#it poured the rain on us today but. worth it.

[analyticallymindedaa]

ik i haven't really been here lately and will continue to not be here this weekend bc it's the weekend of the big local music festival and i am Vibing

[imsofreakingtired]

your fics are ✨️✨️✨️ ! So.. a fluff one of comforting Sevika on her period, you know she's in pain, but she refuses to tell that, but you find her in the fetal position almost crying of cramps on the bed

hope u doing well ! xoxo

- 🧸

oh my god thank you sm for giving me the chance to take care of our sevi 😭🙏 i'm honestly dying on my period rn so this req was perfect 💙

and i'll make a cup of coffee

content warning(s): none, fluff and hurt/comfort...soft sevika <33

don't stay awake for too long don't go to bed i'll make a cup of coffee for your head i'll get you up and going out of bed

⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ◯ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆

This is the thing about Sevika: she will rather subject herself to torture than admit that, like many other human beings on this tired green planet cursed with a uterus they have no use for, she gets period cramps. 

You’d think anyone else blessed with a wife as caring and gentle as you would melt willingly into their arms, milk the pain of their period for all it’s worth. You’re certain Sevika knows that you’d fly off at the drop of a hat to get her anything she needed if she just gave the word. Chocolate, tea, a hot water bottle, hell, an oversized teddy bear. But no. Not this woman. It’s like she considers the limitations of her body a personal challenge from mother nature. 

So you’ve grown attuned to the smallest signs.

“You got your period, didn’t you?” you say. 

Sevika looks at you, grey eyes widened in surprise. “No.” 

The morning is overcast, the sky promises rain; you see the clouds gathering outside the kitchen window. 

“Liar.” You pour the boiling water over the coffee grounds, breathing in the aroma of the dark blend. “I can see it plainly.” 

“Oh, yeah?” 

“Yeah.” You move out the filter, reach for the jar of sugar. “You feeling okay? Maybe you should take off work today.” 

“I’m fine,” she grunts. 

Fine, my ass. She had been irritable and sluggish all week. Every time she snapped at you peevishly, or grumbled she was too tired for sex, you’d mentally marked down the days until she finally got her period. The woman’s cycle was like clockwork. 

“You’re due for a day off anyway. You haven’t used any of your sick days.” 

“I can’t take off,” she says shortly. “There’s a meeting I can’t miss today.” As she takes the mug you hold out to her, you see a wince cross her face, and she bends over slightly so the coffee sloshes around in the cup. 

“I saw that, missy,” you tell her. 

She snorts at the pet name. “You saw nothing.” 

She leaves the coffee on the counter and walks out of the kitchen. 

You assume she went to change, but when some ten minutes go by without any sound from her, you grow suspicious. 

“Vika?” You call. “You headed to work or what?” 

No answer. 

“Vika?” 

You go into the bedroom, where you see her clothes strewn out on the dresser, as if she got as far as choosing them and laying them out, then gave up at the stage of putting them on. Sevika herself is curled up at the edge of the bed, still in her shorts and tank top. For a second, you feel a flash of panic. 

“Fuck. Sevika. What’s wrong?” You’re at her side in a heartbeat, brushing her hair out of her eyes, feeling her forehead. “Are you sick? Where does it hurt?” 

She pulls her head away from you and you notice now that she’s clutching her abdomen. Burying her face into the pillows, she says in a muffled voice, “it’s not…usually this bad.” 

Then it dawns on you. “Cramps?���

She lets out a defeated groan. 

“Poor baby,” you murmur, rubbing her back. “What do you need? I’ll get you a hot water bottle.” 

“No,” she says into the pillow. “I’m okay. I’ll be okay, just…give me a second.”

You sigh impatiently. “You’re on the verge of tears, you think you can fool me with that?” 

“I’m not.” She tries to straighten out her body to prove her point, but gives up and pulls you closer to her by the waist instead.

“What—” 

Even bent double from cramps, Sevika has the physical strength to pull you down into a sitting position onto the bed beside her. Before long you understand what she wants you to do. 

Shaking your head, you lie down with your back to her and let her spoon you with her warm body. She hums in contentment against your shoulder. 

“This is better than a shitty water bottle,” Sevika mumbles. 

“I’m assuming you’re taking the day off, then?” 

“’Slong as you don’t get up.”

“I’m always here, Vika,” you promise, kissing her forearm. “You know that.” 

The rain patters gently against the window as Sevika’s breathing slows and she drifts off to sleep, holding you tightly. In the kitchen, the coffee grows cold. It's alright, you think.

You can always make her another cup.

⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ◯ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆

notes: ugh i just want to take care of her the world is sick and mean :(

[hhughes]

wait imagining cuddling on quinn’s lap on a rainy day and you’re just so cozy in warm clothes

ᡴꪫ ࣪ ݂ oh to be cuddled up with quinn hughes on a rainy day is everyone’s dream I fear. mentions of quinn’s beard in this cause i’m obsessed🤧

you awoke to the soft patter of rain drops on the bed room window, the spot next to you empty but with a lingering warmth that told you quinn hasn’t been up long.

you enjoy the feel of your warm little cocoon a while longer before deciding to get up, grabbing one of your boyfriend’s hoodies and tugging it over your head as you shuffle out of the bedroom and into the living room where you knew quinn was sitting on one of the couches.

and that’s exactly where you found him, grey sweats and a white tshirt, hair slightly ruffled from sleep and a few weeks worth of scruff on his face. he takes a slow sip of his coffee, sending you a fond smile when he notices your presence.

“mornin baby” he says, lifting his arm that wasn’t holding the cup, beckoning you towards him and he pulls you into his lap as soon as you’re close enough.

“you want a sip?” he asks, holding his coffee out to you and you shake your head.

“no? want me to make you something else?” he asks, thumb softly tracing patterns on your skin beneath the hoodie you’re wearing, and you shake your head again.

“okay,” he says, pulling you in closer and kissing your temple.

“can we just have a cuddle day today. it’s the perfect weather for it,” you ask, glancing outside where the rain pour was only intensifying.

“whatever you want sweetheart. think i’m gonna make soup later, mom’s recipe,” he says and laughs slightly when you perk up excitedly. he knew how much you loved ellen’s soup recipe’s and god knows the woman had a different one for each occasion.

“you warm enough?” he asks when he notices a shiver racking your body. “I can turn up the heat,” he says and moves to get up but your hand on his chest stops him.

“it’s not the cold that’s making me shiver quinn,” you explain and it takes him a moment but eventually he realizes what you mean, his hands tightening around your waist.

“oh,” he says, smirking when you shiver again as he runs his hand up and down your bare spine.

you use his moment of brief distraction to wiggle your cold toes under his leg and he hisses as he feels the cold even through his pants

“jesus woman. you have toes or icicles on those feet,” quinn jokes, smiling as you giggle into his chest

“you love me and my icicles” you retort and laugh more as his beard scratches against your neck as he playfully nips at the skin

“yeah, I do” he says affectionately, pressing another kiss to your head as you both watch the rain fall down for another few minutes as both of you wake up fully.

rainy days were your favourite as long as you could spend them with quinn.

[solecize]

𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐓 | 𝐣𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐤𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

ten years of being one and the same with jungkook as the country's it couple is the perfect disguise for the reality of a tumultuous relationship hidden behind the scenes.

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: you welcome your boyfriend back to the country with a surprise party, just as the clock is ticking to say goodbye again. the big day is almost here and enlistment brings couples either one of two things: a ring or a breakup.  𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒: idol!jungkook/female idol!reader and fictional versions of various idols 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄. idol au, on-and-off relationship, angst, i swear there's fluff, and themes of first love, growing up, struggles with fame, and marriage (ish) 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒. portrayal of a toxic couple (implications of emotional abuse and control), infidelity, foul language, substance use, underage drinking, mentions of the covid-19 pandemic, sexually suggestive content  𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄. based off of "you're losing me" by taylor swift. this is a fictional portrayal of real-life people that implement some aspects of real-life events. the series is told in non-chronological order. note that the main character is a member of a fictional idol group. more warnings may be added as the story is written. join the taglist here! ㅤㅤㅤㅤ   ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ   ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ   ㅤㅤm.list | next

you say, "i don't understand, " and i say, "i know you don't" we thought a cure would come through in time, now i fear it won't

TODAY’S TOP HEADLINE: bts’ rm, jimin, taehyung and jungkook set to enlist in the coming weeks! ㅤㅤㅤㅤ   ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ   ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ   ㅤㅤautumn 2023

the confrontation   when it rained, it poured and you felt like you haven't seen even a glimpse of the sun in ages. there was a nagging feeling in your gut that it was too far gone, but like everything else for the past ten years, you swallowed it down and swept it under the rug. bad feelings didn’t exist in your relationship. that was the unspoken rule. yet, it was growing more and more difficult to mask the disappointment in your eyes or the frown fighting your lips. today marked the worst of your attempts.

  seoul was unusually calm tonight and it scared you. when you moved to the city ages ago to begin your journey as an idol trainee, it was nothing but intimidating for your meek, pre-teen self. eventually, over time, your love for the city bloomed and it was truthfully because of jungkook. once young teenagers that arrived to seoul alone, you found solace in each other and embraced the change as one. he made you fall in love with seoul the same way he made you fall in love with him. dates, nightclubs, late night adventures, and years worth of moments within the city limits. 

  however, the streets were as hushed as you were, as you gripped your steering wheel like a robot. 

  the decision had been long made and you knew it was going to come around at some point, so there was no use in fighting it. after going without seeing your boyfriend for months, it should have been nothing but pure excitement.

  “you’re awfully quiet,” murmured jungkook, glancing over at you from the passenger seat.

  you were already annoyed to begin with, when he mentioned that he was going to have a driver pick him up from the airport, instead of asking for you. it felt like he didn’t even expect to have you waiting for him, considering the two of you had been apart due to his time working in the united states. you thought he’d be insisting for you to be the first person he saw once he came back. these frustrations were on top of several other things, which you’d been dreading to confront for even longer of a time.

  and then, there was also the velvet box you spotted in the background of one of your facetime calls. you didn’t bring it up, but it was living in your mind everyday since. with jungkook’s big day fast approaching, there were a lot of conflicting ideas in your head.

  you shrugged. “i’ve been filming long hours. not getting that much sleep.”

  the look jungkook gave you read that he knew that you weren’t being a hundred percent honest, but he didn’t say anything. his eyes returned to being fixated on his phone.

  after over ten years of knowing each other, you and jungkook could see through each other like glass. the only problem was that nobody ever wanted to speak up. you feared the glaring possibility of other buried conflict dating further back into the relationship because of this dynamic.

  you didn’t think you deserved the blame for the tension in the air. there were several things in your mind, but jungkook wasn’t exactly a person who could easily mask their emotions. something was off with him, too, and you needed to figure out what it was. you could only hope for the best case scenario because otherwise, it was going to be your worst nightmare. there was no situation you could fathom where his behaviour was a result of an in between. 

  keeping your voice casual, you asked, “who are you texting?”

  “my mom.”

  you held back a sigh - jungkook was never particularly keen on involving you with his family. though you’d been together since he was sixteen, you always felt like he kept you an arm’s reach away from that part of your life and you never understood why.

  “oh. tell her i say hi,” you said and he hummed in response. 

  whilst you weren’t in a talkative mood, it wasn’t like jungkook was doing anything to keep the conversation flowing either. you guys obviously texted and called during his time away, but the present atmosphere was awkward, like there was nothing to talk about after his grand return. you hugged and kissed at the airport, asked how his flight was, and that was that. driving him felt like a business endeavour, rather than welcoming your long-term partner back to the country.

  after a few minutes, jungkook finally looked up from his phone. upon peering out the window, he grew confused and turned to you.

  he questioned, “where are we going? the apartment is in the other direction.”

  “just wait,” you assured, forcing a small smile. “take off your hoodie and put on what i have for you in the backseat.”

  there was a shopping bag sitting behind jungkook’s seat and he reluctantly reached over, revealing a silk ysl shirt that you picked up that very afternoon. sighing, he did as you asked and made the change. you didn’t care to look over at your boyfriend’s shirtless body, too irritated at the curtness of the conversation.

  you just wanted to get to the destination, the heavy silence becoming too much for you. there wasn’t even music on. you found yourself focusing too much on it, as you finally pulled up to the infamous hotel azure. somehow tucked away in the busy songpa district, it is unassuming to the civilian eye, but a well-known name amongst the circles of south korea’s entertainment industry. you didn’t “make it” in entertainment until you attended a party at hotel azure.

  jungkook shifted in his seat. “what is this?” his tone was demanding, which immediately put you off. “the plan was to go home.”

  to be fair, the last time that the two of you were at the azure hotel, jungkook wound up with a bloody nose after getting into it with an not-to-be-named yg idol at one of jackson wang’s wild parties. you weren’t even sure what happened yourself, bleary eyed for the majority of the night with several substances in your body. hotel azure was for idols at the top of the world with everything to lose, a favourite place of yours around 2018. it was now a place that you actively tried to avoid, but made an exception for the special occasion.

  “calm down,” you shot back, not letting him get away with the voice he used. “just wait, i said.”

  “i’m tired, y/n,” jungkook pleaded, as you stopped the car for the valet to take. 

  you ignored him - it wasn’t like it was up to you - and unbuckled your seatbelt, not waiting a second for jungkook. 

  not only did you pick up your boyfriend from the airport, you also spent hours meticulously preparing your appearance for the night. it didn’t seem like jungkook noticed, other than at the airport, when he questioned why you were wearing high heels. 

  you never wore heels unless you were working, but that changed when you met jungkook. he loved it when you wore heels and by the time your respective trainee debts were paid, made it a point. you bought platforms with the anticipation of how your boyfriend would go crazy over them. jungkook gifted you designer jimmy choos and pradas whenever you guys got into a fight. it made you feel your prettiest and he showered you with compliments every time.

  now, he looked at you oddly for it, like you were doing too much.

  jungkook eventually gave up and followed you in without a word, watching you take off your trench coat to reveal a stunning baby pink two-piece dress. the colour glittered under the low lighting of the hotel lobby and the corset accentuated your curves in all the right aways. except, he still did not say a word. this made you frown.

  you handed off your coat to an employee and jungkook did the same. the lobby was empty, but you and jungkook knew exactly where to go, making a beeline for the elevator and pressing the button to move up to the penthouse suite. 

  “why didn’t you warn me about this?” he grumbled under his breath, adjusting his shirt in the mirror.

  because that’s how surprise parties work, you wanted to reply. unfortunately, this was not a surprise party that you wanted to celebrate, so you didn’t even try to keep jungkook excited. you were both quiet, irritable, and only wanted to go home. 

  you said, “this is the part where i cover your eyes and lead you out.”

  jungkook complied and you placed your perfectly manicured hands over his line of vision. other than sharing a hug and kiss earlier, this was the closest you’d physically gotten to your boyfriend in months. your hands were cold and you were close enough that he could hear your breathing - all too uncomfortable. 

  the elevator dinged and you nudged jungkook to step forward. the penthouse’s lights were off, but you could make out the shuffling of feet from behind the kitchen counter. it looked like everything was set up and pristine. then, in just a beat, the entire room lit up and you removed your hands from jungkook’s eyes.

  “SURPRISE!”

  the floor rumbled, voices roaring and bodies popping out from different places - behind pillars, couches and the bar. jungkook’s eyes brightened in a way that you had yet to see since reuniting with him earlier and it made your heart sink. you hadn’t realized how dull his demeanour was around you until something else actually made him smile.

  his closest friends and family gathered in the penthouse and there was a large, golden banner that hung from the walls that said “welcome back jungkook!” the other wall was decorated with another banner, but this one said “good luck rm, v, jimin and jungkook!” 

  jungkook’s older brother was the first one that enveloped him into a bear hug, nearly squeezing the life out of him, then his mom. this was followed by the remainder of his band mates that managed to make the party. you awkwardly stood off to the side, a wide smile plastered on your face to mask your despondence. it seemed like jungkook’s exhaustion only existed when he was sitting in a car with you, as his laughter echoed throughout the room.

  you caught jungkook’s eye and he already knew how you were feeling. while he exchanged words with other friends, it was namjoon who pulled you to the side.

  “hey. you guys did a really great job with the party,” you started, looking around.

  the penthouse of the azure hotel was a thing of beauty, with ceiling high windows that looked over the lights of seoul. everything shone and glimmered - the city skyline, the perfect marble floors, the expensive liquor bottles, and hell, even the perfect teeth of the myriad of a-list south korean celebrities gracing this exclusive party. there wasn’t a wrong way to ever throw a party there, but the group made an extra effort to make jungkook’s homecoming a special one. 

  jungkook was swarmed by several people, all asking about his time in america and how exciting it was. those were the words you used to describe it for him, too, when you sent him off months ago. you watched him take shots with mingyu and eunwoo. 

  namjoon shook his head, “no, no. this wouldn’t be possible without you,” he said and then glanced at jungkook, “and i’m sure he knows it, too.”

  the boys, despite it also serving as a goodbye party before their enlistments, had been helping you plan the surprise for weeks leading up to jungkook���s arrival. it was one of the longest times jungkook had been apart from them and from the country in general, so they wanted to make it extra special. though you were the main mastermind behind the gathering, you initially didn’t want to do it at all. 

  “yeah, i hope so,” you replied, as you poured yourself a glass of white wine. “you guys all deserve it.”

  over the years, jungkook’s band mates slowly became some of your friends, as well. it was somber goodbye for you in all kinds of ways. everyone was preparing to send them off with good luck and high spirits. 

  the boys were also preparing in their own way. you noticed that taehyung and jimin’s girlfriends were missing from the party, which only confirmed your speculations. 

  “it was just bound to happen,” said a voice.

  it was taehyung who joined you and namjoon in a quiet circle at the corner of the living room. all of the boys looked a little bit sad, despite the celebratory atmosphere, but you read a different kind of story in taehyung’s eyes. 

  he smiled with a hint of gloom. “you’re looking around for her, right?”

  as a fellow idol and also a girlfriend to a member of one of the biggest groups in the world, taehyung’s girlfriend grew to become one of your close confidants in the past few years. you guys were polite before, but this connection created a specific bond that couldn’t be understood by anyone else. however, you hadn’t heard from her in a few days and with her absence at taehyung’s goodbye party, you put two and two together. 

  to his side, namjoon clapped a hand on his friend’s back. “sorry, man.”

  “i hope it was cordial,” you mustered up, ignoring the growing heaviness at the pit of your stomach. you could only hope you weren’t next.

  taehyung replied. “she understood, but she wasn’t happy. regardless,” he sighed, “we’re still so young. her career is just blowing up even more, i feel like i’d only be holding her back.” 

  that was the way it went. when enlistment rolled around for most couples, it was either breaking up or a ring. you looked at your feet, not knowing what to say. 

  “jimin also told me that he broke things off with - “

  a loud yelp squeaked from taehyung, who was abruptly jabbed in the side with namjoon’s elbow. the latter cleared his throat and you recognized that look. namjoon only made that face when he pulled the leader card and needed to put someone in their place. you figured that your worries were transparent to those around you.

  namjoon cleared his throat. “not in a chatty mood?”

  while you greeted people during the set-up of the party, you realized that you had yet to actually try socializing. things were awkward with jungkook’s parents, who you long suspected didn’t approve of you for various reasons. in general, most people were interested in chatting with the boys, which you didn’t mind. it was a gathering to send them off, after all.

  “not really. you guys should go mingle with your friends,” you said, taking another sip of your wine. “it’s your party.”

  “i hope i’m not overstepping, but did you and jungkook get in a fight?” taehyung asked.

  you blinked slowly. “no. does it seem like it?”

  “just seems like he’s nervous about something,” he commented and you noticed namjoon glare at him once more, as if to shut up.

  for the first time that night, you felt a glimmer of mixed feelings that left you wondering. why would he be nervous? the big visual forming in your mind was a diamond ring. you and jungkook had contemplated marriage in the past year, but it was also the source of many arguments. you weren’t even sure you wanted to get married now, but your mother had been getting into your ear about you getting older. then, there were your respective companies who lost their shit at the idea. but, what really mattered, was jungkook’s opinion. he seemed to wave it off or change the topic at every opportunity, so your hopes for a ring lived in the back of your mind. 

  despite this, taehyung was right. jungkook looked nervous. he’d been irritated at being dragged to his surprise party - you wondered if it was delusional enough to believe that he had plans for the two of you, instead. 

  for the rest of the night, you continued to keep to yourself. you weren’t lying when you told jungkook you were tired, but you were determined to stay as long as you could and pretend that you and jungkook weren’t stealing mysterious glances at each other for the entire evening. it was obvious and only made you anxious. 

  a few hours later and the party only grew in numbers and in noise. you thought you lost him in the crowd, until you left to refill your nth drink and found him talking to his cousin.

  the two were smiling and laughing, as his cousin appeared to be showing jungkook pictures on his phone. you assumed it was her newborn daughter - she gave birth just two months before her fiance was to be discharged and now that he was back, the wedding was just around the corner. you remembered jungkook telling you that she was proposed to on the day of his enlistment. 

  jungkook caught your eye and he immediately looked away - what the hell was that? he even turned slightly and you couldn’t read his lips. something was going on. you watched him shove his hands in his pockets and you swore you saw the shape of a small square inside.

  eventually, you grew tired of the tension in the air and the music began to make your head pound. the longer you thought about your partner, the greater your anxieties grew. there was a chance you even just although it was late in the year and a fresh sheet of snow adorned the streets of seoul, you decided it was best to step out into the balcony to take some time to breathe. 

  nobody else was there, thankfully, and you let out a shiver when you stepped out. the peppermint air dispelled the haze in your head and in your heart, as taking a deep breath was the greatest relief you felt all night. though your muscles remained tense and you knew you wouldn’t last out in the cold, the balcony was a welcome change.

  you weren’t sure how long you were outside when the door creaked open and just by the footsteps alone, you knew who it was.

  “your guests will miss you,” you said, not even looking behind you.

  at this point, you were hugging yourself to stop shivering. a rustle later and you felt a thick blanket drape over your shoulders, the wool of its make completely enveloping you with much needed warmth. you relaxed your shoulders, but couldn’t look jungkook in the eyes.

  “something’s wrong. tell me.”

  jungkook’s wine stained lips were pulled into a frown and although he hid it well when he was chatting away with his friends and family, you could see the exhaustion in his eyes. he sniffled a few times and you knew why, but you decided to bite your tongue. it was his party and he was an adult who could celebrate whatever way he wanted. it was also clear that neither of you had the energy to argue. instead, to his surprise, you raised an arm and gestured for him to come closer.

  he sidestepped towards you and although you were shorter, let you wrap some of the blanket around him. his cold arm snaked around your waist and you tensed up again at his touch.

  you continued to look out into the skyline. “i was going to say the same for you.”

  “i’m really thankful for the party, love,” he ignored your question and pressed a kiss against your temple.

  you mumbled under your breath, “it wasn’t easy." this was the first time all night that you were comfortable enough to physically touch jungkook and you suspected alcohol played a role in relieving the tension between you two, but it was always going to be easy to fall right back into routine.

  and just like that, you felt a stinging sensation in your eyes. tears welled up and blurred your vision, which only made you turn your head away further from your boyfriend. he caught this immediately, his instincts nothing but natural when it came to you, and pulled you right into his chest. 

  the sound that came out of your mouth sounded nothing like you. the sob was desperate and helpless. it was akin to a toddler who couldn’t do anything by themselves. your voice cracked with each body-shaking sob and you didn’t have the guts to conceal it. your head was buried into jungkook’s new shirt, ruining it, but he only stroked your hair and wrapped the blanket tighter around the two of you.

  “it’s okay. . .” jungkook cooed and for what seemed like the first time in a while, he sounded like himself. 

  it wasn’t like jungkook had undergone a drastic change from his time in america, but it was a gradual shift that you felt over a longer period of time. you attributed to the fact that you were no longer teenagers and things weren’t going to be the same as it did ten, even five years ago. that was what you told yourself, but you weren’t sure why you still held on to the old jungkook you knew.

  in that moment, he sounded like the fifteen year old boy you met in a convenience store again. he sounded like the jungkook who wrote you disgusting love songs that were horrible, but you adored anyway. he sounded like the man who you talked about children and a big house and an annoying dog with. 

  as you found the bravery to finally pull away from jungkook’s comforting embrace, you looked up and saw that future in his eyes. his features softened, but he looked sad. your heart sank once again.

  “you’re not just crying because i’m enlisting, are you?” he finally spoke, just above a whisper. his tone was certain, barely a question - after ten years together, jungkook knew you better than you knew yourself.

  you froze. there was nothing else you could do but shut your eyes tight, pretending that this wasn’t really happening.

  after a beat, you found your voice. “listen. . .we both know what happens after a man enlists. look at taehyung and jimin. look at your cousin.” 

  over the years, you and jungkook had gone through hell and back. you thought the worst day of your life was when dispatch leaked the news that you were dating five years ago, but you were able to recover. you thought it was the worst day of your life when your breakup was witnessed by the entire world, but you were able to recover. you even thought the worst day of your life was when word got out that you and jungkook got back together, effectively proving that you were weak and were the type of girl to crawl back to her ex. you recovered then, as well.

  at the second part of your sentence, you felt jungkook physically tense up.

  “is that why you’ve been acting weird lately?” he replied.

  you don’t know where it came from, but something triggered a spark of anger in you. still, with a tear stained face and a runny nose, you opened your eyes and met his. this was not something you would be able to recover from.

  you said, “it hasn’t just been lately, jungkook. you know exactly what’s on my mind, we’ve been talking - “

  “ - and you know what my answer has been, baby. you know what kind of position i’m in,” he interrupted, breaking apart from your hold and the blanket he brought for you.

  he wasn’t wrong. you did know what kind of position he was in. one of the biggest stars in the world and he had everything to lose, especially with the anxieties looming in the air for him and the rest of his group. every one of them were on their toes as soon as their enlistment dates were finalized, fearing their fade from the spotlight. you and the rest of the world knew that it was bullshit, that the bts was going to be forgotten just because they were going into the military for a few years. 

  marriage would surely ruin that further, right?

  you said, “and you know what position i’m in.”

  the careless joys of your early twenties had come and gone, which left you at the mercy of your mother’s constant talks about marriage. not just her, but other family members and even some of your friends. after all, you and jungkook had been together for ten years and you were pushing thirty sooner or later. 

  you also had your own fears in regard to your career. jungkook once laughed when you expressed your worries about the public no longer finding you young and pretty, but it was a real fear. most girl groups didn’t last more than a few years. many of your contemporaries had long said goodbye to their idol persona and went their separate ways from their band for a new life. you were considered a lucky one to remain with your group and maintain relevance, but for how long? was it time for you to finally settle down? you weren’t granted the same longevity as jungkook’s renowned group and you weren’t bitter about it, but nervous.

  snowflakes began to fall once again and as one fell on your eyelashes, you noticed jungkook’s jaw clench. 

  “we’ve talked about this,” he said and you knew your wandering thoughts about a potential proposal were too good to be true.

  you began, “look, i know that things are different for people like us. . “ but, things were changing. in recent years, you watched several of your peers get married and have children without losing their spot in the limelight. 

  “y/n. . .what made you think i changed my mind?” jungkook sighed, pacing back and forth to calm himself down.

  “i just thought. . .”

  “i’m sorry, but i wasn’t going to propose before my enlistment.” this time, jungkook’s frustrations melted away and there was genuine sadness in his voice. 

  he stepped closer to you and put his hands on your waist. you didn’t know what to say. you really had been pretending that his strange behaviour was because of a hope that seemed impossible now. 

  you took a deep breath. “you never said no. you made it seem like you were considering it.”

  that was what silenced jungkook. it was true, there was never an outright refusal from jungkook. he would say things that implied he would talk to his company again or “with time” it would come. he gave you just enough reassurance, but never confirmation. 

  continuing, you said, “and you even indulged in keeping the fantasy alive with me. you’re sick for talking about honeymoon destinations with me and suggesting songs we could dance to.”

  “hey. i’ve said time ands time again that there is no future where you aren’t by my side,” jungkook tried getting you to look at him, but every time he moved, you turned away. 

  there was no reason for you to make eye contact. you felt like a fool and if you met his eyes, you knew you would just burst into tears again. then, you thought about your conversation earlier with your friends and your vision became wet again.

  “were you planning to break up with me before you enlisted?”

  “what? no,” he responded, but you weren’t convinced. 

  you responded, “it was going to be inevitable, wasn’t it? like jimin and taehyung. you were going to be done with me.”

  this time, jungkook forced you to look at him by the chin and your shoulders dropped. there was a crease in between his eyebrows that you don’t remember seeing even just a year ago. he looked more tired than he did as a rookie with barely survivable living standards. 

  “time really goes by, huh?” you murmured, fighting to keep your voice stable.

  “we were never going to break up, love,” jungkook maintained.

  still, his words didn’t penetrate further than surface level. you were left numb and the chill of winter in seoul had nothing to do with it. you wished that someone would just call jungkook away, but the party inside continued on without him. 

  “you bought a ring. i saw it when we video called.”

  jungkook’s lips parted. you knew it. you knew you weren’t losing your mind. over the last ten years, you made some crazy accusations for all kinds of reasons. this time was different and you saw it on his face.

  even after what seemed like forever, jungkook couldn’t find words to say. the longer he waited to speak, the faster your heart began to race. 

  he rubbed his temples and finally, he spoke. jungkook spoke and you immediately dropped the blanket he brought for you, dashing right back inside. you walked past every single attendee and ignored the few that cried out your name. you didn’t care what it looked like. you just knew you had to get out of there.

  jungkook said there was a ring. he began to open his mouth and explain further, especially when he read the horrified expression on your face, but you wanted no part in it. there was no room for you to think about what that meant. you only saw red.

  you weren’t sure why you wanted a proposal so badly. you knew you didn’t care that much about what your mother wanted and getting married was no solution to the prospects of a dying career. you were second guessing if your wishes for a wedding were even genuine. 

  on the other hand, maybe you intended for the wedding to be a solution to a dying relationship. 

LATEST NEWS: hybe dismisses reports that bts’ jungkook and S.IREN’s nova are engaged, seeking legal action against gossip website that went viral for spreading the false rumour

@butnotmontana @rinkud @kookiescutie @nlr1606 @claireshelby @xtrataerrestrial @whoa-jo @tinyxrose @lavendersugarplum @bangtans-momma @firelcrds @sstrongstyle

[leahsgf]

Can you write Alessia Russo x reader where reader has known her and Ella toone for years and is always watching their matches no matter what but reader and Alessia fall in love behind Ella’s back and then get found out?!

CAUGHT OUT - alessia russo

since before you could even remember, it had always been you and ella, the pair of you being practically attached at the hip from when you were babies, all the way up into adulthood. your bond only grew with time, and when she introduced you to alessia as young teenagers, the three of you very quickly became an absolutely inseparable trio - falling into eachother’s stride with ease.

you weren’t entirely sure where you ended and they begun.

even as you all got older and couldn’t physically see each other as much as you used to - with them both at the peaks of their careers, and the travel and demands that came alongside that, and you caught up in your own career - you still remained a solid unit. your family.

you didn’t play football, you never had, having always been the scrawny little kid who was terrified of pe lessons, earning yourself the lifelong nickname ‘tiny’, which still stuck even as a fully grown adult. but you were there for every single one of your girls’ moments. rain or shine, no matter what side of the world, or how busy you were with work, you’d be in the stands, cheering them on.

today was no different - finding yourself sat at wembley, a stadium you’d come to learn inside and out, to watch them play. you always adored being at games, seeing your girls flourish always made you want to burst with pride. and likewise, they loved having you there, always playing their best when you were in the crowd- branding you their ‘good luck charm’, and constantly bickering over whose jersey you’d wear to the matches.

-

being such a tight knit group, and having such a set routine when it came to games - alessia’s transfer to arsenal changed things for the three of you. many things, in fact.

for almost the entirety of the time you’d known them, they’d played for the same teams - the only exception prior to this being alessia’s college days. for you, it came as an adjustment, a new team to learn about so you’d be able to fully understand and appreciate her future stories, different games to go to, and the realisation that your two favourite people were going to play against eachother at some point. at multiple points.

this also meant that most of the time when you were going to one of their games, you wouldn’t see the other. this didn’t make a difference when it came to the times you would go to watch ella play, but with alessia, it changed things. it blurred lines that the pair of you had previously forced yourselves to draw, using ella as an almost reason, signifying the fact you were best friends, and that’s all it was.

in fact, you actually had no idea at what point exactly you and alessia became more than friends. from the secret stolen kisses at sleepovers as teenagers for ‘practice’ to the lingering glances and touches that lasted just a second longer than friendly ones should, you weren’t even sure that you had ever truly been just that.

however, with the sudden absence of the pair of your’s best friend, and the physical representation of the walls put between you, said wall came crashing down - within alessia’s first week at her new club.

your relationship very quickly blossomed from that moment, a decades worth of hidden, suppressed feelings from both sides pouring out.

despite how obviously in love with each other you were, you had been terrified to reveal it to the world, specifically your world, not wanting to lose, or even slightly affect your friendship with her.

the arsenal girls had figured it out instantly the first time they met you, and had been sworn to secrecy by a very flustered and panicked alessia, which made matters even worse, and made what you were doing feel like even more of a betrayal to your best friend.

the months of sneaking around and not being able to tell ella about a relationship you were in for the first time in your life was killing you, and the more time that passed made it more awkward to come out and say to her.

there had been many close calls that didn’t help your stressing over her reaction, from the one time you had to climb out of alessia’s bedroom window when ella unexpectedly showed up demanding a girls night after training, and then had to wait twenty minutes outside before going around to the front door to pretend you’d just arrived, to the time you’d had to practically leap apart mid drunken make out when you had hosted a group of your friends at your apartment and one of them stumbled into the kitchen without warning, and thankfully (for you, not for her) it was only leah.

-

your cheeks flushed furiously as alessia spun you around, her and ella both immediately finding you after the final whistle had blown, and the lionesses solidified their well earned win.

“see tooney our little good luck charm always comes in handy!” the blonde patted your head after releasing you from her grasp - giggling when ella immediately latched onto you in response, ordering you to ‘pick her up’ after you’d already caught her in your arms.

“my girls! this calls for celebrations, come on, we’re going out!” she yelled, almost ear piercingly loud - quite literally for you, as you foolishly held her right next to your ear.

there was a group of the younger players who always went out to party after wins, and you naturally went along every time - having known most of them for the same time you’d known your best friends, practically being an extra limb to either one of them.

you hung around the locker rooms waiting for them to change and shower, rolling your eyes at the winks and nudges of beth and leah as they passed you, and shoving them away - catching a glimpse of alessia and ella closely behind them, particularly focusing on the former’s panicked expression.

-

the journey back to the team’s hotel was one that could only be described as loud and chaotic. you were sat on your girlfriend’s lap, squished between her and the seat in-front of you, and ella was sat next to you, so close that it was practically a pile up.

thankfully, she was too busy bellowing an interesting rendition of ‘islands in the stream’ to notice the blonde’s hand on your hip, pulling you flush into her and drawing little hearts and stars onto the exposed skin from where your shirt had risen up.

you and your best friends had always been touchy, so you on one of their laps was a regular occurrence, therefore there was no way in your mind that ella could find out.

-

you were back and being ushered into their room to get ready for the night ahead before you knew it - desperately attempting not to blush furiously as alessia helped you top up your makeup, following ella’s strict orders so you could all match.

“right i need to find mary she said she’d curl my hair! less, remember what i said! i know how clumsy you are just follow what i told you, yeah? mary! mary!” she didn’t even give herself a chance to finish her own sentence before she was darting out of the room, voice echoing the corridor and most likely gaining a future noise complaint in the process.

not even a second after she was out of sight, alessia turned to you with a grin that only you could read - pulling you into her.

“oh i’ve been desperate to get you alone all week, i’ve missed you baby.” she grinned, throwing her arms around you and peppering kisses all over your face before finally meeting your lips.

you melted into her touch, instantly being returned home just by the slightest trace of her fingertips in your hair, and laughing as she playfully pushed you down onto the bed.

you barely had time to register her the feeling of her lips, and the comforting weight of her on top of you before the sound of a door being flung open and a following gasp hit your ears.

alessia practically flew off of you as you threw your head back onto the pillow and scrunched your eyes closed. you knew exactly who it was without even needing to look.

“el we can expl-”

“MARY YOU OWE ME SO MUCH MONEY!”

and she was gone just as fast as she stumbled in, cackling as mary groaned from the next room.

[diamonddaze01]

고맙다

pairing: ljh x reader genre: hurt-comfort (kae im sorry) | wc: 1.4k warnings: none | rating: pg a/n: for my 400 follower celebration -> @ylangelegy lyrics lab + “i wanted to become your tomorrow so i lived in the today” (thanks) // this is a (kind-of) spin off to us, again (but can be read alone) // kae i am sorry dont hurt me it ends well i swear.

The rain was soft but constant, like a whisper that hadn’t yet learned to quiet down. The sound of it tapping gently against the windows filled the silence of Jihoon’s studio, his hands frozen mid-task as he watched you from the doorframe. You stood there, not quite sure whether to step inside or remain in the hallway, as if the space between you and him was more than just the width of the door.

It had been months. Maybe half a year? Jihoon had lost track of time the moment you’d asked for a break. The day he left your apartment was still a vivid blur, a moment he replayed in his mind over and over, trying to figure out where he had gone wrong. There were a thousand reasons why he’d never reached out. A thousand excuses he fed himself to make it feel like it was just something that had to happen. But in the deepest part of his chest, the place where he kept all the things he wouldn’t say aloud, he still missed you. He still felt your absence every time he walked into the studio, every time he poured a cup of coffee, every time he sat down to write music.

And now you were standing there, a few feet away from him. The ghost of what once was, the thing he’d never let himself forget.

“Can we talk?” Your voice was a little shaky, but you stood there with an open vulnerability, as if you had prepared for this moment even though you were uncertain of the outcome. Your eyes darted between his, as though you were trying to gauge how much of him was still the person you once knew, and how much of him had changed.

Jihoon didn’t respond right away. He didn’t know if he could, not without giving in to the feeling creeping up his throat. The one that said maybe, just maybe, you were still something worth fighting for.

“What’s there to talk about?” he finally muttered, his tone a little too cold, a little too detached. He wasn’t sure how else to respond. He had spent so long building walls around himself, convincing himself that you weren’t a part of his present anymore. He couldn’t afford to let that slip.

You took a step forward, your eyes soft with uncertainty. “I don’t know, Jihoon. Maybe... maybe I’m just trying to figure out what happened.”

There it was—the thing he never let himself think about too much. You asking what happened was like peeling back a scab that had barely healed. He couldn’t ignore the feeling of guilt that gnawed at him when you brought it up, couldn’t ignore the fact that he had failed you in ways he hadn’t even fully realized until now.

Jihoon looked away for a moment, unwilling to meet your gaze directly. He knew what you wanted—what you were hoping for—but he didn’t know how to give it to you. The pieces of him that had been holding onto you were all tangled up in regret. “What happened?” he repeated softly, almost to himself. “I don’t know. I thought maybe if I... kept my distance, kept working, it would get easier. But I was wrong. I guess we were wrong.”

Your face softened, as if your heart had just cracked open a little, just enough to let him see it. “I thought about it, Jihoon. About what we were, what we could have been,” you said quietly, stepping closer, just enough to bridge the gap but not enough to make him feel cornered. “And I thought maybe... maybe I wasn’t the right person for you, or maybe you weren’t the right person for me. But now, standing here, I don’t think I can just keep pretending that’s how it works.”

Jihoon let out a shaky breath, his fingers gripping the edge of his desk as he tried to find words that wouldn’t sound weak. The truth was, he hadn’t wanted to admit how much he missed you. How much he had wanted to fight for you, but had kept telling himself that time would heal everything. That you were just another chapter in his life that needed to be closed, but the more he tried to lock it away, the more it kept coming back.

“I kept thinking... maybe if I just moved forward, if I just stayed focused on what’s next, I’d stop wanting you. I’d stop thinking about you. But that’s not how it works, is it?” His voice was softer now, as if all the bravado had slipped away, leaving only the truth.

You shook your head slowly, the motion so familiar, so comforting, that Jihoon almost didn’t want to look away. “No, it’s not. We never really... gave ourselves a chance to be in the present, Jihoon. We kept thinking about the future, about what we could become. But maybe... maybe we should’ve just focused on today. On what we were, what we still could be.”

His heart thudded painfully in his chest. There it was—the words he had never been brave enough to speak. The ones that had been sitting at the back of his mind, waiting to be freed. “I’m sorry,” he said, the words feeling heavier than they should. “I never gave you the chance to be with me like that. I thought I had time, thought I had all the time in the world to make things right, but... now I don’t know how to do that.”

Your eyes softened, but there was something else in them, something deep that he couldn’t quite read. You took a deep breath, as though you had made up your mind about something, and it was in that moment that Jihoon realized you had never really stopped caring. Not even after everything.

“I was so focused on tomorrow,” you whispered, your voice barely audible over the rain, “that I forgot to appreciate the moments we had, the moments that mattered right now.”

Jihoon swallowed hard, feeling like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “Maybe I did the same.”

You stepped closer, closing the space between you both, and this time, Jihoon didn’t hesitate. He reached out, his fingers brushing against yours, the touch almost tentative, as if waiting for you to pull away. But you didn’t. Instead, your fingers intertwined, and for the first time in months, everything felt... right. Not perfect, not neatly wrapped in a bow, but real.

Jihoon’s eyes dropped to where your hands held his. His voice was barely above a whisper when he spoke. “Can I kiss you?”

The question caught you off guard, and a tear slipped down your cheek as a soft, incredulous laugh bubbled out of you. “Yes, you idiot,” you said, your voice breaking as you reached for him. “Please kiss me.”

And then his lips were on yours. The kiss wasn’t hurried or desperate—it was grounding, steady, and filled with all the things neither of you had the courage to say aloud. Your warmth, the familiarity, the way your hand cradled his cheek—it was everything he hadn’t realized he missed.

When he pulled back, he rested his forehead against yours, his breaths mingling with your own. “I missed you,” he murmured, the words so quiet they almost melted into the sound of the rain.

You smiled through your tears, your hands still resting lightly on his cheeks. “I missed you too, Jihoon.”

For a moment, neither of you spoke. You simply stood there, the silence between you no longer heavy, but comforting.

“What are we supposed to do now?” Jihoon asked, his voice quiet, almost unsure. He wasn’t expecting an answer, but he needed to hear it, needed to know if there was a chance for them.

You looked up at him, your eyes filled with something like hope, but also like you knew it wasn’t going to be easy. “We take it one step at a time,” you said softly. “We don’t rush. We just... we just live in today. Together.”

Jihoon nodded slowly, the truth of it settling in his chest like a quiet storm. He had spent too long living in the what-ifs and the could-have-beens. Maybe it was time to stop looking ahead, to stop worrying about tomorrow, and just... live. With you. Today.

And as the rain continued to fall outside, Jihoon held you like you were something he didn’t deserve but would spend the rest of his life trying to. One step at a time, he thought. Today. Together.

[domesticandlovingmonsters]

Guard Captain Aram (M) x F!Reader (wip)

Because I feel bad with how long this is taking to come out, and I am currently stuck on how to proceed, I'm posting this as is.

I intend to complete it annd post it as a whole, but since I'm stuck, you got this. Consider this as a type of two-parter until I can work out how to write someone having a date and how conversations work. I swear I'm a good writer, guys!!! I know how sentences and dialogue works.

Words: 9.9k

Theme/Plot:  (Fantasy/Medieval)  You're a merchant, new to the city looking to start a business from the ground up. Having purchased a cheap, run-down building as your starting point, you work hard to make something of the little things you have. But after a string of robberies, you find yourself as the centre of the Guard Captain's attention.

The rain came down in pouring sheets. Deafening you inside your own dwelling as a year's worth of rain pummeled the tiled roof.

Thunder clapped overhead so close to the city roofs that the window panels shook in their frames.

It was a gloomy day. One that made the hours in the shop drag by at a snail's pace. Not a soul was out today. For good reason, or else they’d risk being washed away by the water flowing down the street drains. Thankfully, there was alot of old stock you needed to organize and catalog to keep you busy.

The storm was a blessing in disguise. Despite the chilly weather.

With the lack of customers to keep an eye on and take commissions for, it allowed you to tune up the shop within your actual work hours. And not drip over into the late afternoon like you dreaded.

And with the ample amount of downtime came the close inspection of how your little, ancient store held up in such a harsh rainstorm.

The last of your money had gone into buying this place. It was a cheap sale and the reasons for it were obvious. A small shop with a small dwelling connected to the back of it for residential purposes.

The paint on the front was peeling and much of the wooden beams needed some love and care. The windows had needed to be removed and replaced; they had been so grimey and cracked that it made the store look sickly from the outside. And dark and gloomy within.

Not to mention the rot within the wood in some places. Which had soaked up that lingering few coins you had after the sale. But it was better than leaving the place smelling like decaying wood and having openings for rats.

The roof seemed fine, the tiles were covered in moss and some were cracked, but you didn’t see any damage other than age.

It has been months since you bought it and this had been the first real change in sunny weather, so you were walking around the place constantly looking for leaks.

So far, nothing splashed against the wooden floor. Your little shack was holding up nicely under the rain, even if the walls groaned rather worryingly whenever the wind rushed through the city streets.

The shop was nothing spectacular, you knew that. But it was yours. And it was a much nicer place than the roadside stall you used to man while you traveled.

You glanced out the window as a flash of white light illuminated the dreary street outside. And winced at the image of you and your old horse and wagon in such weather.

Many times you had been caught out in storms like this. Losing stock to the water or your wagon’s wheels getting sucked into the muddy roads.

Looking back into your warm, dry shop; a new type of appreciation came to you with your decision to settle down. And you took a deep breath of dusty, humid air and smiled.

Your shop.

It still felt weird to say. But it was still just as exciting.

Over the thunder and tumbling rain, your shop-door’s bell chimed. Alerting you to two customers that all but barrelled into the dry space.

They were soaking. But smiled cheerfully as you greeted them. One had an umbrella that looked like the wind had torn it asunder and both their hoods were raised low over their faces. Leaving only their wide smiles for you to see.

“We are so sorry for dragging water in here.” One said, a woman. Rubbing her arms to retain some heat beneath the thick cloak. “But we’re in need of some alchemy ingredients, if you have any. You’re the closest store to ours and we’re low on some things to make cold remedies.”

The other customer, with the torn umbrella, looked around your small store with a grin. “You’ve really spruced this place up. It’s so much nicer here than what I last remember. The last owner did not care for this building at all.”

You smiled as their hoods were lowered. You recognized them as the potions store owners down the street. You spoke briefly once. They were nice people. But very busy. And their names eluded you, unfortunately.

“Welcome! And don’t worry about the water, it’s unavoidable at the moment. I think I tracked in half the realm’s mud this morning. Please, come in. What did you need exactly? I have a few stocks that might be what you need.”

The woman huffed with visible relief and hurried forward to your counter. Where you withdrew some small boxes of bottled ingredients and jars of various substances.

You didn’t sell anything but the basic materials. Your shop was more a general store than a particular theme. You still weren’t sure what you wanted to be in the city.

You’ve only ever known what you could carry. On the road, certain ingredients didn’t travel well. And jewelry or fine goods made you a target for bandits.

Here, within the safety of the city, you could be any type of trader you wanted. You just still weren’t sure what niche you wanted to be.

But your general goods were exactly what these two were looking for. And your eyes widened in surprise when they asked to buy your entire stock of your basic ingredients.

“I know it’ll put you out, but we’ll pay you an extra sum on top of the sale. Our next shipment of this isn’t for another week, and we have so many commissions coming in for cold remedies.” The man said. Already pulling out a large coin purse from his belt. “And you’ll be doing us a huge favor. If you need anything-”

“It’s a deal.” You said, waving away the man’s pleading stare. “We’ve got to look after each other after all. I was going to offer a discount since you’re buying such a large amount.”

The bell over your door chimed and you shifted behind your counter so you could see around the couple. A young woman shuffled into the store. Her eyes looked around the shelves with interest and a thin cloak was wrapped around her shoulders.

“I’ll be with you in a moment!” You called out to the woman. Seeming to startle her. But she smiled, it felt a little forced, and moved deeper into your store. Her eyes darted around and then back to you.

You were about to say something else when the potion’s woman handed you a sum of coins. “I insist. I know how frustrating it can be to be out of stock. Particularly ingredients like this. Please, take the extra sum. You’re doing us a huge favor with-”

The woman’s partner glanced over his shoulder as the woman at the back moved quickly towards the door. Her shoulders were hunched as she braced for the cold water to hit her as she opened the door.

“Hey! You, wait!” He shouted but the woman was already sprinting out the door. Almost slipping on the wet pavement outside. The potion’s man swore and handed his partner the purse. “That girl is the one who stole from us last week. Get the guards!”

Before you could react, the man was barreling out of your store and charging out into the rain. His partner seemed just as surprised as you but quickly pocketed the purse and looked at you.

“Do you have a way to summon the guards directly here?” You shook your head. Your heart was pounding in your chest. “I have one in my store. I’ll go call them. See if you can find out if that woman stole anything from you. I’ll be right back.”

The woman left her crate of goods behind as she hurried out of your shop. You were quick to follow, but went to where you last saw the woman browsing.

Your eyes flew from object to object. Taking note of any spots that seemed to have shifted or had missing stock.

Everything seemed fine. Until you noticed your small display of wands had been touched. These weren’t like the wands that witches and warlocks used. But temporary magical items that did various things depending on their make.

You had ordered these as a step into selling magical merchandise. To see how well they sold here. Kids adored the ones that created bubbles of light. And a few people purchased the design that acted as a quill that would write for you without you touching it.

You had recently restocked the display with other types. And there were two that were missing.

One was a water-make. Which either made water or removed it. Not enough to drain a lake or a pool, but a few buckets could be filled or emptied if needed.

And the second was a fire starter. Which spat sparks that would harmlessly bounce off of skin or clothes, but would light a small fire on even the most water-bogged logs or extinguish it.

You sighed. Already understanding why these particular items were stolen.

You’ve dealt with enough desperate people to know when it was necessity and not greed that pushed a person to steal.

You bit your lip. These wands weren’t expensive and were cheap stock to order.

Maybe if I’m quick I can stop the potions woman from calling the guards. You thought. But then you reminded yourself that the woman who stole from you, had also stolen from them. And over the first few months of owning and stocking this store, you’ve had more than your fair share of robberies and stolen items. If word got out that you let a person steal from you, this could spiral into something worse.

The best you could do for them was not press charges if the person is found.

You sighed again. Heavier than the last and moved through your store to get your cloak.

But on your way to the back, past a small lock-box display of jewelry, you noticed the glass lid had been pried open. The magical seal had been expertly dispelled and one of your silver rings, one that created a bubble of small protection, was missing.

You swore under your breath. Disappointment flooding through you.

Now you had to continue with the guards and hope they found the person.

That ring was an expensive item. The enchantment was a common one, but the ring amplified the bubble to be the size of a house. Something that was incredibly hard to do and would have taken alot of material to make such an enchantment safe and usable.

Hence why it was in a lock-box, under magical protection, and worth a decent sum of coins. Another one of your stretches into unknown territory with sales and items.

It was nothing so expensive that it would put a target on your store. But it was one of your pricier items, one that a customer had been eyeing off last time they passed through.

“They just had to steal that.” You grumbled. Slapping the lid back down on the lock-box. The seal buzzed as the box was closed again, letting you know the magic was once again activated. You gave it an experimental tug on the lid and when it didn’t open, without your key, you were happy enough to leave it.

You retrieved your cloak from the back of the shop and exited your store. Making sure the door was locked and hurried down the street to the potions store.

You were near drenched when you slipped into the two story building. But the moment your foot stepped over the threshold, you were flooded with warmth and your clothes tickled with magic that left you dry and comfortable.

You definitely needed that enchantment on your front door.

From behind the many shelves, the potions woman appeared, looking flustered as she hurried towards you. “The guards are on their way. Did that wretched thing take anything?”

“Some low magic wands and an enchanted ring.” You grimaced. “I don’t care for the wands, so much. But that ring is expensive. As long as I get that back, I’ll let it slide.”

The woman scoffed and gestured for you to follow her, leading you to the back of the store where a pot of tea and some small biscuits were waiting. “That woman stole two potions of healing and an iron-bark elixir from us. I know times are tough. And the potions were only small portions, not worth alot. But the iron-bark elixir is a very slow and ingredient heavy process. We can only make so many a month and they're in high demand with the guards and travelers. If she only stole the potions, we wouldn’t have pushed so hard to find her. But the elixir alone can fix us up for an entire month.”

Your eyes widened. “Those elixirs are that expensive?”

“Ours are, yes.” The woman said, a little proudly, as she poured you a cup of tea. “Ours doesn’t just give you thick skin and more strength, we’ve perfected a way that the aftereffect of the elixir doesn’t put you in a bed for a day. It’ll affect you for a few hours at best after you use the elixir but unlike our competitors iron-bark, you can get up and get ready for the day after a good night’s sleep.”

You whistled in appreciation for such craftsmanship. “That’s incredible. I can understand why she would try to take it then. Sell it off for some quick coin.”

The woman nodded. Sipping her tea after putting some honey in it and stirring. “I grew up very poor. I used to steal bread and clothes to get by. But stealing potions like ours? You put yourself at such risk for it. Even your ring! The wands can be overlooked. But something like that is just…silly.”

You stirred some honey into your own cup and allowed the conversation to fall away as you sipped. Thankfully, the potions man appeared in the doorway. Looking winded and red faced. “I couldn’t find her. The damn woman gave me the slip.”

“Better you don’t approach her, love.” The woman said, with a soft smile. “Let the guards deal with her. They’re on their way.”

The man nodded. Taking a deep breath that his body obviously needed. He looked at you and offered a smile. “I’m sorry I couldn’t catch her. Did she steal anything?”

You explained the stolen stock and the man tsked. Muttering about the lack of respect for shopkeepers; “Especially one such as yourself. You’re just starting out! I recall my first few years as a storekeeper, my Gods, the ledger was never full enough. And every piece of missing stock was precious.”

You nodded, chuckling along with the man as he shook his head. “Well, at least our sale will help me out until I can get a replacement or the ring is found. I’ll bring the stock over once we’ve spoken with the guards. I didn’t think to bring it over just now.”

The two waved you off. Saying they trust you enough to not skip their deal because of a distraction like this.

The three of you chatted idly while you waited for the guards to arrive.

And when they did, you immediately recognized three amongst them.

One was a tall elf woman by the name of Yesrie. Dark hair with sharp eyes but a warm smile.

The second was a human man named Smith. You never got his first name because everyone called him by his second. He had been in his first year in the Guard when you arrived; eager to help and prove himself, he had taken your reports on missing items like a personal attack. And hunted them down like he was the one who owned them.

Then the third, the Guard Captain’s right hand, Briar. A green lizardman built like a stone barn. They were a stoic type of individual. Had a sharp tongue when it came to humbling their guards but professional when it came to their work.

They all greeted you a little more warmly than they did with the pair beside you.

Your first few months here allowed you to become quite friendly with the Guard. Not by any intent of your own, but your new store in town got more attention than you bargained for. And not in a good way. Stolen merchandise meant the Guard got involved. And it happened so often within a few weeks that the Guard Captain had stepped in.

And with that sort of attention watching your store, the thieves dissipated quickly.

“(Y/N), why am I not surprised your shop was involved?” Briar asked, crossing their arms over their armor plated chest. Their iron gauntlets clinked against the metal. “I had hoped that the call meant a different store.”

You shrugged, sighing dramatically. “It wouldn’t be a Thursday without something of mine going missing.”

Smith and Yesrie laughed. Briar’s reptilian face rarely showed much emotion other than a hard stare. But you glimpsed their scaly lips twitch in amusement.

“Indeed. You know the drill, then. What happened? Every little detail, as you know, helps us out.”

You explained the events that transpired within your store. Explaining why the potion-store owners were involved, which gave them a chance to explain how they recognized the person who stole from you.

Briar nodded along, taking in everything you said. Yesrie commented they were the guard that took the potion store’s report and that this thief was targeting many stores in the district, not just a few.

Smith was writing down notes in a small notebook that was the size of his palm. Asking the usual questions like the woman’s hair color or description. Which you had to let the potion shop owners answer, because you didn’t really take notice of the woman.

Then when you got to the descriptions of the stolen items, Briar’s tail twitched in irritation. Nothing directed at you, you found out. “Well, that complicates things. Stolen magical items of significant power require a formal report issued by the owner. Meaning, (y/n), you’re gonna have to go to the Guard House and fill one out.”

You groaned in annoyance. You had to fill out a report once before. It took forever. And you really didn’t feel like going across the district to the Guard House in this weather.

But if you want that ring back, or at least be compensated for its loss, you’ll need to go.

“I’m guessing I’ll need the paperwork I received for purchasing the item to sell?” You asked and Briar nodded.

“Proof of purchase or the license which came with the item. Anything that has the item’s description and magic detailed alongside your ownership. And it’s something you need to do at the House, too. We can’t issue you one, since you need a scribe to sign off on it and witness you filling it out.”

“All that for a magical item?” The potions woman scoffed. “Damn, I’m happy we never got into that side of the business.”

You wish you could agree with her. But you were definitely going to make an adjustment to your stock and protection so you didn’t have to go through this again.

“Alright. Thank you for your time. Sorry you had to march through this weather for my store again.” You said. And Yesrie shrugged, glancing out the window as another flash of lightning lit up the dim street outside.

“The weather makes you appreciate the sunny days more. We’ll see you at the House, (y/n).” Yesrie replied. And the guards took their leave.

You soon followed suit. Promising the potion owners you would bring their merchandise around soon. But they waved you off. Telling you to deal with the reports and the guards first before worrying about them.

You were beginning to really appreciate them. And made sure to lower the price on anything the two needed in any later deals.

Back inside your shop you made quick work of finding the needed documents that involved any transaction or information of the ring.

Which you then wrapped up in a leather satchel that was worn and aged from many years on the road. An old trusty item you’ve carried with you everywhere before placing it in the drawer of your new work desk.

It would protect the documents from the rain and keep them nice and flat while you trekked the stormy streets.

You wrapped yourself up in as much water-proof clothing as you could. Your cloak was your best chance at keeping yourself dry but watching the sky still bucket down torrents of water, you doubted you’d stay warm for long.

As long as the documents were safe, you could endure the rain.

And walking through the streets was just about as miserable as you expected. You stuck to any type of cover you could as you walked. Storefront canopies or trees that were planted along the paths. The thunder felt like it was roaring directly in your ear as you braced against the chilling wind.

You wrapped your cloak tightly around you and pulled your hood down so low over your face you could only see the pavement in front of you.

Every glance up at where you were going was a risk of cold water trickling down your neck and into your warm clothes.

You zigged and zagged through the district until you came upon the large stone steps of the Guard House. The House itself was huge! Meant to house many of the district's officers and their cadets. This one also doubled as a school for fresh-faced persons looking to become a guard.

As you climbed the steps to the door, you could hear someone yelling at said cadets beyond the stone wall that secluded the training yards from the streets.

You grimaced at the thought of training in such weather.

As you stepped through the doors, the same magic from the potion shop passed over your clothes. However, this enchantment felt like it was spluttering. Parts of you were left dry while other sections were left merely damp.

You were warmer than before you stepped inside but your fingers still felt icy as you approached the receptionist at the desk.

You greeted them warmly and explained what you needed to fill out. And the receptionist motioned for you to walk down a hallway and then turn right, which would lead you to the scribes that would help you out.

You thanked her and headed in your pointed direction.

The House was bustling with activity. You passed many guards through the halls, swathed in armor and weapons. A few scribes hurried by and you even made room for a woman with a mean looking hound to pass you in the hall.

She thanked you as she kept the beast on a short leash. The hound didn’t pay you any mind so you knew it was more for your sense of space than the dog’s.

But you found the scribe room easily enough and the man behind the desk went through the process of the report.

It was a long document too. With a handful of pages that you needed to fill out and agree too. The scribe looked equally annoyed with the prospect, apparently he needed to go over it and sign off as you went. It would take time out of both of your afternoon’s. But he took you to the side to a desk so you could sit comfortably and fill it out.

Excusing himself and asking you to call him over when you got to a particular section before moving on through the document.

You hoped the scribe didn’t think your agitation was directed at him as you sighed and sat down. But you got to work, reading over the lengthy questions and paragraphs with a quill in your hand.

A few minutes later, Briar entered the room and went to the scribe desk, speaking softly. When the scribe nodded and disappeared through a door, their eyes passed over you once before snapping back as they spotted you. They came over to greet you. Their tail dripped a little with rainwater. “Ah, it’s good to see someone with initiative. You got here quickly.” Briar said, leaning against another desk to your left.

“Better to get it out of the way now than later.” You shrugged. “You wouldn’t have happened to stumble across my thief with my ring by chance? So I don’t have to do this?” You asked, hopefully. But Briar shook their head.

That twitch pulled at their scaly lips again as a hissing chuckle whistled through their sharp teeth.

“If only we were that lucky. I have to do my own paperwork about it, as well. I envy you. I’d rather do your documents than my own.” Like the scribe was summoned, he appeared and placed a thick folder of paper on the front desk. Briar thanked him gruffly and went over to scoop it up. Grumbling as he showed you the thickness of the folder. “See. No complaining from you about lengthy reports. I will probably beat you on every account.”

You laughed and nodded. “I do feel a little better about my report now. Thanks.”

“Here to help. Enjoy.” Briar said with a curt nod before leaving the room.

You refocused your attention on the documents in front of you. Calling over the scribe when he didn’t look too busy once you got up to the section he requested.

And while he looked over what you wrote and ensured everything was in order, you let your gaze wander. The scribe hall looked like a bustling library. Desks and chairs were scattered about the room. And behind the front desk were many, many towering shelves of books and scrolls.

Scribes appeared and disappeared behind each corridor of paper. Some carried in armfuls of paper or were discussing something with a guard.

It was all very busy here. But the chatter was rather quiet. You wondered if there was some sort of magic that kept the sound of the hustle and bustle at a low range.

“Scribe Harry, I was told that- Oh, (y/n), what are you doing here?” Your attention snapped to the door of the hall as your name was voiced.

Guard Captain Aram strolled over to where you were sitting. Making your heart skip a beat when he leaned over the back of your chair to inspect the report.

Aram was an orc with a heavy green complexion that contrasted the pale patches of skin on his body caused by vitiligo. His blonde hair was tied back in uniform to the neat standards of the Guard.

His tusks curved out from his lower lip, decorated by silver caps on the blunt tips. His thick arms were wrapped in thick leather that slid under a heavy metal chest piece with the Guard’s symbol carved into the steel. The patches on his shoulders displayed his rank, if the better armor and air of authority didn’t already display it.

“I was robbed again.” You sighed. Pushing down the sudden rush of nervousness as you turned your attention to the captain. “A magical item this time. Briar came and sorted it out and told me to come here.”

Aram’s brows knitted together and you could have sworn you saw a spark of amusement light in those beautiful emerald eyes. Before the stoic expression of a guard captain fell back into place. “Ah, yes, the grand paperwork involved with magic. I thought you said you wanted to keep simple stock for a time.”

You nodded. Having to pause your answer to thank the scribe as he pushed the report back to you to continue writing. “Yes. But a friend of mine had some stock they couldn’t move in the settlement nearby. So, I took it off their hands.”

“And then someone decided to take it from yours.” Aram said. He glanced over at the scribe as he moved some dropped off paperwork into the shelves behind him. “Hmm, this will go quicker if I take over for the scribes. The poor bastards have had their hands full recently.” Then Aram called out to the scribe nearby, Harry, who looked relieved when Aram explained he’d be taking over witnessing you finish the report.

“Do you mind if we do this in my office? The magic in here makes my ears ache.” Aram asked. And when you nodded, Aram escorted you through the building to his office. Which you had been in once before when Aram had taken over the investigation of why your store was being targeted so frequently.

He closed the door behind you and you took the offered seat in front of his desk. Which he then slid your seat closer to the desk and made space on the surface for you to start the next section of the report.

He moved your chair so effortlessly with you in it that it made your stomach flip a little giddily. But you hid your smile as you busied yourself with reading over the next section.

“I was recently thinking about you. And, uh, the reports you had to make on your store.” Aram said rather quickly, fiddling with some papers on his desk. “It’s been a while since your last break in. I thought my trick did the job, to be honest.”

“For a while it did.” You agreed. Pausing to write down the description of the ring. “The extra patrols you had around the place seemed to scare them off. And gave me enough time to better the security of my shop. I still spot Smith on occasion in the area. But he always seems busy. I hope you’re not working him too hard.”

Aram chuckled. Picking up a quill of his own and scribbling over some papers on his desk. “The boy is fine. He’s eager for the work. But, uh…” You tore your eyes off the paperwork long enough to see why Aram didn’t finish his sentence.

His eyes were narrowed and his lips were pursed in a poor attempt at looking angry, looking over your head to the windows behind you.

You turned your head. And you caught a glimpse of something quickly darting out of view of the office. The room was enclosed but anyone in the hallways had a clear view of you sitting at Aram’s desk. The Guard Captain grumbled and stood, clearing his throat as he flicked a small switch and curtains fell down over the windows leading to the corridor outside.

“Nosy bastards.” You heard Aram mutter. But you pretended not to hear him as he returned to his seat and continued working on whatever was in front of him. “I was going to say he wanted to be set in that district. Apparently, his aunt lives around there.”

“Aww, that’s sweet of him. I’ll be sure to annoy him any chance I get when I see him.” You said, refocusing on the paper in front of you. You reached the next spot the scribe had told you to call for him and offered the papers to Aram.

Who went over the report swiftly and then handed it back to you after he signed off on the part he needed too.

“A ring of protection, huh? That didn’t move at your friend's establishment?” Aram asked, surprised. And you shook your head, writing as you responded.

“Their town was going through a drought. Which is probably being washed downriver right now with this rain. But no one had the money to purchase a ring like that. I offered to buy it off them and then give them a percentage if I manage to sell it. We used to travel together before they bought their store. They helped me get my place. Since I had no idea how to purchase property.”

Aram made a thoughtful noise, watching you as you worked. “Why didn’t you buy a place outside the city? Probably would have been cheaper. And also get you a better place than that splinter shack.”

“Hey, that’s my splinter shack you’re insulting.” You playfully snapped. Which made the Guard Captain laugh. “But I wanted to try the city. I’ve never stayed in one for long. And I thought a change of lifestyle would be refreshing.”

“And is it refreshing?” Aram asked.

You paused to look up at him, smiling. “Well, the people are much more interesting.” You let the sentence hang in the air for a touch longer before continuing. “And there’s always something happening here. And the food! Oh my Lords, I’ve never had such a wide variety of food always available. Every morning I get a fresh coffee with a freshly baked bun. A much better change than living off of dried meats and stale bread with cheese.”

Aram grinned at that. His eyes seemed to sparkle in the candlelight. “So, you think you’ll stay here for good then. This string of robberies hasn’t scared you off?”

You scoffed lightly and shook your head. “I’ve fought off armed bandits and kobolds from my goods before. A few hooded figures isn’t going to scare me off. I’ve gotten too comfortable sleeping in an actual bed now to give it up.”

Your words seemed to widen Aram’s smile. “Well, good to hear. The city always needs more good people like you in it. It would be a shame to see you go.”

Something in the way Aram spoke made your pulse quicken. Or maybe how his fingers brushed over your hand as you handed him the documents again for him to look over.

Either way, you were suddenly very aware of how little room there was between the two of you. Even if the desk was large enough to sit such a big man behind it, it felt like Aram was close enough to touch.

And as you took back the paperwork, you thought it was silly of you to think that he was putting his hand directly so that your fingers brushed over his.

It didn’t stop you from feeling how warm his hand was. Nor notice how much larger his hand was compared to yours.

You felt your cheeks flush with heat and you tried very hard to concentrate on the papers in front of you.

It still took an hour to go over everything, but you managed to finish the documents required. Aram took it upon himself to file it away as soon as possible. And asked you a few more questions about the robbery before opening the door of his office for you.

“I’ll be in touch in a few days.” Aram said, leaning against the doorframe. “If we find anything, you’ll be the first to know.”

“Thank you for your time, Captain Aram.” You said and then added jokingly. “And I’ll be sure to let you know if something else goes missing from my store.”

Aram laughed. “Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.” Then he glanced to one of the nearby windows as a crash of thunder sounded overhead “Have you got a way of getting back to your store? It’s still pouring outside.”

You grimaced and a shiver ran over you at the thought of the walk back. It was later in the afternoon now. The sun wouldn’t be set yet, but with the dark clouds overhead and closing to sunset, it was already pretty dark outside.

“No. It’s not that far of a walk, though. I’ll be fine.” You lied. And knew Aram would know this was your attempt at being polite and not complaining.

Aram’s warm smile dimmed and he shook his head. “I’m not having you walk home in this. I’ll get someone to drive you back.”

Your eyes widened and you tried to make an excuse that would justify not needing a driver. But Aram caught sight of Smith walking past and called him over.

“Yes, Captain?” Smith said as he approached. Looking between you and Aram worriedly.

“Get a carriage and drive (y/n) back to her store. And no side stops on your way back, got it.” Aram said, his voice harsh with authority as Smith’s confusion turned into something close to amused glee. He nodded and then looked at you.

“Your chariot is this way, ma’am.” He said with a little more bravado than needed. And you looked at Aram with a joking glare.

“You’re really going to subject me to this?” You asked. And Aram’s stern facade broke with a smile.

“I’d rather not hear that you got washed away by a river on your way home. Get her home safe, Smith.” Aram said before closing the door and leaving you to a beaming Smith as you followed him through the House.

“So, what did you and the Captain talk about in there?” Smith asked. Wiggling his shoulders in a teasing manner as he led you out into an enclosed barn connected to the Guard House. Where a carriage was currently being connected to two brown horses.

“He was overseeing the report I needed to fill out about the ring.” You explained. Ignoring the tiny flush of embarrassment that crawled up your neck. “The scribes were busy and he had time.”

Smith blew a harsh breath out of his lips. “Puh-lease, the Captain never has time.” And then so quietly you almost missed it. “But that seems to change for you.”

You chose to ignore him and wait by the House doors while Smith spoke with the person hooking the animals up. He then waved you over and opened the carriage door for you.

“My Lady.” He bowed his head and you tsked playfully at him.

“Stop that. It’s embarrassing enough as it is. Being escorted back home by a guard.” You mumbled as you climbed inside. Which got you a laugh from Smith.

“Come on, enjoy it! How many times have you been safely escorted home like the rich folk? Beat on the roof if you need me to stop for anything, alright?”

Smith closed the door once you were comfortably seated and you heard him clamber onto the front of the carriage.

The carriage itself wasn’t anything extravagant. The seats were plush enough to stop you from sitting on hard wood and there was enough space to fit four people.

It still felt a bit excessive for only you to be in here. But at least you weren’t going to be walking in the rain.

Your body lurched a little as Smith urged the horses into moving. And soon enough the carriage was filled with the deafening roar of rain pelting the roof above you.

You felt bad for Smith sitting up front. You had glimpsed a small canopy over the driver's seat. But that would be very little protection against the storm as it whipped around him outside.

You sighed. Relaxing against the seat as you glanced through the fogged window to the passing streets.

They were mostly empty. Apart from a few store fronts preparing to close for the afternoon. And some carriages that trotted past.

You haven’t gotten to experience a carriage ride in the city yet. You’ve been so busy with the store that any luxuries you usually would have gotten with your money were forgotten. Or spent on the store itself.

It was kind of peaceful watching the city pass you by.

You would definitely be sending another bakery basket to Aram for this. He had enjoyed the first one you sent after he helped keep your store safe last time.

I’m not having you walk home in this.

His words bounced around in your head like an endless echo. And you found yourself smiling.

And the way he had put his hand in the path of yours? It made your heart skip just thinking about it.

You shook your head. Trying to scatter the thoughts that were attempting to wriggle into your mind.

“Oh, stop it.” You sighed to yourself. “He’s just making sure you’re safe. That’s his job after all.”

You knew you wanted it to be a lie the moment you said it.

But you refused to think of any other reason that Aram would be doing this. You didn’t need something like that in your life just yet. You were busy as it was.

But…A small voice whispered. You definitely need something like him. Even only for a night or two.

Your cheeks burned as the thoughts spiraled and you shook your head again. Refusing to let those thoughts get any more traction than they already have.

It…has been a long time. But you were a business woman now. You had more important things at this moment than scratching that itch. Once the store was a little more organized and things calmed down, then maybe, maybe, you’d think about it.

You sat in your hurricane of a mind as Smith drove through your district and finally came to a stop just outside your store.

You went to open the door but Smith was already there. Drenched from head to toe but all smiles, bowing his head dramatically.

“My Lady! A pleasant ride, I hope.”

“Oh my Gods, you poor thing. Get back as quickly as you can before you catch a cold.” You gasped as you slipped out of the carriage. Hurrying to the safety of your store front.

“I’m fine. Get inside! I’ll let the Captain know you’re safely at your castle.” Smith called over the rain. And you didn’t even bother retorting, merely stuck out your tongue at him as you waved him off.

You heard him laugh and watched through your store windows as the carriage pulled away and disappeared into the heavy sheets of rain.

~*~

A few days later, the bell over your door chimed as someone entered. You called out to the customer that you’d be with them shortly and finished what you were doing in the back before greeting them behind your counter.

“Aram!” You beamed as the Guard Captain approached you. “What a surprise! Good news? Or bad news?”

Aram made a face like he was deciding, jokingly clicking his tongue as he leaned his arms on your counter. Crossing them over each other and coming down to your eye height.

“Which do you want first?” He asked.

You pursed your lips, hopelessly ignoring how Aram’s gaze flicked to your mouth before returning to your eyes as you said, “Good news first.”

“We found the woman who stole your items. Your ring is being processed and looked over to ensure it hasn’t been tampered with. It’ll take a few days to get back to you.”

You sighed with relief. “That’s good. But…the bad news?”

Aram’s grin made his eyes crinkle adorably as he shuffled his weight on his feet. He cleared his throat and it felt like he was forcing his gaze to stay on you. “The bad news is that I lost a bet involving the case. And you unfortunately will be put on the spot as I ask you out to dinner.” He cleared his throat again and stood at attention in front of you. Your heart pounded in your chest as he swallowed hard and said. “Would you like to go out to dinner with me?”

It was almost adorable at how worried Aram looked as you stared up at him. And it was even more so when relief washed over his expression as you nodded.

Before you realized you were even replying, you had said yes. You laughed sheepishly, shaking your head. “You lost a bet and you were forced to ask me out to dinner?”

“I wouldn’t say forced. That makes it sound like I didn't want to.” Aram replied. Scratching the back of his neck, under the thick braid of blonde hair. “I want to take you to dinner. I have for a bit now. I just…things got in the way and I wasn’t sure if you would be interested in me and…I’m sorry. I’m rambling.” He cleared his throat again. “This is me asking you to dinner, sincerely.”

“What would have happened if you didn’t?” You asked.

“Probably be called a coward by my men.” Aram replied. “Or someone would have done it for me, I’m sure. Or somehow talked you into asking me out. I don’t know. They’re very nosy. Very much like a bunch of highschoolers.”

“But they gave you an opening to ask me out to dinner. So, I would forgive them.” You said with a chuckle. And Aram visibly relaxed with the sound. “When would you like to set this dinner? I’m free most afternoons. I’m sure it’s your schedule we have to work around.” You said teasingly. And Aram nodded.

“I’ll free up my night next Friday, if that’s ok with you? I know it’s a while away but this week is choked up with work already.” When you nodded, Aram’s smile broadened and your body became heated under his sparkling gaze. You both discussed a place to eat, but since you rarely went out other than cafes and small take-away establishments, Aram promised he’d surprise you with a brilliant place to dine. “I’ll pick you up around seven? If the rain hasn’t stopped by then, I’ll bring a carriage around for us to use.”

You sarcastically rolled your eyes, “Please do not make Smith drive us. That was torture last time.”

Aram laughed but shook his head. “No, no. I won’t be letting those vultures anywhere near our dinner. I promise.”

Once you confirmed again the time and date, Aram excused himself, having to continue his patrol around the district. And the moment he left, your heart soared with excitement at the thought of dinner with Aram.

~*~

Friday couldn’t come any quicker.

The rest of the week fell into a snail like pace, dragging day and night until the morning of your dinner date with Aram.

The rain didn’t subside. Most of the city was now flooded or close to it.

You had braced your store for the worst. Purchasing new tables with waterproofing and protective surfaces, so if the water started to rise and your store was flooded, at least some of your merchandise would be saved.

Coincidentally, as you were unloading the transport carriage that had said furniture, three city guards came over to help unload them.

You didn’t know any of them, but you thought it was sweet that some passing guards saw you and the transport man struggling to move a table, and decided to help.

But that seemed to become a pattern over the course of the week leading to Friday.

You saw more guards than usual in the district and some greeted you as if you knew them. Smith came over to you whenever you were out. Conversing until he needed to leave for his patrol and you needed to return to the shop.

Briar dropped by and returned the ring to you. They was a lot more friendly than the prior meetings you had with them. They actually cracked a few jokes with you.

You finally caved when Yesrie just happened to be in the area on Friday morning. Popping by with a coffee for you. “Are all of you around here because I’m going out with Aram?” You asked. And Yesrie was terrible at feigning ignorance, even if she was joking the entire time she replied.

“You’re going out with my captain? That’s amazing! I didn’t know at all.”

You rolled your eyes and shooed her out of your store. Thanking her for the coffee and company before you needed to get to work.

But finally, the time came to close the store and begin getting ready for your date.

You chose something simple to wear but something to also make you look downright gorgeous. Being in the city had its perks and the ample amount of shops around allowed you to browse and pick something amazing for yourself.

You had half the thought it could be a touch overdressed, but you weren’t sure where Aram was taking you. And you did look good in it! So you wrestled down the nerves and waited for Aram to arrive.

You kept your hands busy with small things in your shop before a heavy knock sounded on your front door.

You quickly opened the door for Aram and he stepped inside wrapped in a thick cloak and hood sprinkled by the rain.

“Damn, look at you, (y/n).” Aram beamed. His eyes didn’t seem to know where to look. They definitely lingered along your chest and hips, but respectfully flicked up to hold your gaze very quickly when he caught himself staring. “I feel a little underdressed now.”

You glimpsed his attire beneath the cloak. Dark dress pants with a deep brown shirt that hugged his large frame snugly. He had decorative leather bracers along his wrists and his hair was neatly bundled up in a collection of braids. Each had small trinkets adorning the strands.

“Nonsense,” You said a little breathlessly. Have you ever seen this man out of uniform? “You look very dashing.”

Your words made his smile crinkle his eyes and he opened his cloak up to you. Nodding to the carriage waiting outside. “I forgot to bring you an umbrella.”

“Ah, yes. I also don’t own one.” You said, hoping the way you moved up beside him didn’t seem too eager.

And you absolutely had an umbrella. But you were not going to miss an opportunity to snugly press yourself against Aram.

Once you were standing against his side, Aram lowered his arm enough that the cloak surrounded you almost entirely. A sweet scent wafted off of him to you and you shivered as your arm brushed against his side.

He was so warm!

Together you exited the store, halting long enough to lock the front and then quickly dash to the carriage. Where a driver was waiting in the rain to open the door for the two of you.

You felt utterly terrible for the man. But as you clambered into the carriage, you caught a glimpse of your driver.

An automaton. A being made of metal and mechanical parts bowed their head as you greeted them. Their clothes were drenched but they didn’t seem to mind as Aram joined you in the carriage, taking the seat next to you, and the automaton closed the door behind him.

“Did you hire a driver for tonight?” You asked. Baffled by the beautiful interior of the carriage. It was much fancier than the one Smith drove you in. And the rain didn’t thunder the roof in this one. You could barely hear it as Aram responded.

“No. This is my carriage. Anthony out there works for me.” Aram said this as if it was a normal occurrence for someone to have an automaton driver. Or their own fancy carriage.

You tried not to balk at his words. Instead made room for him to remove the damp cloak and fold it on the seat across from the both of you.

“I didn’t know being a Guard Captain paid so well.” You teased. Watching Aram as he adjusted his shirt and ensured his bracers were still correctly placed on his wrists. There was a slight scruff along his cheeks and he had replaced the silver caps on his tusks with gold ones.

Damn, he dressed up nice.

Aram smiled and your heart shuddered when he winked at you. “It also pays to have been a successful adventurer beforehand.”

Your eyes widened and Aram laughed as you said, “Wait, you haven’t been a stuck up captain all your life?” Though your words were sarcastic, you couldn’t help but be impressed. “To be honest, I wouldn’t have guessed that was your past. Maybe a soldier of some kind? But not an adventurer.”

“You’d be amazed at how many guards of mine are retired adventurers or travelers looking to settle down. I knew the old captain before he retired. It sped up my promotions, I’ll admit, but I proved myself just like everyone else.” Aram admitted. Relaxing against the plush back seat of the carriage. “Chasing down burglars and walking the streets at night is a much better alternative to dungeon crawling.”

You hummed in agreement. “I do not miss the cold nights or falling asleep hungry. But there was definitely a charm to traveling that the city doesn’t have.”

It was Aram’s turn to agree with a grunt. “I do occasionally miss having the time and freedom to do whatever I want. But I wouldn’t give up my position for anything. Least of all, leave my Guards behind just to go treasure hunting.”

You caught a light twinkling in Aram’s eyes as he spoke. And his smile curled warmly at the corners. It was no secret that Aram was as loyal as any to the Guard, but there was definitely a type of kinship between them all as well.

“That does remind me,” You said, tilting your head teasingly at Aram. “Did you order more guards to patrol my district? I keep tripping over them everytime I leave the shop.”

Aram didn’t look surprised, but he didn’t look pleased about what you said either. “Ah, I was wondering why some of them took longer to return after their patrols.” You waited for Aram to say something else. And when he didn’t, you set a pointed stare on him, urging him to continue whatever thought was bouncing around in his head. Aram chuckled with a half roll of his eyes. “Alright, alright. This is a little embarrassing, but I believe they’re keeping an eye on you for me. On their own accord. I haven’t ordered anymore than the usual patrols in your district. But since…well, they’re a loyal lot and they want to make sure you’re safe.”

You laughed. It made sense why you saw Smith and Yesrie more than anyone else on your streets. “All because you asked me out to dinner?”

“Well…not just because of dinner. But that’s a conversation for later.” Aram said sheepishly. And he expertly changed the subject to your store and how it was faring in the weather. You let the conversation be swept into other topics, but you definitely would hold onto that little kernel of a question for later.

The ride through the city took a little longer than you expected. But soon, the streets outside transformed into a string of establishments on the docks. And the carriage was taken through a route that ran along the rough, crashing oceanside.

The beach looked absolutely ruined from the harsh tides. And the dark gloomy horizon was nothing more than a black screen of storm clouds.

Despite the rain, the street itself was bustling with activity. Lights illuminated the roads brilliantly in warm orange. And all along the sidewalk were canopies and large overhanging roofs to give shelter to the patrons that walked by.

Your carriage was taken to a restaurant that had a grand glass ceiling and a large balcony with many tables seated beneath it. Your table was directly next to the balcony edge, where a shield of magic protected you and Aram from the torrent of rain slashing down from above.

And you found yourself pleasantly warm as Aram pushed in your chair as you took your seat. The business must have heating enchantments placed around to keep their patrons comfortable.

“This place is lovely.” You said as your waiter passed you both a menu. Excusing themselves to give you time to look over their drink choice.

“It’s one of my favorite spots in the city. The ocean view usually is better, but I can at least trust the food will be good.” Aram explained, glancing over the railing to the harsh waves and dark waters. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind at all.” You quickly reassured him. “I’m just happy to have an excuse to go out. I’ve been putting off going out for dinner for a while. I don’t know alot of people here yet. I wouldn’t know where to start.``

“Well, I hope my choice becomes one of your favorites.” Aram smiled.

The conversation fell into a simple one of work. Aram asked more questions about your store while you prodded about his life in the Guard.

“Things have gotten better over the past few months.” Aram admitted, drawing idle circles on the condensation of his cup of mead. “But I’m sure…activities will pick up closer to the holiday season. I dread to think about that time of year. But it is at least never lacking on slow days.”

“I used to avoid cities during their festival seasons. As backwards as that is for a traveling merchant.” You said in return. “It always caused me more grief than coins. But I guess it’s unavoidable now that I have a permanent spot here.”

                ~~~~To Be Continued Because my brain is stuck~~~~~~

As always, feedback or suggestions are welcome!! 

[leftshoeuntied]

Quick lil Konig drabble that I wrote in like 10 min because unfortunately I do love that big weird Austrian man and I want more fluff for him haha

no warnings just a weirdo trying to be nice :)

Imagine you’re leaving work one day and it’s just absolutely pouring rain outside. Sadly you forgot your umbrella today but you do have your raincoat on and the hood pulled up as you scurry over to the bus shelter trying to avoid puddle, but when you step into the shelter you just see this big man sitting on the bench in the corner all alone with a medical mask on and his jacket hood pulled up. You’ve already had a bad day at work and you’re trying to decide your fate, if it’s worth it to stay in this bus shelter alone with this big man or just wait outside in the rain for the bus.

Survival instincts kick in and you decide it’s better to just wait outside the shelter for the bus, even if it means getting pelted with the heavy rain, at least you have your raincoat and you know the bus should be showing up sometime relatively soon. You tip your head forward trying to keep the rain off your face, tapping the toes of your shoes in the puddles around you, trying to pass the time without your phone, not wanting it to get ruined in the rain. Between the sounds of the storm and the noise of the cars passing you miss the creak of the door of the shelter opening up and don’t notice anything off until the rain seems to just stop falling around you.

You look up confused at the lack of rain hitting and see the big masked man from the bus shelter holding an umbrella over you, not even covering himself with it.

“Oh no! It’s okay you don’t have to share your umbrella, I promise I’m okay” you quickly sputter out, but he just gives you a look. “No really I promise, please, it’s your umbrella, use it!” You say trying to step out from underneath his umbrella.

“Nein” he says gruffly, taking a small step towards you, sticking his arm to hold the umbrella over you again, but does not invade your personal space.

“oh…uh okay thank you” you say, smiling softly up at him. Silence falls over the two of you, and you can’t help the twist of guilt in your stomach, appreciating the man using his umbrella to cover you from the rain, but also knowing that he is standing just outside of his own umbrella getting hit with the heavy rain. “There should be enough room for us to at least share” you add giving him the small smile again and stepping closer to the man so you two are arm and arm, and he follows suit, adjusting the umbrella height to cover the both of you.

There, you two silently for your bus to show, content in sharing the protected space from the rain. Grateful that the big masked man in the bus shelter was willing to look out for you and share his umbrella with you.

[weird-arcanefangirl]

Rainy Days

TW:signs of depression, blood(described), wounds and later chapters WILL discuss suicide and self harm. If you are triggered by these themes do not read this. I will make happier stories

I do not relate to this, and this might not be accurate. My grammar and writing abilities aren’t good, please correct me or give me constructive criticism ❤️ also, this story was !!!PERFECTED!!! with AI, I wrote it myself, everything, but because I’m German and my whole family doesn’t know much English, this is one of my only options. I have the original where I wrote it into my notebook and made notes for myself and I still have it in it’s earlier stages (I already wrote much more when I was younger, my grammar was pretty bad tho) if anyone wants proof (the notebook) I’ll release it on @toulouseradiosilence <3

enjoy!

Chapter 1: Rose

I wake up to the sound of rain pouring onto the roof. The first thing I do after lying on my side for another 5 minutes is to look at the alarm clock. The time it’s displaying is barely visible, yesterday’s meal is standing in front of it. Would you call that dinner or breakfast? It was at about 4AM, so I’m not really sure, but it also does not matter, so I shove the leftover ramenbox and cheap diet lemonade off of the bedside table. The bottle shatters on the floor, startling me. Besides the cars, rain and airplanes outside this is the first noise I’ve heard today, and probably one of the ones I will hear. I finally look at the time. 10:30 AM. I’m not late to anything, I haven’t been late to anything in months.. or years. Because there is nothing to be late to. Nobody needs me, I’m not part of this “system”. And I think that’s not as bad someone would expect. I don’t have any responsibilities whatsoever. I don’t have to take part in this society, I can do whatever I want. And I choose to lay in my bed, draw or sleep. I have food in my storage (ramen, diet lemonade/ water). Sometimes I crave foods I used to eat when I was younger, but it’s certainly not worth going to the store for. Some days I eat a lot, some I don’t eat at all. Most days, actually. Some days I don’t get out of bed and some I don’t even wake up. Others I don’t sleep. Sometimes I look at drawings or other posts on tumblr. That’s all I really do. Sometimes I think about signing up and posting my drawings, but I’m not good with social stuff and this is too social for me in many ways, so I don’t. I have to go to the toilet, which is pretty unusual for me, considering i barely drink anything. I don’t want to get up though, so I continue lying in my bed for another 20 minutes, until I feel too uncomfortable. I sit up and put my feet into the ground. Something sharp cuts into one of them. I don’t do anything; I don’t even look down to see what just hurt my foot. Another minute of just sitting there and staring goes by until I decide to check. A piece of a broken diet lemonade bottle. I stand up and shove the trash under my bed, I didn’t remove the shard. I start walking. The cut stings. I really do not care though. Dragging myself into the bathroom, I push the door open and catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, but I quickly look away. I sit down onto the toilet and.. pee.. yeah, I pee. Afterwards I continue sitting on the toilet and my eyes trail along the way I was walking on, from the toilet to to the door. The door is open. I live alone. There’s a trail of blood on the floor. What? Oh. It’s my blood. Wait, yeah, of course it is. Who else’s would it be? I put my leg into the other to look at my foot. The shard is still in there. I actually kind of panic because it looks really, really bad. Almost my whole foot is cut open. And THAT is a reason to stay in bed all day (as if I wouldn’t do that anyway.. but now I have an excuse, I guess.) I limp over to my bed, but before laying down I check whether I still have some water. Luckily, I do. So I let myself fall onto the bed back first, take a chug of water and start to sleep.

Next chapter will probably release next week❤️

omg I just read through it and the amount of typos I made?? Guys pls tell me if there are mistakes this is embarrassing 💀😭

Also I hate the pace, its so fast…

[thedorkurge]

fic prompt: Durge feeling jealous and possessive because of some noble flirting with Gortash :)

This was a fun flip on my last prompt, thanks for the suggestion<3

You can read it under the cut or on ao3

Green-eyed Monster (1,5k)

It was incredible how close you could get to the most well protected people of the Gate simply by climbing a few pillars.

People never looked up. It seemed pointless to bother with such high and elaborate ceilings when most people never bothered to tilt their heads upwards to appreciate it. But it worked in Durge’s favor, of course, allowing him to perch on elaborately carved rafters that no one else could see.

This was the part of his job that the urges were never really good at. Observing, planning, sitting still for hours at a time before your prey was in the right position. It was a kind of hunt, but not the kind he preferred.

Sharp eyes scanned the crowd before finding the one person actually worth observing.

Enver Gortash.

The soon-to-be lord was dazzling the guests with stories that Durge could not make out over the idle chatter of the nobles below him. Not that he really cared what was said, after all, Enver could talk a lot without really saying anything. No, Durge’s focus was on one particular person in Enver’s adoring crowd.

He was too close. 

Leaning in, hands ghosting over Enver’s arms. The way his gaze blatantly traced Enver’s form made Durge want to rip his eyes out.

It didn’t help that Enver had taken a healing potion today. All marks from their last night together were gone, leaving a blank canvas that might give other people ideas.

The urges growled within. His father did not approve of his choice of lover, but the urges hated sharing more than they hated Gortash.

He didn’t want the noble’s grubby little fingerprints all over his kill.

Because Gortash was his. Not in any romantic sense, of course. There were no expectations of exclusivity, both of them all too happy to use their sexuality in pursuit of their own goals. Durge hadn’t stopped his more depraved forms of worship, and Enver had continued to charm his way through the upper layers of baldurian society. 

Their sexual relationship was born out of convenience and mutual fascination. There was no reason to pretend otherwise. And yet, Durge found himself itching for a kill whenever he saw someone else’s hand on Enver, or smelled a foreign perfume on his skin.

It was ridiculous, but he knew better than to question his murderous instincts.

These days, the line between “his kill” and “his lover” was getting increasingly blurred. It was slowly but surely becoming a distinction without a difference. 

So to see someone else try to lay any sort of claim to Enver Gortash left a bad taste in his mouth. Especially someone like Theobald Rykwin. 

The half-elven noble had little other than his looks going for him, being a minor lord with no military or political ties to speak of. Rumor had it that he had blown the family fortune on parties and gambling, making him an awful prospect for a business relationship. Hells, Enver was higher on the food chain than this man. There was nothing to be gained, so what was the point? Wasn’t there better things Enver could be doing? 

Perhaps he ought to teach the banite a lesson about wasting valuable time.

A corpse on his doorstep would do nicely.

He waited for Rykwin to break away from the company, more patient now that he had a kill in mind. He didn’t have to wait long before the nobleman excused himself and headed towards the bathrooms. He never heard Durge coming. The long hallway led him away from the ballroom, along the edge of the building where the pouring rain outside disguised the sounds of the dragonborn’s footsteps. Rykwin barely got a sound out before he was pulled through a back entrance, and onto the wet cobblestones in the deserted courtyard. 

Durge had gotten lucky this time. Usually killing at parties required discretion, but thanks to the rain no one was outside. The thick brick walls, distant rumbles of thunder, and heavy downpour would hide his screams perfectly.

The half-elf was still on the ground, sputtering and wheezing from having the breath knocked out of him. Whatever indignant questions he was about to ask were interrupted by the bored voice of his attacker. “You should run.”

The nobleman got to his feet, far too slowly for someone in this much danger. In spite of it, he stood tall. Durge probably would have respected that, if he believed it was a show of bravery. Unfortunately, he knew better. Indignation, outrage, the way he looked at Durge like he was the scum of the earth. This man wasn’t brave, he was prideful. And frankly, rather stupid. Honestly, what did Enver see in him?

“Have you lost your mind? This is outrageous, do you have any idea who I-“

His stream of words was interrupted by a mouthful of his own teeth, as Durge’s fist connected with his face.

This time he didn’t give him time to get back up, instead digging his knee into the man’s abdomen and putting his weight on him. His screams were muffled slightly by the blood in his mouth, but they still managed to grow louder with every punch. 

Until they stopped completely. 

Durge was breathing heavily when he finally backed away from the pulped mass of flesh. It wasn’t the kind of kill he was used to, rarely using his hands so crudely, but it felt right this time. The half-elf’s handsome face had been reduced to nothing, finally reflecting his worth on the outside. His chest had caved in, fine elven bones no match for the dragonborn’s weight.

The rain only grew heavier, washing away the blood that had spilled onto the stone.

Durge’s breathing finally evened out, as he looked at his well-executed kill.

“Well, that was quite a show.”

Durge tensed up. He wasn’t aware of his audience until this very moment. Either his instincts had been dulled by the thrill of the kill, or Enver had used an invisibility potion.

It was troubling that his senses had grown so accustomed to Enver’s presence. Usually he would have sensed an unwelcome guest immediately.

“I don’t recall inviting an audience.” He scrubbed his raw knuckles methodically, using a scrap of Rykwin’s cloak. It wasn’t like the lord had any use for it anymore.

“Given that this was a private function, this hardly seems like an appropriate time to discuss invitations.” Enver stepped closer, mindful not to get blood on his clothes as he took in the corpse. “Now what did he do to deserve that?”

Durge wasn’t exactly sure what to say to that. His reasoning had seemed sound at the time, but he couldn’t find a way to say it out loud without sounding completely pathetic. “I don’t need a reason.”

“Is that so?” Enver looked at the pulped mess that had once been Rykwin’s face with a frown. “A shame. He was quite handsome.”

It was bait. Durge knew that. He knew Enver was just pushing his buttons. 

“Oh I’m sure you’ll find someone else to warm your bed for the night. If your standards have fallen so low, you’ll be spoiled for options.” He inwardly cursed the bitter edge that snuck into his voice. Especially when he saw the smug grin on Enver’s face. “Do I detect a hint of jealousy, dear?”

Durge shot him a withering glare that would have had anyone else running for the hills.

It was a ridiculous notion. The Dark Urge did not feel jealous. It was a ridiculous emotion, useless to him. He had everything he needed, his cult, his father’s love, his purpose. All he felt for living beings was hatred and disdain. It was troubling that he couldn’t identify the feelings in his chest as either.

“You overestimate your own importance, banite.”

“I don’t think so.”

Durge scoffed slightly, ready to retaliate when Enver stepped closer. The gauntlet, a fairly new addition to his ensemble, traced the skin above the dragonborn’s blood-soaked collar. “You know…” The claws sank into his flesh, securing Enver’s hand around the throat that would otherwise be too wide for human hands. And Durge let him, with nothing more than a short growl. Another thing to repent for. “You aren’t the only one that dislikes sharing.”

The dragonborn’s hand wrapped around Enver’s wrist, the claw on his thumb placed threateningly over the banite’s pulse point. “At least I have the decency to kill mine.” All pretense was gone. There was no point, they both already knew why he had killed Rykwin, even if Durge refused to admit it.

“Darling, decency never had any part in this.” His other hand traced a path down Durge’s front. He could feel every moment of it through his rain-soaked clothes. “We’re Death and Tyranny. If we want something, we take it.”

As much as he loathed to admit it, Enver had a point. He was Bhaal’s blood, his chosen. The world was his to play with, as was everyone in it. The banite was no exception. 

Durge would make sure that anyone who set eyes upon the future Archduke knew exactly who he belonged to. And if anyone didn’t heed the warning, he’d simply kill them. He’d butcher his way through the Gate, and then the world, until everything was his and his alone. 

As Enver’s back was pushed against the brick wall, the rain dulled all sound, allowing their moans to be swallowed by the night.

[emotionally-damaged-carrot]

Charles Leclerc x Male reader

"Is it worth it?"

I'm slowly trying to get back to writing so updates might have like days gap in between or maybe a week, depends on my mood really, but I will try to write as often as I used to. It's just author's block is a bitch.

Prolly gonna be one of those typical angst stories but eh, angst was what I wanted when writing this.

I will be opening my requests for a bit maybe I might get some interesting stuff.

Warning: mentions of sex but no actual sex or maybe a few lines referencing it(?) Idk really

Here I am standing all alone in the pouring rain on the streets of monaco, I country I once was delighted to call home. Walking around aimlessly I can't help but think back to the events that lead to this ending and letting the tears slide down my rosy cheeks. I think back to the times I once was in his arms as how she is now, how he would tell me how much he loved me and hold me tight while cuddling on the couch, slowly falling asleep to a movie we both don't really care about.

We lay on the couch my face buried in his chest, his hand on my waist holding me tight the other playing with my hair.

"Charles, will you ever find someone better than me?"

I ask letting my insecurity take over for a moment.

"Mon cour, tell me, how can I find something better than perfection?" He says with a chuckle while he pull my hair softly so I am now forced to look up at him.

"You're unbelievable." I say while my cheeks turn a shade of pink. "I guess I'm just afraid that you will one day get tired of me, or see someone better than me, I'm just afraid that the last 4 years of my life with would just go down the drain like it meant nothing." I continue now having teary eyes and burying my face back in chest wetting his shirt a bit.

"Don't ever think that, I will never leave you, you have been the best thing to happen to me. I have not woken up a single day for the past 4 years without wondering why you chose me, why you noticed me?" He says now sitting us both up with me on his lap and his hands now I my cheeks wiping the stray tears that are still falling down.

I look at his face, watery eyes meeting mine.

"Don't ever think that you are someone not worth keeping, I love you and I promise to be with you forever."

I sit down on the wet pavement, my tears not stopping yet. Not being able to holdback the sadness, I pat my pockets feeling for my phone and wallet before realizing I left them at his apartment along with the groceries I just bought.

"Charles?" I say loudly, not hearing a reply I try again.

"Charles?" I say a bit louder.

I decide to get comfortable first, hanging my jacket on the coat rack, removing my shoes and putting on my crocs. As walk to our bedroom I hear grunting, I walked slower trying to concentrate on the noise until I heard a feminine voice.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, chaaarles aahh, fuck you're so biiig."

"I know, now just keep quiet so I can hear if he's back yet." I hear charles say breathily with a few grunts in between.

Hearing him grunting in pleasure and the moaning woman broke me, I knew it was only a matter of time. That one day he would find someone better, and I guess today was the day, or atleast the day I found out. With my mind plagued with the thoughts of them together, naked, having sex, I ran out of the apartment trying to be quiet but on my way to the door I bumped into a picture frame hearing the glass shatter. I looked at the frame through blurry eyes, kneeling down to pick it up and looking at what the photo was, it was me and charles standing on a balcony at sunset, his arm wrapped around my waist, my head on his shoulder our backs towards the sun with smiles on our face.

"I think I heard something break outside." I heard charles' voice say still breathing heavily.

I put the now broken picture frame faced down on the coffee table. Running towards the door, I grabbed my jacket from the rack and put it on. I left the apartment having a feeling I forgot something.

"Even after all these years I'm still so gullible, not being able to see through those empty promises and guilty smiles." I chuckled to myself pulling my legs close to my chest and placing my head on my knees.

"I knew it was only a matter of time, I wanted to atleast savour the fleeting moments I had with him, I knew something was up when he started staying out late more often. I should've known, I SHOULD'VE FUCKING KNOWN LOVE IS NOT SOMETHING I DESERVE." I scream the last parts now looking at the sky laughing loudly to myself. As I feel the cold rain pour on my face with my eyes closed I relapse back to a time when I feel down I would always run to him, and he would make my problems go away.

"Mon cour, what's wrong? I'm in the middle of something at the moment." He says through the phone sounding a bit annoyed.

"Ow uhm sorry, I just ah- nevermind, goodluck today." I say, my voice cracking up a bit, hoping he didn't hear it, as I immidiately end the call. But a few seconds later he called me, doubting whether I should answer it or not, until the call went to voicemail. He immidiately called again this time I pick it up.

"Come on, amour, tell me, what's wrong? I always have time for you." He says with concern replacing annoyance.

"It's nothing really, just the anxiety hitting."

"Sorry I can't be there right now, babe, just caught up with work right now. But I'm almost done, so I might be there in say 30 minutes? Then we can cuddle on the bed and put on a movie?"

"O-okay, thanks, I'll be waiting, bye and goodluck." I say now with a smile.

"Okay, ciao amour." He says before hanging up.

True to his word, he arrived 30 minutes later, with my favourite snacks in hand.

"Ciao." He said as he saw me laying on the hotel bed wrapped in a blanket.

"Ciao." I say with a huge smile on my face spotting my favourite snacks.

"Sorry about earlier, bebe, was just busy at the track." He says with a sympathetic smile.

"It's okay, work is more important anyway, but what matters now is that you're here." I say unwrapping the blanket around me and making my way towards him. As I reach him a give him a kiss and reaching for the snackbag.

"I'm just gonna have a quick shower and change then we can start, sound good?" He says smiling widely before booping my nose and making his way towards the shower.

"Yea, sounds good."

As I sob on the sidewalk I hear a voice call my name immidiately knowing who it was.

"Y/n? Y/n! Bebe what's wrong? I heard something break in the living room and saw your phone and wallet on the kitchen counter along with the groceries." He says concerned, but now that I look at him properly, it looked fake, a look that you would give to a person you don't care about.

"Ow it's just nothing, I just needed to clear my mind." I say feigning a smile, luckily he bought it.

"Let's go back, you'll catch a cold." He says with a small laugh as he takes my hand pulling me up and giving me a hug.

'He still smells of sex.' I thought to myself.

"Okay." I say walking with him hand in hand back to our or rather his apartment.

I felt disgusted, did he even notice? Does he even know that I now know? Does he even care? Is he ignoring it hoping it would all blow over? Is it even worth it at this point? Is pretending a game I can play? Is keeping everything in, worth it to keep him? Is he even worth it anymore?

I look at him once more, seeing him still with a smile.

'Am I the reason for that smile or was she?'

Been a while but eh, creative juice not in me rn. Hope you enjoyed? Requests are open for a bit send something you want written or idk, peace ✌️.

[gaywattpadstorykid]

Rainy Days

TW:signs of depression, blood(described), wounds and later chapters WILL discuss suicide and self harm. If you are triggered by these themes do not read this. I will make happier stories

I do not relate to this, and this might not be accurate. My grammar and writing abilities aren’t good, please correct me or give me constructive criticism ❤️ also, this story was PERFECTED!!! With AI, I wrote it myself, everything, but because I’m German and my whole family doesn’t know much English, this is one of my only options. I have the original where I wrote it into my notebook and made notes for myself and I still have it in it’s earlier stages (I already wrote much more when I was younger, my grammar was pretty bad tho) if anyone wants proof (the notebook) I’ll release it on @toulouseradiosilence <3

enjoy!

Chapter 1: Rose

I wake up to the sound of rain pouring onto the roof. The first thing I do after lying on my side for another 5 minutes is to look at the alarm clock. The time it’s displaying is barely visible, yesterday’s meal is standing in front of it. Would you call that dinner or breakfast? It was at about 4AM, so I’m not really sure, but it also does not matter, so I shove the leftover ramenbox and cheap diet lemonade off of the bedside table. The bottle shatters on the floor, startling me. Besides the cars, rain and airplanes outside this is the first noise I’ve heard today, and probably one of the ones I will hear. I finally look at the time. 10:30 AM. I’m not late to anything, I haven’t been late to anything in months.. or years. Because there is nothing to be late to. Nobody needs me, I’m not part of this “system”. And I think that’s not as bad someone would expect. I don’t have any responsibilities whatsoever. I don’t have to take part in this society, I can do whatever I want. And I choose to lay in my bed, draw or sleep. I have food in my storage (ramen, diet lemonade/ water). Sometimes I crave foods I used to eat when I was younger, but it’s certainly not worth going to the store for. Some days I eat a lot, some I don’t eat at all. Most days, actually. Some days I don’t get out of bed and some I don’t even wake up. Others I don’t sleep. Sometimes I look at drawings or other posts on tumblr. That’s all I really do. Sometimes I think about signing up and posting my drawings, but I’m not good with social stuff and this is too social for me in many ways, so I don’t. I have to go to the toilet, which is pretty unusual for me, considering i barely drink anything. I don’t want to get up though, so I continue lying in my bed for another 20 minutes, until I feel too uncomfortable. I sit up and put my feet onto the ground. Something sharps cuts into one of them. I don’t do anything; I don’t even look down to see what just hurt my foot. Another minute of just sitting there and staring goes by until I decide to check. A piece of a broken diet lemonade bottle. I stand up and shove the trash under my bed, I didn’t remove the shard. I start walking. The cut stings. I really do not care though. Dragging myself into the bathroom, I push the door open and catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, but I quickly look away. I sit down onto the toilet and.. pee.. yeah, I pee. Afterwards I continue sitting on the toilet and my eyes trail along the way I was walking on, from the toilet to to the door. The door is open. I live alone. There’s a trail of blood on the floor. What? Oh. It’s my blood. Wait, yeah, of course it is. Who else’s would it be? I put my leg into the other to look at my foot. The shard is still in there. I actually kind of panic because it looks really, really bad. Almost my whole foot is cut open. And THAT is a reason to stay in bed all day (as if I wouldn’t do that anyway.. but now I have an excuse, I guess.) I limp over to my bed, but before laying down I check whether I still have some water. Luckily, I do. So I let myself fall onto the bed back first, take a chug of water and start to sleep.

Next chapter will probably release next week❤️

[dandelion-wings]

Someday I hope to actually write the Ludi Harpastrum fic, and then someday, after that, I may write the 'second half' that I have mentally split off into a sequel. (Way too much tonal whiplash. The Ludi Harpastrum fic is a goofy cheerful fake-dating romp. The sequel is political intrigue and action-adventure with bonus relationship angst, because Kaeya is *waves vaguely* both a sad wet cat and a self-sabotaging little bitch.) But today I was cold and wet and miserable at the barn for far too long this morning, which reminded me of a scene from that theoretical distant sequel in which my principals are also cold and wet and miserable, and I decided, I can just write that scene. If I want to. And I did!

This is at the opposite end of this theoretical fic as this snippet, though perhaps you can see how they connect.

---

"We won't make it to the Dawn Winery tonight," Jean says, weary and dispirited, watching the clouds above them growing darker and darker grey. Rain is pouring down the whole of Old Mondstadt.

If it was only her and Kaeya, they might be able to push past the exhaustion and blood loss and go on. She can almost hear Barbara scolding her for the thought--*'You can't *push through* blood loss!'--but there is a trick of pulling energy out of their Visions, not through a weapon and into the air but directly into flesh and bone, that can keep one going well after the body is desperate to give up. It's a trick Lisa hates, though, one she won't use and always tells them isn't worth the price. Even if she would, she doesn't have Jean and Kaeya's conditioning, so it might not be enough.

Though right now it might not be enough for Kaeya, either. He'd nearly drowned only two days ago. Jean sheers hard away from that memory, and she turns her thoughts firmly to looking for possible shelter instead.

"Here," she calls at last after they've all three cast around a bit, waving at the other two through the driving, near-blinding rain. It had been a hilichurl camp once, tucked into the tiny space where one fallen stone wall leans against another, and it's sheltered enough to be one for them too.

She and Kaeya break barrels for the fire while Lisa gathers some of the dried grass spread on the floor for tinder, then lights it with a bolt of Electro when Jean finds she's lost her flint somewhere in their headlong flight. Even if their pursuers have followed them this far, there's no chance of seeing this fire through the rain. They huddle around it, stripped down to underclothes with everything else laid out in the faint hope it might dry, and eat what's left of the provisions they'd managed to grab. Lisa produces a bag of macarons, damp but not yet molding, and passes them out.

"As a treat for making it home," she says, and Jean does her best to return her smile.

They're not home yet. Not for Lisa, at least, who surely considers 'home' the city and not Mondstadt's outermost borders. But Jean appreciates the effort.

By the time they've finished, the fire has burned low. There's no wood left to feed it; they just have to hope the embers last into the night. At least none of them are shivering any longer.

"We can pile the rest of this grass up in that back corner and sleep on it," Lisa says, rising and starting to do just that.

Jean leaps up to help her gather it into a pile. Kaeya sits a moment longer, staring blank-faced at nothing, then pushes himself to his feet and joins them. Once they have it piled up, though, and Lisa has plopped down atop it and pulled Jean down beside her, he takes a step back and settles down on the floor a good foot away, leaning against the wall.

It hurts. It's a familiar pain by now, but it *hurts*. Jean looks at him curled against the stone with his knees pulled to his chest and wants to cry.

"Join us," she tells him instead, keeping her voice level and even, her trained-in commander's calm, to keep from letting that show. "We'll be warmer that way. None of us can afford to get cold."

"I already am," he says, his voice as blank as his expression, without a trace of even falsified emotion. No, he wouldn't have made it if they'd kept going. "There's no point in making you two colder."

"You don't even have your Vision on you. You're not well. The cold will only make that worse."

"If you make Jean have to carry you home tomorrow, I'll make *sure* you'll regret it," Lisa adds.

Her sweet-voiced threat moves him where Jean's persuasion hadn't. Kaeya scoots the foot over to join them on the piled grass and settles down again in the same position. He's an inch away from Jean still, not quite closing the gap, but she doesn't have the energy to argue further.

Lying down on the hay, she lets Lisa curl into her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder to pull at least the person who *wants* her beside them close, and is asleep as soon as she closes her eyes.

***

In the dream, Kaeya is falling. No glider, no Vision, just the long, long fall, slipping out of the cube of water and plummeting towards the water below. Jean yanks Lisa the rest of the way back in, then kicks hard and plunges out of it herself, reaching for her glider's cord and preparing herself to pull it as soon as she's called her Anemo.

She reaches for her Vision, reaches for the wind, for Barbatos' blessing to send swirling out and slow Kaeya's flight so that he can hit the water at a speed he'll survive.

In the dream, it doesn't come.

Jean drops until she can't any further, hand on her Vision, reaching frantically for the power that isn't there. She's shouting, pleas and prayers and imprecations, and finally pulls her glider's cord almost too late, slowing her own descent if not Kaeya's. All the way down, all she can see on his face is that horrible blank look of resignation.

***

She wakes up sobbing his name.

Lisa is shaking her, and he's answering, "Jean, Jean, I'm here," over and over again at her side. Jean reaches out blindly to grab at him, eyes fuzzy with tears, her breath catching in her throat as she pulls him close and squeezes his arm and blinks until she can look at him and make sure, absolutely sure, that it's him beside her and alive.

He looks concerned. He has the *gall* to look concerned.

"I'm right here," he says again, his thigh still that careful inch away from her own even though she's pulled him down nearly on top of her, and she's possessed with the sudden urge to bite him.

He's cold. Not the way he'd pretended to worry about, not the chill of his Vision, but *cold*, skin chill beneath her fingers, his movements sluggish as he reaches up to pat her hand. Just because his Cryo gives him more cold tolerance doesn't mean that he's immune. The Sheer Cold of Dragonspine can punch right through it; she's not surprised that near-drowning and blood loss and three days on the run can do the same. Only angry that he hadn't come any closer however many hours ago she fell asleep.

"Why do you do this?" she asks him, her voice choked and thick beyond all her ability to hide. "Why can't you believe us when we say you want you here? Do you think I am *lying* to you? Or are you lying to me when you say you want to be with us?"

Kaeya makes a sound like she's punched all the air out of him.

Then he shifts his weight, just a little, and draws breath. Jean suddenly doesn't want to hear whatever he has to say. The little laugh, or the dismissive false reassurance, or the self-deprecating joke that doesn't actually answer any of her questions. Or the confession of the lie.

Lisa must sense that. She must, because she intercedes like the blessing she is before he can actually speak. "Don't answer that tonight, cutie," she tells him. "Just think about the answer before you say anything to us. And get a little closer, no matter what. I'd expect the captain of a field company to have a better idea of the risks of hypothermia."

Kaeya sighs, letting out the breath, and finally, finally pulls closer. He wraps his own arm around Jean's back, if a little awkwardly, and presses his leg against hers, and lies down and curls in to press his face against her shoulder.

At that Jean sags, all the anger running out of her. The hurt is still there, and she may be angry again in the morning. Right now she's too tired and too sad. She squeezes both of them, kisses Lisa's hair in silent gratitude, and then closes her eyes and lets sleep take her again. This time, at least, she doesn't dream.

[almighty-letu]

Day 2 Aleheather Week 2024

Day two, November 12th - Secret relationship/rain

Create something that involves a secret relationship between Aleheather, whether it takes place on the show or not. OR create a rainy day for Aleheather.

This is more a "what if" au thingy where Heather and Alejandro semi-solved their issues behind the scenes of all stars. Hope you enjoy!

Winter was over. Sprigs and buds started to bloom on the branches as the seasons shifted. Heather watched the pouring rain outside from within the winner’s cabin. It’s been raining for a while now, turning the ground outside damp and muddy. Good thing there was no challenge today. Although Heather wouldn’t put it past Chris to find some entertaining way to torment them if the storm did not let up soon.

Heather sat by the windowsill, bundled up and reading a book, soothed by the sounds of the thundering rain as she alternated between taking sips of her coffee and filing the pages of her book.

“Heather?” She looked up from her book, dark eyes inquisitive. Alejandro was hand-standing in the doorway. She lifted one eyebrow. “Can we talk?”

Sighing, Heather snapped her book closed, beckoning him to go ahead.

He drew closer and situated himself next to her on the windowsill, numb legs sprawled sideways and dangling over the edge. “I have been meaning to speak with you. Alone.”

“I already gathered that. And?”

Alejandro blinked at her. He hesitated, took a deep breath, and continued. “Do you ever regret what you did?”

Heather furrowed her eyebrows. “You’re gonna have to be more specific.”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Heather. It’s me. We both know what we’re talking about here.” Alejandro hissed impatiently. “Back at World Tour. Back in Drumheller… and the volcano.” His eyes met hers. “In this one year we’ve been apart… have you ever thought of me at all?”

Heather gazed back at him. Although part of her longed to snap back at him defensively, for once she sensed his inquiries didn’t come from a malicious intent of trying to rile her up. His voice just sounded so uncharacteristically sad. His green eyes were full of such sorrow that there was no bottom or end to it.

“I missed you.” He went on when he received no answer. “When I was stuck in the robot suit there was not a day that went by where I didn’t think of you. To think I’d see you again… it was the only thing that kept me going.”

“That seems… a bit over dramatic, don’t you think?” Heather scoffed, trying to lighten up the mood.

Alejandro stared at her. “Back on the volcano, I meant every word I said. For what it's worth, I think we could make one hell of a team.”

“We are on the same team. For now.” Heather said.

“But you know I want more than that!” Alejandro told her. He leaned closer, taking one of her pale hands between his warm palms. “I know we are in a competition right now. The million dollars matters a lot to both of us.” He whispered. “And while part of me still resents you for the way you treated me a year ago… that still doesn’t change the way I feel about you.”

Heather avoided his eyes. “My feelings for you haven’t changed either.” She reluctantly confessed, her voice quivering. “But we’re in the middle of a game! Now is not the time to rethink our relationship.”

“Will there ever be a perfect time?” Alejandro queried.

“What you are asking for is impossible, you know that right?” Heather retorted, ripping her hand away. “If we do this… if we let THIS get in the way, the chances of either of us winning the game will be slim. The other contestants will take one look at us, see we’re allies, and do everything in their power to boot us off first. A relationship right now is way too risky.”

“The others don’t have to know.” Alejandro said, his voice leveled and clear. “Nothing has to change. We’ll play the game just as we always have. We’ll give it our all for our team and the challenges - we’ll do whatever it takes to win. But in the meantime… while we’re away from prying eyes… can’t we just focus on us for a little while?” He cupped her cheek lovingly with one hand.

Lowering my guard around him? Now that’s just asking to paint a target on my back. Heather thought idly. If no one is going to vote me off, then he most definitely will. Is that a risk I am willing to take?

Heather leaned closer to rest her forehead against his. “I can keep a secret if you will.”

In the moment, Heather let go of her restraints and took a leap of faith as the rain poured down out there. How can something so wrong feel so right?

[kfkr1ze]

[002-A19] Bad Will Hunting[1]

Summary — ✈︎ The students called Ushio to a meeting. When they demand an explanation as to why he’s being uncooperative with his work, he gives them a sarcastic response in retaliation…

Characters— ✈︎ Ushio, Nanaki, Akuta, Kiroku, Muneuji, Sakujiro

Location: Otomari Chuuzaemon Inn in Shodoshima

Ushio: ………

Nanaki: ………

Ushio: What do you want? Wearing such a scary expression on your face. 

Nanaki: We need to talk. …Let’s go. Everyone is waiting for you.

Ushio: (Uwah, I got a bad feeling about this one. This seems like more trouble than it’s worth…)

I’d love to go, but my stomach hurts y’know? Didn’t you hear that from Chief? I’m just taking a break today, soーー

Nanaki: You’ll be fine.

Ushio:  Ah… Wai… Don’t touch me!!

…I’m going.

Nanaki: ………

Kiroku: ………

Muneuji: ………

Akuta: Welcome back, Uu-chan!

Ushio: … Don’t call me that.

So? What’s this about? You got a reason for surrounding me like this?

Nanaki: The drawstring bag… It looks like he has it with him.

Akuta: See? I knew he didn’t throw it away. 

Okay, next up is my turn sooo, don’t mind if I do!

… Yup, it’s all good. The egg, feat. alien legs, are all in one piece!

Ushio: What, don’t tell me that this is all because you guys thought I threw away the egg?

Kiroku: You… weren’t in your room…… so we thought… maybe……

Nanaki: ………

Ushio: Of course I didn’t throw it away. Didn’t we all decide on that?

Nanaki: … I’ll apologize for suspecting you. I’m sorry.

Ushio: I don’t really care though.

Muneuji: With that, one of the problems has been resolvedーー

Akuta: Mhmm…

Nanaki: ………

Kiroku: ………

Ushio: Again, what is this all about? If you have something to say, spit it out already.

Muneuji: There’s no other issues, other than the work for the summer festival.

There were some concerns that maybe Uu-chan hasn’t been progressing properly in your preparations for the summer festival.

Ushio: (Ughh so there were complaints about that? I knew this was gonna be an annoying ass talk. So draining…)

These “concerns” you’re talking about… Was it all from one person?

Nanaki: Why are you looking at my face?

Ushio: There doesn’t have to be any special reason, does there? It's not like I'm thinking that Panda is the most likely candidate to say stuff like that or anything.

Nanaki: Even Kinugawa-kun is doing his best for this, no matter how much he’s struggling with it. It’s normal to not want someone holding us back.

Kiroku: Eh…… M-Me……?

Nanaki: I know you’re trying your best for this. It’s only natural to notice that when we’re living in the same room.

Kiroku: ………

Nanaki: And that’s why, Kurama-kun should alsoーー

Ushio: Doesn’t really matter in the end, since the event on the day after tomorrow is getting canceled.

Akuta: ………

Nanaki & Kiroku & Muneuji: ………

Akuta: EEEHHH!? W-WHY!?

Muneuji: For what reason?

Ushio: On that day, there’s an 80% chance of rain around the evening. It’ll be pouring down right around the time of the summer festival.

It’s fine to believe in shit like effort, friendship, and youth or whatever, but shouldn’t you at least check the weather forecast?

Nanaki: What about the JMA’s weather control?

Muneuji: No, I’m sure they’d ensure the skies were clear for events at urban places like HAMA, but for the more rural areas…

I’m certain that they wouldn’t take such measures here.

Akuta: A-A-Are you serious～～～！?

I’ve been a city boy since I was born so things like that completely slipped my mind…

Nanaki: Can’t we try asking the JMA now?

Kiroku: …… I don’t think…… they’d listen… to just…… one person……

Ushio: (Hm…)

Akuta: Should we just try to pray for clear weather!?

Like gathering around a bonfire to pray for rain, but the opposite!

Kiroku: …Do you have…… a power…… like that… Isotake…?

Akuta: Nah, not at all!

Ushio: (Life is filled with absurd events like this. No matter how hard you try, or how pure you try to live your lifeーー)

(Some stupid, unavoidable absurdity falls on you and ruins everything.)

(Of course I knew this already, ever since back then, but for kids like this who were raised with privilege and protection? This is probably the first time they’ve been exposed to something like this.)

(Serves them right.)

Hey.

Nanaki: Hah?

Ushio: It’s a shame that it never got healed. That broken heart you got from that time in the old building.

Nanaki: … Is spewing out sarcasm the only thing you know how to do? No wonder they call you a pleasant guy. 

Ushio: ……!

Muneuji: A pleasant guy?

Nanaki: That’s what his classmates call him behind his back. It’s a fittingly ironic nickname for someone as cruel as him.

Ushio: ………

Muneuji: … I see. It’s pretty well put.

Ushio: ……!

Muneuji: Ah, I didn’t mean like that, please don’t misunderstand. I was just impressed that you were given such a spiteful nicknameーー

Ushio: (What’s with that phrasing? How is Muu-chan able to stay as nonchalant as he always is while I’m the only one feeling this uncomfortable…?)

(This is… so unfair…!)

… Y’know, Muneuji…

You didn’t seem to be that upset by the fact that the festival got canceled because of the rain. You’re the one who knows best just how much everyone worked for this, don’t you?

Muneuji: ………

Ushio: Could it be, maybe when it doesn’t concern your father, you consider it to be someone else’s problem?

Maybe, in this train wreck, the rails that you were on were already shifted and the damage isn’t as great to you, so you don’t care?

Muneuji: … Just what are you trying to say?

Ushio: I’m just saying. If that never happened to your father, you wouldn’t even be where you’re at right now.

(You’re different that I amーー)

What I’m saying is, it’s great that you got a little sister who you can give souvenirs to.

Muneuji: Ghーー！

Akuta: Ah, Muneuji’s pupils blew upーー

Muneuji: …Kinugawa.

Hold onto my phone and my watch.

Kiroku: Eh? Okay… but…

Ushio: Huuh? Did I offend you?

Muneuji: You too, Ushio. If you’re holding onto anything you wouldn’t like destroyed, put them to the side. If you refuse to take back what you just said… Then I’m going to duel you.

Ushio: Hah, how am I supposed to take back a fact? Aren’t you just averting your eyes from the truth now?

Muneuji: That’s enough. Shut your mouth. Prepare yourself.

Ushio: ーーHmph, don’t think it’ll be as easy to toss me around as it was last time. 

Nanaki: He was thrown by him just the other day…

Akuta: I-It’s a fight～～～！ WOO WOOO! Get him, get him! Don’t lose, both of you guys!

Isotake’s Gambling Foundation is in full support of this clash between friends! Dear customer, which side are you betting on?

Nanaki: Of course I’m putting 1,000 yen on Muneuji… not! What are you doing!? We have to stop them!

Hey, calm down! Kaguya-kun!

Muneuji: Do not interfere! Uu-chan purposefully angered me. He made his bed, and now he must lie in it.

He wants to be thrown around. He’s asking for it, I’m sure of it. …I want to throw him, as well.

Nanaki: Why would he ask for that!? Ugh, I don’t have another choice…!

Akuta! Help me stop themーー

Akuta: Great, keep going! I’m at the edge of my seat! Don’t hold back, you guys～～～！ You’ll kill the footage～～～！

Nanaki: Whaー Is now the time to be filming!? Kinugawa-kun youーー Already disappeared too!

Ugh, seriously…! Why did it turn out like this…!?

Kaede: Let’s see… Did I manage to make the shumai recipe that Yuki-nii taught me correctly?

Waah! Look at this, Sakujiro-san! I think I actually made them pretty well!

Sakujiro: Oh my, this is… What beautiful, moist skin, reminiscent of platinum…!

The plump, steamy green peas add a burst of color to the snow capped mountains, like a flower budding in the spring…!

This is a wondrous piece of art. I’m thoroughly impressed.

Kaede: The Chinese porridge you made looks amazing as well, Sakujiro-san! The finishing look would look great for pictures on dazzle!

Sakujiro: I’m honored to hear you say so. The soup and the sides are finished, so let us prepare them to be servedーー

(Muffled banging)

Kaede: ……? It’s so noisy upstairs… I wonder what happened.

They’re still pretty young and full of energy, so they might even be play wrestling right now… Ahaha!

Sakujiro: Chief.

Kaede: Yes?

Sakujiro: It seems a helpless fawn has stumbled its way into our castleーー As in, the kitchen.

Kaede: Huh? ーーOh, Kiroku-kun?

Kiroku: ……

Kaede: What’s the matter? You’re shaking a lot…

Kiroku: …… Chief… and, Sensei…… There’s… a fight.

Kaede: Eh!?

Previous — ✈︎ Masterlist — ✈︎ Next

Notes — ✈︎

I believe the title is a reference to the movie “Good Will Hunting”. It's about a guy named Will, a self taught math genius who works as a janitor at a college. He was solving difficult math problems on the blackboard. Will is later arrested after he attacks a responding police officer. The professor who wrote the challenges arranges for Will to avoid jail time if he agrees to study math under his supervision and participate in therapy sessions. Will agrees but is uncooperative in therapy and mocks all his therapists. After Will drove away his first 5 therapists, the professor gets an old friend named Sean to be his therapist. Unlike the others, Sean actually challenges Will's defense mechanisms. During the first session, Will insults his deceased wife, and Sean threatens him, but after a few unproductive sessions, Will finally begins to open up […] Sean points out to Will that he is so adept at anticipating future failure in his interpersonal relationships that he deliberately sabotages them to avoid emotional pain. 

[dreamy625]

Contrary to popular opinion - ficlet

I wrote something silly

Words: 1381

Content: Little bit of swearing

-----------------------------

“So we’re really going to do this then?”

“We agreed it’s time, didn't we? But we don’t have to, if you’re getting cold feet?”

“No, you’re right. It’s been nearly two years, we can’t keep hiding it. I just worry how they’re going to react.”

“They’re our mates and they love us. Well, sort of. They might be shocked at first, but I think they’ll be okay with it once they get used to the idea. And if they aren’t, well, fuck ‘em!”

“Yeah, fuck ‘em!” echoed Steve, with more resolve than he really felt. 

“Ready?”

Steve nodded and reached out his hand to grasp Phil’s. 

“Here we go then.” With his other hand, Phil pushed open the door to the Rec room and greeted the rest of the band. “Morning, everyone!”

There was a chorus of ‘morning’s and ‘how do’s from the various band members and techs scattered around the room, and an unintelligible grunt from Sav, who hadn’t had enough coffee to form actual words yet, but, engrossed in newspapers and the morning mail, no one looked up. 

“How are we doing this fine day?” he continued, hoping to draw at least some eyes towards them.

Joe looked from the football scores to the window and then to the two guitarists. “It’s raining?”

“Err, that is a fine day in Holland, need the rain to fill up the canals!”

Joe frowned but decided it wasn’t worth questioning the logic of this and just went back to his paper.

Phil steered them in a circuitous route around the room, stopping to greet Rick.

“Morning lads.” The drummer looked up. “Nice shirt, Steve.”

“Thanks, it’s new.”

Impatient, Phil prompted, “Notice anything else?”

Rick squinted at the two of them. “You got your hair cut?” he hazarded.

“Oh never mind.” Phil gave up, dragging Steve away to the breakfast buffet.

“The doughnuts are good today!” Rick called after them.

“It’s not working,” puzzled Phil as they busied themselves pouring tea and choosing pastries, “maybe we’re being too subtle?”

“I’ve got an idea…”

Steve started rattling crockery until at least a few of the people scattered around the room looked vaguely in their direction, and then pounced on the other man with what looked like it was going to be a giant sloppy kiss, but ended up more of an awkward peck with their noses bumping. Other than Sav rolling his eyes, there was no reaction. When Phil blinked and recovered from the inept surprise attack, Steve’s expression was a pained cringe. Phil grabbed his shoulder and almost pushed him out of the door into the corridor and away from the audience.

“What was that? Even I didn’t believe that!” 

“I know, sorry, I got nervous at the last second.”

“Well it was a good thought, but no one batted an eyelid. At this rate we're going to have to screw on the mixing desk before anyone notices anything.” 

“That seems a bit extreme. Not to mention uncomfortable.”

“So we need a different approach. Something a bit more obvious.” 

“How about we start referring to each other as boyfriends?” 

“That might work. And we could call each other darling?”

“But we don't even do that in private?” 

“Well I can't call you my actual name for you now can I, Bunny?”

“No, please no.”

“See, that’s why it suits you so well, because you’re so cute.” He reached up and booped the blushing man’s nose.

“Shuddup,” Steve muttered, but he couldn’t hide a pleased little smile.

-----------------------------

Back in the lounge, Sav turned to Joe with an observation. “Is it just me, or are those two even weirder than usual today?”

“The snogging you mean?”

“No, they’re always doing that. The muttering in corners. I think they’re up to something.”

“Plotting more of their shenanigans probably. Remember the day they spoke in Spanish accents?”

“And that time they tried to do everything backwards and Steve fell down the stairs; and when they pretended to be each other for an entire week.”

Joe shuddered. “The sight of Phil trying to fit in Steve’s jeans will haunt me for life!”

-----------------------------

During lunch Phil asked for ‘water, for my boyfriend’, ‘ketchup, for my boyfriend’, ‘extra napkins, for my BOYFRIEND’ and so many other things that the exasperated waitress eventually just brought him a tray of condiments and cutlery, and on the journey back to the studio, Steve sat on Phil’s lap, even though there were enough seats for everyone. But still no one commented, or even acted like their behaviour was the least bit unusual. That evening, back in the room that was ostensibly Phil’s, though in fact they shared it, they reconsidered their strategy.

“There’s nothing else for it, we're going to have to actually tell people.”

“You do it, you’re better at words.”

“But you’ve known them longer.”

“That’s why they’ll be shocked. But everyone knows you’ll shag anything with a pulse, so they won’t be that surprised you’re shagging me!”

“Cheeky!” exclaimed Phil with mock offence, poking him in the ribs. Then he turned serious. “You know it’s not just that, right?”

“I know. I don’t understand why you’d pick me, but you did, so…” He shrugged.

“You are ridiculous.” Phil threw an arm round the other man’s shoulders, pulling him close and kissing him on the forehead. “I love you, you pillock. And tomorrow we’ll tell everyone and then I won’t have to pretend not to any more.”

“That’ll be nice,” murmured Steve, settling into his embrace. 

-----------------------------

The time they chose for the big announcement was the end of the day when everyone, Mutt included, was hanging around the studio listening to the tracks they’d put down that day. They’d been twitchy about it all day, but the somewhat anticlimactic response to Phil’s stammered ‘Me and Steve, we’re… well… we’re together’ was neither the outrage and derision they’d feared, nor the happiness and congratulations they’d hoped for. It was laughter.

“See, I told you they were up to something,” crowed Sav.

“Gotta give it to you, lads, this is real commitment to the bit,” added Mutt.

“No, really,” protested Phil, “we are a couple. Partners, boyfriends…”

“We’re in love,” declared Steve, flushing pink. 

“Nah, you’re pulling my leg.”

Phil resorted to desperate measures, grabbing Steve round the neck and giving him a passionate kiss, squeezing his arse for added effect. 

“Would we do that if we weren't a couple?"

Joe and Sav looked at each other and nodded. “Yes?”

“Definitely,” confirmed Rick.

“You've always done that.”

“Well we've ALWAYS been a couple!” insisted Steve.

That revelation finally shocked everyone into considering it seriously.

“What do you mean always?”

“Err, since we were rehearsing for the Pyro tour. All that time together working out guitar parts. We sort of… grew on each other.”

“Then there was a bottle of Jack Daniels and a hotel room with a really big bathtub…”

“Phil! They do not need to know that!” He looked around the control room. “How did you never even suspect? Sav, you’ve stayed at our flat in Paris - didn't you wonder why we’ve only got one bedroom? And Mutt, you noticed our matching necklaces. And everyone always comments that we spend all our time together.” 

Rick shrugged. “We just thought you were best mates; like Joe and Sav, they're always together.”

“Hmm, maybe there's something they need to tell us too?” mused Phil.

“FUCK NO!” Joe and Sav hollered in unison, leaping six feet apart.

“No offence, mate.”

“None taken. You’re a fine figure of a man, but you’re not my type.”

Joe decided not to think about whether he was flattered by that remark and turned back to the newly-revealed couple. “You’re serious about this?”

“Totally…”

“Like a heart attack.”

“Then congratulations are in order.” Sav stepped forward and gave them both a back-slapping hug. “We should go get drinks to celebrate!”

Joe still looked a little concerned. “Are you gonna be doing that… smoochy stuff… all the time now then?”

“Maybe,” stated Phil defiantly.

“That might take a bit of getting used to, but, okay. Happy for you, mates.”

“Do we have to start playing disco now?” quipped Rick.

“We’re not GAY,” snorted Steve.

“We’re not?” Phil lifted their still-clasped hands.

“All right, we’re a bit gay. But we’re not that gay.”