#past unrequited love

[aventurineswife]

There’s this idea I have with reader who was formerly part of dan Feng’s life and pined for him but they also know that his heart already belongs to someone else.

Fast forward to Dan Heng and reader now. Reader now pins for dan Heng and is unaware that Dan Heng also pins for reader. after his IL form was revealed they confessed and basically was like “I like the you now. I like you dan Heng.” And it takes a while for dan heng to romantically accept them but reader shows little by little they are willing to accept dan heng for who he is and stuff and that that’s all they want is dan heng to be at peace. (And me being the weak one, eventually they do get together at the end)

Idk how to fully describe but I like the pining troupe and I gotta share it

All That I Am, All That I'll Be

Summary: You once loved Dan Feng, knowing his heart belonged to another. Now, traveling alongside Dan Heng aboard the Astral Express, you find yourself drawn to him—the man he has become. When his true form as Imbibitor Lunae is revealed, you finally confess: "I like you, Dan Heng." But burdened by the past, he hesitates. Little by little, you show him that all you want is for him to be at peace—with himself and with you. And eventually, he reaches back.

Tags: Dan Heng x Reader, Fluff, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Past Unrequited Love, Post-Imbibitor Lunae Reveal, Found Family Dynamics.

Warnings: Mentions of past trauma and guilt, Self-doubt and emotional struggles, Implied nightmares/post-reveal emotional turmoil, Soft angst with a happy ending.

The stars stretched endlessly beyond the windows of the Astral Express, their cold glow reflecting off Dan Heng’s pensive gaze. He stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the frame, lost in thought. You watched him from across the lounge, knowing he hadn’t noticed you yet.

It had been days since his true form was revealed—since his horns had reappeared, since the past he had tried to outrun had finally caught up with him. You had seen the way he braced himself, expecting rejection, expecting fear. But none of that existed in your heart.

You had loved once before—loved a man whose name was now spoken in hushed whispers, wrapped in tragedy and myth. Dan Feng. Yet, you had always known he belonged to another. You were merely a shadow in the periphery of his grand story.

But Dan Heng? He was real. He was here. And the heart you had once given away had somehow, against all odds, found its way to him instead.

So, you spoke.

"I like you, Dan Heng."

His breath caught, his body stiffening just slightly, but he did not turn to face you. You stepped closer.

"Not the Imbibitor Lunae," you clarified, voice softer now. "Not Dan Feng. You."

He exhaled, long and slow, like he had been holding his breath for far too long. "You don't understand," he murmured. "I am both, and yet I am neither."

You tilted your head. "Then let me understand."

His fingers curled at his sides. "I have spent years trying to distance myself from who I used to be. From what I used to be." His voice was tight, controlled. "And yet, no matter how far I go, it always finds me."

"Then stop running," you said gently. "You don't have to be Dan Feng. You don't have to be Imbibitor Lunae. You don’t have to be anything other than who you want to be."

For the first time, he turned to look at you, and in his eyes, you saw the weight of lifetimes. Guilt, hesitation, uncertainty. But beneath it all, a glimmer of something softer—something fragile.

Acceptance.

You offered a small smile. "I don’t need a past life. I don’t need a legend. I just need you, Dan Heng."

His lips parted slightly, but no words came. And for now, that was okay.

Because love, you knew, was not about forcing a heart to open. It was about showing, little by little, that it was safe to.

Days turned into weeks. You stayed by his side, never pushing, never demanding. You simply made space for him. When the nightmares came, you were there in the quiet aftermath. When he withdrew into his thoughts, you reminded him he was not alone. And when he hesitated to reach for happiness, you let him take his time.

And one evening, beneath the endless stretch of stars, he finally reached back.

His fingers brushed yours, hesitant at first, before intertwining fully. You looked up at him, surprised, and found his gaze already on you—soft, unguarded.

"I like you too," he admitted, barely more than a whisper. "Not because you remind me of a past I can't change. But because... you make me want to look toward the future."

Your heart ached at the quiet confession.

"Then let's look forward together," you murmured, squeezing his hand.

And for the first time in a long, long time, Dan Heng let himself believe that he could.

[animeloverskylarmoon]

Jujutsu Kaisen Fanfiction- Chapter 12

"Are you sure?" 

You nod at Gojo's question.

"I thought it was going to attack him, but it came after me and he just stood there..like he knew it. Like they were friends."

Those words hurt to say. Geto is your friend.

"No..."

He was your friend.

"This is a shock."

Both men were sitting, listening attentively to all you were saying.

"I want to tell Principal Yaga, but I don't know who I can trust anymore."

Nanami folds his arms, turning to Gojo.

"Were you aware of this?" 

Gojo shakes his head.

"I came to the conclusion that it had to be someone on the inside, but I didn't put it together."

A part of you wishes you didn't know.

"Something else happened."

This next part is a bit hard for you to fully explain, you didn't understand it yourself.

"Something else?" Nanami asked.

"Yes I'm not really sure how to put it." 

You look down at your hand. Gojo is fully focused.

"That special grade came right at me, I barely had a chance to react, much less defend but somehow I managed to subdue it. It was only for a moment but..for a second I could have sworn that everything around me slowed down."

Gojo placed his hand under his chin.

"You manipulated time."

"I don't know. That's never happened before. Even when I went against both of you, I was struggling. I could hardly keep up with Nanami, and it was so easy for you to land attacks on me, Gojo. "

"It's possible that your cursed energy surfaced for a moment. This is intriguing. " 

He moved closer, leaning in, just watching you.

"W-What?"

"Your body, it's learned to differentiate between practice and battle."

"T-That's crazy, you make it seem like I have no control over it."

"In a sense you don't." 

He stands upright with that stupid knowing grin on his face.

"We all react to danger differently, but the one constant is fight or flight. Humans, animals, even spirits possess this. What you do in a time of crisis is important, and your body knows that, so does your cursed energy. This entire time I've been trying to forcefully get you to manifest your full power, but I don't have to. You already know what to do. "

It's weird how he knows your body better than you. But this was Gojo after all. You should be relieved that at least you're not useless in the battle to come. But still, you can feel that ache that wouldn't leave.

The weight that's hanging on your chest. Nanami pays close attention to your crestfallen expression.

"Your reaction to Suguru Geto, there seemed to be something stronger behind it."

Leave it to Nanami to notice that. Your smile is a bit forced.

"I..used to have feelings for him, back when we started out."

You were much like Nanami in a sense when it came to your view on sorcerers. A part of you was so put off by him at the start because you could relate. That's the reason you had not met him before, or any of Gojo's students. 

You'd left three weeks into your training. The lack of your abilities scared you, and you thought you could just go back to a domestic life if you just put it all behind. But in the end you came back. It took years, but you came back. Now you have to watch someone you care about try to tear the world apart with this war that would follow.

"I met him before I joined Jujutsu Tech. He helped me a couple times when the kids in my class were being a nuisance. He was a little older so naturally I admired him, cared for him, even though it was obvious he'd never return those feelings."

This confession leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.

"He is a fool."

You don't expect that from Nanami.

You glance at him, and Gojo smiles.

"Not only for the side that he's chosen, but for letting you slip by. He never was very good at those things." 

Gojo waves his wrist back and forth casually. You giggle, despite yourself. They both look a little more relaxed, and now so do you.

"So how about I keep you company tonight (Y/N)-chan. I don't feel right leaving you here all to your lonesome."

Gojo pulls you into his chest as you blush. 

A pulse rises on Nanami's head.

"You're shameless." Nanami comments.

"She isn't complaining."

You just heave out a sigh.

"What am I going to do with these two?"

[selfhealingmoments]

[pharawee]

What really gets me about PeteKenta this week (and by that I mean that it causes me emotional damage), much more so than in the episode before (or in the whole of season 1 even though the seeds were already there) is how emotionally careless Pete acts towards Kenta (and the mission against Tony but maybe that's for my PeteChrisWay post). And it's all such a mess -- their shared past, their individual traumas, their current preoccupation with second chances -- that I can't even blame Pete, even if I'm fully on Kenta's side here.

Pete treats (and, let's be honest here, this isn't even the first or fifth time) Kenta as an afterthought. I know he means well and that he's driven by trying to make amends for something that was never even his fault to begin with. I also understand that with the way things are right now in canon, his feelings for Kenta were always platonic (even though that makes the one kiss they shared kind of questionable in retrospect because at the very least he was acting very inquisitive, inviting even) which is fair enough. I wish they'd kept the whole "the one that got away" angle because it feels so much more realistic to me than the revelation that all this time Pete was himself secretly pining after Way.

(adding a sprinkle of gifs to this post because clearly I'm not suffering enough already)

The secret pining COULD however at least partially explain why Pete never put a stop to Kenta's one-sided pining either. Because he must always have known. He can repeat the "he thinks of me as a brother" line a hundred times, but he's a telepath. Kenta and he kissed, and every time they've since met and touched, Kenta's thoughts are very obviously all but screaming his longing at him.

And yet Pete has never said anything -- either to spare Kenta's feelings or (judging by how he handled his secret crush on Way) because he found the situation to be overwhelming. Again, I don't blame Pete in the slightest, it's not like he had an emotionally healthy childhood to learn how to approach these things. I don't even blame him for the third possibility: that Kenta's crush is a very useful thing for him to keep around, especially since in the past it's kept him out of Tony's reach (plus, feeling wanted when your own love is unrequited probably feels very nice too).

There's no way Kenta would have let him leave over and over again if it wasn't for his feelings (and remember, Kenta never extended the same courtesy to any of his other brothers until much later). Unrequited or not, not addressing the elephant in the room left Kenta in limbo for years. He's kidnapped children for Tony, probably even killed for Tony, yet as soon as Pete starts leaning into Kenta's longing for him, Kenta can't bring himself to stop Pete (much less harm him or rat him out to Tony) -- which is a really convenient secret weapon to have in a fight against someone as ruthless and powerful as Tony. It's not even deliberate manipulation but pure self-preservation. Babe and Jeff and Charlie and Way have all learned to survive on less than that. It's about time we see the damage that Tony caused in Pete.

And not only that. I think now we also get to see that Pete doesn't know or understand Kenta nearly as well enough as he believes. He literally asks the go-it-alone guy to not go it alone when that's kind of his whole thing (not to mention that OF COURSE Kenta will do the thing for him and not care for the consequences -- it's all he knows to do to earn appreciation). He's essentially leaving Kenta on stand-by, not like the brother he claims to be, but like a thing he can just pick back up whenever it's most convenient for him. And he deals out praise to Kim while openly reprimanding Kenta in the next sentence -- which ironically is such a Tony thing to do because it keeps Kenta small and loyal.

Pete is so willfully blind towards Kenta's feelings and to who Kenta is as a person that it makes him look like a total dick here. And the thing is, his defence doesn't even hold up: you wouldn't treat your brother like that either, someone you claim you share a bond with. Hell, if Pete treated Kim that way -- someone who's only marginally involved -- Kim would surely let him have a piece of his mind. But Kenta has learned to suffer in silence so why bother changing the status quo (and never mind that the status quo was Tony)?

As things are right now, Pete's allowed to have priorities (currently these priorities lie with neglecting everyone's safety by dicking down Chris on every imaginable surface in his condo while not even using a secure password on his private computer) while all Kenta is allowed to do (all that he KNOWS to do) is switch masters from Tony to... what? a very absent Pete?

I'll always love PeteKenta, and I'll always love the could-have-beens from Pit Babe Season 1, but with how things are playing out right now I either need Kim to put Pete in his place (good) or Kenta to walk away and leave Pete on read (even better).

[yume-fanfare]

gentle rejection

[linkemon]

You're in the wind, I'm in the water (Dan Heng x Reader)

Friendly reminder that English is not my first language. You can check my Masterlists both in English and Polish here. Consider supporting me on Ko-fi. You can also check out my commissions if you're interested.

Other oneshots can be found here.

ᴅᴀɴ ꜰᴇɴɢ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ, ᴅᴀɴ ʜᴇɴɢ ɪꜱ ᴡɪɴᴅ. ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴜꜱᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴡɪɴᴅ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛɪᴍᴇꜱ ᴛᴏᴜᴄʜᴇꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀᴋᴇ ꜱᴜʀꜰᴀᴄᴇ, ʟᴏᴏᴋɪɴɢ ꜰᴏʀ ɪᴛꜱ ᴏᴡɴ ʀᴇꜰʟᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴅᴀɴ ʜᴇɴɢ ᴡʜᴏ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴢᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀʟᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴊᴇᴄᴛ ʜɪꜱ ᴘʀᴇᴠɪᴏᴜꜱ ɪɴᴄᴀʀɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, ʜᴇ ʜᴀᴅ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴏɴ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪᴍ. ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴡᴀꜱ [ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ].

ᴀᴅᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ɪɴꜰᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ: 1. ᴏɴᴇꜱʜᴏᴛ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀɪɴꜱ ꜱᴘᴏɪʟᴇʀꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴛᴏʀʏ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛꜱ ɪɴ xɪᴀɴᴢʜᴏᴜ ʟᴜᴏꜰᴜ.

Dan Heng felt as if the last few days had passed like a kaleidoscope. A colourful mirage of emotions he didn't want to feel. Events that took all his strength out of him. Memories that weren't his and yet they haunted him like the ghosts of the elders in the Scalegorge Waterscape. 

Only now, sitting by one of the waterfalls, did he get the impression that he finally had a moment of peace, torn away by the clawed claws of an evil fate. The quiet sound of the water was nothing like the voices of the soldiers who had encountered the mara a few days ago. 

It took him a long time to realize a simple fact — he chose a place where HE would come. A typical source of water from which he could draw strength. He smiled bitterly and turned his back. There was no point in running away from here. Even if the beauty surrounding him suddenly turned ugly, leaving an unpleasant aftertaste. 

His stay in Xianzhou Luofu turned his life upside down. The past had long legs. He ran as hard as he could but in the end it was faster. It caught him in a place he didn't want to return to. He wished that the wind playing in the branches of the twisted trees would blow away all thoughts from his head. Especially the one he had doubts about. 

[Reader]. She flooded his mind like a wave. He rejected his past. He drew a line between himself and Dan Feng. The title of Imbibitor Lunae was no longer his. He was sure Bailu would do just fine. She kept Luofu safe. He left all the residents in good hands. He told everyone his name was Dan Heng. Many still saw him as a previous incarnation. And even though it hurt like old wounds, he rejected their opinions. The express crew were his family and they didn't care about the sins of who he once was. Only their opinion mattered. At least that's what he thought.

Jing Yuan, although he wasn't like Blade, stuck to his previous name quite stubbornly. At least he was aware that the general was doing it out of habit, not out of pure hatred. Something he couldn't say about the old Yingxing. [Reader] was neither of them. She called him Dan Heng from the very beginning. Sometimes he wondered if they met after all of this, if she would still hold on to it. If she hadn't stood next to Sushang that day and met him first as an archivist, would she still have had reservations? Although he wasn't Dan Feng in her mouth, he was Dan Feng in her eyes. He had seen it in every conversation they had ever had since the truth came out and she managed to recognize him. 

Her eyes traced the pointy ears and followed the emerald horns even when they weren't there. She involuntarily talked about the things that Dan Feng loved. She recalled the times when he was still next to her, becoming embarrassed rather quickly when she realized what she was doing. He would interrupt anyone else who was doing it. This double standard only existed with her and it was eating him from the inside. 

Dan Heng bit his lip. He was like a gust that sometimes met the water. He rushed over the surface and saw his reflection but he was not a lake. What a strange feeling it was to be and not be loved at the same time. [Reader] loved his reflection. He could show it for a short while for her but no matter what he did, he couldn't become water because he was wind. 

It wasn't that he wanted to become Dan Feng. He hated his previous incarnation. Who he was and what he did. His predecessor followed him step by step, reminding him of himself and not letting him be who he wanted. But why did [Reader] have to be in love with him? In that hidden part of himself that he never wanted to become. 

This love was like a sea current. The swift current seemed to carry him away without any hope. And maybe because it resembled water, he wondered if it was his feelings, or maybe the remnants of the attachment of a former self that he had tried so hard to let go of. After all, they had known each other for such a short time, and he, as he deeply wanted to believe, was not a man who would give his feelings to anyone he came across. On the other hand, March immediately noticed that he was in love and said it was obvious. So maybe it was him after all? 

Dan Heng from [Reader] didn't sound like Dan Feng. Even if it was hiding behind it. Maybe he could pretend to be like him? He turned back towards the waterfall and looked at his reflection. Ripples in the water obscured his vision.

He wouldn't. He didn't want to be him. Never. Even for her. 

So maybe she could pretend? After all, he looked similar and had a fraction of his former power... 

He shook his head. Not at this price. Neither of them would be happy. 

At least he had memories. Even if they weren't his. Glimmers of light amidst the dark void of forgotten days. Sometimes they came back involuntarily. He hated the echo of Dan Feng's laughter, even though he felt like the joy was his own, but he loved [Reader's] laughter. Her silhouette looming somewhere under his eyelids. The same one that came back to him when they sat on the stairs after sunset after a hard day's work. The warmth of her lips, once so close, now within reach but at the same time eons away. How easy it was to lose himself in this old reality that was not his own. In that which interspersed his nightmares with sweet peace.

But these were stories of bygone days from several hundred years ago and he had to constantly remind himself that they did not belong to him. 

The sound of familiar footsteps sounded on the path. The wind brought the sound of trampled leaves. He didn't need to turn around to know who was standing there. Of course she figured out where to look for him. This was the place HE would came to. 

— Dan Feng. 

This was the first time something like this had happened. Until now, she had always been careful not to use his pre-reincarnation name. 

Maybe it was the sight of him surrounded by a familiar waterfall. Or one of the memories gnawed by the teeth of time, which now came to life in her eyes. He couldn't find it among the dark depths of his memory. If it existed, it belonged only to her. It was probably even better that way. This made "Dan Heng, not Dan Feng " easier to leave his mouth.

He wasn't ready for the regret that appeared on [Reader's] face. Nor for a tear that gathered in the corner of the eye, only to quickly disappear under a hard-blinking eyelid in confusion. However, he did not expect the feelings that spread around his heart even more. Jealousy, sadness and nostalgia of days gone by. He never found out if they really belonged to him. They were floating somewhere on the transparent surface of water, touched by the gust of wind.

[geraskierfanficprompts]

Prompt 129

In place of August Seventeenth, Promptapalooza 10/ It's a simple drowner contract. Until one grabs Jaskier and drags him in. Geralt dispatches the creature efficiently and yet Jaskier is still struggling in the water. "Jaskier get out of there!" And yet Jaskier doesn't come to shore. Geralt looks back and watches Jaskier sink under the water. Geralt quickly finishes the fight and dives down for Jaskier. He drags him out of the water onto the beach, and watches as Jaskier throws up murky water. "Jaskier, why didn't you swim to safety!?" Geralt growls. He doesn't mean to snap, but he's upset that Jaskier put himself in harm's way. But then he immediately softens when he sees Jaskier start to cry. "I'm sorry Geralt, I didn't want to be a bother, I- I don't know how." Geralt holds his shivering bard closer to him, and nods a bit. "Alright. Alright.. I'm sorry I yelled. Let's get you to a campfire, bard." Geralt warms Jaskier, and feeds him, and gives him a tea to soothe his throat, and puts him to bed. Then Geralt makes a plan. They're at a calm, clean pond. Jaskier doesn't know why Geralt brought them there, until Geralt starts stripping. "What... Are you doing?" "We're going in. Take your clothes off, bard." It's not exactly the context he wanted to hear it in, but this is something Jaskier has dreamt of hearing from Geralt's lips, and he'll take what he can get. "Geralt, I told you I don't know-" "That's why I'm going to teach you."

[aventurineswife]

Dear [Name],

The sound of your voice still haunts my thoughts—sharp, biting, and final. Two Augusts ago, that moment carved itself into me like the searing heat of Sigonia's sun. I told you the truth. A gamble, of course, like all things in my life, except this time I lost.

You didn’t like it, that truth. You left.

I remember standing by the gate of your home, the sharp scent of ozone from the desert storm overhead mingling with the iron tang of regret. Your car idled for a second too long. I thought—hoped—you might change your mind. But you drove off, taillights disappearing into the storm.

You in your Benz, and me, well… I stayed behind. Always behind.

Now, I fill my nights charming rooms full of people who adore my tricks and laugh at my lies. They think they know me—the dashing risk-taker, the lucky gambler. But luck had nothing to do with us. With you.

And what’s worse? I meant well, I really did. I just aimed low, didn’t I? Played my hand with all the finesse of a child at their first roulette table. I wanted to keep you, but my methods… I’ll make it known now: I failed.

Still, that’s just the way life goes, doesn’t it? Slam the door, spin the wheel, wait for fate to mock you. Trust me, I know—it’s always about me.

But I loved you.

And I’m sorry.

Two summers from now, I think we’ll be talking again, though not much. Just enough to pretend we’re “cool.” You’ll have your life, maybe someone who looks at you like I should have. I’ll be out on a boat somewhere, distracting myself with the sunset, the water, the drinks that never quite drown me.

I’ll wonder where you are—on a plane, I’d bet. Off to somewhere better, somewhere safe. Somewhere I could never take you.

And I’ll think, for just a moment, how surreal it all feels. Losing you.

Then I’ll remind myself that it’s okay, because that’s the way life goes. Push your luck until it breaks.

I wonder, do you remember the good parts of us? Because I do. And sometimes, they make the bad parts even harder to stomach. You were the best—and the worst. The way you could see through me, strip me bare with a single look, that sharp wit of yours like a scalpel. It terrified me.

As sick as it sounds, I loved you first for it.

But I was a dick, wasn’t I? It’s what I do, this age-old curse of mine. A gambler’s folly, thinking I could bluff my way through love the same way I do through life. You called me out, and I folded.

Now, when I laugh, it’s too loud. Too hollow. It’s the only way I know how to fill the silence you left behind.

Two years. That’s all it took for us to crash. And I stare at that wreckage every day, wondering what I could have done differently. But the truth? I don’t know if I’d have had the courage to be the man you deserved.

I try to make amends, sometimes. Not with you directly—I wouldn’t dare. I hurt you enough already. But with the world, in small ways. It’s a pathetic gesture, I know, but it’s all I have.

I’m wrong again.

Wrong for you, wrong for me.

And yet, when I joyride down the roads we once traveled together, I can’t help but lay on the horn, just to hear the echo. To prove, to myself more than anyone else, that the past still haunts me.

I love you.

And I’m sorry.

As I sit here now, pen in hand, this letter will likely never reach you. But maybe that’s for the best. You’ve moved on—I hope you have. You deserve peace.

Me? I’ll stay behind. Always behind. Watching the roulette wheel spin and wondering what might have been if only I’d played my cards right.

Because that’s the way life goes, isn’t it?

And in the quiet of my thoughts, in the shadows of my regrets, I’ll whisper the words you’ll never hear.

I love you, I’m sorry.

Yours Truly,

Kakavasha

[well-of-loneliness]

Thomas barrow and Radcliffe Hall The Well of Loneliness

[thatanimewriter]

CRY FOR LOVE.

➳ synopsis: ever since dan feng had been sentenced to molting rebirth, you didn't know how to move on, despite not having your love returned by the high elder. encountering his reincarnation - dan heng - centuries down the track wasn't the plan.

➳ character/s: dan heng, dan feng

➳ warnings: swearing, death (but a double whammy), reincarnation, unrequited love (unless-), spoilers for the 1.2 trailblaze mission, haha songfic/scripted music video??? (screenshot summary of a movie but written)

➳ notes: here is the explanation of such fic type and the guide on how i suggest to read this :)). i have an addiction to this song istg, baekhyun vocals send me

𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 / 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭  / 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 / 𝐰𝐢𝐩 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭  

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐈'𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠.

the image of dan feng in chains as he was led to the shackling prison was burnt into your mind, even when you closed your eyes.

𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐲.

you held the little block puzzle in your hand containing the confession letter you planned to give him, but sighed and pocketed it. you won't be needing it.

𝐖𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐢 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨.

"i'm not him."

you held his gaze and sucked in a small breath, smiling bittersweetly. "i know," you whispered. "what's your name?"

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭, 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠?

dan heng didn't know how to feel about jing yuan bringing him to the old spots they used to go to, but he realised he didn't feel anything at all.

𝐘𝐨�� 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐬𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐞. 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐈 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐲, 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐞.

dan heng doesn't miss the forced smile you put on just for him. "i'm sorry-"

"you're not him," you interrupted, taking a shaky breath. maybe a short walk together wasn't a good idea. "it's ok. don't apologise for something you didn't do."

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐜𝐫𝐲, 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐖𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲?

a single tear rolls down your face as you curl your knees to your chest, resting your chin atop them as you gazed at the pond. it felt pathetic to see dan heng sitting beside you in the reflection of the water, a gentle hand rubbing your back despite knowing you a total of 2 weeks.

𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐝, 𝐈 𝐜𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐞, 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤, 𝐈 𝐜𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐞.

his lips press into a thin line as the tears welled in your eyes. he thinks it's awkward how he rubs your back but the guilt of what his past self has done to you overrides his senses and pushes him to continue the motion.

𝐔𝐧𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐜𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬.

this is getting ridiculous, you thought. the burning question of 'what if?' has been plaguing your mind since you met dan heng a month ago.

𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭, 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭?

for a month, dan heng has been trying to remember any importance you had to dan feng's life, but he can't ignore the ache in his chest when he thinks about you being in it.

𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭. 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞.

how much longer was he going to be here? you weren't sure if you wanted to know the answer to your own question as you took an unfamiliar route on your walk. you were sure he noticed you purposely avoiding him, but you didn't know how else to rid yourself of feelings for his past self.

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐬𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐞. 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐈 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐲, 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐞.

the absence of you was deafening. dan heng's hope that maybe there are some good things about his past life was diminishing as he watched you take another detour. he wants to follow you, to hug you, to apologise to you, but his feet remain rooted to the ground.

𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐝, 𝐈 𝐜𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐞, 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤, 𝐈 𝐜𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐞.

the bags under your eyes seem darker as you watched him eat with the astral express, but a teary smile sat on your tired features at the thought of you having that with someone in a past life of your own. just not this one.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞, '𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. 𝐈 𝐜𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐞.

he is everywhere. you see his eyes in the lakes, ocean and the sky. you feel the warmth of his company as you wander down aurum alley. you're reminded of his intelligence as you pass through stargazer navalia. you're reminded of your unrequited love every time you come to central starskiff haven, surrounded by those flaunting their success in love whereas you failed.

you swallow your frustrations, gazing at a starskiff that faded into the horizon. perhaps he would be better without your heartbroken presence...

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐬𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐞. 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐈 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐲, 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐞.

your bags were packed and ready to go, your home now eerily empty, save for a singular photo frame of yourself and dan heng that was taken by march. you left your key inside a pot as always before you turned your back on your past, never to look back again.

𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐝, 𝐈 𝐜𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐞, 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤, 𝐈 𝐜𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐞.

with shaky hands, dan heng holds the photo frame containing a fond memory of you that always seemed to weigh on his mind. he looked around your home, hoping you would show, but knowing you wouldn't come back for him.

𝐈𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐈 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞.

a shallow breath escaped your lips as you lay in the snow, blood pouring from your chest.

"i'm finally free..."

𝐈𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐈 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞.

a tear fell from dan heng's crystal-like eyes as he knelt by your grave, giving the headstone a kiss he wished he had the chance to give you.

[tinybuttonbugbox]

it's a process ⭑.ᐟ smau

bokuto's ex!reader & akaashi

a/n. ahaha don't kill me

warnings: angst, mentions of cheating, getting over an ex

────── 〔✿〕──────

:3 hope you enjoyed! i promise i have sillier and goofies things on the way

[arsenicflame]

i think the thing for me about edizzy is the potential of it all- we know they have history together, but we don't know what it is, how long it went on for, what it meant for them. there's endless possibilities there to explore, and any of them could be real! or not! but theres so much to explore with them and its so fun to imagine all the what-if's and could-have-beens of their relationship

[flockofteeth]

Nothing like reading the comments on a thread asking "would you date someone with hardly any relationship experience" to really expose how that ~you still have time~ shit is not quite as true as optimistic people would like you to believe

[polengl-blog]

summer 2024.

[verfound]

FIC: "Love is a Star" (MLB; Lukanette; LBSC Lukanette Month 2024)

@lovebugs-and-snakecharmers is doing a Lukanette Month for September 2024, and we all just kinda tossed some prompts in the disco to compile a list?  We ended up with 71 prompts, so I decided I’d roll some dice to pick a prompt, do a twenty minute (ish, bc we all know sometimes they run away from me) sprint, and try to get some short fics out this month?

Read on Ao3

04 September 2024

Prompt 32: Stars (B)

“Have you ever heard of hanahaki?”

He turned his head, looking away from the expanse of stars stretching out above them.  They’d had to drive nearly two hours out of the city to find this spot, but lying there now, looking up at the night sky stretching out above them, he thought it was worth it.

That might have just been the company, though.

A lot of things felt worth it when Marinette was with him.

“Hanahaki?” he asked, frowning as he considered her question.  “That’s the flower thing, right?”

“Yeah,” she said, tapping her fingers against her stomach.  “Kagami was telling me about it.  It’s like…when you can’t confess your love to someone.  Or if it’s unreturned.  Something like that.  Flowers grow in your lungs and suffocate you.”

“Sounds awful,” he said.  She was still staring at the sky, but he was still watching her.  He had the better view anyway, he couldn’t help but think.  “What brought that up?”

“It was in that new book she’s reading,” she said, shrugging a little.  “You know how I’m always late.  She’s started bringing books while she waits on our juice dates.”

He grinned at that.  They hadn’t been drinking juice during their meetups for a while now.

“I dunno,” she said, shrugging a little.  “It just kinda…stuck with me.  The thought that telling someone you love them could be so paralyzing you just…choke to death.  I’ve just been thinking about it lately, I guess.”

He frowned.

“…you’ve been thinking about suffocating on flowers?” he asked.  She giggled and reached over, blindly swatting at his shoulder.  She missed, hitting his ribs instead, and he moved an arm from behind his head to find her hand.  He smiled once their fingers were linked.  “We have a zillion beautiful stars up there to distract us, and you’re here thinking such morbid thoughts.  If I had wanted to hang out with someone so grim, I would have stayed home or invited Juleka.”

“Jerk,” she laughed, squeezing his hand.  “No, it’s just…I don’t know.  It’s not necessarily the choking on flowers part, but…huh.  I wonder if it’s always flowers?”

He frowned, waiting for her to continue.  She sighed and shrugged, a little awkwardly since they were still lying down.

“Like…I don’t know.  What if you choked on stars?  What if your love turned into a light, so warm and bright inside you you just…couldn’t contain it?  And then it just had to get out, but you’re a hopeless disaster that could never tell the boy you liked you were so nuts about him?” she asked.  She finally turned away from the stars.  Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked at him.  “I wonder what would hurt more: thorns scratching as they came out or stars burning?  I mean, you’d be dead either way, but I wonder which is worse.”

There was a haunted, distracted look to her face – one that reminded him of days long past filled with plots and schemes and too many tears.  It didn’t sit right with him – it never really had.

“…thank God it’s not real and the answer is neither,” he said, his voice soft.  She rolled her eyes and looked back at the sky.

“Seriously,” she said, huffing out a little laugh.  “I bet I’d have it, if it was.  I’d be dead by sunrise”

“No, you wouldn’t,” he said, his voice firmer.  “Don’t say that.”

“Why not?  It’s true,” she said.  She sighed and closed her eyes, her smile turning bittersweet.  “You remember Adrien.”

Of course he did.

“…yeah,” he sighed.  It was hard to forget, some days.  She’d been in love with Adrien for most of the time he’d known her.  He finally looked back at the stars, unable to look at her any longer.  “No offense, Mari, but…I kind of hated him, in the end.”

She frowned, and he knew she had misunderstood.

“He had nothing to do with –” she started, but he shook his head and squeezed her hand again.

“I didn’t care about the Hawkmoth stuff,” he said.  “I know how hard that was on him.  I meant because of you.  I never understood how someone could be so…calloused with another person’s heart.  You deserved better, Marinette.”

“It was all for the best, in the end,” she said.  “Kagami saw him not so long ago.  He’s happy in London.  And it’s been a long time since I would’ve choked on anything for him.”

She closed her eyes, sighing, and he wondered at the little inflection of her voice.  The emphasis she had put on the ‘him’.  He wondered who she would choke for, if not Adrien Agreste.

“No, it’s just…I don’t know.  I just wonder sometimes…” she said, shrugging again.  “Am I just doomed to never be able to tell the people I care about how much I love them, and isn’t that the root of hanahaki?  I’d choke to death in under a week, all because I’m a coward.”

Bullshit, he couldn’t help but think.  She was anything but.  He pushed himself up on his elbows and leaned towards her, his brow pinched.

“…you’d tell me,” he said, his voice firm.  She opened her eyes and looked at him, and they widened just the slightest when she saw him leaning over her.  “You would tell me if you loved me, right?  You wouldn’t put yourself at risk like that.  Especially since you know that’s all I’ve ever wanted to tell you.”

“…I…” she started, but then his hand was on her cheek and his thumb brushed beneath her eye.

“Marinette, promise me,” he said.  “Because there’s no way in hell I wouldn’t return it.  And there’s no way in hell I’d just sit back and watch you die because…God, Marinette.  You wouldn’t do that to me.  Right?”

“…I thought hanahaki wasn’t real,” she said, her voice quiet.  “So why would it matter?”

“It matters,” he said.  “Your feelings always matter.”

She swallowed.  The stars suddenly didn’t seem as interesting anymore, which was kind of a shame.  Luka had put so much work into this trip for her, wanting to get her out of the city so she could finally relax.  You couldn’t see stars like this in Paris, and she was so busy staring at his stupid face she was missing the whole thing.

…she didn’t really mind.  She was pretty sure she had the better view, anyway.

“…of course I’d tell you,” she said softly.  “I’d try, at least.”

“There’s no try, Marinette,” he said.  Her lips twitched with a smile.

“Only do or do not?” she asked, and he rolled his eyes as he chuckled.

“You’d tell me,” he said, ignoring her joke.  “Promise me, Marinette.  Promise me you’d tell me.”

“I’d tell you,” she said.  He sighed, his body seeming to sag with relief, and he nodded.  She swallowed, a pleasant thrumming running through her as she studied his profile in the darkness.  “…hey, Luka?”

“Yeah?” he asked, opening his eyes, and something about the way they glittered in the starlight was making her dizzy.  She reached for his hand again, then seemed to think better of it and reached up to tuck some of his hair behind his ear.  He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, his smile growing.

“I love you,” she said.  Her breath caught as he turned his head and kissed her palm.  She lost it entirely when he opened his eyes to smile down at her.

“…I love you, too, Marinette.”

[undeadboyfriendsupportgroup]

Timothy Stoker, I know what you are...........