#not (?) actually a fish wind
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d-burnerphone ¡ 2 days ago
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sort of a continuation to this
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weepingtalecowboy ¡ 10 months ago
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Fanfic prompt: Legend is often shown as a siren or mermaid
And usually he has the ability to charm people with his siren voice
But you know what would be absolutely hilarious if he thought that Wind actually is related to mermaids as well
Because of the command melody (because if people portray the windwaker as a literal conductor of wind's magic it implies that the ability to control people comes from wind himself)
Him being in a Hyrule full of water
Going from
“It takes one to know one”
Logic
Like he sees Wind accidentally charm a trader and then take off with cheap supplies
And asks him if he knows that he is commanding people
Wind main while thinks that legend also has the command melody song
And also really wants to learn to control it (because the knowledge that you can accidentally use mind control is very unsettling )
And agrees happily
They bond over it
And legend tries to teach him how to swim with a tail
But Wind doesn’t have one
But he can hold his breath for a very long while (because he has the windwaker and can just get air out of the water if needed like air is literally everywhere on earth)
So Legend kind of takes him by the hand and dives with him instead
They have fun
And the whole situation is just
Legend: “I have connected the dots!”
Wind:”you haven’t connected shit!”
Legend: “I have connected them”
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mirensiart ¡ 9 months ago
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Going with the theme of some links in the chain using animal based nicknames for the links under their mentorship (pup, cub) I raise warriors nicknaming wind guppy (like the small colorful fish) and wind absolutely hating it (lie)
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cc3204 ¡ 3 months ago
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Haunted by the sound of sea, slipping through the gaps.
Waking in a different place, no longer on these maps.
Now ain't this a start of something new...
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the-purple-squid ¡ 7 months ago
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I felt like posting this. Barnaby Willikers but toonified.
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baileyboo2016 ¡ 11 months ago
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I’m doing woman month, but not every day cause i’m not that fast lmao
Day 2: Marin 🌺🏝️
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Yes her face looks greenish because she has a blue overlay, symbolizing how she is in a dream and not quite real as she fades away…
(ignore that i can’t draw hands)
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box-dwelling ¡ 10 months ago
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I have had inspector hosonaga for one case and a single investigation room and if anything happens to him I am going to end up on the news
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javierduffy ¡ 6 months ago
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After they've been together for a while and Kieran's come out of his shell a bit (esp around the rest of the gang) for some reason I can imagine him just being like. Very forward. Not outright flirty but he loves Javier SO MUCH he's practically vibrating with it. It's spilling from his mouth every time he talks w/ him. Not right out of the gate, though. He starts with small comments in the morning. A compliment here, a cheesy line there. But by the end of the day if you listen closely you can hear an increasing amount of stutters from Javirr's guitar and Kieran knows he's got him when he looks away he's so flustered and the whole time Kieran's just blinking innocently and grinning like mad he's so in love UGH. If he does not kiss his bf breathless within the next 10 seconds he WILL explode
NOOO I AGREE COMPLETELYYYYY YOU GET ME YOU UNDERSTAND !!! kieran, as shy (if you want to call keeping your mouth shut to spare yourself the trouble of getting shot in the head “shy”) and awkward as he is, speaks his mind and is willing to be quite verbal about what he’s thinking ! i listened to his ambient voice lines the other day and he really is very vocal when he doesn’t feel that being the alternative would jeopardize his wellbeing, and i think the reason people don’t notice is because when he’s challenged, he’s often willing to fold on his perspective, mostly just to preserve his own safety because of his audience. i mean, he literally FORCED the vdl’s to take him in, and he often bows up at arthur and will challenge/confront him (because he’s most familiar with him). plus, he’s very openly complimentary towards mary-beth, even as early as horse-shoe. kieran duffy has little to no problems with speaking if you really listen !
so absolutely yes he does say what’s on his mind even and especially when it comes to javier. hell, i believe that kieran complimented him even before they got together, before javier even liked him (or acted like it, at least). he’s just a lover at heart ! i think that would be one of the reasons that javier becomes less hostile towards kieran to begin with- because kieran is so gentle with everyone, and initially, javier is always shocked when he isn’t the exception, even when he generally avoids him or even treats him outright poorly. kieran’s gentility isn’t a survival skill, it’s an innate part of who he is. so even before he’s especially comfortable with javier, on rare occasion, kieran would say a “you look nice today, mister !” or a “you’ve got that knife looking mighty spiffy, would love something like that for myself some day.” before he can really even think about it. it always pissed javier off, of course, because ‘that stupid pretty, sweet, charming, handsome bastard of an o’driscoll has no right to even look at him, nonetheless like him or anything he does ! and it certainly didn’t feel good to hear him say it !’.
but when they get together, kieran’s compliments change- not only because javi now knows that he means them from a full homo place, but because kieran is now able to say things that have been on his mind for months. when they’re away from camp, kieran swoons and fawns and waxes poetry as best his awkward and mildly educated self can. i really believe that it takes him no time at all (i say this, i mean a month or so) to work up to jumping into sharing his adoration when they’re alone, because when javier finally chose him back, kieran got his permission to love him, and he’d been waiting on that for ages. kieran duffy has been starving for love for all 23 years of his life, and he’s got such a craving for it that it makes him the best cook in the world because then every crumb matters. being a lover with no one to love has left kieran with a keenly honed sense of adoration- a natural skill he has sharpened to a perfect point in all of his quiet isolation. javier practically drowns in it once he’s exposed to the full capacity of it. you’re absolutely right that it isn’t too long before kieran has javier wrapped perfectly, lovingly, obediently around his finger. when kieran sits politely on the bedroll next to his beautiful musician as he plays for his usual crowd of outlaws, when he peers over at him through long brunette lashes, when javier can feel his gaze on his fingers as they pluck the strings (and some rare nights, javier knows exactly what kinds of thoughts are in kieran’s mind, which only flusters him further. especially when kieran feigns innocence if ever accused of lust, all the way up until they’re alone, in which he’s quite happy to share imagery from his vivid imagination.). usually, though, kieran wants nothing more out of it than to let javier know just how much he adores him, how pretty he thinks he is, how perfect his voice is, how every little thing about him drives kieran crazy- and it’s out of lack of recent exposure that javier’s tolerance for it all is so low. that’s what he tells himself, anyway. kieran may not be a poet, but he’s sure honest, and sometimes, that hits harder than elegant prose.
i do so love the thought of a flustered javier, especially when he’s the one who is supposedly the “romantic” of the two. man can dish it out but he can’t take it </3 kieran sparingly shares touches with him throughout the day as well, placing a hand on the back of javier’s collar when he’s leaning over his shoulder to peer at whatever javier is intending to show him (a map for a small job he’s planning, an upgrade on his revolver or knife, the poison throwing knives he’s gingerly handling as he explains to kieran how to coat them evenly for a quicker kill), hooking a finger into the waistband of javier’s pants or his suspenders as they smoke alone early in the morning by the scout campfire, touches the tips of their boots together as they both work their separate chores of cleaning saddles and sharpening knives. kieran says i love you throughout the day in a million different ways. like you said, he’s practically vibrating with it. by the end of the day, after kieran’s shared with javi how his eyes look like the perfect cup of coffee in the sun, how he’s real purdy first thing in the morning, how he missed him the other day while he was out on a job, all the while burning holes into javier’s skin with every little touch he sneaks in when they’re on the same side of camp, javier is a puddle on the ground. he’s anxiously fiddling with his guitar before playing and missing notes when he does, desperately cleaning his boots and hat more to soothe his hot gut, and taking solo fishing trips to either verbally rant his feelings out loud in spanish or rub one out because kieran is driving him absolutely insane, and they’ve not been together quite long enough for javier to justify dragging him out of camp every single day to get some privacy and/or blow off some steam (in more ways than one, depending on the day).
the longer they’re together, the more brazen he gets, absolutely. placing a hand on javier’s shoulder while he sits next to him at the campfire with other gang members, tucking javi’s hair behind his ear when it’s down and they’re chatting late at night, saying “oh, i do love you.”, “yes, sweetheart?”, “javier, my dear-“ in front of some other gang members while they’re talking or addressing each other, and it simply turns javier’s brain off. to be bravely loved is such a privilege and it almost sends a shiver down his spine every time kieran does it. to kieran, it’s almost like he can’t even help it, doesn’t even really think about it too much after a while. sure, he’s anxious at first, especially with how javier will react since he’s essentially constantly around his tough-love family who will absolutely mock him for it if he lets them, but seeing javier get so flustered because of how little he expected kieran to be so bold, it’s addicting. immensely. plus, kieran knows javier may not come back to him every time he leaves camp, and he’s lost enough in his lifetime to regret not loving javier to his full capacity. it won’t get them hurt, so he’s happy to be brave, because he’ll know that if either of them die, they will die having loved and been loved at 100%. now, he doesn’t think too hard about any of that. really, kieran just can’t help but love javier- can’t help but want to tell him that he’s the most beautiful person he’d ever met, tell him how much he matters to him, tell him how special his heart is, show him how much he loves him, indelibly, intricately, with every fiber of his being. if i don’t kiss him breathless within the next 10 seconds, i will die. he thinks after a long day of small touches and meager compliments, after a long day of javier tripping over his boots and unsatisfactorily twanging his guitar strings once or twice that evening nonetheless. and he says “if i dont kiss you within the next ten seconds, i will die.” and javier pauses, freezes, shocked, trapped in green eyes as the scout campfire lazily licks dances of light and shadows across their wrinkles and scars and features. and javier says, “well then, come here. you are too young to die.” as his heart beats louder in his chest than it ever has in a gunfight.
umm i think i got off topic but yes :3 i agree :3 kieran can be quite forward, even canonically ! they’re both loverboys in their own ways and equally as hungry for the others’ taste (figuratively and literally). sorry for the yap sesh ! thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me !!!!!!! i love thinking about them waygh ;__; i could talk about them all day
#tldr i agree i just think kieran would be quite forward quite fast rather than taking too long to warm up#i mean he takes his time but the time in which he BEGINS to fluster javier is sooner than when they begin dating#so by the time they begin dating i think he would essentially cannonball into it once he settles in#which to me is around the time he also feels comfortable asking arthur to go fishing with him and for favors etc etc#so actually yeah kinda a similar timeline as you ? just different times for his bare bones affection to specifically begin#i know i rambled a lot here this response is so long im so sorry. i’m sure that to everyone else most of what i said is moreso an irrelevant#ramble and less so an actual response but it all makes sense to me :( i get so excited and it’s hard to stay on topic LOL#either way anon thank u so much for sharing ur thoughts with me !!!! i’m so happy when people want to talk to me and share things with me :]#to think of me of all people when you think of javieran and to want to connect with me over that makes me feel so happy and special !!!!!#i hope u like how i write them !!!! and all my incessant yapping …….#just in general i so do love the idea of javier who is notorious for his romantics to be out-romanticed sometimes by his presumed ‘shy boy’#boyfriend LOL kieran duffy’s love will knock the wind right out of you !#not to say that javi’s poetics and own love isn’t just as strong#but i think kieran’s disposition sets him up to catch people off guard when it turns out that he’s a huge loverboy and romantic in his own#special way 💔💔💔☹️☹️☹️ i love them so baaaaaadddd so so so so bad#thank u again anon i had a blast writing about them 💔 my cowboy lovers they keep me going#rdr2#red dead redemption 2#kieran duffy#javier escuella#javieran#hero's yelling at folks again#hero’s waxing poetics again#ask#anon#text#hero’s javier#hero’s kieran#hero’s javieran
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smilesrobotlover ¡ 2 years ago
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Ocean king VS Levias VS Windfish
Who would win do you think?
Oh this is a good question. I don’t feel like the wind fish would be as powerful as levias and Oshus cuz they seem to be just some guy, while the other two are mentioned as deities in a way (unless I’m misremembering that about levias). Oshus is pretty powerful with the stuff he’s able to do, but we can’t really see it since he’s powerless through most of the game.
Im gonna say Levias cuz he’s bigger and he can fly 👍
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mooreaux ¡ 2 months ago
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Mermay day 12: Portuguese Man o’ War
The Portuguese man o’ war is a striking marine organism often mistaken for a jellyfish, but it is actually a siphonophore-a floating colony of genetically identical polyps that function together as one. Recognizable by its vibrant, balloon-like float and long, venomous tentacles that can reach up to 30 meters, it drifts on the ocean’s surface, propelled by wind and currents. Its tentacles deliver a painful sting capable of paralyzing small fish and crustaceans, and while rarely deadly to humans, contact can cause severe pain and lingering welts-even from specimens washed ashore.
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readwritealldayallnight ¡ 9 months ago
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“And you ladies are goin’ to be alright?”
“Oh yeah, cabbie’s on his way for us. You go ahead and get this one home.” Your friends giggle as they take their turns hugging you goodbye, the process taking nearly ten minutes thanks to the never ending drinks you’ve all had tonight.
It was a rare night out for you, celebrating a friends birthday at a bar with your girl gang. With your busy schedules, it was difficult to find time to get together as often, and when you did, your friends went hard. Shot after shot, drink after drink, you’d definitely been beyond tipsy for a while now.
Simon, who had come to pick you up at the end of the night, was thoroughly entertained by the sight of his intoxicated little sweetheart, all giggly and rosy cheeked. Making sure your friends has their own safe way of getting home, he slipped an arm around your waist, wanting to prevent your stumbling legs from landing you face first on the bar floor, and led you towards the exit.
“Oh my gosh.” You giggle, your own arm trying to wind behind his large muscular back. “Simon I’m so happy you’re heeeeeeere! I missed you so much.”
“S’that right?” He humours you, holding the door open with his side as he manages to steer you out of the building and out to the car park. “You an’ the girls have only been out for a few hours, lovie.”
“Well it was a flew, no a few! It was a few hours too long!” You drunkenly mumbled, making Simon’s smile widen, his mind already going over the different painkillers in your bathroom cabinet he could give you in the morning for the hangover you were sure to get. “A few hours too many, away from my Si guy! I don’t like not being with youuuuuu.”
“I know, lovie, I don’t like being apart either. But you’re allowed to have fun with the girls every once in a while.” He attempted to reason with you, fishing a hand into his jacket pocket in search of the keys. “You had fun, right?”
“Yeeesssss… but I like you! So much!”
“I like you too.” He chuckled at you. “If ya had fun s’all that matters. And I’m here now aren’t I? Said I’d come get ya.” He adds, tightening his grip around you in emphasis, not wanting to shake you too much, unsure as to exactly how many drinks you had.
“Oh my gosh that’s so nice to say…” you began drawling on before your feet came to an abrupt halt, nearly causing Simon to stumble forward himself as he stopped alongside you. “Wait…” you mumbled, eyes glancing ahead at the familiar sight of Simon’s truck. “Are you driving me?”
He can’t help but to softly chuckle to himself again, completely endeared by the way drunken you has your face scrunched up in consideration, apparently having forgotten that between the two of you, Simon would in fact be the one behind the wheel.
“I am.” He replies simply, watching you process his words.
“Okay, well, I just need to call Soap first.” You mumble, trying to pull your phone out of your back pocket with great effort.
“What’ya need to call that tosser for?” Simon asked, now the one feeling confused.
“I’ve just never actually written a will, and if you’re driving then I think I should probab- ahh!” You squeal as Simon scoops you up over his shoulder, swatting a large hand against the plump of your behind, covering the short distance to the passenger side.
“Yeah yeah, very funny, cheeky girl.” He says, opening the door and helping you into the seat before buckling you in, a smile on his face the entire time. He comes around to his side and hops in the drivers seat, starting up the engine. As he starts to pull out of the parking and back onto the main road, Simon glances towards your figure huddled up in the passenger seat, already singing along to the first thing that came up on the radio, and wonders to himself just how much you’ll remember in the morning.
The last time he’d drank with you, you were completely out of business the next day, saying that you could hardly remember a thing from the night prior, and even then he wasn’t sure you were as intoxicated as you were currently. Deciding to have a bit of fun and take a chance Simon asks you:
“Hey lovie?”
“Mhm?”
“When I ask ya to marry me, what do ya think you’ll say?”
“Uh, I will say YES! Duh!” You reply, the answer obvious to you no matter what state you’re in. However, because you are in fact drunk, you then add “and then I’m gonna get down on my knees too Si, and I’m gonna give you the best bestest head in the whole world actually is what I will do.”
“Hm, okay.” He answers casually, keeping the urge to laugh contained for a bit longer, wanting to keep teasing you. “And uh, how many kids do you think you’re gonna want us to have?”
“Simon,” you playfully sing song to him, angling yourself to face towards him and reaching a finger out to try and poke his cheek, landing more towards his shoulder. “Do you have feelings for me or something?”
“Or somethin’” he says quickly, “Come on lovie, how many babies am I puttin’ in ya, hm?”
“Mmm, at least two I think. So that at Halloween, Simon oh my gosh, at Halloween! We can do a family costume and all be ghostbuste-”
“We’re not gonna be ghostbust-”
“We will be ghostbusters.” You nod to yourself, glancing away from him as his opinion is no longer valid, before changing your mind and looking at him with all the love you can muster at that moment. “Simon, it sounds like you liiiiiiiike meeeee.” You attempt to tease. “You wanna get married? And have babies?”
“‘Course I do, lovie.”
“You think about that?”
“Every day.”
“Every day?”
“Mhm.” He confirms, sending you his own loving look.
“Well you better get me my ring then mister, cause I like yoooouuu too.” You giggle, before gasping as the song changes and starting to sing along.
He watches you in the passenger seat, a content smile upon his face as he listens to you singing without a care in the world, unaware that Simon has had your ring picked out and purchased since your first kiss. He’s just been waiting for the right time to ask you. And now that you’ve unknowingly given him your own blessing, he’s not so sure he can wait much longer.
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kiss-me-muchoo ¡ 19 days ago
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𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐜 || 𝐉𝐢𝐧𝐮 𝐱 𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫
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summary_ Jinu left behind the woman he was supposed to marry, centuries later, he finds her again, learning that she was cursed to reincarnate until she was able to find real love (+ she was helping the demon hunters)
warnings_ cursed!reader, canon divergence, lovers to enemies to lovers, magical realism, fluff, angst, tension, reader implied to be foreigner but not actual descriptions, perhaps cringe, lengthy fic, no proofread (editing later)
notes_this is the second time i fall for an animated character, first time was miguel o’hara and i still love him very much, im 21 and not ashamed to write about this lol
♫ ♪ Saja Boys horrid playlist
✰ Index (+ fics here)
୨ৎ───୨ৎ───୨ৎ───୨ৎ───୨ৎ
The wind was blowing so hard that your hair was a mess, flowing freely and getting tangled.
With a big smile on your face, you could only feel the adrenaline of running towards the end of the village, where the wild meadows awaited. And so did your lover too.
Men were going home after spending the whole day fishing, and women were carrying baskets of freshly made silk and linen too. Children were already gone, probably taking a bath in a big warm pot.
Women your age were already in bed but you couldn’t wait.
Not when Jinu was waiting for you at the meadows, even less when you had news to share with him.
Two weeks ago, your lover asked your father for your hand in marriage. At first, your old man said Jinu had nothing to offer you, that it wouldn’t work out. But the more you convinced him of how much you loved him, that you didn’t need to live in a palace to be happy, he started thinking differently.
And that night, as you ignored your quiet grandmother’s scary eyes, your father approved and allowed you to marry Jinu.
Your father’s mother was a mystery, she couldn’t speak, she was quite intimidating and you swore you could hear her sing in the middle of the night. Even your own mother seemed displeased by her presence, but didn’t say anything.
It was at the beginning of the meadows, when your running pace quickened. The beating in your heart mixed with joy and anticipation to get to Jinu.
When your head turned to look at the undergrowth nearby, your heart nearly stopped.
There was your grandmother, with her long grey hair and a beige gown. The sight was like a ghostly encounter, it sent shivers down your spine. It felt like a bad omen. Your stomach turned but you only ran faster. Thinking it was your mind playing tricks with you, you only kept running. Only that filled with fear.
Until you spotted a tall figure, you knew it was your home. Upon hearing the crack of branches, Jinu turned to look at you, and when he saw the many scratches in your face and arms, he grew worried.
“What happened to you?” He asked while inspecting your face.
“I guess I shouldn’t run like that again…” you answered with an attempted chuckle, opting to ignore the encounter with your grandmother.
His warm hands traced every scratch and while it burned, you would never move away from his touch.
“I have wonderful news, Jinu…” With a big sigh, you collapsed in his arms before speaking again. “My father said yes. We can marry now…”
You couldn’t see, but his face dropped, he remained quiet and when you felt he wasn’t hugging you back, you knew something was wrong.
“Jinu?…” you asked letting him go.
He stared at you in silence. You could see his perfect skin shining under the moonlight, his soft black hair that always smelled like tea, and the clothes you offered to wash for him and his family every week at the river nearby.
He was the only person you could imagine sharing the rest of your life with. But…
“We are not going to marry…” the words sounded unsure, even scared to say them out loud.
You stood there speechless, in shock. Suddenly the moonlight and Jinu himself weren’t enough, you started feeling the cool air hit against your body, making you shiver.
“Why?”
“I- Look… I found a better opportunity at…” you looked down at his hands and you saw a golden bracelet in his hand. Your face turns into one of disgust. Only people allowed into the palace wore that bracelet.
“Why would you do this to me?” Your hand dropped to your stomach, feeling the anxious feeling creeping all over. You couldn’t feel worse. And when Jinu remained still, in silence, your eyes grew teary.
“So you don’t love your family enough?” You asked and he looked down, ashamed.
“You don’t love me enough to marry me and find a better opportunity together?” When he still didn’t look up, you grew mad.
“Look at me when I’m speaking!” In a rush, you grabbed his chin and pushed it between your thumb and index finger, forcing Jinu to look at you.
“I’m sorry…” he attempted to say.
For the first time, you couldn’t feel the peace and comfort through his eyes. You could only see greed.
He gave up on you to pursue a better life; alone.
“You’re not sorry. You’re selfish and a bad man…” you spit out, letting go of his chin with anger. “Just know that every pain we cause comes with some karma to pay...”
You turned to run away, hearing Jinu calling your name, but you didn’t look back. You came back home running just as you left. Only that tears came as well.
Quietly, you opened the door of your humble home. There wasn’t a single candle illuminating the place, meaning that it was very late.
“That boy made a deal with a demon…” you nearly jump and died right there after hearing that voice.
When you turned to the corner of the chimney, there was your grandmother in her rocking chair.
Suddenly she could speak.
“You’re a witch?” You asked with terror when she stood up.
Her grey hair and almond eyes matched the aura of a witch who kidnapped children and made unimaginable things.
“I was disappointed when I gave birth to a man instead of a woman…” she revealed, making you feel beyond uneasy. “Imagine my surprise when I had a granddaughter who grew up with a fiery need to find love instead of keeping the lineage she comes from”
“I am not a witch” you firmly stated.
“No, you should’ve trained to be a huntress and that’s your biggest mistake” the more the old woman stepped closer, the more you wanted to run away. It was already enough pain to have Jinu’s words in your head repeating over and over.
“That boy preferred to follow a demon so his wishes could be granted, excluding you”
“Enough!” Your parents could be awake at any moment, and that would be worse, but you couldn’t hide your anger towards your said grandmother.
“May your soul be doomed until your heart beats with blood again” she started repeating in slow whispers, making you cry and yell back at her to stop.
“I said enough!”
Your left arm started burning, you cried in pain, until you ended up on your knees.
When you urgently inspected the skin, a trail of symbols appeared like magic ink. And when you looked up, the old woman was gone.
Nobody heard you, and nobody questioned your tattoo the following morning. When you knocked at Jinu’s mother's house, she told you through tears that he had actually left for the palace. That day your grandmother was found dead and within days, you and your parents were gone, back to the occident to finish your first life.
[Actually centuries later…]
A summer opportunity turned into an undefined job. When you left home to go to Korea and be a makeup brand creative director, you weren’t prepared to be gone for more than a month. But as the weeks passed, you found yourself accustomed to a new life. You started getting into the entertainment industry, with K-pop idols to be more specific.
Until you got the chance to make a collaboration between the makeup brand you were directing and Huntr/x or Huntrix. You had just met them and the three girls were nice, friendly, and were curious about the concept you were offering to them.
“And this is a cyber glam concept for the photo shoot…” you said while passing the three girls a bundle of pictures and collages.
“I love this, I think it’ll fit us perfectly” Rumi replied with a wide smile.
“Yep, agreed. This might be the one” Mira added, winking an eye at you.
“What do you say Zoey?” You finally asked the black haired girl who looked with detail at the concept.
“l-o-v-e it!” She yelled with excitement, hugging the papers against her chest.
“Sounds like we have a deal then…” the girls nodded at you and you excused yourself to have a little break.
After they picked the theme for the campaign and the break, the girls would have to try on costumes and pick the makeup for each one of them. But in the meantime, you would eat.
Outside the building, there was a little park with benches and lots of trees. You spotted an empty picnic table and you decided to have your salad and chicken katsu there.
It was nearly empty, not even the sound of the hatred city could be heard. Perfect place to feel pure peacefulness.
You ate in silence, a man in a business suit passed by and you heard the click of his formal shoes. He was hot, perhaps early thirties but very good looking.
And you remembered it had been so long since you had a boyfriend, the last relationship you had was back at home during middle school. It lasted years and took away a lot of the joy you were supposed to experience as a teenager.
When would you find real love?
An online palm reader said that it seemed hard for you to find a partner and that you were cursed. You asked if you could have your sixty dollars back but she blocked you.
You wanted a man who could be your best friend. To have a thing where souls seemed to be connected.
Distant sounds made you snap out of your delusions. Awkwardly, you stood up, looking around to find the source of the sounds.
Stepping into the bushes, you heard a growl. You froze.
A demon was taking the soul of the businessman you saw earlier.
Your loud gasp made the creature jump and try to attack you, tackling your body.
You tried to push the demon away, its touch hot and burning your skin, claws digging into your forearms, and saliva sliding down your neck.
You had always seen demons since you were a kid, but never interacted with them.
“Y/N!” Far away you saw Mira running towards you with Rumi and Zoey behind, carrying weapons. “Catch this!”
The woman threw you a fan and even in the middle of chaos, you sent Mira a displeased look.
“That’s all I had!” She yelled coming closer.
You tried to open the fan and noticed it was a regular item, not enough to kill a demon. With the demon trying to get your soul, you tried to set free the arm grabbing the fan.
Somehow, you managed to push the demon and before it could literally destroy your face, you felt your hand sliding the fan against the throat of the creature. And in a second, the creature vanished, leaving sparkles behind.
You frowned and gasped in horror.
“You’re a demon huntress like us!” Zoey yelled once the girls made it to your side.
“What?” You asked in confusion. “I’m a normal human being. I’m not-“
“Yes, you are! Look at the fan Mira gave you!”
But you weren’t exactly normal. Normal human beings couldn’t see demons so often, and they didn’t feel the constant sensation of déjà vu. At that moment you wondered if the palm reader was right. Were you cursed?
Mira and Rumi helped you to stand up.
When the four of you looked at the fan, it didn’t look the same, it looked like… a weapon. Similar to the ones the girls carried
“This is so weird” you whispered while shaking your head.
Rumi came closer and touched your shoulder with comfort.
“It’s okay, you might be confused but we can help” she said with a little smile.
“In fact, we’d actually also need you as well” Mira added with crossed arms while Zoey picked up the fan.
You sighed. Was there any other option?
“I don’t have much of many options… Right?”
“Nope” said the three girls with mischievous smiles.
…
Everything changed so drastically in a week. You moved into the same place with the Huntr/x girls and started moving away from the makeup brand creative director and more to be the biggest girl band creative director.
You designed their newest costumes and you couldn’t stop listening to their newest release “Golden”. In terms of demon hunting, you had assimilated the situation and you started helping them. The more you heard them talk about the hideous Gwi-Ma and types of demons, you got to be able to see the world as they did. With blue, but with growing red spots.
In your room, you've got to write and ramble as you used to do before. Only that you forgot to lock the door, even to close it.
“Are you singing ‘Golden’?” Startled, you looked at Rumi in horror.
“Yes, I told you I loved the song…”
“You can sing!”
“No I don’t” you say with a little smile.
“YES, YOU CAN!” Mira and Zoey screamed from the living room.
Rumi and you burst into laughter and you shrugged.
“I like singing. But.. I don’t know…”
“You could be an idol one day” Rumi said with enthusiasm.
“God no!”
“Yes! You can sing, we know you can dance and you have tons of creativity to do something cool”
“I don’t know, Rumi…”
Through the door frame, Mira appeared, looking uninterested in her phone.
“The doctor said he’s having us look at Rumi” she said.
Both of you nodded and when Mira disappeared, Rumi grabbed your arm before you could stand up from the bed.
“You can count on me that I won’t tell them about your patterns” you assure her after seeing her worried face.
You had seen her arms by accident. And you weren’t scared, but confused and curious.
“Thank you, y/n” she said with a smile.
“Sure. But you have to tell them…”
Rumi nodded, as she watched you changing into a jumpsuit.
…
The Huntr/x girls forgot about one extra box of medicines for Rumi. You went back inside the clinic and when you got out, you could hear a crowd and music. And then you spot your friends at the end of the hallway.
Confused and irritated by the sudden change of plans, you jog towards the girls who decided to walk closer, getting lost in the crowd.
“What is going on?” You asked.
“We bumped into some hot guys and turns out they are a new boy band” Zoey turns to tell you with fake disgust.
“Yeah and these two were drooling for the one with abs” Rumi joked, making fun of them.
“We were not drooling” Mira said while rolling her eyes, trying to convince you. You only chuckled.
“Look at them, they dance perfectly in sync” Zoey commented.
Saja Boys; sure what the hell.
♫ ♪ You’re all I can think of
Every drop I drink up
You’re my soda pop
My little soda pop ♫ ♪
What a lame and silly song; you thought.
And then you found yourself mumbling at the melody. So you were finally able to see the group of apparently perfect men. It was such a catchy song; you then thought.
Pastel hairs, colorful clothes, cute faces, and… That face.
As if you had entered into a noise-canceling bubble. You locked your eyes with the leader and an indescribable sensation started covering all of yourself.
He was tall, with perfect skin, perfect features, black hair and… he seemed so familiar.
“Look at me when I’m speaking!”
“I’m sorry…”
“You’re not sorry. You’re selfish and a bad man…”
Voices started to fill your head. Then images, of you in an ancient village, coming from the occident with your family. Meeting a man who became your best friend. He asked your father to marry you. And then… he left you.
Jinu…
Then the woman who cursed you.
“May your soul be doomed until your heart beats with blood again”
You nearly fainted when you heard the music again.
“Are you alright?” Mira asked and you started shaking your head.
“I want to leave” you managed to say with a broken voice.
And then you felt it, his eyes on you.
“What?” Rumi asked once she looked at you so distressed and anxious.
“Don’t ask, just help me take her out of this!” Mira told her.
The girls hurried to move through the crowds and when the Saja Boys' music started to sound distant, you sighed in relief.
The worst part? You knew he had seen you.
…
The smell of herbs filled the wide living room. At the table in the middle rested your smelly cup of tea. Rumi, Zoey, and Mira looked at you with wide eyes and expectant faces at your marked arm.
That night you four had followed the Saja Boys and tried to fight them. You helped Rumi to slip away from Jinu and you seemed to be his weakness, since he let go of your friend easily before you two disappeared from his sight.
“So you are cursed to reincarnate until you find love?” Zoey asked.
“I guess so… Things can’t stop getting weirder” you admitted in a low voice.
The trio of girls exchanged looks.
“And Jinu was the man you were going to marry?” Rumi asks politely, then you nod.
“We were poor, and I never wanted more but he… disposed me. Like we never meant anything…”
You bent to grab your cup of tea under the curious look of the girls.
“My paternal grandmother hated me for pursuing love instead of listening to her to become a witch, sorceress… Now I think she was a demon huntress. So she was pissed at me for not continuing the linage. And she cursed me…”
“Wow, this is… A lot of info” Zoey commented, throwing herself on the couch.
“Huntrix is strong and will manage just fine. But… I don’t think I can kill him” you admitted with a slight blush appearing in your cheeks.
“I can’t believe what I’m gonna say but… Maybe Juno didn’t mean to hurt you and his family” Mira said, earning shocked faces from everyone. “What? I mean, the whole story sounds like a folktale but it’s real. They must be soulmates”
Soulmates… Jinu was a demon. And you hadn’t talked to him in 400 years.
“I promise I will try my best to focus on the Honmoon and not on him” you add before drinking the tea in one single shot. “Now, this tea will make my memories a little blurry for some days. So… let’s not talk about this again, okay?”
The girls looked at you with a little bit of pity. But they nodded back at you.
…
The effects lasted two days. You spent locked in your room writing a few songs for Huntr/x, as well as making a collage for their upcoming performance at the Idol Awards.
Soft music played as you went in and out of your balcony. The heat was starting to become unbearable and you decided to work outside since the mosquitoes didn’t reach the height of your home.
You sang fully relaxed as you moved across the room. Printed images of ideas of the graphics and everything are scattered and a sudden blow of wind made a slight mess of the work you had already done.
“Oh no…” you whisper, kneeling to collect all of the images.
One was missing and you couldn’t find it until a hand offered it. You jumped right there, literally crawling backwards.
When you looked up, there you had it.
The reason why you were cursed and recently developed mixed feelings for.
Jinu was eyeing you with attention.
Both of you stared for what felt like an hour. Your palms were sweating and still holding the images as if they depended on your life.
“You remember me” he stated, the sound of his voice only confirming every flashback you had, every feeling you felt. It was real… You actually loved that man centuries ago.
“The moment I saw you I remembered everything…” you knew he started eyeing you up and down the moment you looked away from his eyes. Just like he used to do when he watched and got all wet when you washed clothes in the river. You blushed, just like you used to do as well.
“How?” He seemed to not be able to believe it. That he had his great love right upon his eyes. You looked the same but… so different. Your soul had changed, from a bright blue, it was shining in green. Meaning that your soul had been overworked. And then, you showed him your arm with the odd symbols.
“When you left, my grandmother cursed me for choosing you above the lineage of my family” you revealed while accommodating the pictures like you had them before the wind came.
“I reincarnate. I can’t remember how many times I’ve lived, but I’m pretty sure I always die young. And I will continue to do so until I find real love”
Jinu kneels across you, the images and papers being the only barrier between you two. You looked up to meet his gorgeous gaze again only to find him looking at you in awe.
“What we had was real love” he placed his hand on top of yours and it left you speechless for a second. A strong feeling of nostalgia hit you. His touch was cold now, but even there you felt the warmth you used to feel.
But you could also see his faint patterns, making you remember he was a demon. And you, an unofficial demon huntress.
“You treated me like I was nothing” you spat out with anger.
He sighed, looking at his fingers with yours before you could move your hand away.
“Yes, and the moment I tasted the luxuries of the palace I regretted it. I couldn’t leave anymore, I made a deal with Gwi-Ma and I was forced to face the consequences of my acts” he says with desperation and a hint of pain. “I wanted to give you and my family the world. And when I knew you weren’t included, I was still selfish. And for four hundred years, I’ve been consumed by the guilt”
“Good, because you deserve it. You’re a demon and that’s the least you could feel as such a thing” you said with lots of venom as you yanked from his hand.
“And now you’re a demon huntress…”
“I just help my friends…”
“I never meant to hurt you. I’ve spent all this time lounging to have you right in front of me and tell you how much I’m sorry. That I need you and I don’t think I’ll ever want someone as bad as I want you”
You stood up, turning around, doing your best to ignore the pang in your heart and the pulsing of your arm, right where the tattoo was.
Was it rightfully fair to be mean? Maybe not… but you were scared after all. Having Zoey, Rumi, and Mira right at the other side of the door, and a demon with you wasn’t ideal.
And you started remembering how much you loved him. And how happy he made you.
“If you truly want it. I can help you break the curse. I’d do anything for you, y/n…”
You stared at the wall in silence, feeling the wind come again. And when you turned around, Jinu was gone.
…
You should’ve known it was a trap orchestrated by Rumi and Jinu. When Rumi convinced you to go on a mission to a random rooftop to help her rehearse, you had no problems. Until you spotted him at said rooftop already.
“It’s none of my business but I think it’s quite worth it to make you two talk…” Rumi said with a nervous smile as the Derpy tiger and bird in a hat followed your friend away.
You sighed loudly, throwing your head back and putting your hands on your hips.
“I- I don’t know why Rumi is doing this. It’s dangerous…” you admitted out loud.
Jinu steps closer, eyeing you up and down, this time, catching his gaze on you.
“What are you looking at?” You asked suddenly feeling nervous.
“Your body, face, every mole and birthmark you had are in the same place…” you didn’t think he would remember. But he was proving you wrong.
And his comment affected you so much that you didn’t notice the moment he stepped beyond your personal space. You tried to step back, but he grabbed your waist with his big hands and the gesture made your legs feel wobbly. Slowly, you started to remember the exact shade of his eyes, the pink of his lips, and the size of his hands.
“You really missed me that much?…” you dared to ask with a sultry tone of voice.
Jinu blushed. His cheeks turned pink and his lips formed a nervous line, which made you chuckle.
Unable to resist the proximity, you placed both of your palms on his chest and immediately transported both of you to those summer nights at the village. Midnight sighs and soft touches, eager to wait till marriage but unable to ignore the curiosity hidden under the robes.
“I don’t even know why you’re here. What do you intend to do. But-“
“I feel it too…” Jinu finished for you.
Even when you knew that under that perfect skin, eyes, and lips you used to kiss every day, there was a demon. But deep down, you knew you’d love him despite all.
You stepped closer, hands pressing tightly against him. He leaned forward, holding your hips and you closed your eyes already knowing you’d be able to taste his lips again.
“We gotta go… Zoey and Mira are wondering where we are” Rumi said appearing in the middle of the scene, shocked to see you and Jinu tangled together. “OH! Uh- I’m sorry…”
“It’s not what you think so!” You hurry to tell your friend.
“It is what you are thinking but uh- yeah…” Jinu awkwardly said.
Shame invaded you and you don’t even look back at Jinu. You caressed the cat’s head and the tip of the bird’s hat before smiling to yourself as you started following Rumi.
“What was that?’ She asked while teasing.
“Nothing” you say, your smile growing bigger.
…
“No, no, no. Don’t wake up…” you heard a distant voice, but you eventually woke up.
In your bed was Derpy and the bird were sleeping. When you looked to the right, at the edge of the bed, there was Jinu. In pajama-striped pants and a hoodie.
“I didn’t want to wake you up…” he admitted with shyness.
“You just wanted to stare at me sleeping like a creep?” You asked with sarcasm, rolling onto your side and yawning.
“What? No! I just-, I wanted to see you…” Jinu said, combing his hair, a sign of nervousness.
“Where is your gang?”
“Sleeping… As we should, I guess”
“Are they your friends or did you just recruited them?”
“A little bit of both” Jinu confessed with a smile.
“If things were different. I’d ask you if I could meet them, I don’t know why but I’m curious…”
“Fair point, half of the world is too” you knew he wanted to hold your hand. So you just moved it closer to him.
“So you’re now an idol? Singing you’re my little soda pop?” Your question filled with teasing made him blush and it earned you a playful punch on your hip.
“It’s catchy…” Jinu attempted to defend himself and the band.
“It is… I’ve started singing it with Zoey”
He held your hand and it made your stomach flip. Then traced invisible patterns across your face.
“This is how I remember your skin. But I also really like how you look with makeup…” slowly, you smiled at his words.
“The modern look also fits you well. You look hot…” it was his time to blush, and it made you cackle.
Jinu loved making you laugh, he loved everything that involved you but being able to make you laugh again, made him feel less demonic and more… human.
“I’m gonna miss it” he said gently tapping at your cheek.
“What thing?” You asked in confusion.
“Everything about you…” he admitted. “That was the deal with Gwi-Ma, I stop Huntr/x and I get all my memories erased”
You frowned.
“But I don’t want you to forget me…”
His heart stopped. His throat tightened and he had to hold your hand more firmly.
“Sleep, beautiful” he said as he started to brush your hair with the tip of his fingers.
In seconds, the gesture made you go back to sleep.
…
Jinu was going insane.
You almost kissed him, and he appeared in your bed to tell you that he wanted to forget everything. Only for you to tell him that you didn’t want him to forget you. It nearly made him cry.
You asked him about the things that made him happy and you told him you wished things were different.
Then the Idol Awards happened. And you yelled at him when he and the rest of the Saja Boys ruined the Huntr/x performance. Zoey and Mira grew mad at you for helping Rumi keep her patterns secret. And as Jinu used his voice to attract people, he realized how unfair he was being to you once again.
The woman he loved was cursed because of him. And he couldn’t actually help you. Or so he thought.
You still loved him, he knew.
Jinu didn’t think twice before jumping from the stage to help you when he saw a demon scratching your face.
He saw you using your fan but it only attracted more creatures.
It was still a mystery to him to know how you learned to fight and for how long you trained. There were a lot of unanswered questions. Immediately forgotten when he got rid of the demons and offered you a hand to stand up.
He could at least try to save you. To stop you from reincarnating once again and living a memorable life.
“I love you!” he screamed.
“What?” You screamed back.
“I love you! And I will always do” Jinu said and you couldn’t help but fear and grab his arm. “We’ll meet again, my dear…”
“What are you doing?” He sighed and gave you a smile filled with joy and sadness at the same time.
You looked back at Rumi, fighting against Gwi-Ma himself on the stage and you understood Jinu’s plan.
“Jinu, don’t you dare…”
“It’s the only way to end this!”
“No, don’t leave me alone again!” It broke his heart. Seeing you with tears in your eyes and begging him.
He kissed you and this time you couldn’t do anything but focus on the way his lips moved against yours, carefully trying to remember every detail. Promising to remember that kiss for the rest of your life.
You looked at his real form. His demon glowy eyes, the lilac skin, and darker patterns covering him. His fangs and pointed fingers. You couldn’t give a fuck.
“I love you” he repeated making you accept that he had made up his mind.
“I love you too” you admitted between sobs.
Even when he started running back towards the stage, you tried to pull him back, to keep him with you. But he went ahead. The only thing you did was to pull a rusty bracelet from him, the gold bracelet he got to get into the palace back then. You sobbed harder, getting rid of demons that still attempted to get your soul. And as you watched Gwi-Ma disappear as every demon and Saja Boy, the bracelet turned into ashes. Your tattooed arm pulsated and when you looked at the skin, you gasped in shock. The symbols had disappeared, and the skin was free from any mark.
…
For the whole world, it was the biggest performance in the history of K-pop, to Huntr/x and you, more than just a performance.
Your friendship with the girls only strengthened and they convinced you to do he craziest thing you’d done so far. Debuting as a soloist…
Using Y2K and sequined themes, you built a concept and soon, with Zoey’s help, you were able to create songs. Mira trained you to be a great dancer and Rumi vocalized with you every night. Even before your first song was released, you already had many fans. At the same time, haters disliked you for allegedly using Huntr/x to gain fame of your own but most of the people seemed to be loving you and your debut song “Karmic”.
And of course, it was related to him. The song being about shining despite being bound to face karma for trying to get back a man you loved and who was gone.
It had been two months to be exact. Your debut happening only three weeks later after everything happened. It was your only escape to not focusing on the scar his departure left.
Maybe you were free from the curse. Your skin free from any proof of said curse. But completely scarred by Jinu’s memory.
In a dream, everything was darkness. And the only thing you were able to see, was that old lady who centuries ago was your grandmother, the woman who cursed you.
“Curse begone, make a wish…” she said.
You froze, then she showed you the rusty bracelet you pulled off from Jinu.
“I want him back. I want him to be happy and have everything that made him happy. I want him by my side and to be happy for the rest of my life with him” you yelled with tears in your eyes.
And then you woke up, tears actually came and you wiped them away.
It was the day of your debut album and first mini-concert. Rumi, Mira, and Zoey literally threw open your door and came to sit by the feet of your bed.
“Are you ready for today?” Zoey asked.
“Yeah, I think so…” the three girls smiled at you and started rambling about the busy schedule you had for the day.
“We’ll be by your side the whole day, don’t worry” Rumi assured you.
“Thanks, Rumi”
You stood up to look at your balcony and the sky was full of small clouds that made it look so dreamy. The skyscrapers shone with the sun’s reflection and a Saja Boys comeback giant poster was hanging from one of them.
A SAJA BOYS COMEBACK GIANT POSTER WAS HANGING FROM ONE OF THE SKYSCRAPERS!!!!!!!!!
“Uh… girls, Are you looking at the same thing as me?” They stood by your side and gasped in shock.
“No way” Rumi whispered.
“No. It might be a song they recorded before and the people who managed them are desperate to keep making some money” you assured them, also assuring yourself.
“Yeah, y/n is right” Mira agreed with you, arm around your shoulders.
You looked at Jinu, smiling in the poster.
How badly I miss you, my love; you thought.
“Are you okay with seeing… him?” Mira asked.
You nodded, smiling. Unable to feel sad, because that day was all about you.
“Yeah, let’s go to have some breakfast” you replied, hugging the girls.
“Bobby is here” Mira revealed.
“BOBBY!” He became your manager as well and you liked the man. He was a great guy and even a friend.
You had so many questions about the upcoming concert and presentations.
But you were excited, so you decided to enjoy the day with your friends as well.
…
If the public could describe you in two words, that would be: sultry and cutting-edge.
Half of your songs being dance/club hymns and the other half being crude, strong lyrics with unusual sounds that created an artistic sense.
Singing full songs glued to a microphone covered in rhinestones and then dancing while singing was a little bit more ingenious than you thought. But you were having so much fun. Changing into different attires in less than a minute and having sips of water in between was exciting.
Mira was cheering, satisfied with how good you danced.
“Look at the piece of art I created” she joked with Zoey and Rumi.
“I love that part of the choreography” Rumi added as they watched you.
“Yeah but let’s calm Bobby. He’s on the verge of collapse after seeing how sensual the song and dance are” the trio of girls started cackling, looking at their manager who looked nervous at the public and sponsors.
But everything was in order.
Until you got to the after party. A club a few blocks away from your place with the girls. A lot of magazines and artists wanted to be at your party. As unbelievable as it sounded, you were officially a celebrity and idol. Far from being tired, you danced with Mira all night, and couldn’t stop laughing along with Zoey and Rumi.
But you needed to take a break. To savor happiness alone for a moment. You stepped out to the empty terrace of the place and the distant music was the only sound. The sky was almost completely dark and you sighed in disbelief. You turned around, leaning backwards against the railing, and saw a man approaching.
You thought it was Bobby. But no…
You stopped breathing and for a second you thought you had died.
How was it possible that Jinu was standing, looking like a human and very much alive in front of you?
You threw yourself into his arms, and he was actually there. Tears prickled in your eyes and you heard him chuckling as he hugged you back.
“Is this real? I’m not drunk and making all of this in my head?”
“No, you actually brought me back…” he whispered in your ear, then kissing your temple over and over again. “You smell a lot like alcohol actually. But it’s real…”
He was joking, Jinu was joking. But there you had the love of your many lives in your arms.
“You re-appear after I saw you dying and you decide to joke right now?”
So the dream was real…
“I woke up and I was here. My mom and sister live, and the Saja Boys too. A call from our manager telling us that our comeback was scheduled woke me up” he said. “I thought I was dreaming but no. Then my mom asked me if I wanted to have breakfast and there was my sister looking at you in the tv. You were singing a song and… I just knew it was real”
“I had a wish in a dream and I begged to have you back” you revealed. “So your soul. Is finally yours again?”
“I got trapped in Rumi��s sword. But your wish set me free… thank you” Jinu grabbed your cheeks and smiled fondly at you.
“For the man that I’ve been in love with for centuries? Everything….”
“Even after all the pain I caused you, you save me and willingly keep loving me?” you shrugged with a smile.
“You’re worth it. You were since the moment I met you, Jinu” you accepted, placing his hands on your waist and pushing him down to kiss him.
His cheeks felt hot under your palms and you knew he was blushing once again.
Amidst the kiss, you smiled. And he felt that pure joy again. He could finally live with you just like it was ment to be the first time. He could be a man his age and breathe knowing he would age and fill his purpose along you.
“We both are idols now” he commented with a little smirk.
“Are you ready for all the scandal we’ll cause when our fans learn that we’re together?” You asked him, still in his arms, not daring to move away as Jinu chuckled.
“The sooner the better. I didn’t like many of the looks people would throw at you at the concert…” he revealed with a disgusted face and your eyes went wide.
“You saw me?”
“Of course I did… And I have to admit I’m quite surprised” his teasing tone made you laugh nervously but also nudge him playfully.
“Why? Did you like my outfits? And the way I danced?” Making him nervous, you cackled.
“I’m not used to this modern you yet” he said.
“Well, buckle up, honey. Cause I’m hardly letting you slip off of me and I’m not changing” you threatened before kissing him again.
“Good for me” he assured you while gasping for air and returning to passionately kiss you.
In the modern times you were leaving, Jinu and you didn’t have to wait till marriage. And thank goodness, because you wouldn’t have to explain much to Mira, Rumi, and Zoey the following morning as to why Jinu was in your bed and why the rest of the Saja Boys rested with a hangover at your place with them.
୨ৎ───୨ৎ───୨ৎ───୨ৎ───୨ৎ
Taglist: @nina-from-317 @gloriousqueen101 @birbtweettweet @akariis4snowball @nekee-lilac02 @yourtypicalhuman09 @ffcfffr @ilovemuhusbandnanami @foxxbee-2963 @hara23 @akeaaan @kaorisakamotofan @kyuki07 @siasoup @vvidka @bitchpleaseeeeeeeeee @oreeowe @anakinsrilgirlfriend @thecordelialetters @vixyvlo @iviorienne @loonalockley @bre99 @ateezswonderland @crescent-z @gina239 @aerrz3 @theblackestbitch
♫ ♪ reader’s inspired debut setlist:
•Karmic is similar to Zen from JENNIE in my mind
1. Spark - WINTER AESPA solo
2. Me Against The Music - Britney Spears, Madonna
3. Lifestyle - LISA
4. So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings - Caroline Polachek
5. earthquake- JISOO
6. Sober II (Melodrama) - Lorde
7. THAT’S A NO NO - ITZY
8. Fetish - Selena Gomez, Gucci Mane
2K notes ¡ View notes
specshroom ¡ 1 year ago
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*°~There are many benefits to being a mage~°*
Includes: Fem reader x male orc, size kink, "human fetish", friends to more?
In which: Orc with a big problem confides in his mage friend who decides to help him out with a useful spell~🪄
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You've been in this town for quite a while now, almost 3 years. That wasn't the original plan but It just so happened that this seaside town was more welcoming than many places you've been to on your travels. It sits at the coast of two major trade routes, connecting people of many different walks of life.
The friendliness and diversity you experienced allowed you to make a few friends you might not have otherwise.
Like the one you're sharing breakfast with right now. His name is Grimmok and he's the self-proclaimed, "Best fisherman in this damn town". He's your typical young, burley orc.
The first time you met him was in the local pub, you were intrigued when a crowd formed infront of the huge orc. He was dramatically telling one of his fisherman's tales and the small crowd hung onto his every word. He was a very good story teller and you happened to be very interested in folklore and myths. You made a habit of just walking up to him, if he didn't look busy and asking him to tell you a story. Soon it wasn't uncommon to see you sitting on the docks listening and writing intently as he waxes on about some old wives tale while repairing his nets.
Now you sit in his home, eating breakfast while he grumbles on about having to train a new fishing boy.
"The boy gets distracted by the smallest things, every time someone even resembling female walks past the docks he's panting like a dog." Grimmok bites into his ridiculously large breakfast sandwich signaling the end of his rant.
He did look more grumpy than usual when he opened the door to let you in for your weekly Sunday breakfast. His shoulder length black hair was tied into a hasty half up half down bun and his stubble looked more scruffy than usual. You can only huff in amusement at his troubles.
"Cmon, don't be too harsh on the kid. You did the same thing with Rosie Cotton, remember?"
The orc stills and huffs indignantly, scratching at his neck. This makes you grin.
"Mhm, you'd be telling me a story and then just stop in the middle of a sentence. I'd look up and sure enough there's Miss Rosie walking on by. Fiery hair flowing in the wind, cleavage spilling out her dress, swaying those hips and-"
Grimmok interrupts your overdramatic musing by flicking your pointy hat off your head.
"Hey!"
"You're acting like you didn't like looking at her too." The big guy grumbles almost like a child. He wipes his hands on his plaid pajama pants and picks up his empty plate, heading towards the sink.
You lean down to pick your hat off the floor, dust it off and mumble,
"Yeah, but I never got to bed her."
The dishes in the sink clatter a little too loudly as he tenses up. You hardly try to stifle your laugh.
"We didn't actually...she was...too small... For me to...." The orc struggles out as he wipes his plate clean.
It's quiet for a minute until you ask.
"But she did try, right? I'm pretty sure that counts, Grim."
The orc just grumbles something unintelligible. You want to sympathise with the poor guy but imagining Rosie Cotton, a "short stack" type of woman, trying to fit his massive green cock in her little pussy was pretty erotic.
"I want to feel bad for you mate but you kind of bring this on yourself. You obviously have a bit of a human fetish."
"It's not a-" The orc goes to defend himself but stops and just sighs when he realises it's no use.
"...and a size kink to boot." You mumble with toast in your mouth.
"I can't help it if I think horny humans trying desperately to take my cock is literally the hottest thing to me!" Grimmok finally lets the dam of sexual frustration burst after you've done a sufficient amount of poking at it. You always were good at getting him to actually talk about his problems.
"But the problem comes in when I actually have to fuck them, they can barely take half! How am I supposed to fuck them!? I'm too big! I'd kill them!"
You can't help but choke on your toast as a cackle forces itself from your throat. "Sorry. I'm sorry!" You struggle between snorts. Your big green friend just stands there with a grimace, arms crossed as he waits for you to finish.
You sigh and wipe your watering eyes. "Well, I'm glad you've confided in me because now I can help you." You wipe your hands clean and stand up from the orc sized table.
"You know that cool thing I can do with my hat?" You take your hat off and reach inside of it, the magic pocket space allowing you to reach your whole arm inside of it when you physically shouldn't be able to.
He nods sceptically still leaning against the sink, a bit concerned about where this is going. He thought by "help" you meant like you were going to pep talk him or something.
"We just have to do this but with...." You gesture down to your crotch.
Grim stands there, mouth slightly agape, blinking at you.
"I mean it's not exactly the same obviously." You pull your trusty spell book out of the hat before placing it back on your head while the pages of the spell book fly open to the page you want. "You basically draw this sigil on someone and then they'll be able to take whatever they can push inside no matter how big. Girth might still be an issue though..."
You explain this to him like you've explained many other spells, like you're reading him a recipe, deliberating what ingredients would work best. He doesn't even know how to react honestly.
"You're serious?"
You clap the book shut and adjust your hat on your head, smugly shrugging,
"This is what I do."
The poor guy just stumbles in disbelief.
"Magic, I mean.... Magic is what I do." You correct yourself a bit awkwardly and clear your throat, regaining your confidence.
"It's a pretty easy spell so we can try this whenever you want really."
"We?"
"Alright! Alright."
"Well yeah, unless you want me to go up to Rosie Cotton and say "Hey love, you mind if I put this sigil on your womb so my friend can finally pound your tight little-"
Grimmok rubs his face with his hands, sighing again and looking unsure. You lean against the sink next to him, barely coming up to his pecs.
"Look, it'll just be a one time thing so you can actually see if human pussy's all that and if you like it, I'm sure we can find plenty of humans who would love to try it out."
"...Alright. That sounds good."
You give a slap to his thick bicep and an encouraging "ata boy."
"and if you don't like this one, I'm sure I could find a spell that'll just make you..." He doesn't miss how you glance down at his crotch. "Smaller."
He huffs and pushes your shoulder playfully, he liked how you could always joke away the tension in any given situation. You walk up to the big wooden chair you were sitting at a second ago and pull it away from the table so that it's facing outward, struggling a bit as it's very much orc sized like most things in his house.
"Cmon. Sit."
You pat the chair, looking at him expectantly.
"Now?"
He's really not used to other people being so forward especially not when it's his mate. You shrug at him.
"Why not? I mean we can wait till you're ready, I don't mind. I have literally all day."
You put your hands behind your back and rock on your feet as you both just stand in his kitchen for about a minute...waiting. He eventually huffs and steels himself, fully committing to the idea and walking over to plop himself in the chair. He's going to put his dick inside one of his best mates.
You place your hat on the table so it doesn't get in the way of your activity and step in front of him. You levitate your spell book In front of you, looking down at the page with the sigil that's way more familiar than you're letting on.
"Okay, I'll face this way so it's less....personal." You turn around so your back is facing him. "You do still need to take off your pants though."
He smacks his teeth, "I figured that." He mumbles, pushing his soft pajama pants down to his mid thighs, immediately freeing his cock as he wasn't wearing underwear. He leaves his white long sleeve on, the sleeves folded to his elbows, giving you a perfect tease of his thick strong arms and multiple tattoos. When he looks back at you and sees that you've already disappeared your pants, he quickly looks away.
Sensing his nervousness you ask with a softer voice than before,
"can I sit?"
He clears his throat before grumbling a "Yeah."
You gently lean down and sit your naked ass onto his lap, legs open wide over his own you can see his half hard cock laying between his legs but try not to stare. Obviously Grimmock is a big guy but he's even big by orc standards so of course his cock is massive even when he isn't fully hard.
Grimmock clears his throat and jolts you out of your thoughts. You adjust a bit on top of him feeling his happy trail against your lower back. Your eyes skim the page levitating in front of you, when you finally find the incantation passage you straighten up and start chanting the ancient words in the text. Your eyes glow and the air feels static, Grim has seen magic before but the novelty never truly wears off.
An intricate shape starts to form right above your pubic bone, where your womb would be. The sigil glows brightly on your skin as Grim peers from above your head to look at it. At first glance he thinks it looks a bit demonic but then remembers he doesn't know anything about magic and decides not to mention it. When the sigil is complete you clap the book shut, immediately cutting off the static energy in the room and startling him in the process.
"That should do it."
You place the book on the table and lean back against his clothed chest, feeling the tension in his body not letting up.
"Damn, I can't believe little Miss Rosie took half of this. What a lass."
Your joke lightens the mood once again as Grimmock scoffs at you. Feeling him relax, you bring your hand down to finally touch the wetness that's been growing for awhile now. "We should still do some prep before you put it in. Is that alright?"
He nods and watches your hand disappear between your thighs. You readjust so that your boot clad feet are on either side of the chair rests. Opening yourself up to the air and to him, he can see you've already got two fingers pushing inside. He hesitates before reaching for his cock and slowly starting to stroke himself under you but it was painfully clear he was holding back.
"I know I'm not as short or.... endowed as Miss Cotton but I could put on a red wig if you'd like."
Grim huffed a laugh at the mental image of that.
"Oh wow~ Grimmie, you're soooo big and strong~"
You say in a high pitched voice (that doesn't sound anything like Rosie Cotton), using her embarrassing pet name while looking up at him and batting your eyelashes dramatically.
Grim scoffs and holds his hand over your mouth "Stop playing around." He tries to sound serious but his smile and the grumble in his chest betrays him. You laugh against his hand holding his wrist. You slowly pull his hand off your mouth and inch it gradually down your body giving him ample time to pull away. He doesn't and you move his hand to rub against your wet pussy ever so gently.
You're both looking into each other's eyes, this was not supposed to be so intimate but it doesn't look like he minds when he takes charge and slowly eases two fingers inside your aching pussy. His thick fingers stretch your pussy so good as you lightly buck into his hand, greedy pussy already hungry for more. The way he's looking down at you with so much need gets you so hot inside. A heat that only increases when he starts pumping his fingers in and out. Grim works you open with one hand and pumps his fat cock with the other.
This entire situation has you pent up and impatient so you pull his hand away and sit up, "I can take it now." He can't help but groan at your words but remains concerned at the perceived lack of prep. Whenever he fools around with humans most of the engagement is spent just doing prep so he's more than a little worried, "Are you sure?"
You don't reply as you gently take his fully hard cock from his hand, holding it up against your stomach to see how far inside you this thing could go. You both groan at the comparison between his ridiculously massive dick and your body, he reaches way past your belly button and into your stomach. Definitely more than a human could safely take. You adjust your legs so that you're almost squatting on his lap, your feet plant on the seat on either side of his hips.
You support yourself with your hand resting on the seat between his legs and lift yourself so you can rub your wetness along the length of his cock. He brings his rough hands to hold your hips gently, not applying pressure but just resting there so he can have something to hold.
You lift yourself up until his tip is in-line with your entrance, slowly rubbing it against your clit. You both groan lightly when the tip pops in and you slowly ease yourself down his cock. He's amazed at how easy your cunt swallows him. You pause half way down to adjust and give a few pumps to the rest of him before your hand leaves his cock to settle next to your other hand on the chair in front of you. He squeezes your hips a little in silent concern and you smile before easing the rest of him in, gently descending until you reach the hilt. Your pubes kiss his and he can't help but let out a weak moan at the sight and feeling of you taking all of him. Finally feeling tight walls grip the entire length of his cock has him reeling. You're overwhelmed as well, It's been a while since you've taken someone this big.
You slowly circle your hips around so that you really feel his cock against your walls deep inside you, you're obviously very pleased with yourself. Grim is seeing stars, eyes shut, head tilted back, trying to regain himself even a little while his literal dreams are coming true.
"Well, we know it works. I guess that's it then." You move to lift yourself off his cock as if your work is done.
"Nononono, Please no. Please."
Comes Grim's hasty but soft displeasure, both his thick arms circle around your waist to keep you in place as he leans against your back, head resting on your shoulder.
"What's the matter big guy?" You lean into his chest, stroke his arm and turn your head to look at him. He huffs, you know exactly what's the matter. He takes a deep breath and lifts his head to look at you.
"I need you."
Your heart jumps in your chest.
"I need you to fuck me...please."
You look up at him, wide eyes, mouth agape as he looks back down at you. The moment is almost sweet until your mouth forms into an evil grin and you snicker softly, a dreadfully familiar mischievous glint in your eyes. Grim closes his eyes and almost regrets all the choices that lead him here.
"Riiight~. I almost forgot, this is probably the first time you've actually been able to fuck someone sooo much smaller than you."
"Poor guy, you must be so pent up, huh?"
You reach down to gently hold his massive ballsack, making him suck in a breath and twitch his thighs.
All he can do is let out a choked moan of your name which only makes you chuckle.
"I can really play the part for you, if you'd like. Y'know the, "Ah, your so deep!" and "You're filling this human pussy up so good!""
You laugh when you feel his dick twitch. Poor Grim can only grip your waist and try to keep his hot face from getting hotter. He looks down at you with pleading eyes and you decide you're not so evil after all. You pat his arms and move them so he's holding your waist. He startles a little when you playfully kiss him on the cheek.
"I've got you big guy."
You lean forward again with your feet under you and start to lift yourself up very slowly until the top of his cock is juuust about to pop out. Your thighs burn as you stay there for a few seconds, teasing Grim and yourself. Grim thinks he might actually cry if you don't move.
Suddenly you grip the edge of the chair and force yourself down hard on his cock, taking him all the way to the hilt in one hard thrust. You both groan very loudly, he downright yelps with the sudden movement. You grip the chair and clench around him so hard he can't help the way he grips your waist tightly. One hand covers his mouth as he tips his head back and tries to not cum immediately. He tries to regain his breathing but you have other plans. You can feel him twitch inside you and a desperate need to be filled engulfs you.
You start thrusting up and down on his dick, moving your whole body up and down his length. It's a good thing he can't see your face because you are enjoying this way too much. Your eyes roll to the back of your head and you bite your lip, the sensation of being filled to the literal brim is intoxicating. You work yourself and him so diligently, it's no time before your thrusts become more frantic and you're right at the peak. With one final deliberate thrust you cum hard around him, clenching and unclenching like you're trying to milk him dry.
You both moan freely now, though his are more like growls. Your pulsing walls quickly lead him to his own climax, holding you close to his chest and thrusting up into your cunt, spilling hot seed deep inside your womb. You shake and squirm even more with the blissful feeling of your walls being coated with his spend.
After a few moments of you two spasming and twitching you eventually ease up and fall limply against his chest, adjusting your thighs to rest on top of his again. You breathe out a long sigh and bask in the fullness of your cunt, stroking your stomach up and down.
You're blissfully unaware of the knowing smirk that grows on his face. He cards his fingers through his hair, composing himself a little more. His warm hand joins yours in caressing up and down the expanse of your stomach and chest, loving how small you feel in his hold.
"You've done this before." His voice comes out in a low growl that makes you shiver, not expecting it. You crane your head up to see him smirking down at you and all you can do is sit and stare. He chuckles deeply,
"There ain't no way, this is your first time taking a cock this size."
You stumble for words but none come out. His hands caress your thighs and one hand comes up to gently hold your jaw. He leans down really close to your face.
"You're a size queen."
You suck in a breath and your pussy clenches involuntarily around his cock which you only noticed now hasn't gone down at all. Grim laughs louder this time.
"I should've known the second you pulled out that spellbook."
You sit there, quite embarrassed at being caught. You smack his hand away from your waist.
"Shut up, you're the one with the-"
"Yes, we both know about my kinks, you teased me about it enough which is very hypocritical of you."
Grim is just loving the way you fluster and fumble for words right now.
"Oh, so you don't have a thing for inhumanly huge cock?"
He challenges and uses both his hands to bring your naked thighs to your chest, exposing your pussy, leaking with his seed.
"So you don't like the way I stretch and fill this little human pussy?"
You can't help but whine at his dirty words and the position he's binding you into. His cock adjusting inside of you, hitting a new spot.
"If you don't, I guess I could just pull out and-"
"Nonononono... Grim Cmon."
You frantically babble your disagreement, shaking your head. He chuckles again, very pleased with himself at turning the tables on you but thankfully for you he's not as evil as you are and his dick is still painfully hard.
"Alright Darlin, I'll take care of you."
He lifts himself from the chair, leaving a puddle of both of you when he stands. He comforts your whines when he pulls out to set you ass up on the table and just stands at the edge, one hand on his hip and the other leisurely stroking his cock.
You look back at him with confusion, expecting him to just fuck you over the table already.
"If you ask nicely."
He says looking real smug, you sigh in defeat and turn your body so that you're facing him. You disappear the rest of your clothes, leaving you stark naked on the large kitchen table you were just eating breakfast at. That realisation makes him pump his cock harder.
You press your knees as close to your chest as possible and bring your hands down to your puffy, leaking pussy. You spread your folds for him with your fingers and say, as sexily as you can manage.
"Please fuck me Grim."
Grim is so fucking floored, he's cursing himself for not thinking of doing this sooner. He sighs and pumps his cock harder, lining the leaking tip up to your pussy lips. He eases it inside and the new position makes for a new sensation for both of you as different spots are brushed and tension melts away. Once he's balls deep again he gently worms his arm underneath your back to lift you up with ease. You wrap your arms around his neck for support being mindful not to pull his hair. Suddenly you're face to face, looking into his eyes for the first time since you started.
You look into his dark eyes and they relax you, this is your best friend, you trust him. His eyes leave yours to stare at your parted lips. When he sees that familiar quirk on your lips he looks back to your eyes, catching the mischievous glint. You lean closer so that your noses are just brushing against eachother. You feel his breath hitch when your lips meet his. He spares no time getting into it and moves his lips against yours. You make out while he adjusts your body in his hold, one hand on your ass and the other on your waist.
He then, without warning, lifts you up and brings you down hard thrusting the whole length of his cock into you in one hearty thrust. You break from the sloppy kiss for a moment to groan out in absolute ecstasy, loving the way he takes the lead from you effortlessly. He brings down your whole body to meet his upwards thrusts. The way he's basically using your entire body like a fleshlight makes you embarrassingly horny.
It feels like it's been years since you were fucked like this, the way your body is reacting, so sensitive you're sure you could cum again any minute. This is exasperated greatly when he brings you closer to his chest with one arm locked around you so that he can worm his other hand in-between you two and rub at your engorged clit.
You grab at his wrist as he frantically works you to your climax, you basically scream when you finally reach that high. Clenching and shaking on his cock while he holds you up with his buff arms. You cling into him so tightly, getting drool on his shirt. You even squirt a little, getting your wetness all over his cock and the floor. Your intense climax once again has him reeling. The sight of you clinging onto him, squirting and losing yourself on his cock makes his balls clench painfully as his frantic thrusts turn faster and sloppier. He reaches his climax as he holds you close, groaning into your neck, pumping another thick load deep into you.
You both stay like that for a while, coming down from your respective highs. Your fingers slowly unclench from his shirt moving down to lazily caress his chest, feeling it move with his breaths as you rest your head on his shoulder.
He slowly manoeuvres your legs so he can sit back down on the chair, holding you to his chest. His hand strokes down your back as you both soak in the warm, tranquil after glow. His breathing evens out to a steady rhythm and your eyes flutter closed.
Knock knock knock
You both jolt awake and stare at each other wide eyed and then at the front door, which is very much visible from the kitchen. You both stay quiet and he holds you closer to hide your fully naked body if the rude intruder somehow manages to break the door down.
Knock knock knock
"Uhh Mr Grimmock Sir?"
The tension in Grim's body sags when he hears who's on the other side of the door. A hand goes to massage his impending migraine.
"BOY! What do you want?!"
You can imagine the way the poor fishing boy cringes at the anger in Grim's voice.
"Sorry Sir, I was wondering if you could give me some extra lessons on the boat?"
Grim growls in frustration, you chuckle in amusement and start kissing up his neck which settles him down a little.
"Tomorrow lad, it's Sunday."
"But I was-"
"Tomorrow."
The finality in his tone seems to get through to the young man as he mutters an "Alright Sir, see you then." Before walking off, his steps getting lighter and lighter.
"He doesn't want to work all week but suddenly he wants to work on Sunday?!"
Grim's irritation is clear as he gestures to the door incredulously. You can't help but laugh at the orcs misfortune. You settle your arms around his broad shoulders, one hand playing with his hair as his hand begins to stroke down your back again.
"Thank you for...helping out"
He says, quite genuinely.
"Anytime."
You throw him a thumbs up and he has to laugh and shake his head at the award winning nonchalance. When the amusement fades though he leans forward in the chair and brings his hands lower to cup your ass cheeks.
"Anytime?"
You can feel his soft cock gradually hardening inside your pussy and you look up at him in utter disbelief.
"Unbelievable."
You shake your head and chastise him but the smile that breaks on your face rats you put. He grins and lifts you up, walking out of the kitchen. His mouth marks up your neck and his stubble tickles, dull tusks dig into the sensitive skin.
"Just unbelievable."
You mutter to yourself again as your legs hug around his waist tighter and you feel his cum dripping out of your hole, leaving a trail all the way to his bedroom.
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tentacle-therapissed ¡ 9 months ago
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Johnny Truant is the character ever actually and yall are missing out. He has mommy issues and TWO kinds of daddy issues. He lied his way into working at a fish canning factory at age 13. He goes on long-winded stream of consciousness rants about vaguely disturbing but largely irrelevant topics. He does too many drugs. He has tons of casual sex with women but all of them think he’s sweet. He saw a stray puppy on the side of the road and immediately fell in love with it. He only has one friend. He thinks he’s being haunted by a demon but he probably just has PTSD. A pretty girl said 6 words to him and he immediately considered ‘petitioning all major religions in order to have her deified.’ His only hobby is organizing and annotating an academic manuscript written by a dead old man about a movie that doesn’t exist.
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wisteriashouse ¡ 3 days ago
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group project.
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pairing: phainon x reader
word count: 6.1k
synopsis: college!au phainon. that's it. that's the story. mihoyo please let this man be happy (i will eat shaoji if he doesn't come back).
chapters: part one | part two (tbc)
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The first time the two of you meet, Phainon gets off on the wrong foot with you — quite literally. And you say him, not you, because he’s the one who trips — half drunk with a can of beer in his hand — and spills its contents all over your shirt.
You hadn’t intended to go to that party. In fact, you hadn’t been intending on leaving your apartment at all that night. The first week of the semester started tomorrow, and you had an early morning lecture that you were already contemplating skipping to sleep in. But Castorice, the first friend you’d made in freshman year, had somehow caught wind that the host owned a Samoyed puppy with fur soft enough to dispel the black tide of finals week depression. That alone had been enough motivation for her to overcome her usual social awkwardness, and check the party out.
And you, as her good friend, had of course agreed to accompany her. Which is why you are now standing awkwardly in the hallway of an unfamiliar house — alone, you might add — with a single can of coke in your hand as Robin’s latest hit song blasts throughout the house.
“Rise up into my world! Renew your definition…”
You’d lost Castorice within ten minutes of entering the house — hopefully she’s found the Samoyed, at least. You, on the other hand, have quickly realised that you know no one here. Which isn’t really saying much, considering the number of friends you’ve made in college, but there must be someone that you can at least talk to, right?
You glance around. From the snippets of conversation you’ve managed to pick up, it sounds like the people here are mostly from Okhema University’s sports clubs. Is this some sort of jock convention? The most athletic thing you’d done lately was run after your bus, which you’d then proceeded to miss regardless. Embarrassing.
Perhaps you should make an attempt at social interaction, since you’re already here? To your left, a group of about fifteen stocky men with disproportionately large arms to legs — rowers, maybe? — crowd around the beer pong table, cheering and yelling so loudly the sound reverbs in your skull. You look to your right. In the kitchen, a blond guy in a fur lined jacket proceeds to pour half a bottle of vodka straight down his throat. 
You should probably be concerned, but decide that you’re not ready to be complicit to a murder this Sunday night. That’s a no to social interaction, then.
Your phone suddenly buzzes. Relieved, you fish it out of your pocket only to be disappointed to see that it’s not Castorice texting to ask if you want to go home right now.
De: you’re not rotting in bed
De: where are you
Straight to the point and mildly insulting. You can’t help your smile as you reply. Aww, you’ve missed your roommate.
You: at a party rn
He texts back almost instantaneously.
De: you get invited to parties????
De: ???????
You: i’m not friendless like u
You: btw hyacine is here
You: you WISH you cld be me
Hyacine, full name Hyacinthia, is a warm and bubbly third year student studying medicine in Okhema University. You’ve never actually been in the same social circles, but the girl is a literal ray of sunshine — everyone gets along with her. You’d contemplated taking shelter in her social bubble earlier, but she’d been chatting to a few other friends, and so you’d slunk away like a stray with your tail between your legs.
She also happens to be the object of your roommate’s blooming affections. Has been, ever since the last sports season, when he’d twisted his ankle during a basketball match and she’d been on first aid duty. It would have been a cliche made in heaven, too, if not for the fact that your roommate had the personability of a public latrine. And the fact that he simply refuses to approach her in any way, shape or form — does she even know he exists?
“You know, you could just ask her out. Like a normal person,” you’d said once, when you’d seen him pining — no, staring — after her from across the football field. She’d been walking alongside one of her friends, pink twin tails bouncing behind her and wearing a smile that outshone the arena floodlights. “Instead of stalking her like an emotionally constipated creep.”
“There are no words for ‘asking her out’ in the Kremnoan dictionary.” But he hadn’t denied the emotionally constipated part. Or the stalker bit, which might have been a cause for concern, now that you think about it.
You’d stared at him with a mixture of resignation and pity. “I’m starting to think that the Kremnoan dictionary doesn’t have any words at all, actually.”
As expected, your roommate replies with a friendly ‘fk u’, which is then followed by a ‘need me to drive you back?’ Truly, the epitome of modern day chivalry, you think to yourself with some amusement. Now, if only he could string together more than just a grunt in Hyacine’s presence…
You: nope
He doesn’t reply after that. Sighing, you decide to look around one more time for your missing friend when your phone suddenly buzzes again.
This time, it is Castorice (hooray!) — regretfully explaining that she’d been so enamoured with the Samoyed that she’d taken over a hundred pictures on her phone, promptly drained all of its battery and then had to go home to get it charged because she was too afraid to ask for a wire. This update is followed by a lengthy apology, a plea for forgiveness, and finally ends with several crying emojis.
You gape down at the message for a moment, feeling all five stages of grief cycling through you before you let out a sigh. Castorice’s phone has been on life support since freshman year — you’re surprised it’s lasted this long, to be honest — so this isn’t unexpected.
You glance up at the clock on the wall. Forty five minutes past midnight. You could have been in bed an hour ago in your comfy pajamas, scrolling through braindead reels. Instead, you’re… here.
Well, better late than never, you suppose. You toss the remainder of your drink into the trash and are just about to head out when you crash into someone exiting from the living room.
A yelp escapes you when you feel something cold and wet spill all over the front of your shirt, speaking into the fabric. Did they just— You glance up at the culprit. He stares back at you, blue eyes wide open and mouth open even wider. There’s a can of beer in his hand, dripping from his fingers. He looks mortified.
“Oh, my god.” He flounders for a moment, setting the can down next to his feet, before he picks it up — huh? — and sets it down again. It’s like watching a computer programme lag right in front of your eyes. His cheeks are slightly flushed — whether it’s from the alcohol or embarrassment, you’re not quite sure — and his white hair is a little dishevelled when he runs his fingers through it nervously. It just makes him look more effortlessly handsome, which is unfair, excuse you. But even that doesn’t do much to distract you from the cold beer dripping from the hem of your shirt.
“I’m sorry. I am so, so sorry.” He looks as though he wants nothing better than to evaporate on the spot. “Let me just…”
The guy disappears into the kitchen and returns less than half a minute later with what is, frankly, an absurd number of paper towels. He then attempts to pat your shirt dry, crouching so that he can wipe at the stain properly, but looks up just in time to see you staring at him as though he’s grown a second head. It’s only then that he realises just how incriminatingly close his hands are to your chest.
“Fuck.” The guy yanks his hands back so fast you’d think he was burned, a bright red flush creeping up his cheeks. “I am so sorry. I swear, I wasn’t trying to do anything inappropriate. I just—” He gestures helplessly at your shirt, looks like he wants to explain further but thinks the better of it, before finally giving up, arms falling awkwardly to his sides. “Sorry.”
His voice is meek.
“It’s alright.” You take the offered paper towels and he straightens up, rubbing the back of his neck —it’s only then that you realise that he’s tall. Maybe even taller than Mydei, actually. “It’s really not a big deal. I was heading back, anyway.”
“Oh.” He frowns. “Alone? At this hour?” There’s concern leaking into his voice, which would probably be more sweet if he hadn’t just spilled half a can of beer all over your shirt. A shirt that is now, to your displeasure, slightly translucent from the wetness. It’s not that long of a walk, and there shouldn’t be many people out right now at this time of the night, but still… You’re starting to regret turning down Mydei’s offer to drive you home.
“My apartment’s not that far away.” You tell him as you pick at the hem of your shirt with a sigh of resignation. “Don’t worry about it, seriously.” You turn around to leave, but the guy stops you.
“Oh, wait!” He quickly pulls off the varsity jacket that he’s wearing, revealing a black muscle tee underneath and some very nice arms. You have to do your best not to stare. Maybe he’s a basketball player? He hands it to you. “Please, take it. It’s not quite enough of an apology, but…”
Did he notice…? You take it gingerly, a little surprised. The fabric is still warm, carrying his residual body heat, and soft to the touch. For a moment, you wonder if you should refuse — you barely know the guy — but he looks at you so earnestly that you find yourself unable to turn him down. Seriously, that expression should be illegal on him… “Alright, then. Thank you.”
His face brightens. “No problem. It was my fault, after all.” He smiles at you, just a tad shyly. “Then, see you around.”
You wear the jacket back to your apartment. All the lights have already been turned off when you unlock the door — as expected, your roommate is already fast asleep, his snores muffled through his bedroom door. The man sleeps at ten, who does that in university? Sighing in disbelief, you trudge to your own room, ready to wash up and collapse into bed yourself.
Suddenly, you remember that you’re still wearing that guy’s varsity jacket. It’s far too big on you, but it’s warm and unbelievably soft and doesn’t even stink of sweat (you’re stereotyping, maybe). Instead, it smells faintly of fabric softener and a hint of cologne at the collar — something woody and citrusy that makes you think of sunshine. You’re wondering what scent he uses when it occurs to you that you’re the one acting like a creep now.
You blame Mydei, just like you do for a litany of life’s other problems. Taking the jacket off, you glance at the back. It’s then that you realise the jacket has no name, just a number stitched across the back — 13. Okhema University… you frown. Now, how the hell are you supposed to return this? You didn’t even get his name.
You stare down at the jacket for a few more moments before you give up. Grumbling, you toss it over the back of your chair and hurl yourself onto the mattress.
Well, that’s a problem for another day.
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The first half of the week passes by in a blur.
You and Castorice have no classes together this semester, which isn’t a surprise, considering that she does veterinary medicine and you study computer science (a futureless field, it’s been looking like). To make things worse, your faculty buildings are on opposite ends of the campus — a tragic situation for your friendship. Regardless, the two of you still try to hang out between classes, just to catch up and make sure that the other isn’t dead yet.
And today, there are some new faces seated at your usual table in the cafeteria. Cifera is one of them, slumped over the table in an oversized cat-eared hoodie and an empty can of coffee next to her. Her laptop is open in front of her, but she hasn’t touched it in the last fifteen minutes. She’s friends with Hyacine, according to Castorice — and she’d taken a gap semester to go travel the world, only returning a few weeks ago to complete her final year.
“This dissertation,” Cifera mumbles into the table, “is going to be the death of me.”
You sneak a quick glance at her screen. It’s open to a word document, empty except for the list of bullet points with various spellings of the word ‘AHHHHHH’ and a skull emoji at the very end. Looks about right.
“The first week of the semester isn’t even over,” Dan Heng points out unhelpfully, and then swiftly ducks to avoid the empty coffee can she throws at him. “What I meant is, you still have twelve weeks left. That’s still plenty of time.”
“Time isn’t the problem, my will to live is.” She takes another look at her screen and groans like she’s been burned. “Or the lack of it, anyway.” You glance at Stelle, who’s chugging a packet of banana milk like her life depends on it.
“Any wise words of encouragement from IntergalacticBaseballer69?”
Your grey haired friend holds up a hand. For a moment, you almost think that she might say something profoundly motivational, but you’ve been acquainted with her long enough to know otherwise. “It’s garbage can,” she begins, looking very pleased with herself. “Not garbage cannot—”
Dan Heng shoves a hand over her mouth before she can finish her sentence. “Anyway, I can help with the formatting stuff, if you need it. I practically had to redo all of her—” he glances down at Stelle, who’s doing her best to bite at his fingers like a rabid dog, “— essays for her since she decided to take, ah, creative liberties with her citation format.”
Cifera stares at him like he’s the second coming of Kephale, before she places both hands flat on the table and bows low. “I will give you my firstborn child.”
“I don’t want that.”
A thought suddenly occurs to you. You look at Dan Heng. “By the way, where are March and Caelus? I thought the four of you always stick together like gum.”
A look of panic crosses Stelle’s face at that, but Dan Heng grabs her by the collar before she can run. “March dragged Caelus with her to help set up the photography club’s booth,” Dan Heng explains flatly. “Stelle escaped by pretending to have food poisoning.”
“Wow,” you raise an eyebrow, impressed. “Looks like that year in the drama club paid off.”
“Please don’t tell March,” Stelle pleads.
Cifera’s smile turns just a touch evil. “Well, if you’re willing to pay a price, of course…”
Fortunately, Stelle is saved from having her soul bartered away by Castorice and Hyacine, who return with an assortment of sandwiches and kombucha from the nearest convenience store. The two of them have a class together, which is how you’d all ended up at the same table in the first place.
Hyacine gives you a bright smile as she takes the empty seat next to you. Gods, she’s just so nice. It’s no wonder why Mydei is so, to put things eloquently, down bad for her.
“By the way, did you guys hear about the jacket drama that’s been going around recently?” Dan Heng asks idly as he picks at his cucumber salad. You glance up at him, frowning.
“Didn’t know you were into this kind of gossip stuff.”
“March has been talking about it non-stop for days now,” Stelle supplies. Now that makes a lot more sense. Castorice looks up from her sandwich, looking lost.
“Jacket drama? As in, there are people arguing over what kind of jacket is best?” Hyacine giggles a little at that.
“No, not that.” Dan Heng shakes his head. “There was a photo circulating socials — someone was spotted wearing the football captain’s jacket a few nights ago, apparently.” He shrugs. “It’s not really a big deal, but some people seem to think that it is, you get what I mean? So they’re trying to figure out if he’s dating or not.”
Wow, what a coincidence. You, too, happen to be in a similar situation — a situation that has been dragging out longer than you’d expected, actually. You’ve been keeping an eye out for that guy all week — you’d think that someone with white hair and legs longer than the Eiffel Tower would be easy to spot, but no. Does he even come to campus? Maybe it’s finally time to swallow your pride and ask Mydei for help…
Cifera yawns, runs a hand through her messy hair. “He’s already dating someone though, right? The business student with the pink hair — Cyrene, if I remember correctly. They’re sharing a house for university or something.” Hyacine hums in disagreement.
“They’re just childhood friends, I think.” She smiles at you, and it’s like being engulfed by a cloud of cotton candy. “You’re rooming with the basketball captain too, aren’t you? Are the two of you childhood friends as well?”
So she does know that he exists! Thank the gods, there’s still a glimmer of hope for your emotionally repressed roommate. “Oh, no, we were just assigned to the same apartment by chance.” You need to think about this — how can you best sell Mydei to Hyacine? “I was really lucky to end up together with him — he’s amazing at cleaning. Cooking, too! Somehow the chicken breasts he makes are never dry. And his souffle pancakes are the softest ever.”
“Did he pay you to glaze him or something…?” Stelle mumbles, incredulous, but you’re too focused on your mission to hear her.
“Mydei works out regularly, but always makes sure to shower before he comes back to the apartment. Oh, and he leaves his shoes at the door. Even sleeps at ten.” You rack your mind for what else a girl would find conventionally attractive in a man. “He volunteers at a cat shelter, too!”
Hyacine laughs, seafoam green eyes crinkling. “He sounds like a good boyfriend.”
He would be! “Yeah!” You nod vigorously, too preoccupied to notice the way Dan Heng and Castorice are gaping openly at you. She’s seeing the vision! “I mean, if he could clean up that potty mouth of his, he’d be almost flawless. But no one’s perfect, right?” She smiles.
“Of course.”
The conversation returns to the topic of the football captain and his childhood friend, who Hyacine is actually acquainted with, apparently, but you have other things to worry about. Smug, you type a message to Mydei and send it, far too pleased with yourself.
You: name your firstborn kids in my honour
De: ?????
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On Friday, Mydei wakes you up with an airhorn and a pillow to the face.
“Get up, loser,” he says, standing unsympathetically over you with his arms folded even as you try to burrow yourself back under the blankets. It’s cold, god damn it. 
“I’m sleeping in,” you announce, as assertively as you can. Every bone in your body feels weighed down by lead — an allergy to higher education, perhaps? But before you can contemplate on that possibility, Mydei bends down and rips your covers off you with little to no warning. You shriek as your toes are exposed unceremoniously to the freezing air. “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Get up.” And then he just leaves.
With your roommate holding your blankets hostage, you’re forced to drag yourself into the kitchen in your pajamas. Mydei, on the other hand, looks like he’s already showered and dressed after his morning workout. His usual leather jacket seems a little tighter around than usual around his shoulders — was he working out even during the holidays? Discipline is definitely a word in the Kremnoan dictionary.
You stumble into one of the kitchen chairs and come face to face with a spread of yoghurt, cut fruit and ciabatta sandwiches. The peaches are even pitted and sliced. Once again, you put your hands together and thank whichever high power put you and Mydei in the same apartment. The universe must have known you would die from an instant ramen overdose if you hadn’t.
“Can’t have you constipated and hogging the only toilet in the apartment,” Mydei had said bluntly in your first year as roommates, when he’d first started preparing your portion alongside his. “Besides, cooking bigger portions is more cost efficient.”
Well, you definitely hadn’t been in a position to complain. 
You start on the sliced peaches as Mydei scrolls idly on his phone opposite you. He’s got his grandpa glasses on, longish blond hair pulled back in a messy bun. It’s a little uneven, because he cut it himself, but he doesn’t look half bad like this, actually. Maybe if you took a picture and just happened to show it to Hyacine…
The genius of your thoughts are interrupted by the sound of Mydei clicking his tongue. He looks annoyed — well, more so than usual. “Damn football guys, hogging the gym again.”
Ah, so it’s already started again this semester. “Can’t you find another gym on campus?”
“The rest of the gyms don’t have this cable machine that we need. Basketballers need to train their shoulders, to help with shooting power and overhead—” He takes one look at you and gives up explaining immediately. “Anyway, it’s ridiculous that this keeps happening. The footballers don’t even need those machines.”
“Wow,” you say through a mouthful of fruit. “Maybe you guys just have slower reaction speeds. Hey, which moves quicker, a basketball or a football?”
“We do not have slower reaction speeds.” Mydei scowls, but doesn’t answer your question. “We have a guy camping on the facilities website the second the availability for the week resets. I swear, Professor Aglaea has to be showing favouritism to the football captain or something.” He shakes his head, grips his pink — pomegranate juice and milk — protein shake a little tighter. “What’s a fashion professor doing managing the facilities allocations, anyway?”
You inch back slowly in case it explodes in his fist. “You’ve been complaining about that HKS,” Mydei’s face twists as you butcher his native tongue horrendously, “ever since you became captain of the basketball team. Have you ever tried, y’know… just talking to him about it?”
“Have I tried what?”
This guy is hopeless. “Resolve it like real men, then.” Mydei gives you a flat look.
“And how would you suggest we do that?” His tone is dry.
“Fistfight in a Wendy’s parking lot. Deathmatch,” you think for a bit, then add on, sagely. “Hot gay sex in the back of a car afterwards. Can’t hurt.”
You barely manage to dodge the washtowel that Mydei hurls at you. “I will strangle you in your sleep.”
“Oh, do it. It’ll save me from having to attend Professor Anaxa’s critical thinking seminar later.”
He narrows his eyes. “I’ll stop making golden honeycake stacks.” You stare at him, aghast. This has got to qualify as emotional blackmail of some sort.
“Please just kill me instead.”
“No. And speaking of your seminar,” Mydei glances up at the clock. “Aren’t you going to be late?”
You are horrified to realise that he is right. Shit. Professor Anaxa is known for many things, but his leniency towards latecomers is not one of them. “You could have reminded me earlier!” You yell over your shoulder as you race to your room, nearly tripping over a chair leg in your mad dash.
“I’m not your mom,” he mutters, shakes his head when he sees you sprint out of the apartment with mismatched socks and your backpack slipping off one shoulder. “And you forgot your lunch!”
Mydei shouts the last part, but you’re already zooming off down the corridor — almost as fast as the great Zagreus himself. Shaking his head, he turns back to his phone with a fond sigh. Dumbass.
You make it to the faculty building in record time. You’ve nearly been run over by a car, a bicycle and a wheelchair (not all at once, though), and there’s a leaf stuck in your mouth from when you’d nearly faceplanted a hedge. But hey, you’d managed to get here on time, and in one piece, to boot!
Well, mostly one piece.
“And so, we will begin by—” Professor Anaxa stops in the middle of his sentence when you burst into the seminar room, wheezing like you’ve just run a marathon. For a moment, he just stares at you, as does the rest of the class. Brows pinching, he raises his arm to glance at his watch. “You are, unfortunately…” His face becomes flat when he sees the time. “Three seconds away from being late.”
You put on your most willing smile. “No points deducted then, professor.”
“Not yet,” your professor huffs before returning his attention to his slides. “Sit down, before I change my mind.”
You glance around only to see one available seat remaining, right next to the professor’s table. As expected… With a sigh, you make your way to the front and take your place, keeping your head as low as possible in hopes that nobody remembers your face.
It doesn’t work. 
“It’s you!”
Your head snaps to the side so quickly you can hear the bones in your neck creak. To your shock, a familiar face looks back at you with the bluest eyes, looking just as surprised. It’s the guy — the same one who’d spilled his drink on you a week ago.
“I’ve been looking for you everywhere.” He looks so delighted to see you that you’re a little thrown off. “I only realised after you left that I had no idea who you were, and you probably wouldn’t know me either so it would be impossible for you to return me my jacket, and—”
“Phainon, is there something fascinating going on there that you’d like to share with the class? Or perhaps, you’d like to take over as professor?”
The guy instantly seals his mouth shut. “Nope, not at all, Professor.” Only when Professor Anaxa turns his withering glare on another pair of unfortunate students does he turn back to you. There’s a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he whispers, “Talk to you after class.” His eyes are bright.
You nod and sink back into your chair, unwilling to attract the ire of your professor another time today.
So, his name is Phainon.
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Three hours of mind boggling thought exercises later and several mock debates, you stumble out of the seminar feeling as though your brain has just been run through a washing machine cycle. For some reason, Professor Anaxa had kept targeting you with questions during the whole seminar — which was deserved, you suppose. Even Phainon had shot you some sympathetic looks as he watched you flounder under the weight of Professor Anaxa’s stare.
And speaking of Phainon…
“Hey, wait up!” You turn to see Phainon jogging after you, sneakers slapping lightly against the pavement. His hair is white — really white, not just a bleached blond — under the sunlight. How could you possibly have missed seeing this man on campus? He smiles wide when he catches up to you, eyes as blue as the clear sky above. “It’s nice to finally meet you, um…”
You give him your name, and he repeats it. “It’s a nice name,” he says, in a way that almost makes you believe he means it. There’s a sort of effortless charm about him, in the way that he smiles bright and genuine and so enthusiastically. The looks don’t hurt, either… “I’m Phainon. In case you forgot, I was the guy who—”
“Spilled his drink on my shirt, yeah.” One his hands comes up to rub at the back of his neck. “Definitely made an impression.”
“Not a good one, I assume…” Phainon’s smile turns sheepish as he looks at you. You shrug.
“A lasting one, at least. I’ve been looking for you all week.”
His mouth forms a little ‘o’, head cocking to the side. “You have?”
“Yeah. I wanted to return your jacket—” You start digging through your backpack, only to remember that you’d tossed it out this morning in your mad rush to fit your laptop inside. “Shucks. I left it at home. Sorry.”
“It’s no problem.” Phainon grins at you. Something about him just reminds you of a gigantic golden retriever, friendly and easygoing. “We can always just exchange numbers, and you can pass it to me any time that’s convenient for you?”
“Alright, then.” He hands you his phone, and you key in your number quickly. “Done.”
Phainon fiddles with his phone, and a few seconds later a text message from an unknown number pops up. You open it to see a sticker of a white, furry cloud — a Samoyed puppy — with its head tilted to the side, tongue lolling out. Cute.
“Good?” Phainon asks and you nod, slipping your phone back into your pocket. You’re thinking how to bid him goodbye when he asks, suddenly awkward. “Um… wanna grab a bite?”
You stare at him for a few seconds before squinting. “Look, buddy, if this is your way of picking up girls…”
A laugh escapes Phainon at that in a rush. It’s a… pleasant sound, actually. “No, no. Promise I’m not that kind of weirdo.” He holds up his hands, and then frowns. “Or any kind of weirdo, actually. I just… I thought it’d be nice to get to know you, since I don’t know anyone else in this class. And I’m still embarrassed about what happened that night, you know?” His smile is genuine, earnest. “I’d like some kind of chance to redeem my image.”
You snort, amused. “Not happening. I watched you put down and pick up the same drink. Twice.”
Phainon’s face crumples a little at that like wet tissue paper. “I was hoping that you wouldn’t remember that.”
“It’s the good basis for a future friendship,” you say, and his eyes brighten. “Humiliation.”
“Then, you’ll let me make it up to you?” He’s smiling again now. “My treat, of course. As an apology.”
Mydei had once said that you could be lured off a cliff by free food. And you know what? He’s probably right. “Well… if you’re treating…”
Phainon grins. “Deal.”
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Phainon introduces you to a cafe nestled next to the arts faculty building, Elysia. It’s a quaint little space, furnished with hanging moon charms and bundles of dried flowers, somehow achieving the perfect balance between occult and cozy. It’s relatively lively inside, with students queuing at the counter to get their coffee to go, but the two of you find a small table nestled between bookshelves. You take a seat on the cushion while Phainon heads to the counter to order.
He comes back a few minutes later with two cups of cold-brewed coffee and a cake that resembles a pink cloud sitting on your plate — how is it shimmering? It looks more concept than edible. “I hope you’re in the mood for diabetes.”
“Starved.”
“Great.” Phainon grins a little at that, and then gestures at the cake like he’s showing off his firstborn son. “Because this is the best tasting item on the menu.” You raise an eyebrow as you pick up your fork — well, someone’s confident.
“That sounds like exaggeration.”
“No, I’m dead serious. I’ve tried every item on the menu.” You stare at Phainon for a moment, trying to decide for a moment whether he’s lying straight faced to you or not. 
“Now you’re just shitting me.”
“Constipated, I’m afraid. I was duty bound to try out everything when the menu was still in its experimental stages — my friend’s the owner.” You nearly drop your fork.
“What.” Phainon shrugs like it’s no big deal.
“Well, I hope this doesn’t turn out to be some kind of pyramid scheme…” you say, and he laughs, resting his chin on his knuckles as you slice a small piece and place it in your mouth. Soft, light and fluffy — it’s like having a sugary cloud in your mouth. The tartness of the strawberries cut perfectly through the richness of the cream. Mydei’s golden honeycake stacks might actually be getting some competition here. “Ohmygod, this is so good?”
He grins, looking pleased. “I’ll let Cyrene know.”
You slice a bigger piece this time. “How did your friend end up owning this cafe?” you ask, curious as you dig into the rest of the cake. Phainon hums.
“Business school initiative for aspiring entrepreneurs. They gave a big discount on the lease, and she managed to impress them with her plans.” You catch a hint of pride slipping into his voice as he speaks, eyes warm with fondness. “She’s going to be a big time businesswoman in the future, I just know it.” 
Oh, is he…? 
“What do you study, then?” you ask instead, because this is only the second time the two of you have met, and the first barely even counts. To your surprise, Phainon perks up at that.
“Classical archaeology and ancient history.” You do a double take — there is no way you would have expected such an answer. Phainon grins when he sees the look on your face. “Shocked my parents too, really. I think I probably watched too many Indiana Jones movies as a kid — pity the actual degree doesn’t have very much to do with escaping the Temple of Doom.”
“Anything can be related if you’re brave enough. Maybe your thesis subject can be the speed needed to outrun a giant rolling boulder.”
Phainon laughs and, to your surprise, starts to break down what such a thesis paper would look like. It’s ridiculous, really, but he’s so earnest about it that you can’t help but nod along and laugh when some of his points actually start to make too much sense. It’s inspiring to see someone that is really, actually passionate about what they study, in this godforsaken late stage capitalism economy. 
The conversation flows easily between the two of you. You learn that he’s specialising in Ancient Amphorean history, and you tell him about your latest software engineering project. You both share traumatic stories about useless groupmates and some of the wildest things you’ve heard Professor Anaxa be accused of doing. Phainon thinks he and Professor Aglaea (known for their long standing rivalry) have some kind of strange chemistry between them. You agree and tell him that it’s sodium and water.
He has to google the reaction before he throws his head back to laugh at that, a clear and bright sound that makes something inside you do a little backflip in your chest. You feel like you’ve won some kind of victory.
You’re about to throw in an embarrassing story about Mydei when all of a sudden, your phone buzzes. Frowning, you glance down at the screen.
De: dinner time
De: making risotto
De: hurry up or it’ll start clumping
Damn, is your roommate reading your mind or something? Then you frown. What does he mean, dinner time?
You glance out of the window and are stunned to see that the sun has already begun to set, casting a honeyed golden warmth over the buildings outside. The ice in your drinks has long melted, the empty plate emptied of even its crumbs. How have you been here for a whole five hours without noticing?
Phainon leans forward when he catches the incredulous expression on your face. “You alright there?”
“Yeah, just. Experienced time dilation or something.” You slap the sides of your cheeks vigorously to bring yourself back to the present, before giving Phainon an apologetic look. “Sorry, but I gotta go. My roomie’s cooking dinner tonight and I’m dishwasher duty.”
He waves it off. “No worries. I thought something might have happened — it’s good that everything’s fine.” You pick up your backpack and glance at Phainon, suddenly feeling oddly reluctant to leave.
“I’ll head off first, then.”
Phainon’s smile widens. “Thanks for today,” he says, as though you are the one who's treated him. He holds up his phone, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “Keep in touch? So that I can get my jacket back, of course.”
“Sure.” You sling your bag over your shoulder, give him a little wave. “See you around, Phainon.”
And as you leave, you find yourself looking back more than once.
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a/n: the way i was tearing my hair out writing phainon recovering from complex trauma x reader after not having touched fanfics for three years i literally gave up and went back to my roots of writing braindead fluff rot. if the fic is bad i blame phainon for literally chewing on my brain because i haven't been able to think about anything but him since 3.4 dropped (i’m joking don’t blame phainon he has never done a single thing wrong in all 33 million cycles of his life) hope you enjoyed!!
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yanderedrabbles ¡ 6 months ago
Text
Yandere Actor
The Golden Age of Hollywood. Stars are born every day and you're desperate to become one. Thanks to @laboodanda for requesting this!
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Yandere! Actor who's well established in the industry - his name on the Walk of Fame, his face on all the posters, his agents calling day and night with new offers.
Yandere! Actor who meets you on the set of his latest movie. You're barely even part of the main cast - just a side character with a few lines. But you sparkle.
You have that razzle dazzle in you that makes a true star.
Yandere! Actor who knows it's just a matter of time before you make it big. You've already got your foot in the door and all it takes is a lucky break.
Yandere! Actor who comes up to talk to you during lunch, winks at you and grins at the way you blush. You're in awe of him and it takes a second before you can answer his questions.
Yandere! Actor who's used to starstruck fans, to women who shriek when he looks their way. But, it's somehow new and endearing when you're the one looking at him like that.
He can hear the other extras rushing to your side when he leaves, babbling about how lucky you are that he talked to you, the big stars never notice the little fish.
On the final day of filming, he congratulates you on your first ever role and invites you to dinner to celebrate.
Yandere! Actor who takes you to a cozy restaurant in a quiet seaside neighbourhood. He doesn't want to be interrupted by fans, but he also doesn't want to be seen in public with you. At least not yet.
You really impress him. You know quite a lot about acting techniques, about getting into and maintaining character, about catering to the camera.
But it's clear you're still a rookie. There's a slight nervousness to you that veteran starletts don't have. It's alright - he'll train it out of you in no time.
Yandere! Actor who shares he milkshake with you and offers you his jacket when the sea wind starts to nip.
When he drops you off, he squeezes your thigh and says he'll talk to his agent about you, that there might be a role in his next movie for such a pretty little thing.
Yandere! Actor who sees the innocent, love struck look in your eyes and revels in it.
Pretty soon he calls you and tells you about a private audition with some studio execs.
"Keep your hair loose and wear that short sundress you wore on our date."
It should be friendly advice, so why does it sound like an order?
The audition is in one of the studio's offices. A room filled with big shot executives and egotistical directors. Men in suits who are high on their own power, their own genius. They've seen a thousand hopeful girls and to them you're no different.
The way they look at you makes you feel like dirt, like the most untalented person in the whole world. You would have walked out then and there if it wasn't for him.
Yandere! Actor who volunteers to read the lines with you. He winks and smiles at you and by just being there makes you feel so much better. And a few sentences in, you find your stride. Immerse yourself in the scene.
You're playing the part of a jilted lover, a woman who gave everything to her man and has her heart shattered when he leaves. In the final act, you grab his collar and look up at him with tears in your eyes, your voice shaking.
"Please, please don't go. I love you. I need you."
You raise one hand to his cheek, your fingers trembling. "Don't you love me too?"
Yandere! Actor who actually forgets his line.
You're looking up at him so weak, so vulnerable that his mind goes blank. His director calls out the line and he repeats it blankly.
"And...End scene!"
Yandere! Actor who doesn't look away from you even when the directors start clapping and you turn to give them a bow. You were so raw that it didn't feel like a performance. The tears, the desperate way you pulled at him... It felt so real.
It's only when his agent slaps him on the back that he manages to snap out of it.
The director is already grabbing your arm and insisting to the studio executives that he needs you in his next movie.
Yandere! Actor who comes up behind you and drapes his arms around your shoulders. You don't realise it but he's staking his claim, showing all these rich and powerful men that anything to do with you has to go through him. He grins at his agent.
"She's perfect, isn't she?"
The man lowers his shades and drags his eyes across your body.
"You need to clean up her look a little, but you were right. She's the perfect girl for you."
You feel like there's more behind their conversation, things they've discussed that you aren't privy to. But you don't have the nerve to ask.
On your way out of the studio, Yandere! Actor curls his arm around your waist.
"You're gonna be a lead actress soon baby. The execs want you in a few supporting roles first, just to get you used to the camera, but the director has his mind set on you."
You smile at him, a megawatt grin filled with the thrill of having your dream come true. It makes him feel like the centre of your world, makes him feel like a man.
You throw your arms around his neck and hug him. "I owe you! Thank you thank you thank you thank -"
He cuts you off with a kiss. And in that moment you really do feel like the luckiest girl in the world.
Yandere! Actor who slowly takes over your beauty routine. Who tells your hairdresser exactly what shade to tint your hair, exactly what shape to thread your eyebrows. Who buys you new clothes and tells you exactly how to style them.
You don't realise it, but he's shaping your look into something that compliments his own.
Yandere! Actor who almost invites you to his movie premiere until his agent advises against it. Who kisses you and apologises and says he'll bring you to the next one.
You understand, you really do. You're still relatively unknown and having you on his arm would just invite gossip. But it still stings watching him go to the premier on his own, his arm around his beautiful co-star. You go to bed that night with doubts nagging at your mind.
It's only when you hear him knocking at your door at three in the morning that your insecurities go silent.
Yandere! Actor who's still wearing his tuxedo from the red carpet. His hair falling out of its slicked back style as he dangles a bottle of champagne in front of you.
"Gotta celebrate with my girl."
He's barely three steps into your apartment before he's kissing you, his hands on your waist and dropping lower.
You try and push him away. Tell him it's your first time.
Yandere! Actor who nips at your neck. "Don't worry, 'm gonna be so gentle."
When you still try and slip away, he pulls back to look in your eyes. Despite the haze of alcohol, there's something piercing about the way he looks at you.
"How many girls can say their first time was with a Hollywood star?"
Yandere! Actor who let's his fingers climb higher up your thighs.
"I've been workin' so hard to make you an actress. Don't I get a reward?"
How are you supposed to say no to a man who holds your future in his palm? You nod your head just the slightest and he's back to kissing you, back to drawing you hands to his belt, back to growling in your ear.
Yandere! Actor who's a shameless liar. He isn't gentle with you at all.
Yandere! Actor who wakes up all groggy and hungover the next morning. Who pulls you closer to him and falls asleep again with his head on your chest. You look down at his dark hair and his chiseled features and for a little while, it doesn't feel like such a bad deal. Love him in exchange for a career.
And he is so easy to love.
Yandere! Actor who encourages the director to start filming your movie as soon as possible. A romance between a thief (you, in your very first lead role) and a jaded detective with a heart of gold (him, who's had so many lead roles he's lost count).
The schedule is gruelling and the director is a tyrant, but this is your big break. You give it everything you have. You learn the script inside and out, badger the screen writer until she discusses your character arc with you, follow the director around and beg him for tips.
Yandere! Actor who adores working with you. You're sweet and pliable and the chemistry between you is sizzling. Every scene with you makes him need a cold shower and a priestly intervention.
Yandere! Actor who pulls you into his trailer every chance he gets to "read lines." But it always ends with him holding you down and kissing you, claiming it's good practice for the camera.
"Character building," he pants from between your legs. "Just getting into the mindset."
Yandere! Actor who watches with satisfaction as the movie comes along. You remind him of himself when he just started, raw talent and a burning desire to please.
Yandere! Actor who is next to you every moment he isn't needed on set. Who gives you endless advice and makes you laugh with his stories about bad takes and wardrobe malfunctions.
Part of it is to keep an eye on you - there's a jealous bit inside him that thinks of you as his creation, your talent a reflection of his training - and part of it is to spark rumours.
It works exactly as he intends. Pretty soon the magazines and radio hosts are blabbering about a possible romance between him and his relatively unknown co-star.
Yandere! Actor who's determined to make this movie a success. On the premier night, he walks down the red carpet with his arm around your waist. When the cameras are at the height of their flashing, he takes your chin in his hand and kisses you.
The next morning, the papers are raving about it and the theatres are sold out before midday.
It's a critical and commercial success. Yandere! Actor who's high on the thrill of it. Who loves driving down Hollywood Boulevard and seeing you on the billboards, who loves having Hollywood's newest darling on his arm and in his bed.
But then the letters start coming.
Yandere! Actor who snarls at the piles and piles of fan mail you receive. Maybe, if it was all innocent praise, he could have accepted it. But most of the letters are absolutely filthy.
Men writing to you from all over the country, all over the world. Describing in detail all the things they want to do to you, all the ways they want you speared on their cocks. Men who promise to treat you so sweet you'd never want to leave them and men who threaten to whip you over their knee if you don't learn to say please when they fuck you.
Yandere! Actor who's never received mail with such perversion. His fans are mostly sweet young girls who timidly describe how nice it would be to find a man like him, to get taken to prom and courted.
Yandere! Actor who becomes suspicious of every man he sees. The gaffer that looks at you too long becomes the guy who promised to find you and fill your cunt with his come. The driver who holds your hand when you climb out of the car becomes the stalker who followed you home the other night.
Yandere! Actor who keeps his arm around you whenever you're outside. Who starts keeping his gun in the glove box of his car.
It's not only strangers he needs to worry about either. The studio executives keep pressuring you with stricter and stricter contract offers. The director wants you starring in a romance role with another man. Two dozen talent agencies are crawling over glass to try and sign you.
Yandere! Actor who tells you to let him handle the contracts and paper work.
"The bastards will try and trick you out of your money and your clothes. Trust me baby, I've had to deal with plenty of shitty deals. I don't want that for you."
Yandere! Actor who knows exactly how tightly binding a contract is. And it's no coincidence that the one he has you sign binds your career almost entirely to his. It ensures that the bulk of your roles are alongside him, that he has the final say in studio disputes, that he owns the rights to your name.
The studio executives might normally never sign a deal like that, but they're desperate to get you under contract. You're a blazing star and they aren't going to lose you to a competitor.
Yandere! Actor who drinks a toast to your success and kisses you infront of all those high flying executives. Despite all the attention and awards you've earned, you still look up at him with a blind sort of hero worship. He's the goal you've always aimed for, the standard you've tried to reach. To be his girl is still so dizzying you almost can't believe it.
In bed that night, Yandere! Actor thinks about proposing, about wifing you up. The wedding would be huge, generate massive press. His next big project with you is scheduled for half a year away. Maybe do a proposal during opening night? Or better yet, at the Academy Awards? Yeah, that would get cinemas sold out even faster than kissing you on the red carpet did.
Save the wedding for a few years down the line. When your career is more established and your image might need an upgrade.
You curl against his side and moan in your sleep, brow scrunched. Cute, naive little thing, aren't you? Hollywood would swallow you up and spit you out if it wasn't for him.
Yandere! Actor who kisses your forehead as you dream about cameras and lights and action.
"Don't worry baby, I'll take extra good care of you."
Yandere! Actor who's curated his image so carefully. Who wants a girlfriend who's light and talent make him shine all the brighter.
And who better than someone who owes him her career?
Extra!! Here's a short drabble I wrote when I was brainstorming the idea with @laboodanda
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