#on one hand i'm sad it was cancelled on the other i fell like this season was particularly meandering

[mikimeiko]

Evil | Season 4 (2024), Robert and Michelle King

[pnutbutter-n-j-elyy]

When They Call You Clingy So You Distance Yourself| Maknaeline Pt3

Warnings: Mentioning of needles in a medical sense, Cursing, Mentioning of death

Pt1 Pt2 Hyungline  (xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx)

JISUNG|

The room was bright, and everyone of Jisung's senses were clouded slightly when he woke up.

"Where-"

He looked up to see Chan looking at him concerned.

"You passed out and hit your head. You've been out for a minute. You worried us."

Jisung's face scrunched as he looked at Chan. "I didn't mean to...why did I..." The events of right before his fainting spell came to him at once and Chan watched as his face slowly crumpled.

"N-No no! Jisung don't cry please! She's okay! She's okay!"

Jisung's heart rate monitor kept hiking up. "St-Stop ly-lying to me! Sh-She's gone!" He wailed- his heart rate reaching extreme levels that spurred the appearance of three nurses.

They tried to calm him down and Chan talked to a nurse about giving him something to calm him down.

A subtle sedative was injected into one of Jisung's flailing limbs and within a few minutes he was calmed down enough to be considered safe.

Chris sat by Jisung's bed as he fell in and out of sleep, the exhaustion of the past day hit him.

He looked at his phone as Minho was calling him. He looked at the boba eyes boy, who's eyes were closed in what he was assumed was sleep.

"Hello...hey...yeah we're still here, Jisung passed out...yeah...she's okay...I've been splitting my time between his room and her's...both of her femurs are fractured and she's cut up and bruised, and her arm is broken but she'll be okay...I'm trying to wait until he's calm enough to bring him over...he won't even listen to me he's that distraught..." Chris sounded tired. "I hate to them both hurting...I'm going to cancel to schedules...no one should have to work after this...maybe apply for hiatus of Jisung..." Chan stood up and looked at Jisung who was staring back at him with wide eyes. "Minho I'll call you back."

Han sat up and looked at his elder. "Y/N...Y/N? Where is she-" He swung his feet over the bed, not even flinching at the frozen floor as they connected with his bare feet.

Chris guided Jisung by the shoulder and brought him to room a few halls down, nodding politely at the ladies at the desk; silently praying they wouldn't point out that it was past the time for any types of visitors. He led him in front of your door, and knocked lightly. "She might be asleep...I have to run back to the dorms real quick to grab you a change of clothes and update the boys they're worried sick."

Jisung nodded and looked at the bags under Chris's eyes and saw how dark and droopy they were. He looked like a tired dad, and that only hurt Jisung more.

Chris gave him a hug and gave him a peck on the head. "I'll be back soon, Jisung." As he walked away Jisung immediately walked into the room. His heart dropped when he saw you laying there on the bed- legs elevate and your arms as well, your eyes closed.

He almost couldn't recognize your face at first, with the purplish bruise and large cut on your cheek.

He walked over quietly and sat down in the chair next yo your bed, just quietly weeping next to you.

Tears of joy, relief, praise, sadness, pain, and heartbreak.

God thank you. Thank you. Thanl you.

He continued to weep quietly, as he reached for your hand on your uninjured arm to hold it.

He felt calloused and scabbed skin when he put his hand in it and looked down through his tear.

His index finger traced the dark scabbed that decorated your palm, and he felt a hollow pain in his heart. Despite all the other injuries this one hurt him the most, knowing that he was the direct cause for this specific one.

You fluttered your eyes open and looked over to see the love of your life crying over you hand.

"JiJi?" Your voice was raspy, and he instead of saying anything he started placing kisses on your palm in a silent apology.

"It's okay, love. I'm okay."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Y/N...it's my fault."

You shook your head viciously and winced with the neck pain; mentally kicking yourself for moving at all.

"Its not your fault Jisung. You weren't the one drunk driving. Nor were to the one distracted behind the wheel. Things like this happen in life; you just have to be grateful to be the ones that get through it." You swallowed and started blinking back tears. "I'm sorry I worried you so much-" You croaked. "Channie said you fainted and hit your head? Are you okay?" Your voice was heartbreakingly warm, and Jisung couldn't fathom why you were so kind to him at a time like this. When you were hurting so much physically, mentally and emotionally; you were still concerned about him.

He kissed your palm again and let out a shaky breath. "Stay with me."

You give out a small chuckle, but it hurts your chest so you decide just to smile.

"Sungie...I can't even walk." You joked. "My femurs are pretty messed up right now." Jisung continued to gently hold your hand as if it was something priceless; something extremely fragile and breakable. He rested his forehead against is and murmured.

"Then when you can walk again, don't leave. Stay. Cling to me. Walk towards me instead of away."

You smile. "Walk towards you dressed in white?" You joked.

"Yes." He said with 1000% seriousness in his voice. "I thought I lost you. That was a pain that I couldn't even begin to comprehend. If I ever lose you again...I don't know how I would deal with it...if I could...especially if I knew you left by choice..."

You felt your heart thump at a faster rate and cursed it quietly since it would bring the inevitable visit of a concerned nurse.

"I'm sorry. I truly am." He said, his eyes looking at you. They softly traced all the injuries, all though none of them compared to what he was feeling in his heart, what you were feeling in yours.

"I love you." You said quietly, those three simple words filled with so much that it quelled the negative feelings that were churning in his heart.

And even though he knew it wouldn't be something he could ever truly forgive himself for - even if you did - he was selfish enough to push that aside if it meant that he could be with you.

If it meant you would stay with him.

He kissed your palm once more, before laying his head near yours. His nose gently nuzzling your face.

"I love you more."

(xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx)

FELIX|

When Felix walked into your home, he wasn't expecting you to be there.

But what he defintely was not expecting at all was you struggling to put together a new gaming station for him, looking at a super complicated instruction sheet for a chair and while sitting next to a bag filled with other electronics.

"Y/N? What are you doing?"

You turned as the rich and deep voice you loved so much reached your ears. It had been days since you had gotten to hear it.

"It-It was supposed to be a surprise." You said standing up, bracing yourself for him to yell at you, or scold you. "I'm sor-"

You almost had the wind knocked out of you as Felix threw himself into your arms, inhaling deeply.

You hugged him back, feeling just how much he needed it.

His breathing was shaking as you heard him apologize quietly.

He reached for your hands to see if they were red from cleaning so much.

"I'm sorry baby. But sorry doesn't fix it. So what can I do-"

"I love you." You said. "I understand you were angry...it's understandable. So I went to go fix it!"

You pulled away and Felix was in disbelief of how positive and sunshiny you were. He would consider you even more like sunshine than he was.

And with that he felt and overwhelming sense of love and appreciation to the one in front of him, as he watched you explain to him what you had been doing the past few days (odd freelance work for extra money) and how you had went to buy him replacements for all the things you had ruined by accident.

"I thought you'd like this one cause it was blue but I'm not sure..." You mumbled. "It wasn't as expensive as you last one so I'm sorry if it-"

You looked up to see Felix crying with a smile on his face as he bent down to look at you while you knelt on the ground organizing pieces.

"Lix, are you okay?"

He nodded, his freckles scrunching up as he smiled even more, reaching to cup you face with his cool hands.

"I'm more than okay, Y/N." He said. "More than okay."

You looked at him with wide eyes and he couldn't help but plant a bunch of kisses on your face as a musical giggle escaped the lips he soon captured in his own.

You looked up at him as he rolled over onto the ground next to you, grasping your hand in his.

"I bought replacements angel..." He said, a smile playing on his face. "So now that we have two... we can take my old PC from storage and I can teach you how to play...?"

You looked at him. "But isn't gaming time your you time? I thought thats why you were so upset, since I had ruined something that was giving you detox time..."

He shook his head. "I had gotten into an argument with Hyunjin..." He said rubbing his thumb across your hand. "And I didn't manage my anger well towards you. I'm sorry, again."

He turned to face you while resting on his elbow.

"You're too good you know?" He murmured quietly, moving a few strands of hair out of your face.

"Lixxie...you're entire fandom call you sunshine..." You say, feeling your face heat up.

"Well that's because they don't know you well enough. But once they do they'll realize that you're the true sunshine in the Stray Kids world. Since you're my world..." He said leaning over again, resting his elbows on either side of you as he connected his lips to yours again; both sets upturned into a smile.

"I could never be mad you love...how would it even be possible?" He asked as he continued to press his lips against your face in a cute, but chaste manner. "It is impossible."

You giggled as he blew raspberries on you and you got up and looked at the boy you loved so much, knowing that you meant just as much to him as he did to you.

And you knew that you could rest assured that you would be okay no matter what.

"Do you want to play games...or cuddle?" Felix asked, pulling you up, already reaching for the blanket you kept draped over your desk chair; knowing your answer would be exactly what he was hoping it would be.

"Cuddles." You said clinging to him. Intending to do that for the rest of the night.

And Felix intended to make sure you kept true to that promise.

(xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx)

SEUNGMIN|

The crowd was static with a murmured excitement. The result of hundred of Stays conversing just before the group walked on stage.

You made your way to the front of the arena. After selling the ticket you had intended to use to get back at Seungmin; you had made quite a bit of money from the upsale and the desire of some crazed stan.

And you put that money towards flying across the world, to come to this concert, and surprise him.

Hopefully easing the growing rumors but mostly easing his heart.

You called the Kids manager, asking to get you in closer to the front, and was praying that Seungmin would be able to spot you. Or a fan would spot you and it would spark the little "Where's Waldo" game that would get back to him - or more importantly the camera men.

You just wanted Seungmin to be assured you weren't leaving him.

Rather you hoped after tonight it would be the complete opposite.

As security pushed their way through the crowd with you encircled in them people tried to peak through to see you.

When a few curious eyes met yours you waved, and those eyes widened in the ones who recognized you.

It was almost like they were relieved.

And just with that you could tell how much the fandom cared about the boy.

Almost as much as you cared about them while knowing all of them on a personal friend level. And an even more intimate level with Seungmin.

The crowd buzzed with energy up until the moments to boys ran out on stage. You were close enough to see just how tired Seungmin was; but he still put on a smile.

There was almost know build up as they immediately started performing, Seungmin on the complete opposite side of the stage. The crowd was extremely loud- so yelling out to the closet member to you - Hyunjin - wasn't going to do you any good, even if he could easily recognize the voice of one of his closest friends' significant others; he wouldn't be able to hear it over the sea of others voices and screams.

So you decided to head back towards the dressing room.

Seungmin returned to his dressing room after the show, his heart racing with excitement after the show. But he still had that underlying hurt.

Should I call her? I miss her so much I'm imagining her perfume...

He stopped and turned his nose upwards. Y/N?

He rushed into his dressing room and saw you standing up, folding one of his shirts.

He immediately ran into your arms, burying his head into your hair, a wet spot forming on the crown of your head.

"Baby...are you really here?" He whispered, the vibration of his voice tickling you slightly.

You nod and pull back; feeling a bit proud to straight out apologize so instead get to what you came here for.

He looked at you as you squared your shoulders and adjusted your dress so it covered you properly as you knelt down onto the ground.

"Jagiya...?" He said instinctively kneeling down with you reaching for you, but instead you motioned for him to stay standing.

He looked at you with confusion, a bead of sweat dripping down his neck to his exposed collar bone, making you even more nervous than you were a second ago.

You pulled a small box out of the pocket in your dress and noticed Seungmin's puppy eyes widening as you held it out to him with a shaky hand.

"Marry me, MinMin?"

His jaw twitched and he just stared at you in shock and you fumbled to open up the box, a simple deep gray colored band laying in there.

"Um...I mean will you marry me? Please...?" You rubbed your forehead feeling your face get warm at Seungmin's extended silence.

"No." You felt your heart nearly crumple in embarrassment until he corrected himself.

"I mean yes- like no as is in you - like - yes I want to marry you but- just get up from the floor Jagiya..."

You stood up and you held the box in your hands, and they were still trembling, and he wrapped his large hands around yours.

"I meant no as a reaction to you proposing instead of me. I wanted propose to you. I mean...I'm the man in the relationship and-"

"I'm breaking societal norms, Minnie. If we both love each other why does it matter?" You ask bluntly, earning a laugh from Seungmin.

"And I'm proud of you for that, even if it'll earn me relentless teasing from the guys." He laughed out, a few tears falling from his face in happiness, as he rested his forehead onto yours.

"These past few weeks," Seungmin started, "Have made me realize that it's me who is clingy to you." He says, kissing your nose, lightly. "I felt that I lost myself when the prospect of losing you was in front of me."

You looked at him and knew this was his apology.

"I don't want to leave you. And I don't ever want you to leave me. That's why I got this for you." You said taking the ring out. Seungmin pulled back and stepped into character, placing a hand over his mouth in mock shock and daintily putting his hand out for you to slide the ring onto his finger.

He couldn't help the smile that broke out on his face as he watched your face be completely painted in a blinding happiness. He couldn't help but kiss the lips that were stretched so wide.

"Do I have permission to break the news to Stay via instagram post?" He hums. "They've been suspecting we broke up due to your concert absences..." He looked at you, his eyes wide and bright.

"Yes of course, as long as you tell the guys in person. I want to see their reaction. I'm sure both Stay and the guys will be amused that I proposed." You winked.

"Yeah," Seungmin chuckled as he looked at the ring with a deep admiration and love. "They will be...speaking of this though. You must have paid an unecessary fortune for flying here, buying the ticket, hotel stay...and you request off work during concert season so you aren't getting paid. Where did you get the money? If it was from your saving let me fill it up again." His top lip curled in as he waited for your answer.

"Uh...you could say I made a profit of sorts..." You mumbled, thinking about the slightly illegal act of scalping the ticket price.

Your fiancé tilted his head to the side, waiting for an explanation, but the deciding to forgo it with a chuckle and just kiss the woman he loved and missed so much. The one he'd spend the rest of his life clinging to.

(xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx)

JEONGIN|

You stood there the needle in your hand as Jeongin slowly walked towards you.

"Y/N? What are you...?"

You disposed the needle and adjusted your shorts to cover up your thigh.

"I was taking insulin." You said walking past him out of the bathroom, to go grab a paper towel since the towel in your bathroom was in the wash.

You felt the presence of your boyfriend behind you.

And you could instantly tell he felt bad, so you turned to him, his dark eyes wandering over you as his lips turned into his recognizable pout.

"I'm sorry for worrying you, Innie..." You said standing there. "It wasn't right for me to ignore your calls. Or blow up your phone in the first pla-"

"Stop." His voice was firm and missing the playful undertone it almost always had. "You didn't do anything wrong. It was me."

He swallowed. "I was embarrassed because of the guys and their teasing. And I called you childish when it was really me who was being childish for caring so much about people recognizing how much we love each other. How much you love me..." He's within arms length and you can feel his cool breath hit your face. "How much I love you. I'm sorry."

For the rest of the day you and Jeongin lounged around your house, him taking a nap on you lap at one point due to the pent-up exhaustion of the previous week.

You had shake him awake gently when you realized it was time for you to inject youself once more since you had finished eating a while ago but pushed off medicating yourself so Jeongin could get some rest.

He opened his eyes and whined as he shut them again, burrowing further into you.

"Baby, I have to get up and take my medicine."

He immediately shot up and the expectant yet worried look on his faced caused you to grin.

"Do you wanna help?" His head bobbed up and down as you got up, pulling the mischievous eyed boy with you towards the bathroom.

As you got everything, he observed with a bubbling anxiety.

"You won't like...die from this or anything right?" His voice was soft, lacking the confidence it usually carried.

"No, Jeongin, I won't die from my diabetes." You laugh. "Do you think I would let it take me before I get married and have kids, and grandkids and live." You say this purposefully to hint to Jeongin that it was him you imagined this with. Hoping it solidified his assurance in your forgiveness; since he had been asking all day if he was truly forgiven.

As if its his fault I have diabetes... You laughed to yourself.

You placed the glucometer in his hand and held out the container of strips.

"Just place that in there." You instruct softly, and he does so showing it to you to double check.

"Okay, so now we have to put the lancet in...here..." You say, your boyfriend focusing on placing it in correctly.

He takes your hand in his and when he presses the button to prick you he winces rather than you.

"Are you okay?!" He frets, looking at the extremely miniscule - too miniscule - drop of blood on your ring finger.

"Mm. Squeeze a little more out?"

He gently squuezed enough blood out of your hand and tested you blood sugar - then measuring out the appropriate amount of insulin and pulling your shorts up slightly to give you your injection with gentle hands after cleaning the area.

You watched him focus on the task at hand so seriously; his brows furrowed, and tongue sticking out of his lip slightly. He was so close you could smell his shampoos and count his eyelashes if you wanted to. You felt a strange longing for him even though he was right here. You missed him even if his body was right here next to, gently making sure he didn't leave any marks.

And you couldn't deny how much you loved him. So much that you had to express it.

"I love you forever, Innie..." Through his lashes he studied your expression. Feeling the love exude from you.

"I love you, forever and even longer." He said, his face breaking out into a smile. "My beautiful princess."

You laugh and that causes Innie to laugh as well.

"You're too sweet, love." You said placing a kiss under his eye.

"Does that mean I need to get you another dose of insulin?" He asked, looking up at you with a devilish grin.

This time you place the kiss on his lips his eyelashes fluttering shut as he sighed with contenment.

"I think I can manage."

(xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx)

@sleeping143 @artist2181 @abovenyx @wolfs-archive @oddracha @iyeeeverydee @parisanmorovati @seungmincenteric @panbish-1209 @fxiry-vtt @sseawavee @shuporanporang @amarecerasus @softkisshyunjin @whoa-jo @meanergreener @rikibun @ayyonoona @shinywombatcrusade @y4yayael @skzstan12345 @mariteez @allys-reads

@jaythegay26 @gay-littlemushroomlover @armystay89 @sara6767776 @wildtokay

@kyrennetwork @stay-tiny-things

@piscesrising01 @0325tiny @hannamoon143

@chimchxmni @ka0ila @jazziwritesthings @skzstannie @yongbokkiesworld

[imaginaryf1shots]

Hot and Cold | Charles Leclerc

WC: 3K

Charles x gf!reader

Summery: "I can't do this anymore, I can't be everything to you one minute and then mean nothing to you the next." from my 1K celebration

Warning: angst, don’t think there’s anything else.

Masterlist

Charles Masterlist

Being a Formula 1 driver, isn't easy and it's a very demanding job. You know that and everyone that knows someone in F1 knows that. The sport takes a big toll on everyone involved, physically and mentally. You've seen what the pressure does to drivers. Charles, who you've been with for a long time is a testament to what it does to people.

The road to reaching F1 for Charles was long and hard and he lost so much on the way. There was so many sacrifices he had to make just to reach his destination and achieve his dream.

On track, the smell of burning rubber is strong and the air is filled with adrenaline. It was all familiar to you now. Charles was in his element there more than anywhere else. To everyone he's Charles Leclerc the prodigy, the hope to Ferrari, but beneath that helmet he's just a man juggling the weight of his dreams and the expectations.

Off track, as Charles's significant other, you try to be there for him as much as possible provide all the love he needs, to comfort him when he needs it, to be a stable constant in his life. Charles is a loving and attentive boyfriend, he always wants you to fly with him and be there with him. Whatever your needs are he always tries to meet them.

As the new season progressed though things have began to change, and at first it was just a bad race he'd be upset for a couple of days before he'd become normal again, but then his mood would stay down for longer and the moments when you two could be happy together became less and less. It was rare now to have a moment with Charles that's just the two of and filled with joy.

It was when Charles is home that you started to feel the distance between the two of you. Charles was home but his mind was a thousands miles away, caught in strategies, cars and lap times. As you watched you could see his brows furrowed in thought, his arms absently tapping the arm of the sofa, and a bang of longing twisted in your chest.

"Charles." You called gently trying to pull him back to you, to here, to now. Charles looked up, when his met yours, you can see reflecting exhaustion and something else you couldn't pinpoint. Guilt? Or was it the weight of the expectations?

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" He smiled oh so sweetly, and you returned his smile.

"I was saying if you're not feeling up to it we can cancel our reservation for dinner and go another time." You tell him and Charles takes a moment to answer, and that is telling enough for you, if he wanted to go he would've jumped at the idea of going and refused instantly. "It's alright my love, we can go another time."

"Can we? You won't be mad?" Charles asked and you gave him a reassuring smile.

"No I wouldn't." And you weren't mad, you were sad, you were really looking forwards to tonight, you bought a new outfit and had it all planned out. There was no other time to go, Charles is heading into a triple header and there was no time in between to do anything.

There was no late-night conversations, because Charles wanted to sleep to reenergize, there was no sharing dreams or thoughts, and you haven't been intimate in so long as well. Your heart ached on those night where Charles was sleeping next to you but it felt like he was so far away.

At one point he got you a gift with a hand written letter and you felt like the Charles you fell in love with is back, you were filled with hope. But then the next day he was back in his head, and distant. You're starting to feel like he's playing with your emotions.

Charles one day decided to take you out in Monaco to a café you haven't been to in a long time. You dressed for the occasion, dolled up. The walk to the café was a nice one, you walked hand in hand, talking and laughing. Once you reached the café, Charles got an email from Ferrari and like that he was gone, you ordered for the both of you, something that fit his diet so when you ate he wouldn't feel left out or tempted since he's been hard on himself when it came to the diet and the gym. The food and drinks came but he was still lost in his own world, taking a bite of your food, everything was tasteless, you wanted to spit out the food as your stomach churned. Putting the fork down you signalled to the waiter to bring the check all while Charles is still lost on his phone, he's been good at blocking everything when he's working these days, and he's been working a lot. You paid and he was still none the wiser.

Only when you stood up that he looked up from his phone.

“Amour?" He was confused, he looked around him and saw the now cold drink you ordered him and the bill on the table.

"I'm going home, don't worry about the bill, I paid, when you're done you can come home." You said with a smile and turned to leave.

"y/n, wait!" Charles scrambled to follow you, he walked out after you. Charles jogged until he was behind you, he held your arm to stop you from walking, and as he opened his mouth to speak his phone rang. He glanced at it and bit his lip. He had no idea what to do now. You laughed dryly.

“Just answer." Charles didn't put up a fight and you slipped out of his hold, but you didn't go home, you weren't in the mood. So you walked around the city, enjoying the good weather.

"y/n!" Someone called your name and for a split second you hoped, you hoped it would be Charles, but you recognized that voice. You turn and smile, a fake smile, your heart started beating in your chest as your emotions started to get to you and you fought them.

"Max, hey." You greeted the RedBull driver, you've been dating Charles long enough to be on good terms with the other drivers and their girlfriends. "Kelly, how are you?"

"We're good, how are you?" Kelly asks and you both hug and press your cheeks together in greeting.

"I'm, I'm good." You nod and then bite your lip, Kelly didn't believe you and frankly neither did Max and out of the two he knows you least.

"We were just going back home, if you're not doing anything, maybe you'd want to come over?" Kelly asked and you looked at the couple and gave them the smallest smile you could master.

"No, I don't want to intrude." You say and shake your head no.

"Where's Charles?" Max asks and Kelly hits his chest softly and glared at her boyfriend. Max was a bit confused. Kelly watched your expression, you smiled before your brows wavered and your lips trembled.

"Oh honey." Kelly pulls you in for a hug. Kelly holds you for a few minutes while you calm down, once you did the couple took you back to their home.

Sitting in their living room, you just broke down and told them what's been going on. Your phone started ringing half way through and blowing up with texts from Charles, all going unanswered. The couple were baffled with what you said, to everyone you always looked like the perfect couple, the envy of everyone. Yet, here you are crying your eyes out because your boyfriend has been ignoring you for the better part of the year.

You spent the night at the Verstappen-piquet household before you decided to head back home.

"Are you sure?" Max asked as he walked you to the door.

"Yes, thank you, I'll be fine." You reassured him, and with a quick hug you left. It didn't take long for you to reach your shared house with Charles, when you walked in you heard hurried movements before Charles appeared in front of you.

"Oh mon amour, I was so scared." He did look stressed, you sighed and closed the door lightly, your moves were slow, you took off your shoes and dropped off your bag on the table by the entrance before you turned to look at Charles, it's apparent you both didn't sleep well. You knew Charles had work today, that's why you went out yesterday, but he was dressed in sweatpants and a random shirt, a stay at home outfit.

"We need to talk." You said, your voice tight, struggling to contain the emotions that threatened to spill over. You had given Charles so much time and space in hope that with time he'd find his way back to you, that the coldness in him will thaw and melt, but the moments when you think it happened aren't enough, they're rare and far between.

"Look, if it's about yesterday, I'm so sorry, I should've-" Charles started before you cut him off.

"No, we need to talk about us." You said your voice trembling ever so slightly, you both move to the living room and you sit across from Charles. When you first started dating and until a year ago, you've never sat apart on any sofa, in any room, but it's becoming familiar now. "We need to talk about how we've been struggling lately, our relationship is drowning."

"Drowning? y/n, amour, yesterday I just had an important email and then call about work." Charles tried to explain but it just made you more sure that this conversation had to be had.

"And last week?" Charles frowns thinking about last week, you had planned to go out with your friends, but he bailed last minute to stay home and get on the sim, so you went alone. "And last month? My mum's birthday? Our anniversary?"

"A-Amour, I didn't realise I've been under alot of pressure, you know that." Charles sighed, the sound was heavy and weary, he couldn't meet your eyes, he knows he missed up big time. "The season is in full swing, and I need to focus." "Charles, we've been like that since last year, I only had you for a part of the winter break before you were back at work." You frown, trying to make him realise for how long he's been like this, and you've tried to be understanding, to be by his side and take it. "What about me? Do I not matter to you anymore? Does our relationship mean so little to you?"

"No, it's not like that." He said rubbing his temples. "I'm just... I'm trying to keep up with everything."

"Everything but us." You said your voice gaining an edge as you started feeling angry.

"I... I didn't realise," He stammered, standing up and taking a step towards you, you stood up but took a step back, you didn't want him near you, to touch you, if he did, you'll give up. It hurt him seeing you step away from him, but knows he deserved it. "I'm Sorry, I've neem so caught up with everything, I didn't see what I was doing to you."

"Caught up?" You repeated, the anger in your voice apparent, but your next words took a turn as your voice trembled. "You've been so focused on your career, on your races, that you've forgotten what's really important, I've been right here, waiting, hoping for the old Charles-my Charles-to come back, but all I got are those glimpses and small moments."

Charles' shoulders sagged, he ran a hand though his hair and his eyes filled with pain and regret. "I never meant to hurt you, I just thought that... I thought I could handle it all, I thought you understood."

"I did understand, I do." You said and the tears you've been fighting welled

up in your eyes. "But understanding doesn't mean I can endure this forever. I need you, Charles. I need you to be here, really here and not just you on the phone or in the sim room."

Charles wanted to promise you that he'll be better, but he's scared to make a promise that he may not be able to keep. You knew Charles well enough to know what's going on in his mind, and so the tears escaped and you smiled, it was a painful smile teary and hurtful.

"I can't do this anymore, Charles." You said and you tried to stop the tears from flowing, it's starting to dawn on him what your next words will be. "I can't mean everything to you one minute and then mean nothing to you the next."

"Amour." Charles sounded broken, he loves you and you know that, but sometimes love isn't enough. You've chosen Charles so many times but you have to choose yourself right now, you have to, or this relationship will drain you out. You walk around Charles and head to your shared bedroom, closing and locking the door behind you, you take out your suitcase, and pack your essentials, what you'd need for a week, knowing Charles will be out of the house for a race after that.

When you walked out after you were finished, you saw Charles siting on the sofa looking miserable, you left the suitcase by the door and walked up to Charles. He looked up at you and glanced at the bag behind you. this is it, you're leaving him and he deserved it. He looked broken and it took everything in you not to go back on your decision. You opened your arms and Charles walked in to your hug, he was heavy in your arms. You both held each other for a long while, this may be the last hug you share. No matter what happened there's still so much love that you have for each other making this more painful.

"I'm so sorry amour." Charles muttered in your ear and you ran your hand through his hair and sighed =

"I know, my love, I know." You say back and pull back, you try to give him a small smile. Your hand was on his cheek as you rubbed it, feeling him for the last time. Charles's arms on your waist tightened, he didn't want to let you go. "I'll see you around

Charles."

That was his que to let you go, you kissed his cheek just next to his lips and his hands flexed before he let go. You walked out of his arms. You opened the front door and rolled out your bag before you closed the door you looked at Charles, who was frozen.

"I'll still wear red on the weekends, I'll cheer you on, no matter what." You hesitated before you said. "I love you Charles, please don't make this hard on yourself and don't pressure yourself, I'm choosing myself, so you choose yourself too."

With that you closed the door after you and left.

Being without Charles has been hard, you’ve been together for so long. Even if he’s been distant before you broke it off, you’d always be finding yourself wanting to text or call him. You found an apartment in Nice that you rented until you know what your next steps will be like. Your life has been intertwined so much with Charles’ that it was hard to untangle it. There was this constant ache in your heart.

Charles, on the other hand, was a man undone. The realisation of what he had lost hit him with the force of a speeding car. He threw himself more into his races, each victory a hollow echo of what he truly wanted, his ups aren’t so satisfying now. It wasn’t the podiums that filled his thoughts; it was you, the person who had been his anchor and his heart.

And so one evening, as the sun started to set, there was a knock at your door. You opened it to find Charles standing there, his eyes red-rimmed and weary, a man who had been through his own kind of race, one that he desperately hoped would end with you.

“I know I don’t deserve another chance.” He began, his voice raw with emotion as he didn’t give you a chance to say anything, he was scared you’d slam the door in his face. “I know I’ve hurt you, and I can’t even begin to tell you how sorry I am. I’ve realised that without you, none of this means anything. The races, the wins, they’re all empty without you. Please, give me one more chance. I promise, I’ll be the man you need, the man you deserve.”

You stood there, heart pounding, torn between the pain of the past and the love you still felt for him. You saw the sincerity in his eyes, the desperation of a man who had finally realised what truly mattered.

“I still love you, Charles.” You said softly, tears welling up in your eyes. “But I can’t go through this again. You need to prove to me that things will be different, that you’ll be there, really there.”

“I will.” He said, taking your hands in his, his touch warm and familiar. “I swear to you, I’ll do whatever it takes to make this right. Just give me the chance to show you.”

You looked into his eyes, seeing the man you had fallen in love with, the man who had been lost but now stood before you, pleading for a second chance. With a deep breath, you nodded, a tentative smile breaking through the tears.

“Okay,” you whispered, your voice trembling. “One more chance.”

And as the sun set, bathing the city in a warm, forgiving light, you stepped back into the arms of the man who had found his way back to you, ready to start anew and rebuild the love that had once seemed lost forever.

Maintaglist

@gnatthefly . @mochimommy2002 . @llando4norris . @mrswolffs-blog . @barcelonaloverf1life . @c-losur3 . @xoscar03

[luveternals]

paring: 5. simon 'ghost' riley x reader rating: — cw: none. if you read between the lines the MC is just insecure, of what? it depends on how you interpret it, i guess. a/n: make sure to reblog and/or comment. it literally makes my day, thank you! ~ ~ ~

It's pouring, angry thunder shaking your windows. You press your cold fingers against the side of your burning cup, steam brushes past the tip of your nose, but your fingertips are numb and you can't seem to get any warmth out of it. You consider giving the chimney a try, but the living room is quite big and you're alone. Lighting flashes, illuminating the room, before everything plunges back into a darkness broken only by the dimly lit screen of your phone.

"I'm sorry." The words are soft as they come from the other side of the line.

"Don't be," you say. Your voice is leveled, a little flatter than normal, but still steady, "a blackout just killed the lights anyway, the TV is useless now."

"The road's closed and the—"

"You don't have to make excuses." You take a sip of your drip, but press your lips into a line as you look at it. It's shit. "We'll see the movie tomorrow, when Zeus stops throwing a fit."

There's a long pause from the other side and the faintest sigh, as if Simon pulled away just so you can't hear it. Jokes on him, he's forgotten the noise cancellation off again and the microphone on his phone is picking up everything. The rain pouring, the cars honking, the crowd laughing. The glasses clinking together.

"Alright," he says, spelling every letter of the word like he wants to be sure you hear it properly. "I'll see you tomorrow, then? Love you, darlin'."

"Yeah," you nod into your cup. You reach your hand forward and let your finger hover over the button to end the call for a second. It's redder than you remember. "Love you too," you say in one breath final before you tap the screen and the call finally cuts off.

You take the phone with your now free hand and stare at the lock screen. There's a picture of him, fast asleep with his face buried into your pillow. He lives a few hours drive away, and the day you snapped the picture he came to visit and ended up staying for a week. He'd steal your clothes and you found you didn't mind one bit.

Your heart clenches but the corners still pull into a fond, sad smile.

You're tired, sore and mentally numb. Your two weeks work trip went quite well despite everything but the stress of both the social interactions and the need to impress some people who probably already forgot about you, drained your batteries.

You were looking forward to a cozy night with the person that gives light to your days but it seems all you'll get is a cold, dark dreamless night.

You leave the cup barely touched on the center table and stretch out on the couch. It's a little small but you curl on a side, tuck an arm under your head and pull the blanket over your head.

~

You stir when a gentle weight is settled over your blanket with tender care. You shift as you feel warm breath brushing against your forehead, "sometimes, I wonder if I'm dating a puppy with abandonment issues," he chuckles against your ear.

You're still out of it, you can't even open your eyes properly, but scooching up the pillows to make space for him comes to you like second nature. He lifts both of the blankets and weasels his way on top of you, his head resting on your shoulders and his legs tangles with yours in a way that, with no doubt, will get both of you sore very soon. He ignores the strange, unhealthy position you're both puzzled into the tiny couch and sighs contently against your neck. The warmth of his body sips into yours and you feel the stiffness of hour muscles melts away.

His hair is a little damp as it tickles your chin. You reach your hand up to check but when you frown ready to ask, you feel his weight settle heavily about your body. He fell asleep, already?

You consider looking at the time but a yawn throws the thought out the window. You circle your arms around him and pull him closer. Questions can be asked later, enjoying his presence now is what really matters now.

~ ~ ~

~ TAGLIST ~

@h0n3y-l3m0n05

a/n: anyone who wants to be added to the taglist, feel free to tell me :)

[dont-offend-the-bees]

We Glimpse Each Other Out of Phase

Hello lovelies; rough weekend, huh? I've had this one roughly drafted for a couple of weeks and was planning to keep it in my back pocket as a Deadboyween prompt fill. However, given the cancellation news, I think maybe we could all use a little gentle melancholy comfort right now. So I cleaned it up a bit, and I hope you will take this little snippet as the warm hug it is intended as 💛 So this technically follows on from/is set in the same universe as my Painland Week fic Something I Can Turn To. A fic which I basically intended to leave as a one shot, but I got quite invested in the universe and have been absolutely blown away by the response to it. So it became a collection which now features, as well as my own fic, two wonderful fics by williamvapespeare and one by Ingi, and I would heartily recommend you check them out if you enjoy this story or my original one! That being said, you probably CAN read this without having read the first story, I just wouldn't personally recommend it, you'll be missing a lot of context and backstory! 3.7k, rated T, also available on Ao3 (registered users only!) Part One (Something I Can Turn To) on tumblr

Charles may have had a bit of a rough go of it growing up, but there'd been quiet moments, too. Most of 'em in a rickety old attic, with the only lad in the entire world he could trust with just about anything.

But there were peaceful times at home, too. Safe ones. Mostly at night. Long as he was quiet, didn't cry too loud or stomp about, he could get through eight-ish hours unbothered. Sure, sometimes he had to pace around the room a bit, silent on sock feet just to shake out the excess energy that wouldn't let him sleep but honestly? He bloody loved sleeping. Couldn't get enough of it. Long as he didn't make a fuss, didn't draw attention, he could sink into his bed in the cellar room and just sort of... bob out of his life for a bit. Like a smoke break, but better for his health. If he was dead lucky, he'd even stumble into Edwin's arms in his dreams; pass the time there 'til morning, when it all kicked off again.

So it wasn't easy, getting used to night shifts. It was a fair trade-off for all the other freedom in his life lately but bloody hell, did it sting a bit, losing that time. That dark, quiet nothing where he could be nothing, too, just for a bit. There was almost something sacred about it. Something he hadn’t known was important to him ‘til it was gone.

At least the night shift was pretty quiet, usually. Most of the people who needed to use a gym at two in the morning weren't exactly there to socialise. Charles' job pretty much amounted to half-dozing at reception and handing someone a towel now and then. He'd not had many nutjobs to deal with or fires to put out.

Then again, maybe a good disaster was what he needed just to stay awake. Christ, he was shattered. Took him a good few tries to get the key in the lock when he finally staggered home.

Charles was sad — but not surprised — to find the kitchen light on when he fell through the door.

He rolled his eyes. "Honey," he called, jokingly, the endearment all funny and wrong on his tongue. He'd call Edwin a lot of things — mate, love, best friend, fucking soulmate — but honey? Mingin'. "I'm home."

Edwin's reply was half a second too slow — textbook Edwin guilt response. Like when your cat didn't jump off the counter fast enough to pretend it hadn't been there in the first place. "Good evening, Charles."

"Good morning, more like," said Charles, drawing the bolts — all three of them — across and dropping his bag in a sloppy heap by the door. His coat came next, then each shoe, leaving a trail behind him as he stumbled towards the voice. The hallway felt too short and dark to be called a hallway, really. Looked more like a cupboard where someone had shoved a load of loose doors they had lying around. There was one to the kitchen, one to the bathroom, one to the bedroom that was basically also their living room. Plus a bunch of other weird little cupboard doors and hatches and grates and things, none of which led to anything you’d logically expect them to. It was a shambles, really. A 'paint it magnolia and fob it off on the students' sort of ruin. But it was home. Even bone-tired, he still found the energy to lock gaze with the weird eye-motif lamp Edwin had picked up somewhere and put on one of the non-shelves, and give it his customary wink. Felt wrong not to. Unlucky, somehow.

A fanlike halo of yellow light spread across the hallway carpet as he pushed open the kitchen door. He found more or less what he'd expected to find behind it. Edwin: sat prim and proper at the scuffed-up little table, surrounded by books and doing a bang-up impression of someone with no bloody idea what time it was. His chin, tucked elegantly behind his curled knuckles in that little thoughtful pose of his, lifted at the sound of the door. His eyes found Charles and narrowed, just a little, sketching a pleased little crinkle or two at the corners.

"Charles," he greeted once again, voice softer this time. "How was your shift?"

Edwin hadn't had those laugh lines when Charles had met him. Seeing as he was twelve, and not exactly full of reasons to smile. Charles wasn't gonna take full credit for them, or anything, but... well, not many other people putting in the legwork, were there?

He dragged in a breath and let it out again, sharply, puffing it out in a raspberry. "Same old."

Charles crossed the kitchen in about three steps (it wasn't a big kitchen), clocking Edwin's book of choice on the way. Some textbook with a long-winded title that basically translated to lawyer gubbins. He put a hand on Edwin's shoulder — and Edwin tilted his head easily, offering his cheek for a kiss. Charles grinned and pressed one to the tail end of one of those little lines.

"Burning the midnight oil?" asked Charles, nicking one of Edwin's favourite expressions. He always seemed to pick up the ones that made him sound about a hundred years old.

Edwin hummed, carefully noncommittal. "I must have lost track of time."

"Could've counted these, for a start," said Charles, tapping the little saucer on the table. It was piled high with used teabags, like some damp and deranged game of Jenga. "Might've given you a clue."

"I've been rather busy," Edwin sniffed, turning the page in his book. "Lots of swotting to be done before my lecture on Monday."

"Right, that's what this is, is it?"

"What else would it be?"

Charles reached out, pinched the book Edwin was reading at the centre, and slid it out of the bigger, decoy book he was holding with its cover facing out. "Oldest trick in the book, mate. Literally," he grinned. He lifted Edwin's secret reading into his arms, having a flip through. "Y'know, most people only pull that move when they've got dirty mags to hide.”

Edwin cleared his throat. Even in the dim light of the table lamp, Charles clocked the embarrassed flush on his cheeks. "Well," he said, setting the law textbook he absolutely wasn't reading on the table. "It does get rather draining, this intensive focus on one subject. I felt the need for a brief diversion."

Charles closed the secret book, glancing at the cover. "Anthropology, again. Like that one, don't you?"

"Hm. There's much to explore; it encompasses a rather broad area of study." Edwin took it back and slid it, sheepishly, behind the pile of other law volumes stacked at his elbow. "It's a fascinating subject."

"Should've applied for it," said Charles, gentle. He rubbed Edwin's shoulder absently — getting a little more intent when he felt Edwin melt a bit, his knotted muscles loosening under Charles' digging thumb. "Or any of the other five million bloody things you're interested in. Y'know, 'stead of the one thing you're not."

"I am interested in it!" Edwin blustered.

Charles raised an eyebrow at him.

Edwin sighed. "I am," he said, bit quieter. "It's just not all I'd like to be doing. But it was the right choice, of that I'm quite certain."

Charles sighed and stepped around him, coming to lean on the table, arms crossed. Their eyes met across the short distance. "Look. If you say it's alright, it's alright. I'll believe you, mate, honest I will."

He nudged Edwin's toe with his own, sock to holey sock. "But, y'know. Not for nothing, but at school you was always going on about all that stuff you wanted to do. Bloody... archaeology in Peru, and whatever else. Just don't see how a law degree gets you there, is all."

Edwin leaned back in his chair a bit, steepling his fingers. "Well, no. No, it doesn't get me to Peru; or Pompeii, or Patagonia —"

"Or anywhere beginning with a 'p'," Charles teased.

Edwin's lips twitched up in a little smile. "But it will get us somewhere. A great many somewheres, I imagine. As degrees go, it opens rather a lot of doors."

Charles cocked his head, squinting fondly. "'Us'?"

"Obviously, Charles," said Edwin, with a dismissive wave of his hand. Like a reality where he didn't bring Charles wherever he went wasn't worth considering.

Charles grinned, ducking his head.

"I'm sure you'll chastise me for my cynicism," Edwin continued, oblivious to Charles and his soppy moment. "But... Well, given the somewhat rocky beginnings you and I have encountered in life, I thought it best to..."

"What? Play it safe?"

"Yes," said Edwin. Firm, unapologetic. "Exactly. Because I would very much like for both of us to be safe in life, Charles."

"We are! Well," Charles shrugged, scratching at his nose with a wince. Still ached a bit sometimes, all told, even though the break was years ago. "We are now."

"And I would like for it to stay that way."

"It will!" Charles half-perched on the table, and nudged Edwin's leg with his big toe. "I'll look after us, won't I?"

Edwin looked up at him, and his eyes softened. Fuck, but he had the kindest bloody eyes — least when he turned them on Charles he did. His hand landed on Charles' knee, gentle as you like; rubbing small circles with his thumb like Charles had done on his shoulders.

"You've done more than enough already, Charles," he said, looking him dead in the eye; not letting him hide for anything. "It's only fair I look after you, too, now and again. Especially when it's within my power to do so."

Charles laughed, a thin, hitching sort of thing. His eyes felt all prickly. Fuck, he couldn't go crying on him, now — his eyeliner'd smudge everywhere, it'd be so obvious.

"Look after me," he mimicked, catching Edwin's hand in his, stealing it all for himself. "You gimme a bloody reason to wake up in the morning, mate. What else d'you need?"

Edwin opened his mouth, brows going all scrunched up like they did at the start of a concerned lecture. Charles ducked in and shushed him quicksharp with a kiss.

"Not saying I'm about to, like, off myself if you chuck me, or anything," he laughed against his lips, fondness glowing in the grate of his ribs like smouldering coals. He chased the kiss with a smaller one, to the corner of Edwin's mouth; the scratchy dusting of his five o'clock shadow. "I'd just wallow about being proper depressed, so. Don't chuck me, please?"

Maybe he was clinging a little too hard for his tone of voice. Maybe he was giving it all away in the hands — always such desperate, grasping fucking things. Always his problem, the hands. How they grabbed things, hit things, did things before his brain always had the chance to catch up. How long 'til Edwin got sick of Charles hanging onto him like a life raft, dragging him down with his dead weight? How long 'til the bones in Edwin's hands started to creak from being clutched too tight?

But Edwin just scoffed, quietly — completely failing to hide that little spark of humour in his eyes. "I hardly think that's a possibility, Charles," he said, lifting his other hand to pat the back of Charles'. His soft fingertips kissed feather-light against Charles' grazed, calloused knuckles. "Honestly,” he sighed, dramatically. “Here I sit, talking about the devastatingly boring career I'm attempting to get off the ground in order to keep you in the manner to which you've become accustomed, and you think I'm about to chuck you."

He shook his head, crow’s feet crinkling and bloody hell. Charles loved him so much it felt overwhelming, sometimes. Like he needed a whole extra heart in his chest just to store it all.

Charles kissed Edwin's hand and flopped, happily, onto his lap, grinning at the mild ‘oof’ it shoved out of him. Grinning even wider when Edwin's other arm wrapped around Charles’ waist without a second thought. Edwin was a bit picky about personal space, for good reason — not with Charles, though. Charles had a standing invitation and he put it to bloody good use.

"Bet you could make a weird job work for you too, y'know," said Charles, dropping his next peck to Edwin's forehead as he sank into his lap. His head felt heavier already; only thing keeping him going was the effort of holding himself upright. Draped over Edwin like a blanket, he could've just dozed off right then and there. But the kitchen chair was creaking threateningly, so. Probably a bad idea. "I know the weird stuff's usually more competitive and that, but you're that smart. You'd run rings round the others, mate, get ahead of the game."

He flung his arms round Edwin's shoulders, scratched at the back of his head, the hair at his nape. It was a little longer than Edwin liked it. He needed a trim. So did Charles, really; his racing stripes had grown out and he kept having to blow stray curls out of his eyes. But they were saving their pennies any way they could. "You could go do something interesting, something a bit barmy," said Charles. "Something with a bit of adventure, yeah? Or at least where you get to have your nose in interesting books all day. You'd love that."

Edwin sighed, resting his cheek against Charles' shoulder as his eyes drifted shut. "That does sound compelling. But I've rather made my bed, Charles; I’ve no money coming in at all if I don’t study for it. And it is interesting, in moderation. Besides, it..."

"What?"

"It seems... like a decent thing to do." The warm weight of Edwin's arm squeezed Charles' waist. "Something I could do a modicum of good with."

Charles heard a rustle, and glanced over his shoulder. Edwin's other hand was flicking through the law book on the table, clever fingers finding the module he wanted without even checking the contents. Charles had to squint at it a moment, his exhausted eyes skittering off the page. He thought he saw 'human' and 'rights' in that word soup of a title.

He softened. "Eds..."

"I merely thought..." Edwin made a little noise of frustration in his throat, angling his face further into Charles. Speaking so soft it almost got lost in his skin, words lodging small and timid in his bones. "So many years, Charles. Trapped at the mercy of other people, no one caring if we lived or died, I... I could do something about it. Learn the right words to say, the right arguments, the right resources. So no one else need..."

Sometimes it fucking killed Charles, that there were people out there who thought Edwin was some... some selfish, spoiled rich toff with no feelings. As if he wasn't the kindest bloody person in the world; as if he hadn't had to carve that kindness out himself with his bare, bleeding hands.

Edwin sniffed. “It was just an idea,” he mumbled. “A silly idea.”

Charles shook his head, stroked Edwin's hair. "S'not a silly idea, love. Not silly at all."

Edwin never struggled to find his words like this — and he definitely didn’t mumble them. Words were his weapons, and he could go toe-to-toe with the best of 'em, talk bloody circles 'round his opponents.

Charles looked from him to the stack of books, the tower of teabags. The plastic clock on the wall, its hands marching on into the morning.

"Aw, mate," he said, rubbing the back of Edwin's neck — and dropping a kiss to the top of his head. "You're dead on your feet, in’t you?"

"I'm perfectly fine," Edwin grumbled. "And I've tests to study for —"

"Tests in subjects you're not bloody taking? Yeah, right." Charles bit his lip, cuddling Edwin's head against his chest. "Can't sleep, can you?"

Edwin was quiet a moment, breathing nice and steady into Charles' throat.

"It's still... difficult," he said.

Three door bolts and four hundred miles was a start, but bad memories had a way of following you about. Charles closed his eyes and breathed in, nice and slow; hoping Edwin could feel it in his chest, find a nice rhythm in his rising ribs.

"Edwin," he said, nuzzling into his hair. "On my life, mate — one of these days, you and me are gonna be so bloody set you'll be able to do whatever you want. Go back to uni fifty times, hundred times, don't care. Study for the rest of your life, if you want.” He tapped Edwin’s temple. “Cram everything that's ever interested you in that big brain of yours. Promise you."

It shouldn't've felt like taking a bloody knight's oath, whispered words at the kitchen table at stupid o'clock in the morning. But Christ, he'd fought off enough dragons to get ‘em here, hadn’t he?

He felt Edwin's smile against his skin, followed by the little dry brush of his kiss. "You could, too. If you liked," he said. "Get your A-levels, apply for university..."

Charles laughed, shaking his head. "Not sure I could keep up."

"Charles," Edwin admonished, in that stern teacher voice that was cuter (and fitter) than it had any right to be. "You're exceptionally bright."

"Ah, come on, mate," Charles mumbled, squirming. Edwin's arm round his waist locked as if it could sense an escape attempt incoming.

"You are. I remember your grades, before... well. Everything that occurred." He smoothed down the collar of Charles' fuck-ugly work shirt. "It's hardly your fault your final years went awry as they did. You could go back, take some courses at the local college. Try again."

"Right, sure."

Edwin huffed, frustrated. "I'm being quite serious, in the event that wasn't obvious."

"When aren't you?" Charles chuckled. He stared at the wall, at the stupid fucking boyband calendar their kooky upstairs neighbour gave Edwin for Christmas. Most of the writing on it was Edwin's, neat and tiny, scheduling tests and lectures and study blocks. Most of Charles' additions were just the word 'WORK', scribbled in on scattered days — more so Edwin knew when he was coming and going, rather than for his own benefit. Always different days, different times. Shift work; no chance to form a routine. He was never great at that, anyway.

"Not even sure what I'd do," he mumbled.

Edwin's palm on Charles' waist rubbed, soothing, grounding. "You never had something you wanted to study?" he asked. "Something you wanted to go into?"

"I..." His brow furrowed. It was so hard to think, sometimes. About times before now. Like all those bloody miserable years just blended into this mush of dread and misery. "I dunno what I wanted," he admitted. "Couldn't... couldn't think that far ahead, could I? I just wanted my mum to be alright. Wanted my dad to think I was worth something. Wanted not to hurt anymore."

He sniffed, and laughed, a watery sort of sound. His arm around Edwin's shoulders squeezed.

"Only thing I ever wanted and got back then was you," he said, flippant, like it didn't really matter. 'Cause it didn't really, did it? Wasn't some big confession or anything. Some deep, dark secret. Edwin knew. They both knew.

But Edwin breathed in sharply, a little ragged round the edges, so maybe he needed reminding now and again. "Charles..."

"Fuck," Charles chuckled, releasing Edwin so he could lean back and rub his eyes — so Edwin wouldn’t have his ear to Charles’ heart when it started beating too fast. "I'm shattered, mate. Dunno what I'm even saying anymore, do I?"

Maybe one of these days, he’d stop being too scared of the fucking size of his own feelings to sit with them a moment.

Maybe they both would.

Edwin sighed, pulling his hand from Charles' waist to pinch at the bridge of his own nose. "I suppose it has gotten rather late." He glanced at the clock, and winced. "Early. You should go and sleep. I'm sure you've had a long day."

Charles hummed, leaving his nice warm spot in Edwin's lap — but his hands didn't leave his shoulders. "C'mon, then," he mumbled, giving them a squeeze. "Bed."

"Better to go without me. I shan't sleep tonight."

"Didn't say anything about sleeping, now, did I?"

Edwin raised his eyebrow.

Charles' brain caught up to his mouth, and he laughed. "Ah — love to, darlin', but. Yeah, seriously, I'm fucking knackered. I meant, like — let's just have a bit of a cuddle, yeah?" He tugged at Edwin's collar where it poked out of his nice green jumper. It was a little crooked — Edwin must've really got into a study groove and unfastened a button or two. Fit as. "I proper fancy a cuddle."

"I'll be restless," said Edwin, all apologetic. "I'll only keep you awake."

Charles hummed, picking up the anthropology textbook and holding it out.

"Keep on reading, then," he said, giving Edwin the big, hopeful eyes he bloody knew he could never say no to. "Just... come read to me instead, yeah?"

Edwin had another dramatic sigh, like it was all such a big ask. He ought to tell that to his fucking smile lines. He took the book — and Charles' hand. "Well. I suppose I can manage that."

~

Charles didn't know how long Edwin stayed awake, in the end. Could've been hours for all he knew, he'd have had no idea — Charles had been asleep in bloody seconds. Head pillowed on Edwin's shoulder, that gorgeous voice rattling off dry old text blocks and making them sound like spoken-word lullabies... how could he resist?

All he knew was when he woke up, it was eleven in the morning, the sun was slanting through the crooked blinds; and Edwin was snoring softly underneath him. His hair a mess, his textbook open on his chest. His arm a slack, warm weight around Charles' shoulders.

Charles smiled, rubbed his dry eyes — forgot to scrub off his eyeliner before he konked out, again. Classic — and settled back in, nestling safe and sound into the the crook of Edwin's arm. Fuck it. It was Saturday. He'd asked Crystal to pick up his shift today, anyway, so him and Edwin could get a little quality time in.

If all they did with that time was sleep, well. Time well spent, innit? It wasn't like a smoke break from life when he did it with Edwin, anyway.

More like... stepping back to enjoy the view.

~~

Thanks for reading my loves, I hope it soothed the ache somewhat 💛 This has been a strange little one because I've essentially had to take something I very much wrote as a one-shot, and build onto what I established. When I wrote that first one-shot I didn't even have a clear idea in my mind for what Edwin was studying or anything! So things will likely change and grow and develop and who knows where we'll end up, but it's nice to see the lads figuring it out alongside me ^_^ Thanks for reading guys! It's been a bit of a long silence from me since Painland Week ended but I promise I'm working on stuff, including the next chapter of Lonely Bones! Regardless of what has happened to the show or whether it gets picked up or not, my plan is to keep writing and creating for it for as long as it sparks joy to do so - and seeing as I've made some amazing friends in this fandom, I think I'm gonna be here a while! I sure hope you guys are, too 💛 (p.s. if you are over 18, trustworthy with semi-secret identities, and like weird rarepair smut, feel free to DM me for my side Ao3 that I'm sure will be getting some action over the next few months xD)

[myusuchaa]

Ellis Twilight 2nd Birthday Event Story

The Shape of Happiness - Embraced by the Thorns of a Mad Love: Part 1 this is a fan translation. i do not own anything. Cybird has the right of ownership to all in-game content.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ

Sometimes, when I see him illuminated by the morning light, I feel slightly uneasy for no good reason.

Kate: Ellis… Ellis

Long arms and legs entwined around my body and robbed me of my freedom.

Kate: It’s already morning.

Feeling him here felt like proof it was real.

Ellis: …I want to hold you like this just a little bit longer

Now that summer is beginning, the heat has started to increase, to the point where we can sweat just from hugging each other.

I’m happy I can feel his warmth but… isn’t this too much?

Kate: Ellis, you’re not hot?

Ellis: I do feel hot but… I don’t want to be apart* from you.

Ellis: But… if you don’t like it then I’ll let go.

Kate: No, I like it!! It‘s just.. you’re starting to sweat.

Drops of sweat formed and rolled down his neck. When I reached out to wipe it away, I noticed Ellis switch to a more determined expression.

Ellis: Let’s look for summer sleepwear, the kind with thin fabric.

Ellis: With that, I could hold* you longer.

Kate: Hehe, shall we go shopping for it while we’re out?

His eyes seemed to sparkle as he watched me get up to get ready. I then said the words I'm sure he was waiting for me to hear.

Kate: Happy birthday Ellis!

Ellis: Thank you, I’m happy you’re the first person to wish me that.

He kissed me lightly and made a small sound.

Ellis: I want to kiss you more, but I really am looking forward to our plans today so… I’ll settle with just this.

He nuzzled his head against my shoulder like a cat wanting to be spoiled with attention.

(It makes me happy that he's started to show his innocent side since we began dating. )

Thinking about the fact that it’s only me who can see this part of him makes my heart flutter.

(Every time I get to see the cute side of the “cool Ellis”, my love for him grows.)

While petting his fluffy hair, I thought of our plans for his birthday.

(I’m sure it’ll be an amazing day.)

—

Kate: …The train is cancelled?

A sign in large lettering said that the trains were suspended.

Ellis: There was a landslide along the train tracks in town.

Ellis: Luckily, no one was hurt. But because the landslides were caused by such heavy summer rain, it would be dangerous to keep the trains running.

He reported this after going to ask a station attendant of the situation.

Ellis: And it just started raining here.

Kate: …It seems like the rain will get pretty bad.

(But…)

The plans I had envisioned for the day fell apart in an instant.

(We were supposed to visit a lavender field in town, then stay out and about doing various things in town.)

The other day, I heard that the popular lavender fields were in full bloom and I immediately made plans for it.

(I thought it would be fun to make new memories together there but… I guess it can’t be helped.)

I tried not to let my disappointment show, but Ellis caught how my shoulders slumped.

Ellis: ...Hey, how can I make you happier?

Kate: Hm?

Ellis: You have such a sad face and I hate it.

His hand that gently strokes my cheek is slightly cold from the rain.

Kate: I’m not sad but… it is a bit troubling.

Ellis: What is?

Kate: Thinking of another plan…

(I didn’t even think the trains would be canceled so I had no backup plan. I should have made one just in case.)

Ellis: Then, should we head home?

Kate: If the rain isn’t going to get any better then… I guess we should.

As I speak the last words regrettably, Ellis’s thumb softly traces my lips.

Ellis: I’m sorry… actually I didn’t quite mean that.

Kate: ?

Ellis: I also don’t want to go home yet.

Kate: Ellis...

The sound of the rain falling against the train station platform roof increased with the heavy downpour.

Ellis: I want to do something special with you on my birthday.

He gently kissed me on the lips, to which I instinctively pouted after he pulled back.

A mischievous smile grew on his face.

Ellis: Would you like to go on a date with me in rainy London?

He stole my lips again, not caring who saw us.

Part 2 ->

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ

a/n: * when Ellis says he wants to stay holding her longer, the japanese word used is くっつけ, which means to cling/adhere/stick to in a way that is hard to get off. rather than just cuddling her, this implies his determination to really not let her ago at all.

[orange-demons-deactivated2024]

Can you please write some jealousy hcs for sf6 Luke, Ed, Jamie and Bosch? If you want to do different characters that's ok or if they are too many you can just do some. Thank you !!!

fun fact: this was originally supposed to be released 2 days ago but guess who accidentally deleted half of it. :| soo it had to be rewritten again. so sad. also I think you can tell who i like based on the length of the hcs, oops

Luke

For the most part, Luke's a pretty chill guy so things don't bother him as much as they used to when he was younger.

He's glad to see you expand your horizons and meet new people along the way, especially finding new masters to train under.

He wants to see how far you've come from the last time he saw you, so he asks for a quick sparring match.

And you'd exceeded his expectations!

He's happy to see you develop your own style and dominate the streets.

"Woah, you've really stepped up your game," he said, genuinely impressed.

One thing though...why do you fight like a certain drunken boxer he knows?

Oh, You're learning under Jamie? Cool. Cool.

He's smiling but you can feel the tension behind it.

Luke is definitely the type of jealous that tries to play it off in a joking manner.

"Let's just say, I've had a couple of run-ins with the guy." he forced a chuckle. "He's...something else."

"Sounds like there's more to the story."

"Maybe there is, but it doesn't matter. What matters is that you're growing into an incredible fighter, and I'm proud of you for that." He pulled you in to press a kiss on your temple.

"Thanks, Luke. That means a lot coming from you."

"Anytime," he said, reaching out to ruffle your hair playfully. "And hey, if Jamie gives you any trouble, you let me know, okay?"

"Of course." you laughed, swatting his hands away.

"Come on, let's grab something to eat. I'm starving, and I bet you could use a bite after all that."

"Sweet! But you're buying."

You're your own person and you get to decide who you want to train under, but it still nags at him from somewhere deep within.

It may sound selfish of him, but he would rather you come to him for your concerns than anyone else. In part as your Coach and boyfriend.

So when other people try to make moves on you, he's internally sizing them up as he gives them a once-over.

So even though he has a smile on his face, it never reaches his eyes.

But he won't bring it up this time since you held Jamie in such a high regard.

And he's not going to hold your hand for every decision you make, but he trusts you enough not to do anything behind his back.

He hates to admit it, but it does tick Luke off knowing that Jamie would rub it in his face in their next encounter, it's almost inevitable.

So he would have a couple of not-so-nice words for the guy the next time he sees him on the street.

Ed

Ed watched you near the gym entrance as he leaned against the heavy sliding doors. 

You were running late to your nightly meet-ups and you weren't responding to any of his messages leading up to now. 

He wouldn't have cared if something came up and you had to cancel your date with him, but you mentioned how excited you were about seeing him today that he didn't think you would've just dipped the last second. 

So he went on a whim and decided to pay the gym down the street a visit. 

And surprise, surprise, here you were. 

You were chatting with, what he could assume was your coach, in the middle of the room. 

Ed's eyes flickered at the way Luke lightly squeezed your shoulder with a certain fondness in his eyes.

Bastard. 

He didn't know if you were oblivious or dumb for not noticing, so he made himself known by stepping on the mats in your direction. 

His presence immediately drew your attention and your eyes lit up when you saw him approaching, stepping back from Luke you said, "Ed! What are you doing here?"

"You're late. We had plans, remember?"

"Oh, crap, I'm so sorry! I lost track of time and…" You sputtered an apology and some excuses that fell deaf on his ears but his attention was more focused on your chummy coach.

Ed's glare could paralyze most people with fear, but Luke observed the exchange with a curious expression.

Realizing you may be having a one-sided conversation you introduced the pair to each other.

Luke extended a hand with a friendly smile. "The name's Luke, I'm one of the coaches here at Buckler's.

"Yeah, I've heard about you." He said, not acknowledging Luke's hand, which made the former pull back.

"Ed's been teaching me a little bit of boxing on the side." You chimed in, wrapping your arms around him. 

Actually, it was a bit odd that he didn't immediately try to shake you off. But that meant his mind was somewhere else.

"You've taught them well, They're lucky to have you as a teacher." Luke replied, addressing Ed again.

"Right…" 

He shrugged the arm you were hanging onto. "You ready to head out?"

"Yeah, just let me grab my stuff real quick then we could go," you said, giving him a small peck on his cheek before heading toward the locker room, leaving the pair alone.

"Look I don't know what you're trying to play at and frankly I don't care, but it ends now." 

"Hey, man, I'm not trying to play at anything. I'm just their coach. We keep things professional here." Luke raised his hands in a placating gesture.

"Yeah? Well, you seem pretty damn friendly for just a coach." Ed scoffed, not buying it.

Luke sighed, dropping his hands. "I get it. You're protective of them, and that's fine. But you need to trust that I'm not crossing any lines."

"Trust ain't something I give out easily. And right now, nothing's telling me you deserve even a lick of it."

"Fair enough," Luke said, crossing his arms. "But you should know that Y/n's here because they want to get stronger. And I'm not going to stop coaching them because you're feeling insecure."

"Insecure? Now you're just spouting crap." Ed narrowed his eyes.

"I don't think so." Luke hummed.

You quickly reappeared from the locker room with a bag slung over your shoulder. 

"Ready!" You said cheerfully, grabbing Ed's hand. "Alright, I'll see you later, Coach!" You called over your shoulder as you dragged the boxer towards the exit.

"Take care. And keep on practicing your footwork," he gave you a small wave. 

"Oh, and Ed," Luke said with a slight edge to his tone, making Ed turn to face him, "Take your shoes off the next time you step on my mats, won't you?"

Ed scoffed, with a smirk tugging on his lips. At least, he ain't no pushover.

You glanced between the two, sensing the underlying tension but not quite catching the full meaning of Luke's remark.

"What was that about?"

"Nothing, Just gym etiquette."

Jamie

With Jamie, he doesn't get jealous as easily as other people on this list. But he definitely has his gripes from time to time.

Woah, Pulling punches during a dance battle? Didn't see that one coming.

You told him you've been learning boxing from a guy who's been hanging around the beat square subway station, at least three times a week.

He was wondering what you've been up to.

Wait, did you say three times a week? That's more than you see him.

What's up with that?

He didn't mind you picking up new skills, especially with something as badass as boxing, but he missed your late-night talks.

And now, it was basically cut in half thanks to this Ed guy.

So he thinks it's time to give him a little visit from the infamous Jamie Siu, himself.

"Ah, now I get it." Jamie playfully circled him. "You got the whole bad boy get up and everything, huh?"

Ed looked up from his phone with an unreadable expression, "You gotta problem wit' me or something?" 

"Not at all buddy. I'm just trying to see who Mooncake's been hanging out with."

You sighed, telling him that Ed is just your Boxing coach and he's teaching you how to wield Psycho Power.

Nothing more, nothing less.

After adverting the crisis that was about to break out at the station, you would give Ed a quick apology before leaving with Jamie. 

Ed shrugged, saying 'whatever' and went back to his phone. 

You would have to confront him about his attitude later on.

Even if he felt jealous of where your focus was, you're still learning how to street fight. And he has no right to interfere with your training with your other Coaches. 

He shrugged at your concerns before asking if you wanted to try this new concoction he put together, offering the lip of his gourd to you. 

"Jamie, I'm being serious." You pushed the bottle back to him. 

"So am I."

You hardly picked up the way his eyes bore into your soul before he broke into a grin, taking a swig of his drink.  "Nothing like a good drink to ease the nerves."

When you tell him you're still upset with him about today, he'll lean up against the rails and cross his arms. 

Most of his jealousy stems from the fact that you're spending more time with other people than him. And he feels a tad bit neglected.

He's used to being isolated so the feeling isn't new to him. But he found himself staring at the space beside him where he expected to find your presence.

The times when you don't visit him, his mind wanders to the silly little adventures you'd tell him about and the places you get to see around the world.

But you have a track record of being gone for long periods of time and he just waits here, until you came back.

It's not your fault. He was just being a hard-ass, so he would be the one to apologize. 

"Look, I know you're still starting out and learning new stuff, which is cool n' all but I miss our nights together. And if it's that important to you, I'll back off. Just make sure to stop by from time to-time. 'Kay?"

"I will…And thanks, Jamie. I really appreciate it."

After a beat of silence, you gestured to the gourd resting beside you two. "Now, about that concoction of yours."

Jamie broke out in a grin, handing it to you. "Prepare to be amazed. The new and improved recipe is made from the ingredients you brought from Tian Hong Yuan. It's got a kick to it, just like you."

You both would've retired for the night in a drunken stupor, entangled in each other's arms.

He snuggled his face in the crook of your neck with a dumb smile, mumbling how much he loved you.

But next time you visit Ed, Jamie gives you a couple of 'souvenirs' to show off to your friend to show who you belong to. 

Bosch

You know, when you decided to stroll through town, Bosch didn't expect you to pick up another Master.

If anything, he guessed it was your eagerness that made people naturally gravitate to you.

He could tell how much you admired Rashid's wind abilities and charming personality, but it still irked him more than he cared to admit.

You would spend the majority of your days training and chatting with Rashid, eventually kicking Bosch to the curb.

He knew it was nothing more than a student-teacher relationship, especially since Rashid's wind techniques were something you wanted to master.

And the thing is, Rashid isn't even a bad guy.

He's just very charismatic, in a way that can be overbearing at times.

But he still couldn't shake the pangs of jealousy that gnawed at his soul.

With every new move that clicked, you would glance at Bosch to see if he noticed.

He's at least a little glad you still sought him out, despite your attention being elsewhere.

Maybe that's why he let it go on for so long.

He'll sit on his emotions and let the feeling bubble in his stomach before he would ever confront you about it. 

He probably even lets out a few snippy remarks if you keep pushing him away.

He doesn't mean it.

He never does, but Bosch has never been in a relationship before, so he doesn't know what to do whenever he felt the burning sensation of jealousy below the surface of his skin.

Bosch sat by the window sill and let the cool midnight breeze brush against his face.

He should've been relaxing, but his mind was anything but calm.

He heard the soft creak of the floorboards as he turned to see you approaching. 

You sat next to him by the window, offering some food you got from the markets. 

Your presence instantly eased his nerves as you both sat in the dark, listening to the distant sounds of the city.

Sensing Bosch's off demeanor, you asked what was on his mind.

"I'm just thinking." He said, sipping his drink.

"About what?"

"You." His eyes met yours, "…and Rashid."

You blinked in surprise. "Rashid? What about him?"

"It's just…you've been spending so much time with him. I get that he's your new master and he's teaching you a lot, but it feels like there's no time for us anymore."

"I didn't know you felt that way, but I'm sorry for not noticing sooner." You said aimlessly playing with his hands before tangling them together.

Bosch sighed, looking down at your intertwined hands. "You don't owe me an apology. I know I'm being hard-headed. I just…I wish I could open up to you more."

"You can always talk to me about anything, Bosch. And you don't need to force yourself to do so for my sake."

He looked up, meeting your eyes again. "I know. It's just hard sometimes. And seeing you with Rashid, makes me feel..."

"Jealous?"

"It's stupid, I know."

"I don't think it's stupid, it's a very human emotion. But I want you to know that no matter what, I'll always want to be here with you."

He hummed, still not taking your words to heart and opting to stare off into the night.

"How about this?" You scooted closer, resting your head on his shoulder, "I'll set aside more time for us, and you tell me whenever something's bothering you instead of bottling it up...Deal?"

A smile tugged on Bosch's face as he drew your intertwined hands closer, brushing his lips against your knuckles.

"Deal."

[skzhua]

Can I request Minho and y/n having a really heated argument and she says something she doesn’t mean and he gets really emotional and y/n feels really bad and he leaves to go for a walk to think and when he comes back she makes it up to him 💕

MASTERLIST

Pairing: Office worker!Lee Minho x Company Heiress!Reader

Genre: Aftermath of runaway from arranged marriage, angst, fluff.

Word Count: 2,925

Warnings: Swearing and sad asf.

A/N: I was totally supposed to do my essay due for Monday but I gave up because Minho is on my mind 24/7.

You married for love. You had to remind yourself that, you married for love and not for business. So how come did you feel like your marriage was falling apart?

Lee Minho was his name. He started to work at your company only a few months after you became team supervisor as you were slowly going up in status to be prepared to become CEO. Your mother was one of the rare women to have built her own business without the need of a man and you admired her for that.

But back to Minho. He was attractive, there was no denying that. You caught on quickly that he was sleeping around with the other female workers. You didn't despise him per say, but you definitely held a dislike to him as an employee. But as you worked together more and more often, you discovered a broken man who wanted nothing more than to work his ass off to build himself up from the lower-class part of the city.

That was how you fell in love with him. Being in position of authority, you kept it secret for months with a few steamy sessions done in the corner of your office. And when your mother announced you that you'd be married to the almighty heir of the Seo company, you had no choice but to comply. It was good for your image and good for your numbers to rise.

But like any typical story about a business heiress falling in love with someone with a lower status, you ended up walking away from the altar to run back to Minho. All of your future that was planned out for you was gone and given to your younger brother instead. You got married with only your close friends who approved of your relationship as your guests and had been for almost five years. Since then, you lived happily a few miles away from the city and worked as an accountant. It was definitely a shift from your previous life but you managed. As for Minho, he worked in a law firm as a secretary. Nothing extravagant, just enough for you to pay the bills.

Or so you thought.

"Good evening, my love." Minho greeted your with a kiss as he stepped into your house. "How was your day?"

"I got more paperwork due but I think I can manage to finish it if I keep working extra tomorrow evening."

Minho paused from putting his things away. Loosening his tie, he approached you and grabbed you by the waist.

"Tomorrow is our anniversary, though."

"It's the 12th, no?" you asked, placing your arms around his neck.

"We got married on the 11th, honey." he chuckled and then placed a peck on your lips. "You could ask your boss to give the work to someone else, no?"

"You know I can't do that." you sighed. "We can celebrate it tonight or the day after instead."

He scoffed. "No, I don't think we can."

You cocked your head to the side. "Minho, please."

With a heavy sigh, he shook his head in exasperation. "I wanted it to be a surprise but I reserved at the best restaurant in the city and I even booked a night at the hotel for us to relax. With the spa included."

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh indeed." he noted, pettiness in his voice.

You felt bad, so bad. But at the same time, you weren't going to leave out work for you to have a romantic getaway. You had bills to pay and you actually found it unreasonable for him to be paying something you knew you couldn't afford.

"I'm afraid you'll have to cancel."

His hands automatically left your body and he removed your arms from his neck. His jaw clenching, he headed to your kitchen and pulled out a bottle from your refrigerator. Not any bottle, the exact bottle of champagne you drank at your wedding ceremony.

"Min..." you exhaled. "Where did you get that?"

"I bought it last week, actually. My boss was kind enough to pay me double for a day only so I can get you this." he explained before placing it on the counter. "My point is that if I can compromise with my boss, you can do the same."

You shook your head. "Mrs. Moon is not like Mr. Bang. She doesn't sympathize like that, especially if it's about that aspect of our personal lives."

"Be reasonable, Y/N. We haven't gone out on a date in months and you work like a slave for that woman. All I'm asking for is a day off for us to spend quality time together."

It totally made sense what he was saying. However, you couldn't do that for him. Deadlines were approaching and you were afraid you'd get fired if you didn't meet your boss' expectations.

"I'm sorry."

He scoffed again and put the bottle back in the refrigerator, slaming the door shut. "I'm sorry for wanting to spoil my wife. I guess I have some calls to make tonight."

He left to the study room, not even wanting to look at you. All of these years, he worked his ass off to show you that running away with him was worth it. Every extra penny he made was saved for you. He had done so much for you and so little for himself.

"Minho."

He looked up from his phone. "What is it? I'm making calls to cancel because I can't even get one night with the one I love."

"Okay, now. Drop the attitude."

He chuckled sarcastically. "I'm so sorry for being disappointed, really. You truly have no idea how much I put into this relationship."

It was your turn to huff at his words. "I'm sorry but I'm the one making sacrifices for us. I gave up an entire life for us to be together. Maybe you should remind yourself that sometimes."

He walked closer to you, now hovering your small figure. "I'm well aware of what you did which is why I thought doing this would be worth celebrating our union. Turns out it doesn't mean that much to you as it does to me."

"I never said that. I appreciate it, I really do. But you know very well that we simply can't afford it."

"How come was I able to pay for it, then?"

"By cutting off on our groceries. Don't think I didn't notice you stopped spending for your lunches."

At that point, the both of you were fuming and Minho was hovering you more and more as to seem like the bigger person. "And then you say I don't do enough for us, sure."

"We can't keep living like this. I love you, I swear, but working is more important right now. We need money."

"We have it."

"We would have had it if we didn't leave everything behind five years ago."

You saw him gulp. "Are you saying you would have prefered staying in that toxic environment?"

"Maybe. Marrying Seo Changbin wouldn't have turned out like this, that's for sure."

Another gulp made his Adam's apple bop. This time, he didn't have anything else to add. You had crossed the line and it hurt. You couldn't believe that you let yourself say those words. This was the exact thing Minho was afraid of and here you were, making his nightmare a reality.

"If that's what you want."

He stormed out of the room and went to the kitchen. You followed him and watched as he grabbed his keys and his blazer he had previously gotten rid of minutes ago before it all went downhill.

"I'll be at Jisung's."

"Minho, I'm so sorry."

"Whatever. You said it, the harm is done."

Before you could say more, he was already out the door. Dropping on one of the dining room's chairs, you let the tears flood out of your eyes. You cried and you kept on crying, you didn't know for how long. When you started to come back to reality, you forced yourself to make a quick meal since you had not eaten for the entire day. You really did force yourself as the hunger was close to nonexistent.

You tried to work a bit, but with it being the cause of your argument, it only made you feel worse. You didn't even know why you told him that as you never regretted leaving the business to be with him. If anything, this was the best decision you had ever made.

After hours of trying to forget about what happened, you checked the time to see it was a little past midnight. This was a good 5th anniversary for sure... Helpless, you took out your phone and dialed the first number that came to your mind.

"Y/N?"

"Hey." you said, your voice still shaky.

"Are you okay? What are you doing up so late?"

"I could ask you the same." you chuckled but your tone remained the same. "Am I bothering?"

"Of course not. What is it?"

"I..." a sob took over and interrupted you.

For the nth time that night, you were crying. Jeongin was lowkey panicking from the other side of the line. He, himself, still had work to do but he wasn't going to leave his big sister in her sadness. He was one of the few people to keep contact with you despite your mother having cut ties with you. He offered to help you financially many times but having grown up with the independence your mother taught you, you refused each time.

"Do you want me to come over?"

"No, I know you have a lot to do." you sniffed. "I just need to rant I guess."

"I'm listening."

You told him everything: from the start of your financial arguments to your indecent comment. Jeongin said nothing and let you talk for what seemed to be hours. At some point, you heard him closing a door and you felt bad he had to leave the office without having finished his work.

"I'm so sorry for bothering."

He sighed. "I told you, you're not bothering. And if there is anyone you need to apologize to right now is your husband."

"If he still considers me his wife." you scoffed. "You have to admit, though. Spending so much just for one night is crazy."

"He loves you, Y/N. Of course he wanted to treat you a night for yourselves."

"But we can't afford it." you repeated.

"Are you going to understand he doesn't care? He'd be the poorest man on Earth and he'd still buy you flowers when he could."

You bit your lips in shame. Jeongin was right, you were the one being unfair here. Minho had told you on many occasions that you could get a better job with your reputation but you told him you didn't want a job for being known and for your skills instead. But you were more worth than this stupid accounting office job. And even your brother offered you side contracts that paid well, but being the stubborn woman you were, you declined. Looking back, you realized you were the problem.

"You think so?"

"I know so."

You sighed. "Even if I do understand now, he won't take me back for saying that. I hurt him so much, Innie."

"You'll manage, Y/N. You always do."

The conversation ended with these words as he needed to go to sleep. As for you, you were more awake than ever. Going back to the study room, you noticed Minho's agenda was still opened. Luckily, he had noted down the place and time he reserved for the two of you. Not even worrying about the fact it was 2 in the morning, you called Minho's boss to ask for a week off after briefly explaining your situation, Mr. Bang was more than happy to help and he crossed off Minho's name on the schedule for the rest of the week. You then wasted no time to call the hotel to book the room for extra nights, making sure that breakfasts and others were included. The last thing you had left to do was to quit your horrible job. You were more willing to accept your brother's contracts than to come back to see Mrs. Moon's face again.

As morning arrived, you hurried to pack your things in a luggage and make yourself look nice although you hadn't had one minute of sleep. To your surprise, you received a text from Minho. It was very brief and distant as he only informed you that he'd come around 7 to get his things to move temporarily to Jisung's.

Seven o'clock was nearing and you were nervous. You wanted everything to turn out perfectly and you certainly hoped he wouldn't walk away again. You needed him, more than anything.

Seeing the car pull into your parking lot, you instantly got up from your seat and grabbed your bags. You looked as if you were ready to leave for a while, which was the case.

Minho unlocked the door and stepped inside the house, not expecting to see you. But when he did, his eyes immediately got darker. Then, he studied you for a little longer and saw you holding firmly onto your luggage.

"You're leaving?"

You kind of wanted to mess with him for a bit but with your literal marriage being at stake, you didn't and shook your head instead.

"We are leaving."

He didn't look any better than you. His eyes had bags under them and his disheveled hair was a sign he didn't even shower. He still had the same buttoned shirt he usually wore at work but it was much wrinkled.

"What are you saying now?" he sighed.

"You are right, I'm not being reasonable. I blamed all of my problems on you because I was so used to succeeding by myself. I didn't realize that you booked a night for us because you care much more about our relationship than I do."

He exhaled loudly. "At least you're admitting it, good. You're leaving me now?"

You shook your head vigorously. "I could never leave you, Minho. I'm terribly sorry for what I've said because I didn't mean one bit of it. I love this life with you, I am just too much of a stubborn to enjoy it like I should."

He frowned from your words and uncrossed his arms, a sign that he was more relaxed. "What do you mean like you should?"

"I resigned from my job."

His eyes widened. "No, Y/N. I never wanted you to quit for me... again. I was only mad for having to cancel everything, that's all."

He walked up to you, now holding your face so carefully, almost like he was scared you would break in his grasp. This made you feel so much better, it was a sign he still cared.

"I'm not doing this for you, it's for me. You were right, I'm not happy there."

You didn't realize tears came out of your eyes once more until he started to rub your cheeks. "So what is this we are leaving thing about?"

"I booked the hotel room for the week."

His grip on your face tightened slightly. "I'll have to be the one to tell you I can't now."

"I called your boss, he's fine with it."

"You're actually so fucking stupid." he huffed.

You saw a small smile forming on his lips. Still brushing off your tears, he leaned closer slowly. Until he kissed you. Not sure if you were still on bad terms or not, he did pull away quickly.

"You do realize we really are broke now?"

You laughed. "Not exactly. I'll take Jeongin's contract and – or – get an actual good job."

"Damn you and your stubborn ass." he shot at you with a grin. "You're finally making logical choices."

"I'm sorry it took us fighting for me to snap back to reality."

More tears falling, more of him brushing them away. "We're okay now."

"I really thought you hated me now."

You suddenly broke into more sobs again. The lack of sleep was definitely apparent. Minho held you closely, stroking your head as he shushed you calmly and peppered your forehead with kisses.

"I could never hate you. You get on my nerves sometimes, but it'll never be hatred."

You looked up at him. "You still love me?"

He chuckled. "Of course I still love you. An argument isn't going to end everything we build for the past five years."

You cried some more, of happiness this time. Minho laughed at how sensitive you were but didn't let go of you. He kissed you again, wiped your tears off for you again... He wanted nothing more but to protect you at that moment. You were rarely this vulnerable in front of him and he was simply honoured you trusted him enough to let yourself loose.

"Happy 5th year, my love." he whispered into your ear.

"I love you so much." you said, hugging him tighter.

"I love you more." He pulled away and grabbed both sides of your head. "How about I go pack and we enjoy our week together?"

"I'd like that."

He excitedly ran to your shared room and you let out a chuckle as you watched him. Your life was far from being perfect, but what you had with him was. You weren't going to take it for granted, not when he still loved you albeit your stubborness.

taglist: @lenilla15 | @muddy-waters | @nanaspalette | @nattisbored | @popcatx0 | @vanblack95 | @aestheticsluut | @thanxxskz | @minhoino | @taetertotsv | @luvscrazy | @lethallyprotected | @foxinnie8 | @jisuperboard

Copyright © 2023 skzhua. All rights reserved.

[forever-fixating]

RWRB Appreciation Month Bingo: Platonic Dynamic

For @rwrbsource and @rwrbmovie's RWRB Appreciation Month Bingo: Platonic Dynamic

Platonic Dynamic: Henry and Pez

Author's Note: Henry and Pez have such an interesting friendship in the book, and I'm so sad we didn't get to see more of it in the movie. (Mayhaps something to elaborate on in the sequel?) I wanted to write this little moment because I believe that Pez was a major support for Henry when grappling with the aftermath of Arthur's death. Shoutout to Pez, you are a real one, darling! This bit is quite angsty, so maybe have a hanky handy?

Pez Okonjo considered himself to be a fairly emotionally intelligent person for his age. His parents raised him to always extend grace and understanding to people because he could never know what they might be going through. But, as he stood outside his dorm room, listening to his best friend struggle not to break down over the phone, he couldn't muster a single mite of grace or understanding for one Catherine Fox Mountchristen-Windsor.

"A-are you sure she isn't available?" Henry was saying. "I-It's just...things are really hard for me right now, and I wanted to-"

Henry's voice fell silent, no doubt listening to the laundry list of excuses and platitudes Catherine's equerries had on hand ever since Arthur's death. Pez tried to be understanding. Really, he did. He had no idea what it must be like to lose the love of one's life. But, in the past few months, especially after the nightclub incident with Bea, Pez had a front-row seat to what it was like to lose a parent.

Or two, Pez thought bitterly.

He listened to Henry mumble something. I swear to God Almighty, if he is fucking apologizing, Pez fumed silently. But anger wasn't what Henry needed at that moment. So, after a minute or two, he knocked on the door cheerfully and breezed in, saying, "So, I know you wanted falafel tonight, but our favorite stand closed early. I got us Indian instead. There's a few different options for you to choose from, plus leftovers for tomorrow!"

Pez pretended not to notice his friend's redden, glassy eyes or the quick swipes he made over his cheeks. Ever since Arthur, it was a delicate tightrope act of knowing when to push and when to let things be. Tonight was the latter.

Henry looked at the bulging bag of food Pez set down on the end of his bed and asked, "Wh-what happened with Cassandra? I thought you two had a date tonight."

Pez sighed, shucking off his jacket. "Can you believe she had the nerve, the gall, nay! The temerity to cancel on me? She said she had food poisoning or some such tosh, but then tell me why I saw her out with her girlfriends at the pub? Women, beautiful, beguiling creatures, though they may be, can be so fickle."

Henry managed a laugh, a small victory in Pez's eyes. "Oh crumbs, Pez. You haven't had much luck lately. That's what? The sixth cancellation in so many weeks?"

"Yes, you needn't rub in it, Haz!"

Of course, it was a lie. In truth, Pez did the canceling, as he had with most of the others who asked him out recently. The ladies were disappointed (because how could they not be?) but understood when Pez explained why. Part of him figured Henry knew the stories were a scam. But Pez couldn't fathom the idea of partying when his best mate was alone with his dark thoughts.

Pez sat down next to Henry, who asked, "Would you like to watch more Doctor Who?"

"Yes, please!" Pez said, digging into the bag and arranging the takeaway containers like a mini-buffet. "I believe we left off right before Ms. Donna Noble was set to make her debut?"

Henry nodded, his spirits lifting. "She's absolutely brilliant, I'm certain you'll love her. I love the dynamic she has with Ten. Oy, Space Man!"

Pez laughed and took a bite of a samosa while Henry queued up the episode on his laptop. As the opening credits played, Henry laid his head on Pez's shoulder.

"Thank you."

Pez rested his cheeks on limp, blonde hair. "You're welcome, Haz."

A/N— Sorry, not sorry, but if the fandom is going to rake Ellen over the coals for her shortcomings with Alex, there needs to be a lot more discussion about Catherine. True, she lost her husband, but Phillip, Bea, and Henry lost their father. She should have been there for them. Comment below with your thoughts! I promise the next ficlet will be decidedly less angsty.

Check out this post and join the fun in celebrating the one-year anniversary of our little romcom that could being released!

[mar3ggiata]

professional help, c24. Christmas.

simon riley x original character.

trigger warnings: violence, sexual assault, mentions of rape, trauma, sexual themes, swearing, use of alcohol and drugs.

song to listen to when reading this: La sera dei miracoli, Lucio Dalla.

abstract: It's Christmas. it's Alba, I'm better now. I know you weren't expecting all that sweetness last chapter hu? brace yourselves, this one is even worse (literally nothing happens). anyway, I'm a fucking chef.

It was December 24th. She spent all day cooking and cleaning. It was surreal, she had come to life again to be the perfect housewife. She woke up at seven, took Jinx out, who was very happy to see her run with him and play fetch in the park. She cleaned her apartment, she did the laundry, swept the floors. She turned on the humidifier, put in lavender essential oil inside (yes, she really liked lavender). She proceeded to start cooking after lunch, she did dessert first. She made a simple chocolate cake that didn't require an extensive preparation and didn't need to rest. It was meant to have a fragrant external crust and be softer inside. She put on some music, she was singing along, she had her whole fridge restocked with fresh ingredients for Christmas dinner. She was a whole different person. It was probably too much food for two people. Two people as in her and Simon. He did, unbelievable I know, agree to Christmas dinner at her house in the end. 'Sure, okay', he had said, probably too embarrassed to say no in that moment. He had nowhere to go anyways… She asked him if he was allergic to anything, she was gonna make sure to add it to her shopping list. He said strawberries. She told him to bring wine, white wine. Goes with fish, cause yes, she was gonna cook fish. In Italy they don't eat meat the day before Christmas, a religious deal. She was going to have a fish based menu, it sounded fancy and she wanted to impress him. It was the first time she had ever had anyone over at her apartment. Salvo didn't count cause he was practically her brother and they usually had instant ramen together. She wanted to make a good impression, she hosted quite a few big dinners when she was in uni, hundreds with Salvo, and when she visited his family in San Francisco she always helped setting the table all pretty and cooking with his mom. She prepped two large cod fillets by marinating them with a few herbs and lemon. She checked on the cake, trying not to have Jinx jump inside the oven to eat it. She was almost anxious to have Simon over, not because of the fact he was who he was, but mainly for the cooking, and the menu and her apartment which was small and not too great…

He showed up exactly at eight, the time they had agreed upon. He had a bottle of wine in one hand, a box of chocolates in the other. Cause what the fuck are you supposed to bring for a Christmas dinner? Let alone, Christmas dinner at her house, them two together. He couldn't show up empty handed… Or maybe he could, he wasn't sure, he wasn't used to this. He debated on cancelling on her, he thought about it all week. He didn't have her phone number and he didn't want to ask Price, it would have sounded suspicious. He had to stop showing up at her workplace, so that was a no. Showing up at her house just to tell her that he wasn't going to that stupid Christmas dinner was gonna be even weirder. She had asked him in the worst timing possible, she had been crying and nearly got killed, he didn't feel like upsetting her further. And he had to come up with an excuse as well, one that wasn't that he hated Christmas for reasons he couldn't tell her. Last time he celebrated was so long ago he didn't even remember, he usually spent it at base, or drinking alone until he fell asleep. He sometimes went back to Manchester, though he stopped for a while. It was a time of sadness, a time of sorrow and deep anger. He didn't want to talk, he didn't want to eat, he wanted to be alone in his grief. He got the stupid chocolates cause he wanted to be polite, and he used to bring chocolates to his nephew back in the day when he went to see him… The only thing that kept him from cancelling was the fact that she was alone as well, for Christmas. He felt like he could endure an awkward dinner, so she wouldn't be alone. He felt out of place, he walked away from base like he was sneaking out. And he kinda hated himself for it, he was sure many men would have been be thrilled to be invited to dinner by someone like Alba. He didn't look the part. He wasn't made for that, and he wasn't going to change.

When she opened the door he knew he was doomed. The house smelled heavenly, there was music playing, the lamps were giving the living room a fait and tender orange aura. She was standing there, smiling. She had her hair up tied with a hair clip, she was wearing a black t-shirt and sweats. She was dressed to spend a night in, but still looked extremely put together. She looked gorgeous, that is. At her feet, Jinx was trying to get out the door and whining for attention. She said hi and let him step in. She was thanking him for the wine and telling him to put the jacket on the sofa. When he noticed the table he understood how much of a mistake going there was. She was fucking too much, she was unbelievable. What the actual fuck did I get myself into…

There were two tablecloths on the kitchen isle, a cotton one and a paper one, the ones you can throw away after use. She had drawn on the white paper with a black sharpie. She had drawn two plate shapes, two round shapes where the wine glasses stood and wrote 'Simon' on the side. He stood petrified looking at his name in that beautiful cursive handwriting, the letters majestically floating just above the plate shape. 'Alba' was written in the same handwriting on the other side of the isle. Simon and Alba. He didn't belong there… 'I saw it on Instagram', she said, circling him and getting to the fridge. 'The drawings', she added once she noticed he was still standing in the middle of the living room. He managed to swallow the lump in his throat and put down the wine and chocolate. 'Oh, thanks, these look nice.' She took the box and inspected the flavours list. She would tell him later that dessert was covered… She gave him a bottle opener while she got the appetisers from the fridge. 'So this is hummus I made, and this is a ricotta cheese spread with basil and honey', she set two plates on the counter in front of him. She had two types of tortilla chips in a little bowl, and in another plate, cucumber and carrots to dip in the whatever she had made. She set everything in front of him and finally stopped to properly look at him for a second. He looked incredibly lost. He looked small, he clearly was out of his comfort zone. He looked out of place, behind him was her small home library and her paintings on the wall, he looked like a fish out of water. She let her sight linger on the features that weren't covered by the black mask. His messy hair, his forehead, his cheekbones. His nose looked more crooked than usual, his eyes a mixture of frightened and surprised. For a second she thought the drawing was too much, or maybe the food was too fancy for him. She quickly changed her mind, the hummus was fucking amazing and homemade, what more did he want uh? Plus, she had pasta and fish to serve, it's not like he would starve…

'Sit down.' It was an order, but her voice was too soft to sound intimidating. Jinx had immediately started bothering him, trying to get him to give him some food. 'You can take off your mask, I'll turn around.' He looked at her turn to the stove, getting a pan and removing something from it, then he heard the sizzling of onion or garlic or something like that? She was moving like a professional, chopping stuff and stirring what looked like spaghetti… He didn't know how to feel, it was like he stepped into another reality. The smell of fish and rosemary, the faint music, her. She had turned around so he could eat. It was considerate of her, no? He tried the hummus, which was very nice and spicy. The other dip was fresh and aromatic, a good balance of sweet and sour, he was impressed. 'You're not gonna eat?' She didn't turn around. 'Yeah later, this is just appetisers.' He nodded even though she couldn't see him. She took the lead of the conversation. 'What wine did you get?' He quickly grabbed the bottle and started opening it, so he could keep himself busy. 'Hum… chardonnay?' he said. 'Good choice.' He wanted to tell her it was probably a cheap bottle. He realised he should have gotten a better one. He should have gotten more chocolates and maybe something else, he wasn't at her level. She strained the pasta. He asked her if Jinx could have a chip, she said only a small piece. 'Can I turn around?'

Now, he really didn't expect she would ask. He didn't really eat around people, when he drank in public settings like a pub, he kept his mask on his nose or made sure to have it on most of the time. She already saw half of his face when they ate that burger together. He thought about it for what felt like hours, deep down he wanted to be normal, he wanted to feel at ease and just relax for a second, she had even asked him permission... He put his mask back on and told her to turn around. When she did, she placed a pan on the table. 'Calabrese', she said. 'It's from a region in the south of Italy, I had a roommate that was from there.' She served him a good portion of spaghetti, topping them with the sauce that was at the bottom of the pan. 'Melted anchovies, chilli pepper, tomatoes…', she grabbed a small bowl, '…toasted breadcrumbs and basil, which are optional but recommended.' She raised her eyes to look at him, in sitting quietly on the small stool with is shoulders curved foreword. 'I can go eat on the sofa if you want, it's not a problem.' She wanted him to trust her really bad. The fact that he had that fame of unbreakable soldier with a hard past intrigued her, she wanted to know him and she felt like she had the power to do so. She was polite, she was respectful of his boundaries, she was understanding and would not push him. She wanted him to feel alright in her presence.

He felt that from the way she was talking to him. He felt dizzy and uncomfortable, she was putting him in a position of complete control over the situation, she was giving him a choice and offering to keep his face concealed, his identity protected. Protected from what, he wasn't at war, fucking hell. He was with the girl he had thought about at night, truth be told. He was with Alba who he had talked to before, in situations in which he went to see her because he craved her presence. He was with her right that second. She had cooked all that just for him, she let him into her house, him specifically and only him, her fucking dog was licking his shoe right that second.

'No you can stay', he slowly peeled off his mask and put it aside.

'There's your name written on the table.'

notes: nice… pasta recipe soon?? also December 24 and it's chapter 24, guys I'm a witch.

notes: i hope you liked the' first hug' moment in the last chapter and this kinda first moment alone together. a reminder, these two have a enemies to colleagues to major enemies to lovers kinda trope sooooo... I don't know, we'll see what happens I guess, I have a few more chapters written down and then it's season two. we'll just have to wait and see eheheheh. love y'all.

taglist:

@ghostlythots @sweetfemmefatal @natxpat @chavarriakeren647 @ravenmoore14 @farther-than-pleiades @internallyscreamings @hwromi @atoxicrat @cuti3maddi3 @deafeningkittenblaze @its-celeste @serene-hills @lexidoll12 @poohkie90 @lunatiquess

@warmedbythebody @katzykat @iristhemuse @azkza @keiraslayz @abbyandermine @jennyjencakes @dest-nai @corset-briefs @nutze-kekse @ilytsukiw @b3anspr0ut

@pondsblog @missyouzoe @fallenkitten @bigauthorrascalturkey @bethtay @angelynn-nicole @starluv @stargirlisworld @giyuuslittleslut @impossiblecupcakelight

@rkrivees-blog @ghosts-hoe @kam1snotverysmart @gauky76 @freyjaaasstuff @spicyspicyliving @scottpilgrimvsmyfists @courtney0-0 @shinchanboi @darling006 @my-therapist-hates-me

[monsterswithimagines]

Undisclosed Desires - Part 21

Joe Goldberg x female!Reader

Summary: Twenty minutes before he would have met Guinevere Beck, Joe meets you instead. You intruige him, but it will soon become clear that there is something off about you.

Words: 639

Masterlist

Your mom is leaving you alone.

You don't know it's because of an email. You think she's just disappearing, going off the radar like she sometimes does. You are not worried.

And if you're not worried, it's hard for me to worry about it. So I don't. Still, though, I'm in a bad mood and you can tell. You hate it.

“C'mon, Joe, don't be like this.”

Our Thanksgiving Christmas was not special. We ate rotisserie chicken and watched fucking Back to the future (you won't watch Hannah and her sisters, but you'll watch time travel bullshit) and you fell asleep at nine pm. I refuse to see it as our first Christmas together. Now you are leaving in two days and I don't fly out for another week, and even though I will be there with you, you won't know. I won't get to hold you or kiss you or fuck you. We might as well really be apart for a month. Does our song mean nothing to you, (Y/n)?

I have my back turned to you. I am doing dishes and we are not having an argument, okay? I'm just distracted.

“Joe…”

“Don't be like what?” I ask. Casual, but too late. You see right through it.

“I'll call you every day.”

“Okay.”

“We'll facetime on New Year's eve.”

“Yes.”

“I wish you could come with me.”

I turn to you, holding up my soapy hands, and I speak just a little too loudly when I say:

“So invite me.”

You look sad, and I feel bad. I don't want to fight with you but apparently my body wants something other than what my brain wants, because I'm acting hostile. The worst part is that you don't even blame me.

“You know I can't do that.”

“Why not? Because your grandparents said so?”

You don't answer. We've never had a fight before. I don't know what you're like when you're mad at me but I think it might be this: shutting down, the way you do when you don't know where you put your anger.

You surprise me, though. You don't shut down. You snap.

“Come with me, then, Joe.”

You don't mean it. I know you don't mean it. But I answer “fine” and you answer “fine” and I go back to doing dishes. I can't tell if we've resolved anything.

Then you come up behind me and wrap your arms around my waist. I pause.

“Come with me, Joe.”

And oh, I think this time you do mean it.

“Are you sure?”

“Thanksgiving sucked,” you say. “That can't be our first Christmas.” You press your forehead against my back, between my shoulder blades. “My grandparents can think what they want. They'll see I'm serious about you when you're still here next year. And the year after that.”

You are serious about me and this is the only thing I've wanted. This is what makes our relationship perfect.

I pretend to be lost in thought.

“It might be kinda hard to get plane tickets at this point,” I say, even though I already have them. I'll just have to cancel my hotel and I probably can't get a full refund, but that's okay.

“I can pay for it.”

No, you can't. And we both know that.

I shake my head.

“I'll figure something out.”

I turn to you. You are smiling. You feel free and you want me to come with you, you really do. I just had to push you so you'd see it.

“You know my grandma doesn't speak English,” you tell me. “Neither do my aunts and uncles. My grandpa's the only one, other than my mom, but grandma said she won't be there. You're going to be like a fish out of water.”

I shrug. I grin. I can handle it.

[latteandjacks]

Now, watching Mammon's magnificent blah blah to lazy i'm sorry

This is going to be a looooooong post

(Containing laughter everytime the name Mammon appears on screen because in Mexico and without one m it's a word to say call someone an egocentric ot an asshole or both)

"Women aren't funny" WOW MAN I KNOW IS HELL BUT HOW ARE YOU NOT CANCELLED¿

"He can eat my ass, in a bad way"

Blitz your fucking disgusting

HE SAID IT, OZZIE CALLED BLITZ BLITZ AND NOT BLITZO, YES, YEEESSSSSS

I know and I know and I know Ozzie is right and Mammon is definilty abusing Fizz and he's an asshole and Ozzie is trying to help but I really really don't like how he words things because out of context it sounds really bad but again I know Mammon is a bitch

Me: "Oh wow Ozzie hired Blitz and other guard, the guard looks like him, probably someone strong because Blitz is mainly there to convince Fizz, right?" "Wait THAT'S OZZIE?? HOW IS HE- HOW IS HE SO THIN-"

Ozzie Ily but srsly you need to learn to communicate with your partner

I really hate how it looks like the upper arms are coming out of Mammon's chest I really hate that

STOP GRABBING HIM LIKE HE'S A TOY NOOOO

BLITZ ILY YOU TOO BUT RULE #1 OF SEEING YOUR FRIEND CLEARLY BEING MENTALLY ABUSED BY SOMEONE WHO HAS POWER OVER THEM: GAIN THAT PERSON TRUST FIRST HAND SO YOU CAN WORK BETTER INTO GETTING YOUR FRIEND AWAY FROM THEM WITHOUT RISKING YOUR FRIENDS SAFETY

"He thinks he's funny" "Offended"

FIZZ NO

Ooooh who are these two, oooooh no I don't like their designs

I'm dying, Blitz insulting the blue twins and Fizz possing like trying to replicate Blitz sass but not really

Blitz NO you're making it worse help you're giving him more pressure

Ooooooh I like this "song" I like it a lot

NO THE GIRL WITH $ TITS FELL NOOOOHOO 😭

Istg if the creep from the beginning comes back i'm going to chew my shoes

WAIT ARE THE HORNS LIKE THEIR EARS?? THEY HEAR TROUGH THAT?? OMG THE KID IS SO CUTE THIS SCENE IS GOING TO MAKE ME CRY???

FIZZ KNOWS SIGN LANGUAGE I'M CRYING AND I'M NOT KIDDING THERE'S TEARS ON MY FACE

(Takes a break to chill the fuck out)

Aight

FUCK HE DID CAME BACK, BLITZ, SHOT 'EM Okay help he's a discord mod isn't he Pixar villain complex

I'm sad because I know Fizz really greatly appreciates what Blitz did but will probably not be able to say anything

Yeah, called it, fuck you Mamon I'm going to call him Mamon now idc he deserves it

HE SAID IT! "Good enough for WHAT?"

Oh you're cool I like you a lot

GOOD SONG BUT I STILL HATE YOU TWO

Oh God no the makeup it's going to be really bad right? This is going to be really bad

HE CAN'T FIT NOHOOOOO

Okay I can't even like HE THINKS OZZIE IS WITH HIM BECAUSE HE BECAME FAMOUS FOR MAMMON AND I'M FUCKING CRYING

HE TOOK OFF HIS HAT HE THINKS OZZIE ONLY LIKES HIM AT HIS BEST I CANNOT BE FUCKING KINING THIS JESTER THIS MUCH THIS IS UNFAIR

Okay Ozzie again ILY BUT THE WAY HE MOVES LMAO SDGHABNM, NO NVM, I LOVE HIM EVEN MORE

ANOTHER ONE?? IT REALLY IS A MUSICAL HUH Should've seen it coming

Whatever is Ozzie and Fizz is going to be my favorite song of the episode

"You're messy but i'm messy too" MDHFDDGSH

They kiss, i'm losing it

B L I T Z

Hey who the fuck put me into Helluva Boss

ANOTHER SONG, AND IF IT'S ABOUT WHAT I THINK IT'S GONNA BE I WILL BE SOOOO HAPPY

I would comment on what Mammon said but I need to make the image or else it won't work

"It's about you" "w h a t"

HE CALLED MAMON A CUCK, YOU GO FIZZ DO WHAT MANY OF US COULDN'T DO

Mamon clapping at the performance even tho he knows it's about him is like the same AND opposite vibe of Bruno vibing to his family talking shit about him and Idk how to describe it

Okay but everyone thought it was like a random song he thought it was catchy and when he said Mamon's name everyone just started to process the lyrics He called him out of his abuse and everyone will realize how much he sucks now, at least a lot of them will

THE KIDDDDDDDD

God I was so worried that they were going to do THAT gag, i'm glad it was just Mamon becoming a weird spider

Damn Ozzie that's hot (Pun intended)

THEY ADDMITTED IT, THEY'RE FREE, THEY'RE GDSHADBHAKJLCNDVJAKL I'm those fans screaming in the background that's me, that's us all

"You're going to regret revealing that Ozz" Oh shit these three WILL come back won't they?

[mctna2019]

I'm so sorry

I'm here again with another sad fic from mctna.again I don't have any idea that where are this thought come from but I think what if the end were changing?

Hwi gripes his own sword tightly without looking behind him, leaves the great hall where Bang-won's standing.Hwi walks into the corridor. Chi-do follows him looking worried.

+are you sure you're going to do it?

Hwi nodded without pausing once.Chi-do grasps his arm to stop him for a moment.Hwi doesn't look at him and fixed his eyes on his sword.

-Hyung, I thought about it all night and there was no compulsion in it, so don't stop me. I know how much I'll regret it, but I won't do it for myself.

Chi-do's hand fell without a word.from the top of the stairs, Hwi sees the man who's to be executed.he's kneeling on a wicker mat with his hands tied and his back to Hwi.after the Namjeon and the rest of Bang Won's opponents death, there were someones who needed to be punished , and he was the only one who asked for the execution himself.Hwi doesn't know what conversation was between Bang-won and him last night that could convinced Bang-won to order his execution ,while Hwi tried his best to dissuade Bang-won but he couldn't.Bang-won had ordered the execution to be done in the palace and away from the public.when Hwi couldn’t cancel the order,he volunteered to carry out the execution.Hwi wouldn't do this for Bang-won and he'll immediately leave there forever after it'll over.he slowly walks down the stairs and realizes that Chi-do isn't following him anymore. the gate is close to prevent people from watching, and Hwi see Hui-jae's crying face. he stands facing the condemned man.also, Bang-won had ordered to give him clean silk clothes, but he refused .he looks at his calm face for a few moments.when he meets his sad and pain-filled eyes, he feels the tears slide down his cheek.a cool breeze is blowing and his long silky hair moves in the air like a light-winged bird. when he looks at Hwi, something other than poison burns his chest. Hwi looks at the soldiers that surrounded them. there's no turning back, he draws the sword from its scabbard. Hwi knew how and where to bring the sword down for the least pain and easiest death. for a few moments, Hwi feels guilty about what Yeon thought of what Hwi's doing and apologized to her in his heart.he tries to not thinking about his past.the convict fixes his eyes on the sky and waits. just one quick movement and then blood flows under Hwi’s feet. Hwi lets go of the bloody sword as his hands trembles. he immediately kneels down and hugs his half-life body. he stopped himself before his hand reached his wounded and bloody neck to stop the bleeding, it's selfishness. the young man doesn't look sad. although his face is pale from blood loss and he's trembling in Hwi’s arms, he doesn't seem upset or worried.he smiles up at the sky as he stopped himself from crying.

- I'm sorry, I'm sorry

Hwi repeated over and over as tears fell and his chest felt heavy. Seon-ho smiles slightly and says "thank you" before closing his eyes forever.

P.S: I always choose the most comfortable way for Seon-ho because this poor boy deserved more peace of mind.I really didn't want a happy ending for him because I knew it wasn't possible but I just wanted to ease his pain even though I did something cruel to Hwi .you'll understand what it is, but I think it could have happened.

[xia0mi-c0m]

If I Show You My Fangs, Will You tell me That They're Cool?

(Was posted on wattpad, I'm the creator of the oneshot)

Pairings: Angry Munci X Reader

Type: Fluff, Slightly Angsty?? (Kinda, He Just Wants Love.)Reader's Gender: Gender Netural What Reader Is Called (Like Y/N, [NAME], Etc.): Y/N

Also, BOO! Can Be Cringy But I Don't Know. He's Only Thing He Could Really Say Is: "No", "Yes", and tiny words like that, but full sentences? No, He's Mostly Nonverbal Though.Summary: Your Getting Chased By Munci, But Plot Twist: He's Just A Silly Goofy Dude Who Just Wants Someone To Love Him. (YUMMY PROJECTING)

CUDDLING!!!! ❤️❤️❤️

Third Person POV. (I been getting tired and less motivated by second and first person writing)

Y/N Was Running Across The Hotel Hallways And Jumping Off The Only Escape And Going in The Elevator Going On Different Levels, Despite knowing Munci is much more faster. Y/N Ran To A Door, opened it before closing the door as quick as they could, they backed away from the door breathing heavily, but that slight relief was then broken down as Munci Went Right Threw The Door, you were just ready to die at this point, accepting your fate, but it didn't happen.The black creature walked in front of them, he looked... Concerned?I don't know but it looked like it.They Looked up at him, confused, they stood up, and just stared."Why aren't you killing me?" He just stood there, tilting his head in confusion, he was scared if he did something that made them think he would hurt them.The creature only wanted one thing, Love.They poked him.The Creature was confused on why they did that.Was he... frightening??..He didn't want to hurt anyone, he backed away, scared if they would hurt him. They were both scared of each other."So you don't really talk, huh?" Y/N said as they step a little closer"No." He saidThey nodded "Frightening?" He said tilting his head "Huh? Like if your Frightening to me?" They AskedHe nodded"Kinda" they saidHe looked down at the ground, sad that he seems Frightening and scary.Love. Thats ALL he wanted.They looked at the ground, feeling guilty about saying he was Frightening, he seemed like a good cool dude, well, creature, but that's besides the point, he was probably really kind but it was him being kinda scary looking that canceled it all out that freaked them out."I'm sorry.." They said as They stepped more closer to him and hesitantly hugging him.He didn't know what to do with their embrace so he just, hugged them back the best he could, they felt warm and their hug was so comfortable and welcoming. The hug was shortly broke when Y/N took their arms off him, he let go too, "You Okay?" Y/N askedHe nodded."Good, Um, Sorry again" they said as they got on the bed that was close to themHe nodded, seemingly to accept the apology.They still looked guilty, Munci could see that clearly, he felt bad for making them seem like that.He got in the bed with them, Y/N Was confused of what he was doing, Munci Hugged Them, putting his arms around their waist like what they did in the first hug earlier, putting his head on their chest, they just froze for a second, but they put their arms around his neck."Sorry.." he mumbled "It's okay" Y/N saidHis hair looked fluffy, so they put their hands in his hair, it was soft.Munci didn't expect them to do that, but it felt nice to feel this, he actually felt loved.He felt loved?.. by a stranger?...He didn't want to believe it.It felt unreal.He was exhausted, from their heartbeat, their hands in his hair, and the comfort, he drifted off to sleep.Y/N's eyes began to feel sleepy too, before they drifted off, they kissed Munci's head, then fell into a peaceful sleep.

my user on quotev is: Love4Gerard

[a-crash-in-time-collection]

Chapter 43: Thoughts In The Sky

It was a little rainy that day. The type that you would barely notice aside from the occasional drop landing on the tip of your nose. It creates a peaceful feeling in the air. It's notably different from your normal, sunny, or cloudy days, yet it isn't a pouring mess that makes you cancel your plans. It would only be an issue if you were spending the day traveling for supplies. This happened to be the case for the group of toppats as they slowly approached the top of the mountain.

They all made this trip at least once before, so it wasn't that much of a change from what you would have expected. It shouldn't even be something to note. Just make sure anything that could be affected by the rain was wrapped up safely. And even then, that could be seen as an overreaction considering how little the rain was. Sven was already prepared for that though, he tended to be. That would be nice as long as no one else commented about it. At least this was the only trip they would need to take for almost the entirety of the next month if his calculations were correct.

As the lift they were on made contact with the mountainside, they all began to head out onto the Skyline ground. They didn't know how they missed this system of transportation in the beginning for so long, but that was beside the point now. Fredrick and Jaques got the boxes they brought out with them as Sven went to find the first place they needed to get to. Calla helped Burt out of the lift. She gave a smile as she glanced out over the distance. It was nice up here…

She and the others sat down nearby to properly rest from the trip from the crashed station to here. They had a chance in the lift, technically, but you didn't want to risk falling to your death with one wrong move because you weren't paying attention. Normally Right Hand Man would be there in case someone fell, but he had.. more important things to take care of that day. A frown came across Calla's face as she thought of that. She still didn't know exactly what happened to Hat Girl, but…

She felt a hand on her shoulder, glancing behind to see Burt looking at her with a hint of concern in his eyes. He pulled back his hand. "Are you alright?" He asked, tilting his head. "It isn't like you to be so…" He gave a faint shrug. "Sad," He said for the lack of a better word.

"I'm fine… It's just." She let out a small sigh as she rested her hands in her lap, drawing the other two's attention to her. She thought about whether she should continue speaking for a moment. Did her thoughts need to be said aloud when they were so obvious? "It's Hattie. Thinking about her.."

"It isn't fair what happened to her," Jaques said with a sigh, glancing to the side as he leaned back. The other four looked at him silently. Noticed the faint shake in his hands. They didn't comment on it, they knew better too. Even if he was one of them in terms of rank now, he was a leader of the clan. “I…don't want to get into it but. It's so easy to tell whatever those, jewel store felines did, it isn't gonna be gone for a long while."

"I just wish I knew what happened. It isn't mine, nor anyone else's place to know but.." Fredrick sighed as he leaned against Burt, the other man holding his hand. "I just.. she's so young. Whatever happened messed her up mentally and it just isn't right!"

Burt was quiet as he nodded. Fredrick had glanced at him when he said that, and both knew why he had. "I don't think we should be talking about this, at least this often," Burt said, looking at the group. Calla tilted her head, but Jaques gave a faint nod. "Everyone's been talking about it behind her and her family's backs," Burt said as he gently helped Fredrick straighten up. "They need the time and proper headspace to heal. You don't think they hear us? Do you think our words help?"

The group was silent for a moment as the rest thought about his words. "He does have a point. Doesn't apply much here since they aren't around, but he does have one." Jaques stated.

The conversation was interrupted by heavy footsteps against the ground. They all quickly shot to their feet and backed up toward one of the buildings as they watched the scene. One of the lazy paw cats jumped into view, dragging along a necklace whose centerpiece was as big as their head. One of the mountain goats was after it. The group didn't even see them yet, they could just see the looming shadow at the end of their sights. The cat jumped next to the lift as the sound of footsteps sped up.

For being half blind, Burt was the first to see what was going to happen as he pushed Calla and Fredrick down.

A loud crash filled the air as the cat just barely dodged out of the way of the charging Goat. As they made contact, the lift and the system attached to it broke, sending wood everywhere.

Jaques could barely stubble his way out of the way of some of the debris, falling to the floor in the process. A loud crash came over the other three's heads as a piece of metal slammed into the wall above them. Fredrick took a peek up, and let out a small shiver as part of his hat's top had been sliced off, and the metal was stuck in the hole it had made in the wall. He wasn't going to say he would have died if it hit him, but he didn't have hopes he wouldn't have. It seemed so clear.

The air was silent, except for the breathing of the goat as they stumbled back onto their feet.

"And that.." Jaques was the first to speak up, a small grunt to his voice as he got up from the ground. "Is an example of why I wanted to become immortal." He sighed as he dusted himself off.

"What on earth happened?!" Sven's voice suddenly called, the blonde man appearing with a bag, one of the nomads beside him.

"It wasn't our fault, and I'd argue it wasn't the goats either," Fredrick stated, glaring at the Lazy Paw just in time to catch them turning invisible. "Hey, get back here-"

"I don't think they would help us even if they listened," Calla said, taking a breath as she went over to Sven. The man looked over her for any hint of an inquiry as the Nomad walked up to the lift system to examine the damage. The air both lost and gained some tension. Lost some because everyone being okay, but gaining some from the anger of why that had even happened. "I don't think we're getting back to the station tonight." Calla let out a sigh. "I'm sorry Sven. We should have tried to stop it."

"Oh don't worry, this type of thing happens now and again." The Nomad said, glancing over at the group. "It isn't as bad as it looks, at least compared to the past. It should be fixed before the sun sets. You will still be here for longer than intended though."

Sven was silent for a moment. The group could see the stress building in his eyes but he didn't say anything aloud. Instead, he gave a nod and walked back over to the group, holding Calla's hand close.

No one said anything to him right away as he sat down. They wanted him to have a moment to try and think clearly. It was the least they could offer him.

Jaques went ahead and got the list from him, going over to the nomad and arranging a deal where they would go ahead and gather everything on the list for a bit more payment than usual. He could see Sven giving him a glare from the corner of his eyes but he didn't see any better solution here. They knew Sven wasn't gonna let the stress fade smoothly. Might as well go ahead and take the task of gathering everything off his shoulders. Jaques came back to the group after arranging everything.

"I heard there was a lake here," Calla spoke after a moment. "You think we can head there?"

Sven gave a nod. "Yeah… we can do that."

The lake was calm and peaceful when they got there. There was only a small family of Nomads near the edge on the other side of where they were.

"See Sven, this is nice," Calla said as she sat down on the grass, lending back a bit to glance up at the sky. Sven gave a small nod as he glanced down at her. He kept glancing at his phone to make sure his message to the chief was sent. "Reginald will understand."

"I know he will," Sven admitted with a sigh as he sat down. He glanced at her as she smiled, him offering a small one back. He glanced at the water, it almost seemed to glow like crystals. "It's just.." He sighed as he glanced down at the ground, Calla taking his hand as he turned his gaze back towards her. "It's hard not to worry about, anything."

"I know," Calla said with a sigh as she glanced over the water.

"It's just, so much has happened so quickly," Sven said as he glanced down at the ground again. His hands curled into fists on the ground, tearing off some blades of grass as he did. Calla let out a small 'ow' as he quickly let go of her hand. "Sorry." He said, bringing his hands back to himself before he did anything else. "With the Moonjumper Legend and what happened with Hat Girl.."

"Stress is annoying, we can all agree to that," Burt said as he walked up beside the two, glancing at them. Sven glared at him as he glanced out over the water. "But we can't let it bug us every moment. If we do, we just miss out more on stuff."

"Burt, did you get possessed or something?" Sven asked, getting a chuckle from the rest of the group. Burt even cracked a smile as he shook his head, Sven glaring at him as he climbed onto his feet. "I'm serious! You never speak like this!"

"If you have an issue with how I am now." Burt started with a shrug, before smirking. "Blame Fredrick." He said as he glanced at his boyfriend, who rolled his eyes with a shrug. "Besides, you guys always said to lighten up."

"Alright, stop the playful bantering before someone comes to check on us," Jaques said as he came back over after having walked away. He had managed to get ahold of some fishing poles, they all knew better than to ask how. They already knew the most likely answer. He sat one down by the water and did his best to cast one out into it. "Wait, I'm supposed to bait it first." He said, earning a chuckle from behind as he shrugged.

"Fifty-something years in a painting does mess up basic memory, huh?" Burt asked, to which Jaques just glared at him. Fredrick walked up beside the former leader. "Hey, what was.. you know?"

"Lonely, for one," Jaques said with a sigh. "I could see outside the painting but I couldn't.."

"I can't help but think of what would have happened." Sven said as he glanced ahead at the fellow man in blue. "If Burt and Fredrick weren't in that hall that day, or if Snatcher hadn't shown up"

"Oh please, help with my nightmares," Jaques said as he smiled. Sven shook his head a bit as he chuckled as well. He wasn't helping things, was he. At least people started to settle down it seemed. Calla leaned beside him as Fredrick took the other pole, Burt standing on a rock nearby. "It still feels weird to be out sometimes," Jaques admitted. "It feels great, don't get me wrong! And I feel like I am getting used to things again-"

"Jaques, pay attention to your line." Calla quickly said. The man only then noticed it was going deeper into the water and yanked his pole back, grinding his teeth as he pulled.

Frederick got up and helped the man step back as he pulled. It didn't seem to be that big or strong of a fish, Jaques just seemed to be shaky from a lack of practice. "Come on.."

The line was finally pulled up. It was a little bigger than they were expecting. It looked a lot more like a living version of the fish you would see in cartoons rather than an living creature. Then again, you could say that about a lot of this planet. It had purple scales with some red and blue ones spotted about. Jaques began to work on getting the hook free from its mouth without hurting the little thing. It jumped right out of his hands and back into the water.

"What fish is dumb enough to go after a hook that doesn't even have a worm?" Burt asked, Fredrick letting out a chuckle as he led against him, Burt mumbling as he wrapped his arm around him. Jaques shook his head as he cast his line in again. Hey, if it worked once it'll work again. Burt tilted his head as he walked up to the water, glancing in before glancing back at Jaques. "Weren't you fishing with the others the night they got stuck in that storm?" He asked, getting a nod.

"I never said my memory of recent events was perfect, to be fair," Jaques said, Sven, nodding as he glanced away from the lake. He walked up to the edge of the cliff piece they were on, staring below at where they would come from. Being this high up still had his nerves a bit shaken. Sure, it wouldn't kill anyone if they accidentally fell, but it would hurt a lot… He needed to try and cool down, he thought. "You alright Sven?" Jaques called as Sven turned back to the group with a slight smile.

"Yea. I'm fine." He said as he came back over. "Just… I don't know. Never been a fishing guy?"

"Ehh, same here. I just fell into the motions because my family did it so much growing up. Then again you can say that about… a lot of people probably." Fredrick said, glancing out away from the lake to some of the other peaks. His eyes almost seemed to light up when they landed on the Twilight Bell, glancing around to see the lift to that peak was still functional. "I know that light show isn't gonna be happening, but why don't we see what the Bell Realm looks like normally?"

"Did you just call it the bell realm?" Burt asked, Fredrick, shrugging as the others chuckled. Sven glanced over at Calla as he thought of that day in the bell. It was the last time he could recall having a close moment with her. He was sure there had been others since then, like during the cruise, but his mind tended to be so distracted. He didn't understand how she wasn't tired of it, or at least showed it. "I guess we can head there if you all want to. Just make sure we don't end up joining the ghosts in there." He paused as he got some looks. "What, I'm not all positive now."

Sven sighed as he began to head to the closest path to the lift. Jaqeus quickly dropped the pole to catch up with the group. Calla grabbed Sven's hand and smiled at him, and he did the same.

Sven's mind began to clear a bit more. It would be fine, he began to truly realize.

"So… In the off chance something does happen, we're all in agreement not to tell Reginald." He remarked.

"It's not him I'm worried about, it's Right," Jaques stated as he rolled his eyes. "He doesn't say much when anyone does anything dumb, but I swear if looks could kill." He sighed as the group nodded in agreement.

The bell was more quiet and peaceful than the last time they were there. Considering the last time they were in a panic trying to find the teens, it was easy to see why. There were also fewer people in general around to distract from the views. Just the ghostly goats and the strange versions of the dwellers form Subcon. Never got around to asking why they were here. It was almost strange how… it felt like hiking through the forest back on their earth. Expect it to be a ghostly realm rather than your everyday woods.

They looked around for a small while, exploring the parts they felt they could safely access without doing anything dumb. They eventually decided to relax in one of the… fountains. They weren't really fountains, but they were filled with water that seemed to be coming from somewhere. They found one they felt was safe enough, Calla dashing ahead into it with Fredrick following behind a moment later. Almost like kids at a water park really. Then again, did that part of someone ever die?

"Fredrick, be careful! I can't get over there quickly if something happens!" Burt called. "Oh, and you too Calla, I suppose." He added as he sat down on the ground, before leaning back, making sure his hair was still covering his bad eye as he glanced at the dark yet glowing sky. Sven was quiet as he glanced up as well, a little silent as he thought about what to say. "So, what are you two planning to do once we get back home?" Burt asked. "I'm finally going to try a game I fell in love with but never got around to playing."

"I'm starting to wonder if Sven's comment about you being possessed is true." Jaques said as he paced back and forth, hands to his side as he glanced up. "I don't know, really." He said with a shrug, glancing down at the ground, walking almost perfectly in pace with some unheard music. Sven glanced over at him and gave a hint of a frown. Jaques was smiling, though. "I guess I'll see when we get there. Sven?" He glanced over at the blonde.

"I don't know. Knowing me I'll probably just fall into my old habits like we haven't spent, probably a year by that point, on an alien planet." Sven let out a sigh as he looked at the ground, resting his hand against it. He was so used to touching smooth surfaces or paper. There were times where he almost forgot what the ground itself felt like. He glanced up at the sky. "I don't mean too. It's just.. a habit of needing to get work done I can't explain. Even when resting my mind is always thinking about the clan."

"You were made third in command early into your toppat life if I was told was correct." Burt said as he glanced over at him faintly. Sven gave a small nod as Jaques sat on the ledge of the bridge they were on. "I know the feeling of focusing a lot of work. It's not the exact same as you but i can understand." Burt sighed as Sven glanced over with a faint head tilt. "For me it's more numb, just going through the motions of life. For you, I think to your brain it is your life."

"Maybe? It feels like you read me like a book but, I don't know." He sighed. "I'm not trying to be a downer, I just.." He sighed as he shrugged, slowly standing up. He took his hat off his head to more easily wipe away some sweat, and glanced at it. It had been dulled faintly over the years of use, but it was still as good of condition as the day he got it. "I mean… I have been in the clan since a bit before Reginald took leadership… was that, like, a decade ago or something?"

"A decade? How old were you at the time, eighteen? You look great for someone who's gonna be pushing thirty." Jaques said. That earned a small chuckle from Sven, not from the words but from the shock in Jaques voice. He would say Jaques should know, but he was in storage during Terrance's and Reginald's leadership, pre-orbital station. "Look, we all get wrapped up with the clan. It is our life, our family."

"I know, but it's still… hard to balance my work life balance I guess, everyone else can do so just fine." He sighed as he walked closer to where the water was, sitting on the edge. He could catch the shadows of Calla and Fredrick whispering to each other, but didn't think anything of it. Was he even good enough for Calla with how much he struggled with- His thoughts were cut off as he suddenly found himself soaked with a splash. "What the-" He glanced up as Calla garbed his hat.

"Fredrick, catch!" Calla said, tossing his head to the man before racing back into the area. Sven felt himself blushing as he got back up, quickly taking his shoes and socks off to prevent them from getting wet before jumping onto the watery slope to get it back. He almost slid onto the ground but Calla quickly came by to help him balance, letting out a giggle. "You better hurry." She said playfully as she slid back, almost like she was ice skating. "I.. don't have any other reason."

"And they're acting more like kids at a water park now." Burt commented as he glanced at the group. He couldn't see all that was happening well, they kept jumping in and out of his line of sight as Sven stumbled trying to get his hat back. But he couldn't help but smile. He glanced over as he looked at Jaques, who was watching with a hint of temptation in his eyes. "Go ahead." Burt said as he began to stand up. "I can afford to be the adult here. I can think of an explanation later if need be."

"Well, if you insist, I better help the poor man." Jaques smirked as he just dashed into the water… and had to catch himself from falling face first. Sven quickly stumbled over to help him up, but Jaques was already laughing. Sven found himself smiling despite how annoyed he was. He supposed there was just this hint of a trill he hadn't felt in awhile. Jaques glanced at Fredrick. "You better hope I don't get your hat before Sven gets his, or it's gonna get moldy. Does that… make sense?" He asked as Fredrick backed up.

"Come here and find out." Fredrick started with a smirk as Sven and Jaques went after them. Burt watched from the sidelines with a smile as the chaos formed in front of him. He didn't feel safe joining himself but Fredrick was having fun, and that was all that mattered. Sven seemed to start genuinely having a fun time too though, even as Calla and Fredrick kept playing what was basically a game of monkey in the middle. It didn't stop until Fredrick slipped and fell, his back hitting against one of the sides hard.

"Woah, that's enough!" Calla said, Burt taking Jaques hand so he could get over to Fredrick. The man rubbed his back with a grone, but there was still a bit of a chuckle in his voice. Burt began to scan him over, as Calla handed Sven back his hat. "Sorry, we just wanted you to have fun." She said, Sven smiling at her as he took it. She glanced up, seeing an area they hadn't gone to yet. "Fredrick, do you think you can walk?" She got a thumbs up. "Wanna go higher?"

"I would say that's a bad idea but, as long as we don't start playing tag or something it should be fine." Sven said, glancing up as he went to grab his shoes. He felt more at peace now. Not perfectly, there were still worries and issues dancing around in the back of his mind. But he could try and hold them in for a few minutes at least, he reasoned. He glanced over at the others. "What do you all think?" He got nods from the rest of the group. "What's with us all nodding and not just answering aloud."

"Don't give us a crisis." Jaques said as he helped Burt and Fredrick get off the water platform, Burt making sure his eye was covered again. Sven had caught a glimpse of the eye behind the hair and suddenly had a question, but this wasn't the exact moment. He began to lead the group forward after a moment, wanting to scan ahead in case something blocked their path. "You know, it's strange that places like this are even possible to exist." Jaques said. "I know it's another planet, but.."

"I mean, you should see some of the stuff that happens on our world anymore." Burt said with a shrug.

Jaques seemed to tilt his head as he processed the information.

"Should I be concerned when we begin to head home then?" Jaques asked, getting small chuckles from the group and an eye roll from Burt. "What, I'm being serious!"

After they were all done in the Twilight Bell, the group decided to head to the Lava cake. They had already tested their luck in ways today, what was the worst that could happen here? But in reality, they wanted to get their clothes dried off from the water before they headed back and decided that was the best place to do so. Luckily they didn't need to be super close to the cake to get the heat they needed. They just sat on some benches a good eight-miles away from the cake and that was enough.

It looked like the sun was due to start setting soon, and that did bring some worry back into all of them. They should be about half way home by now at least. But things would be fine, they would reassure themselves. Even if they had to stay here for a night in the worst case scenario, they would at least have each other. A;though knowing they're luck, they were probably missing something amazing at the orbital station. But oh well, it couldn't be helped. That was just life, wasn't it.

That thought rested in Sven' brain for a moment, bringing some peace. Yea, stuff like that was just life. So were the incidents that happened.

"Hey Jaques, I know we ask you jokingly all the time about the dirt you have on other people, but I have to say I am genuinely curious." Sven said as he glanced over at the man, who had been picking up any small stone in his grasp and tossing them out over the edge. Jaques glanced over with a head tilt as the others looked over with some interest in the topic being brought up. "I know you were in storage for the last few decades but, you know anything about anyone still around today."

"Only bits and pieces. You should have seen Mr. Macbeth when he was younger. He was like Platinum but, calmer." Jaques started with a hum, barely noticing the looks everyone gave each other at the statement. To compare Platinum and Macbeth in the same breath so casually like that was so odd. "I still wonder what happened that changed him. He still looks like he hasn't gotten good sleep in awhile." Jaques sighed as he tossed another rock, with less energy to his throw. "Wonder if being revived helped with that."

"Probably not." Sven sighed as he got up stretching a bit. "If anything, he's probably worried his revival is tied to the.. you know."

"You do have a point, huh." Fredrick said, glancing at Sven who rested his head in his hands for a moment. Had that really never crossed his mind? Of course it wouldn't, he realized. This was his mind he was talking about. Fredrick stood up and walked up beside Calla, giving her a faint glance before beginning to speak again. "For all we know, riches and greatness could be waiting for us." Jaques gave a chuckle as Fredrick shrugged. "Probably not, but I don't think he's gonna cause us any real harm. I mean, why would he?"

"Why are we all so paranoid about the Moonjumper's Second coming anyway?" Calla stated like she had some to some grand realization, sitting up from where she had been leaning against Sven had glanced at the others. Burt went to give some answer or comment but found himself unable to think of either. So he just, gave a shrug with a look of 'isn't it obvious'.

"Yes, our clan or at least Hat Girl being tied to the prophecy is scary, no denying that. But the prophecy doesn't say anything bad will happen."

"He would like to cause trouble. I just get that vibe from those images I’ve seen… I am using that word correctly, right?" Jaques asked as he glanced at the others. They all had to hold in their stickers, they already bugged him enough with painting and being stuck in time stuff. They could afford to show a little respect to him. Jaques shook his head as he adjusted his gloves. "But I don't think he would cause us harm if we don't cause him harm first. So maybe we can just…relax?"

"Yea… If only it was that simple for Hat Girl." Sven sighed. He whispered the final part of that to himself, but he was sure they heard it as well. She was directly tied into the prophecy, where the clan's involvement was just implied. She had a lot more stress on her plate then they did. That wasn't going to mix well with the… no.. no thinking of that for now. "She'll be fine, she's always fine no matter what happens. When the Moonjumper comes, she'll do her part and it'll be over with."

"And in the chance the Moonjumper does try a fight with her or, anyone. We have him outnumbered." Jaques said, glancing at where his gun was held as Burt nodded. Jaques couldn't help but frown, however. Why did he feel some string of guilt saying those words? Why did he have this strange feeling that the Moonjumper wasn't just going to be friendly, but someone the clan already knew? "We'll be fine." He said to reassure himself, and the others. "Let's just try and worry about it when the time comes."

"Which could be any moment" Burt stated as he glanced away from the sun, looking for any hint of the rising moon. You think they would have long since spotted it by now, but alias, no sight. That brought some feeling to Burt. He didn't know if it was unnerved or at ease, or some strange mix of both. He felt it fade as Fredrick sat beside him, instead being replaced by a warmth he tried not to show. "But for now, leave the story for the story people. Let's just… live I guess? I need coffee." He got a glare from Fredrick. "I’ve gone five days without it while having access, what more do you want?"

"I swear the only reason you're even remotely positive in the way you’ve been is because of the hype for the third game!" Fredrick said, letting out what suddenly felt like a huff as he covered his face while Burt rolled his eyes. Everyone could catch the faint smile he had though. No one said anything, but they all saw it. Burt suddenly pulled him closely, giving a smirk as he blushed. "Oh come on, now you're just trying to embarass me! Can't you give me a break about this kind of thing."

"Oh, posso romperti." Burt said, and Fredrick pushed him away with an angry look and a small chuckle. He couldn't really hide that he found the situation a little funny. “Hey, you say I drive you crazy sometimes so why..” Burt paused as he glanced back over the view, standing up and walking to the closest view of the main peak he could get. He pulled out his phone and used the camera as a very blurry telescope. "Hey, I think they fixed the lift." He called as the others looked over. "I think they got everything we need there as well."

"Perfect!" Sven said, immediately heading to the exit of this peak. "We can get back home and not have to worry about anything else… Today was fun though, I'll admit. Even if I was on the side a lot."

"No, not a tank. Platinum will take it before we can use it." Fredrick sighed with frustration as Sven opened the door to the lift once they got there, glancing down at the next peak they would have to go too. Apparently there were less of these systems when Hat Girl was first on this planet, Sven had no idea how anyone got around alive. Fredrick glanced at Burt. "You know what, spare some coffee for me tomorrow because I have a weird feeling I won't sleep much tonight despite everything."

"Well, maybe next time you'll be more in the action." Calla said, warping her arms around him from behind as he laughed a little, holding one of her hands. Making sure to be more careful this time. That he didn't hurt her. He didn't want to hurt her or the others. Not after all they did to him. He heard her let out a yawn as she let go, heading up to his side. "I'm not looking forward to walking all that way back though." She said, getting a groan from Fredrick. "We need a tank or something."

"Yes, my plan is working." Burt said with a smirk on his face. Fredrick rolled his eyes at that as Jaques shook his head. "Soon you will know the joy of coffee and bow before it-"

Sven shook his head as he heard the two start to bicker. They were like an old married couple already… Oh well, it would help keep them awake on the way back.

It felt like they were going to pass out as they were finally in the home stretch of the way back. Subcon's haunted purple turned into the orange and brown that had become the forest clearing. They all did everything to keep each other sane and awake, talking about what had happened that day and stopping to snack if they started to feel lightheaded. Despite it all, the conversation four of the five had before the lift was broken was still in the back of their minds. The thoughts about one poor child…

They weren't really expecting too see anyone still up when they finally got back, besides maybe Right Hand Man or Macbeth. It had to be past midnight, maybe somewhere close to 4am. They were met with a slight surprise. Hat Girl, Platinum, and Van were racing around in the dark, all wearing some glow sticks they had found while Reginald, Right, and Macbeth watched. It was the first time any of them had properly seen Hat Girl out of her room. She still had a faint, hurt look in her eyes and the way she moved.

But she was comfortable being out now, it seemed. That was good. Her Rumbi was even out, chasing after her while Alexsandera followed behind.

Right leaded back a bit, and that was when he noticed the group. "T'ere ya are, we were startin' to get worried!" He called out to them, quickly saying something else to Reginald before he got up. Sven tried to straighten his posture to at least appear more personal than he was feeling, but that likely wouldn't have done much help. Right eyed the group as he got close. "Are ya all really ok? Ya look like ye were lost in t'e jungle for twenty years or somethin'. Would 'ave come out-"

"No, it's fine. You had other things to worry about." Sven said, shaking his head. He glanced at the others as Calla sat down on a rock to rub her feet, and Jaques was already heading into the station to sleep. Burt and Fredrick were talking to each other, seemingly just to kill time until one of them decided to head to bed for the night. Sven couldn't help but smile, even as he sighed. "I didn't get a chance to do a proper double check, so we might have to sort out a few things. I can check tomorrow for you though."

"Sven! I was wondering where you guys were." Hat Girl said as she came up to him and Right, Rumbi bouncing and beeping by her feet. Sven gave a polite smile. Her voice had less energy than normal, her movements were slower. But they couldn't blame her. He just gave a wave as Hat Girl picked up Rumbi as he went to bump into one of the boxes, letting out a small chuckle. "How were the Skylines? Did you see Adalyn?" Sven shook his head. "Huh, kind of a surprised actually considering how much she appeared lately."

"Yea, things just happen." He let out a yawn as he glanced over at Calla, who was rubbing her eyes as she glanced at him. He let out a small chuckle as he looked at the two. "I'm going to head to bed before I lose any brain cells. I'll see you two tomorrow?" He asked, Hat Girl giving a faint shrug. At least she was being honest. He walked over and offered his hand to Calla, helping her up as they began to head back into the station, the other couple following not long after. Once they had left, Macbeth walked up to the father and daughter.

Hat Girl let out a bit of a yawn before she sighed, holding her Rumbi closed. The air got quieter, and Van and Platinum stopped chasing each other to glance over at her.

"Alright, it's already way past w'en yer supposed to be asleep, Hattie." Right said.

"I know, I know… Before I head off, can I ask something?" She looked at him, a more serious tone to her voice. It was faint, but it was enough for the group to pick it up. Reginald placed a hand on her shoulder, having started to come up once the group that came back from skyline left. "I, been thinking for a bit about it."

"What is it?" Reginald asked, trying his best to hold in his concern.

"Do you remember that stone piece I showed all of you? The one with… you know?" She asked, getting some nods. "I want to head back to those ruins, see if there's anything I missed. I know I should just let things happen naturally but, I feel like I missed something. And, I dunno. Maybe It could help me feel more at peace?"

The group was silent for a moment. Macbeth waved over Alexandra to get him to focus on something else, or appear to at least. This was between the leaders and their child after all.

Reginald and Right both shared a look for a moment. It was kinda funny, how just a look and basic body gestures could be all that was needed to communicate without words. Both were worried, maybe even scared about what would happen if she did. But at the same time, both knew that she had a point. And anything that might give a chance to put their daughter's mind at ease after everything, it would be the best thing they could do.

"We can't, say for certain yet. But we'll talk about it… You just head to bed and we'll see you at breakfast tomorrow?" Reginald asked, Hat Girl giving a nod. "Good.. Platy, can you-"

"She's old enough to take herself you know." Platinum said with a chuckle, but still walked up and took his sisters hand before leading them away from the adults. Van watched the two for a moment before making the briefest of eye contact with the leaders, before beginning to head to their own room.

"If s'e is gonna go back to t'at place, I'm goin' with 'er." Right assured once the group was out of earshot, crossing his arms. "I can't risk somet'in' like t'at broken tower fallin' with 'er in it again."

"I can come too." Macbeth offered, glancing at the two. They both glanced at him and he was silent for a moment, before sighing as he let Alexsandera rest in his arms. "I just.. I want to know more about the Moonjumper. I can't, describe why but it feels like I'm supposed to know more. Like it's the real reason I was brought back. Besides," He patted the Dweller on their head. "My child is from Subcon. I feel like they deserve to know everything they can."

"I'll see if I can find a day with both of you clear to do that." Reginald sighed. He was too tired to add much more to the conversation right now, and he could discuss any extra details with Right the next morning. "Could be sometime next week, could be a month from now, who knows… I just want you all to be careful."

"When am I not careful?" Mr. Macbeth asked, earning a small shrug from the chief. Alexsandera's movements slowed, warping the lower part of their tail around his arm. "I'm gonna take Alex to bed now. You can let me know if any arrangements are made after the next meeting." He said as he went back to the station.

Reginald let out a sigh as he rested his head in his hand, Right wrapping his arm around his husband. Partly as support since the cyborg thought Reginald might just collapse at any moment. "I don't want things to get worse.." he said as he leaned against him.

Right took Reginald's other hand and held it. "Trust me, love, I know."

[kangaroosmile]

You are my home 🎄

description: Chan's flight to Australia had been cancelled so he seeks comfort in Felix.

pairing: Chan x Felix

genre: sad Chan, crying, comfort, confessions,

word count: ~ 1,1k

Do you want to read the other Advent Calendar days? Here is the Masterlist 24 to 25

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️��️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

Slowly Felix opened the dorm door and slid through it. As quiet as he could he got out of his outdoor clothes, washed his hands and went into the kitchen. He had visited the library but got distracted by reading a book he wanted to check out. It was now in his back, half read.

Minho must have made dinner earlier because he found a box with his name on it in the fridge. While his dinner was warmed up, he made himself some herb tea.

A few minutes later Felix walked with the tea in one hand and a bowl of hot dinner in the other hand towards his room. Carefully, to not spill anything, he opened the door with his feet and got in.

"Hyung, what are you doing here?" The Hyung in question looked up from his phone where he sat on Felix's bed, already wearing his sleeping clothes.

"My flight got cancelled and the next one I could have taken will go tomorrow so it's too late for visiting home. You know we have a show on monday." Chan's voice was breathy and Felix thought he heard it trembling too. Chan's words slowly got through Felix's brain and his eyes widened. Chan had been so excited to see his family again. Yes they had visited home just a few months ago but he knew for Chan it had been way too short. And now Chan couldn't go because of the cancellation. That was just not fair.

The younger man placed down his meal and walked up to Chan. As he laid down he pulled Chan with him so that Chan was laying in Felix's arms. They fell silent for a second and Felix didn't really know what he should say. He knew, if he were in this situation, Chan would comfort him but his brain was empty. Softly he started to stroke Chan's hair. It seemed that this was the last straw for the latter, because just seconds later Felix heard a choked cry. He pulled Chan closer. It hurt him to see Chan like this. He had seen Chan cry multiple times but it had never been like this. It made his heart hurt.

“We will go together after Christmas, I promise you”, Felix whispered. “I will book the tickets myself and make sure we will really go.” Chan did not respond, but he didn't need to. Softly Felix started to hum a melody that had been stuck in his head the whole evening.

“Stop humming `Driving home for Christmas´”, muttered Chan between two breaths and drew back a bit. Felix's eyes widened when he realised that he had indeed hummed driving home for Christmas by Chris Rea.

“I'm so sorry, Hyung. I didn't mean to.” He really felt sorry but then Chan started to laugh. Tears were still streaming down his cheeks but he was laughing and his sweet little laughter lines appeared around his eyes.

“It's okay. Was kind of iconic, to be honest”, muttered the older man with a small smile and let a sigh escape his lips a moment later. “Sorry for making such a mess.” He was gesturing towards Felix's shirt that was now wet in a few places.

“Don't be, Hyung. It will dry again.” Carefully he whipped away the tears that had stayed on Chan's cheeks even after he had stopped crying.

“Thank you”, whispered Chan after another moment, ears turning so red that Felix could still see it, even though it was nearly completely dark in his room.

“Of course Hyung”, Felix replied, pulling Chan into a hug again. When Felix tried to pull back, Chan didn't let him.

“You are my home away from home”, muttered the older man suddenly but before Felix had the chance to reply anything Chan continued. “All of you are kind of my home away from home but Felix… with you it's different.” Slowly Felix backed away a bit so he had the chance to look Chan in the eyes.

“Different?”, he asked while his heart started to beat faster against his chest. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean”, Chan started just to stop again, avoiding the other mens glance. “I feel at home with you. It's like I don't need a home when you are with me because you are my home?” For a second Felix didn't know what to say. Chan´s were so clear but also so confusing at the same time. It took him some courage but he had to ask. Ever since they shared a bed together and fell asleep in eachothers arms right after debuting he needed to know.

“Do you mean as a friend?”

“If that's all you want to be”, Chan`s voice was quieter again and he hesitated a moment before answering.

“And what if I want to be more than just that? What if I want to be your home in a more than normal friends way?”

“Then I would let you be my home in more than a normal friend's way and I would be your home too”, breathed Chan, finally meeting Felix's eyes. When Felix started to nod, a light smile built up on Chan's lips.

“When we travel to Australia next time, can I introduce you as my boyfriend to my family and not just a friend?” Felix could not hold back anymore and started to giggle.

“I would really like that.” For the third time tonight, Felix found himself in a tight hug but this time it was out of happiness. He took all his courage he had inside him and placed a short kiss on Chan's temple. Surprised, Chan drew back and looked at the younger with big eyes.

“Can I have a kiss on the lips?”, he asked after a second, getting even redder than he already was. Another giggle escaped Felix, as he nodded. His heart was breathing fast against his chest and as Chan leaned in he could feel his cheeks getting warm. Their kiss was light but Felix could still feel the longing bubbling deep down inside Chan. He cupped Chan's face into his hands. He liked this feeling. He really did.

“Will you sleep here tonight?”

“I would like to, Lix”, confessed Chan and when he saw Felix smile brightly, he made himself comfortable in bed. Felix too, laid down and pulled the blanket over them. His tea and dinner stood at his desk long forgotten.

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

You can find more of my stories under Stray Kids Masterlist