#if i picked him up and shook him i think he'd make a jingling bell sound

[chloset-marioandluigi]

first post on this blog?!!!? have a doodle that i decided to colour :]

[milunalupin]

— mint to be

remus lupin x reader ★ 1k words

The little bell above the door jingled as the last customer left the bookstore. Remus let out a deep sigh as he looked around at all the picking up and re-sorting he had to do. He went to reach for one of the mint candies by the register he offered to customers, but his hand stopped and brows furrowed as he noticed a few of the candies were missing their wrappers. He picked the bare candies out and tossed them in the bin under the counter before grabbing a new one and popping it in his mouth while he went to get the book cart.

Remus had started working at the bookstore just over a year ago, Mr. Brown being the only shopkeeper in Hogsmeade kind enough to offer him a job with a livable wage. He had always been an avid reader and lover of all literature so it was a match made in heaven. The bookstore was in a quieter corner of the Hogsmeade, standing right across from the town's magical creature research center and rescue. Nothing exciting happened on this side of the village, until he met you.

"Have you got any plans tonight, Remus?"

"No, why do you ask, Sir?"

"Saw your little bird working today, assumed you'd see her once you were done closing up."

Remus' sweater suddenly felt a little too warm, his fingers reaching up to pull at the neckline, as Mr. Brown smirked at him from across the shop. "N-no sir, I'm not."

"You should think about doing that instead of ogling at her all day, eh?" the shopkeeper shook his head and tutted quietly to himself, waving goodbye for the night, leaving his embarrassed employee alone in the bookstore.

Remus was never the most talkative person in the first place, but the moment you walked into Brown's Bookshop, he had suddenly forgotten every word he'd ever read. You had introduced yourself as Mr. Scamander's new apprentice, babbling on about your love for magical creatures, to which Remus could only smile and nod as he tried not to fall in love with you right then and there. You left the shop that day with a few books on your favorite beasts and an admirer.

Remus wishes he had met you back at Hogwarts, where he might've been lucky enough to be partnered with you in a class, or perhaps he would've been brave enough to invite you to one of the parties his friends always hosted. Now he just watches you through the shops windows like a fucking creep. It's not like he didn't want to talk to you, but how could he? Remus sighed at took one more glance out the window before leaving the shop himself, locking up and heading home with a heavy heart.

You froze as soon as you walked into work this morning, golden wrappers scattered across the floor, your eyes squinting in suspicion. You picked up the wrappers on your way to the backroom where the new Niffler rescue was, shoving them in the pocket of your cardigan.

"Hey little guy." you coed softly, picking up the small fluffy creature, and bringing him to your face. He squirmed in your hands, reaching for the corner of plastic sticking out of your pocket. "Are all these wrappers your doing?"

In a second the Niffler was out of your hands and scurrying out he door. You grabbed your wand as well as a small cage and dashed out the door, eyes scanning the cobblestone streets. "Oh you're going to be in so much trouble!"

You caught a flash of blue fur and ran ahead, apologizing to the Hogsmeade patrons you bumped into on the way. Hurrying into the shop, you failed to notice which fine establishment the little troublemaker had led you into, only realizing as reached the front desk as saw one surprised Remus Lupin.

"Hello there, can I help you with anything?" Rosy cheeks and warm eyes greeted you, his big sweater and fluffy hair making him look exceptionally huggable.

"Remus, hi! Yes, it seems that.." your eyes trailed down from the face you've been not-so-discreetly staring at every time you go to work to the wooden bowl next to the register. It was filled with gold wrapped mints with a 'Please take one!' post it note stuck to the side. You felt hot with embarrassment, making a mental note to not give the Niffler extra treats today. "That little-"

Squeak!

The two of your turned to see the blue devil standing on the book cart with his paws on the side of his head is surprise. You cast 'Accio' on the mini beast and made sure the cage was locked once he was inside.

"So he was the wrapper thief, huh." Remus chuckled, coming around to your side of the counter and bending down to look at the Niffler behind his tiny bars, sticking a finger through the gate to pet the creature.

"I'm so sorry for any disturbances and inconveniences he's caused, I owe you one, Remus." you sent him a tight lipped smile and turned to head back to work to save you from any further embarrassment.

"Actually, you would do me a huge favor favor by coming with me to the Three Broomsticks tonight." he suggested, stuffing his hands in his trouser pockets.

"Really." a surprised laugh left you, your cheeks warming up as he stepped closer to you. "Well, I suppose I could help you out there."

"After I close up I'll come grab you and we'll have a bite and a round of Butterbeers, does that sound alright with you?" his eyebrows went up in question, a shy smile adorning his flushed face.

You agreed and and basically skipped back to work, missing the way Remus fist pumped the air, taking another candy as his reward for finally asking you out.

The niffler tittered in his cage, with you laughing along with him. As you places him back in his enclosure, you could've sworn to Merlin he winked at you.

[jimothystu]

'Tis the Season (1634)

Prompts: going to a christmas party + matching christmas ugly (or not) sweater from @seasonalwritingchallenges! Fic length: Idk the word count but I think it's between 500-1000 Notes: Unedited as always. Also, like several of my other recent fics this one is dedicated to my lovely husband @donttelltheelff <3

Tag list: @zackcollins @velvetelvisin1830 @jamiedryssdale @donttelltheelff @lam-ila

"We look stupid."

Mitch stared at Auston through the full-length mirror and shook his head quickly, the bells on the antler headband jingling. "No, we look cute and festive!"

Auston deadpanned. "Seriously? Look at this thing." He spread his arms to the sides so his Christmas sweater could be seen in all its glory. Mitch had picked them out, and he'd chosen the most obnoxious ugly Christmas sweaters in all of existence. Mitch's was, arguably less obnoxious, but he made up for that with his headband. His sweater was bright green and had small red bells hanging along the collar. In the centre of it was a Rudolf head. An actual stuffed animal reindeer head that stuck out a good three inches from the sweater. Its nose lit up and flashed when pressed, and, much like the collar of the sweater itself, the reindeer had its own collar with bells. If it didn't have the million bells on it, it wouldn't be so bad. But, of course, Mitch had chosen the noisiest ugly Christmas sweater he could find.

Auston's was uglier, though thankfully quieter. To contrast Mitch's green sweater, Auston's was red and unlike Mitch's 3D reindeer, Auston's sweater was entirely 2D. Cartoon elves were stitched all around the sweater, looking like they were climbing up the fabric to hang a sign that said MERRY CHRISTMA. The S was in the hand of one of the elves, which Mitch had said was just adorable. Auston thought it was absurdly tacky.

Mitch hooked his arm through Auston's, the bells jingling as he moved. "We look great."

Auston sighed heavily. "Only you could make me wear something like this."

Grinning, Mitch kissed Auston's cheek. "I know."

"You're lucky I love you," Auston said, and he couldn't stop a small smile from spreading on his lips.

"I know," Mitch repeated. He kissed the corner of Auston's mouth then slipped away to the dresser.

Auston turned. "So. We're really going to do this?"

"We already said we'd go," Mitch said, grabbing a red giftbag stuffed with gold paper. "We can't not go. We have secret Santa gifts to give people."

Auston shook his head. "No, I mean... Tell people?"

Mitch stilled, the bells falling silent. He frowned and looked at Auston, uncertainty clear in his eyes. "Do you still want to?"

Auston took a few long strides to reach his boyfriend. "Of course I do. Do you?"

Mitch nodded. "Yeah. I think it's time they knew."

Auston reached up and cupped Mitch's cheek, thumb gently rubbing against his soft skin. "I think half of them already know, bub."

Mitch frowned again, eyebrows knitting together. "I thought we agreed we weren't going to tell anyone."

"We did, and I haven't." Auston smirked at him. "But you know you're not exactly discreet sometimes. Especially in hotels."

Auston felt Mitch's cheek warm in his palm. "Oh," Mitch said. "But no one's said anything to you, right?"

"Not really. But..." He shrugged. "Willy gives me looks all the time, and Bunts... Well, you know how he is. Always making some comment about something."

Mitch smiled slightly. "Well, I still want to tell the team if you do."

Auston feathered a kiss to Mitch's lips. "Of course I do. This is our first Christmas as a couple. I... want to share that with the team."

"Me, too." Mitch's smile widened. "So, we're going to do it?"

"If you're sure," Auston replied.

Mitch hooked an arm around Auston's waist and pulled him closer. "I've never been more sure."

Smiling, Auston kissed him. He held Mitch's hip with his free hand.

Mitch made a soft noise and pulled back. "We probably shouldn't start what we can't finish."

"Horny bastard," Auston mumbled, causing Mitch to huff out a laugh.

"Rude."

With a grin, Auston moved back. "But you're right. We do need to get going."

Mitch moved his hand from Auston's waist and he extended it to him. "Ready?"

Without hesitation, Auston took his hand. He gave it a small, reassuring squeeze. "Ready."

[delaber]

The Worst Time of the Year (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

Part 2

Summary: According to Bucky, Christmas is the worst time of the year. He hates everything about it - well everything apart from one thing: you.

Words: 3.2K

Warnings: Slight panic attack, cursing, Bucky being angry with himself

Previous part | Masterlist | Series Masterlist

Bucky had slept terribly after your improvised late-night rendezvous almost a week ago. Not because there was music blasting from the kitchen again, but instead because in the days that followed, he'd been so desperate for more time alone with you that he'd woken up with every sound the house had made, hoping it was caused by you tiptoeing around. Several times, he'd found himself helplessly peeking into the kitchen well past midnight and had even caught himself downright hoping for Jingle Bells to blast through the walls of his room again, but apparently, you hadn't had trouble sleeping since the night you'd drifted off in his arms, the mug of hot chocolate untouched in your lap.

Then, six days after your evening together, you finally approached him outside the vicinity of the others, marching over to him all wrapped up in scarves and woollen layers while wearing the biggest grin on your face. "There you are! Buck, come on, why aren't you dressed yet?" you laughed and threw him his jacket, "they're lighting the Christmas tree at Rockefeller tonight, remember?"

He did remember. In fact, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about it since you'd invited the entire team three days ago, because even though the lighting of a tree in itself was the most ridiculous thing in existence, he wanted to go so badly! But going to Manhattan would be like stepping into the belly of the beast, and he was not ready to face that monster yet. Thus, desperately, Bucky had been practising reliable excuses for his inevitable rejection for days on end now; he had thought about clever lies while on the treadmill, had come up with polite refusals in the shower, and had even considered feigning a cold to prevent you from finding out the embarrassing truth of why he had to decline your invitation, yet somehow, he still ended up with the worst possible excuse ever: that he'd forgotten...

"Oh, is that tonight?" He asked as if he'd been taken completely by surprise, immediately suppressing the urge to curse at himself for acting like an idiot.

"Yeah, we have to leave in a bit," you pointed over your shoulder and laughed, "the rest of the team is already outside. We're only missing you..." you gently tapped your boot against his foot, the small flirtatious act making Bucky's heart pick up its pace considerably.

"I -I completely forgot!" He managed to stutter while his heart galloped in his throat.

"No worries," you chipped happily while waving your hand dismissively in front of your face. "If you hurry, you can still make it," you nervously shifted your weight to the other foot, looking at him with a hopeful smile. "...Are you coming?" you asked quietly when he made no motion to leave.

You looked so cute and so soft, and he wanted nothing more than to throw on his jacket and follow you. He had to bite his cheek to remind himself why he couldn’t. "I'm sorry to disappoint, doll," he drawled, hating himself for actually saying the words out loud, "- but I won't be able to make it tonight."

"No, really?" You immediately furrowed your eyebrows, your shoulders slumping slightly, "...You're not coming?"

"Afraid not, sweetheart," he shook his head, avoiding your disappointed gaze. You couldn’t know why. It would ruin every chance with you.

"That's too bad," you pursed your lips, looking at him with a soft expression, "I was really hoping..."

"Yeah, me too," he nodded, fighting the urge to pull you down on his lap and hold you tight to wipe off that pout.

"Well, are you at least doing something fun instead?" You cocked your head and ran your eyes over his face, a small smile appearing on your lips when his cheeks heated up and slightly reddened under your scrutiny.

He was flustered, suddenly weirdly shy as he looked at your cute little laugh and forgot all about the excuses he'd been preparing to his teeth. "Uhm -" he tried after the longest few seconds of his life, hoping the polite refusals would slowly come back to him as soon as he started talking. "Well, I -" he looked at your beautiful smile that just seemed to push the well-practised lies even further from his mind. Fuck, why couldn't he think?! "- I'm just not really a big fan of… Christmas trees," he ended up saying, immediately regretting his words.

"What?" You chuckled lightly, "you're not a big fan of Christmas trees?" You arched an eyebrow in amusement, "come on, Buck - I know you're not one for the whole decorating bit, but you and I can still have fun, right? I love this tradition, and I really want to share it with you," you gently tapped his foot again.

Shit! Why couldn't he just reach out and tell you that it had absolutely nothing to do with you, and everything to do with the extremely humiliating fact that the mere thought of the large crowd gathered at Rockefeller Plaza almost was enough to send him spiralling into a fully-fledged panic attack?! All those hours in therapy and he had never hated his anxiety more!

Bucky squinted his eyes shut and prepared himself for how disappointed you'd be with him. "Not tonight, sweetheart," he croaked, his tongue extremely dry, his skin burning hot.

"...you really don't want to come?" you said carefully as you twisted your mittens between your fingers, your brows furrowed worse than before, "- not even for me?"

Fuck! You were going to think you'd done something wrong now!! Maybe he'd ruin all chances with you tonight after all. It would suit him right for being a coward...

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," he said softly, his right leg nervously bouncing up and down as the muscles of his chest were getting so tight, he had to shimmy a little in the chair. "Next year?" he offered in consolation, taking in your dishevelled face, and trying not to get too affected by it.

"Okay..." you offered him a small smile, clearly trying to mask your disappointment, "sure."

"It's not because of you," he croaked, the muscles of his entire body desperately tense, "I swear."

"It's okay Barnes," you shook your head, burying your hands in your pockets, looking like he'd just chipped a piece of your heart. "Don't worry about it," you sighed and looked at him briefly before your eyes darted towards the exit. "Well... the others are waiting for me, so I better get going..." you walked quickly towards the door, pausing momentarily when your hand reached the handle, your eyes darting over to him again to see if maybe he'd changed his mind, but when you saw his rigid body that hadn't moved one inch since you'd stood right in front of him, you quickly turned your head again. "I guess I'll just see you later then," you mumbled and slipped out the door and away from him.

"Have fun," he yelled after you and breathed a heavy sigh after you'd closed the door behind you. "I don't like Christmas trees," he mumbled to himself, cringing hard, "what a clever lie, you idiot," he rolled his eyes and opened the book in his lap, forcing himself to read to take his mind off of what he'd just done to you.

Several minutes passed before Bucky realised that he'd been staring at the same ten sentences over and over again, your cute little pout dominating most of his brain's capacity, making him unable to focus on anything else. Shit, it felt as if he'd just kicked a puppy! Annoyed, he slammed the book shut and instead started contemplating how bad it would actually be at Rockefeller Center. There'd be hundreds of people gathered in a tiny square, yes, and they would probably be loud, and annoying, and stand way too close to him - but it would all be happening outside... maybe he wouldn't start sweating, and choking, and feel as if the walls were squeezing the insides out of him if only he was surrounded by fresh air? And he'd get to see you, and maybe he'd be able to swap your pout for a smile. He'd like that...

It was worth a shot, he convinced himself in a brief moment of determination, and picked up his phone, quickly calling a cab before he could stop himself.

Luckily, the car came before he'd had a chance to second-guess his decision, and for the first few minutes of the ride in, he was actually happy with himself and his ability to push past his comfort zone, but as the skyscrapers of Manhattan drew closer and closer, he could feel himself gradually becoming more and more nervous, his heels suddenly tapping loudly against the floor of the car as his breathing became more and more ragged. What on earth was he doing?! If he was already slightly panicked now, what wouldn't it be like when he’d reached the actual destination? He was going to be the weird guy kicking and screaming while they lit a fucking Christmas tree!! It's not too late to turn around, he reminded himself - but then he wouldn't get to see you, and he really wanted to show you that you meant more to him than his opinion on Christmas! He needed to relax, to control his breathing, so he forcefully closed his eyes and performed his well-practiced meditative ritual of carefully counting each ridge of his metal hand until he felt the cab pulling over.

"Rockefeller Plaza, sir," the cab driver announced loudly, waking Bucky up from his trance, "- just in time for the lighting."

"Great," Bucky mumbled back and took a deep breath before carefully opening his eyes. For the first few seconds he just stared blankly at the headrest of the passenger seat in front of him, preparing himself for the terror he was about to face, and when he had finally mustered up the courage to turn his head, he was instantly met by the enormous crowd outside that was pushing up against the side of the car, suffocating him. Immediately, he stopped breathing as the blood drained from his face so quickly that he became dizzy - how was he supposed to survive this?

"Are you alright, sir?" the cab driver asked carefully, looking at Bucky's nervous ticks in the rear-view mirror.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," he forcefully heaved a big breath of air, and quickly paid the driver before bravely stepping out of the safety of the car seat. "Shit," he hissed when the door shut behind him, and the safe cab drove away. He tried not to focus on the many people surrounding him as he pulled out his phone and called up Steve. "Pick up," he breathed impatiently, cold beats of sweat running down his spine with every beep of the phone. "Pick up, Steve!" He took a step backwards to avoid a bunch of screaming kids running into him.

"Hey Buck!" Steve finally answered on the third ring, "we miss you!" he sounded happy, and for a brief second, Bucky contemplated jumping back in a cab, pretending it was a pocket dial so Steve wouldn't have to deal with yet another of his pathetic panic attacks. "How are you holding up at home? Everything okay?"

With a deep breath, Bucky reminded himself of your disappointed pout and pulled himself together. No matter how bad the inevitable panic attack would be, Steve would understand his reasoning. "I'm not at home," he scanned the large crowd for familiar faces, "I'm here."

Steve went quiet a couple of seconds, "...at Rockefeller?"

"Yes, where are you?" He said mechanically, desperate to be in the vicinity of someone he felt safe with.

"Damn, Buck!" Steve laughed whole-heartedly, "that makes me so happy!"

"Yeah. Right, me too, now where are you?"

"Uh - Do you see the pretzel stand? The one over by the trees? Meet me there, okay?"

Hazily, Bucky searched for the pretzel stand, a wave of relief washing over him when he finally saw it. "Right," he hung up his phone and took a deep breath before stepping into the crowd, his eyes glued to the smiling pretzel on top of the food truck as he carefully walked through the suffocating masses. You can still turn back, the voice inside him echoed, but the image of your smile popped into his brain, and determination washed over him as he fought his way to the truck without looking back.

"Hey, Buck!" Steve was waiting for him by the corner of the pretzel stand, waving his hand in the air, "didn't think you'd make it!"

"Me neither..." he grumbled and nervously fidgeted with the zipper of his leather jacket, a bit better now that Steve was close.

"What made you change your mind? Last year you said it was the worst tradition in existence!" Steve laughed.

"I still think that," Bucky mumbled and looked over at Steve. "Just thought that maybe it was time I started showing up to things like this..."

"Well, I'm glad you're here, buddy," Steve gave Bucky a proud pat on the back, "you good?"

"Yeah... yeah - there sure is a lot of people here tonight, huh?" he shifted on his feet and sent Steve a nervous look that was reciprocated with a soft smile, "you're gonna be fine, Buck. Deep breaths, okay? I'm here for you."

"Right," Bucky nodded, trying to control his laboured breathing as he looked around at the people standing closest to the pretzel stand.

"Come on, the rest of the team's right over here."

Bucky took another deep breath and focused on Steve's back as he followed him into the crowd, his fingers prickling slightly from the trepidation he felt bubble throughout his limbs.

"Not much longer, buddy, they're right over here," Steve pointed to a small group of familiar faces that even through the fog of people, Bucky saw immediately. Thor was standing with his hands in the pockets of his huge down puffer coat, shaking immensely while Banner and Stark were in deep discussion about how much energy it took to light the tree. Sam and Nat were laughing whole-heartedly at a whispered joke, but Bucky's eyes didn't linger much on either of them because at the front of the group, you and Wanda were talking quietly, clutching two cups of steaming hot mulled wine. You were smiling from ear to ear, looking at the dark tree in front of you with a child-like wonder in your eyes that immediately seemed to lift some of the fog from Bucky's brain. You'd put on a colourful beanie that matched your outfit and Bucky couldn't help but think to himself that he'd never seen anyone look so cute.

"Look who I found," Steve exclaimed loudly, and Bucky watched how you slowly turned your head and locked eyes with him, your smile growing impossibly large as you took him in. Not wanting to rise suspicion among the others, however, you stayed put next to Wanda while Bucky received a round of several hey man's, and short hugs, and a few good to see you's, before he finally reached you.

You were still smiling from ear to ear as you shoved your cup in Wanda's hand and threw your arms around his neck. "Hi!" You whispered against his ear, "so you decided you didn't want to miss out on the lighting after all?"

He held you tight against his chest, forgetting all about the anxiety that had consumed him only minutes earlier as lavender and soft wool invaded all his senses. "Wouldn't miss it for the world, doll," he mumbled against your neck and slowly, reluctantly let go of you when he remembered that you were surrounded by all your friends.

Carefully, you looked around at the others who all seemed to be lost in conversation again before you gently tugged on Bucky's arm. "Come on," you said quietly, clearly not wanting anyone to see the two of you sneaking off. "It's about to start," you dragged him through the crowd until you'd found what you considered the perfect spot. "Are you good here?" you turned around, your hair falling elegantly around your face, and all Bucky could think about was how beautiful you were.

"Yeah," he nodded and realised that he was actually feeling fine. No walls folding in on him. No choking sensation. "Yeah, I'm good."

"Great!" You looked at him with an excited smile on your face, and Bucky felt as if he was melting. He wanted to kiss you. "What made you change your mind about Christmas trees?" you snickered, biting your lower lip.

"...I don't care about the tree, sweetheart," he said softly and watched you blink in awe a few times just as the crowd around the two of you started counting down from ten. You were running your eyes all over his face, smiling dreamily and licking your lips, and when the countdown reached five, you still hadn't looked away.

"You're gonna miss it," he nodded towards the tree with a chuckle.

"Yeah, sure," you cleared your throat with a smile and pried your eyes away from him just in time to see the different colours lighting up as the crowd started cheering and clapping loudly.

Bucky had to hand it to you; the tree was beautiful, and he was instantly taken back to his night alone with you in the loveseat next to him. For the first few seconds, all he could do was stare in awe at all the different coloured lights that were twinkling brightly against the dark canvas of the night sky, but slowly, the loud noises of the people surrounding him started coming in through as well - and it wasn't long until he stopped being able to focus on the tree at all.

It happened faster than he could react, but suddenly, the coloured lights became distorted as the cheering voices grew louder and louder in his ears, and his heart started hammering wildly against his ribcage. Already knowing what was on the rise, he looked around for an exit, but there was no way out, he was stuck in the middle of the crowd, and the buildings surrounding him only seemed to grow taller and taller. Shit! Fuck! No! He felt his pulse rising quickly and closed his eyes to prepare himself for the incoming panic attack that was slowly on the rise - when suddenly, he felt a small hand wrap itself around his.

"I love this," he heard you whisper from far away, your gaze still locked on the tree as you squeezed him tight and hummed his name.

Almost in shock at the warm sensation, Bucky opened his eyes and looked over at you, realising that the buildings had shrunk down to their normal size. The sounds and the lights weren't distorted either because suddenly, the people around him didn't matter. No matter how much they yelled and clapped and bounced up and down, all he sensed was you. His hand in yours. You were so beautiful, so cute with your excited smile and your small, warm hand that you'd slipped in his.

"I'm so happy you're here with me," you smiled, running your thumb over the back of his hand while still looking at the colourful tree, “merry Christmas, Buck.”

Carefully, he twisted his wrist and intertwined his fingers with yours, feeling how the last remnants of panic slowly left his body as your hand grounded him. "Me too… Merry Christmas, sweetheart," he breathed quietly, looking up at the lights as his chest bubbled happily. You had grabbed his hand. He was standing in Rockefeller Plaza, holding the hand of the most beautiful girl in the world. Maybe Christmas wasn't so bad. And maybe he could even learn to tolerate it this was what it felt like.

Next part

Tagging: @elemenohpe @summerofsnowflakes @theselilwonders @dexter99

[dragonjesterwrites]

100 Follower Ficlet! 🎉

To celebrate and as a thank you, I present to y'all a ficlet I've been tweaking and playing with since March- it's been yonks, but I'm at a place where I'm pretty happy with it :)

TW: Drunk behavior (lovey-dovey drunk behavior but just in case)

Magnets

"Hey Moony, I'm home!" You called out as you nudged the door open with your foot, arms laden down with heavy bags of groceries. You heard the soft thwump of a book being closed and a jingle of bells before Moon rounded the corner, letting out an amused noise at your self-inflicted predicament even as he offered up his own arms.

"Hello, my Star." He greeted you as you gratefully handed him a carton of milk and a couple of the heavier bags. "How was your day?"

"Pretty good, long though. Got a new supervisor who likes the sound of his own voice." You chuckled, leaning forward to kiss your partner, and Moon hummed in content as he nuzzled against you, before the two of you made your way to the kitchen. "How was yours?"

"I know the type. My day was quiet, but fun. I tended to the garden, read a few books, and played chess with Sunny until we got dizzy from switching."

"Glad you had a good day." You smiled softly up at him before turning to pull open the vegetable drawer. "Anything in the garden ripe enough to pick yet?"

"Mmhm. Here." You heard the rustling of the bags stop and Moon's machinery whir as he moved away, then back, and you glanced over at him, one hand on the fridge to steady yourself. Held in his hands was a small cardboard box, tilted for you to see. Inside were a good few cucumbers, tomatoes, and stalks of celery. "Freshly picked. How does pasta sound?"

"Pasta sounds amazing, thank you Moony. Oh, hey, I got you some stuff, it's in the bag on the right." He handed you the box to put in the fridge, then turned to look through the bag. 

"A Guide to Making Stuffed Animals." Moon read aloud, running a hand over the cover. He flipped it open, pausing briefly to scan the table of contents, before thumbing through the pages. He turned the book to face you as you stood, and you grinned as he tapped a picture of a shooting star plush. "I'm definitely making this one first."

He set the book down on the counter and pulled out the other contents- a sewing kit, a pair of fabric scissors, a little hedgehog pincushion, and a box of fridge magnets.

"Oh, sorry- the magnets were an impulse buy." You smiled sheepishly, putting away a carton of milk. Moon made an amused noise and cracked the plastic lid open.

When you turned around to grab the bags he'd set down next to himself, he was in the process of sticking a blue plastic 'O' to his forehead, after its red twin and a green 'M'.

You couldn't help but grin at the sight. "What on earth are you doing?"

He paused in the middle of plucking an 'N' out of the box, the letter held precariously between his silicone covered fingers. "Isn't it obvious?" He asked, amused as he tilted his faceplate at you. You shook your head and joined him, digging through the box until you found a star magnet, which you placed on his chest between the two buttons. The two of you kept it up for awhile, giggling like children as you stuck magnets on him.

As you picked a yellow 'Z' from the box, you adjusted your grip and saw the grubby thumbprint you'd left on it. "Oof. Forgot I was dirty from work. I'm gonna go take a shower, Moony."

He nodded as he stuck another magnet on his forearm, which was getting rather cramped now. "Alright, Stardust. I'll get started on cooking as soon as I feel Sunny is going to be suitably annoyed by the amount of magnets on us." He let out a quiet cackle and continued to rummage through the box.

"I think the whole box should do the trick." You told him, grinning, and he nodded.

"I think so too. Enjoy your death-water."

You playfully rolled your eyes and made your way to the bathroom, adjusting the shower to the temperature you liked before stripping and climbing in.

You were rinsing out the shampoo, eyes closed as you dunked your head into the pleasantly hot water, when you heard a crash. Startled, you quickly rinsed the rest off and turned off the water.

"Moony? You okay?" You were certain you'd locked the front door- you'd purposefully made yourself remember so it'd be one less thing to worry about. You strained your ears to hear better, heart thudding in your chest, but all you heard was a giggle. "...Moon?"

You hurried out of the shower and wrapped a towel around yourself, glad the curtains were shut so you could just dash over to him and not worry about being gawked at by nosy passerbys.

Careful not to slip, you rushed into the kitchen, and saw Moon slumped against the counters, giggling to himself. Most of the magnets were still stuck on him, but a couple laid on the floor next to him, including the N from his forehead.

"Moon, what happened? Are you alright?" You dried your hand on the towel before reaching out to cup his face, concerned. His head lolled up to look at you, and he giggled again.

"Mmhmm." He managed out, sounding positively mirthful. "Took a bi' of a-" He broke into giggling again, before collecting himself. "Bi' of a fall. I'm okay. Jus… um." He tapped the side of his faceplate, appearing to concentrate. His finger slowed, and his attention fell to the N on the floor. "That fell off. My head says 'Moo'." And then he broke down into helpless giggles once more, sliding down the cabinets in his helpless amusement.

"Oh, my god." You began incredulously, trying to hold back your own laughter. "My love, you're drunk."

"Am not. I'm a robot, can't get drunk. Silly Starlight." He waggled his finger in your face, distracting you from figuring out what the hell to do.

"Love, you're hammered." You snorted, smiling as you picked up one of the letters next to him. Wait- oh. Oh. Oops. "The magnets. They're messing with your hard drive." You raised your hand to his forehead. "Let's get these off of you."

"No!" He protested, pushing himself up against the cupboards, and you winced at the squeal of metal on wood. "I'm art."

"Moon-"

"And I'm faster than youuu." He sprang to his feet before you could stop him, and almost immediately toppled to the ground again, only barely catching himself on the counter top. He grunted and heaved himself off, swaying dangerously. You ran up to stabilize him, grabbing the loop on his back with the hand you weren't using to hold up your towel. Damn, how were you supposed to dry yourself off and take care of your very drunk partner?

"I'll let you take the magnets off if you go to bed." He giggled, spinning his head around to face you. He tilted his faceplate to the side in a question. "Can we cuddle? I like cuddling with you."

You huffed, smiling as he batted his eyelids at you playfully. "Yeah. Sure, we can cuddle." It was only eight, but cuddles did sound nice. And you weren't terribly hungry anyway. "But you're gonna let me take the magnets off, mister."

"Okaaay. Which way's bed…" He tapped his fingers against his faceplate, the sound off-beat. You released the loop, taking his hand in yours and leading him to the bedroom.

"Sit down, I'll be right back. Just gotta dry myself off and get dressed." You informed him. He grumbled something and tried to get back up off the bed, but you firmly took his shoulder and sat him back down.

"Wanna cuddle." He protested.

"I promise we'll cuddle. But if we cuddle now, you're gonna short circuit, I haven't dried off properly." You insisted. He gazed up at you for a second or two, then stuck out his pinky with a suppressed giggle.

"Promise?"

You smiled at him, then gave him your pinky. "I promise."

He nodded, then swung his legs up onto the bed with a sigh. You exited the bedroom after grabbing a pair of pajamas, and took your time to dry yourself off- you were worried enough about his hard drive, you didn't want to add moisture damage on top of that.

When you reentered, warm and dry, Moon sat back up on the bed, bouncing slightly. He stood up as you approached, and before you could react, picked you up and fell back to the bed, arms wrapped around you and holding you close on top of him.

"Wait, Moon- your charger- the magnets." You squirmed in his grasp, but he just hummed and nuzzled his faceplate against your head.

"You pinky-promised. Cuddle time." He drew the blanket over you both, smoothing it down with a wobbly hand.

"Your hard drive could get damaged. If you let me take the magnets off, we can cuddle all day tomorrow, or until you let Sunny take over. It's my day off tomorrow, remember?" You offered. His hand paused in its jerky stroke down your upper back.

"Hmm... Okay." He unwrapped his arms from around you, and you set to work picking the magnets off and tossing them blindly to the side. He watched as you worked, humming what might have been a lullaby if it wasn't interspersed with laughter.

"What're you laughing about?" You asked with some amusement, removing the last letter from his face.

"You're my knight in cloth pajamas." He  giggled. Then he paused, and cupped your face in his hands, thumb softly dusting along your cheekbone. "Thank you for saving my hard drive. I love you so much, I don't want to ever forget you." And with those last soft, slightly slurred words, he pulled you down back onto his chest, holding you close. If he noticed the way your face heated up against his chest, he didn't say anything, instead continuing to mumble out the lullaby, music box chiming in off-key.

You waited until his sleep mode kicked in, giggly indecipherable murmurs turning to quiet artificial snores, before allowing yourself to fall asleep, cuddled up with your partner.

~~~~~

When you woke the next morning, Moon was still asleep, face buried into your shoulder, and you couldn't help but smile softly, leaning down to press a sleepy kiss to the rim of his faceplate.

You gave yourself a few minutes to properly wake up, mind pleasantly empty for once, simply enjoying the promised, warm cuddles. But alas, your stomach prompted you to get up and about with a long growl, and you sighed before beginning to carefully extract yourself from Moon's hold.

"Nooo..." Moon mumbled, tightening his hold on you, and you turned to peer at him.

"Morning, my Moonlight. Still a little tipsy?" You teased, giving up for the moment and turning around so your front and forehead were pressed to his.

Moon's eyelids squeezed shut, then he opened them a crack, blue slivers of dimly glowing light escaping through the allowed space. "...The magnets."

"Yeah. They made you drunk." You kissed him gently as he shut his eyes again with a groan. "You're a very sweet drunk, if it's any consolation. If a bit mischievous. How are you feeling?"

"Mm. Kind of like someone turned my visual and auditory sensory input up to eleven. And my memories from after the magnets are corrupted, inaccessible." He grumbled, then sighed and wriggled in closer. "...This is nice though."

You weren't entirely sure how a robot hangover worked, but regardless you wanted to make sure he was okay, and a lazy day in suited you just fine. "Well, I did promise we'd cuddle all day today."

"I would love that." He murmured, and you nodded as you nuzzled carefully against his faceplate, warmth filling you when a rumbling purr started up in his chest and he pulled you in closer.

The two of you spent the rest of the day in the quiet, cozy dark of the blanket nest, with you only taking breaks to eat, drink, stretch, and use the bathroom. Moon recovered, albeit slowly, and only left to do one thing- with your help, he took the "accursed" magnets and set them firmly down in the furthest reaches of the attic, never to be used again, before picking you up and carrying you back to bed for more of the promised cuddles.

[heejojo]

Mr Hollywood

summary: Sim Jaeyun had made it, he had finally fulfilled his dream of being an artist but he had to leave the place he called he called home promising he would come back when everything was okay. He’s back now but are you sure it’s the same Jake you once knew?

genre: fluff, minor angst, childhood lovers turned exes to lovers again

pairing: Celebrity Sim Jaeyun x non-celebrity reader (with enhypen and treasure appearances)

warning: none

word count: 4.1k

a/n: although it has been proofread, I cannot guarantee no errors so please let me know if you see any! please let me know what you think. likes and reblogs are appreciated and I hope you have a good day.

listen to the playlist here

send an ask or fill out this form to be part of the taglist!

taglist (open): @enhyphun @jungwoniics @penny-quinn @ncthpen @fylithia @taecup-ontrack @renee1414@studioreader

“And the Artist Of The Year Award goes to none other than...” the announcer said, keeping you all at the edge of your seats. Everyone here had voted for Jake so many times so that he would win. The announcer looked at the folded card in his hand before smiling and saying.

“Jake Sim!” The screams of everyone in the beer parlour with you watching the award ceremony were probably louder than those in the venue itself. You all watched in pride as the look of shock was evident on his face and he shakily walked to the podium to collect the award. You smiled at how good he looked, he had come so far from the boy you once knew here.

Five years ago, Jake had left his hometown, where he grew up for 18 years to pursue his dream. Granted, not everyone is supposed to stay for the rest of their lives but he thought he was going to stay but he made up his mind to leave for his passion. You all supported him even if you weren’t able to talk to him because of his busy schedule. Being able to cheer him from the sidelines was what you were content with. He was the pride of the town and people did not hesitate to show him off.

He gave the announcer a bow and collected the award. You could see the way his hands shook as he collected the award as if it felt unreal that he won.

“I would like to thank God for the ability to get to this point today and to thank my parents for always teaching me the right way and having the courage to let their child pursue his dreams even if it meant that I would be very far away; almost out of reach even. I love you. To all those that have continuously supported me and listened to my music, thank you. To the staff that have worked so hard and everyone I've had the pleasure of meeting, a big thank you to you" he said and walked off.

The excitement of the crowd reduced and everyone eventually retired to their homes while chatting amongst themselves. You think about the award one more time, feeling happy for him and move on. After all, the same way Sim has a life to live is the same way you do also.

The next day, when you wake up you feel a shift in the atmosphere. The birds are still chirping, yes but something feels unusual. You brush off the paranoia you feel and decide to do your usual morning duties and carry on with your day. While other people your age wanted to have prestigious jobs(not like there was anything wrong with that), you wanted something simple and had decided on being either a cafe owner or a florist.

Sadly, the cafe owner agenda wasn't able to work out because everyone in the vicinity was now aware of the way you burned down a cafe trying to bake and collectively decided that you should not be allowed to make food for people. Flowers were better than running a cafe shop. You stayed with your flowers and you were able to give

someone a flower when they needed it.

Need a flower for your mother? You got it, a daylily was exactly what they needed. Wanted to attend a funeral? Take a bouquet of lilies. It was easy to understand and you didn't directly put anyone in harm’s way. Although your shop was hardly ever full, you were content with everything.

That's why you're shocked when you find a line of people waiting to be let into your shop at 9 am. You raised an eyebrow in confusion but you opened the door nevertheless. At the end of the day, you were the one earning the money. You had things to buy, didn't you?

You take your place at the counter and start attending to the customers. They didn't tell you to pick out one for them and just chose it themselves. The crowd slowly reduced till there was only one person left. When there remained a few people, you quietly moved to one person to ask for the reason why they were so cheerful today.

"Jungwon, do you know why everyone is so happy today? My shop was full today!"

"Are you complaining about it?" He asks. Jungwon was the son of the cafe shop owner. He came to your shop frequently when he was on his break and you would talk to each other.

“Of course, I’m not. I just want to know what’s making everyone come here all of a sudden. Even old man Jay came here and you know that man never leaves his house. He bought a red carnation and I’m confused because who does he have affection for that he’s getting them flowers”

“He has a wife you know”

“Please, the last time they had a conversation with each other was when he asked for a divorce” you deadpanned.

“Look Y/N, who’s the one person in this town anyone would do anything for?”

“Kim Junkyu?”

“Close but not him, I wouldn’t do anything for him” Jungwon stated making you roll your eyes.

“The only person left is Sim Jaeyun and we know it’s not possible”

“Ding Ding Ding! We have a winner”

You give him a shaky smile before asking him, “You’re joking right?”

“I’m not,” he says sincerely. You nod your head and go sit on the nearest stool. Placing a hand on your throat as you begin to scratch at it (something you did when you were nervous) and just sit in silence while Jungwon continues talking.

“After the award ceremony, his management released a statement on his Instagram saying that he would be going on hiatus for two months to visit his family. So we townsmen decided to get flowers to pave the road with because he would be coming back. We would have used gold leaves but it’s too expensive”

He continued talking and talking while you were still trying to process the fact that Jake would be coming back. Physically he was still going to be the same Jake you had a crush on before he left but personality-wise? You doubted that. You heard stories of the way fame had changed people; the love from others would get to their heads and make them overly egotistical. A part of you knew that he wouldn’t change but the other part was unsure. Before he left, you made him promise to not change and while you knew promises could be broken, you knew he wouldn’t break them.

“Jungwon, I want to close the shop for today. I’m not feeling too well and want to rest a bit”

“No problem Y/N! If you want, I can stay here and do business for you”

“Don’t worry about it, I’ve made enough money today to last me for next month” you say and shoo him away.

At home, you just sit and think for some time before getting up to make some tea and reminiscing about your high school memories. You hardly had feelings for people so when you did, you let them know immediately. When you told Jake that you liked him, he told you that he felt the same. You ignored him for a week after that because you didn’t think that far. After that, you met up with him and explained the reason why you avoided him. You went out with each other for less than 2 weeks and during that period, he had told you about his dreams of becoming an artist and you supported him wholeheartedly.

He would carry your books from school and you both would walk home together every day. He'd play the violin for you because he was good. You'd both pet stray cats and run when they started chasing you. All good things came to an end when he told you that he had to leave to pursue his dream. You both knew you were too young to even attempt a long-distance relationship so you let each other go even though it hurt. You’d watch his music videos and support his activities even though there was a possibility he would never return. Now that he was going to be here, how were you going to cope knowing that your feelings for him were still the same while his feelings could have gone, especially with all the beautiful people in the industry?

That night, while everyone was outside welcoming Mr Hollywood, you stayed in your house dreading the days that would come. The town was small so there was no way that you wouldn’t bump into him. The voices were loud when you tried to sleep. Seems like everyone was ecstatic that Jake had come back. The noise wasn’t able to let you sleep but deep down you knew it was because you were nervous.

You decide to bake cookies to reduce the stress you are currently feeling. You had learnt from your mistakes and no longer burnt kitchens (your kitchen being valid proof of that), but Jungwon’s dad still wouldn’t lift his ban. You baked cookies till 2 am before you were really tired enough to sleep. You had baked almost a hundred cookies that night.

The next morning, you made sure to wake up early so you wouldn’t run into anyone. Thankfully, the townspeople didn’t want to buy flowers that morning and got started on the orders that people out of town had placed. You brought cookies for Jungwon so he could test them. You were trying to fix the counter when someone walked in, making the bell jingle. Assuming it was Jungwon, you say, “Jungwon the cookies are on the counter. Test them and tell me what you think, don’t eat them and run away”

“I’m not a Jungwon but can I talk to Y/N?” You’re startled but you freeze, instantly recognizing the voice. Jake Sim.

“Hello, what would you like?” you asked with a forced smile. You were way too close, the proximity was making you uneasy. He looked a bit disappointed with the way you answered him but what did he expect to come to? It had been five years.

“I just wanted to tal-” he is cut off by Jungwon bursting through the door.

“Y/N, you will not believe who I saw. I saw Jake Sim with my very own two eyes. He looks so much hotter in real life. Do you think he’d sign my back if I asked-” he stopped instantly when he saw the person that was in the flower shop.

He looked like a fish out of water with the way his mouth was agape. Looking at you, then at Jake and then you again. He brought his hand to his head and he hit it hard making you startled.

“Sorry I will leave now,” Jungwon said.

“To cry” he murmured, making you chuckle. Jungwon was someone that cried when he did something embarrassing.

“Jungwon wait,” you say and walk to give him the cookies you had packed for him with a little note.

“Eat them and get back to me when you’re less you know...embarrassed” He snatches them from your hands and makes a run for the door. You giggle then you remember that Jake was still present. Turning to face him, you ask if he wants anything. “I want to talk to you”

You motion him to sit on the spare chair you had and he obliges. Before you even ask him a question, he begins, “Was that your boyfriend?”

“No, not that it concerns you though”

“Where you last night? I saw everyone but you. The Johnny kid said you were feeling ill. I doubt that wasn’t true as you made cookies. The last time I remembered, you were really bad at anything relating to the kitchen”

“Times change and people change, Jaeyun. It’s been 5 years since we last had a conversation with each other. I’m not the same and I’m sure you’re not the same either”

“Let’s get to know each other again. Do things the old fashioned way. Go on dates, paint, and bake with each other. Do some of the things we could have done 5 years ago.”

“And then when you have to leave and have no contact with each other again”

“I won’t do that, I promise. Never again.”

“How can you be so sure of that?”

“Let me prove it to you-”

He’s cut off by the entrance of another customer and stands up to leave but you don’t miss the longing look in his eyes. You hope he can see the same look in yours that’s covered by hurt and waiting for someone to return.

You were not expecting Jake to be at your store first thing on a Friday morning. He was even earlier than you and you're the boss.

“What are you doing here?” you ask. He was bouncing on his feet and looking cherry when you hadn’t even gotten enough sleep.

“I’m here to take you out. Do it like the old times where I’d wait for you so we could go to school together”

“I have work to do today and I’m going to be booked so another time”

“I have come to offer my assistance so tomorrow we can go out together”

“Don’t you have things to do?”

“I’m on a hiatus, I’m free for almost two months and if you want I can be free for more. Imagine all the things we could do in that time” he trails off, fantasizing when you hadn’t even told him that you still liked him. Meanwhile, you had opened the door and walked in.

"Aren't you going to come in and stop thinking of cute stuff?" you ask him and he quickly runs in, flustered.

He takes a look around and puts on a determined face and gets a broom and starts cleaning. For someone that's supposed to be a celebrity, he was cleaning like an employee. You take a rag and wipe all the surfaces and take care of the flowers. After an hour, the shop is ready to open. Customers come rolling in once they see a new help. Although they're surprised, they don't question it.

During your break, Jake picks up a chrysanthemum and hands it to you. "It's for you because you're beautiful," he says

"Hate to rain on your parade but if you gave me this in Italy, it means you wish I were dead" and with that, he takes back the flower instantly and brings a single red rose. You receive it with a small laugh, finding it funny when he doesn't want you misinterpreting him. You were having a sweet moment with him until Jungwon came in again.

"I'm getting tired of seeing you here Mr Sim. As much as I adore you, I need to meet my friend" he states and pulls you to the back. "Care to explain why Jake Sim is in your store again!?"

"Nope" you respond, popping the p. He brought his hand to his forehead and tried to relax his muscles because according to him, he doesn't want to look forty-five when he's thirty years old.

"Look, it's weird coming here and seeing you have company. I'm not against you having company seeing as you've been lonely the entire time I've known you but, I can't stay in his presence! Why must a man Look so gorgeous!? He's ruining my already broken esteem. Everybody saw him in real life and was wondering how a man could look that good."

"They saw him when he was seventeen years old," you tell him.

"And he's twenty-three now! He doesn't look the same and I don't even need to have known him then to know now"

"Jungwon, I want you to get to the point," you tell him, basically pleading at that point because your break would soon be over.

"I'll see you when I have enough confidence to meet him," he says and leaves the store. You shake your head at his overdramatic behaviour and continue with your day. Jake proves to be amazing assistance and you got things done quicker and even closed earlier.

"Thank you for offering help, you can go home now. See you tomorrow" you say in an attempt to shoo him out.

"I want to walk you home" he announces and goes with you home.

"Do you hate me for not talking to you?" he asks.

"I don't hate you. To be honest, I think we both did the right thing by not talking to each other. It was good we had each other in mind but I would have caused too much of a distraction for you. It was great you focused on your career and achieved your goals. I did well too"

"Johnny boy said you were lonely though," he said.

"Number one, I know you know his name is Jungwon but you're just being petty. Two, why were you eavesdropping on our conversation and three, I still had a bit of hope that one day you'd return. I didn't think that you'd come" you say truthfully. The night was making you vulnerable when answering his questions.

"I always asked my mum how you were doing when I called her, you know? I wanted to check up on you without doing so myself. I'd ask her to give you a pop tart because I knew they were your favourite"

Even though he was still far away, he still had kept you in his mind the same way you did for him.

You got home and stayed at the door before you took him by the shoulder and said, "Let's go out together and have fun". He gives you a soft smile and watches you go in before he retires to his own home.

The following day, you're waiting for him to come. You had tried to dress up for the date but didn't want to underdress or overdress since he hadn't told you where you were going. So you decided to wear a simple sundress and made yourself look nice. He arrived wearing something as casual as you in a car.

"Is this your dad's?" you questioned.

"Yup, I borrowed it to take you out,” he says and winks at you. You shake your head laughing and get in the passenger seat and he drives.

“Where are we going?” you ask, curious.

“You’ll see when we get there” you don’t respond but wind down the window and feel the wind on your face which makes you smile.

You catch Jake glancing at you while he’s driving and he doesn’t even try to hide it. “At least try to pretend you’re not starting”

“I can’t help it, you’re so pretty” This kid, he was making it too easy for you to fall for him.

“Do you still like me, Jaeyun?” you inquire.

“I do,” he said with certainty. Has he always been this bold? You don’t say anything and continue to look out so he reaches over and takes one of your hands in his while he uses his other one to drive. You look at him but just continue doing what you’re doing.

“You might not believe me but I mean it,” he says, lightly squeezing your hand as a form of reassurance.

He stops the car at an aquarium and you both come out. You have a wonderful time and although people recognize him and are surprised to see him with you, they don't say anything and leave you alone. You smiled that day more than you had ever smiled before.

"The fishes look good to eat" you whisper in his ear and he playfully smacks your arm and jokes.

"You monster! How can you say that!?" to which you jokingly shrug.

After the aquarium, he takes you to a flower field. "I did my research this time so I don't give you a wrong flower." He picked up a primrose and says, "I know this one means love is eternal so I'm giving it to you because no matter the distance between us, our love will be forever"

You feel warm this time and know that even if he were to leave again, the distance wouldn't matter because together, you both could overcome anything.

"You're all I need" you manage to say.

"When did you get all sentimental?" he teases and you chase after him in the flower field. When you get tired, you lie down on the grass and he lays next to you. Your hands find his hands amid all the grass and you squeeze it. Unknowingly, you fall asleep next to him.

The next weeks that follow include you two bonding and Jake having fun and being relaxed. He was able to write a song but wouldn't let you see the lyrics, saying it wasn't something he wants you to see yet. You met his parents and thanked his mum for taking care of you indirectly and conversed with his dad too. You could tell that he hadn't forgotten any of the values his parents had thought him. He grew up surrounded by a lot of love so he had more than enough to give.

He also met your parents and he was nervous even though you had tried to reassure him that they wouldn't do anything to him. Your father tried to act scary but deep down you knew he had a soft spot for him. Your mom was showering with more affection than she gave you and Jungwon tried stylishly asking him for his celebrity crush numbers.

"Jake, since you're dating my friend can you link me up with Han Sohee? You've worked with her before, help a friend out"

"I'll ask her but no promises" Jungwon was so happy the entire day.

A few days before Jake had to go back because his hiatus was over, you both were talking about how things would be while baking muffins.

"Y/N don't think I won’t talk to you when I go because I can already see the gears turning in your head."

"Pass me the butter Jaeyun"

"Are we back to the first-name basis? Call me the sweet names" he whined.

"Just pass the butter babe" and he passes it instantly.

"Now back to what you were saying, I know you won't forget me obviously and if you try I I can always take a flight to get to you." You tell him. You weren't going to wait around for him anymore. If you missed him, you'd go see him if he was unable to come to see you.

"Better, I was already worried," he says and gives you a back hug.

The day he left was bittersweet and you shed a few tears. It took a lot of willpower to not cry in front of him. You didn't want him to leave but you knew that he had a job to get to and you couldn't be in the way of that.

You both regularly kept in touch, calling each other at least twice a week to catch up on what had happened during each other's week. He hadn't told you that he released a new song and you found out through his fanboy Jungwon who was now the self-acclaimed president of his fan club.

"Y/N, have you heard Jake's new solo? I cried to it for an hour straight" You didn't have any time to check what was going on because someone had ordered flowers for their wedding and you had to get them done quickly.

"New solo?" you ask and Jungwon sits you down and plays the song for you. Truth be told, you cried as well. It felt like he was there with you telling you that he'd never change.

You watched the interview and when he was asked about the meaning or person behind the song, he said, "There's someone that I love and I wanted to let her know that no matter how famous I get, I won't ever change and she shouldn't change either". He looked directly at the camera then continued, "You're stuck with me forever".

That night, you called him and cried on the phone to him telling him about how you saw the interview.

"Y/N, you know I care about you" you sobbed even harder.

"I care about you too, forever"

"Forever baby, regardless of the distance"

[evesbeve]

Diego throwing scissors 👊😔

This is another request that went way too far, but I lowkey love it. Some Diego and Ben bonding!

(Big thanks to @dyll-pickless, @dumpsterbagel and @casualsweatercollector for betaing this!)

___

Title: keep the blade

Summary: It's Monday night, Ben's out of books to read, and sometimes, Diego doesn't think before he acts.

(Read on AO3 + FFN)

___

"So are you coming or not?"

Diego didn't usually sneak out on Monday nights. He got special training on Tuesdays, so he spent the first night of the week sleeping as much as he could. Even he knew how grumpy he got when he was tired.

This Monday was an exception.

It was a decision made entirely on impulse. Ben was dying to know what happened next in the book he had just finished, and for some reason Diego was feeling extra generous and suggested they go pick it up from the store once everyone had gone to bed.

So there he was, knocking on Ben's door, at eleven o'clock on a Monday night, only to be faced with a very hesitant Number Six.

"I'm not so sure this is a good idea," Ben said, his eyes travelling everywhere but Diego's face. "What if we get caught?"

"We won't!"

"How can you be so sure?" Ben asked. "It's not like Five can teleport us away from trouble like old times."

Diego felt his heart tighten. The last time they'd all sneaked out together was days before Five's disappearance. It had been almost a year, and yet it felt only a day away. Diego shook the thought off, hoping Ben didn't notice his hesitance.

"Ben," he said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I promise you, we'll be in and out."

They sneaked out from the back door—always unlocked and unwatched, Pogo had done his part in it—and found themselves walking down the empty street in no time.

It was dark and cold, so Two and Six had buried their faces into their hoodies, not exchanging a word. Diego didn't mind. He liked the quiet. Maybe Ben did too—he probably did.

A few minutes out, and suddenly Diego stopped hearing his brother's footsteps next to him. Confused, he turned around, only to see that Ben had stopped a few feet behind.

"Ben, what are you—"

"Shops close at ten."

Shit.

Diego groaned loudly, without the fear of being heard like in the mansion. Ben caught up to him, but Diego refused to look at him. He had just dragged him out of the house for nothing, missing out on his much needed bed time.

He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. He was such a moron.

"Let's just go back," he said.

"Hold on a sec."

"I know, I-I'm sorry, I should've thought of that before even mentio—mentioning the idea of—"

"Diego, shut up and look!"

Diego blinked an eye open only to see Ben pointing at the block across the street with his finger, where the bookstore was. As opposed to every other store on the street, there was a dim light coming out of it, which meant—

"Someone is there!" Ben said excitedly.

Diego's first reaction was to sigh in relief. They hadn't gone out in the cold for nothing, after all. It only took him a second to realise something was odd about that light.

The light moved. Just like a flashlight would.

"I don't think they're open for business," Diego mumbled, turning around to look at Ben who just nodded back at him.

Diego bit his lip, reaching for the knife in his pocket, and handing it to Ben. "What's this about?" Ben asked.

"To protect yourself."

"We're going in?!"

"Someone's gotta lock up."

Ben sighed, but didn't argue. "Well, I don't need your knife to protect myself."

"I take it you're in the mood to summon The Horror then?"

Diego thought he might have heard Ben mutter something under his breath, but he wasn't sure; he had already crossed the street, soon to be followed by Ben. They stopped in front of the door, kneeling down so whoever was inside wouldn't see them.

"We go in, kick his ass, go back out," Diego whispered. He wasn't going to lie, he loved being the one giving the orders for once, and Ben didn't really seem to mind.

"In and out…" Ben repeated and nodded a few seconds later. "Ready when you are."

Diego hummed and slipped quietly through the already open door, so that the little bell above it wouldn't jingle. Ben got in the same way with no problem.

They hid themselves behind a bookshelf. It only took them a second to spot the intruder behind the main counter, taking cash out of the register. Judging by his build, he looked like a relatively young man, but there was no telling for sure yet. Always expect the unexpected, their father had told them over and over again.

The man yelped as some coins slipped out of his hands, filling the room with a ringing sound. He went on his knees to pick them up, giving Diego and Ben the perfect opening. This was their chance. His chance.

Diego immediately sprung into action, walking over to where the register was, and leaning his back against it. He looked at the other side, catching glimpse of a very worried and disappointed Ben shaking his head at him.

'What are you doing?' Ben signed furiously. 'Turn back, you're going to get caught.'

Diego shrugged. He had this under control.

Ben clearly wasn't having it though, because just as he was about to make another not-so-friendly gesture at Diego, he bumped on one of the displays, and a pencil case full of office supplies fell to the ground, making a sound even louder than the coins.

Diego didn't even have time to glare at Ben, because his brother had hidden himself into the shadows long before the pens and pencils had collided with the ground.

The intruder certainly did hear it though. All of it.

Diego had no picture of what was going on behind him, but he could hear enough to piece it together; pissed asshole who got scared shitless was coming out of the counter.

Okay Diego, Diego thought to himself. It's showtime. You've got this.

One footstep.

In a second.

Two.

Just one more…

Three.

Go time!

Number Two reached for his pocket and stood on his feet, thrusting his hand forward to throw—

Nothing.

Diego looked at his hands puzzled, before remembering that he'd given his only knife to Ben just a few moments ago.

"Oops." So much for expecting the unexpected.

He sprinted to the other side of the store, and it wasn't long before the man followed behind him. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit… How could he have messed this up so badly?

Diego reached the end of the hallway and looked around him frantically before his eyes fell on a scissors container. Bingo. He grabbed a few and aimed for the man's arm, he'd finally gotten him exactly where he wanted, he'd won—

"Aim all you want, but you ain't doing anything with these plastic pieces of shit, kid."

"Dammit!" Diego hissed and made another turn. Where the hell was Ben? And how big was this freaking bookstore?!

Panic started to build up in Diego's chest, turn after turn, hallway after hallway, turn after hallway, hallway after turn, hallway after a turn after a hallway and turn after a turn after another godamn turn—

He didn't remember being forced on his back, but apparently he was, being held by the bigger, stronger, man on the floor. This was it. Diego was going to die and he hadn't even been leader yet. He'd given up glaring at his attacker, too confused, too scared to do it, to do anything, too—

"AUGH!"

The man dropped to his side, his arms reaching for his back as he hissed over and over.

Diego blinked in confusion.

"You're welcome, by the way."

Ben.

He stood up as soon as he realised, locking eyes with his brother. Ben looked surprisingly calm for someone who had just stabbed a man in the shoulder, and Diego didn't know whether he should be unsettled or grateful.

"W-We should—"

"I already called the police," Ben said. "So we should probably get out of here, unless you want Dad to find out about our exit."

Soon enough, they were out in the streets again, walking silently in the same way they did when their night began. Diego was holding the grip of his knife as tight as he could in his hoodie's pocket. He hadn't let go since they left the bookstore.

"I can't believe you threw plastic scissors at him."

Diego flinched and looked at Ben. "Y-You saw that?!"

"No," Ben said, "but I saw the scissors on the ground when we left."

"Wait, what were you doing by that hallway?"

Ben bit his lip to hold back a smile and took a book out of his backpack. Diego squinted his eyes to focus on the title.

"The Da Vinci Code… by Dan Brown… And that's a sequel, how?" Diego asked, although he was still confused about how he hadn't noticed Ben grabbing the book.

"Well, the first book is called Angels and Demons," Ben said, putting his new book back in his bag. "The events aren't really related, but I heard there was a new one by the same author and… You know me."

"That I do," Diego said and shook his head.

They walked for a bit more, until the smile that had formed on Diego's face faded away, and his thoughts ran back to the incident. Had it not been for Ben, he would have been seriously hurt.

"Thank you," he said without quite realising it himself. "F-For before. I don't know what I would have done i-if you hadn't—hadn't shown up a-and… I—"

"It's okay," Ben said, and Diego was kinda grateful he shut him up. "You would have done the same for me."

"A-And I'm also sorry," Diego said. This time, Ben didn't stop him. "I should have listened to you when you said this wasn't a good idea."

No response.

"And when you said you didn't need my knife."

No response again.

"And when you signed at me to turn back from the counter."

That seemed to do it. "Forgiven," Ben mumbled. "But don't—" He stopped walking, and looked at Diego. "Don't do that again. Please."

Diego opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, he nodded, and Ben looked satisfied enough to continue walking. Diego didn't.

"But only if you don't mention it to Luther?"

Ben chuckled but didn't stop walking. "Deal!"

Thank you, Diego thought. He took his knife out of his pocket and looked at it. Although they'd cleaned the blood off, the image of that man had not left Diego's mind.

No, not the man; Ben, stabbing him with no hesitation, for Diego. Maybe it was because he was so used to seeing Ben mourn for those he hurt without his will, but the image didn't sit well with Diego. Was that how Number Six felt about everyone else when they attacked others? About himself?

For the last time that night, Diego shook his thoughts off. He sprinted till he caught up with Ben, and this time none of them stopped walking until they reached home, to the unlocked back door.

[katedrakeohd]

Jingle All the Way

Wacky Drabbles #20 / The prompt: Have you lost your mind?

Wacky Drabblers: @jessiembruno @brightpinkpeppercorn @jovialyouthmusic @sirbeepsalot @bobasheebaby @burnsoslow @emceesynonymroll

(Catch up on all the Christmas in Valtoria happenings here.)

Drake adjusted the belt on his Santa costume for what felt like the thousandth time. How does anyone wear this kind of thing comfortably? Why did I ever agree to do this?

“Come on Santa old Buddy, stop fussing and let's go already,” Maxwell laughed, clapping Drake on the shoulder before climbing up onto the sleigh.

Drake looked up at Maxwell and frowned at his overly cheerful attitude, “Elves are supposed to be seen and not heard you know?”

Maxwell shuffled over on the seat to make room for Drake, “I thought Santa was supposed to be jolly?”

Drake shook his head and jerked his thumb in the direction of the back of the sleigh, “Nah uh, I'm driving. You get in the next row and keep an eye on the presents in the back.”

Maxwell climbed over the seat and settled down in the next row, as Drake climbs into the driver's seat and picks up the reins.

“Just no fooling around back there okay? We have a lot of presents to hand out today to the children in the village, and I want to get through this without any disasters.”

“I promise to be the best helper. Don't worry! This is going to be so much fun!” Maxwell beamed, stomping his feet and shaking the jingle bells on the back of the sleigh.

Drake winces, grumbling as he gathers up the reins, “If you start singing Jingle Bells..”

“Ooh, what a great idea!” Maxwell claps his hands.

With a sigh and a shake of his head, Drake braced his feet against the front wall and gave the reins a shake, making a clicking sound with his mouth and whistling to the horses to set them in motion. The festive sound of the many jingling bells on the harness makes Drake smile in spite of himself.

Behind him Maxwell started singing as the sleigh picked up speed. “Dashing through the snow, in a on- ..three horse open sleigh! O'er the fields we go, laughing all the way..”

The sound of the jingling bells soon drowns him out, but Drake doesn't mind as he comfortably hums along without Maxwell knowing.

The air was crisp and cool and whistled by Drake's ears as they zipped along the road, the snow wasn't especially deep and the horses were eager to pull. Drake literally had his hands full, and although he hated to admit it, he was grateful for Maxwell's help. The horses and sleigh were on loan from the Valtorian Historical Society and he'd promised to return it all undamaged. He had taken two practice runs with the sleigh in the past week, but both times he'd had Frank Markel, an expert driver from the historical society, alongside to coach him through it. Today though he was on his own. Frank was going to collect the sleigh and horses after the brief parade through town was over and then drive it to a nearby farm for the night. The tradition of the Father Christmas parade in the village near the manor had been done away with by the former reclusive and eccentric Duchess of Valtoria. The parade had originally been a way for the Duke or Duchess to show their appreciation to their people for working hard all year at keeping the duchy a prosperous and thriving place to live. As the new Duke, Drake wanted to revive the happy tradition of the Christmas parade as a show of gratitude and faith in his hardworking citizens. He wanted to reconnect with them. This year Santa and his helper were visiting the children's hospital, a preschool, and a homeless shelter. But their first stop was to a local candy maker to pick up a case of candy canes to give out during the parade.

Halfway along the snow covered and tree lined route to the village, Drake noticed he could no longer hear Maxwell's singing.

Trying not to take his eyes off the road, he gives a shout to him over his shoulder, “Is everything alright back there?”

No response.

Slowing down the horses he looks back. Maxwell was gone and one of the bags had been knocked over and presents were scattered around the floor of the sleigh.

“Holy shit!” Drake croaked with surprise.

Frantically hauling back on the reins he woahs up the horses. Jumping down from the sleigh he fumbled for the phone in his pocket. Holding it up he realized there was no service. “Dammit!”

Thinking back along the route they had taken he was trying to figure out when Maxwell could have fallen off. There had been that sharp bend to the right about half a kilometer back…

Scooping up the loose presents and putting them back into the sack, Drake heaved the bag over his shoulder and started trudging back along the road to find Maxwell. After the noise of the sleigh, the woods were eerily quiet. All he could hear was the crunch of his boots in the snow and the sound of the wind blowing through the trees.

Drake stopped to listen, and then he called out.

“Maxwell? Can you hear me?”

Up ahead on the road Drake can see a red and gold wrapped present, he felt a small sense of relief and rushed over to pick it up.

On the wind he can faintly here a voice. “Santa? Is that you?”

He cupped his hands to his mouth and called out again, “Maaaaaax!”

Listening again he can hear the sound of someone breathing hard and footsteps crunching quickly through the snow. Suddenly a disheveled Maxwell burst out of the trees and nearly collided with him, his arms full of presents. Drake drops the bag and catches him as his feet slide to a stop.

“My goodness Max! What happened?”

Gasping for breath, Maxwell tries to explain. “B..bend..in…th..the road. *pant* Win..wind blew off my hat. Ev..everything ..*gasp* s..slid to the side..p.presents fell over...."

Drake placed his hands on Maxwell's shoulders, "But are you Ok? When I looked back and saw that you were gone it scared me to death!"

Maxwell nodded his head. "I'm Ok, but..." his smile fades as he looks down at the crushed presents in his arms, "I was worried about the presents that had fallen off the sleigh so I jumped off and went after them."

"Have you lost your mind?" Drake shook him by the shoulders, "You could have broken your damn neck."

Maxwell stammered as he saw the genuine look of concern in Drake's eyes, "But..but I wanted to be the best elf helper I could be. I had to save the presents for the little kids."

Drake looked down at the torn wrapping paper and damp cardboard boxes, and then back up at Max's face, "Well ok then Elf helper, let's get these gifts back on the sleigh and make some kids happy."

Drake picked up the bag he'd dropped in the snow and then turned back toward the sleigh. His heart swelling with gratitude, he takes off his Santa hat and puts it on Maxwell's head. "Thanks Max, you're a damned fool to jump off a sleigh in mid flight, but I couldn't ask for a better helper."

Maxwell grins ear to ear as they walk back, "Hey what are buddies for?"

[dragonjesterwrites]

For a request, could you write a Dimentio x Reader? I'm so hungry for content of him 💀. What you do with it doesn't matter in the terms of plot: it could be anything from.. A scene with the reader taking care of Dimentio after the events of Super Paper Mario, or... shenanians with Dimentio living with the reader... ooor... How the reader meets up with Dimentio-- those are just a few ideas lol, you don't have to pick any of those prompts. I trust your writing capabilities, so feel free to do whatever you'd like with Dimmy and the reader 💞

Oh man, mood, there's so little story content with him! He's such a fun character to write too

I appreciate your faith in my writing skills! 😂 I'm honestly so flattered people enjoy my work, and glad because I really enjoy writing haha.

Had a lot of fun with this one, hope you like! 😁

TW: Light swearing, injury, mild angst

"He called me 'pretty boy.'"

You raised your head to look over at the jester from where you lay on your bed, propping your chin up in one hand. He was laying on the couch in your room, staring at the ceiling with his hands on his stomach, like a therapy patient. If anyone needed therapy, it was him, but you weren't his therapist. As a matter of fact, you hadn't even invited him into your room, he'd just broken through the magical locks you'd put up for the second time this month. The first time he'd done it, it had annoyed you, but as you got to know each other, it quickly became a game, a competition.

The others weren't sure why you put up with him, and part of you wondered the same thing. You supposed it was all the things you two had in common. And he was good company, when he wasn't trying to be deliberately annoying.

"Hm?"

"Oh, I said he called me 'pretty boy.'"

"I heard you the first time." You snorted, turning your attention back to the page of the tome in front of you. "And how did that make you feel?"

He giggled, and you heard the sounds of the bells on his hat jingle as he adjusted himself. "Well, doc, I think it was supposed to be an insult, but I felt flattered!"

"Mm. I diagnose you with narcissism."

He let out a short cackle, then cleared his throat, still giggling a little as he began to speak. "But seriously, why is it an insult? What's wrong with being a pretty boy? Maybe I want to be called pretty every now and again." The bells jingled again, and you flicked your gaze up at him. He had moved to  lay on his side, one floating hand propping his head up and one leg stuck in the air while the other hand and leg rested on the couch. He winked at you, but you just shook your head with a wry smile and returned your attention to the book.

"Don't you think I'm pretty?" He asked, sounding disappointed as he let his leg fall with a soft thwump.

"You're gorgeous." It was the truth- you thought so, anyway. As annoying as he could be, he was cute.

"Really?" He actually sounded genuinely excited. And surprised. You'd have thought with all the flirting he did, he'd get more genuine compliments.

"Mmhmm."

"Would you kiss me?" He asked, that cheerful tone back in his voice.

Your heart began thumping against your will and your gaze froze halfway through a sentence. "How forward." You replied, keeping your voice steady.

"I'd kiss you, if you let me. I've always thought you're beautiful. You draw me in, like the moon does the tide." He hopped off the couch and kneeled at the foot of your bed, placing his chin on the blankets and beaming up at you, gaze half lidded.

You moved your book to the side, eyes not leaving his. His eyes widened slightly as his attention flickered to the book and then back to you. "Is that right?" You asked, moving in closer.

"Want me to say it again? Now who's the narcissist?" He teased. You shook your head and took his face in one hand, humming as he leaned into your palm.

"Cute." You informed him, and his smile grew as he wiggled forward. You leaned in and kissed him, reveling in the soft noise he made. He gently placed one hand over the one you had on his cheek, kneading it softly as he kissed you back.

You felt him part his mouth slightly, and his tongue began to slip into your mouth, but you pulled away, smiling at the soft whine that came from him.

"Not that I'm not enjoying this, but we have a meeting in five minutes, and you know how Nastasia likes to get cruel and unusual with her punishments." You said with a sigh, pulling your legs together and crossing them. He merely grinned and heaved himself on to your bed, placing his hands on your knees.

"Five minutes is plenty of time when you can teleport." He replied cheerily, leaning in again. You couldn't help the smirk that overcame you. Ah, what the hell.

~~~~~~

What the hell?

Dimentio's prone form lay in front of you, sagged against one of the Underwhere's many pitch-black boulders. The only indication he was alive- and he was alive, somehow- was the way his chest slowly rose and fell, although it trembled as it did. His mask was horribly cracked, his jester costume was burned, frayed, and had pieces ripped off, and only a single bell remained on his ruined hat, rusty and dented.

You weren't surprised to see him here, or surprised that he was injured. No, he deserved this, every broken bone, every crack in his mask, every ounce of humiliation. What surprised you was the extent of the injuries and damage to his costume. Most of it, the heroes had told you, was from the explosion, but you could tell some of the damage was fresh. He'd only been down here a week so far.

Well, why should you care? He betrayed everyone. He betrayed you. He deserves this.

You turned on your heel and stalked off. You hadn't come down here to find him, you'd come down here for a rare flower to make a potion. Now, where was the moss that grew near the flower? What did Merlon say? West of the...

A bell jingled behind you, shaking you out of your thoughts. You stopped. Sighed. Turned around, and walked back to him, standing in front of him with your arms crossed. He weakly lifted his head, and you realized with a grimace the damage was worse than you thought. The white side of his mask was so badly cracked that you could no longer tell what had been eye and what was now a gaping hole.

"Hello, pretty boy." Your tone was cold as you looked down at him. He let out a crackling wheeze, almost a giggle, before a coughing fit wracked his broken body, and he cried out in pain as he clutched his ribs.

You watched without sympathy, expression unchanging as the fit subsided and he slumped back against the boulder.

"I… meant it." He whispered. You crouched down to hear him better.

"Meant what?"

"Told a lot of lies." He paused to suck in a pained breath. "But I wasn't lying when I said you were beautiful."

"Well, I hope you got a good look, because my face will, with any luck, be the last thing you ever see." You informed him. You were about to stand up and leave when he stirred to life, frowning slightly, and spoke again.

"I am... not a good person. And I should have told you- agh- Bleck was lying the moment I found out. I should have told you all."

"Then why didn't you?" You snarled, anger you'd thought you'd successfully pushed away taking you by surprise. The others had forgiven the Count immediately. You had not- were you supposed to just because he was finally reunited with his long lost lover, only for their already tragic story to end in more tragedy by Dimentio's ghostly hand? To the Underwhere with that, he lied to you all! As angry as you were at Dimentio, you think you despised the Count more- he was the worse of the two, if only by a little. But the part that made your blood boil (and your heart twinge in pain) was that Dimentio had known. He knew the Count planned on killing everyone, and said nothing, instead hijacking the Chaos Heart for his own personal gain. You wanted to kick him.

He winced and curled in on himself slightly, as if he could read your thoughts. "Didn't think you'd believe me. You were all so enamored by his promises. Not that I blame you." He paused again as his voice grew weak from the amount of words spoken, clearing his throat. "I was too. But I wasn't going to just let you all die. I was going to use the Chaos Heart to give us all what we wanted."

You scowled at him. "Likely story."

"I was!" He protested, his voice cracking slightly as he raised his voice.  "But now… if I live… I just want to... spend the rest of my life relaxing, in a cabin somewhere. Maybe get a pet or something, I don't know."

"You told me you wanted to be a king. Why go from castle to cabin?" You asked, narrowing your eyes.

"If I survive, I won't have the same physical mobility as before, a cabin will be easier to move around in. Plus my flow of magic has already been permanently reduced to a mere trickle, so I can't even use that to move around anymore. That damn heart sapped me- as dark artifacts tend to if you get too close too quickly." He sounded genuinely upset, and despite yourself, your glare softened into a frown. 

You silently cast a spell to detect magic around you, and it did pick up on him- but he wasn't lying, his magic was no more than a shadow of its former self, the purple flame inside his soul that had normally danced so bright and large now flickering weakly in his chest. He gave no indication that he noticed your spell pass over him, simply staring at his upturned palms that rested on his legs. For several seconds, you were both silent.

"I have a cabin."

"Hm?"

"It's several dimensions away from Flipside. You can't betray anyone there." You paused to gauge his reaction, and to his credit he nodded in weary acknowledgement. "I'll heal you. But you owe me, big time."

He merely nodded. "Thank you." He whispered. You knelt down next to him and cast a few minor healing spells, curing just the potentially fatal ones, and he shuddered in relief, the tension in his body easing up some.

You paused, sighed, then briefly brushed your lips against his, feeling the cracks of his mask. His good eye widened in shock as you pulled back and his fingers came up to touch his lips. "After everything I did, you still have feelings for me?"

You shrugged and picked him up bridal-style, ignoring his grunts of pain. "Why do you suppose I was so angry?"

"You're insane." He told you in disbelief.

"Pot kettle." You replied matter-of-factly, beginning your trek back to your small camp. He chuckled weakly and rested his head on your shoulder, playing with the strap of your bag.

"Fair. You didn't come down here to see me, I take it, so why did you?"

"Ugh. Trying to find the Nightbloom flower. Merlon needed it for a potion." You rolled your eyes and adjusted him slightly in your arms. "Why it's got to be a wild one and not garden grown, I don't know, but he insists they're different."

Dimentio shrugged as best he could in his position. "It can be. Underwhere soil doesn't last in the overworld, as you know, and it's hard to turn overworld soil into Underwhere soil. Even then Nightbloom flowers grow faster and healthier in the real deal, no matter how good you are. Oh, and here's a few."

To your surprise, he pulled out several of the flowers from his poncho, their blueish white petals unfurling in response to the gloomy atmosphere. He waved his free hand and they slowly weaved themselves together, Dimentio beginning to breathe hard with even the small effort. You were going to tell him to stop before he really hurt himself, but the flowers finished knitting together and he slumped against you, a weak smile on his face as his chest heaved.

"Ta-da." With a trembling hand, he took the flower crown and placed it on your head, a dopey grin plastered on his face. "Gorgeous."

You shook your head, hoping he couldn't feel your heart begin thumping. You reached the camp, placing him down on your blanket before turning to the small campfire and pouring you both some stew from the bubbling pot.

But when you turned back to him with his bowl, he was asleep, and you heaved yet another sigh, pressing a kiss to his forehead before settling down beside him, subconsciously reaching up to touch the flowers that adorned your head.

Maybe, with enough effort from him, you could forgive him.