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sunboki · 8 months ago

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— HELLION INN. a Stray Kids fiction

🌖 : Lee Minho x implied! fem. reader

TROPE. dystopian! au, enemies to lovers, monster! au, apocalypse! au, “we have to get along to survive” au, angst, high stakes

WORD COUNT. 10k ⭑ 50min read

WARNINGS. gory descriptions, cursing, descriptive violence, implied intercourse, death, a dubcon kiss, talk of vomit/vomiting, lots of mentions of death, one mention of k*lling oneself, parasites, murder, inclusion of fire, injury, usage of guns, injury, knives, reader and minho are “hunted”, mature themes

AUG'S NOTES. it’s finished! i wanted to cry (out of happiness!!) closing the last part :) i truly love this piece, and, though it certainly isn’t all too lovey dovey compared to alternative fics of mine, i was so incredibly fortunate to be able to write for themes i adore! i hope my enthusiasm was able to be conveyed in the subject of monsters/apocalyptic au’s!! please enjoy<3

PLAYLIST.

SYNOPSIS. Receiving an ominous letter in the mail, a monster invades Seoul minutes later, carrying an uncanny sense of smell despite its blindness. Countless people have been slaughtered already, and with your letter as the only meager explanation to this madness, you find your feet leading towards the one place it said was safe: Hellion Inn.

or alternatively :

Minho won’t let you die. Not if it means letting this Monster get him or hell’s dawning itself. You’re going to survive. Together.

Run, something is coming. Go to Hellion Inn, you’ll be safe there.

Something? What is something? A terrorist attack? War?

Never had such a letter arrived at your doorstep other than this Tuesday, with the morning sunlight peeking through half-opened blinds casting your pajama-clad frame in its cascades.

And again, you reread and reread, questions raging in a distorted frenzy amidst your once just-wakening mind.

Little were you aware what would come. What already roamed Seoul’s streets, approaching closer, closer.

One objective resides in too many possibilities.

Find Hellion Inn.

Stuffing the letter in your pocket serves as the most sensible solution while you go over your options. If you didn’t have a clue about what dishes would be cooked, you’d check the ingredients first.

And yet, upon turning on the TV, you find your meal already served.

On a platter, dripping with blood.

“This just in, an unidentifiable entity is making its way through Seoul in a rampage. The creature is highly dangerous. It appears to lack vision, and speculation has deemed it relies upon its smell to discern other beings. The creature has not been detained at this time. Under no circumstances should citizens leave their residences, and in the case you’re on the street, please evacuate to the nearest shelter immediately. Further information will be released.”

Your blood runs frigidly cold, enough you swear you could’ve turned to ice.

All of a sudden, war or a terrorist attack doesn’t sound nearly as daunting as before.

A monster. Ruthless, bloodthirsty.

Monster.

Instantaneously are news sites everywhere exploding, posting footage, pictures, and accounts of the creature each second.

More and more and more until-

It all goes dark, your home plunged into a black abyss meagerly sustained by the sun’s rays, phone in hand ultimately powering off.

Electricity down. Fully.

This isn’t like a usual predicament of a public threat, not something you’re prepared for, nor something anyone was prepared for. There’s no drill for a monster, no tsunami shelter or high rise building to reside upon.

Was it obliviousness? Or were you all simply sheep to a ravaging wolf?

The latter seemed most convincing.

An exhale. No, a growl is what breaks your train of thought. Like the chuff of a tiger, curdling in its throat.

Above.

You can’t even bring yourself to move, can’t bear to breathe in fear you’d give yourself away as a shadow covers that once hopeful sunlight.

No shadow, but a thing. A monster.

How did it get here so fast? How.. how the hell is this happening?

The sound of tiles shifting on your roof makes your fingers twitch, eyes stuck wide.

The worlds apex predators turned into the prey.

Each pound of your heart lies evident in ringing ears, listening to those low, horrendous gurgles, repeating that same chuff before it shifts again.

Again and again, and you’re unmoving.

Leave. Run. Anything.

Yet, you can’t move a muscle, glued in place.

Until you do, and your legs act before you can process a thing. Grabbing for items, whatever it may be. Mind unable to process in its frantic state.

No. No.

A plea as your hand wraps around the doorknob, beginning down the apartment complex’s stairs in rapid descent, listening to the slow growls of the creature.

Don’t look behind, just go.

A mistake you find yourself making even when a life is on the line.

Your life is on the line.

And when you spare that single glimpse, murky lifeless eyes stare blindly back at you, bulging from its skull as if they never were intended to be there. Skin a hallowed, fleshy tone — ligaments hung awry.

Disorderly, distasteful. If you look close enough, you swear you could’ve seen a beating heart, watched the oxygen cells rush through a pumping bloodstream.

Gaping jaws hold copious teeth, ant-like incisors residing on either side of a ceaselessly smiling mouth, the corners of what appears to be lips ascending all the way up to nonexistent ears.

Four legs, two antennae atop its head. At least two times the size of a human.

Horrific.

Never had such a thing appeared so terrifying.

With the letter clutched in one hand and your powerless phone in another do you run, praying that nonexistent vision truly is nonexistent.

Well, until a car alarm begins to ring, and you feel your stomach climb to your throat simultaneously.

Because it twitches. Not even a glance-sort of reaction. The entirety of whatever neck that monster hones twitches to look at you with a nausea-worthy crack! of its ligaments. Those jaws parted, a flattened nose breathing in.

And then it lurches, and you don’t think you’ve ever ran as fast as you did now.

Far, far. As far as you can go.

It’s futile listening to gargled cries for help amongst rubble, the reaching of hands for your feet you can’t even spare a moment for as those scraping claws continue their perilous dance after you, scavenging on people as they go.

So the second an intact person comes into view—a boy, looking about your age (and freakishly calm at that) with fluffy hair and rounded cheeks retaining such youth—you’re racing ahead before you can even think, ramming through those convenience store doors in a flurry of panic and fear.

“Monster— Monster- there’s a monster we have to go-“

“Do you like grilled cheese?” He mumbles, and you wonder if he’s talking to himself or you, no less asking such a question during this downright apocalypse.

“No, no there is—“ A shriek pierces the air in the distance, the clutter of debris alerting the monster’s proximity.

You, in a frantic attempt to redirect his attention, place either hand on his shoulders.

“A monster. There’s a monster out there and if we don’t hide, it’s going to kill us.”

The boy licks his lips, cocking a contemplative brow before looking toward the freezer section.

“Freezer?”

At this point the creature might as well be turning the corner, and you don’t need to respond for either of you to go running as fast as your legs will carry you, stuffing yourselves into the biting cold just as the bells above the entrance door ring.

Scariest part is this customer is intelligent enough to open doors.

This customer isn’t human.

Like slow-motion you hear it. The pounding of your heartbeat in your ears, the lack of air in such a tight space, the monster’s rumbling.

Your hidden counterpart lodged himself into a freezer opposite to you, eyes squeezed shut the nearer clicking footsteps on tile sounded.

Click.

You don’t realize your eyes are closed until you open them, met with the monster’s face, hundreds of razor-sharp teeth lining its mouth, stretched into that same, chilling smile while it stares at you through the glass.

It can’t see you. It can’t see you. It can’t see you, You internally plead like a mantra, suffocating on the scream rising in your throat.

The loud clanging of a soup can the boy throws has the creature’s disfigured face whipping around, and you wordlessly communicate through mere terrified-eye-contact what either of you are thinking:

Run.

Without conscious you go flying, ramming past discarded groceries and tormented bodies into Seoul’s open roadway, void of any vehicle whatsoever.

Except for one.

It’s a tow truck, key still lodged into the ignition, window broken with streaks of blood lining the door where a middle-aged man’s body had been dragged out. He rests lopsided below the front tire, abdomen severed in half.

Grotesque.

“Car- Car!” You cry out, wildly gesturing for him to follow suit while you pry the driver’s door open, the monster’s frustrated growl enough motivation for the stranger to throw himself in as well.

In the nick of time you press down on the pedal, winding the wheel in a quick motion just as the hell-sent smashes itself from the shop, evidently angered.

“I’m Han!” The man occupying the passenger seat shouts, the hole through the windshield causing enormous amounts of wind to soar through the car and synonymously blur your senses.

“What?!”

“My name is Han! Han Jisung!”

Squinting whilst looking through your mirror at the wickedly approaching Monster, you veer past as many obstacles as possible — most being corpses — as fast as the engine will let you.

“Oh! Uh, I’m Y/N!”

Han nods, grasp clutched onto his seat the more you speed increases, recklessly maneuvering left and right as if dodging a crocodile.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t a crocodile, but a blood-thirsty beast wanting nothing more than to behead you. How sweet.

“Do you… Do you know how to drive?” He yells, and you raise your eyebrows, narrowly shifting past a shopping cart.

“If you count Mario-Kart as driving, I’m a pro!”

Han audibly squeaks his fear in response, eyes squeezing shut as if to not stare at the monster’s face nearing the mirror.

The speedometer cries out, vehicle shuddering as you near train tracks just at the edge of the city.

Hopeful.

Fleeting hope when the roar of a train’s whistle soars through the air, the look Han gives you doing little to sustain your already thinned sanity.

Perhaps you’ll die getting hit by a train than this monster.

Perhaps it’s better that way.

“We’re not gonna make it we’re not gonna make it we’re not gonna make i—“

“SHUT THE FUCK UP—-“ You screech, foot slammed as far down on the gas pedal as possible, the rumbling of the train’s engine deafening.

“HOLY SHITTTT—“ The man screams, mouth ajar as you soar over the tracks, preparing for impact only for a hair of the train’s front barely brushing over the car’s bumper.

Currently realizing you’re still breathing and not dead, you floor the brake, either of you launching forward in your seats while the endless train keeps the monster at bay on the opposite side.

Both panting hysterically, you place a hand on your chest, hoping to slow down the terrifyingly fast pace of your heart — close to bursting out of your chest.

Your passenger, Han Jisung, turns to look at you, eyes wide as saucers, a gradual open-mouthed smile growing upon his flushed, sweat-stricken face.

“That was.. sick.”

The flashlight flickers here and there, found in the tow truck’s trunk along with a med kit currently carried along by Han.

By chance did you end up in what remained of the red-light district, rubble dotting roadways as evidence of the Monster’s previous siege.

Amidst the held supplies, your pocket seems to ache with the weight of the letter, sitting there in its futile warning of what was to come, now arrived.

You hadn’t brought it up to Han yet, a persistent fear of blame lingering in the back of your mind. Was it your fault you didn’t react in time? Disregarded the letter?

No. There’s no time to regret now. Whatever past existed has been annihilated.

Night is approaching, and with that comes rising unease and a desperate need to find shelter.

Seoul’s red-light district had always been a taboo for Korea’s upper class. A hushed word, quenched beneath harsh scolding and wrinkled noses at the mere mention.

As if their own well-off sons don’t get driven there on a daily basis, ignorant to their own affiliation as if it’s a genetically determined trait.

Quite funny how none of that matters now. Not when it’s the end of the world, that is.

Every (once) building looks the same. Rubble. Litter lines the roads, cars strewn awry, wrecked into buildings, run over people.

A pattern lies in everything.

This pattern consists of fear.

Struck on faces, painted carelessly along torn apart surfaces and walls, splattering the cities ruby red.

Incessantly, you can’t help but fear. A natural biological response when in the presence of actual or perceived danger, inflicting sharp wounds throughout your body, mind on an endless neurological high of adrenaline-fueled paranoia.

How could someone not be paranoid when they were being hunted?

“In here.”

Han’s voice pulls you out of your head, turning where he points to a brick building, multicolored beach towel draped over a window torn to shreds, soil from plants staining the cracks of tiles, floor a mixture of blood and bacteria.

“It’s abandoned,” He notes, prying the creaking door open.

Abandoned isn’t the word for it. The inhabitants left as most people did upon hearing the news of invasion, although they didn’t get far, you’re plenty aware of that.

What a shame. Thinking they could escape, in their wake, slaughtered ruthlessly.

Instead of abandoned, call it evacuated, barren.

Inside, a radio runs in a constant string of white noise, the addition of broken air conditioning the only source of apparent life. Haunting, flickering lights cast the few rooms in an eerie, ghoulish green like that of a basement.

“I’ve been here before. There should be a mart nearby.”

Allowing his remark to sink in, you pause, a slight grin drawing upon your lips.

“You’ve been here before, in the red-light district?”

Phrase lingering amusedly, he stops as well, shifting on his heel to grace you with a similar smile.

“What? Not everyone can stand high and mighty in this society. Plus, there’s no need to pretend anymore when death is so close by.”

Your smile drops, and you suck on the skin of your cheek, a loud breath through your nose enough to continue the descent.

Perhaps you should change the abandoned description.

Just then, from the corner of your eye do you see a figure emerge, the glinting edge of a kitchen knife barely brushing your shoulder blade before you dodge to your left, the attacker colliding with an ironing board.

Mere seconds later the figure rises to their feet, identified as female, adorning lanky limbs and skin as pale and zombified as the surrounding room. Her lips are cracked and purple, eyes nearly black, blanketed with equally raven hair reaching the floor in length.

The girl looks like a creature, barely alive with the lack of coordination in her loose stabs, alienated stare vividly murderous.

Only by narrowly pummeling into the wall do you manage to immobilize her, Jisung’s efforts stalled.

Liquid obsidian blinks back up at you from where you’ve caged her to the floor, her nostrils flaring in hasty breaths, your own panting ringing in your ears.

“Look kid- I’m not gonna hurt you, okay? Now if you calm down and let me—“

A third of the steak knife puncturing the side of your thigh veers your head back, choked scream jostling your nerves tenfold. Bubbling blood slips from the wound, trickling warmth dizzying you into a foggy spell.

It’s not until a low bang! sounds that her arm, raised for another strike, falls limp to the floor, looking behind you to find Jisung holding a pistol, silencer attached to the muzzle, aimed directly at the girl below you.

Immediately, before you can release the unheralded screech compressing your lungs, Han hoists you up by your elbows, the jarring movement beckoning a squealed sob you bite your tongue containing.

Snatching clothing from a closet behind the door, the man rips the fabric using his teeth, returning to your slumped frame.

Reminding you to hold your breath, he aligns the makeshift bandage prior to tying it, your reaction becoming quieted as your eyes roll back.

And the world falls into a dark abyss.

By the time your lashes flutter open again, searing light invades your vision, the urge to open your eyes aiding a roaring headache.

Although, it appears you’re still in the same room, alternatively relocated to a futon on the floor, leg propped up using folded pillowcases and books.

“You’re up.”

Han enters the room, two metal cans of mashed spam and rice held in either hand, one of which he gives to you.

“You were knocked out cold,” He laughs, eyes crinkling at the corners, uncharacteristic to the fact he just shot someone.

“The shirt should staunch the bleeding. Eat.”

Staring down at your meal, you glance up, stomach churning in an unsightly manner merely considering food.

But you eat anyway, gulping the bites down despite the nausea.

“And the girl?”

Han takes a bite, scraping every last grain from the noisy tin without so much as a shiver.

“I took care of it.”

It’s your turn to laugh, confusedly surveying the teenage-boy-looking friend of yours.

“What are you? A hitman?”

He clicks his tongue, eyes thoughtfully flickering to the ceiling.

“I’m.. somebody who really wants to survive.”

All you do is return his tight-lipped expression.

Yet, truly accounting for your introduction, there’s a whole lot you don’t know about him. His past, his goals. What his life was like before.

He comes off as cheery and good-natured, disposition claiming he wouldn’t hurt a fly.

You’ve come to realize that isn’t the reality whatsoever. Because Han Jisung is exactly what Han Jisung said he was.

Somebody who really wants to survive.

You can relate to that.

“So.. Random note, random warning, no location?”

“Pretty much.”

Seated beside you, Han surveys the letter, reading over the contents a few times before folding it back up and handing it to you. He’s redressed your wound, utilizing the medical kit’s antiseptic and gauze to wrap the skin.

“Hellion Inn,” Han repeats softly, brows knitted. “Never heard of it.”

You shrug once more from your place on the ground, leg still propped while he squats to your left.

“If anything, it’s likely it was destroyed if it’s an actual Inn,” He mumbles, tapping a puffy bottom lip with his index, earning your half nod before you pause.

“We can still try it though? We can find a stick or somethin’, I’ll use it as a crutch.”

This time, it’s his turn to nod — rising up with a somewhat-assuring: “I’ll be right back” before leaving the room, returning after a few moments with a table leg, nearly comical in the proud manner he lifts the wood, jagged edges evidence of his severing with a knife.

After copious laughter do you glance at him, brow cocked. “This is really all you’ve got?”

Asking from your place beside him, you brace more weight onto the makeshift crutch, granting Han a side-long glance.

“If I had more I’d use it,” He huffs, watching you hobble slightly but remaining upright with worried brows, hands poised to stabilize your steadying adjustment.

That’s most important, you deemed, no matter how puny. A drag to the team means death; you won’t be that drag.

Tomorrow morning you’ll head out. Find somewhere else to occupy whilst searching for Hellion Inn.

The one remaining routine amidst the apocalypse is time, and as the sun cracks above a horizon once able to be admired and not envied, you’re helped to your feet, gathering bags slung over each other's backs. Additional clothes, torn tablecloths. Anything of even insufficient use.

You don’t think these streets had been this quiet since your grandparent’s time, with bustling citizens and raging business overtaking wherever you look. Now, it might as well be a ghost-town. No more cries for help, no more groans and moans in agony.

And yet, it’s almost unsettling as it is reassuring. Suffering has ceased. Cries for help drawn to a close.

Peace within death.

Trekking for only about a mile feels tumultuous, the ache already coiling in your bones like snakes seen slithering through rubble, waiting for rats to swarm decomposing carcasses in search of easy victims.

Seoul has become a jungle, eat or be eaten. It’s only a matter of time, a split-second ignorance, that can have you eaten. Perhaps by the true Monster, perhaps by your own kind.

The sight of broken columns and french doors parted in what looks to be a hotel in front of you redirects your focus, granting Han a hum of acknowledgment. His hand reaching for the pistol in a fashioned holster, yours coming to the kitchen knife held in your bag.

Wary, but slow steps paired with your hobbled ones make for the small bout of stairs, buzzing of flies caught in flurries littering goosebumps along your arms.

Something about this place is abnormal. That much is known. And if this is the so-called “Hellion Inn” (or what remains of it), your hope for sanctuary plummets in tandem with the temperature upon stepping in.

Cold. That dead, stale kind of cold, warmth from the heart void, no longer beating.

Matchstick providing barely enough light, you carefully pry open the squeaking doors in the second doorway, blade wielded close to your being. The putrid odor of decay perplexes your gag reflexes, allowing Han to take the lead in his observing endeavor.

Abruptly, your foot smushes against something below, and when you look down only to be met with a lifeless hand there, bulging, horror-stricken eyes staring back up at you, you hurriedly bite your lip to conceal the bubbling scream clawing from your throat, frothing like a brewing cauldron.

Han can only grimace.

It was here. You’re not sure when, but these wounds — these corpses mercilessly ripped apart — aren’t the doing of humans.

A bone chilling thought surfaces in your mind.

What if the monster is still here?

Your traveling companion spins around on his heel, hands placed on his hips. Honeyed irises momentarily flit between your paled frame to the obvious terror staining your features, his eyebrows raised.

“Hey, I know it’s scary, but the monster’s likely gone by now, and if we can find someone or a sign that’ll redirect us then maybe…”

His words trail off, suddenly all too familiar with the sound of chortled breathing ragged in his ears. Exhales stenching of rotted flesh, the scraping of sharpened claws on the floor.

And how you’re not staring at him, but above him.

Your palms slowly reach up to cover your mouth, taking the tiniest step back manageable.

“..It’s right behind me, isn’t it?”

Yet, before the Monster can swipe a clawed hand and hack off a limb, deja vu strikes in the form of another gunshot, not silenced, booming,

It soars right past your shoulder with pinpoint precision to land within the Monster’s side, collecting a shriek in return. The beast flails wildly as Han races from its clutches towards the unknown savior of his.

Fluffy hair, a torn, mud-stained jean jacket over his shoulders, white undershirt equally unkempt. The four of you survey the monster’s descent deeper into the hotel, not appearing to execute anymore attack attempts.

For now.

No less, you’re helped outside in your wobbly state, the shot-gun boy leading, another seeming to take up the rear behind you and Han. His companion, maybe. Just as you and Han are.

Sharper features oppose the shotgun-carrying boy’s downturned eyes with inquisitive, apprehensive ones. Lighter hair, jeans bagging by his shoes, white tee’s once graphic design smudged, unrecognizable. His own weapon lies in spiked boxing gloves, nails seemingly ruptured through the cushioned layers.

And when his eyes meet yours, you feel fire in your veins. Blazing, warming you from your toes to your fingertips.

“You guys alright?”

Shot-gun boy, introduced as Kim Seungmin, speaks first, spinning on his heel to regard either of you. Though, it’s hard for your mind to stay attentive, the feeling of Seungmin’s companions’ eyes incessantly boring into your back causing a wary twitch of your fingers.

“Lee Minho.”

His voice breaks you from that apprehensive spell, that watchful gaze of his surveying both you and Han with an unimpressed exhale.

“Don’t slow us down,” He scowls, shouldering past Han, lips drawn into a tight line. He heads for their own vehicle, a worn down truck narrowly resting in better condition than your earlier tow truck by the tracks.

Real friendly.

Seungmin, a tad bit more benign, gestures with a curt nod to the vehicle, ushering your injury-wielding self to sit in the passenger seat with Minho as driver, Seungmin and Han taking the truck’s bed.

Just then does the Monster make its return, bursting from the hotel in a seemingly rejuvenated spirit from before, gaping jaws aching to be filled.

You could only hope your flesh wouldn’t be the filler.

“This is why I hate introductions,” Minho, already slamming his foot onto the pedal, grumbles, not granting a response upon tires burning rubber over dusty roads as you speed off – a replay of your ride with Han on loop each time you see the Monster in your mirror.

Approaching closer, closer again.

It seems food becoming involved is a common theme, jarred when the truck swerves in front of a supermarket. Seungmin shouts from the back as he and Han race ahead, beckoning you two to follow them, your steps lightly hobbled with feeble help of the makeshift crutch.

“The hell do I have to be on babysitting duty for?” Minho, lifting your arm over his shoulder, grovels, and you fight the urge to whack him with your crutch, making through the desolate supermarket.

Weapons in clutch, it grows taxing trying not to grimace hearing clattering glass, the mental picture of those bulging eyes doing little for your already queasy stomach.

“It’ll hear us!”

With your horrible luck intact, this already dislikable stranger ends up being the same soul you're lodged into a bathroom stall with.

Minho hisses, furrow of his brows causing his face to scrunch with distaste, the loud clatter of soup cans and chip bags alike resounding from outside in the thick of the Monster’s carnage.

“No, it’ll hear you. More people means more death, and lucky for you, I’ll be off your hands in no time.” Now it’s your turn to retort, the man lacking of his usual boxing gloves, strap of Seungmin’s shotgun over a shoulder instead.

Wriggling yourself from his grasp, you hesitantly slide the notch to the door, movement only stopped by Minho’s lingering hand grabbing your sleeve.

“And what the hell are you doing?”

“I’m repaying a favor.”

Weighing your ability to walk well, you snag the shotgun from his shoulder, granting the man a wink and a: “Thanks for the shotgun”, before slipping from the stall, leaving his starstruck figure in tow.

Ignoring the biting ache in your thigh thanks to a discarded crutch, you savor cool metal beneath your fingertips, watching the blur of the other two boys racing past the Monster’s attempts of attack.

“Hey! Ugly fucker, over here!” You shout, chilled seeing blind eyes rip your way.

Cocking the gun, your eyes narrow, focusing the sight on its head and–

Bang!

Echoing around the supermarket does a copper bullet gnash into thin skin, puncturing straight through, shell casing crinkling onto the floor below in tandem with a low groan of the creature.

Minho bursts from the bathroom moments later, still sporting a starstruck visage. Han and Seungmin go thundering right past back to the truck, the wild goose chase persisting.

What wasn't persistent was Minho’s arms wrapping around your back, hauling you over his shoulder like a sack of rice whilst chasing right after his counterparts.

As much as you’d like to thank him, your thigh still hurts like hell.

“Yah! That- hurts- asshole!” Shrieked between his hurried footsteps, you smack his shoulder blade defiantly.

Hopefully that serves as a thank you.

However, escaping is far from reach, and feeling presumably safe is equally residing far from grasp when, after finally being able to inhale without a stutter to your lung halfway down the road, the sharp snap of a tire blows.

And the truck flips over.

It was one thing maneuvering from the flipped car, shards of glass embedded in your skin beckoning pinpricks of blood, and another continuing on foot to wherever the two acquaintances planned to lead to.

The largest of things, however, was learning the name of this apparent destination.

Hellion Inn.

With Seungmin sustaining a minor head injury, Han luckily unharmed, and an also unharmed Minho reluctant to aid in being your temporary crutch, you’re given plenty of time for interrogation along the way — wondering just who the hell was responsible for the letter.

As far as their replies go, not a soul knows.

And at this rate, you can’t bring yourself to care about pestering for answers anymore, not with Minho’s aggravating complaining and equally as irritating, stupidly good-looking side profile.

So, the torturous walk to this supposed ‘Inn’ prevails, which, turns out not to be an Inn at all. Instead, it’s this metal, bus looking contraption, like a trailer.

Silver of the exterior tarnished, it hides within a surrounding forest entryway, vines curling around door fixtures as if with time, what remained would be swallowed by the greenery.

From the bus two more men exit, and you can’t help but wonder if this so-called Hellion Inn has just as many residents as an actual Inn.

Christopher Bahng and Seo Changbin introduce themselves hastily, quick to rush back into the bus and retrieve a medical kit. After enduring both the painful removal of glass, your reopened wound stitched, and Chris’s heart wrenching smile of assurance (followed by a pat to your kneecap after, ensuring an imminent heart attack on your part), you’re finally invited inside, introduced to the others.

Three more.

It’s a clown car. Definitely.

Yang Jeongin, Hwang Hyunjin, Lee Felix. Boys- no, men, with features you’d like to deem frustratingly attractive.

Maybe photoshoot, not a clown car.

No less, the seven interact with ease, Han intermingling as if he’d been by their side for eternity. A bonfire, expertly lit behind the bus hidden amongst foliage to conceal smoke, provides warmth in the night.

Cold, just as it’s always been. Even more so with autumn’s presence.

Yet, you find your eyes falling right back to him.

Minho.

Man of fire, whose gaze on yours feels like your ribs cracking apart, as if his fingers bend your windpipe every which way, rendering no air into your lungs. He is fire, licking at your skin in the most deplorable of ways.

And you crave it.

If he were Hades, you’d eat the pomegranate seeds like a fool just to feel his eyes on you again and again.

Selfish.

When he looks at you, you feel selfish. Perhaps it’s the stakes, perhaps your heart has grown too weak, beat too fast it falls for any and all. Adrenaline-induced love.

You aren’t naive like Persephone, aren’t blindsided by curiosity.

That latter is a lie. Especially when you shift on the log, purposefully scooting closer to catch bits and pieces of his conversation with Jeongin, listen to the perfect pitch of his voice, aided by the crackling of flames before you.

You wonder if touching him would rival those white-hot flames. Scalding your fingers till you grew numb.

You’d take that bet.

Fluffy fabric placed over your shoulders makes you flinch in place, sympathetic eyes of chocolate meeting yours.

Honeyed. Chris.

“It’s cold, stay warm,” He ushers, crouching to take a seat on your left.

Then do you register his actions. A blanket, the material a survivor of water’s toil and plenty of stains. But it’s warm, durable, and most importantly, sweet. Chris is sweet, you decide, a bit like this warm blanket.

Your nod of thanks doesn’t feel like it even slightly compensates for his kindness, though, for now, it’s enough.

Tomorrow, Chris, Changbin, Minho, and Jeongin will relocate the flipped truck. Haul it back, fix it up again. That’s what your sensible mind discerns, seemingly adopted into the group like any other as sleeping arrangements in the bus are modified for both you and Han.

Strays, huh.

A flickering gas lamp keeps your gaze glued to the ceiling where you lie, watching shadows twirl like a strange ballet along the walls. Near the front of the bus does Chris sleep, Changbin glued to his side, Felix tucked beneath his arm.

It brings a smile to your lips, watching them. Even Seungmin, with his more boundary-oriented persona, close to the others, his hand brushing against Hyunjin’s shoulder, Jeongin’s head.

Human beings, after all. Even when it all falls apart. And maybe, maybe in monsters as well, there is human. The need to be close, to feel skin on skin.

Counting heads, you find one missing.

“You should be sleeping.”

Minho flicks a lighter on and off, waiting to relight the gas lamp. He squats down in front of you, jeans stretched over muscular thighs.

Your brow furrows, wondering if he’d been here this whole time amidst your ignorance.

“Are you scared?”

His words dull your ability to reply, retort something smart. But, the tone keeps your mouth shut. Cool and calm, like when he spoke to Jeongin by the fire. Not taunting, nor instigating.

“No.”

The words are a lie, unveiled in the crease of a dirt-stricken face, chapped lips pulled taut.

His pinky finding yours verifies that fire theory. From the tips of your toes to the very top of your scalp you feel it.

Scorching. Hot.

Your skin seems to melt from your bones, but only you can see it.

There are lots of questions to ask. Wondering, hope. Why?

But he beats you to it. It seems you’ll have to get used to that characteristic.

“Go to sleep. Nothing can get you here.”

A lie, you know it well. Any second that monster can stumble here. Smell you, turn the perfect corner to find the bus, sheen shimmering beneath a full moon. Ravage each and every one of you beneath claws and blood.

But the letter, no, Minho says you’ll be safe here. That Hellion Inn will be your safe haven.

Tonight, you choose to believe that, falling asleep with his pinky twined with yours, his back to one of the side booths, focus trained on your features.

Safe.

“Hnn..”

Insistent poking to your cheek abducts you from your dream, bleary eyes straining to open. Jeongin sits up, bracing himself with his hands, youthful smile stretched over his face watching you. Meanwhile, the hellspawn guilty, Hyunjin, can’t help but laugh cheerily.

“Wah— I wish I had a camera!” Ebony strands peek from beneath a white ball cap, his voice carries from the bus for Felix’s head to peek in, echoing Hyunjin’s laugh with his deeper baritone.

Similar to Chris are you met with Felix’s kindness, his lithe form slipping past the bus doors to gently smooth back your bed hair, utilizing a hair tie on his wrist to bind the unruly strands before patting your head.

It’s easy to ache for anyone’s touch, you discover.

In the early morning, the car was retrieved by Minho, Chris, Jeongin, and Changbin, the low chatter of voices outside evidence of their progress restoring the once flipped vehicle.

When you step out, Changbin hands you a tin of steaming soup as meager breakfast you’re quick to thank him for, bringing the spoon to your lips whilst lingering near the car, watching them flit about, handing each other tools and screws alike like busied ants.

“You just gonna stand there or help out? Last time I checked you weren’t worried about appearances.”

Instantaneously, Minho becomes his normal, annoying self with each snidely sarcastic remark, cocked brows urging you to retaliate.

Unfortunately, your barely conscious mind can’t formulate something smart back, so you resort to serving as the tool-supplier, handing different ones here and there from a stool near where the Man of Fire works on the popped wheel.

His new title, apparently.

Man of Fire.

“Wrench.”

“Did you just call me a wench?” You scoff, eyes wide with shock at the murmured comment.

Perhaps you were blindsided after all by his nice face.

“Wrench.”

Or not.

Begrudgingly, you extend the wrench, scowl embedded in your expression he can’t help but crack a bemused grin at.

Attaching the wrench to a bolt to crank does his vein-littered forearms flex, and your throat feels unnaturally dry, forcing yourself to focus on something else in order to school an unaffected facade.

Nevertheless, by night, he’s.. different. Lacking cockiness, harshness.

Unspoken things, like when you’re stirred from sleep, dazed gaze settling on Minho across the bus, his fingers tenderly patting Changbin’s head when he stirs awake. They speak in hushed whispers alternative to Changbin’s boisterous presence.

And sometimes, amidst the other seven, you’re the one beneath his comforting hand. Those times nightmares plague your sleep, his careful hands tracing your knuckles, slow circles over your skin urging you back into the solace of sleep.

To you he doesn’t talk, just hums a low melody, wipes unshed tears from your waterline. Seeing his face makes you want to cry more, so you can be scooped into his hug.

Though, you doubt you’d ever let go, so you never allow yourself more tears. Maybe that’s for the better.

Because while you’re so selfishly enamored as night falls and he becomes that doting figurine bathed in moonlight, Minho is endlessly selfless. Wordless, but selfless.

The guardian of the night, sustaining a semblance of care and safety that silently engulfs the bus each time a star twinkles within the sky.

Then again, risks are always present. Missions out for food, stashing of possessions in case of invasion.

Windows of the bus covered, the group convenes that evening, leant over a book on the floor, huddled with knees held close to chests. Sharing things of value, adding more.

An old journal, spine tattered and moth-eaten. Inside looks to hold the secrets of the world, hidden within yellowed pages, hurried writing of smudged ink.

All of it, from the Monster’s mannerisms, exterior, presumed weaknesses. Written, documented. How such information was gathered is beyond you. Intricate, detailed.

Study after study, page after page.

In two days, you’re arranged to head out with Chris for a medical restock. The pharmacy isn’t too far from the Inn, and it’ll only be a few hours of collecting before returning back.

The morning of, Seungmin hands you his shotgun, and Chris takes Minho’s—the Man of Fires’—nail-wielding boxing gloves. Two backpacks, one goal.

Fortunately, the journey isn’t too grueling, filled with quiet conversation and query till barely divisible characters reading ‘PHARMACY’ come into view, slipping into the hollowed, whitened confines of a once thriving business.

Eerie, with medication strung awry, unknown blood splattered along a wall behind the register.

It’s almost funny how the money there goes untouched. What use is it now?

Captured within your peripheral does a door become of topic, shielded behind a hanging towel in the far corner of the pharmacy that you slowly pad over to inspect, fingers tentative in nudging to the side.

Though, it’s the sudden flick of lights, electricity, that makes you gasp, flashlight of little necessity as you part double doors.

The sight makes your heart stop.

Because beneath the disguise of a pharmacy rests a drug-den, a laboratory, first and foremost.

“Uh.. Does Seungmin have this in his journal..?”

Building long since redlined by the look of it, Chris is quick to join your side, muttering an awestruck: “Holy shit” you would’ve laughed at if it weren’t for your combined surprise.

Though, he places an arm in front of you as your foot moves to step inside, instead advising the muzzle of your shotgun to lead you, clearing the area before feasting on this monstrosity.

Countless test tubes litter every surface in sight, but it isn’t mixtures, isn’t a combo of products.

It’s insects, piled with them.

Many deformed in gruesome ways, trapped inside the tubes. Chris, hastily pulling an old camera from his bag, snaps photos, the shutter’s sound echoing around the room.

Yet, you can’t help but notice a near uncanny resemblance.

Incisors, bulging eyes, like the Monster.

No, it wouldn’t be. A mega ant? No, that thing is far from solely ant with its hulking size.

“Don’t you think this is just.. odd? I mean, they’re already up to their noses in cash from the drugs, I’m sure, so why the.. ants?”

Chris exhales slowly through his nose, shaking his head.

“My guess is as good as yours. And calling it a ‘guilty pleasure’ just makes me nauseous, I mean look at them, they’re.. infected.”

Fungal growth is clear as day, that’s agreed. The true question rests in reason.

Just what were they doing here?

The longer you linger, the more unsettling it becomes.

Because somehow, your gut can’t shake that resemblance to the Monster.

Your walk back to the bus is quiet, shrouded in nerves and a wanting for familiarity. Safe to say you both sigh in relief seeing that silvery, unmoving vehicle.

It’s almost comical how the uneasiness spreads, like whatever fungus altered the insects, contorting them in disfigured shapes, features. Overtaking the nine of you similarly.

Merely thinking about it gives you chills, Chris’s description, as you’re coddled into the bus with the others to explain, doing little for the vomit tempting your throat.

Effortlessly, your same silence washes over the others, paled as they acknowledge the identical resemblance you’d conjured before.

“You don’t think..” You’re feeble in attempting to disprove the suspicions, trembling of your fingers stilled only when Minho’s index traces your wrist.

Though, it isn’t night, and the look he grants you makes you wish for his touch even more.

Assurance, worn within the grooves of his face, repetitive stroke of his fingertip over a hammering pulse.

“I do think, show me the picture again.” Seungmin beckons, hurriedly flipping through his own notebook as he narrows his eyes on the photo Chris shows.

Seungmin, you learned, used to be an entomology major in Seoul’s most prestigious university. Studious, with a bright future nearing.

Interesting how easy those aspirations can crumble apart within a day, within seconds.

But there’s no purpose in reminiscing, is there?

Now resorting to gathered notes of the past, he finally stops at a page, finger glued to the scribbled notes. His other hand reaches to the photo, pointing to a tiny label taped to a test tube halfway outside the frame, writing messy and uneven, barely legible against the blur of the camera.

Ophiocordyceps unilateralism, or, in easier terms, zombie-ant fungus.

Thanks to Seungmin’s insight, his knowledge dictates the occurrence as “a fungus capable of infecting the mind of its host while simultaneously altering its body.”

So, in a horror-movie-esque, freakish way, a parasite.

Jeongin pipes up, and you swear at least four of you flinch at the sudden sound of a voice against leaden silence.

“But the Monster’s too big to be an ant, right? How could the—“

“What if it wasn’t an ant, but another animal? A bigger animal. Some scientific breakthrough where the host was able to be taken over, not by an ant, but by something bigger.”

The entirety remains consumed in a stillness, taking in the revelation they’ve just come to.

Fear is almost palpable. Nearly able to be tasted, smelt.

Han’s leg bounces anxiously, dirty fingernails reaching to claw at his hair, tearing at his scalp with visible shuddering Chris’s warm palm hopes to ease, placed on his shoulder.

“We’re being hunted by a parasite.” He croaks hoarsely in disbelief, tone pathetically cracking in terror.

A parasite, yes. This, however, is different.

The monster lurking through Seoul was planned, arranged accordingly under the guise of law and human greed for motive unknown.

A lone pharmacy, meant to cater to human health, now manufacturerers of human destruction.

This parasite is man-made.

Your spirit could’ve been staunched easily, dampened by the weight of discovery. Grown unwilling to fight anymore, unwilling to try surviving.

Who are we if not going for each other's throats? Why must someone’s greed become everyone else’s problem?

Something so selfish, so horrid it grew out of control, festering like a seed of hatred in one’s heart till spiky leaves and branches poured from their lungs and suffocated them.

For a moment do you entertain the doubts, the scornful attitude over the boiled egg in hand. An early breakfast the day after the realization, with the nine of you seated along the bus’s roof, legs swinging off the side while watching the sunrise.

You feel like the only people in the world.

And a bit longer seeing shades of orange and crisp blue bleed across the sky does it feel like it’s all worth living for once again.

So instead, you adapt.

Jotting down more details about the fungus, figuring out ways to combat it. Continual stocking of food, the usual.

Fixing things, keeping up with communication. Laughter and smiling, momentary glances to that Man-of-Fire making you clam up, just like before.

At least that was predictable.

A continual gas lamp, those same quiet visits of his within the night. And, more often than not, you’d find Minho’s pinkie linking with yours while he slept, without a nightmare or sleepless night as explanation.

In the mornings, you’d pretend like it never happened. Go back to cat and mouse, square one.

Hold my hand, but keep quiet.

I don’t want you to leave.

Plenty of things echo through your mind as dawn arises, when your lids twitch and disoriented eyes flutter open to find him beside you, peacefully asleep.

Most days, he’s gone by dawn, somewhere across the bus sleeping, leaving your groggy mind to configure his touch as a mere dream.

No matter the awe, your body betrays such an occasion, and you fall right back to sleep again hoping he could read your mind, keep that contact beneath the blanket.

Unbeknownst to you, the moment your eyes close, his eyes open.

But you’re already asleep when a gentle index traces your cheek, his lips parting with a slow breath.

“Pretty,” Is whispered, failing to echo around the bus in its hushed volume, a pinch of normality within the chirping of birds, the breach of an emerging day peering over sparse clouds.

“Hm?”

He wasn’t anticipating your response, breath catching in his throat.

“Hi Minho,” You murmur gently, greeting his surprised disposition as your lips wind into a tiny smile.

Involuntary. Lips quirking upwards the longer you hold eye-contact.

And surprisingly, Minho cracks a smile too.

It’s feeble, barely divisible apart from the twitch of his lips. Your thumb traces the crinkle, too sleepy to speak, too comfortable to act.

“Hi there.”

His hand returns your touch, finding your cheek to rest on, savoring the feeling of your skin on his, his on yours.

Stay here, don’t go.

I don’t want to be left alone again.

His brisk glance at your lips has your nerves buzzing beneath such a gaze.

Knowing, obliging.

Obliging as his head tips, as yours complies. Capable of fitting like the perfect puzzle as—

Seungmin mumbles something unintelligible in his sleep, and it’s all a dream once more how Minho slips from your hands as if he was never there in the first place.

Three and a half months at Hellion Inn passes in a flash. Research on combatants to the zombie-ant fungus prevalent, plenty of days spent crowded in the bus, throwing around possibilities and idyll conversation.

Monster sightings have become sparse, with the vast majority of reports informing of its scavenging of the city’s copious bodies.

A sense of relief until it runs out of flesh and craves more, which is where your apocalypse began all over.

Starting with that same, chillingly bellowed chuff at least half a mile out from Hellion Inn.

You don’t think you’d ever seen the eight of them move so quickly. Gas lamp extinguished, weapons cocked and loaded with ammunition ready to fire. Minho’s studded boxing gloves, Seungmin’s shotgun, Chris’s dual pistols. Plentiful traps arranged about the bus, ones you never anticipated having to utilize up till tonight.

How foolish you were.

However, the bus’s roof isn’t caved in by a claw, the nine of you intact for the remainder of the restless night, void of any more sound from the Monster.

Then again, the torment is far from yielding, with those same, restless nights becoming avidly frequent, Minho’s soothing capabilities tested as a nightmare per week triples in number.

In those times, you find comfort in each other, comfort in bodies snuggled together, in shared pain and happiness. In as much comfort support allows in the thick of a never-ending hailstorm.

As for you, you find that longing has folded itself into squares of eighteen from a once meager eight. Folded over and over that, the greater the paper grows with each parted fold, the greater that longing burns.

Burns, like the smoke billowing from a fire outside.

Location of the slow-to-set sun leads you to believe it’s around 3pm, your figure slumped to the floor of the bus.

Though, the missing factor rests in a lack of eight others who currently occupy the fire outside for dinner.

Yesterday, you and Jeongin took on a water restock, roaming about what seemed to be innumerable miles to repeat the walk with heavy packs of water all the way back, currently the cause of your exhaustion as you sleep into the evening the day after.

If only the sleep was peaceful, refreshing.

It’s not.

Well, it was. But not for long.

A shower, according to the flickering of your consciousness as you dream. Warm water droplets pattering on the tile floor underfoot, cleansing grime from your skin. Electricity.

And somehow, a peculiar name leaves your lips upon seeing a shadow behind the shower curtain.

“Minho.”

The sound of your voice is light in this dream. Awaiting, familiar.

Yet, the pit in your stomach grows, unnaturally.

You find the cause when pulling back the shower curtain, that same, leering smile of the Monster staring back at you as it lunges.

Not Minho.

Your vision goes black, only able to hear the ringing screech of your scream, the heat of the shower now putrid metallic. Blood, replacing the water.

It fills your senses, suffocating you slowly but surely. Overflowing from your nose, your eyes, till you cry crimson.

A sharp twitch of your hand jars you awake.

You’re not bleeding, not in a shower, no Monster in sight. Although, you’d be lying to yourself to say you can just forget it all, act like nothing’s the matter.

More so when you see Minho—recalling his name uttered so sweetly in your dream—standing at the bus’s doorway, seemingly a witness to your horrors as he closes the door behind himself.

Ah.

No, don’t look at me right now with that doting gaze, as if I’m something to be cared for, something delicate.

For once I wish you away, so I don’t begin to cry, so my love for you doesn’t become my ruin.

“And it was- it was right in front of me and—“

He sees through you each time, through the toughened exterior, the shake of your head when he asks if you need anything, want to talk about it.

He came in for an extra blanket, apparently. One long forgotten by now.

Spill your guts, but when it comes to him, you find your heart spilling with it. Words caught in a hyperventilating daze, your hands flail, eyes struck permanently bulging.

At some point, everyone starts to break. No time table to give you an estimate, forewarning.

It just bubbles until bursting.

“I don’t… I don’t want to do this anymore..” Voice a desperate plea, sobs wrack your body numb. “Why can’t…” You begin, eyes flitting to Minho.

“Why can’t we all just die together?”

Heaved between sharp inhales is your face taken between calloused hands, his brows knitted.

“Cause who’s going to take our place? Who else is alive?” He whispers, kneeled upon the floor, staring at you nonsensically.

“This once, let me be selfish. I won’t let you die. You can’t die because I want you alive. Do you understand?”

Slow to nod, bleary vision situates upon the man, cursing the dip to your usually strong tone — cracking, weakened.

“Can… Can I just.. forget?”

His eyes flit to your lips if only for an instant, like that time a month ago, stolen.

And for a moment, you think he may have just read your mind.

“Minho, please… I want to-“

Ah.

And he kisses you, and then, no, more. More and more, till you’re tangled up in sprawled blankets and sleeping bags. Smoke tainting the air from outside, calves dangling from his shoulders, toes curled.

Minho makes you forget, forget and forget, leaving you to helplessly utter his name past chapped lips — till another round turns into what feels to be a lifetime.

Your palms pressing to his jaw like a plea, head tossing back once more with a sound purely guttural.

It’s sloppy, it’s clumsy. Sweat-stuck kisses to sweat-stuck skin. Nails digging into already moth-eaten clothing, his lips permanently pressed to your pulse, hammering and hammering in a wordless incantation of bliss.

And yet, no amount of greedy, mindless sex, no amount of his doting kisses, his careful assurances, praises, can deter your mind from a reality unavoidable.

There’s no euphoria, no recovery your skin can even acknowledge as he flops to your side, both out of breath.

“.. Am I selfish for a pleasure I can’t even enjoy?”

Silence breached, your eyes flutter closed, an involuntary tear slipping down your cheek where you lay upon the bunched sleeping bag.

This had been a dream, to be burned by the Man of Fire. Allowing his kiss to brand you, his touch searing every ounce of skin raw.

Little did you know you’d already scorched it all yourself.

Cruel. Irrevocably cruel.

Not even clarity grants your senses, emotion muddled between undergarments feeling too tight and grimy and the lack of fresh air rendering sticky bodies into a cold sweat.

From beside you, his hand extends to your cheek, thumbing away the salty droplet with a weary smile.

“There is no selfishness, just… grasping onto what’s left. You’re not selfish for taking what you can get, not when everything is being taken from you.”

Hellion Inn was not your safety, it was the one gazing at you, the seven others outside.

This is only a house, Minho is your home.

Fifth month arising, a conclusion is met. Amongst not-so-helpful input, bickering, and plenty of runs to libraries to gather more books on Ophiocordyceps unilateralism for a very studious Seungmin, he presents a possibility, an option.

Of its known enemies, the zombie-ant fungus doesn’t have many. There was the initial hypothesis on ways ants protect from the parasite, but with the Monster already infected, those methods were out of the question.

Then came the breakthrough.

Torrubiellomyces zombiae, or T.Z. An additional, fanciful word for a more powerful parasite. A Hyperparasitic fungi, zombie-ant fungus’ predator.

Create an ultimate beast without known opponents? Simply double the size, the power.

That’s where T.Z arrived, the species a core option for the Monster’s destruction. Get the spores on the Monster’s skin, and stay alive until it takes over and stabilizes the fungus’ infection.

Much easier said than done, which left room for the organized members of the group separating steps into phases.

Phase one focuses on collection of the spores. Extra photos Chris took that first encounter in the pharmacy unveiled the likely presence of the desired spores, which Felix, Hyunjin, and Seungmin have been elected to collect as Team C.

Phase two regards locating the Monster, introducing the presence of a harpoon gun (an idea Han loved (for the sole reason of fooling around with the harpoon gun)).

The point of the harpoon will be coated in collected spores, teams of three with three members each (A, B, and C) dispersed throughout the surrounding area the monster before Team A shoots.

And of course, courtesy of Han’s mention on what phase three should be:

Run like hell.

Phase two enacting in exactly a week, Hellion Inn spends its days in preparation, plaguing each breathing moment with gathering necessities and ensuring utilities are present.

Between those lines comes the lividity.

Kisses in the night, his kisses. The shared cockiness, incessant teasing when the others are around as original as it comes despite such tenderness in private.

Your souls bared, secrets spoken into the air for only your ears to hear.

While the others sleep, you love till your heart hurts, watching him fall asleep against your palm where he’d kissed each of your fingertips minutes prior.

“I love you,” He whispers one night, his nose buried into your cheek with a heavy sigh.

There’s not a single doubt within your mind, a hesitation, a hint of surprise.

Plenty of times it’s been said without words, repeated in the peck he presses to your skin.

“I love you too.”

And you repeat the words in a kiss to his lips. Slow, careful.

Savor. As if it were your last.

Dark clouds wrinkle your vision, spitting rain nothing short of irritating as you, Han, and Minho slip through cluttered underbrush.

Gathering of the spores had been successful by Team C according to the flare gun’s signal, and Team A—consisting of Changbin, Jeongin and Chris—tracked the location of the monster.

Itaewon hasn't changed apart from the lack of bodies, assumed to be the Monster’s doing. Debris prominent, scavenging animals littering the streets without the usual congestion of people.

When the second flare blooms into shaded sky, that’ll be the indication the last stage: shooting the monster, is underway. For now, the three of you wait, listening in as hurried footsteps of Team C come thundering towards you.

Seungmin offers the vial, Minho lifting the harpoon gun to plunge into what appears to be an oddly shaped mushroom, your arm already lifted to the sky to fire Team B’s own flare gun.

Half way. Not done yet.

Now for Phase three, but, prior to the “run like hell” notion.

Jeongin is the retriever of the harpoon gun, angling through side streets past a lingering monster in the center to deliver the catalyst.

Almost there, almost–

His foot clashing against the metal of an alleyway trash-can disrupts that peace, and synonymously do you feel all breath held.

Chris was supposed to deliver the shot. Jeongin was supposed to make it to Team A unnoticed.

The world seems to grow mute, Han’s wrenching scream from beside you fallen upon deaf ears as the Monster’s gaping jaws beeline for Jeongin, claws extended, the boy kneeling to the ground.

Then, a ping! resounds, and your eyes are slow to open in fear his mutilated body would sit there, bright eyes lifeless.

It’s almost slow motion seeing it. Centimeters from Jeongin’s face does a palm outstretch, twice the size of his head, fingers twitching as if frozen in space.

Then you see it.

In the middle of that palm, the mere edge of the harpoon—only able to get halfway from its sheath—embeds.

Cavernous jaws of the creature part, incisors poised as if disbelieving of the matter itself. Disbelieving of the parasite taking over, altering its blood stream.

Wilt.

White, almost decaying in the manner the alternate fungi destroys the weaker one, its muscles failing, body freezing.

You half anticipated the creature to at least try fighting in the meantime, land one last swipe.

But the more time ticking past as you lean forward disproves any chance of movement, able to physically see the blood cells permeating the creature ashen, once curved claws diminishing simultaneously like that of crumbling embers.

Just then does Hyunjin’s voice breach your focus, curdled in urgency. It’s his cry that beckons Jeongin back to his feet, racing back after the others, tip of the harpoon still wedged within the Monster’s palm.

Oddly enough, as you watch the last of it dust into the wind as if melting, it doesn't feel real.

Too simple, uncanny. As if millions hadn’t extinguished in its horrid maw—a single parasite killing off the apocalypse bringer as easy as that.

Yet, it wasn’t easy at all.

Testing every last ounce of your wish for life, wish for a reality snatched from not just you, but eight others’ fingertips.

It was taxing. Surviving, experiencing the start of new love you didn’t think could sprout among a wintery wasteland included.

But it did sprout, and the way you’re the first person Minho’s eyes drift to speaks that loud and clear.

Twin blossoms of the most brilliant colors, growing brighter the nearer they are.

Closer than love, truly.

We made it.

The Monster is gone.

There isn’t a word spoken as you make back for Hellion Inn, make back for home. The crunch of footsteps along gravel rings in your eardrums, breath exhaled from parted lips, matted, grease-ridden hair the least of your concern. No joyous shouting, no celebratory behavior in the slightest.

What is there to celebrate anyway? So many lives lost, too many to mourn.

Progression of your footsteps carries each soul with it, allowing them a final sleep in their eternal resting place.

Sleep well, Seoul.

“It’s all over.”

Whispered amidst roaring flames, you can only stare at the pharmacy as fiery flickers—vials, chemicals, ants included–swallow whatever has been left, torching hell’s origin once and for all.

One last stop. One last goodbye to all that was, the last chapter.

Without a word, Minho’s pinky links with your own.

sunboki, may 2022 ©

FIC TAGLIST. @linocvp1d

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call-me-rucy · 6 months ago

Text

Professor Layton spoilers are illegal

Great! Now I have your attention. It wasn't a lie though.

TL;DR: Level-5 legal document says they will take down videos that show just the cutscenes of the games and videos edited with the purpose of listening to the games' music, among other legal measures.

The official Professor Layton twitter account published this tweet: https://x.com/L5_layton/status/1872196972142366916

It links to something called "guideline". I thought "Hey, finally, a rundown of all the games so new people know when to watch ED and..." It wasn't that. At all.

It is a legal document detailing what images and videos of the Layton series can be posted online without risking Level-5 breathing on our necks. Anyone else feeling like L-5 got a lawyer recently?

To be fair, it is extremely unlikely that they will come check Tumblr of all places for copyright infringement content but Im assuming that you all have lives outside of Tumblr, like in YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Instagram or TikTok, and those places they will check.

So, here is what I understood from the rules:

Rule 0: These all apply to CV, DB/PB, UF/LF, LS/SC, MM, AL, LBMR, LMJ and PLvsPW:AA; all versions, including the trilogy on mobile and LMJ for switch and MM+. It does not apply to NWOS, which will have different rules explained later.

Rule 1: You can totally upload gameplay and still images from gameplay to social media, but if it's not directly captured from the console using console software they ask* that it has running commentary over, or opinions (basically something that makes it clear you're a fan and it's not an official video).

*This "ask" sounds like "we're not going to legally persecute you but please do us a solid".

Rule 2: Please put spoilers warnings before videos.

Rule 2.5: Don't post videos of the credits songs nor the first voice acting of LMJ. (The anime voice acting is fine).

Rule 3: It is prohibited to post videos that are just the animation scenes or videos and images that are just puzzles and solutions. If it's in gameplay it's fine, but the editing scenes together is not allowed.

Rule 4: Don't post videos or images to pages that you have to pay to enter. However youtube monetizing and similars are allowed.

Rule 6: Third party rights are your problem.

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#professor layton #hershel layton #luke triton #katrielle layton #alfendi layton #level-5 new guideline

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gayasswitchbitch · 28 days ago

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Hi! Hope u have a nice day. If it's ok with you and haven't been done yet, may i request a hcs where ace x oblivious reader. Where ace actually not a womanizer (or manizer idk what to call it, peopleizer), but he's actually try to flirt for real this time, where reader is vv oblivious because they take anything as a joke and laugh it off. May i see the hcs where we can see his frustrations toward reader? Thank you very much, it's completely okay if you're not ok with this <33

I love you, you idiot!- Portgas D. Ace x reader.

An//: sorry this took me so long. I get weirdly aggressive about making my Ace fics feel perfect and end up stressing out and putting it off lmao but it’s finally here and I’m happy with the final result. Let me know what you think! I hope it fits what you were looking for <3

Cw: Reader is called beautiful, use of y/n like once. Think that’s it idk 🤷‍♀️ enjoy!

1.6k words!

Ace was a pretty man. No doubt he caught the attention of all the girls when he’d pass through town. Once he walks through the room it’s like the sun has suddenly risen after a lifetime of lonely, cold nights. Ace had the kind of beauty that made everyone wonder where he had been all their lives.

Ace didn’t seem to notice any of it. When he did, he paid them no mind. It was invisible to him, because there was you.

You noticed though. The longing stares, drink offers and slight arm touches. Seeing others fawn over him, the man you wish were only yours, makes you sick. Truly you understood why he was so well liked. He was stunning. What made it worse was that if you spent enough time with him, as you have, you’d find that his heart was even more beautiful than the freckles that kiss his cheeks or the muscles that dance over his toned body. He is loving, caring, compassionate. He felt everything deeply and wore his heart on his sleeve. Part of you wishes those girls could see that side of him too, that he’s not just abs and a pretty face, but to think of them knowing him in the ways you do makes you feel even more sick.

Ace wasn’t afraid to show off the love he held in his heart with those around him either, and being particularly fond of you, he’d find himself frequently doing whatever he could to make your day easier. He doted on you and he enjoyed every second of it. He wants your attention, and secretly needs your praise. You noticed it starting with small efforts such as mentioning how beautiful he thought you look in a new outfit or sitting just slightly closer each time you’d sit down for dinner together and offering you bites of his meal. Gradually it became larger things like stealing you a knickknack when the crew would dock on a new island, or carrying things when you got tired.

He was trying everything he could to get your attention. Despite his best efforts, Ace doesn’t seem to phase you at all. How could you not notice his obviousness? The way his heart races, face glowing brighter than the embers of his flames, the way he stares with hearts in his eyes, like you’re the most magical thing in the world. You are a dopamine hit that he craves more and more with each passing day.

What he didn’t know was that when your heart would start to get too hopeful that he liked you back, and when you’d stare into his pretty eyes for far too long and start to imagine a future, you’d reel yourself back. ‘This can’t mean anything’ you’d tell yourself. Seeing how loved he was, how wanted and adored, you couldn’t bring yourself to imagine this was more than him being friendly. Not when he could have anyone he wanted.

On his end, he’d become so frustrated he needed a solution. So here he sat with Marco, both men doing their best to come up with a plan on how to make you see that he loves you. Marco is standing by the door of his room, leaning against the wall. Ace is drowning in despair on the bed, moping.

“I dunno man. What more can you do? You’ve basically got ‘I love you.’ Tattooed on your forehead here.” Marco isn’t wrong, Ace knows this, but it still pisses him off.

“Come on man! Be serious! I’m dying out here.” Ace whines, sinking further into the sheets.

Marco has seen it all play out. Everyone has. It seems the only person not in the know is you. Everyone is frustrated for Ace, Marco in particular is tired of hearing his complaining. “Look. You’re gonna have to stop being a wuss and just tell them.”

Ace shoots him an ugly look. “I am not a wuss!” He yells.

Marco smirks. “If youre not a wuss, why haven’t you walked up to them and said ‘hey why haven’t you noticed I’m so pathetically in love with you, please date me’”

Ace groans even though he again knew Marco was right. He’d done everything BUT just come out and say it. He feared that if you couldn’t see it already, maybe it meant you didn’t feel the same. He can feel the frustration bubbling inside him. Part of him wants to scream, part of him wants to cry.

He thought by now you’d figure it out. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was terrified.

Ace sighs. “It’s not that simple, Marco.”

“It is that simple you idiot! You’re gonna sit here and play games forever unless you just say it! They’ve always accepts your gifts, they’ve never complained about you being so damn clingy, they look at you like you’re a damn god, Ace! Just do it already you’re killing me here!”

His heart pounds at the thought. Would it be better to let this go on forever, to never say a word and still be able to keep you close? Or would it be better to take the risk of losing you for the risk of getting to love you more openly? Ace takes a deep breath and lets go of all his energy for the night. This conversation had exhausted him. He grew tired. ‘It might be best to just die’ he thought.

“Have you ever thought-“ Marco adds. “That maybe they act this way cause they see how others treat you? Maybe it’s hard for them to think you’d be interested when they have to see girls fighting to buy you a drink every night.” Marco knew you well enough to know that this was exactly the case, but Ace isn’t always the easiest to talk to. He often didn’t care to listen to reason. Luckily this time he did.

The realization hit Ace like a train. He knew people flirted every now and then, but he always rejected them and immediately turned his attention to you. If this was the sole reason for you to not understand his feelings for you, he might burn down every bar in sight. Upon hearing this, all the once depleted energy had suddenly surged back into him. ‘What a stupid idea’ he thinks. How stupid of you to think any of those girls mattered, that they mattered more than you. You were his everything, all he thought about, all he needs. He knew if he didn’t use this wave of energy, he’d chicken out the next day. He had to tell you right now or he might never have the courage again.

Ace thanked Marco and ran out of the room.

He pushed past each crew mate despite their dismay, running around the ship like a mad man to find you. And there you were sitting by yourself, reading a book under a shaded area of the deck. He feels his chest tighten and he’s not sure if it’s because of how beautiful you look, or because he’s about to put everything on the line.

“Y/n!” Hard footsteps pounding on the deck make their way toward you. You don’t need to turn to know who it is. It’s always him. He’s there, a flower in hand, one he had stolen while on his rampage through the ship, and a slight flush on his cheeks. He’s out of breath but still manages to speak. “So.. uh.” He thinks his nerves might kill him. He can’t even look you in the eye. He shoves the flower in your face, looking away. He’s a complete mess, but continues. “I.. wanted to give you this flower because… well, it reminded me of you.. you know.. cause you’re so pretty and stuff.” He stammers the words out, and coughs, clearing his throat in attempt to get his nerves down. It doesn’t work.

Your face lights up. It’s truly a beautifully romantic gesture, but your heart begins to ache. There’s no way this could mean what you want it to right? “Wow Ace! That’s so sweet of you.” You tried to mask the sorrow, but did poorly. “You’re such a good friend to me.”

Aces body freezes in place, his face contorting. ‘Friend.’ He thinks. ‘They called me their friend…’ he hates himself for it, but he thinks you might be a little dumb. The thought of being just your friend nearly disgusts him and for a second he forgets what he came here for, the thought lost in the chaos of his mind. He wants to turn and run, his body tells him to, but he thinks of Marco. He thinks of how he’d never stop making fun of him he if chickens out, and he thinks of the conversation they had before. He takes a deep breath. ‘They don’t get it. They need the words.’

“Y/n.” He says sternly, like he meant business. He no longer had the will to mess around. He watches as you bite your lip in anxiety and watches as your saddened eyes slowly lock with his. “You know what..” he huffs in impatience. He didn’t care anymore. If this meant he had any chance of loving you then it was worth the risk. Ace quickly grabs you by the shoulders, pulling you toward him and aggressively places a kiss on your lips before pushing you back, looking into your eyes again. “Do you get it now?” He says annoyed.

Your lips tingle with shock and excitement and now you’re the one frozen in place. Words fail you for a moment and all you can muster is the biggest grin anyone has ever seen. It makes Ace smile as well. That’s a smile a man would go to war for, and he would.

#one piece #one piece x reader #one piece x you #portgas d ace x reader #ace x reader #ace x you #one piece imagines #one piece fluff #whitebeard one piece #portgas ace x you #portgas ace fluff #portgas ace x reader #portgas d ace headcannons #one piece headcanons #one piece imagine #portgas d ace fluff

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hannamoon143 · 5 months ago

Text

You drew stars around my scars ✮⋆˙

Life is hard. Some people don't know how to cope with that. Some people just try to feel mentally better by causing physical pain instead. How ironical, isn't it? Oh but bless you, that lee felix is in your life. Because this man never misses a thing.⋆｡°✩

Genre:Angst,Hurt/comfort

Warnings:Sh,a bit childhood trauma, Depression, Crying, mentions of food,mentions of bad eating habits

Lee felix x fem.Reader

Words: 3,9k

a/n: hey everyone<33 To write this fic brought me some comfort too, and it's healing me a bit more everytime i can use my own experiences,emotions and thoughts to write something that comforts others too, and relate to y/n a lot. And i know i'm not the only one, so i hope this can bring everyone that reads it a bit comfort. And pls always remember what of a beautiful person you are. Hurting yourself is never ever the only solution. If you need someone to talk, reach out to someone, anyone, also me if you don't have anyone. I'd rather have literally any person cry for hours in my arms, or vent to me in my dm's than have them hurt their own bodies, that always supports them. Everything felix says in that fic is true, and they r my own thoughts about this. I love you all, take care of yourselves.<3

Depression takes a lot from you. It takes your motivation, productivity, the will to socialize, and your happiness. It’s unfair isn’t it? Little, happy children become tired, broken adults.

People always think depression is something where you sit in your bed the whole day and cry. Well that is half true. Yes, there are days like that, but that’s far not everything. The worst are those dull days, when you feel entirely numb, but your life has to go on anyways. No joy in your heart, and no tears in your eyes. Just a big nothing in your mind.

After a while you figure it out though. It’s always those numb episodes, until every emotion you thought didn’t exist the days before, crashes down on you. And it’s overwhelming. Every.single.time.

But what if you’d find something that could ‚help‘ you? Something that brought you pain and relief at the same time? That made you feel alive, in the numb episodes and distracted you from the pain in the days where you broke down? The price was just your beautiful skin, and blood...

A problem was though, once you’d start, it would be very hard to stop again. But why should you anyways? Why should you stop when it was the only thing seemingly bringing you comfort for some short time?

It started off by you, picking at your skin absimendtly whenever you felt anxious, or when you just didn’t pay attention. It felt relieving. It was the burning pain when you scatched on your skin so hard it was slightly bloody, making you feel like your feelings actually mattered. And then that one night. That night everything crashed down on you. Your friends wanted nothing to do with you anymore, the few you had before, cut contact. You couldn’t even be mad at them. Who wouldn’t be annoyed by someone who constantly cancelled plans, and gave off a „depressing, annoying attitude“? Well these were their words. Oh but you saw it coming. All the overthinking in the middle of the night, those worst case scenarios, they had come true.

And your family? You never had a healthy relationship with them. So now, that you were grown up, the contact was almost entirely dead. And yeah, there was your boyfriend felix, but you’d never burden him with your problems. He already had enough on his mind with the world tour and all the new released albums, of the band he was in.

And that was it. No one there that you could reach out to, no one to comfort you, when your heart and mind were breaking into millions of glass splitters. Every person reaches their breaking point someday. And that day was yours. You remembered the night clearly. You were sitting on the bathroom floor, crying out all the emotion you had been holding in for too long. You had no friends anymore. No family. And pretty sure soon no boyfriend too. Nothing to hold onto.

Then you reached out to a drawer. You didn’t really register what you were doing as you took it out. A simple, silver blade. A little cut on your wrist. A line of crimson red blood on your skin.

At first you were terrified. What had you done? Why weren’t you affected by the stinging pain on your wrist, and the blood building in the small cut? Why did it in fact feel good? And then you decided to try it again, just to answer those questions right?

That’s where it started.

You knew you had depression. But going to a therapist? You were scared, probably too lazy, and you could never tell all your problems to a complete stranger. And most of all you didn’t want felix to worry either. He was the only one left, and soon he would surely leave too. He was the sweetest, sunny person on this earth, he deserved someone that matched his energy, and wasn’t so… hard to love.

Every single task felt like a hard, impossible chore. Getting out of your bed felt like doing the unbelievable. Doing the most simple things like showering, or brushing your teeth seemed so far away, that you could only master them on your best days. Some days, you went to work, did everything you had to, with a straight, stoic face. That was until you came home, laid into your bed, and silent tears would build wet spots on your pillow.

But somedays, even crying seemed too overwhelming. All you could do was lay in your dark room, staring at the wall. It was just the darkness and you, and somewhere in your mind, a voice whispering that it would help to cut...

And then there were these rare days, on which you felt almost too overwhelmed. It were those days you came home, and added another scar to the gallery of them on your arms. You questioned your life on these days. Because truly, you didn’t see a reason why you should be here right now. No, you weren’t proud of it. But who was there to stop you? Why should you quit if it was the only thing keeping you sane right now? When it was only the stinging pain who could make you slip out of the monotone haze in your mind, for at least a little bit time.

But it would be stupid to assume felix didn’t notice something was off. Lee felix was a pure person. Someone who could make even the rainiest days shine bright. And he cared about the people he loved more than anything else.

When you started cancelling plans it was already alarming for him. You were someone who never cancelled plans with him. You were usually a happy person, someone who made jokes that were actually funny. Someone who made him laugh with your little quirks, that he noticed over time. Someone who comforted him when he felt bad. And most of all you were the most excited person when you two would meet up. You never missed to tell him how much you loved him, that he was your happy person, and your comfort person.

That was before

Before suddenly everything stopped. He rarely got to see your beautiful face now anymore. You took a long time to respond to his texts, and when you did, they were short, and dry. This didn’t feel like you. Felix knew you. And that wasn’t you. This wasn’t the happy girl he met. And he surely wasn’t planning on letting things go like this forever. Something wasn’t right. And no matter what you said or did, to try and get away from him, and shut everything out, he would stay by your side. He would find out what was wrong and do everything possible in this world to make you feel like yourself again.

It was another day today. Another number on the calendar. You stopped looking at it. It didn’t matter anyways. Those were just numbers on paper, and they would never change anything. So you dragged yourself out of bed, feeling even heavier than usual. Like a zombie you just quickly got dressed, not even registering what you were wearing, and drank a mug of coffee. It would make you feel a bit more awake for at least a few hours. Eating breakfast had become impossible in the last few weeks. You were barely eating anything the whole day, to be honest. Sometimes, you just couldn’t stand up and make yourself something. But most times, you just didn’t feel hungry.

You went your usual way to work. At the bus, you took a short glance at your phone. You used to be on your phone a lot for the silliest things, but now you hated it. You hated the brightness, and that everytime you looked at it you had to interact with others. And the worst was, it remdinded you of what you had lost. The spark you had in your eyes on photos from a long time ago.

Something popped up on the screen

A message from felix. Of course. He messaged you every single day. You couldn’t ignore him, no matter how shitty felt, you couldn’t bring yourself to ignore him. So you opened it.

Hey sunshine<3How are you today? I thought of maybe grabbing some takeout and watching a movie together tonight, since i have off early! I’ll even let you pick one of those cheesy romcoms you love so much. Love u^^

You sighed. He was still so sweet, so caring, when he should be really annoyed, right? His girlfriend was a walking zombie, why didn’t he already break up with you?

Hey lix, sorry no time today.

Then you quickly put your phone away. You couldn’t stand thinking of his lips turning into that sad pout, when he’d read your answer. But you couldn’t meet him. You didn’t care how stubborn that was, but you wouldn’t let him see you like this. He would see right through you, and get you to tell him what was wrong.

You stopped making excuses someday. Who even cared? Sooner or later he’d leave, just like your friends. No lame excuses would matter then. Someone like you was unlovable. And that would never change.

As felix read your response he sighed.

That was enough. He wouldn’t let your relationship carry on like that. He wouldn’t let you carry on like that. Something was clearly wrong and he wouldn’t stand so far away and watch you slowly shut down from the entire world. Not anymore. Tonight he would come to your apartment, if you wanted to or not.

You didn’t remember what you did throughout the day. When you tried to recall it, there were only hazy memories, covered in a grey, thick fog. You didn’t even remember how you came home. Everything just happened. Now, you were walking through your apartment door, kicking off your shoes and coat. With a deep sigh, you dragged yourself to the bathroom. You shut the door, immediately sinking down on the floor. You were exhausted. More than that. The past days, or maybe even weeks you had held everything in more than usual. You felt like passing out right then and there, on the cold bathroom tiles. But there was something else. You knew that feeling. When you would have spent too many days in numbness, then at one point, every emotion, everything you thought wasn’t there before, creeps up in your throat from the depths of your soul. You feel the grieve, the sadness, the anger, the guilt, every single emotion crashing down on you at once. And then you can’t stop it anymore.

Tears started to well up in your eyes, and you pulled your knees up for a bit comfort.

These were the moment you hated the most, besides the numbness. Being numb is uneblievably tiring, but when all the feelings, everything comes up at once, that is even worse. You never knew how to deal with your emotions well. When you were a kid you never got the chance to express emotions. Crying was not allowed. If you did, you’d hear „ Stop it, or i’ll give you a reason to cry.“ If you screamed or hit out of anger you’d get punished in some way. Only a polite smile was, what was allowed to show on the outside, what to show to other people. That was probably part of the reason why you’d grown into a person who had these unhealthy, shitty habits, instead of expressing and coping with their emotions well.

You knew you should just let it pass. Endure these feelings. Maybe text someone to try and distract yourself. But somehow, you always went back to drowning out emotions with physical pain. You took the sharp blade from the bathroom drawer, your hands going unbelievable shaky like they always did when you took it out. You only started to cry more. You hated that you did it. You hated that you were a person that couldn’t handle their own feelings like a responsible adult, and had to shut them out with self harming instead. And still you did it again and again. You hated the way your arm looked when you put your sleeve up now. White lines from old cvts. Slightly reddish ones from some that happened some time ago. And those brightred ones. Reminders of not too long ago. They made you so angry. Reminding you of who you were. Of what you were.

So you decided to look away. You just put the blade to your wrist, looking at the blank bathroom wall. It was already so familiar, you knew where it would hurt the most without even looking.

Felix was searching around his apartment for that gray hoodie you wanted to have everytime you saw him wearing it. Maybe it would cheer you a bit up. As he finally found it, he grabbed the brownies he had made for you earlier, and his keys, heading out his apartment, to head to yours instead.

He started his car. It was a short drive so there was not much time for thinking. But there were some thoughts in the back of his head. Wasn’t he overstepping? You clearly didn’t want to see him, maybe you were also just annoyed?

But felix shook those voices off. He knew you. He had known you for years, and this wasn’t you. He had to do this.

And then he was already at your apartment. Slowly he got out of the car, taking the things, and started to walk up the stairs.

Soon he was in front of your door. Should he knock? He knew where your spare key was but he didn’t want to be respectless. So he softly knocked on the door.

„Y/n? It’s me, felix. I know you didn’t want to meet, but… i was worried. Can we talk please, my love?“

He waited for a minute. But there was no answer. Maybe you really weren’t at home? He decided to just try it. To his surprises the door was unlocked. That meant you were home, but also why would you let your door stay unlocked? He sighed, and locked it from the inside. He quietly took off his shoes, and put them on the side. Yours were scattered messily on the floor, and your coat too. Usually you hated when something in your apartment wasn’t organized. Maybe you were in a hurry before. He went into the kitchen, wich was dark, putting the brownies on the counter. „Y/n?“ he softly called out again. Still no answer.

But there, suddenly he heard something. A quiet, mumbling or...crying? His brows furrowed and he tried to follow the sound. There. In the bathroom. It seemed like you didn’t hear him calling you. At first he considered just going back to your kitchen and waiting there for you to come out, but when he heard another deep sob from you, he knew what to do. Whatever was going on right now, he wanted to be by your side. So he took a deep breath and opened the door.

„Y/N, what is g-“ His eyes widened in shock, and your head perked up immediately at the door clicking open, your gaze changing from surprise, to confusion, to somewhat realization and guilt. The sight in front of him horrified him. His beautiful, lovely girlfriend sat on the bathroom floor, her face red and puffy from crying, and a sharp blade in her hand. And your arm… How couldn’t he notice? He just stood there, in the door, staring at you.

You couldn’t read his face. Was he mad…? Of course he’d be mad. You quickly reacted as you got to your senses again. You jumped up, letting the blade fall, and a drop of blood dropping down on your white bathroom tiles.

„Felix…. I can explain, i h-haven’t, it’s not what it looks like o-okay? I’m okay, p-please i know you’re mad but-“

You got cut off. You couldnt’t even say anything more, because suddenly you were wrapped up tightly in your boyfriend’s comforting, warm embrace. You forgot how good a hug from him felt… And when you got a little glance at his face that was it. No anger, no twisted kind of any emotion against you. There was pure sympathy and love. When you also saw a tear rolling down his face, you couldn’t take it anymore. You buried your face in his neck, and let go. You sobbed uncontrollably, your arms and legs trembling so much, to the point your knees gave in, and felix slowly sank to the ground with you. Why did the cvts on your arms suddenly really hurt for the first time? He had you pulled on his lap, rocking you back and forth, stroking your hair gently. „Shhh, it’ll be alright. I’m here now, you are not alone.“

Good thirty minutes later, your sobbing had stopped, and only warm paths of tears remained on your cheeks. Felix lifted your head from his neck a bit, so he could look into your eyes. Though you had just cried your heart out, it was still the most mesmerizing pair of eyes he had seen in his life. He gently tucked a strand of hair behind your ear.

„Let me treat those, okay?“ He simply said, glancing at your cuts.

He was gentle. He desinfected every single cut, apologizing every time you hissed at the sharp pain. Then he put some healing ointment on your fresh ones, and some at your older ones too. Then, with gentle, calm hands he bandaged your arms. He ended his treament with featherlight kisses on them. Then he got up, helping you up too. He had his hands on your side, his eyes on your face.

„Love…I won’t ever judge you, or get mad at you for anything, i hope you know that okay? I know that this is probably your way to cope with things, and i know that you know it’s not healthy. But it’s okay. Please just promise me, you will come to me instead of doing that, from now on hm? Everytime you want to do it you call me, text me, whatever. I’d rather have you crying in my arms for hours, venting to me for hours, you screaming at me, or do whatever you need to, than have you hurt and bleeding entirely alone on the floor. I’ll come over, and do whatever i need to, to cheer you up alright? And don’t shut me out from your life. I want to be a part again. I miss the way you’d text me when you see something that makes you smile. Or when you send me pics of the cute cats you saw on the sidewalk. Or when you just simply tell me about your day. And most important of all, i’ll stay by your side okay? No matter what. I will do everything to help you recover, and build up your life in a way that makes you happy okay? Let me help you sunshine. You don’t need to do it all alone.No matter how hard it in the past was, I’m here now, and I don’t plan on leaving soon.“

Tears welled up in your eyes again, but this time you smiled at him. „Okay lixie. Okay. I’ll try.“

Then he softly smiled at you, and guided you to your livingroom, where he made you sit on the couch. He rushed off to the kitchen, and was soon back again with a plate of brownies and his gray hoodie. „It seems like you didn’t eat much lately, you’ve been getting a bit too skinny, love. But don’t worry, now i’m here to feed you with everything you want to eat. You don’t need to move a single finger.“ He mumbled, as he first handed you the hoodie, wich you put on immediately and snuggled into it. It had always been your comfort hoodie, since it was big, fluffy, and always smelled like him a lot. Then he put down the plate in front of you. Felix’ brownies had always been one of your favorite things. They were delicious like no one else’s.Everytime you asked him what he was throwing in there, he always told you that it was his love and care wich he made them with. You believed him, this man made everything better with his sunny personality.

You simply smiled at him, and took one of the brownies, taking a big bite

„That’s my girl.“ He chuckled, ruffling your hair. As you were munching, and he was watching you with a fond smile, he suddenly asked „Do you have a marker somewhere here?“ You looked up, raising a brow. „Yeah, in the drawer over there i guess, why?“ He just stood up, and opened said drawer, taking the marker. He was back by your side in an instant. „Please give me one arm love“ He said, politely like always. You were still pretty confused but how could you say no to that? So you slowly laid your bandaged arm in his hands. He kissed it once and then softly started to draw on it. „What are you doing?“ you asked, mouth full of brownie.

„Those my love, are battle scars. It isn’t beautiful how you got them, but they are a part of you now, and they make you the person you are. They deserve to be called beautiful now too, like every single body part of yours. I love every part of you. And when they are healed, I’ll kiss each and everyone of them, but for now, they deserve to be treated with care. They will only heal properly, if you let them. If you’d always be angry when you’d look at them, they would never really heal. You would never really heal. You need to forgive yourself, and someday you will be able to move on. They show how far you’ve come, that it was very hard, but you never gave up. Battle scars, my love.“

You looked into his eyes. He said all that so sincere, you believed every word. And then as he was done you saw what he did. A lot of little stars, and a pretty moon in the middle were drawn on the bandages. And next to the moon he wrote a little note

„Because i want you to never forget who you are. You are Y/n L/n, a fighter, and the most beautiful woman i know.“

„How did i deserve you lee felix?“ You murmured in awe.

„You deserve the world, and more my love.“

And that really was a turning point. Thanks to felix, your days weren’t dull anymore. He was always there with you, laughing and talking a lot, but he also respected when you wanted some alone time. And when you came to him somedays, crying and telling him that you wanted to do it again, he took you in his arms, wrapped you both into a blanket and rocked you back and forth, until no tears were left anymore, and the world seemed a bit brighter again. Then he mumbled soothing reassurances into your hair, kissing you on the forehead.

And like this, you were willing to try. You were willing to try and recover, and create a life that you loved living, with him in it.

a/n: now a note to: @athenawindwolf because I didn't have the courage to say it that night ( we ignore that i'm writing this while you are texting me,still in that night), i'll be your chan friend, and in the context of this fanfic your felix friend, whenever you need me. I hope yk, I never judge anyone, and i've been through a lot too so rlly i would never ever judge or tell anyone if you tell me smth. We said we r the big sisters of our friends now, so that means we r sisters right? Come to me whenever you need to talk. Now this was for u, and I also have to say i'm thankful someone is sharing one of my interests now<3 Ily di angelo.@athenawindwolf (and i hope i didn't make you cry with this fic)

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leoascendente · 3 months ago

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PAC/ Let me tell you something beautiful about you 🩷

Hi and welcome to this new pick a pile! This time you'll have to choose one card of the empress and I'll tell you how you are an empress yourself. As always, take a deep breath before choosing your pile, pick the one that calls your attention the most

* Do not make life decitions based on a reading you saw online, use your discernment. Please, minors dni 🔞

For a private reading click here

My blog in Spanish here

My other social media here

Pile 1/ Pile 2

Pile 3/ Pile 4

- Pile 1:

(Cards: prince of autumn, princess of spring, prince of winter/ the lovers)

My love, you are a warrior soul in the body of a human, you are brave, fierce and adventurous but you also have you calmed and grounded nature too that you can switch at your own will but in essence, you are fiery and bold. You are a complex individual so don't try to force yourself to fit into a box or an specific standard because you are meant to shine and stand out of the crowd, you are yet in the process of growing but you are destined to greatness and you will achieve it at some point in your future. I feel that you are very young or at least your energy is, regardless of your age you are joyful and optimistic, the kind who always find a way to see the glass half filled no matter what he outside circumstances are, if there's a solution you know how to find it so you are avery resourceful person too. You are a determined person, you like to dream big and actively work on making those dreams a reality, you may look unbothered or dittached but in fact, you know where to put your attention and energy on, you are not the kind to give up on your dreams but neither the kind to waste energy on things that doesn't fulfill you. I'm getting extroverted energy from this pile but in the sense that you can befriend anyone you cross paths with, you can find the good in anyone and keep the best out of them, I'm also getting that people love to be with you with the lovers at the bottom of the deck, you probably have some not-so-secret admirers with a heavy crush on you, like you literally become the crush of anyone who has the bliss to know you. You are lighthearted but you also have a temper, especially you can cut throats with your words but in general you don't have a destructive energy but you know you could if you wanted to.

You have a very powerful energy but you are still in the process of channeling and focus all of it on a productive endeavor, your energy is strong but it is also scattered but this is part of what makes your soul so beautiful, it's like you can make magic out of chaos, I keep hearing the phrase of LOTR 'not all those who wander are lost'. I see a garden when I channel your energy, it may look chaotic at first in my vision but when I focus, every flower, plant and tree is beautiful, intrncate and unique, there's also this magical vibe of a fairy forest, the kind of garden you imagine on fairytales. You are someone inspiriing and uplifting, able to make others see the best in them, your precence fills others with optimism and the feeling that they can achieve anything in life, they also feel so supported by you. In general terms, you are a force of nature, so powerful and charismatic, you are a magnet for anyone without trying, I hope you are aware of how attractive you are because you can put anyone on their knees for you, like Cleopatra reincarnated

✨️ You are attracting admiration and recognition

- Pile 2:

(Cards: 2 of winter, 8 of winter, king of summer/ the unity)

My beutiful pile of kind hearts, you are all love and sweetness, you also give off introverted and innocent energy, I'm also getting that you are really in tune with your inner child. On one side you know how to nurture the needs of your inner child but on the other side you might be still hurt by things you experienced in your past, like there are some wounds you need to heal. You are a proffesional overthinker but when it comes to make important decitions you always keep loyal to your heart's desires, you are compassionate with yourself and self aware, you know your own limits and boudaries so you don't force you to make things that would make you feel uncomfortable or would affect you negatively, you respect your inner peace so much and protect it at all cost. You are a very protective person, with yourself and with the ones you love, you are also the force that keeps people together, like a mediator that brings peace and clarity into conflicts, you bring harmony and clam into the lives of others, I'm also getting that you know and understand very deeply the value of forgiveness, not just with others but when it comes to yourself too. You are a very loyal and that's a trait you also value a lot in other people, you like to create deep bonds, for you it is more important the quality than the quantity of the people in your life, you may not have a huge group of friends but the few you have are worth gold, also the people in your life feel really grateful to have you by their side. At first you may come off as shy, bashful or reserved but when people get to know you they discover your wide and rich inner world, you have a lot to offer but only for those who show you that they are trustworthy.

You are an intellectual, you enjoy mental stimulation and you probably dislike boring or superficial people, you crave depths because your curiosity is extremely strong, I'm hearing that you feel attracted to the misteries of the world and conspiracy theories. You are responsible, reliable and mature, you remind me of Belle of the Beauty and the Beast, you have this elegant and classic vibe to you, your energy also makes me feel so cozy and comfortble. You are not the kind to follow trends, instead you keep loyal to your style and what makes you feel good, I see this dark academia aesthetic for some reason, I'm also getting bookworm energy. For many you are a total mystery they can't descipher, people can't read you easilly, this makes others feel like a dream when it comes to you, they know you have a depth they are not able to pinpont, you are meant for the braves and the people who are not afraid to face complexity and uniqueness. Your energy is grounded and introspective, you are the observer kind, you also have a talent to see the patterns in people or even the world, you may feel drawn to history too. You are a very independent person, you know how to thrive by your own because you are aware of your own power and capabilities, I feel like you have a personal goal you hold really close to your heart, I'm even gettin that you may not have shared this dream with no one, just know that it won't take you too long to achieve a big milestone in regards of this goal.

🌸 You are attracting your soul tribe and genuine connections

- Pile 3:

(Cards: queen of summer, the wheel, prince of spring/ the chariot)

Omg I love your energy pile 3!! It is so vibrant and warm, it feels like a summer evening on that beautiful beach with pink sand, you feel like a safe place, I literally feel protected when I channel your energy so I can tell that your guides are really powerful. You are the kind of person that can light any room you step into, you are radiant and soft, very charismatic, femenine and, regardless of your physical appearance, you are extremely attractive, I'm hearing something about your fashion style too, like you know what suits you the best. You are also a natural lucky magnet, it is because your passionate and positive spirit can help you attract anything you desire, you have a really strong power to manifest your dreams with no much effort, I'm getting that you attract more when you are at peace with yourself. You are a very driven person, and also very optimistic, your dreams are not just dreams, it is something that your future self is already living and you are really certain about it, you are not the kind of giving up on your goals, when you hold a vision it is hard for you to let it go and that gives you a lot of power, you have a very strong sense of purpose, anything you do you do it because you know it's taking you to what you are meant to do in this lifetime. You have a beautiful relationship with the Divine, surely this sense of purpose comes from this connection, I'm getting that your guides are super proud of you and your achievements so far. You have a very beautiful balance between your masculine and femenine energy, your masculine is passionate, driven and stubborn when it comes to get what you want, but your femenine is soft, sweet and loving, very motherly and nurturing, you may be the 'mum' of your group of friends, you also have a very powerful intuition. Your energy is very seductive, people feel naturally drawn to you, you also have it easy to attract suitors in romantic terms, I'm feeling strong Leo/sun energy from you.

You know where you are leading in life, you know what you want and what you deserve and you don't settle for less, you are a selective person when it comes to anything you let into your life, I also see that you protect yourself very well on energetic terms. You give off this exclusive boss babe energy, ngl you intimidate people without trying, it's your energy that is very powerful, you are so magnetic and attractive too, I think you totally realize the magnitude of this and the impact you have on others because you seem very confident in your energy, I feel like you could also relate with pile 1 in case you want to read it too. Even though you may come off as dominating and self focused, who gets to know you sees that you are such a sweetheart with a huge heart, you are a compssionate and generous person with the ones who reciprocate all the love you share, you are the kind to stop a bullet by yourself to save the people you love.

🍀 You are attracting success and wealth, for some even fame

- Pile 4:

(Cards: the lovers, the sun, ace of summer/ prince of summer)

You are the embodiment of unconditional love, your heart chakra is your most powerful energetic center, you are also the spiritual pile from this pick a card, this loving energy feels consciously connected to Spirit, I'm also hearing that your guides love you so so much and are super protective with you. I could say that you are a lover and not a fighter but in fact, you are a fighter of love, you really make the effort to keep love above everything else, this doesn't make you weak, instead it is your superpower and you know how to make use of it. You are a soul healer, just with your precense you can turn the pain into gold like an alchemist, this is an absolutely beautiful trait but you must be careful, people like you tend to attract narcissistic people, I suggest you to find a method to protect your energies that works for you and makes you feel comfortable practicing, I always recommend rosemary smudges and a protective amulet you can carry. You are a natural empath, a sweet soul with lots of love to share with the world, you bring joy to people's life and you surely feel great if you can make others feel loved and accepted, you are also a hopeless romantic, you love to love and to feel loved and you feel proud of it, you know that your sensibility is your superpower and not a weakness. In this world filled with cruelty and unjustice you are a lighthouse of hope and empathy, you are pure angelic energy, I'm also getting that you may work or feel really connected to any goddess or deity related to love. You are very in tune with your emotions, with your lights and your shadows, you accept yourself and others in the full spectrum of their essence, you have a deep understanding of human nature , you are able to see things from a higer perspective. I'm getting that you may feel like an outcast too, like you don't fully fit in this world or that you haven't found your place yet, you may have dealt with solitude from a very young age and that's why you have developed such an strong bond with your spirit guides.

You have this aura of mystery around you as pile 2 but in your case, you are almost ethereal for people who don't know you but they can perceive how sweet and nurturing you are, many desire you from afar but feel like you won't pay attention to them, like you are too much into your own world to notice them. You have more admirers in romantic terms than you are able to imagine, a lot of suitors have their eye on you but there's something that holds them back, surely it's your guides protecting you from anyone who is not your true love, I'm getting that you might have prayed to make you invisible for anyone who's not meant for you. You are such n intuitive person, I'm getting that you may have psychic gifts since you were a child and you are totally in tune with them, you are sweet and caring, you always put your heart on everything you do, I'm hearing that you need to feel emotionally connected to what you do or you could loose interest. You love yourself, I feel that you are realy grateful even for the little things, you don't take anything for granted and you feel grateful even for being able to wake up everyday, I'm also getting that you are able to see signs from Spirit everywhere

💖 You are attracting romantic love, your divine counterpart

#witchblr #leoascendente #tarot #tarotblr #pac reading #divination witch #pick a pile #tarot reading #tarotonline

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jewish-sideblog · 2 years ago

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Clearly, y'all don't care about Jews, and the fact that Hamas is violently antisemitic doesn't seem matter to any of you. So let me go with a new approach, of equal truth and value. Hamas is violently anti-Palestinian.

This past week, Hamas attacked evacuation routes and prevented Gazan citizens from fleeing an active warzone. [1]

They did that because they routinely use Gazan civilians as human shields. Hamas intentionally builds military targets close to schools, hospitals, and mosques, putting soft targets in the way of both incoming and outgoing fire. Hamas encourages Gazan civilians and children to stand on the roofs of buildings they know the IDF is targeting. [2]

Hamas has refused to allow elections in Gaza since 2006. Not just Palestinian National Authority elections, mind you. No open elections for any office have been held in seventeen years. Palestinian rights to free elections and self-determination have been denied by Hamas. [3] (And good luck to anyone who tries to blame that on Israel, because elections were held by the PNA in the West Bank in 2012, 2017, 2021 and 2022. It's Hamas's intention alone to purge democracy.)

Hamas's track record on human rights is appalling. Palestinian prisoners in Gaza face unfair trials and death sentences after being tortured by police. Palestinian women are prevented from accessing the legal systems to escape domestic abuse situations. Political dissidents in Hamas, even ones who merely support the other half of the Palestinian government, have been summarily executed. [4] [5]

Peaceful organizers in Palestine protested Hamas's massive tax hikes in 2019. Hamas security forces responded by assaulting demonstrators, tracking them down, raiding their homes, and detaining them. And, as previously mentioned, prisoners in Gaza are not treated well by Hamas. [6]

Edit Nov.5, 10:30 PM: I forgot to add arguably the most important thing-- Hamas manipulates the humanitarian aid they receive away from helping Gazans and toward killing Jews. 5% of Hamas's budget actually gets used for humanitarian aid, while 55% goes to military use. Construction equipment intended to rebuild Gaza's crumbling infrastructure is used to build a complex series of underground tunnels. Those tunnels in turn are used to smuggle Iranian military equipment into the country. They were also used for human trafficking in the October 7th attacks. [7]

If you actually want Palestinians to be free, you can't just replace Israel with Hamas. But it's not like they're the only option for supporting Palestinian liberation. While Fatah doesn't have an immaculate historical track record, it now operates as a leftist, democratic socialist, secular Palestinian government that fights for a two-state solution. Similarly, Arab-Israeli political parties like the Hadash-Ta'al coalition support leftist, anti-Zionist, and two-state solutions from within the Israeli parliament.

You can and should support Palestinian liberation movements that abuse neither Jewish nor Arab human rights and dignities. Plenty of them exist out there. But if y'all continue to throw your weight behind an antisemitic and anti-democratic terrorist regime, Palestinians and Jews will both take note of exactly where you stand.

#israel #palestine #antisemitism

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heeseungiez · 2 months ago

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crushology 101 | part 1

synopsis! after a bad breakup with a guy you didn’t even find attractive leaves you reeling, you vow never to date anyone you don’t actually find hot… problem is, somehow, you ended up with five of them in your life, all at once?

featuring! tomorrow x together and many other idols (for like 3 seconds)

pairings! ot5 x gn!reader

genre! college au, fluff, inspired by crushology 101 (the kdrama) and the og work bunny and her oppas by nieun!

word count! 8k

a/n! to be completely honest, i initially wanted this to be a one-shot? but then i thought it might be more fun to cut it off where i did. i can also post it now instead of waiting longer yano... soooooo enjoy this silly little realistically unrealistic college au with tubatu

check out my masterlist!

part 1 | part 2

Choi Yeonjun. Choi Soobin. Choi Beomgyu. Kang Taehyun. Huening Kai.

Five guys, each more handsome than the other. All of them vying for your attention. How did you end up here? Well… the story isn’t exactly short. But there is enough time to at least get into the important parts.

So, where shall we begin?

Right…

A year ago, a few months after you started your first year at university, you found a boyfriend. However, he wasn’t exactly conventionally attractive. You told yourself that it didn’t matter though, as long as your boyfriend genuinely liked you. And he was so nice, or at least he seemed to be.

Your friends, Emma and Chloe, weren’t very convinced of his act and judged him harshly. Back then, you thought it was because they just didn’t find him attractive, so all of his faults were all the more obvious to them. But it wasn’t his looks that were the problem.

The son of a bitch dated you for months, only to try to prove to his friends that you were easy. Jokes on him, because you were nowhere near that. He didn’t get into your pants even after months of his stupid act, and you ended up nursing a broken heart over what? A scumbag who wasn’t even all that.

And he had the nerve to say you — YOU — were out of his league. Honestly… you might not be a top model, but when a man who is three steps away from being an incel says that about you… it does hurt. (And you hurt him back, though beating up your boyfriend turned ex did no good things for your reputation.)

From that point forward, you promised yourself to only date men that you found attractive. At least, so you can cry over someone other people won’t call a rat, or would sympathise with you rather than give you judgy looks.

Yet your best solution for the following semester was to just… not date at all. It was easy too, when people remembered you as the crazy ex who managed to break a guy’s rib.

So you didn’t date. You lived your life in sweet, sweet peace all the way until the summer semester of your second year. Until he appeared in your life. The first of five…

It’s a regular day for you as you go to class. Your first day of a new semester and a new subject for credits. Everyone you know from the upper years has had only great things to say about the professor teaching it, so you couldn’t miss out on the opportunity to register for it and witness the teachings of Professor Lee himself.

Not to mention it’s actually incredibly hard to get into the class since it has a limit of twenty students per semester, and prioritizes both speed and overall grades when signing up for the course. So being first to sign up doesn’t mean you’re in, but having a perfect score but signing up late also doesn’t guarantee it. Which also means none of your friends got into the subject.

You enter the class, entirely oblivious to your surroundings as you scroll through your playlist, music blasting in your headphones. A bag with your laptop hangs on your shoulder, and thinking back to it, you should’ve paid attention.

Colliding with a student who was busy talking to someone was certainly not on your itinerary. Even worse, your loosely slung bag falls off your shoulder, the loud thud of your laptop and other belongings almost reminiscent of the dip your heart makes.

Every piece of work you have ever made is on that laptop. Sure, the most important bits are saved on external drivers and the cloud but the small things, the seemingly unimportant things, the ones waiting to be used, those will never see the light of day if your laptop breaks.

“Fuck, no, no…” You instantly crouch to check the state of your laptop. Is it intact? Yes. Will it boot? You can’t say for sure until you open it.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” The person you bumped into apologizes, though you don’t blame him at all. His hands reach for the other items that spread across the floor while you check the state of your laptop. “I can pay for repairs if it’s not—”

His voice dies down when your laptop boots, and you let out a huge sigh of relief at the device’s tenacity. Finally, you can look up at the man that nearly caused you a heart attack by practically blocking the entrance.

And your heart actually stops.

One of the most beautiful faces you have ever seen graces your vision, and your eyes widen in disbelief. He has the kind of look that reminds you of summer, of full fields of colorful flowers, and running through meadows under the bright sun in the middle of July. It’s the boyish kind of look your teenage self would most certainly write heartbreaking love songs about, imagining an infinite amount of “what if” scenarios.

“I know you,” the guy breaks your daydream, a smile appearing on his pouty lips. “Y/N, right? I’ve seen you around a lot.”

“I—” you can’t believe a man like this knows who you are. Mainly because you don’t know who he is, and you swear you would remember him if you met him before.

He chuckles at your flustered state, understanding the situation easily. “I’m Yeonjun. Choi Yeonjun,” he introduces himself casually, as if it made all the sense in the world that you don’t know him, but he knows you. “I was wondering if you’d take the class this semester.” He grins like he’s happy to know that you are taking it.

The more he speaks, the more confused you get. You stare at him like he’s grown a second head, and he chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck in the most captivating way possible. His T-shirt rides up the slightest bit, revealing a toned torso that you did not need to catch a glimpse of.

“Why would you—”

“Well, you’re a music major, right? Most people want to get into Mr. Lee’s class.”

“But you’re not a music major,” you say plainly, because you would remember, okay? You would know if this man shared your major.

“No.” The corner of his lips rises in a soft smirk. “I’m a dance major, actually, but I’m really interested in producing, so I signed up and got in.”

“Oh.”

“Oh.” Yeonjun repeats with a soft grin. “You here alone? Wanna join me and—” He points toward a row of seats with a bunch of people you are familiar with. Like Seo Changbin, a third year music major. “Well, them.”

“Uh, sure. Yeah, I guess I can do that,” you stutter out, internally freaking out. Not only is this beautiful man asking you to sit with him and his friends, but one of those friends is also among the top students in your major.

“I promise not to bite.” Yeonjun winks at you, and your entire world stops again, processing the whole interaction.

He laughs. “Come sit with us. We plan to grab lunch after class, too, so you can join us.”

“Me?” You point at yourself quizzically, looking around. But everyone is already diligently seated, so it’s only you and Yeonjun at the entrance.

“Well, unless there’s a really stunning spirit I can’t see standing next to you, then you are definitely the person I’m asking.”

You meet the second of five on the same day as Yeonjun. Because people tend to forget about the music room at campus, you use it for your own benefit quite often. Today is no different as you take advantage of the community instruments to work on one of your many projects. With headphones on your ears as you strum on the bass, trying to figure out the notes, you don’t notice anyone entering the room.

And he doesn’t notice you at first, either. He types away on his phone as he walks forward, completely unaware of his surroundings until his foot catches on one of the many scattered cables on the ground. He stumbles, and although he doesn’t fall, the phone in his hands does escape his hold, landing practically on your lap. Not before it hits you in the head, of course, to make the experience even worse.

“Oh, my gosh, I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to!” The guy runs up to you immediately, inspecting you from head to toe as if the phone were a weapon that could cause you internal bleeding and a concussion.

And maybe it did, because when you look up into the face of the guy who is practically on his knees, begging for your forgiveness, your eyes make angel wings sprout from his back, and a halo levitates just above his golden hair.

He makes you think of the fresh spring air, walking through a cherry blossom path. He would catch a petal from the air for you, only to notice that there are already many of them stuck in your hair, and he would laugh so softly, with such affection in his eyes, that it would make your heart burst with love and adoration.

“Are you okay?” He asks softly, hand hesitantly reaching for the spot where his phone hit you. “Did I hurt you?”

You reach out for his hand, stopping him before he could touch you. It’s warm, his hand, and with the redness of his cheeks, you assume it’s from the slight embarrassment he currently feels. With your lips pressed tight together, you shake your head.

“I’m fine,” you reply simply. “What happened anyway? Did you throw your phone at me or something?”

“Oh… you didn’t see?” he asks, tilting his head to the side, but your confused expression tells him enough to let out a breath of relief. It means he didn’t embarrass himself more than he thought he did. “In that case, I’d rather not disclose that information.”

“Fair enough.” You nod, ready to go back to your work. But the guy lingers by your side rather than leaving you alone. “Do you need anything else?”

“I’m Huening Kai,” he introduces himself with a smile. “You’re Y/N, right? I’ve seen you around campus a bunch of times.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. And I really like some of your projects. Professor Min has a habit of throwing around a lot of praise when it comes to you,” Kai shares the information with a grin, standing back up. He towers over you now, and you have to crane your head to see his face. “I think we’re in his class together this semester.”

“Oh, that’s great. We’ll see each other every week, then.” And your eyes will be blessed with the sight of one of the most good-looking creatures to ever exist on this earth — but you leave out that part, of course.

“And if you don’t have anyone to work on group projects with, then you can have me,” he adds light-heartedly, but the idea of working alongside someone as striking as Huening Kai sounds almost absurd to you. This is the second handsome guy suggesting to either sit or work with you in a class. And the phrasing? You can have me. Someone save your poor heart because it might explode.

What the hell is going on?

“You’re not just trying to get a ride on my back, are you?” You raise a brow at him suspiciously, and he laughs, shaking his head.

“I’d never!” He raises his arms in defence. “I just… kinda don’t really have friends.”

“What!?” you spit out in disbelief, staring at the boy.

“I mean I do have friends. It’s just that I don’t share any classes with them because they’re in different majors. That’s what I mean.” He chuckles nervously, looking away from you.

“Right… That makes sense.” You nod to yourself. “Sure, though, I wouldn’t mind working with you if there are any group projects.”

“That’s great.” Kai grins. “By the way, do you mind if I share the space with you? To be honest, I thought nobody’s gonna be here.”

“No problem. I come here for the exact same reason anyway.” You smile at him.

The two of you spend hours inside the music room in silence aside from the occasional question here and there. Huening Kai does make a habit of stealing glances at you quite often, and you’re not any different when it comes to watching him work.

You meet the third of five at the bus stop. It’s late at night because you completely forgot about the time, and Huening Kai was no help either. The only reason both of you realized how late it had gotten was because Kai got a call from his younger sister about missing dinner with their parents.

Usually, at this late hour, nobody sits at the bus stop. But today, a guy stands tall, leaning against the frame of the bus schedule, scrolling mindlessly through his phone.

Even from here, you can see he’s handsome. And uninterested too, which makes today somewhat easier as compared to what you experienced with Yeonjun and Huening Kai.

The guy glances at you only when you walk toward him, stopping next to him to wait for the bus. His brows furrow as something catches his attention.

Before you know it, his attention is fully on you, a huge grin adorning his lips. “Are you listening to KARA?” he asks, pointing at your headphones. You had no idea that your music was that loud.

“Yeah…” you reply.

“I love KARA!” the guy exclaims.

“They got me into music.” You smile at the memory and shrug. “I like to take inspiration from their songs when I’m working on my projects.”

“Oh? A music major?” the guy asks, and when you nod, he adds: “My friends study music at Yein University nearby, are you by chance—”

“Yeah.” You nod again. “And you?”

“I go to Batu University for media management, but it kind of goes hand in hand with the other guys… I’m Soobin, by the way. Choi Soobin.” He offers you his hand.

“Y/N,” you say with a smile.

The bus arrives then, but as you both pleasantly find out, the two of you live in the same street and are practically neighbors. So after exchanging numbers, you promise to see each other at a normal hour of the day, too.

You bump into the fourth boy in the library. Unfortunately, studying at university as a music major doesn’t actually mean that it revolves around playing instruments, singing and making the music itself. Sometimes you do have to bury your head deep into textbooks and learn about the history and theory of it all, so you can either take inspiration, or learn from your predecessor’s mistakes in order to create a new generation.

And sometimes, it’s simply a consequence of a terrible choice when it came to elective — entirely unoptionally optional — courses.

You tend to not pay much attention to your surroundings when you study at the campus library. With headphones on your head, music blasting loudly, but at a healthy level, you lose yourself in a world of words that make sense on their own but lose their meaning once they’re strung together in a ludicrous line of academic bullshit.

Today is different though. Because despite your desire to cram at least a few names into your brain and what they entail, your phone keeps blowing up with messages from your friend group chat, or either of the three boys you have met so far. Even when you put the phone on do not disturb, it’s as if your brain still catches the waves of each blocked notification on the device.

To make matters worse, you can’t shake the feeling of somebody staring at you. But when you look around yourself, there is no one. Or, well, there are people — obviously, you are sitting in a crowded and very shared area for students — but none of them are interested in you any more than they are in the books they pretend to read.

You decide to give up studying after two hours of sitting and barely three lines of notes in your notebook.

The chair creaks as you stand up, but your peers ignore the sound, disregarding it with sympathy because the thoughts of giving themselves a break are probably floating in their heads, too.

Leaving the library is a freedom you allow yourself only because you’re barely one week into the new semester.

You did not expect to step on a pair of glasses on your way outside of the library. But here you are, listening to the loud crack of glass and plastic under the rubber sole of your shoe. Your eyes widen as you look down, noting the expensive looking frames, and fairly thick lenses.

“Has anyone seen my glasses?” A voice asks nearby, and your heart drops into your stomach, knowing that you probably ruined this person’s only pair of glasses and completely disrupted their way of life until they get new ones.

You pick them up despite yourself, a huge frown appearing on your lips as you assess the damage.

Spoiler alert: it’s bad.

“I think I found them,” you say regardless, turning in the general direction of where the voice had come from.

To your relief, you think, the person is already wearing a pair of glasses. He’s pretty, in a good way, you’d say. With dark hair falling into his eyes in styled waves. Quite tall, too. He’s what people would call the resident cute nerd, someone who you’d want to tutor you when you pretend to be dumber than you truly are.

“Fuck. I knew I’d dropped them,” he curses under his breath, not even considering the fact that you stepped on them and it’s entirely your fault they’re ruined. “I always carry spares in case,” he adds and points to the glasses already sitting on his nose. “Blessings of a minus five vision, I guess. Can’t function without either glasses or contacts.”

“I’m so sorry. I can pay for a new pair,” is the first thing that leaves your mouth when the guy approaches you, and he shakes his head.

“No, it’s not on you,” he says, looking at you sympathetically. “I dropped them here, it’s my fault. They could’ve gotten stolen too, and nothing much would change.” His nonchalance throws you off guard because the pair truly seems expensive.

“I have dozens more at home if it puts you at ease,” he adds as if he could hear your thoughts, his words seemingly leaving his mouth at a mile per hour. “You could say I have a record of being reckless with my glasses, but contacts tend to irritate my eyes.”

“Oh…” you don’t know what to say.

“I’m sorry. Uh, I’m Choi Beomgyu,” he introduces himself to you. “I didn’t mean to randomly talk your ear off, it’s just a self-defence mechanism in embarrassing situations.”

“I feel like I should be the one embarrassed and apologetic,” you say, a soft smile making its way to your lips. “I’m Y/N.”

“Well, if you really feel apologetic, would you mind giving me your number?” Beomgyu asks.

“What?”

The boy simply grins as if it’s a completely normal situation. “I’m easy to please, really. If you treat me to a cold beer, everything can be easily forgotten and forgiven.”

“Is that what it is?” You raise a brow at him. “A ploy to get free beer?”

“Well, I didn’t plan for my glasses to get broken today, but if I can get your number and a free beer, I will be very satisfied.”

“Truly a man with simple needs.”

“Never needed to be anything more.”

You met Kang Taehyun on a completely random Tuesday. Walking through campus, you mind your own business until a commotion catches your attention by the basketball court available mainly to P.E. majors.

Normally, you would disregard the situation because why would you care about a bunch of sweaty boys playing with a ball? But then you catch sight of three familiar faces — guys from your major — all playing against one man, and losing. Which piques your curiosity to the max.

“Hey, what’s going on?” you ask someone on your left, when you make it to the tiny crowd, and the person turns to you with an excited grin.

“They made a bet to play three on one. If Kang Taehyun loses—” the person points at the only guy you don’t recognize— “then the third year P.E. majors gotta buy a feast for the music majors. If those guys lose, they buy for Taehyun and his friends.”

“Isn’t that a bit unfair?” You furrow your brows, but the person merely shrugs.

“Well, it seems not,” they say, clapping when Kang Taehyun scores another point against the three fumbling music majors. “That’s 5 to 1 for Taehyun,”

You glance at a group of more familiar faces standing back and merely laughing at their friends’ misery rather than helping them out. Rolling your eyes, you step onto the small court. With your luck, one of the music majors throws the ball in your direction rather than his teammates, and you catch it with ease, tilting your head to the side.

“You guys made a bet and can’t even play this game properly?” you ask with a raised brow. Then you turn toward the crowd, your gaze firm on who you want to play with. “Heeseung, stop laughing your ass off and get here. And you too, Nicholas!” you call the two guys you’ve known for years. They’re what you would call your occasional friends — and also the people that used to play competitive basketball in high school.

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing? This is between us and the—”

“Music majors, right? Well, we’re also music majors,” you say confidently, staring down the guys trying to stop you. “How about we do a fair game of 3 to 3 with a change of players and same stakes, since you guys believe in your basketball skills so much?”

Kang Taehyun, the one who’s been playing the whole time walks up to you with big enough eyes to fell a tree out of sheer cuteness, though it does not fit the way his lips form a determined smirk.

“I’d get just changing players, but also trying to make this fair puts you at another disadvantage,” says one of Kang Taehyun’s friends because it doesn’t seem that he’s the overly talkative type.

The corner of your lips rises in a challenging smirk. “Might be.”

But Heeseung and Nicholas are already standing by your side, matching the height of the P.E. majors. “You sure about this, Y/N?” Heeseung asks.

“Do you want to have at least a sliver of a chance at free food?”

“Fair argument.”

In short: you lost. However, the difference in score was not as embarrassing as the original trio going against just one.

“Not bad,” Kang Taehyun speaks up for the first time since you saw him. His voice is slightly deeper and much quieter than you would expect it to be. “Almost had us in the end.”

“We haven’t played in a few years.” Nicholas shakes his head at the compliment, throwing his arm around your shoulder. “A little heads up next time would be appreciated.”

“I’m a spontaneous person.” You shrug, though in reality, you don’t know why you did this. You aren’t the kind of person to try and outshine someone — let alone go against the P.E. majors out of the blue. Yet your eyes always end up at one place: on Kang Taehyun.

The man seems both absolutely oblivious to the outside world and acutely aware of everything that happens around him. Like he wants people to disregard him, but knows to keep distance regardless. What might act as a repellent to others, is like a magnet to you.

“Well, if you guys are ever bored, we’re always looking for more people to play with us,” one of the older guys says, Fuma, you heard him be called at one point. He puts his hands on Taehyun’s shoulders as if to massage him and grins.

“Don’t you have a whole faculty just for that?” Heeseung questions, amused.

“They suck.” Concise, straight to the point — that is Kang Taehyun. He doesn’t speak unless necessary, and he never says anything he doesn’t mean. To other people, it might seem like he’s cold, aloof, and doesn’t care about anything or anyone but himself, but getting to know him and slowly peeling off layers of armor that was never truly there is a reward in itself.

“So, just a question, but we’re not the ones buying food, right? It’s still them?” Heeseung points toward the original trio that made a bet with zero skills to back it up.

“Nah, forget it. We appreciate a good game,” says the tallest of the three P.E. guys, you heard Fuma call him Kei during the game. He high-fives Heeseung with a grin.

“I wouldn’t mind buying you a coffee, though.” Taehyun’s voice nearly startles you, especially because he’s speaking to you. Staring at you. With a hint of expectancy in his big brown eyes.

“Hm?” Your brain stutters. Heeseung and Nicholas laugh at you, nudging your arms from each side as if you were kids in middle school, watching somebody confess their feelings.

“You’re entitled to say no, but I just thought I’d give it a shot.” Taehyun’s voice is nonchalant, but the way his lips twitch and his expression slightly changes with the anxiety of possibly being rejected, you can tell it would hurt his pride.

“You might need to raincheck, because vocal training starts in ten.” Heeseung, as helpful as ever, destroys the moment by checking the time on his phone. “Aaand we’re on the wrong side of the campus because we just spent our break playing basketball instead.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah.”

“Uh, I’d love to get coffee sometime, but it’ll have to wait. So sorry.” You barely manage to get out your apology before Heeseung has you by the wrist and is dragging you along in his sprint, so you can make it to vocal training in time.

“Dude! You never do this kind of thing?” Kei hits Taehyun’s arm with an amazed smirk, staring at him with wide eyes.

Taehyun hides his hands in the pockets of his jeans, shrugging. “I just like people who aren’t afraid to stand up for themselves.”

“I don’t even remember their name,” Fuma notes, running a hand through his head. “But they played well.”

“It’s Y/N,” Taehyun says, liking the way the name sounds on his lips.

You could sense Yeonjun’s staring from a mile away. Except he’s not even six feet away. He’s sitting right next to you, disrupting your work flow as you try to write down every single piece of information that leaves Professor Lee’s mouth.

It’s almost impossible to breathe with his annoyingly handsome face glued to your side, a smile gracing his lips as he doesn’t even bother to hide the fact that his attention is purely on you. It’s to a point where it irritates you more than it flusters you, because how can he just not pay attention to what Professor Lee says when his class is generally the hardest to get into in the whole faculty?

“Do you want to fail this class so badly?” you ask under your breath, most of your attention still on the front because you could not bear looking at Yeonjun.

The warm sound of his chuckle sends shivers down your spine and sets butterflies off in your stomach. It’s quite maddening because there is no way in hell that someone like Choi Yeonjun would actually like you.

Yet he never misses the chance to include you in anything group related, nor does he ever stop inviting you to hang outs and campus events that you would normally miss out on to work on your many unfinished projects. When you keep declining his offers, he doesn’t even seem to be any less determined if not more motivated. But you’ve seen the way people generally gravitate toward Yeonjun, so you can never fully understand — why would it be you?

“You’re so cute when you worry about me,” he remarks, eyes never leaving your face. “But Changbin’s actually voice-recording all classes, so I have no need to listen when I have you right next to me.”

“Flirting is a really bad habit for you.” Shaking your head, you dare to glance at Yeonjun from the corner of your eye. He grins at you as if he won at life. But the small voice in your head still doubts — if your ex-boyfriend had secretly been an asshole, what if Yeonjun’s intentions were even worse? What if this is simply an elaborate joke between him and his friends? Just another plot to break your heart.

You could not give in.

Not again.

“I don’t flirt,” he replies, a pout forming on his lips.

“Maybe that’s the problem.”

Yeonjun follows you even after class, almost like a stray cat who got attached to the first person it came across. “You don’t trust me,” he says eventually, hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans while you’re trying to pick out an appropriate lunch in the campus cafeteria.

Eyes follow him wherever he goes, because if there is anything Choi Yeonjun does, it’s drawing attention to himself without even trying. It isn’t something you can fault him for, but it makes you even more suspicious.

For one, he doesn’t let you pay for lunch. Two, he’s friendly with everyone who dares to greet him. And three, Choi Yeonjun isn’t the only good-looking man in the world.

Your phone lights up with a notification. A message from KARA lunatic popping up.

[12:54] KARA lunatic: Next time you forget something at my place, make sure it’s valuable, so I can sell it later. [2 attached photos]

The photos include a scrunchie you’ve been trying to find the whole day, and a photo of Soobin wearing it around his wrist to remember that he should return it.

Between the two of you, a tacit agreement of sorts formed last week. Sometimes, when either of your roommates decide to have visitors over, you simply remove yourself from the situation by going over to Soobin’s place, which is practically three steps away. And Soobin lets you stay, as long as you don’t disrupt his personal space.

And then another message finds its way to your phone from a contact named friendless guy.

[12:55] friendless guy: professor min approved the changes we made for the spring festival theme! yayyyy [1 photo attached]

Huening Kai doesn’t fail to send a selfie of himself doing thumbs up.

You smile to yourself, reading the messages. It makes Yeonjun straighten in his seat across from you, elbows leaning on the table as he narrows his eyes at you.

“Am I that bad?” he questions, sporting that damned adorable pout. “I’m really sorry if I did anything to offend you, Y/N, I’m just—”

“You did nothing to offend me, Yeonjun.” You shake your head, setting your phone down. Staring him in the eyes, you don’t believe they belong to those of a liar. But he is right; you cannot trust him. Not yet. “But you’re so— you. And I’m… me.”

“Stunning?”

You laugh in his face. Not at him, obviously, but at his words. He is calling you stunning? When your ex-boyfriend said you were out of his league? It just feels like one strange, elaborate joke from fate itself.

“This campus is full of people that already adore you, Yeonjun. So why—”

“Because,” Yeonjun says, a smile forming on his lips. He never breaks eye contact with you, gazing at you as if you hung the stars in the sky.

“Because?”

“Because.”

Despite your skepticism, Yeonjun doesn’t waver. Instead, he seems to appreciate that you don’t instantly jump at his feet, ready to do whatever he asks of you. It makes you all the more real to him — a genuine person. (And he likes you so much more for it.)

“What would you say to a casual hang out then? As friends, let’s say. You, me, and some of my other friends.”

“When? I have work to do, Yeonjun…”

“Not now, obviously. But I’d let you know.” And he attempts to wink at you, but both of his eyes close instead, and you can’t help but giggle at the action. It’s adorable, and entirely uncharacteristic of his otherwise perfect, flirty image.

“Okay,” you sigh. “I can do that.”

“Really?” Yeonjun barely contains his excitement, attracting the attention of a few students. Their sour expressions turn into ones of pure awe when they realize it’s Choi Yeonjun they were about to scold, though.

“Really.”

“You won’t regret it!”

Working in a pair is strangely comforting. You smile to yourself as you listen to the faint buzzing of speakers and Huening Kai’s scribbling against the paper. He writes down notes as they come to him, while you work on a mix of sounds to get a melody that’s been stuck on your mind the whole day out of your head.

The two of you have gotten comfortable around each other quickly. In the same way you find solace in Soobin’s presence and apartment on nights when you need it, Kai is your sanctuary during the day when there is nothing much to do on campus.

“What would you think if I said I want to start a band?” Kai asks rhetorically, humming to himself. The sound of a pencil scratching against paper stops as Kai turns to look at you. “I saw this poster, you know, that said the school will hold a competition during the spring festival.”

“So you want to start a band to join this competition?”

“The prize money is really good,” Kai says, nodding. “And we get free coffee in the campus café for the rest of the year.”

Your eyes widen. “I can… see the appeal.”

“Would you join?”

“Your band?”

Kai nods.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

“I just didn’t want to assume.” Kai shrugs a smile forming on his lips. “But if I’m on the drums and you’re on the bass, we might still need a good deal of people.”

“Just guitar and piano probably,” you say without much worry. “Those are the most common among music majors anyway… and I kinda have ideas.”

“You do?”

“Well, for guitar, I’d try asking Park Jongseong. He’s really good. Or Choi Taeyang. Maybe both. And piano… I guess, Kim Jungsu?”

“You know a lot of people in our major,” Kai remarks, turning in his place to look at you.

“I participate in way too many events, I guess.” You bite the inside of your cheek, eyeing Kai from the corner of your eye. “But you don’t, since I didn’t know about you…”

Kai chuckles, running a hand through his hair. “I prefer avoiding public events. And when I do, I only keep to my friends or myself.”

“Fair enough,” you say, grinning. “I hope you’re ready to let the world know that Huening Kai exists, though. Because you’re not gonna be left alone after that.”

“I’ll just use you as my shield.”

“Damn. Can’t wait.”

Kai laughs softly, and you relish the sound, subconsciously recording it to tuck away in a corner of your mind for later.

The restaurant near campus buzzes with life as people file in and out for a quick lunch between classes.

You are not an exception to the rule, entering with an excited grin on your face.

“Y/N!” The sound of your name makes your head turn, and a squeal leaves your lips at the sight of your friends, Emma and Chloe. You haven’t seen them in ages, although you attend the same university. But being in different faculties complicates your ability to meet up.

“It’s been so long!” you exclaim as you practically run to them.

They envelop you in a tight hug, smiles plastered on their faces.

“Too long.” Chloe frowns. “I was starting to forget what you look like.” She dramatically places a hand over her forehead before her eyes set on you, scanning every part of you like a hawk.

“We’ll take lots of pictures later,” Emma says, giggling. “But you’re doing okay, right? I heard you’re working on the spring festival’s soundtrack.”

“Yeah! It’s actually going really well. Main theme being love and all, it’s pretty easy to satisfy the masses.”

“Anything light and upbeat would probably do.”

“Exactly. The expectations are so low that it’s easy to exceed them.” You smirk, proud of the tiny reference that you haven’t given up since your childhood. “But anyways, can we get something to eat first? I’m starving.”

“You’re reading my mind.”

The three of you spend an hour catching up and eating your lunch. Chloe rants about linguistics classes, while Emma shares information about her upcoming performance at the local theater.

“By the way, do you guys know Choi Yeonjun?” Emma asks with a slightly raised brow, leaning her elbows on the table, because she is about to share vital gossip.

“Duhh,” Chloe responds, rolling her eyes. “Everyone knows Choi Yeonjun. Dude’s campus famous.”

You don’t say anything. All you can do is purse your lips in thought and nod solemnly. Knowing Choi Yeonjun is certainly one way to put it. Thinking about it, you probably have a few unread messages from him on your phone right now.

“Well, someone found out who one of his exes is!” Emma exclaims, pulling out her phone to search something up. “Look. That’s literally him and the Karina, cozying up together on campus.”

“Damn. How old is that photo?” Chloe questions, and Emma shrugs in response.

“Like two years back maybe. They were campus sweethearts in their first year. Before she, you know, dropped out and became famous and all that stuff.”

“Why’s that important anyway?” You don’t want to sound jealous, because you’re not— you shouldn’t be. You have zero reasons to be jealous over a past relationship from a guy who doesn’t have to be anything more but your friend.

“Karina’s coming back to our faculty. Dance major, obviously. To finish her studies.”

“Wait. You’re telling me Karina is going to be breathing the same air as me? Walking the same paths as me? Living around the same campus as me?” Chloe freaks out, while you lef out a breathy, amused laugh. “And she’s Choi Yeonjun’s ex. That is insane news.”

“For you, maybe.” You shake your head, feigning ignorance rather than acknowledging the fact that once Karina is back on campus, Yeonjun’s attention will probably divert back to her.

And the idea of it totally doesn’t upset you.

Chloe and Emma both look at you with raised brows, eyes piercing through you as they try to read your body language and grasp at all the words that are left unsaid.

“How do you know Choi Yeonjun?” Emma asks after a minute of awkward silence, finally coming to her own conclusion.

“He attends Professor Lee’s classes,” you don’t lie. “We have a few group projects together.”

“And you haven’t said a thing?” Chloe sounds appalled, expression bemused.

“It’s not that important.” You try to brush it off, but the girls are already on you, grabbing your phone off the table.

Not only does it show a long thread of messages from Yeonjun, however, it also contains Beomgyu’s rant about baroque music, Soobin’s invitation to have fried chicken near your apartments, and Kai’s list of things the two of you have to work on before the spring festival.

Their mouths drop to the ground in disbelief as they look through them, eyes glued to the profile pictures of each boy.

“Holy shit.”

“There’s no way.”

“Our child is actually growing up.” Chloe feigns a tear, glancing at you. “I was scared you were letting your ex ruin every possible relationship you could have in the future.”

“Those are my friends,” you say, crossing your arms.

“Not when they’re this hot.” Emma shakes her head. Knowing your passcode and having full access to your phone, she opens Soobin’s contact first, his picture taking over the whole display.

“Oh, this is insane.” Chloe and Emma join their heads together as they scroll through your private messages, but you let them. Perhaps you should’ve updated them at least a tiny bit about what’s been going on in your life.

Someone clears their throat near you.

“Hope I’m not interrupting anything important.” The voice makes your eyes widen, head snapping in the direction of Kang Taehyun. You were beginning to think you might never see him again.

Chloe and Emma ignore him, too absorbed in your phone to pay attention. You leave them be, and smile at Taehyun instead, shaking your head.

“Not at all. I—”

“You never got the chance to give me your number,” Taehyun says, hiding his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “And my offer for the coffee still stands.”

“Really?”

“Really.” He nods, the corner of his lips lifting in a smile. You watch him take his phone out, offering it to you, so you can put your number in.

When you give his phone back, you watch him type in a name for you, and you’re certain it was not your name he wrote in there. “I will text you to figure out when we both have time, then.”

“Okay.” You nod, and Taehyun grins. Departing before your two friends can even notice that he was ever there.

Or, before he texts your phone number, reverting their attention back to you.

“Who is this guy asking you to save his number?” They question, opening up Taehyun’s profile. “He’s—”

“Good-looking?” you ask, well aware of the fact. Obviously, you’re not blind, so you know that each of the boys you have come across these past few weeks are incredibly attractive. But…

There is a line you shouldn’t cross with either of them.

Yeonjun scheduled the hangout with his friends for Friday. Which you were not opposed to. You didn’t have any plans, and all you really cared about these past few days was the song you and Kai have been trying to finish for the spring festival, so he can focus on starting his band.

“I think if we layer our voices a bit more, it will come out great,” you point out, playing through the current demo.

“Okay. We can do that.”

Kai leans over your shoulder to stare at the screen of your laptop, his breath tingling the back of your neck. You do your best to ignore the way your heart speeds up in his vicinity, and the way he places his arm on the desk, caging you in from one side.

“I think we should also remove some of the riffs. It makes the song sound too heavy for something spring-themed,” he adds, biting the inside of his cheek in thought. “It’s about love that blooms slowly over time, not a fast-paced summer fling.”

Humming, you nod. “I guess you’re right.”

“I think we could finish this by Friday, and then we can start working on recruiting band members.”

“That sounds great, but I’m only free until four on Friday.”

“Me too, actually. To support a friend. Apparently, I gotta meet and I quote: the love of his life. Said he needs it to be casual or something.”

“Probably doesn’t want to come off too strong on the love of his life.” You imitate Kai’s voice as you say the last part, and the boy chuckles, nodding.

“I’ll be honest, though, I’ve never seen him be this excited about a person. Not since his last breakup, at least,” Kai shares, smiling to himself. There is a glint of happiness for his friend in his eye as he looks at you.

Forgetting how close he is to you, you make the mistake of turning your head in his direction, meeting his gaze from barely a few centimeters. His eyes briefly flicker to your lips, but it happens in a matter of seconds that make you wonder if you haven’t made it up.

“What about you?” you ask, your attention back on the screen of your laptop.

“What do you mean?” Kai tilts his head, brows furrowed.

“Don’t you have any exes you’re trying to get over?” you question a bit too eagerly, but Kai doesn’t seem to notice. Instead, he chuckles dismissively and shakes his head.

“God, no,” he replies. “I’ve never dated anyone before. And I think it’s for the better.”

“Really? You never liked someone?” You fight the urge to look Kai in the eye because he has yet to move back, and you cannot handle staring down at him from such a close distance again.

“I mean… it’s not that I didn’t want to. I guess it just never felt right, you know?” Kai shrugs, finally stepping back from you, giving you the space to properly breathe. “I’ve had people confess to me before, but I’m not exactly someone who’d go for it just because someone showed interest. I can’t do it if my heart isn’t in it.”

Biting the inside of your cheek, you keep quiet. He isn’t wrong. You completely understand his point because that is exactly what you think as well. Though it doesn’t change the fact that you didn’t have this mindset before, and swore off dating because of it, too. Why are you still getting affected by something an asshole had done ages ago?

You should’ve been able to move on by now. But it’s so hard to trust people.

“Are you okay?” Kai asks after a minute of silence.

“What?” You blink. “Oh, yes, I’m fine. I was just… thinking, I guess. Sorry.”

“Thinking about what?” Kai laughs softly, an unidentifiable emotion flashing in his eyes.

“Just… that you’re not wrong.” You press your lips together, running a hand through your hair. “Dating someone you don’t actually like is not a good idea.” You should never have given in to your ex-boyfriend just because he was persistently chasing you.

“So I’m guessing you are dealing with an ex,” Kai says, his tone reassuring. “That bad, huh?”

“If pretending to like me for months just to get to fuck me is bad then yes, you could say that.”

“What.” Kai’s eyes widened, disgusted shock contorting his features. “Did—”

“No, actually. That’s the funny part, I guess,” you reply, a self-deprecating laugh escaping your lips. “I shouldn’t be so hung up on a guy I wasn’t even that interested in, right? Like, I was just entertaining him because he said he liked me.”

“Man, that’s insane.” Kai sighs in disbelief, running a hand through his hair before you feel both his hands on your shoulders, squeezing reassuringly. “That can totally mess with your trust.”

A smile forms on your lips. The way Kai understands spreads warmth through your chest, and you lean back, more into his touch — into him.

“If I’d known you earlier, I would totally teach that guy a lesson,” he says under his breath, and you giggle quietly, your hand reaching up to rest on the top of his on one of your shoulders.

“Thanks,” you say softly. “But I may have roughed him up a bit myself when I found out…” you admit, averting your gaze to the ground.

“Good!” Kai exclaims, another low chuckle leaving his lips. “Wait… you’re the ex who broke some music major’s ribs!” The realization comes to him slowly, eyes crinkling with sheer amusement at the thought. “I always knew there was a story behind it.”

“Yeah…” You nod, biting your lip. “That is me, I guess. The crazy ex. Yay.”

“I don’t think you’re crazy,” Kai says, his hands still a heavy weight on your shoulders. “I never thought you were crazy since I first heard about it, anyway. And now I think you just had a reasonable reaction to finding out that someone you chose to trust betrayed it…”

[14:24] KARA lunatic: MAN [14:24] KARA lunatic: this is so messed up [14:24] you: what is? [14:25] KARA lunatic: t1’s playing against g2 today and i can’t watch [14:25] KARA lunatic: this is HELLL [14:25] KARA lunatic: what sins am i being punished for [14:26] you: why can’t you watch? [14:28] KARA lunatic: i’m being forced into society tonight [14:28] KARA lunatic: pray for me [14:30] you: you’re so dramatic

The finished song sounds better than you expected. It’s calm, yet energetic, capturing the beginning of a slow, yet powerful love story. In a way, it is exactly the type of song you would associate with Kai, so it only makes sense that he was the one helping you make it.

“What time is it?” he asks when you finally click the send button, sharing the song file with your professor.

Checking the clock, it seems to be about time to start packing up for your meet with Yeonjun. “We’ll have to go, I think,” you say, pursing your lips.

“I thought so. Where are you heading? Maybe I can walk you before I have to make an appearance with my friends,” Kai suggests, crossing the music room to grab his denim jacket.

“The Chinese restaurant near campus. Not that far away, so I’ll be fine.” You wave your hand dismissively, but Kai stops mid-putting-on his jacket, tilting his head to the side.

“I’m actually also heading there, though.”

“Oh.”

“Oh.” Kai smiles, shrugging on the jacket. “So I get to walk you regardless.”

“I suppose that’s how fate wants it.” You chuckle, throwing your laptop inside your shoulder bag.

“Is your friend the punctual kind?” you ask in front of the restaurant.

Kai shrugs in response. “Not usually. But I think he might be for this one.” Rubbing the back of his neck, he’s not entirely sure if he likes the idea of you meeting up with another guy — someone he doesn’t know. But at least he’ll be in the same restaurant.

“Alright then.”

Nodding, you walk inside the restaurant together. Choi Yeonjun sits inside a booth with two other guys, their backs facing you. Spotting him inside the packed restaurant is far too easy, and you hate the way your heart skips a beat when you see him laugh at something his friend has said.

“Oh, I see my friend,” Kai says, just as Yeonjun stands up because he noticed you. “Yeon–”

“Y/N!” Yeonjun exclaims giddily, waving you over. Though his excitement quickly turns into confusion once he notices Kai standing next to you, his brows furrowing.

You glance at Kai. “Don’t tell me—”

“Yeonjun is the guy you’re meeting?”

“Yeonjun is the guy who said I’m the love of his life?”

Kai faces you, nodding slowly. But when you look back at Yeonjun, it only gets worse. His two friends have stood up, too, and when they turn, you recognize both of them, too.

Choi Beomgyu.

Kang Taehyun.

And then someone rushes inside the restaurant, nearly body-slamming into you because he’s busy staring at his phone.

“Soobin?” Your lips part as you gape at the tall guy.

“Y/N?” He looks at you. Then his eyes fly over to the boy standing next to you. “Kai?”

“You know each other?” Both boys question with their eyes wide while they stare between you and the other.

“Holy shit,” you murmur.

tags: @moonpri @addictedtohobi @dainsleif-when-playable @cloverwalker @ttaesoob @ivvees-blog @semi-wife @starrias @yunjica @lun4mizuka

feel free to ask to be tagged!

#txt x reader #txt fic #txt angst #txt fluff #yeonjun x reader #soobin x reader #beomgyu x reader #taehyun x reader #huening kai x reader

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mirohlayo · 2 years ago

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https://www.tumblr.com/mirohlayo/736270231017865216/my-introvert-girl-ln4?source=share

Is it bad I wanna see avas reaction andl her showing everyone she hates reader?

okay so i didn't intend to write a part 2 for my introvert girl but many anons asked me for ava's reaction so here is it !! 🫶

MY INTROVERT GIRL | LN4 (pt2)

( lando and you are finally together, but it seems one girl still hates you no matter what )

warning : slight angst, insecurity, fluff, like a lil innuendo but that's all, soft lando

note : not gonna write a part 3 because i think it's useless, but already pretty proud of these 2 parts !!

word count : 4k

!! english not my first language !!

lando and you are dating for quite some weeks now. and everything is going wonderfully. he has never been so in love, and therefore the same for you. he loves you so much and he's never tired of showing it, you being overwhelmed by his affection.

he doesn't hesitate to show the entire world how precious you are to him, and if he has to prove it until everyone notices that you are his he will do it for eternity. and you would do the same for him without a doubt, he is your first boyfriend ever and certainly the last of your life.

your love is so intense and can be feel wherever you two go, that necessarily it does not go unnoticed. especially in the eyes of the pretty blonde who obviously feels the same feelings for lando as you. even if it's always good to remember that lando only has eyes for you and only you.

and it gets on ava's nerves. when she knew about you dating, her jealousy towards you has only increased. she saw red. she was horrified by this sudden new. she was sure lando would ends up dating her because there was no world in which he would have ended up with an introvert like you.

she finds you so bland. uninteresting. you're not comfortable with people and being shy you're not talkative. and you're always stuck on lando's side as if you were going to die if you didn't stay close to him.

and the fact that lando doesn't see anything wrong with it and isn't even a little annoyed by your behavior because he adores when his girl gets clingy. he always ends up staring at you with tenderness like you are the most beautiful thing in the world.

you here, you there. ava hates it. she detests you. if we would offer her the choice to break your couple she would do it without hesitation. and this is obviously what she intends to do. because since she sees no point in lando dating his complete opposite, such an introvert girl. no, he needs an funny and extrovert girl like ava to match him.

winter break allows the f1 drivers to relax and to rest, to spend time with their loved ones. lando was looking forward to it since it's his first winter break with you, so he wants to make the most of it to spend as much time as possible with you.

he organized many trips, one of them is a trip to vietnam. some of his closest friends will take part in the trip, including ava. normally, she wasn't supposed to come but ria had an hold up so she ended up replacing her. to her greatest happiness of course.

for your part, you weren't comfortable with going on this trip with the blonde girl. you know very well how much she hates you and that she wants to ruin your romantic relationship. you don't want to alert lando or anyone else, you don't want to create problems because it's not in your nature unlike ava. so you just decided not to say anything.

you told yourself that putting up with her presence and her stupid remarks for a week wasn't going to be that complicated. and then you'll be with your lover most of the time, so ava won't be able to speak to you much. ignoring her will be the best solution.

you arrived two days ago now, and after eating you all decided to spend the afternoon on the beach playing games like volleyball or even mini football. nothing but just activities for fun.

everyone is excited to play games, but you're not really in the mood. you're feeling a little tired and you just don't feel like having fun right now. on the one hand, your shyness also forces you to stay locked up in the hotel. you like playing games but you're afraid of making a fool of yourself in front of others. especially in front of ava.

so you inform lando about it, that you weren't coming, and he told you that he wasn't going to leave the hotel and stay with you either.

"baby it's okay, i'll stay in the hotel room. go play with the others" you say to him before slip in under the blanket. "no. if you don't go then neither do i. i’ll stay with you" he retorts, joining you in the bed.

he places himself above you, his chest on yours and his arms tightly wrap your waist. "please lando. i know how much you want to spend time with your friends so i would never refuse that to you. i don't want you to stay locked up because of me" you say to convince him.

"but that's the point, i want to stay locked up with you baby. you’re the one i want to spend time with the most. i don't really care about the others for now. if you stay here, then me too. i just want you with me” he pouts, and places his chin on your stomach.

you look down to plant your eyes in his gaze and he shows you his prettiest smile. what an adorable man. "okay fine. but i don't want you to be mad at me for that later" you warn him. "never. i would never blame you, love” he said before hiding his head in the crook of your neck.

"love you" he muffles and his breath tickles you. "i love you too lan" you says before pressing a soft kiss on his hair. you start playing with his curls, while he's here holding you close, leaving some kisses here and there on your shoulder and neck.

an hour passes like this, you two cuddling close to each other. a text from max makes lando's phone vibrate and he groans. he extends his hand lazily and grab his phone to read the text. "what he's saying ?" you ask, sounding sleepy. "if we're going to join them or not" he replies sounding the same as you.

you think for a few moments. lando was going to put his phone down on the nightstand when you finally suggest that you must go out and join the others on the beach. "are you sure? do you really want to go outside?" he asks you cautiously, his tired eyes scanning your face. "yes. i want to stretch out. your body made me sag" you tease him and he rolls his eyes letting out a laugh. “just say i'm too heavy” “no you’re perfect baby”.

he can't help but blush so hard. god it's the first time that a girl has had such an effect on him. and it seems that it flutters him even more coming from an introvert. "fine. let's go then my girl" he says and in a second you're already outside, walking hand in hand to join your friends.

“it looks like the sloths are back” pietra says, nodding towards the couple arriving on the beach. “we didn’t even sleep” lando responds defensively. “oh so you must have done dirty things then" max said playfully, giving implied glances to the two lovers.

lando can feel himself blushing really hard, just like you. “shut up you muppet. you're saying bullshit" you reply embarrassed. everyone seems amused by the situation except of course one person.

ava.

she seems to be killing you with her gaze, looking you up and down like you're the plague itself. of course lando doesn't notice, too hypnotized by the beautiful girl walking beside him. he almost falls to the ground because of you.

“well, looks like y/n finally got the guts to show herself. which is rare with her, we almost wonder if she even exists sometimes.” ava looks at you and displays a fake, hypocritical smile. no one seems to laugh at her remark and the atmosphere becomes uncomfortable. you don't know where to go or how to react. you feel a little humiliated to tell the truth.

"huh, what did you say ?" lando remarks, a little confused by what the blonde just said. the girl sighs and rolls her eyes before showing her smile that you dream of making her swallow. “oh it’s okay, it was just kidding. we all know that y/n isn’t comfortable with people but i love her anyway” she finally added.

you feel like shit. she's talking like you're the worst scumbag on earth and you don't even have the strength to defend yourself. your shyness seems to be taking over. "um well. okay ava just stop talking and instead start playing. you've been losing every round since a while ago" martin says to lighten the atmosphere because everyone seemed disturbed and embarrassed by the situation.

you sigh and slowly drop lando's hand, but he holds it tightly and looks at you. “don't worry baby, i'm going to stay with you. we can relax on the deckchairs if you prefer” lando kindly offers you, he wants to make you feel comfortable.

“as you wish” you shrug your shoulders trying to hide your sadness and pain and lando smiles at you before leading you towards the deckchairs. he lays down comfortably on one and you move towards another one close to his. but he grabs your hand and makes you sit on his legs. “lie on me love” he begs you with his eyes.

you smile shyly at him and stand up. "nah. we're in public lando, i don't want to receive all the teasing from our friends" you declare before lying down on another deckchair. he pouts, disappointed not to feel your body against his. he even brings his deckchair closer to yours so he can hold your hand, or play with a few strands of your hair.

the sun is strong and the beach umbrella protects you, with of course the sunscreen that you put on before. the waves dance loudly and the laughter of your friends fills the atmosphere with joy. it's calming.

well, it was calming for a little while. ava noticed that you weren't with them playing a game of volleyball and while scanning the surroundings, she spotted you on the deckchairs, silly smiles on your races and lando being extremely touchy with you.

she hates this view. she hates you. she would like to tear off your smile and make you disappear. she already imagines herself in your place, laughing loudly with lando. you are not in your place. it's her. you don't deserve lando.

she walks briskly towards the two of you, and your faces turn towards her. the blonde smiles hypocritically and without any hesitation, she sits on the edge of your lover's deckchair. which you don't like at all. and neither does lando, since he doesn't wait a single second to gently push her with his leg.

she seems hurt and shows it openly, putting her hand to her heart to express her pain ironically. "you hurt me lando. i thought we were friends" she said in a sad tone. “we kind of are. but this place is reserved for my girlfriend only” he answers, holding your hand tighter.

you feel more reassured and you feel your heart soar at the words of your lover. he knows when to show others that it's only you who matters. this comment makes ava roll her eyes, but it's subtle enough that only you notice. she sits on another deck chair and turns to you.

“why don’t you come play with us?” she starts to start a conversation. “y/n doesn’t really want to and neither do i, so i'm staying with her.” lando says and she lets a mocking laugh come out of her mouth and you look at her surprised. “it looks like you’re babysitting her” she says, laughing.

did you hear that correctly? is she serious? you can't let this go. “what did you say?” you ask with a frown. she lets another laugh escape and it also attracts lando's attention. "you seem like you're a baby who always needs lando's attention. he looks like a babysitter because of you"

it’s lando’s turn to frown. he holds your hand a little more firmly. “what do you mean ava?” he says, he knows something is wrong. the blonde sighs deeply and rolls her eyes, glaring at y/n.

"look, she's not even capable of playing with others and having fun. she's stopping you from having good times. she's so shy and... introverted that she's ruining your holidays, even your personal space. she's always stuck to you, it seems like she doesn't know how to cope without you it's just... pathetic." she unpacks it all while looking at you with disgust.

oh you feel so humiliated now. you feel tears coming but you hold them back, crying in front of her will only make things worse. you feel so weak and worthless. you blame yourself for being so insecure, being so shy and reserved. because maybe it's the truth.

maybe lando is finally fed up with you and he hates being around you, stuck with an ordinary and shy person like you. he probably can't have the fun he wants because of your shyness. maybe it's true, you're like a child who's ruining his life.

"don't ever talk about her that way again. you really disgust me ava. you don't even measure up to her and you dare open your fucking mouth to say bullshit" lando starts to raise his voice. you can tell he looks extremely angry.

“oh because you also want to defend her?” she asks mockingly. "i defend her and will defend her no matter what happens. you don't have to talk to my girlfriend like that when she is everything you will never be" he spits his words in her face and gives her a cold look.

he jumps up and holds your hand tightly. when his gaze falls on you, it softens. “come on y/n. let’s go back to the hotel” he pulls you towards him and walks you to the hotel pushing ava out of the way. “get out. i don’t want to see you anymore.” he says his last words to her.

the blonde remains standing, alone. a strange, painful and hurtful feeling takes hold of her. the rest of the group stopped playing, observing the scene. now it's ava's turn to feel humiliated. why did she do that?

for your part, you and Lando return to your hotel room. it's silent. he opens the door and you run to take refuge in the bed, so that he joins you a few seconds later. "don't worry baby. don't listen to her, she's talking nonsense. she just wants to destroy you" lando tries to reassure you and you just nod your head.

you smile at him to reassure him in turn, although deep down you are still a little worried. you're still a little hurt. a part of you tells you that it's true, that Lando doesn't like being constantly stuck to you. you don't like it at all.

the rest of the afternoon passes quickly for your boyfriend, but slowly for you. you can't stop overthinking, thinking about ava's words. part of your brain still makes you believe that you don't deserve lando and that he will be better off with ava. it eats you from the inside. you don't like to doubt lando but ava makes you feel vulnerable and insecure.

and your boyfriend noticed it. he noticed that you had become quieter, you only spoke to him very recently. and he starts to worry about you. he suspects deep down that it's because of earlier that you seem off. so he knows exactly what to do.

he proposed, well more like forced you to watch the sunset, just the two of you, him and you on the beach. no group of friends, no ava, no games, no, just the two of you on the beach. you weren't for it at first but you love sunsets and night walks on the beach, so you finally gave up. especially if it's with lando. you walk hand in hand on the warm sand. the waves rock your ears and the sun slowly begins to set on the horizon. how beautiful. you find a comfortable spot and sit down, lando still holding your hand in his.

he gently caresses it with his thumb, pressing a few random kisses on the back of your hand. he rests your head on his shoulder, and you admire the magnificent landscape in the distance. it's soothing, it's romantic.

"beautiful right?” lando murmurs against you, staring into the distance. you smile to yourself. “very beautiful” “just like you” he responds quickly and you can tell he’s grinning. you laugh softly and shake your head. “how cheesy” you blurt out and it’s his turn to let out a soft laugh.

oh his laugh.

although you still hide it, lando knows he needs to talk to you. that he must reassure you. that he has to make you sure how much he loves you and that he would literally do anything for you. because you're the only girl who makes it feel this good.

“y/n” he whispers your name so softly, and it warms your heart. “hmm babe?” you hum. he moves to get a little closer to you and rests his head on yours. "i know what you're thinking about since this afternoon” he begins cautiously not wanting to rush you. he knows your nature.

"w-what ?" you try to hide. but you know very well that he knows you by heart. “please don’t try to avoid the subject. you know what i'm talking about.” he ends up saying.

you sigh. you know you have to talk to him about it, it will only do you good. “yes sorry.” "don't feel sorry love. take your time". he said in such a caring way. he presses a soft kiss against your hair. and another on your cheek. he loves kissing your face so much.

you take a deep breath. you press your hand a little more against his. "it's just... it's just that i feel so insecure when ava talks about me like that. i keep telling myself that i don't deserve you, that you deserve someone who looks like you and who is not your opposite. like ava". you pause but you know he continues to be attentive and listen to you.

"i..." you continue "i keep thinking that it must bore you to stay constantly and always with me. that my shyness surely prevents you from having fun and enjoying your life to the fullest. that i'm like a drag and dating an introvert like me is a bad idea” you finish, tears soon escaping your eyes.

now he faces you. he looks at you with so much gentleness, so much affection and love. his gaze becomes sadder when he hears what is on your heart and his heart suddenly tightens at your words. he hates hearing you talk about yourself like that, devaluing you when all he loves about you is what you're insecure about.

“my baby…” he whispers and places his hands on your cheeks, caressing them gently. he wipes with his thumb a tear that has just escaped your eyes. he places a soft kiss on the tip of your nose and smiles affectionately at you.

"i wish you could see you through my eyes". he places another kiss on your forehead. the sun illuminates his face, the waves seem to transport you.

"i fucking love you. like fucking fucking love you. it's me who doesn’t deserve you. it's me who should hate myself for not always making you feel secure about me and our relationship" he explains. "i don't care about ava, you know that. she is absolutely nothing compared to you. it's not her or someone like her that i want. it's you. you're the only one i want and need so badly".

his hands slide to grab yours. "being constantly by your side is the best thing in the world. i don't care if we are in the worst place in the world, in the worst possible situation, as long as i am with you and by your side i know that everything will be fine. there's nowhere i'd like to be without you. it's just impossible. all i fucking want is to stay with you as long as possible."

he smiles brightly at you before finishing. "and your shyness will not change my love for you or how i live my life. i fell in love with you because of this side of you, because you are introverted and you are so much my opposite that i am extremely attracted to you. it's like that. so don't blame yourself, because i don't want you to change that even though it doesn't even bother me a little bit. i love it. i adore you. i love you and i love you. love you and i will always love you"

you sure you look like nothing now. your eyes must probably be puffy and red but that's okay. lando doesn't care too. you can't help but smile at him with all your teeth. “i love you so much lando. i love you with all my heart and that will never change” you whisper against his neck.

he places thousands of kisses on your head, caressing your back. god how much he loves you too, your love is so deep and strong. “hope it'll never change then” he adds and puts his arms around your waist, bringing you as close to his body as possible.

and without a word, in a calming silence, you stay in each other's arms until the sun sets completely. a starry sky now paints the night. you are still glued to each other, your head on your lover's stretched out legs. you admire the stars while he admires you. it's perhaps one of his favorite activities. just looking at you, like the most beautiful paintings in the world. but soon you notice that he doesn't pay attention to the sky and you point this out to him, teasing him.

“look at the sky, it's so pretty” you hum “but you're prettier” he simply retorts, telling the truth. you roll your eyes and let out a small laugh. “never tired of being cheesy” you laugh shyly. “never” he adds while smiling. but he ends up raising his head towards the sky. it is true that the stars are infinitely beautiful. they shine so much, and he can't help but describe them like that, as he describes you the same way. he runs his hand through your hair, eyes anchored to the stars.

“do you see all these stars?” he asks and you hum in response. "i would hunt them all for you if you asked me. i would bring them all to you if that's what you want. ask me to bring down the moon and i would do it without hesitation just for you" he said softly, a silly smile on his lips.

you can’t help but burst out laughing. “how romantic” you tease him but deep down you melt, feeling so confident after all those sweet words. he lowers his head to look at you, smiling fully.

he admires you for a moment, take in your features. his heart never stops beating faster at the sight of you, even after weeks of being in a relationship. and he leans down to finally kiss you, his lips capturing yours perfectly. gosh he loves kissing you so much, he might never stop. he pulls back and pecks your nose.

“love you always, my introvert girl” he smiles softly.

#f1 imagine #f1 x reader #f1 fanfic #lando norris x reader #lando norris imagine #lando norris x y/n #lando norris x you #ln4 imagine #lando norris #lando norris fluff #lando norris fanfic #ln4 x reader

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