#key kid Stephen

[htaesan]

　ᅠ ✿　ᅠ REWIND TO YOU 　　────　ᅠ ( myung jaehyun )

𝓹recis ⠀ : ⠀your reunion with one of the most important people in your life, myung jaehyun, was not like what you hoped for at all. instead of a heartwarming session of two best friends meeting each other after a decade of lost contact, you’re facing a person who seemed to forget a meaningful childhood spent together, like it meant nothing at all.

　　　ᅠ 명재현 ⠀⠀◜◡◝ ⠀⠀𝒇 shy!reader ⠀wc 14.6k ⠀ genre fluff angst childhood friends to lovers high school au ⠀ contains mentions of food skinship random ocs some bnd members and shinyu ⠀ tagging @a-dream-bookmark ,@/k-labels , @k-nets , @k-films , @sgz-net , @onedoornet

　　　ᅠ 　　　ᅠ BEST ENJOYED WITH .. l i f e i s c o o l by boynextdoor, amnesia by boynextdoor, in bloom by zerobaseone, teenage dream by stephen dawes, unfinished business by neriah, if i say i love you by boynextdoor, old with you by grentperez, but you by ikon & serenade by boynextdoor

　　　ᅠ note ᅠ from ᅠ 𝐋𝐈𝐋𝐈 ! ᅠ i hope all of you enjoy this spin i made out of the usual childhood friends to lovers trope! and soph.. i dedicate this to you (Pls Spare me), and if you ask, yes i will dedicate every single leehan and myungjae fic to my wifey!

　　　ᅠ ＞︿ 　　please leave feedbacks 　　& 　　reblog

 “I HATE YOU, MYUNG JAEHYUN!”

Your screams echoed through the playground, accompanied by Jaehyun’s loud giggles. You took a deep breath as you chased him around, your hair flying behind you. Jaehyun had ‘cheated’ when the two of you were playing hide and seek a few minutes ago—he went on asking around the other kids if they had seen you. And one of the stupider kids did tell him that he saw you inside the slide. 

Jaehyun was quickly out of breath as he was laughing his heart out while running, and you caught up to him pretty quickly. You launched yourself at him, tackling him to the ground. You hit his chest several times, pouting. 

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry,” Jaehyun said, blocking your hits. His laughter died down, but that insufferable grin was still glued to his face. He was obviously loving all the attention he’s getting from his best friend—even though she’s sitting on top of him, sulkily pinning him to the ground. 

“It’s unfair,” you huffed. You eventually stopped hitting him, but you were still a little upset. How could Jaehyun win, especially by cheating?

“I’m sorry, Sunshine,” he said, his dreadful smirk morphing into a small yet soft smile. “You’re just too good at hide-and-seek.”

“That doesn’t mean you can cheat,” you replied, a pout still evident in your expressions. 

Jaehyun pursed his lips, and for a while, he stayed silent—the gears in his brain working to think of a solution for you. “What about this—let’s go to the convenience store and buy some Pepero or whatever you want. It’s on me!”

You couldn’t stop a smile from erupting on your face. The key to your heart was the simplest thing in the entire world: food, and Jaehyun knew this—and he often used this fact to its fullest potential. It didn’t really help that he’s your best friend, too, so he clearly knew what your favourites were. You weren’t exactly complaining, though. Jaehyun liked to tease you, and as compensation for making you a little pouty, he’d buy or offer you some food.

A win-win situation for seven-year-olds.

“Okay!” you agreed cheerfully. 

And that’s how you found yourself, happily munching on Pepero and chocolate churro chips on the way back to the playground from the store. Jaehyun walked next to you, holding a bunch of candy in his hands. 

You were munching on your snacks, and were just about to thank him for the Pepero when Jaehyun leaned in, stealing a big bite of the Pepero from your hand. 

You shrieked in shock, pouting after realising what had happened. 

“Jaehyun!” you whined, hitting his arm.

Jaehyun giggled. “You snooze, you lose,” he teased with a stupid grin. 

You crossed your arms, huffing. “Some best friend you are.”

Jaehyun’s grin immediately faltered. He quickly broke the chocolate chip cookie he was nibbling on in half, handing you the bigger piece. “Here. Best friends share, right?”

You eyed him rather suspiciously before taking it. “Fine. But you owe me for life.”

“How does that work?” Jaehyun asked, tilting his head slightly. 

“We’d have to be best friends forever,” you replied. The look on your face was enough to tell how serious you meant your words, even for a first grader. “That way, you can always buy me food every day.”

“What if… I won’t be here tomorrow?” Jaehyun asked. You immediately turned to him, confused. That wasn’t what you expected from him as an answer. 

You took a minute of munching through your chips for you to analyse Jaehyun’s doubtful expression. “What are you talking about? Don’t be silly,” you shoved his shoulder. “You’re always here.”

Jaehyun smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Then, promise me—let’s be best friends,  no matter what happens.”

You paused, staring right into his eyes.  

Jaehyun looked at you, his face mixed with some kind of fondness and amusement. “Promise me, Sunshine?” he asked, holding out his pinky in a solemn promise. “Best friends forever.”

You returned his gaze, a smile forming on your face as you linked your pinky with his, sealing the promise without a second of hesitation. “Always.”

The words echoed in the air, and from the way the winds caressed your skin, it’s like the universe had taken note of your promise to each other. 

However, you were completely unaware that this would be the last day you’d spend with him. 

The next afternoon, after completing tasks that your mother had told you to do, you rushed to Jaehyun’s house—a few mere blocks away—with a bag of homemade cookies in hand. A big smile was painted across your face, you were excited to surprise Jaehyun with the sweet treats that you had baked with your mother last night. 

But something was wrong. 

The front yard, usually scattered with Jaehyun’s soccer balls and bicycles, was oddly empty. The windows were shut tight, and the driveway—where his father’s car was always parked—was vacant. 

You felt your heart thump hard against your chest. Your grip on the paper bag tightened, and you approached the front door. 

You knocked. 

Nothing. 

“Jaehyun?” 

You knocked again, harder this time. 

“Myungjae? It’s me, Y/N–”

“Sweetheart? Who are you looking for?” 

You turned towards the voice straight away. It was the old lady who lived next door, the one who always made sure to give you and Jaehyun a popsicle whenever you two passed by her house. She had a gentle yet unreadable smile on her face. You ran up to her, head spinning with a dozen questions. 

“Where’s Jaehyun?” you asked her. 

“My dear…” she began, her voice soft. “Jaehyun left early this morning.”

You blinked. The words were heavy, but you couldn’t understand what they meant. “Left? Where?”

“They moved away.”

Nothing made sense. Jaehyun moved? No one had said anything about moving. 

You looked back towards Jaehyun’s house, hoping that the door would swing open and that he would come running towards you, grinning like he always did. 

But he didn’t come. 

The house was quiet, empty. 

Your throat tightened. “But he promised to play. He said he would… stay.”

The lady kneeled in front of you, brushing a strand of hair away from your face. “I’m so sorry, my dear.”

You bit your lips, and you didn’t realise you were crying until you tasted salt on your lips. 

Later that evening, you had found yourself wandering back to the playground, the noisy chatter of kids playing around fading into the background. The paper bag still in hand, you walked around aimlessly. You could still hear Jaehyun’s laughter ringing in your ears, the sound of your footsteps blending with his as you two ran around. 

Jaehyun was gone.

And he didn’t even say goodbye. 

You sat down at a bench overlooking the playground where the two of you always played, staring at the place where you both had linked pinkies and made a promise. A promise you had believed in with all your heart.

A promise that, it seemed, only you remembered.

“I’LL see you after school, sweetie,” your father says into your hair. You set your lips into a line, nodding timidly. 

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” your mother asks, appearing from behind your father. “We can always accompany you to school–”

“Darling,” your father reminds your mother by putting a gentle hand on her arm. “Our Y/N will be fine. She’s almost eighteen now, I’m sure she can handle it all.” 

You give your parents a reassuring smile before walking away, each step bringing you uncomfortably away from home.

The morning felt weird, anyway. You’re here, in a new school, in a state you’ve never set foot to before. The air here feels like a heavy fog, clinging to your chest as you stand in front of the towering school building. You could feel the weight of an agonising unknown pressing down on you. It’s a sensation that you could never get used to, despite the sun peeking through the clouds, and the bustling cacophony of students around you. You stand at the gates, fingers tightly grasping the straps of your backpack. You take a deep breath, remembering your mother’s advice to help overcome your nerves. 

You walk into your new school, the new feeling of being somewhere so unfamiliar enveloping you. It feels different from the school you left behind—the campus is bigger here, the hallways seemed endless and much wider, and each turn made you feel like you’re lost in a looping maze. They even have a separate building for the library.

You find your footsteps slowing down as you reach the middle of the common area, unsure of where you should go. Your eyes dart here and there, desperately trying to find some kind of clue that could help you. 

You had always been the quiet one, preferring to keep to yourself, listening more than you talked, the one that often found herself slipping to the background of a party and corner of classrooms. Currently surrounded by boisterous students, each seeming to know what they’re doing, you feel slightly overwhelmed. The school map you opened on your phone suddenly feels too complicated for you to understand. 

Suddenly, something solid crashes against the back of your head, causing you to stumble forward, the impact hard enough to make the books you’re holding fall to the ground. 

“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry!”

You turn to reply, but find your words stuck in your throat. 

A tall guy in a basketball jersey stands before you, his hair tousled in an athletic tangle. He picks up the ball—the solid object that hit the back of your head a moment ago—and scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. He gives you a sheepish smile, trying his best to convey how sorry he is—but you’re too focused on his sharp features and messy brown hair. It’s all too familiar. 

Myung Jaehyun. 

Before you could say anything, he leans down and picks up your books. He hands them to you, a charming smile replacing whatever backward expression he had earlier. “Careful there, newbie,” he says, teasing. “Wouldn’t want to be trampled on your first day here, no?”

You take your books from him, dazed. 

He doesn’t recognise you. 

You watch as he jogs back to his friends, spinning the orange ball in his hands. You stand there, exactly where he left you, unsure of what to do next. 

YOU’RE sitting alone at lunch, perfectly at peace with your packed lunchbox. You sit quietly, not wanting to stand out. This is your first day at a completely new school, and the last thing you want is to make yourself the centre of attention. 

Unfortunately, fate had written that this was your first mistake. 

You’re about to enjoy your lunch in the comfort of solitude, a figure that you didn’t expect to see, again, slips into the seat in front of you.

“Hey, newbie,” you hear Jaehyun say as he takes a seat. “Eating alone?”

You simply nod, not knowing what to say. 

“So, um,” Jaehyun finds himself stuttering after not receiving a reply from you. “You’re the new student, right? That explains the self-introduction in class just now.”

You nod again. Seeing the pitiful look on his face, masked poorly by a confident demeanor, you decide to reply. “Yes. I just moved here.”

Jaehyun’s face lights up like a lightbulb. 

“I’m Jaehyun, if you didn’t know that,” he grins. “I’m in your homeroom! My seat is behind you.”

You noticed that, of course. Who wouldn’t recognise someone whose laugh echoed throughout the room, brightening the atmosphere like the rays of a bright spring morning?

You give him a small smile. 

“Your seatmate, Sanghyeok, is my friend! He told me you seemed… er, lonely,” he hesitates for a while, “so I came up with a genius plan,” Jaehyun reveals with a grin that you’re a bit too familiar with. 

He’d always flash that big smile towards you whenever he wanted to propose a plan, but didn’t really want to take credit for it, in case it was a little too ridiculous. 

“What is it?” you reply. 

“We should be friends,” Jaehyun responds, and your eyes widen almost immediately. 

What does he mean by that?

Your heart begins to race, not just because you’re shocked to see Jaehyun, who was once the most important person in your life, after so many years—but from the fact that he naturally is taking charge, like it’s the easiest thing in the world. Like it came to him with no hesitation. 

“It’s all good! I talked to my friends—Sanghyeok, Sungho, Yoona and Minji—about this, and they all seem pretty cool about it.”

“Oh,” is all you’re able to manage. Everything is moving a little too briskly, and you’re feeling a bit dizzy from how fast things are escalating. 

You feel your brain short-circuiting. 

Just like that?

No hesitation? No ‘wait, Y/N? Is that you?’? No recognition?

You swallow hard. 

“Thank you?” you say, wary. You take a small bite of your sandwich. “I appreciate it.”

“Of course,” Jaehyun beams, and as if on cue, he waves towards a group of people behind you. You turn around, eyes slightly bulging at the way Jaehyun’s friends are quickly approaching your table. You recognise Sanghyeok, naturally, and the girl with a bubbly smile that you assume would be Yoona, but the rest of his friends are new faces for you. 

Jaehyun barely left any room for you to process anything. 

As quickly as they came, the air begins to smell like snacks and sports equipment—a strangely uplifting scent. 

“Guys, meet Y/N!” Jaehyun announces as soon as his friends arrive, putting away their things. “She’s the new kid I told you guys about.”

You look at him for a few seconds. 

Jaehyun is beaming with a smile, and the way he introduced you with such confidence, like you’ve been best friends since forever, makes your heart thump in a weird way.

“Wow, that was fast,” the tall, broad shouldered boy comments, whistling playfully. “Already claiming her as one of us?”

Jaehyun puffs his chest out. “Of course, I have a talent for spotting good people–”

“Hi, nice to meet you, Y/N,” Yoona quickly says, rolling her eyes at Jaehyun. She takes the empty seat next to you. “We’re in the same homeroom. My name is Im Yoona.”

You give her a polite smile. 

A girl with sharp eyes and an amused smile displayed on her face slips into the seat next to Yoona. “So, did he actually ask if you’d like us to sit with you, or did he have you sit here unwillingly?”

You hesitate. “Unwillingly…?”

“Shut up, Minji,” Jaehyun grumbles as the entire group bursts into laughter. 

“That’s Jaehyun for you,” Sanghyeok, your desk mate, says to you. He then gives you a warm smile, just like earlier. “Do you like how KOZ Academy is so far?”

You take a little bite out of your sandwich. “It’s fine. I like how big the campus is.”

“That’s what I always brag about this school,” Minji, who’s been quiet for a while, adds in. The smile on her face is relaxed. “I’ve been here since freshman year, and I still can’t fathom the way we have a swimming pool and tennis courts.”

You nod enthusiastically, recalling how you did see the facilities she mentioned in the school map. 

“Speaking of that, should we give the newbie a tour of the school?” Jaehyun suggests, his face lightening up with excitement. He barely swallows his food as he’s giving you a bright, friendly grin. 

“You speak of her like she’s not in front of you,” the tall boy sighs. He turns to you, smiling apologetically. “I’m sorry. Y/N, isn’t it? I’m Sungho.”

You nod. “Yeah. Nice to meet you.”

“Do you want us to give you a tour of the school?” Yoona asks. She gestures to Jaehyun. “Don’t worry, this dumbass won’t be in charge of it.”

“Hey!” Jaehyun exclaims. 

“You’ll just show her the boring parts of school,” Minji chimes in. 

Jaehyun makes a bewildered expression. “I will not–!”

“Remember the time when Sanghyeok first came to this school? You showed him all the unnecessary classrooms that you didn’t have time to show him where the lunch card machine is,” Sungho adds, laughing.  

Jaehyun rolls his eyes. He passes you a snack. “You’re all so dramatic. Anyway,” he says, shifting his gaze to you. “Don’t mind them, Y/N. You’re welcome here—just sit back and relax.”

You nod, suddenly hyper aware of the fact that it’s the only reaction you’re able to give them so far. You’re not so sure that you’re able to relax when all these new faces have their eyes on you, but surprisingly, their energy isn’t too bad. It’s welcoming, bustling with a friendly spirit. It’s uncomfortable, sure, but it’s not unkind. 

Jaehyun passes you another snack he grabbed from Sanghyeok’s stash, and something in your chest begins to warm. 

Maybe it’s not too bad at all. 

THE next day feels like a dream. 

You arrive at school pretty early, and much to your surprise, you’re greeted warmly by Yoona, who also happens to arrive at the same time as you. She hops off the bus and jogs towards you, catching up to you as soon as you park your bicycle. 

“Good morning, Y/N,” she smiles at you. 

You mirror her expression. “Good morning.”

“It’s still early… Do you want to go to the common area?” Yoona suggests. “I’m sure the rest will already be there.”

You simply nod. “Cool. Let’s go.”

Yoona links her arm with yours, and together, you walk towards the common area. It’s bustling and loud despite it being only half past seven. Most of the energy radiates from Jaehyun and his group of friends: the boys are tossing a basketball up and down—even though they’re clearly indoors, and they shouldn’t be playing with a ball inside. Minji sits on the sofa nearby, leaning back as she lazily reads through a novel, completely unbothered with the ruckus around her. 

As soon as you arrive, Yoona puts her bag down, sitting down next to Minji and they both begin chatting about whatever topic that comes to mind. You, however, aren’t used to this kind of energy—fast-paced, full of jokes and friendly banter. You sit at the edge of the sofa, unsure of how you’d insert yourself into the conversation. 

Jaehyun, on the other hand, is thriving. As always. 

“Bet I can make the shot from here,” he brags, crumpling a snack wrapper in his hands. He gestures to the trash can, located at the far corner of the room. 

“No way,” Sungho scoffs. “That’s, like, ten feet away.”

“You’re all talk, MJ,” Sanghyeok chimes in, laughing. 

Jaehyun smirks, turning to you. “Yo, new kid. Believe in me?”

You meet his eyes, blinking profusely. “Uh…” 

The group laughs, and Jaehyun gives you an exaggerated gasp. He puts a hand over his chest in a dramatic manner. “Wow. The hesitation? I’m hurt.”

“Well–” you say, pausing. You’re unsure if you should say what your thoughts really are, or if you should play it safe. You bit your lip, suddenly feeling self-conscious of the way you’re sitting.

“You’ll miss, definitely,” you quietly mumble. 

For a second—one that felt way too long—Jaehyun stares. 

Then, he throws his head back, laughing his lungs out. “Yo, she’s got a bite! I like her.”

You gape at him, not knowing what to respond to the grin he flashed at you amidst his loud laughter. Your face begins to burn, but the others are nodding in approval.

“Good job,” Minji pats your shoulder. “You’re keeping him humble.”

Sanghyeok hands you a juice box, grinning like his gesture is a kind of initiation. “You’re officially one of us.”

You hesitate, but eventually accept it. 

“Told you you’d fit right in,” Jaehyun says, nudging your side as he grins. 

And just like that, you find yourself smiling back. 

YOU’RE not sure if it’s just you, or it’s that Jaehyun does not remember you at all. It has been quite a long time, you admit that, but you don’t think that it’s reasonable for someone to completely forget someone so important, no matter how long you’ve been without them.

So, for the following weeks, you decided to test the waters, to see if Jaehyun truly did forget you, that if you’re just a passing memory in his childhood. 

“Jaehyun!” you exclaim, running up to the soccer court. The boy perks up, his eyes lightening up as he watches you jog up to him. He was scrolling animatedly on his phone, but when he heard his name being called by you, whatever that he was interested in was tossed aside. 

“Are you done with soccer?” you ask, panting slightly. 

Jaehyun nods. 

“What’s up, newbie?” he then grins, wiping off his sweat using the towel hanging around his neck. 

You cringe slightly at the nickname. “I have a name, you know.”

Jaehyun laughs, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry, Y/N. What’s wrong though?”

“Nothing,” you reply. You then rummage through your backpack, bringing out a bunch of strawberry fruit roll-ups. You give Jaehyun a small smile before handing them to him. “Here, I thought you’d want them after practice.”

Jaehyun beams, delightfully grabbing the candies. He opens one of them, and when he’s about to put it in his mouth, he pauses mid-action. His eyes turn straight to you, looking fixedly into your gaze. “Wait.” 

You bite the bottom of your lips, trying to contain yourself. 

“What?”

“How’d you know I like these?”

Your eyes bulge slightly, and you quickly purse your lips together to mask a smile. You knew Jaehyun liked these—ever since you started being friends with him, he had made it clear that he liked everything and anything that tastes like strawberries. You remember spending a lot of time in your childhood, trying the various breeds of strawberry, as well as strawberry candies and snacks that Jaehyun had shared with you; and over time, you just naturally knew specifically what he liked.

And turns out, the five foot seven inches high school senior that’s standing in front of you with a baffled expression on his face still does like strawberry flavoured things. 

He is the Myung Jaehyun that your heart holds dear, even after so many years. 

You shrug. “Just a feeling.”

Jaehyun places the fruit roll-up in his mouth, his gaze still trained on you. In his eyes, you can see that he’s questioning your words. But as the candy melts in his mouth, the doubt begins to dissipate, and his charming smile reappears. 

“Thank you,” Jaehyun’s grin twinkles. He grabs another candy and pops it into his mouth.

“These things are crazy—I can’t get enough of how good they taste!” he begins to chatter as he packs his things, his movement as swift as the speed of the words coming out of his mouth. When he’s done, he stands up straight and looks towards you, the expression in his eyes cheerful and full of energy. 

“Let’s go?” Jaehyun prompts. 

You adjust your backpack’s straps on your shoulders. “Go… where?”

“Home?” Jaehyun replies, perching up his eyebrow. He looks at you like you’ve asked the dumbest question he’s ever heard. “You live in my neighbourhood, don’t you? I always see you cycling home from the grocery store on Saturdays.” 

You hesitate. 

The fact that you do live in the same neighbourhood as Jaehyun does is bothering you in ways you’d never thought it would. It reminds you of the painful separation you faced in your early years of life, and to be hit with such a strong déjà vu years later, you’re not sure if you can handle it. 

Seeing you waver, Jaehyun wears his bag on one shoulder, putting his other arm around you. Your shoulder tense, feeling weird at how he’s so completely at ease with you, like he’s grown up with you for years. 

“It’s okay, Y/N,” he says, his voice oddly absent from the cocky confidence he usually wears. Instead, his voice is comfortingly firm. “C’mon, let’s walk home together.”

As he walks with you to the school gate, the warmth of him being close to you makes your heart ache in ways that are alarmingly familiar. 

IT’S been a few weeks of you trying to execute your attempts at making Jaehyun remember you. But, of course, your efforts decided to fail you. It’s annoying—the way he’s obviously out there treating you like you’re the greatest friend he’s ever had, yet whenever you bring up an old joke or an old nickname that you used to call him, he puts on this confused face that makes you want to slap him and yourself. 

One day, during an afternoon study session, you and your friends had pushed your desks together to mug up upon your studies. You were seated between Yoona and Sanghyeok, and directly in front of you was Jaehyun. 

Tired of solving math problems, you began watching Jaehyun solve a math problem, leaning over his desk. His brows were furrowed deeply, showing how tricky the math problem was. And you notice one thing. 

He was subconsciously sticking out the tip of his tongue slightly. It clicked inside your head, and a roll of memories came playing into your sight. His habit is still the same—exactly like he used to when the two of you were playing jigsaw puzzles. 

You snorted to yourself. “You still do that?” you whispered to yourself. 

However, your whisper was loud enough for your friends to catch. “Do what?” Yoona asked, perking up from her physics homework. 

Her question pulled the entirety of Jaehyun’s attention, and his eyes were locking with yours at once. He had a questioning look on his face, and he didn’t say anything, waiting for you to answer. 

Your eyes widened, and you immediately shook your head. “Nothing,” you stammered, looking away as you bit the inner corner of your cheek.

A few days after that, you were sitting on the bleachers of your school’s soccer field, your homework sprawled over your lap. Jaehyun had made you and the girls come over to watch him, Sungho, and Sanghyeok play soccer at the field. You and Minji didn’t want to at first, but Yoona saw it with a positive note—you were sick of studying at the library every afternoon, so studying at the field could be a nice change. 

It was a windy November afternoon, and autumn was giving way to winter, so every single gush of wind felt like a harsh bite to the skin. You squinted, trying to do your homework as you fought with the wind and the coldness it brought along. You’re not too interested in sports, and it didn’t help that you got there when the match was already halfway through, so you didn’t understand a thing that was going on. 

One thing for sure is that it was quite an intense match. 

“I’m not sure if this was a good idea,” Minji muttered. She shoved her hair into her coat, zipping it up. “My hair is flying everywhere and I can’t even see Sanghyeok. How am I supposed to do anything?”

“Sanghyeok, huh?” Yoona laughed. “You can see them a bit—see, look!” she exclaimed, pointing at the slightly smaller figure of the boys, fiercely in their game. “Sungho and Jaehyun’s about to score!”

Hearing that, you immediately looked up from your homework, your attention officially snatched away from the assignment. You watched intently as the game progressed: Sungho, with the ball in his control, dodged a tackle, swiftly running through the field before powerfully passing the ball towards Jaehyun, who effortlessly scores their winning goal. 

It’s a friendly match between your school’s soccer team and another school, but the celebration that roared through was something else. 

Sanghyeok pulled Jaehyun and Sungho into a bear hug, ruffling both their heads. You heard Jaehyun’s victorious laughs and screams echoing around the air. You smiled.

Soccer has always been one of his passions, and seeing him flourish in it makes your heart bloom in ways you never imagine it would. 

You were proud of him, and it’s a refreshing feeling that you never got to feel years ago, when seven-year-old Jaehyun was telling you all about his soccer dreams. 

After freeing himself from Sanghyeok, Jaehyun ran up to the bleachers. Much to your surprise, he was headed straight to you. He came up to you with a pleasant grin, his face flushed with sweat. 

“Hey, I did it,” he said, breathless. He brought his hand out for a high-five. 

And before you could even think, you stood up and clasped his hand in the old secret handshake from your childhood with him. It came to you like second nature—you couldn’t even stop yourself. 

Jaehyun stiffened, his hand still clasped around yours. 

You were equally as shocked as he is. 

Why did you even do that? 

And what was that reaction?

However, Jaehyun was quick to react—he laughed it off, quickly redoing it into a normal high-five. He gave you another grin before turning away to chug water, leaving you confused and unconvinced. 

Now, you’re not too sure that Myung Jaehyun actually forgot you. 

This theory was drilled into your head even more after another incident or two. 

It was a random Tuesday, where Jaehyun had dragged you and the girls to accompany him to do soccer drills at the field with his team. 

“Remind me why we need to do this again,” Minji grumbled, slumping against the seat. 

Yoona sighed, stifling back a grin. “Because MJ said so.”

“I don’t understand! Why can’t we just wait for them at the library? We need to study anyway,” Minji complained, stomping her feet in frustration a few times. 

“They probably just need some moral support,” you chimed in, watching absentmindedly as Jaehyun is making his team run around the field. 

“They’re seniors already, they should be done with all this,” Minji huffed. 

Yoona shrugged. “You know how they are with soccer.”

“Absolute maniacs,” Minji commented, shaking her head. 

You simply nodded and chuckled along to their conversation, eyes trained on Jaehyun coordinating his teammates in soccer training. The actions then became repetitive, and you quickly got bored. You stared off into space, zoning out. Then, without you realising, a soccer ball from a group of freshmen that were practicing near your seats came flying directly towards you. 

Before you could react, Jaehyun instinctively stepped in front of you, shielding you from the ball with his body. 

The ball bounced off him with a thud, and you gasped. You rushed towards him, Minji and Yoona following you from behind. 

“Jaehyun, are you okay?” you asked frantically. 

Jaehyun picked up the ball, turning slightly to give you a grin that tells you that he’s okay. “I’m okay!” he answered, flexing his bicep. “See?” 

And the memory hitted you like a truck—all this reminded you of the time when the two of you were kids, when Jaehyun would always stand in front of you during dodgeball insisting “you’re too small to get hit!”

A quiet gasp escaped between your lips. “You always do this,” you muttered. 

Jaehyun, who was about to walk back to his teammates after tossing the ball back to them, turned to you. “Do what?” he asked, tilting his head slightly. Your eyes narrowed—you could tell that he was feigning innocence. 

“Never mind,” you said, giving him a tight smile. Jaehyun nodded, and you watched him jog back to his teammates, carrying out the practice like usual, a million thoughts racing through your mind. 

He remembers. 

The next week, on a Thursday, you had just gotten back home from your after school Chemistry class—Jaehyun and his mother had dropped you off. After cleaning yourself up and changing into your pyjamas, you sat down at your desk, wanting to get some homework done before you ate dinner. 

Then, your phone pinged with a text notification from Jaehyun. 

hey sunshine

Are u done with the english hw? i wanna see how u did it

Sunshine. 

The nickname that Jaehyun used to love calling you when the two of you were kids, and used to live only a few houses away from each other back in your old neighbourhood. He used to call you that because, quoting him, your smile was as precious as the sunshine on a winter morning. You didn’t—and still don’t—genuinely smile often, but Jaehyun was one of the only people who could trigger it out of you with not too much effort. 

The nickname meant a lot to you. 

You stared at the message in a daze, and when you finally were about to reply, the text was gone. 

y/n, i meant

sorry

You held your hand against your chest, heart pounding like crazy. 

“What the hell was that?” you whispered to yourself. 

So he does remember. 

IT’S a Friday, and you’re sitting down at your desk, unable to focus your brain into another set of math problems. Instead, you sit there, pretending to read through your completed English essay while sneaking glances at Jaehyun. He’s laughing about something with Minji and Sungho, effortlessly conforming with his friends, flashing that same stupid grin that you’ve always remembered from your childhood. 

Your fingers curl around the edges of your desk. 

How could he look so familiar yet feels so distant like a stranger?

You desperately want to believe that he’s forgotten—too much time has passed. But deep down, you know that it doesn’t make sense. He’s too comfortable around you, too quick to include you too. He’s too at ease around you, especially for someone who’s apparently just met you for around two months. 

And the worst part? Your heart is still skipping a beat every time you look at him. Your heart still reacts the same way it did when you were kids—probably even more defined now—cheeks turning pink at his gestures, heart warming at his voice. 

This isn’t fair. Nothing is.

You watch as he ruffles Minji’s hair, annoying her by ruining her hair that she spent an entire morning trying to perfect. He laughs as she swats his hand away, hissing curses at his face. 

He used to do that to you. 

Your grip tightens. 

Maybe you’re just overthinking it. Maybe he really did forget, after all. 

But you can’t just get it out of your head—the way Jaehyun treats you, the small, fleeting glances and the way he easily includes you in every conversation he has and everything he does. It makes you doubt yourself. 

And why do you even care so much?

You turn away, biting your lip. It’s stupid. Everything is just so dumb—you shouldn’t be jealous or feeling worked up about some boy that happened to still be the most important part of your life even after so many years. You shouldn’t even bother yourself with something that happened years ago. You know you shouldn’t hold on to memories that you’re not even sure he still held. 

But you are.

And that fact alone is making you despise everything.

BY the end of the day, you’re lazily packing your bag after the last bell rang. You’re drained after an entire week of classes and endless assignments, and you don’t know if you can survive your after school Math class. Beside you, Sanghyeok is also packing his bag—but he’s doing so at a much faster pace than you are. He gives you an acknowledging smile, a piece of bread in his mouth, before walking out of the classroom. 

“MJ, are we going to the extra football practice coach said we’d have earlier?” Sungho asks, stacking his books into an organised pile before sliding them into his bag. 

Jaehyun looks up from his phone, humming. “Yeah, I’ll go. I’m the captain—can’t miss any sessions, can I?”

Sungho nods in agreement, but before he could say anything in return, Jaehyun’s focus is already shifted to you. 

You’re packing your bag slowly, as if by doing that, you’re able to avoid going to your after school class. You zip your backpack close, feeling someone’s gaze boring into you. You look up, turning towards the source of the tingling sensation. 

“Going home already?” Jaehyun asks, an idle grin displayed on his face. 

You slip your arms into your puffed coat. “Yeah,” you nod, “I have extra class.”

“Let me walk you home,” Jaehyun says, zipping his bag shut smoothly. He swings it over his back. 

“Jaehyun, we have practice,” Sungho reminds. He’s already at the door, gesturing with his chin. 

Jaehyun swats his hand, without even looking at his friend. “It’s fine—you can go first.”

As Sungho leaves with a sigh, Jaehyun grins at you. “C’mon. Let’s stop for some tteok skewers while we’re at it too.”

You stare at him, eyes unblinking. 

Is he being serious? Why is he always insisting on walking you home? Doesn’t he realise what his actions are doing to you? 

Your frown begins to deepen as you recall Jaehyun’s treatment of you ever since you transferred to KOZ Academy: always next to you, effortlessly handing you snacks and drinks—specifically the ones you always preferred, always seeming to prioritise you over everything else that he has; walking you home, buying you food as often as possible, and all the other little things that made your heart somersault. 

You don’t want any of this. 

You don’t like how conscious you are of yourself whenever he’s around. You don’t like how he makes you feel like you’re the most important person in this world. You don’t like how he makes you all smiles—you despise the way he easily brings you out of your shell. 

You clench your fists. 

This is ridiculous. You are being ridiculous. 

Jaehyun has been nothing but very kind and welcoming to you since you first came here. He has included you, so naturally nothing seemed awkward or forced. He introduced you to his friends, and they were all so welcoming you feel like you’ve been friends for ages. He treated you like any other classmate, normal and friendly. 

And that is the problem. 

Because you know that, to Jaehyun, you’re just like any other person here. You’re just a normal classmate. Not the girl who used to braid flowers into his hair as the two of you talked under the shade of the oak tree, chatting your afternoon away. Not the girl that he used to enthusiastically greet every day, eager to share his strawberries. Not the girl that he swore he’d never leave behind. 

You know you mean as much to him as much as his other friends do. You know that his stomach doesn’t do this funny dance whenever you’re around. You know that his cheeks don’t become warm whenever he hears your voice. You know he doesn’t look forward to seeing you every day, like it’s one of the only things that keep him going. 

Your throat burns with this feeling. It’s stupid. You hate whatever’s going on—the faint sliver of hope that Jaehyun just might remember you after all. Maybe he was just pretending. 

But for what?

Because everytime you look into his eyes, you don’t see the Jaehyun you cherished with your entire heart. All you see is someone, still the same Myung Jaehyun, who had long since moved on. 

You’re fine on your own. You know that. You’ve always been. 

You’ve always been by yourself, you didn’t realise how fun and fulfilling it’d be when there’s a special someone in your life. 

When Jaehyun left with no warning ten years ago, you had thought it was the end of the world. You had put yourself through the painful process of moving on, of finally accepting that maybe Jaehyun wasn’t meant to be yours forever all along. 

But then, Jaehyun reappeared. He made his way back into your life, a decade later, as smoothly as the way he first introduced himself to you as a four year old. 

Yet he had the audacity to treat you like you’re a new friend. 

You close your eyes for a quick moment, trying to suppress all the memories that are rushing back into your head. 

“C’mon, Y/N, you’ll be late for your class,” Jaehyun says, tapping your shoulder. It brings you back to reality, and without realising, you’re staring sharply at him with that alarming sensation of tears collecting in your eyes. 

Jaehyun, of course, is quick to notice this. His grin fades into a frown. “What’s wrong? A-are you sick?”

You inhale sharply, taking your bag. “No,” you say, slowly shaking your head. “Nothing’s wrong.”

“Okay,” you hear Jaehyun quietly responding as you walk past him. You walk out of the classroom and into the hallways, too tired to even stop Jaehyun from following you. You let him accompany you to the after school tuition centre in town, silently waving him goodbye as you watch him cycle back to school. 

You turn around, sighing. 

YOU know you’re about to hit the end of your patience. 

Your school is hosting a winter festival, organised by juniors and sophomores, a few days before winter break. It’s fun when you think about it, but not as much when you’re paired with Jaehyun for a game. 

The school courtyard is bustling with students, all bundled up in wooly scarves, mittens and puffy jackets, gathered together at the booths set up for your school’s winter festival. The ground is carpeted with white, fresh snow, and a large part of it had transferred into a battlefield for snowball fights, complete with stacks of hay, snowbanks, and random objects as forts. 

“Sorry Y/N,” Yoona says, setting her lips into an apologetic line. 

You shook your head, sighing. Everyone is already paired up with each other—Minji with Sanghyeok, Yoona with Sungho—and you’re left with Jaehyun for the snowball game. You look at Jaehyun, who looks very eager. 

“You’re with me, Y/N!” he exclaims, sliding his arm around your shoulders. His smile is bright and, as much as you didn’t like it, it makes you smile too. 

“So we’re going to draw some sticks and see which teams are going to go against each other,” Jihyeon, one of the juniors in charge of the snowball game booth, says as she comes up to you and your friends. 

“You can go first,” you say to Minji, and she nods. 

She reaches her hand in the cup Jihyeon is holding out, and pulls out a random popsicle stick. The edge of it is coloured red. 

“It’s red?” she asks, a little confused. 

Jihyeon smiles. “That means you’ll be competing against another team who pulled out a red stick!”

“That’s us!” Jaehyun, who’s standing next to you, suddenly exclaims. He holds a red popsicle stick in his hand. You turn to him, slightly surprised. You didn’t even realise he had been picking a popsicle stick for the two of you. 

“You don’t mind me picking for us… Do you?” he whispers to you. You give him a small smile before shaking your head. 

“I don’t mind.”

You and Jaehyun are going against Minji and Sanghyeok for the snowball game, while Yoona and Sungho are fighting against another pair of seniors. Jihyeon gave each team five minutes to make as many snowballs as possible. You and Jaehyun worked your best to form the snowballs—you weren’t too good at handling cold snow, but Jaehyun seemed to be the best at it. 

“We’ll win this,” Jaehyun says to you, crouching down behind your side of the area. You crouch down next to him, awkwardly nodding. 

He smiles at you in reassurance, and some kind of positive energy fills you up. 

And before you could even process any of it, Jihyeon blows the whistle, indicating the start of your snowball fight. A chaos, made out of crazed giggles and snowballs crashing against bodies, begins to erupt, and you lose sight of Jaehyun in the middle of it.

Jaehyun is immediately in his element—his snickering laughter ringing through the school courtyard as he hurls snowballs at Minji and Sanghyeok. He ducks and dodges behind a snowbank, his chequered brown and red scarf flying behind him like a flag. 

You’re standing awkwardly behind a stack of hay tall enough to cover you, holding a snowball with both of your hands.  Jaehyun suddenly lands next to you, and as soon as he sees you, he tilts his head with a smirk. “Y/N,” he says loudly against the frenzy, “you’re supposed to throw the snowball, Sunshine, not hold on to it like a favourite teddy bear.” 

Jaehyun gives you a teasing grin before dashing off to hurl more snowballs towards Sanghyeok, triple the amount he just threw to his face moments ago.

You remain there, standing still. 

Sunshine? What was that? 

Your cheeks turn pink underneath your knitted scarf, and it’s hard to tell whether that was caused by the cold or from the way that Jaehyun’s grin made your heart flip. 

You watch as Jaehyun plays around in the snow, his giggles resonating around the air. You stand there, your heart thumping loudly in confusion. 

He definitely remembers. 

You absentmindedly take a step back, clutching the snowball in your hands harder, the stinging cold no longer bothering you. 

A second later, Jaehyun arrives next to you, almost slipping. He pants, and despite that, he’s still grinning joyfully. He locks his gaze with yours, and upon noticing your expression, his smile falters a little.

“Y/N?” Jaehyun asks, “are you okay? Why aren’t you playing?”

“‘Sunshine’,” you state plainly, eyes unblinking. “What was… that?”

Jaehyun freezes. He opens his mouth, but for a while, nothing comes out. He stares at you, something unreadable clouding his eyes. The wind blows at his messy hair, flopping against his forehead. 

“What are you talking about?” he asks, chuckling rather sheepishly. 

You narrow your eyes. You’re not letting this go. “Jaehyun,” you press on. “Answer me, Myungjae.”

Upon the nickname, his eyes widens.

Jaehyun hesitates, and for a while, it looked like he was about to give you the answer you desperately wanted. However, your hopes were crushed as a snowball from Minji came hurling towards your direction, crumbling upon impact against your hair. Jaehyun’s eyes widens, and his focus turns back to the snowball match.

“We have a minute left,” he says, rushingly grabbing several snowballs. He’s about to turn to Minji and Sanghyeok, wanting to throw more snowballs at them—but he pauses. He leans close, brushing snow out of your hair with his free hand. 

Your breath catches in your throat. A rush of warmth goes up your cheeks, despite the raging emotions and thoughts in your head. 

He’s too close. 

Jaehyun chuckles. After making sure all of the snow is gone, he ruffles your hair, trying his best to make it look okay again. “There,” he says, his voice low and comforting. “All good.”

You watch him turn his focus back to the snowball frenzy, unable to utter a word. You stare at him, his grin decorating his already handsome face. Your heart claws against your chest as you try your best to pull your eyes away from Myung Jaehyun, who looks too gorgeous with his brown hair adorned with sparkly snowflakes. 

You know he’s lying. You know he remembers. 

But why is he doing all this?

THE last bell of the day rings, the entire school erupts in a chatter of celebration. Students run out of their classrooms, walking out with their friends as they chat the rest of the day away. Several student council members are doing several of their last duties of the day, making sure that everything is perfect before leaving the school for a month. 

You’re at your locker, double-checking everything. You make sure to stuff your bag with things that you’re not too confident at leaving at school for a month—your chemistry textbook, the mirror that your old friends got you. You also made sure to replace the tape that’s holding up the polaroid pictures of you and your family, hoping that it’d stay up for longer this time. 

Your eyes linger around the polaroid of you and Jaehyun—taken at the young age of six. It was the first day of school, you vividly remembered. 

You used to look at that picture with a bittersweet, reminiscent feeling. You always used to look at that picture with some kind of hope that you’d meet Jaehyun one day. 

But now, you can’t do that anymore. 

You glance at Jaehyun’s direction, a few metres away from you. He’s at his locker with his friends, Ricky and Sungho. He’s laughing, as always, and he’s effortlessly blending in like he always did. He’s enjoying his time with his friends, like he didn’t just spend the last few months unknowingly ripping you into pieces. 

How could he be so carefree when you’re feeling like this?

You hate it. So much. 

Too much.

You hate how your chest aches whenever you catch Jaehyun looking at you, the way he looked at you like any other classmate, betraying the years you spent together. You hate how he seemed to have easily erased you from his past, like you meant absolutely nothing to him. You hate how he seemed to have forgotten you so heartlessly, when you have spent years holding onto him. 

But now, you can’t hold it in anymore. 

Jaehyun had finished his conversation with his friends, and now he’s walking towards you, tossing his ball up and down, flashing that same easygoing smile that had captured your heart—and something inside you snaps.

“Do you really not remember me?”

Jaehyun pauses, his eyes bulging and his footsteps halting. 

You didn’t mean to say it. 

You had spent weeks bottling it all up, second-guessing yourself amidst all the mixed signals. You constantly told yourself that it didn’t matter, that Jaehyun truly did forget you, and that it had been too long for him to even remember you as much as you remember him. 

You can’t just bottle it in any longer. 

Jaehyun blinks, clearly taken aback. “What?”

You exhale sharply. You can’t take it back anymore. “You really don’t remember me, do you?”

JAEHYUN bangs his head against his bedroom door, regretting every single thing he’s done. 

Why did he even do that?

After he said goodbye to Ricky, who was going on a winter vacation to Italy, he turned to you. He approached you, subconsciously having that same stupid lovesick grin that his lips somehow form whenever he’s around you. He’s walking towards you, like how he does it every other day.

Usually, you’d greet him with that adorable little smile of yours. 

But today, he was smothered with a menacing glare and a question that he doesn’t expect instead. 

“What are you talking about?” Jaehyun said, trying his best to sound innocent. He was unable to pry his gaze away from you, but he hoped that you didn’t catch the quiver in his eyes. 

You didn’t say anything for a while, and he watched as whatever emotions you had swirling in your beautiful eyes changed into a solid look of hurt and betrayal. 

Jaehyun felt his heart drop to the floor. 

It’s like everything stopped, and his stomach began to twist, the memories rushing back as they played through his mind like a broken film tape that he couldn’t stop from playing. 

“You really, really don’t remember me,” you said, quiet with a humongous amount of hurt. Your voice cracked, and Jaehyun’s heart began to crumble because of it. 

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” Jaehyun replied, forcing out the words as firmly as he possibly could. 

His words felt like acid on his tongue. Jaehyun had told this lie many times before, but today, it felt more painful than the others. But Jaehyun did it anyway, over and over again.

Because it’s easier than admitting the truth to you. It’s easier than having to acknowledge the feeling that’s twisting his heart, hurting his chest. 

You exhaled shakily, and for a second, Jaehyun swore that he could see through you—your eyes searching him, like you were finding the real Jaehyun, who had been the one that promised he’d be your rock until the end of time. 

And the fact that you still had that effect on him—making him feel like he’s on Cloud 9—after all these years, only made it worse for him. 

“You’re lying,” you snapped, your eyes starting to sparkle with unshed tears. Your voice began to rise with every word you uttered. “You do remember me. You remember everything. Don’t you?”

His heart began to thump loudly against his ribs. He had never seen you so worked up like this, he had never heard you raise your voice like this. 

Jaehyun stared into your eyes, the truth burning at the back of his throat. He hesitated, almost spitting it out. 

But in the end, he swallowed it. 

“I don’t get it, Y/N,” he countered, trying to sound confused. Though, it didn’t sound convincing, even to him. “Maybe we’ve met before, in-in the past, but I truly don’t remember anything.”

Your gaze stiffened, and the desperation in your expression faded. Jaehyun kept his guard strong—he couldn’t let you see him crack, even though the weight of your disappointment was heavy on him. 

Then, after a minute of silence that felt too long, you gave him a straight smile. 

“Okay,” you whispered. You slammed your locker close and immediately walked away, not giving Jaehyun a chance to say anything else. 

He wanted to chase after you. But he couldn’t. 

He watched you turn away, and as the doors closed behind you, he felt the loss crumbling upon him, heavy and unbearable. 

YOU’RE not even sure why you’re feeling like this, but you are angry. Upset. 

Who wouldn’t be, especially after witnessing the only person who made you feel truly understood shun you out, saying that he doesn’t remember you?

You didn’t really like leaving your messages unread and unreplied, but for the first time, you let your text channel with Jaehyun clog up. 

It’s the morning of Christmas, and you wake up to almost fifty new texts from Jaehyun alone. You don’t open any of them, but you couldn’t help but read some of it from the notifications bar. 

y/n, did i do something wrong?

y/n, are u okay?

y/n, i can’t believe u declined to go snowboarding 2gether yesterday. we had so much fun!!!

okay fine. i shouldn’t have used that tone

honestly it kinda sucked to not have u around

i know u’d like seeing the sunset from on top of the mountain

y/n i hope u’re eating well

y/n, did u go see the big christmas tree in the city centre? i’m in front of it rn. 

y/n. merry christmas. 

enjoy your day

You sigh, turning off your phone. It pained you, probably just a little bit, to ignore all of Jaehyun’s attempts to reach out to you. You did feel a bit sad that you’re missing out on fun plans that he wanted to do with you—but what could you possibly do? You know you’re not ready to face him without baring your teeth at him. 

You enjoy the day with your family, happy to see them after a long time, especially your cousins and grandparents. You ate a lot of good food, took a lot of pictures, played a lot of games with your nieces and nephews, and of course—exchanged many memorable moments and laughter with your family members. 

You were playing in the snow with your little cousins, your heart stinging a little. Not from the cold, but from the memory that you have associated with snowball fights—Jaehyun. There was something warm about hurling cold balls of snow that made the tips of your fingers red. Maybe it was because you were fond of the person smiling at you during that time, or maybe because the way snowball fights produce heartwarming laughter reminds you of the person that you’ve cherished for so long and how his laughter fills your heart with joy.

Your mother called you inside, and after shaking off all the snow from your coat, you joined everyone else for the gift unboxing time. You got many gifts from your family and friends alike, but when it came to the largest box addressed to you, you can’t help but feel a little pang in your heart. 

Who was it from? 

You flip the card attached to the gift, the world going completely silent for a second. Your eyes widen at the sight of Jaehyun’s name scribbled onto it, along with a short message. 

Merry Christmas. I hope you enjoy this.

“When… how did this get here?” the question escapes your mouth almost instantly, but you know that’s not what you really wanted to ask. 

“A boy came off to drop this just now, when you were playing in the backyard with the kids,” your aunt replies, handing you a piece of brownies. You put it in your mouth, chewing slowly as you try to process her words. “I asked him if he wanted to come in and talk to you, but he refused and ran away so quickly I didn’t have time to stop him.”

You merely nod, unable to say anything due to the heavy feeling pressing down your chest. Slowly, you rip the wrapping paper open, holding in a breath you know wasn’t necessary. 

You didn’t know what you expected. 

An apology letter, maybe. 

Or something that he remembered that you always liked. 

But instead of that, your hands are holding a gingerbread house kit and a store-bought Christmas card taped to it. 

Whatever hope you still had remaining for Jaehyun fades, and your jaw clenches. 

It’s time to stop. 

“LOOK, it’s Shinyu,” Yoona nudges you, giggling rather uncontrollably. You glance at his direction, a little wide eyed from how blatant her statement was. 

You’re walking with Yoona and Minji to your school’s library, located in the middle of campus grounds. You’re almost there, when you spot Junghwan—or more famously known as Shinyu, and his group of friends walking in the opposite direction. 

“Shush,” you whisper. “Why are you making this such a big deal?”

“‘Cause he’s such a gentleman, duh,” Yoona replies, deadpanned. Though, that kind of expression on her face lasts only a second. As you and Shinyu’s steps grow closer to each other, and heat begins to rise up to your cheeks, Yoona couldn’t hold her smile back. 

“We’re just friends,” you state, dismissing whatever she’s about to say. You shove your hands deep into the pockets of your puffed jacket, and you set your gaze straight ahead. 

Yoona gives you a raised brow. “I never said you guys weren’t. Are you saying that you guys are more than that?” she asks, the octave of her voice going higher. 

“Someone’s excited,” you mumble. You quickly turn to Minji, desperate. You’re going to walk past Shinyu and his friends anytime now. 

“Min, help,” you plead between gritted teeth. 

To your surprise, Minji laughs, putting her hands up. “I’ll always defend you, but this time, I can’t—you and Shinyu are too cute for me to prevent it.”

Your heart skips a beat, and your mouth is agape. Though, before you could say anything to counter Minji’s remark—that’s already making her and Yoona laugh—Shinyu is already next to you. 

“Hello,” he says, his voice sweet like honey. 

You freeze in your steps, and you quickly turn to him. Shinyu, standing much taller than you, has a fresh smile plastered on his face–the sincerity of it feels like it’s only for you. Though, you don’t want to get your hopes up for anything. You and Shinyu had recently started becoming friends, right after winter break ended a few weeks before this: he’s in your English and PE class, and he often sits near you when you’re studying in the library. You always see him playing basketball after school, too. 

You give him a small smile. “Hi, Shinyu.”

“Where are you going?” Shinyu asks. He nods in acknowledgement to Yoona and Minji. 

“Library,” Minji replies, looping her arm with yours. “Do you wanna come with us?”

Shinyu glances towards his friends, who’s talking amongst themselves.

“I promised my friends I’d come to study with them in the common room,” he says, before shifting his gaze back to you, and there’s some kind of determination shining through. “But you know what?”

Flustered, you blurt out. “What?”

“Yo, guys, I’ll be studying in the library,” he announces to his friends. Some of them roll their eyes, but eventually, they all agree to meet up after school. 

“Let’s go then?” he says, flashing you a smile. 

Yoona clears her throat, and even though muffled, you can clearly hear her giggling. You press your lips together, nodding. You’re feeling shy for no reason. “Okay. Let’s… go.”

Shinyu grins, shoving his hands into his pockets. 

The four of you walk to the library—Yoona and Minji, to your right, are giggling their hearts at the way Shinyu’s walking to your pace, his position perfectly shielding you from the sun. 

You force yourself to look forward the entire time, Shinyu’s presence suddenly making you feel beet red. Unknowingly, you’re smiling to yourself—Shinyu is well-known amongst your peers for his good manners, and undoubtedly, he’s one of the nicer people you’ve met. You lost count of the amount of times he’s taken care of you, especially when you’re studying. 

You chuckle. 

Shinyu’s not bad. 

“Someone’s in love, huh?” Yoona jests, pushing the library door open. You jolt back to reality, scowling at her. 

“I’m not in love,” you whisper sharply. “Also, shut up, he’s next to me.”

Yoona throws her head back, unable to contain her amusement anymore. You ignore her snickering in the back, and you walk inside the library, clutching the straps of your backpack as you try to find a table with enough seats for all of you. 

As you’re looking, a familiar voice pulls your attention towards its owner. 

“Y/N!” you hear Sungho call you, his voice quiet but loud enough for you to catch. He motions for you and the rest to come over. Yoona and Minji notice this, and they immediately jog over, delighted to see the boys. 

However, you’re a little sceptical. 

Your eyes meet with Jaehyun, who looks rather wide-eyed to see you. You hesitate, your footsteps heavier than before. You haven’t been really talking to him ever since school reopened after winter break, and this is the first time you’re facing him directly. 

Shinyu notices your mood drop. He leans to whisper, “are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost, and as far as I know, ghosts don’t really appear in the day.”

You almost burst out laughing at Shinyu’s wooden remark. You bit the bottom of your lips before tugging Shinyu’s sleeve. “Let’s go sit with them?”

“Are you sure?” he asks, voice suddenly shaky. 

You nod. “I’m sure they’ll be okay with it!”

You’re not too sure what made you feel so brave to do so—but you pull Shinyu towards the table that all your friends are sitting at, gesturing for him to sit next to you. Jaehyun, who happened to sit directly in front of the seat that you’re claiming as yours for the day, watched with a dumbfounded expression on his face, his jaw dropped. Yoona and Minji smirked, seeming to know what you’re doing, but  Sungho and Sanghyeok looked a little hesitant. 

Other than the sharp gaze that Jaehyun gave you, lingering a little longer than you’d like, you notice nothing wrong with him. 

Not until an hour into studying together. 

Shinyu, Sungho and Sanghyeok had gotten along quite well, and you often find yourself trying to stifle your laughter at their jokes. You also saw Minji, who was quite hard to impress, laughing along as well. 

You’re mid-laugh when you notice it—Jaehyun’s easygoing demeanour has disappeared. He no longer had that grin that rose higher on one side of his face, one that he displayed when he was amused at something. 

Instead, he’s staring. 

Not at you, but right at Shinyu, who’s sitting next to you, chatting animatedly about a variety show he watched last night with his sisters. You couldn’t help but observe the boy sitting in front of you—his jaw tight, his fingers obnoxiously tapping against the table. It’s obvious that something is bothering him, given that his bright energy had dimmed. 

Normally, Jaehyun would add in to the conversation, spicing things up with a joke here and there, lighting up the atmosphere with his contagious laughter.

You were about to ask Jaehyun about it, but Shinyu is quicker than you thought. He leans in to show you a video on his phone, something related to the funny moment in the variety show that he watched last night.

Your attention is almost immediately pulled towards Shinyu and his phone, but Jaehyun’s actions tugs you back to him harder. 

He pushes back his chair with a loud, audible scrape. 

“What the hell, man?” Minji hisses. 

“Y/N,” Jaehyun says, not even looking at anyone else. “We need to talk.”

“Huh?” you splutter. You thought you made it clear that you don’t want to talk to him.

Jaehyun stomps towards you, and before you could say anything to counter, he grabs your wrist and pulls you away to a far corner. 

“What’s wrong?” you ask, as soon as Jaehyun stops in his steps. You’re more confused than angry, the entire incident that happened before winter break pushed to the back of your mind. 

Jaehyun mumbles something, but you can’t hear him at all. 

“Sorry, what?”

“I said nothing,” Jaehyun replies, his eyes narrowing. 

His reply, rather sharp, startles you a little.

And that makes you a bit worked up. “What’s up with you?” you scoff, rolling your eyes. 

Jaehyun doesn’t reply. Instead, he runs a frustrated hand through his hair, muttering to himself. His eyes dart here and there, as if he’s trying to find some kind of answer. You stand there, silent as you watch him do his thing, not knowing what to do as a response. 

After a while, Jaehyun does something that wasn’t even in the list of things you guessed he’d do—he unzips the hoodie he’s wearing and places it on your shoulders. You stare at him with bulging eyes, mouth agape.

What is he doing?

Before you can even do or say anything to stop him, Jaehyun guides your arms into its sleeves, zipping the hoodie up for you. He takes a step closer to you, leaning close to grab the hood behind your head. 

You feel your breath stuck in your throat. 

He’s. Too. Close.

Jaehyun, his gaze showing how focused he is at this, pulls the hood over your head, tugging it slightly so that it’s secured. His eyes find yours, and for a moment, the world around the two of you freezes. 

You clear your throat, and Jaehyun’s brought out of his trance. 

A fake cough escapes him, and he shoves his hands into his pocket, acting cool before he starts walking back to the table. 

“Jaehyun?” you call after him. “What’s this?”

Jaehyun looks back at you. “Nothing. Just keep it on. You get cold easily, don’t you?”

You go back to your seat, feeling extremely weirded out. What’s up with this guy? 

A part of you tells you that he’s trying to mark you as yours. 

You grimace, shutting up that tiny part of you. 

He doesn’t even bother to remember me, so why would he do that?

JAEHYUN’S behaviour just keeps on getting weirder and weirder. You really tried your best to tell yourself that it’s not a big deal—but at this point, nothing can convince you that Jaehyun’s not being weird. 

You could recall quite a few moments of him being rather significantly bitter, for a reason that you’re not even aware of: one of them being a free period before lunch on a Wednesday, where Shinyu came over to you to ask you a few questions about Math. 

You had barely even managed to reply to Shinyu’s request before Jaehyun suddenly got up from his seat, clapping his hand on your shoulder. 

You turned sharply towards him, shocked at both the impact and the unexpected gesture. “Jaehyun, what—”

“Y/N,” he interrupted, loudly, “I just remembered! I owed—I mean, you owe me something! An answer. About… about something!”

“What thing?” you frowned. From what your memory serves you, there’s no such thing—

“The, uh—” Jaehyun waved his hand vaguely, glancing at Shinyu, who raised a brow at him. “You know? The thing we talked about yesterday. Super important. Can’t wait. Urgent. Like, right now.”

Before you can even open your mouth, Jaehyun grabbed your hand and pulled you a few steps away. 

Shinyu, grabbing his papers, shook his head. “At least be subtle, dude.”

Jaehyun, hand still clasped around yours, narrowed his eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“You know what I’m talking about,” Shinyu chuckles. 

You looked back and forth between the two guys, sighing heavily. Just what is going on?

Another similar moment occurred the next week, at lunch on a random Friday, where Jaehyun was annoying the living daylights of Shinyu for some stupid reason that you’re not too sure of. Shinyu, being the absolute angel he is, completely dodged Jaehyun’s attempts. He remained next to you, chatting about whatever topic that came to mind. He also made sure to include the rest of your friends, and to give you any part of his lunch that he noticed you liked—that extra crispy chicken or the cream cheese bun that he hadn’t touched yet. 

Shinyu had to leave a bit early because his basketball coach had something to discuss with him. He bid you farewell, and as soon as he was out of earshot, Jaehyun immediately perked up, smiling like none of his attempts at making Shinyu pissed off ever happened. 

Tired of the same kind of thing happening each day, you decided to confront him about it. At first, you didn’t want to—afraid that you’re just imagining things, but after discussing it with Yoona and Minji, you knew it’s for the best. 

“You’re acting weird,” you finally said, eyes pointed straight at Jaehyun. 

Jaehyun paused midaction, his noodles slipping down from his chopsticks. “Are you talking to… me?”

Minji punched his shoulder. “Stop being so dense, idiot.”

You nod in Minji’s direction, before turning back to Jaehyun. “Yes, you.”

“Me?” Jaehyun scoffed, leaning back in his chair. “I’m not being weird.”

Sungho snorted in his drink, and Sanghyeok shook his head. You bit back a smile—you’re definitely not imagining this. 

“You glared at Shinyu for five minutes. Did not blink.”

“I did not.”

“And you interrupted every time he spoke.”

“Coincidence.”

You gave him a deadpanned look. “You literally dragged me away mid sentence more than two times.”

The falter in Jaehyun’s cocky gaze tells you that you’re right. 

Jaehyun groaned, running a hand through his hair. “Okay, maybe I’m acting weird. But it’s not because of him. Not because of Shinyu. I just—” 

He cut himself off, shaking his head. “Never mind.”

You stared at him, more confused than ever. 

Jaehyun avoided you gaze, and that confirms everything you’re questioning

“...Right.”

He’s definitely acting weird. 

JAEHYUN is in a mess. He doesn’t know what he’s doing—and he definitely doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do either. 

He knew, from the moment you stopped even reading his messages over the winter break, that he’s truly messed up. But he doesn’t really know what to do, and the only logical solution in his head is the option that he wants to avoid the most. 

Jaehyun is dragging his feet through the hallways, dodging noisy students chatting and huddling in groups at the lockers, when he hears a familiar voice talking as he’s passing by. 

Shinyu. 

The guy that gets on Jaehyun’s nerves whenever he’s around you—the audacity that he has to be flirting openly with you, to show off the fact that he might have a bigger chance with you than Jaehyun ever will. 

He wasn’t paying attention at first, and had his foot out to step away already.

“I think I’ll do it in the courtyard,” he hears Shinyu say, “it’s the most perfect spot. Besides, Y/N likes the marigolds there.”

Jaehyun feels his heart stop, his body freezing mid-step. 

He barely registers the students passing him, hitting his shoulders multiple times. Shinyu’s words sink in, heavy and dangerous. 

“Damn,” another voice speaks, “so you’re really confessing? On Valentine’s day?”

“Yeah, of course,” Shinyu replies confidently. “I mean, Y/N’s amazing. I’d be an idiot not to try.”

“Doesn’t she see you as just a friend?” a voice points out. 

Shinyu sighs. “I know, but what’s the harm in trying?”

“She’s quiet, though, isn’t… she?” another voice asks. 

Shinyu shrugs. “I don’t mind, she’s perfect in my eyes anyway.”

Jaehyun’s stomach twists. His fingers are clenched into fists at his sides, and he knows he should just walk away. 

But his feet won’t move.

Jaehyun stands there, his heart hammering violently against his chest. He frowns, pretending that whatever he heard didn’t get under his skin at all. 

Shinyu is confessing. To you.

And the worst part is Jaehyun has hardly any idea what to do about it.

JUST as he thought his day couldn’t get worse, Jaehyun spots Shinyu running up to you after the last bell rang, a bunch of snacks in hand. He intercepted you from Jaehyun, who was on his way to you, a box of Pepero in his hand. 

It slips from his hand, falling on the ground.

Jaehyun knew. 

From the way your eyes begin to light up whenever you see Shinyu, and the way your smile is just so bright whenever he’s near. The way you talk more and more, prompted so effortlessly by Shinyu. The way you look like you’re glowing when you’re with him… it hits Jaehyun.

He’s going to lose you. 

His vision becomes blurry as he stands in the middle of the courtyard, as still as stone. Jaehyun can’t ignore this any longer. 

He can’t ignore the way his heart is eager whenever he sees you. He can’t ignore the way the world seems a little less gloomy, a lot less lonely when you’re around. He can’t ignore the way his chest hurts, like it’s about to burst, whenever he sees you flashing that adorable, rare smile around anyone else. He can’t ignore the fact that he feels like he’s about to throw up flowers everytime he sees you with Shinyu, all giggly from whatever he says to you. 

He just can’t disregard the fact that he has obvious feelings for you, that he still loves you after all these years. 

Jaehyun had always known those feelings, pushed away deep in his stomach, but these past few weeks—it keeps on growing larger and larger, more urgent and more consuming. The small flutter in his chest when he watched you laugh, the feeling that settled comfortably around him whenever you look at him with those warm eyes, and the overwhelming ache when you’re around Shinyu. 

Jaehyun had tried his absolute best to ignore it. 

But now, watching you interact with Shinyu—sharing snacks, smiling so shyly with him—it made Jaehyun extremely aware of himself. Shinyu, your fellow classmate who seemed to know exactly what to say, the one who made you giggle and smile the way Jaehyun used to always do… the feeling hits Jaehyun differently. 

Jaehyun felt like the ground underneath him was about to crumble, and the earth was about to eat him alive. His heart twists so painfully it makes him feel like he wants to run and hide from the shattering realisation that you might never look at him the same way he has always looked at you. 

He wishes that he had been more courageous, more brave to admit to you that you’re his world, and he’s orbiting you—that you hadn’t left his mind, ever since he left ten years ago. Not even once. He wishes that he had been more valiant, and that he told you, the first time he bumped into you, after a decade of not seeing his favourite person—that he missed you dearly. Your laughter, your smile, and the way that it’s reserved only for him to see—he wishes he said that to you the first time. 

Honestly, Jaehyun wasn’t even really sure why he lied to you. Sure, he was scared, afraid that you might not remember him at first. But after a while, he just didn’t want his feelings for you to be out in the open. He knew you remember him—but he was simply terrified. 

What if you didn’t like him the way he did? 

What if he’s the only one that’s feeling like you’re the most important person in life?

Jaehyun was too afraid of you rejecting him to stop lying. 

Though, he thought that his way of showing his feelings, rather subtly in his opinion, through little acts of service could make you notice. 

Even so, Jaehyun knew that it only made you more confused. 

He really wanted to be happy for you—he really does. You deserve all the goodness in this world, and you deserve to be happy with someone who looks at you the way Jaehyun looked at you all this while, but his chest twists with a blazing jealousy: an emotion he never thought he’d feel when it comes to you. 

It’s not fair. 

Not to you, not to him. 

How could he be so stupid? How could he be such a loser, a coward? 

Jaehyun takes a shaky breath in. He could tell, from the way you looked at him, and from the way your eyes crinkle when you smile at him, that you had no idea. No absolute idea about the chokehold you have on him—the way every shared moment, every glance and every smile is carved into his soul. 

You have no idea how much he’s hurting, from the way you’re clearly upset with him, the way you’re growing closer to Shinyu, and the way you’re slipping away from his reach with every passing moment.

But then, something clicks in him. He’s not going to let the ache, the jealousy and the frustration take the reins—he’s no longer going to shrink back into the shadows. 

This is going to be his moment. His time to shine. Jaehyun could feel the determination settle firmly in his chest, and his mind begins to come up with a plan. The fear and the doubt is burned to ashes, and it’s no longer going to hold him back. 

He had been such a fool. 

This time, no more hesitating. No more waiting. No more wondering what if. 

If he wants you, he’s going to fight for it. 

He’s not going to let himself lose you to anyone else. Not now. Not ever. You’re his best friend, his rock, his confidante. You understand him in ways others don’t, and he knows you more than you even know yourself, even after all these years. And if anyone is going to make you realise that, it’s him. 

JAEHYUN hadn’t meant to walk this way. 

It’s the night before Valentine’s day, and somehow, his feet had brought him to your house, a couple blocks away from his own. He’s in a new neighbourhood, and the house he’s approaching is new, but the feeling is familiar. 

He slows to a stop, staring at your house—remembering how it used to be some kind of second home to him. It’s a new house in a new state, but Jaehyun could still remember sitting on the front steps with you, munching the afternoon away with your mother’s homemade snacks. He still remembers doing homework with you on the porch, laughing at the way you huffily grumbled under your breath when it came to difficult questions you couldn’t solve. He still remembers building a pillow fort in your living room, calling it your ‘secret base’. 

His fingers curl around the strap of his guitar. 

Have you ever realised how much you mean to him? How much do you always mean to him?

A gust of wind blows through the quiet street. 

Jaehyun stares at your window, the warm glow radiating from inside. He swallows hard. 

It’s now or never. 

Taking a deep breath, he takes a step forward and begins picking his guitar. 

YOU shove your headphones down your neck, heart thumping fast. 

What’s the noise outside?

You walk towards your window, nervous upon hearing the melodious guitar and the singing muffled by the bricks in your walls. 

“Man, I'm so nervous to death

I relax my stiff lips

I might fail miserably like this

I might mess up

Hi, the weather's nice. Wanna take a walk?

My shy voice is just for you!

Ah, please, don't say no

Oh, I won’t beat around the bush

From my head to toe

No, even my heart’s under pressure…”

You recognise that voice. 

Jaehyun. 

What’s he doing here, in the middle of the night? 

You peek through the curtains—and your assumption is correct. There he is, Jaehyun, standing rather awkwardly in front of your driveway with his guitar. 

Your eyes widen. He’s singing. 

Or more accurately, screaming. 

“I love you, baby, baby, baby

I’ve been screaming the whole neighborhood knows 

I like you!

My neighbors go, yah, yah, yah

Let's get some sleep, yoo-ooh, oh-oh

I swear you'll like it.”

You close the curtains sharply, turning your back to the wall. Your face begins to feel hot, and your breaths turn to short, ragged gasps. 

You close your eyes, trying to drown Jaehyun’s voice out, but you can’t. 

Slowly, you open your eyes again, letting yourself to hear him out.

And soon enough, you realise the meaning behind the words he’s singing. 

“Ah, please, don't say no

Oh, I don't want to be just friends

From my head to toe

No, even my heart's under pressure!”

You push your curtains aside, taking in the view. You expect him to be singing rather calmly, but instead, you’re greeted with Jaehyun, kneeling on the road as he’s serenading you. 

“I love you, baby, baby, baby

I've been screaming the whole neighborhood knows 

I like you!”

You barely processed what he just sang. 

One second, you were in your room, standing frozen as your breath hitched at the sound and sight of Jaehyun’s singing echoing through the neighbourhood. 

Next, you’re running out of the house. 

You didn’t think—you just ran. 

Your parents, who were alarmed by Jaehyun’s singing, didn’t even have time to react. You flew past them, socks sliding across the wooden porch, nearly tripping down the slippery steps. 

“Y/N! Your coat—”

Too late. 

“I love you, baby, baby, baby

I've been screaming𑁋”

You bolt towards Jaehyun, crashing into him with so much force he barely had time to catch his guitar. 

“𑁋the whole neighborhood knows 

I like you𑁋oof!”

From the door, your dad raises a brow. “...did we miss something?”

Your mother merely chuckles, smiling knowingly. 

“You really—” you gasp, your breath visible in the air, “—had to do this in front of everyone?”

Jaehyun grins, entirely unbothered. “Of course.”

You cover your face with your hands—you were embarrassed, at first, but now it’s not even about all that. Your body is trembling, not from the cold nor embarrassment, but from the overwhelming warmth that is engulfing you. 

Jaehyun gently pries your hand away. “Hey,” he says softly, his grin now a gentle smile, “did it work?”

Your lips part. “What? Did what work?”

“Making you fall for me.”

Jaehyun barely had time to flash you another of his smirks before you fling yourself at him, wrapping your arms tightly around his waist. 

He lets out a startled laugh, stumbling back slightly. “Whoa—hey, what’s–”

“You’re so embarrassing,” you say against his jacket, your grip tightening. “And loud. And ridiculous.”

And just so, so cute. 

Jaehyun giggles, running a hand through his hair. “So,” he says, and you pull away to look at him. “How was it?”

You look at him with slightly narrowed eyes. “How was what?”

“I just serenaded you. That basically means you have to date me now, right?”

You gasp, hitting his chest. “Jaehyun–!”

“I mean, that’s like, a rule or something. I put in all this effort, to sing to you on a very cold winter night—made myself look completely ridiculous, and now you have no choice but to fall for me. That’s how it works,” Jaehyun continues, a smug look on his face.

You roll your eyes, to hide the obvious flush in your cheeks. “You’re unbelievable–”

“Unbelievably charming?” he cuts you off, wiggling his eyebrows.

“No. Unbelievably embarrassing.”

Jaehyun dramatically gasps. “Excuse me, that was romantic. I even practiced the song! Twice!”

You swat your hand, face burning, but he catches it. 

You stare at him, wide-eyed, your heart dangerously racing. 

“Y/N, listen… I know I can be a lot,” Jaehyun begins, his voice softer and more serious now. His grip on your hand tightens. “And you’re quiet and reserved, but I think we fit perfectly. With each other.”

You want to say something, but you keep your silence—you don’t really trust yourself to say anything in the state you’re in. 

“You know why?” Jaehyun continues rambling, his grin morphing into one of the most lovesick smiles you’ve seen, and you find yourself mirroring it. “I love making you smile, and I want to always keep on making you smile until, like, forever—”

Your heart makes a backflip, or something, but you feel your face flushing even more. “Jaehyun, stop–”

“And if you don’t like me back, that’s fine. That… is… totally okay! I will totally accept rejection gracefully, I’ll just be heartbroken for like, ten years—”

“Oh my god—”

“—but if you do like me, please tell me before I make a bigger fool of myself.”

Jaehyun pauses, catching his breath. His eyes find their way back to you, and in the silence he’s left between the two of you, you can’t hold yourself back anymore. 

You grab the front of his jacket and yank him forward.

“Shut up, Myung Jaehyun.”

And you kiss him. 

Jaehyun lets out a startled sound, but it isn’t long before he melts into you, his hands gripping your waist as he kisses you back, deep and eager. 

It isn’t shy. Nor is it soft. 

It’s everything—messy, desperate, and full of all of the things you couldn’t say to him.

By the time you pull away, Jaehyun is a breathless mess. He blinks at you like you had just punched him square in the face. 

It’s certainly out of character for you, you know that, but you didn’t expect Jaehyun to look absolutely smitten. 

“...Well.”

You pant, glaring up at him. “There, you finally shut up,” you mumble. 

Jaehyun licked his lips, his grin slow and teasing. “…You can do that anytime.”

You gasp, shoving him. 

Jaehyun giggles, grabbing your hand before you could run back inside. He pulls you close, and places your arms around his waist, in the warmth of his jacket. 

He rests his forehead against yours, your noses brushing. 

“So, are we official now, or do I need to sing another song?”

You look at him, your heart beating with a certain answer. 

I love you.

Though, of course, you’re too embarrassed to say that to him. You smack him before hiding your face in his chest. 

“Shut up, Jaehyun.”

Jaehyun only laughs, and a warm feeling fills you up. He pulls you closer, hugging you tight. “Okay, sweetie, I think that’s enough singing for tonight.”

― © htaesan, 2025.

⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀want more like this? check out the 𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄

[charliehoennam]

hero's homestead

A/N: just a lil blurb I've had stuck on my mind and had to frigging get out since watching Road House

Pairing: Elwood Dalton x f!reader

Warnings: physical injuries, jealousy, kissing, mentions of grief and death

SHARING IS CARING, SO PLEASE REBLOG

Growing up in Glass Key made your face quite familiar around these parts. Everyone knew you, not because you were popular or from a rich family. Lord knows you wish you were.

But because the island was just so small, like a little fishbowl with too many sharks circling around their prey, everyone knew each other around here. However, the small island was full of a strong sense of community.

Your friendship with Charlie started while you were in high school. You were just a freshman and Charlie was six when Stephen and his wife would very often ask you to baby-sit.

Saying no to them was nearly impossible. Not only did they pay you well, but they always offered you a ride home and made you sure you had dinner before leaving. They really treated you like you were part of the family and helping one another in the community was just so normal.

They always treated you with welcoming kindness and respect so, if there was anything you could do to help them, you did it. Aside from baby-sitting Charlie, this included working at their book store.

You were around there most of the time. If you weren't at home or at school, you were at Glass Books.

As you got older, you started to spend less and less time there in order to focus on your own personal and professional life.

That didn't mean you were never around anymore. You still made your frequent stop to buy the new read of the week.

"Why don't you just get all the books you want for the month, so you don't have to keep coming back?" Charlie questioned genuinely curious.

"Nah, I like coming here. I like the service. And besides, you'd miss me too much, kid" you chuckled watching the young teenage ring your book up at the register.

When Stephen told you about his wife's illness, it really took you by surprise. She could've easily been voted the happiest woman of Glass Key. The aura she possessed could make the dullest room become the brightest. Her sense of humor would have even the most no-nonsense person cracking a smile. She was an amazing woman and a motherly figure to most.

The entire community mourned her loss. The blue sky and the tropical environment wasn't enough to brighten the day for your neighborhood's residents. The heavy rains that followed that entire week led you to believe that even the island was weeping for her absence.

Between medical expenses, funeral costs and a growing teenager, Stephen had to learn to be a single father quite fast. And that meant working a full-time job to make end's meet.

He asked you to help out with the store and you happily agreed. Glass Books was his wife's dream. She loved spending her days there, in the cozy little bookstore she'd built with the love of her life.

Although you know Stephen has a lot on his plate, you can't help but wonder if he wants to avoid the store and her memory altogether.

You refused to accept money for it, knowing the shop didn't make so much money. Even so, Stephen would still transfer you a small amount whenever he could and would often bring you breakfast, lunch or dinner because he felt it was the least he could do.

All you wanted to do was help.

He was more than grateful, especially when he saw how you could make Charlie laugh by putting on music and dancing in the middle of the store with her.

He could see her slipping into a dark place after the death of her mother. Dealing with his own pain, he did his best. But, you were the best friend she needed. A feminine figure she could go to talk about more embarrassing situations or just to get her mind off of the loss.

Gradually, it seemed like their small family was beginning to heal. Although the loss was a still a fresh wound, and Stephen would often find Charlie clutching a small portrait of her mother asleep in bed, they were managing to keep the pain at bay.

You understand how important this store to them. It represents so much more than being just a simple local book store. It represents her.

The store was just as special to you as it was to Charlie and Stephen.

It had always been your refuge, but now, it was always the place where you met him.

Charlie, with her overly friendly nature that she inherited from her mother, struck up a conversation with the then stranger just outside the bookstore.

Her overprotective father was soon outside within seconds. Although the friendly streak ran deep within him too, he knew these parts were full of men with bad intentions.

Once he realized the stranger wasn't from around, he felt a little more at ease.

Although you remained inside the shop, you could overhear their conversation as you inched towards the door and opened it to stand in the doorway, eyeing the stranger with caution.

Stephen was surprised to know he'd come out of town to work at the Road House. To be honest, neither of you expected him to last very long. At that place, security never does.

The bouncer turnover never ceased with the riots that broke out there almost every night. So, you didn't bother getting your hopes up.

However, Dalton kept coming back. Every other day, he came in with the excuse of using the computer or buying a book just to strike up a conversation with you and lay down his flirtatious charm.

Charlie was the first to notice he would always come around when you were there and, if you weren't, he'd always make sure to ask when you were.

She had quite a bit of fun poking fun at you, telling you he had a crush on you or mocking the unconscious change in your voice you had when talking to him.

It didn't long take for feelings to develop between you and him. There was no doubt in either of you. Although unspoken, the magnetic attraction was undeniably present.

Some of those talks were deep and you felt you could confide in him to share things you hadn't shared with anyone at all. He, in turn, told you about the night on the train tracks and how the last fight he had in the ring haunted him every night.

There was no denying the bond you were forming. However, the rumors that were spreading around the island about the closeness between Ellie and him made you hesitant to make the first move.

When you casually brought it up into conversation, he shook his head and told you it wasn't anything serious and that she'd took him on a date once. You wanted to ask him if he had feelings for her, but that would be too much.

"So what's the deal with you and Dalton?" Charlie curiously asked, having picked up on the constant courtship that you two refused to act on.

"There is no deal. We're just friends. Hardly that."

"I may be young, but I'm no fool. I know there's something going on between you two."

"Sorry to disappoint you, kid, but there isn't. Besides, I hear he's got a sort of a girlfriend" you replied without looking up at her from the book in your hand.

You were both sat in fold-out beach chairs placed in front of the store, enjoying a couple of white cherry slushies, hoping the ice cold drink could soothe the hot, humid weather.

"How do you have a 'sort of girlfriend'? Either she is or isn't."

"Those things are complicated. I guess they're getting to know each other," you shrugged wishing you could avoid the topic.

"Like you guys are?"

"There is nothing going on. Sure, he's cute and funny and all, but he's seeing someone else. He's not interested in me, Charlie."

"So, you are interested in him?"

"It doesn't matter if I am. She's a doctor, she's smart and she's really pretty and drives a nice car. I know I don't stand a chance, so I'd rather not get my hopes up," you rambled, failing to read anything on the page you were stuck on. "Can we please drop this now?"

"Oh my god," she smirked staring at you. "You're jealous."

You scoffed at her ridiculous accusation and shook your head as you closed the book and set it in your lap.

"I am not jealous. I do not get jealous."

"Yes, you are! You totally are!"

"I am not! I just don't want to talk about this anymore, alright? So can we drop it?"

"Alright, alright. Sorry I brought it up."

She couldn't stop smiling as you opened your book to continue reading. Although you weren't her parents, her mind couldn't stop thinking of a way to parent-trap you into getting together.

However, her plans were brought to a halt when Brandt's lackeys invaded the shop just a few days later.

You tried your best to stand your ground and defend the shop along with Stephen. He told you to leave, but you refused.

After the beatdown you both received unwillingly, a fire had been set and the cruel men left. The adrenaline that surged through your bodies was enough to numb the pain in order to get you both quickly back on your feet to put out the fire.

Between the blood loss and the resurfacing pain, the billowing smoke got stronger and stronger. The flames became too strong too quickly and had engulfed the entire wall across the front counter.

Light-headed and dizzy, Stephen tried to save whatever he could from the store. As you rushed back and forth, you realized that the fire had grown too much and swallowed the front entrance.

The heat of it shattered the glass windows. The open air only fueled the fire more. Coughing from the heavy smoke, both you and Stephen got down on the floor to avoid the unbreathable air and attempted to crawl to the back exit.

Everything went dark after that and melded into one huge blur.

You don't remember when you actually blacked out, but you do remember feeling relieved once you heard the fire department's arrival.

The time you spent in the hospital was short - only a couple of days - but it was enough to make you reflect on your life.

An overwhelming sense of regret washed over you as you thought about Dalton.

You'd only known each other for a few weeks, but what if you could've had something special? What if Charlie's jokes were true and he actually ended up to be your soulmate?

She could be wrong too, but the fact that you could've died and never found out if you ever really did stand a chance ate at your mind.

You hadn't fully realized the extent of your attachment until a couple days later.

You show up at the store with a limp from the beatdown you'd received a couple days ago.

Stephan tries to assure you they're fine, that you need to rest and recover, but you argue that you'll go insane if you stay at home with nothing to do, high on pain meds.

Helping the owners clean and salvage whatever they can, Charlie casually mentions that Dalton and left her and her father a suitcase full of money to rebuild the store before he got on a greyhound bus destined to leave Glass Key.

The same regret you'd felt in the hospital strikes you again and secretly consumes you.

You try to play it off and instruct her to not to tell anyone about the money. You barely understand what she said after that. All you can think about for the rest of that morning is that he left and didn't even say goodbye.

When Charlie and her father invite you to get some lunch with them, you politely refuse, opting to stay back and keep yourself busy. You lie and tell them you had a big breakfast beforehand just so they won't worry.

You promised you wouldn't get your hopes up. You knew better than that. Bouncers never last at the Road House. You know this just as well as any of the other residents of Glass Key.

He's gone now.

You just want to be alone for a bit to process it.

The door opens and the bell above it rings as you sweep away at the shattered glass, forcing you to look back over your shoulder.

The sight you see has you frozen in surprise.

His face is impossible to forget. You could never forget those big blue doe eyes, even with the dark skin that circles his right eye.

You groan lightly at the shooting pain from your broken rib as you straighten and turn to face him, holding the broom by your side as you stand next to it.

Dalton closes the glassless door behind him as he greets you with a silent but friendly smile until the cut on your lip and the black eye remind him of the damage he caused.

He doesn't look too different from you. His eye is still a little swollen but mostly black now, his lip busted and the stitches on his eyebrow are all evidence that business has been handled at the Road House.

"So, the Glass Key hero returns" you smile at him, ignoring the sting on your bottom lip. "Charlie said you were riding off into the sunset. You forget something?"

"I'm not a hero and, no, I didn't" he starts, looking around the burned down shop trying to swallow his guilt.

"Changed your mind?"

"Someone kinda changed it for me, actually. A very wise person told me that heroes don't always have to ride off into the sunset. They can stay and make a homestead instead."

Joy bursts within you like fireworks on new years. You try to fight back the smile that creeps onto you lips.

"Thought you weren't a hero."

"I'm not."

You nod biting the inside of your cheek to mask your excitement. You take the second broom that Charlie had been using earlier and left leaning against the wall by the front door.

"This homestead could use a hand" you smile and offer him the broom.

He takes it with a happy grin, feeling finally accepted as if he finally found somewhere he belongs.

"There's, uh, one more thing" he says in a soft voice.

His hand raises to your chin, tilting your head up as he cranes his neck to kiss you in the most tender of ways.

Unable to forget about Ellie, you place a hand on his chest and gently push to stop the kiss.

Dalton's face contorts with confusion. He doesn't notice the breath he's holding, anxiety settling in as he fears that you'll ask him to stop. Maybe he got the wrong signals and you don't like him that way. He'd respect it, if that's the case, but it doesn't mean his heart won't be crushed.

"I thought you were seeing Ellie?"

He blinks slightly surprised. That's not what he had expected to hear, but it makes him kind of happy that you're not asking him to stop.

"She took me on a date and we kissed, but that was it."

"So, you are dating her?"

"What, are you jealous?"

"Why does everyone keep saying that? I'm not jealous."

"You sound a little jealous" he smirks.

"I'm not. I just... I don't wanna get my hopes up."

"I'm not dating her," he says gently stroking your bruised cheek. "I told her there's someone else for me, someone that I really wanna date."

He gazes into your eyes as you smile up at him and let him continue his kiss. You let his lips linger on yours and smile when you feel them stretch into a grin.

The cuts on your mouths hurt, but neither of you bother to pull away.

His kiss gradually intensifies. His tongue flicks over your bottom lip, politely asking for entrance. His free hand reaches for your waist as the other sets against your cheek, leaving the broom tucked in his arm.

You let his tongue slip past your defenses. The gentle way his hand cradles your face has you holding onto his strong forearm and the other broom for balance as the room spins around you from his vertiginous kiss.

Your chest presses against his as you moan softly into his mouth. It takes him every ounce of his self-control to not pin you against the wall.

The bell rings again, alerting you both of another's presence so you quickly pull apart, trying to quickly compose yourselves. Your eyes shoot to the door along with Dalton's.

You realize who it is, so he shyly lets his eyes wander around what's left of the store and sweeps the ashy floor.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything," Charlie smirks sipping her juice from a straw as she stands in the doorway.

"No, no," you reply nervously as heat pools in your cheeks. "Dalton and I were just, uh, cleaning up."

"Cleaning what? The floor or each other's throats?"

Dalton snickers at her candor, glancing at you until she continues.

"Good to see you're back though. And if you ask me, it's about time."

[madamspellmans-met-tet]

🍷Illicit Affairs🍷┃ Ch. 3

Lilia Calderu x fem!reader

wc: ~ 3.2 k

summary: Lilia has a stressful day at work and wants nothing more than to enjoy a hot bubble bath—but she is interrupted.

*******************************************

All of Lilia’s pants had been in the washing this morning, leaving her with no other choice but to wear a pencil skirt that she didn’t dare bend over in for fear it might rip. The new concierge had been paying her enough attention today without the need for a spectacle. Who was she kidding? She would’ve laughed her pretty ass off if it would’ve happened. 

She drove home through the dense autumn fog after her shift and nearly ran into an unfortunately positioned trash can, but after a day of yelling at people to get their shit together because the hotel inspectors were bound to show up any day now as they did every year, she didn’t have an ounce of energy left to work herself up about it. Her scalp ached from a day of wearing her hair tightly pinned up, even now that she’d tugged it loose. 

In her driveway, she left the car without her parka but regretted it as soon as she'd stepped out. She was plucking the house keys from her bag when the front door opened. Alice came out with her hair curled and a tinge of scarlet on her lips that matched the ends of her fringe—a highly unusual sight. 

"Mh, where are you going?" Lilia sang. 

"Just Stephen's."

"Stephen." She weighed the name on her tongue. "He has a name. So it's serious."

"Well, we've had a few nice dates, and he's—he's a good guy, mamma, I promise. Even mom said so, and she—"

The house key dug into her palm as she clenched her fist around it. "Lorna has met him?"

“He was in the area, and—and you don’t like men.”

She huffed, blinking the ache away, swallowing, and nodded. While she might not have the same interest in men that Lorna did, she would have hoped Alice knew she would never mock her for dating one. Didn't she know that she loved her no matter what?

Alice sighed, a breath heavy with guilt. “Are you mad, mamma?”

“No.” She stepped closer and fixed Alice's lipstick with the edge of her red nail, holding her face between thumb and index finger. The smile didn't reach her eyes. “Just sad.”

Alice pulled her into a hug and squeezed tight, squishing her cheek against Lilia's as she'd done since she was a little girl. Lilia put her hand on the back of her head and felt the hurt in her chest melt away. Even when she drew away, Alice kept her arms looped around her neck, and Lilia put her hands on them, rubbing her thumbs in crescents. "You look beautiful, piccinia. Bellissima."

"Thanks." Alice smiled and let go of her. "I'm off now." She kissed Lilia's cheek. "Don't wait up for me."

She set about to leave, but Lilia stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "Wait. Have you heard from my docezza? She left so suddenly after the concert—"

"She cancelled band practice this week. Not sure what's going on, but I'll give her a call tomorrow."

Lilia took the information in, but it did nothing to quell her worries. Her mind went spinning with possibilities of what could've happened. "Va bene. Have fun, my love." 

"Bye, mamma."

She ran off with a wave, and Lilia looked after her for a moment before going inside. It was quiet. Her house was hardly ever quiet. Having Alice live with her again after the divorce had ensured it stayed that way, but now she was once again leaving the nest. When Alice had first left for college, it had thrown her into a midlife crisis that had led to her ripping the tapestry off the walls one night and then renovating the whole house. This time, she was developing a crush on the sinfully much younger best friend of her daughter.

She tossed everything aside—her bag, her coat, her shoes—and went to the bathroom to open the tap and draw herself a hot bath. Letting the water run, she headed for the bedroom to fetch her bathrobe, reading glasses, and the copy of Wicked Witch on her nightstand. While she was at it, she let her clothes pool at her feet and stood naked in front of the floor-length mirror. 

-> continue

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

Inanemorphs thought:

Some decades after the war, there's a Stranger Things type show where instead of teens working at an ice cream shop like Stranger Things, they're at a knockoff Cinnabon or Dunkin Donuts and discover some kind of shapeshifter/changeling/replaced loved ones. It's very clearly nostalgia/tribute to an era but also occasionally dealing with the Horrors? How would the Animorphs react

The comparison to Stranger Things is key, because IMHO the most interesting thing about that show is its ambivalence toward the 1980s. Both in the way it's nostalgic and critical toward the '80s, but also in the way it struggles to balance recreating vs. critiquing the norms of the time.

Like, look at the treatment of Soviet characters. There's clearly an effort to acknowledge Not All Russians, with sympathetic characters in Dmitri and Oleg, and even likeable scoundrels in Yuri and Melnikov. BUT the show still has Evil Greedy Soviet Scientists as its main villains, and still portrays everything in Russia as rusty/dirty in contrast to the pristine advanced U.S. settings. It's no Atomic Blonde, but it's no Red Dawn either.

Same goes for the issue of race. The show at first replicates the "one token Black kid in a 99% white cast" dynamic of '80s fiction which fucking sucks. BUT it has its only Black boy date a white girl, which would be unlikely to happen in a real '80s show. BUT it confines its discussion of racism to 2 - 3 isolated moments perpetrated by Bad People. BUT it also tackles the reality of kids being confronted with teens' and adults' hate, again in a way a real 80s show might not.

Same goes for gender (every boy must have a crush on the One Girl in each generation, BUT the girls get fleshed out as much as the boys). Same goes for queerness (replicating the coy hints Eddie's queer with no confirmation, BUT having Robin be an out lesbian supported by her friends). So on.

I think Stranger Things does an excellent job of doing a simultaneous homage and deconstruction of fiction from that era — Stephen King, Ridley Scott, John Hughes, Stephen Spielberg — but fumbles when trying to find a middle ground on realities of that era.

Anyway, people who were American teens at the end of the Cold War probably have a different perspective on all this than I do, because I know those media but I have little/no nostalgia for them.

[gorogues]

Spoilers for comics in July 2025!

You can see the solicitations in full at Adventures In Poor Taste.

It's an intensely busy month with lots of Rogues.

THE FLASH #23 Written by SIMON SPURRIER Art by VASCO GEORGIEV Cover by DAVIDE PARATORE Variant covers by SERG ACUÑA and TRAVIS MERCER $3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock) ON SALE 7/30/25 BAD MOON RISING, PART 4! As the war rages on the Moon, Jai West and one of the temp Flashes enter Eclipso’s new form in an attempt to stop the total blackout of the Sun! Also, Wally’s glitching issues have returned, but this time, they may hold the key to turning the tide of the battle…

Based on the cover, it seems that the Rogues involved in this arc are the typical lineup we've been seeing since Flashpoint.

THE FLASH: BAD MOON RISING SPECIAL #1 Written by ALEX PAKNADEL Art and cover by DANIEL BAYLISS $5.99 US | 48 pages ON SALE 7/23/30 “Bad Moon Rising” rages on as the focus turns to the Rogues’ role as Eclipso’s generals and to a surprising new ally!

Yay, Shade! Guessing he's probably the ally.

ABSOLUTE FLASH #5 Written by JEFF LEMIRE Art by A.L. KAPLAN Cover by NICK ROBLES Variant covers by HAINING and CLAYTON CRAIN 1:25 variant cover by NIMIT MALAVIA 1:50 variant cover by HAINING $4.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock) ON SALE 7/16/25 Wally’s going to need to learn to handle the heat as he faces down the monstrous Heat Wave! Can he evade his fiery grasp, or will the young speedster be burned to a crisp?!

So it seems that's not Tar Pit, it's Mick -- unless Mick is actually Tar Pit in the Absolute universe. And obviously a terrible fate really has befallen him :(

JUSTICE LEAGUE VS. GODZILLA VS. KONG 2 #2 Written by BRIAN BUCCELLATO Art and cover by CHRISTIAN DUCE Variant covers by YASMINE PUTRI, ALAN QUAH, STEPHEN SEGOVIA, and LUCAS MEYER 1:25 variant cover by KEVIN MAGUIRE $3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock) ON SALE 7/2/25 In the aftermath of the shocking ending of the last issue, Task Force X must re-evaluate their mission in Hollow Earth as they explore an unknown world. Meanwhile the Justice League comes face-to-face again with Kong—but it’s not the reunion they are expecting!

Digger and Len are in this, as per the covers.

Next is the kids' book we heard about last year.

KID FLASH: GOING ROGUE Written by STEVE FOXE Art and cover by JERRY GAYLORD $12.99 US | 144 pages | 5 1/2″ x 8″ | Softcover | ISBN: 978-1-79950-229-6 ON SALE 10/7/25 Kid Flash and his uncle, Barry Allen, a.k.a. the Flash, team up to teach a teenage group of rogues—Golden Glider, Pied Piper, Trickster, and the Top—an important lesson. But is Kid Flash the one who has the most to learn? From the writer behind the Scholastic Spider-Ham trilogy, Steve Foxe, with dynamic and action-packed art by Jerry Gaylord (X-Men ’97), comes a story about a ragtag group of kids who must work together or be doomed to life as the “bad kids.”

THE FLASH BY JOSHUA WILLIAMSON OMNIBUS VOL. 2 Written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON Art by HOWARD PORTER, SCOTT KOLINS, CARMINE DI GIANDOMENICO, and more $125 US | 936 pages | 7 1/16″ x 10 7/8″ | Hardcover | ISBN: 978-1-79950-246-3 ON SALE 9/23/25 New York Times bestselling author Joshua Williamson’s long-running (no pun intended) tenure on The Flash continues in this second volume collecting storylines including “A Cold Day in Hell,” “Perfect Storm,” and “Flash War,” which pits two of DC’s greatest speedsters against each other! When Wally West discovers that Barry has hidden aspects of his former life from him, he is convinced that the only way to save his family is to break them free from the Speed Force. Volume two of this omnibus series collects The Flash #36-69, The Flash Annual #1-2, and Batman #64-65.

[starlightandfairies]

Smarts ~Jade Herrera~

Description: Jade is baffled by reader's need to keep up with studies.

Warnings: she/her pronouns, swearing, maybe a little out of character

Little random piece of work that isn't too great.

@buteraroplace for you have your inbox request :)

Key: Y/N = Your Name, L/N = Last name, POV = Point of view

Word Count: 633

First person's POV

"What on earth are you doing?" Jade questioned, disturbing me from my hiding spot. Only place that allowed me to feel some sense of normalcy away from the town and Colony House.

I spoke without looking up from the textbooks that I had with me when I got stuck in this fucked up place that only Stephen King could have conjured up.

"Studying." A scoff left Jade's lips.

"Studying? What could you possibly be studying for?"

"Not all of us have PhDs, that can fulfill us with endless job possibilities. When I get out of here. I need to be caught up on my studies. I need to be prepared to get back to my life."

I resumed writing down notes from the textbook, trying my hardest to draw the diagram of the brain.

"You drew the cerebellum wrong." Jade pointed out.

"It's at the back, on the bottom, attached to the brain-stem. I did nothing wrong." I defended, not seeing whatever it was that he was seeing.

"Here. Let me." He snatched by workbook and pen away, like he was some little kid taking back his prized possession. Once he handed it back to me, he had drawn some medical-grade level diagram of a brain that made my little fun coloured diagram look like chicken-scratch.

Jade looked as smug as ever; that stupid little cocky smirk he does when he knows he is right. Drives me batty.

"What makes you so sure there's even an out of this?" Jade questioned, sucking away all effort that I carried to continue on with my studies. I shut the textbooks with a thwack, pushing them to the side and leant against the tree that became my safe haven.

"If I don't tell myself I can get out of here. I don't think I could survive much longer. I need this hope. Don't take it away from me." The words left my lips, separate from my own thoughts, soft and distant. Jade nodded briefly; taking a seat beside me, putting his focus at the empty archway in front of us. Some other mystical clue from hell.

"I... I'm sorry for taking that from you." I could tell, in a sense, it felt foreign to Jade, apologising. It was nice, however, hearing him apologise.

"Haven't taken it from me yet." A nod was all I got.

"So... psychology?"

"Yeah, wanna be a psychologist. I was only a month and a bit into my first year. I was driving from campus, there was traffic, I had a deadline to and I detoured. Found the tree, then got stuck in this nightmare just like everybody else."

Jade nods, taking in my words, he stands up and gathers my things.

"It's getting late." With a sigh, I stood up, following him towards town. We both gather in the bar, I cover the windows up, something I always do in the room I reside in among the town houses.

I lie on the floor, staring at the ceiling, taking in the silence that would soon be shattered by the monsters.

"You know. I was really liking college, it was fun... I was making friends, finally getting my life to how I imagined it."

"Look... I know I a giant hypocrite. The more you think about home, the more you'll destroy any remaining hope you have." I turned my head, appreciating his words, yet the comment just seemed to slip out.

"Jade are you being poetic for once rather than all brainiac?" I jumped up, grabbing some of the shit homemade vodka that always hurt my soul.

"You know what-"

"I'm sorry, that was mean, I know that..." Jade patted the floor beside him, grabbing the bottle from my hands.

"It's fine. I know I can be a prick at times too." The monsters began tapping on the window, whispering, attempting to gather attention that could be tempting enough to lure us out.

Another swing of the bottle. The taste bitter on my tongue, getting worse with each sip.

"Which one creeps you out the most?" He scoffed.

"They're all creepy-motherfuckers."

"Just- okay? Please, just... okay?" My brain was choking, I was tired and I swear I was struggling to even function at this point.

"That smiley-motherfucker."

"Yeah, he's pretty creepy." As I closed my eyes, the taunting of the creatures disappeared and the world drifted into silence.

[mixsethaddams]

“I’m going to have so much fun with you.”

This really got away from me. Roughly 2220 words. Pre-relationship/implied getting together Steve/Eddie fluff, Steve’s bad parents briefly mentioned.

Steve was always around when people were having fun.

He was a permanent fixture in the background at trips to the arcade, days at the quarry, trips to the city. Steve was always there. The kids would practically be chanting his name on the drive home from whatever excursion they all went on, grateful that he was there to let them have all the fun they wanted. Nancy and Robin would each link one of his arms and stroll along, chattering quickly about their newest favourite movie or the amazing song they heard on the radio before he untangled himself and let them walk together. Jon and Argyle would laugh softly between themselves and call him “super Steve”, trying to ruffle his hair before he slipped away to let them enjoy their haze in peace.

No one ever noticed that Steve wasn’t having any fun. His shoulders were locked in a stiff line. His smile never quite reached his eyes. Stephen Harrington Senior’s words echoed across his memory every time he felt himself on the cusp of laughing a little too loud.

“Don’t make such a fool of yourself, laughing and like an idiot! Get it together and act like a real man. Sit up straight, stay serious,”

Steve had stopped asking for birthday parties after that year.

He loved seeing his friends losing themselves into a fit of hysterics. Loved watching their faces turn red as breathless laughs bubbled out of them. It made him want to lose himself in the moment right there with them, but he could never quite shake off the thought of what if Dad finds out?

But no one noticed.

Well, at least until Eddie Munson started paying attention.

Steve found it harder to hang back and linger on the sidelines whenever Eddie was around. He’d always find himself being dragged right up beside the rest of the group, unable to fade off to the edge of everyone’s peripheral vision. His skin itched every time but purposely removing himself after it happened would be obvious. Steve didn’t want to explain to his friends that he was too embarrassed to enjoy himself because his mommy and daddy might think it was in poor taste.

Still, Eddie saw.

Eddie would grab his elbow and pull him off to the side if Steve’s inability to hold a real smile started to creep up on him. Close enough to everyone else to not raise suspicion, far enough away that the hairs on the back of Steve’s neck laid flat again. It was a loose routine that turned rinse-and-repeat of Eddie pulling Steve right into the middle of the action, and then taking him back out again. Anyone else and Steve might have fought back. He might have demanded it stop, say it made him uncomfortable, he might have even picked up his car keys and gone home.

Steve couldn’t put into words exactly why he let Eddie do it, but the feeling that rolled through his stomach when Eddie would pat him on the shoulder and say Loosen Up, You Might Like It kept him from pushing back.

-

Steve pulled up at Eddie’s trailer at nine sharp, ready to bring the Hellfire gang home after a long session. Usually he would hear them from outside, loudly rambling about spells and dice and classes and all manner of things. Tonight though, Steve heard nothing when he knocked on the door.

“Hey Stevie,” said Eddie, swinging the door open.

“Where, uh, where is everyone?” asked Steve with a furrowed brow, looking behind Eddie and into a very empty living space.

“Cancelled the game,” Eddie shrugged, grabbing his jacket off the back of the door. “Come on, let’s go,”

Steve found himself being pushed backwards down the steps, mouth open in annoyed confusion.

“Cancelled? What?” he protested. “Why didn’t they tell me? I could have made plans, Ed-“

“Steve?” interrupted Eddie, a smile pulling at his lips. “Shut the fuck up, ‘kay?”

Steve made a noise as if to talk back but Eddie just waved a finger in front of his face before gesturing for him to follow.

They didn’t speak during the short walk to the back half of the trailer park but it wasn’t exactly quiet. A local football team had won a game earlier in the evening and the residents were either celebrating wins or drowning sorrows of a loss. Steve loved the buzz of the community in Forest Hills, even if it reminded him how suffocating life in Loch Nora was. Sometimes he let his mind wander and created a fantasy life, where he drove back here after a days work and Eddie greeted him at the door with a smile and a kiss.

Eddie led Steve just beyond the homes that littered the park and to a small clearing just off the path.

“Alright, alright, alright!” exclaimed Eddie, clapping his hands and gesturing to what was laid out on the ground in front of them. “You wanna be blue or red?”

In the dim light of the summer evening, Steve realised he was looking at of a game of cornhole, set up and ready to go.

“Too late,” said Eddie quickly, snatching a red beanbag from the grass. “I’m red, snooze you lose,”

Eddie tossed his ammo at the board, hitting the centre hole and just barely brushing the edge. Steve wondered why he was never scouted for basketball in highschool. It was a great shot.

“Oh yeah!” yelled Eddie, lifting his knees high as he ran a small victory lap around Steve. “Beat that, Harrington!”

Steve glanced back at the closest trailers, wondering if Eddie’s shouting was disturbing then. He was still unsure why exactly he was playing a game instead of driving people home, but when no one opened a door to tell them to pipe down, he scooped up a blue beanbag and aimed.

“Uh, yeah, ok…” he mumbled, lining up the shot.

It went in with ease, not even touching the sides.

“Beat it,” said Steve with a shrug.

Eddie balked and spun around dramatically, putting his hands in his hair. He stopped abruptly mid turn, legs still crossed around themselves, and glared at Steve.

“You’re not celebrating,” said Eddie. It wasn’t a question.

“Oh, I, yeah,” stuttered Steve before punching the air. “Got it, alrightttt,”

“That was terrible,” groaned Eddie, shaking his head and going to retrieve the beanbags.

They played a few more rounds before Steve asked again why he was here.

“You’re telling me driving a bunch of kids back home would be more fun that this?” teased Eddie.

“No! No, sorry, thats…” Steve sighed. “I just don’t know what’s going on, you know? This wasn’t exactly what I thought my night was going to look like,”

“And what was it going to look like?” asked Eddie.

Like a microwave dinner and bed before ten. Like lying awake until the sun came up wondering if Eddie was sleeping or up all night drawing. Like wishing he was doing exactly this.

“I don’t know,” lied Steve.

“You’re not enjoying it?” asked Eddie, firing another beanbag right into the target. “Fuck yeah! I’m on god damn fire tonight,”

Steve looked around again, expecting to see people glaring at the from their windows.

“I am, I am,” said Steve quickly. “Just don’t want your neighbours to come yell at us for the noise, that’s all,”

Steve tried to smile but it felt like more of a grimace.

“Yeah,” said Eddie with a heavy sigh, taking Steve’s beanbag and throwing that too. “Figured that was it,”

“Hey, that was mine,” started Steve. “Wait, you…what?”

“You don’t make a lot of noise, Steve,” said Eddie. “I can see it fucking bursting out of you sometimes but you keep it all wrapped up in there,”

Eddie tapped Steve’s chest.

“Thought for a while you didn’t feel included,” continued Eddie, swinging his arms as he retrieved the beanbags once more. “But then, that wasn’t it either so…”

“So?” asked Steve, folding his arms and feeling slightly defensive.

“So I remembered what Wayne told me once about the street you live on,” explained Eddie. “Said no matter how many times he fixed a car on someone’s driveway, spent a day nailing tiles to a roof… He never once heard a kid playing,”

“That’s not true!” Steve said automatically.

But it was. Children were to be seen and not heard and if you couldn’t play quietly then you couldn’t play at all. Steve read a lot of books in his childhood until he learned to be quiet.

Eddie hummed and lined up another shot, holding the blue beanbag up to thrown.

“I’m the blue one,” Steve told him.

“What?”

“You’re red,” said Steve.

“Sorry, can’t hear you,” shrugged Eddie, throwing the blue bag.

Steve let out an involuntary noise of indignation before clapping a hand over his mouth. It was louder than any noise he’d made in months.

“Oh?” asked Eddie, smiling wide. “Was there something you needed to say?”

“You threw my bag!” said Steve in a stage whisper, checking around again to make sure he hadn’t disturbed the neighbours.

“You’ll have to speak up!” yelled Eddie, holding a hand to his ear.

“Eddie, I’m not-“ Steve scrunched his face up and kissed his teeth. “I don’t know why it bothers you so much. I’m quiet, okay, that’s it, that’s all,”

“Oh, it doesn’t bother me,” said Eddie easily. “But the way it bothers you is kind of difficult to watch,”

Eddie turned to face away from the target and threw the red beanbag over his shoulder, missing the hole in spectacular fashion.

“Ha!” The laugh was out of Steve’s mouth before he could stop it and he cringed again.

“Steve, look, listen, okay?” said Eddie, coming to stand in front of Steve. “Listen to what’s happening around you,”

Steve could hear football fans still partying. Dogs barking. Children screeching at the park’s nearby playground while their parents called for them to come in from the dark.

Eddie put his hands on Steve’s biceps and shook him gently.

“Life is loud sometimes,” Eddie told him earnestly, squeezing his arms. “This place is loud. The world is loud. You are allowed to be loud, sweetheart,”

Steve’s heart skipped at the nickname.

“I don’t think I am,” said Steve softly. The moonlight lit up Eddie’s eyes as he watched Steve closely.

“Have I ever lied to you?” asked Eddie.

“Yes,” answered Steve.

“In a way that mattered,” said Eddie, rolling his eyes. “The kids will ready to leave in ten minutes doesn’t count. What I mean is… Okay, so put it this way,” Eddie voice fell to a soft murmer. “I’m telling you, promising you, that you can make as much noise as you want. And no matter what anybody else in the entire world might think or say, I’ll be right there beside you, being even louder. Because you need to know that it’s okay to make noise and be heard, Steve,”

Steve was struck by Eddie’s sincerity. Part of him wanted to laugh at the implication of them being loud together and he could tell Eddie did too, but he was too caught up in realising how close Eddie had gotten while he spoke. The toes of their sneakers were pressed together and Steve could smell the last cigarette on his breath. The softness of his voice in contrast to the promise of noise, making it sound like almost a secret between them.

“You will?” whispered Steve.

Eddie moved back and went to stand by the target. He threw the beanbags to Steve and pointed down to the bullseye.

“How many points do you want for a direct hit?” asked Eddie loudly.

“Uh…fifty?” said Steve, unsure of the sudden change of subject.

“Can’t hear you,” called Eddie, louder again.

Steve felt a laugh start to rumble in his chest as he caught up to what Eddie was doing. He looked at Eddie, waiting with raised eyebrows for a response, and fought the urge to dampen it.

“Fifty!” said Steve, forcing his volume up.

Eddie’s smile grew.

“One more time?” he said, even louder now.

Steve let the laugh out.

“I said seventy five!” yelled Steve, throwing his beanbag.

It sailed through the hole dead-on. Steve rolled his head around on shoulders and closed his eyes, before throwing his arms up and whooping. He spun around and laughed up towards the sky.

“Are you sure you said seventy five?” teased Eddie as he came back to Steve’s side.

“How do you know I didn’t say a hundred?” countered Steve playfully.

The laughter between them died down slowly, leaving them watching each others faces with leftover soft smiles. Eddie put a hand on Steve’s shoulder, right at the juncture his neck.

“It’s fun, right?” asked Eddie gently, his thumb stroking along the bare skin at the edge of Steve’s t shirt.

Steve leaned into the touch, the tips of his fingers buzzing to reach out and touch Eddie right back.

“Fun, yeah,” repeated Steve, grabbing the bottom of Eddie’s jacket and just holding it.

Eddie held up the remaining beanbag in his hand.

“Wanna do it again?” he asked, shaking the bag. “Keep this fun train rolling?”

Steve smiled.

“I’m going to have so much fun with you,” said Steve. “I can tell,”

[markscherz]

Do you have any recommendations for a beginner trying to learn evolution

CrashCourse Zoology and Biology are good places to start. After that, Coursera and other MOOCs might be able to scratch the itch. A series of textbooks could also help, starting general biology and steadily working towards textbooks about evolution specifically.

I learned a lot about evolution as a kid by listening to Stephen Jay Gould essays on audio cassette, even without fully understanding what I was listening to. The key is exposure, and, if you want to go further than the basics, reinforcing what you hear with proper teaching/academic learning.

[newtonsheffield]

As a fellow former theatre kid, that image of Kmart rugs making a costume is VIVID in my mind. That is my entire childhood, because who needs high class costumes when you can put an entire cast of pre teens in $4 Kmart shoes and skater skirts?

Actually I had to provide my own shoes! And my orphan dress was made from a flat sheet from Kmart! We may not have had the budget but the Townsville Civic Theatre was ALIVE when we were on that stage 😂😂 Filled to the Brim with talent that did not have to audition. You only had to audition for the leads. The chorus was filled with people that had simply put their name down to be in the production!

That was actually the last production I was on stage for. After that I was headhunted to be in the orchestra and that was probably better suited to my talents 😂 That being said: The Tornado from The Wiz? My nemesis to this fucking DAY! I’m a classically trained saxophonist and the way the horn section is out of fucking breath by the end of that song is crazy. The key signatures in that musical are so fucking challenging. The music is beautifully written, I think all the time about What would I do if I could feel? But some of it is quite complex patterning. The overture to Wicked is another thorn in the side of musicians everywhere thank you Stephen Schwartz. I guess what I’m saying is next time you got to the theatre spare a thought for the poor musicians down in the darkness of the orchestra pit who have had to do a 15 minute vamp of Centerfold because the kid in tech rehearsal can’t remember the fucking lines 4 months into rehearsal 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Anyways, musical theatre is a gift. Townsville Civic Theatre: Miss you dog.

[darkphoenix07]

Handling you when you're drunk

Masterlist

Mental health request

Paring : Choi San x Reader

Genre : Dancing in the rain, Fluff, Drunk comfort, Birthday special

Warning : Too much sweet 🎂 Just like Choi San

💜A birthday special one shot 💜

9.35 p.m.

San is waiting for you to come home as it's raining outside and you are in your company dinner. You've called him saying that you'll be late but he can't sleep without you, specially when you are out there in this rainy weather.

As he sits beside the window with a cup of coffee waiting for you, he thinks of you like a madman. He misses the way you smell, the way you smile, the way you feel when you hug him.

Suddenly his phone's ringtone breaks his thoughts and he answers the phone, "Hello, sweetheart."

"Hello, Sana? Are you still up?" Everytime you call him that, his heart squeezes a million times.

"Baby, you sound drunk," he says.

"Because I am really drunk. Can you pick me up?" You tell him wobbling in a corner in front of the restaurant. You know driving is not possible for you right now and you can't find a single cab. Everyone has left you because you said that you want you boyfriend to pick you. No one is ready to handle your drunk self without him.

"Of course, tell me the name of the restaurant," he asks as he takes the keys and starts driving after getting your answer.

As his car comes into view, you run towards it getting drenched in the rain, not caring about how cold it is.

"Hey!" San shouts leaving his car and taking out the umbrella.

But when you hug him, his eyes melts though he gets wet as well.

"Thank you for rescuing your princess," you tell him.

He understands the amount of alcohol you took to say that you are his princess. Normally you scream at him if he calls you his princess.

"Get in the car now or else you'll catch a cold," he tells you as he starts to release the hug but you grab his hand and abandon the umbrella somewhere.

"Y/n?"

You start clapping seeing his bangs falling down because of the heavy rain.

"You are such a kid. Get inside the car," he tells you but you shake your head.

"No, let's walk home," you tell him and he hits his forehead with his hand.

"Don't be silly. Both of our cars are here. We won't be able to go this far," he tells you but you pout sitting on the street.

The mud, water getting mixed together.

"Hey! Get up. Sweetie," he drags you up trying to clean the mess but it's sticky, they get stuck in his hand too.

"Then dance with me in the rain and then you can take me home," you tell him giggling and spinning around.

He watches you as you keep spinning in your red short dress. It's simple but in his eyes, you are looking like a beautiful devil he fell in love with.

"Alright," he says holding your hand to stop you.

"Play a song in the car. Go," you tell him and he nods.

As he starts coming back to you, you hear 'Until I found you by Stephen Sanchez and Em Beihold' playing in his car. You start giggling again as he keeps his hand on your waist and starts moving. You keep following his steps as he spins you around, pulls you towards him, makes you fall into his arms.

He kisses your neck as you both dance in the rain, stick to each other like there is no tomorrow. It's like he always heals parts of you he didn't break. He puts them back together like the pains are their own. He listens to everything you say and takes you to a dream land everytime you are with him.

As you two stop moving, his eyes find yours and he smiles, his dimple showing. His smile is the warmest smile you've ever gotten from someone. His eyes always speak that he loves you like crazy and there is no ending to it.

Then his eyes find your lips, your eyes his. It didn't take for a long time for you two to find each other's lips as your kiss melt one by one turning into something hot subsiding the warmth.

But he releases the kiss first and kisses on your forehead instead, "I won't be able to stop myself if I keep going anymore. Let's get back home."

And he helps you getting inside the car as you fall asleep in a minute. Driving back home, he picks you up and enters in the room you both share.

"I can't possibly keep you here," he says keeping you on the couch.

He changes your clothes one by one and keeps you in your sleeping satin clothes as he starts rubbing your hair with your towel.

"Why are you so cute?" You ask him in a sleepy, soft voice.

"I should be the one asking you that," he says and walks away leaving you on your bed.

As he comes, he helps you to sit up, "Take this lemonade. It's only lemon, no suger. It will help you with the headache."

You drink it and fall on the bed slipping in the blanket.

He pecks your lips before switching the lights off and joining you in bed. But then ends up pulling you into his arms as he falls asleep.

Your sleep breaks just before the midnight and you slowly get up from the bed so you don't wake him up.

Going to your own room, you open your closet as you find your first gift for him. It's a resin pendent for him to wear with a sunflower in it. You made it for him someday ago because he told you that sunflowers reminds him of you everytime he sees them. The sunflower is real that you dried up in your journal you made only for him with your memories and letters which you'll give him with this.

The other gifts are for tomorrow which is spending the whole day in the beach house together, you wil make him a cake too. It will be just you and him spending his special day together.

You take the two gifts on the bed and wake him up, "Sana, wake up. Sana."

"Hm?" He mumbles and looks at you.

"Happy Birthday," you say and it's exactly twelve on the clock.

His smile widens seeing the gift box in your hands.

"Aren't you drunk?" He asks.

"A little but I couldn't forget about my baby's birthday. Could I?" You tell him and he pulls you for a hug getting overwhelmed by your courtesy.

"You know I love you, right?" He asks you and you nod because you don't know how to thank him for reminding you that everyday like no one else did or does.

Choi San was the best gift fomade only for him with your memories and letters which you'll give him with this.

The other gifts are for tomorrow which is spending the whole day in the beach house together, you wil make him a cake too. It will be just you and him spending his special day together.

You take the two gifts on the bed and wake him up, "Sana, wake up. Sana."

"Hm?" He mumbles and looks at you.

"Happy Birthday," you say and it's exactly twelve on the clock.

His smile widens seeing the gift box in your hands.

"Aren't you drunk?" He asks.

"A little but I couldn't forget about my baby's birthday. Could I?" You tell him and he pulls you for a hug getting overwhelmed by your courtesy.

"You know I love you, right?" He asks you and you nod because you don't know how to thank him for reminding you that everyday like no one else did or does.

Choi San was the best gift for you, you didn't know what gift will ever be suitable for a man like him.

💜 Happy Birthday Sana 💜

Oh to have a man like him in our life and being able to give him so much love 💞

[veryace-ficrecs]

Supernatural Outsider POV Fic Recs

This list will include all ratings and tags, so read at your own discretion! :)

God Killer by h0lm3stuck - Rated G

“There’s no way,” Austell says. “That’s——he looks like someone’s dad.” Someone’s criminally hot dad, but still. He’s not splattered with blood with a haunted look in his eyes, not itching for a fight, not toting a bloodthirsty angel along on a leash. Jeanie has to be wrong, there’s no other way around it. “No fucking way is that Sam Winchester,” Austell mutters. “That’s Dean,” Jeanie unhelpfully corrects. “Why do you look so scared?” She laughs. “He doesn’t bite.”

Attached to His Hip by sabarah23 - Rated G

The first time Jeremy saw the green-eyed boy, he had an infant attached to his hip. - or 5 times Dean was a dad in spirit only, and 1 time it was in name, too.

Story Time by Ltleflrt - Rated G

I like to imagine that someday when Dean and Sam and Castiel have finally saved the world, and are able to settle down, that Dean and Cas will get married and settle in a little town and Dean will make friends with all the neighborhood kids. He’ll keep an eye on them, and keep them out of trouble. And he’ll tell them stories….

Devil's in the House by glorious_spoon - Rated G

In which Sam hustles pool to pay for his textbooks, and an unexpected opponent turns up. Pre-series, outside POV.

Superheroes by aeli_kindara - Rated T

"I fuckin' hate group projects." Dylan gives Dean a wary glance. He gets it — he’s not the biggest fan of these things himself. But when you’re a group of two, “I fuckin’ hate group projects” is awful close to “I fuckin’ hate working with you.” In which a teenage Dean Winchester makes a friend and leaves something behind, and Sammy doesn't know when to shut up.

Crossovers

Criminal Minds

Monsters in Your Closet by AlbusCorvus - Rated G

When Castiel goes on a hunt alone and is caught by a particular FBI team, the brothers do something they never thought they’d have to. They kidnap SSA Spencer Reid to make an exchange. But being kidnapped by delusional serial killers is nothing like Spencer thought it would be.

Monsters are Real by WhiskyBoys - Rated T

'Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.' Stephen King. The kid sitting in the interview room swings on the rear legs of his chair, throws back his head, and at the top of his lungs, sings a painfully off-key version of 'Wanted Dead or Alive'. Hotch looks at Morgan with one eye-brow arched in question. "You think he's your unsub?"

No Difference by The_Bookkeeper - Rated T

Derek has been in a lot of bad situations. This one easily makes the top five. Or would, if Dean and Sam Winchester were actually acting like the sadistic psychopaths he expected them to be. Instead, Dean is referencing Star Trek, Sam is comforting Reid, and Derek has never been more confused.

Buzzfeed Unsolved

The Bizarre Winchester Murder Spree by Origamidragons - Rated T

“This week on Buzzfeed Unsolved we are discussing two of the most prolific and strangest serial killers in recent history: Sam and Dean Winchester.”

Percy Jackson

We Hitch an Awesome Ride by ariadnes_string - Rated G

Percy and his friends get a lift from some guys who might know as much about monsters as they do.

There's Nothing Weirder Than Teenagers by Calculatrice - Rated G

The kid is blinking startled, sea-green eyes at him, and Sam distractedly thinks that he looks a bit like a lost baby seal. "Who are you?" He asks, as if Sam's identity takes priority over the fact that his friend just threw his body into a lake. ___________________ In which a goth kid attempts to drown his friend, and Sam is suitably concerned.

Empousai and Demigods by Eternally_Sidequesting - Rated T

A hunt gone sideways gives Sam and Dean an idea of just how much they don't know about the supernatural.

Indiana Jones

Remnants by oneiriad - Rated G

It's not always easy to find the thing that's keeping a ghost around - bullwhips doesn't exactly make it any easier.

[untaemedqueen]

At Your Service

Escort!Jeongguk x CEO!Reader

Genre: Strangers to Lovers!AU, Angst, Fluff, Smut

Chapter 25 (Final).

Series Warnings (Will Be Updated): Angst, Fluff, Cold Heartedness, Emotional Trauma, Healing, Smut, Dark Humor

"Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.

It matters that you don't just give up," Guk mutters to himself, quoting Stephen Hawking as his fingers fly across the keys of his computer.

As he enters the final letters, he simply sighs. Leaning back in his chair, he picks up his glass of wine. His eyes skim the sixty four chapters he's ardently written over the course of the year and his heart beats erratically knowing that all his work, all his thoughts are now written down for forever.

His fingers comb through his hair, lips parting for the rim of his glass when a gentle cry breaks him out of his reverie.

Jeongguk's eyes flit to the clock on the lower right of his computer and he's up in a flash.

Cracking his knuckles, he exits his office. His mouth opens widely to yawn loudly while his nails itch at his bare chest. His feet pad down the newly carpeted hallway of the mansion and he finally stops at the doorway of the open room down the hallway.

"What's the matter, bud?" he gasps playfully, stepping into the nursery.

His face immediately breaks out into a smile at the sight of his son and when his child does the same, putting two small fingers into his tiny mouth, your husband chuckles.

"C'mere, c'mere," Jeongguk coos, lifting your one year old with ease.

He holds him close, pressing his lips atop his child's head and his eyes flutter shut at the peace he feels.

When you gave birth, when you brought this little man into the world… his whole universe rocked off its axis. His whole perception of reality shifted and warped into something that could only be described as perfection.

"Did you have a nice nap? Should we go find momma?" your husband inquires sweetly, angling his head to look at the baby who buries his face into his neck sleepily.

"Mkay, let's go," Guk croons softly.

The father of your child has appreciated the alone time you've been giving him lately but now that his final philosophy paper is finished, he realizes just how much he's missed you. "What do you think she's doing? Hmm? Maybe she's in her office?"

He continues down the long hallway, the expensive beige carpet muffling his footsteps every inch of the way.

"Ba ba ba ba," his son gurgles aimlessly, laying his heavy head against his shoulder.

"Mhm, I thought the same thing," Guk whispers with a laugh.

Peeking into your office, he's surprised to not see you there. You're usually cramming to get work in on these quiet Fridays.

Raising an eyebrow your husband leans over the second floor balcony to find your new furnished living room without you in it. You decided after a while that you needed to get more child friendly furniture, especially now that your baby boy now knows how to crawl around. All of the artistic furniture had too many sharp edges to keep a kid around.

Guk turns his head when he hears clattering from the walk-in closet and he immediately sets off with a smile at the thought of seeing you.

When he enters the room, he simply blinks at the sight before him.

"What're you doin', baby girl?" he inquires, watching as you pack the diaper bag with intent.

Turning to him with a wide smile, you put your hands on your hips. "Did you finish? Is it done?"

"My thesis? Yeah, I just finished it. Why?" he replies curiously.

"Oh good!" you beam, slinging the diaper bag over your shoulder, "Let's go!"

"Where are we going?!" your husband asks, laughing aloud when you grab his hand and pull him out of the closet.

"We're going to celebrate!" you whisper happily, kissing him softly.

His free hand cups the back of your head gently and he pulls away just far enough to raise a brow.

"Where?" he whispers back conspiratorially.

"It's a surprise! C'mon!" you whine, tugging his shirt.

Your husband looks you over in a flash, mouth dropping open at the sight before him. "You're wearing sneakers, what have you done with my girl?"

"Okay, these are Louboutin sneakers. So I'm still fashionable and… anyway, mind your business and let's go," you retort, booping his nose cutely.

"Your son is in his diaper, can I put some clothes on him before you make us go climb a mountain or something?" he mumbles, heading back towards the nursery.

"I'm just so excited!" you whine, stomping your feet.

"Excited for what?! Explain!" he calls back to you as he enters your son's room.

"No!" you call to him, trudging down the hallway.

When you finally get to the nursery, you watch from the doorway as your husband mumbles to his son aloud. "What's wrong with mommy? Why's she being all weird, huh? What's your little sister doing to this woman?"

Rolling your eyes, you put your hand on your hip as you lean against the doorframe.

"You look good in black, buddy. Just like daddy," the father of your child whispers approvingly.

When he tilts his head to you, a smirk plastered to his face, you can only giggle at the sheer handsomeness of him.

"It might not be a girl, y'know," you breathe, watching him lift your son back up.

"I can dream and besides I'm the luckiest guy in the universe, I'd only get luckier if I have a princess on the way," he coos, closing the distance between you both to kiss your forehead.

When you smile up at him, he snorts softly.

"Okay come on!" you cheer, going to leave the room.

You're fully stopped when your husband curls his arm around your waist and you look up at him with a pout. "What now?!"

"Gimme this, you don't carry heavy things this early in pregnancy," he mumbles, peeling the bag off your shoulder.

"Guk, you're being ridiculous," you sigh, folding your arms.

"Thank you, it's a trait of mine. Now, come on, didn't you say you have a surprise for me?" he beams, slinging the bag over his own shoulder.

Opening your mouth to retort, you stop yourself only to roll your eyes as he kisses your temple.

To be with this man for all this time already, to know that you still have forever to go with him… It's a magical feeling. It's almost a full year since you've given birth, gotten married, bought a summer house on one of the great lakes, and gotten pregnant once again. To be with this man, now sitting beside you eating a protein bar like he's been starved of food his whole life, you do find yourself counting your blessings.

Jeongguk is an amazing husband, an amazing father and quite a wonderful physicist.

He has all this time to be juggling all these things, sometimes you wonder if you're lacking on anything.

He's always so busy these days and he keeps up with everything anyway. It's truly incredible.

Your husband takes your hand over the middle console, intertwining his fingers with yours sweetly. His head lolls back to the rest behind him and he tilts his head to your son in the backseat with a smirk.

"He likes the planets, maybe Seb will be an astronomer," he whispers, lifting your hand to press his lips to the thin skin on the back.

"That'd be impressive," you reply with a giggle, keeping your eyes on the road.

Suddenly, your husband snaps his fingers and you look sharply to your right at the noise.

"I know where we're going! What're you up to, Mrs. Jeon?"

You giggle sweetly, simply raising your shoulders feigning aloofness. "I guess you'll have to see when we get there?"

"Have I told you that I love you today?" he inquires, combing your hair back behind your ear.

"Yeah, like once or twice," you whisper, turning the steering wheel.

"Once or twice?! That's not nearly enough! I love you, sweetheart," he coos, leaning his temple against the headrest.

"I love you too," you breathe sweetly, pulling up to the zoo parking lot.

"I knew it! Oh man, Sebastian is gonna love to see his friends!" Guk chuckles, beaming a great big smile at you.

You thought the zoo would be apt for celebration, especially since this is the first place that your shell began to crack with your now husband.

You remember the fit you went into, you remember how he chased you down with a golf cart… This place is the first place where you began to develop feelings and you smile at the simple thought.

How lucky your life has become since that day…

Leaning over the middle console, your husband drifts his hand across your stomach. He gives you a soft, passionate kiss that blossoms flowers within the deepest recesses of your heart.

When you finally pull away, Guk's coffee irises are alight with happiness and peace. The only thing that makes him look away is your son's excited babbling as he looks out the window.

The warm fatherly smile Guk gives makes you chuckle and he shakes his head sweetly as if he's still astounded by the wonderful choices he's made to get here.

"Let's go enjoy our celebration!" he beams to Sebastian, opening up his door.

As you climb out of the car, your eyes find your friends almost immediately. Your husband has noticed them yet, too consumed by grabbing the carriage and making sure your son is alright.

You give the boys you're now attached to the hip with smiles and a wave.

"How's my nephew?!" Jimin yells, crossing the parking lot to be with you both.

"Oh shit! You scared me! What're you doing here?!" Jeongguk laughs loudly, strapping Seb in before giving Jimin and Taehyung big hugs.

"Y/N told us we're here to celebrate!" Tae beams, leaning over and kissing your cheek as a hello.

Even now sometimes you're astounded by how amazingly close you both have gotten. You can remember how much he didn't like you at first, how jaded he was with you around. Now, everything has changed.

"What do you think?" Tae inquires, spreading his arms wide for you to take in his clothes.

"You look super handsome as always, did Rika send you this?" you inquire, smoothing your hands over his new Chanel shirt.

He nods happily, beaming at you with positively bright energy.

"You look amazing!" you announce, locking the car.

"Ba ba ba ba ba!" Sebastian squeals loudly, lifting his feet with his hands.

"God, my nephew is so cute!" Jimin whines, hooking his arm around Guk's shoulders.

Your husband smirks, looking over at you with sweet eyes. "How'd you know I was gonna finish my thesis today?"

"I know you better than you know yourself," you reply.

"That's true, yeah," your two best friend's chirp at the same time.

With a giggle, you tuck your arm beneath your husband as you all set off.

"Oh man, Seb is excited," Guk whispers with a laugh as your son flails around in his stroller.

"I can't believe you wore sneakers! Where are your elbow length gloves too? Are you okay?" Jimin inquires as you all finally sit down.

"She doesn't like to wear the gloves too often when she's pregnant, it makes her skin itchy for some reason," your husband comments offhandedly, passing you your food.

"YOU'RE PREGNANT?!" both of your friends yelp at the same time with wide eyes.

You look over at Guk with a wry smirk and he freezes in place. "W-Well we weren't telling anyone just yet because it's really early on a-"

"Oh my God! Congratulations! I love you guys! This is amazing!" Taehyung gasps, dropping his utensils to hug you tightly.

"I'm only five weeks so it's still early on!" you reply, hugging him back.

"Still, it's amazing!" Jimin whispers, kissing your cheek.

When you look over at Guk, watching how diligently he takes care of his son, your fist tucks beneath your chin. He's such a loving father, he's so wonderful and perfect… You are so lucky.

"Y'know… first time we came to this zoo I had to chase her down in a fucking golf cart," Jeongguk announces, wiping Sebastian's chin with the bib.

"Seems about right," Chim guffaws, folding his arms.

"I knew immediately from that day on that my life would never be the same. Now here we are married with Seb, another baby on the way, I'm a damn physicist now, you guys are getting married in July… It's all worked out exactly the way it should have."

You smile widely, watching as the doors of the VIP lounge open up. Sebastian has become so fond of the fennec foxes at this zoo, there's one in particular that takes to him so well and you can only laugh when he pushes Guk's hand out of the way to squeal at the sight.

You are so fucking lucky to be here especially with these people. You're so lucky that you got to have your black, hardened heart reform into an actual working one.

Guk kisses your temple as you watch Sebastian crawl around with the foxes and your heart sings at the peace it feels.

There are three things in this world you are absolutely certain of.

Anyone can change.

You can find love in the simplest of situations.

You are the luckiest girl in the world to have ever found your soulmate out of the situation you were first presented with.

[monsieuroverlord]

June 2025 solicits are UP!

AND IT'S CONFIRMED WE GOT A PRIDE SPECIAL THIS YEAR!!!! (I was real worried for a hot minute there) AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, AKIHIRO ALREADY HAS A VARIANT BY RICKIE YAGAWA!!!! ~AND~ IS ON THE MAIN COVER!!!1!!1!!

LET'S GOOOOOOOOOO!

Anyway.

source here

MARVEL UNITED: A PRIDE SPECIAL #1

For writers, we got: Al Ewing, Anthony Oliveira, Wyatt Kennedy & Zoe Tunnell

For artists, we got: Kei Zama, Pablo Collar, Bayleigh Underwood & Federica Mancin

Main cover by Lucas Werneck

"Visionary Marvel creators and bright rising stars deliver an action-packed anthology to take a real look at the world outside your window! From Al Ewing, Captain America of the Railways Aaron Fischer confronts the inimical and despicable Hate-Monger; Anthony Oliveira pens a story about the past that will reshape the future; and more! You won’t want to miss this special of righteous rage, longing love, captivating catharsis and, most of all, solidarity!"

Hellverine #7

Written by Benjamin Percy, art by Raffaele Ienco, main cover by Kendrick "Kunkka" Lim, with variants by Edwin Galmon and Luke Ross

"HELLFIRE & HULKS DON’T MIX!

The HELL HULK brings rage wherever it goes, and HELLVERINE can’t stop it alone! The HELLFIRE WARRIORS return as PROJECT HELLFIRE brings out the big guns. But what is their true goal? And what IS the Hell Hulk really?"

Storm #9

written by Murewa Ayodele, art by Lucas Werneck, main cover by Mateus Manhanini

"• ETERNITY has grown desperate. He abducts a powerful cosmic entity and hides them in the STORM SANCTUARY, STORM’s floating home in Atlanta.

• What is the identity of this cosmic entity? How will this act complicate the ongoing investigation of the FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION into STORM? Find out in this next chapter of the goddess’ saga."

Avengers Academy: Assemble #1 (collecting issues #1 through #6 of the Avengers Academy Infinity Comic)

written by Anthony Oliveira, art by Carola Borelli & Bailie Rosenlund, cover by Stephen Byrne

"SCHOOL’S IN SESSION!

Welcome to Avengers Academy! Seeking to guide the next generation of super heroes, CAPTAIN MARVEL assembles a misfit team of super-powered teens: CAPTAIN AMERICA OF THE RAILWAYS, BLOODLINE, ESCAPADE, MOON GIRL, RED GOBLIN, and new hero on the block, KID JUGGERNAUT! But classes are the least of their concerns as they fend off super-villain attacks, make new friends – and new foes – and learn what it really means to be Earth’s mightiest heroes."

[shippingdragons]

How 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' pulled off Poseidon and Sally's emotional diner chat

Virginia Kull and Toby Stephens talk about shooting episode 7's pivotal scene.

By Belen Edwards on January 27, 2024

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a rollicking fantasy adventure, complete with frightening monsters, high-stakes battles, and gods pulled straight from Greek mythology. So it may come as a surprise that one of the show's best — and most talked-about — scenes is a quiet discussion between two parents.

Of course, these aren't normal parents. One is the Greek god Poseidon (Toby Stephens). The other is mortal Sally Jackson (Virginia Kull), who has spent the last 12 years preparing her son Percy (Walker Scobell) for his heroic destiny — and protecting him from the world of the Olympians.

Like many stories from ancient legends, Sally and Poseidon's relationship is a tragic romance. Separated by circumstances of literally mythic proportion, unable to raise Percy together because Olympian law dictates that Poseidon shouldn't even have a child, their story has no clear solution. Sally carries the burden of the truth about Percy's parentage, while Poseidon is unable to help without endangering both his son and the woman he loves. It's a tough dynamic to understand solely through Percy's eyes, but in episode 7, "We Find Out the Truth, Sort Of," Percy Jackson and the Olympians offers us a bigger window into Sally and Poseidon's connection, in all its painful messiness and surprising beauty.

"We Find Out the Truth, Sort Of" marks our first introduction to Poseidon and what his relationship with Sally really looks like. Because of this, our first glimpse of Poseidon in the flesh is not some bombastic display of godly power, but of a man and a woman simply talking in a diner about the difficulties Sally faces in raising Percy alone.

"It was a really clever way to introduce their relationship and introduce Poseidon, because it makes them very human," Stephens said of the scene in a video call with Mashable. "It's a domestic scene between a mother and father, and at the heart of it there's this pain. It's a yearning between two people to be connected who can't be, but Poseidon is also yearning to be connected with his son but can't because he's protecting him."

The diner scene was the first scene Stephens shot for the series, yet the chemistry and history between Poseidon and Sally were already well within reach for the actors. "I really liked working with Virginia, and she's a really great actress," said Stephens. "We found that very quickly. The scene just had a very intimate feel."

Percy Jackson and the Olympians began creating that sense of intimacy between Sally and Poseidon right from the very first episode, with a scene that sees Sally sitting on her fire escape, taking in the rain.

Kull was incredibly excited to see the fire escape scene when she first read the script. "In television, you typically don't have time for things like quiet, ordinary moments. And this seems like a humdrum moment, but I think it tells such a huge story," Kull said. "It's not just Sally sitting in the rain on the fire escape — she's sitting in the rain communing with the great love of her life and the father of her kid, and this is the way that she feels close to him."

The diner sequence feels like a natural progression from that fire escape moment. Sally and Poseidon are connecting in both, but there's still a distance between them. On the fire escape, Poseidon isn't actually present. But even when he's next to Sally in the diner, there's a tragic divide between them. They're close, but still far apart.

Director Anders Engström achieved this paradoxical nearness by telling Kull and Stephens to play the whole scene without ever looking at each other. For Kull, that became a key to unlocking the power of the diner scene.

"What that did to us as actors was that all of the feelings of, 'I need to see how this is affecting the person that I'm speaking to, I want to know what he thinks about what I'm saying,' we couldn't act on," Kull explained. "Therefore, the desire to be heard, to be understood, and to connect was so heightened and so charged, it was electric. It meant that any bad impulse to 'perform' went away, and I was just desperately listening to and clinging to what he was saying. Even the silences were powerful."

In these silences, where Sally and Poseidon sit shoulder-to-shoulder yet never look at one another, Percy Jackson and the Olympians builds an entire world of a relationship that, up to this point, we haven't fully understood.

"Because Poseidon has been absent for the whole show, the audience is going, 'What a jerk, this guy is this absentee father.' And then when you meet him, you go, 'Right, I get it. It's much more complicated, and actually he really does care,'" Stephens said. "This scene is not in the book, but I think it's needed in the TV version, because it gives you much more context."

[neruomancer]

Average Members of Groups of Interest: Where are they now?

Majestic:

*A researcher at an obscure facility or a random no name hired by a security firm. They don't know what a Majestic is let alone that it doesn't exist anymore. Mostly likely to leave behind a bloody green or blue key card for agents to pick up and use

*A former Majestic goon who has been so horrible mutilated by protomatter implants that they look like a cenobite. Frozen in amber and reporting for duty. Biter and an angry March employee activates them to get back at their pissant boss. Now they dwell in storm drains, waiting for easy prey.

The Karotechia:

*125 year old wizard that escaped the plantation burning down. During the war they went to the Tibet expedition and learned about Carcosa and the yellow king. They were a big Disney fan before then so they believed they found the "Magic Kingdom". Avid collector, was very upset about the fast pass situation. Mostly likely being used as an assist by either the Program or some other group under a thin veiled disguise.

*Some weird telegram mod, wasn't even in the original group, was never a rook or a knight. Just heard the name and thought it sounded cool. They just post black sun phonk edits all day. Kind of a pathetic existence. Eventually their group chat will devolve into backstabbing under the smallest pressures.

Saucerwatch:

*OG member, not a big name probably was just an intern before it blew up. Now they are the social media manager for a wellness group that is the front for a cult which is a front for Op.

*Some kid who made an ARG that included some Saucerwatch materials. They didn't really know what it was, they just included it for the Ufology aesthetic for the sake of their analog horror YouTube videos.

The Fate:

*They were around during the upstate New York metal scene. Will corner you to talk about Candlemass or Mayhem. They never got to be an acolyte. Doesn't know what a Nyarlathotep but the satanic imagery was hard as fuck in their opinion.

*Rust cohle styled paranoid conspiracy theorist.Who and What the fuck is a Stephen Alzis? Has a substack with their findings on a guy who keeps dying. They have these weird dreams about a band? They are playing a song to wake up the sleeper.

[tlbodine]

Overthinking: Legend of the Lost Legend

Legend of the Lost Legend is Goosebumps #47, released in September of '96. It's also the last Goosebumps book I ever bought. There are a couple later ones that I think I might have read or at least have memories tied to (we'll get to them when we get there) but I was pretty much done with the series by this point.

Which is wild to think about because it was only 2-3 years. It's insane how much 2-3 years as an adult is just a blip but looking back can feel like your whole childhood.

I didn't just stop because I didn't like this book, although that is true, I did not like this book much as a kid and I still don't. But by now I was 10 years old and starting to dabble in adult books. I think I got my first taste of Stephen King around this time with Four Past Midnight and Christine. I was at this point heavily reading Robert Cormier and Richard Peck at every library trip. And probably most crucially of all, very soon I would start being an Animorphs girl -- and Animorphs released on a similar production schedule and cost a similar amount. My $5 weekly allowance went to those books instead. Sorry, Stine.

But all right. Let's give proper send-off to the end of an era.

First, the Plot: Justin and Marissa are traveling with their dad, a renowned storyteller and collector of tales from around the world. Their search has driven them deep into the forest of Brovania in search of The Lost Legend, a rare tome of unknown contents. The kids are eager to help, so they jump at the opportunity for adventure when a mysterious silver dog named, uh, Silverdog, appears with a note pinned to his collar saying to follow him.

Silverdog leads them to a house in the woods where they meet a Viking lady named Ivanna and her hairy pet wild-man named Luka (who was raised by wolves). Ivanna tells them they need to go on a quest and pass a challenge and then they'll get their reward. She sends Luka with them to help.

They almost immediately lose track of Luka in the woods, get lost, and have some adventures involving wind-up mice that hatch from eggs, giant cats, and the realization that much of the environment around them isn't even real (like the styrafoam tree that falls over on Marissa). They make their way back to Ivanna's cabin and find her slumped over the table, seemingly dead, with something sticking out of her back.

Except - not dead. The silvery object sticking out of her back is a wind-up key. Yep, just like the mice, she is a clockwork creation. Luka comes back and drops the wild man act to announce to them that they've won. He devised all of the challenges in the forest himself, for fun, because his family line is responsible for guarding the treasure of the forest. He gives them their silver chest as a reward and sends them to follow Silverdog back to the camp.

They run into their dad, who has been worried sick about them (the kids have been missing a night and a day at this point) but he can't help but be excited when they show him the chest. But the Lost Legend isn't inside -- it's an egg. They take this back to Luka who apologizes for giving them the wrong priceless artifact and takes back The Eternal Egg of Truth, then tells them how to find the people who guard The Lost Legend.

They go there, retrieve the legend from people who seem frankly happy to be rid of it, and open it up to read....that whoever owns the lost legend, will be lost forever.

Now, where are they, again....?

Overthinking It: This book feels like a fantasy re-skin of A Shocker on Shock Street, which is probably why I never liked it much. The "everybody is a wind-up automaton" twist just doesn't land for me, not even as a 10-year-old. And it reads more like a fantasy pastiche than a celebration or innovation of the genre.

It also feels a little sloppy. I'm still not entirely sure exactly what their dad does for a living or what his interest in the Lost Legend is. Storytelling is a big part of the kids lives, clearly, they keep recounting stories from their dad, but is he a writer? An anthropologist? Is his interest academic or practical? What's he going to do with the legend? Why is he bringing his kids along?

The whole thing feels a little half-baked.

That said, I think there are people who really loved this book, and enjoyed it alongside some of the other more adventure-y Goosebumps books. Not my jam, but if you like How I Got My Shrunken Head and Deep Trouble and The Beast from the East and A Shocker on Shock Street, you'll probably also enjoy this one.

If You Liked This, THESE Will Really Give You Goosebumps: Although they're not especially similar, I couldn't stop thinking about the cult classic that is Legend the entire time I was reading this.

I think a lot of those 80s fantasy films work well with this, tbh, like Labyrinth and The Neverending Story. That's the flavor of fantasy that this feels like it's in concert with.

If you wanted an actual horror story about a piece of lost media, instead, try Cigarette Burns, but fair warning it is tonally and textually very different from this story.