot earlier in the day could see his state of mind. Could see the tears trailing across his freckled cheeks. 

He held his book close to his chest the entire time he made the short trek back to Minho's apartment, heart clenching painfully in his chest. 

He was so tired. 

So fucking exhuasted. 

He just wanted to lie down, go to sleep, and never wake up. 

And then he made it to Minho's front door, keyed in the code, and locked the thing behind him as he stepped in. The palace was completely dark - void of any kind of light. 

Immediately, he was brought back to that night- when he had come home from a long day at work to find Jicheul sitting in the living room, all alone... 

"Where have you been?" 

Minho's dry voice rang out across the apartment, and Felix shook in a wave of deja vu as he stared across the kitchen towards the doorframe of Minho's bedroom, where the elder was standing rigidly. 

"Minho-hyung, I-"

"Do you have any fucking idea how worried I've been?" The elder began, voice low as death and gravelly at the edges. The sounds of it made Felix's shoulders tremble as he placed his book down on the nearby kitchen counter. "Do you have any idea how many fucking times I called you, trying to reach you?" 

"I left my phone here- I'm sorry, I forgot." 

Minho let out a dry, humorless chuckle. The sound of it made Felix's heart leap in his stomach, the lump forming in his throat. "Why the fuck would you leave it here when you know how I get?" 

Feeling all of the anger and strife and sadness from the past few weeks build up inside of him, Felix burst out, "I'm sorry- okay?! I'm sorry I didn't take my phone with me and I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was at that local cafe just down the road!" 

But Minho was right, Felix knew how he got. The younger male had already done something similar a week before, slipping out of the apartment and visiting a nearby 7-Eleven to pick up some breakfast early in the morning. Minho had called him frantically thirty minutes later, while Felix was checking out, wondering where he was.

The tears were springing free from Felix's eyes soon after his explosion, and he reached out towards the kitchen's cool marble countertop to grip onto the coolness for dear life. "I'm sorry- it's all my fault, I shouldn't have- shouldn't have done it," he shouted out, voice cracking in pain in tandem with his weak heart. "I'm so fucking stupid... I know that- you don't have to tell me- no one has to tell me because I already know."

With his eyes closed, he failed to see the shadows in the room moving, failed to notice that Minho was nearing him with quick, quiet steps. 

"I'm sorry..." Minho started, his voice so close to Felix that he tore his eyes open to notice how near the red-haired male was to him. "Lix... I'm sorry, I- I didn't mean to get angry, I just... I got so fucking worried when I came home and you weren't here and then it got later and you weren't answering your phone..." 

Felix scrubbed at his eyes, trying to wipe the tears away. But they wouldn't stop. He couldn't stop his heart from shattering or his legs from quaking. "Everything slipped my mind. I needed to get out of this place and I guess I forgot to bring my phone, I'm sorry." His head drooped down, his focus landing on the dark tiled floor at his feet. 

"Yongbok-ah... look at me, please." The distress in Minho's voice was palpable, but still, Felix couldn't heed his words. Then Minho was fitting a few fingers under his chin, gently tilting his head up so that their gazes locked. There, Felix found an ocean of feelings - agony, anger, but most importantly... adoration. He swallowed at the sight of it all, eyes puffy and face still sore. "I just... I would fucking kill myself if anything happened to you. I just want you to be safe and okay forever, you know? I love you so much, and if anyone- especially that fucker, ever laid their hands on you I'd-"

"You saying all of that won't help," Felix cut him off, shaking his head slowly in defeat. The tears had finally stopped and now he was just left as a shell of the man that he had once been - mind empty and heart beating lowly in his chest. "Nothing helps. Nothing will help. It's over. I'm... I'm done." 

Then he was dragging out of Minho's grip in the next beat, and Minho didn't stop him. Because that's the kind of best friend he was - he wasn't going to force Felix to do anything he didn't want to, no matter what it was. Felix made for the nearby bedroom, face blank as he heard Minho trail in behind him. 

"Don't say that Yongbok-ah... you know things will get better." The elder male was saying in a low tone. 

But Felix just wanted to forget it all, forget all of the pain and heartache, and move on from it. But he couldn't, because that shit was here to stay. 

"You've done enough for me, Hyung. I'm sick of taking, taking, taking from you and not giving anything back." 

"You being here is enough of a payback - you being my friend is enough." 

"No, it's not, and you know it." 

"How do you know what's enough for me and what's not?" 

Felix was turning around on his heels then, throwing his hands up frantically in the air. "Because I just do, okay?! I know that you're sick of me and that I can never repay you, and- and that I've overstayed my welcome." His voice cracked at the end of his words, but he refused to cry again. Refused to do anything more but stand there, near the bed, as Minho faced him just a few paces away. 

"You don't know me, Felix." 

"Yes, I do." 

Minho was nearing him after that, face softening exponentially and lips pressing into a firm line as he folded his arms across his chest. "Then I guess you also know that I've been in love with you since fucking high school." 

After that, everything stopped.  

The air flowing through Felix's lungs stopped, 

His heart stopped, 

Hell, even his brain stopped. 

All of him, every single fiber of his being, honed down to a single point. He could only focus on the red-haired man before him, his best friend since he was a little boy, and the words that he had just spoken into existence. 

The confession he had just blurted out. 

"Minho- what..." Felix began, but Minho was nearing him already, taking ahold of his hands and squeezing them slowly. 

"It's okay, Yongbok-ah, I understand that this isn't the right time and you don't feel the same about me. But I just wanted you to know that I-" 

But Felix didn't give him any more time to speak after that. 

Instead, he just took ahold of Minho's face, hands fitting around his jaw and bringing him closer than ever before. 

Their lips crashed together in the next instant. 

It was explosive and otherworldly and... and everything Felix had ever wanted and dreamed and hoped of. 

With a clash of teeth and the press of plushness, Minho was groaning into the kiss, hands quickly scrambling for something to hold. Desperately, he clutched at Felix's hips just as Felix pressed in a little closer to him. 

Felix's tongue prodded at the line of his lips, and Minho allowed him entrance in the next breath, their tastes dancing a lilting kind of tango. In their haste of passionate kisses, Minho somehow managed to hoist Felix up into the air, holding him steady as the younger wrapped his legs around his waist. 

In a matter of seconds, Minho was moving then, walking towards the bed. And then everything happened all at once... with Minho throwing Felix down onto the bed with his slim legs still wrapped around the elder's waist. Felix's blonde locks fanned out against the downy pillows as Minho's tongue teased against his. 

Silence lapsed between them, the only sounds filling up the entire room being the noises that came from between them - wet lips and low groans and breathy cries. 

Before anything could go further though, Minho was yanking away from Felix. Hands still digging into his hips, his fingers pressed in close to the younger's oversized grey sweatpants. "W-We shouldn't... Bokkie... it isn't- doesn't feel right..." He began, but already, Felix was trying to coax him back into the kisses - reaching up and twirling a few fingers through his crimson locks. 

"Why? Because I just got out of a shitty relationship? Because we're best friends?" Felix questioned, silently enjoying the way his lips felt puffy and kiss-swollen. He felt hot all over and could feel the tent in his pants steadily growing. 

Minho gave him a deep frown, palms sinking into the plush mattress at Felix's side. The younger wanted to whine out and cry for the absence of his touch against his hips, but he decided he'd save the begging for... later.

"Yeah- and just... you can't possibly want this right now- want me." 

Felix made a noncommittal, low hum in his throat, before his hand drew away from the elder's crimson locks and his fingers were brushing against his smooth, milky cheek. "We'd be fools to ignore the shit that's been brewing between us for years, Minho. Almost everyone in our life has thought we've been dating at some point. Hell, even Jicheul accused me of cheating on him with you." 

Minho frowned slowly, dark brows pulling together and eyes lighting up with a swarthy mix of barely checked desire and uncertainty. "I'm not going to be a fix for your problems, Felix- I can't be. That's something you have to work through yourself." 

"I'm not asking you to be one. I just..." 

Minho tipped into him, gently pressing their foreheads together and breathing fire down across his face as he prodded Felix to continue. "What, Lix? What is it?" 

"I need to forget- just for a little bit, you know?" 

The elder tilted away from his frame, raising a perfectly manicured eyebrow his way. "And you think I'm gonna be the perfect fit for that?" 

Felix shrugged slowly, brows crumpling as the words flowed from his lips freely, in a soothing tone. "I think that... I've always loved you- in more ways than just a friend can. And now is the culmination of all these pent-up emotions finally coming to a head so... why wait any longer?" 

At his confession, Minho let out a low groan, nose digging into the crook between Felix's neck and shoulder blade. "Fuck, you don't know how long I've waited to hear that..." 

"Help me, Hyung," Felix began after that, moving Minho's face so that they were staring at each other once more. "Can you do that... help me?" 

Slowly, Minho ended up nodding, a dark smirk pulling across his lips as he gave Felix a heated kiss. "Where do you want me? How?" 

But Felix didn't even need to reply, as he gripped a little harder onto Minho's waist and turned their bodies in a tumble of limbs. Soon, Minho was the one with his spine sinking into the mattress, crimson locks messy against the grey-colored duvet. 

"L-Like this..." Felix muttered in barely-controlled lust, as his hands found their way to the waistline of Minho's joggers. He peered up at the older in silence, asking for permission. And when he got the all-clear, he was shucking them and his boxers away. 

Instantly, Minho's cock sprang to life from being released out of the confines of his pants. Felix sat back on his heels between Minho's spread legs for just a few seconds, taking in deep breaths. 

Because fuck, was it big. 

Veiny, too. With a girth so wide, Felix had no idea how the night was going to end. 

The tip was already pink and leaking out precum, the thin sheen casting a pretty glow against Minho's thighs. The bedroom was altogether dark, save for the pulled curtains nearby that offered a small amount of faint moonlight to bleed into the space between them. 

"F-Fuck, you're so pretty..." Felix started, bringing his hands up to his lips and spitting on them dutifully before he reached out with supple anticipation toward Minho. 

And the elder stayed completely still and silent for a few moments, as Felix felt him out. Curious palms wrapping around the base, fingers gripping just slightly before he began dragging his hands up to the tip, thumb playing with the leaking slit there. 

Minho squirmed underneath him, and Felix caught his stare - the way his pupils were already blowing out and the way a dusting of a pinkish blush bloomed across his cheeks, trickling down the column of his neck. 

"F-Feels so good, Bok... holy shit-" Minho croaked out in a resonant voice, moving his hips upwards just a tiny bit in time with Felix's touch. 

As Felix began to play with Minho's cock with one of his hands, the other found its way to the hemline of Minho's baggy sleeping t-shirt. The one he always wore when he wanted to have a relaxing night around the house. 

Slowly, in tandem with his tugs, his fingers lifted Minho's shirt. Until he caught sight of his soft, muscular abdomen, smooth skin gleaming in the twilight hours. His cute pink nipples pebbled against the cool night air, And soon, Felix found himself tilting into him slightly, mouth dropping open as his lips locked around one of his pecks, tongue coming out to poke around there at the bud before he began to suck with a vengeance. 

The entire time, his attention was focused on the elder male; from the way that he writhed underneath his touch, hips thrusting against Felix's hand that was circling his hard cock, to the way that Minho allowed breathy, high-pitched moans to escape from between his lips. 

"Never knew you'd be this way- so supple and pliant..." Felix chuckled darkly, as he squeezed a little harder around his cock, earning a low cry from the elder. Wet saliva leaked out from Felix's mouth, as he lapped at Minho's peaked buds. "You like this? Like your little angel Bokkie to fuck you... to suck on your nipples and squeeze my hands around your cock?" 

Minho was nodding vehemently after that, swallowing down a large gulp and tearing his screwed-shut eyes open to look down at Felix. At the way his teeth clamped down around his peaked nipples and the way his fingers circled around his cock. "Y-Yeah... you have no fucking idea how long I've thought about this... fantasized about it." 

"Bet you fantasized about other things too, hmm?" Felix mused, mouth trailing kisses down the center of his stomach and nearing his bare hips. "Bet you dreamed about this mouth wrapped around your dick- sucking you dry." 

Slowly, Minho let out a low chuckle. "That too-" 

But Felix didn't let him finish his train of thought, as he dropped his jaw wide open and fit his lips around his cock in the next instant. Hand playing at the base of Minho, tickling his balls, Felix began to bob his head up and down along his shaft, swirling his tongue with each movement of his neck. 

"Ah- fuck!" Minho cried out, reaching for the younger's head and gripping at his bleached locks, guiding his movement along his cock to right where Minho needed him most. "Right there... fuck, Lix, you're sucking me off so well." 

Felix hummed against his length, his lips slick and swollen from all of the kissing and sucking. The tip of Minho hit the back of his throat soon after that, but his gag reflex was nowhere to be found, and he took it all in stride. Lips parted around Minho's cock, Felix hollowed out his cheeks with each slow drag of his mouth. 

Up and down, up and down. 

The lewd, nasty sounds coming from Felix’s mouth were enough to make him lose just a little bit more of his sanity. And in that moment, he wasn’t thinking about anything else - just focused on Minho and trying to make him feel good. Trying to make himself forget about all the other shit in his life. Slowly, his hand pulled away from Minho’s cock and began to work at the waistband of his own joggers. 

Then Felix moved his mouth off of Minho's cock, licking his lips clean of the pre-cum that had been leaking out of his puffy tip. “Can I use you, Min? Please?” He asked, as he ripped off his own boxers and t-shirt and threw them onto the ground behind him. “Let me fuck you nice and deep- help me feel good, please?” 

And Minho mewled out weakly, shaking his head in reply as his lips parted open in a breathless, whispery moan. “Holy shit- yes, yes… do whatever you have to do to help yourself. Be selfish, just- take it all out on me.” The rest of his words caught in his throat as Felix’s cock sprang to life in front of him. All red and swollen and leaking an obscene amount. 

Before Felix could regain any solid part of his sanity, he was reaching over across Minho and into the nearby nightstand. One day when he had been searching for a phone charger, he had caught a glimpse of a bottle of lube and condoms hidden underneath the piles of papers and books right there in the drawer. He plucked the half-used bottle of lube out, drenching his fingers and cock in the slippery, sweet-smelling liquid. 

“Strawberry flavored?” He mused, raising a quizzical eyebrow Minho’s way as he neared him again, pressing his mouth against his and trailing his tongue around the line of his lips. “I didn’t take you for such a romantic…”

“Just- shut up already,” Minho murmured against his lips, but when Felix pulled away just a tiny bit, he saw the blush creeping across the older’s face, painting everything in a pink-toned hue. 

Gradually, Felix’s fingers trailed their way between Minho’s legs, his other hand gripping on tight to his bare hip. “Just breathe in for me, yeah?” He coached, as his lubed fingers played with Minho’s rim. He could feel the older stiffen underneath him, eyes widening as soon as Felix began to slip a single finger inside his entrance. “Relax… it’ll only hurt for a few seconds.” 

Minho reached out to Felix, hands coming up behind the nape of his neck, digits gripping at the blonde locks there as his eyes screwed shut. “To be honest- I haven’t bottomed in a while… I’m always the top, most of the time.” He whispered, mouth falling open and legs widening a little bit more in supplication as Felix added another finger. 

“Hmm- you sure stretch out nice against my fingers though,” Felix said in a deep, prideful coo. He peppered light kisses across Minho’s face, mouth playing with the delicate features of his nose and cheeks. “Real nice and easy… I’d never guess you hadn’t bottomed recently, from the way your hole is sucking my hand in so nicely.” Just then, he added in a third finger, pumping in and out shallowly to get Minho accustomed to the feeling of it all. 

Desperately, Minho’s eyes shot open and he bit down hard on his bottom lip. “N-No more foreplay… need you to fuck me right now… use me to forget about everything else…” 

And how could Felix ever deny him something like that? 

Ever deny such a stunning, angelic face, being scrunched up so wonderfully, lips parted and legs wide open just for him? 

In no time at all, he was massaging the lube around his own cock, lining up his tip to Minho’s entrance, entire attention focused on the way that he slowly sunk into his hole. The stretch was incredible- making Minho convulse in pleasure underneath Felix as he gradually bottomed out inside of him. 

“A-Ah… fuck!” Minho cried out the moment Felix froze in his place for a few beats to let him adjust. Then the elder’s face was darkening, his eyes growing swarthy as he stared up at Felix with dim, lust-filled feelings dancing right there in his irises. “Keep going, Lix… fuck me hard, please…” 

That was all Felix needed to set him off. 

Instantly, he was yanking out of Minho almost entirely, teasing Minho’s rim with his throbbing tip before plunging back into him at break-neck speed. The elder’s eyes burst open in surprise from the impact of it all, moaning out like a fucked-over anime bitch from the hentai mangas Felix sometimes read. 

For a few moments, no words were spoken between the two of them. The room filled up with the sounds of Felix’s low grunts as he pounded into Minho at an ungodly speed. Meanwhile, Minho was squirming against the bed, crying out in pleasure every time the tip of Felix hit against that warm, star-filled spot deep inside of him. 

“You’re so fucking pretty like this-“ Felix began in a deep growl, the tension around them snapping every time he felt his cock dig further and further between Minho’s squeezing walls. Rolling his hips against the elder, Minho began to meet his thrusts halfway, his arousal dripping out of the head of his pink, swelled cock. “My sweet, sweet cockwhore- legs wide open and eyes rolled back into your skull as I fuck your brains out…” 

And he could feel how Minho liked his words - the dirty little thing liked the filthy ways Felix was speaking to him. It was apparent by the way the blush across Minho’s face bled into the column of his neck. It was apparent by the way that he whined out in pure, unadulterated bliss. And it was especially apparent by the way his back arched up and off of the mattress below him- walls fluttering around Felix's cock. 

Felix continued at his unreal pace, surprising himself with how much stamina he had at that moment. He was chasing his release rabidly, jerking in and out of Minho’s hole without any sort of mercy. And Minho loved every second of it as his nails skirted down Felix's bare back, nails scratching at his spine. 

“I’m gonna cum, f-fuck, Lix, I can’t-“ Minho hissed out, and Felix could feel the way the elder's hole clamped down a little harder around him, as the elder braced for his climax. “Can’t take it any longer- need to-“

But Felix was already guiding him through it all, hands reaching down between their hips that were meeting together with each thrust, taking hold of Minho’s rigid cock. “That’s it, darling… cum for me, hmm? Let it all out…” His voice was profound and lilting, coaxing out a slur of breathless moans and curses from Minho as he jerked his hand up the length of Minho at the pace that he drilled his cock into him. 

For a moment, Minho went completely still - frozen, like a statue made out of pure, sparkling-spun glass. Then, all at once, everything collapsed and he was falling down the cliffside - hole pulsing around Felix’s cock as he jerked from side to side. The release was otherworldly - if the look on Minho’s face was anything to go by. His jaw dropped open, eyes rolling into the back of his skull, tears pricking at the corners of his long, dark lashes, the prettiest of cries falling from his swollen lips as Felix led him through his release. His seed spilled out across the younger’s small hand, covering his palm in stark whiteness. 

Just from the sight of the older coming undone right before him, Felix was losing his last bit of control. “I-I’m going insane, fuck- need to…” He breathed out senselessly, chasing his high. His hips stuttered against Minho’s, as his release ripped right through his entire being. The bright-hot, crimson heat of it flooded through his system, lighting up his veins in brilliant casts of gold and violet. His cock swelled deep inside of Minho, his hips shallowly fucking his dripping release back into the older male with each pulse of the heat that coated his mind over and over again in pure, cosmic bliss. 

When he was finally finished, Felix looked down to catch a glimpse of a glowing Minho, his entire face lit up with ecstasy, a huge grin pulling at the corners of his lips. Felix took one last powerful thrust, pushing the rest of his seed into the older, drawing out another weak whine from him. 

“Why are you smiling like a maniac?” Felix chuckled, still staring down at the red-haired man, as he brought his hand away from Minho’s cock. His digits were covered and sticky, but he made diligent work of licking them clean. Much to Minho’s delight, he let out a low groan at the sight of it. “Damn- was my cock that good?” He made no move to pull out just yet, loving the way Minho’s warm walls hugged against his cock so tightly. The fit was immaculate. 

Minho was already shaking his head though, hands playing with the messy locks of sweat-slick hair that had dipped into the front of Felix’s eyes from his excessive fucking. “Nah- just… I can’t believe I just got fucked by my best friend… something I’ve been wanting for so long, you know?” 

That made a furious blush creep across Felix’s cheeks, as he tipped down into Minho, pressing a few light kisses against his red mouth. The older’s hair was disheveled, his shirt halfway pulled up across his chest, showcasing the sensitive red marks Felix had left with his attention there at his nipples. 

“To be honest, I can’t believe it either,” Felix started, voice a low rasp against Minho’s lips. “And you were right- you did help me. In so many different ways. I don’t know how I’m ever gonna be able to repay you.” 

For a moment, the silence stretched on between them. And when Felix tilted his head to the side awaiting Minho’s reply, the older just yanked him closer, mewling a tiny bit from the way Felix’s cock pressed further into his sensitive hole. “You can start your repayment by fucking me like that every single night… how does that sound?” 

Threading his sticky digits through Minho’s red locks, Felix pressed another handful of kisses against his mouth, stealing the breath right out of the older’s lungs. “To be honest, that sounds like a fucking dream to me.” 

And then their limbs tangled up again, and they were pressing into each other, kissing their worries away, hands exploring softly, and sighs flooding from parted lips. 

It didn’t matter that Felix wasn’t over his ex. 

It didn’t matter that he still had a long process to get over him - with loads of therapy and long talk sessions with his friends and family. 

It didn’t matter that he didn’t know where he was going to go. 

Because right then, all he wanted to do was delve into Lee Minho. Feel him in so many different ways. Ways that he never imagined he’d get to feel, in all his years of knowing the older male. Ways he never thought he’d want to feel in the first place, until Minho’s thoughts on him became apparent, and Felix realized he shared similar inclinations.

His best friend had been right, in the end. 

Perhaps not everyone could help Felix, 

But the person who could be the most successful in helping him along on his healing journey was Minho. 

Whether that be in the bedroom, or out of it. 

He was always going to be there, no matter what. 

No matter who got in the way - abusive, insane exes, life-filled drama, rain or shine. 

Lee Minho was there to stay. 

Fin.

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[cantdanceflynn]

Riddle School Secret Exchange

From @riddletransfers exchange, a gift of writing for @itissadbutitsmy-life! Im sry, I was gonna have art to go along with it and i dont think its rly up to my standards life just kicks u in the ass yk? (warning for mentions of panic attacks, trauma, and implied canon complient police brutality(I based it off of my shit school so i hope this isn't like, pushing too far))

It always came back to school, didn't it. If Phil had the option, he would have asked his parents to be homeschooled the day after Quiz died.

But no one else could've either, and somehow, he didn't think it'd help to still have those memories and be isolated from his friends to boot.

Days like these though... Slumping over a desk hoping he could remember anything made him wonder if it would've been better. At least he could've used the same resources as the teachers.

He didn't know anyone in this class, so chances of him borrowing notes was admittedly slim. The class itself, chemistry, wasn't hard in and of itself. Mostly he just copied people's answers to labs and tried to remember enough for the tests. But the teacher requiring constant notes was a pain in the ass, to say the least.

But even if chemistry sucked, and did it ever, Phil could appreciate it for one thing. He could spend this whole class excited for the next one, every day, for forever.

Not that he was particularly excited to do math worksheets for an hour and a half, no. He was excited because it was the only class he had with all of his friends this year.

And to top it all off, the teacher didn't seem to give a shit about what happened as long as the work got done. The only thing they'd ever been told not to do was roast marshmallows over Zach's head, and that was because they set off the fire alarm. She probably wouldn't even notice if they did it again.

Thick as thieves was putting it lightly, and it was probably the only reason Phil understood why teachers assigned group projects themselves instead of letting people chat all class. So maybe chemistry felt like forever, but right afterwards he could chill with his friends and talk about their days and help each other out.

That last one happened more often than not lately. For some inane reason, their school had an extra cop assigned to it. Because kids needed to watch out for more dangerous people, obviously.

It probably wouldn't even have made them worry so much if the bastard didn't decide to wear shades and pretend he was an FBI agent or whatever he wanted to be. They'd seen the real deal and this wasn't it, but it looked close enough to freak them out.

Phred was actually the first one to break last week, hyperventilating into his hands before Smiley ran out to get a paper bag. Phil still didn't know all that had happened, but the cop presumably decided the kid was suspicious for being nervous around him, as if anyone didn't understand why.

A bunch of stutters and sobs and rants later, there were four submitted worksheets, two with Smiley's handwriting, and they had implicit permission to walk Phred down to the councilors office. They stayed there for the rest of the day, helping him work through memories anybody who wasn't present wouldn't believe if their life depended on it.

This kind of thing wasn't uncommon, even before more and more triggers started popping up. Phil still didn't know if triggers was the right word for it, but the probability of finding a therapist that believed any of them was slim to none, so he figured it didn't really matter.

Sure, he could dwell on everything that had happened all he wanted. Wonder what the hell had happened on the government side of things, if they were spared or if they just didn't bother tracking them down, or if something else happened. Either way it would be his fault.

Really, it was all his fault. It overwhelmed him sometimes, with the constant reminder that every panic attack and flinch was his fault. Like the story he didn't really read for English or whatever, with the heart the lady could always hear or feel beating.

But his guilt dragged theirs down, much as the pressure of the tiled hallways. Maybe he should be a poet. He'd have plenty of out there material, that's for sure.

Class bell autopilot must've kicked in, because Phil didn't even realize he was sitting in his usual seat until Phred tapped him on the shoulder.

"Yup, we're dealing with a zombie here," he announced in a deadpan voice. "Someone take him to the nurse and let's see if cough drops can bring back the dead."

"Hey!" Smiley punched Phred's shoulder, but she was grinning and so was Zach. Phil loved to "admit" it, their smiles were infectious.

"Eh, there we go." Zach flicked his face and raised an eyebrow in humor when Phil flinched. The humor was quickly replaced by sputtered indignancies as Phil covered his face with a hand.

"That's what you ge-!" Phil's retort was stopped by Zach licking his hand, giggling as Phil shook said hand desperately. "Grosssss....."

Smiley laughed. "Hey, you spoke! Took long enough." Her light hearted teasing was only punctuated by how she was practically plowing through her worksheets. She got given them all at once at this point, her boundless enthusiasm adding to the notes the teachers inevitably had for her.

Like all of them, she was far from a joy to have in class. Constantly correcting the teacher came at a cost, as it turned out. But unlike the rest of them, she could at least do her work nigh perfectly.

"Still can't convince you to do my work?" Phil jokingly questioned.

"Nope! Gotta earn it, silly!" She hummed back as she worked, scribbling down a correction on the teacher's formatting with a disapproving click of her tongue.

Phred rolled his eyes, but he actually started before the rest of them. So much for ambitionless, Phil supposed. He wasn't heading for top of the class or anything, but he had motivation now. Weird as it felt to him, him of all people, there was a twinge of pride in Phil's chest.

He stuck his tongue back out Zach before starting his work. Zach huffed and started too. As the sound of pencils scribbling filled their corner, one thought filled Phil's head.

He was so, so lucky to be in a real, oppressing as it might be, school, with them all, this time.

sry again if this isn't very goodddd