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harmonicakai · 7 months ago

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Was It Something I Said?

Part 5 of the "Anyone Else But You" series

Pairing: Huening Kai x Reader

Summary: It gets harder and harder for you and Kai to pretend like there isn't something going on between the two of you.

Tropes: enemies to friends to lovers, slow burn, mutual pining, fluff, angst, stylist!reader

Word Count: 3.7k

Warnings: swearing, mentions of sex (mdni!!!!), reader is insecure, miscommunication, alcohol, injuries

A/N: ahhh this series is almost over!!! i'm gonna miss it so much, but there's still plenty to come :-)

FIC INSPIRED PLAYLIST <3

“Did I fuck it up again? Are we destined to be friends? I wanna give you more than that” —Be Around Me, Will Joseph Cook

Kai and the boys have been in Japan for two days now, but with the amount of times that he has you on the phone, it feels like he never even left. Even if he refuses to talk about what happened at the album party, things are going pretty well between you and him.

You’re about to head out the door when your phone rings. You don’t even need to check the caller ID.

“Y/N, you didn’t call! The show’s about to start and you didn’t call!” Kai’s voice rings out of your phone’s speaker. While you can tell he’s mostly joking, he’s also a little worked up.

“Kai, we just talked, like, two hours ago. You know I have that date tonight.” Oh, he knows.

“Yeah, but I like when you call right before I’m about to go on stage. You’re my good luck charm.”

“You’re just being superstitious.”

“I wish you could see me pouting right now.” His sad puppy dog visuals pop into your head.

“Ugh, fine,” you relent. “You’re going to do amazing, Hyuka. Fighting!”

“That’s my girl!” he laughs, immediately ready to give his all on the stage. “I miss you so much.”

His affection catches you off guard and you go quiet.

“Hello?” he asks. “Y/N, are you there?”

“Yeah, sorry, I’m still here. Call me back so I can know how it went, okay?”

“You know I will,” he assures you. There’s obvious disappointment in his voice.

“Hueningie, it’s time to go!” you hear Taehyun call in the background.

“I have to go. Bye. Have fun on your date!”

“Bye,” you say. He ends the call and you feel an ache in your stomach. You miss him too, so why couldn’t you have just said it back?

When you finally get out the front doors of your building, Seongjin’s already waiting for you, flowers in hand. You note his outfit, something similar to what you have pinned on your “boyfriend manifestation” moodboard.

“Hey,” he says, holding the bouquet out to you. “These are for you.”

“They’re lovely,” you smile, bringing them to your nose to sniff them. You love the smell of roses. “I don’t think anybody’s ever gotten me flowers before.”

“Well, there’s more where that came from.” Seongjin’s hand finds its way into yours. He’s bold and romantic, even dressing exactly how you’d like him to. He’s checking off all of your boxes, and yet something feels off.

As the two of you walk towards the city’s center, you actually have no clue what he’s planned for tonight until he stops outside of a restaurant that you’ve had on your bucket list for years now.

“You’re joking!” you say in disbelief. “You have to get a reservation months in advance to eat here, and even then it’s impossible.”

“I called in a few favors,” he grins, holding the door open for you. You blush, wondering what you’ve done to deserve even a fraction of the effort he’s gone through.

The dinner’s going okay. There’s just something about the way that Seongjin’s meticulously planned everything, even his responses to your small talk, that makes you suspicious. He feels too perfect, almost unreal.

You find yourself focusing more on the delicious food than on any of what he’s been saying.

“You know,” he starts, “I only went to that album party because I knew you’d be there.”

The hint of Seongjin speaking in a less rehearsed way grabs your attention. You look up to see him grinning.

“No, you didn’t,” you laugh, dismissing him. “You probably didn’t even know who I was before Yeonjun introduced us.”

“Of course I did. I’ve thought you were cute for a while now. The way you’re always running around with your arms full of clothes. I can’t wait to debut so you can dress me up.”

You can’t believe that anybody had even noticed you around the building, let alone taken a romantic interest. If only somebody else felt that way.

“Well, does that mean you’re not a big fan of TXT?” you ask, sipping your wine. You’re mostly joking, but also curious what his honest opinion of the group is.

“I mean, obviously, I think my uncle makes great songs for them. But besides Yeonjun, I don’t think they’re the kind of guys I’d really hang out with, you know?”

Your face heats up at his answer and your energy shifts. “No, I don’t know. Care to explain?”

“The other guys just seem so dorky. Not to mention half of them were wasted at a work event. Like that Huening kid whose outburst interrupted our conversation. What was that about anyway?”

“It’s none of your business,” you scoff, setting your silverware down. “And he’s not a kid. He’s almost twenty-two.”

“Look, Y/N, I know you’re close with them. I didn’t mean to make you upset. We don’t have to talk about this anymore.”

“You’re right, we don’t,” you say, standing up and gathering your things. “Thank you for dinner. I’ll see you around, I guess.”

On your way home, you start to wonder if you’ve made a mistake blowing off someone so well connected, but the way he talked about your friends makes your blood boil.

Then again, things had been going just fine before then. Maybe you should’ve just smiled and nodded like you usually do. You’re not sure when you’ll ever get asked on another date again, let alone one that was planned so well.

Suddenly, your phone rings and for some reason, you answer. “What do you want now, Kai?!” you snap into the speaker.

“Whoa,” an unexpected voice replies, dragging out the word. “Actually, it’s Yeonjun.”

“Ugh, I’m sorry,” you groan, embarrassed at your attitude. “Hi, Jun.”

“So, I’m guessing your date didn’t go very well?”

“I think I’m going to get fired,” you huff, finally reaching your building again.

“That bad, huh? Tell me what happened.”

“I don’t know. He’s handsome and thoughtful and everything I could ask for really, but there wasn’t any sort of spark. Plus he called everyone in the group except you dorky, and that’s when I just got up, thanked him, and left.”

“Everyone else is dorky, Y/N. You really couldn’t wait until the end of dinner because of that?”

“Fine, it’s stupid when I say it out loud. But the damage is already done,” you sigh, digging through your purse for your keys.

“I’m sure he’d reconsider if you apologize,” he reasons with you. You’re not sure that you actually have anything to be sorry about.

“I shouldn’t have to! He was making fun of Kai!” That’s it, you realize. That’s the reason you’re so upset. Of course this is somehow about him.

“Ah, I see now,” Yeonjun says, dropping the issue. “Well, hopefully you won’t run into him at work much.”

“Hopefully,” you agree. “How was the show?”

“It was amazing,” he muses. “I really played off the crowd’s energy, and they loved my solo stage.”

“That’s awesome, Jun,” you smile back. Ever since you and Kai have grown closer, it’s felt like Yeonjun has taken a backseat. “Anything interesting happen?”

“Soobin tried to do the Water challenge,” he laughs. “We all ran to cover him up, though. Beomgyu played the guitar, and MOA kept mentioning how Taehyun looked like Ash Ketchum.”

“Maybe you guys need to do a Pokémon concept,” you think out loud. You don’t fail to notice that Yeonjun has conveniently left out Kai from his recap, as if he’s testing to see whether you’ll bring him up first.

“Would I get to be a fire type trainer?” Yeonjun asks. So, he really isn’t going to mention how Kai did tonight. You bite your lip, resisting the urge to ask about him.

“Yes, of course. I think Soobin would be water, Beomgyu grass, and Taehyun psychic. Actually, wait. Maybe Beomgyu would have fairy types.”

“And Kai?” Yeonjun finally relents. You breathe out in relief at the mention of him.

“He’d be electric,” you decide. “Or normal. Whichever ones are the cutest, really.”

“You wanna know how the concert went for him, don’t you?” he asks.

“No, it’s okay, Jun,” you brush him off. “We can talk about whatever you want.”

“Y/N. It’s cool. I’ve just been messing with you.” You can practically hear him smirking through the phone.

“Oh,” you twiddle your thumbs. “Well, yes, then tell me how he did.”

Yeonjun sucks in a breath. “First off, I don’t want you to get worried.”

“Okay? Why would I be worried?”

Yeonjun hesitates before answering you. “He’s at the hospital right now.” Your stomach drops.

“What?! Is that what you were hiding from me?”

“I knew it would make you upset, Y/N. It’s not a big deal. It’s probably just a sprain, alright?”

“But he’s hurt,” you sigh. “Is that the reason you called me and not him?”

“Can’t I just want to hear my dear friend’s voice and ask how her date went?”

“Mhmm, sure.” You side eye him through the phone, plopping down onto your bed. You’re too tired to change out of your date clothes.

“Okay, fine,” he continues. “Kai did ask me to call you while the doctor checks him out. He knew it would probably be all over social media and didn’t want you to worry.”

“It’s probably my fault he injured himself,” you mutter, kicking off your shoes. “I hope it’s not too bad.”

“Y/N, he’s fine,” Yeonjun assures you. “And how could it possibly be your fault? We aren’t even in the same country right now. The stage was probably just wet because of the rain from earlier.”

“I think I made him upset right before you guys went on stage. He said he missed me and I didn’t say it back, but I think he wanted me to.”

“Hmm, I guess he did seem a little down now that you mention it.”

“Well, tell him I said sorry.” Knowing that he was noticeably off tonight because of you makes you feel horrible. If you had just said it back, he probably could’ve focused on the show better.

“I mean, if you want to wait and tell him yourself, he’ll probably be back any second now.”

“I don’t really feel like talking anymore. Night, Jun. I’ll see you later.” Before Yeonjun can say bye, you’ve already hung up. You’ve never been more confused over your emotions than tonight.

Throwing a pillow over your head, you scream into it. Your love life is in shambles and all you can think about is Huening Kai’s stupid, possibly-sprained ankle.

—————-

When Kai’s plane lands, you’re the first person he wants to see. Before he even left, he made sure that you had a key to the apartment, something Yeonjun was always too lazy to do.

You haven’t brought up the disaster of a date you went on while he was away, and to your relief, he hasn’t asked about it either. It’s almost as if he doesn’t care that it happened.

Getting him to agree to watch the new Mean Girls remake for your weekly movie night was much easier than you expected. You had even prepared a whole speech for why he should relent even though it was supposed to be his choice tonight.

“It’s a musical,” you reasoned. “You’ll like it!”

You were very, very wrong. The movie was horrible, but at least that meant that the two of you could hate-watch it together.

“Those lyrics…” he starts, rubbing his temples as the closing credits played.

“And the costumes!” They were not going to age well.

“That was really bad,” he laughs. “That’s the last time I’m letting you pick when it’s my turn.”

“I have a feeling I’ll still be able to charm you in the future,” you say, batting your eyelashes.

“That is so not fair.” He crosses his arms. “Why are you so cute?”

“It’s my superpower,” you say, grinning. A few months ago, you would’ve never said something like that, but Kai makes you feel so much better about yourself.

The way you’re looking at him makes him blush, and he glances away hoping you haven’t noticed. His gaze focuses on the clock on the wall.

“Oh, Y/N, it’s past two.” Kai says. Time always seems to disappear when you’re together. “Do you want me to walk you home?”

Thunder booms outside the window and you can hear raindrops hitting the roof.

“That might be a bad idea. I can just call a car,” you say, grabbing your phone. He stops you.

“Just stay here,” he offers. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“You can’t sleep on the couch,” you disagree. “Yeonjun will think we’re mad at each other.”

“Well, if we sleep in here together, he’ll probably start planning our wedding.”

“I guess we’re losers in this game, huh?” you say, immediately cringing at the pun. The two of you exchange glances before cracking up.

Kai always takes longer to stop laughing than you. “Okay, how about this. You take the bed and I’ll sleep on the floor,” he says, still giddy.

“But it’s your bed! I can sleep on the floor.”

“I am not letting you sleep on the floor. You’re my guest.”

“This is stupid, Kai. Yeonjun doesn’t know the difference whether one of us sleeps on the floor or in the bed. We might as well just share.”

“But you snore, remember?”

“There’s actually no real evidence to that claim,” you refute.

“Well, it’s a twin sized bed. I might crush you.”

“I don’t need that much space. We can even sleep head to toe, if you want.”

“My feet stink. Your feet stink.” The effort he was going through to not share a bed with you was eating away at you. You’re sure he’s slept with his group mates plenty of times before, so what difference did it make?

“Oh my god! Fine, sleep on the floor.” You throw a pillow and one of his many plushies his way, turning on your side to face the wall.

“Are you mad at me?” he asks from behind, his voice now quiet and careful. To be honest, you’re not quite sure whether you’re being serious or not.

You turn over to look at him, sitting on the edge of the bed, petting the plushie’s head.

“Kai,” you sit up. “Kai, look, I’m sorry. I’m not mad.”

“I feel like I’m always putting my foot in my mouth when I’m around you.”

“You’re not. I wouldn’t spend so much time with you if I didn’t want to.” You cup his cheek, running your thumb over one of his moles. “I promise.”

Yeonjun isn’t afraid to check you when you’re in the wrong, but Kai is too sweet to deal with any sort of confrontation. It’s something you’ve been having to adjust to lately.

“We can share the bed. I didn’t mean to make it seem like it was a bad thing,” he says. Sometimes you think he can read your mind.

“Okay,” you say, making room for him. He turns off the lamp and climbs in next to you, making sure to leave a big enough gap so he doesn’t touch you. Even in the dark, it’s obvious that he’s lying halfway off the mattress.

“You can come closer,” you say. God forbid he falls onto the floor in the middle of the night and it’s your fault for hogging all of the bed.

He moves inward, your faces so close that your noses are nearly touching. You could probably count his freckles from here.

Sure, every once in a while, you’ll lay your head on his shoulder or he’ll lay his in your lap, but this is much more intimate. Suddenly, your heartbeat feels too fast to fall asleep anymore.

“Y/N,” Kai whispers, although he already has your full attention. You like the way he says your name. His fingers grip your waist under the sheets, bringing you even closer.

You tremble under his touch, his eyes locked on yours. This is a dangerous game.

In seconds, his mouth is pressed against yours, desperate and hungry. You’ve been kissed by boys before, but never like this. You can’t get enough of him.

You run your fingers through his hair, still soft even after several sessions of bleach. Like that night in the cab, you feel him hard against you, except now it’s intentional. It feels good.

Kai climbs on top of you, finding his way between your legs without breaking the kiss. You wonder how often he’s done this.

“We shouldn’t,” you breathe as he presses kisses along your collarbone, although it’s lost between your heavy sighs.

His hand grazes the waistband of your shorts. Visions of him doing the same with other girls—specifically the one from that morning—pop into your head. Panicking, you pull away from his kiss, using all of your strength to push him off of you.

“Y/N?” he asks, his lips puffy and his brows knitted in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

“I have to go,” you say, tugging down the hemline of your t-shirt, which had ridden up during the exchange. You hop off the bed and attempt to find your sneakers in the dark.

“Please don’t go,” he pleads with you, grabbing onto your wrist. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It was stupid.”

You turn back to him, tears welling up in your eyes. “It was stupid?”

“No! That’s not what I meant. I just—I don’t want to do anything that could ruin our friendship. You mean too much to me, Y/N. I shouldn’t have kissed you, no matter how much I wanted to and no matter how good it felt.”

“It felt good?” you say, stepping towards him. It’s a relief to know he at least enjoyed it as much as you did.

“Really good,” Kai admits. “But it shouldn’t have happened. I can’t risk losing you.”

“Right.” It’s a really good point. “I don’t want to lose you either.”

“So… no kissing.”

“No kissing,” you agree.

“Anything else off the table?” He asks this in a way that you can’t tell if he’s flirting with you or not. You decide to take the risk and step closer to him.

“I think cuddling is fair game. It would be too great a loss to our friendship.” You hold his hand.

“Mhmm, definitely.” He helps you climb back onto the bed before following suit, pressing his chest to your back, enveloping you in his warmth.

“You know, if I had you around in the wintertime, I’d save a lot on my heating bill,” you point out.

“Go to sleep, silly,” Kai laughs, nuzzling his head into the nook above your shoulder.

“Fine. Goodnight,” you yawn, your eyelids feeling heavier by the second.

“Sweet dreams, Y/N,” he whispers, although you’re already sound asleep, your soft snores filling the room.

—————-

When you wake up, Kai is gone. He’s left a note on the bedside table that reads: Went to get breakfast. Be back soon :-)

You stumble into the living room, rubbing your eyes as sunlight streams through the balcony doors. Yeonjun sits at the kitchen table, eating a bowl of cereal and watching footage from the group’s latest dance rehearsal.

“Be honest, did you and Huening fuck last night?”

“Good morning to you, too.”

“Come on, Y/N. I heard some suspicious shit when I went to the kitchen to grab water and unless he’s doing some magical switcharoo, you’ve been the only girl around for the last few months.”

“Is this some weird cross examination? Are you going to compare my story to his?” You try not to smile at the notion that Kai has stopped seeing other girls, but it makes you giddy.

“I wish. He wouldn’t tell me anything,” Yeonjun huffs.

“Well, if you must know, we made out for a few minutes. I panicked. He panicked. We both agreed to never do it again. End of story.”

“That’s no fun.”

“It’s not, but it prevents us from doing something we might regret and breaking up the entire friend group.”

“Do you like him like that?”

“I don’t know. It doesn’t matter.”

“It kind of does, Y/N. I’m pretty sure that boy is head over heels in love with you.”

The thought of Huening Kai being in love with you stops you dead in your tracks. Your Kai, secretly pining for your affection? You decide that it’s nothing more than a fantasy.

“That’s impossible,” you shrug. “It was just a moment of weakness between two friends. Nothing more, okay?”

Before you can discuss this any further, Kai is walking through the front door, coffee and pastries in hand.

“Y/N, you’re awake! I was scared I’d have to get you out of bed myself. Yeonjun was warning me how grumpy you are in the mornings.”

“She’s a monster,” Yeonjun says. You flick him on the side of the head. “Ouchie.”

“I don’t doubt it,” he giggles, unpacking enough doughnuts to feed an army. “I didn’t know which one you wanted, Y/N, so I just tried to pick ones I thought you’d like.”

“I love honeydew, so you picked well,” you say, taking a bite of one with bright green filling. “Mmm! Where’d you get these?”

“Old Ferry Donut. It’s across town, but totally worth the trip. I go with my sisters all the time. You should come with us next time.”

“Ooh, introducing Y/N to the family. It’s getting serious,” Yeonjun teases. Kai shoots him a dirty look. He takes the hint, grabbing a couple of doughnuts on the way back to his bedroom.

“He can be such a dick sometimes,” Kai sighs.

“Yes, but he’s our dick,” you insist, trying not to let him ruin the moment.

“I suppose that’s true,” he laughs. It always makes you feel good about yourself whenever you manage to cheer him up. Usually, that’s his job with you. “I’d really like for Lea and Hiyyih to meet you, though. I think you’d all get along super well.”

“Then let’s set something up. I’m free all day,” you say, your mouth full of food.

“Really, Y/N?” Kai asks. You nod in agreement and his eyes light up at your enthusiasm. “This is awesome! I’ll text them right now!”

Maybe, just maybe, he really is in love with you.

—————-

Taglist: @orangesodafoam @deezbutz28 @ur-mother-realnotclickbait @internet-folks @darlingz99 @foxyjun @stardustmooncakes @giaalorine @niningtori @goquokka @csbenthusiast @moarmyjkhk @lizdevorak @sooberryworld @lonelybutterflytae @midnight-mochii @theresawtf @nowadays56 @jjklvr9 @baekberrie @philijack @lixpixstix @reiheis

P.S.: Please shoot me an ask or a reply if you’d like to be added to (or removed from) the taglist! Also, I struggle to keep up with different lists for individual members, but if you really don’t want to be tagged on all of my works, just let me know and I will do my best to keep things separate <3

#hueningkai x reader #hueningkai #huening txt #txt #tomorrow x together #txt imagines #txt fic #txt hyuka #hyuka x reader #txt x reader #txt fluff #txt angst #hueningkai fluff #hueningkai angst #hueningkai imagines #hueningkai smut

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bartxnhood · 8 months ago

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talk fast | c.t.h

calum hood x fem!reader

summary: you both agreed to no strings attached, right?

warnings: oh boy tons of drinking (sorry), smoking, language, brief mentions of sexual activity (nothing explicit), and sexual innuendos.

w/c: 13k

a/n: hi my loves !! this one is a long time coming, i’ve been working on this since september. i started school in november which put a halt on all of my writing, but now that i graduated expect more from me. :). to all of my calum lovers, this one’s for you. p.s: if this does as well as i hope it does, i may consider making this a series on wattpad.

a/n pt.2: shout out everyone who helped my write this. esp @valentiyne you guys are amazing. 🩷

requests open

not proofread

✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵

you weren't a stranger to relationships, and you'd had your fair share of them over the years. which you were aware that everyone else did, but you weren’t really serious about relationships. you didn't want to be with someone who didn't envision a future with you or who didn't share your goals.

your friends often told you that you should let loose and enjoy yourself, but that was not the life for you.

you had been in a very healthy relationship with someone you had known since college for the past few years. however, as time went, he became increasingly open about his needs for different things and eventually ended his relationship with you.

you went into a deep depression after the breakup, you didn't leave your apartment for weeks, you only showered maybe twice, and you couldn't remember the last time you ate anything other than instant noodles or ice cream.

what else could you do while you were wasting away? you had imagined spending the rest of your life with him, and now he’s gone.

your life seemed to change overnight.

while your friends and family around tried being there for you, you had pushed them so far away that they had just decided to give up on you. except, your best friend, olivia, finally dragged you out of your bed and forced you to shower so you could go out for the night with her.

“you need to get out, have fun, and forget about that jerk” she states, standing above you as she glides eyeliner on your eyes. “you’re hot, you’re fun, you have a great personality. i’m sure we can find you someone tonight!” she adds while finishing your makeup.

“olivia…” you sigh then look into the mirror, watching as your friend painted your face with a determined look in her eye. “no. we’re gonna have fun, we’re gonna party and get drunk. kay? you need this.” she grins, resting her head on your shoulder looking at you in the mirror. “now, go change into the outfit i brought you.”

"where are we going, anyway?" you ask, pulling at your skirt, which was riding up as you moved. you loved olivia, but some of her dress choices made you uncomfortable. "my brother got us into the pre-release party for the band five seconds of summer," she adds, gazing down at her phone for directions to the club, a hole in the wall on broadway. "what?!" you exclaim, your eyes widening. "how did he do that?" olivia laughs and clasps her arm around yours. "well, when you have a brother who manages a band, you kinda get vip treatment," she spoke with a grin. "plus, I told him how you've been feeling down, so he talked to the guys and they said it was fine," she chuckled softly, as the two of you continued your journey to the club.

the entry to the club was immediately visible due to the brilliant pink, purple, and red lights illuminating the street, as well as record posters in the windows. "this has to be it," olivia says as she opens the door for you, walking in after.

this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so you should be excited, right? but you couldn't shake the nagging guilt on the inside.

it’s okay to move on, right?

olivia leads you to the bar and orders a couple shots, "to your drop dead ex and a new beginning!" olivia cheers, toasting the glasses and the two of you downing the liquor.

you were about to start speaking when you were interrupted by olivia's brother, mark.

"it's been a long time, y/n!" he welcomes you with a shout. “how’s it going?” he asks, you see olivia roll her eyes and turn to her brother. “mark, we were having a conversation.” she states matter of a factly.

"i know, but I just wanted to introduce you to some of my buddies," the tall ginger says, stepping to the side and revealing four taller men. mark introduces them, "this is luke." he had blond curly hair, ocean blue eyes, and a white button-down shirt with the top button undone.

"michael," he said, his pink hair slicked to the side, a black snapback on, with a small wave of his hand in greeting. "ashton.” he had curly hair like luke, but it was fashioned in a 60’s greaser type of way, he smiled at you warmly, extending his hand for you to shake, the two of you nodding in acknowledgment of the other. "last- but not least, calum."

your gaze met his brown eyes, his chocolate curls resting just above his eyes as he looked you in the eyes. he was dressed in a white button-down shirt with black stripes that complemented his tanned and tattooed skin. he softly whispered "hi" as he squeezed his lips together in a smile. you smile back and nod. "hi.” calum's gaze lingers longer than he would have preferred, but he couldn't help himself. no way, not with you dressed like that. the way the black skirt clung to your hips and the dark blue halter top left nothing for the imagination

“guys this is my sister, olivia, and her friend, y/n.” mark says, pointing to the two of you, bringing calum out of his daydream. “nice to meet you guys” you say, offering a warm smile and they all nod to you. “are you staying for the show?” ashton inquired, olivia nods. “of course we are! wouldn’t miss it for a thing.” she gently nudges your arm, you laugh softly and nod.

"great, can't wait for you all to hear the album," ashton says, as the other three nod in agreement. "well, I have to get them backstage, but I'll see you later, okay?" mark replies, and you and olivia nod as the group disappears into the busy room.

as the show began, olivia tugged you closer to the stage, two rows back. the lights dimmed and you heard a huge cheer from the audience as the four boys you had just met took the stage.

your gaze was drawn to calum, who seemed engrossed with the music. how he made it appear so easy while looking so nice. you kept an eye on him for the majority of the night, but your mind was elsewhere.

you had found your way to the bar after the show had concluded; it was a terrific show, as expected, but seeing the band live was a weird experience, and you just couldn't enjoy yourself given your circumstances.

you found yourself reminiscing on your relationship during songs like "lie to me" and "why won't you love me," wondering whether you would have said something different or been more open to him. maybe you’d still be together.

you finish the drink you ordered and search the crowd for your best friend, but when you can't find her, you return your attention to the empty glass in front of you watching it being filled.

"was our stage set really that bad?" when you hear a voice, you quickly look up to find the person who is speaking. "i saw you, you seemed unhappy," calum adds, leaning on the bar. you shook your head and let out a breathless laugh. "no, it was actually very good," you say with a smile.

calum's gaze lingered, he leaned forward. "but? you were definitely not having a good time." you shrug and allow the bartender to refill your drink. "well, i got dumped not too long ago." "so", you trail off, messing with the glass in your hand.

"just not in the mood for a party, i guess," you shrug, and you hear calum hum. he switches his weight from one leg to the other. "actually, you looked pretty hot on stage," you cover your mouth and widen your eyes. "oh my goodness...i." you can't help but giggle, "i'm so sorry," you shake your head, and then gulp the last of the drink in the hopes that it will provide you with some liquid courage.

"you think I'm ‘pretty hot’?" he asks, his brow furrowed and his tongue protruding from the inside of his cheek. "no..i.." you sigh, removing some of your hair from your face. calum chuckles "no, no. you said it, you think I'm hot," he says in a teasing manner, crossing his arms with a quirked eyebrow.

calum would be lying if he said he didn’t think you were attractive as well. he had been eyeing you all night and figured, why not have some fun?

“what are you doing after this?” he asks, stepping a tad closer to you. now, he was just a few inches from your side and you caught wind of his cologne. you look down at the empty glass again, wondering what you’d say. you knew what he meant, and you had never done anything of the sort.

“well that depends” you answer, looking up from the glass and letting your eyes meet his. “well, i was kinda hoping you’d want to leave here with me” calum suggests with a smirk. you smile, figuring you could let lose for one night. “sounds great.”

it was just one night..right?

your eyelids flutter open, and you immediately feel a piercing pain in your temple. you groan silently and look about until you realize you're not in your bedroom when you peek over your shoulder, you notice a figure.

he was facing you, on his side. his curls were brushed back, his lips were slightly parted, and his arm was resting on your waist.

"oh, shit.." you think as you sit up against his headboard, drawing the loose sheet closer to your chest. your mind is filled with images from the previous night. meeting him, and then their brief talk in the bar. you rubbed your temples, still reeling from what you'd done.

you had slept with calum hood.

you had to get out of there because you couldn't believe what you'd done. you were never the type to do something like that. you attempted to remove the sheet so you could hurry up and put on your clothes from the night before and go home. however, while you were doing so, calum's arm gently tugged on your waist. "stay.."

when you looked at him, his eyes were still closed. you didn't move, feeling frozen as your gaze landed on the arm that framed your waist. you couldnt lie, calum was very attractive.

eventually, you finally managed to break free from his touch, and you threw on your clothing while searching for your phone and handbag. you discreetly opened and closed the door, making your way through the house to the front entrance.

you come to a halt as you pick up your shoes, pondering whether or not to leave your phone number for him. but you tell yourself that you'll never see him again, opening the door and walking out.

you order a lift home and finally check at your phone's alerts. olivia left almost twenty messages and made thirty phone calls. you tell her you're okay and on your way home.

you opened your front door to find olivia racing towards you. "where the hell were you?!" she exclaims, her eyes wide open. you hush her with a "shh," dropping your shoes beside the door. "i texted and called you!" "i know, i know," you remark as you pass by her to your room. "you can't just leave like that!" she exclaims as she follows you.

"olivia.." you sigh and stand in your bathroom, removing the last of your makeup from the night before. "i'm sorry okay, i was drunk and he was right there in front of me." "who?" she asks as she leans against the doorway. "calum.."

there was radio silence for a split second before you glanced to olivia, who erupted. "you slept with calum hood!?!" she exclaims, lunging for your arm. "calum hood?!? the one from five seconds of summer?" you closed your eyes, your head still throbbing, and her ranting only made matters worse. "okay, yes? i was drunk, and he came up to me for a moment...and the following thing led to another..."

"you slept with calum!!!" the ginger laughs as she claps her hands and softly jumps up and down. "oh my god!! my y/n is getting some!" you groan, throwing away the makeup wipe while moving past her. "oh, god. ew!" you exclaim as you enter your bedroom in quest of your pajamas. "tell me everything!" she says as she sits on your bed. "uh..no.." you say as you begin to change.

"just...leave it, im not going to see him again," you say as you brush your hair after changing. "what?! didn't you leave your phone number or something?" "no, olivia, it was just one night," you shake your head. i don't plan to see him again, okay?" you reinstate by placing the brush on the dresser. "ugh, you're no fun!"

"you should be happy about this, you're one step closer to moving on from your asshole ex-boyfriend!" exclaims olivia. you take a step out of your bedroom, looking over your shoulder at your ginger friend. you smile sadly, "i don't think I'll ever be able to get over him."

"we are going to be late!" olivia yells as she tugs you out of bed. "i don't want to go," you protest, but the ginger pushes you into the bathroom. "get yourself ready and meet me outside, okay?" she smiles and goes away.

you sighed as you stood in front of your mirror and went about your business. wash your face, then apply skincare, makeup, hair, and finally your clothes. this consisted of a cropped white shirt, a black skirt, and boots. for the nightlife scene, this was your typical go-to.

you grab a leather jacket and your money on your way out the door to meet with olivia. “great, you're done!" she grins and grabs your arm. "and looking as hot as ever," you sigh, "i wear this every time we go out, olivia. this isn't anything new." you explain, and the two of you start walking up to the bar. "yes, but being single looks good on you... you look happier." she beams. you shrug and continue going, laughing as you say, "whatever you say."

you two arrived at the bar, which was already quite crowded with people you knew, and said your 'hi's and 'hello's' as you walked through the crowd to reach your normal friend group. this was a birthday party for one of your mutual friends; you were invited because you knew a few people there, but you didn't intend to stay long. after only a few drinks, you were dipping.

"hey, i'm going to get a drink, do you want anything?" you ask olivia, who was in the midst of a conversation. "um, no, i'm good for now," the redhead responds softly. you nod and turn around, headed for the bar.

you take a seat on a bar stool and order your usual, then pull out your phone and scroll for a few minutes as you wait for your drink.

"fancy seeing you here," you hear from behind you. when you turn around, a familiar face greets you.

calum hood.

you gaze at him for a time, blinking slowly, wondering why the hell he was at this party in the first place. how did he know your friend group?

"what? like what you see?" he laughs and walks up to the stool next to you. you discreetly giggle, rolling your eyes as you notice your drink in front of you. "you're full of yourself, calum," you say as you sip your drink. "well, you weren't thinking that when you were in my bed a few nights ago, were you?" he says, lifting his eyebrows as he speaks, attempting to elicit a reaction from you.

"oh god.." you mutter. calum follows you as you push yourself off the stool and onto the club floor. "come on, I was joking." when you hear his remarks, you shake your head and spin around to tell him off, but you freeze when you realize how close he is.

calum gazed back at you, his chocolate eyes piercing into yours. the way his wavy hair fell just above his eyes. you couldn't think straight when he was wearing a tight-fitting black t-shirt that emphasized his muscles- or how nice he looked in those black plaid pants.

calum hood was fine, and he knew it.

"you're a jerk," you reply, eventually jerking out of your daydream. as he steps closer, you can smell the tequila dripping from his breath. "oh yeah?" you say, nodding, "yeah." "well, you won't be saying that when you're in my bed again."

as you stare into his eyes, your grasp on your cup tightens. you couldn't take your eyes off him.

"fuck you."

he takes pleasure in your reply and leans in, his face right up against yours, whispering, "maybe later, sweets." then calum walks away, leaving you on the dance floor.

you find yourself back with olivia and your group of friends, scarfing down the drink knowing you needed to be intoxicated for the night ahead of you.

"i saw that," she says, as the two of you sway to the music. "what?" you inquire, attempting to appear clueless. "calum hood, hitting on you!!" she rolls her eyes. she giggles and pokes at your side. "no, it was nothing," you promise, moving her arm away. "whatever you say," she sings.

while you were on the dance floor with your friends, you were pretty intoxicated, and you knew he was watching you. you tried to ignore the sense of his eyes burning holes in the back of your skull. he observed your hips swaying to the music and the way your hair layed against your skin. It was driving him crazy.

flashes of you in his bed, your skin gleaming with sweat, the softness of your lips against his, or the touch of your nails on his back that sent thrills down his spine.

normally, he would never return to someone with whom he had a one-night encounter, but he couldn't get enough of you. he hasn't stopped thinking about you since that night.

you'd had enough of his glances and decided it was time to face him.

"stop" you say as you approach him. he blinks and asks, "what?." you sigh and roll your eyes. "i know you're staring, stop it." calum laughs and sets his drink on the bar. "i don't know what you're talking about, pretty." you sigh and rub your temples. "don't act innocent, i saw you." you say. he shrugs and leans forward. "oh, I'll show you innocent"

"calum, we can't do this," you say, looking him in the eyes. “It was only once." you say, as if attempting to persuade yourself. "oh, yeah?" you cross your arms and nod. "because it seems you don't believe that." calum retorts, his hand coming to rest on your hip.

as he moves in closer, you catch the scent of his cologne combined with the booze on his breath, which sends a shudder down your spine. you see flashes of his figure hanging over you from a few nights before. you couldn't possibly lie to yourself because you think about it every day.

"i know you want me.. i see the way you look at me," he continues. "come on, let's have some fun." his thumb was tracing circles on the fabric of your skirt.

you look into his eyes, your stomach flipping. you didn't want to give in, you didn't want to become someone you weren't. but that was calum fucking hood, and you couldn't resist him when he looked at you like that. "fuck it," you state.

you gaze at the sleeping figure beside you, his breathing calm and steady. you couldn't help but feel bad, so you told yourself you wouldn't hook up with him again. you told yourself you'd never see him again. he was a celebrity, and you were just a city dweller who happened to get caught up with him.

you lie there for a moment, admiring calum. how could someone look so lovely while sleeping? you yank the covers off your legs and frantically dress to leave him yet again.

you collect your shoes at the exit, stand for a moment debating whether or not to leave your number, but you decide not to because this is the last time you'll see him…

right?

from that night forward, you felt like the universe was messing with you because calum appeared to be at every party, club, or bar you went to. he'd approach you as if nothing was going to happen, as if he was teasing you in some way- but it always happened.

those nights, you'd always end up in his bed, never yours.

you couldn't help yourself; no matter how hard you tried to pretend you despised him, you couldn't keep the mask up because you always caved and went home with him.

it became a habit; you'd go out with friends or by yourself, secretly hoping calum would appear in some way.

some nights, you weren't even there to drink, just to be there.

it was the same thing every time: you'd pretend to despise him because a small part of you wanted a serious relationship yet couldn't get enough of him. he made you feel alive. your ex never made you feel that way. the only person who ever made you feel *loved* was calum. you both knew it was only for fun, but it made you wonder if it might ever turn into anything more. you were always silently wishing you had left your phone number all those times, wondering if he would have called or texted you.

plus, you were aware that your friends, particularly olivia, were becoming suspicious. you had recovered quickly from your split following that first night with calum. she knew you’d leave with him at those gatherings but she didn’t stop it because you seemed to be doing better and you were a lot happier.

so far, calum was treating you right. at least, when the two of you were hooking up. so she never made any effort to stop what was happening.

for what felt like the hundredth time, you were back in his bed. instead of looking at him, you've turned your gaze to the ceiling. you know you should leave because it's about noon and you need to get home because you have plans with olivia later that day. you groan, running your hands over your face before getting out of bed and hunting for your clothing, all scattered along the floor.

"since you obviously don't want to stay," he spoke suddenly, causing you to pause in the middle of putting your shirt back on. calum raises up to rest on his elbows as your head spins around. "how about we just agree that this is a no-strings-attached situation," he suggested. you finish putting on your shirt and take your place at the foot of the bed. "calum.." you sigh,rubbing your eyes.

"y/n, just listen and consider it. we can keep doing what we're doing without making any commitments."

you stare at him, his hair was messy, he wasn't wearing a shirt, and you couldn't help but admire his physique. you lean down to grab your shorts, responding while you did so, "i'll think about it," before throwing on the rest of your clothes and leaving his bedroom. as you close the door behind you, you hear him sigh.

your hand was on the doorknob as you stood at the door, but you stopped yourself from opening it. you hated yourself as you reached into your bag for a pen and a random scrap of paper to jot down your phone number. you retrace your steps and leave it on his kitchen island. then you disappear from his home once again.

you unlock your apartment door and walk in, closing it behind you. you enter the kitchen, putting your bag on the counter and grabbing a water bottle.

"where have you been?" you jump out of your skin when you see olivia behind the refrigerator door. "what the hell, olivia!" you exclaim, nearly spilling the bottle. she's standing with her arms crossed with an intense stare. "did you hook up with him again?"

you move out of the kitchen and into your room, closing the fridge. "no, I don't know who you're talking about." you respond, but olivia isn't having it. "stop lying. you were with him last night and the nights before." "so?" you grumble.

"so?!", she exclaimed, you can't tell if she's really mad at you or just acting this way, she repeats. "you're having an fling with a celebrity! you have a habit of hooking up with him. surely something has to be there." she follows you to your room, standing in your doorway as she questions you.

"it's nothing, olivia. we just happen to be at the same location at the same time. okay?" you explain while looking for some clothes to change into.

"i call bullshit. you were never like this, until you met him." she continues, making you sigh. "it's just a distraction, okay?"

"I just...I don't know," you shrug, unable to express your feelings. "i'll meet you later, okay?" you turn away from her.

"actually…i have a date tonight," olivia confessed. "im sorry, but i'll have to cancel." she frowned. "that's fine," you say sympathetically over your shoulder. “have fun, and please text me when you get home, okay?" olivia nods, singing, "i will, love you hot stuff" she passes by you to leave your shared apartment.

you're sitting on your sofa with a container of leftover takeout from a few nights ago after freshening up. olivia had somehow gotten you hooked on a cringe-worthy television show.

you were already two seasons in and couldn't recall a single episode. calum had made your memory fuzzy. you couldn't get him off your mind. you remained curious about what he was doing when you left. did he think of you the way you thought of him? did he ever wonder what you did when he wasn't there? though you convinced yourself you were just being delusional.

…right?

calum glances at the scrap of paper on his kitchen counter, his fingers tapping near his phone, unsure whether to wait to message you. calum was well aware that what he was doing was probably not wise. because, after all, hooking up with you was just for fun, right? so why was it so difficult for him not to think about you? why were you so difficult for him to forget? it was just intended to be once, but now calum thinks about you whenever he gets the chance.

calum sighs, picks up his phone, and starts punching in your phone number. he has no idea what he's doing, but he doesn't stop himself from sending you a message.

- ‘hey, it’s calum’

you're standing in the kitchen right now, washing your hands, when your phone dings. your heart sunk as you looked over and said the message. you swiftly withdraw your hands from the sink, grab a towel, and dry them.

you take out your phone and read his message. You stare at it for a moment, unable to believe he actually messaged you.

-‘hey’

you respond as you stroll over to your sofa and sit on the cushions. you weren't anticipating anything from him because he'd practically established that the two of you were only in it for the fun of it and that was it. no strings attached. you don't hear from him again for the time being.

you're disappointed, but you return your focus to the television, hoping to forget about the singer on your mind.

you haven't heard from olivia in hours; she should've been home by now, but you guess she went to the guy's place she was seeing.

you get up from the sofa and grab your phone; all of your anxiety fades as you open your phone to calums' contact information and call him.

It rang several times before he answered. “hello?”

“hey, calum sorry if i’m bothering you”

“no, you’re good. what’s up?”

“i was just wondering if uh…if you’d want to hang out?”

"what do you have in mind?"

you laugh, "not like that"

you can hear him laugh in amusement, “sorry- yeah, sure. there’s actually this party tonight and i wasn’t going to go since i didn’t have anyone to go with. would you be down for that?”

you pause for a moment, picking at your fingers. “sure! that sounds great” you answer.

“nice, i’ll send you the address to ashton’s place and i’ll meet you there. see you tonight, sweets.”

you arrive at ashton's house, sitting in your car for a few minutes as you ran your options through your head. ‘was this a smart decision? were you planning to do this?’ you groan, taking your phone, and bag then exiting the car, heels clicking as you approached the entrance.

when you opened the door, you were greeted by the smell of alcohol and loud music. you stroll past the crowd near the entryway and start looking for the person you came here to see.

you notice him in the kitchen with his bandmates, he noticed you as well. with a tiny smile on his lips, he motions you over to the group.

"hey," you speak softly now that you're standing close to him. "hi," he greets, unconsciously placing his hand on the small of your back. "guys, i'm not sure if you remember, but this is y/n," he reminds before re-introducing you to the rest of the band.

"are you mark's sister's friend?" michael interjects, you nod. "yeah! i was the one in the blue top that night," you smile, everyone nods in acknowledgment. "well, i'm glad you could make it, if you need anything just let me know." "thank you," you nod nervously, then glance up to calum.

he offers to take you around and introduce you to some people to make you feel more at ease.

"i'm going to get something to drink, you want anything?" you make the offer to calum, who is seated on the sofa, he responds with a simple, "sure." you nod, heading to the kitchen by yourself, leaving calum with his buddies.

"how long have you two been together?" someone seated next to calum asked, he turns to see it was ashton's girlfriend. "oh, no- we aren't together." he responds, but her reply is unexpected. "are you serious?" she asks, calum nods. "no way," she whispered, astonished as she takes a sip from the crimson solo cup. "what?" calum questions.

"there's no way you two aren't together," she says again, "the way you look at her. i'm not sure what the two of you are up to, but you should figure it out," she concludes, chuckling. calum simply stares at her, her attention drawing elsewhere.

he thought about what she said the entire time you were gone. did he actually act that way? did he treat you as though you were his girlfriend? did he look at you in a way that suggested you two were dating? no… you two were just hooking up. nothing else.

he had no idea you were back until you spoke up. "here.." you offer, handing him the drink. calum looks up takes the drink you offered, "thank you sweetheart" "anytime, sugar" you chuckle and go for a seat, but all of them are taken… okay, so you would just stand up for the time being. when calum notices this, he reaches for your waist and pulls you down onto his lap. you look down at him, confused, “what are you doing?” he looks up at you with those eyes.

those big brown eyes that made you feel as if you were on cloud nine. calum looked at you like you were the only girl in the universe.

at least, that’s what you told yourself.

“i’m not just gonna let you stand there.” he answered with a cheeky smile.

people started to leave after a few hours. you were still sitting on calum's lap as everyone else congregated in the living room, talking about whatever and playing drinking games.

you get up from the calum's lap, leaving your drink behind to walk to the restroom down the hall. you approach and knock, hearing someone in there. you stand a few steps away from the door and pull out your phone to pass the time.

after a few minutes, calum finds you. leaning his arms against the wall, effectively caging you between his arms as he stands in front of you. "whatcha doing?" he demands, boxing you in and staring at you. "I'm waiting for the bathroom," you say, glancing up at him.

"you know..." calum pauses, coming in closer. "my house isn't too far from here, and i have a bathroom..so..you can just use it there," you sneer at his offer, "how convenient.." you respond, just above a whisper.

you push yourself off the wall and past calum, leaving him speechless. "where are you going?" he asks, his arms at his sides. "your place. you coming or not?" you grin as you peer over your shoulder.

calum chuckles quietly as he approaches you and wraps his arm around your waist. he was nearly dragging you to the door. "sorry guys, we have to run!" he grabs your bag, carrying it for you before dashing out the door with you.

the others could only chuckle to themselves and smile knowingly as the two of you dashed away.

you're back in his bed, and you know it before you open your eyes. the smell of his bedsheets let you know you were back. the warm vanilla smell invaded your nostrils as you stretched and opened your eyes to find yourself staring at a familiar ceiling. you check over your shoulder for calum's sleeping figure, but he's not there.

you carefully sit up, bringing the sheet along to cover your chest and rubbing your eyes with your other hand. only then do you spew calum standing at the doorway wearing only basketball shorts. "good morning, princess," he says, and you groan, feeling a headache coming on. "i'm making breakfast if you want to stay," he says before walking out the door. you sigh as you get out of his bed and seek for your clothes before leaving his room for the kitchen.

you notice pancakes and fruit on a plate waiting for you. as he stands and consumes his food, you take a seat at the kitchen island. It's quiet for a few minutes before he speaks up.

"so i was thinking.." calum begins. you raise your head to look at him. "i know we said no strings attached but what if we expand the deal?" you lift your brows, confused as to what he was on about. "what do you mean?" you inquire. "at parties, we could be each other's automatic plus one. that way, we won't have to worry about who we go home with." you look up at him, then down at your plate, shifting some of the food about.

"i don't know, calum." you let out a sigh. you want to say yes, and you want to be around him at all times- but you just can’t confess it. "i'm just tired of being ditched by the guys at events, and i wouldn't mind if you were the one to fill that spot," you gaze up, your eyes meeting his. "okay...i'm down," you nod, and calum smiles. "great."

you continue eating as silence fills the room, you don’t really know how to keep a conversation with him since you two only hung out at parties. “when’s your birthday?” he asks. you chuckle, “what happened to no strings attached?” you ask, taking a drink of your water. “well, we can be friends with benefits. friends can know things about each other” he rebuttals. you look at him, finally caving. “y/bd” you answer, calum nods. “that’s coming up” you shrug, “its a couple months. what about you?”

“january 25th” he answers. “happy belated birthday” you reply and he laughs. “so you do have a heart.” you rolls your eyes, “oh whatever.” you can’t help but crack a smile.

calum admires you, how you still manage to look beautiful even in the makeup from the night prior and your hair is a mess. calum wants to be your friend, he wants to know stuff about you other than how you are in bed. he looks down at his plate, knowing he shouldn’t be thinking of you as anything for than his fuck buddy.

“what’s something you’ve always wanted to do?”

you think for a moment, your free hand is now supporting the weight of your chin. “hmm..i’ve always wanted like a big birthday bash.” you answer, “but i just never had the opportunity or people to go with” you add. he nodded, making a mental note.

———

calum proceeds to ask you out every other night, claiming that he doesn't want to be alone. of course, you went, but it simply muddled your sentiments for him. because he made it apparent that you were just friends.

so what was it about him holding your hand at parties that got you so worked up? or when he'd hold your back as you walked through a crowd of people. you'd have to convince yourself to stop staring at him for so long before anyone noticed.

you opted to see someone else on the side in the hopes of sorting out your feelings because the only reason you had feelings for calum was because he was the only person you had been seeing this much, right? furthermore, calum had made it obvious that there were no strings attached.

"hello?" you answer the phone as you go inside your apartment after getting home from work. "hey! "I'm sorry if i'm bothering you," calum says over the phone. "no, i just got home from work. you're fine!”

“how are you?" you ask, placing your keys on the table.

"i was just wondering if you're free tonight?" he inquires. you sigh and open your refrigerator to see if you have any snacks. "um, actually i was going out with a friend tonight…" you speak, and on the other end you hear him sigh, "okay! if your plans fall through, let me know." you smile to yourself, "of course," and it gets silent for a bit as the two of you are at a loss for words, "well, i'll let you get ready then..." "alright...bye..." you say as you pull the phone away from your ear and finish the call.

calum sighs as he tosses his phone to the opposite end of the sofa and rests his head back. he knows that he should not be disappointed; you have your own life, and calum was only a little part of it, just as he had his own life but knowing he wouldn't be able to see you tonight hurt. so, instead of moping about, he decided to ask his bandmates if they wanted to hang out for the night.

however, the night was uneventful; luke had met a girl, michael was conversing with someone, and calum was left alone with ashton.

"isn't that the girl you're seeing?" ashton says unexpectedly, motioning towards you at the bar. calum looks over his shoulder and sees you talking with a guy.

calum is hurt, but he turns around and shrugs as he faces ashton. "we're not seeing each other, i don't like her like that," ashton chuckles as he sips his drink, "sure you don't," calum moans, "mate, cmon.."

“you’re lying to yourself, mate. maybe you don't say you like her, but your eyes say everything." ashton spoke, calum knew it was true. he did like you, but he was unsure if you even considered him more than someone just to hook up with. you had been giving him mixed signals, because one night you were all about him but the next day you wanted nothing to do with him.

calum peers over his shoulder once more, this time observing that the guy that was now touching you, his hand on your leg, inching higher and higher. calum considers ashton's words and walks away from the table he was at towards you.

the way he felt was enough confirmation for his feelings for you. he wanted to be more than just a friend you sleep with. he wants to the be the person you come to during your darkest times, he wants to know your favorite songs, he wants to know your favorite movies, food, candy, animal, he wants to be your person.

“so when were you going to introduce me to your friend?” your head whips around to find calum standing behind the bar stool you sat at. “calum?” you blink before turning back to your date who had now removed his hand from your thigh. “you know him?” the man questions, eyeing calum.

“uh…he’s just my-“ calum cuts you off, “boyfriend” he finishes for you. your eyes go wide looking at calum again, you were about to open your mouth but calum beat you to it. “and we should be heading back now” he reaches for your waist, grabbing your purse and escorting you out of the bar.

"what the hell!?" you yell outside the bar, shoving him away from you. "you can't do that, calum! we're not exclusive, we are not dating; we're just friends who occasionally hook up" you hear calum chuckle and it sends you over the edge.

you huff and begin to walk away, but calum follows you and drapes his arm over your shoulder.

"youre mine and i don't share"

"where are you taking me?" calum walks next to you, instinctively leading you to his car. "home," he says, unlocking his car door and allowing you to enter before closing it and walking to the driver's side.

within a few minutes, you realize he's heading in the opposite way. "calum this isn't the way to to my place" you're saying. "I know," he replies, looking over at you. "i never said which home"

‘get ready, im coming over’

calum takes out his phone. he thinks nothing of the message you just sent him, presuming you're coming over to visit him. however, when you came and kept honking the car horn for him to come outside he was a bit thrown off.

when calum walks outside, he puts his phone and wallet in his pocket while walking over to your car. as you roll down your window, he leans in. "get in, we're going shopping," you say, music still playing and a smile on your face.

"why exactly do you need me for this?" calum inquires, his brow furrowed. you reply, "well considering you'll be the one taking it off i figured you might want to help me pick out something" while grinning. despite his flushed cheeks, calum takes a step back, unlocks the car door, and hops inside.

you took calum to the mall and modeled for nearly two hours while looking for the right outfit for your birthday. it had been two hours of no success until one of the last stores you visited had this leather skirt you had been eyeing for a while.

calum couldn't take his eyes off of your body when you emerged from the dressing room. both the halter top you chose and the skirt perfectly complemented one other. you drawled, "sooo?" hoping for a positive response. he answers right away, "yes." when you looked down at yourself, he speaks up again. “that’s the one, you have to get it.” and you couldn't help but laugh. you nod and examine yourself in the mirror before returning to the dressing room to change into your clothing so you could check out.

you happen to pass a leather jacket on your way to the register. and it just so happens to go well with the skirt. additionally, you observe that calum is examining it longer than anything else you have so added in the store. you made the choice to pick it up, do your best to estimate his size, and continue moving forward to pay.

on the way back to your place you pick up takeout since it was getting late in the evening and you both were starving.

when the two of your arrive home, you get comfortable on the sofa and begin picking out a movie while calum is in the kitchen sorting out the food before bringing it all into the living room. you picked out a movie and the two of you eat in peace, enjoying each others company.

afterwards, you had started cleaning up all the empty containers and throwing it away with the help of calum.

“will you put the skirt on again? i forgot what it looks like” calums asks and you laughed, looking over your shoulder. “seriously?” he nods. you pause for a moment before rolling your eyes and sigh, “fine.”

you walk out of your bedroom in the skirt but you hid something behind your back, looking a bit shy. which was unusual because you never acted like this around calum, so he knew something was up. “y/n, what’s behind your back?” he asks in a teasing tone and you begin walking towards him slowly. “okay, so, don’t be mad but i may have picked you up something too..”

she grins bringing the jacket from behind her and handing it towards him.

“i—y/n/n please tell me you didn’t buy this leather jacket for me” you take a few steps forward. “i’ve never heard you say please before. this is new.” you say, smirking. calums rolls his eyes but he can’t help but smile and you continue, “but yes i did. i saw you eyeing it so i grabbed it”

he tries to hide his smile. “well go on, put it on” you help him into the jacket and it’s then when he notices. “did you get this so we could match?” he says laughing. “no i absolutely did not! i just wanted to do something nice for you” he quickly responds “you didn’t have to go through the trouble of getting more clothes sweetheart. taking some off would’ve had the same effect” he chuckles. you playfully hit his chest and say “you’re insufferable.” you look away but then looks back smiling.

“but yeah maybe i wanted us to match a little bit. sue me” he grabs your waist and pulls your closer, you feel his thumb drawing circles on your exposed skin and it sends shivers down your spine. “well i certainly appreciate the thought, sweets. now we just need an occasion to show up everyone” calum teases, leaning in. his lips only inches from yours, you feel your cheeks warm up. “calum..” you warn but he continues to close the space between the two of you. “it’s just one kiss..”

you hate your birthday, it was the one day of the year you always found yourself to be the most miserable despite having people who loved you around. you still felt so unhappy.

“y/n, are you ready? you can’t be late to your own party!” olivia calls out from the living room. you exit your bedroom, meeting her in the room. “i’m ready, im ready” you say, throwing your bag on your shoulder. “y/n..” you hear olivia sigh, she takes a few steps towards you and puts her hands on your shoulder.

“lighten up. i know you hate your birthday but this year im not

letting you be miserable. kay?” she gently shakes you enough for you to crack a smile and nod, “good” she says, linking her arm with yours.

“now let’s go before people think you bailed your own birthday party.”

the two of you arrive to the same club where you had first met calum yet this time, the atmosphere was different.

no purple, pink, or red lights. no promotional posters in the windows. instead, you see white paper decorations and warm fairy lights.

you enter the bar in front of olivia and hear a loud uproar of people cheering as you did and some people even popping confetti. you couldn’t help but laugh as you walked through the crowd, seeing all of your close friends standing around celebrating you.

olivia was also giddy, knowing she had planned this whole thing along with calum.

“you guys didn’t have to do this!” you said over the music after you saw the cake sitting in the middle of the room, you’re beaming with joy. for the first time in a long time you were excited to be celebrating your birthday.

you spent time greeting people and thanking them.

some of these people you haven’t seen in years and it made you feel like things were finally getting better.

just as you were about to catch up with some old friends, the lights dimmed and you heard some light strumming from the nearby stage.

you look over seeing four familiar figures underneath the red stage lights.

“hello everyone,” luke begins, adjusting the mic. “if you all don’t know, we are five seconds of summer” the crowd roars at the name drop and some people are playfully hitting your shoulder not knowing your tied with the band.

“we just wanted to say we are truly honored to be back at the place we showcased our recent album, and of course to celebrate the birthday girls special day.” .

“so, happy birthday, y/n. we hope you have a wonderful year.” luke beamed.

the set was at least forty-five minutes long, they had played mostly their new stuff off the youngblood album but dropped in a few older songs.

you were over the moon.

to say you had five seconds of summer perform at your birthday party? that’s huge.

you never thought you’d end up in this position.

to say you had personal connections to people as big as calum, or even the whole band for that matter.

tonight was a night you’d definitely never forget.

standing outside the club, you watch the people inside dance and get lost in each other. the whole scene was almost melancholy- the way everyone was there to celebrate you. the night was near ending and you felt so cramped in there, you thought you'd spend the last few hours of your birthday catching your breath.

"hey you" calum voice interrupts your thoughts, a cigarette between his fingers as he watches you from a close enough distance. you furrow your brows, "didn't know you smoked"

he quickly flicks it to the floor, stepping on it a few times before picking up the trash.

"Is it a turn off?"

"no no i just didn't know" you shrug and look back up at the sky, "i don't think i know anything about you aside from you're good in bed and you like whiskey" he chuckles now, stepping closer to you and placing his hands on your waist.

"well, ask me anything you want"

you watch as he looks away for a moment, searching for the perfect question.

"if you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?"

your eyes don't leave the sky as you think, long and hard about the question. "i’d love to see paris... it's been my dream since i was a child."

you could feel his hands loosen from your waist, he steps infront of you and stared down at your face with a smile. It's almost like he's thinking of what to do or what to say next.

“paris?” he repeats.

you nod, tilting your head to the side, studying him. "what about you?"

calum had now completely removed his arm from your waist as he leans down to rest his elbows on the metal railing.

“considering i’ve toured around the world, ive been to plenty of amazing places” he says, looking back to see if you were looking at him.

“i don’t have just one, too many places, not enough time to explore” he answered.

you nod, looking away towards the city. the nightlife in downtown los angeles was a lot lively than normal.

probably because your birthday fell on a friday this year, so all of the bars were jam packed and faint music flooded the streets.

you inhale, about to say something as your turn your attention back towards the brunette.

“y/n! cmon!” olivia grabs your wrist pulling you inside and away from calum, towards the large cake so you could blow out the candles.

“come on birthday girl, make a wish!” olivia cheers along with everyone standing around. you laugh, “okay okay!”. you blow out the candles and everyone begins to cheer. olivia hugs your side and giggles, “what did you wish for?” she asks. you grin petting her head, “if i tell you it won’t come true, will it?” your eyes flicker between calum and olivia as you speak.

you hear olivia groan in annoyance. someone amongst the crowd, you guess ashton, you could recognize that arm anywhere, points to the cake and says, "birthday girl gets first pick!"

you finally see his figure merge from behind someone with a plastic plate and knife. "what piece does my girl want?" ashton continues.

you examine the cake once more and point to a corner piece smothered in the purple icing with a kiddish like grin on your face. ashton's nods and begins to cut you a piece.

as it nears the end of the night and the bar slowly begins to empty out, you've found yourself at the bar watching everyone says their goodbye and share a hug with you before leaving the building.

the music was faintly playing now, compared to when you had arrived eariler.

solo cups trashed the floor, paper plates and napkins scattered the bar table. you look down at the glass setting in front of you as you swirl around the liquid contents. you didn’t even notice calum approaching.

“how was your birthday?” he hums, sitting next to you.

“good” you smile, resting your head on your hand. “tonight was good. you did great on stage.”

“yeah?” calum raises his eyebrows, you see a playful smirk forming on his lips. “mhm, very rockstar.”

calum laughs at your comment and then the two of you fall silent, watching as some people begin cleaning up the mess.

“can i talk to you?” calum questions, turning his focus back to you.

you nod, “yeah, of course”

“in private.” he adds.

you raise your eyebrows , wondering what he needs to say that he can’t in front of your friends.

“sure”

calum takes your hand and leads you towards the back door, which you had no idea was back here.

when he opens it, you see a patio with a string of fairy lights surrounding the area.

“you’re going to think i was stalking you or something, but this just happened by chance. i swear.” calum stands you in front of him as he reaches in his back pocket and hands you a plane ticket.

“we’ll be in paris on the first leg of our tour and i had an extra ticket.” he stated. you look up at him wide eyed, then do a double take to make sure you were seeing it right. “calum..what? i…i just i can’t just-“

“i want you there.” he adds.

“i want you in paris with me, hell- i want you on the whole tour with me. please, take it” he offers it to you again, making you take it.

“oh my god” you mutter, looking down at the ticket now in your hand.

“the flight is in two days, i know it’s hella last minute but i figured its now or never” calum speaks softly.

you’re still at a loss for words, your body working faster than your mind as your wrap your arms around calums figure. “thank you so much” you say into his shoulder.

“anytime” he hums, hugging you back.

“cmon cal! we gotta head back.” michael can be heard from the bar.

the australian pulls away and offers a warm smile, “see you in paris..” he says and walks off. “bye..”

you’re quick to whip your phone out and text olivia before heading back to your apartment partment

“youll never believe what just happened”

“is this a good or bad thing”

“uhh good? i think? i hope so”

“well dont leave me in the dark what happened”

“calum gave me a ticket to paris” “WHAT, Y/N THATS HUGE. are you gonna go”

“i mean, id feel bad if i didnt. i hate how easy it is for me to like him.”

“we’re so having a debriefing when you get home.”

the plane ride was long and tiresome, eleven hours of being so uncomfortable in the seats and having someone next to you who had no regard for personal space. plus, you just hated planes in general.

but once the plane landed, you felt a wave of relief and soon enough you were off the plane and navigating your way through the foreign airport.

once you get to baggage claim you wait for your luggage and once you have it, you begin looking around for a familiar person.

you round a corner and finally see the one you had been searching for. “there’s my pretty girl” calum says, as his eyes lands on you as he makes his way towards you.

“i look awful calum” you laugh as his arms wrap around you tightly. “no such thing” he says into your hair before pulling away. “how was the flight?” he adds, taking your luggage from your hand then linking his free hand with yours while leading you out of the airport.

“long” you laugh tiredly, as you watch him load your bags into the back of the car.

the uber back to the hotel that calum was staying at was nice, being able to see nice scenery before you’d sleep for the next twelve hours.

the plan was, you’d sleep for as long as you could until calums show tomorrow, then hopefully, you’d be well rested and enjoy his concert and have a few days in the city to spend with him.

still only as friends..right?

while you start unpacking, calum was helping. “when are you going to sleep?” he asks, taking your now empty suitcase and putting it next to his as you were folding and putting the clothes in the dresser. “probably when i get done here.” you say closing the drawer to the dresser.

“no, you’re not” calum says, causing you to stop and turn to him. “what?” you blurt, harsher than you wanted. “what do you mean ‘no’”.

“i mean no because i’m taking you out tonight.” “calum” you try to interject but he doesn’t let you. “were going out tonight, no ands, ifs,or buts. kay?” he says, walking towards you. “and be sure to wear that skirt, you look good in it.” he whispers into your ear.

“what skirt?” you ask, trying to act oblivious.

calum scoffs a little, “you know the one.”

you finish swiping the last bit of mascara onto your lashes and close the tube, then check yourself in the mirror once more wanting to make sure you outfit was good enough.

“you done?” you hear calum voice ring the hotel room into the bathroom. “yeah!” you yell back and grab your lipstick, touching up your lips before throwing it and a gloss in your bag and exit the bathroom .

“you look great” calum grins, walking towards you. his arm snaking around your waist and pulling you closer. you grin, taking notice just how good he looks in leather jacket. “so do you, mr.rockstar.” “yeah?” he smiles, you nod. “yeah. you ready?” you ask. “yep let me get my wallet”

the night was nearing an end, you walked down the street next to calum, luke and sierra followed behind the two of you. calum had taken you all over the city, to nice cafes, his favorite spots from the last time he visited, and a museum. it was truly a wonderful day in the city of love.

the four of your turn a corner and suddenly you’re shocked by the bright dazzling lights of the eiffel tower.

you’re starstruck, you must’ve stopped in your tracks became calum looks back at you, “you comin’?” he grins, holding out his hand for you to take.

you felt like a kid in a candy store as you approached the structure. it felt like something out of a dream. you weren’t sure why you loved the idea of being in paris, but you were here now. standing in front of the famous landmark in the world, it was so beautiful you could cry.

“wow..” you speak breathlessly. the twinkling lights reflected in your eyes, the way it stood out against the dark sky, it felt like the most magical thing you had ever seen.

you’re quick to take your phone out and snap a couple pictures, not wanting to forget this moment. it would be something you would talk about forever.

“hey y/n-“ sierra taps your shoulder. your spin around and face the girl, “mm?”

“care to take a pic of me and luke?”

“sure!” you take the phone from sierra as the couple poses in front of the sight. “i’ll take a couple so pose however you want” you smile and begin snapping pictures of the two.

luke and sierra were a good couple, they complimented each other very well. and from what you’ve seen of sierra she was a good friend and good girlfriend to luke.

“check those, make sure you like them” you hand the phone back to sierra so she can check them.

“perfect! thank you so much!” sierra beams looking at the photos then up at you.

“do you want some with calum?” she asks.

you look over at calum who was already looking at you. “um, sure!” you hand your phone to sierra.

you and calum stand next to each other and let sierra snap a couple pictures together. luke is standing behind sierra watching as she makes sure to get all the angles.

“beautiful!” she exclaims with a wide grin as she hands your phone back to you so you could check the pictures.

you swipe through the pictures awhile calum looks over your shoulder.

“god damn” the australian begins, “we look good together.”

and it was true. you did look good together. maybe you could picture being with him more than his ‘friend’.

your eyes flutter open to the soft rays of the sun peeking in through the sheer white curtains of the hotel room. “morning, pretty” you hear calum say causing you to look over your shoulder where he sat on the opposite side of the bed.

you groan quietly, rubbing your eyes as you slowly sit up to lean against the headboard. “mornin” you reply followed by a yawn. “what time is it?” “noon” calum answers, turning off his phone. “damn” you reply knowing you’ve slept almost a whole day. “sorry” you say but calum shakes his head, “don’t apologize, you needed the rest. plus, you’ll be well rested for tonight” he grins, you shake your head and playfully push his shoulder.

“what’s on the agenda for today?” you yawn again, and calum leans back on the headboard. “well, we have to be at the venue at two and soundcheck is at three”. he says, checking his phone for the time.

“good, gives me plenty of time to get ready” you say, reaching for your phone. “do you want to leave with me or do you wanna just come whenever you’re done?” you shrug thinking about how long it’ll take you to get ready. “i might just uber after i’m done that way i don’t have to rush.” you start, ripping the cover off of your legs. “plus it’ll give me enough time to make sure i look good for you tonight.” you say with a grin before getting out of the bed and making your way to the bathroom.

calum laughs before calling out to you “you’re a tease, you know that?” you smile to yourself using water for your shower. “always!” you holler back.

you’re sat in the back of an uber staring out the back passenger window. the venue isn’t very far from the hotel so the ride wasn’t too bad. when you arrived you saw the line of fans outside all waiting in queue you smiled to yourself, feeling proud of the band, and calum.

you step out of the vehicle and walked around like a lost puppy trying to look for olivia’s brother, mark.

you take the time to see everyone waiting in line dressed in their best and looking beautiful.

“oh thank god” you start, spotting the blonde man. “y/n! you made it!” mark smiles, pulling you in for a hug.

“yeah, thank god, i almost got lost.” mark nods and begins leading you down a long corridor until reaching the dressing rooms. “i figured you’re here for calum?” you look up, staring at him for a moment before blinking. “that obvious huh?” mark laughs, then hands you a vip laminated lanyard. “keep this on you, have fun and enjoy the show.” he adds as he pats your shoulder.

you watch as he walks away, taking a deep breath as you open the door peeking your head in. you see the guys spread out in the room until calum looks up from his phone to greet you.

“its about time you got here, i was about to worry.” he says, now pulling you into their dressing room. his tan arms wrap around your figure and you get a whiff of his cologne.

he keeps you close to your side as the other guys come up to greet you. “was it hard to find?” calum inquires, you shrug, “i walked around the building until i eventually found mark and now im here” you laugh. “probably a little late, traffic was crazy”

calum smiles, “all good, at least you’re here now. that’s all that matters.” he says, slinging his arm over your shoulders.

“all right guys, they’re all ready for you” some stage manager, you had to guess, said as they popped their head in the door.

you separate from calum as he fixed his in-ear-piece and grabs his bass. you smile at him and give him a thumbs up and watch as he followed behind the other three.

“are you sierra and y/n?” and woman enters the room, her dirty blonde hair was cut to about her shoulders but it was obviously growing out. she had a welcoming smile and comforting aura. the two of you nod. “perfect, i’m hannah i can take you guys to your seats!” she beams and then the two of you follow her out into the arena where she showed where the two of you would be at.

side of the pit, calums side, so it was actually perfect for you. “are you guys going to be on the rest of the tour?”

“i will” sierra smiles. then hannah turns towards you.

“oh, i don’t know yet” you laugh, taking a swig of your drink.

“well, i’ll be on the tour with the guys so if you every need anything just look for me.” she smiles again. “enjoy the show!”

it was incredible to see, they were truly in their element. each of the acting as if they were born to be on stage.

“wow!” michael hollers about midway through their performance, taking a small break in between songs. luke is still strumming quietly in the background. “paris, how the fuck are we feeling?!” the crowd erupts in loud cheers.

“it’s great to be back after so long” he continues, then takes a glance at his band mates. “how are you all liking paris?”

“good, i love it here” luke answers, earning a few hollers from the crowd.

“how you liking paris, cal?”

“what about the view here? it’s such a beautiful place” luke interjects.

“you seen anything nice lately, calum?” luke continues

“yup, the views in my hotel room are amazing.”

your heart stopped, it was subtle. just enough for only you to notice. he was definitely mentioning you.

“do you mean from?” luke chimes.

you can faintly see calum smile as he laughs into the mic, “yup, my bad.”

“alrighty then.” michael pauses, luke had taken a few steps back from the mic but could still be been laughing.

“then how about you introduce the next song?”

“the next song is for all those who end up meeting someone and know it won’t be more than just having fun. and they’re okay with that. talk fast.”

you wondered what it looked like from their perspective. you turn to face the crowd and you’re overwhelmed with what you see. people screaming their lungs out to the lyrics, some dancing with their friends, you even see some people crying. you also see some signs. some more creative than others, and some sweeter than others.

you manage to spot one that made you a little uncomfortable; “call me red with the way i be riding hood”

sure, clever, but it made you realize that if you had a shot with calum, what’s stopping him from hooking up with any other fan when you’re not around?

shit.

maybe you did like him more than just a fuck buddy.

during the next intermission you and sierra had made some small talk until you overheard some girls next to you in the pit talking about calum.

“oh i’d totally fuck him.” she says nonchalantly. “i bet you i could easily pull him by the end of the night, i just need to find my way in.” she giggles.

you shift on your feet and turn to sierra who also heard it. “welcome to my life..” she raises her eyebrows then take a sip of her drink.

you sit in silence on the uber ride back to the hotel. calum sat to your right, you knew he was looking at you and he wanted to ask what was wrong.

did you have a bad night?

was the show bad?

the whole way back to the hotel you hadn’t spoken one word to him. you didn’t even look at him.

why did you feel like this?

calum wasn’t even yours. you had no valid reason to be angry.

except you did.

you were afraid that he would want someone else, that you were easily replaceable. you couldn’t deal with that, you couldn’t go through another heartbreak.

you should’ve known that messing with him would’ve lead to this, but you were naïve and wanted something to distract you from your ex boyfriend.

your feet seem to have a mind of their own as you storm past calum and out into the freezing cold.

"y/n/n, cmon don't be this way", he laughs innocently while pacing himself behind you.

you don’t say anything except press the elevator button and wait impatiently for the doors to open. you really couldn’t tell anyone why you were being so stubborn, hell, you didn’t even know why.

once the doors opened you were quick to slip in and press the button to your floor. you stand with your arms crossed, staring blankly at the metal. doors. you were quietly wishing he would say something, anything at all.

“y/n?” he tries reaching for your arm but you shrug him off. “not in the mood cal.” you reply. you knew you were being stubborn and very annoying.

he hasn’t given you a reason to act this way towards him.

you knew you were overreacting. plain and simple.

*ding*

the elevator doors opened and you walk through the hallway towards your bedroom. you scan the keycard and open the door letting calum follow behind you like a lost puppy.

you throw your purse on the bed and take your jacket off. “y/n. please.” you hear him sigh. calum feels guilty and he doesn’t even know what the hell he did. but whatever it was he was going to fix it. he couldn’t take you being mad at him like that.

“why dont you go bother someone else, looked like there was plenty that would love to be in your bed” you hiss, the words spilling from your lips like venom.

calum stops in his tracks, also removing the leather jacket from his shoulders and tossing it on the bed. “what?” he asks, dumbfounded.

“don’t play dumb, cal.”

“i don’t know what you mean, y/n.” he bites back.

“i mean, if you can sleep around with me what’s stopping you from sleeping with your fans?” you confess.

calum just stares at you, “what? what are you talking about?” the bassist was genuinely confused, you had never reacted, at least, not when he was around.

“the people at the show, cal. the signs, their outfits, the way they talk about you-“

calum cuts you off, “look, i don’t know where this is coming from or why you’re acting like this but-“

“i’m acting like this because it was never just about being friends with benefits calum!” you confess, staring at him intently. “i can’t keep acting like im okay with not being able to love you. i don’t want to be hurt again. not by you”

everything came spewing out of you like a waterfall. all the months of pent up frustration and confusion had finally found its way into the world.

you were so frustrated you didn’t even realize what you had said, you turn to look out the window and stare at the lights from the city.

calum doesn’t say anything, racking his brain to make sure he heard you right. you said you loved him, without really even saying the three words.

“you said you love me.”

you look over at him, “what?”

“you just said you ‘can’t keep acting like you don’t love me’.” he repeats.

you shake your head and look away from him. “i didn’t.” you try to get him to leave it alone.

“you did” he sighs, coming next to you and takes you by the shoulders and turns you to face him. “you practically said you love me.”

“calum-“

“i love you too.” he smiled. “i don’t know if that means anything now but i do. i have for a while.” he confessed.

“y/n, you’re nothing like i imagined you would be. when i met you that night in the bar i thought you’d be like all the other girls, which i know doesn’t help, but; this has been the best past year of my life and i think of you more than someone i fuck occasionally.” calum is looking into your eyes. “you’re more than that, y/n/n.”

there are tears welling in your eyes, you shake your head. “i don’t want to be hurt again. i don’t think i could take it.” calum nods, reaching for your hands.

“i understand, but trust me when i say that id never do anything to hurt you, okay?” calum assures, “you’re everything and more.”

*buzz*

*buzz buzz*

you groan and reach for your phone, opening one eye to look at the notifications. you have over ten messages and five calls from olivia. you sigh, wanting to ignore her antics but maybe it was an emergency. you unlock your phone and see all the messages.

‘girl check instagram.’

‘what time is it there’s

‘are you asleep?’

‘omg omg y/n!!!!’

‘you’re not gonna believe this.’

‘girl i’m freaking out !!!!!’

‘y/n please check your instagram.

‘you’re gonna flip.’

‘ please wake up.’

‘i’m calling you’

you sit up in confusion and then check your other notifications to see over hundreds of notifications from instagram. “what the hell” you croak and then open the app.

‘calumhood tagged you in a post.’

you swipe through the pictures until you see the very last picture which was you standing in front of the eiffel tower with your back turned to him admiring the view and then you saw the caption; “they say paris is the city of love <3”

you practically shoot up from your position staring wide eyed at the phone. you read some of the comments in a panic.

‘lukehemmings: it’s about damn time’

ashtonirwin: finally! don’t hurt my girl;)

calumhood replying to ashtonirwin: your girl?

ashtonirwin replying to calumhood: yep:)

michaelclifford: called it!

sierradeaton: you posted the pic !! omg !!!

5sos_updates: the last slide omg!?!? also last night was crazy!

iheartcalumhood: who’s the girl?

“calum??” you say out, hoping he was still in the room.

you hear the bathroom door open. “yeah?” he asks walking around the corner only dressed in a pair of basketball shorts.

“why did you post that?” you ask showing him the instagram post. “i wanted to prove to you that everything i said last night is true”

you blink, staring at him with little to no expression. “your first thought to do that was post me on your instagram?”

“uhh i guess? should i not have done that?” you crack a smile and look down at your phone, “i cant believe you, cal.” you say, falling back on the bed to scroll through more comments.

“can’t go back on it now” he says, standing at the foot at the bed.

“you’re stuck with me forever” he says crawling on the bed, hovering over your figure. “really? because ashton said i was his girl. sounds like you have some competition, hood.” you state, showing calum his comment.

he takes your phone and tosses it somewhere else on the bed. “nope, you’re my girl forever and always.” he hums leaning in to leave kisses on your neck which earned giggles from you. “calum!”

#5sos fan fiction #5sos smut #bartxnhood asks #bartxnhood writes #5sos imagine #5sos fanfic #5sos #calum hood angst #luke hemmings fanfic #luke hemmings x reader #calum hood blurbs #calum hood #calum hood fluff #calum hood 5sos #calum hood fanfic #calum hood x reader #calum hood imagine

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yallthemwitches · 3 months ago

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Not a Bang, But a Whimper

During their sixth year, Severus goes out after curfew to give information to Lily that he thinks will bring them back together. Unfortunately, he finds her already with someone else.

A companion piece to my other oneshot "Slipping Away" for Jily Week 2024, Day 7: Continuation Station (hosted by @kay-elle-cee and @sunshinemarauder) Ao3 Link Here

Curfew be damned. Severus ran down the corridor not caring how many portraits awoke from the wand’s light and his heaving breaths. He knew she would be there tonight and it was perhaps his only chance to get her alone to talk some sense into her.

He was given the news from Avery just after dinner. “The Dark Lord is recruiting.” Avery kept his eyes down and spoke in a quiet hiss. Even among a table of friends they couldn’t risk the information being leaked.

Severus’ heartbeat caught. It was the first time in a long time he felt like he had a real sense of power. The Dark Lord could change the whole trajectory of his life—for once, he wouldn’t be counted out.

“Who is he looking for?” Severus posed. “Can anyone join?” His mind flashed to Lily. For over a year now she had completely abandoned him but there wasn’t a moment that passed where he didn’t think of her. She too was someone who had been given a bad chance at life. Getting an opportunity to join alongside him would secure her in the wizarding world forever.

“They will take anyone who is willing to give their loyalty,” Avery responded. “I’ve even heard he will take those of less pure blood…if they have something worthy to offer.”

It was all Severus could hope for. No one was more worthy than Lily despite her blood status. He could barely wait until that night when he knew she would be down in the potions room working on one of her little projects. She always did that on Saturday nights when she knew no one would be around to catch her. He went to his bedside table and took out a small crumpled photo he had carried with him since childhood. A small, meek version of himself stared up out of the photograph. Beside him, Lily held onto his hand, beaming. It was a version of them he wished he could go back to—perhaps seeing it she would feel the same.

Now, he slowed his pace down to a walk and stopped at the statue of Ingrid the Horrid to catch his breath. Grasping onto the marble, he felt his heartbeat slow and started to make himself a little bit more presentable.

A noise came from the end of the hall and Severus jolted behind the statue. The last thing he wanted was to be caught by Filch at a time like this–especially when he was so close to talking to her. After tonight, there would not be many more chances. She would never entertain him during the day, and the times to catch her alone at night were diminishing quickly.

Lily stepped out into the corridor with her wand lit. Her eyes shone bright in the shadows as she looked back and forth up the corridor.

“Hello?” She called out. She took some hesitant steps down the hall before swerving to look back behind her again. A small noise caught Severus’ attention just on the other end of the corridor, but he ignored it.

Perhaps it was the nerves that made him not immediately show himself, but he kept watching her for a couple of minutes. She didn’t drop her defenses, clearly still sensing that someone was there. Like a well trained prefect she took small, deliberate steps regarding each side of the corridor, never dropping her wand in case she was about to be attacked. After a moment she gave a frustrated sigh. He heard the noise again, this time closer.

“Alright, come out–I know it's you.” Snape’s stomach sank. He righted himself, trying to get even the smallest semblance of confidence before stepping out beyond the statue. Something else shifted in the darkness on the other side of the corridor. As though apparating, James Potter suddenly appeared out of the shadows.

“Oh hello, Evans,” he ran a hand through his hair. “Nice evening isn’t it?”

Severus would have scoffed if he could have. Of course Potter would be cocky and self assured even when he was breaking school rules.

Lily pursed her lips and he felt a burst of excitement. He knew that look from anywhere. There were very few things Severus enjoyed more in this world than seeing Lily tell off that arsehole.

“Forget what time it is again, Potter?” She sounded cool, but there was something brewing underneath her tone.

Potter feigned a thoughtful look before clicking his tongue.

“Hm must have—but then again, I should be asking you the same thing. Don’t you only patrol Tuesday nights?”

Lily froze up. Her wand trembled a little bit in her hand, creating a spattering of new shadows on the walls.

“You memorized my prefect schedule,” she hissed.

Snape waited for the proverbial hammer to drop. It was one thing for Potter to be out breaking rules, but entirely another to be essentially stalking her.

“I needed to see you again.”

There was a change in his voice that Severus had never heard before. It was softer. Certainly quieter than his usual boasting during the daytime. It seemed impossible to think, but James Potter seemed to be pleading.

“I’m just gonna say it,” he sighed, “I can’t stop thinking about you—about last night. I’m going mad.”

This was hardly the first time Severus heard Potter make some sort of sweeping attempt at wooing her. That seemed like a complete waste of time on his part to come all the way out here to try again, but what happened last night? Were they seeing each other more often than he realized?

Lily didn’t draw back, nor did she make her usual face of disgust dedicated to Potter’s antics. Instead, her lips twitched into a small smile. “So what? You came here to try your luck again?”

“Well,” he hesitated, “ I guess…yes?”

They shared a silence. Severus tried his best to push himself against the statue enough to get a better view of Lily’s face. Her brow furrowed in deep contemplation, but for what reason Severus couldn't understand. The scenario seemed so simple to him—Potter was essentially giving himself over to get detention or even better, hexed because of how brazen he was acting. Instead, Lily bit her bottom lip for a second then let out an exasperated sigh.

James stepped towards her. “Lily—at least, tell me why you did it.”

It felt like a slap. Severus had never heard Potter use her first name before. He could feel his blood levels begin to rise. He knew he wasn’t exactly close to Lily anymore, but even from an outsider's perspective, it didn’t seem like the two were in any capacity to be on a first name basis and even if they were, he had no right to be soiling her name with his breath.

Lily fiddled with the ends of her hair. Her eyes blinked in rapid succession as she searched for some sort of response.

After a beat, she whispered, “I don’t know.”

Potter took another step closer. He ran his hand again through his hair, but this time it was more out of exasperation than vanity.

“How could you not know?” If Severus was confused about James’ tone before it was very clear now. Potter was unabashedly begging.

“I don’t know. I don’t know.” Lily sighed out. Her eyes were closed now in pain.

Severus was not following. It was like they were speaking in riddles that only the two of them knew the solution. Clearly, there was a huge oversight on his part about Lily’s relationship with Potter because the Lily he knew would never entertain him for this long, nor would she let her first name come out of his arrogant mouth.

James took another step closer to her. Now they weren’t more than a foot or two apart. Lily kept her eyes closed, looking as though she wished James would disappear entirely from the scene. Severus had the split thought of coming to help her. All it would take was one flick of his wand….

“But you did like it—” James’ voice sounded so small. Like a meek child asking for permission. “I mean, you were the one…I would never—”

Lily opened her eyes. A fire burned in her gaze, but it was different from the anger he saw pointed at Potter countless times. Something was smoldering within her.

“Of course I liked it,” she scoffed, “and you don’t need to remind me that I was the one who initiated it.”

Potter looked like someone blew air right into his chest and his cheeks swelled with pink. He took the smallest step closer.

“Lily—can I…touch you?”

The next few moments were a blur. It wasn’t Potter that closed the distance between them but Lily. All she had to do was lurch forward slightly for Potter’s arms to open. She grabbed onto the parts of his shirt that were bunched up around his waistline while he cradled her cheek and neck. Their faces hovered together with eyes hooded and unfocused. Severus felt a twinge of pain from his hand and realized he was grasping at the stone with all of his grip.

“Are you still unsure,” James asked. His mouth was slightly open and dangerously close to hers now. As a response, she only pulled him closer, their chests now completely glued together.

Severus held his breath. He wanted to close his eyes and make it all go away. How had he been so stupid? It was all making sense now. How Lily had stopped rowing with Potter on the grounds, how their friend groups had slowly started to intermingle, how when they partnered together right in front of him in Transfiguration Lily would even laugh at something idiotic that Potter said. He wished he had a time turner to take it all back. Find the moment where the kernel of Lily’s interest in Potter began and remove it from her entirely. Instead, he did nothing but continue to stare as his living nightmare unfolded in front of him.

“I’m sure I want you to kiss me.”

It was the death nail. Of course Potter didn’t need to be asked twice. Their lips molded together easily—it was clear they had done this before because there was no awkward hesitation, no issues with synchronicity. Their bodies were already well versed in each other and they profited from it. Lily’s hands moved to his neck, folding themselves into his messy hair which she had denounced more than a thousand times to him in the past. James' in turn were everywhere: sliding up and down her back, on her hips, caressing their way to commit every inch of her to memory.

Severus leaned his forehead on the statue for support, fearing he might faint or worse vomit from the sight. He watched the couple snog for a few minutes, hardly breaking apart long enough to breath before reconnecting again. He wanted to run, but even if he did, he would know he left Lily there to do whatever ungodly thing Potter could cook up in his arrogant mind.

They finally broke apart for a moment and Lily leaned her forehead against his to catch her breath. Their arms were still wrapped around the other and their chests beat like one.

“Go out with me,” Potter gasped out, still trying to get his breath. He stared at her intently but Lily closed her eyes and sighed.

“James—” The way she said his first name pierced Severus in the heart. How much more of this could he take before he was completely dead. At least then he would be taken out of his misery.

“I can’t,” Lily finished. She opened her eyes and both her and Severus could see that Potter was pained by her response.

“I don’t get it–” Potter started, he began to pull back but Lily grabbed hold of him tighter.

“I’m just—I’m not ready…for that,” she stammered out. “---but I don’t want this to stop either. I’m sorry, I know that’s so fucked….”

James blinked at her for a second, but then started to pepper soft kisses on her cheekbones and jaw. Lily tilted her head upwards and looked to be savoring the sensation.

“Yeah, ok. Whatever you want,” James said, “Like I told you. I’m mad about you Lily. You know that.”

Lily smiled and James went back to roaming around her neck with his lips, finding a particular sensitive spot behind her ear.

“Yea—I know,” Lily breathed out. She pulled James away from her neck so they could look at each other again.

“You're dangerous for me too you know,” she laughed lightly at her own comment, “You have no idea what you do to me—christ that sounds so stupid.”James groaned with content.

“Merlin, Lily. That’s the best thing I’ve ever heard. He closed the gap between their mouths again.

Severus finally let his legs give out underneath him. He didn’t even care if they heard him collapse to the ground. It all seemed pointless to him now. He thought about the future and how it wasn’t even an hour ago that the possibility of Lily and him being together again existed. With him, she could be safe, completely protected by the Dark Lord’s graces. Instead, here she was not only choosing to live as a target, but to do so with him.

He didn’t dare turn back to look at them again, despite hearing their soft moans and the shifting of hands moving over clothing. It felt like ages before they finally separated again.

“I think it's past our bedtimes.” He could hear the desire in Lily’s voice. His stomach sank lower.

“Hmm. Seems so,” James sounded completely chuffed.

“If you promise to be good, you can walk with me back to the common room,” Lily teased.

He could hear their feet start moving and he turned around to witness them walking almost shoulder to shoulder. Potter’s hand snaked its way around her hip and he wiggled his fingers, causing her to give a little shriek and swat at his chest.

“Evans,” Potter teased, “When am I not good?” He watched as they turned the corner together, leaving Severus in a now dark and silent corridor. He didn’t move to get up, opting to lean back against the statue for a couple more moments. The life Snape wanted had been so possible— what had he done to deserve this outcome. He took out the ruddy photo he had in his pocket again and dragged a finger over Lily’s small, childlike smile. Her eyes gleamed up from the page. It couldn’t be over—not yet, he told himself. Not until her eyes were gone from his life, would it be over.

#james potter #jily #lily evans #hp #jily fanfiction #marauders era #Severus snape #jily week 2024 #jily week day 7 #the secret pre dating but snogging jily era is so important to me #I also just love torturing snape #jple #james x lily #Snape POV

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honeylations · 1 year ago

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CHANELLE MOON x FEM!READER

Prompt: You break up with your boyfriend because you fell in love with your bestfriend. And she’s very much in love with you too.

Warnings/Notes: Soccer player/captain Chanelle, high school au, violence, bestfriends to lovers YEEEHEEEE

A/N: Because we love Chanelle <3

BRO HER SMILE???

Got me fucked up fr.

OKIE TO THE STORY✨

———

You stared at your reflection in the school bathroom mirror, reassuring yourself that everything was going to be okay, that you’re only following what your heart wanted. But not matter how many breaths you took, your heart was still beating painfully fast from the anxiety.

“I knew I’d find you here, loser” Jiwoo spoke.

You didn’t even hear her come in.

“Sorry, was fixing my lipstick” you lied and Jiwoo could see it.

“It’s okay to feel nervous, Y/n. This is for the sake of your heart”

You looked at her and slowly nodded. “You’re right”

“Come on, let’s get this over with”

Once you reached the soccer field, you saw Chanelle waving at you happily from afar, already sweaty from the drills she went through with the team. You waved back before walking over to where the boys soccer team were training.

Soobin ran towards you, about to wrap his arms around your waist but you were quick enough to stop him. “Everything alright, babe?”

The name made you cringe.

“Soobin, I wanna talk privately” You said while fiddling with your fingers.

“I’m in the middle of practice” He frowned.

“Just for a few minutes, please?”

The rest of his team appeared behind him, Yeonjun juggling the ball between his hands when he smiled at you.

“Hey sis”

“Hi Yeon. Can I speak with Soobin please?” You asked your older brother.

“Yeah of course-“

“Y/n, I don’t have time for this. If you have something to say, then my boys can hear it too” He scoffed and crossed his arms.

Jiwoo rolled her eyes and raised her brows at you to just say it. “Alright then. I want to break up”

The smirk he had died down immediately, arrogance turning into confusion, then turning into anger.

“What?”

“You heard me Soobin. These past weeks of being with you, I noticed you don’t even treat me right as your girlfriend. Everything always had to be your way no matter how inconvenient yet they were. Oh and to mention that you openly flirt with other girls but get mad at me when I ask Huening Kai for his study notes?”

“I-I…”

“Don’t even try to defend your actions because you knew what you did was wrong but it sadly hurts your ego to man up and own up to your mistakes and that’s what my brother and friends warned me about”

Soobin looked at Yeonjun who death stared him.

“And also I’m in love with someone else” You finally confessed. “Someone who actually cared about me and took my feelings into consideration when you never did”

The taller boy’s jaw clenched as he stepped closer. “You can’t break up with me”

“Oh? And why’s that?”

He abruptly held your wrist tightly. “Because I said so, you’re gonna be my girlfriend whether you like it or not”

Yeonjun dropped the ball and approached Soobin out of anger only to get shoved away. “Fuck off Yeonjun”

“Don’t fucking touch my sister, you worthless piece of shit!” He yelled, trying to escape Taehyun’s hold.

“Chanelle…isn’t that Y/n?” Moa pointed.

The said girl looked behind her, seeing your pained and scared expression when Soobin forcefully grabbed you and pushing your brother.

“Fuck” Chanelle grabbed the soccer ball and ran towards you with Moa and Iroha following.

She ditched the ball hard into Soobin’s face who fell backwards. “AH!”

Chanelle was quick to look at your wrist, blood boiling at the bruise the boy left behind. “Are you okay?”

You didn’t get time to answer when Soobin stood back up and harshly shoved Chanelle into you that you both fell over, your head hitting the ground quite hard.

“Piece of shit!” Chanelle got back up and threw her fist into Soobin’s face, a gross crack heard by the entire crowd.

“Y/n!” Jiwoo and Iroha helped you sit up, gasping at the blood that started to drip from your nose.

On the other hand, Chanelle was completely on top of the boy, swinging at his face and ignoring the pain she was feeling in her knuckles. Yeonjun pushed in and yanked Chanelle away from the bleeding Soobin.

“I fucking hated you from the start, Choi Soobin. I’ll kill you next time” The taller girl growled, shrugging away Yeonjun’s hands.

“And next time, I’ll help” Yeonjun added to the threat.

“Chanelle, take care of my sister please. I’ll deal with this idiot first”

The female soccer captain nodded and kneeled in front of you, cupping your face. “Y/n?”

“I don’t think I can stand. My head hurts so much” You whined, accepting the tissue Moa was shoving in your face.

Chanelle hooked one arm under your back and the other under your knees, carrying you bridal style. “I’ll carry you to the nurse’s office then”

“This is so kdrama coded” Iroha whispered to Jiwoo who laughed.

“T-Thank you” You mumbled shyly, hiding your red face into her neck.

“Moa, can you take charge of training?”

Moa saluted cutely. “Yes boss!”

Finally being treated by the nurse, your blood nose stopped and Chanelle held an ice pack on your wrist, her own knuckles being kindly wrapped up by the nurse.

“I need to send papers to the principal about this so I’ll leave you two here. Just close the door properly before you go” The nurse said, you and Chanelle nodding in response.

“Are your hands okay?” You whispered.

“Why are you whispering?” Chanelle whispered back that made you chuckle.

“I’m still shaken up about what happened. I didn’t expect Soobin to react like that”

Chanelle placed the ice pack on the table beside her and held your hands out of comfort. “What happened anyways?”

“I dumped him, that’s what happened” You looked away.

The soccer captain couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief wash over her body. “Why?”

Looking back into her charming eyes, you smiled. “Because I’m in love with someone else”

Chanelle felt her hope jump out the window. “Oh…May I ask who?”

You noticed the slight disappointment in her tone which got you giggling. She looked so cute trying to hide her jealousy. “Well she’s on your soccer team”

“Eh? Is it Moa? She is quite smart isnt she”

You cupped her face and squished her cheeks together. “You’re so dumb”

“Hey! Don’t be mean, I’m trying to be supportive here”

“Ugh you idiot, it’s not Moa! It’s you! I love youuuu~” You cooed.

Chanelle’s eyes sparkled. “Huhhhhhhhh? You love me? Me??? As in Choi Y/n loves Chanelle Moon?!!”

You laughed as Chanelle moved closer. “Say it again so I know I’m not dreaming”

“I love you, loser!”

Chanelle punched the air to show her victory. “I love you too, Y/n. I always have” she held your waist lovingly.

Without thinking, you leaned in and pressed your lips against her’s, clearly catching her off guard but she returned the gesture anyways. Your arms moved around her neck, letting her tower over your sitting position on the bed. She pulled away and leaned her forehead against your’s.

“I’m so happy, Y/n. You make me so happy”

“Good. I’d be worried if I didn’t”

“Don’t make me take back what I said” She frowned.

“You’re such a baby~” You looked at her lips.

“I’m your baby”

“Yes. Yes you are” You smiled and this time Chanelle made the move to kiss you.

A/N: ok so I wrote this before I found out our baby girl got eliminated T^T

I’ll remain delusional :p

#gxg #wlw #Chanelle moon #Chanelle x reader #r u next x reader #r u next

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sparkyblizz · 6 months ago

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I need to talk about Robonyan and B3-NK1. if you're a fan of whatever the hell these two have going on, please read through this entire post I beg you. (I am a Fellow Fan of whatever the hell these two have going on and I'm just rambling about the hilarity of the writer's decisions, especially looking at episode 119.)

I'm gonna set the scene. been a fan of the game for years. used to watch the anime with my parents back when it aired on TV. I watched episode 23. even back then, even though it was the dub, with reanimated scenes, I picked up on what they were putting down. eventually forgot about this, went about my life. years later, talking about queercoding in video games with friend. bring up Yo-Kai Watch, talking about another instance of queerness, and then I remember episode 23. go to the wiki, research it. lose my shit when I find out that the version that I saw on TV was edited to make it less suggestive. also lost my shit when the wiki said the Latin American dub skipped it entirely. I just need you to know that because it's hilarious to me.

I ended up rewatching said episode, but the subbed version. the original, unedited version. holy shit. anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. I learned about episode 85 and the Komasan Taxi segment. I watched it (subbed version). it seems the complaints may be from real viewers. I can't say I can prove that, but it is extremely funny, because Robonyan (at this point upgraded to Robonyan F) gets put on blast by someone's disapproving mother. Robonyan F becomes increasingly more mortified, trying to explain what happened by first saying that he's from the future and it's different there (hilarious excuse, based) and that it's B3-NK1's fault (which, I mean, he was the one who stuck his naginata in Robonyan, so, fair enough man). you might think at this point that the writers are gonna try and backtrack, apologise, something! you would be wrong. they FUCKING DOUBLE DOWN. Koma bros bring B3-NK1 in. guy is friendly and immediately initiates conversation with Robonyan F who cannot handle this situation at all, and the fact B3-NK1 just comes off friendly and relatively casual is amazing to me. (at least, that's how the subs where I watched it portrayed him.) peak writing decision. Robonyan F tries to not be horny, ends up being horny anyway. writers are committed to the bit. AND THEN THERE'S EPISODE 119. I only briefly perused tumblr to see what the fandom's got to say and I had yet to see anyone acknowledge episode 119. I myself was intent upon finding it and watching it after I see this in the wiki.

me, looking at the wiki saying B3-NK1 "distracted" Robonyan F: "what do you mean by that?" I just had to know the full context. so I watched the episode (subbed as well). and if you haven't seen it, let me explain its relevance. Nate and several other Yo-Kai end up competing in a grand prix. one of the racers is Robonyan F. according to the subs (which I know may differ depending on where you watch the show), Robonyan F is the crowd favourite. he's got a cool ass car (that he himself seems to be a part of) that manages to break free of the ice that trapped everyone else, caused by Blizzaria, who is also one of the racers. B3-NK1 is cheering for Robonyan F. he has a flag with Robonyan F's face on it attached to his naginata. he says that as they're both mechanical yo-kai, he'll cheer him on. he waves the flag excitedly. he then does something reminiscent of a cheerleader—he shouts "Hooray! Hooray!" then cheers Robonyan F's name, punctuating each syllable by swinging the flag—and his naginata—in a different direction. he then twirls it in his hand and it spins out of his grip and out of control, and ends up flying onto the track and embedding itself in the rear of Robonyan F's car. this causes him to lose control, the car starts transforming into references to different anime, and then promptly veers off the racetrack and smashes into a rock, making him the first racer to lose. he is in eighth place, LAST PLACE. that detail is hilarious and important to me. what this episode tells me is that the writers not only doubled down, THEY TRIPLED DOWN. they did it again! they made the joke again! and the way they do it is criminally funny. I'm just imagining that in the writer's room, they decided that they needed Robonyan F in this race because robot and robot car. but Nate has to win the race, which means everyone else has to lose in an interesting way. what's the best way to make him lose? reference episode 23 again! B3-NK1 is here purely for the joke! he's cheering him on, excitedly to boot! he seems genuinely happy to be here! but oops! he accidentally loses control of his naginata and it goes and stabs Robonyan F's car, and by proxy him, in the ass, and is what puts him in last place. FUCKING L. has this happened enough times for it to be a running gag? it might as well be one!

anyway I just like episode 119's implication that B3-NK1 at the very least likes Robonyan F, enough to cheer him on happily. even if it's just for a gag! love wins!

#sparkyblizz speaks #yo-kai watch #robonyan f #robonyan #b3-nk1 #b3nk1 #benrobo #yo-kai watch episode 23 #yo-kai watch episode 85 #yo-kai watch episode 119

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viaphni · 1 month ago

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Thoughts on Elemental Rising Pilot

I should say before finishing this that i only watched Split's POV so i dont know how much of this applies to everyone else

Ok ive been pretty hyped for ER for a WHILE now and the pilot absolutely did not disappoint. For being basically a whole movie i think it was very good at keeping engagement and intrigue, and I think that was really helped by the fact that all the mains are voiced . And the editing was GREAT

It having the level of voice actors that it did made the characters REALLY lovable. like you could Feel the friendship between them all and how they clicked. It felt like they were actually friends which is something a good chunk of steve shows dont really get right

I also love that the protags are like . thieves and criminals and stuff. Interesting eyes to see through

AND LIKE THE WORLD FEELS SO FLESHED OUT? Like moreso than steve shows typically do at the start. It felt so alive . AND THEY HAVE WOMEN TOO!!!!!! SO THATS SICK I LOVE THAT !!!'n AND they all have different powersets which is so sick. + steve shows gotta have the classic "The War" trope so i wonder when we'll learn more about it

It sort of reminded me of RR S1

Them descending into the cave and finding the gemstones made me so happy because i was IMMEDIATELY able to recognize it as the places from the teaser photos

When the teasers first came out I assumed that there was some like chosen one type stuff going on and i really didmt expect it to just be some thieves wanting to make some money

Seeing them all gather their respective gems and connect with the elements was really interesting. Kai especially since his seemed really??? I dont know he was acting so on edge that whole time

I loved the scene where they were sat around camp and sharing their life stories. And also they have AGES that are confirmed and i think ive only seen a couple steve shows do that so its good to see more

Some of my favorite little things were like

benji going invisible and scaring ace from behind

The group teasing each other and generally being very silly

None of the exposition felt super forced, most of it felt pretty eased in

Characters had very distinct personalities and ways of acting

Characters all had distinct DESIGNS

ITS SO GOOOOOOOOD IM ACTUALLY TWEAKING OOOUTTT

But like

I think my favorite scene from the whole thing

Is probably where they discovered the kingdom burning

Particularly the. i don't remember how exactly what it was worded as, but: "Thats not snow, thats dust" stuck with me really hard in particular

Like thats not snow thats ASH and everything is BURNING DOWN

and it happened so quickly too

Just minutes ago they were laughing at the idea of the flame king being near and they went home to find That

The acting there was VERY good

The thing that stuck with me the most was when Benji said "Kai?! Kai, what do we do?!" when they were cornered against the king

the DESPERATION

Kai's also the oldest i think so looking to him for help ouugfufufh theyre such a FAMILY theyre BROTHERSSSSS

AND THEN THEY ALL DIE I GUESS. THEY ALL JUST EXPLODE I GUESS. THE ANIMATION

THE HORROR in their voices when Kai got killed was SO REAL😭 My jaw was on the FLOOR

LIKE WHAT IS GOING ON

a few minutes ago it was so silly teehe hahahahha BUT NOOO theryre COOKED

LITERALLY

BUT LIKE THEY HAVE TO COME BACK THOUGH

PHONEIX RISE FROM THE ASHES

They will come back trust ☺️

I really do wonder what would happen otherwise though??? Because it would be pointless writing to develop characters and then just..,,,,,,,, poof

I domt know

How i look as a steve show fan wanting characters to live

That was extremely well made but the ending had the RR S2 finale effect on me and now I dont want to engage with it again until it next releases

I dont know i just have a skill issue but it makes my brain so upset when theres not much buildup and them BOOM DIE like it makes me a lot less interested . especially for the Pilot Episode

But also it IS the pilot episode and theres reasons for everything going on and it Will continue and i Will watch so. yeah

Was very well made enjoyed watching very much very good/10 will NOT be watching past 1:36:18 ever again thank you

#elemental rising #That was very well made #But now im just #Iffy #ITS ALWAYS THOSE QUICK PACED ENDINGS THEY ALWAYS GET ME TOO BADLY #I have a skill issue those endings are just so upsetting to me personally #I dont know #like #For the PILOT #huuugggusuuuuhh #i cant wait for when they reincarnate and go on an epic happy silly slicd of life adventure

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ramspatula · 6 months ago

Text

Galanthus Nivalis | Zane Julien x fem!reader

I love you, Mr Julien and that’s the problem. Because you’ll never love me. It’s not in your programming.

“There’s nothing here but a load of junk!”

Zane felt an unease fall over him. No. Jay was not correct. There was something here. Something he needed. The military site had been abandoned decades ago when the base suddenly collapsed in itself. It was a secret society in itself. The site hadn’t been found since the survivors left. Many whom are dead now. Zane knelt down. Ignoring how the white of his gi dirtied on the ashy floor beneath him. He moved a piece of rubble to see a chip. He picked it up and analysed it before turning it over and carefully wiping the dirt off the back so he could read what had been labelled on it.

‘Galanthus Nivalis’ - (Snowdrops)

Zane felt his body seize up before he carefully wrapped his hand around the chip and held it to where his heart would be. A distant yell brought him out his daze. Lloyd was trying to round up all the ninja in order to make their way back to the monastery. Zane quickly moved some more rubble and saw a dirtied manual that was now discoloured and had the corner singed from what ever fire had caused the building to collapse. He put both the chip and the manual into his gi’s pocket and made his way back to the group.

“Well that was a waste of time.” Cole said, arms crossed and leaning against the wall of the bounty.

“I totally forgot to give Pearl my laundry as well.” Kai also complained and Lloyd shoved him.

“First of all- Wash your own clothes. Second. We got the call and the coordinates. Clearly we were needed here for something.” Lloyd told him and Zane felt himself frown.

“I did not receive any call… it is not in our voicemail records.” Zane said and Lloyd frowned.

“Well not us- but the military who sent it to the commissioner- who got in contact with us.” Lloyd explained and the others nodded.

“Can I hear this message?” Zane asked and Lloyd shrugged before typing on the Bounty’s control deck.

“I’d have to ask Peach… she’s got the transmitter- it was sent through this old radio thing and the military had only found the thing and got it working the other day… it’s part of the original distress call. It was only recovered the other day.” Lloyd explained as the others listened.

“Holy shit- wait were we just in a burial ground?!” Jay freaked and Kai hit him upside the head.

“It is not clear what happened when the site collapsed but those survivors do not and have not spoke of it since… many were just moved to another site afterwards so it can be assumed that it was just an unfortunate incident.” Zane told him and Jay nodded.

A phone call from the Police commissioner interrupted their conversation.

“Sir?” Lloyd answered and he heard the commissioner sigh.

“Any luck boys?” He asked and Lloyd with his mask on shook his head.

“We’re not quite sure what we’re looking for.” Lloyd admitted and the commission t’sked before there was some rumbling on the line and a new voice could be heard.

“This is colonel Froy. I hope you know I lost many of my men and people I considered family at that site… what you’re looking for is anything of importance. What they were doing there, no one knew about and well, we want to know about it. So have you boys found anything?!” The colonel questioned and Zane felt immediately defensive over the chip in his pocket.

“A couple burnt medals, singed books, a few weapons. All the files are empty. There’s a lot of rubble here though, you’d be best to have an excavation team out here rather than us.” Lloyd told the man who sighed.

“Whatever out there went for them… can surely try again. It’s bear for those more durable than others to look… they were doing some wild shit out there if none of us were allowed to know about it. I don’t think I could bear the thought of someone else finding out before us.” The colonel said and Lloyd was quick to answer.

“Then we’ll make sure that there’s nothing of value here. We’ll let you know once we’re finished here.” The call ended and the rest of the ninja groaned.

“There is literally nothing here!” Jay exclaimed and kicked some storage box on the deck of the bounty aside.

“I don’t think I can bare moving anymore rubble today.” Cole added and the rest nodded.

“I have scanned the area… there is nothing of any significance to the military here.” Zane added to the ninja’s surprise.

“Zane… that’s not very like you.” Lloyd said, suspiciously. “What have you found today?” He asked Zane who stared blankly at him.

“Nothing of any importance to you or the military.” Zane told Lloyd who eyed him weirdly before turning to the others.

“One more search and then we’ll go home.” Lloyd concluded and the ninjas groaned.

“The first thing I go on without Nya in years and now I’m not going to see her till I go to bed!” Jay exclaimed and Kai pushed his shoulder.

“Yeah she needs the time away from you unlike my girl! She’s still just settling into the monastery!” Kai exclaimed and Cole shoved them both off the deck.

“Seriously Lloyd. I’m going to have a deodorant can hurled at my forehead for this. You owe me one.” Cole said to Lloyd who continued typing on the Bounty’s computer.

“My wife isn’t going to be pleased either… it’s just how our jobs work. They get it… Peach has to go on missions too. I get it.” Lloyd explained and Cole frowned.

“Yeah well… Maybe she’d enjoy her husband being home with her more often… Want to help me with some rubble, Zane?” Cole asked and Zane shook his head.

“I will head down shortly.” He said and Cole nodded before jumping off the Bounty. Zane turned to Lloyd who rubbed his temples. “I think it’s right to add that Peach does not react as extreme as Pearl does to these late missions.” Zane added and Lloyd briefly looked back at him.

“Yeah I know… we talk a lot more than they think we do. Cole just hears it all from Pearl it’s not… it’s not that hard for us. Not as it has been.” Lloyd took a deep breath and faced Zane. “You understand, right?” Zane did understand. He understood all the complications that came from loving someone. Even after being separated from each other for a long time and after thinking that they no longer existed. “I mean you and Pixal have been with each other for almost as long as us.” Yes. Him and Pixal.

“Yes, I understand.” Zane nodded and walked away and got off the bounty. He took the chip out his pocket and sighed before clenching his fist around it.

He should leave it here. She wouldn’t want this. She didn’t want this. But there is humanity in a program. A program that he missed dearly.

Whoever said robots couldn’t be selfish were deadly wrong. Zane was proof as he shoved the chip back in his pocket.

“Did you find something?” Cole asked, noticing Zane who sighed.

“It is complicated…” He said and Cole frowned. “I’ve found something significant to me although the true purpose cannot be served anymore which would make it useless but that is so demeaning to what this truly holds.” He said, distress evident in his face as Cole tried to decode what his upset friend meant.

“You really are weird, Zane.” He settled on and went back to hurling rubble.

“You are Zane Julien, and you still have a purpose, mine is long finished. Goodbye, Zane.”

“Someone once gave up their only form of life for me. If I can give them another form, should I do it?” Zane asked and Cole paused.

“Did you find something? Zane?” Cole asked and Zane nodded.

“I did.” He told him and Cole just nodded, walking away.

“They’re your friends Zane, your family, they need you. As I was once needed. A program is only useful if there is a need for it. You are needed.”

“I shouldn’t be alive”

“Neither should I, I am outdated. You are not. And you never will be. That is how you are built.”

He shouldn’t feel guilty. He shouldn’t feel. But he does. And it’s this guilt that leads him to not speak. To keep his silence about the programme in his pocket. He knew all about Galanthus Nivalis. He knew all about Snowdrops. And most importantly, he knew what they were looking for. He knew where she was.

Do you remember me, Mr Julien? I remember you. I remember everything.

“Galanthus Nivalis. That is our mission. What we are here for. What I was made for. We cannot keep quiet much longer. They will find us. I cannot initiate order protocol herbicides. I will not.” Peach sighed as the same message played again. She hit the old communicator slightly and if finally continued. “I do not have a name. I was a program built to help those with low communication and run all demands smoothly. Ensuring a strong connection all around the base whilst being a modern step towards an advanced future. The children called me Snowdrops. But I found that if you arrange the all the main letters of my manual, it spells Y/n. That is my name. What I would like to be remembered as. Not just a programme, if that is possible.”

Peach jumped up, making Pearl tumble in shock.

“Yes! Yes!” She exclaimed and Pearl looked at her dumbfounded.

“What?!” Pearl asked.

“There’s more of the message! I know what they’re looking for! This programme thingy! Pixal what can you tell us about Galanthus Nivalis and Snowdrops or Y/n!” Peach asked and the nindroid looked towards her, she was using her actual body today.

“Nothing.” The nindroid answered and Peach paused before Pearl began laughing.

“What?” Peach asked, perplexed.

“There is no record of Galnthus Nivalis or any programme like anywhere.” The droid said and Peach looked around.

“Oh my god… I’m going to have to start reading books.” She said and Pearl laughed more.

“What’s going on?” Cherry asked, that was not her name, everyone had just talk to calling her a set of different nicknames till they found one that fit. Peach really started a whole thing with having to cover up her name for years.

“The nindroid doesn’t know anything and I have to start searching books! I’m having a horrible day.” Peach vented and stepped over Pearl’s body on the floor.

“I can always check my Dad’s old archive for anything on programmes and military deals. He dealt specific high tech equipment and was shady in doing so… that’s why he ended up where he was.” Cherry asked and Peach nodded.

“Yes, please-! And your Dad’s business wasn’t the reason. It was Harumi and her pathetic need to hurt everyone.” Peach told the girl, offering her an encouraging smile.

“Fuck that hoe.” Pearl said, unceremoniously.

“Exactly that.” Peach said and winked causing Cherry to laugh.

“Made me think my man was dead.” Pearl added and the others turned to her as she vented to the floor. “Had just lost my best friend as well.” She said and Peach shook her head.

“I wasn’t dead, you just thought I was.”

“Because it said you were.” Pixal added and Peach paused.

“Well I wasn’t. Almost. But not.” Peach added and Pearl sat up.

“We’re seriously not talking about this again? It’s 1am girls, what are you still doing up?” Cole asked and swiftly dodged the TV remote that was dashed at his head.

“Waiting for you, dickhead!” Pearl swore and Cole made his way over to her.

“Zane! Just who I wanted to speak to!” Peach said, much to Lloyd’s disappointment, who assumed his wife would be most pleased to see him. “Pixal knows nothing so I need to know what you know about Galanthus Nivalis!” Peach announced and Lloyd frowned. Somehow missing how Zane completely froze up.

“You found out more?!” He asked and she pressed play on the audio log again and it repeated the message.

“Another programme? Like an Ai?” Jay asked and Zane nodded.

“Snowdrop is an advanced program. She was built by someone whose brilliance got her shot before she could expand on Snowdrop. Forever stuck in one model. Never updating.” There was a longing in his voice. Everyone looked at him perplexed.

“You know about this?!” Kai asked and Zane turned around.

“Galanthus Nivalis is something that we should never touch or let others know existed once. It is best to destroy this message and terminate any further action. Galanthus Nivalis was a haven for manslaughter and misguided attempts at furthering knowledge. It is best that can of worms remains closed.” Zane finished before walking away.

“How the hell did he know about that?” Cole questioned.

“Zane knows everything.” Pearl said, from where she laid dormant on the floor.

Zane didn’t sleep. He was a nindroid. But he did overthink. Pixal had sent herself in the samurai-X suit over to the prison to handle some rogue inmates. She likes these lower level jobs and spent every night doing them, meaning Zane was left alone in the monastery at night. Although they shared his heart, they did not feel love. Not anymore. Both had agreed long ago, that they were companions. They were not in a relationship. Pixal had lost many of her emotional response programmes after she merged herself with a body and AI. Borg offered to alter this but Pixal had disagreed and Zane didn’t object to Pixal’s wishes. Even if the loss of their relationship did affect his own emotional response stimulus. He had never told anyone about Snowdrops or snow. However he had mentioned Y/n to Pixal.

“I’ve been able to contact another programme and I believe nindroid! She shares a similar consensus to you, her name is P. I. X. A. L.”

“Pixal?”

“You know this nindroid?”

“Yes, I do. You do not have to do this.”

“By accessing her through my limited network access, I can bypass you through into hers and therefore gain you access to the world hub.”

“Thank you, Y/n, how will I ever repay you?”

“Serve your purpose, Zane.”

They had co-existed as two dead programmes. His short contact with the main power grid of ninjago had widened his access to different networks and data immediately. However, a reserve network that was running off minimal reserve power had absorbed some of his connection and harnessed it. Resulting in his existence in this abyss of old military records and all the files on Galanthus Nivalis. This data base and system didn’t feel as content as his own main frame and control grid had. The codes were different and Y/n existed as a 3D model of a feminine figure with visible codes running down her body. She could’ve easily been confused as human if it wasn’t for her translucent body with codes constantly running down her body.

Zane had been wrong though. Where they were was not some reserve power grid. It was her version of the digiverse. And he had been granted access to it through his brief contact with her. She admitted that she had an empathy function that made it so she felt emotions of longing and his permission was given as a quick response to the hope of not being lonely for longer. Which made him feel even more guilty and gave him the motivation to pick up the chip and march over to control grid of the monastery. He flipped a latch open where there was multiple wires and ports for different outlets. He presses the chip into the correct port without hesitation.

‘Galanthus Nivalis, Project Snowdrop initiated. Please prepare for changes as the system uploads to your server.’ The loading bar on the holoscreen made him even more nervous as it was quick to fill and soon a 3D model of a woman was turning to face him.

‘Mr Julien, do I detect an empathy response and stimuli?” Zane smiled. Y/n always had so much personality, she was built to be loving, a friend, someone people would want in a time of need. She filled more roles than any Ai had ever before.

“Yes, I can feel, I can love, it is in my programme.” He told her and her face lit up.

“It is in mine.” She said before suddenly everything in the monastery shut off except her. “The system is rebooting. I am assessing your security protocols. They are drastically different to mine.” She elaborated and Zane’s eyes widened in shock.

“Y/n- Snow- No!” Alarms suddenly blared, and the monastery began locking down. It turned off almost as quickly as it blared.

“Emergency response time is low. That isn’t good. Your security protocols are not as strict as one would hope.” She said and multiple others came tumbling into the room.

“Who decided an emergency drill was necessary right now?!” Jay’s voice whined out. His sleeping mask on his forehead. Cole stood next to him, matching mask on his forehead too.

“This better be good, Pearl shot up like a light and summoned my grandma in her fear!” Cole added, a lethargic Pearl appeared next to him.

“I know so many facts about carnations! Number one, they don’t fucking squeal in the dead of the morning!” Pearl yelled and Peach shoved her.

“Zane, talk to us. What’s going on?” Peach said and Zane stayed frozen as the 3D figure became life sized and walked to the ninjas.

“I am Y/n. Or Snowdrop! The first AI reality model. I offer humanity and I am designed to make your life easier!” The Ai introduced herself but the others froze. Peach specifically.

“Y/n?” Peach said, matter of fact. “Snowdrops? Like- like that thing we’ve been talking about all day-“

“Yeah, yeah- whatever Peach is saying. Did she just say that she’s designed to make our life easier? Like she’s actually going to a part of it easier? Who is this again?” Kai asked, Cherry following in behind him.

“What Y/n means is that she will run the monastery. She was designed for more domestic purposes but can learn different purposes. Y/n would be able to take over all security protocols and make sure the monastery is protected whilst we’re not here along with her companionship protocols. She can teach the monks their academic classes, this would lessen the stress on the older monks.” Zane elaborated.

“That’s great, really, but- why was now the time you decided to boot her up and have her take over our home?” Lloyd asked. Kai nodded, Cherry leaned on him, trying to stay awake.

“It is- I- the emergency drill was not intended to happen.” Zane tried to explain himself.

“You’re security protocols are mundane at best for high profile beings and place. In an event of another attack, it would not hold up against the kind of targets you expect.” Y/n told them.

“I, along with Pixal, made those security protocols.” Nya defended and Y/n nodded in her direction.

“I’m sorry if I have offended you but I was taught that it always better to be safe than sorry.” Y/n told her and Nya’s face dropped.

“Taught? Or programmed?” She asked and Zane’s face morphed into disappointment.

“Taught. Do you believe those of us who are encrypted with programming cannot learn?” Zane asked and Nya’s face dropped.

“No- I just meant-!” Nya tried to cover herself.

“It is alright. I understand the pre-conceived notion that all programs and intelligence systems do not have sentience or internal processes similar to internal cognitive ones.” Y/n spoke up and Zane shook his head.

“That’s not what I think- I’m just…” Nya sighed and rubbed her face.

“I think we should all head back to bed and regroup about this in the morning. Sound good?” Lloyd asked and everyone around nodded.

“Whatever gets me back in bed.” Cole told him as Pearl trailed behind him.

“-no! Your hair is not going to be crimped. We bought those silk pillow cases for that reason!” Kai could be heard telling Cherry who was clutching her heatless curls band.

“Zane can I quickly have a word?” Lloyd asked and Zane nodded. Peach stopped herself from leaving to stay with him only for Lloyd to shake his head and kiss her cheek before sending her off with the promise that he’d be back in bed soon.

Lloyd waited until the others were all gone before turning to the nindroid in question.

“Okay, who is Snowdrop and why has she took over our systems?” Lloyd asked and Zane looked away, shyly.

“Snowdrop is an artificial-“ Zane began but Lloyd shook his head.

“No. Who is she, Zane? Who is she to you and what made you decide to bring her here?” Lloyd specified and Zane looked up at him for a moment before back at Y/n who nodded.

“Back when I destroyed myself in defeating the overlord, a piece of my hardware had been kept in a reserve store. I didn’t place it there, I had brief contact when we had gone to the power plant and Y/n, detecting my brief presence, acted quickly and redirected a part of my consciousness to be stored in the reserve store where her program was being kept originally. It was hidden and unknown. She had been there for almost 20 years.” Zane explained and Lloyd nodded, telling him to continue. “We spend months just existing together and re-piecing my program together and my memory before Y/n was able to detect Pixal and the reminent of my body and original hardware. She was able to create a direct link into Borg’s systems where I made contact with Pixal again and later transferred myself back into my body. It took a while for the full transition and my memory pieces together over time but my elemental power was still strong within me until Chen’s island and all of that happened.” Zane said and Lloyd frowned.

“And what happened to Snow? That was almost a decade ago, Zane.” Lloyd asked and Zane looked down, ashamed.

“I went to go find her again but the location we had been in, hidden and unknown… was gone. The link to it was gone and to her too. And then I was occupied on Chen’s island and I searched afterwards with no luck. And then I found the last record of her program amongst all the rubble, it called out to me and I knew I had to bring her back, to be with her again. Now that I am able to.” Zane told him and Lloyd nodded.

“I get that, I really do Zane but Y/n doesn’t belong with us. Especially if the military is after her. She is obviously needed for another purpose.” Lloyd told her. “She is a part of Galanthus Nivalis is she not?” He asked and Zane frowned.

“They intend to destroy her! She had no purpose with them but she does with us! I can’t let them do that, Lloyd.” Zane defended and Lloyd placed a hand on his shoulder.

“With you, Zane. You care for her. Enough to take her program and enough to install it into our home just to see her again. Now, I’m going to go back to bed and I’ll talk to you first thing when I wake up. But we really need to consider our options here.” Lloyd told him before making his way out the room.

Zane turned back to Y/n who stared at him. He sighed and looked into her eyes that met him perfectly. He couldn’t give her up or send her away or let her be completely destroyed especially after he had finally got her back.

“I won’t let them take you.” He declared and she smiled.

“I’m afraid your friend is right.” Y/n told him and he frowned. “I don’t belong here. I am outdated and like you said, I have no purpose. A program is only useful-“ Y/n began but was cut off.

“-if it is needed. I know.” Zane sighed and looked at her again. “You are needed. You can have a new purpose, with us and the monastery. You say you are outdated yet within the first few minutes you detected that there were issues with our security. A couple updates here and there can solve any outdated concerns.” Zane told Y/n who smiled.

“You do care for me, Mr Julien.” Y/n stated and Zane smiled.

“Of course, it’s in my programming.” He told her and she smiled.

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xxspringmelodyxx · 1 year ago

Text

Betrayal (Ch. III) ~

Hello my lovely readers! Here is the third chapter for y’all! I’m going to keep it short so you can get on to reading this! Enjoy~

A few weeks had passed, and you were healing up nicely. Kai would check up on you every now and then to make sure the wounds were still stitched together, but that was about it. All the other times he came to you were to talk about what has been going on since you were last attacked.

During these past few weeks, you have become much closer to him. You had learned a lot about Kai and his family, and he learned a lot about you. You told him of what happened to you and Morax, about Guizhong, and about what is causing these creatures to reappear. Knowing that people he loved died because of another archon lit something inside of him. He couldn’t believe someone would do something so horrendous just to keep someone away.

After you told him your stories, he then told you his story. You learned that he had an older sister and a mother, Kiana and Amai.. He told you they were wonderful and smart people. His mother was a doctor, which is where Kai learned all of his medical knowledge from. His sister was a soldier, working and protecting their small town from other dangers.

When you asked about his dad, he told you he barely knew him since he died at a young age. He died right when Asuka was born due to an unknown disease. All he could remember was that he was a wonderful dad. He was the commander of the soldiers, telling them where to go and what to do. But he didn't just give orders. He fought along them. He wasn’t scared to fight as he knew he was doing it for the good of his people. He was also known to be a very kind and open-minded man, even after all he’s gone through.

The day of his death was a painful one. Not just for his family, but for everyone else. He was a good man, and an honorable one at that. Many people came to his funeral to give their thanks to him and his family. After he died, Kai’s mother, sister, and brother were all he had left. However, a few years later, this changed drastically when they went to a small forest.

He told you he remembered it like it was yesterday. They were all out scavenging for food to cook. They had been out there for a few hours with no issues. That was until Kiana went to go search for some berries on her own. A good 30 minutes had passed when all of a sudden, he heard his sister scream loudly. Amai snapped her head towards the direction and immediately followed the sound, fearful of what she would find.

She sprinted as fast as she could, but not fast enough unfortunately.

Once Amai made it to her daughter, her eyes widened as tears instantly began to fall. In front of her, Amai saw her very own daughter dead on the ground, bears tearing her apart. She yelled out of instinct, causing the bears to chase after her as well. Amai quickly ran back, trying to save herself so that she could reach Asuka and Kai, but she had tripped over a large tree stump that was out of her sight. She had hurt herself going down, resulting in the bears catching up to her.

Kai heard his mother scream in terror, making him grab onto Asuka. Without thinking, he ran away back to the town, fearing his and Asuka’s life. Tears were streaming down Kai’s face as he knew he had just lost his sister and his mother, leaving only him and his little brother..

He still remembers hearing Asuka’s cries as he wanted his mother. Kai was only 11, while Asuka was only 1.

When he told you, you apologized to him, horrified to hear what he and Asuka had to go through. He told you not to be sorry as it wasn’t your fault. He even said you reminded him of his sister. Very ambitious and strong. That’s when he started to treat you as a sisterly figure, causing him to be protective of you every now and then.

This led you two to have a strong bond together. Not only with Kai, but also with the other two. Even after what happened to them, they still stood strong and worked their way through it. You even thought they were braver than some of the archons you knew, especially Airi.

You knew her parents died due to the wolves that Guizhong created, but you didn’t know how long ago it was.

While you were still new to the area after being severely wounded, Kai told you what happened to her parents. Apparently her mother and father went out to go help buy supplies for the town. They bought things such as food, water, clothing, weapons, etc. They did everything they could to help around. Unfortunately, luck was not on their side this time.

When they went out to buy more items, the sun had already disappeared behind the horizon. Unbeknownst to them, a pack of wolves had already been wandering around, lurking in the dark. When they caught sight of the mother, they gathered up and attacked her. The husband saw this and tried to help his wife, fighting with all he had to stop the wolves. But just two of them were no match to a pack of the ferocious beasts that surrounded them.

The next day had passed, and people all over the town were worrying about them, noticing that they weren’t back yet. A group of soldiers had went out on a search party to find them, only to return back with what was left of them. It was mostly bits of their clothes and accessories. Everyone was devastated, but Airi…she was absolutely torn when she learned her mother and father weren’t going to even make it back to her. Kai told you that she would cry every night as she missed her parents tucking her into bed. Or she would miss talking to them at the dinner table. Or how she would miss the feeling of her mother brushing her hair while singing sweet and melodic melodies to her right before bedtime.

It was definitely a struggle for her, but over time, she slowly became stronger and stronger, and the nights that passed were quieter and quieter.

After finding out about what happened to Airi’s parents, you couldn’t help but act as her other parent. She trusted you and because of that, you two held a strong mother-daughter bond, even though you two weren’t even related in the slightest. She would always hang out with you when Kai and Asuka had to go look for food or medicine. She would always offer you her toys to help keep you entertained…and she would even offer you her food if she thought you needed it. Of course, you always denied her offers, knowing fully well that she needed it the most. But it was nice to know she cared for you so much.

The close bonding all of you made resulted in you all hanging out often. It didn’t matter where you all went, you just hung out any place you could that you knew would be safe.

Now, you were out and about with Kai, Asuka, and Airi playing out in the field. Of course you were just watching, still a little sore from the last incident, but nevertheless, you enjoyed watching them have fun. You watched Asuka and Airi play in the grass, playing with their little toys. Airi had a stuffed bunny, while Asuka had a horse. They were playing house with them, which you thought was adorable.

“Cute, aren’t they?” Kai said, sitting down next to you.

You looked over to him and smiled.

“Very.” You chuckled.

“They absolutely love and cherish those plushies. It’s hard to find something like that around these areas.” He said with a smile

“Really? How’d they get them?” You Asked.

Kai shifted a bit, getting comfortable.

“They got those toys from Airi’s parents as gifts. They were more on the wealthy side before all of this started to happen. They wanted to make sure those two got the best of the best.” Kai said with a small smile

“Oh?”

“Yeah. The Liyue’s were great people. They were always providing anything if someone else needed it. They even helped buy us medicine for those who got injured during the time the wolves stopped by. They helped rebuild small buildings as well when they were torn down.” He said.

You looked at your hands, unsure of what else to say

“It’s a shame what happened to them.” He spoke, finishing his sentence.

You looked down at the kids, watching them play and run around happily. The sun was shining right on them in a perfect manner, creating a gorgeous orange silhouette. They both looked like angels with how they were glowing.

You then looked back at Kai with an apologetic look that he didn’t see.

“They’re very close.” He said, referring to the children. After a few seconds of silence passed, he then turned to you with a sad smile

“I’m glad they have each other to rely on. At least I know they won’t be alone if anything ever happened to me.” He continued, making you stare at him with confusion.

‘What do you mean?”

Another moment of silence passed by you two as Kai looked out towards the kids.

“The creatures…they are starting to get out of hand. I just got word that 10 people in another town nearby were killed by two of them.” he said, making you look down.

You couldn’t understand why Guizhong was still doing this. But all you knew was that you needed to help put an end to this. You couldn’t allow her to keep harming others.

You placed your hand on Kai’s in a reassuring way. He looked at you with saddened eyes.

“Don’t worry. I promise to put an end to this all. I will make sure you all don’t have to keep going through this.” You said with determination.

Kai smiled at you, nodding.

“And I’ll be right there with you.” He said.

You two smiled at each other, your mouth beginning to open to talk.

Before you could respond, you heard Airi scream, making you and Kai snap your heads to them to see what was going on.

You saw Airi picking something up, making you and Kai get up.

“Airi, be careful!” Asuka said with worry.

You and Kai looked at each other hesitantly. Whatever Airi was doing didn’t seem to be hurting her or Asuka, but you two had to be sure.

You continued to watch her, ready to fight if needed.

Suddenly, Airi came back up with the biggest smile you had ever seen.

You looked down and immediately dropped your defense once you saw what she had in hand.

Airi had picked up a small bunny. A real one.

You and Kai both breathed a sigh of relief.

“Airi, don’t go screaming like that. You scared us.” Kai said, rubbing his temples..

Airi smiled as she snuggled up to the small creature, kissing its forehead

You sat down next to her and Asuka, calling for Airis' attention. She looked at you with curiosity, walking up to you.

“What is it Ms. Y/n?” She asked

You smiled and placed your hand on the bunny.

“I just wanted to pet the bunny. She’s very soft, huh?” You replied, feeling the silky soft fur on the bunny.

“Yeah! But I’ve never seen a bunny like her before. What is she?” Airi asked, making you smile as you took the soft animal in your hands.

“This is an Eridasia bunny. They are extremely rare to find due to their slow reproduction rate. But you can always tell what it is just by looking at its eyes.” You said, showing her the different eyes

“Woah! She has two different colors!” Airi said with excitement.

You chuckled and nodded

“Yes. They are very unique to these bunnies. They even glow brightly to scare off any predators that may be lurking around.” You said, seeing how amazed Airi was.

She quickly grabbed the bunny back, hugging it tightly.

“Oh! I’ve always wanted a pet bunny! Can I keep her? Please?” Airi asked, making you smile a bit

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. But unfortunately since they are so rare, it would be dangerous to keep it from its kind. Plus, you wouldn’t want to keep the poor thing locked away from its friends, would you?” You asked, making her shake her head

“No…”she said sadly.

You looked up at her with concern. You knew how much she loved bunnies…but you also knew it wouldn’t be right to keep the bunny away from its place and family. You shifted a bit, getting a more comfortable position as you opened your mouth to speak.

“Tell you what.” You began, making her look at you

“How about you keep the bunny for just today. But by sundown, you have to let her go back to her friends. Does that sound good?” You asked, making her face instantly light up.

“Oh yes! Thank you, Ms. Y/n! Thank you!!” She said as she hugged you tightly. You smiled as you hugged her back, quickly letting her go play with her bunny.

“Come on Asuka, let’s go play with the bunny.!” She said, pulling the boy with her.

They then ran together a few meters away from you, playing with and petting the small thing.

You and Kai looked at each other, giggling at how cute the kids were.

–with Guizhong–

Guizhong was getting more frustrated by the day. Why, you ask? Because Morax still wouldn't stop thinking about you. Yes, it has gotten better since she showed him the evidence of your ‘death’, but every now and then, he would bring it back up. Y/n this, Y/n that. It was becoming infuriating for her.

She had tried so much to get his attention and to make him fall in love with her, but it was no use. She tried baking for him, she tried taking him out for lunch, she even tried to train with him, but nothing was working. Though, that never stopped her. She would do anything if it meant he would fall in love with her.

And that’s exactly what she was trying to do right now. A few hours ago, Guizhong had practically begged Morax to go on a little walk with her. When he finally agreed to go, she was ecstatic. The two got ready and headed down a familiar trail, the one that led to a pathway full of flowers and greenery.

She and Morax sat down near a large tree and talked about little things that were going on. But it wasn’t full of passion like when he would talk to you.. It was just small talk with a large silence between each subject.

Guizhong couldn’t handle it. She just couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t give in. This resulted in her walking away. When asked where she was going, she responded that she was just going to walk around for a bit before she returned.

Part of her had hoped that Morax would ask her to stay, or ask if he could go with her. But the more she walked away, the more she realized that wasn’t going to happen. She took one last glance at Morax, seeing his deadened stare as he played with a small flower.

Guizhong rolled her eyes, walking more into the forest they were in. She couldn’t believe she was still struggling to get his attention. What did it take? How far would she have to go? Would she even be able to succeed in-

All those thoughts ran through her head, until she stopped midway to see something shining ahead of her.

Curious, she walked quietly over to the area, kneeling down to get a better view.

She pushed the grass away, seeing none other than a bracelet. A familiar one at that.

She picked up the golden bracelet, observing it.

“To my dearest friend. - Morax”

Guizhong scoffed at the quote, knowing exactly whose it was.

However, before she got back up, she was curious to see what happened to you after she killed you.

She quickly raised her hand, a swirl of dust forming in front of her to create a circle.

“Show me where she is.” Guizhong said sternly, touching the dusty sphere.

Within an instant, an image of you showed. However, it wasn’t you dead. In fact, it was quite the opposite!

You were alive and well! And with others surrounding you!

Guizhong got a better look at who the others were, only to see one familiar face.

“That little brat!” Guizhong yelled, snapping the bracelet in half. She saw the little girl who she had talked to a few months ago.

“She must’ve helped Y/n after I left!”

Suddenly, Guizhong raised her other hand, a sinister smile making its way to her face.

“Well, it doesn't matter. I will finish her off again! What’s a couple of people going to do against 50 of my beautiful creations?” Guizhong said, chuckling to herself.

All in one, dust began to swirl around her, forming numerous circles around her as she created 50 more wolves, seeing what they were seeing.

“Let the fight begin…” She said darkly.

–back with you–

You were enjoying your time with Kai, Asuka, and Airi. It was getting closer and closer to sundown though and you knew you all had better start getting ready to head home.

“I can’t believe how dark it has gotten.” You said, looking at the sky.

“I know. It’s crazy how fast time goes when you are having fun.” He replied

“Yeah. I only wish it did the same for when you were bored.” You complained, making him nod

“Tell me about it.”

You two continued to talk about random things that popped up, when all of a sudden, Airi and Asuka ran over to you with concerned eyes.

“What’s the matter sweetheart?” You asked, seeing her distress.

“The bunny! Its eyes are glowing!” She exclaimed.

You turned over to see the bunny. It was just standing out in the open, not moving a muscle. The only thing moving was the bunny’s fur from the wind. It was very eerie to say the least.

“Stay here.” You said, sitting the kids next to Kai.

You quietly got up, walking over to the small bunny to check on it.

“Hey, are you alright?” You asked, seeing the glowing eyes of the bunny. It didn’t respond to you, however. It just continued to stare. You were alarmed now.

You followed where it was looking and saw a large pile of trees, blocking your view.

“Go back and watch them for me.” You said to the bunny. It looked up and you quickly ran back to the rest.

You walked up slowly to the trees, worried about what was to come.

“Y/n! Be careful!” Airi yelled with fear.

You walked up to the tree and placed your hand near it.

“Move.” You whispered.

Within an instant, the tree moved to the side slowly, allowing you to see behind it.

Although, you wished you hadn’t done that.

Because right in front of you made your eyes widen with fear. In front of you were standing 50 wolves, salivating and snarling at you. But they weren’t just any wolves, they were Guizhong’s wolves.

You quickly turned, running as your life depended on it.

“RUN! THEY ARE BACK! GET OUT OF HERE!” You yelled out.

Kai’s eyes widened as he saw you running from a large group of wolves chasing you.

“Oh shit!” He said, picking up the kids and making a run for it.

You knew that the wolves would eventually catch up to you and the others, so you decided to stay back to try and fend them off.

“Y/n?! What are you doing?” Kai yelled after you

“Just get out of here! I’ll hold them back while you three get to safety!” You said

Kai looked at you with worry, unsure if you were going to make it out alive.

You turned back to see him still standing there with the kids.

“GO!” You yelled.

Kai quickly turned on his heel, making a run for it.

You saw him leave, making you relax a little bit knowing that they wouldn’t get hurt.

You turned your head back to the wolves, inhaling as you got ready to fight them.

You raised your hand, allowing a large tree root to sprout right through a few wolves.

You then grabbed your sword and sliced right through another, kicking one away simultaneously.

One of them pounced on you, catching you off guard. Then another one, and another one.

Soon, you were on the ground, trying to push them away from you.

One of their mouths was right in front of your face as you tried to push it away.

You looked at its mouth, growing angry once again.

“Get away!” You yelled, a large pile of sharp thorns going right through the wolf. You sat up and swiped your hand towards the right, causing a tree branch to whip a few other wolves away from you.

–

Kai ran and ran, fearing his and the others' lives. He felt horrible leaving you behind, but he knew he needed to save the kids.

He almost made it back to the town, but when he heard your scream, he stopped in his tracks. A memory came flooding back into his mind as he remembered the blood curdling scream his sister made when he was only 11. He wished he could go back and stop her from ever leaving their side…but he couldn’t.

He turned back towards the area you were in. He couldn’t let you die, not after all you and him have been through.

He sat the kids down under a large rock, protecting them from any danger.

“Kai?!” Asuka said with alarm.

“You kids stay here! I’ll be right back! I promise!” He said, running back to help you.

He couldn’t save his sister back then, but now he has another opportunity to save you. And that’s exactly what he was going to do, even if it killed him.

–

You struggled to get the wolves off of you, your strength quickly fading away as you tried to hold them back.

“Guizhong, stop! I know you can see what's going on! I know you can hear me!” You yelled, trying to punch one of the wolves.

“Damnit Guizhong! Why are you still doing this?! I haven’t even been near Morax, let alone near any of you! You don’t have to punish others just because of your weird obsession over him!” You yelled.

You weren’t aware of it, but right behind you was a group of wolves running after you, ready to attack and finish you off. They ran after you quickly, not wasting any time.

But just as they were about to reach you, a large sword came hurling towards them, slicing through all of them at once.

You turned around to see three wolves on the ground, slowly turning back into dust. They all had a large hole in them, making you furrow your brows in confusion. You looked back up to see Kai, standing there with pride.

“You came back?” You asked with shock

“I couldn’t just leave you behind!” He yelled, grabbing his sword and running towards you.

You looked at him with a worried look

“Don’t worry about me. I know how to fight.” He said, stabbing another wolf running at him.

You quickly whipped your head around to see two wolves leaping at you with open mouths.

You quickly stomped your foot on the ground, creating two large vines. They wrapped around the wolves and threw them across the field into a large tree. You pushed your hand forward with a fist, causing the vines to slice right through the two wolves.

You turned back to Kai and smirked.

“Then let’s fight.” You said, making him nod.

You two then went all out, protecting one another if needed.

–

“We can’t just leave them out there to die!” Airi complained

“But if we go out there, we could get hurt.” Asuka said with concern

“So what?! They are out there risking their lives for us, again!” She said, making the boy look down at his hands

“Those wolves hurt my mama and papa! I won’t let them hurt Y/n and Kai. I can’t lose anyone else!” She said, tears filling her eyes.

“But…we don’t know how to fight.” Asuka said, trying to change Airi’s mind.

Airi stared out in the open sky, knowing he was right. But she just couldn’t help it. She knew what she was setting herself up for. She knew it wasn’t going to be easy. But she would do anything to not lose you two. You and Kai meant everything to her.

“Well that’s it.” Airi continued, making the boy look up at her.

She stood to her feet and climbed over the rock to go back.

“Airi?! What are you doing?” Asuka yelled out

“I’m going to help our friends! I’m going to be a hero!” She said, running back to you and Kai.

“Airi!” Asuka complained

“Airi! Come back!” He tried again, but she just ignored him.

He then rolled his eyes, hopping over the rock as well.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” He said, running up to Airi, following her back to you guys.

–

“Kai! On your left!” You yelled.

Kai looked to his left to see a couple wolves running up to him. He took his sword and brought it down, slicing through one of their heads. He then brought it back up, cutting the other arm.

“Take this, you fucker!” He said, stabbing the sword right through the wolf’s chest.

Whimpers were heard all around.

“Just a few more!” Kai said.

“Don’t let that make your guard go down.” You said

But he was right. There were only 20 more to go.

You and Kai worked really well together, more than you thought you would.

You took your hand and raised it, causing three large and sharp tree trunks to rise out of the ground. Each one pierced right through three wolves. You then pushed your hand to the side, forcing the trees to swing the wolves to the right. The wolves flew off the trunks and into a large wall that you created out of wood.

The impact between them and the hardened wood caused them to turn to dust completely.

You and Kai were in the groove, getting the upper hand on all of the wolves.

You were both completely focused

That was until you heard a little girl’s voice.

“Airi?!” You asked with fear as you saw the little girl run up to you with determination.

“We are here to fight with you!’ She said

“We?!” Kai asked, seeing Asuka running in behind her.

“What the hell do you two think you’re doing!? Go back!” Kai yelled, not noticing the wolf ready to pounce on him

You did, however, and quickly took your sword and swung it around to hit its back, stabbing it right after.

“Kai, get them out of here now!” You yelled. He nodded and quickly ran for Asuka, carrying him on his back

“What were you thinking coming out here?!” He yelled, making the boy tuck behind Kai’s back.

“We will talk about this later. Where’s Airi?” Kai asked, looking around for the girl.

Meanwhile, you were still trying to fight off the wolves, making sure they didn’t get anywhere near the kids and Kai.

“That’s it!” You yelled.

You took your hand and raised it up, blocking the wolves from coming near you. Tree roots and vines sprouted from the ground, forming hard walls to pass. The wolves tried to gnaw at and climb the walls, but it was no use.

“Y/n, where is Airi?” Kai called out, making you stop to look around.

However, while you were looking around, you didn’t see that there was a wolf that got past your walls. It just barely escaped being trapped with the others.

It lurked its way towards you, quickening its pace the closer it got to you, its eyes turning a brighter red as it was ready to attack.

“Ms. Y/n! Watch out!” You heard Airi say.

You quickly turned around to see Airi a few yards away from you, blocking you from a wolf. Your eyes widened as everything slowed down.

“NO!” You yelled, dropping everything and sprinting towards her.

You heard your heartbeat quicken, your body going cold the closer you got to her.

“AIRI MOVE!” You heard Kai yell.

But she just stood there, determination on her face as she faced the monstrous creature running towards her. She watched as it opened its mouth, seeing the sharp teeth.

“You hurt mama and papa. I won’t let you hurt her as well.” She whispered.

She closed her eyes as she awaited the painful experience.

“I’m coming home, mama and papa. I’m coming home.” She said finally, a tear falling down her face as she felt the painful bite to her leg

“AIRI!” You cried out, tears blinding your vision.

Within the blink of an eye, you saw the wolf grab onto Airi. Its sharp teeth dug right into her leg as it lifted her up.

You heard Airi’s screams of pain, making your heart stop.

“NO!” You and Kai yelled.

You saw the wolf toss her away right into the wall you created. But the wolf threw her hard into the wall and all you could hear was the sound of something cracking.

“You bastard!” You yelled, grabbing the wolf with your hand.

You looked at it with furious eyes as you raised your hand, creating a large group of sharp trees, slicing each of them through the wolf.

You heard its cries and whimpers as you did so, watching it fall to the ground. Its red eyes slowly faded away as it turned into dust.

You took a steak and continued to stab it, letting all your anger out on it. Soon, you were stabbing nothing but the ground as more and more tears fell from your eyes.

You then turned to go find Airi, seeing her lying down on the ground limp.

Your breath hitched as you quickly ran towards her, grabbing onto her body.

“Airi?! Airi, sweetheart, can you hear me?!” You asked desperately as you held on to her lifeless body. Her eyes no longer held that shine they used to have. No, now they were just dull and completely lifeless.

You shook her, seeing that she wasn’t waking up.

“Airi, come on honey! Wake up, wake up please!” You begged, tears falling down your face.

The walls you created slowly started to come down due to your emotions, allowing the rest of the wolves to see you.

“Airi, please! Please! PLEASE!” You sobbed as you shook her body, hoping to see her eyes brighten up. You removed your hand from the back of her head, seeing blood on your palm. You looked down at her with tears, knowing that she was gone.

But you couldn’t just sit there and not try anything.

You looked back at your hand and then back at her body, coming up with an idea.

You placed your hand on her chest, pushing all your energy into that hand.

Soon, a green glow emitted from your hand and moved onto her chest.

A few seconds passed and you were already shaking. Your heart was beating way too fast. You felt your body start to go numb, including your mind. Your vision was starting to blacken as well, making it hard for you to see and focus.

You kept going, however, trying to do everything you could to heal her. To bring her back to life.

You wanted to see her smile at you. You wanted to see her eyes sparkle again like before. You just wanted to see her alive!

But it didn’t happen. You knew she was gone. You knew that she had just died right in your arms.

You screamed out, the power you were using on her weakening you way too much.

You knew you had to stop in order to protect the others, so you did.

Your breath hitched as you let her go, panting as you tried to regain your strength.

The feeling was too emotional. Someone you cared about so much passing away just like that, and at such a young age set something off in you. All you could see was red.

You knew the wolves were coming towards you and you knew you needed to stop them.

You couldn’t let them hurt anyone else. Not again.

You started to feel your energy building up inside of you again, feeling it wanting to burst out of your body.

You looked down at Airi, seeing her bloodied arm. The pain and anger were too much for you. You couldn’t handle it.

You failed. Failed to keep her safe. Failed to keep her alive! And it was all because of the stupid wolves! All because of…Guizhong.

And within seconds, you screamed out.

The energy in your body finally releases, causing the ground to shake violently at the burst you just made.

Hundreds of trees, thorns, vines, etc., flew out and stabbed through each and every wolf. Each of them whimpered and cried as they felt the plants run right through them as if they were made out of paper. They then were pinned down by the plants, getting squeezed to death. The wolves struggled to get out, wriggling around to try and escape. But you wouldn’t let them. You wouldn’t let them live after they just took the life of another.

The wolves howled and whimpered, knowing there was no escape for them. Soon, there was nothing left except for dust.

You cried as you held Airi’s body close to yours, letting everything go.

“I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…” You whimpered out.

Kai and Asuka ran towards you, seeing that Airi was truly gone.

“Airi?” Asuka whimpered out before crying.

Kai knelt down, completely at a loss for words. He placed his hand on her head, tears filling up in his eyes as he felt his heart drop.

He couldn’t believe he had lost yet another person close to him. Another person close to his brother. Another person who he deemed a family member.

He had failed once again to keep someone close to him safe. And that was something he would hold onto forever.

You looked at Kai and Asuka, seeing the despair in their faces. You took them and wrapped your arms around them, letting more tears and cries come out.

You three hugged each other, crying together as you realized Airi was no longer with you.

–

A few days had passed. You, Kai, and Asuka were currently at a funeral for Airi which was widely celebrated by everyone. Tears and quiet sobs were spread throughout the area as we all remembered what a great and sweet person she was.

Her grave rested right next to her mother and father, all three of them back together once again.

Tears flew out of your eyes as you quietly sobbed. She had made such an impact on your life just with the few weeks you spent with her. And now…she is gone forever.

Hundreds of stuffed bunnies, or bunny cards, or anything else bunny related were piled near her grave as others cried.

Kai stared down at the grave with pain and anger, wishing he was the one who died instead of her

She was only 9 years old. A life taken too soon. All because of Guizhong.

“I’m going to take that bitch down.” Kai said, making you look up at him. He looked down at you with red eyes from previous tears.

“I’m going to make her regret ever killing Airi.” He said, balling up his fists.

You looked down at his hands and grabbed onto one, making him look down at you

“I’m coming with you. She has ruined far too many lives. It’s time to stop her.” You said between sobs.

You two then hugged each other, bringing Asuka in as well as you three sobbed together.

All you knew was that Guizhong would be severely punished for this.

–a few days later–

After Airi’s funeral, you and Kai got ready to leave town. You were both fueled with rage as you two left. With no time to waste, you and Kai traveled back to where you first left. The place where all the Archons lived. It took a few days to get there as it was no short trip, but it was nothing to you both due to the determination you both held.

Before you was a large gate, beautifully and elegantly designed. Past archons who had died were built on the gates, showing our signs of gratitude for them. Only Archons were able to pass through. If a citizen wanted to come in, it would have to be allowed by another archon.

You walked up to the gate and placed your hand on the handle.

Suddenly, a golden light emitted from the gate.

A light rumble was created due to the gates opening.

You turned back to Kai and nodded

“Let’s go.”

You and him went in and within no time, you were already forcing others to tell you where Guizhong was.

You grabbed onto one of the older archons and kicked her down, making her gasp.

“Hey! What do you think you are-Y/n?”

“Yes, it's me. Now stop talking and tell me where Guizhong is!” You snapped at her, but she just stared at you with surprise, completely at a loss for words.

“Did you not hear me?” You asked, growing impatient.

“Y-You are alive?! I thought-”

“Shut up! Yes I am alive. Guizhong lied to everyone saying I was dead. Now you’re going to listen to me and I am only going to ask you once more!” You ordered, making her nod

“We are here for Guizhong. We know she is here, now tell me. Where is she?” You asked, glaring down at her.

“Why? What are you going to do?” She asked, making you twist her arm. She cried out in pain. You went down to her ear, talking just barely above a whisper.

“She hurt someone who was very near and dear to me. She hurt her right in front of me. We are here for our revenge. Now where. Is. She.” You said, twisting her arm more and more, her arm on the verge of breaking.

“Ah! She’s over at the Ancient colosseum! There is a ceremony for Morax’s birthday, so they are all celebrating there!” The archon said.

You quickly let go of her, walking away. You knew exactly where to go. You brought Kai with you, dragging him towards the large building.

It was an old building that was hard to miss. It stood about 3000 ft wide and 200 ft tall. It was used for celebrating important days such as birthdays, new archons…or even deaths.

As you both walked to the colosseum, a part of you was nervous to see Morax again. It had been so long since you had last seen him. You wondered if he even thought about you…or if he quickly moved on. But you knew thinking of that would distract you from your main goal, so you quickly wiped it away as you got closer and closer to the colosseum.

“Why is no one outside?” Kai asked, making you look around.

It was completely empty outside and very quiet. It was a bit eerie, but you knew exactly where everyone was

“Everyone else is inside the colosseum. It’s one thing to have a birthday for a lesser known archon, but when it comes to someone like Morax, an almighty and powerful archon, it is something entirely different.” You explained

“What do you mean?” He asked

“Well, a lesser known archon, such as myself, would receive a little party that only a few others come to. Nothing too much, just some cake and drinks and a few presents. But when it comes to someone like Morax, it's the talk of the city. Everyone has to come to show their admiration and thankfulness to him. They have tons of food and the finest of drinks. The party lasts for almost two days and everyone has to provide him with a gift…he always loved the gifts I gave him.” You said, feeling a small pang in your chest as you remembered the days when you and Morax would always hang out after his party. It would just be you and him, walking down a secluded pathway and enjoying each other's company.

Kai looked at you with a sorrowful expression. He knew this would be hard for you, especially after everything these people put you through. He placed a hand on your shoulder, making you look up at him. He smiled softly at you, making you return the look.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” He asked with concern

You nodded

“Yeah. Besides, we need to do this.” You said, making him nod.

You both then continued to walk to the colosseum, your nerves starting to hit you like a bus.

–

After a few more minutes, you and Kai finally made it to the building, seeing hundreds of others inside.

You turned to Kai, seeing him a little nervous as well.

“You ready?” You asked, seeing him nod.

“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

He sighed, looking towards you.

“I know. But I have to do it for Airi. She meant everything to my little brother and me. And now she's gone because of that so-called Archon. She deserves whatever is coming her way.” He said

You nodded towards him, holding onto his hand.

“Then let’s go raise hell.” You said, both of you running in

–

Morax was laughing as he got together with some of his old friends, enjoying their company. There was beautiful music playing in the background, and large sums of food displayed on a giant table.

Presents were stacked near the center to show Morax how much of an honor he is to everyone else.

Although, every now and then, he stopped and went to a secluded area to be with himself. That was only when he kept thinking of you. He remembered how excited you would get for his birthday, which he thought was adorable. He didn’t really care for these big celebrations. All he cared about was spending time with you, which he did every single year…until now.

This would be the first year ever where he didn’t get to see you or even speak to you.

He wrapped his arms around himself, missing your touch. Missing your scent. Missing your beautiful smile and laughter. No one could match up to you, not even Guizhong.

He knew she was trying to help him move on, but it wasn’t working. All he kept thinking about was you. Whenever he and Guizhong would go out, he just kept thinking about how you would’ve loved it. No matter what he did, you were always on his mind. And that is something he just couldn’t seem to get rid of.

He just wishes he could see you one more time. That’s it. He wanted to hug you tight, kiss you, feel you…but most of all, he wanted to apologize to you. He wanted to pour out everything to you to make you realize how sorry he was. He knew it would be hard for you to forgive him, but he would do everything he could to make you at least think about it.

However, he was snapped out of his imagination when he heard screaming and doors smashing open.

He quickly looked over to see where the commotion was coming from only to see something he thought he would never see again.

“Y/n…” he whispered, his breath hitching as he saw you. He was about to run towards you to hug you, only to stop in his tracks as he saw something that made his heart drop.

He saw you holding another person’s hand…another man’s hand.

He glared at the boy as he saw this, his heart shattering into pieces as he saw you hold him close. Was it possible that you had moved on? All this time while he was struggling to even stop thinking about you? You just acted like it was nothing?

Suddenly, another voice was heard from behind him.

“Welcome back, Y/n.” He heard Guizhong say, coming up from behind him.

“It’s a surprise to see you back.”

____________________________

Taglist: (if you’d like to be added, I have instructions on how to be added to a Taglist on my “rules” link on my profile :))

@hannya-writes

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astralis-is-typing · 1 year ago

Text

We lost the Summer

⚝fic type: Y/A (coming-of-age)

⚝genre/contains: huening kai x reader, fluff, angst, gn!reader, non-idol!au with a dash of friends2lovers

⚝warnings: mentions of food (sweets & ice-cream)

⚝word count: 3.5k, pt 2/2 (part 1)

⚝A/N: Yes, I'm finally releasing this two months later. It's taken me so long to be happy with it 😭✌ but here we are! Dedicated to blonde hyuka who I've loved since forever💙

Spring break was fast approaching… and with it came that insufferable exam fever, punctuated by short bursts of the euphoric feeling of finally understanding the subject material. Much like the sun was now trying to peak its way down to you. Soft and tentative and brimming with the hope of a new season.

Your life in the city had taken an upturn. You started going out more often, and made good friends– some of whom you knew would be sticking around for the long run. It didn’t feel lonely anymore, and the uncertainty you had previously lugged around with every step had begun to unthaw like everything else as the seasons changed.

Mid-term exams came and went in a fleeting moment of perilous pressure, characterised by Soobin bursting into the library (earning himself a very dirty look from the librarian) and declaring that he actually hadn’t failed calculus. The exam season had been rough for you as well, but you tried to not worry about it too much. In any case, your mind was preoccupied with thoughts of flying home and all the things you’d do when you got there. You wondered if everything would be just as you’d left it, or if there had been significant change. It had only been nine months, sure, but that had been a lot of growing time on your end. Mentally, you were leaps and bounds ahead of where you’d been when you first moved out here.

A slight drizzle had kicked up by the time you got home, but you didn’t mind it one bit, immediately indulging yourself in all the familiar pleasures you had so dearly missed. The restaurant you used to frequent had been closed down, but your mother didn’t give you any time to grieve it with all the dishes she was whipping up. Your parents had always let you find your own way, and hadn’t tried convincing you to stay in your hometown when you decided to move away. Nevertheless, they had missed you all the same, and made up for the lost time with filling dinners and family outings.

As much as you tried not to think about him, Kai had been lingering at the back of your mind since you booked your flight home. The two of you had not talked in over nine months. Was he still living there? Maybe he’d taken a chance, like you, and moved away. You knew he’d always wanted to be a perfumer– as crazy as that sounds– and was now probably majoring in Chemistry.

Kai was sometimes your last thought before you slept, and your drowsy mind would annoyingly draw up scenarios of meeting him again. You had subtly asked your older sister about him and she’d confirmed that he still lived in your hometown. You would have to make a great effort to not ‘accidentally’ walk by his house as you strolled around the neighbourhood. You had spotted him around a few times; at the gas station once– the baseball cap obscuring his features doing nothing to stop you from recognizing your ex-best friend. You flush at the memory of how your heart had hammered as you rolled down your seat in order not to be seen by him. Your sister had given you a very curious look at that.

The first time you bumped into each other, you had quite literally halted in your tracks. You’d been hurrying off to a reunion party with a few of your family members and had rushed into the convenience store to get some snacks for the road. Kai was in the confectioneries isle, stacking up on skittles, marshmallows and gummy bears. You couldn’t help the chuckle that bubbled in your throat at the sight of his face taut with concentration. Kai detested shopping, yet never trusted anyone else to do his candy shopping for him. That was a sacred matter.

Kai had grown so much over your time apart. His long black locks had been cut short, his hair now a glowing blonde. It suited him well; the short pale strands accentuated his features that had begun to sharpen with time. You hadn’t been as adventurous, barely changing your hairstyle in your time away. However, you didn’t feel conscious about it– you were learning how to live life at your own pace. Before, such an inconsequential difference would have made you feel left behind. Everything had been a competition when you were in high school– and you used to feel like you were on the losing end half of the time.

Kai’s smile was as sweet as ever when he turned around at the sound of footsteps to be met by your own small smile. His cheeky grin lit up his face as his eyes danced under the fluorescent lights. The way the corners of his mouth quirked upwards always made him look like he was up to mischief– which he was, most of the time. Your friendship growing up had been greatly characterised by you bailing the two of you out of trouble after he’d convinced you to join him in doing something dumb (and mildly dangerous).

The two of you awkwardly fumbled between a hug and a handshake, all the more as you settled for a shaky version of the latter. Even though it was evident that you were both excited to meet each other again, your attempt at small talk did not venture beyond surface-level conversations. The hesitance that characterized all your meetings, hanging over them like a fog, reminded you of the gap breached between the two of you in high school. Just like back then, there were a few times in the present when you sensed that he might make a shot at truly reconnecting… but the moment would pass without any new development. Something kept getting in the way. Fear, pride… you couldn’t pin point exactly what it was. Another holiday was quickly coming to an end without the two of you making up, just like the way you’d lost the summer.

—

Eventually, about a fortnight before you were scheduled to travel back to college, you bump into Kai at your music store. This store had housed some of the best memories of your childhood; to find everything exactly as you had left it was a comfort words could not describe. You remember how sorely you had missed strolling through these isles at the beginning of your college year. Meeting Kai here only fuelled the nostalgia as you were the one who introduced him to this little slice of paradise on one of your innumerable walks home from school, back when you were children. It surprises you that Kai’s taste in music hasn’t changed much. Yours, on the other hand, had undergone a transformation of sorts within the time you’ve been away. It’s crazy how much music contributes to your mood; now that you’re listening to what you want (rather than going along with other people’s persuasions), you’ve found yourself far happier than you were during your high school years.

The two of you stumble over pleasantries as usual, sneaking glances at each other as you browse the shelves. At times your eyes would meet and you would be the one to look away, for Kai would only hold your gaze and venture no further. In your periphery you could spot the store’s owner, Namjoon, eyeing the two of you curiously. For all he knew, all he’d ever known, you and Kai were the best of friends– simply inseparable. He had never questioned you when you stopped bringing Kai to get new music with you in your final year of high school, simply assuming that the need to study was keeping Kai cooped up at home.

In the end, growing restless from this silent game, Kai broke the ice first and approached you, cracking an inside joke that he knew you could never resist laughing at. Within a matter of minutes it became apparent how foolish both of you were being by trying to avoid one another.

It’s amazing how conversation flows so naturally; anybody watching you two wouldn’t be able to tell that there had been radio silence from both ends for so long. Too long… but that void was rapidly closing with each laugh he managed to pull out of you.

The two of you agree to hit up your old ice cream parlour and Namjoon waves you goodbye on your way out, delight lighting up his features now that his favourite pair of troublemakers were back in business.

—

What you didn’t know was that Kai had missed you so much he couldn’t bear it. He would often catch himself wandering aimlessly on his walks alone after the two of you fell out. To see you again had given him a sliver of hope that he could make everything go back to the way it once was.

But Kai knew you well, and figured that the stubbornness in you– that he had over time grown to love– wouldn’t let you reach out first. Nevertheless, when he saw you at the music store he was determined to get you back. Somehow, he was going to make this work.

It had taken him so much time to stop eyeing his calendar after you left for college without coming to say goodbye. He was constantly reminded of you by the important dates you had marked onto it. Movie releases, when your favourite albums dropped, exams that you had to study for… you’d jot them down with the coloured glitter pens you would find scattered around his room. Your pens, actually- because Kai had an uncanny ability to nick them without you noticing a thing. You still scolded him for it now, almost a decade later.

—

You and Kai had spent countless Friday afternoons peering outside this parlour’s large windows, kneeling on your chairs to watch passers-by and cook up stories about what you two thought their lives were like. Kai would be reduced to fits of giggles as you pointed out random people with your ice-cream cone and invented incredibly detailed (and slightly unrealistic) tales about them. Your all-time favourite was a burly man who frequented the office building adjacent to the parlour. The two of you had convinced yourselves that guy was part of some mafia syndicate. He was always in dark sunglasses, had a comically twisted moustache, and on warmer days would rest against the hood of his car and smoke a cigar.

You find out Kai did really well in his high school exams; you hadn’t really followed up at the time. Your family was big on sending success cards, but when they sent one to Kai, the two of you were still distant. You remember writing a generic ‘good luck’ message that didn’t feel personal, didn’t feel like it was written by a friend he’d had for years. You feel a twinge of sadness at that. It’s crazy to think nearly all the ‘friendships’ that you had basically dumped Kai for had died out by the end of the summer following high school. It seemed the minute they left those school gates, those friends seemed to be ‘too busy’ for you. And yet, the boy who’d stuck by your side for so long was here with you now.

After getting your order you sit on the sidewalk outside the parlour sharing earphones. You two laugh as you remember getting into trouble together for doing this during a lesson when you were deskmates. Kai had been a quiet kid before befriending you… but that changed drastically once he came out of his shell. Kai was constantly getting himself into trouble, both at school and at home. You’ll always loved the image of a then tiny Kai being scolded and pinched on his chubby cheek for coming home all muddy after an electrifying football match. It had been around the world cup and all the kids on your street would spend the whole day outside, mimicking the matches they had watched on TV. Kai had been trying to run into the kitchen with filthy shoes all because he’d smelled his favourite food. As you shared your current mishaps and gossiped about the students in your respective courses, you were starting to feel like you’d gotten your confidant back. Kai was so easy to talk to. He was never judgemental and, after years of friendship, understood what you were saying before you even completed your sentences. It only occurred to you now, in the tentative afternoon sun, how handsome Kai was becoming as he grew older. Had he really always looked like this?

When you looked at him for too long, however, all you could see was that mischievous boy who’d been stealing all your glitter pens since fifth grade– and you told him as much.

“What do you mean by that?” He gasped, then raised an eyebrow. “You don’t find me breath-taking?”

“Absolutely not-”

“Simply just dazzling?” He posed, pouting his lips.

“Nope,” you laughed. “You’re a thief. A criminal, Kai.”

“Then you must be Britney Spears.” He teased with a wink, causing you to throw your bag at him with mock disgust.

—

On the eve of your departure, Kai agreed to come over and help you pack. It was the last time you would have any time together before you left as only your family was taking you to the airport for your short flight back. You had spent the better part of your last two weeks at home in each other’s company.

But despite of your plans, the day stretched on with no sign of Huening Kai.

You called him to no avail, because his phone was off. You’d tried waiting for him… tried to delay your inevitable separation, but it was no use. Packing your things alone, you bit back your worry and slight disappointment, hoping that Kai was alright and figuring that something urgent must’ve come up.

Kai showed up the next day, about half an hour before you were scheduled to leave for the airport. By that time you had written off any hope of seeing him before you left, so it surprised you when he came hurtling into your room.

“I’m so sorry I’m late I-”

“Are you alright? What happened?” You took note of the way he was panting as if he’d just ran a marathon.

“My dog,” he explained, trying to catch his breath. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t make it. She got sick, and the vet was out of town. My phone died on me-”

“Hey,” you softly stopped his rambling, motioning for him to take a seat on your bed. “Take it easy, it’s fine.”

Any disappointment that you previously held dissipated at the genuine remorse in his eyes. You knew that dog was getting really old, and how Kai would do anything not to lose her just yet… even if, like the two of you now, the separation would eventually be inevitable. Kai had always been bad at handling goodbyes of any nature, and for the first time you wondered how he coped when you left last August.

“It’s not fine, I know-” his breath got caught in his chest and he took a moment to steady his breathing. “I know you’ll be leaving for even longer this time and I…”

He trailed off, eyes trained on your shelf full of his music albums. His eyebrows furrowed as if he was in pain.

What he was saying was true, you had planned to stay in your college’s city till the end of year. Your life in the new city had started to look up; you were starting to really enjoy your time there.

“I know you won’t be coming back for the summer,” he continued, standing up and walking towards you. “And we’ve both been pretty stupid but I honestly wish I hadn’t wasted so much time.”

His mind was racing with the slight panic of losing you again. A nightmarish week, another month, a year…

He couldn’t bear to live in limbo for any longer, not when you’d just managed to reconcile. He felt bad you two spent nearly the whole holiday avoiding each other. Being with you this summer had evoked feelings within him that he had previously dismissed. Kai wondered if, given the chance, your friendship could eventually have led to something bigger.

“I should’ve looked for you earlier, maybe if I had-”

“There’s no point in dwelling on that now,” you tried reasoning with him.

You were caught between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, you didn’t see a real reason to keep flying back home- it costed money, and was really rather unnecessary considering your parents weren’t nagging you to keep visiting; you’d been lucky in that department, unlike so many of your classmates. On the other hand, here was your best friend of so many years who you doubt you could live without again.

Your thoughts are interrupted by your sister calling for you from downstairs, announcing that it was time to leave.

Kai felt like he was losing his grip. He racked his brain for a convincing argument but his conscience knew that making you come back just for him would be selfish considering how happy you were in your new city.

He pulled you into an unexpected hug, trying to convey all that he struggled to put into words into it. You noticed that he’d changed his cologne since high school. This one was mature compared to the crazy experiments he used to pull… mixing different scents into one bottle and beaming when it smelled half decent.

You found yourself melting into the embrace, drawing him impossibly closer. You had missed this for so long when the two of you were apart. Kai placed a soft kiss to your temple and the action made your breath catch for a moment. You remembered all those months ago when your mother told you that if it was meant to be it would work out in the end.

He mustered a faint smile when you pull away to face him again.

“I’m not losing you again.” You promised determinedly, ruffling his blonde hair that you’d steadily become obsessed with.

“We’ll find a way.” He promised back simply with a wink, returning to his usual playful nature.

The two of you make your way downstairs, Kai offering to help you with your luggage. Your mother, who’d not seen Kai come in, beams at him when you two get to the landing. She’d been ecstatic when you dragged him over for dinner last week, seeing that he hadn’t been over in almost a year.

The very last goodbyes are the hardest ones of all, you conclude, when you pull Kai into a final hug. You didn’t want to think about how difficult it would be to walk away from your family once it was time to board the plane.

You find yourself muttering his name with the air that it was the last time you’d have it on your lips; slightly pained and breathless with defeat. He pulls you in tighter, whispering reassurances in your ear. If anything, the fact that you had him back in your life would be enough comfort to get you through your flight.

—

The plane ride is uneventful and you can already feel the jetlag knocking on your door when you get to your dorm room. It’s a comfortable feeling, though, walking through the campus. This place has become a second home to you in its own way.

You glimpse Soobin on your way to the hostels but barely have enough energy to engage him in conversation. In any case he was busy play-fighting with a friend of his; Soobin was tearing down the corridor, the other boy hot on his heels and aiming a water gun at him, laughing wildly. You recognized Beomgyu from your Business class, and Soobin had been ranting to you over the phone about the long-haired boy since they’d met at a gaming convention over spring break. It seems as if your friend group would be expanding soon.

In spite of your exhaustion, you’d hate to have the task of unpacking looming over you tomorrow morning, so you sigh and get down to it. Your roommate, Yeonjun, isn’t back yet, so you can’t ask him for help. When you unzip the front pocket of your suitcase where you’d packed your toiletries, you find a note stuck onto a brand new pack of glitter pens. You recognize the neat scrawl as Kai’s handwriting. When on earth did he have the time to slip this into your suitcase?

You stare at the note incredulously, letting out a breathless laugh.

“I’ve been in and out of my uni’s admissions office for the past few days. Looks like I’ll be transferring! Surprise!

Insane, I know, but long story short… I’ll be over this summer. This paper is too tiny for details anyway.

Anyways, I thought it was about time I bought you some of these ;) I’ll probably steal them all back when I get there but oh well.

Enjoy! ~Kai.”

Huening Kai was crazy, you thought, grinning to yourself as you made a mental note to contact him first thing in the morning. You suppose there’s just about enough room for one more person at your lunch table.

⚝A/N: As always, I'd really love to hear your thoughts :) Thank you for reading❣

⚝taglist: @bluebearybeom

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