#shes the therapy these useless men needed
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pastelshroomsbasement · 2 months ago
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Goofy svsss au where qqq is also a transmigrator!!!
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wongyuseokie · 7 months ago
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All Too Well | c.s.c
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Summary: You thought you met the man of your dreams. He was everything you ever wanted, but what happens when that dream falls apart and when that man is no longer the one you recognise? You want to love him against all odds because you believe things can be better.
☆ 18+ minors dni |☀︎fluff | ☁︎ angst | ♕smut | ♥ completed works
Word Count: 21,190 words 
Pairings: Professor! Seungcheol x Female Reader Genre/Trope(s)/AU(s): Established Relationship, break up au! Slightly (quite) toxic relationship, HEAVY ANGST, fluff, smut. 
Content Warnings: There is an age gap between the reader and Seungcheol, but it’s not massive. He’s 30, and she’s 25, but it’s enough to cause problems. Seungcheol is a condescending little shit in this. Yelling, swearing, crying, arguments, toxic couple behaviours, mentions of an injury. Hospitalisation it’s nothing serious—mentions of blood.  Smut Warnings: smut, unprotected sex (don’t do this). Fingering, oral (male and female receiving) shower sex, multiple orgasms, squirting and using sex as an apology.   Authors Note 1: This fic will hurt quite a bit, but I like pain and write many of my experiences with my ex. It’s a form of free therapy, and it feels cathartic. Also, this story is fiction. Cheol is a fucking dick in this. This is a story that is not reflective of him or my impression of him. It is pure fiction, nothing else. Authors Note 2: Thank you so so much to my lovely @multi-kpop-fanfics for reading over this, my lovely @wooahaeproductions and @gyuwoncheol for beta'ing this fic for me 🩷 Authors Note 3: This is a Seventeen rewrite of an old Joon fic of mine, so if it looks familiar, that’s why hehe. 
Taglist: @dkluvrsclub @wooahaeproductions @stayinhellevator @aaniag @seungkwansphd @tomodachiii @gyuminusone @bitchlessdino @zezedoesshit @ohmygodwhyareallusernamestaken @noiceoofed @joonsytip @miniseokminnies @wonwoos-wineparty @persnyako @deobienthusiast @the-boy-meets-evil @gyuswhore @gyuwoncheol @shuadotcom @multi-kpop-fanfics @ourdawnishotterthanourday @thegirlwhoimagined @starlight-night0 @dreamsbloomout @aaasia111 @wongyuuu @ana-marais98 @gaslysainz @cherrylita @highvern Part of the Broken Illusions Stories
© wongyuseokie 2024. All rights reserved
“Mia, I’m not going to go on Tinder to end a dry spell, nor am I going to sleep with any of the men here. They are all old and most likely married. I’m not keen,” you groaned to your best friend. 
Mia had dragged you out tonight because she said that you had a dry spell that needed to be broken, but you were not going to submit to your hormones, and you surely were not going to submit to some random guy on Tinder with the worst possible pick-up lines. 
“Look, I can take care of myself. Men are useless and self-obsessed,” you claimed before sipping your martini. 
“Surely not all men?” A voice spoke, making you choke on your drink. 
You wiped your face wiped it of what? quickly and turned around in your seat to face the voice’s owner. Your eyes widened like saucers upon seeing the man standing before you. You were speechless, and as your eyes scanned, trailed from his deep-set eyes, his impeccable build, and his thighs, thighs that you wanted to straddle and ride until you screamed his name over and over. 
“Nope, all men,” you quipped, making the handsome stranger smile at you, revealing his deep dimples. 
“Y/N’s been burned by useless men, men who’ve claimed to be all that and then fell short, so she’s quite cynical about most men,” Mia chimed. “Ow!” Mia yelped when you kicked her shin for oversharing. 
“Well, how about I get you another drink?” The man suggested, and Mia grinned before hopping off her barstool. 
“Great, you do that! I have an early shift tomorrow. Stay safe, Y/N,” Mia said, winking as she headed out of the bar, and you glared at her, knowing that her ‘stay safe’ comment also meant to use a condom. 
“I’m Seungcheol.” The stranger introduced himself, and you nodded, turning around to face the bar as he sat down next to you. 
“Well, you already know my name. My best friend did kind of yell it,” you deadpanned. You didn’t care how ridiculously handsome Seungcheol was. He could just be another man who could talk a big game and be useless. 
“What would you like to drink?” Seungcheol asked, and you shrugged. “Surprise me,” you said. You made a mental note that if he got you some fruity shit, you’d leave him the second the words left his mouth. 
“How about a Yuzu fizz gin and tonic?” Seungcheol offered, and you smiled at him, nodding. 
“I can guess that if I ordered something you didn’t approve of, you would have left the bar by now?” Seungcheol joked.
“Well, now you’ll never know, will you?” You joked, making Seungcheol smile again. 
“So why are you here? Trying to find Prince Charming?” Seungcheol asked with a chuckle.
“Oh, come on, be honest. I’m not one to judge,” Seungcheol encouraged, and a sly grin formed on your face. 
“If you insist, then okay,” you started to say, inching closer to him, swallowing a gulp as you took in the scent of his cologne. It was musky, spicy, and woody all at once. 
“I’ve been stuck in a painfully long dry spell, and my hand is exhausted. I just need to find someone to fuck me hard,” you answered nonchalantly, and you swore you saw Seungcheol gulp slightly. 
“You’re telling me a woman as beautiful as you has not found a man?” Seungcheol asked as he moved away to hand you your drink. You took a sip out of the glass, smiling at the taste. 
“Good?” Seungcheol asked, and you nodded. 
“Would you like to try?” You asked, and Seungcheol shook his head. 
“Maybe later?” Seungcheol replied, and you nodded.
“But to answer your question, it’s not about looks. For instance, a guy might be doing well, then he’ll say something obnoxious, and I’ll no longer be interested,” you explained.
“Fair enough, I apologise on behalf of my species. We often get too excited when we see a beautiful woman and act up,” Seungcheol clarified, making you grin. Seungcheol was incredibly handsome and sweet, but you didn’t feel anything. Nothing clicked. There was no instant chemistry; suddenly, you felt tired and bored and just wanted to be wrapped up in your blanket. 
“Well, this was nice. Thank you for the drink, but I think I will call it a night,” you said, and Seungcheol simply smiled at you. You were relieved at how he wasn’t pushy or objecting to the fact that you wanted to leave so early. Most of the men you had met would get defensive or be less than understanding if you wanted to go before they got to cop a feel.
“Wait, how are you getting home?” Seungcheol asked. 
“Walking home, it’s a twenty-minute walk,” you replied.
“Y/N, you can punch me if I step out of line, but no, you’re not walking home alone.” You sighed, but you didn’t mind entirely, plus you could kick him in the crotch if he acted up. You were cognizant enough to do so. 
“Well then, Seungcheol, since it’s a bit of a walk, shall we play a game?” You asked as you both stepped out of the bar and started to walk. 
“Seriously?” Seungcheol asked, grinning. 
 “Humour me, Seungcheol .” 
“Fine then.”
“Great, let’s play twenty questions,” and you proceeded to ask. “How old are you?” 
“30,” he replied. 
“If it’s not too rude to ask you, the same?” Seungcheol asked, and you smiled before replying, “25.” 
“I have another question if it’s not too crude?” Seungcheol asked, and you nodded at him to ask it. “When you said you wanted to be fucked hard, how hard?”  You gulped; you swore his voice had gotten deeper and huskier since he left the bar. You chalked up your reaction to the cold air, playing tricks on your mind. 
“If let’s say, hypothetically, it was me, how hard would you want me to fuck you?” Seungcheol continued , making you stop and turn to face him. His eyes were piercing and burned through any façade you had on tonight. 
“Hard enough to make me forget my name,” you whispered, earning a nod from Seungcheol. 
The rest of the walk was filled with silence, aside from a few questions from Seungcheol, but you couldn’t get the vision of him standing over you and asking you how hard you’d like to be fucked out of your head. 
“Well,” you breathed out when your eyes landed on your front door. 
“This is me,” you said, standing with your back against your front door. 
“Wait, I have one thing I want to try but don’t worry, you still have permission to knee me in the balls,” Seungcheol teased, making you chuckle, only for a second, before his soft lips landed on yours. The kiss was so light it almost felt like nothing happened, but you knew it did because you felt your heartbeat out of your chest the minute his lips grazed yours. 
“I always wanted to know what the Yuzu gin and tonic tasted like,” Seungcheol said smugly before moving away from you.
“Well, it was lovely meeting you,” Seungcheol said, leaving you speechless and breathless as he turned around and walked away from your front door. 
“Seungcheol! Wait!” He turned around, smiling at you. 
“Would you like to come in for a nightcap? We still have several questions left,” you suggested, hoping he’d say yes. Seungcheol grinned as he nodded, following you into your apartment. 
Fifteen questions in, Seungcheol and you were on your living room sofa. You were cuddling into his side, your legs on his lap. Around five questions ago, Seungcheol’s hand started trailing your exposed thighs , and  you had let out a few soft moans at his touch. 
“Question sixteen for you, Y/N,” Seungcheol said, and you laughed at him. 
“You kept count?” You asked, and Seungcheol nodded.  
“I’m very detail-oriented,” Seungcheol replied, and you rolled your eyes.. Seungcheol’s hand stopped trailing your thighs; instead, he gently squeezed them. 
“Tell me, how hard did you want to be fucked?” He asked again, and you quirked your brows at him. 
“You already asked,” you replied breathlessly, and Seungcheol shrugged. 
“Would it hurt to get details?” Seungcheol pressed staring right into your eyes. You would be lying if you said you didn’t start getting wet five questions ago, but now your core ached at his words. 
“So hard that I can’t walk, so that I’m a mumbling and whimpering mess.” You said as you moved so that you were straddling Seungcheol. You gently moved your hips against his, and you felt his length hardening. 
“Question seventeen for you. Why did you ask me for a drink tonight?” you asked as Seungcheol groaned and held your waist, stopping your movements.
“When I saw you in this dress, I couldn’t help but think about how I wanted to do nothing more than rip it off your body,” Seungcheol spoke, and you moaned at his words. His grip on your waist got tighter, and you were sure you would be bruised tomorrow, but you didn’t care. 
“Question eighteen, Y/N, are you wet right now?” Seungcheol asked, and you smirked and proceeded to reply with another question. 
“Question nineteen, Seungcheol, do you want to find out?” You asked, and Seungcheol’s eyes darkened with lust as he nodded,lifting the pushed-up hem of your dress so that it was at the waistband of your panties. 
Seungcheol looked at you for consent, and you nodded, giving it to him. He pulled your panties to the side and brushed his fingers through your folds. Seungcheol moaned at your wetness, then moved his fingers to his mouth, and relished your taste. 
“Final question, baby. What’s your safe word?” He asked.
“Peaches,” you replied.
“Peaches it is,” Seungcheol responded, content with your answer, he carried you to your bedroom to a night filled with absolute pleasure. 
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You woke up the following day to soft snores; you smiled softly at Seungcheol sleeping. Seungcheol looked incredibly handsome, even with his hair ruffled and mouth open as he snored lightly. You hated how you were romanticising this one moment, especially considering that it was the result of several drinks and very sexual questions that led him to your bedroom. Still, at this moment, you wished that this would be the view you could wake up to every day. 
He was perfect. He was so sweet, loving, gentle, and kind all night long. You wouldn’t be opposed to having that type of care and affection regularly. 
You decided to get out of bed and grab your oversized nightshirt as you headed to the kitchen, leaving your bedroom quietly not to wake him up andruin the little daydream you were happily living in. 
You took a detour, making sure to head to the bathroom first, freshen up, and then head to the kitchen, where you made a cup of green tea for yourself and a cup of hot coffee for Seungcheol. In your hazy recollection of last night, you remembered Seungcheol ordering a couple of espresso martinis, so you assumed coffee would be a good idea. 
You held the mugs in your hand as you headed back to your bedroom, smiling when you saw Seungcheol sitting up, stretching, and smiling sleepily at you when he turned his head to face you. 
“Damn, and here I thought you left me,” Seungcheol joked. His deep morning voice made you feel warm, like the tea that warmed your throat with every sip. 
“It’s my house,” you replied, smiling at him and handing him a mug of coffee. 
“So, what do you do, Y/N?” Seungcheol asked. “Aside from rock my world,” he added, joking, making you roll your eyes at him. 
“I’m a freelance web designer, but I just took a break to travel with my friends for a bit, and so I’m just getting back into it.I need to go out and hustle to get clients again,” you said, and you noticed an emotion you couldn’t decipher flash across Seungcheol’s features. 
You assumed he was squinting at the morning sunlight streaming into your bedroom, but it was gloomy. Still, it was early, and maybe he was just tired. 
“What do you do?” You asked, not wanting to dwell on your thoughts for too long. 
“I’m an English Literature professor at Seoul National University,” Seungcheol said, and you couldn’t help but notice the hint of smugness that laced his tone. Still, then again, if you were a professor at the most prestigious universities in the country, maybe you, too, would behave that way. 
“So, you’re like a nerd?” You joked and knew it fell flat, noticing how Seungcheol gave you no reaction. 
“Is it still a thing to call people nerds? Youngsters these days,” Seungcheol mused, and you couldn’t help but again detect an undercurrent of an unpleasant tone that made you feel uncomfortable. You let it slide because you knew nothing about this man. 
“I enjoyed last night,” you said softly, joining him on your bed, hoping to change the topic. 
“I did, too. I didn’t think heading out for a drink after work would help me find you,” Seungcheol agreed. 
“I, uh,” you fumbled. You wanted to ask if he would be willing to see you again, and Seungcheol got the hint. 
“I want to see you again, and not just to repeat last night, but because I want to get to know you more,” Seungcheol said, and you beamed at him. 
“Shit, I need to get home and shower and get to the university, but can I have your number? I’ll text you after my lecture today, and yes, I’ll text today itself because I don’t believe in the whole bullshit of waiting for a day after to tell someone you enjoyed their company. I guess that’s something I learned with age,” Seungcheol stated. 
Then, you wondered if you felt Seungcheol’s age would be a motif you could never get rid of. 
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“Wait, so the buff hot guy, you ended up going home with him and fucking him?” Mia exclaimed obnoxiously loud in the supermarket, making you glare at her as you got a few disapproving stares from fellow shoppers. 
“Oh, you need to work on your indoor voice. You will end up spilling my life story to the world,” you said, elbowing Mia, who shrugged. 
“So well, was he the kind of dick you want inside you again, or what?” Mia asked as you grabbed some pasta and put it in your shopping cart. 
“He asked me out,” you replied.“Well, sort of. He said he doesn’t believe in waiting a while to text, so he said he’d text me today because he enjoyed my company,” you clarified, and you saw Mia’s grin widen. 
“What does he do?” Mia asked. “He’s a professor of literature and SNU,” you responded.
“Damn, I need your luck to get that kind of dick on a night out, a qualified dick, if you will,” Mia joked, making you laugh. 
“I don’t know, he still hasn’t texted, and it’s nearly 7, and if he texts any later than that, it’ll just be for a hookup, and I don’t want to be a booty call,” you explained, and Mia nodded. 
“Well, he’s a professor at one of the most prestigious universities. Maybe he got busy, and if he enjoyed your company, I’m sure he doesn’t only want sex,” Mia explained. You shrugged unsurely, and your phone buzzed in your pocket as if on cue. 
Unknown Number: Hey, it’s Seungcheol. Sorry for not texting earlier like I said. Students had a lot of concerns, and it’s been a long day. I finally wrapped up, and if you haven’t made plans already, I’d like to take you out for a late-night dessert.
You smiled at your phone for what must have been  too long, considering Mia decided to nudge you. “Fucking reply, you dork, and have him for dessert because that man must be sweet,” Mia teased, wiggling her brows at you, making you roll your eyes at her as you typed a reply. 
You: Hey Seungcheol, that’s okay. Dessert? Colour me intrigued, where should I meet you?
Not even a minute afteryou sent the message, you saw the words “Seungcheol is typing,” flash across your screen, making you smile and feel giddy like a teenager having a crush. 
Seungcheol: Send me your location, and I’ll pick you up. 
You: Sure! 
You: Location sent
Seungcheol: Perfect, see you in a few! 
You grinned at your phone as Mia headed towards the check-out aisle. “Wow, he’s offering to pick you up, too. He’s already a keeper,” Mia stated, and you shrugged. 
“How?” You asked, curious to understand your best friend’s logic. 
“He’s going out of his way to meet you and pick you up; he wants to spend more time with you before the date. He isn’t simply telling you to meet him at a place. He is making the time and effort to take you out on a date after a busy day. That’s a good sign,” Mia explained, making you smile. 
You and Mia had paid for your groceries and now were waiting outside. You were conversing with Mia when a sleek black Mercedes caught your eye. It was a sexy car, and your eyes widened when Seungcheol stepped out of the car and smiled at you. 
“Sorry, I hope I didn’t keep you in the cold too long?” Seungcheol said, and you shook your head at him. 
“Not at all,” you said shyly, earning a particularly hard nudge at your side from Mia, who noticed your shyness. 
“I’m Mia, you must be Seungcheol,” she greeted, making Seungcheol laugh. 
“I remember you, you’re trouble; you were the one who was kind enough to inundate me with Y/N’s sex life that night,” Seungcheol recalled, flustering Mia and you. 
“Well, it worked out, didn’t it?” Mia countered, making Seungcheol smile, allowing his deep dimples to appear, making you smile too.
“Can’t deny that”, Seungcheol agreed, winking at you, making you smile even more, so much so that you thought your cheeks would break. 
“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” Mia said as she started to walk away.
“Wait, Mia, why don’t I drive you home before we both head out on our date? It’s cold and late,” Seungcheol offered, and for some reason, that stung. You don’t know why. She was your best friend; she’d never betray you, and Seungcheol, well, he was nothing to you right now. 
Mia looked at you nervously, and you shrugged before nodding. “Yeah, come on, girl, it’s cold out. Besides, it’s not a long drive,” you rambled nervously, and Mia nodded as she approached the car. 
Seungcheol was nothing but a gentleman, holding the door open for youfirst, letting you in the front seat next to him, and then moving to help Mia into the back seat, and you couldn’t help the ugly feeling of jealousy that stirred in the pit of your stomach. 
Why would he help her after me? You thought and shook your head to rid yourself of those thoughts. You needed to compose yourself before Seungcheol joined you in the driver’s seat. 
“Alright, Mia, why don’t you tell me your address?” Seungcheol asked, flashing her a smile. You forced another smile at your best friend, annoyed at how your emotions clouded your ability to be rational, but Mia was right. Seungcheol was a catch, and you didn’t fancy losing him to your best friend. 
The entire drive to Mia’s apartment was filled with awkward silence, aside from a couple of jokes from Seungcheol and a few nervous giggles from Mia. You kept your gaze on the road ahead, refusing to engage in the conversation. You hated how your insecurities got the better of you and ruined a good time. 
“Thank you, Seungcheol,” Mia said softly, and for a second, you wanted to roll your eyes at her when you heard how sickly sweet her voice sounded, but then you realised that’s what she always sounded  like and that your insecurity nearly caused you to ignore your best friend. You could tell Mia had noticed too as she too kept stealing worried glances at you. 
“Hey, I’d never, and I’m sorry I imposed tonight,” Mia said as she exited the car and stood by your window. You let out a breath you didn’t realise you were holding and nodded. 
“I know, I’m just sorry. I got insecure,” you admitted quietly, and Mia nodded before hugging you awkwardly. 
“Have fun tonight. Remember, he wants to spend time with you. You’re not a second option,” Mia reassured, and you smiled at her, mentally noting to send her a long and apologetic text after tonight. 
Seungcheol, ever the gentleman, walked Mia to her door and waited for her to go inside before hereturned to the car, sat in the driver’s seat, and smiled at you, which you half-heartedly returned. 
“Okay, did you and Mia argue before I showed up?” Seungcheol asked, and you shook your head. “Then why did you act as if I overstepped by dropping her home?” Seungcheol questioned, and you sighed. 
“Can I blame it on insecurities, and you can drop this?” You asked, and Seungcheol’s face softened. 
“I want to spend my night with you, not her. How about I make it up to you over the best cake ever?” Seungcheol suggested, and you nodded, smiling at him. 
The drive was filled with the music in Seungcheol’s car and lo-fi remixes, and halfway along the drive, Seungcheol broke the silence. 
“So, this place is far, but I promise you it’s the best dessert place in the world. I know the owners, and I’ve known them since I was a kid, so they’re like family, so the food is legit,” Seungcheol rambled, making you smile. 
“So busy day, huh?” You asked, and Seungcheol nodded as he moved one hand off the steering wheel to lace it with yours. 
“Yeah, but seeing you made it all better,” Seungcheol replied, making you smile at him. 
“Cute,” you replied, making him grin as he drove. 
“What about you? How was your day?” Seungcheol asked, now properly holding your hand as he kept his free hand on the steering wheel and continued to drive. 
“Well, I mean, it wasn’t particularly productive. I asked a few clients if they had any upcoming projects I could assist with,” you explained 
“Well, you can’t be passive about it. If you want something, you need to chase after it,” Seungcheol explained and then winced slightly. “Fuck sorry, I’ve been with students all day, repeating this shit to them, and I automatically clicked into professor mode; sorry,” Seungcheol apologised, reaching gently to take your hand and bring it to his lips.
“You’re not exactly wrong, but maybe just keep the life coach’s advice for the kids?” You joked, and Seungcheol’s eyes lit up as he pulled into the familiar driveway of the bakery.
“We’re here!” Seungcheol exclaimed excitedly as he parked the car, getting out first and heading to help you. 
“Oh,” you said, pointing to your grocery bag.
“Leave it here; it’s cool,” Seungcheol replied. 
“Shall we?” Seungcheol asked as he closed the car door behind you and held out his hand for you; you took it, smiling as his large hand engulfed yours, making you feel safe. 
“Is that who I think it is?” A voice called out from the bakery’s back, and Seungcheol grinned, hearing the voice as he replied. 
“Halmeoni, it is. Cheol is hungry,” Seungcheol said playfully as he guided you into the bakery and a more petite older woman approached Seungcheol. 
“Oh, you are getting buffer by the day, and I see it’s paying off. Who is this beautiful woman?” The lady asked, making you smile shyly.
“Y/N, she and I are here on a date, halmeoni,” Seungcheol explained, making you grin even more. 
“Well, I’m glad to see you are dating again. After Yoona, I thought I lost you for good,” the lady added, and you felt Seungcheol’s grip on your hand tighten at the mention of Yoona. Lost him how?
“Halmeoni, not now, please,” Seungcheol warned. 
“My dear, Y/N, how rude of me. I’m Minji Kim, but you can address me as Halmeoni. Why don’t you two sit? I’ll get you the specials?” Ms. Kim offered.Seungcheol nodded as he guided you inside to find a more secluded booth to sit in. 
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Seungcheol said softly as you sat down. You were about to counter, saying you weren’t planning to ask him, but you decided against it. It wasn’t your place. Not tonight, at least, not on a first date. 
“This is our best-selling product and Cheol’s favourite,” Ms. Kim interrupted a couple of minutes later, as she placed a molten cake on the middle of the table and placed down two forks as well. 
“Enjoy, kids,” Ms. Kim said before she disappeared. 
“I know it looks simple,” Seungcheol started to say, “But this is the best thing ever. Open,” Seungcheol said as he picked up a forkful of the molten cake and moved the fork to your lips. You accepted the cake, letting out a hum of approval as the chocolatey taste filled your mouth. 
“Fuck, that’s amazing,” you praised, and Seungcheol smirked as he took a bite for himself. 
“Halmeoni says the love she pours into the cake makes it so delicious. She’ll never tell me her recipe, even if I beg,” Seungcheol complained, and you laughed at him. 
“Isn’t that better? Some things are better left unsaid. It might ruin the magic,” you said, and Seungcheol smiled slightly. 
“Ah, the childlike wonder, cute,” Seungcheol said, earning a funny look from you. 
“Is that a problem?” You asked, moving your hand away from him. Seungcheol shook his head. 
“No, I guess I have a very black-and-white view of the world, and sometimes I fail to account that other people don’t. I like that you see the world with all its beauty and colours,” Seungcheol explained.
“Well, stick around me long enough, and maybe you’ll see the world with a bit more colour?” you suggested, and Seungcheol shrugged. 
“We’ll see,” Seungcheol said, and you gathered from his tone that he didn’t fancy discussing this issue further. 
“Hey, you’ve got cake on your face,” Seungcheol said, leaning forward, and you assumed he’d wipe the cake off your lips. Instead, you were met with his soft lips. You melted against his lips as they moved against yours, only for him to pull away for a second and then find your lips again. You pulled away this time with a light smile. 
“Halmeoni will have the worst impression of me if all I do is make out with you here,” you joked, and Seungcheol smirked. 
“I agree. How about we finish this cake, and maybe I can show you how much I wanted to spend my day with you instead of lecturing my students?” Seungcheol suggested, and you couldn’t help how your expression changed.Seungcheol caught onto it as well. 
“I didn’t ask you out only to have sex with you, I promise. I want your company, but I also want to be able to hold your hand and maybe steal a few kisses here and there. I’d rather do that in a comfortable setting and not traumatise poor halmeoni,” Seungcheol clarified as he placed another kiss on your lips, and you hummed into the kiss. 
“Shall we?” Seungcheol asked, and you nodded.You stood up with him, placing your hand in his, and following him to the counter as he paid for the cake, much to your and halemoni’s protests. Seungcheol smiled as he walked out the bakery door, ensuring to wave to Ms. Kim. You felt yourself becoming more enamoured by his actions.  
You concluded that Seungcheol could have a hard exterior, but soft inside, much like the lava cake. He could seem slightly unapproachable with his curt and short replies, but if you dug deep enough, you knew he was filled with nothing but love and warmth, and you were determined to get to know that Seungcheol. 
You were determined that you could be that one for him, the one he’d let in. 
“Penny for your thoughts?” Seungcheol asked as his voice took you out of your daydream of becoming the future Mrs Choi. 
“I enjoyed tonight; well, everything tonight has been so incredible,” you admitted, and Seungcheol turned to smile at you, nearly running through the red light, making you laugh and gasp.
“Fuck, do you think being distracted by you is a valid reason for running a red light?” Seungcheol joked, and you shook your head at him. 
“Nope, but I think it’s cute,” you said as you placed your hand on his knee. 
“That impatient? We’re almost back at mine,” Seungcheol teased, and you rolled your eyes at him,pinching his knee a bit which made him laugh. 
The drive back to Seungcheol’s place was filled with jokes and flirty remarks.Once Seungcheol reached his apartment, he couldn’t park the car soon enough and hurriedly helped you out,practically running to his apartment with your hand in his. 
The minute you were inside his apartment, you took a second to take off your red scarf. You placed it on the coat hanger by the door and squealed in surprise when Seungcheol turned you around in his embrace, bending down to lift you into his arms and carry you over to his sofa. 
You stared at him, confused. What did he want? Was it just sex? You wondered, and Seungcheol spoke,  ending  your worries within seconds. 
“I just want to hold you like this, in my arms, look,” Seungcheol started to say as he adjusted his position so that you were lying between his body, your chin on his toned chest. “Maybe I’m moving too quickly, but I told you I don’t believe in all that bull shit of following rules. You’re the first person I’ve felt this  comfortable with for so long, so forgive me if all this is too much because I can reign it in,” Seungcheol admitted as he stroked your cheek, making you smile. 
You sat up for a second tokick off your boots, taking your position back, and laying on his chest. “I don’t need you to reign any of this in,” you reassured. Seungcheol was special; he was older, wiser, and something you had never had. You weren’t about to lose him for the sake of some social constructs relating to dating. 
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You always felt like people made up or exaggerated when it came to how love made them feel.  You had friends, like Mia, who would act like they were on cloud nine or something when they were in love, and you never understood it. It wasn’t because you were traumatised as a child or anything, far from it. 
You were a happy kid, but your parents weren’t in love. You knew that your parents stayed married for your sake, and while you would always commend them for that because you knew you could never do that, you never understood the point of pretending. All that to say, you never grew up with a perfect example of what love looked like, and after shitty hookups and your fair share of fuck boys and heartbreak, you gave up on the concept. 
You didn’t hate love; you just assumed it was something inconceivable that others got, the lucky ones, and you, you didn’t think you’d ever get it. You had convinced yourself that for so long, until you met Seungcheol, until that first kiss with him.
Now, four months later, you watched your boyfriend working. 
That was your man, your safe space, your home. Even though there were petty fights and arguments, you two would make it work because that’s what people do when they’re in love. 
They fight for each other. 
“Okay, I guess I’m decent-looking enough, but you’ve been staring at my face for the past ten minutes, with a smile on yours,” Seungcheol chuckled as he looked at you. 
“Wait, I’ve been staring for that long?” You asked, feeling slightly flustered. Seungcheol nodded as he pulled you closer into his chest. 
“What’s on your mind?” Seungcheol asked as his hand traced patterns lazily on your lower back. 
“I just-,” you started to say.“Are you real?” You asked Seungcheol, who furrowed his brows at you. 
“What?” Seungcheol asked
“I don’t know, I fuck. I never believed that I could have something like this,” you said shyly, and Seungcheol smiled fondly at you. 
“Like what?” Seungcheol encouraged, and you took a deep breath to sit up and adjusted until you sat crossed-legged next to Seungcheol on the bed. He soon followed, sitting up, and leaning against his headboard. 
“Like, I always thought love was a beautiful concept, but it was a concept that others would get, not me. I never thought I would find someone who would love me, how you do, how you make me feel when you kiss me, and how I feel when I hold your hand. Seungcheol, I feel safe with you, and that’s something I never associated with love. Love was always so unrealistic to me,” you rambled and paused to look at Seungcheol, who smiled fondly at you. 
“That’s why I asked if you were real, or something I made up because I was so desperate to feel loved and to be loved,” you admitted.
Seungcheol placed his hand over yours. “You feel safe with me?” He asked.
“The safest. I feel like I’m floating. When I’m with you, I feel like you’ve taken me to a place so high, where there is nothing but love and safety,” you babbled, letting your feelings pour out and making Seungcheol smile widely at you. 
“Fuck, then, this is not a good time to say this is it?” Seungcheol said, and for a second, you felt like you had come down from the proverbial cloud you were floating on. 
“Uh, say, what?” You fumbled, and Seungcheol grinned at you before leaning over to kiss your lips softly. 
“To say that I love you,” Seungcheol admitted, making your eyes widen.  
“To be honest, I’ve been meaning to say it for a while now.I just didn’t know if it was the right time or too soon, and I didn’t want to scare you off or anything, but hearing what you said made me realise that I too have nothing to fear when I’m with you,” Seungcheol confessed, making you? at his words as you moved to crawl into his lap. 
“You love me?” You asked.
“I love you,” Seungcheol repeated, and you beamed at him. 
“I love you more.”
Four Months Later: The First Crack in the Glass
“How was work?” You asked Seungcheol one evening, and he  groaned as he flopped into your bed, wrapped his arms around your waist, and cuddled you, making you smile. Your boyfriend might have been a big shot and a fancy literature professor, but he was a giant teddy bear behind closed doors, and in moments like this, you were reminded of it. 
“You want to know?” Seungcheol asked as he sat up and stood up to take off his shirt and pull off his work clothes to change into a more comfortable pair of sweats. 
“I was teaching the kids about Sylvia Plath,” Seungcheol said slowly. 
“Oh, shit, I’ve heard of her,” you said absentmindedly, and Seungcheol let out a soft hum.
“She’s one of the greatest writers, and you’ve only heard of her?” Seungcheol asked. There was a hint of condescension in his voice, and you couldn’t help but feel like there was a hint of judgment from him. 
“Cheol, tell me about her work,” you said, trying to push down the funny feeling his words left you with. 
“I mean, what can I say? You smiled, watching him, listening intently as he fell into a soliloquy about Sylvia Plath’s writing. “The woman was troubled. Like any great artist, she used her pain to create beauty. She turned her darkest thoughts into the most beautiful words,” Seungcheol explains. 
“Who’s your favourite poet?” Seungcheol asked suddenly, and you shrugged. 
“I don’t know if I have one. Literature was something I liked, and I enjoyed everything I read. I don’t think I cared enough to love one author exclusively,” you replied, earning a grunt from Seungcheol. 
“You couldn’t have liked it enough if you can’t even tell me a favourite author. What about a poem or novel?” Seungcheol pressed, and you glared at him. 
“You sound like an arrogant prick,” you mumbled, and Seungcheol laughed and held up his hands in defeat. 
“Okay, I apologise,” Seungcheol said, but the smile on his face made you realise that he didn’t mean it. 
“I loved the play A Doll’s House,” you said, and Seungcheol’s eyes widened.
“You’re familiar with Ibsen?” He asked, unable to mask the surprise in his voice. 
“Just because I’m not some fancy fucking professor doesn’t make me stupid,” you said, inching away from him, and Seungcheol let out a soft sigh. 
“What did you love the most about the play?” Seungcheol asked. 
“I guess, like Nora, I too feel like I always need to be a certain way and that people have an expectation of what and how I should be,” you admitted, looking down at your blanket, and you felt Seungcheol pull you into his arms. 
“I hope that’s not because of my thoughtless remarks?” Seungcheol asked, cupping your face with his large hands, and you shook your head. 
“No, but I guess just life. I just see so many people my age settling down, with a family and kids, and everything, and they have a steady  job, and just everything,” you mumbled, and Seungcheol nodded, pressing a kiss to your forehead. 
“So? That’s their journey, not yours, my love. You will have all those things when it’s right. You don’t need to rush it,” Seungcheol said, and you smiled at him. 
“That’s one of my biggest insecurities, and I don’t think I’ve ever voiced it, not even to Mia,” you confessed.
“I appreciate that you trust me with it and know that it’s a feeling that I’ll keep safe with me,” Seungcheol promised his words making you melt. 
“You’re my safety net?” You asked, and Seungcheol nodded. 
“Yep,” Seungcheol responded. 
“Oh, babe, my friends wanted to meet you, so I asked them over to dinner at mine, join me? I want to introduce them to the woman, who, I quote, ‘makes me less of a miserable bastard’,” Seungcheol explained. 
“I’d love to,” you replied.“Wait, miserable bastard?” You asked, unable to fight the slight grin on your face. 
“When Yoona and I ended things, I was a miserable bastard,” Seungcheol explained.
“Um, not to rehash shitty memories…” you started to say, and Seungcheol’s soft smile turned into a harsh glare as he spoke. 
“Then don’t. I’m not interested in talking about her, and it’s none of your business,” Seungcheol snapped, and you nodded, feeling embarrassed for even bringing it up or attempting to. 
“There are some things in life we keep to ourselves, right? For all our lives, a secret we take to our grave, Yoona, is that for me,” Seungcheol explained, and you sighed in acceptance, wondering how awful that relationship could have been for him to be still so resentful. 
“I get it. You’ll never hear her name from me again,” you vowed.
“Thank you,” Seungcheol breathed out. 
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“Fuck, does this dress look okay?” You asked, waltzing out of Seungcheol’s bathroom in a black cocktail dress. Seungcheol barely looked up as he placed the wine glasses on the dinner table. 
“Cheol,” you huffed, and he looked up at you. 
“My friends will like you; they don’t care about what you wear,” Seungcheol said, and you walked  over to the dining table with a sigh
“I get that, but still,” you trailed off, and Seungcheol shrugged. 
You were about to respond when the doorbell rang. “Cool, they’re here. Just be yourself. They’ll like you,” Seungcheol affirmed, and you sighed, nodding, as you watched him open the door for his guests. 
“Jeonghan, Chan, Mingyu, and Joshua, this my love, Y/N,” Seungcheol introduced you proudly, waving towards you as the four men walked into the house.You smiled and waved at them awkwardly. 
“Why don’t we get a few drinks, and then we can all get acquainted?” Seungcheol offered, and the rest agreed with nods and hums. 
“So, what do you do?” Jeonghan asked. 
“Well, I’m a web designer, so I do a lot of freelance work,” you explained, and Jeonghan nodded, smiling. “That’s incredibly impressive,” Jeonghan complimented. 
“What do you do?” You asked, and Jeonghan took a sip of his wine before answering. 
“I also work with your boyfriend, except I teach law,” Jeonghan replied, and you nodded. 
You were about to reply when you were suddenly interrupted by Seungcheol. “Oh, Jeonghan, don’t bore her; she’s not into the academia,” Seungcheol said. You knew he meant no harm by it, but it made you feel like an idiot. 
Did your boyfriend think you weren’t smart enough to converse with someone other than him? 
“Well, everyone likes criminal law, murders, and stuff,” Jeonghan joked, attempting to ease the tension, as he noticed how your face fell with Seungcheol’s comment. 
“I know, I love watching crime documentaries,” you added. “Same. What would you say are your favourites? Forensic files?” Jeonghan asked. 
“Y/N, you know that watching a documentary on crime, especially an extremely overproduced TV show, does not mean you understand the details of the law. You watch crime shows because you find it cool, but Jeonghan teaches the law. He respects and appreciates it immensely,” Seungcheol added, and you baulked at his words. 
“Ignore him, Y/N, this pompous literature professor thinks that if you don’t like Sylvia Plath, you’re a disgrace as a reader. Seungcheol can’t understand that while her work is untouchable, it’s too much, and that’s not a mark of one’s intelligence. Rather what they like,” Jeonghan said. His last words were directed to Seungcheol and were emphasised with a particularly intense glare at him. 
“Cheol, why don’t you look after the kids? Yeah, I think Joshua said something about replacing all your vintage books with decoys,” Jeonghan offered, and you were thankful for his comment as Seungcheol stalked off to the kitchen. 
Jeonghan looked at you sympathetically before motioning for another man to join you in the conversation. He looked younger, and he had a bright smile. 
“This is Chan. He’s the baby of the group,” Jeonghan said, and you couldn’t help but think that his words were a dig at you, but you saw no malice in his voice. He just wanted you to meet another face. 
You started a conversation with Jeonghan and Chan; this time, it was just about lighthearted topics. Thankfully, Seungcheol didn’t interrupt with a patronising comment. 
“Dinner’s set!” Seungcheol announced, and you sighed. You finally felt better about what happened between you two earlier, but you decided to swallow your pride and join him at the dining table. 
“No way you did all this, Cheol,” A man you vaguely remember called Mingyu mumbled, and Seungcheol laughed. 
“True, my love here..” Seungcheol said as he moved closer to you and wrapped his arm around your waist, pulling you in to kiss your cheek softly. 
“She helped. I would have burnt the bloody house down,” Seungcheol said.You took a deep breath before nodding in agreement. 
You decided you’d chalk up Seungcheol’s initial crappy behaviour to him just being nervous, and maybe he just wanted to save you from a boring conversation but just had a terrible way of executing his plan. 
You’d let it go and try to enjoy the rest of the night. 
Except, that didn’t go to plan. Several minutes into the conversation, Seungcheol’s grip on your hand loosened, and by the time dessert was placed, Seungcheol had his chair tilted so that his back was facing you and no longer looking at you or engaging you in the conversation. 
You felt awkward. Everyone in the room knew each other except you. You were the odd one out, and your boyfriend seemed completely fine ignoring you, too. You didn’t want him to coddle you, but you didn’t expect him to turn his back on you. 
You placed your hand on Seungcheol’s back once to get his attention, but he merely shrugged it off, and you felt tears threatening to spill, so you politely and wordlessly excused yourself, not that anyone noticed. 
You excused yourself to Seungcheol’s study, where you found yourself a bottle of wine, and decided to sip that and stayed all night and didn’t emerge until after dinner and his friends left. 
“Hey, I thought I’d find you here. Why didn’t you join us for dinner? I told them you came down with a headache, but I got to say you didn’t make me look good, doing that,” Seungcheol explained as he walked into his study, and you rolled your eyes at him as you took another sip of your wine. 
“I just wanted to introduce you to my friends, and you just decided you couldn’t be bothered?” Seungcheol scolds, and you scoff. 
“Why are you so pissed off?” Seungcheol asked as he sat across you, and you stood up and walked over to the window. 
“I’m not pissed off. Who said I was pissed off?” You said sarcastically, and Seungcheol sighed.
“You’re acting pissed off,” Seungcheol added. You sighed before speaking. 
“You acted like I was a fucking dumbass; what the hell was the comment you gave to Jeonghan? That I’m not into academia, or that I can't understand the law because I watch a Netflix show about crime? You made me look like a fucking moron,” you spat.
“Look, whenever I try to show you anything about my work, you get bored, and you either fall asleep or can’t keep up. I was trying to save you that with Jeonghan,” Seungcheol replied, and you stared at him in shock. 
“I don’t fall asleep because I’m not interested. I fall asleep because you talk to me like a student. You lecture me; if you spoke to me about your work the way you do with your friends, with that same enthusiasm, then maybe I’d pay more attention, but you fucking don’t!” You shot back, making Seungcheol sigh. 
“So, what was I meant to do? Let you try and have a conversation with Jeonghan about the law, something you know nothing about?” Seungcheol asked, and you nearly slapped the smug look off his face.
“Fuck you. You don’t need to have a master’s degree or prior knowledge about a subject to be interested in it and for fucks sake. I just wanted to get to know your friends, but whenever I tried, you intercepted the conversation with a comment that just made me sound like a fucking child,” you yelled at him, and Seungcheol groaned. 
“This was meant to be a good night, and you’re making it all about you,” Seungcheol mumbled. 
“Me? How? You barely acknowledged me, you turned your fucking chair around and didn’t look at me during dinner. You barely tried to include me. Your friends, they’re all older than me, and you made no fucking effort to include me,” you yelled at Seungcheol.
“You have a mouth. You could speak up. No one would stop you,” Seungcheol offered, earning a glare from you. 
“Why would I fucking do that? Whenever I contribute anything, you show up to either call me an idiot, or when I do try to get your attention actively, you fucking shrug me off. Do you know how that feels?” You asked, your voice trembling. 
“Fuck don’t cry. That’s not fucking fair. I don’t even remember the fact I shrugged you off. You can’t attack me for something I don’t even know about,” Seungcheol retaliated. 
“Fuck can you just acknowledge that you fucked up a little bit? You’re making me feel so fucking stupid,” you choked out, and Seungcheol shrugged. 
“I don’t think I’m making you feel that way. I think you’re making yourself feel that way,” Seungcheol offered, and you glared at him.
“Fine, then, if I’m so fucking stupid. Then, I should just let you be. I’m going home. I don’t want you to feel even more stupid with me around,” you snarled, slamming your wine glass down hard enough to startle Seungcheol but not hard enough to break the glass. 
You stormed out of the room as Seungcheol helplessly followed after you. “Wait, Y/N, fucking wait. It’s late, please just stay until the morning, and I’ll drop you off; I can’t drive you home yet, I’ve had too much to drink for it to be safe,” Seungcheol argued, and you scowled at him. 
“I don’t fucking need this. I can take a cab,” you said, grabbing your phone, and Seungcheol shook his head at you. 
“Not a fucking chance, not so late, please; just let me sober up, and I’ll drive you back?” Seungcheol pleaded, and you gave in.
“I’m going to clean up,” you said, shoving past him and heading into the kitchen as you started to clean up the mess. 
“Let me help,” Seungcheol offered, and you ignored him. “Babe, please, I’m fucking sorry, just let me help you?” Seungcheol asked again, and you failed to notice how close he was standing next to you. You bumped into him, managing to drench yourself in red wine. 
“Fuck,” you hissed out as the tears threatened to spill over.
“Go, take a shower, I’ll clean up,” Seungcheol said, taking the glasses out of your hands, and you nodded as you silently walked back to the bedroom and stripped, putting your black dress in the laundry hamper and stepping into the shower.
You felt the tears stream down your face. As you washed up, you started to rationalise the fight in your mind. Maybe you had overreacted, or maybe Seungcheol just got caught up in the moment, hell you’ve been guilty of that yourself when you meet your friends, so why should you hold him to a different standard?
You stepped out of the shower, wrapped yourself in one of Seungcheol’s fluffy white towels, and headed out of the bathroom to find Seungcheol sitting looking forlorn on the edge of the bed. 
“I’m fucking sorry,” Seungcheol mumbled, and you sighed as you leant against the wall. 
“I may have overreacted a bit. I just wanted to feel loved, but I get it, time and place,” you said. 
“I do love you, and tonight I acted like a fucking ass. I just wanted to impress my friends, and I did it at your expense. Can you forgive me?” Seungcheol asked. 
“I can,” you said, holding out your hand to him, which he took and walked over until he was towering over you.
“How can I make it up to you?” Seungcheol asked as he placed a soft kiss on your lips, which you gladly reciprocated. 
“Well,” you started to say as you undid the towel, letting it drop to the floor, and Seungcheol smiled at you. 
“You want to make it up to me, Cheol?” Seungcheol nodded furiously. You reached down and placed your hand gently on the top of his head and moved his head so his face was at your cunt. 
“Show me how sorry you are,” you said, guiding his head into your pussy. Seungcheol gently pushed your back into the wall. He lifted your leg and wrapped it around his shoulder. He started by placing soft kisses, gently kissing your cunt. He ran his tongue over your folds, moaning as he tasted your arousal. 
“So sweet,” Seungcheol praised and dove back in with more desperation. He moved his tongue to your clit, and flicked his tongue against it. You moaned in approval, and he continued his movements. 
He suddenly pulled his mouth away from your core, lifted you, and walked over to your bed. He laid you down gently, and his mouth found your cunt again. Seungcheol positioned himself on his knees at the edge of the bed, his tongue now reaching your entrance. He pushed his tongue inside you, and you mewled at the feeling. He shoved his tongue further into your cunt, and his hand reached your clit. 
He rubbed at the swollen nub, and you soon found yourself cumming on his tongue. Your hips bucked against his face as you rode out your orgasm. As soon as you got down from your high, Seungcheol shoved two fingers into your pussy making you squeal at the oversensitivity. 
He pushed his fingers deep inside of you until he reached a rough patch of skin, and you squealed. He smirked, and he started moving his wrist up and down, making his fingers repeatedly hit the spot inside you. It had you seeing stars. 
Your second orgasm hit you harder as you felt yourself squirt for him. You were clawing at the bedsheet for support; the way he made your body feel was incredible. He latched his full lips around your swollen clit as he furiously pumped his fingers inside you, and a few short licks and you fell apart again. 
You whimpered into the bedsheet, which was now soaking wet, and you reached your hands out for him. He smirked, and he pushed you back further onto the bed as he stripped himself. Seungcheol then climbed over and on top of you. He grabbed your legs and wrapped them around his waist. His hard cock was resting against your aching cunt. Just seeing his length made you delirious. 
He was so thick the first time you had sex with him, you couldn’t even comprehend his thickness. He made you feel so full and had indeed ruined you for other men. His length was perfect, it was able to go deep inside you, and the thickness another word allowed you to feel so good. He filled you up. You bucked your hips against him, rubbing your wet folds against his cock, and he hissed at that. He pushed himself into you, and you moaned at the stretch. 
His hands moved to unwrap your legs and positioned them around his neck. The new position allowed him to go deeper, and he pushed deep into your cunt.  His thrusts were  paced perfectly. Slow enough to make you feel every inch of his cock, and fast enough to make you moan. 
“Harder, Cheol,” you whimpered, and Seungcheol smirked. He pulled out of you and flipped you over onto your hands and knees. He realigned himself and pushed into you.
You and Seungcheol always played rough and pushed each other beyond your limits. Your pussy was making obscene noises as you had cummed so hard. He picked up his pace, knowing he would not last much longer, and his grip went to your throat. You somehow found the ability to tap his hand, letting him know to choke you harder. You liked it, and so did he. 
His grip around you tightened. He pushed into you, and you fell apart again. This time, you screamed into the pillow, and Seungcheol released not too long after you. He flipped you back over, laying you down on your back. He moved down again to your pussy, and licked and sucked. He moaned, tasting your release and his. 
He always did this; he wanted to lick your pussy after cumming inside you. You didn’t complain. A few more licks and one final suck to your entrance, and you came once again. He placed the last kiss on your cunt and pulled you into his arms. 
“I’m still so fucking sorry,” Seungcheol apologised, and you rolled over to place your head on his chest. 
“It’s okay, just don’t do it again?” You said, and Seungcheol nodded, pulling you into a soft kiss as he held you until you fell asleep in his arms. The feeling of safety was still there, but why did it feel like there was a slight tear in the safety net that was your love?
You shook it off, thinking it was expected. Couples fought. 
You two would be fine. 
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“Morning gorgeous,” Seungcheol mumbled the following day as he wrapped his arms around your waist while you made tea. 
“Hi,” you replied, turning around to face him as he pulled you into a soft kiss. 
“I want to talk to you about something,” Seungcheol said, and you looked at him nervously. 
“Chill, it’s not a bad thing. Well it is, but it doesn’t affect us,” Seungcheol explained as he guided you into the living room and onto the sofa. 
“Yoona, she was my first love, my first everything. Well, not everything, but she sure felt like it. I thought she and I would be together for the rest of our lives. I proposed, and she said yes, and somewhere along the road, everything went wrong. I found out she cheated several times while we were engaged,” Seungcheol explained as you held your breath. 
“So, whenever she is mentioned, I get agitated because she ruined me and made me cynical until I met you. You make me happy, happier than I’ve been in a very long time,” Seungcheol explained, and you sighed, feeling terrible for him. 
“I want to continue making you happy for a long time, Seungcheol. I won’t ever hurt you like her,” you promised, making him smile at you. 
“I love you, and I’m sorry for last night. Look, there’s a cocktail party at the university next Friday evening. I’d like you there and want to show you off to everyone. I want to show off my girl,” Seungcheol said proudly. 
“I’d like that,” you said, placing your lips on his plush ones. 
You, too, would be fine. It was a slip-up, not a crack in the safety net—just a slip. 
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“Good god, I was starting to think that Seungcheol had kidnapped you or something,” Mia joked, making you laugh nervously as she entered your apartment and hugged you tightly. 
“Why would you think that?” You asked, genuinely concerned about why your best friend had such a vivid imagination. 
“Well, you’ve only spoken to me a few times within the four months that you and Seungcheol have been dating, and I say this with as much honesty as I can. Don’t become one of those girls that ditches all her friends once she finds a guy,” Mia joked, but you knew there was some weight to her words. 
“Mia, that was in university, and it happened once. I’m not the same person anymore,” you defended, and Mia nodded. 
“So why did you want me to come over, girls’ night, or trouble in paradise?” Mia asked, and how you chewed your bottom lip nervously was enough of a tell for Mia to sigh and understand. 
“Why don’t you sit? I’ll grab the wine, and I’ll explain everything,” you explained another word, and Mia nodded as she kicked off her shoes and got comfortable on your couch. 
You handed her a glass of cabernet and held another glass for yourself as you sat down on the sofa and started telling her about every detail for the last four months. It was going well until you finished recalling the details of last night’s fight. 
“Wait, he did fucking what, and you fucking forgave him? Why because he made you cum?” Mia accused, and you cringed. You had just finished recounting the entire story of the dinner with Seungcheol. 
“He made a mistake,” you mumbled, and Mia scoffed. “A mistake is forgetting to order dessert, not ignoring your girlfriend, or treating her like she’s a bumbling idiot!” Mia fired back, making you sink into your seat. 
“Sorry, you need to talk to him about this. Sex is not an apology, and why did you forgive him? Did he just gaslight you into  forgiving him? Is that what happened? Did he say that you’re being crazy or shit like that?” Mia interrogated, and you kept shrinking in your seat. 
“Mia, shut up. Stop using such extreme words for him,” you whimpered. You didn’t like how loud her voice had gotten, and she sighed. 
“He used sex as an apology. Y/N, do you not know how big of a red flag that is? And the fact that you gave in makes it even worse because you’ve now set the precedent that he can pull this sort of shit with you, and you’ll forgive him if he makes you cum hard enough!” Mia rattled off, and you wanted to smack her if it meant shutting her up. Instead of being rational, you decided to defend your boyfriend, even if it meant doing it at the expense of hurting your best friend. 
“Mia fuck you. You were in a relationship with, what was that guy’s name, you remember, the one who cheated on you for four months straight, and you kept taking him back. You’re going to lecture me about being spineless in my relationship when you let a guy walk all over you for four months straight because you were so fucking desperate!” You snarled and regretted the minute the words left your lips because you saw how hurt overtook Mia’s face and how her lower lips trembled. 
“I haven’t seen this side of you in a while. You were like this in university, where once you fell for a guy, you became blind to his every flaw and then lashed out at anyone who tried to tell you otherwise. You know what, Y/N, you know where I live. Find me when you decide to take off your rose-coloured glasses. I can’t bear the sight of you right now,” Mia said, placing the wine glass down on your coffee table and storming out of your house. 
You felt awful, but Mia was wrong to assume that Seungcheol would use sex as an apology instead of actually apologising instead. You shook your head and sighed, finishing your glass of wine. You would reach out to Mia eventually.
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“Fucking hell, you look beautiful, my love. I might just be the luckiest man alive,” Seungcheol praised as you stepped out of your bedroom. 
You wore a red evening gown that exposed enough of your chest to be enticing but also respectable for a formal event at a university. You topped off your look with makeup that brought out your best features and slipped on red strappy heels. 
“Shall we?” Seungcheol asked.You looked up at him. He was wearing a black suit, and you honestly wanted to skip the university party and have him take you right here. Now, as if he could read your thoughts, Seungcheol laughed. 
“Don’t worry, you can rip this suit off me after tonight,” Seungcheol said, making you laugh too as you took his hand and headed to the party. 
“Y/N! So lovely to see you again,” Jeonghan greeted when you and Seungcheol entered the venue. 
“What about me?” Seungcheol joked childishly, making Jeonghan roll his eyes.
“Needy, isn’t he?” Jeonghan teased, and you laughed.
“But you love me,” Seungcheol said, and you smiled
“I do,” you said, making him smile backbefore he looked  up, and he suddenly froze as his eyes fixated on a figure across the room. 
“Cheol?” You asked, noticing how Jeonghan also looked tense as both men intently stared at the figure, now making her way across the room to greet them. 
“Jeonghan, my favourite law professor, you know my students miss you dearly!” The lady joked. 
“Yoona,” Jeonghan acknowledged, and you, like Seungcheol, felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. 
This was Yoona? 
This was the woman that broke Seungcheol’s heart? This woman, who Seungcheol failed to explain, worked alongside him. She was a colleague of his. He saw her every day at work, and nowhere during the four months did he think to mention that he still worked alongside his ex-fiancé. 
You also felt Seungcheol let go of your hand, and you could have sworn he inched away from you. 
“Seungcheol, it’s so lovely to see you, and who might this be?” Yoona asked as her gaze turned to you, making you gulp and then pale in horror as Seungcheol could not answer for a second. 
“She’s a friend,” Seungcheol mumbled, and you saw Jeonghan shake his head slightly, and you sighed at him, holding your hand to out to Yoona
“Pleasure to meet you. How do you know Seungcheol?” You asked, feigning innocence, and you heard Seungcheol fail to bite back a hiss. 
“I’m a colleague of his, and oh, I guess we have some history, actually pun intended on that.I teach art history here. Are you a prospective student?” Yoona asked, and you stared at her and looked back to see Seungcheol ’s poker face staring back at you. 
“No, I’m not a student. I’m amazed that you’d think that,” you replied, unable to keep the slight bite use a different word your tone had to it. 
“Well, what do you?” Yoona asked, and you were about to answer when Yoona beat you to the punch.
“Well, you must be a fellow academic. Our Cheol here has a type,” Yoona said as she shot you a wink and waltzed away from the conversation, leaving you a mess and Seungcheol angry. 
“Okay, I’m going to leave you two to it,” Jeonghan said as he rushed off too. You started to feel the room close in on you and you just wanted to leave.
“Would you excuse me? I need to make a phone call,” you said hastily as you ripped your arm out of Seungcheol’s hold and nearly ran out of the ballroom and outside to a quieter area of the venue until you found a secluded bench to sit on as you gathered your thoughts. 
“I thought I’d find you here,” you turned around to see Seungcheol standing, staring at you withhis hands in his pockets and looking at you with an emotion you couldn’t decipher. Was it guilt or annoyance? 
“That’s Yoona?” You asked, and Seungcheol simply stared at you. 
“The Yoona?” You repeated, and Seungcheol sighed, nodding as he walked over to stand across from you. You could not look at him. 
“What?” Seungcheol asked, and you let out a dry laugh at his ability to be so damn obtuse. 
“This is the woman who broke your fucking heart. You work alongside her, and you never once thought to, oh, I don’t know, mention that she is not only your ex but your fucking colleague?” You snarled another word, and Seungcheol sighed. 
“Grow up, adultshave to- what?” Seungcheol paused mid-speech when he saw you glaring at him. 
“Do not fucking patronise me. This is not an age issue. Your ex,who at the mention of her name, you become a frigid bastard.You failed to mention that you work with her!” You repeated, raising your voice. 
“What do you fucking expect me to do to? Run away? We met here, fuck, I’m a grown man. I can’t run from my problems!” Seungcheol shouted back, and you sighed. 
“You don’t get it do you?” You choked out. 
“No, because you’re acting like a fucking child, and I am not one. I need to deal with every situation, no matter how unpleasant it is!” Seungcheol spat. 
“Fuck, shut the fuck up about being more mature because you’re not, not even for a fucking second. How the fuck do you expect to have a future with me when your past is there in front of your eyes every fucking day, and the worst part is that you never told me. You act as if I gave you this new lease on love, but now I don’t know if that’s something you can sustain because the woman who broke your heart is your colleague. What if one day she wants to try again? How do I know that I know that you won’t go running?” You rambled, letting a tear slide down your face. 
“You’re being selfish and so fucking unfair,” Seungcheol retorted.“Do you not think so?” Seungcheol asked rhetorically
.“Fucking hell, I told you she cheated on me while I was fucking engaged. Do you think I have no dignity or some shit that I’d go back running to the woman who ruined me?” Seungcheol yelled, and you shrank into yourself. 
“Can you just do what I do, and fucking grow up and realise that in life you need to put up with people who you may not what anything to do with, but that’s what being an adult is like?” Seungcheol continued to yell, each word piercing your heart. 
“Oh, then again, what would you fucking know about being an adult? You are a 25-year-old with no fucking direction in life. You have no stable job or anything stable. In contrast, all your friends are either settling down, and you fuck, you sit at home with no motivation to go out and find yourself some work,” Seungcheol yelled, using your biggest insecurity against you.
“You have no fucking stability, and you act like a fucking child, so don’t you dare lecture me on how to behave,” Seungcheol spat and then sighed deeply when he realised what he said. 
“Y/N-,” Seungcheol started to say, and you held your hand up to him.
“No, fuck don’t, Cheol, don’t you fucking dare. You used my biggest insecurity against me. Who the fuck does that, huh?” You asked, and Seungcheol sighed, looking down. 
“As for stability, you’re right. I don’t have a ton, but if there was something that I thought gave me some semblance of stability, I thought it’d be you.I thought that at least it would you, but you aren’t my safety net anymore, are you?” You yelled, and Seungcheol looked down in shame. 
“I’m sorry. I told you seeing her makes me turn into something else!” Seungcheol weakly defended, and you glared at him. 
“No. Fuck you, you don’t get to do this. What about being an adult, huh? Being an adult means not getting set off by every situation that doesn’t favour you. Instead, it’s about finding ways to cope. It’s about setting boundaries, so your past doesn’t hurt you and hurt the people in your present,” you choked out the last word as Seungcheol took a step forward towards you. 
“Y/N,” Seungcheol started to say, and you ignored him. 
“Just fucking go back to your party. I’m going home. I’ll text you, but please leave me alone for tonight,” you said, pushing past Seungcheol.
“Please let me know when you get home,” Seungcheol said weakly, and you rolled your eyes at him. 
“I said I would, didn’t I? Now, fucking move,” you spat, storming out of the garden and out of the venue as you waited for your Uber to arrive. 
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You had barely gotten home that night when you heard someone pounding on your front door. You groaned, knowing it was Seungcheol. You glared at the front door, hoping that if you ignored the incessant pounding, then he’d get the hint and he’d just leave, but Seungcheol was relentless. You knew that. 
You sighed, walking to the front door and opening it to reveal your teary-eyed boyfriend.
“Baby, can I please explain?” Seungcheol asked, and you ignored him as you let him into your house, and he closed the front door behind him. 
You started walking back into the house, Seungcheol trailing behind you. Once you were inside, you turned to him, and before you could say anything. Seungcheol dropped to his knees, hugging your waist, begging for forgiveness. You ran your hands through his hair.
“Cheol, it’s okay.” 
Seungcheol carried you to the shower, where he helped you shower and clean. He helped you dry up and pulled you into his arms once you were both curled up on the bed. 
Seungcheol ’s fingers were gently ghosting your cunt. You felt him turn you to face him; he captured your lips in his full ones. His hand finding your core, rubbing your clit, he did this till you fell apart. He repeated that almost four times until he pushed himself inside you till he came. 
You couldn’t sleep that night. Only one question plagued your mind. 
Since when did sex make up for an apology? 
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You woke up the following day sore and worn out. Not just from the fight last night that left you out and alone in the cold but also from Seungcheol fucking you into the mattress. You heard faint snores from him, and you took it as an opportunity to get some alone time. You wondered, did he think sex would make up for what had happened? 
After showering and cleaning yourself up, you headed to the kitchen to make breakfast, subconsciously making breakfast for two. You were stirring the noodles waiting for the water to boil, when you felt two strong arms wrap around your waist. You felt Seungcheol place kisses along your neck, and you melted into his embrace for a second until the events of last night came back to you. 
“Cheol, can you set the table up? I’ll get breakfast ready.” You said and you felt Seungcheol press a kiss to your cheek before  running off to set the dining table. Once you made your way over with the contents of breakfast, you sat down and started to eat. 
“Baby?” Seungcheol’s voice broke the silence, and you looked up to see him staring at you. His eyes were red, brimming with tears. You felt your heart clench. 
“Y/N, I’m so sorry about last night,” Seungcheol started to apologise again; his voice was breaking as he tried to contain himself.
“Which part, Seungcheol? The part where you failed to introduce me as your girlfriend, or the part where you threw my insecurities against me, or the part where you told me to grow the fuck up?” You fumed.
“All of it, all of it,” Seungcheol said, standing up to kneel in front of you. “I fucked up so much, but,” Seungcheol started to say, and you interrupted him. 
“If you think that fucking me last night made it better, it didn’t because now I’m wondering if you think sex is the solution to all our problems,” you said. 
“Never, I just, I’m shit with words at times, and I knew that at least my actions could prove my love to you. It’s a shit thing to do, but I didn’t do it to distract you from last night,” Seungcheol replied. 
“I want to talk about everything, but I want a breakdown of everything. First, why did you pull away from me when you saw Yoona? Were you embarrassed?” you asked, your voice breaking, and Seungcheol shook his head. 
“Of course not,” Seungcheol replied swiftly, and you glared at him.
“Because all I do wonder if when you call what we have love, you never call it what it is,” you admitted, and Seungcheol sighed as he stood up. 
“Come on, let’s talk on the couch,” Seungcheol offered, and you stood up, taking Seungcheol ’s hand as you walked over to your couch. 
“I tell you, I love you,” Seungcheol said, and you nodded.
“You do tell me that you love me, but the way you do it is like it’s a secret,” you mumbled, feeling a tear roll down your cheek. 
“I get that I’m younger, and I’m not some fancy professor with a huge savings account, but the way you act at times, you act like you are ashamed of me. Fuck, for Yoona to say that you deviated from your type to date me. What does that mean? Am I some charity case, where you’ll date a non-academic girl, and then later I’ll be a notch in your belt, a funny story to tell over Christmas, with your real wife, and everything?” You babbled as you broke into a sob, and you felt Seungcheol pull you into his arm as he hugged you tightly.
“You think about a future with me?” Seungcheol asked, and you scoffed. 
“Is that all you took from everything I just said?” You asked.
“No, but it gave me hope. Look, Yoona brings out the worst in me, and you were right last night to tell me that as adults, we can let that jar us or act out because that’s life, right? Meeting people and getting to know people you may not like is life, but Yoona, at one point, was my life. She was my future until she ruined it. Every time I see her, I lash out because I’m brought back to the headspace that I was in when she cheated,” Seungcheol explained, pausing to take a breath. 
“She reminds me of every insecurity I had, she takes me back to a very dark headspace, and instead of working my way out of that, I lash out because fuck, I’m scared that it’ll happen again,” Seungcheol admitted looking down. 
“You think I’d cheat on you?” You asked.
“No, but you’re young, gorgeous, and still have so much ahead of you. I woudn’t blame you if you found someone your age,” Seungcheol mumbled, making you scoff again. 
“I’m with you, aren’t I? Unless this is your plan? Pushing me so far that I no longer want to be with you? Is that what you’re trying to do?” You asked, and Seungcheol shook his head immediately. 
“Then why the fuck is this constantly an issue?” You snapped, and Seungcheol winced slightly at your tone. 
“I guess when I first started dating you, you were so different and, in a good way, a fresh breath of air, but everyone around me started joking that maybe you know it was just a fling because we are so opposite at times. However, as the months with you progressed, I know that’s not it.I know I love you, and I’m so fucking sorry that for so long I made you feel otherwise,” 
Seungcheol paused to take a breath. “I love you, and I am serious about this. I want to make this work, I do,” Seungcheol admitted another word. 
“Then stop lashing out at me and talk to me. Stop running away from me, run to me instead,” you said softly, and Seungcheol smiled at you. 
“I didn’t mean what I said about you having no stability. It was so fucking shitty of me to use your insecurity against you. I just, fuck, there’s no excuse, I’m just fucking sorry,” Seungcheol apologised, his head hanging low. 
“Yeah, that stung. Look, how about we take a week, cool off, and I guess  catch up in a week?” You offered, and Seungcheol agreed. 
“How’s this, I’ll plan a getaway for us, and I’ll cook us food too!” Seungcheol suggested, and you laughed. 
“I’ll follow a recipe to a tee and have Mingyu monitor me?” Seungcheol proposed making you grin at him. 
“Fine, but if I get sick from your food,” you started to say, and Seungcheol laughed. 
“Then I’ll kiss it all better for you,” Seungcheol said lamely. 
“I’ll see you in a week, my love, and remind you why you fell in love with me,” Seungcheol promised as he placed a soft kiss on your lips, and you  smiled as you watched him walk away. 
You let out a breath you didn’t realise that you were holding when he walked away. You nodded to yourself. You and Seungcheol would be fine, this was a slight tear in the safety net, but you two would be fine, you convinced yourself, for it was only a tiny tear. 
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“Hey,” you mumbled, embarrassed, as Mia opened her front door the following evening. 
“What, have you come here to tell me I deserve no love or something?” Mia spat, and you felt like you had been slapped, and looked down in shame. You deserved that much. 
“Mia, I fucked up. Can we talk, though?” You asked, holding the box of doughnuts in your hand, and she sighed, nodding as she let you in. 
“So, what, I’m assuming the Mr. Perfectly Wrong fucked up again?” Mia mocked, and you sighed as you kicked off your shoes and sat on her couch. 
“He was engaged in the past, and she was like his dream girl,” you said, unable to stop the way your voice trembled at recalling Yoona and realising how she was the opposite of you. She was dignified, elegant, older, wiser, or whatever other negative thought you tortured yourself with. 
“She still works with him. They both teach at the university; he never told me, Mia. I had to find out because I met her at a university event,” you mumbled, unable to stop the tear that slid down your face. 
Mia sighed as she sat down next to you, and you took it as a positive sign to launch into the story of the fight. 
“Oh, that mother fucker!” Mia swore, and you flinched at her expression. 
“Mia, he was hurt,” you mumbled, and she scoffed. 
“How many excuses do you want to give this piece of shit? I get that love is blind. I fucking do. You cruelly pointed it out to me, but let me tell you something, my love, he’s blinded you. He’s no good for you. He’s condescending, judgmental, rude, and worst of all you keep forgiving him when he gives you half-assed apologies!” Mia ranted, making you look down in shame. 
“Is that who you want to fucking be with?” Mia asked. “A man who keeps you like a secret, aman who acts like you’re a kid, a man who talks down to you?”  You sighed.
“Maybe it’s just a bad spell. He’s not like this, ever,” you defended, and Mia groaned, rubbing her forehead. 
“This man, I don’t care how good the sex is or how amazing the good moments are. The good moments aren’t enough to mask that he is inherently flawed and has a complex. A complex that he will project onto you, and you will struggle to try to meet the ideal woman in his head. Still, you’ll try all your life because that woman doesn’t exist, and not to be unkind, but it’s because that woman will never exist for him. He doesn’t know what he wants,” Mia explained, calming down as she sat down next to you. 
“He said he loved me,” you mumbled weakly, and Mia nodded. 
“I’m not denying that he cares for you, but his ego comes before you, Y/N. You will bend over backward for this man, and you have, but see if he even bothers to put in an ounce of that same effort that you put into this relationship,” Mia continued , and you glared at her. 
“You know what? I didn’t come here to be yelled at. I get enough of that from him!” You seethed, and Mia frowned at you. 
“There, right there, if you can’t even figure out what’s so fucked up about that sentence, then I don’t know what even to tell you,” Mia said.  
“We’ve hit a rough spot, but we’ll be fine,” you shouted, almost as if you were convincing yourself more than Mia. 
“You know what, I’ll be here when this illusion is broken,” Mia mumbled, standing up, and you took that as your cue to leave. 
You stormed out of Mia’s house and drove straight to Seungcheol’s. 
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“Baby?” Seungcheol asked when he opened the door and saw your downcast expression. 
“What’s wrong?” Seungcheol asked, and you shook your head at him.
“Can I stay here? I know we’re meant to meet at the end of the week, but I just need you,” you asked.
“Of course, my love, you know where everything is. I just have to grade one more paper. Then I’ll join you?” Seungcheol asked. 
You were so worn out from the week's dramatics that you quickly showered, changed into one of Seungcheol ’s shirts, and headed to bed. You curled up in Seungcheol ’s bed. You smiled when you felt him join you later that night, his arms wrapped tightly around your waist.
Protecting you, never letting you go, he was your safe space. 
You woke up the following morning to something stroking your thighs, and you opened your eyes to see Seungcheol ’s head placed between your legs. He was kissing your inner thighs, slowly making his way to your cunt. 
You moaned as you spread your legs, placing them onto his shoulders. Seungcheol ’s luscious lips wrapped around your clit.
As he sucked, his pressure was perfect. He pushed in two fingers and thrust them in your cunt, as he sucked on your clit. He licked and fingered until you came around his fingers. Occasionally, he would run his tongue up and down your wet folds but always go back to your cunt. 
“Morning, princess,” Seungcheol greeted as he hovered over your body and captured your lips in a sweet kiss. It felt like the first time you slept with him. 
Passionate yet soft, you felt loved, and that was not something you felt in his embrace for a while. 
“Morning, handsome,” you mumbled sleepily as Seungcheol pulled you on top of him. You felt his cock hard and waiting. You moved and sat up and slowly sank on his length. 
“Fuck!” You let out a groan of pleasure. He felt so good inside you. You lifted your legs and started moving your hips, riding him. You felt his grip tighten on your thighs as he helped you ride him. 
You wanted to see him fall apart underneath you. You trailed your hands to his fingers, and your nails grazed his nipples, making him buck into you. You moaned as his hips pushed his cock deeper inside you. You kept riding him until you felt him still and released inside you. You sighed, feeling his warmth fill up your cunt. You hadn’t cum yet, and Seungcheol knew that. 
“Princess, over here,” Seungcheol motioned to your mouth, and you moved, legs shaking as you sat on his waiting tongue. Seungcheol, as always, licked you clean of his cum. 
You both were still in bed in the afternoon, simply embracing and kissing each other, when Seungcheol spoke, breaking the silence. 
“So, do you want to make the trip a little earlier?” Seungcheol asked, and you looked at him, smiling. 
“Can you take leave on such short notice?” You asked. 
“Baby, it’s reading week for the students, so yes, I don’t need to worry about them for now. I want to focus on us.”
~~A Trip Upstate~~
“Got everything?” You asked Seungcheol for the fifth time. You had to stop yourself from laughing as your boyfriend kept going back and forth between his apartment and his car, forgetting something with each trip. 
“Wait, oh, for the fucking love of god. I forgot the car keys,” Seungcheol groaned as he ran back into the house, and you laughed at him some more. You were still laughing when he came back. 
“Hi,” Seungcheol said sweetly as he wrapped his arms around your waist, capturing you in a warm hug. 
“I like seeing you like this, happy and laughing,” Seungcheol said, making you smile at him. 
“Well, you make me laugh and happy,” you admitted, placing your chin on his chest and looking up at him. 
“I’ve been fucking that up a lot, but I promise you, this time I won’t fuck up. I love you, and I need to get back to showing you that it’s not an empty promise,” Seungcheol spoke, and you reached up to pull him into a soft kiss. 
“I love you, and thank you,” you mumbled against his lips. 
“Shall we, my love? There’s a nice cabin I want to take you to upstate, and it has our names written on it,” Seungcheol said , and you nodded as he helped you into the car. 
The drive up to the cabin was filled with jokes, laughter, and a few kisses here and there. It felt normal. Like you finally got your Seungcheol back, like all the fights could be forgotten because he was back to normal here. However, that hope ended the second you and Seungcheol started fighting over how to cook a dish. 
“Why are you so mean about this? I’m helping you; you don’t even know how to peel a fucking onion!” You snapped at Seungcheol, who was crushing the microwavable rice packet. 
“I might not know how to peel a fucking onion, but at least I’m not a 25-something that has no fucking direction in life!” Seungcheol spat back, making you exhale deeply. 
“Y/N,” Seungcheol started to say, and you glared at him. 
“No, Cheol, what the fuck, what the actual fuck? You’ve been using my insecurity against me twice now, and what-do you think each time you apologise, I’ll come back crawling? Or something? I’m tired of this, and I’m,” you took a deep breath to collect yourself. 
You would not let Seungcheol see you fall apart, not when he was the reason behind the tears. 
“We’re done,” You stated calmly, glaring at Seungcheol, who didn’t dare follow you as you walked away,.You grabbed your overnight bag and called an Uber, heading out of the cabin. 
You weren’t sure if you had properly ended the relationship between the two of you, but you were tired of constantly giving him the benefit of the doubt, and for him to only shatter it the second he felt remotely attacked. 
1 Month Later: The Breaking Point 
“Don’t you fucking dare,” you mumbled to Mia, who had picked you up from the floor of your house last night. You had called her on your way back home, and thankfully she didn’t ask many questions, and just tried to help you. 
Since you left Seungcheol, you didn’t know where you two stood. He made no effort to contact you, so you just assumed that since you yelled. “We are done,” at him, that you were. 
Seungcheol took the hint and left you, but what pained you the most was that he could never run after you. 
You craved his touch, his voice. You wanted him, but his lack of effort made you think he wanted nothing to do with you. Were you just a waste of time for him? 
You thought that what you two had was a masterpiece, or what was that before he tore it all apart? Or was it you? Were you the one who tore it all to pieces? 
All that to say, you had held yourself together, well, or at least you could put on a happy face. You just plastered on a fake smile and went on about your day. You put your efforts into your job out of spite. 
You wanted to prove to Seungcheol that you weren’t some bumbling idiot, but instead, you were a 25-year-old with things going for her. You wanted him to see you wanted him to be proud of you, but he wasn’t here to see it. Maybe he never cared. 
Your breaking point was this afternoon. You had just secured a huge contract, and just as you had signed on the dotted line, you wanted to share it with Seungcheol. You froze mid-text when you realised that he wouldn’t care. He wouldn’t care if you had done something remarkable because you two were done, so why should he care?
So, you started bawling at home and shakily dialed Mia’s number, and that’s when she came to your rescue. She came to find you when you were at your lowest, and you felt guilt engulf you. You had defended Seungcheol to her, insulting her viciously, but she never batted an eyelid. 
“You know most people say thank you,” Mia joked, and you sighed.
“I am thankful, trust me, more than you know. I know you want to say I told you so, so go for it,” you snapped, and Mia shook her head as she helped you sit on the couch. 
“He lost the one real thing he had. That’s not on you. He never fought enough for you,” Mia explained as she pulled you into a gentle hug, which made you blubber and, thus, make you cry more. 
“Nothing, nothing from him, for a fucking month, Mia! Nothing. I thought he loved me and saw a future with me and all that bullshit, but he did not fucking bother, not once, to even be like, are you okay? Nothing, he just, fuck, wait, I think my phone is ringing in the bag. Can you help me grab it?” You asked, and Mia nodded, scrunching her nose at the private number. 
“I swear if it’s that fucker calling through a random ass number to get to you, he’s going to get the living lights smacked out of him,” Mia threatened as she handed your phone to you. 
“Hello?” You answered. 
“Hello, Miss Y/N. We have been given your number as an emergency contact. Do you know Mr. Choi Seungcheol ?”
“I’m sorry. Who are you?” You asked, your voice trembling. What happened to Seungcheol?
“Sorry, I’m Nurse Lee. I’m calling from the Seoul National Hospital. We have been given your number as an emergency, so we are calling to ask if you could come down and sign a few things for us?” You sighed in relief, but only slightly. 
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You got into your car, not caring if you got a fine for speeding. You reached the hospital and parked, running in your heels to the main lobby. You frantically explained that you got a call and were quickly ushered upstairs to the wards. 
You heard laughing and opened the door to see your ex-boyfriend laughing with the doctor. His eyes widened as he saw, and just like that, his laughter faded. The doctor noticed your presence, and he waved you in.
“You must be Y/N. Thank you for coming here. We just need to discharge him, and we need you to sign a few forms for him.” You nodded, still confused, “I’ll be back in around thirty minutes. I’ll let you two catch up.”  The doctor left the room and left you both alone. 
“Cheol?” You said softly. 
Seungcheol wasn’t looking at you. You walked to his bedside when you saw there was enough space. You sat down slowly and held his face in your hands. He reluctantly looked at you. 
“What happened?” you asked. You let go of his face so he could talk. 
“It’s not a big deal,” He said. You rolled your eyes. 
“It is, especially if you’re in the hospital.” You countered. 
“Don’t laugh.” He said, warning you. You nodded. “So, long story short, I may have dropped a knife on my foot.” You looked at him, perplexed.
“How?” “I was cooking, and it was going well. Then the knife slid off the counter and onto my foot. I didn’t lose a toe, just a lot of blood. So yeah, by the time I got here, I passed out from blood loss, and I guess that’s why they called you.” He blurted in one go, and you tried to stifle a laugh.
“Seriously?” He said, but you could hear the smile in his voice. His heart warmed at the sight of you smiling. It had been so long since he was the reason for your smile. 
“I’m so sorry, but why were you trying to cook?” You asked. 
Seungcheol ’s laugh faded, and he paused. “I noticed a lot about me that I’m not good at. Cooking is at the top. I felt as if I could attempt to conquer that maybe I can do more in life,” Seungcheol looked down at his hands covered in wires. You touched his thigh, making him look at you. 
“You are good at so much,” you countered, and Seungcheol shook his head.
“Professionally, maybe, but my personality? No. Nothing great there,” Seungcheol said, resignation lacing his tone. You opened your mouth to say something, and Seungcheol spoke first. “I’m not saying this to guilt-trip you into taking me back. After you broke up with me, I started seeing someone,” your hand jerked away from his thigh, which confused Seungcheol until he saw the heartbreak on your face. 
“No, Y/N. I meant seeing a professional,” Seungcheol said, laughing.
“Sorry,” you mumbled, unsure what you were apologising for.  
“If you think I’m even close to being able to move on from you, you’re insane.” 
“Come on, let me drive you home?” You said, Seungcheol nodded. 
“I appreciate it, thank you.” 
While driving, something occurred to you, and you had to ask. “Cheol, um, how come I was your emergency number? Last I remembered, you said it was Jeonghan?” Seungcheol blushed and scratched his neck. 
“Uh, well, it’s embarrassing now, but I changed it three months into us dating,” his confession, making you almost drive through a red light. 
“Why?” 
“Ugh, I sound so stupid because we’re not together, but I guess I wanted you to know I trust you. I know my actions during our relationship were deeply contradictory to that. I also knew that you would be the one for me.” 
“The one? In three months?” You asked. 
Seungcheol smiled fondly at you. “Can you pull over?” 
Seungcheol fished out his wallet, looked for something, and pulled out a small silver ring. 
“Seungcheol, what the fuck?” 
“Trust me; it’s not a proposal. I don’t think I’ll be that lucky. I just thought it was something I should get after three months. I wanted to give this to you, but then I hurt you so many times after, and each time, we tried to make it work, and I kept on fucking it up for us. It was a promise ring that I’d never hurt you again, and I guess I failed.” Seungcheol admitted, and you noticed a tear fall down his face. 
“Why do you still have the promise ring?” You asked. 
“Wishful thinking, I guess?” Seungcheol replied.
“I miss you,” you mumbled, and Seungcheol heard you.
“We can try again,” you offered weakly. 
“No, not yet. Let me learn. Let me be a better man for you. If I can’t, then know you deserve so much more,” Seungcheol spoke, and you smiled softly at him. 
You resumed driving. Upon reaching Seungcheol ’s house, you pulled up and helped him out of the car and into his apartment. You laughed when you saw the floor covered in blood. It was not a normal reaction, but the backstory was quite amusing. 
“Hey, Cheol, why don’t you lie down? I’ll clean this up for you?” You said. 
“No, I can manage,” 
You glared at him. “Trust me,it’s safer that I do this,” You laughed as you watched him hobble to his bedroom. Thank goodness he didn’t live in a multi-story house. 
After cleaning up, you found Seungcheol sitting in his bed, playing music and softly humming. You knocked on his door. Seungcheol smiled and waved you in. 
“Hi.”
“Blood’s gone,” you said, and he patted the space next to you, and you sat down on the bed next to him. 
“Thank you. Somehow, you’re always cleaning after my mess.” 
“Seungcheol, don’t,” your voice firm. 
“I cannot even begin to tell you how sorry I am. Fuck, come here,” he patted the space in front of him. You carefully moved and sat between his legs so as not to hurt his bandaged foot. Seungcheol pulled your hair to the side, kissing softly on the nape of your neck. 
“Just please, don’t break me apart again because I don’t think I’ll recover anymore if you do,” you pleaded, and Seungcheol turned you around in his embrace so that you faced him. 
“Never again, I promise,” Seungcheol promised. bullshit
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“Okay, so where is your boyfriend?” Mia asked, venom dripping off every word, and you rolled your eyes at her. 
“He probably got caught up with work. Can you fucking let it go?” You asked, and Mia shrugged. 
“I’m just saying, for a man walking on thin fucking ice, he better at least bother with his girlfriend’s birthday party,” Mia stated before walking out of the room to place balloons in another part of your apartment. 
You sighed, knowing she was right, but Seungcheol was busy. Maybe he’d be late, but he’d show up. You kept telling yourself this until midnight when he never showed up, but you were  several drinks in and had enough liquid courage to storm over to his place, which is precisely what you did. 
You hailed a cab and made the drunken journey to his. 
Your conscience was warning you. You paid no attention. 
Yousure as hell ignored it for long enough. You could continue to do so. 
You knocked on the door, and the door opened to reveal a shirtless Seungcheol in a pair of black sweats. You had lost all sense of rationality, and at this point, you didn’t know what was right or wrong. 
“Y/N?” Seungcheol asked, confused, as would anyone. He couldn’t help but take in your appearance, how your cleavage left little to the imagination, but he knew the reality was better, how your heels made your ass seem even rounder. Your face was beautiful as always, but your mascara had run slightly, and your nose was red.
“Can I come in?” You asked. He nodded quickly, letting you in and closing the door behind him.
Seungcheol slowly guided you to the sofa, and he sat down, waiting for you to sit beside him. Instead, you straddled him, your legs on either side of his hips. 
“My birthday. I got a crappy, “happy birthday” text from you, and you don’t show up to my party. What the fuck is wrong with you? This is not the attitude from someone who wants another chance,” you fumed, and Seungcheol stared at you sighing. He had no excuse, none whatsoever. 
“Y/N, I—” You shut Seungcheol up with a kiss. You rolled your hips against his crotch, and you could feel that underneath his sweats, he was naked. No boxers. You could partially feel his cock against your lace-covered cunt. 
“Y/N, I, what’s going on, fuck,” Seungcheol stopped speaking as you started sucking his neck, gently grazing your teeth against his neck andmaking him whimper for you. You felt his cock harden fully underneath you. You pulled away from his neck for a moment. 
“Cheol, at this moment, I need to forget that I’m mad at you,” you admitted, and Seungcheol sighed before nodding as his grip on your thighs tightened. 
“I’m not saying no; you don’t need to apologise, and you don’t need to leave, but we need to talk when we’re done,” Seungcheol added. 
“I will.” 
“Good.” Cheol stood up from his position and carried you into the bedroom. And he noticed your makeup had smudged and brought you to the bathroom. He placed you on the counter, his lips immediately finding yours. Kissing you, his lips pulled and sucked on yours. You moaned, allowing him to slip his tongue inside your mouth. 
Seungcheol deepened the kiss. His hands found the straps of your dress; he pushed them down. You hissed as your breasts met the cold air of the room. Seungcheol helped you out of the dress, leaving you in your soaked underwear. He groaned at the sight. His hands went to your legs, pushing the heels off your feet, his lips never leaving yours. He moved his hands to your underwear and pulled it off. He groaned when he saw how wet you were. 
He pushed his sweats down and undressed; he stood erect and naked in front of you, and you took a moment to drink in his appearance. Seungcheol guided you into the shower, and you let out a moan, when you felt the warm water hit your skin. Soothing you, you felt Seungcheol turn you around and push your back against the wall. He placed kisses down your neck, his lips finding your breasts. He sucked and nibbled your nipple as his other hand massaged and squeezed and tugged the other breast. Cheol moved his body down yours as his lips found your cunt. 
Seungcheol placed a soft kiss. He gently lifted a leg and wrapped it around his broad shoulders. He pushed two fingers inside of you, groaning at how wet you were, where he could practically taste your arousal. He angled his fingers inside you and started to finger you, and his lips found your core, as he ran his tongue against your folds. 
He pulled your clit between his teeth, gently grazing the swollen bud. You whimpered. He replaced his teeth with his plush lips. Wrapping them around your clit and sucking as his fingers pounded into you. He kept his movements up until you came. You tightened against his fingers, and your clit throbbed in his mouth as he helped you ride out your orgasm. 
Seungcheol gently unhooked your leg from his, and you sank to your knees. You pushed against his toned abs, and his back hit the shower wall. You wrapped your lips around his cock; he was thick. While your hands wrapped around the remainder of his length, you took him and started to suck him. He let out a low growl and a strangled whimper as you continued to suck him. You grazed your nails along his thighs and whimpered, bucking his length into your throat, making you gag slightly. You kept sucking until you felt him still and releasein your mouth. 
You smirked as Seungcheol was panting. He pulled you two on your feet and into a sweet kiss. He cleaned the both of you up, his hands finding your face and washing the smudged mascara off your face. He guided you out of the shower and to his bed. You moaned as you felt the soft sheets against your naked body. 
Seungcheol couldn’t get enough of you. His eyes drank you in. His mouth was desperate to taste you again. He approached you, lifted your legs, and placed them on his shoulder. His mouth found your cunt again. He started by placing soft kisses against your cunt, knowing where to lick you. 
He wasted no time. He dove straight in, his thick tongue flicking against your swollen clit. Your hands made their way into his hair. He pushed in three fingers this time. He lapped at your arousal while you whimpered in oversensitivity. It didn’t take much after that for you to cum on his tongue. 
Seungcheol rubbed his cock against your wet folds several times and then pushed in. You hissed as the stretch was quite intense after two orgasms, but he felt so good. You tugged on his hair, making him look up at you. You brushed your thigh against his hardened length, and he wasted no time. 
“Move”, you whispered, and that’s all it took for Seungcheol to lift your legs and place them on his shoulders, allowing him to hit deeper inside you. His thrusts were rough, and each time, he would withdraw only to push back harder and deeper. 
He leaned down and captured your lips in his. You melted into the kiss while he pounded into your cunt. You were a mumbling and moaning mess underneath him. You felt yourself clench around this length, making him groan into the kiss. He pushed a few more times until you fell apart on his cock. 
He pulled out of you gently and laid down beside you. 
You woke up a few hours later, not realising you had fallen asleep. 
You woke up to at least thirty texts and missed calls from Mia, and you sighed, stepping out of Seungcheol’s bedroom to call her. You quickly told her what happened last night, and Mia could only relay her disappointment. 
“Do you not see how far gone you are, Y/N; you’re making excuses for him. People like him don’t do this just once.” 
“He was busy and couldn’t make it,” you explained, and Mia scoffed. 
“Y/N, I’m telling you as someone who has been through something like this. He will leave you broken.” You scoffed, and your following words were nothing but pure venom. 
“Mia, you had a relatively hot boyfriend, and he dumped your ass. So I guess you’re not too different to me since the only thing you’re good for is looking the way you do. You couldn’t keep him either..” You kept your voice stern and firm. 
Mia groaned. “I won’t ever say I told you so, but when the inevitable happens, you know where to find me. I’ll listen because I know you won’t.” With that, Mia hung up. 
You sank to the floor.  
How did a loving relationship with your boyfriend leave you so drained and lashing out at others to defend him? What went wrong?
“Hey, did I interrupt something?” Seungcheol asked, startling you, and you stood up, shaking your head. You didn’t want to get into it with him right now. 
“Here,” Seungcheol said, handing you a coffee mug, and you nodded, taking it. 
“You’re right. My actions last night weren’t of a boyfriend trying hard to prove that he’s worthy of being with you,” Seungcheol explained, and you rolled your eyes. 
“I’m tired of hearing you apologise. I need you to show me that you’re fucking sorry,” you said . 
“What about a date tomorrow? There’s a gala at my university. Don’t worry, it won’t be like last time, I promise,” Seungcheol begged, and you sighed, nodding. 
You weren’t exactly sure what made you want to give him a second chance, but maybe because you loved him or the idea of him, you weren’t entirely sure which one. You just knew that regardless of what the situation was with you two. With him, it still felt like home somehow. 
DIVDER:
You and Seungcheol walked hand in hand to his gala; this time, he wasn’t distant, curt, or moody. He was jovial, greeted everyone, and introduced you until Yoona entered the picture. 
Seungcheol wasn’t flirting, but he sure as hell didn’t bother to hide how happy and  excited he was to see his ex, considering he spent nearly 45 minutes talking to her. You stormed out of the venue and waited by his car until he noticed.. oblivious to your anger. 
“Waiting long?” Seungcheol asked, and you scoffed.
“I’m amazed you remembered I existed. You seemed to be taken by Yoona. I thought I was a distant memory,” you mocked, earning a glare from Seungcheol. 
“Let’s just go home, yeah?” Seungcheol asked, and you nodded, following him into his car.This time, he didn’t help you in.“When the fuck did I give you a reason to think I’d cheat? How many times do I need to fucking tell you that Yoona and I are done?” Seungcheol bellowed suddenly, and you sighed. 
“That’s not the fucking point!” You yelled back, and Seungcheol sighed, loosening his tie.  
“The point is that you always gloss over our problems, you always act like I’m a child or something, and you never tell me the truth. When I get mad, you act like I’m insane even to be upset. Do you know how that fucking feels?” You yelled, and Seungcheol glared at you.
“Not my fucking problem thatyou don’t understand how the fuck relationships work, or maybe you’re too fucking immature to make one work,” Seungcheol hissed as his grip on the steering wheel only got tighter. 
“This is so fucking rich coming from you considering the fucking fact your ex dumped you, and yet you’re so obsessed with her that you didn’t care that she cheated on you. Instead of spending the night with me, someone who loves you, you cosied up to someone who walked all over you!” You yelled. 
“Y/N, get out of the car before I make you!” Seungcheol yelled, making you whimper at his tone and words. 
“Seungcheol, please, I’m so sorry,” you were begging, but Seungcheol ignored you. He leaned over and opened the car door. You looked at him; his eyes were trained on the road ahead. 
“Seungcheol, please don’t do this,” you begged. You knew you couldn’t change his mind, but you were scared. He didn’t seem to care. You reluctantly exited the car, gently closing the door behind you. Seungcheol wasted no time, and he sped away, drove off, and left you alone in the dark. 
You were freezing, and your outfit did nothing to counter the cold. You let out a sob, your feet in absolute agony from the heels, and your mind an emotional mess. You pulled your phone out of your purse to call someone. You called Seungcheol, no response. You sighed more. Seeing as he would ignore you the entire night, you called the last person you could think of.
“Y/N? What? It’s two in the morning. What do you want?” Mia’s voice was hoarse and laced with sleep. You tried to reply but couldn’t help the whimper that escaped your throat. 
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Mia asked, her voice now concerned. 
“I don’t know where I am, and it’s dark and cold. I’m so sorry for disturbing you. I shouldn’t have—” 
“Y/N, stop, pin me your location. I’m coming to get you,” You sobbed out a thank you and sent her your location. 
Around twenty minutes later, you saw a car enter the empty street, and it screeched to a halt suddenly. Mia stepped out with a coat and ran towards you. She wrapped the coat around your body. She didn’t ask questions; she just guided you to heris car. 
“Let’s get you home,” Mia said. She was fuming, but she was scared that if she yelled at you now—which she surely would, she’d break you into two. 
“Do you want me to come in?” Mia asked as she pulled up outside your apartment, and you shook your head. 
“I just need time alone, but thank you, Mia,” you said, who nodded as she watched you leave the car before waving to you and driving off. 
“Baby! You’re safe!” You turned around to see Seungcheol running after you, and you sighed as you walked into your apartment. Seungcheol followed you, and this scene was one you knew all too well.
“You threw me out of the car!” You yelled the minute you were inside the apartment. 
“I was scaredI’d say something worse if you stayed. I was trying to mitigate further damage.” 
You rolled your eyes at him.“You’re a fucking moron.”
“I am, but I came back, I—” you interrupted him. 
“For what? To apologise?” You asked, and you hated that hope still coated your words. 
“No, because I can’t do this anymore. I can’t, you’re acting so fucking immature, but we’re not good for each other. I need someone who gets me. I can’t coddle you every five seconds because you got your fucking feelings hurt,” Seungcheol said, finality lacing his words. 
“So, if we were closer in age, we would have worked?” You asked, and Seungcheol sighed, nodding. 
“I’ll send someone for my things, and I’ll mail your things back to you by the end of the week,” Seungcheol mumbled as he walked out of your apartment. 
He left as quickly as he came into your life. You’d experienced heartbreak before, but nothing like this. You wanted to die. You tried to stop feeling because the pain manifested into physical pain as you felt your entire body go numb and limp. You couldn’t handle it, and you felt all too much all at once. 
The Reeling
It had been two weeks since Seungcheol broke up with you and after he returned your things to youin a box with no goodbye letter and nothing to give you any semblance of closure, you impulsively booked a train ticket to see your folks  
If Seungcheol didn’t want to coddle you, you tried to find comfort in the two people you knew would. 
“Y/N?” She was confused by how upset you were. Your mother practically yelled when she saw you at the front door, and you burst into tears the minute she saw you and hugged her. 
“I missed you,” you cried into her arms while she was happy to see you. 
“Come in. Why don’t you go to your room freshen up?” You nodded.
“Hi, stranger.” You said, scaring your father, who was too engrossed in a crossword puzzle.
“Y/N!” He yelled, standing up to hug you. 
“Oh, who’s ass do I need to kick for you crying?” You shook your head. 
“No one, I just missed you guys,” you lied, and your parents nodded knowingly. 
“Freshen up, honey. We’ll be right here with food and a drink?” You nodded at your mother and headed to shower
“Seungcheol,” You answered your phone that was ringing. You had just gotten out of the shower and were drying your hair. 
“Uh, hi. Sorry, I wanted to pick up my hoodie. I left it at yours, but you weren’t there, and I just wanted to check when you’d be back so I could get it?” Seungcheol asked, so casually, so casually cruel. 
At least he was honest. You knew nothing was left there anymore,
“I’m visiting my folks; I’ll send it to yours when I’m back,” you said, keeping your tone neutral and devoid of emotions. 
“Cool. Thanks,” Seungcheol said, hanging up before you could get a word out. 
You broke down again. He called you, only to break you all over again. 
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“So, it’s a boy problem? It’s got to be,” your father mused after dinner. You two and your mother were in the living room, sipping wine and catching up. 
“I was a fucking idiot. I gave him a chance after chance,he walked all over me, and I let him because I loved him,” you whined to your parents, who smiled sympathetically at you. 
“I would rather you didn’t call yourself that. I didn’t raise one.” You smiled at your dad’s attempt to be funny. 
“Well, I was,” You sighed, sipping the wine. You decided you’d tell your parents everything aside from the ridiculous amounts of sex that led you up to this moment. 
“Why did you want to try so hard to keep him?” Your mother asked, and you shrugged. 
“Because I loved him, or so I thought I did, but love shouldn’t hurt this much,” you mumbled. “You know what? I was right when I believed that love is this huge thing that doesn’t exist, and aside from you two, I don’t see it anywhere.” You said, and your parents smiled softly, 
“Honey, love isn’t easy. It takes so much effort and time to get it right, and even then, you can screw it up.” 
“Then what, I screwed up?” You accused, and your mother shook her head. 
“No, you tried and broke yourself into two to become someone he wanted. That is the furthest thing from love. It’ll hurt, but one day, when your paths cross again, you’ll be able to smile at him with no malice and thank him for putting you through hell because you’ll know what you never want again,” your mother explained, pulling you into a tight hug as you sobbed. 
“He couldn’t even be bothered to attend my birthday,” you mumbled, sniffling pathetically, and your father nodded. 
“That’s not a good sign, if I’m being honest, isn’t it meant to be fun, a birthday party?” Your father asked, and you could only shrug. 
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“Get your hair done or something,” your mum suggested the following week. 
“Why?” You asked, and your mother smiled at you. 
“Well, isn’t that what everyone does after a breakup? Get their hair done, and you’ve been moping for a week. Go outside, go and see the colourful world out there,” your mother said, kissing your forehead. 
You laughed but decided to take up your mother’s advice, and soon enough, you found yourself in a hair salon. 
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“So, how do you want your hair done?” The stylist asked as he started to towel dry your hair. 
“I’m not entirely sure, but something that screams I’m doing good and happy.” The stylist smiled.
“A few highlights and waves?” He suggested, and you grinned. You relaxed into the chair as the stylist worked on your hair. 
You smiled at your appearance in the mirror. You felt fresh. You still felt pain, but the new hair did do wonders. You’d never understand the logic, but it helped, only for a second, until a voice stopped you in the shopping mall. 
“Y/N?” Your blood ran cold, and you’d recognise that voice anywhere. 
“Yoona,” you muttered, turning around as you faced her. 
“Did you change your hair? I like it. It looks lovely!” Yoona smiled. 
“Can I help you, Yoona?” You asked, not having the energy to pretend to care. 
“I heard you and Cheol broke up?” Yoona said, and you cringed at her use of his nickname. 
“Why, are you waiting to dig your claws into him?” You snapped, and Yoona shook her head. 
“Look, I have no defense for what I did to him, but I’ll say this: There is an idea that Seungcheol has in his mind. Even if I didn’t fit that mould, should I have cheated? No, but it wouldn’t have mattered because I would never be enough for him, and neither were you. He has a version of a woman in his mind, which doesn’t exist. You dodged a bullet, my Y/N,” Yoona narrated as she walked off, leaving you speechless. 
It was on your walk that all the puzzle pieces fit together. Yoona wasn’t wrong—granted, an unreliable source—but her words weren’t exactly wrong. You bent over backward to appease Seungcheol, but nothing was enough, and if Yoona, his “ideal girl,” failed to meet his idea, then what was his ideal? 
A never-needy, ever-lovely jewel whose shine reflected on him? Was that all he ever needed: someone to make him look better? 
You smiled, turning back to see Yoona walk into another shop. Maybe she was right; it’d take a while to reconcile and face the trauma of dating Choi Seungcheol, but you knew it wasn’t you anymore. You could have been carved by the gods themselves, but unless that god were Seungcheol, you would never be enough for him, and somehow you were okay with that. 
You just needed now to heal, mend old relationships, and find yourself again, but you were a soldier who came back from war half her weight. You needed to regain strength from this, heal, and become someone who had learned from this. 
You could do it. You’d get older and wiser, while his lovers would be the same, wide-eyed and keen until he tore them to shreds when he realised they weren’t the one. 
You could move on. You’d be fine. 
The Healing: 2 Years Later 
You were fussing over your speech for the fifth time that day. 
“Girl, it’s fine, you’ve worked your ass off for this app. I can’t believe you got SNU to sponsor this. You’ve grown up!” Mia said dramatically, making you laugh. 
You two were okay again; it took a lot of healing, but you two were okay because you didn’t hurt anymore. 
You were at the launch of your newest app, a website for students and teachers to connect quickly.You wanted to pitch it to SNU, and they agreed. 
You had finally finished your presentation when your eyes locked with his. 
You flashed him a smile, and he returned one.It was like nothing you imagined at that moment. Nothing hurt anymore; he was a painful memory, but he was your past. 
You would sometimes wonder if the love affair between the two of you maimed him the way it maimed you, but you also figured that you could live without getting that answer from him. 
You’d be okay. You weren’t okay then, but you are okay now. 
You were okay before you met him, and you’d be okay after him. 
857 notes · View notes
coryothesub · 7 months ago
Note
I imagine President Coryo at a very important business dinner with his first lady, and she starts touching him under the table, he doing his best not to make noise. (Jajsjsjjshs... I need Therapy)
All hail to Mr. President himself finally making appearance on this blog and of course deep down he’s just a desperate little sub...
nsfw / mdni / president!sub!coryo / firstlady!dom!reader
“No, I am not buying you that dress!” Your husband shook his head in disapproval, making you pout.
“But it's so pretty!”
“Just look at that cutout, it would put your cleavage on full display, it's totally inappropriate for the first lady,” Coryo pursed his lips signaling it would be useless to argue. His decision had been made.
“Alright, Coriolanus!” You looked at him, a spiteful smirk adorning your face. You knew he was gonna pay for this.
You were always acting like a perfect wife in public. You dressed modestly and elegantly, toned down your voice, always just smiled and nodded, no matter what you were told. You knew it was essential for the young president’s image. A quarrelsome and rebellious wife would tarnish his reputation. 
You gladly let him have it knowing that you would always be the one to have the upper hand in bed. He was completely under your control as soon as the bedroom door had closed behind you and that was more than enough for you.
But that dress was just so damn cute and it came from the new Capitol Couture summer collection! Coriolanus usually had an impeccable taste, but this time he was just wrong. And you had to get some fun out of that situation even if you couldn't get it your way.
So later on while you were sitting by your husband's side at one of his important business lunches, a sinister idea came to your mind.
“We're about to sign this state contract with the  Manufacturers League of District 1 for supply of luxury goods,” he had explained to you earlier. 
“Everything has been prepared, it just needs my approval.”
The approval turned out to be taking a few long hours, Coryo continued to query the business owners, he was meticulous as ever. You were sitting at the table, smiling, nodding and pretending to be interested as usual, not letting anyone suspect that you were bored out if your mind and all your thoughts kept leading back to that dress. It would look so good on you while riding your handsome husband's cock.
One of your hands, previously resting neatly on your lap, reached out to your right and landed on Coryo’s thigh.
He didn't pay much attention at first, not until you started caressing him, all your attention still on his unsuspecting business partners.
You noticed Coryo starting to mix up his words, he was not used to you behaving like that in public. A little smirk appeared on your face, still subtle enough for no one else to notice.
Your hand glided in between his thighs starting to make circular movements dangerously close to his most sensitive area and he gave you the look. It lasted only for a split second but you could clearly read it as “Don't!”
You had no intention of stopping though, quite the contrary, you moved even higher and started palming his dick through the fine fabric of his perfectly tailored pants.
Coryo swallowed thickly and one of the men across the table raised his eyebrow. Of course he had no idea of what you were doing but the President seemed to be acting a bit unusual.
When you grabbed Coryo's cock and squeezed it gently through his pants, your husband had to clench his jaw to avoid letting out a moan. You noticed that he was getting desperate and he looked so damn hot like this.
“The fabric mentioned on page 63,” Coryo spoke in a slightly shaky voice. “It says here that it's very pleasant to the touch, but I don't think we’re going to order it.”
He gave you a quick glance. 
“I think it comes for too high of a price.”
“I don't think we should spare any funds for pleasure of our dear Capitol citizens,” you added, looking at your husband innocently while your fingers unzipped his pants masterfully, a little trick you had learned during your secret little meetings under the strict supervision of your parents before getting married.
You quickly found your husband's half hard cock and ran your thumb over the velvety tip, causing Coryo to let out a sharp gasp.
“President Snow, are you alright?” The man who had previously raised his eyebrow now sounded slightly concerned.
“Don't worry, Sir,” you took over the conversation seeing that Coryo was using up his strength to keep composed.
“It's too stuffy in here, Mr. President just needs some fresh air.”
“Yeah, that's right,” Coryo mumbled under his breath as he loosened up his tie a bit.
He glanced over at you sitting properly wearing your mandarin collared blouse and a chick designer jacket. You were fully covered up, but Coryo couldn't help imagining your soft warm breasts underneath. Got, he just wanted to grab them and squeeze them right now.
Your poor husband was trying to focus on the papers before him, but everything was now just a blur, everything he could think about was your hand pumping his cock at an easy pace making sure for his business partners not to notice your movements.
Coryo was now a complete mess, desperately clutching at the contract copy in his hands, aching for his release. You just loved to see him pathetic like that, completely under your control.
“I'm sorry,” he finally gave up. “My wife was right, I think I should really get some air. Maybe we can continue tomorrow.”
You smirked and nodded, zipping him back up with a swift move. Poor Coryo had to use his contract copy to hide his massive hard-on while shaking hands with his business partners before he left.
“What's wrong, darling? Was the meeting too hard for you?” You giggled and disappeared into the bedroom before your husband managed to catch you.
As soon as you opened the door you noticed a Capitol Couture box laying on your bed. He had actually bought that damn dress, wanting to surprise you. And you had turned his business lunch into a real torture.
“I'm sorry,” your voice sounded genuine hearing him entering the room and standing behind you. “I didn't know that…”
“I’m afraid sorry won't cut it, my dear wife,” Coryo murmured, wrapping his arms around your waist from behind. You could feel his prominent erection pressed firmly to your derriere.
“Please, mommy! I need you to take care of me!” He whispered under his breath, slightly embarrassed by his submissively pathetic addiction to your pussy.
You closed your eyes and exhaled deeply imagining his massive cock stretching you out, while you were showing off your new dress.
It almost seemed like your husband had the actual ability to read your thoughts.
“I think it's time to consecrate your new dress…”
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kamiko1234 · 5 months ago
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I am currently at the end of chapter 3 of The Titan's Curse and oh man, do I have some thoughts. So first things first. I do not like Artemis. Like, at all. She's currently inhabiting spot 2 on my "I hope Luke wins because of you guys" RIGHT after Ares himself. I REALLY don't like the whole "anti-boy" thing she and her Hunters have going on. Like, okay- I get it to some degree. Chasity and maidenhood is like- her whole thing. But honestly, at this point, it feels almost fanatic. I'm a girl myself, and it makes me genuinely uncomfortable how they act and what they say. It also weirds me out how.... pushy they are to Bianca ? Especially how they seem to disregard Nico in all of this. It was stated that Bianca and Nico are their only remaining relatives. Percy brings up a very valid point in the fact that Nico cannot become a Hunter. Bianca would leave her only brother behind, her brother whose only family she is. And in response Artemis and Zoe just- blow that whole concern off ???????? Saying that they would become Bianca's new family. It could have worked better had this decision only attempted Bianca- BUT IT DOESN'T. What about Nico ? Who would become Nico's new family !? Well APPARENTLY Artemis and her Hunters COULDN'T CARE LESS because he was born with the wrong gender. Sorry kiddo though luck ig 🤷‍♀️ And then that nasty comment when they talk about Nico going to camp with "that's all boys are good for" The fuck Artemis????? I know DAMN WELL ur ass didn't just insult the ONE relatively safe place for demigods where those kids are trained up to do the shit YOU AND YOUR FAMILY are too lazy to do !? Like I have my problems with Camp, not gonna lie. I still think it's still unsafe (even if it's better compared to- well, everywhere else) and their teaching methods are a bit questionable (how has no one thought of organizing some damn therapy for these kids !?) BUT ALSO !?!?!?!? Bianca who JUST said she was still thinking about joining the hunters only to then immediately make up her mind and join ? Naw I'm calling foul play. At this point I'm not putting ANYTHING past ANY god. I would fully trust Artemis to manipulate Bianca's mind or something. I swear to god with every chapter I read I become more and more of a Luke apologist. He went off the deep end for a good freaking reason and he has every right to personally decapitate every god to ever walk the earth. But also, ANNABETH BABY ARE YOU OKAY !? ARE YOU GOOD GIRL ??? WHERE'D YOU GO !? God I am PRAYING it ain't Tartarus or anything- atleast Artemis said she'd search for her so I suppose Mrs. "Human rights for men ? Who needs that !" isn't TOTALLY useless beyond ending my nerves. Poor Nico by the way, he seems like such a nice kid ! A total nerd and drok which honestly ? Stan. As someone who's a nerd myself (although I'm more in the Anime and history department (weird combo ik)) I can stan him. But also MY POOR BABY. That child basically lost his sister to something I'm not yet convinced isn't some weird cult RIGHT AFTER being attacked by a literal MONSTER.
That must hurt. As for Thalia.... yeah not sure about her. She seems to have some bad blood with the hunters of Artemis and that Zoë girl which makes her immediately more likable to me. But also I was sort of thrown into a loop with how suddenly the book started into the story, I would have liked a bit of a slower start with more build-up to get to know her better.
She seems to have a pretty confrontational personality , which is the main thing that makes me a bit unsure about her. But other than that she sems pretty cool so far ! Hope to see more. One thing however made me worry a bit.... that mist thing. Where Thalia was able to manipulate the mist, and upon Percy's questioning asking if "Chiron didn't show you that yet". How it's treated to be nothing special....... listen if I wasn't a bit iffy about the whole system of the Camp I am now. Why didn't Chiron show Percy that ? It doesn't look to be some special ability reserved for children of Zeus. Infact, why didn't Chiron show that EVERY demigod !? I am hoping to god that an explanation for that's gonna come up later to explain this. Otherwise I'll just have to assume that Chiron is refusing to teach those kids a valuable and also kinda important skill just because.
(Also on an off note, y'all remember that one "Who's Jason Theory" I had a while back where I concluded he's either from Roman North Korea or a Rome fanboy ? Yeah I got it confirmed from a friend a while back that he's from Roman North Korea. Holy fuck, so apperantly The Democratic Demigod's Republic of Rome exists canonically. And apparently they are the East Germany to Camp Halfblood's West Germany. Yikes. Don't know much more tho than it existing and apperantly being well, Roman North Korea. So please no spoilers there ^^)
(Please mark any spoilers in your replies/reblogs so I can avoid them, thank you )
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lizhly-writes · 24 days ago
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October 30, 2024
No, it's not Wednesday. But it's Wednesday in some other timezone, which is good enough. Now should I be playing this WIP game? Probably not. Am I going to participate this week anyway? Yep I sure do love writing words.
For the unaware: pick a filename, and I'll write at least three sentences in that file. Send an ask or leave a comment, whichever you prefer.
filenames:
transmigrated as the female lead's villain fiance: theoretically, my nanowrimo project. I won't be sharing from this one, so this will be a "pick another file, or leave it up to me!"
empty sky: in a world without stars, a statistician kills a man for no goddamn reason are you sure? and wonders if she's going batfuck insane you aren't.
mu qingfang's terrible romcom: Mu Qingfang has a thing for pathetic men and if anyone finds out, he’s going to die.
the therapy fic: Mobei Yi and Shang Houhua decide to go to couples’ counseling.
wip doc: my grand miscellany of wips. Anything is in there.
And now, a snippet:
If Shang Qinghua tilted his head and squinted, Shizun was probably the closest thing he had to a father figure. This was a pretty fucking sad state of affairs, considering Shang Qinghua hadn't been promoted until he was, what, eighteen? Nineteen? Twenty, twenty-one, who even cared?
The point was that Shizun hadn't paid Shang Qinghua any individualized attention until he'd been, at the very least, a core disciple, and at that point, Shang Qinghua was pretty damn grown. When you were grown, you didn't need a father figure. When you were an adult, you outgrew fathers. You had to; you didn't have a choice. You turned eighteen and then your dad gave up the illusion that he ever wanted you to begin with. If you still needed a dad at that point, then you were pretty screwed, weren't you?
Shang Qinghua didn't need a father. If he'd ever wanted one -- well, that was a wholeass lifetime ago, wasn't it? Nobody cared about stupid shit like that. He didn't care about stupid shit like that. He hadn't thought about it it in years. It was completely useless! Shang Qinghua had better things to think about!
wip doc:
allofthebeanz
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ofsmokenandgold · 4 months ago
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Land of Women - Episode 3
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So episode 3 and we're still on the "Amat and Gala have chemistry even though she's annoying as fuck" train.
We get a nice little flashback that outlines Amat's arrival in La Muga and how he came to be involved with the house and the co-operative and Golfo and Montse. The women are great, doting on him. It does give us a couple of Amat mysteries - the child in the photo and the fact that he bought the house with several large bundles of €50 notes - which suggests that he knows that Gala can't really complain to the authorities about him appropriating her cash - because there would be too many questions. This scene also reminds us that you can't convincingly dye a beard. It just looks too uniform, no beard is a single color. I know they did it to telegraph the time shift, but it's just distracting.
I do like the village tradition of useless men - that's a very European rural thing - we have something of the same tradition in my family.
This episode certainly shows us where Gala got her tendency towards entitlement from, Julia trying to extort money from Andreu based on the fact that he "might" be Gala's father is decidedly sketchy. She's causing chaos in these people's lives and isn't even very nice to them. And, talking of entitlement - I can forgive Kate for thinking she can just walk into a doctor's office in Spain and get a prescription, no questions asked, because she's 17 and doesn't know any better. But did Gala actually think through what it would mean to bring a child that needs medical support to a foreign country where she has no legal right to access ongoing care? Xavi (the doctor) is a twat, but he's not wrong that he can't just write her a prescription without her medical history and proof of legal residence.
So Amat and Gala - this episode is interesting because she yells less, is less generally annoying, and we see real chemistry developing between them. It's interesting to watch how often Amat is looking at her mouth and not her eyes when they are talking. It’s such a subtle tell for attraction and he just nails it. And then we get the whole getting drunk together and being cute. And then Gala finds out that Fred is cheating on her, so he's a rat and she doesn't have to feel any loyalty to him. Which brings us to the "almost-kiss" on the patio. At that moment I was sold, even though it seemed a little fast (she was happily married to Fred less than a week before), and then Montse shows up and the writers throw that massive curve ball at us.
And for me, everything falls apart at that point. If they'd chosen to have Amat talk to Montse that night, even just to make an excuse for the evening and talk to her later; he's still hungover, he's not feeling great, he's tired - ANYTHING other than going off upstairs and fucking like bunnies five minutes after he'd almost kissed Gala.
It's unfathomable to me why the writers chose to make him look like SUCH a dick. Even if it's just a friends-with-benefits thing he owes Montse an honest conversation about developing feelings for another woman. It just makes him look like he doesn't want to blow up his no-strings sex on the side deal in case he doesn't actually have a shot with Gala. Again, it makes him look like a dick. Even if he's a still pretty dick in another fine selection of slightly ratty henleys (and that one lovely sweater in the flashback scene).
I have pretty much come to terms with it. but it's jarring, especially as I know it's only going to get worse over the next three episodes.
I have decided to work through it with a little writing-therapy. I am taking a great deal of delight in the fact that the entire opus of Land of Woman fiction on AO3 is going to be Amat/Montse for the near future (one story up there, more to come).
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leynaeithnea · 4 months ago
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Wow your post is really so good and also really really perfect so I'll try to not really add much to it and just sit here in awe of you jaksjsnnsns
Eurylochus begging to be gaslighted aaah and being the voice of the crew and Ody not wanting to fight him and Ody always being smarter than all of their opponents and bargaining even with Gods to protect his men but not anymoree aaaakdkksnsnsnsnsn
Also I agree , the big ass sword does look awkward and out of place but it also looks really cool so I understand Jorge's choice a little bit lol
(btw you worded everything so well !!!! )
"Don't make me fight you"=I don't want your blood on my hands SOMEBODY SEDATE ME THE ANGST IS TOO MUCH
( I have nothing to say for a good while here bc I was just soaking up your pretty pretty words and got distracted and didn't take any notes lol)
Eury being suicidal "we're never gonna make it home alive " I AGREE SO MUCH bc he never says " nah man don't worry there will be no consequences these cows are chill" he says " meh, we're desperate with nowhere to go, might as well eat and get killed for it " like HE KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN BUT HE'S SO DEFEATED KAKSKSMNS
Ody's like "this is the home of the sun god DON'T FORGET HOW DANGEROUS THE GODS ARE" but EURY ISN'T LISTENING KAKSKS AAAAH
We need a therapy saga FR
RECONSIDER HURTS SO BAD
The pause before Ody says home being bc he is taking a breath 'cause his wounds hurt I LOVE YOUR BRAIN SO MUCH YOU'RE SO AKSKSKKSJSJNAN
"people die like this"= trusting you, EXCUSE ME MISS YOU DID NOT HAVE TO GO THAT HARD I was gonna interpret that as " we die from the constant dangers and the monsters and Gods while the hope of returning home gets fainter and fainter and I'm tired of it " BUT THEN YOU HAD TO GO AND MAKE IT "we are trusting YOU and still getting our ass handed to us by all these monsters while we were SO SURE YOU COULD PROTECT US CAPTAIN, WHERE'S YOUR GUILE NOW SIR??"
Never stopped to think about Ody saying"we pissed him off", oh gods they're still in this together no matter what mwksksksksk AAAH
The full speed ahead thing being so sad bc it's useless jsjskksjs my poor Greek idiots trying to outrun the literal sky kamsnsnsn
I really wanted to make this much much shorter I don't know what possessed me lol ( might have been your writing girl, I loved this one so much I might frame it just you wait )
( Uhm girl don't worry??? This was majestically written?? Also spelling and punctuation is temporary Epic the musical is forever )
I'll try to not really add much to it
Im glad you did not follow through with this ssisegijsegijesg 25. Thunder Bringer
Thunder, war cry like chanting, a storm is brewing
The ENTRANCE the entrance of a god, the one true divine, the king of the gods…..The thunder bringer
Zeus is so fucking SMUG its HOT
the pause before Zeus starts singing, he doesnt even directly address or acknowledge Ody or the crew
"Pride is a damsel in distress, hiding away where only I can undress her, try as she might not to confess, in the end its all the same once i apply all the pre-ssure" ZEUS ZEUS YOU MFUCKER ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT SEXUALLY HARRASSIng PRIDE??? PRIDE??? REALLY??? ….yes yes you do and fuck thats the best musical characterization of Zeus imaginable, Jorge is such a fucking GENIUS I LOVE IT AT THe SAME TIME THIS??? PRIDE??? this pride is talking about Odysseus pride, his hubris, its talking about him trying to hide his pride, where only Zeus, the king of the gods can reveal Odysseus true nature "once he applies all the pressure"
The music is so good
"Thunder, bring her through the wringer, show her Im the judgement call the one who her kingdom fall Lightning, wield her, use and yield her, show her what she cant conceal for true nature will be revealed" THESE LYRICS "Thunder bring her" "Thunderbringer" "Lighting wield her" "lighting wielder" AAAAHHSUEHGSEUGse also yes, we continue to sexually harass Odysseus pride, because this a greek epic and this is Zeus, also "her kingdom" is Odysseus prides "kingdom" his hopes of making it home to Ithica with his crew? or the crews believe into Odysseus? mhhh
"Tell me Odysseus" ah yes he finally acknowledges Odysseus existance, also HE ACKLOWLEDGES HIS eXISTANCE Odysseus, king of ithica, the myth, the walking legend, even the gods know his name, for his whole crew to see (lets ignore poseidon for a second)
"If i were to make you choose, the lifes of your men and crew or your own" (just hypotethically of course..) "why do I think theyd loose?" because he has heard from Hades that he had a whole solo song in the underworld singing how he was the monster rawr rawr rawr sigjseigjse ahem, and maybe also because he made that choice back in troy when he choose to kill the infant…..odysseus will do anything he has to to get home…..
"Elighen me, King of ithica" smug mfucker i love it, taunting, maybe recalling what he said to polyphemus…just mabye….
"Since hunger was far to great, i wonder whod take the weight of the damned and suffer a gruesome fate" well i KNOW it wasnt you who killed the cattle, but youre their captain its on you to take responsibility for their actions and be the one to get punished so they can get home, they were desperate, theyre innocent, you know that, but someone has to pay…
back to the aweseome chorus "Thunder bringer, here to ring your ears until youre deaf with fear and spear you while your death is near" you must learn to fear and respect the gods. you will learn to fear us, your pride has no chance against me, im the king of the gods "Lighting wielder here to yield your time for you have passed your prime, sublime you for your act of crime" youre good days are behind you, youre old?? time to vaporize you
"Choose"….maybe the question wasnt so hypothetical after all "Choose?" ody….my boy, sounds so scared as he asks that
"Someone's gotta die today and you have got the final say" How dare he sing such beautiful vocals here, damnit Luke
"You, or your crew" CRUEL SO CRUEL
"Please dont make me do this, dont make me do this" THE CALLBACK TO HORSE AND THE INFANT ARG OUCH; HES IN SO MUCH PAIN
"When does a comet become a meteor? when does a candle become a blaze?" THE JUST A MAN CALL BACK OF THE CREW JOINING IN
"I can take the suffering from you" PENELOPE? where is she coming from???? how does that make sense???? is that a hallucination? is that Zeus trying to torture Ody a bit more??? need answers "When does a man become a monster? When does a ripple become a tidal wave? when does the reason become the blame? (let me take the suffering-) when does a man become a monster?" Now. this is the moment where Odysseus becomes truly a monster he willingly chooses HIMSELF over the remaining crew members. His reason (penelope) becomes the blame.
theres silence, and we only hear the thunder and rain
"Captain?" he knows what Ody will do, he had hopes for all of one second, its useless, Odysseus will always be their captain and their captain will choose his own life over that of his crew
"I have to go see her" yeah….
"but we'll die" just…resignation
"I know" Ody breaks, he needs more than one therapy saga, this man is haunted af …he points at his crew, Zeus is SMUG AF AGAIN and elevates into the sky as he gathers the lighting around his hands as the crew stares at odysseus in disbelieve picking up their weapons and going on to attack him, ody closes his eyes in defeat
the delivery of "true nature will be revealed", the grip IS SO GOOD ALSO YES ODYSSEUS TRUE NATURE HAS BEEN REVEALED THERE IS NO DENYING IT
lighting and thunder hits the ship before the men reach odysseus, they die and sink into the ocean, ody is badly wounded and sinking into the ocean, he reaches a hand out to the surface, towards penelope and telemachus, telemachus lullaby plays, his consciousness fades, there is no way he will get home now...right?
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mail-posting · 6 months ago
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Some headcanon deductions based off of my headcanon/kin Emil :3
1. Warm: The default state of being, and all that anyone truly ever wants.
A photograph: a mother and father stand each side of a young child. Their hands do not touch.
2. A lamb: Little knowledge, little skills, little idea when to run away.
A photograph: A sick boy leans half-heartedly on his unconscious mother's chest in the street. His crying eyes are wide as they reflect the flash of the camera. The world screams to a halt for him.
3. Empty home: Even with the strange food and the scary voices and the loud noises you can hear, the thing that hurts the most is the need to stay awake.
A diary entry: All that boy's good for is sympathy! He's hopeless at stealing, or tricking, or lying, or anything else we do. I'd be better off raising more hounds than keeping this useless brat!
At the very least, I could make it fun for me to watch.
4. Trapped: You thought you could run away, but the roars of the crowd only got closer and closer.
A diary entry: Damn it all! I thought they would have torn him to shreds, but he managed to fight his way out. looks like he has some strength to him.
The crowd cheered more than I've ever heard them before. I could certainly use his win for a profitable idea...
5: A mutt: maybe this isn't so bad after all...
A photograph: A teenager, bloody and bruised and scarred, is lying asleep on the bottom of a cramped cage. Shackles are locked tight around his ankles. There's a cracked bowl of "food" laying clearly out of reach. It is swarmed by maggots. Despite everything, he looks oddly happy. Must be a nice dream he's having. Shame that it'll be interrupted soon.
6. Stare: You're such an unsightly thing, aren't you?
A diary entry: I saw something on my walk today. I thought it may have been a dog, or some strange lamb, so I wandered up to it. But they were human as they uncurled themselves from where they must have been asleep.
I didn't want to run, I just... panicked. I couldn't find them again to apologise. I hope prayer will be enough. I'm so sorry...
Your son, A. K.
7. Rain: Wash away the filth, the pain, the memories...
A patient record:
Found: on white sand street.
Identity: "Emil"
Age: ?? (16+)
Reasons for institutionalisation: high fever, amnesia, talking to self, disobedient, laziness, bad company.
Suggested treatment: Obedience training involving electroshock therapy and sedatives between. Should be muzzled until trained into not biting. Should be strapped down until trained into not wandering.
8. Gentle words: The faux feeling of safety lifts you up and drops you back down without you having to think... up...down...up...down...sleep.
A medical note: "Emil" has been reacting well to the sedative treatments. However, he currently needs painful stimuli in order to keep himself awake. The ideal state is barely conscious enough to function, so alterations are needed.
The training has, however, gone wonderfully. It has removed his desire to fight or run away completely, although he still freezes up occasionally. It appears he's still having hallucinations.
9. Stressed: That whistle hurts your ears... In fact, everything has hurt more since she appeared.
A small note: a set of neat curly handwriting reads "Ada or medicine?". A different set of shakier handwriting replies "medicine. please". The note is stained with tears.
10: A carriage ride: You've always loved watching the world swim through your glassy eyes.
A photograph: Two men wearing dark clothes are talking to each other to the side of a carriage. One of the men is handing over a hefty sum of money to the other. The one recieving it holds a letter in his hand.
Next to them, a smaller, younger man sits cross legged, wrapping a dandelion clock he picked around his fingers. He looks exhausted, or maybe just empty, but there's a smile on his face as the seeds catch in his hair.
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winters8child · 6 months ago
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It´s been a long, long time
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Chapter 25
First thing in the morning, I walked over to the Shield headquarters, determined to get some answers. Outside, children played in the heatwave, laughing and splashing through sprinklers to cool off. I had thought London was famous for its rainy weather, but this summer was proving brutal. A little girl with pigtails saw me watching and offered a toothy grin. The sight stirred something deep inside me—a pang of loss for a child I never knew I wanted.
Maybe it was just my emotions clouding my judgment, but she resembled Bucky in a way—the same brown hair and strikingly blue eyes. I waved at her as her parents guided her into the ice cream parlor beside the road. I stood there, frozen in my thoughts, until a boy on a bike rang his bell and jolted me back to reality. I couldn’t afford to be distracted. I needed to stay focused for what lay ahead.
I stepped into the lobby of Shield headquarters and approached the receptionist. “I need to see Peggy Carter,” I said, hoping she was aware of my situation. The receptionist nodded and led me to Peggy’s desk, where I took a seat. She would be back shortly, I was told. I sat in the same chair where I had broken down weeks earlier, though it felt like a lifetime ago.
A few minutes later, Peggy arrived with a warm smile that quickly faltered when she saw me. “Did you know? About my pregnancy?” I asked bluntly. Her face told me everything I needed to know.
“I found out just three days before you did,” she said, her voice sincere. “I would have told you if I’d known before the serum.” Her apology seemed genuine, but I was still seething. “You mean before Shield took away my baby?” I snapped.
Peggy took the seat next to me, her expression softening. “I’m deeply sorry you had that choice taken from you. I can’t imagine what you’re going through.” Her sympathy was real, and for a moment, I felt understood.
“If you need someone to talk to, I’m here,” she offered gently. “I know you have the commandos, but sometimes men can be... well, a bit dense.” She gave a weak smile. I nodded, though I wasn’t here for a therapy session. “There’s something else,” I began. “Since I got the serum, I’ve been experiencing this condition where I fall into a kind of frenzy when someone I care about is in danger. It’s like I’m driven to protect them, no matter how extreme or unreasonable the measures might be. Has Dr. Erskine mentioned anything about this?”
Peggy took a moment to consider her response. “Dr. Erskine’s theory was that the serum amplifies what’s already inside us. Take Steve, for example—he’s a good man, and the serum made him even greater. Schmidt, on the other hand... well, you see where I’m going with this?” I was confused for a moment. Was I so inherently flawed that the serum brought out buried emotions?
“From what Steve and the others have told me, you seem to be a fiercely loyal person,” Peggy continued. “Perhaps the serum is amplifying your innate desire to protect those you love, no matter what it takes.” Her explanation made sense but also complicated things. I had to find a way to control these outbursts if I wanted to be a reliable member of the team.
I thanked Peggy and was about to leave when she called out to me. She looked hesitant, as if she wanted to ask something but wasn’t sure how. “It wasn’t Steve’s child, was it?” she asked softly, a hint of worry in her eyes. I understood why she was asking; she had seen the way Steve and I were together. She must have noticed the stolen glances, the way he held my hand, the closeness we shared. But she didn’t know about the lies, the betrayal, or how it all fell apart. I looked down, feeling ashamed and mourning what could have been. “No, it wasn’t his,” I said, and walked out without looking back.
The following weeks were spent mostly alone in my hotel room. The commandos were out on missions, taking down Hydra bases, and I felt useless. At least they let me tend to their wounds when they returned. As always, I anxiously awaited their arrival, and when I heard the familiar commotion downstairs, I rushed out of the makeshift infirmary I had set up. I went through the faces of the commandos, making sure everyone was accounted for before allowing myself to breathe a sigh of relief.
Falsworth was the first to spot me at the top of the stairs. “Good to see you, love. I think I’ve broken a few ribs that need the attention of the best nurse in town,” he said with a grin. Dum Dum Dougan laughed. “I think it’s just your bruised ego because I saved your ass.”
I ignored their banter and walked over to Steve and Bucky, who seemed to be in the middle of a heated argument. “You either let her join us on the next mission, or I’m not coming,” Bucky said, his anger palpable. Steve looked exhausted, a clear sign that Bucky had been pushing him for weeks. I touched Bucky’s arm gently. “It’s okay, Buck. Let it go,” I said, glancing at Steve, who looked pained. I noticed a large scratch on his chest. “You’re hurt, Steve. Let me take care of that.” I took his arm and guided him to the infirmary.
Steve hesitated. “It’s fine. It’ll heal on its own.”
“That could take hours. Don’t be ridiculous,” Bucky interjected.
Steve followed me reluctantly and sat on the cot in the center of the small room. I had everything I needed for first aid: two cots, a privacy screen, and a few supplies. He had already removed his suit and wore a cream-colored shirt, now stained with blood. “Can you take the shirt off?” I asked quietly. He complied without meeting my eyes.
I took a cotton pad soaked in disinfectant and began to clean his wound. His breath brushed against my face, and I focused on my task, trying not to look up. I almost missed the whisper, “I miss you.” My heart ached as I looked into his eyes, seeing the heartbreak there. He took my hand and pressed it to his lips, kissing it gently.
“I missed you too,” I murmured, our faces so close that our breaths mingled. The moment seemed to stretch on endlessly. I didn’t want to hurt him again, but my body ached for him. Steve closed the distance between us and kissed me, pulling me close by the hips. It was a slow, tender kiss full of hope. I lost myself in it until I noticed the pain on his face. I realized that we were so close together that I had pressed against his injury, and his blood stained my shirt.
He pulled back, apologizing. “I’m sorry... for the blood. I got carried away.”
“It’s alright. Let me finish treating you,” I said softly, and I completed the bandaging in silence.
When I was done, Steve looked at me with a searching gaze, but found nothing. I stared at my shoes, feeling vulnerable and conflicted. I didn’t want to toy with his emotions or give him false hope. Steve leaned in and kissed my forehead before heading to the door. He turned around one last time. “I’m not sorry for kissing you,” he said, and then he left.
Next Chapter
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filipinosamflynn · 6 months ago
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It took me a few months, but I finally finished Iron Gold! Let me burn the kitchen down as I cook!
Note: I'm not the American education system, so I consider a 6/10 a good score. 6/10 to me means it's good but I don't think I want to read it again until years in the future.
Total Score: 8/10 - hard to read at the beginning, but phenomenonal second half. The multiple perspectives are fun, but kind of jarring to get into, some of the perspective shifts can get enfuriating by creating cliff hangers. That's obviously the intention, but come on, nobody's favorite part about a show are its cliffhangers.
Below is my tier list of all the characters:
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Spoilers, unstructured thoughts, word vomit, and objectively incorrect opinions ahead. This review is based on my experience reading the book, the quality of it is obviously amazing.
Characters: 9.5/10 - Everybody is still amazing, and almost all of the new characters are so fun and well characterized! I would have given this 10/10 if not for Harmony not showing up at all in this book. I think the last time she was physically present is in Golden Son, then she is mentioned to have started the Red Hand in Morning Star but she does not show up, then when the Red Hand DOES show up in Iron Gold, she somehow still isn't there. HUH???? WASN'T THAT LYRIA'S WHOLE THING BEFORE THE TELEMANUS ADVENTURES AND THE FUNNY KIDNAPPING???? But ignoring that red bitch (and dano too, fuck that guy), Lyria is a surprising stand out to me, I love her so much and that's what surprises me. Literally all she does is be a victim, and honestly I'm here for it. It's so easy to root for an underdog character, and that's the reason why I wanted to read Red Rising in the first place, to watch an underdog character fight through their circumstances. Also, FUCKING HELL WHY DOES HER STORY END LIKE THAT???? SHE'S FUCKING INNOCENT GIVE MY GIRL A FUCKING BREAK 😭😭😭😭
Ephraim took like 70% of the book for me to like, but once the perspectives crossed over, we saw more development from him outside of his drug addiction, and him being ✨️GAY✨️ without it being the sole focus of his story being extremely awesome. Gay media doesn't get me, sometimes I just wanna see a dude who happens to be gay fuck shit up. He just needed to be more than just "the gruff mercenary", and him struggling to kill Lyria made me finally like him. I do wish we had moments of him being likable earlier, I mean I get we needed to establish him being grumpy, but I really wish we had scenes of Ephraim and Volga being friends earlier in the book. I was expecting them to be this fuck ass father daughter duo when I first started reading, but I guess not. I do love their bond a lot though, and him going through hell and back for Pax & Electra was everything I needed out of this character. Also as a side tangent, the Cyra being a spy plot just happens then goes nowhere? I mean, HUH????? I was so confused, I looked her up online, and nobody talks about Cyra. She just... exists to die and be a useless plot reveal? Unless I'm missing something, she feels like one of the most useless deaths in the series. Oh well, back to Ephraim. Yeah, I liked him a whole lot more after I realized he's into Japanese army men and footjobs.
Here's an obvious one: Darrow becomes slightly unlikable! Yeah, I didn't expect it, I still love him, but sometimes while reading this dude do war shit and ignore his wife makes me want to football kick him into a therapy chair. And then he teams up with Apollonius and, it's so fucking obvious him and Tharsus are gonna betray Darrow and curb stomp his ass. Darrow, you bitch ass motherfucker, just be with your god damn son you son of a bitch. 💀 His ending though, man you can really FEEL his absolute despair. It's not an exciting despair like at the ending of Golden Son, it's a slow, harsh, burning one you have to sit with. "It was all useless" is SUCH an awesome trope, I simply adore it. Poor Sevro.
Now onto our pathetic bitch boy of the hour: Lysander. I've known about his reputation amongst fans since I started the series, and I've been so excited to see this little shit fuck shit up and...! He's so pathetic. I'm a little disappointed by how pathetic he is compared to my expectations of him being this evil little shit. However, he turned out to be my favorite perspective. Just watching this little man who I know becomes horrible just grovel in himself, slowly rising to power, then avoiding almost every single action of good he can take is awesome. My enjoyment is also added by all of the Raas being so fun, especially Dido. This bitch... serve cunt and be evil is her motto and I love it 💅✨️
Perspectives Ranked: Lysander is my favorite perspective, him rising to power in the Rim from nothing is just satisfying, and excites me for what hell is to come in Dark Ages. I love a good villain.
Lyria is my second favorite, I just love underdogs, what can I say?
Third favorite is Ephraim. I didn't like him nor get what his deal was at the first half. I didn't know where his story would go, and I didn't give a shit about whatever the Duke of Hands wanted. Only when we got development did he become a very fun character.
Fourth favorite is Darrow. His perspective isn't bad, but it was just kind of disheartening to see my boy do all this shit and accidentally make the wrong decisions. Of course, his perspective is far from bad, it was just hard to root for him.
Personal Enjoyment: 7/10 - This was a hard book to get through in the beginning. They have to re-establish the world and you're forced to try and get through 4 different characters' perspectives. Establishing the new world, the characters, and their reason for being important is rather slow for a series with such a breakneck pace, so it was annoying to get through to be honest. Not to mention that the perspective shifts can be rough or annoying in that "TV Show cliffhanger" style. Another personal thing, because of all the re-establishing and the perspective shifting, I forgot a lot of plot points and motivations. I didn't know why Ephraim was speaking with the Duke of Hands nor what his purpose or deal was for quite a while, like I didn't know what Holiday had to do with Ephraim until the 2nd half when they said Trigg was Ephraim's fiance. I didn't even know Ephraim was going to steal until he kidnapped Pax & Electra. The story is great, but this is the first time I've read a book with multiple story lines in different perspectives, and added onto the complex web of connections and all sorts of other story bullshit, it's easy to see why I got lost and had to drop the book for a few months. However once I finally got used to everything in the 2nd half, it was an EXTREMELY fun read that made up for the hard to understand and read through first half. This is feels like a book I only appreciate on the prospect of a re-read where I know what happens since the blind read was, uh, annoying.
Plot: 8/10 - As I said, the beginning was kind of annoying to get through and I can't for the life of me remember anything that happened to Ephraim at the start, and 25% of Darrow's & Lysander's plotline. It's just a me thing. The story as a whole is extremely fun, all the twists and events are a blast to read (except for Ephraim's moping at the start of the book, if he even moped because as I said before, I can't remember shit about Ephraim from part 1 except that he has a fancy gun and the Duke of Hands wanted to cut off his hand if he didn't do the thing). Lyria's story was the most engaging for me from start to finish, so that's a plus. Really, my opinion on this book is kind of being carried by the 2nd half, which sucks because this is still a really great book! I just had a hard time following it. But the plot was great, and (obviously) the action scenes are a highlight. The Cassius kills a bunch of dudes and says his honor remains scene is badass as all hell, Lyria's desperate escape from the Red Hand + its aftermath is so visceral and everything I love about the series, Ephraim saving the kids is the best scene in the book in my opinion, and the realization of "it was all for nothing" upon the Ash Lord's reveal was just UGH 😭 I LOVE THAT SHIT!
My Expectations Heading Into Dark Ages:
• Cassius isn't dead, it's too obvious. Not only did we pull that shit off with Dancer and Uncle Narol, but we didn't see a body, and his death just felt weirdly unsatisfying for a series like Red Rising. Cassius didn't even get to talk to Pytha or his frot buddy Darrow once, so yeah, not dead.
• Victra is going to be this fuck ass antihero doing the wrong things for the right reason of finding her daughter. I can feel her getting a character arc in Dark Ages.
• Mustang's perspective is coming up in Dark Ages and OOOOOHHHHHHH IM SO FUCKING EXCITED TO READ THROUGH THEM, Mustang has remained strong of my favorite character in the series. Sevro is a very close 2nd favorite, but Mustang is the Beyonce of Red Rising.
• I know Darrow gets absolutely FUCKED in Dark Ages. Good. Let me whump.
• I have no clue what will happen with Lyria & Ephraim, but hopefully they don't die! I think Lyria doesn't get a perspective in Dark Ages so *i am scared*.
• Lysander will be so fucking fun to read through now that he's no longer just a pathetic hacky sack getting kicked around. I wanna finally despise and hate this little shit for fun, he looks like he's gonna have the same fuck ass stage presence as the Jackal. Just a feeling on the vibes Lysander will hold.
• I know Dark Ages will destroy me, so I already have Lightbringer ready as my detox, and a box of tissues bought for when I start.
• Harmony BETTER show up. She has literally done nothing since Golden Son (yeah she technically started Red Hand in Morning Star but RH literally did nothing there, and Harmony herself hasn't shown up for 2 straight books).
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vern-a · 2 years ago
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Qsmp is very important!!!
Looked at purely from the way qsmp's world works!!!
You know why i love qsmp so much?
Its very communal and collabotative. The parents take care of tasks for those who cant make it. Everyone has linked up their waypoints solely to make sure they have a faster way of getting to each other, lest trouble arises.
Food, tools, items and anything else in need is shared. There is almost a communal pool of resources. Knowledge is shared freely, and everyone makes an effort to update each other on important matters (wether just about mod quirks (our genious Ramon) or helping with setting up the translator, anything). If someone has an abundance of something (Phils dirt) theyll ask anyone they meet if they need any.
Distribution of labour!! Some people are mostly self-sufficient, but there are some who farm and distribute food to those who focus more on building or looking after the eggs. I love the habit of streamers asking each other if they have enough food. Some are being useless sluts (/pos /affectionate) and still are taken care of by the community (if the lore allows it).
The accommodation of (potential!!) disability and acceptance of people. Dappers uber autism is not seen as something in need of changing. Bad is more than happy to see the boy do his thing and every streamer exposed to Dappers collections is impressed and prideful. Tallulahs shyness and reckless love for the harsh world isnt seen as something that she needs to get rid of, lest she get hurt, but rather as something that she needs to cherish, because it is valuable and special. (I can again mention the sharing of resources here!!).
The absolute queerness of it. The whole island is essentially a policule. Suggestive and sexual activities are always consensual and not looked down upon. Not participating in sexual activity is not looked down upon!! Platonic assigned co-parenting, and being a single parent is regarded as equal to the (out of game) standard of mother/ father/ child. Eggs not really having a gender, or having multiple genders or being Very Cis (lobe you Chayanne). Pronouns optional (and always respected). Bitch wife (he is a man and also enjoys this). Men in dresses (and not making it a mockery/ caricature of women). Jaiden (we love you girlboss <3).
Qsmp is a perfect world that is community-oriented, child-centered, library economy based, queer and poc without judgement or stigma. There is so much love admist the chaos and confusion, and everyone is willing and ready to fight, live and go to therapy for the protection and prosperity of the children, for each other, and for family.
Qsmp is my perfect future.
I love it. I feel loved BY it. Thank you, Quackity. Thank you, admins. Thank you, streamers. I love you.
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adnauseum11 · 10 months ago
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Northern Attitude Ch 9
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“Me too.” She breathed and he looked up at her, her pulse already fluttering under his palm. She shifted above him, moving her legs to bring her hips into better alignment with his. Mac kissed him as her weight settled onto him, making him groan into her mouth, tugging on the base of her braid again. His hands were slow, making a meal out of getting her free from her cardigan and tracing the shape of her body under her shirt. She broke away from his mouth with a gasp when he tweaked her nipples, making her back arch. Logan used the opportunity to tug her shirt over her head, throwing it without looking. She looked down at his intense face, his palms cupping her breasts, her bra tugged low. His eyes were locked on her dusky pink nipples, inches from his face. She watched as his eyes fluttered closed and his mouth wrapped around one tightened bud, her palm instantly cupping the back of his head to keep him close. He groaned against her skin, the sound and vibration making her nerve endings sing. He leaned back, releasing her hard nipple with a pop and undid her bra, tugging the useless fabric from her body and throwing it in the same vague direction as the rest of her clothes. She bit her lip as his eyes stayed locked on her tits and tugged on his hair hard enough to finally break his concentration, the pale ring of blue nearly obliterated by the dilated black of his pupils.
Northern Attitude (48110 words) by Ad_nauseum Chapters: 9/? Fandom: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel (Comics) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Logan (X-Men)/Original Female Character, Jane Foster/Thor, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Clint Barton/Laura Barton Characters: Logan (X-Men), James "Bucky" Barnes, Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Hank McCoy, Bruce Banner, Charles Xavier, Kurt Wagner, Pepper Potts, Darcy Lewis, Jane Foster (Marvel), Sam Wilson (Marvel), Matt Murdock, Nick Fury Additional Tags: no beta we die like women, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Bucky Barnes Needs Therapy, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, Avengers Compound, Protective Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Captain America Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson is a Gift, Protective Sam Wilson, Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson Friendship, Frenemies Bucky Barnes & Sam Wilson, Sam Wilson is not here for your shit, Human Disaster Matt Murdock, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Past Bucky Barnes/Natasha Romanov, Alcoholic OFC, Depression, Suicide Attempt, Canada Olympic Women's Hockey Team Ensemble, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Feels, Genius Tony Stark, Sassy Bucky Barnes, Sassy Steve Rogers, Logan is a Softie (X-Men), Protective Logan (X-Men), martial arts master Logan, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Shameless Smut, Original Character(s), X-Men References, Alternate Universe - X-Men Fusion, SHIP DARCY LEWIS WITH ALL THE THINGS, Therapist Sam Wilson, I'll Probably Keep Adding Tags, Medical Doctor Hank McCoy, Mental Health Issues, Logan has forgotten more about combat than you'll ever know, Logan in love is a dangerous man, hello unstoppable force, meet immovable object, Hockey, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Spy Natasha Romanov, Penis In Vagina Sex, Cunnilingus, Blow Jobs Series: Part 3 of The Labyrinth Song Summary: As former Olympian Mackenzie Drouin tries to navigate life as a new amputee, her freshly minted boyfriend is reluctantly drawn into another intrigue. With the Winter Solider needing intervention before being cleared for field work again, the Avengers are down not one, but multiple members. They turn to Logan for help in filling the gap - only to have things go even further off the rails when worlds collide.
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cryingoflot49 · 1 year ago
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Book Review
Fear of Flying by Erica Jong
She’s beautiful. She’s sexual. She’s highly intelligent. She’s loud, brash, and egocentric. She’s Isadora Wing and she’s thoroughly confused. Erica Jong’s Fear of Flying takes us into the life and mind of a woman during an existential crisis. She has most of the things that a woman is supposed to have for happiness, but the story begs the question of whose standards are being used to judge what a woman wants or needs.
As the novel starts, Isadora is attending a Freudian psychoanalytic conference in Vienna with her Chinese-American husband Bennett. On the first day, she gets groped by an attendee named Adrian Goodlove.
Isadora is pursuing her fantasy of getting a “zipless fuck”, quick and easy sex with maximum satisfaction and no strings attached. Her husband Bennett is a therapist, cold and distant and a little bit dull. Isadora loves him but feels unfulfilled. Ironically, he is good in bed and yet she seeks out sexual trysts to fill the emptiness that permeates her life. While Bennett is loyal to mainstream Freudian thought, Adrian is hooked on the wilder theories of the anarchist psychology of R.D. Laing. Isadora is in the middle of a battle between Apollo and Dionysus and for the time being she’s taking sides with Dionysus.
Adrian doesn’t turn out to be a zipless fuck though. He probes her mind, getting into the recesses of her memories and emotions. He’s bad in bed, possibly even a closet homosexual, and he patronizes, sometimes possibly abuses Isadora psychologically. As terrible as he is at fucking her body, he has a certain knack for fucking with Isadora’s head. Without understanding why, she submits to him completely and they run off on a car trip around Europe, leaving her husband Bennett behind. Along the way, she recounts the story of her life and Adrian looks for patterns. In the end, Adrian abandons Isadora. She hits rock bottom and that is when her great epiphany comes, pushing her towards the growth and personal freedom that she has always needed.
Before reaching the end of the novel, the narrative appears sloppy and formless. By the end of the book, everything clicks into place and the scheme of the story makes sense. The story is bracketed by two “zipless fuck” sequences, one in which Isadora remembers a movie scene in which a random soldier on a train seduces and abandons a widow in mourning. At the other end, Isadora almost gets raped on a train by a conducter, making her wake up to the fact that a zipless fuck is not what she truly wants. Sexual promiscuity is, for her, a way of hiding from what she truly wants. Her personal story builds as she relays her autobiography with details about her childhood and family, her sexual liaisons, and her relationships with men. In three sequential chapters, she tells about her first husband, who becomes schizophrenic, her next lover, who is a socially awkward musician failing in his career, and her sister’s creepy husband who tries to seduce her while she visits the family in Lebanon. This sequence involving three men is important because it shows how her refusal to sleep with her sister’s husband is the first time when she refuses to submit to the desires of a man. Other parts of the story that feed into this theme of submission involve the useless therapy sessions with male analysts and their generic, textbook answers to her problems that solve nothing, and a scene where she tells her college professor in her Master’s English literature program that she wants to quit college. He reprimands her sharply and that is why she earns her living by teaching college English while working on a Ph.D. in literary criticism even though she hates it. By the end, the pattern becomes obvious: Isadora feels unfulfilled because she never decides for herself what she wants; she only pursues what men tell her is best for her. Once you see this pattern, it is easy to predict where Isadora will end up. The formlessness of the writing suddenly becomes a revealed form. And Adrian turns out to be more than a sexually impotent jerk. He fulfills the same narrative function that the talking animals in Grimm’s fairy tales fulfill; he tells her what she needs to hear and leads her towards her destiny. Like the children in Grimm’s fairy tales, she realizes full maturity when she takes control over her situation by herself without the help of anyone else.
What Jong does with the narrative almost doesn’t work. The narrative shifts between past and present can be frustrating and often seem like random splotches of unrelated information. The pacing is jerky, alternating between slow drips and smooth flows. Three-quarters of the way through the book I wondered if this random jumble of stuff would add up to anything. But in the end, everything falls into place and it all makes sense. Life is sloppy and you could say that this is reflected in Jong’s prose. You could also say it is amateurish writing. I prefer the former, not the latter, but I do not lean strongly in that direction.
Fear of Flying is probably of more historic importance than literary merit. It came out in a time when women did not have the independence or freedom that they take for granted now. It brought Second Wave feminism into the mainstream. A lot of housewives and working women wanted more from life but were too afraid to say so for fear of backlash from society. Erica Jong gave them a voice and helped them take the next step in social evolution. As important as all this is, I would still argue that it does have literary merit. It is insightful and introspective, and Isadora’s mind is exposed on full display for analysis like few other female literary characters that came previously. Where Simon de Beauvois dissected all aspects of the female sex like a cold study of an animal species, Erica Jong humanized these ideas by putting them into the life of a literary character. If you are patient and willing to look outside the confines of your present existence, this is a work of quality.
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dvarapala · 1 year ago
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plots please ! ( miyagi!ethan )
plots please // @taughtdefense
01: udyati will always be a little bit too european, a little bit too dutch, a little bit too honest (even if she apologizes fifty times beforehand and fifty times afterwards) because surely she's not the only one who sees that this whole karate war is getting way out of hand? can't these white men go to therapy instead of dragging kids, teens and twenty-somethings into this? ethan! ethan, are you seeing this?!
02: ethan teaching and training udyati in the ancient and noble art of karate. (her words, not his, probably.) udyati prides herself on being a good student, on showing up and doing the work. but gosh, it's annoying as heck to, you know, not pick something up perfectly immediately. "i am not booksmart, eth. the school system hates me. this is all i have. i need to be good at this. i need master this sooner rather than later! i can't not master this! i can't not be useless! not while there's a karate war going on! i have too many things to make up for! and i'm already at a severe disadvantage because of larusso saying that pressure point techniques are forbidden, which, by the way, is the stupidest thing i've heard and i've heard so many stupid things throughout the years that i've been alive, you'd be surprised!"
03: #2 is a nice segue into ethan and udyati saying: heck it (or, if ethan swears, fuck it) and bending larusso's no pressure points techniques rule.
04: ethan and udyati getting ambushed by cobra kai members and having to fight them off.
05: ethan and udyati sitting down together during a quiet moment and talking about their powers and their pasts, present, futures and the paths they've taken that lead them to this moment. (bonus points for udyati telling ethan about what kalindi did to her.)
06: ethan telling udyati the story of how he fell in love with his partners. in turn, udyati tells ethan all about harry hook.
07: udyati and ethan having friendly sparring matches with and without their powers.
08: udyati meeting ethan's parents who take her underneath their wings. her own mom tries her very best, but she's away due to her job a lot, leaving udyati home alone more often than not.
09: ethan and udyati going dimension / universe / multiverse hopping and being back in time for dinner.
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quotesfrommyreading · 2 years ago
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The hospital in Gaza scheduled a single mastectomy, and I also had chemotherapy and hormonal therapy, which ended in 2015. It was a very difficult time because the babies were still so young. The problems really began when I was referred for radiotherapy after those treatments ended, as there are no medical facilities in Gaza that can do it. You have to get permission from the Israelis to travel to Jerusalem or the West Bank for treatment, or from the Egyptians to go to Cairo.
To get medical treatment outside Gaza, normally you have to get a referral appointment from the hospital in the West Bank, and then apply to the Palestinian body that coordinates travel permits for medical treatment with the Israelis. Budgets for medical coverage from the Palestinian Authority are really tight; there are more patients for complicated surgeries and cancer treatment. Usually, only people in a critical condition get permits quickly.
Getting a travel permit for Egypt is a bit easier, but the journey is much longer and harder, and you might need to get all your tests done again in the Egyptian medical system. Islam and I would have to cover much more of the costs ourselves, and we can’t afford it.
We’d also have to leave the children with relatives for an unknown amount of time. If I could go to Jerusalem, my mother would travel with me as an escort and Islam would stay with the kids. There’s no point in trying to get Islam a visa to travel through Israel; they hardly ever give permission to men under 50.
I applied with my doctor to go to the Augusta Victoria hospital in Jerusalem for radiotherapy nine times, and we never even got a reply saying yes or no. Apparently, radiotherapy is useless if you don’t have it within a certain time frame of a few weeks after surgery, so in the end, more than a year later, I just gave up.
Once during that process in 2015, I did go to the Erez Crossing for a security interview with the Israelis. That in itself is a big deal, because most Palestinians worry about what they will be asked.
In the meeting the officer didn’t ask me anything about why I wanted to travel or my medical case, they just wanted to know about the men in my family: who they are, what they do, phone numbers. I had been so busy with the babies I didn’t even know Islam’s phone number off by heart, let alone those of other relatives and friends. Maybe they thought that was suspicious.
The Israelis said recently they never received my travel applications in 2015, but that doesn’t make sense, because otherwise, why was I asked to go to the interview at Erez?
This May, I felt something in the same place, the same breast, when I was taking a shower. I immediately went to the doctor, and it turns out the cancer has come back in my chest muscle. I had another surgery to remove it, and I’m going through chemotherapy. I had forgotten how ill and exhausted it makes you; I am struggling to do anything at home, so that burden is now on Islam and our relatives.
This time my doctor says I must get the radiotherapy. She was angry with me, and blamed me for giving up before. She said that’s why the cancer came back.
I have an appointment scheduled in Jerusalem on 6 November. Based on my past experiences, I am not optimistic I will get permission to leave, but my husband believes since I’m over 40 now I might get luckier.
Most of the time they only tell you if you have a permit the day before you are supposed to travel, or they don’t tell you anything at all. Even if this one works, I’ll have to apply again if I need appointments in future, and they might be denied. That’s not an efficient way to treat cancer.
  —  ‘I applied for radiotherapy nine times and got no reply’: living with cancer in Gaza
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just-two-blokes · 2 years ago
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The Thomas Barrow Storyline in season five
Disclaimer: These are just my personal thoughts and ideas. I really liked the storyline in the fifth season but I do think that it is kinda overlooked and I just want to put some of my thoughts out here.
CW: Discussion about Thomas' suicide attempt and conversion therapy
I know that everyone is constantly talking about Thomas' storyline in the sixth season, because it is his toughest season and his suicide attempt is truly heartbreaking. But I do think people tend to forget about his storyline in the fifth season.
The two main problems (in my eyes) why this season is so often overlooked are the following:
Thomas trying to kill himself in the sixth season is such a sad, tragic and shocking turn of events that it instantly comes to mind as soon as you think of the character. And since the whole sixth season was a very sad season for Thomas, it is often seen as his "darkest" season. It completely overshadows the fifth season.
The second reason is that it is never clearly stated what really happened in season five. I have seen a lot of people on the internet who didn't even understand what Thomas was doing to himself in these episodes.
I think its important to know that Thomas was not just trying to play some fun little game with these injections. He was actively participating in a so called "conversion therapy" in order to "fix" his sexuality. Why? Because he thought he couldn't be happy the way he was. This probably happened because Jimmy (and therefore his only friend) left DA and everyone else around him was kinda coupled up or had at least a lot of friends in DA.
As a queer person myself who has struggled a long time until I managed to accept my sexuality, this storyline just hits different. My heart breaks evertime at this one line from Thomas.
'To change me. To make me more like other people. Other men'
I do live in a country where conversion therapy still legal (A lot of people would consider my country as a very modern country but believe me... there is some stuff that really needs to be resolved) and I tremble at the mere thought of all the people who went or are still going through this hell. And my country is certainly not the only one thats still going on with this.
Therefore, I wanted to shout out to this storyline. It isn't a useless or boring story. It is the story of Thomas Barrow trying to change who he is in order to live a happier life. But in the end, he seems to realize (and maybe also accept) that there is no drug or electric shock that achieves what he wants. And I do believe that in the end of the season, he is much more contempt and perhaps also a bit "confident" about who he is.
The storyline of this season isn't a boring or useless storyline. It shapes Thomas character and shows him, that he cannot change who he is.
'There is no drug or electric shock that achieves what you want'
Thomas has to come to terms that he cannot change his sexuality and he learns to embrace and perhaps also accept it up to some point. And I do think that his conversation with Phyllis helps him in this way.
'It shows that you are a very brave person'
Phyllis is not judging him or is making fun of him. She comforts him when he needs it and is not disgusted of it. I also believe that this is the storyline that draws Thomas closer to Phyllis and let their bond get stronger. It builds a great foundation for their storyline in the next season.
I don't believe that him being gay was one of the reasons why Thomas attempted suicide a season later. The sixth season was terrible to Thomas.
His colleagues kept him from Andy because they thought he would try something "indecent".
Andy himself was harsh and unkind to Thomas because everyone warned him about Thomas.
Thomas just wanted a friend and really tried hard helping Andy how to read. And how was he rewarded? Well.. you know for yourself.
Carson pressured Thomas into finding a new position even though the times were already a disaster for people in service.
These were all factors that led Thomas to do what he did. But I don't believe that it was his sexuality itself that made him try to commit suicide. Because he kinda lerned to accept it one season before.
Okay, I'm done. I just wanted to write down my thoughts on this story because it kinda haunts me and because the writing itself in this season is so subtle that it can easily be overlooked. I just wanted to give some credit to the fifth season because the storyline is one of my favourites.
Addition: I just checked google and apparently some people submitted a so called "Initiative" to ban conversion therapies in my country. So if we're lucky, we will be able to vote for it and I hope that at least the majority of my people got enough brain to vote 'yes' (to ban it ofc).
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