#so much so that I’m breaking my no cussing rule but oh well

[fandomfairyuniverse]

Juyeong: *takes off his cross before telling dohoe that he likes him*

Me (raised catholic, uncle is a pastor): oh. OH. OH SHIT-

[astralis-ortus]

it feels impossible (it's not impossible)

✱ bestfriend!bc × gn!reader

— 'cause you are the one i was meant to find.

w.count → 2k genre → romcom, fluff warnings → minor cussing (as per usual, heh), chan refered to as chris a.n → i'm usually not the type to write this long simply because i'm easily distracted and have the tendency to abandon projects, but hey! this one prevails :] hopefully next time i can write even longer fics<3 ⋆ see masterlist

honestly, you thought you were going crazy when the same melody restarted on chris’ speaker for the nth time today. it’s not that the song is bad—you do actually love ‘rewrite the stars’. you’re a fan of the movie, much like chris is, but putting the song on loop? for hours a day? for weeks? your sense of fanship isn’t that strong, especially when the song’s been out in circulation for years now.

“you wanna hear a theory?”

your question easily turns chris’ focus away from the endless papers he had to grade by the end of the day and towards you, raising an eyebrow to the sudden break of silence. his eyes visibly twinkled, contemplating if he should entertain the idea of putting on his regular-26-year-old suit over the professional-high-school-teacher ones he’d been in for the past couple hours or so.

well, to be fair, chris hasn't even been focusing on the pages of essays he needed to check. not when his mind has been preoccupied with something—someone­—else.

“shoot,” he eventually replied with a lopsided smile etched on his lips—head cocked to the side when he finally decided to shut the screen of his decorated silver laptop, offering you his entire attention. “it better be funny or entertaining, considering i’m risking losing my hearing to my kids’ complaints for not returning their papers on time tomorrow.”

“oooh, pressure,” you mocked, a wide grin appearing on your face while you try to ignore the rush of tingles under your skin when you noticed the way chris referred to his students as ‘my kids’—something he’d always done and so do you, but somehow had a different effect on you as of recent. “believe me, it’s something fun,” you hummed with a shrug, mirroring chris as you set your laptop aside.

chris’ pair of charming dimples came into view upon your confident reply, fully immersed in the stage you’re setting up. fabric of his gray couch, one where you two had been slowly melting into for a few hours now, gently rustled when chris fixed his posture, less from lazing around and more into focusing on you and whatever nonsense he believed you were going to say. the glint in his eyes grew brighter by the second, both from anticipation and excitement.

“tell me.”

it felt like spring—when the flowers were in bloom, the breeze was blowing ever-so-gently against your warm cheeks, and the swarm of butterflies were surrounding you with its pairs of fluttering wings.

chris made you feel like spring.

“gee, tone down the excitement, mr. bahng,” you inadvertently shifted away, silently praying to whatever force ruling the universe that chris wasn’t aware of the way your heartbeat spiked to his playful grin. “don’t want to disappoint you there.”

”as if you could ever,” chris promptly refuted with a chuckle, chin resting on the palm of his hand. the way his playful gaze was directed right at you, framed by those loose curls of his, proved to cause your heart more problems than ease. “the ever-so-perfect you? a disappointment? really?”

”oh shut up,” you groaned, half wanting to wipe the cocky smirk off his face—or…?

”but then—if you say so, do tell me,” frown on your forehead instantly dissipates, replaced by a mirror of his lopsided grin when you figured you could turn the bullet right back at its owner,

“am i perfectly on point when i say you’re in love?”

despite the slight pang on your heart, you couldn’t help but giggle at the way his face fades into surprise, a shade of blush slowly creeping on the top of his cheekbones.

the topic of love was never really something you discussed with chris. sure, you two met each other in college where hormones were bursting through the roof, but neither you or chris was interested in dating anyone—you with your slowly budding crush on chris, and chris with… god-knows-what he’s interested in. you never pried, for the sake of not making things awkward. that's your norm, and how you’ve spent your last 7 years with chris.

you and chris remained friends, which at some point evolved into best friends (you now, by the hey-i’m-bored-at-2am-let’s-hang kind of standard), and somehow, you two happened to land a teaching job within the same district around the same time. chris went to teach a reputable high school in the area, while you pursue your dream of teaching kids. you hang out at each other’s place every other day, despite the time you spent together consists mostly of being nose-deep in your respective workload.

the topic of love still was something foreign—you wouldn’t deliberately bring it up other than around the occasions when wedding invites stopped by yours or chris’ doorstep.

maybe, it’s time to change that.

”…huh?”

chris is thoroughly perplexed.

”oh come on, don’t even try to lie,” with a smile decorated with victory, you finally teased the man across. “it’s all written on your face, you know,” you continued, fingers gesturing to your own, “but also, your choice of song. god, do you even listen to anything else when you're in love?”

“but i'm not!” he yelped, facepalming himself upon realizing the shift in his tone is a dead giveaway of his true voice. “god—no. i'm not,” he added meekly, shaking his head, “you know i love the song. that's all.”

”fair enough,” acknowledging his plea, you briefly nod, “but that doesn’t justify the way you’ve been keeping the song on repeat! and don’t you think i don’t remember the few other occurrences when you did the same, because i knew for a fact that something happened every time you became distant after going through this rewrite the stars cycle!”

if his face were flushed before, then you’d categorize this new shade apparent on the tip of his ear as a what-the-fuck-i’m-screwed kind of blush and frankly, seeing this new side of him kind of made you regret not bringing the topic up sooner.

”you remembered?” his voice sounded more of a squeak rather than a proper question, still hiding behind the safety of his palms. “no you don’t! that was ages ago!”

”so things did happen!” your grin turned into a laugh, drowning chris’ groan and series of disapproving no when he realized he just bit into your colorful, glimmering bait. “gosh—why didn’t you tell me you were dating someone? i was kinda hurt whenever that happened you know,” you purse your lips dramatically, “i lost a friend to talk to and never exactly know the reason why until today.”

“oh,” chris blinked, finally looking right at you with a puzzled gaze, “you… were? i mean—i’m sorry i hurt you. for the record, i wasn’t dating anyone. i just kinda assumed, you know, since you were dating someone else anyway i thought—“

”hold up—“ both statements rolling off of chris’ lips inadvertently made you hold up a hand, stopping the latter on his tracks. ”what?”

now both of you are puzzled.

you? dating someone?

”i just wanted to give you space,” chris reiterated, hand now awkwardly resting on his equally red nape, “figured you’d want that since me being around will likely bring trouble for you and the person you were dating.”

”but… i haven’t dated anyone since we became friends?”

you’re thoroughly confused.

”wait, what?” chris shook his head in disbelief, “what do you mean you haven’t dated anyone? what about the notes? and the flowers? and the chocolates too! what do you—what do you mean?”

nevermind, now you’re thoroughly confused.

”the ones from back in college?” your memories were not exactly as clear as you expected it to be, but you do remember receiving those gifts a few times due to its absurdity. “that was all from the rich ass kid i tutored! the one who i told you kept teasing me about never receiving any valentine's day gift? that kid? they sent me those gifts as a prank!”

“…what?”

the amount of ‘what’ you two have said in the past few exchanges is ridiculous.

”god—you thought i’ve been dating and never told you?” you finally pieced the puzzle together, incredulous. “and that’s why you distanced yourself? dude, are you serious?”

”well i just assumed!” chris raised his hands in defense, equally as incredulous as you are, “to be fair, those are usually gifts you get for someone you like! how am i supposed to know it’s from the kid you tutored? you never tried to told me!”

”you could’ve asked?” you stated, as-a-matter-of-factly. sometimes, despite that brilliant brain of his, chris could be quite the foolish one between the two of you. “besides, i thought you knew! you literally read the cards!”

”wha—how do you expect me to digest any of that when i was under the assumption someone i like is dating someone else!”

silence befalls chris’ usually cozy living room, leaving the soft resounding melody that hadn’t stopped as the only sound filling up the space. you’re not even sure if your ears were actually catching the right words falling from his lips; it felt too much like a fever dream. judging from the way his eyes turned wide, however,

you might have heard him correctly.

”you… like me?”

you never imagined you’d piece those words together, much less directing them towards chris. hell, even by remaining as friends was enough for you—having him to yourself was not something you thought would ever happen in this lifetime. you’re happy as you were; you’re content with being friends.

chris, on the other hand, is still visibly trying to digest the events that just unfolded around him. from the misunderstanding to unintentionally confessing his feelings, this was not how he expected his Sunday evening to be. all he wanted to do was be near the one person he’d been secretly nurturing his feelings for, praying that maybe one day he’d finally muster up the courage before everything was too late—but this was not how he expected things to turn out.

”i’m sorry,” he finally croaked, breaking the suffocating silence whilst also being too embarrassed to even look you in the eye, “i know it’s weird—from the misunderstanding to, you know, what i said. i never intended for you to find out about it this way. i understand that you don’t feel the same way, it’s okay, you—“

”oh shut up,” you capped his ramblings short, catching chris off guard. it’s not often you cut him off when he speak, so when you do, he knew you meant it.

“just, what?” you sighed, fingers begin massaging the throb on your temple. it’s hard to decipher what you’re currently feeling as a whole, but one thing you know for sure— you’re especially bothered by his last statement.

“chris, how would you even know what i feel if you’ve never even asked me?”

you watched through his pair of curious eyes as thoughts ran inside his mind, slowly deciphering what you meant with the sudden calmness in your voice.

“uh,” finally managing the train of assumptions in his head, chris then looked at you—only now, with a glimmer of hope reflected in his eyes, “do you... like me? like, more than just friends?”

and to that, you finally nodded.

“yeah, you dumbass. for the longest time.”

watching the way chris’ smile bloom easily turned you into another smiling mess—not missing the giggles nor the flush on your cheeks and all. It feels dumb, realizing that you’ve been into each other for forever but never realizing it because of some stupid misunderstanding.

“and i like you too,” chris reiterated, his goofy smile erasing any trace of worry that was present on his face just a second ago. honest to god—you thought you were falling in love all over again for chris.

“in that case...” he shrugged before outstretching a hand, trying his best to play things cool despite the growing excitement in his eyes,

“will you officially be my partner in crime?”

sound of your laugh only fuels the warmth spreading within chris’ heart—and it felt like the way he spent all those countless nights, wishing that one day the stars would eventually align for him finally paid off as you held his hand in yours, smiling brighter than any stars ever discovered.

“gladly.”

©️ astralisortus, 2024. | likes and reblogs are highly appreciated♡

[kunikame]

# PURPLE LILACS !

[05] - perhaps he's into you ! | prev. | m. list | next

ace trappola x fem!reader smau

! warning(s) : cussing, miss-spellings in the tweets & texts, slight lilia lore spoilers, common jamil and azul behavior ("kys" used 2 times) ! w/c : 1k

when lilia vanrouge says he's coming over, he usually appears approximately 20 seconds after he warned you of his upcoming arrival, dressed in his dorm uniform.

tonight, however, your favorite fae-stie barely gives you a second to prepare before he appears in your room in a puff of green mist and his pink silky pajama set (yes, the one much like shaggy wore in the loch ness monster scooby-doo movie, just in pink). 

"what's up what's up what's uuup~!" he sing-songs, dropping down gracefully on the edge of your bed.

"hi, lils. cater?"

"on his way, do not fret. i brought some diasomnia snacks! and–"

"did you make them."

"no, he did not," said a monotone voice from somewhere. upon realizing it was not lilia who spoke, you turn toward the source, only to see malleus draconia (alias hornton) in the flesh, causing you to very nearly die of a heart attack.

okay, you might be over exaggerating. a little.

"--and malleus, i hope you don't mind. he wanted to join 'girls' night," the musician grins.

“nah, he’s welcome to join any time, i’m just not quite sure he’ll find it entertaining,” you say as you turn to look at the raven haired fae, “make yourself at home, hornton. i’ll go get the drinks and wait for cay.”

you spot grim playing with the resident ghosts in the living room area on your way to the (severely run down) kitchen. before you can even fully step into the room, you hear a few light knocks on the door and take a sharp turn towards the entrance instead. what greets you there is a heavily shaking individual known as cater diamond dressed in only his pajamas, carrying some baked goods (courtesy to trey) and his phone.

“w-what’s up what-’s up what’s u-u-uup?!”

a beat of silence passes and you momentarily consider just shutting the door in his face because how and why the fuck are riddle rosehearts and deuce spade also here. you can handle malleus, he’s much like a pet rock, but riddle in the same room with lilia and cater? you think your hair might start graying a bit early.

“riddle and deuce! what are you guys doing here?” you step aside to let them in with a strained smile only to glare daggers at your good friend behind their backs.

“cater insisted i come along and ‘hang out’ with ‘the girls’ for a bit. he said i need to mingle with people my age more to be able to keep up with the trends, or something along those lines, i believe. i don’t see a purpose behind me being here however, so i can take my leave if you’d rather keep it to a close circle discussion– i can’t leave trey to watch over the entire dorm either, i am housewarden, after all.”

“i got pulled along against my will.”

the drastic difference in their response, reasoning and length struck you like lightning for a mere second, “oh– uh, no, don’t worry, you’re all good, riddle. you can stay if you wish to! i won’t keep you against your will though. same goes for you, deuce. you just have to promise whatever you hear tonight stays between us.”

“not to worry, the queen of hearts rule number 14 states that secrets must stay between included parties. may the queen strike me down herself lest i break a rule.”

“anywayy~ after all this chitter chatter cay-cays’s gotten hungryyy and treys’ home-baked tarts are directly under my nose! it would be a crime to not eat them! shoo-shoo, up we go!"

a couple hours have passed since the guys arrival, and everything's been going well so far. it was quite a shock for the heartslabyul trio to find the malleus draconia here at first as well, but they’ve slowly warmed up to him and began to consider him as ‘one of the girls’. the conversation’s been flowing well and the night was filled with shared laughs and stories.

you were just finishing up recounting the recent happenings with ace to fill everyone in on the details when malleus spoke.

“i believe he might just be.. ‘into you’, was it?” he turned to lilia for confirmation, who nodded abruptly. “that’s what i’m saying! the little bat just won’t believe me,” he said, leaning onto cater (who nods along in agreement while patting his bandmate) dramatically, as if you not believing his nonsense caused him a fatal wound. so much for being a war general, this guy is a drama general at best.

“lils, he hates me.”

“enemies to lovers, i say! enemi–”

“on the contrary, i think he quite likes you, actually,” the redheaded housewarden speaks up from the corner he’s sat in, “you’re almost all he talks about recently.”

“oh, you’re right! i asked him about our alchemy homework last week and he found some way to bring you up, even in that conversation. ‘i wonder if [name]’s done it yet? should we ask? i hope she’s not struggling with her studies. perhaps we could help her out’ like, shut up,” said deuce, popping some candy in his mouth with a clearly annoyed look in his eyes. if you didn’t know him any better, you’d think he was jealous of his friend.

that forced you to stop and think for a moment. if it were anyone else (a picture of lilia and cater appears in your minds eye and you have to fight back a smile) saying it, you probably wouldn’t have paid it much mind, but if it’s the people closest to him, then perhaps there’s some truth behind the seemingly empty words?

“i have an idea, if i may,” all eyes turn to malleus (who.. you forgot was even here, with how quiet he was the entire time), eyebrows raised in question, “if you’re so unsure of his intentions and feelings, why not test them?”

the 2 light music club members eyes lit up at that and you felt an impending sense of doom.

and that’s how you found yourself dancing with deuce, then malleus, then riddle, then... all of them, for some reason? it was awkward initially, but the longer it went on the more fun it was, and perhaps you could say this was one of your best nights spent in twisted wonderland.

being erased from your own world be damned.

## ❝ after the events of the phantom bride wedding, ace started wondering whether he still had the ability to charm girls. he hasn’t thought about anyone romantically in years, hasn’t really flirted with anyone either, what if he’s gone out of it? perhaps it’s time to put his talents to the test; with the person who hates him most, no less. if he can charm her, he can charm anyone. ❞

#TAGLIST ! : @solxima @gabirii @lunavixia @y2unagiz @the-ghost-0f-t0m0 @borlining @verity-moon @myunghology @doughnuts-eater @lifeless-bug @babygurlenthusiast @shirishere @xopeach @stormyovent0aster @bontensbabygirl @ars-tral @wrathy-mcwrathface @sinofthesloth @skeet-2 @everettelz @sakuram1nt @shatiyuh @ambigrueity // ask/comment to be added/removed! (if you're in bold i can't tag you)

[loki-laufeyson223]

Changing for the Worst

Warnings: Cussing, talk of a marital break

Word Count: 465

I know this isn't what I'd usually write but I had a friend ask for it and I got wrapped up this week and didn't have anything prepared for yesterday and found this in my docs. Sorry!

“Y/n! Get your ass down here!”  Great, he's upset this is the last thing you needed. Just 2 months ago your last name became Laufeyson. Now not to misquote, you loved your husband but, whenever he was in a bad mood sometimes he couldn't help but put you in the crossfires. “Yes, Loki?” You could practically smell the rage flowing off of him. “Fandrall threw snakes into my horse’s path and he bucked me off! I fell into the mud and my clothes were completely soiled!”, he seethed. He could see you flinch, just from his rage you feared him. “Darling, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”, his face softened instantly. “Oh, no it’s ok. I understand.”, he stalked towards you. “No, it’s not ok. Not one bit.”, he pressed a kiss to your forehead. “Let’s go to bed, my darling. I’m quite tired.”

Two Years Later

“Loki! Get up!”, over the years you had adapted Loki’s easy temper. “WHAT? What could you possibly want now?!”, he scolded coming down the stairs. You two had moved to Midgard to get away from Odin and his overbearing rules. The smaller space of your apartment had meant you two were almost always together, which caused a lot of tension. “We are going to be late for Stark’s party.”  “I don’t give a rat’s ass about the damn party.”  “Well you need to. If we are going to try and make amends with Thor, this is the best pace to start.”  “Y/n?”  “What?”  “Are we still in love?”  “What do you mean of course we are?! You know I love you Loki!”  “But are you IN love with me?”  “Yes of course I am. Are you with me?” “Yes darling! You are my rock, my one love. I could never fall out of love with you.”  Even though you are in love with each other, your marriage has taken a turn for the worst. “Maybe we can fix this”, Loki suggested. “I don’t know if we can fix this.”, tears staining your cheeks. “Please y/n. I can’t lose you. You are the only thing good in my life.” “Loki…” “What darling?”  “I think we should take a break. Not a divorce, not a split-up. Just a break.”, you proposed. “I have an even better idea.”, your husband said hopefully. “What?”, you said hoping you wouldn't have to take any kind of breaks from him. “What about… any time we are upset with each other, we will express the problem properly?” “I think that’s a lovely idea.”, you said beaming and walking over the kiss your husband who wrapped you in his arms and whispered in you ear, “I love you so much my dearest.” “I love you too.”

Taglist: @holdmytesseract @bayleighmiller @whollyintroverted @spnjohnlocked @javagirl328 @km-ffluvluv @mischief-dream @asher-england69 @buttercupcookies-blog @glitterylokislut @shineywizardbird

[coupsie-daisies]

The Things I Would Do (The Beauty Mark of Love) | Lee Felix

Pairing: Elven Prince!Lee Felix x Fae Prince!GN Reader

Genre: Fantasy AU, Royalty AU, Fake Dating, Enemies to Lovers (light), Hurt/Comfort

Summary: The war is centuries old, and Felix is determined to put an end to it at all costs. A wedding was in his plans, but falling in love was most certainly not. He, however, takes it much better than his fiance does.

Word Count: 30k (I’m so sorry)

Warnings: Cussing, Mentioned Parental Death, Felix is really really in love, They argue, several mentions of war, fae centric racism?

A/N: This was written as a part of the clownracha secret santa fic exchange for @sunnytaes​. I got a little carried away so it’s quite long, and there might be some smaller pieces with this couple in the future

Tags: @dragonofthenorth0726 // @wooyussy // @burningupp-replies // @bunnypig18​ // @ferrethyun​ // @tyungun​ // @brownieracha​ // @kwanisms​ // @snow-pegasus​

Masterlist

This fanfiction is property of @/hobi-is-golden, reposting on any platform without explicit permission is prohibited

Oh the things I would do

To be loved by someone as beautiful,

And thrilling, and true

As you are, my love.

I would clip my wings

And forfeit my freedom,

I'd bring you anything you crave.

I would give up the air from my lungs

If it would make you love me,

Even if only for a moment

The walls of the Fae castle stretched tall, shimmering in the mid-day light in a way that was nothing short of magical.. The stone was polished so bright that Felix's reflection on it seemed to dance as he walked. A few of the palace guards were surrounding him though, so it was hard to see it in any substantial way.

He could feel the disdain in the air as they spoke to each other. It was a language he didn't recognize, but it sounded absolutely mesmerizing. He caught himself tensing up at the sound of it. Not knowing what was being said about him made his worries spike. But he wasn't a quitter, and he was well aware that he could very well be marching towards his own death. He wouldn’t have come if he hadn’t at least partially come to terms with that fact.

"Stay," One of the guards ordered. Felix nodded quietly, watching two of the men pass through the looming double doors in front of them. They should have made a noise, slammed shut behind them or something, but the sound was something akin to the flutter of a flag in a breeze. Quiet, smooth, and light as a feather. He couldn't help his fascination. Everything about the Fae realm was a mystery, sans the maps he'd seen in his father's war meetings. It looked nothing like those lifeless maps in person.

He'd been thinking about it his entire travel through the country, it was nothing like what he'd imagined it to be. The city was beautiful, buildings that towered tall and immaculately sculpted, yet somehow wholly welcoming. The streets felt like they’d simply grown from the earth, some cobblestone and inlaid with gems, and some just bare, beaten down dirt paths.

The halls of the palace were silent as the group waited for Felix to be welcomed through the doors, eerily so given how many of them there were. But Felix wasn't in a hurry to break the silence. His people were already not favored by the Fae, and he was pushing his luck by showing up out of the blue like he was.

It may have been mere moments before the gleaming doors opened again, but it felt like eons had passed. A voice spoke, calling him to enter, low and twinkling like the wooden wind chimes they had back home. He listened, pushing out a slow exhale and running through all of the rules he'd been taught growing up. Do not speak unless spoken to lest you speak over and offend. Don't make any sudden movements, keep your hands where they can be seen so you cannot be blamed for any attacks you haven't caused. Speak directly, the Fae are tricky creatures, but they're honest to a fault.

"You are a brave one, son of the Elves. Coming here unannounced and requesting a hearing with a busy king." The voice came again, booming from the creature seated at the far opposite of the young prince. He looked deceivingly young, hardly thirty in human years. But the Fae lived even longer than Felix's people, and the King was surely over three hundred years old. Felix inclined his head silent thanks for the praise. Brave, he thought, or incredibly foolish. He feared he'd find out which one soon enough.

Guards lined the room, and it had him on edge knowing that they were just waiting for him to make one wrong move. He knew better than to look at them. He looked at the King instead, who straightened on his throne, drawing the moment out, watching the prince with a fiery gaze.

"Can I offer you anything? You must surely need rest after such long travels." The king said after a few moments. Felix smiled politely.

"Your kindness is most appreciated, your majesty, and I give my utmost apologies, but I have to decline. I'm afraid I can’t stay any longer than necessary. And I also give my apologies for disrupting your busy schedule." He bowed his head for a long moment. The king made a soft hum, but not one of disdain. If nothing else, Felix's politeness and respect was surprising coming from an Elven born royal.

"Then I will not keep you. What is it you've come for?" He asked.

"I have come to seek an audience with your prince, if you will allow it." He looked up, watching emotion flicker over the man's face. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what it was, something skating dangerously close to rage. Felix's heart leapt into his throat. He had a terrible feeling that he might have stepped into something he shouldn't have. But he had to do what was necessary for his people, and if it meant that he fell at the hands of the fae folk, then so be it.

"Who are you to speak with my child?" The king asked sharply, his voice no longer as melodious as it had been at first, now more like sandpaper against Felix's eardrums.

"I come as the future ruler of one nation seeking the alliance of the future ruler of yours. I wish no ill intent, and have brought no weapons with me into your presence. I simply ask for a few moments of their time, your highness, it would be deeply appreciated to have an opportunity to speak with them." He said, his voice steady with confidence that he surely wasn't feeling in that moment.

Felix was a prince, trained in the art of diplomacy since before he was old enough to pronounce the word, but there was something about standing in front of a king who had nothing but contempt for your people that would send a chill down anyone's spine. Even more so when he had no one to turn to if things went awry.

"If you're here to make alliances for your country, you're better to do them with me, young prince." The words were said with an edge, and Felix held his breath. "You have no business with my child. I will not grant your request."

"I'd like to hear him out, father,"

Felix's head jerked to the source of the voice without his permission, watching as you stood up from your seat to your father's right. He hadn't even noticed you to begin with. You looked almost bored with the interaction, but your eyes held a curious glint that was impossible to miss as you looked at him.

"No. Not unless he can give an explanation for his coming here unannounced with no proper reason to speak to you." Your father waved his hand dismissively, and a few guards stepped forward to escort Felix out of the room. And despite his high hopes for this interaction, Felix would take a polite escort out over becoming public enemy number one of the fae realm.

"He cannot give a good reason without an opportunity. I ask you to reconsider and allow him a few minutes to speak with me," You continued to press on. You held your head high, a confidence that Felix had nothing but respect for. Your father looked at you, and the sparking glare shared by the two of you lasted so long that Felix was half worried the room might ignite.

There was a silent conversation there, a challenge, or maybe a plea. But eventually your father looked away. He turned back to Felix with an intensity that almost made him shrink in on himself.

"You have my blessing. Remember your place, little prince." He said, and he stood. You stepped forward ahead of him, striding towards the elven prince with a grace that almost made it look like you were floating. When you were face to face with him, you bowed your head ever so slightly. A smile rose onto your face, and it made Felix uneasy. Something about it felt too sly, too curious.

"Shall we go somewhere more private, your highness?" You asked, already sweeping past him towards the doors behind him. And although he was relieved that you were playing nice with him and not doing the unthinkable, part of him was wounded that you had enough pride in your power to turn your back on someone who could only be dubbed the enemy.

Even so, despite the bruised ego and the fear that lingered in the back of his mind, Felix bowed to the king and turned to follow your lead. As you reached the doors, you waved off the two guards that attempted to lead the way.

"Have a bit of faith in my ability. I think I can handle an unarmed Elf. Though I trust it won't come to that," You said. The guards eyed him, and then stepped out of the way, allowing him to continue following behind him.

You were silent as you walked, never looking back at him. The hall you turned down wasn't the one he'd been brought in, though it looked similar enough that he probably would have gotten lost had he been on his own. So he followed you closely for fear of getting left behind.

He looked you over, half sizing you up, half subduing his own curiosity. In truth, he'd never been this close to a Faerie for so long before in his life. The Fae were uncommon visitors back home, which his people didn't mind whatsoever, and he'd never seen such a fascinating creature.

Every move you made was like a dance, elegant and mesmerizing, each step silent against the stone of the floors. Your hair seemed to catch a breeze that he couldn't feel if you moved just right, falling to frame your face. The very sight of you taunted mischief and wildness that he'd never seen before. And if he looked close enough, the air was distorted at your back, shimmering in fractals of light as if through a kaleidoscope. Wings, barely there to the blind eye as they caught the light.

"Do you have a staring problem, your highness? Is there something I can do for you?" You asked, finally looking over your shoulder. He startled, and you laughed. The sound was unusual, a magical sound that made him smile and sent a sort of anxiety coursing through him all at once.

"I've never seen a faerie's wings before." He admitted, avoiding the question. You nodded in understanding, and the light shifted as your wings fluttered. You were showing off, proudly so. "They're pretty."

You didn't speak again, instead opening a door and welcoming him inside.

"We can speak freely here. This is my council room. Sit, please." You pulled out a chair at the long table that sat at the center of the room. Felix took a seat as well, folding his hands on the table where you could see them. You were relaxed in his presence, and he didn't know how he should be feeling about that. But regardless of the personal emotions that it may stir up, it meant that you weren't going to attack him just yet.

"Your presence is appreciated, I worried I wouldn't get to speak with you after coming all this way," He said, carefully picking his words.

"And what is it that you've come for?" You asked him bluntly. He looked at his hands before promptly looking back at you.

"I ask for your understanding, but I have to be straight forward. I have come to ask for your hand in marriage. To propose an agreement of sorts," He said. You looked at him, brows furrowed. He swallowed down his worries about your reaction and continued. "Our people have been at war for centuries, and it's done more harm than good. The hatred between our people lies with our ancestors, so I ask you to consider my proposal to be a treaty. We can do so much good by uniting our kingdoms."

"Do you think that uniting our people would be so easy as a marriage of what? Convenience?" You asked him. "Think of the harm that it could bring, the uprisings that could begin."

He hesitated, and you could practically see the gears turning in his head as he worked out where to go next.

"Do you want our countries to be at war forever? If we don't end it, who can we expect to? It's gone on long enough, I think. I just ask you to consider putting an end to it with me."

Felix leaned forward, looking at you seriously, and you looked back. The quiet was deafening as you both stared each other down. His persistence was interesting, not like most people who came seeking your time, and certainly not like those that came seeking your father's. And he sounded sincere, carrying genuine worry for his people. You understood that.

You tsked and leaned back in your seat.

"Your kind always think they know what's best for everyone," You said. It wasn't a lie, that was all you ever heard about the elves, that they were a persistent, stuck-up sort of people. That they had no respect for the thoughts of those they deemed to be below them. Felix bristled, and you held up your hands in surrender. "That's not an insult. You've given me much to consider."

He seemed to relax at that, it was common knowledge that you couldn't lie, and he seemed to take your words at face value. You wondered if this offer was some trick, a twisted truth to draw you and your home into a vulnerable situation. There were several things that could come of promising your hand to this prince, and you had many responsibilities to worry about.

"I'll consider your offer. Return in a weeks time, we can discuss this further and I will give you an answer." You stood in a sweeping motion, bowing to him and motioning him towards the doors. "Come. My father will want to see you off, I imagine."

You lead him back to the throne room where your father and his guards were eagerly and ever so impatiently awaiting his return. Once in their presence, you gave him that same sly smile, promising to give his proposal some thought before he was due to come back, and promising him a much warmer welcome on his next visit.

He was already being shown out of the room as you finished, but he stole a glance over his shoulder, watching as you sunk into your own throne and met his eye. He could only hope that your answer would be beneficial for both of your homes.

The next few days were a lot to handle. Your father was down your throat, trying his best to wiggle information out of you about what your visitor could have possibly wanted from you. But your decision was very much still up in the air, and you didn't want to taint that by having unwanted input, especially from your father. He was a good man, you knew that as well as you knew your own name, but he had been born into a society with closed minded views, and that's not what you wanted for your future, or the future of your land.

But going it alone wasn't as easy as it was made out to be, and after a few days the weight of your future was weighing heavier than ever. So you turned to the only person you ever knew to turn to.

"Binnie, I need help," You said, barreling towards the training ranges. Changbin looked up from where he'd been training, wiping his forehead and crossing his arms over his chest with a smile that could be described as nothing but charming.

"Good to see you too, your highness," He teased. "Lovely day, I know. I'm having a wonderful morning, thanks for asking."

You glared at him, and he laughed. Changbin was the closest thing to a brother that you had growing up. He was the son of a man quite close to your parents, and the two of you had run around together since you were able to run.

“Please, I'm being serious. I need your advice." You begged. He sat down in the grass, motioning for you to join him. You sighed, flopping to the ground in the least graceful way you could have, folding your hands in your lap.

"Speak, then." He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. You nodded, searching for the right words to say. You knew Changbin, and if you told him straight out what the problem you were facing was, he'd talk you out of marrying Felix, and take his disapproval to your father for good measure.

"If you were presented with two options, and one would cause problems, but the other would leave a bigger problem unresolved...which option would you pick?" You asked him. He hummed, rolling the question over in his head.

"So the first option would solve one problem, but cause others? And the second option wouldn't cause problems, but also wouldn't solve one?" He confirmed. You nodded. He looked at you, but you kept your eyes trained on the patch of grass between the two of you. "Is this about the prince from the Elven lands?"

You swallowed, not responding. Your silence was an answer in and of itself.

"You wouldn't look so down if you didn't know what you needed to do. You've never had any trouble following your heart. And you know I'll be at your side no matter what you decide to do." He reached out, patting your arm and stood up, brushing the dirt from his pants. "Get up, you have two more days before you have to talk to anyone else about this. Let's go do something fun for once."

Changbin's advice stuck in your head for the next couple of days. He knew you, and he was, as much as you hated to admit it, right this time around. You were sure which decision was the right one, and you had been seeking out someone to tell you that it was okay to pick the other one.

But it wasn't okay, and deep under whatever grief you were beginning to feel, you knew that. How could you justify picking a life of freedom for yourself when it meant taking that freedom from thousands of others. You simply couldn't stomach that. So you swallowed your pride, your hopes and dreams, and resigned yourself to your choice.

When Felix arrived in the early afternoon, he was greeted with less hostility than he was the first time around. Though there wasn't any more fanfare than before, and he could feel the distrust in the air as he was escorted through the castle once again. He took in the same sights, the walls that seemed to radiate a glistening, dancing light. The floors that gave the impression of water running over stones like they did in the creeks and rivers back home. The ever-fluttering breeze through the halls, and the polished marble pillars.

He was stopped outside the doors to the throne room, and this time it only took a breaths length for the doors to swing open, a voice announcing his presence as if he were an honored guest. Something about that gave him hope as he stepped into the room and the doors fell shut behind him.

The guards still lined the room, all looking at him as if he were a fearsome warrior. The doors were all blocked off by men much larger than he'd imagined faeries could be. Had they done that before? He returned his attention to the front of the room where your father's throne sat empty. Instead you were seated on your own, waiting for him. To your right stood two men. The first was well recognized as your right hand man and personal protection order. On the other side of him stood a taller man, his build a little slighter, but still all muscle. He wasn't as easily recognized. Felix assumed him to be a member of your court.

He made a sweeping bow as he had the first time he'd met you, and you watched him. The way his limbs splayed out in pure, trained elegance, his head lowered in respect. You liked seeing him this way, none of that irksome confidence you'd seen before.

"Welcome back, Prince Felix," You said, a sign for him to rise and face you properly. He first lifted his head, a charming smile playing on his lips, one that didn't quite meet his eyes.

"It's always a pleasure, your highness. Thank you for seeing me again." He straightened up properly and you nodded.

"Right, well, I know you're here for an answer, but it would be awfully unkind for me to not offer you anything. A drink maybe, or some rest? Our guest chambers are lovely if you need some rest. It's a long way from where you come from." You offered him politely. He smiled.

"The offer is most appreciated, but I really think it’s better if we get right to things. After all, if things go the way I can only hope they will, we'll have much to discuss. And it would be a shame to inconvenience you by putting that off." He said. You had to admit that you too would much rather get the entire deal out of the way.

"Very well, then." You shifted, straightening up even further in your seat and smoothing your hands over your lap. "I've given your question a great deal of thought, and weighed the options."

You paused, taking a breath, and Felix shifted his weight, not lifting his eyes to meet yours. You weren't sure if it was meant as a sign of disrespect or simply one of worry. Your exhale was slow as you pushed down your own frustration. This wasn't what you'd expected from your life, but as a prince, difficult decisions had to be made.

"I will accept your marriage proposal."

The room felt like it was spinning with how quickly Felix snapped his head up to look at you. He had hoped and prayed that you'd accept his proposal, that the two of you could work together to make things better for your peoples, but to have you actually say it seemed like something he'd never planned for. In truth, he hadn't figured out what would come after this. First and foremost you'd have to tell your father, which was going to be another day, or week, or eternity of his head being laid on the chopping block.

"I’m very grateful for the opportunity to grow together," He said, bowing to you again. You waved him off.

"None of that, you don't need to bow to me all of the time. We are equals, I guess." You stood, bowing to him for the first time. You walked the path to where he was standing and offered him a smile. "Come, we have a lot to discuss, and I think better on the move."

You motioned for the guards to leave you be, all except for your personal guard. Changbin followed from a distance, far enough away that you could speak easily but not so far that he couldn’t keep an eye on you. You trusted him with your life, and now with so much on the line, you had no worries about any misbehavior on your new fiance's part.

You walked with him, not in front but beside, a show of respect between equals as you guided him through your home, weaving deeper into the castle. The entire castle was looming, winding halls that had Felix practically spinning in circles trying to take it all in.

"Do you like it? The castle?" You asked him after a long period of silence. He nodded.

"It's not like back home. It's lovely." He said. You seemed appeased by his answer.

"There's a lot to be discussed. What we expect from marriage. And how to get it past the officials. There will be hoops to jump through. I know my father won't be pleased. He's not your biggest fan." You mused. Felix cleared his throat. He certainly knew that much.

"And my parents will want to put it to the council. I have an idea, though. If I can win your father's approval."

You looked at him, taking in his delicate features from a different angle than you had before, and the way his blonde hair fell in waves. He looked elven, the hint of his ears that poked through his hair didn't help to disguise that. Another hurdle along the way. How to convince your court and country that you'd be better off marrying the enemy rather than one of the many suitors of your own kind, or at least someone who fought on your side of the war.

"And what's that idea of yours?" You asked. Felix leaned closer casually, turning so that he was practically whispering into your ear.

"We convince them we're in love."

You stopped in your tracks, your head whipping to check that your friend was far enough away to not pick up on the conversation. You crossed your arms over your chest and furrowed your brow in absolute annoyance. He turned to look at you, tipping his head for you to voice your concerns.

"A lie? Your highness, I'm sure you're aware who you're speaking to. My people cannot lie." You snapped, still keeping your voice quiet. He straightened at the sharpness in your tone, his entire posture turning defensive.

"Don't misunderstand, I'm not implying that we lie. It's more of a trick, really." He argued.

"A trick implies that the truth will come out. And just how will that help our cause? If your people think that I have lied to them they'll make no hesitation to kill me. And then what? Your people will be wiped out in two seconds flat if they lay a finger on me. My friends alone will make sure of that." You were fuming now. You'd agreed to his crazy plan of marriage in the first place, and now he was presenting you with irresponsible and downright dangerous plans to make it work.

"Y/N, calm down." Changbin called from behind you. You glared at him over your shoulder, and he gave you a nod. You huffed, taking a step back. The prince looked at you still, something between irritation and amusement flickering across his face.

"Is that to say that you won't fall in love with me, my prince?" He asked, the name falling from his lips and making your eyes go wide. "Or that your people would so easily conquer mine?"

You clenched your fists. Oh how you wanted to wipe that look off of his face.

"But really, my people won't find out until after we've married, and there will be little they can do to stop me then. Put your faith in me like I'm putting mine in you. We can make this work, but that would require us both to keep a level head."

"I've made no promises to put my trust in you, Felix. Only to spend the rest of my life with you. Don't mistake those to be the same thing."

The tension between you and Felix had been heated ever since you realized what his plan entailed. But you had made your decision, and no matter how bothersome the path may be, the end results would be worth it if you could just pull this off. You had, however, decided fairly quickly that you weren't a fan of the prince's attitude. He was too confident, and he seemed to be taking things much too lightly. Especially when one misstep could land the both of you in serious trouble.

"Stay for a few days. We can have clothes bought for you, and we can send word to your family." You suggested, standing up from the table in your meeting room. Felix nodded, standing up as well. "I suggest we tell my father about the engagement at dinner. He won't be happy, but food tends to appease him best. I'll have Jisung show you to the guest wing."

"You could show me," He said, and you couldn't decipher the tone in his voice, teasing or flirtation or just his way of egging you on. You glared and he laughed. "I'm teasing you, your highness. I'll see you at dinner,"

He tipped his head before following you out of the room.

"Jisung, show the prince to his room please." You said.

"And thank you?" Jisung asked playfully. You cracked a smile, something you immediately regretted after trying to stay firm with Felix.

"And thank you. Now go," You huffed. Jisung poked your shoulder a few times as he passed you, and Felix gave you an amused smile that you met with a scowl.

"Best behavior at dinner, your highness." You warned him. He held his hands up in submission. You sighed, running a hand over your face, a motion that made Changbin laugh.

"Do you want to hear what I think?" He asked once Jisung had led Felix down the hall and out of sight. You rolled your eyes and looked at your best friend.

"Actually, I can't say that I do. But I think you're going to tell me anyway because that wasn't a real question." You said, beginning to walk back towards your own room. Changbin followed without hesitation.

"I think you may have met your match, your highness." There was that annoying name again, always teasing from him. You rolled your eyes. "Probably for the best if you're going to marry him, don't you think? I don't imagine you'll ever be bored."

You scoffed.

"Bored and happy sounds better than never bored but eternally suffering," You told him.

"If you're going to be so miserable, then why are you doing this?" He asked gently, grabbing your arm and guiding you back to him so you couldn't simply walk away and avoid his question. You swallowed down the bitter taste, the building frustration that would inevitably amount in tears or shouting.

"Because nobody since the beginning of this war has done anything to help our people, and I can't allow it to go on. People have been dying, and suffering, and resenting my family line because of a petty grudge. If I have to bite the bullet for the sake of everything I hold in my hands, then I have to be the one to pull the trigger."

Changbin looked at you for a long moment, the air thick as he watched you blink back tears. You didn't want to marry Felix, you didn't want to give up your freedom like that for the next several hundred years, but you cared about your country more than anything in the world, and you could tell that Felix felt the same way about his people. If nothing else, you had to respect that. And to seek out a solution like he had wasn't something you'd ever thought of for yourself, so you would give him the benefit of the doubt.

The rest of the walk to your room was quiet, leaving you with your own thoughts and emotions. You imagined that Changbin was trying to understand your decision, and the emotions behind it, but he was a much less hardheaded person than you were, and much less trusting of people's souls.

"I'll see you at dinner," He said, nudging your shoulder with his fist and giving you a smile that you forced yourself to return, leaving you in peace, all alone now. You laid yourself out on your bed, arms and legs spread across the surface of it as if stretching to your limit would silence the noise in your mind and ground you back into your body.

Your father was going to be unhappy, and you'd have to convince him to let you do this. He wasn't a controlling man, no more than he had to be at least, but this was taking a personal risk, and surely he wouldn't be eager to let you do that. The thought of driving a wedge between the two of you made your heart ache. He’d been your biggest supporter for as long as you could remember. You said a silent prayer to the universe that he’d continue to be just that.

You needed a better plan. You thought about Felix and his irksome confidence as he simply stated we make them think we're in love. But you had to admit that, despite everything, the sentiment made sense. There were a lot of things that people rejected, things that your people would never accept. But one of the few things that people had a hard time saying no to was love.

You stared at the ceiling, a dancing mirage of oranges and reds that mimicked the setting sun's colors. Dinner would be served soon, and you'd have to take another step towards your destiny, however unpleasant that may be. Maybe if Felix was on his best behavior your father wouldn't cause an uproar, and maybe he'd trust you enough not to make you sit beside the court and council.

You thought about what you'd planned your future to hold. Love, and laughter. You had hoped to see much of the world when you were younger, not yet jaded by the looming war at the edges of your home. Though the war had died down quite a bit in the hundred years since you were brought to be. You remembered your mother, and the songs of life before the war that she’d sing you to sleep with. She said she'd learned them from her mother, who had learned them from her own before that, for generations stretching back a thousand years.

You often found yourself wondering what life was like then, before the hatred and the fear. When your kind lived in harmony with others. Back when life on the outer edges of your homeland was still wild and free, bubbling with joy and music and a whisper of hope that you desperately wanted to nurture.

This, whatever this life changing decision you were making was, had to be the right choice.

You laid there in silence for a while longer, soaking in the last slice of peace that you could imagine having for a while before finally getting yourself cleaned up for dinner.

Changbin escorted you to the dining pavilion as he typically did, and you greeted your father with a wide smile, settling into your seat.

"Isn't Felix here yet?" You asked, smoothing your hands over your lap. Your father shook his head, clearly displeased that he had been kept waiting. You silently reminded yourself that Felix wasn't technically late yet. The late spring air helped you keep your cool, the scent of the flowers from the gardens riding on the breeze.

"I apologize if I've kept you waiting." Felix's voice startled you out of your thoughts, and you smiled. Honestly you were just relieved to be one step closer to the truth being in the open.

"You haven't, don't worry. Please, sit." You motioned towards the seat across from you. He bowed his head to you and sat down where you indicated. The table was set, filled with more food than the three of you could possibly eat. Even so, Felix looked a bit worried. You cleared your throat.

"You can eat it, no harm will come to you. We don't enchant people as often as some might think. I promise it's all fine." You said. You watched him open his mouth as if to speak, instead settling on a polite smile. You felt something bitter burn in your chest. People's opinion of the fair folk had been dropping for lifetimes now, but it still made you angry to be distrusted the way you were.

With Felix settled in and reassured that you and your father had no ill intentions, the meal went smoothly, though mostly in silence. It was only when dessert was served that your father decided to speak up.

"I still don't think I've caught the reason for your visits, young prince." He said. You stiffened, but Felix looked just as laid back as he had throughout his entire second visit. He looked at you, and his lips curled into a smile.

"My apologies, your majesty. I didn't mean to be so secretive with my intentions." Felix admitted. He looked at your father. "I came to ask for Y/N's hand in marriage, and they've accepted. So now I am asking for your blessing."

The silence after his confession was deafening, and it threatened to swallow you whole. Your father didn't speak, he didn't shout or attack Felix right then and there which, you desperately hoped, was a good sign. But when he opened his mouth to speak, he was looking at you.

"What is this about?" He asked. You swallowed and glanced at Felix. He was looking at you, dark eyes alight with desperation, or maybe with hope, but either way it tugged at something inside of you.

"Please give us your blessing, father. Let me marry him," You begged gently. He looked at you, something along the lines of rage and disbelief flickering in his eyes.

"You've hardly known him for a week," Your father pointed out. You nodded, inhaling slowly.

"And I've thought about the decision a lot. I firmly believe that this is the right choice. Please, I need your trust." You laid your utensils down and turned to properly face your father. "You raised me well, and I genuinely believe that I’m ready to make the important decisions for myself. All I'm asking is for your blessing."

The quiet returned, even the birds had stopped chirping in the trees as if the entirety of the world was waiting with bated breath. You could feel Felix's eyes on you, and you refused to look back at him.

"The council won't like it. I will do what I can to sway them, but that may be in your hands." Your father spoke, and you exhaled deeply, closing your eyes and saying a silent thanks to the universe for her kindness. You sunk back in your seat in the first proper show of comfort since the day Felix came to ask for your hand in the first place.

"Thank you, sir," Felix said, looking at you with a smile that was brighter than the sun itself. You sighed quietly. This wasn't going to be easy.

As dinner finished, and Felix was dismissed to write to his family and let them know he'd be staying longer than expected, your father called you to stay back. You stiffened, turning around to face him again.

"I'm not going to ask if you love him, I can see that you don't." He said. You clenched your jaw, and he continued. "But I have to ask you if you're doing this for the right reasons."

You thought for a moment, mulling over the best way to approach his question.

"I'm tired of sitting by and doing nothing. Soon enough it will be my turn to run our country, and I want to prove that I can do what needs to be done, even if it's difficult sometimes." You said. "I'm doing this for mom,"

He smiled, a sad, thoughtful sort of smile and gave you a nod.

"I trust your judgment, but sometimes you're too much like your mother for my heart to take. She was hard headed and passionate too, and I can't imagine that you got that from me. If you’re confident in your decisions, you have me at your back. Now go, you'll have a lot of work ahead of you."

You carried those words with you the next few days as you sat through council meetings, elders arguing the future of your country and the validity of your decisions. They claimed you were only a child, you reminded them that not only were you of legal age, but that you were of marrying age and, had you not found a suitor within the next several years, you would have been married off for the sake of politics. It was only fair that you got to make that decision on your own in the meantime.

You knew what their argument really was, that you were making a decision they couldn't imagine making for themselves, that you were fraternizing with the enemy. Which was amusing behind closed doors since you could hardly call whatever it was you had going on with Felix 'fraternization’. 

It was coming out of one of these endless meetings that you ran into a distressed looking Felix. He had been working himself up for hours now waiting for someone to report back to him with how things were coming. His hair looked as if he'd run his hands through it a dozen times over, and he seemed to jump when you came through the doors.

"Well? What did they say this time?" He asked you. You took a breath.

"They're not happy about it, but they’ve run out of reasons to protest since both me and my father are in favor of the marriage. They want us to announce our engagement formally." You told him. He paused, a half-laugh of disbelief leaving his lips.

"Are you serious? They've agreed?" He asked. You nodded.

"Don't go getting all excited, this is where the hard part begins."

"This wasn't the hard part?" He asked, leaning against the wall. You rolled your eyes.

“We still have to tell your family, mind you.” You said. “And we have entire nations to win over. This was only the beginning.”

"I can't imagine either of those things will be terribly difficult, my parents won’t be happy, but they won’t try to stop me. They trust me, unlike–”

You sent a glare in his direction, a warning not to speak ill of your family. He just gave you a playful smile and giggled in delight at having earned a reaction out of you. You rolled your eyes.

"Right then. You'll have the rest of the day to prepare, and we'll make the announcement tomorrow." You began walking, back towards the outside, heading for the gardens. "And after that you'll have to come with me when I attend royal duties. Oh, and you'll need to write home, get a proper invitation for my safe travels. Otherwise my father and the court and council will never let me travel into enemy land."

Felix laughed, and you looked over your shoulder at him. He was following as you'd expected, but with his hands in his pockets he looked much more relaxed than you felt. You were growing more and more irritated with his laid back demeanor.

"What?" You asked.

"Are you always this serious?" He asked you. You continued walking again, and he moved to stand in front of you, effectively blocking your path.

"I think this is something quite reasonable to be serious about. Clearly you don't, which is what stresses me out."

"What's your favorite color?" He asked you.

“If you cannot take our marriage preparations seriously, how am I supposed to trust you with my country? Or your own for that matter?"

"Favorite flower? What do you do for fun?"

"Felix, I'm serious!"

"I know you are," He reached out, taking you by your shoulders and shaking you back and forth. "Loosen up, for fucks sake. I am preparing for our wedding. Nobody will believe that we're truly in love if we know nothing about each other."

You paused, mildly taken aback by the language, but it was enough to stop your anxiety in its tracks. You hadn't thought about that. You shook off his hands gently, continuing to walk.

"Then we'll spend the day getting to know each other. But we'll discuss other things too. The schedule first off."

"Can you answer my questions then? What is your favorite color, my prince?"

You pushed the doors at the end of the hall open, giving way to a long, clover pathway. Vine covered arbors arced over the path, bright with flowers in every color that Felix could even imagine flowers coming in. You seemed to relax once you were outside in nature, leading him along the path. As he watched, he noticed the way that your feet barely touched the ground, your steps gliding as if you were dancing with the air.

"Green." You told him, reaching out to touch a flower that grew on one of the arbors. He watched the way it perked up under your touch. "I also like brown, but my father says that's not a suitable color for favorites."

Felix smiled. That may well have been the first glimpse at your true self that he'd had the honor of seeing.

"I think it's perfectly suitable. And that you should be allowed to have your own thoughts independent of your father's." He knew he probably should have minded his words more carefully from the way you stiffened up. But you relaxed after a moment, turning to look at him as you both walked deeper into the gardens, hedges rising around you, each trimmed neatly into perfect walls.

"What's your favorite color then?" You asked him in return.

"Black. But if people ask, I usually tell them orange." He said. You didn't miss the irony in him changing his favorite color for the sake of other people's opinions when he said that you shouldn't do just that. You wondered if he was always so hypocritical when it came to himself.

You stopped in front of a large fountain, a depiction of two fairies with their heads tipped back, smiles stretching across their faces. They looked to be dancing, and the marble of their wings caught the light, making them shine like silver. The water was opalescent as it cascaded down into the pool, and you sat at the edge of it, dipping your fingers into the water and watching the ripples that came from it.

"And what do you do for fun?" He asked. You looked at him, then back at your hand as you scooped up some of the water, letting it run through your fingers, some trickling down your wrist.

"I read sometimes. Usually out here. I spend most of my free time here. Or with my friends." You told him. "When I'm with them we aren't usually up to any good. Never harmful, though. Don't get me wrong."

Felix listened to you, and he didn't say anything about the supposed mischief that you got up to with your friends.

"Your friends, what are their names?" He asked. 

“The guards you’ve met. They’ve been my best friends since before they joined the royal guard. There’s others too, but I don’t see them as often.” You stood up, shaking the water off of your hand. “What about you? You have friends back home, right?”

“I do. Chan is probably my best friend. You’ll meet him one day. I think you’ll get along well with him.” Felix said. He opened his mouth, starting to ask you another question, but you shook your head.

"You've asked enough questions, I have more to tell you about." You said.

And so you did, bringing him up to date with the expectations that would be placed upon him once it was announced that the two of you were engaged. How he'd become an equal, but respect was still to be maintained to the very end. How he'd have to attend any balls you were expected at unless his business at home would call him away, and how any event you were seen at in your country, he'd also want to attend to achieve public favor.

It was late into the evening when the two of you decided to leave the gardens. You'd shown him several different spaces that you enjoyed sitting and thinking in. The rose gardens, and the sculpture gardens, and the tree at the very center that you'd been climbing since you were able to walk. Felix understood then, maybe for the first time, the connection that your people seemed to have with nature.

"What's your favorite flower, my prince?" Felix asked as the two of you walked back towards the castle. The name was beginning to stick, and you grew disgruntled every time he used it. Although maybe that was the reason he kept on saying it.

"Lily of the valley," You answered finally, a faint smile on your lips. "My father had a whole bunch of them planted where you can see them from my window. That one there,"

You pointed to your bedroom window overlooking the gardens, and Felix looked up at it. He wondered if you'd been given that room for just that reason, or if maybe the gardens had been planted where they were for the sake of giving you something nice to look at.

"A good choice," He admitted as the both of you returned to the castle. He opened the door for you, and you bowed your head to him in appreciation.

Once inside, he excused himself, stating that he was too tired to attend dinner, but that he'd see you in the morning for breakfast. You let him go only once he promised to have his letter to his parents sent out before he went to bed.

You wondered as you returned to your own space if your relationship with Felix would forever be formal and awkward. Sure, the afternoon together hadn’t been miserable, but a part of you worried that you'd never be anything more than polite acquaintances. Asking for love in a marriage of convenience and diplomacy was a bit excessive, even you knew that, but maybe a kind of comfort could come of it if you were lucky.

The next morning was an early start. You woke up before the sun rose, getting yourself ready on your own and taking your time as you prepared for the day. You made yourself up before breakfast, staring at your reflection in the mirror. After breakfast you would be expected to meet with the court and council, and you'd be put on display in front of your people to announce your engagement. You wondered how they’d take it, if the favor you’d been earning since your birth was enough to win out against fear and survival instinct.

In your lifetime alone, many people had been wronged by the elves. They had shown themselves to be a cruel and self-righteous people with little to no regard for people who were any different than themselves. Felix hadn't seemed too much like what you knew of his kind, but it would take some time for him to prove that to anyone besides you. But you knew, you reminded yourself as you put on your clothes, that this was for the best. You were making the right decision.

You were the first to arrive for breakfast, your food being served to you as it always was. When your father arrived, you were poking at your eggs. Your stomach was too queasy to eat a decent meal. He didn't say much beyond a good morning. You tried not to think anything of it, he was never much of a morning person. But your anxiety was beginning to get the best of you, a worry that your entire plan would come crashing down by the day's end. When Felix came and took his own seat to your right, you had still done nothing but tear your eggs to shreds and pick the crust off of your bread.

"Good morning, my prince. Your majesty." He greeted the both of you, his own plate being filled with the best your cooks had to offer.

"Good morning, Felix. Did you sleep well?" You asked, looking up from your food. He nodded.

"Very well, thank you. I wrote home as promised, I expect a proper invitation by the end of the week." He said. That should have relaxed you, but it only made you more tense knowing that there would be no escaping a visit to Felix's homeland.

"Wonderful. Just in time for our announcement. After breakfast is finished we should get to preparing." You said, not that you'd even begun eating your meal. "We've already set them to decorate and get everything set up for an announcement, and I'm sure the crowds are beginning to gather already."

Felix watched the way your fingers tightened around your fork, and the way that your voice didn't sound as confidently strong as he had grown used to in the short time the two of you had spent together. It was off-putting to see you so withdrawn, and he wished that he could fix it even just for the sake of not dealing with the unexpected.

"You've prepared your announcement speech?" Your father asked you. You nodded quietly, not looking up at him. You weren't much of a public speaker, and you had never made a public speech to a group of one hundred people, let alone the better part of your kingdom.

"Speech?" Felix asked. You nodded again, finally taking a bite of your breakfast.

"An engagement is proof enough that it's time for me to act like an adult and not a childish prince," You said. It was beginning to feel ironic since you hadn't felt this much like a childish prince in some time. "So it's my turn to say my piece. Don't worry, you won't be expected to speak."

Felix nodded a little. It wasn't hard to pick up on your anxiety, and as much as he loved getting a reaction out of you, he sincerely didn't want you to feel unsafe in his presence.

"Well then, is there anything else I can do to help with the preparations?" He asked. You put your fork down, pushing your food away from you. Your stomach couldn't handle it with the way it was twisting into knots. You looked at Felix, a bit surprised by his offer, then you shook your head.

"Just make yourself look as nice as possible and get to the main hall within two hours. That's really all I ask." You stood up, "Honestly, if I have to chase you down I might have to end this entire ordeal then and there,"

You were dead serious, and nobody knew that better than Felix. He nodded with a quiet 'I promise'. You sat back in your seat and closed your eyes, taking a deep breath. Once your father was finished eating, he excused himself with a promise to check in before time for you to face the world. You sat there a few moments longer before following his lead and excusing yourself.

Felix followed you, abandoning his half cleared plate.

"Hey, this is gonna be fine. You know that, right?" He asked you. You forced a smile, straightening out your shoulders.

"I know. I'll see you later," You turned quickly. As kind as the reassurance was, you didn't want to be around him for any longer than necessary in your state, and the gentle tone of his voice was grating on your already frayed nerves, and the last thing you wanted was to spiral in front of him and put even more pressure on his shoulders.

He didn't follow you this time, and you didn't look back at him. Instead you walked the long halls back to the safety of your room. You took your time getting yourself all dolled up. Meanwhile, Changbin was sitting on your bed in his uniform, flicking through one of the books that you had stacked up on your bed stand.

"Why are you doing all of this, anyway? I mean, you’re obviously one mishap away from having a complete meltdown. No offense." Changbin said. You rolled your eyes, adjusting your clothes for the hundredth time.

"What sort of question is that?" You scoffed.

"An honest one. I mean, you're royalty, right? And you could marry anyone you wanted. Why are you marrying someone you barely even know?"

You turned to look at him, placing your hands on your hips. When he looked up, he made a face just like he always had when you were younger and you'd scold him for being reckless or improper or dragging you into his shenanigans (not that you ever really minded that bit).

"I'm marrying him because I know that it's what I'm meant to do." You said firmly. "It's not even him that's getting to me. It's...everything else. Everyone thinking that they need to judge us, or evaluate us and give their opinion. And for what?"

You huffed, beginning to pace. Changbin just leaned back on your bed once again.

"I mean, it's not as if we're show animals, we don't need to jump through everyone else's hoops just to prove that we should get married. It's our own lives, isn't it?"

Changbin didn't speak then, just let you huff and grumble about life as you finished getting yourself ready. He was ever patient with you like that, and you did appreciate it more than you could express. Of course when you were in a mood like this, his seeming indifference to the situation didn't help much.

Luckily for him the two hours passed quickly with you only occasionally bursting out again about how frustrating things were. He knew your anxiety well, and it was clear that you were beginning to take it out on everything else. So he held your hand as the two of you walked to meet your father and Felix. You were grateful for the distraction of his warm, calloused palm under yours. After so many years, you’d gotten good at mapping out his skin when you were anxious, giving your mind some excuse to not think about anything else.

The main hall was full of people, workers from the castle who had been helping to keep the last minute event running smoothly. Your father and his guards and attendants were being spoken to about the plan, and Felix was standing to the side with Jisung looking both incredibly laid back and a little restless. You made a beeline for the two of them, all but collapsing into Jisung's arms as he wrapped them around your middle.

"Your highness, I think you're making a scene," He said, mostly teasingly. You whined.

"These people are all here because of me, I think they can mind their own business long enough for me to have a meltdown." You grumbled, straightening up and smoothing out your clothes and hair. "Have they been waiting very long?"

"They've been here since we got here. With how frazzled the head of the team looks I think they've been putting in overtime getting things set." He admitted. You sighed and squeezed your eyes shut for a moment before shaking out your nerves.

"Right, let's make this as smooth as we can for them, then."

Felix had to admit that the way you so quickly and easily switched gears amazed him. In the blink of an eye you'd gone from openly and pretty clearly distressed to the put together prince he'd met his first visit. He exhaled slowly, hoping he looked even half as put together as you did.

"Your highnesses," One of the workers, presumably the frazzled one Jisung had spoken of given the look on his face, bowed in front of the four of you. "We'll begin the address soon, but I wanted to run you through the order of events first, answer any question you may have."

You nodded, motioning Felix forward to look over the papers you were being shown. It wasn't anything new to you. Your father would make an address first, introduce you to your people, and then you and Felix would step forward to take the lead, give your speech. Then you'd all thank your people for their time and the entire thing would be over in less than forty minutes. Ideal.

"Whenever you're ready, your majesty," The man bowed to your father, and he nodded. Your father looked at you, and even though he didn't smile, or give any pep talks, you knew that he was rooting for you behind his royal facade. You and your father had always been close enough for you to read the look in his eyes.

As a group, the lot of you were led up the set of stairs to yet another wide open hall. The announcement hall, with a balcony that overlooked the castle courtyard. You could hear them beyond the door, your people gathered for a glimpse of their leaders, a hint of news that could be told to everyone they knew. The music from beyond the balcony doors was loud, voices and laughter raised to the sky. A reminder of exactly why you were doing this.

The guards swung the doors open, and your father stepped out to a chorus of cheers and fanfare. He was very well liked as a king, as long as you'd been alive at least. You stepped out afterwards, Felix on your heels, then guards as the doors closed.

Felix had to admire the way you stood tall, your expression the epitome of affection as you looked out as your people. He, on the other hand, felt as if he was shrinking in on himself no matter how hard he tried not to. But he didn't get much of a chance to think about that as your father began his greetings speech.

A welcome to the faeries who had come from all around the kingdom, and a thanks for their undying loyalty to the crown that brought them there. Felix listened to this part. It was clear that the King was an incredible leader, and well respected if the crowd that had gathered with only twenty four hours notice was anything to go by. He understood where you got your leadership skills.

The applause after your father's speech was what pulled you out of your thoughts, and your eyes flew to him first, then to Felix, and finally to your friends who you could only see out of the corner of your eye. You took a deep, shaky breath and stepped forward to take your father's place. Felix followed you, standing ever so slightly behind you as you took center stage.

You put on your bravest smile, beginning your announcement with as much joy as you could muster. Thank the people for coming and sparing their time to be with you as you made a joyful announcement for you and your home. Make a long, flowery monologue about how happy and grateful you were to have been born prince of such a magnificent place, how strong your country was and words of inspiration about how you believed they would continue being wonderful.

Then came the most difficult part.

"We've asked you here to give a life changing announcement. I have finally accepted a marriage proposal. I would like to introduce Prince Felix of the Elven realms. Your future king." Your hands were shaking, and you clenched your fists as subtly as you could manage to try and get them under control. You looked at Felix as you'd been coached to, and he was already looking at you with the sweetest smile you'd ever seen. One that made your stomach twist and your heart stutter in your chest. A baffling change from the way it had been racing as you tried not to choke on your ridiculous speech.

Felix bowed to your people, and for once, the crowd was wholeheartedly silent. You had seen that coming. You tried not to let on the way the nerves began eating you alive. You weren't always very good at hiding your emotions, you got that from your mother.

A hand took yours, warm and soft and squeezing your trembling hand in his own. You let out a shaky breath, and Felix gave you a nod of encouragement. You tensed, frustration burning dark and heavy in your chest. You turned back to the microphone in front of you.

"I am proud of the decision I'm making, and I can only hope that you will all take pride in it as well. More details will come with time, but in the meantime, I ask that you all welcome Felix with open arms just as my family, my home, and I have already." You bowed your head in appreciation towards your people, giving them one more statement of appreciation before being escorted back inside. Your father followed then, and the guards last.

Once you were inside, you released Felix's hand, your fingers were tense from how hard you'd been squeezing it. You turned to apologize, but he shook his head, silencing you with nothing more than a look.

"You did well," Your father told you, giving your shoulders an affectionate squeeze. You smiled, ignoring the way it felt like yet another sentence to perfection. You couldn't handle that thought.

"Thank you. If you'll excuse me," You turned, making a beeline for the gardens that always brought you the most peace. You took the stairs faster than you ever had in your life, your feet barely touching the floor beneath them.

It didn't feel as if you could breath until you were in the open air, no longer suffocating or bending the truth. It was just you and the world. The world wasn't always kind, but she was oh so real. You couldn't say the same about yourself anymore, not really. That left you with a sort of self loathing that you'd never actually felt before. Who were you if not the truest, most transparent version of yourself. And how could you be transparent with a secret this big? When you were blurring the lines between selflessness and the selfish need to give every bit of yourself to bring others whatever they needed?

Your heart carried you through the gardens more than your mind did, leading you down the paths, past the fountains and into the very heart of the large maze of nature. You passed through the archway there into a cleared opening. At the center of it stood a large sycamore tree. There was a pond to the side with a bench sitting near it, and an intricately carved bird bath on the opposite side of the clearing. You climbed into the upper branches of the tree with a practiced ease, pulling yourself up despite the way the bark scratched your palms, kicking off your shoes to make it easier to move properly. You didn't even bother to think of the damage it may do to your best clothes.

Sitting up in the tree, the sun filtering through its leaves, and the breeze brushing your overheating skin, it made the panic and frustration clear like fog lifting and dissipating. You sat there for a long time. You'd been climbing this tree for decades, finding comfort in its steadiness.

That being said, it wasn't surprising when Jisung found you faster than you would have liked him to. He stood at the base of the tree where you could see him but he couldn't directly see you. Even so, your shoes were sitting at the roots of the tree, giving your location away like a beacon shining in the dark.

Jisung made a move to climb after you. He had, after all, been climbing it with you for a good long while. Him and Changbin both since you were all just kids. You made a move to climb higher, not that you could evade him for very long given that there was only so much tree to climb. He made an irritated, whiney sound.

"Don't even consider moving. Not all of us have such an easy time with this," He warned, and you knew that it was a mostly empty threat, he wouldn't do anything if you kept climbing. You settled your weight on the branch you were sitting on anyway. He made it to you fairly quickly, sitting down at the crook of a branch near you. "What brought you here?"

You looked at the spot in front of you, bringing your finger to trace the ridges in the bark between where your legs hung. You shrugged quietly. He didn't speak, still waiting for you to answer him. He knew that you'd break eventually, the awkward tension growing too much. And you were perfectly predictable under the circumstances.

"Do you think that I'll make a good leader, Ji?" You asked him, still not risking a look at him.

"Is this about the engagement?" He asked you. Honestly you were getting sick of that question. Sure, you hadn't always been one to voice your insecurities, but you had always had them.

"Not exactly. The engagement just has me thinking," You told him. He nodded. "I know that I'm making the right decision, even if that's hard to do. But do you think that our people trust me? Or do they think that I'm going to let them down?"

He was quiet, clearly thinking, and you tried not to let that worry you. Still, you found yourself picking at your clothes to try and quiet the wave of anxiety that was creeping up your spine.

"I think that our people will believe in you because of who you are and where you come from. Your parents have always treated us like family, and we know that you will take that same care with us." He was looking at you, and you looked back this time, nipping at the inside of your cheek. "However, I think they will also expect you to prove yourself. And I know that you will. I have nothing but trust and confidence in you. As a person, and a prince."

The both of you sat in your tree a while longer, hiding from the world in each other's company until the sun was beginning to set and the breeze grew cool. Jisung helped you down then, not that you needed it, and walked with you back through the gardens. You did feel better than, with his confidence and  unwavering support playing on repeat in your mind. You were gonna be just fine, your people would trust you. You just had to prove yourself. Easy peasy.

The hall was quiet this late at night, and Felix couldn't help but feel like the sound of his footsteps were disturbing the peaceful atmosphere that he'd stepped into. He knew that wandering about so late at night was probably not the best thing for him to be doing, but he'd been promised protection within the castle walls, and laying in bed tossing and turning wasn't putting him any closer to actually resting.

He didn't know exactly where he was going, but he was thinking about what you'd said before about how you think better on the move. He wondered if there was any sense to that. He was still in his pajamas, his hair messy from sleep (or some poor attempt at it). The halls were lit with a pale blue hued light that he couldn't spot the source of, nor any sort of shadows to help him figure it out. It made the entire place feel like a dream. He had started to get used to this place, a home away from home once you were properly married, and it was more peaceful than he'd expected it to be given the connection between faeries and mischief.

He walked for a long while, passing windows that let in silvery moonlight that spilled over the floor like puddles after a rain, and views that you hadn't shown him yet. He took a couple flights of stairs, wandering up higher. He'd been told there was a library, and he wasn't much of a reader, but it sounded like a nice place to indulge his thoughts for a while, maybe somewhere to make a regular relaxation spot.

He was still in that thought when another presence caught him off guard, a movement in the corner of his eye. He whirled around, his hands balled into fists. Not that he was trained in hand to hand combat, elves were built for fighting from a distance. There wasn't anyone he could see, but he could hear the soft fluttering sound that he'd begun to pin down as wings sifting through the air.

"Gotta be faster than that, your highness." A voice said, and he spun around again. Leaning against the wall was the guard that was always at your side.

"Changbin. You startled me," He admitted, pressing a hand to his racing chest.

"As was the plan. No ill intent, don't misunderstand, but I saw you wandering about, thought I might as well have a bit of fun without Y/N around to scold me for bothering you." He said. He uncrossed his arms. "Were you headed anywhere in particular?"

Felix shook his head, smoothing a hand through his hair.

"No, I just couldn't sleep is all. I figured a walk might do me some good." He admitted. Changbin nodded his understanding.

"Do you drink tea? I'll take you to the kitchen," He offered. Felix agreed, following the shorter man's lead. He hadn't gotten much of a chance to speak with Changbin, he was always at your side. That, however, was exactly why he wanted to talk to him. There was a lot about you that was a mystery to Felix, and he honestly wasn't sure if you'd be open to sharing it with him. His curiosity, however, didn't want to accept that answer without putting up a decent fight.

Changbin was quiet for most of the walk, and Felix didn't want to disturb the quiet, but eventually the knight spoke up.

"It's not safe for guests to wander the halls this late at night. Some of our people aren't quite so trusting, they may have gotten the wrong idea, my prince." He said. Felix wondered if that was a threat. But Changbin was smiling and ushering him into the kitchen. "What has you up this late?"

Felix watched as Changbin maneuvered the large kitchens with a practiced ease, and he found himself wondering if Changbin spent a lot of time here during the late nights, unable to sleep like he was now.

"Just thinking too much. I have trouble sleeping when there's a lot on my mind." Felix explained. Changbin hummed, pulling down a pair of cups for their tea.

"Tell me," He said. Felix's silence must have spoken for him, because Changbin turned to him and elaborated. "When there's something on your mind, talking about it helps get it off your mind. So talk to me. Your secrets are safe with me, your highness."

Felix fiddled with the rings on his fingers.

"You don't need to call me that, Felix is fine. You're practically going to be family soon if I understand correctly." He said. Changbin passed him a steaming mug, and he took it in his hands, pressing his palms to the almost scalding hot porcelain. "I don't think that Y/N trusts me very much."

Changbin laughed, and the sound was nearly unsettling, but Felix didn't mind hearing it.

"They don't. It's not entirely your fault, they don't trust much of anyone. But they haven't heard many good things about your people. No offense, of course." Changbin said, leaning against one of the many counters. Felix looked down. He knew that the hatred ran deep between their two peoples, but it hadn't fully occurred to him that the war had bred such deep distrust. He felt fairly foolish now that it was laid out in front of him.

"I want to prove myself to them. To all of you. And of course saying that isn't enough, I'll continue working for it. I want you to know that. I've heard that you are the person closest to them." Felix sipped his tea, ignoring the fact that it was a bit hotter than he would have hoped. He eyed Changbin quietly after the statement. He didn’t look like what Felix had always imagined the Fae to look like, but he was handsome. Sculpted muscle and sunkissed skin. He was short, but it was clear that he wasn’t small in stature or personality.

"One of them. Trying is all it'll take. They're not so cold, I promise." Changbin reached out, giving Felix a squeeze on the arm that was surprisingly reassuring. "Your people took something from them. From all of us. That's all they know about you. But they have a kind heart, and they're very true to the things they believe in. Let them learn to believe in you, and in the meantime give them a chance to be afraid. Because, and you didn't hear this from me, but they're very afraid."

Felix didn't speak, he didn't really think it necessary after all that Changbin had shared for him. The only thing that he could think to say was thank you, but even that didn't seem like enough. They shared their space in comfortable silence, each drinking their tea and letting their own thoughts take the lead. About halfway through his drink, Felix looked at the man across from him.

"Changbin, you do know that I won't hurt them, right?" He said. Changbin laughed again, shaking his head.

"That's not something I'm too worried about, my friend. If you hurt them you'll have to take that up with them. And despite what you may think, they're a lot scarier than me and Jisung combined when they're angry. Or hurt." He downed the rest of his drink, setting aside his empty cup. "They're surprising like that, they're a lot more than you see on the surface. I remember when I was training to be a royal knight, they caught one of the instructors hassling me. I hadn't thought anything of it, figured it was all just part of the training, y'know?"

Felix nodded, and Changbin crossed his arms over his chest, a fond smile growing on his face the more he thought about the memory.

"They came running down the training field all dressed up in their best clothes, they came straight out of a meeting. And they took a bow from one of the other trainees and aimed it at this guy, telling him to leave me alone, that I was under their protection," He laughed, and this sound was even brighter than the last. Felix could feel the adoration he held for you, and he really was beginning to understand it. "They nearly took his head off when he asked them to repeat themselves."

"They nearly took my head off the first time we met," Felix laughed himself this time, and when he looked up from his rapidly cooling cup of tea, he was met by a knowing look. Changbin took his cup since he clearly wasn't about to finish it.

"Don't worry, they haven't tried that since then. I say that's a good sign." He nodded towards the door. "I should however be escorting you back to your room, my prince. I can't say much, it's not my place, but I imagine you'll have a big few days coming. Y/N might actually kill you this time if you aren't well rested."

Felix didn't put up a fight, just followed his newest ally back to the room he'd been assigned. There wasn't a guard standing outside like there had been his first couple of nights. Felix still hadn't decided if that was a good sign or a bad one, but he was going to take it as a show of trust. He opened the door, bidding Changbin goodnight, and decided that another try at sleep might just be the best for his well being.

The day that came after was indeed very hectic. Felix had never seen so many gifts in his life, piles of them, and flowers that he'd never heard of before. Not to mention the cheers from outside the castle. If his people had swarmed the castle like that the whole place surely would have gone into lock down. But here it was welcomed with joy and gratitude. And Felix knew of course that you and your people weren't evil and terrible creatures like his family had always made you out to be, but now he was baffled as to how anyone could have believed such a glaring lie in the first place.

"Felix, are you listening?" You asked, looking over to where he was sat beside you at the long and very full table. He nodded quickly, straightening up.

"It would do you well to listen, your highness. This all involves you as well," One of the elders at the table said, and Felix had to keep himself from shrinking in on himself under the sheer disdain in the woman's voice.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I'll listen well." He promised. Beside him you snickered, and he huffed. Your father smiled at the two of you from the head of the table, and you pressed your lips together at being caught.

"As I was saying," He continued. "There's a festival to be held tomorrow evening. A celebration of the engagement. I expect the two of you to make an appearance. Y/N will show you how to behave, festivals are common occurrences here, but I'm unsure about where you come from."

Felix honestly hadn't been to any festivals in his life back home, though he'd managed to go to a few in neighboring countries, diplomatic missions and such. After all, the war didn't have nearly as harsh an effect on their allies as it had on them. But you looked positively thrilled at the prospects, so he couldn't imagine that they were miserable events.

"I'm a quick learner, I won't cause problems." He promised, giving that sweet smile of his. You pressed your lips together and gave him a nod.

"Right then, what else is on our plates?" You asked.

The meeting went on like this, the court and council explaining what the events of the next few days would look like until you were called to Felix's home country to meet his family. Wedding planning and your usual work load. And of course you were scheduled a bit of downtime here and there, something that the both of you were visibly grateful for.

You caught Felix on his way out of the meeting, grabbing his wrist gently and pulling him to a stop.

"Felix, I wanted to talk to you." You said. He tipped his head.

"You wanted to talk to me? That must be a first, I'm honored, my prince." He teased. You huffed, but you didn't glare at him. It's the little things, he thought, baby steps.

"About the festival. And how to not offend the people you may meet." You said. He nodded, suddenly much less playful than he had been a moment before. His face straightened into an expression of pure focus, his eyes trained on you. You shifted your weight from foot to foot, a bit put off by his seriousness. Usually you were the one wholly dedicated to this, and the more he seemed to put into it the more you began feeling like a bird in a cage.

"I'm all ears," He said. You couldn't help but look at his ears then, long and poking out of his summer blonde hair just a little. You giggled, the sound bubbling out of you before you could stop it. And then your eyes were wide, the laughter still coming out of you. Felix looked at you, bewildered and amused and all together curious about the outburst. You covered your mouth.

"You are all ears." You said, reaching out to poke at the tip of his ear. He laughed then, and the two of you stood together in a moment of lightheartedness that had been lost for the past couple of weeks as you both gave your futures to one another.

Once the laughter had died down, the both of you shared a smile, genuine and trusting in a way that hadn’t been explored by the two of you just yet.

"Come on then, tell me about what I can do better." He said, his smile melting into his words. You liked how his voice sounded then, tinted with joy instead of amusement and teasing.

"Right. First of all, you call us fair folk. Never faeries, it's an outdated term. It’s pretty much only used by Elves nowadays. It's disrespectful." You said. He nodded, his expression dropping for a moment when he realized how little he truly knew about the country he would one day head by your side. "And you shouldn't lie, even if you're able to, unlike us. It's rude and many of us don't take well to being lied to. You don't want to be on the bad side of some fae. Of course you can't always tell the whole truth, but a partial truth is better than no truth at all."

He hummed.

"Oh, and the last thing before I leave you be, it's not my people."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"You always say my people, but that's not right. They're your people too now. They'll appreciate knowing that you care about them enough to call them kin."

You gave him a smile before giving him a small nod and excusing yourself. You walked away then, you had your own schedules for the day to attend to, and surely Felix would spend his day resting. After all, he was still a guest and he couldn't be expected to follow you in every bit of your daily affairs. Especially not the ones above his rank. But nevertheless, you found yourself wondering about what he was doing as you went through your day, about where on the grounds he was, what trouble he may stumble into. That thought brought something like a spiked sort of worry.

And by dinner you were anxious to see him, something you weren't quite accustomed to feeling. Still, you asked about his day, and he told you in great detail. It hadn't been very interesting, he'd said, but he'd gotten a chance to sit in on training of the newest round of knights, something that Jisung and Changbin helped with. You were grateful at least that your friends got along well with your future husband. Not that you imagined anyone to be anything less than tolerant towards someone as kind and passionate as Felix.

The next day was more of the same, only getting the chance to see Felix at mealtime or in passing between your meetings until the afternoon when you were due to travel into town for the festival being held in your honor. And the entire time you were stuck in the same spin of wondering what he was doing, what you were missing, if people were treating him as you wanted them to.

You were helped into the carriage, sitting between Changbin and Jisung with Felix sitting across from you. The energy was tangible, warm and thrumming with nerves and excitement and practically vibrating with the need to be let free. The ride was quiet like that, your hand in Changbin's and your leg pressed close to Jisung's, and your eyes trailing back and forth from the window to your right and Felix's face, studying him for any sign of what may be going on behind his mask.

The ride wasn't very far to the center of town. The crowds cheered as your carriage was pulled down the crowded streets, and children waved with stars in their eyes, stretching for a glance at the royalty tucked safely behind the doors. You were buzzing with anticipation. You used to have these festivals much more often when you were younger. Your mother had always said that in times of stress, a little joy was always the best remedy. You had never stopped believing that, but it had become quite a bit more difficult to organize things like this over the past few years.

When your carriage pulled to a stop, you looked at Felix, you smiled wider than he'd ever seen it before.

"Are you ready?" You asked him. He inhaled, looking out the windows at the crowded street. He'd never been to anything like this, but the excitement was tangible. He nodded.

"I'm ready."

Changbin was the first to climb out, ushering Felix out onto the street, a mosaic of colored stones that seemed to fit together perfectly like strangely shaped puzzle pieces. Then Felix reached a hand up for yours, helping you down the step onto solid ground. The cheers that rose from the crowd were like music as you bowed to your people.

In front of you a young girl stepped forward from the crowd, not yet into her teenage years, and she bowed deeply. You smiled, stepping forward to meet her. You placed a hand on her cheek, telling her to rise. She did then, holding her arms out with trembling hands. Laying in them were two ringlets of flowers, alternating colors which Felix was still sure he'd never even seen flowers grow in before.

"For you, your highness. And for his royal highness, Prince Felix as well." She said, wagering a glance at Felix. He looked wholly taken aback by her little act of kindness. You however took it in stride, taking a broach that had been pinned into your cloak off and placing the iridescent jewel in her palm in exchange for the crowns.

"I'm very grateful, they're beautiful. What a wonderful way to start off the festival." You said, placing the first one on your head, letting it settle over your hair. Then you turned to Felix, motioning for him to lean his head closer. He did so, half confused and half nervous that in his anxious state he'd tip over all together. You placed the flowers carefully against the blonde of his hair, smiling when he straightened up.

"It looks wonderful. I think you’re really beginning to fit in here, Lix." You said, quiet enough that your words were played just for the two of you. You brushed a stray lock of his hair away from his cheek, tucking it behind his ear before turning back to your people. "Well, let's not waste the day away standing on the streets. This is a festival after all."

You motioned for everyone to take to the decorated streets, to join in the merriment that you were all but bubbling over with. And so of course they did, the crowd stretching along the streets as far as the eye could see. There were flower crowns being sold, and food and drink being shared without a care. Music rose from every corner, and children ran and played in the streets. Everywhere that Felix looked was filled with light.

"Come on, Felix, we're going to miss out if you keep standing there," You told him, already turning to take off in the direction of a food stand. You eagerly passed over enough coins that you probably could have bought the entire stand, picking out a handful of pastries and passing them to the boys. Felix was noticeably hesitant to try the foreign food, but you took a bite, not caring about the jam that lingered on your lip. You hummed, and your wings fluttered in delight. Of course Felix had to take a bite then, letting the warm pastry melt in his mouth. It was sweet, and tasted like berries, but he couldn't place what sort.

"They're native to our country. Our biggest export actually, but your people haven't accepted them in ages. You're missing out. Maybe that should be our first change. We can't have your people missing out on an absolute delicacy." You said, and honestly Felix was pretty sure you were correct, even if it was a joke. He finished off his pastry, taking another one gratefully before being led on his way.

Felix noticed again the way you walked, how your feet barely touched the ground, and the way that they never made a sound against the stone like he did. He noticed that nearly everywhere, actually. The way that it was hard to keep track of how you flitted back and forth across the crowded streets. The way that it sparked a wave of panic every time that he lost sight of you.

The sun rose higher, and the sunlight was more golden here than it was back home, and it made the gems and flowers that strung from the roofs of the buildings along the street glitter like candlelight. The longer he was here, the more Felix began to understand your joy. He was laughing now too, humming to the music being played by a group of older citizens nearby when you gasped sharply. His eyes turned to you immediately, his hand flying for the dagger tucked against his leg. But you were grinning, and you reached out to tug at his wrist.

"Felix, look. They're dancing." You said. And he did look, and you were certainly correct. In the square nearby, people spun and skipped in intricate patterns, their clothes twisting around their bodies as they tipped their heads back to the sky. "Can we join them?"

Felix stood there in shock at your question. It wasn't that he couldn't dance, he was quite a skilled dancer, but this wasn't like the balls he had grown up in, not like the stiff, careful dancing that he'd been trained in all his life.

"Well, if you're not going to dance with me, I'll go with Changbin." You said, letting go of his hand to take Changbin's instead. If he were being honest, Felix was pretty sure that Changbin had been expecting this turn of events given the way he easily passed off his sword to Jisung and followed you to the square. Felix of course followed you, stopping at the edge of the dancers spiraling back and forth.

The cheers and clapping could be felt in his chest, and his eyes were trained only on you as you spun around the circle, hopping and skipping and swinging to the middle and back again in the whirling pattern that you seemed to understand in an instant. You looked so free, all the worry that he'd grown used to seeing having washed off of your face. You were laughing, and if he listened, he could hear it above the crowd, musical and sweet like berry syrup. His stomach twisted, and his heart picked up when you spun close to him. You looked at him, met his eye, and you lit up, motioning for him to join you once again. Still, he adamantly shook his head. No, the view was better from here.

When the song ended, you were standing a bit away from him, your chest rising and falling as you tried to catch your breath. Your hair was sticking to your forehead, and the crown you'd put on your head was tilted funny now, half falling towards your face. But you looked beautiful, even more so when you did a tiny hop, grabbing at Changbin to beg him to go again when the next song picked up.

"For a man who doesn't have feelings for someone, you're sure are staring at them a lot, your highness." Jisung said, leaning close to the young prince. Felix's face flushed, and he cleared his throat.

"I'm not staring." He insisted, but his argument was cut off by Changbin pulling you away from the dancing. You were glowing, and Felix had to remind himself not to gape at you. You pushed your hair away from your face, beaming at him.

"I'll get you to dance with me someday, your highness," You said. He reached out, straightening the flowers sitting on your head.

"No more than necessary, my prince." He gave you a smile, and you didn't respond. You were sure you could get him to let loose eventually, he was already right at the precipice, you could see it in his eyes.

The rest of the festival went similarly, tasting food at various booths, and watching the children running and playing in the street. He had gotten incredibly used to having you tug on his hand, pulling him wherever your mind took you. He didn't mind it, and he wasn't sure if you even noticed you were doing it. You only let go when a small flurry of children came running up to him.

Felix liked children, not that he had a whole lot of experience interacting with them, besides his younger sister of course. But now they were gently tugging at his clothes and asking him questions. You let go of his hand, and he crouched to speak to them. His smile was sweet, and he moved his hair out of the way to show them his ears when asked about them. All the while, you stood to the side, watching him and wondering if he was as irritating as you'd come to expect him to be.

The day faded all too quickly to evening, and though the festival was still in full swing, as it would be for nearly another day you were sure, the children in the streets were being dragged away to bed. There were more couples out now, snacking on street food and walking hand in hand. Which was essentially what you and Felix were doing now, your hand tucked into the crook of his arm as you led him away from the crowds.

The sun had set long ago, but the moon shone down over the street, and lights floated above your head, twinkling like stars caught in mid-air. They were beautiful, making light move across your face in a way that fully illuminated your smile.

"Did you have fun?" You asked him. He nodded a little. You were far enough away now that the music was lowering to a faint background noise. "It's been such a long time since I've been to a festival like this. It's even better than I remember it being when I was a kid."

You let go of his arm, hopping up onto the small stone wall that lined the street here, a barricade between the road and the houses off of them. You balanced carefully, your arms outstretched at your sides. Felix walked alongside you, keeping his hand out in case you needed to grab onto him for support.

"It's amazing. I've never seen anything like it. We don't have many festivals back home." He admitted to you. The look of disappointment that you sent him made his chest tighten. "We're not boring, don't think that. But my father isn't a fan of things like this. He prefers shows and balls and stuff. He thinks it's more sophisticated."

You scrunched up your nose, doing a little hop over a spot where the stone of the wall had begun crumbling. You gasped at the way your ankle wobbled when you landed, your body swaying to the side. Felix caught your waist, nearly pulling you tumbling down altogether. When you looked at him, his eyes were wide, his lips parted in a silent gasp. You grabbed his wrists, rebalancing yourself on your feet but not shaking off his touch just yet.

"Yes, well," You let out a breath, letting go of him and moving to take your next steps on your makeshift balance beam. "Sophistication isn't everything. If everyone were to value sophistication over joy, the world would be a terrible place to live."

Felix watched your next few steps, wiping his clammy palms over his pants a couple of times before stepping to catch up with you.

"Did you play as a kid? Running around outside and whatnot?" You asked him. He looked a bit surprised by the question.

"My sisters and I played, not often outside. We weren't supposed to run inside, but our mom was laid back about it." He laughed, and you could swear it was the first time you had truly seen him look comfortable around you.

"You're close with your sisters?" You asked.

"Not as much as I was when I was younger. I don't have much time to see them anymore."

You frowned at the answer, making a mental note to make sure that once you were married and things were more settled in that you'd invite his sisters around often. You were an only child, but you couldn't imagine being separated from Changbin and Jisung. It could only be more difficult to be apart from your actual family.

"I don't have siblings, but I was close with my mother." You said. "She passed when I was younger, but she would have liked you, I think. You know what you believe, and you don't let anyone convince you of anything else. She valued that."

Felix took your hand as you came to the end of the wall, helping you jump to the ground. It was quiet here, nothing but the sound of the breeze rustling through tree leaves, and bugs chirping in the dark.

"Your mother sounds lovely," He said, not entirely sure how to navigate such a sensitive subject. You forced a small smile.

"She was. I want to be just like her," You looked over at him, and there wasn't a need for words then. You were both sharing pieces of yourselves that rarely saw the light of day, both showing more of yourselves than you had before. He didn't let go of your hand as the two of you made your way back towards where your carriage where your friends were no doubt waiting to take you back home.

The next morning brought the ache in your muscles and a sense of satisfaction as you stretched across your bed. The sun was up now, and it was later than you'd normally wake up. The peaceful moment was cut short too soon, a firm knock on your door before it swung open.

"You know, the point of knocking is to ask permission to come in. I don't think you're supposed to barge in right after you knock." You huffed, sitting up and making room for Jisung to perch himself on the edge of your bed. He handed you a piece of paper.

You unfolded it, reading the letter quietly. Your invitation to visit Felix's home, to be introduced to your future family. You stared at it, scanning the handwriting – his mother’s it would seem if you were reading the signature correctly – and the crest stamped onto the top of the paper. You knew it was coming, it had essentially been the only thing that had been spoken of since your engagement had been announced, but holding the letter in your hand felt surreal. Jisung reached out, putting his hand on your wrist.

"Y/N," He said. You looked at him, eyes wide. "It'll be fine. You have a few days still, just relax for now. Felix will be with you, and Changbin and I are coming too."

You nodded. You knew they'd go with you wherever you went, and that would be more than enough to get you through. But it was hard not to be overwhelmed by the idea of crossing into enemy territory where you knew you weren't welcomed.

"You should get ready for breakfast. I'm sure your father will want to talk to you about this." Jisung stood, ruffling your hair and laughing at the way that you swatted at his hand. With him out of your room, you were left to accept your fate, dragging yourself out of the safety of your bed to clean up and meet your father at breakfast.

The day was going about as well as you expected it to. Your father was giving you a full length rundown on what you needed to remember, how to make the best possible impression on people that already didn't like you very much. Part of you was relieved that Felix didn't show up for breakfast. The other part of you wondered if maybe he'd already left for home without warning you.

"Have you seen Felix?" You asked your father at the first given opportunity. He looked at you curiously, and you tried not to read into it. He shook his head.

"I haven't. Maybe one of your boys knows where he is. Why don't you go check up on him before he leaves?" Your father said. He was always good at reading you like that, knowing exactly what was going on in your mind. You were never great at hiding your thoughts, you'd learned that the hard way, but your father was even better at reading between the lines. Irritating.

"Thank you. I'll find you later," You smiled, excusing yourself to go in search of Jisung. Finding Jisung turned out to be quite unhelpful, he had been in charge of training for the day, and Felix was no longer under his watch. Which meant that you were on yet another wild goose chase, this time with your less than helpful best friend on your heels.

You’d hoped that maybe someone could point you in Felix’s direction, but the better part of an hour spent scouring the halls and rooms of the palace turned up nothing. Eventually, confused and frustrated, you excused yourself. Either Felix had left without a word, which seemed terribly unlike him, or he wasn’t looking to be found. There was no point in wasting a beautiful day without a packed schedule on searching for someone with no intentions of showing themselves.

As you often did when your anxieties were getting the better of you, you took to the outside, kicking your shoes off so that you could feel the bumps and dips of the ground beneath them as you wandered the gardens. Once you were far enough from the castle that no poor soul would wander across you unintentionally, you sprawled out on the ground, taking a deep breath.

The wind chimes in the garden had a way of calming you down, a song on the breeze as you laid in the grass. If you tried hard enough, you could practically hear the earth's energy thrumming under your body. Or maybe that was your own heartbeat, heavy and overtaking everything else.

Fear was a part of being alive, you knew that, but you hadn't missed feeling it so often. You didn't want to go to Felix's country, to the place you may one day call home, you didn't want to face any more scrutiny. You knew it wasn't gonna be easy, things rarely were, but you were beginning to wonder if you were strong enough to face it all head on.

You didn't know how long you laid there for, staring at the clouds as they morphed and passed overhead. The sun was high in the sky now, and hunger was beginning to settle in your stomach, but you still didn't feel much like moving.

"Mind some company?" Felix looked tired when he found you. You propped yourself up on your elbows to look at him. He didn't wait for your answer, laying himself in the grass beside you. "You know, there really should be a map of the gardens available, I was wandering in circles for ages before I found you."

You laughed.

"It's not so confusing, you just weren't paying attention on the tour." You said, turning to look at him. He giggled in response, and you felt a little bit better about everything.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked you. You looked back at the sky, lowering yourself back down to lay in the grass.

"Thinking. The fresh air helps keep me calm." You admitted. He made a quiet noise of recognition, clearly understanding the sentiment. "Can I tell you something? Something really stupid?"

He nodded, and you took a breath before speaking again.

"I'm really afraid. I don't know if I'm going to be able to pull this off." You said. Felix stayed quiet, and you figured he was waiting for you to elaborate. "I can't lie, and your family already doesn't like the fair folk. What's to say that they won't sabotage us?"

"Oh, that's easy." Felix said. "I won't let them. They might not like my decision, but there's not a thing about you that they can disapprove of, not really. Except your heritage, and they’d be stupid to try and intervene because of that. And if they can't find a good reason to disapprove of you, they won’t be able to call off what we've already started."

You didn't speak. You knew that they'd try. And of course you and Felix had been working to ensure there wasn't a single crack in the foundation of your plan, but you were still struggling to find security.

"Hey, do you trust me?" He asked. You looked at him.

"Yes." You trusted him more than you had even realized now that you thought about it. You trusted him with your life, and your secrets, and your space, and you were still on the fence about if that made you feel more secure or less.

"Then don't you worry your pretty little head." He stood up and held a hand out for you to take. You did, letting him help you to your feet. "I'm leaving in a little while, I have to meet with my parents and everything, get things set up for you to come. I wanted to say goodbye before I leave."

"Right, I had been looking for you too. I thought you'd already left, nobody knew where you were." You said, brushing off your clothes.

"Without saying goodbye? Never." He beamed, and you huffed out an almost laugh. “I found the library the other night, I’ve been studying up on Fae history. I figure it’s the sort of thing I should know about if I’m going to become King.”

You didn’t have any words for that, still not fully used to seeing him being serious about the whole situation. It was finally beginning to sink in that this was more than some elaborate trick, it was a marriage. You were going to truly promise yourself to him for the rest of your lives. You didn’t have anything more to say to that.

Felix let you lead the way back to the castle, reassuring you and going over his plans as many times as he could manage before you were back inside. Once you were inside, he promised that he'd do everything he could to make your stay less stressful.

"I'm serious, Y/N. We're gonna win, and we're gonna achieve our goals." He said, squeezing your hands before saying a quick goodbye, bowing to you deeply. You rolled your eyes at the grin on his lips when he straightened up. "I'll see you around, my prince."

Felix arrived back to his home late in the evening. The familiar paths into his city felt colder than usual, not as welcoming as he'd remembered them being. Everything gleamed silver and emerald green as he passed through the trees, and the buildings weaved and settled between them. Of course coming home was a relief, a reminder of what he was fighting for, but part of him ached to be able to be with you when you saw his home for the first time. That thought didn't last very long, it didn't have the chance as he was brought to the front steps of the palace.

Standing out front was his closest friend, clearly itching to greet him. Felix hurried to meet him, nearly jumping out of the carriage and wrapping his arms tight around Chan’s neck. His friend laughed.

"Congratulations, Felix." He said, squeezing his shoulders. "I can't believe you're getting married. My little brother all grown up,"

Felix shrugged off the teasing, flashing a matching grin to the older man as his things were unloaded by some of the palace workers.

"I can't believe they agreed to it. Just wait until you meet them.” He said. He was already on his way up the steps with his friend hot on his heels. "They'll be here the day after tomorrow, there's so much to do. Where are my parents?"

Being home brought a sense of ease that Felix had missed. He knew how to go about life here, how to interact with the people around him. He knew the halls like the back of his hand. He walked with Chan at his side all the way to his father's office. He was a ball of energy, not that energy was unprecedented for him. He opened the door without knocking, and his father didn't look the least bit surprised by the intrusion.

"Welcome home," He said, looking up from the papers he'd been working on. Felix bowed his head to his father before venturing further into the room. He sat down in the chair opposite him.

"It's nice to be back. Have things been alright while I was away?" He asked. His father straightened up, folding his hands on the desk in front of him, and Felix hummed, already knowing that this was going to be less than ideal.

"People want to know what's going on. They were bothered by your absence, you've never been one to leave for very long." He said. Felix nodded. "I haven't told them. I've been hoping you'd come to your senses."

"I have come to my senses, that's why I asked them to marry me in the first place. They'll be here in a few days, I'll make the announcement then. Is there a room set up for them?"

His father didn't speak, but that was enough of an answer. Felix stood up.

"Excuse me, then. I have to take care of getting things ready for the prince’s stay. I'll see you at dinner?"

With a final bow of his head, Felix swept out of the room, and Chan followed him. Felix's father wasn't a cold man, at least he never had been, but Felix knew well that they didn't see eye to eye on many things. He knew that he was taking a risk in marrying you without his family's approval, but he'd hoped all the same that his father would have come around to the idea after a few weeks of being apart.

"Right, do you know where my mom is?" Felix asked Chan, heading towards...well he actually wasn't sure where he was headed. His plans were minimal, and he'd never had to prepare for a guest like you before.

"She's away with your sisters, I think. She should be home in the morning." Chan explained. Felix sighed, and his friend slung an arm around his shoulders. "Relax, I started up arrangements as soon as I heard. Pick a room for them and we'll handle the rest."

So Felix took his time, examining several rooms in the guest wing until his workers were beginning to get fed up with the wait. He picked the one with the best view, an overlook of the river and the lush greenery that grew along it. It was the closest thing that he could find to the views back in the Fae realm.

"Why are you so worried?" Chan asked after a while of Felix hovering around the workers as they tried to set things up.

"They're scared." Felix answered easily. "Don't tell them I told you that, they're very proud. But I want this to be comfortable for them."

Admitting that out loud felt foreign, and he brushed off his friend's teasing as much as possible. Was it so abnormal to want someone to feel safe and comfortable when under your care?

"Do you think more candles would make this nicer?" He asked, looking around the room. "And we should get more blankets. It's colder here than they're used to."

Chan watched as his best friend fussed over the state of things. Chan had known Felix since they were kids, he was always the anxious type, but this was different. It was hard for him to even imagine that Felix didn't want to marry. Of course Felix hadn't told him that it was fake, but there weren't secrets between them. He'd know if Felix's feelings were true. Now, however, he was questioning how solid his theory about the legitimacy of the engagement was.

"Felix, maybe we can get this sorted out tomorrow, you have to be tired. And your mother can help better than I can." He squeezed Felix's shoulder, and his friend relaxed under the touch. He nodded, excusing the staff who were helping them. He sat at the edge of the bed, and Chan followed.

"Sorry. I just remember how stressed I was when I went there, and they were so accommodating. And you know how my dad is, I want to make sure they feel safe in here at least." He leaned back on his hands, groaning softly.

"I don't know how anyone could be uncomfortable with you," Chan promised. "Come on, I'm sure your betrothed wouldn't want you awake all night for their sake. Bedtime."

Felix didn't argue with Chan, he knew that he needed sleep, even if you probably wouldn't care if he stayed up all night. He laid awake in his bed, wondering again what you were doing, if the nerves were getting the best of you.

The morning wasn't any less stressful for Felix or the staff that had to deal with him. He was happy to see his mother, of course he was, and she did her best to keep him from getting lost in his head. However he was still overthinking every aspect of your visit that was under his control.

"Make sure to bring in extra blankets. It's warmer there than it is here." He mentioned once again, a message that Chan promptly passed on to one of the staff. Felix was quiet a moment longer, his friend and his mother letting him think. "Flowers, we should put flowers in their room. Carnations. No, wait."

Chan watched as a smile grew on his friend's face, a sure fire sign that he'd had a brilliant idea.

"I want lily of the valley in their room. Loads of them. Fresh. I don't care about the cost." He said. The staff shared looks, but they scurried off to have flowers brought up. Chan excused himself then too, leaving Felix alone with his mom. She smiled at her son. He finally looked like he'd let himself relax.

"You really care about them. I have to say I'm surprised." She said, reaching out to give Felix's hand an affectionate squeeze. Felix himself was a bit surprised too, a curiosity seeping in around the edges. When had he taken on this role of protecting you and fussing over you? Where was the line between make believe and reality? Had he crossed it already? It didn’t matter either way, he supposed,

"I do care about them. It's hard not to, you'll understand when you meet them." He said.

The ride from your kingdom to Felix's was long, and you had a hard time getting any rest what with the constant, shifting worry in your chest. Your friends were with you, the both of them doing their best not to let on how obvious your fear was. They were good to you like that, always trying not to make you feel too terribly transparent. Unfortunately, you'd gotten to know their tells pretty well, and it was only giving you more reason to worry.

"If you keep it up you'll stop breathing altogether," Jisung noted, a smile on his lips. You looked at him, laughing for the first time in days.

"Would that be so terrible?" You joked. Changbin gave your arm a light pinch, and you swatted at him. "Joking, only kidding. I'm nervous."

"But you'll get to see Felix again," Jisung pointed out. You ignored the flutter in your chest. Seeing Felix again might make this whole thing less suffocating. He was good, you had to finally admit to yourself that he was in fact very good. And marrying him may not be the end of the world after all.

"We're almost there, your highness." Changbin wrapped an arm around your shoulder, gesturing out the window. You could see the palace now, and the sprawling grounds that it sat on. A spread of deep green grass and trees so dense that you could hardly see through them. The palace stood tall, silvery and so bright that you could barely look at it with the sun beating down the way that it was.

Truly, it was all very beautiful, and it reminded you of Felix in its shimmering elegance. The stop of the carriage jolted you a little, and you straightened quickly. You'd been trained for this, you were a diplomat, and this was no different than any other diplomatic meeting you'd sat through. You were here to form an alliance.

You waited however impatiently for the door to your carriage to open, used to the order of events. Changbin got out first, decked out in full uniform, handing off his weapons. Then he helped you out with a small nod of reassurance. Jisung followed after, bringing up the rear. There were more guards than you were comfortable with, especially with the prejudices you'd heard of your entire life. Nevertheless, you rolled your shoulders back and took a deep breath. There wasn't enough time to work yourself up, because before you could, the doors to the palace were opening, and Felix was standing there, and things didn't seem nearly as intimidating as they had a few moments before.

He looked like he was out of breath, but his lips curled into a grin, and he laughed. The sound felt like pure sunbeams, warming your skin and making you laugh in return. His guards bowed in his presence, and you followed suit.

"Welcome," He waved you up the steps, and you didn't hesitate to walk them as quickly as you could without tripping. At the top of them, he caught your hand, bowing before you and bringing it to his lips. You rolled your eyes, and for a moment all of the stress was gone. "I meant to be out here when you arrived, but I got caught up."

"But you're here now. And thank goodness, because I think I might have died if I had to meet your parents without you." You said quietly, and he laughed. He offered you his arm, and you looped your hand into it, letting him lead you forward.

"How was your trip?" He asked. You shrugged.

"It was long, not particularly eventful. Your kingdom is beautiful. I never knew that," You admitted. He chuckled. When you looked at him, you couldn't help but notice all the ways that he looked different in the light of his home than he had in yours. His hair seemed curlier, falling around his face in waves, and his freckles were even more prominent, reminiscent of the way the stars dotted the sky back home really late at night. You wanted to look at them closer, but then he was turning to look at you.

"I'm glad you like it. It'll be yours soon, too." He met your eye, and his eyes looked brighter than they had before. You nodded, remembering the way you'd told him not to speak of your home and your people as if he were entirely separate from them.

"I'm glad to be a part of someplace like this." You said.

He stopped, and you looked at the doorway you stood in front of. The doors were large, thick slabs of wood intricately painted in gold and bronze, inlaid with gems you'd never seen in person before. The way the light hit them made it look like they were glowing. Felix laid his other hand over where yours rested in the crook of his elbow.

"It's gonna be fine. You know that right?" He asked you. You looked at him and put on your best smile.

"I trust you." You couldn't say that you knew that, you didn't really, but your trust in Felix was the next best thing. You probably wouldn't be willing to step foot in that room if it weren't for his presence at your side.

Felix nodded for the doors to be opened, and the guards did just that. Inside the room, it was just as intimidating as the doors. The vaulted ceilings were gilded gold, the color shifting in the light of the room into shades of red and orange. The pillars were intricately carved into the shapes of tree trunks so large and detailed that you wanted to reach out and touch them to see if they were real.

At the head of the room, a stunning couple sat in a pair of thrones. You let out a shaky breath as Felix let go of your hand. It fell to your side, and you took another couple steps forward before dipping into a deep bow. You held yourself there, your heartbeat thrumming deafeningly in your ears. They didn't speak for what felt like centuries, and your hands began to shake before finally the King acknowledged you.

"You may stand, prince of the fae." He said. And you did. "Welcome to our palace. It's been quite some time since we've had one of your kind in our midst."

You chewed on the inside of your cheek and put on a smile.

"Thank you, your majesty. It's been some time since my people have been welcomed into your home with such grace." You shouldn't have mentioned it, but you figured it was polite enough to slide. Felix stepped to your side, close enough that you could feel the warmth rolling off of him.

"Allow me to properly introduce you. Y/N, these are my parents. And this is Prince Y/N, my fiance." Felix was practically beaming, and you wondered if it was an act or if he was genuinely happy to be introducing you to his parents. You supposed it didn't matter either way. You smiled.

"It's truly an honor to meet you. You've raised a wonderful son, I'm grateful to have met him." You said. His mother seemed pleased with the compliment, but his father was still looking at you as if you were a nuisance, a speed bump in his way.

"You're serious about this wedding business, then?" His father asked. You stiffened, wings fluttering a little as you shifted your weight. Felix, however, clearly expected the question to come up.

"Of course we are. I don't typically joke about things as serious as my kingdom's future." He sounded irritated, his voice sharper than you were used to.

"I know it seems outlandish, but please understand that I really don't have ill intentions in marrying your son." You said.

"And why should I believe in a trickster? Your people are known for their mischief, aren't they? They find pleasure in causing problems for other people?" Your hands twitched towards fists, a look of disgust crossing your features. The king held up his hands in mock surrender. "I mean no offense, really. But with the things your people have done to my country, I have no reason to believe this is anything more than a power play."

"Father," Felix half snapped, his tone laying out a warning. He looked at you, and you couldn't read the look in his eye. Fear, or desperation, or concern. Something that made your chest feel heavy. You swallowed your pride, and the anger bubbling within you. How dare he speak to you like that, regardless of his position as king?

"It's alright, Felix. He's just worried about his kingdom. Any king would be. I was, too." You promised him. "I know the reputation that your people have given us, but it’s imperative to remember that mischief is harmless in nature. I wouldn't put my own people at risk by pulling some ridiculous stunt to bring down a perceived enemy. I'm not worried enough about this petty war to do something so underhanded."

The silence was thick, tension descending like fog, and you could practically hear your friends smirking from their positions just inside the doors. You couldn't imagine that they were holding up much better than you were, and you were half grateful that their weapons had been confiscated upon arriving with how proud they could be.

"And if it isn't for political gain, why would you want to marry into our family?" Felix's mother spoke this time, and you felt a little more at ease speaking to her. The question was one you'd practiced answering a hundred times. A twisted truth, an irrelevant response spoken like a proper answer.

"I know Felix will make a good husband. He's intelligent, and charming, and he will make a wonderful king one day." You said, turning to smile at him, and he smiled back, his cheeks tinting pink at the praise.

"How can you claim to want to marry someone you hardly know?" The king spoke again, this time aiming the sharp words towards Felix. He cleared his throat.

"I know them well enough. And I know where you stand on the fair folk, I wasn't going to rush into an introduction just to let anyone else come between us." He said. You hadn't ever heard Felix be so stern with anyone, and it was more jarring than you'd expected. "But I've wanted to be with them for a very long time now, and I know them better than nearly anyone in this place knows me."

His words hung in the air, and it almost looked like his mother wanted to call him to her, but she didn't. His father scoffed, and once again your heart sank.

"How long have you even known them? A month?" He asked.

"Centuries. We met as children at a masquerade a long time ago. And I've wanted to be with them from the moment I laid eyes on them." He said. And he said it with such conviction that you damn near believed it was true. The way he looked at you, the glimmer in his eye, you swallowed and lowered your eyes to the ground. "And now I get the chance to spend the rest of my life with them. I'd be a fool not to take it."

Once again it was quiet, and you looked up at them. Both of them were staring at you, sizing you up as you stood in front of them, and you ached to run away. Somehow standing here was even more terrifying than standing in front of the entire populace of your country. You could feel the anxiety building, the overwhelming want to simply not be there anymore, your engagement be damned. You were shaking again, and your breath was picking up too fast.

Felix's hand found yours, his fingers folding between yours and squeezing your hand tightly like you had squeezed his before. He soothed the shaking, holding you steady without so much as a tremble in the stare that he sent back towards his parents. He was protecting you at all costs, that had been his promise. And you trusted him, more than you trusted almost anyone. He wasn't going to let you down. This was going to work out.

"Your father approves of this?" The queen addressed you. You nodded.

"Yes, ma'am. He thinks Felix is lovely, that he'll make a good addition to our family and country." You answered her calmly. "And he knows that I don't take important decisions lightly."

"And you don't think there are any suitors that would be a better fit for...your kind?" The king questioned, leaning back in his throne as if you weren’t the wasted energy to sit up.

"I don't think there are any suitors who will understand me or my devotion to my people the way that Felix will."

"Are there other suitors at all? You seem quite keen on choosing my son."

"You don't seem keen on me choosing your son at all," You noted. "I can understand your hesitance, and I mean no disrespect, your majesty, but it doesn't seem fair not to trust your son's judgment. I've never met anyone as devoted to his people as Felix, he would give up anything for the things that he cares about. I admire that very much. And whether or not I have other suitors – which I do, I might add – he's the only one worth my time."

The room was growing quite warm, or maybe that was the way your anger was coming to a rolling boil in your chest. You were waiting eagerly for him to say another terrible thing about you, or your people, or, god forbid, about Felix. That didn't come, however. His father was entirely subdued by your statement, clearly biting his tongue. Instead, his mother smiled.

"It's getting late. I'm sure our guest is hungry and exhausted after such a long trip. How about we all get ourselves ready for dinner?" She said, standing up and smoothing her gown out. She looked at her husband, clearly not intending to take no for an answer. He nodded, and you bowed again.

"I'm grateful for your hospitality, your majesty." You said before Felix tugged at your hand. He bowed his head towards his parents and led you out of the room. You pulled your hand from his once the door was closed.

"Can you show their guards to their rooms?" Felix requested. You nodded for Changbin and Jisung to follow the staff down the hall, promising that you'd see them as soon as possible to fill them in on anything they missed. Once it was just the two of you, you turned to Felix with fire raging in your eyes that hadn’t been there moments before.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing Lee Felix?" You snapped. He looked taken aback by your rage, his eyes going wide. He'd believed Changbin when he said that you could handle yourself, but this was downright terrifying. "Talking about us having met before, the story about the ball? We talked about this, I can't lie. You cannot risk backing me into a corner like that. I'm trying so fucking hard to be considerate, and you aren't even thinking about how you might impact me. You’re not the only one playing this game.”

Felix reached out, grabbing you by the shoulders and squeezing.

"What happened to trusting me? Tell me, did we meet before the day I showed up in your kingdom? Before the day I asked you to marry me?" He asked. You rolled your eyes, opening your mouth to say no, but the word seemed to slip away, just out of reach. You pressed your lips together at the familiar feeling of trying to tell a lie, the way it sucked your voice away and made you feel faint.

"We'd met before." You said after a moment, after the full realization that you couldn't say you didn't know him. "You never told me?"

"I didn't think it was relevant."

"Idiot." You shook his hands off of your arms, still frustrated that he'd managed to trick you, but much less angry than you'd begun.

"Don't you remember? At the human masquerade ball when we were young. During the winter holidays?" He asked you. You thought, it had been so long ago that it was tricky to decipher the moments from one another, all of the memories swirling together.

You weren't sure where your father had gotten off to, but you were left alone in the room full of people, the music was loud, and the voices that battled to be heard by one another were beginning to grate on you. There were plenty of adults around, talking about things that you didn't really care about. The children younger than you were running and playing, likely to their parents' disdain. Human parents seemed more strict about playfulness than your own people. It was strange to you.

You, however, were standing at the edge of the dance floor, watching the swirling pattern of the dress clothes as couples danced and spun around the floor in each other's arms. You loved dancing, but with your usual dance partners not permitted to attend the ball, and the only other person you knew your age being the guest of honor and having his own duties to attend to, you were left to watch on your own.

You stood there on your own for several songs, finally preparing yourself to say goodbye to your friend and beg your father to leave early. But as soon as the thought crossed your mind, a blonde haired boy stopped in front of you. He bowed, and when he straightened up you were met with the brightest grin you'd ever seen. The upper half of his face was obscured by his gold and white mask save for his dark brown eyes. You could see a hint of freckles if you looked close enough, and shone in the light of the ballroom.

"Would you like to dance?" He asked, holding out his hand to you. You looked at it, then at him once again. You didn't know him, at least not as far as you could recognize behind the mask. You took his hand, and let him lead you to the floor just in time for the next song to pick up.

The boy pulled you close, a hand on your waist and the other holding yours as you followed his lead, the string instruments filling the room like a wave of butterflies, the two of you dancing on their wings. He was friendly, and you talked to him all throughout the dance. He was a good dancer too, you noticed. An elf if his ears were anything to go off of.

"Do you know the Prince?" He asked you. You nodded, losing sight of him for a moment as the dance swept you away from him to spin in a circlet of dancers before returning to his arms.

"I do, I met him recently. Our families have been friends for a millennium." You answered. He smiled, and your stomach swooped at the sight.

"He's a close friend of mine, it's unfortunate that we haven't met before this." He said, leaning close to you. He smelled of citrus and damp soil, and honestly it was lovely.

"Well I'm glad we've met now. I was beginning to think I should just leave." You said in response. "But now I have a dance partner. Makes it worth staying."

"Do you like dancing then? That's why you came?"

"Dancing is the closest thing to flying. I haven't flown in a long time." You admitted.

The conversation went on like that, a steady back and forth, digging into things you wouldn't dare to tell anyone who knew you well. It was easy to talk to him, and as the night came to a close, as your mother told you it was time to leave, you were forced to say goodbye.

"Wait," You said, catching his hand in yours. He looked back at you. "May I know your name?"

He shook his head, and his hand slipped out of yours. Your heart sank. You'd known plenty of people who had disliked your people, who had their beliefs about you, however wrong they may be. But that hadn't ever bothered you.

"Because I'm fae?" You asked. He shook his head with a laugh of disbelief.

"No, it's not that," He brought your hand to his lips, kissing the back of it and watching your eyes go wide behind your mask. "But we all have things that are better left a secret, I think my identity is one of those things. But if we're meant to meet again, we will, I'm sure. Until next time."

His lips quirked into a smirk that held a sort of mischief you'd never seen from an elf before, and then he was slipping away into the crowd of people.

The memory had been tucked deep in your mind, buried far enough away that you hadn't thought of it in years.

"You knew who I was?" You asked.

"I recognized your parents, and Seungmin talked highly of you. It was easy enough to figure out." He shrugged, and you huffed again. Annoying, just as he always was.

"You could have at least warned me." You continued your scolding. He bowed his head with a sheepish half-grin that made it incredibly hard to stay irritated.

"I hope you can forgive me, I would hate to have you mad at me for the rest of our lives." He said. You could hear the uptick of a smile in his voice. You ignored it, opting to accept the apology. "Come on, let's get to dinner."

Dinner went about as uncomfortably as one could expect it to. His parents weren't your biggest fans, and the small talk was excruciating. The worst of it was the way they spoke of your people. Underhanded slander and backhanded compliments that stung like a slap to the face over and over again. The fair folk weren't keen on being spoken to the way you were being spoken to, and every comment made you feel more and more like you were being burned alive.

Throughout the night, the conversation weighed heavy. Questions about your intentions, about your dreams for the future. You maneuvered it as carefully as you could, and the whole time you could feel Felix's eyes on you. He tried as well as he could to keep things light, and you were genuinely grateful to have him on your side. It made enduring such torture a little bit easier.

You didn't get to see your friends during the meal, and by the time that you were finally being escorted to your room, it was too late to bother them with your frustrations. You decided that sleep might be the best choice for the time being, you'd at least get a moment with your boys in the morning.

The staff showed you to your room, noting that Changbin was roomed to your right, Jisung straight across the hall. You thanked them politely, letting yourself into the room. The second the door was closed, you were sighing, burying your face in your hands and trying to hide from the world around you. But your room smelled familiar, it smelled like home. Sweet, and light. You opened your eyes, letting your hands fall back to your sides.

The room was large, a sitting area in front of you, and a bed hidden behind bed curtains to your left. And everywhere you looked, perched beside the bed, and on the table in the sitting area, and sat on either side of the window were vases of flowers. Lily of the valley. Your favorite. An unspoken reminder from Felix that he cared enough to give you a piece of home.

You walked to the window, reaching out to brush your fingertips over the delicate flowers and watching as they danced under your touch. You blinked a few times, tears beginning to well in your eyes. This was too much, he was taking too much care to make you feel at peace even in a place that wanted nothing to do with you. You sniffled, letting out a little laugh. Maybe it wasn't love, but how could you wallow in self pity when you were marrying the kindest man you'd ever met?

You made a mental note to thank him for his hospitality, and you wondered if he knew how much he meant to you. You didn't think you'd tell him that part just yet. You sat at the edge of the bed, looking out the window at the river that laid below. The dark made it hard to make out anything else, but it was still lovely, watching the moon reflect on the water even from so far away.

Sleep came quickly once you finally settled in bed for, which you were incredibly grateful for, and the morning was as easy as mornings could be. You, despite loving the world and the chance to be in it, weren't a fan of waking up. However the sun coming straight in the window had other plans for you. So you reluctantly got cleaned up, and settled in the window for a bit more time observing the country from afar.

A knock on your door startled you out of your thoughts, and you fully expected it to be Changbin coming to check on you. When you opened it, however, Felix was standing there looking just as radiant as he had the day before. In his hands was a sizable tray of food.

"I brought you breakfast. I figured you could use a little rest before going back into battle with my parents." He said, holding the tray out for you. You took it, only finally realizing that you were beginning to get hungry.

"Come in," You motioned for him to come inside, bringing the tray of food to sit on the small table. He made himself comfortable, sitting down in one of the chairs and motioning for you to sit and eat. And of course it would be rude to decline such an offer from your host. You sat down, quickly beginning to eat from a bowl of berries that were served up for you.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked. You nodded.

"Yeah, I slept great. And the flowers and everything…It’s all amazing, I really needed that last night." You gave him an appreciative smile, turning back to your meal. Felix puffed up with pride, happy to have gotten at least something right to make you comfortable during your trip.

"Good. My father is busy today, so I can show you around if you want. Or you can just relax." He said. You shrugged.

"Maybe we can do both. We can spend some time here, work out some of the logistics of everything. And you can show me around later if you want to. I'd love to see." You offered him a piece of strawberry on the end of your fork. He leaned forward and took it.

"Yeah, that works for me." He agreed. You smiled, poking at your eggs.

"Right then. So we're engaged, and I'm meeting your family now. I think, for everyone's sake, it's better for us to get on with the wedding as soon as possible. To get everyone off our backs and so we don't have to keep tricking everyone all the time."

If you were being honest, the secrets were getting overwhelming. You were an honest person by nature, and having to keep everything hidden was exhausting. Felix seemed to understand by the way he hummed in agreement.

"Right. So we should get to finalizing everything soon. The date and invitations and stuff? There's some hoops to jump through, right?" He said. You nodded.

"I can handle most of the planning, now that you're back home I imagine you're busier than I am." You said. "Plus I have Changbin to help. He might be a dork, but he's reliable."

"And I can introduce you to some friends, they'll be able to help when I'm busy. But I don't want you to think that you're alone in this either, I want to help." He said. You smiled. He wanted to help? This man and his surprises.

"Right, of course. And I won't make any final decisions without your approval. You will only get one wedding, I'm afraid. You're stuck with me." You nudged at his arm, and he had to note that you'd never touched him so casually. He liked knowing that you were comfortable around him.

"Oh, we’ll have to figure out customs and such. I don’t know much about Elven culture and weddings. If there’s important things I need to plan for, you have to tell me" You said.

Much to your surprise, talking to Felix about your wedding wasn't full of dread. It was actually quite fun to plan it all out. You may even, if you were going to admit it, go so far as to say you were growing excited at the prospect of the wedding. When the first break came around, you'd both been discussing wedding customs for nearly two hours. It was funny how relaxed you were when it was just you and Felix, and you were relieved to see that he felt the same way.

"I wanted to tell you that I really didn't intend to upset you with the story about us meeting," Felix said. "I know it wasn't very fair to assume you remembered, and you're right, I didn't think before I spoke. That might be my fatal flaw."

"It's really fine. I remember always wondering what you were so mysterious for back then. And I never saw you again after that night."

"Honestly, it was ridiculous. I wanted you to try and find me again. I thought you were cute," He laughed. The sort of frantic nervous laugh that he let out when he said something embarrassing. "I figured that since we were both friends with Seungmin it would be easy, but I never heard from you. I asked about you, you know?"

"You asked about me?"

"Yeah, I was close with him for a long time, and I swear I asked about you every time I saw him for a while. He never had any news to report. I actually thought for a while that you stopped talking to him because of me."

You laughed, shifting in your seat to look at him better.

"You know, not everything is about you." You teased him. He laughed too, and you were glad that he recognized your joke. "It's been a really long time since I've been friends with anyone outside my own kingdom. It's just been me, Changbin, and Jisung most of our lives."

"Why?"

"I stopped leaving home. Diplomacy wasn't as safe anymore, it was left mostly to my father. And he didn't like me to leave unless necessary after my mother."

"She passed when you were young right? Not long after we met."

You nodded, looking down at your hands and pressing your lips together. You didn't talk about your mother very often. Honestly, you didn't need to. It had been a long time since you'd lost her, and the sting had finally faded into a nagging itch when you thought about her. But you spent plenty of time at her tree in the gardens, or talking to her when things were hard. She couldn't respond, but it always helped.

"She was fighting in the war. My father didn't want her on the front lines, but she was the best archer that our people had. The battles weren't usually as long winded or as fatal as that one." You let out a laugh, bitter and wet as you blinked back tears. "My father was destroyed. The fair folk marry for life, you know. My parents were the closest thing to soulmates I'd ever seen. Losing my mother made my father bitter. He wanted to take away as much from as many elves as he could. That's why I'm determined to end it. I don't want it to eat away at him any longer. I don't want it to eat away at me any longer."

Felix didn't speak, and you couldn't really blame him for not knowing what to say. You sniffled and cleared your throat. You rarely got so emotional over it all.

"Anyway, where were we?" You said, nodding to the lists that the two of you had been working on. Guests and arrangements. The colors, the flowers. You knew it was involved, but this seemed all too much. The guest list was more than the amount of people you even knew by name, and to think that you'd be signing your life away in front of them all was overwhelming.

"I think we've worked enough for the day, don't you?" Felix asked. You were reluctant, there was only so much time that you could spend, but you gave in. "Let me show you my home,"

The rest of your day was spent walking the castle grounds, exploring all of the places that Felix had played as a child, the places he went when there were things on his mind. It was beautiful, you had to admit. The trees were tall, surrounding the castle like a wall, and you ached to climb into their limbs. The entire country appeared to be lush, darker shades of green than you were used to back home, and the silvery-grey of the palace nearly blended in with the filtered light through the trees.

Hearing about Felix’s life made it feel like this was real, nothing more than visiting someone that you were growing fond of spending time with. The pressure was gone as you followed his lead, watching him show off a rather rusty cartwheel and laughing when you did one in return. You felt like a kid again, the same way you’d felt when you first met him.

The next few weeks after your little tour were busier than you were used to. When you weren't being subjected to the harsh criticism of your future in-laws, you were wedding planning with Felix, and if you weren't wedding planning with Felix you were working on arrangements with his friends. You were grateful for them too, knowing anyone else in the entirety of the country made you feel a little more at home.

However, Changbin had been nagging that the stress wasn't good for you. You knew he was right, but the wedding date was closing in faster than you could really comprehend. You were pacing your room, flipping through the various papers and lists that you needed to finish. You'd had all of the invitations sent out already, and you'd left catering to Chan to sort, but now you were having to decide between the different types of decorations. Who even knew there was a difference between half of these fabrics?

"Will you please just take a break?" Felix begged from where he was sprawled across your bed. He had been helping as much as he could, but he had plenty on his plate too. You shook your head.

"I need to get this taken care of." You tossed a couple fabric swatches to him. "Which one of these is better for the tablecloths?"

He brushed them both aside without a second thought.

"Either one is fine. I don't think it matters that much." He said. You huffed, walking over to pick up the samples, smoothing them out again and putting them back on the table with the others. "Felix, you're not helping. I can't do everything myself, you know."

You rubbed your hands over your face. You still had to organize your final fittings, and Felix's probably since you were pretty sure he hadn't gotten that taken care of either. You sat down in the chair. You had hardly been sleeping, and your head was pounding.

"Seriously, you need a break. Have you eaten? I can have something made." He said, sitting up. You shook your head.

"I don't want to eat, dinner will be soon. I just want to get this shit over with." You knew you were being snippy, and that not everything was Felix's fault, but you were beginning to feel alone in whatever this convoluted engagement was, and it was absolutely exhausting. "The sooner we get this wedding over with, the sooner we can just stop playing this ridiculous game."

With your head in your hands you couldn't see the way Felix deflated, you couldn't see the look of hurt that flashed across his face. He scoffed. Right, game. He had just about forgotten that this was all some game of house, all a means to an end.

"I'm pretty sure I'm just getting in your way now." He said, standing up from your bed. "I'm gonna take a break. We can pick this back up after dinner time."

You stood up too, turning to face him as he reached your bedroom door.

"I just said I wanted to finish this, and you’re taking a break? I know you don't want to do any of this but we have to. You're the one who got me into this, I need your help." You were practically begging now, your voice rising louder than you should have let it.

"I get it, you're stressed. But I don't know why you care so much about this wedding. It's not like you actually want to marry me in the first place. So let's just take a break. It's gonna be fine." His voice was thick, the weight of his words just a painful reminder that he was throwing himself mind, heart, and soul into a one sided marriage. The pain he was willing to endure for his country had no end it would seem.

"Yes I do, Felix." You said, fully shouting now. There was no hesitation as the words came out. He stopped in his tracks, and his eyes searched your face. You tipped your head down, avoiding his gaze at all costs. Your heart was beating hard enough that it was rattling your chest. It felt like you couldn't catch your breath, and your hands were shaking with nerves again. Damn your hands, and damn your anxiety, and damn the world for putting you through stress when all you wanted was a moment to breathe.

"You do what?" He asked. You didn't answer. So again, he asked you. "You do what, Y/N? Tell me."

You do what? You care? You want this? Was that it? You wanted to marry Felix? Of course you did, anyone would be stupid not to. You'd met plenty of people in your life, but none of them were so glowingly good as Lee Felix. He was a dream wrapped up in pretty packaging, and he was good to you. What more could you really ask?

“I want to marry you. I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to marry you." You said. "I want to do what's best for the people who rely on me, and I want to do right by you. I wouldn't marry you if I was going to make you miserable for the rest of your life."

Felix still looked like a kicked puppy, and you wondered if his mind was racing as fast as yours was, if his body was overheating like yours. Was it stuffy in your room? You moved to open the window, leaning against the window sill and staring at the river.

"I need to get ready for dinner. Can you..." You didn't want to speak for fear of bursting at the seams and spilling your deepest secrets. You were already dangerously close to a precipice that was looking all too inviting. A leap of faith so to speak, a chance to stretch your wings and test the limits of your emotions.

"Right. I'll see you at dinner, then." He said quietly. Your throat felt like it was closing, choking down your breath and your panic in one fell swoop. He sounded almost broken. You'd never heard him sound like that, and it was making some sharp, sour feeling bloom in your stomach. The door to your room closed, and you let out a shaky breath.

It was another hour until dinner, and all you did during that hour was pace your room so much that you half worried you'd walk a hole through the floor. That, however, was the least of your worries. You tried to get some more work finished, but the only thing you could think about was the conversation you'd had, and the look on his face when Felix left. You'd wanted to comfort him, to make it better, to soften whatever blows he was taking.

When you made it to dinner, the conversation at the table was much quieter than usual, mostly to do with the fact that Felix wasn't trying to bridge the gap between you and his parents. As far as they were concerned, you were no threat anymore, but you weren't family either. They had traded contempt for utter indifference that left your encounters with one another dry and empty. You wondered where Felix got his sunshine-y nature from.

You looked up from your meal, across the table to where Felix was sitting. He didn't look like he'd eaten more than a handful of bites in the past twenty minutes since he'd sat down. Although, in all fairness, you hadn't either. You could tell that his parents had noticed the change too, and you bitterly wondered if they blamed you for it. You blamed yourself for it, it would make sense for them to as well.

"Forgive me, I don't feel very well. I think I should excuse myself." You said. The king nodded, and you stood. Felix was quick to stand with you, but you shook your head. "I can go on my own. You should finish eating with your parents."

He sat down slowly, and you turned to leave. You could feel the burning of their eyes on your back, and you pushed down the embarrassment that rose with it. You walked for so long that you weren't actually sure where it was that you were going, down winding halls, up and down unfamiliar staircases until you somehow managed to land in front of Changbin's door. Fate, you figured in the back of your mind, it meant you needed him most right now.

You brought your hand up, knocking a few times and praying that he was inside. You waited for a long moment, seconds of silence ticking by and suffocating you. You knocked again, even louder this time, desperately. You could hear sound behind the door, and you suddenly worried that you'd interrupted something more intimate than you'd like to. How would you have known, you'd hardly seen him with how much you were moving around the past few days. He opened the door, looking baffled but put together enough that it eased your nerves.

"Do you have a few minutes?" You asked, looking away from him, instead focusing over his shoulders into his room. Anything to keep you from having to meet his eye. He stepped aside so you could come inside. You thanked him quietly, walking in and sitting down at the edge of his bed. He moved to sit at the center of it, waiting for you to begin.

The thing about Seo Changbin is that after so many years of being best friends, he knew you better than yourself. He was distinctly good at mapping out boundaries that you didn't know existed, or picking up on the subtleties of your emotions that you could swear up and down weren't there. It's precisely the reason that you would always seek him out at moments like this.

When he didn't speak, you flopped backwards, haphazardly falling into his lap. He laughed, and you smiled, grateful for the change in the energy. You looked up at him, and he put a hand on your shoulder, shaking it lightly.

"Alright, alright. I'm having a hard time with this wedding thing." You explained. His expression softened, his smile fading until it was a shadow over his worry. "I don't want to back out, or anything, it's not like that. But it's stressing me out a lot, and we argued, I guess."

"You and Felix?"

You nodded.

"What was the fight about?"

"I don’t think he cares about this wedding as much as I do. But it's important that it goes well, it's the only one we're going to have. And I don't not want to marry him, so it makes sense that I'd want our wedding to be perfect, right? But he just wants to get it over with. Which I guess I do too, but only because I don't want to carry all of the stress anymore."

You sat up, getting off the bed and beginning your pacing again. Being on your feet always helped you work through your chaotic thoughts easier. You paced, spinning in circles and bouncing on the balls of your feet while Changbin processed what you'd said.

"Right. So you fought because he doesn't want to get married?" He asked you.

"Sort of. We fought because he made me feel unimportant. And then he said that he knows I don't want to marry him and..." You stopped, groaning out dramatically. "I said that I do, and I don't know what I’m doing anymore. I’m so irritated, and I’m tired, and I’m lost"

You knew what you’d meant, but you weren't sure you could fully comprehend how to accept that truth. Admitting what you were feeling was accepting a completely different fate, it would change the entire plan. Most of all, the feeling it gave you made you want to bolt even more than you already did.

"Okay, why are you freaking out?" He asked. You looked at him, stopping your incessant pacing and instead fiddling with your fingers.

"I don't want there to be tension between us, and I don't want him to think that I'm marrying him because I think that I have to." You said after a moment of thinking. Changbin hummed, moving to the edge of the bed and resting his elbows on his knees. Having his attention on you made you restless, shifting your weight from side to side.

"Why are you marrying him, then? If you don’t think you have to," He asked. You didn't like the way he asked; The placement of his words, or the way he'd linger on a thought, mull it over in his head, then pick his words with a distinct care. It felt like a game of chess, all strategy. You'd never been any good at chess.

"Because it'll be good for us, for our countries. And I could do a lot worse, Felix is a good person." You said. Changbin nodded, still looking at you. You knew he was waiting for you to continue, but you weren't sure what to say so you just kept shifting your weight. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, the gentle swaying helped to sooth the racing of your heart in your chest.

"What makes him a good person?" He asked, "How do you feel about him?"

"He's smart, and charming, and he's not as stuck up as he seems at first." You said, a smile growing on your lips as you thought back on how much he'd irritated you when you'd first met him. "He's so passionate about so many things, and he loves when other people are passionate. And when he cares about someone, he cares about them so deeply that it's like they become a part of him."

"Is that why you want to marry him?"

You nodded. Changbin hummed, and you stopped moving finally.

"Y/N," You looked at him, and he gave you a half smile. "Do you love him?"

"What sort of question is that?” You hissed. “You know we’re playing pretend.”

“Do I? Answer the question.”

“He’s a good person, Bin. I mean, he’s smart, and he’s sweet, and he understands the way my brain works, and–”

“Hey!”

Your eyes snapped towards Changbin, your words cutting short. “Do you love Lee Felix?”

“Yes.”

Once again, the word slipped out before you could think about it, before you could dance around the question. And it was as if the entire world stopped spinning so suddenly that it knocked you off your feet. You stumbled back, your mouth agape as you tried to process the confession you'd made.

"Do you love him the way you love me?" Changbin kept pressing, but he sounded more careful now, like the wrong question would shatter whatever strength you still had in your body. You shook your head.

"No. No, I love him like I would rather never run or dance or fly or sing again if he wanted someone else. I love him so much that it scares me to even think about telling him. Because what if he doesn't love me like that? Like he needs me to breathe?" You were growing frantic, your wings flipping and fluttering in distress. Changbin stood up then, grabbing your hands to make you focus back on him.

"It's okay, breathe." Changbin tried, but you were too deep in your head, panic rising and tears welling in your eyes. Damn it all. You groaned.

"I need air," You didn't wait to hear what he had to say, pushing yourself to move, to half run out the door and close it behind you. The hallway felt cooler than Changbin's room had, but it wasn't enough. You weren't sure where you were going all over again, trying to keep your breathing from turning into full blown hyperventilation as you followed the corridor down to the stairs, taking them as fast as you could without falling, and continuing towards what you hoped was the main hall that would at least take you outside. Outside, that was enough to give you a goal to focus on.

"Hey," A voice called out to you, and you felt yourself go dizzy. Were you breathing? You stopped in your tracks, looking over to where Felix was standing. Where did he come from? What had he been doing that had him out so late? Was he looking for you? You inhaled sharply, a gasp for air. Felix was at your side before you could even squeeze words out.

You tried to scramble away from him, to sidestep him so you could keep walking. You didn't know how to talk to him right now. You were unsuccessful as Felix stepped with you, still blocking your path forward. You glared at him, but he didn't budge. Damn him and his unstoppable heart. The heart that had fooled yours into falling.

"What's the matter?" He insisted.

"Get out of my way, Felix."

"Not until you tell me why you looked so upset. If we're getting married, I want to know that you can talk to me. Please,"

You ignored him, moving to shoulder past him, but his hands caught your arms, dragging you back to stand in front of him with a strength that honestly surprised you. You groaned in frustration, shaking his hands off of you. You were crying, which you had been trying not to do. You lifted your hands up, swiping the tears away furiously. Your breath was shaking, and it was starting to hurt your lungs.

"What are you running from? Did someone hurt you?" He asked, reaching up to turn your face back and forth, checking you over for any visible injuries. You sniffled and laughed bitterly. For something that was considered love, it hurt a lot worse than you were expecting.

"Nobody hurt me. I'm just...dealing with some stuff. I'm fine, just leave me alone." You insisted. He shook his head.

"What are you dealing with?" It was hard to look at him what with the way he was looking at you. His brows were pulled together in concern, eyes scanning your face back and forth as he searched for any sign, any hint of what was going on in your mind. And you were absolutely livid that he cared so much, you were fuming, and it wasn't fair because he was just so damn good to you all of the fucking time. Shit.

"You. I'm dealing with you, and this wedding, and my emotions, and I'm sick of it. I’m fucking tired, Felix, and it makes me want to scream." You snapped. He pulled away from you, and your arms felt cold where his hands had been sitting. You wanted them back. "I'm dealing with a million and one things, and I can't even talk to anyone about them because they're nobody else's problems, they're just mine."

Felix looked like he could break down and cry just from seeing you break down, and you wondered if his chest hurt like yours did, like it was empty and caving in all at once. He sort of looked like it did.

"You can talk to me. Even if I can't help, I can be a shoulder to lean on. I know that you and I aren't that close, and I wouldn't ever expect you to do the same thing for me. I know you don't care, and that you think I don't care, but I do. I want to be able to take care of you, I want to be a good husband no matter what." He told you. You sighed, wrapping your arms around yourself like that would be enough to hold all of your emotions inside, like you could squeeze yourself tight enough to keep from exploding. It did not, in fact, help the situation.

"That's the problem, Felix! You want to be good to me so badly and it's making me fall in love with you. And you don't love me back, so you just keep giving me this disgusting sense of false hope, and it's killing me." The confession tore itself from you with a force that made your lungs ache, the sound of your voice bouncing off of the walls and no doubt disturbing at least someone in the palace. The weight was lifted off of your chest, but instead of relief it just made you woozy and light headed. "I can't do this, I can't be close to you any more than I have to because I'm tired of hurting and wanting and waiting for something that just won't happen. I can’t keep being an idiot for you."

You turned, as unfair as you were being, you went to walk away. And he was grabbing your hand, pulling you back into his arms and hugging you to his chest. You melted into his warmth, into that familiar scent of citrus and soil and a warmth like the sun in summer. You clung to his shirt, fingers digging into the fabric to keep him from leaving. You cried, hard and breathless into his shoulder, and he didn't let go.

"You're so stupid, do you realize that? I've loved you for so long. And I've been doing everything I could to make sure you felt it." He laughed, and you could feel the warmth of it seep through the cold, numb feeling that had begun to overtake your body. You looked up at him, at the way his lips curled and his eyes sparked when he looked at you. "I've loved you since the first day I met you. Why else would I track you down after all this time and fight so hard to make you mine?"

"I can't stand you, Lee Felix." You half-sobbed. But it was a laugh, and you were smiling, and even with tears tracking down your cheeks, Felix was so taken with you that he was laughing along with you. "I knew that marrying you was going to be the right decision."

"Don't jinx it, we haven't even gotten married yet."

The music swelled around you, filling the room until it felt like the entire air was beating in time with your heart to the melody. The ceremony had finished a matter of minutes prior, and you were finally married. The ring glinted on your finger in the candle light of the hall. You were overjoyed, your hand intertwined with Felix's as you talked to your guests.

Your friends were there, Changbin and Jisung grinning at you like proud parents. And Felix's, standing beside them now that they were bonding over the love shared by their best friends. You were glad to see them all getting along so well. The room, despite the differences of those within it, was filled with genuine love and adoration for you and your husband. He tugged your arm towards him, knocking you off balance and making you fall into his side. He gave you a smug grin, and you shook your head with one to match. You were still getting used to the feeling of being in love with him.

"What's on your mind?" He asked. You smiled, looking towards the center of the cleared room, how the chairs had been dutifully cleared as per your request.

"We're properly married now," You said, a playful smile growing on your lips. He looked concerned at the way your eyes glinted with a mischief he'd never seen aimed towards him before. "That means you have to listen to me and do as I say. Obedient husbands make for happy lives, you know."

"And what is it you want from me, my prince?" He asked, following you as you strode with confidence towards your friends.

"I want you to dance with me." You released his hand, taking the last few steps towards the other boys. You whispered something to Chan, and he smiled, disappearing to do your bidding as you eagerly tugged at Changbin and Jisung. "It's traditional to dance all night long at our weddings back home. And we agreed to share our traditions, didn't we?"

You grinned as the music changed, shifting into something much more like what Felix remembered from the festival his last visit to your home. It was fast and light, and honestly it was hard not to dance to it. The dance began when Changbin took your hand, and the two of you gave way to the weight of the music, circling one another and spinning until slowly but surely more people joined. Most of them were other fae folk, familiar with the music. Jisung pulled a few people with him, Felix's friends among them, into the intricate twist and turn and twirl of bodies. And you looked at Felix, half obscured by the people dancing with you as you reached your hand out for him, begging him to join.

You looked like nothing he'd ever seen before, with flowers in your hair and light dancing across your face, your smile turned on him. He didn't resist your siren call this time, falling with you into the crowd. He held you close, and the two of you danced surrounded by people dancing around you and nothing else in the world mattered in that moment as the two of you circled one another, his hand on your waist and yours pressed into his chest. The world was just you and him, breathing in time, riding the breeze and basking in your affection for one another. Convenience be damned.

You were the most beautiful like this, in your element, in his arms, and all-consumingly in love.

But you are beautiful

And thrilling, and true

And you would never ask that of me

I would give away the brightest parts of myself

To make you shine like silver,

All of the things I could give to you,

But you say they're worth nothing,

Don't I know that they pale in comparison

To the joy I give you when I fly.

You call it this the beauty mark of love

copyright © 2022 hobi-is-golden, all rights reserved

[lizzie-is-here]

Hellooo I would like to request again bcs I thought of another one a Kate Bishop one shot 16. “don’t. fucking. touch. them.” where a guy was fliriting with you beside Kate and he doesn't know you and Kate r dating so Kate gets jealous and gets mad at him :) <3 Tysmm you have really great writing I really enjoy reading ur one shots this is Kate again cuz I'm obsessed with her if u can't tell ty again <3

follower event!

character: kate bishop x fem!reader

prompt: “don’t. fucking. touch. them.” (changed to her for this one because kate x fem!reader is my jam now. this girl radiates fruity)

warnings: alcohol, cussing, violence, harassment, gross men being gross, brief mentions of spiking drinks

a/n: ugh these are so enjoyable. honestly might consider keeping my requests open for a bit… 👀 if i do i’ll put up new rules so yeah. hope u all enjoy, love uuuuu <3

“Ah, they have Russian vodka, Kate Bishop!” Yelena’s thick accent carries through the bar, turning a few heads. The girl continues, ignoring the confused looks shot her way.

“My mother sent me a bottle a week ago, but this is so nice,” she says, sidling up to the bar. As she begins to lean over the counter and grab random bottles, Kate smiles apologetically at you.

She’s wearing a sweatshirt and jeans, a bit out of place in the dim bar, but you can’t fault her. Mainly because you’ll steal the sweatshirt later for bed.

“I’d better go… keep an eye on her,” she says. “I’ll be right, back, I swear.” You laugh and give her a thumbs-up, wandering to another section of the bar to order.

A sign catches your eye, listing some Christmas special cocktails. You squint in the low light as you read through each one.

“What can I get for you?” The bartender tosses her towel to the side. She nods to the sign. “The peppermint Bailey’s is pretty good.”

You smile. “Then I’ll take that.” As she whisks away to make your drink, you watch to ensure the drink stays in your sight. The bartender rims the glass with peppermint crumble as a final touch and sets it on the bar in front of you.

Taking it with a smile and tossing down some cash, you look around for Kate and Yelena. On the other side of the circular bar, you see the blonde reluctantly give up a bottle of vodka to another bartender.

You hurry over, sliding in next to Kate as she lightly scolds the Russian assassin.

“Boo,” you whisper, giggling when your girlfriend jumps at the sound. She clutches her chest in feigned hurt, all wide-eyed as she turns to you.

“I trusted you,” she gasps dramatically, before breaking out into a grin. She points to your glass. “Christmas-y.”

She has her own drink, a Tequila Sunrise from the look of it. “Yours isn’t,” you quip back, clinking your glass with hers. Yelena continues to hassle the bartender for a free bottle.

Just as the bartender sets his elbow on the counter and Yelena does the same, grasping his much larger hand on her own, a voice clears its throat from behind you.

“What’s a girl like you doing without anyone to dance with?” When you turn around, you’re met with a rather sleazy looking man. He’s in a button-down, with clean slacks and polished dress shoes. What man wears dress shoes to the bar?

You’re about to point to your girlfriend, but she’s busy filming what you suspect to be an arm-wrestling contest. The man takes your silence as an answer.

“Well, I couldn’t help but notice you. Hard not to,” he smirks, looking you up and down. Okay. Now you’re freaked out. “Wanna dance, sweet-cheeks?”

As you internally gag, because one: ew, men, and two: nasty pet names, he sidles up even closer. On instinct, you cover your drink.

“Oh, come on, baby, don’t be like that. Plus, I wouldn’t have to spike your drink to get you back to my place. I’ve been told I’m a very smooth talker.” He lowers his voice as he talks, as if sounding like he’s been smoking since infancy would make him attractive.

You scrunch your nose, scowling as intimidatingly as you can muster. “Well, go be a smooth-talker somewhere else. I’m not interested, sorry.”

He narrows his eyes. “What do you mean? I’m clearly rich, I’m better than any guy in this bar-“

“Ok, well, I have a girlfriend,” you interrupt, really hoping Kate will hear you. He scoffs.

Then, after taking an obnoxiously long slurp of his beer (third red flag), he belches. “Lesbians are sooo hot,” he slurs. You roll your eyes so hard it hurts, looking around for a way to get this guy away from you.

A small crowd has formed around Yelena and the bartender, but you can spy Kate’s ponytail through the throng. As you scoot away towards her, the asshole holds out a hand.

“Wait, wait, wait! Come on, you don’t have to lie and say you have a girlfriend. I promise, I’m a really nice guy. I never harass girls, I’m always a gentleman…” He goes on and on as you frantically glance at your girlfriend.

Eventually, she seems to feel your panicked gaze and looks over. She raises a brow at the very persistent problem rambling next to you and you look from him to her a few times, raising both brows in a silent message.

She casually sits down beside you, waiting and listening. You hold a hand up to the man.

“Listen, I’m sure you’re a nice guy, but I was serious when I said I had a girlfriend, and she’s right-“ You turn to point to her, but the guy grabs your wrist, yanking you.

You tear your hand away, breath shaking as he stumbles a bit. Kate steps in front of you, glaring at him.

“Hey, asshat.” With a vicious kick to the shins, he doubles over. “Don’t. Fucking. Touch her,” she growls. You’re so busy swooning over Kate’s protectiveness you don’t even notice a loud thud and cheers from behind you.

As he stands up and begins to yell at her, you slip off your heels, setting one on your chair and grasping the other one in your hand.

“God, you’re such a fucking bitch! Women will never pick nice guys, will they? You’re all fucking horrible, you know that?” he snaps.

Kate raises a brow. “Aren’t you the one who just harassed my girlfriend after she told you, multiple times, that she wasn’t interested?” When he can’t come up with a counter argument, the man goes in for a punch.

But you were waiting.

When he rears back, you step in front of Kate as she dodges the poorly aimed blow, and swing your stiletto into his jaw.

You don’t hit very hard. You aren’t really trying to. The goal isn’t to break a bone, or even make him bleed, as much of an asshole he is.

Instead, you hit hard enough to leave a sizable bruise and send him stumbling back, before chugging your drink, swiping up your shoes, grabbing your now very flustered girlfriend by her hand, and beelining for the exit. But not before a blonde, Russian assassin hits the man with a hard-earned bottle of vodka.

[proserpina-magnus]

Yay your requests are open! 😄 Could you pleeeease write a Dom poly!marauders (no Peter) x sub!reader, where it’s a new-ish relationship between the 4 and the reader breaks her first rule, leading to her first punishment and they can all see she’s nervous so they are soft!doms during (you can decide the rule she breaks and the punishment🙊) and the aftercare they give her 🥺

Yes absolutely, it’s kinda rough and I didn’t realize how lengthy it was! This is actually not that good and the aftercare could be better but I hope you like it!

First Punishment’s (R.L, J.P, S.B)

Reader: fem (she/her)

Word count: 2.6

Warning: swearing, rule breaking, spanking, bratty reader (sorta), d/s (sorta heavy?) Remus is the main dom, safe words are definitely in place, lots of aftercare and praises, reader becomes a cry baby super fast, soft doms, Sirius actually doesn’t show up that much and that sucks :(

p.s: my bad spelling also plays a role in this!

There were only a few solid rules the Marauders had set for you, no back talk, no touching yourself sexually without permission, and always thank them when they give you something. They had a few smaller rules specifically for themselves, such a James saying you can’t cuss while Sirius allows it. Remus has to approve your outfit before going out to hogsmeade. Sirius, surprisingly, doesn’t have many rules other than the main ones.

It must have been a bad day or you just felt bratty, because you had been tempting their rules all day. You had gone out to hogsmeade with your dorm mates, not checking with Remus about your outfit. When you returned, a bag full of honey duke treats, you got stopped by Remus in the hallway. He shoo’d your dormmates away, an eyebrow raised with his hands crossed over his chest.

You shrunk slightly, fiddling with the edge of your rather small skirt that Sirius had gifted to you just days ago.

“Bun, did you forget to do something?” He asked and you nodded. Yet you and Remus both knew you had done it on purpose.

“What did you forget?”

“To check with you,” you mumbled, distracting yourself with flattening the fabric of James jumper you had stolen.

“To check with me about what?”

“M’outfit,” you whispered and you caught Remus's stern look and spoke up. “M’outfit sir,”

“mmh,” was all he said, giving you an opportunity to apologize to him properly. You dug through your bag, taking out a chocolate bar you had gotten him.

“But I went to get you guys sweets!” You excused yourself, pushing the chocolate in Remus's hand. Remus shook his head, taking the chocolate. “Alright, I’ll let you off this time. But no matter what your excuse is, it doesn't mean you can go around flaunting your ass to Hogsmeade, understand?”

“I’m not flaunting my ass!” You exhaled quickly, pushing down your skirt as you began to get offended. Remus raised his eyebrow, “I’m sorry?” And you grew quiet. Real quiet.

“Hey lovely,” you heard James call from behind you, you had turned around to see him race down the hall and swing an arm around your waist, a big smile on his face.

“What’s the issue?” James got the tension and Remus motioned for you to explain yourself.

“Went to hogsmeade without checking my outfit with Remus,” you whispered rudely, James raised an eyebrow as he didn’t quite catch it.

“Hm? Speak up poppet,” he said, and you sighed and said it again louder this time.

“Oh let her off this one time Remus, she must have forgotten,” James defended you, rubbing your back so you knew he was on your side.

“I was,” Remus started, irking slightly as he recalled how you talked back. “But instead she told me off for my offer,”

James grew confused, looking down at you. “Love, that’s not true is it?” He asked, pinching your cheek and you pushed his hand away. You thought he was on your side.

“Remus said I was flaunting my ass! I wasn’t! And even if I was, what's the problem with that? I’ll flaunt my ass whenever I want!” You huffed, another small rule broke at your words. Remus rolled his tongue over his teeth, James folding his arms over his chest. Oh dear lord, you were in for it now if you kept going.

“This isn’t far, it’s 2 against one,” you pointed out as you now realized James wasn’t on your side. You copied them, crossing your arms over your chest.

“It wouldn’t have been 2 against one if you didn’t break a rule,” Remus reminded you, you grew frustrated.

“Well I don’t like your stupid rules,” you stated, now you began to get worried. Why did you keep talking, it wasn’t too late for you to apologize and say you were sorry.

“Up to our dorm,” James said roughly and grasped your elbow, you shook him off and stepped back. “No I don’t wanna,” you said and they both let out a laugh.

“Come on, we’re not asking again,” Remus said, you felt your nerves jitter. You’ve never been punished before and the worry began to build quickly.

“No,” you said, shaking your head as you took another step back. Your back hit a person and you cursed yourself. Without turning around, you knew it was Sirius. But hopefully, you prayed he was on your side. Sirius must have read your thoughts, because he quickly said a “they’re right bun, you know if you break a rule you get punished,”

You frowned, huffing out as you realized there wasn’t a chance to escape now. “Fine,” you muttered, pulling away from Sirius as you began to walk down the hall to the portrait. They followed behind, Remus shaking his head.

You stopped at the portrait, arms still crossed over your chest as they said the password and led you upstairs to their dorm. With the thud of the door being closed, you felt the need for a meltdown.

They hadn't discussed what kind of punishment went with each rule, they hadn’t thought they wouldn't need to punish their good girl. James had insisted you would never break a rule, but apparently he was wrong.

They picked up that you were worried, but they couldn’t just let it slide, you’d think that breaking rules was okay and that you could get away with it.

You walked over and set your bag down on James' dresser, sitting down on his bed, hands still folded over your chest.

“Okay, cool off,” James said and walked over to you. “I want you to know we aren’t punishing you while mad, that’s not how this is going to work,” he stated, and Remus nodded.

“We honestly hadn’t planned out a punishment, we thought you would be good,” Sirius said, that hurt. “I am good!” You replied, upset at the fact they didn’t think you were good.

“Hey, you’re not on thin ice anymore missy, I’d watch what you say if I were you,” Remus snapped and you went quiet with a frown.

“We know you’re a good girl,” James soothed over, giving a glare to Sirius. “That’s not what he meant,”

You began to open your mouth for a snappy comment, maybe even going as far as to call James dumb, but you closed your mouth and stayed silent. “Okay,” you nodded, “I understand,”

“You know why we have to punish you?” Sirius asked, and you nodded. “Say it, we want to know that you know what you did was wrong,”

“I broke a rule, well two rules,”

“Two rules?” Sirius questioned, he had missed the start of the backlash. “She went out to Hogsmeade without my permission for her outfit,” Remus cleared up.

“technically she actually broke three,” James said, your eyes opened as you looked over at him. How could he? You felt the need to cry, they seemed really upset. Who knew you would hate them being upset at you so much?

“Three?” You questioned in pure confusion.

“You cussed, you know I don’t like that,” James explained with a hand on your thigh, you nodded in defeat. “It’s alright, bun,” he kissed your cheek.

“James, don’t encourage that she can break your rules,” Remus advised and your shoulder slumped at the fact this wasn’t a time for you to get praises.

“Alright, let’s discuss punishments, she’s scared I don’t like that,” Sirius said and sat opposite of you, Remus took a seat on the chair by James dresser.

“You want us to list some?” James asked, “we won’t do anything without your permission,” he explained and rubbed your knee, you sighed but was a bit confused.

“You can use your safe word any time you feel unsafe, even during punishments. We never want you to be scared of us, okay?” Remus said, rubbing your cheek and you nodded. You leaned your face in his palm, you wanted to soak up all the affection before your punishment.

“We need clarification, you understand bun,” Sirius said, you opened your eyes when Remus pulled his hand away. “I understand, I can use my safe word whenever I need to, even during punishments,” you nodded along, slowly the nerves began to settle.

“Good girl,” James praised, “don’t think we’re going to praise you during punishments either, but since it’s your first time we’ll be more understanding,” Remus explained and you nodded.

“Alright, what about spanking? Not letting her cum for a certain amount of time? Degrading?” Sirius rushed out the ones off the type of his head, your stomach flipped at the word spanking.

They discussed punishments in front of you for a few minutes, some making you worry and others you nodded along like you’d enjoy it. You didn’t know why, but hearing them talk like you weren’t even there was making you feel dizzy.

“What about a simple time out? I don’t want to go all out for her first punishment, I don’t want her to be scared,” James said, rubbing your back gently.

“Let’s make her pick, that way she has control over the first punishment,” Remus said, looking away from Sirius as he kept his eyes on you. “We’ll let you pick this time, but don’t think you’ll get to pick the next time you break a rule,” he explained and you nodded.

“No punishment,” you choose and Sirius laughed, kissing your forehead. “That’s not how it works bunny,” he began and you sighed. You thought for another minute, spanking couldn’t be bad could it?

“I guess spanking,” you nodded, Remus nodded but James wasn’t so sure. “I don’t know, I still think we should give her a time out, maybe even not let her speak for a day or so,” James said, Sirius didn’t agree.

“She wants to be spanked, we’ll spank ‘er,” Sirius said, patting your thigh.

“The whole point of a punishment is that we don’t do what she wants, it’s not a punishment if she likes it,” James explained, you began to worry again.

“I don��t wanna do something scary,” you say, you thought about the discussion of the things you definitely didn’t want to do at the first of your relationship. Were they going to do something that was past your boundary? At the thought alone, you began to sob.

“James look what you did, you’re scaring her,” Sirius rolled his eyes as he took you in his arms, shushing you gently as he rubbed your back.

“M’don’t wanna do things past my boundary,” you sobbed, they all softened at the miscommunication. “Oh no poppet, we would never go past your boundary, that’s not what a punishment is,” James sighed, you sniffled and pulled back, wiping your eyes. “No?”

“Of course not,” Remus clarified, “like we said, safe words can be used during any moment you feel unsafe, do you need to use it now? We can postpone the punishment until you’re ready,”

You shook your head, “no, the faster the punishment is over the faster I can be your good girl again,” you whispered.

“That’s right, just focus on that huh? We’ll be so proud of you for taking the punishment like a good girl,” Sirius said, looking over at James and Remus. They all agreed and you wiped your cheeks.

“Okay but how many spanks? And how hard?” You asked, they all thought for a moment, james and Sirius looking over at Remus for the final answer.

“20 or so? That seems fair,” Remus states and the latter agree, you felt confident with being able to handle 20. “But how hard?” You asked, James stood you up and you felt a hard smack against your ass. You yelped, hand going over to rub the now red skin.

“Does that count as one?” You question, Remus was about to say no but Sirius caught him off. “Might as well,” he states, “who’s giving the punishment? Cant be me cause I’ll enjoy it too much,”

“I want James,” you say, but James shakes his head. “You upset Remus' earlier love, I’ll give you 10 and Remus will give you the other,” he says, looking over at Remus to see if he agrees. The taller boy nodded.

After a few minutes of questioning, you had situated yourself on James lap. Sirius laid on his bed, clear view of your now exposed ass (James had previously risen your skirt and pushed down your panties). You took a deep breath, Remus explaining once again that you could use your safe word whenever you needed.

With the first official smack, you sucked in a breath. There was a certain excitement about it, even the boys felt their heart race as James abused your soft flesh with a couple more smacks. Your skin red on both cheeks, James even went as far as to hitting the low of your thigh.

After the tenth smack, you had begun to let tears slip past your waterline. Sniffling as you sat up and moved to sit in Remus' lap. Once sprawled out, you whispered a small choked out “okay” for Remus to continue where James left off.

Remus’s spanks we’re harder than James, by the fourth you had become a whimpering mess. Your apologies for misbehaving leaked out every smack, it was like dominos. Your skin felt raw to the touch, the spanks stung.

Remus applied the last smack quickly, Sirius sitting up as James fell to his knee beside the bed, stroking your hair. “You did such a good job, poppet, made us so proud,” James whispered as Sirius passed Remus some cream.

Your face deep in the sheets, sobs admitting loudly as you feel the cool cream get rubbed into your hot skin. Sirius rubbed your leg, Remus finished and flipped your skirt down to hide your reddened ass.

“Look at that, you took your first punishment so good,” Sirius said, Remus helped you sit up as you wrapped your arms around his collar.

“M’so so sorry, never break a rule again,” you sobbed, vowing to never receive another punishment. Even though they knew a punishment was necessary, they felt their hearts stop at the sound of your cry.

“Oh baby, shh. Let’s get you some candy from your bag,” Sirius says, grabbing the honey duke's bag as he rummages through it. Remus guides you away from his neck, sitting you down in his lap. You hissed, the contact not feeling good on your abused behind.

James had opened a water bottle for you, pushing in a straw and holding it for you to drink. You nodded your thanks and shakily took it, sipping it graciously. Your eyes were puffy and red, James wiped your face with a tissue, cleaning your mascara from your cheeks.

Sirius had opened a pack of peppermint patties for you, you chewed on it gently and leaned against Remus’s back. After they got you calmed down, the praises had been never ending.

“Look at you, took your first punishment so well,”

“Good girl, best sub we will ever have, hm?”

“Took the spanks so well didn’t she, prongs?”

“She’s such a good girl, don’t you think moony?”

You felt dizzy at their compliments, nodding as they all came tumbling in at once. Sirius had begun brushing your hair, James kissing your cheeks to make you laugh.

“So proud of you poppet,” James whispered in your ear, you wrapped your arms around his neck as he picked you up.

“Let’s go run you a bath and soothe your skin hm? Then will bring you dinner and you can rest with us tonight,” James said, stepping into the bathroom.

“Okay, I’d like that,” you nod tiredly, resting your head on James' chest. Maybe being bratty wasn’t so bad.

—

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[thelittleboyfromloveactually]

The stewardess

Pt.2

Chris Evans x reader

Warnings: SMUT (yes yes ik I said I wouldn’t but it’s only a little) cussing, fluff, 18+

Word count: 1963

Prompt: y/n and Evans begin to get along

Authors note: ok so yes this does have slight smut at the very beginning and there will likely be more in later chapters. I am breaking my own rules for this story.

Pt 1

I stood there gazing out onto the sunset. I was leaning into the railing my hands gliding along it. Suddenly there was a body behind me. I could feel breathing on my neck and hands wrapping around my waist. I leaned into him. His hands moved down my thigh and then back up. Pushing up my skirt. His hand moved toward the top of my underwear. He played with the lace on the hem.

“did you miss me?” He whispered into my ear

I hummed in response

“Do you want me?” He asked

I hummed again

“Use your words”

“Yes yes please”

He flipped me around. My back to the railing now. He pulled down my underwear and bent down. He placed my legs on his shoulders and buried his face between my thighs. His young brushed against my clit. I moaned in response. Then again. I felt a finger slip inside me. I gasped.

“Oh god” I moaned

I woke up suddenly. Gasping for air. Fuck. I did not just have a wet dream about Chris Evans. Shit. I groaned and grabbed my phone.

“Fuck!” It was late. It was 8:00 I am and I had 30 mins to get everything ready for breakfast. “Shit!” I crawled out of bed and quickly put my clothes on. I ran into the kitchen where I found collin prepping breakfast.

“Well good morning” he said sarcastically

“Shut up!” I grabbed the plates and utensils and began to set the table .

I was almost done when I heard a noise behind me. I whipped around quickly. It was Chris.

“Oh I’m sorry haha I didn’t mean to scare you” he said putting his hands up in defence.

“Oh no your fine” i smiled slightly and went back to work

“Do you need any help?” He asked

“What? No I’m fine” I said shaking my head

“Ok then” he sat down on the table

“Do you mind?” I asked he was in my way

“Oh sorry” he stood up

“Thanks”I continued

“Look, Y/N right?” I nodded “I’m sorry about yesterday, I was in a bad mood I got a call before getting on the plane and I just was having a bad day”

“Oh it’s alright you aren’t obligated to be nice to me”

“Well there is no reason for me to be a dick” he laughed

“Alright i except your apology and I’m glad you are feeling better but I really do have to hurry”

“Alright I’ll get out of your way” he nodded and went to sit on the deck

I finished setting the table and Anthony and RDJ came out and joined Chris. Once collin brought out the fruit and waffles I walked outside to tell everyone breakfast was ready.

“Gentlemen, breakfast is served” I said standing in the doorway

“Ah fantastic!” Said RDJ

They got up and I stepped aside. Chris grinned at me as he walked by. He made eye contact with me and held it till he couldn’t anymore. Fuck hes hot.

“This looks amazing thank you Y/N” said Anthony

“Thank you but it was actually our chef Collin” I said politely

“Yes collin may be young but he is definitely an amazing cook, and the boy is not bad looking” said RDJ

Chris’ head whipped up and I looked at him. He grabbed his coffee and chugged it down like he was an alcoholic who hadn’t tasted vodka in a year.

I laughed a little. They finished breakfast rather quickly and we set a course for Monte Carlo.

They had been on the deck all day. Drinking and snacking. It was nice to see how much fun they seemed to be having. Chris couldn’t stop laughing and I couldn’t help but smile at his jokes.

“Hey Y/N! Could we stop here? The water looks amazing for a swim” RDJ said and stuck out his toung and raised his eyebrows playfully

I laughed “sounds good I’ll notify the captian” I said

We stopped closer to shore so that they could swim. Anthony was the first down, then RDJ then finally Chris. Damn he was so fucking hot. He was wearing nothing but swim shorts. Shit. He greeted me with a smile as he came down stairs.

“Y/N” he nodded his head

“Sir” I nodded back

“Call me chris” he said

“Ok, chris”

“See, much better” he began to walk away but stopped in his tracks. He turned around “you know, you should join us” he said hands on his hips

“Oh I’m alright I shouldn’t” I said

“No, come on! Just for a little. You deserve to enjoy this vacation.”

“I’m working”

He sighed “fine suit yourself” he shrugged and turned back around and headed toward the deck were Anthony and RDJ were getting ready to get in

Chris began to run. He was headed straight for the edge. He jumped off. Doing a flip into the water. He came up and u heard he holler

“WOOOHOOO! Hey grandpa! Get in!” He yelled

“W-who you callin grandpa?” Said Anthony “you better move Evans I’m gonna jump right on top of you”

“Oh rly?

“Yeah move”

“Y-you’re gonna jump this far out”

“Move your ass Evans!”

They laughed and I heard another splash. Then another. I laughed. They really were quite the pair.

After a few minutes I heard my name being called.

“Hey Y/N! Get in here!” It was RDJ

I walked over to the railing “I’m gonna make you all feel like grandpas!”

“Well then, get your ass in here!” Said Anthony

I looked at Chris and he was smiling at me. He raised his eyebrows as if to say “go right ahead”

I ran inside and put on a bikini. I picked out my blue triangle bikini. I had always been told I had a model-like body. Now was the time to show it off.

I ran back outside and did a flip into the water. I landed it perfectly diving into the water.

I came up and I heard Anthony say damn. RDJ screamed yes! Excitedly, Chris was laughing and smiling at me. I swam over to him.

“You couldn’t resist could you? You just had to show me up” he said shaking his head

“I mean someone had to put captain america in his place.”

“Oh so you're a fan? Well if you wanted and autograph you could have just asked”

“No, I think I’ll pass. I like iron man better anyway”

“OH DAMN EVANS SHE JUST PUT YOU IN YO PLACE!” Said Anthony

“Yeah yeah” he said shaking his head

“Ha ha! Suck my fat one!” Said RDJ

“Who-who ever told you had a fat one?” Said Anthony, chris laughed

“I’m pretty sure your girlfriend did” He responded

“Oh my god” said Anthony shaking his head

“Yeah it was definitely your girlfriend” he said again

“Real mature Jr. real mature! At least i get my own name! You're a junior!” Said Anthony

“Oh that’s it.” RDJ swam over and began to attack Anthony playfully

I couldn’t stop laughing. We stayed in the water a little longer before climbing back up to jump in again.

We got back to the top of the deck.

“Ladies first Y/N” RDJ said

“Oh no i need to get back to work, you have lunch in an hour” i said grabbing a towel

“I insist Y/N” said RDJ

“No rly i need to- uh what are you doing?” Chris began walking toward me “chris! Woah wait!” He picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. “Hey! Put me down! Chris i swear to god you are gonna regre-“ he threw me into the water. They all jumped in after me. When i came up everyone was laughing.

“I was gonna say: you’re going to regret this” I said

“Oh what are you gonna do about it sweetheart?” He teased

I swam over to Chris and began to splash him but it didn’t last for long because soon my wrists were in his hands. He held them above my head so I couldn’t splash him. He looked at me. I looked at him. His eyes were beautiful. My eyes flickered down toward his lips. It seemed like we were going to kiss until

“Woah there Evans!” Said RDJ

He let go and swam over to Anthony and RDJ leaving me. I swam over to them as well and we played around until Collin came out and told us that lunch was ready. We climbed out and Chris couldn’t seem to stop looking at me. His eyes trailed down my body.

“Ok ok that’s enough” said RDJ “stop eye fucking my stewardess”

That’s right. I was just a stewardess, what was I thinking? Chris looked away and I grabbed a towel. I ran off to go change so I could help collin serve lunch.

I stood in the kitchen helping Collin finish cleaning up. It was almost 12. The boys had just gone to bed.

“I’ll be right back” said collin, i heard the door close. Then I heard it close again.

“Back so soon? I didn’t get any time to enjoy your absence ``I turned around grinning. But Collin wasn’t there. It was Chris. “Oh my god!” I jumped “Jesus”

He laughed “sorry I didn’t mean to scare you”

“Twice in one day” I said “do you need anything?”

“Just company” he smiled

I smiled too “would you like some tea?”

“Yeah sure”

“I didn’t know you were still up”

“I couldn’t really sleep, today was fun though”

“Yeah” I smiled and handed him his tea

“So when did you start working for RDJ?” He asked

“Uh well I was a waiter a a restaurant and he was a frequent customer. Over time we became friends and he asked me to work for him”

“You were a waiter?”

“Uh yeah, I got out of culinary school and needed money so working at a fancy restaurant seemed like a good way to earn it and learn some stuff while I was there”

“You went to culinary school?”

“Yup! I wanted to open a cafe”

“That’s really cool”

“Thanks”

It was silent, but it wasn’t awkward. Ok sure it was a little weird at least for me. Standing in a room with the hottest celebrity ever.

“I really enjoyed hanging out with you today” he said

“I enjoyed it too, especially because I totally put you in your place” I raised my eyebrows, I pushed myself onto the counter and sat drinking my tea

“Hey hey I got my revenge”

“That you did”

He looked at me and moved closer. He kept moving closer and closer until our lips were almost touching. All I wanted to say was “kiss me”. I stared at his lips. I could feel his breathing. Then we were interrupted by a much unwanted guest

“Uhhhhhhh” it was collin

We broke apart quickly before we could even kiss. I plopped down from the counter

“Uh i should go to bed” Chris looked at me then at collin then back at me again and left.

“Where you guys making out in my fucking kitchen?” Asked collin

“What? No no he just came to get some tea” I said trying to recompose myself

“Um that’s not what it looked like”

“Forget it collin, nothing happened”

It was quite for a sec and I went back to washing dishes

“He’s not good for you, you know? He’ok break your heart. He’s player”

I sighed “I don’t care, anyways, nothing happened”

He opened his mouth to say something else but then closed it. He nodded as if he was giving up.

I couldn’t sleep that night. What would have happened if Collin hadn’t interrupted?

Pt. 3

[wandaromanova]

can i request a blurb with wanda where the reader comes home from a bad day and wanda comforts her pls

Warnings: cussing, that’s all!

blurb requests are closed

| masterlist | request rules/guidelines | wips |

please do not repost or try and take ownership of my work. reblogs, likes, and comments are always welcome. <3

•❅──────────────── ᗢ ‎────────────────❅•

To say you had a rough day, would be the understatement of the year. The odds just weren’t in your favor today.

You had stopped by Starbucks to get some coffee before work, as you usually do, but it went horribly. Some douchebag in the street bumped into you, resulting in your coffee now being a pattern on your blouse.

Luckily, you had an extra shirt in your office that you could change into. It didn’t stop there though. Your boss got on your ass for not doing paperwork he never assigned to you.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

How the fuck were you meant to do something he didn’t tell you to do?

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

So, you spent the entire day doing stacks of paperwork in record time. He expected all of the work to be done by the end of the day. Not to mention, the copier machine wasn’t working, so you had to wait an hour for the technician to come in and fix it.

You didn’t take any breaks the entire day and you were just so exhausted by everything.

You opened your apartment door tiredly and were instantly met with the sight of your girlfriend snuggled up in a blanket on the couch.

You couldn’t help but smile as she was completely engrossed by the sitcom playing on the tv.

As you took your shoes off, Wanda finally noticed your presence.

“Oh! Hi, honey. How was your day?” Wanda asked sweetly as she paused the television.

You stalked over to her and collapsed onto her. Your head rested on her lap while you spread across the couch, your feet resting on the armrest.

“That bad, huh?” She asked as her fingers began to run softly through your hair. You closed your eyes at the feeling and let out a sigh of relief.

“Not bad, terrible. Some dick bumped into me and spilled my coffee on my shirt. My boss was a fucking prick today. The copy machine wasn’t working. And I’m so tired.”

You groaned out as the events of the day raced through your mind. Wanda let out a giggle as she bent down and placed a soft kiss on your forehead.

“Well, your day may have started off badly, but it doesn’t have to end that way.”

You opened your eyes slowly at her words. She just beamed down at you before kissing your lips. She couldn’t help it, she missed you today.

“I’ll make your favorite meal tonight then we can cuddle in bed until you fall asleep.”

Your lips curved up into a smile. You loved and appreciated her so fucking much.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“On one condition… I get a massage. I can literally feel all the knots in my shoulders.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Wanda laughed as she moved her hand from its place in your hair and to your cheek. She caressed your cheek tenderly with her thumb.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Anything for you.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

───────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ──────────

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[wangshuus]

no love left | diluc ragnvindr

pairing: diluc ragnvindr/gn. reader

genre: angst

wc: 3.2k

cw: mild cussing, brief mentions of violence, probably lore breaking too lol. 

summary: falling out of love is painful but maybe it’s what you needed.

note: please read the authors note after the story ESPECIALLY if you’re confused because i’ve implemented a few odd aspects into this story. i was just typing out whatever so essentially it’s more word vomit (again lol) but uhh yeah. most of the important stuff is at the bottom so like i said before, read that authors note at the end!!

lightly proofread, please don’t mind any errors

fic below the cut.

When the esteemed bachelor Diluc Ragnvindr finally settled down with a lover, the news did not fail to spread across Mondstadt like a wildfire. It was the talk of town for who knows how long but as time passed, the people settled down and the buzz eventually died but no one ever failed to acknowledge the young Ragnvindr and his beloved when they were together. Although the two preferred to keep a composed look to the public eye, the admiration they held for each other burned as bright as a summers day in their eyes at all times when they were together; from that alone, anyone could tell they were in love

So where did it all go wrong?

You sat across from Diluc at a table in the winery, the air thick with a suffocating tension that felt like it was going to swallow you whole at any minute now. Your hands rested on the table in front of you as you barely managed to keep your hands from trembling as a storm of emotions stirred inside of you as you felt your composure on the brink of cracking any second. You decided to finally break the silence as you spoke up, a slight tremble in your voice.

“What is it Diluc? Huh? I was hoping you’d have the decency to speak up about whatever the hell is going on instead of leaving me in the dark but it’s been far too long now. Now tell me Diluc, what’s going on?”

Oh the way your words slipped from your mouth made the room feel so cold, even if you didn’t wield a vision of any sorts. Diluc took a deep breath before he decided to speak up.

“What went on between the two of us was purely business.” Was the simple statement he gave.

Was?

“They’ve shown themselves to be quite the individual, wielding good etiquette with both business and a weapon.” He spoke out once more.

“God sake Diluc you’re fucking stalling at this point. You know what, I’ll make it easier for you. Do you still love me?”

There was a pause. A long painful pause. You already had your answer.

“(Y/n), I still care for you more than you can ever imagine, I truly do.”

The words felt like knives piercing through your form and from that, you felt the first tear slip down your face.

“Diluc, are you even aware of how terrible I feel in this situation right now? I’m watching my lover from a far doing lord knows what and you expect me to just tolerate it? I trusted you enough which is why I never pried at it but fuck Diluc, it’s just unbearable at this point.”

“I never did act upon anything in fears of making the situation worse--” You cut him off.

“Making the situation worse huh? So you were out here trying to do some crowd control weren't you? Was if for the sake of not hurting me or or for the sake of not tainting your pristine reputation?”

“I said before, I really do care for you still.” His hand reached towards your own as he held your hand with utmost gentleness. You were almost convinced he still loved you as much as he did in the past.

“However, I can’t deny that our dynamic has indeed changed. I…” His grip on your hand tightened.

“I can’t lie to you and say that I love you the way I did before.”

There it was.

“You don’t look at me the way you used to, you know? Your eyes used to be so full of love whenever you looked at me but that look is reserved for someone else now, isn’t it? You’ve looked at me with nothing but sorrow and pity nowadays and I guess my assumptions of the worst were correct.” You said as your voice trembled even more.

You wanted to pull your hand away so badly, the hand that once brought you such warmth now felt as if it was searing your skin. But you couldn’t. Not when this was mostly likely the last time you’d ever feel such an intimate touch from him. You found yourself to be conflicted as to whether you wanted to pull away out of pure frustration or savour the moment as it could be the last of him you would ever get to have for yourself.

“(Y/n), from the bottom of my heart, I’m truly sorry. I’ve loved you for so long and you’ve given me more love than I could’ve ever imagined. I never wanted things to change but I suppose fate had other plans. I’ll never stop caring for you however, I’m afraid I’ve stopped loving you in the way you’re used to.”

The truthful words were ones that felt like hell to swallow. You didn’t want to believe it but you knew damn well he was telling the truth. The sincerity and softness in his voice made it so hard to be completely mad at him. He was so gentle with his words but the truth of them did nothing but make your heart hurt and ache. An empty chuckle left your lips as your features were now graced with a bittersweet smile.

“Ah, I think I would’ve appreciated it if you were meaner with your responses. Maybe then I wouldn’t have such a hard time letting you go.” You finally managed to look him in the eyes, his reflection showing on your glossy orbs.

He felt his own heart churn with remorse and guilt, seeing as he terribly hurt the one person that he had sworn to love and protect for the rest of his days. He felt sick over the fact he failed to keep part of the promise-- the part where he said that he would continue to love you.

That was one of the last times you had ever seen Diluc Ragnvindr.

--

Your body shook as the freezing temperatures of Dragonspine overtook your senses. You sat up against a rock, your back leaning onto it as you struggled to keep yourself upright. You were barely holding on by a thread as you physically felt numb. However, your mind swirled with a storm of emotions, almost as strong as the last day you had seen your ex-lover but this time, you reminisced on your time as you felt like this would be your final moments.

You pondered over the fact that this might’ve been the reason that he no longer loved you in the way you wished to be loved by him. You wanted his affections, you wanted his love, you wanted him. But you were too weak. That was it. He let you go for someone that was strong, so very strong; both mentally and physically. God, you couldn’t even compare to the likes of them, being nothing but a measly old adventurer, one that wasn’t even fortunate enough to wield a vision. You were nothing but weak in your own eyes; that's what brought you to your demise.

In your hands, you clutched one of the last treasures you had found in the cursed mountains. It was a pretty little collar that held a jewel that twinkled so beautifully despite the dull, hazy environment.

“You do not wish to be weak anymore do you, little one? Do not be afraid, put me on and I’ll grant you the desires you so wish to obtain. Abide by my rules and obtain for me the essence of life and together, we can make sure that everyone will hail before you.”

A voice echoed inside your head as your mind began to spiral. All morals, memories and feelings began to drown out until you were barely hanging on by thread.

“Hurry, time is of the essence! Quick!”

With little energy you had left, you were able to hang the new found possession around your neck. The second you let go of the clips that held the piece together, you felt a tight constriction around your neck, the feeling was suffocating. Just like the last time you had seen Diluc. For a moment, you thought of the red haired male you once held to dear and close to your heart. It ached for him once more in that very moment because he was the very essence of warmth and it was something that you so desired in such a moment like this. The way he held you against him in the coldest of nights in an attempt to keep you warm and oh how it worked wonderfully. It was a memory that slowly faded away with your conscience. Your hands graced themselves lightly around your neck as you struggled to breathe even more than before, your body finally running out of any sort of energy as you fell limp against the cold and soft snow.

Anything. From this point on, you would do anything to get stronger. You no longer cared for any mishaps that happened along the way. You had no love left, nothing but the hunger for power that drowned out the aching void that was now left behind after everything was torn away from you.

“Sorry... to also have you shoulder the grievances of the world. Since you could endure my bitter cold, you must have the desire to burn? Then, burn away the old world for me.”

Within the bustling harsh winds of the Dragonspine mountains laid a girl with a jewelled necklace as well as a cold, icy blue orb that shined brightly against the blizzards.

--

“The expedition out in Dragonspine was a complete disaster! The winds were harsher than usual and how could we predict such a nasty storm would’ve been upon us? We planned so far ahead and yet it ended up utterly terrible.” One of the adventurers commented as they were in the process of recovering after descending from the unforgiving mountains.

“Did everyone that went on the expedition come back? There’s absolutely no way we can risk going up there again, at least not for a while.” Another commented.

There was an excruciating silence within the camp.

“Has anyone seen (Y/n)?”

--

Diluc had set out once the late hours of the night and the early hours of the morning came upon him. He continued to lurk from the shadows and deal with whatever trivial matters that had to be dealt with in the dead of night as he always did. He had heard of a few nuisances that arose near the outskirts of Dragonspine that hadn’t been dealt with yet. Of course the knights wouldn’t bother with this anyways, as per usual what he thought to himself.

Though the male held a pyro vision, the sharp and bitter cold of Dragonspine was something that never failed to make him uncomfortable.

He swiftly made his way to the location, being stealthy and fast with his movements in an attempt to get the job done faster to refrain from being caught. Once he had made his way to the destination, he remained hidden while he examined the area. In the far distance, he saw camps, hilichurl as well as Fatui camps that were not too far off. His face held a look of distaste as his eyes laid upon the familiar trademark symbol of the Snezhnayan organization.

Just as he was about to step out and deal with the hilichurl camp himself, a figure emerged from afar and into the camp. The movements of said person were agile, fast and swift, ice shards being directed in the direction of every living being on the camp. A blizzard stirred so fiercely upon the camp and as the barbaric bitter winds of the snow died down, there was almost nothing left of the camp that once stood there.

Not a single soul.

Diluc very cautiously moved closer to get a better look at the strange person that appeared before him. His eyes widened in disbelief as he started to make out the figure, his mind refusing to believe what he saw in front him, almost regretting letting his curiosity get the best of him.

“I wasn’t aware that you people are unable to take care of a measly little hilichurl camp. I specifically stated to clear the area before anything else and you couldn’t even follow instructions as simple as that, or perhaps I wasn’t clear enough with my statement?” An icy voice boomed out towards a trio of Fatui skirmishers.

That voice was all too familiar to Diluc. It was so familiar yet it sounded so different, so harsh, so cold. Yet, it was the voice that confirmed his unruly suspicions.

“Make up for your poor performance by getting the camps set up in a decent manner at the very least. I’d rather spare myself the trouble of punishing the likes of you people. You don’t wish to cross me any further, do you?” A cold, hard glare very evident on your fact that was directed to the three in front of you.

They frantically shook their heads, sputtering out a series apologies in an attempt to ease your annoyance.

“Make use of yourselves and set up immediately. By the time I come back to supervise the area, everything should be set up in a manner that is nothing less than perfect. If you wish to please me this time, do as you’re told this time. Now go.” You shook them off with a wave of a hand as they saw themselves away in an instant.

You took your time to avoid the now empty camp that rid itself of almost all remains. A hand placed itself atop the jewel that gracefully sat between your collarbones. The voices that swirled in your head chanting for more power and more life eventually died down as the constrictions of your beloved collar began to loosen, just enough so you could breathe. You let out a breathe that you had been holding before regaining your composure. You stood up straight with a proud stature before speaking out.

“I know you are there, may as well come forth voluntarily unless you want be to bring you out myself.”

Diluc’s blood ran cold when he realized that that you were most likely referring to him, baffled at how you were able to pick up on his own presence. He cautiously revealed himself and made his way a little closer to you. The second you laid eyes on the redhead, you felt like your world stopped for a second. The initial shock was replaced with amusement as the scene unfolded in front of you.

“And to think that last time we saw each other would be the last.” You said before bitterly chuckling.

Diluc took some time to muster up words and recover from his initial shock.

“You never came back from that mission. You were claimed to be dead by the guild the day after and yet here you are. The people mourned over you. I mourned for you. What has become of you, (Y/n)?” Diluc spoke out, pain and sadness laced within his tone.

“Ha, they mourned? As well as yourself? Don’t make me laugh Ragnvindr. Was your mourning perhaps an act in an attempt to keep up your reputation. Would not surprise me in the slightest if that were the case. I refuse to accept the pity of others, and I absolutely detest if it is empty and meaningless. Pity is for those who are weak and as far as I’m concerned--”

You stepped closer to Diluc before you continued.

“I’m not weak anymore.”

“(Y/n), you were never weak--” Diluc said before he was cut off.

“Bullshit Ragnvindr. Utter bullshit.” You harshly spat.

“I wasn’t able to handle myself before. I was nothing but weak. It was one of the reasons you fell out of love with me, was it not? You wanted a strong individual that could take care of themselves and you sure got one, but it wasn’t me at the time. Look now Ragnvindr, I am strong now.”

He took a better look at you as the realization of your position has begun to sink in.

“You... you’re…” In one of the rare times of his life, he was at a loss for words.

“Ah, Ah, Cat got your tongue? Poor boy can’t even muster up any words.” You chuckled mockingly.

“Fatui Harbinger, Ragnvindr. Number 12. Surely you’ve heard right?” You boldly stated.

Yes, he did hear. The Tsaritsa had taken another Harbinger under her wing yet the news and information of said Harbinger was extremely scarce and yet, No.12 stood right before Diluc.

No.12 was once his own beloved.

“What exactly led to all of this? What caused all of this to happen? What have you done to yourself?” The questions kept pouring out from Diluc’s mouth.

“It was quite simple. I got sick and tired of being weak and having things being taken from me. I have lost too many things to count and I have sacrificed many things to become who I am today. I do not regret a single thing I have done since I have started being selfish and being selfish has kept me from getting hurt again. I do not need you anymore, I do not need anyone in fact. I live for myself and to serve the needs of the Tsaritsa to repay her for giving me a chance to live the way I should’ve been all along.” You look at him with a taunting smirk on your face.

The (Y/n) (L/n) that was once known to be the beloved of Diluc Ragnvindr was dead. They died the moment you stepped out of the winery for the very last time. You were (Y/n), No.12 of the Fatui Harbingers. You were the one that sacrificed yourself to a curse upon the Dragonspine mountains in exchange for power to fill the void that was left behind. You no longer had the longing for love; you had none left after all. You craved for power and leverage over others and you refused to let people trample over you like they did before. You refused to be weak again. With the help of your new found vision as well as the curse that now burdened you, you would conquer the world and burn the old one away, along with your old self.

With no love left, there was nothing left to lose after all.

A/N: SOOOO the whole choker thing might be a little confusing but BASICALLY i took the whole concept from the “Love me, Love me, Love me.” song where the girl gets that cursed necklace/choker and i changed the concept around a little bit so that in exchange for power, dear reader has to basically slaughter things to keep the choker from killing them LOL (I’m tired pls my mind if SPIRIALING rn lmfao)

the italics in the second chunk are the weird choker speaking to the reader since it's a whole ‘curse’ thing and the bold italics in the second chunk is basically a quote from genshin from the cryo gemstone thingies and i used it to signify the reader getting a cryo vision^^ there’s a lot i wanna say but i’m too lazy to elaborate sorry lol. kinda feel like making more parts to this bc i feel like the story could go one but ehhh we’ll see how I’m feeling. i really just wanted to make a oneshot where the reader goes batshit after so ahahahahhaha. (also this fic feels lore breaking as fuck but its ok LMAO)

[sundaymorninglife]

the broken rules

corpse husband x fem!reader

warnings: cursing, alcohol, insinuation of sex.

part 1 - next

it had been two months since mark’s party.

corpse watched y/n’s figure leave his bed and find a t-shirt sprung on the floor, as she went to the bathroom of his room. in the two months they started sleeping with one another, he had moved to LA from san diego. his little apartment in the city he grew up in could no longer keep up with the requirements of being a full time streamer, and so taking the advice from rae and toast, he decided to move to LA.

he didn’t mind. he got to see y/n more often as well.

by now, he had completely broken rule number one. he thought he could easily push aside his crush, concentrate on the physical part of this strange relationship (he was 23 after all, weren’t all 23 year old men supposed to want this exact kind of arrangement?), but in between the pillow talks, the few moments where they allowed themselves to tangle their legs in between the sheets, and the extremely rare occasions where they fell asleep cuddling one another... it was impossible not to fall in love with her.

y/n sat on the toilet, head in her hands. she had also broken rule number one, and she cursed herself for it. she had been doing well, she had been able to separate the feelings that come with sex fairly well, but it was tonight that it all came tumbling down. he had grabbed her hand and interlaced his fingers with hers in the middle of it, and that’s when all her walls crumbled down. it was something so small and so stupid, but it was enough to make her realize that she was on the verge of falling utterly in love with him.

she flushed the toilet and got up to wash her hands, before going back out to the bedroom.

corpse looked up. the bathroom light highlighted her figure from behind beautifully. “what are you staring at?” she laughed at him, before turning the light off. she sat on the bed and he pushed himself up and kissed her neck.

“you always look so pretty.”

y/n felt herself blushing. she stood up and started looking for her clothes. “are you not staying over?” corpse asked.

y/n swallowed hard, knowing damn well that if she stayed over she would be done for. “uh, no, i can’t actually. rae set me up on a blind date tomorrow at noon.”

corpse froze. shit. “oh, really?”

“yeah...” she said, pulling on her pants, “she said it’s about time for me to start dating someone, apparently she’s setting me up with a friend of a friend. i honestly just think her and lily are trying to live vicariously through me, though.” y/n laughed at the thought of her two friends asking for every detail of the date, like they had done when she told them she slept with a random dude at mark’s party.

corpse stayed silent on the bed. he was definitely breaking rule number three. y/n looked back at him, she could tell he was jealous. she felt sort of proud and guilty at the same time. she let out a laugh, “don’t break rule number three on me now, corpsie.”

corpse’s eyes widened and he threw a pillow at her. “i am not! are you still coming to the dinner at toast’s tomorrow?”

y/n finished getting dressed. she kneeled down on the bed and pulled corpse in for a quick kiss. “yeah, i am. let’s hope we don’t fuck up in front of our friends.” she said, a stupid, perfect smile on her face, and corpse couldn’t take his eyes off of her. “see you tomorrow, corpse.”

and with that, she was gone. he collapsed on the bed, and stared at the ceiling. “fucking dammit.”

***

“y/n, you’re here!” toast swung the door open to his apartment, greeting y/n.

“hi toast!” she replied back, giving him a tight hug.

as they made their way inside, she noticed all of her friends were already there. sitting in a circle in the living room were rae, lily, poki, sykkuno, leslie, peter and, of course, corpse. everyone had a beer in hand, and they seemed to be happily chatting away.

this was the first time the two of them were hanging out with all of their mutual friends. two months had gone by with none of them noticing the hickeys, the texts, and everything in between. “hi guys!” y/n greeted everyone, before settling down in between rae and leslie.

“y/n, how was your date with toby?” rae asked her, excited to see if her friend had hit it off with someone.

“uuuu, you went out on a date, y/n?” toast asked her, handing her a beer.

corpse did his best to hide his discomfort. “yeah,” she replied, taking a swig of the beer, “it was fine. you know, first dates are always a little awkward. but he was super sweet! did you tell him i love the park?”

“uh, of course i did. i gave him all the secrets to a perfect date with you!”

y/n laughed. “yeah, that makes sense. he surprised me with a picnic, he even had a bottle of my favorite wine, rae.”

rae nudged her friend and wiggled her eyebrows. “did you get lucky or what?”

it was getting harder for corpse to hide his discomfort. “rae! jesus, of course not,” y/n replied, nudging her friend back and laughing, “i am not that kind of girl!”

“says the girl who slept with a random dude in mark’s bathroom...” lily said. everyone gasped.

“LILY!”

corpse let out a snort. everyone started asking her a million questions, ranging from who she slept with to how it was to if she’s still seeing him... amongst the chaos, sykkuno softly asked, “wait, corpse, didn’t you also hook up with a girl in the bathroom at that same party?”

everyone quieted down. all that was running through y/n’s head was a handful of cussings that would’ve even made a sailor blush. corpse was staring at the ground. “um, yeah. funny, we must’ve just missed each other, y/n.”

everyone laughed it off. leslie just said, “how can you guys do it in a bathroom?! that sounds horrible...” corpse and y/n just laughed it off, avoiding eye contact as if it were the plague. it had been a close call.

the night went on as the group of friends talked about streams, gaming, movies, and everything in between. eventually, corpse and y/n found themselves alone in the kitchen, and it was only a few seconds before they were kissing heavily against the marbled counter.

“anyone could walk in, corpse,” y/n said, in between kisses.

“i know.”

“c’mon,” she said, but showed no sign of stopping, “seriously we could get caught!”

“exactly.”

they continued making out, before... “oh my god, what the fuck.”

lily was standing in the entrance to the kitchen, staring at her two friends. corpse and y/n immediately broke apart. “lily...” y/n started, staring at her friend who was just looking back dumbfounded, empty beer bottle in hand.

“i fucking knew it. the second sykkuno mentioned that corpse also fucked someone in the bathroom-“

“LILY! shhhh, please, please, you can’t tell anyone, OK?” y/n went over to her friend and grabbed her by the shoulders. “i’ll do anything, but PLEASE don’t tell anyone.”

lily looked at y/n and then at corpse, then back at her friend. “this is going to eat me up inside. you guys owe me a big one. also, are you guys mental? seriously? in a KITCHEN?”

y/n and corpse just laughed. “we were just kissing, chill.” corpse said, grabbing a bottle of beer before leaving.

“you have so much explaining to do,” lily went over to the fridge and grabbed another bottle, “are you guys dating?”

y/n went to do the same. “god, no. that would be way too complicated. besides, i don’t even think he likes me that way. we’re just... relieving stress, is all.”

lily looked at her friend. “y/n, i’m going to tell you this honestly because i love you. this is going to end up badly if you two keep sneaking around. i can tell you like him, so i think it’s better if you let him know as soon as possible.”

“nope, no fucking way.”

“y/n look at me.” lily stared into her eyes. “i’m being serious, friends with benefits never works. i won’t tell anyone, don’t worry, but be careful, ok?”

and so lily left, leaving a confused y/n behind. she pulled out her phone and texted toby.

can’t wait to see you again :)

she held her phone against her chest. maybe starting something with toby would help her get over corpse.

she made her way back to her friends in the living room. corpse stared at her for a second before looking away; he thought about lily. she knew about them now, and he couldn’t quite decide if that was good or bad. if the rest of them found out, they would one thousand percent make him and y/n try to date. he didn’t mind that, but did y/n? he honestly couldn’t figure her out sometimes. they enjoyed each other’s presence, that much he could tell, but there were days where she acted more sweetly, more gushing, until it seemed she caught herself and stopped. she would stay over for a few nights and then suddenly the next few times she would leave abruptly. he couldn’t understand if she felt the same, if she was just using him as a distraction, if she liked him but stopped herself because she was embarrassed.

“what if we play a drinking game?” corpse was brought back to reality when rae suggested the idea.

oh, y/n thought, this is about to get messy.

taglist: @divine-artemis @evi-ka @bi-andready-tocry @ramshasar @lilysdaydreams @a-lonely-bic @annshit @alanasthoughts

[xtrashmammalstefx]

How To Piss Off An Old-Fashioned Ghost (A Zak Bagans SMUT!)

WARNINGS: Smut, cussing, all that jazz.

Special Thanks to: @xcazzax​ who never fails to give me ideas and inspire me to write shit like this. 

We were about to investigate the mecca of haunted hotels. The one place you go to and know you made it as a paranormal investigator. The majestic and infamous Stanley Hotel.

To say the guys and I were ecstatic would be an understatement. I swear you would think we were kids at Disneyland we were so excited. So much so we agreed to take a different approach to this one.

You see normally we’d investigate a place for one night, take a quick nap, and then be on our way home or to the next haunt the next day. For this one though we knew we had to do it differently. After all many people purported having things happen to them during the night whilst everyone else was asleep. So we got ourselves the most haunted rooms and were gonna sleep there the whole night with night vision cameras recording us the whole time.

“Ready to get it on with a cowboy?” I asked Aaron as we were being checked in.

“You know he only goes for the ladies right?” he said. “As in he’d probably react more to you than my bearded ass.”

“Yeah but…”

“Uh, Y/N, did you want your own room or..?” Zak asked.

“I told you I’m not chickening out of the plan,” I said.

“Plan?” Aaron questioned.

“Remember when the guide mentioned Mrs. Wilson having shit fits when unmarried couples share the bed in her room?”

“Oh…” Aaron nodded. “Wait...since when are you and Zak a thing?”

“We’re not,” Zak said. “Which will only add fuel to the fire.”

“Exactly,” I smirked.

“This isn’t an excuse for you two to bone is it?” Nick asked.

“What? NO!” I snapped at him.

“Dude! We’re literally gonna be in front of a camera the whole time!” Zak said starting towards the elevator.

“Yeah ‘cause sex tapes aren’t a thing,” Aaron said. I smacked him on the arm as we stepped into the elevator.

“Dude this is strictly work. As in we plan on remaining professional at all times,” Zak explained. “And the same goes for you two, alright? No scratching your nuts or your ass in front of the camera.”

“And for the love of GOD let’s hope none of you wake up with morning wood,” I added. All three men raised an eyebrow at me. “Oh come on last thing anyone wants is for our careers to go down the crapper all because you all woke up and revealed tents in your pants.”

“She does have a point there,” Zak said shrugging.

“Pun intended,” I muttered making them burst out laughing.

Later that night Zak checked in with our guys while I made myself comfortable under the sheets.

“All good here bro,” Aaron said over the walkie.

“Yeah everything’s good to go here Zak,” Nick added.

“Alright see you in the morning,” Zak said putting the walkie down. He got under the sheets beside me and turned off the light. “Ready?”

“Let’s do it,” I whispered. Zak laid down and I draped my body over him. “Night babe.”

“Night, gorgeous,” Zak said leaning down. His lips pecked mine. It sent a jolt through me; as though his lips had finally found the home they always wanted. My heart drummed in my chest as Zak deepened the kiss.

As his lips lingered on mine he wrapped his arms around me and flipped us over so that he was on top. I pulled back and chuckled. “Babe it’s late,” I said as Zak peppered kisses on my neck. I moaned. “We’re gonna get a noise complaint!”

“Only if you’re too loud,” he said bringing his lips to mine. I ran my arms along his bare back pressing my body closer to his. I guess our act worked a little too well, for not even a moment later Zak screamed. “GAH FUCK!”

“What’s wrong?” I asked as he got off of me.

“Something scratched my back,” he said. “Oh fuck!” He was suddenly tumbling over off of the bed, landing on the floor with a thud. I switched the light on and joined him.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Yeah, Mrs. Wilson just nudged me off the bed,” he said.

“Turn around so I can document this,” I said before running to get a camera. Zak turned his back to me the second I got back. “Holy shit.”

“What?” I took out my phone and took a picture of it. I showed it to him and the blood left his face. On his back were three intense scratches. Tiny droplets of blood spurted out of them. “SON OF A BITCH!”

I grabbed my toiletry bag and dug out bandages, a small towel and alcohol. “Bite the blanket,” I said sitting in front of his back.

“What?”

“I’m gonna clean them up,” I said unscrewing the cap. “Bite something before people call the cops on us for murder.” I poured alcohol onto the towel and ran it down Zak’s back. Thankfully he listened and bit down on the blanket so rather than a scream he let out a muffled groan. I blew on the wounds gently then applied the bandages. “Okay you’re good.” I put my first aid stuff and the camera away and checked the night vision cam. It was still running smoothly and caught every single moment of the attack. Once I was done I put the night vision cam back in place and rejoined Zak.

“I think I’ll just sleep down here the rest of the night,” Zak said.

“Alright, um, night I guess,” I said before pecking him on the cheek. I switched the light off and started standing to get back into bed.

“Y/N?” Zak’s voice made me freeze and turn back.

“Yeah?”

“I know I shouldn’t but…” he never finished what he was saying. Instead he leaned in and crashed his lips to mine. The same jolt I’d felt before was back, only this time it was stronger. My whole body melted into his and we laid back on the floor.

“Do-Do you think we could…” I said as he sucked on the skin on my neck. “I mean with the camera right there?”

“Camera’s aimed at the bed,” Zak said. “As long as you don’t make too much noise we should be safe.”

I smirked. “No promises, Bagans.”

He kissed me one more time before helping me off with my shirt. We tossed aside along with my shorts, and panties. Zak’s lips pecked at my breasts. His tongue flicked at my nipples causing a moan to escape from my lips.

“Remind me to apologize to Billy later,” I said.

“I think I’m just gonna have to edit this footage myself,” Zak chuckled. Feeling more excited now I reached down and started nudging his pajama bottoms down. Zak got the hint and pulled them off; his length springing out hard and thick, just like the rest of him.

“Mrs. Wilson is gonna kill us,” I laughed.

“You forgot to ask me if I give a fuck,” Zak said lining himself up with my entrance. “Which, by the way, I fucking don’t.” He pushed in.

I held on to him as he moved inside me. The feeling was something out of this world. I mean sure, I’ve been with other people before (as I’m sure Zak has) but none of those experiences compare to the one I was having with Zak. It was like my body was made for his, and vice versa. I thrill of it only added to it. After all Zak wasn’t exactly the ‘fuck on the job’ kind of guy; on the contrary he was professional at all times. So seeing this change in him now...it felt kind of ballsy...like we were kids again breaking the rules.

Apparently Mrs. Wilson thought the same. “OW FUCK!” I screamed after feeling a sharp pain in my arm. Zak froze.

“What’s wrong?” I pulled my arm back and touched it gently. When I pulled my fingers back they were slightly wet.

“Mrs. Wilson punished me,” I said. I felt him brush his hand on my arm.

“That bitch!” he cursed.

“It’s okay, just-just keep going,” I urged him.

“You sure?” he asked.

“I need to cum real bad so yeah I’m sure.” Zak started thrusting again.

A few minutes later he groaned. “Please tell me that was you,” he said.

“What was me?”

“Fuck!” he groaned. “Mrs. Wilson just scratched my ass.” I fought back a giggle and instead addressed the old bitch.

“Alright if I say I’m going to marry him will you please stop?” I asked Mrs. Wilson.

“Wait what?” Zak looked at me shocked. “You serious right now?”

“Zak, I’ve loved you for so long,” I said. “And, if you’ll let me, I very much want to spend my life with you.”

“I want to spend my life with you too,” he muttered.

“So...does this mean we’re officially engaged?” I asked.

“I-I guess it does,” Zak said.

Very well… I heard someone whisper.

“Did-did she really just give us her fucking approval?” Zak asked laughing.

“I- I think she did,” I chuckled furiously before getting back to the other subject at hand. “Now are you gonna fuck me or do I need to see if Billy is available?”

Zak stopped laughing and growled furiously. “You’d have to be insane if you think I’m gonna let another man fuck you instead of me.” He started thrusting harder, and angrier. He was so wild with rage that his cock hit me right in my sweet spot.

“OH FUCK!”

“Huh you like it when I fuck you there?” Zak asked before hitting the same spot again.

“Fuck baby, yes yes yes,” I moaned. “Right there, right there, right there.” Tension started to brew within me. “Fuck I-I think I’m gonna…” My body tensed up and I tightened around his length, damn near screaming his name.

My body trembled as I came down from my high and as I did Zak tensed up and I felt him twitch inside me. He groaned as he emptied himself inside me. Once he was empty he collapsed beside me.

“Who knew pissing off ghosts could be one hell of a turn on,” I said breathless.

“Pretty sure that was the best sex I’ve had in my life,” Zak said equally breathless.

“I know that was the best sex I’ve ever had,” I said.

We passed out soon after. The next morning we met up with Nick and Aaron in the lobby.

“So how’d your plan go?” Aaron asked.

“Amazingly,” I said blushing.

“Really?” he looked at me curiously.

Zak then approached us with Billy in tow. He wrapped his arm around me and pecked me on the forehead.

“See, I told you it was just an excuse for them to bone,” Nick said.

“Dude during an investigation, really?” Aaron judged us hard.

Zak and I just snuggled into each other and flipped him off.

He judged us still a year later as we enjoyed our wedding reception.

“DURING AN INVESTIGATION!” he went on and on.

We ignored him though and just focused on each other, soaking in the love we felt as Mr. And Mrs. Bagans.

[galaxina-the-pyro]

So I'm kinda curious, what is your "Like Father, Like Son" Au?

Oh my...I was honestly afraid someone was gonna ask me this, but I kinda wanna answer it so...yeah. X'D

The AU started off as a "Doof is Phineas' dad" fan fic that evolved into something else entirely...sort of. Doof's not Phineas' BIO dad in this AU to put it simply - that just wouldn't make sense for the story I've written for it.

Basically, the AU takes place in "another 2nd Dimension" - the 2nd Dimension with the 2D cast still exists, this just takes place on another route (because I doubt that the number of dimensions is that finite if the movie is to be believed). Kinda like @lyllaotterofhalfworld's Platydad AU, everyone there is kinda the opposite of their canon counterparts, only I take a different approach.

Phineas is the main protagonist of this AU - he is an orphaned/abandoned little ragamuffin that Doofenshmirtz and Schnitzel ended up taking in after finding him in a dumpster. He is creative and fun-loving much like the Phineas we know, but has a much more destructive way of going about it, often choosing to blow stuff up than build something in particular (though he CAN build things and has - his favorite part is just the demolition). He's a little troublemaker who likes to break rules, worldly possessions, and starts some fires here and there. He's also inhumanely strong and indestructible, with boundless amounts of near-unhealthy optimism. He can be pretty selfish and a brat, often at odds with the people who took him in, but ultimately is very caring towards others in spite of his more unstable tendencies. He's an adventurous daredevil that is incredibly extroverted.

Doofenshmirtz is the deuteragonist, and much like in the 2nd Dimension, he is a dictator (though his reign goes far beyond just the 2nd Dimension). He is almost nothing like his counterpart - rarely cracks jokes or smiles, is very no-nonsense, and is incredibly intimidating - it's also very clear that while he never wanted to be a dictator, he is the only reason why the inhabitants of Danville have not been killed by their own hubris. He's often the straight man to everyone else's insanity, though he too is quite the character, often displaying the same kind of reckless behavior and Phineas (and even somewhat encouraging it). He tends to keep people at arms length, but cares a lot for Phineas and Schnitzel's well-being and happiness. He lost both Charlene and Vanessa in a blimp accident and was never the same ever since. He also has a softer side when it comes to animals, stating that they're easier to understand than most people. Though he often is fine with Phineas' antics, he's equally overprotective of him.

Schnitzel (my OC) is the tritagonist, and is Doof's righthand (wo)man. She's a medical professional who's in charge of multiple factions of DEI, and is always stressed and suffers from high levels of anxiety. Always having to keep an eye on Phineas and to make sure Doofenshmirtz doesn't feel like being an idiot, she's often the voice-of-reason, or at least tries to be, her fear often driving most of her decisions. She is incredibly motherly, but can be very blunt and violent when provoked to rage. The universe seems to absolutely hate her, seeing as she's often the target of a lot of the slapstick in the AU. She's Doofenshmirtz's love interest and closest friend, being incredibly loyal to him and Phineas, as well as to Charlene even after she died. In spite of being the universe's punching bag, she often comes through when the call to action arises.

The AU centers on these three dealing with multiple antagonistic forces such as the OWCA, a "heroic" organization that experiments on animal agents to take on DEI (led by Monogram, the man that supposedly was responsible for Charlene and Vanessa's deaths), The Resistance, a group of teens bent on overthrowing Doofenshmirtz by any means necessary (that's also lead by Phineas' older sister, Candace, who very much hates him and is sadly blinded by anger to see that she's not being reasonable), and even LOVEMUFFIN, the very organization that rules over most of the planet that Doofenshmirtz and Schnitzel both work for. They also deal with a bunch of misadventures as well, some typical familial drama, that kinda stuff.

A lot of the times Isabella, Phineas' best friend/crush (the boy just...loves her so very much, he can't even, if only she frigging knew, come on, it's so obvious), will tagalong on these adventures along with the likes of Ferb (who is NOT Phineas' stepbrother in this, but is considered his OTHER best friend - really, Ferb is trying to assassinate Doofenshmirtz for Candace, but grows attached to the very annoying triangular redhead), Buford, Baljeet, Irving, Django, and the Homicide Girls (the Fireside Girls of this AU). There's more to them as well, but that's about the gist of it.

Phineas also has a hamster named Freddie (ala @sortofcaffeinateddoodles) instead of Perry - I'm not actually entirely sure what Perry's role IS in this AU, anymore. He's definitely THERE, I'm just not sure what his relationship is with everyone else, or even if he's a good guy or a bad guy. Freddie's fun - he's got a knife. No one knows where he got it from, but he has one, and Doofenshmirtz and Schnitzel are concerned.

This is mostly a very self-indulgent AU, that I guarantee is not for everyone - especially since I portray certain characters like Candace and Linda in particular in a very bad light, some characters like Vanessa are dead/are probably gonna die, and the fact that there are OCs in this story, blahblahblah. Oh. And they cuss a LOT - this isn't a kid friendly AU. I do plan on writing a fic where the canon-verse meets this AU, cuz I feel like it would be interesting for the characters to interact. Though I already do that with @lyllaotterofhalfworld, and our three-way AU where her AU, my AU, and the canon-verse Phineases all interact and stuff, and it's great and I wanna do more of that.

[littlestarrykenobi]

A Drink that Leads to More (Sugawara x reader 18+ fic)

Summary: A drink between coworkers leads to a little more with Sugawara Koshi.

Warnings: Implied alcohol consumption, spanking, degradation, NSFW

Word Count: 2112

You were putting the books back a little later than usual when Mr. Sugawara walked in with yet another stack of chapter books.

“Oh you have to be kidding me!” you laughed, rolling your eyes as he awkwardly pushed the library cart over to the little desk.

“I’m so sorry, Y/N,” He chuckled, shaking his head. “I had to wait until everyone was picked up before heading down here.”

“Fine, fine,” You sigh as you stand up from the low shelves, hiding a smirk as you watch him turn his face away quickly. “But since you’re the one causing me the issue, I expect you to help me fix it. Come on, take a scanner, we’re getting these checked in as quickly as possible alright?”

“Maybe we could… Go for a drink after?” he offered, a slight blush on his cheeks as he did as you instructed. “It’s a Friday after all and it’s not like I’m eager to stay in and grade spelling tests all night…”

“You know what? Sounds fun. Anyone joining us?”

“N-No I uh… Thought it’d be nice for it to just be the two of us.”

“Ah,” You muse, a blush on your cheeks as you avoid eye contact. “Yeah, sounds good actually.”

What you couldn’t have anticipated was exactly how much of a lightweight he would be. You giggled as you gave him water, kissing his forehead comfortingly as he leaned against you in the booth, already tipsy after the couple of drinks he’d had. He was still fine but you wanted him to slow down before he got any worse.

“I’m just a little dizzy is all,” he mumbled, blushing as he tried to sit up. “I can’t help that you make me so nervous.”

“Nervous?” You laugh, teasing him gently as you try to encourage his water consumption. “What would there be to be ner-“

He wrapped his beautiful long fingers around your wrist, staying your hand. “You’re beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. And I know we can’t… The rules at the school… But gah, it’s… I don’t care what they might say. I’ve wanted to kiss you since you first transferred in here…”

He reached his other hand up, gently caressing your face with the back of his hand, feeling the curve of your cheek with a loving adoration.

“If you wanted to kiss me… why didn’t you say anything?” you whisper in response, grateful that you didn’t have to raise your voice as he leaned closer in to you.

“Does that mean you want to kiss me too, sugar?” he mumbled with a smirk, his lips ghosting yours.

You hum softly, pressing your lips to his as his arms go around your waist, pulling you closer as you ignore the rest of the world around you. As far as you’re concerned you’re the only two people in existence. He smelled like bourbon and firewood, his lips tasted like liquor an cherries and it was getting you more intoxicated by the second. Reluctantly you both pulled away for air, his eyes wide and all the stars in the sky had decided to settle right in those two lovely hazelnut orbs.

“Koshi,” you whispered, and he nodded before even knowing the question. “Back to my place?”

You squealed with laughter as he chased you from the car to your front door, picking you up from behind and spinning you up the stairs to the porch. You had both sobered up from the two light drinks you’d had at the bar, both now only drunk off the moment and the feeling of being together for the first time.

“Put me down Koshi!” You laughed as you grabbed your keys out from your jacket. “I have to unlock the door.”

“Oh don’t think you’ll get away from me that easily!” he laughed, letting you open the front door as he tugged on his tie, discarding it as soon as the two of you walked through the door. “We uh… We could watch a-“

He looked back over at you as you began to unbutton your dress shirt. He let out a shaky breath, trying not to let his eyes wander or linger for too long.

Oh.

“It’s that kind of party is it?” He teased as you flushed, the two of you having a race back to your bedroom, chuckling as he let you win, still smirking as you shut the door in his face. “Oh come on, sugar, open up…”

“Why should I?” You tease, stripping yourself of your shirt and fiddling with your pants as you pressed your back to the door.

“I’ll give you what you want, what we both want, but you have to open the door,” He purred, pressing his forehead and his hands to the door, imagining what state of undress you must be in by this point. “I won’t bite… hard… unless you want me to?”

He could imagine you blushing, letting out a low growl as he jiggled the doorknob. “Oooh you didn’t lock it did you? You want me to come in, just admit it,” he teased.

You had already left the door, choosing to lounge back on the bed waiting for him to finally break the rules he’d set for himself. If he walked in right now… if you two did this… the relationship you two had before, as colleagues and friends, would change forever. And luckily for the both of you… he was more than ready to change that status.

“Fine if you won’t say it out loud, I’ll pull it from those gorgeous lips of yours,” He chuckled, summoning his courage as he pushed the door open. He could have melted at the sight, already feeling weak at the knees at the sight of you, just in your underwear as you laid back in the low light of your room. “Oh baby I’m going to give you what you need.”

“And what’s it that I need?” You tease as he strips his dress shirt off, letting you see his still toned body. Even now that he was nearing thirty, he’d kept up exercising that was clearly paying off. Not completely chiseled by any means, his body was toned, almost like a swimmer’s body. His frame was still slender, his arms clearly a point of pride as he stalked over to the bed, grabbing your legs behind your knees and dragging your ass to the edge of the bed, sinking to his knees as he kissed your stomach down to the waistband of your underwear.

“Just shut up,” he chuckled, fingers hooking on your underwear, pulling them off slowly, planting kisses along every new inch exposed as he pulled the inconvenient cloth away. “Unless you really want me to stop because… I want to make you my toy…”

Suga finally pulled the clothing off you, flinging it to the side with a smirk. “I can tell you,” He chuckled. “You won’t be needing these for a while. God you look so fucking gorgeous…”

He kisses around your sex, always just brushing over where you want him. “Oh, is this for me?” He teased, running his fingers along the evidence of your arousal. “Aren’t I special? I didn’t even know I had so much power over you, princess, but let me tell you I’m not complaining…”

Suga’s warm lips finally pressed a kiss to your sex, chuckling as he realized how much it affected you but not wanting to stop to tease right yet. He had plenty of work to do, that was for certain. He kissed and licked and sucked, bringing you as close to orgasm as possible before backing off, reveling in how you whined for him, one hand keeping his pace going as he slid his own pants off.

“Oh no, sugar, you don’t get to finish yet. I want this first time to be special… to be… together.”

He pressed two fingers against your opening, moaning sweetly as your body welcomed him with little resistance, whispering a string of cuss words as he stroked himself, leaning over your body with his head on your shoulder. “Good baby doll,” He muttered as he began to slowly move his fingers in and out of your waiting sex, pressing a third in as soon as he felt you were ready. “Good… good…”

He moaned as he saw how slick his fingers were becoming with need, a shiver running down his spine. “Fine, I-I think you’re… ready…”

He lined his cock up to your entrance, sucking the slick off his fingers eagerly before tilting your chin up to look into his eyes. “You’re so beautiful…” Sugawara whispered as he pressed into you, a strangled moan following his words almost immediately. “You’re so… fucking… shit… you’re so tight! Fuck that’s not what I want to… say…”

Panting, struggling to breathe as he let you adjust to his girth. He wanted nothing more than to take you fast, passionately and deeply as he left a perfect you shaped crater in the mattress but he held himself back, wanting to try to make love to you before taking you like the caged animal he was. He let his head roll back, eyes fluttering shut as he finally began to slowly move, your knees on either side of his hips, his hands resting on top of them as he tried to balance and pace himself.

“You… have been on my mind for, shit, so fucking long now… And God damn you’re… Fuck… I’m never letting you go fuck you look so pretty taking my cock like that…”

Your moans were like the sweetest music to his ears, loving how you contorted under him as he gained speed, muttering teasing things in your ear before he pulled out, ruining another building orgasm as he flipped you onto your stomach, pushing you further up the bed as he mounted you from behind.

“Fuck your ass looks so good…” he whispered before landing a firm smack on your exposed flesh, chuckling as you cried out. “Don’t you remember I used to play volleyball? I still remember how to spike, sugar.”

His voice was low, his breathing deep and controlled as he realigned himself with your waiting fuckhole. “That’s a good little slut,” he purred in your ear, predatory and demanding. “Take my fat cock like a good whore.”

He spanked you again and again as he fucked you, pressing your face into the mattress as he threw out his ideas of a sweet and gentle love. He wasn’t able to hold back nearly as well as he’d believed himself capable but he was too needy to care. “That’s a good slut,” He muttered, letting out a cry as you clenched down on him. “Good… Fuck… Cum for me baby do it,” he demanded, reaching around to play with your sex as he felt his own climax fast approaching.

He moved one hand quickly, forcing your head back just enough to be able to look at how your eyes rolled back as you came for him. That was the image he’d been looking for, the last thing to send him over the edge as he rapidly pulled out, his hand gripping the base of his cock as he shot three long sticky strands over your ass and back, panting still as he let you collapse into the bed.

“I-I’m so… fuck… sorry…” he mumbled, reaching quickly for a tissue. “I-I’ll clean you up and…”

His hands shook, chuckling softly as his cheeks reddened. “you did look… more beautiful than I ever imagined…”

He looked around for a trash can but… he knew he was seconds away from his own knees collapsing on him so he decided it’d be better to take refuge next to you and worry about the trash later. He pulls you in to his chest, wrapping his arms around you as you both basked in the afterglow.

“How is it you can still smell so fucking good after all that?” He teased. “I must smell like a pig… You’re so… You’re like an angel, sugar…”

Suga gently pushed the hair out of your face, admiring how perfect your eyes looked in the low light coming from your bedside lamp. “I… I want to stay with you… If that’s alright, of course…”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” You mumble, shivering a bit before he pulls the blankets up over the two of you. “We’ll try and get up later, yeah…?”

He nodded in agreement, chuckling as he felt the butterflies return to his stomach with every gentle touch of your hand. “You just… rocked my world… And… Man am I glad I was late…”

[mackenziebrooks]

I'll Prove It To You

Summary: After getting together recently. The reader has to go on a mission with Luck and Magna. Before the reader leaves, she overhears Captain Yami and Asta talking. The conversation that she hears lingers in her head the entire time she is gone on the mission. Which makes the reader not able to focus on the tasks.

Pairing: Asta x reader

Warnings: cute, angst, dark content, yelling, cussing, fluff, mentions of Asta’s demon, overly protective Asta, sad, crying, sick, tears, the reader gets hurt, hurt, injuries, angry Asta, mention of the word sex, Yami and Asta have a talk, mention of the word hickey, heartfelt confessions, comfort,

Word count: 6,563

A/N: Here is a fic of everyone’s sweet emerald green-eyed boy, Asta. I also want to give credit to (Genn). We both gave our inputs into this story and I needed to give her credit. I would feel bad if I took it all and I know I shouldn’t. Hope everyone likes it. (If I need to add anything to the wanting list let me know).

__________________________________________

“Shit! Asta you idiot! I am going to be late!”, you yelled as you jumped out of bed and started to get your gear on.

Asta looked over the clock and cursed under his breath, he got up and started rambling around for his clothes. He spoke, “Don’t put this all on me Y/n! It’s just as your fault as mine”.

You slipped your squad robe over your head and opened the door, running down the hallway towards the living room of the base. Asta was right behind you, putting his headband on and trying his best to keep up.

You had to leave for a mission this morning with Luck and Magna, Captain Yami told you to be in the living room at exactly nine o clock. Well...you had three minutes to make it there in time. Maybe having sex with Asta the night before you had a mission to go on was not the best idea, but you couldn’t take last night back. Hell, you didn’t want to take it back. It was the best night of your life. Because Asta and you got together recently.

You just hoped that Luck and Magna didn’t leave without. Nah they wouldn’t. Yami is smart enough to not let them leave on a mission alone.

__________________________________________

Asta and you showed up exactly at nine o clock. The moment you two walked into everyone’s sight landed on you guys. They could see the various hickeys on Asta’s and your neck. Knowing exactly what you two did last night.

Captain Yami was sitting on the couch with a cigarette in his mouth. He took a puff and exhaled the smoke into the air. He spoke “Well it’s nice for the two lovebirds to finally join us”, with a chuckle.

Asta and you gulped a little and sat down in your respective seats, waiting for Captain Yami to explain the missions for today. Captain Yami spoke “For most of you, today will be patrolling around the kingdom. Vanessa and Charmy. You’ll take care of the skies. Gauche, Noelle, and Finral, you’ll take the streets. Magna, Luck, and Y/n. You three are going on that mission to a village a few miles from here to look around. Asta, you’ll be sticking with me for the day”.

The whole squad said “Yes sir”, and they all went their separate ways to go get their jobs done. Luck, Magna, and you stayed behind for a bit. To make sure you have everything you need before setting off for your mission. While getting everything together, Captain and Asta walked in talking. Captain Yami said, “I told you not to make Y/n late and what did you do? You almost made her late. Also, didn’t I say that she was off-limits”.

Asta could only just stand there and look at Yami, biting his lip to keep himself from lashing out at his mentor. In his head, his demon was raising hell saying things like “I’ll do whatever I want” and “She is mine Yami! Mine!”

Asta however, only could say “I was just being nice. I can’t help it that I have feelings for Y/N. I also can't help that shit got out of control and things happened last night”. Captain Yami pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, this kid is going to be the death of me. That is what went through Yami’s head. Yami said, “Kid, I don't care. I told you to not mess with her and you disobeyed my order. Therefore you are staying here today and not going on this mission”.

Hearing everything, Luck, Magna, and you just kept quiet. You three didn’t want to get on Captain’s bad side either. Yet, you felt bad. You made Asta go against the rules of Yami. Something that the squad knows not to do. Asta didn’t seem to care, he had feelings for you and he was going to make you see them. He loved you and cared about you so much.

You were about to walk over to talk to him about the whole conversation, but Luck called “Y/n!, let’s get going. Magic Knights always get a head start”. All you could do was look at Asta and you just say “I’ll talk to you later Asta, see ya”, then you headed out the door to go on your mission.

__________________________________________

The moment you walked out of your door, Asta felt like absolute shit. He thought he could finally have happiness in his life, and it’s already starting to be taken away from him.

The patrolling with Yami, Asta is just standing there all quiet. He wasn’t his happy self, he was just gloomy. He only gave Yami nods and small answers to his questions. If Asta saw anyone he knew, he would make small talk with them. When they ran into Yuno, Asta stood there and kept quiet. Yuno could tell something was bothering his rival/best friend. Yuno even said, “Asta...you can always talk to me if something is bothering you”. Asta could only nod and spoke, “Yeah...I know Yuno...thanks”.

Asta may be faking smiles on the outside, the demon was festering on the inside. He was growing more and more intense through the whole thing. The demon wanted Asta to just go off on Captain Yami, not think one second for the use of his words. Asta pushed him back and kept himself at bay. He was not going to do that to the person who saw so much potential and gave him a chance. Gave him a home.

Charmy tried making him sweets to cheer him, Asta would take them but he wouldn’t eat them. Vanessa would try her best to talk to him, Asta didn’t want to talk. Asta only wanted you. Captain Yami was starting to feel bad for what he had said to his little pupil. He didn’t mean to say it the way he did, he just wanted you to turn out like the rest of them.

Yami would sit beside his ash-blonde kid and say “Kid, I’m sorry for what I said. I didn’t mean it like that, I just...wanted to keep Y/N out of harm's way is all. I hope you can forgive me, kid. Oh, and you have permission to date Y/n, even if you did break my rules”.

Asta would half-smile and least take the apology from Captain Yami. He would reply “Thanks Captain and I forgive you, you were just trying to protect us”. Asta knew he couldn’t stay mad at Captain forever, because he’d never know if they had to work together if something dangerous was to happen.

Asta wanted to know “Did you truly want him still after all of this?”

__________________________________________

You on the other hand were questioning everything. Was the love Asta and you had even real? Did Asta love you or was it just to prove to Yami that he doesn’t listen?

Yami’s words kept playing over and over again in your head. You couldn’t get them out. You had to get them out. You had a mission that you needed to focus on. Magna brought you out of your thoughts by saying “Hey! Cheer up Y/n, it’s all okay. Yami does this all the time. Don’t be so upset about it”.

Luck would come up and put an arm around your shoulders and say “Yeah! We have a mission that needs to be taken care of. So we need to be focused”.

Just as you are about to speak, (some type of magic) get thrown at you three. Magna deflected it away with ease and said “Looks like you have to be focused a lot more sooner Y/N”. Luck quickly took his arm off of your shoulder and stood ready. You let your grimoire out of your slash and follow along with your comrades. You said “Thanks for the motivation guys, truly helpful”.

A guy came out from the woods and spoke “Oh how lovely, three young magic knights left unattended to. This is going to be a very exciting slaughter for me. I’ll start with the girl”.

Magna and Luck both bared their teeth and said “Over our dead bodies. You’ll never get to Y/N. We will make sure of it!”

The guy chuckled darkly and spoke “Oh sure you two will. Yet you do not know how my magic works. Ever hear the words ``silent but deadly”, as he raised his hand. His grimoire fluttered open. This guy spoke some words that you three were not familiar with.

In an instant, you felt a stabbing pain in your shoulder. You quickly grabbed at your wound and yelled out in pain. Luck and Magna both turned to you and yelled “Y/n!”. You said, “I’m...fine, just take care of this guy. I can still fight”.

Luck and Magna both nodded, headed straight for this unknown person. The guy said, “Oh I have a name pretty thing and it’s called Rin. Seems to me like you still aren’t fully understanding my attention. I’m getting rid of you”. Rin said the same words again, as he dodged Luck’s attack. You felt the same stabbing pain, but this time in your thigh. Causing you to drop to your knees.

You grit your teeth, keeping yourself from crying out in pain. You needed to help. You used your magic and let it do its work. While you still felt cuts and bruises being formed on your skin, you kept your spirits high. This fight had to be finished one way or another.

Luck and Magna both were getting hurt just like you, but you were taking the wounds way worse than they were. Luck doing everything he can to keep you from getting more hurt. While Magna took his communication device and called Yami. Hoping that the big brute would answer quickly and not make stupid remarks.

Once Yami answered, Magna spoke “Captain, we are in trouble and Y/n is hurt. Badly hurt. That she is pouring blood out of her shoulder and thigh. We can’t beat this guy. His magic, it is weird. You got to come help!”

__________________________________________

Captain Yami was sitting at the bar, about to enjoy his drink when his alert device went off. He groaned in annoyance. Noticing it was Magna, he knew it better be a good reason to ruin his afternoon drink. Yami spoke “Blaze this better be…”, but he never got to finish his words. Magna completely explained everything that was happening to them.

Yami had no idea that Asta was still in the room and was overhearing the conversation between his squad member and captain. The moment he heard Magna tell Yami that you were hurt, Asta was on his feet instantly.

As Yami finished the call, Asta spoke “Yami let me go please! It’s Y/n! Please let me go! I’ll do anything, just permit me to go help!” Asta’s eyes showed that he was not going to take no for an answer. Yami wanted to tell him, no but he knew he couldn't do that to his kid.

Yami knew if he did say no, then this whole situation would get more complicated and messy between Asta and you. It also would start the feud between Asta and him again. Yami didn’t want that to happen. Yami said “Fine kid. I’m going to let you go but I am going with you. Because you are not going to go and do something reckless and stupid”.

Asta smiles and understandably nods. Asta grabbed his swords and he headed out the door. Yami hollered “Vanessa, Gauche. Hold down the fort. Finral you are coming with us. We need your transportation”. Vanessa and Gauche would only say “Yes sir”. Finral wouldn’t say a word, he would make the portal and then the three of them would be heading to their members.

The whole trip through the portal, Asta is just anxious and ready to get to you. He needs to see just how badly you are hurt. Because Magna likes to exaggerate things, but Asta had the feeling that Magna was telling the truth. That you were hurt badly.

__________________________________________

When the portal opens, Finral, Yami, and Asta could see it all. Rin was still throwing everything he could at Luck and Magna. Magna staying close to your form. Keeping you protected. To this point, you were laying on your side. Trying to stay awake.

Asta could see all the blood on the ground. Not knowing it was from Magna, Luck, or you. His eyes lock onto your almost lifeless body. His whole body is starting to shake. That he starts to lose the fight with his demon, but he keeps it together.

Rin however dips before he could get caught from the new threats that entered his forest. Not wanting to deal with the big monkey of a man and the weird deformed kid.

Yami and Asta quickly hurried over to you. Asta dropped to knees, looking over at you. Asta says “Princess, who did this to you”. His voice changed from his sweet soft tone to the dark and demonic tone.

Asta couldn't fight the other side of him any longer and he was letting it fully come out. Someone hurt the one he loves the most and he wanted to get revenge. Yami wanted to tell Asta to not let it out all right now, but it was too late. Yami couldn't control the emotions going through Asta. Yami would have done the same thing.

As much as you wanted to tell him who did this to you, you couldn't tell him. Because you were doing everything you could to save your breath. The only thing you could make out was “Asta”. You watched as your blurred sight took in his wing, his talons, his horn, and his mixed colored eyes.

If Asta wasn’t by your side before, he was by your side now. Asta cupped your cheek gently with his human hand and he softly spoke “I’ll make them pay for what they did to you Y/n. I promise you that”. His voice was smooth enough to still talk to you. It would be smooth when he would talk to Yami and them. Not to the one who hurt his friends and girlfriend. Asta let go of your cheek and he then turned towards Luck and Magna.

Luck and Magna both gulped, not wanting to hear what Asta had to say. They were still terrified of his demon form. Asta spoke “Who did this to my girl”, clearly wanting his answer now. Luck spoke, “It all just happened so quickly. The guy..his name was Rin came out of nowhere and did this to Y/n. Did this to us”. Magna could only say “The Rin guy took off just as your guys got here and he went towards the north”.

Asta nodded his head and said “Thanks guys”, started to head towards the direction Rin had gone to. Though he stopped and waited for Captain to finish. Captain Yami would only be able to look at Asta in a whole new demeanor. Instead of the reckless kid he had always known, Yami saw him as a magic knight. Protecting what he cares about the most.

Magna would pick you up bridal style and head towards the portal with Luck. You would look at Asta before you disappeared into the portal. Yami spoke “Finral, you come back to us as soon as you are done getting them back to the base”, Finral replied, “Yes sir, I will be back in a flash”.

__________________________________________

As much as Yami is proud of Asta, Yami said “Asta. If we are going to do this, you have to act on my command. Not on your own. I promise you, kid, you’ll get revenge on this Rin guy, but it will be on my terms. If you do not listen, I will send you back with Finral and I will do this investigation myself. Understand?”

Asta wanted to turn around and argue with Yami. But, Asta knows that his captain is right. He has to do this on his command and not his own. Course Asta wanted to go back and be with you. Asta knows he needs to stay and make sure nothing happens to Yami, even if Yami can take care of himself. A magic knight does not run away from a fight. Asta spoke, “Yes captain I understand”.

__________________________________________

While they are off hunting down Rin. Finral got Luck, Magna, and you all back to the base safely. Magna carried you in and the rest of the squad could only gasp. They’ve never seen you this injured before. Vanessa would instantly take you from Magna, as he'd go and get freshened up. Along with Luck.

Vanessa, Noelle, and Charmy all took to Asta’s room, knowing that is where you would rather be. They all would take turns taking care of you. Noelle would carefully wrap your injured shoulder up, after cleaning all the blood off. She’d do the same with your thigh. Vanessa would patch up any scratches you had on your body, to keep any infections out. Charmy would go make all the soft and comfort foods that would help you regain your strength. Sadly, their worst fear came..you already developed a sickness due to your wounds.

They are completely concerned, more than they were initially. They could handle the wounds, but you being sick also? This was not good..not at all. Noelle would phone the kingdom’s doctor. The doctor would assure them that it was normal. Told them to just watch over her and let the wounds and the infections run their course.

Even if you knew you were home safe and sound. All you wanted to do was sleep. All you wanted was Asta. Because you felt safer if he was with you. Wearing one of his shirts wasn't enough to make you feel better. All you could do was cry for him. Making the rest of the squad pray that Asta would return home soon.

__________________________________________

It had been almost an hour, Yami and Asta still trying to find Rin. Asta’s anger had slowed down a bit, but it was still there. Captain Yami said, “We will find him kid don’t worry. I’ll let you have a piece of him and then I will take over”. Asta nodded and kept his eyes open for anything. Magna did explain that his guy’s magic was silent. Asta would be able to take him on. He produced anti-magic.

Not even within a few minutes, Asta’s Ki senses hit and slashed towards his right and then towards his left. Asta spoke “Come out you coward!”, growling. Yami smirked, proud of his kid for using his Ki. Yami would say “Excellent kid”, drawing his katana.

Rin would come out of hiding and say “How? No one can detect my magic and deflect it at ease!”, sending out more attacks. Asta dodged the ones sent his way, as Yami did the same. Asta said, “I can you bastard. Ever heard of anti-magic?”. Rin’s eyes would go wide hearing the words “anti-magic”. Rin just kept sending and sending attacks to his two enemies. Though this was a battle for revenge, Yami was enjoying being beside his demon child. Fighting and protecting the squad they loved. Minus how much they annoyed Yami.

Yami would say “Kid, use your demon speed and get behind him”. Asta would nod and fight his way to get behind Rin. Rin would put up a fight to keep Asta at bay, but it was useless. Asta was way faster and easily got behind Rin. Rin would turn around and fight Asta. Asta would grab him by the face and slam him to the ground. He would grip Rin’s shirt tightly, raising his fist and punching Rin in the face. At least a couple of times. Then putting his hand around Rin’s throat.

Yami would say to himself “Fucking hell kid”. Yami would hurry over and say “Asta don’t. I know you want to but don’t. That is an order”. Asta does all he can to restrain himself from not ending Rin's life. He wants to continue to punish Rin, just to make up for you getting hurt. At the same time, he needs to stop. He doesn’t want to ruin his reputation as a magic knight.

Asta would let go of Rin’s throat and back away from him. Yami would pick Rin up and have him by the collar of his shirt, just as Finral opened up a portal. Yami would make remarks to Finral, but not at the moment. Asta spoke “Took you long enough time machine”, Finral said, “I am your superior Asta, but right now. I know you are not in the mood to argue”. Yami and Asta would talk into Finral’s portal and they would go back to the Clover Kingdom.

Getting back to the kingdom, there were a lot of questions. Asta just stood there and listened to Yami and other captains talk. He wants to be involved, but he is keeping himself away. He isn't sure if he would be able to stop from ending Rin’s life if he were to see him again. Then again, he is also worried about you. Because you are his number one priority.

Soon as this is over, Asta is going straight to the base.

__________________________________________

Once Asta makes it back to the base, he is searching for you. Lucky he runs into Noelle asking where you are. Noelle would say “Y/n is in your room Asta, but she is asleep. She also is recovering from her injuries and a fever. So it’s going to be a slow recovery for a while”. Asta would not even reply to Noelle. He would take off running towards his room.

He would see you laying in his bed, sleep as Noelle said. Your skin is paler than your normal tone. You look almost lifeless while laying there in his bed. It made him more emotional.

Asta begins to wonder the what-ifs. What if you died? What if they were too late? He just got you, he couldn't lose you already. You were his life.

Asta didn’t want to wake you, you needed the sleep. He took the seat next to his bed and watched over you closely. He was angry, sad, and hurt. If he could take all of the pain away from you, he would. He would rather be in your place than you.

Every little sound or little move you would make, he would be alerted instantly.

As much as he would love to be laying next to you in the bed, he chose to stay in the chair. Asta didn't want to make the pressure on your body worse. He’d gradually take you wearing one of his shirts. At least he knew he was still protecting you, keeping you warm.

His demon would be rambling in his head, saying things like “We should have ended that Rin guy’s life. Why did Yami have to intervene?” Asta would push his demon away and not worry about his words. You were the only thing that mattered right now.

Slowly, you would stir and open your eyes to a blurry vision. You spoke softly “Asta?”

__________________________________________

Asta’s ears would perk up and he’d be right there in your line of vision. He’d take your cool hand into his warm one. Stroking it softly, letting you know he was there. Asta spoke, “I’m here princess”.

Asta’s voice is hoarse, from not talking. From being angry. Yet, he is relieved and happy to see that you have opened your pretty eyes. It assures him that you are alive and wasn’t laying in his bed like a corpse.

“Asta are you here?” your voice cracking since you haven’t talked for quite some time. Tears start to form in your eyes, tipping over your beautiful eyelashes. You were hoping that this wasn’t a trick. Your dreams plague with no one but Asta. Sometimes it was just the two of you, happy in love. Others, it was bloodshed that ended with yours or his death.

Asta’s throat is clogged with emotions, his green eyes vibrant and shining with unshed tears.

“I’m here baby, I promise”, Asta says softly. He’d move closer towards you. His hand coming up to palm your cheek and he watches you nuzzle into it. “We got the guy. He’s in the prison cell right now”, he’d tell you.

Your vision starts to get a bit more clear, so you could see Asta better. You could see his eyes were to the point of letting the waterworks fall. You’d sit up in front of him and place both of your hands on his cheeks.

“Asta, I’m so sorry. My head wasn't in the right place. Luck, Magna, and I were somewhat paying attention but not fully. It..it just happened so fast”. You were pouring your emotions out to him. Telling him you were sorry and you didn't mean to get hurt. Knowing you were better than this.

You continued “It’s just what Captain Yami and you talked about before we three left. It got to me. I was thinking that you didn't love me. That you just did this whole thing to prove a point. I’m sorry! I’m sorry I’m not good enough for you Asta”.

Asta quickly took your face in his hands. His heart was breaking at the realization that you were essentially hurt because of him. Because of the misunderstanding before you left. Sorrow envelops him to the deepest part of his soul. He will never forgive himself for this.

The pain in his chest felt so sharp, it almost hurt to breathe. Even the demon inside of him was deadly quiet.

Asta spoke, “You got it all wrong Y/n! It was never to prove a point. Captain Yami was being protective over you because we’re squad members”.

With a shaky deep breath, Asta leveled you with a stare that is bright with desperation. He wasn't sure if you’d believe him but he had to try at least.

__________________________________________

“Baby, you are good enough for me. Hell, you are better than me. I am just a commoner chosen by the five-leaf clover. I’m not worthy of your love but I’ll make damn sure to earn it and keep you by my side”, Asta says.

His thumb wipes away your tears. His voice is raw with emotions as he presses his forehead against yours. “I love you. I’m yours until you don't want me anymore. And you're mine. Forever”.

You take your hands off of his cheeks and wrap your sore arms around his neck, closing your eyes. You said “I love you to Asta, I want you forever”, with a smile.

The two of you stayed in this position for a few more minutes. Taking in the moment of finally being the two of you. After everything that had happened with the last few hours.

“I’m sorry I didn't understand and took everything the wrong way. I just care about you and I don't want to lose you. Oh and do not say you are not worthy, you are Asta. You’ve earned every single bit of me. My love, my respect, and my support. All of it”, you declared.

Softly you asked “Babe, can you lay down with me? I’d feel a lot safer if you did. If you can’t I understand”.

Asta is up as soon as those words leave your lips, he’s eager to lay with you, to have you in his arms. He climbs gingerly on the bed, mindful of how sore your body is. Asta scoots closer to your body, relaxing and curling into you once he feels the barest contact of your skin against his.

While he was still angry at himself, he's just happy to have you alive and with him. He truly didn't deserve you. But he loved you too much to let you go. He'll spend the rest of his life proving his worth to you. If he has to.

__________________________________________

“Asta?” you call.

Asta hums when you call his name waiting for a response. His heart accelerates every time you say his name. But he couldn't lie and say this time he wasn't scared about what you had to tell him.

He has to remind himself that you're not going anywhere. He settles on caressing your skin gently, trying to soothe his nerves in the reassurance of you being alive.

“I’m still sorry for ever doubting that you did this to prove a point. I love you truly”, you say. Without realizing it, his rigid body softens once you tell him you love him. Asta didn't realize it but he guessed he was preparing for the worst. But hearing you say those words, makes his heart swell.

“I love you more baby”, he drifts off for a bit but then continues “Don’t apologize. I can see how it sounded bad coming from the captain. He was ominous about it”.

You reply “Yeah I know but I am still kinda to all of this. I just...I don’t know”

You slowly turned around and put your hand on his chest and sighed. “I just want you to be proud of me and I feel like I failed you, I wanted to be better but still”, you tell him.

The more you kept thinking about it the more emotional you got. Tears falling from your eyes. You added, “I do not feel like a magic knight. Everyone else is so much better than me”.

Asta placed his hand over yours. It pained him to hear your cries, hear you put yourself down. He wanted to take it all away. But he knows this is something that you have to deal with on your own. He’d be there for you. Just like you were there for him.

He lets you cry your emotions out. His hand squeezes your hand firmly. When your cries quiet down, he honestly speaks.

Asta says “You know what the squad sees? We see you as one of the best magic knights in our kingdom. You're not here for status but because you want to keep the citizens safe. You’re kind to all, care about the honor of your comrades and you aren't afraid to lead. Not to mention you are powerful. Noelle said you motivate her to keep practicing for control over her magic. Do not get me started on Luck and Magna. If there is anyone they respect more than Captain, it's you. I could go on but my point is, you’re the one everyone looks up to. Myself included. Babe, I am so proud of you. Nothing you could ever do would make me any less proud. If anything, I’ve failed you...and I am deeply sorry for that. But I will never stop making it up to you”.

__________________________________________

“I know you’ll never stop making up for thinking you failed me but in reality, you haven't failed me, Asta. Did you not see what you did? You came the moment you found out that I was in danger and hurt. That's pretty worthy if you ask me”. You say.

You brought his chin down so you could see him better and look into his emerald eyes and asked “How is your demon taking this? Probably fuming”.

Asta’s eyes are solemn when he answers “Angry you’re hurt. Angry you think so low of yourself. But he’s happy to see you’re safe. We both are and that you’re ours”. Which is true. The demon being part of Asta, he took you as his also. If Asta loved you, the demon had to least try and take you in.

You’re shocked but continue to ask “A demon happy to see that I’m safe and that I’m yours? Isn’t that kinda weird? Mean a demon can love? I’m not saying that it can’t but look at us. Don’t be mad at me for questioning”.

Asta shrugs, not at all offended by your questioning. He says “I can't say for sure that he loves you babe. But I do know that he cares about you. He wanted to destroy that Rin guy for hurting you. Your pain and injuries made him restless”.

You spoke, “Well mean he is a part of you so therefore he should care about me. Why did he want to hurt that Rin guy? I just want to learn more about the person I love”. If you were going to be with Asta, then you needed to get to know more about Asta and his demon. Things that he liked and didn't like.

“Because Rin hurt someone dear to the demon and I”, Asta would reply. His eyes darkened. He could tell the demon was under the surface. The demon was scratching to be let out. But Asta kept him at bay, this was not the time to go into a blood lust. He didn't want to scare you in your condition.

Asta stated, “Soon as you are healed up, you can talk to him, princess”.

Asta had to admit, it made him happy that you acknowledged the demon was a part of him. Essentially he was it and it was him. It’s a lifelong bond. It pleased him and the demon greatly that you cared enough to want him and his dark side.

__________________________________________

To avoid his dark-colored eyes, you looked down and spoke “I don't know when that is going to be babe. The doctor has me on bed rest and you know Captain is going to make sure I follow orders. Hell, even when I am healed I still have to wait”. Being stuck in the house killed you. Sure it was to rest up and hell but you still hated it. You were the one to always be outside. Whether it was to train or to just enjoy the outdoors.

Asta tipped your chin, so you could look at him. His eyes were back to his soft shade of green. He saw you were pouting when you told him about having to stay inside. While he did understand your feelings, he couldn't help to find your pouting adorable.

He stated “Hey. I’ll be with you every step of the way alright? I know you don't like the thought of staying in but you need to heal. You’ll be up and ready before you know it. I’ll be right there when you do baby”, ending it with a grin.

You responded, “Yeah, I know you’ll be with me every step of the way”. You smiled up at him and placed your lips against his. You hadn't kissed him in quite some time and you missed the taste of his lips.

Asta grunted into the kiss, kissing you with all of the passion he could muster. He missed your lips just as much, missed the taste of you just as much.

Asta pulled away and said “I heard you’ve been experiencing a sickness along with your wounds. How are you feeling babe?’’, you simply said “Yeah, it just some small infections happened to start before I got them properly cleaned. I am fine now though Asta”.

Asta smiled and nodded before he spoke “If you get to feeling any worse. You better let me know princess”. You nodded your head to give him your response. You’d tell him the moment you started to feel bad.

You took his headband off and put it on the side table next to you, then you looked at him. You said “It’s not time to be a magic knight anymore. It’s time to be a boyfriend and a caregiver if that is okay with you?”

All Asta could do was watch you take his headband off and his adorable smile formed on his face. He brushed your lips with his and spoke “That’s more than okay with me baby. Do you need anything? Name it and I will gladly go and get it for you”. He meant it. Anything that you wanted, he’d make sure to go get it for you.

__________________________________________

“Hmm, could you go get me some water? Then when you get back, can you stay here with me? You know cuddle and protect me”. You simply ask him.

Asta smiles and answers “I'll go and get you some water babe, then when I get back we can cuddle”. He caresses your face, kissing the top of your head. A kiss that was full of promises. Asta said, “I’ll protect you with my life my queen”.

And he would. Asta would die for you if he had to. You were his everything and he was going to take care of you.

Asta kisses you one more time before getting out of bed. It’s not long before he's back with your cup of water and he hands it to you. He waits patiently for you to finish it, once you are he sets it down on the side table. Then he's back in the bed, snuggling into you. He's mindful of your wounds as he drapes one arm around your body. He placed another kiss on your head.

You placed your head on his chest and listened to the beat of his heart, it was slowly playing a lullaby for you to fall asleep. You said, “Nothing else love, I am fine. Just do not leave me unless you have to”.

“I won’t, I promise”, Asta says. The hand that was wrapped around you came up and played with your hair. Helping you fall asleep more.

It felt good with you being in his arms. Asta felt like himself again. No longer angry, frightened, or hurt. He felt...content. Sure you guys will still probably need to talk more. He is sure that you’d want to talk to the demon. Right now, it was just you and him. Nothing else. For that he was grateful.

Asta checked to make sure that you had fallen asleep and you did. His own eyes started to become droopy. He guessed he was tired from all of the stress and fighting. Yet he didn't mind falling asleep knowing you’d be there when he wakes up.

He lets out a yawn while the arm around you tightens up. Asta spoke “I love you, princess, sleep well”, a peaceful smile forms on his face as he falls asleep himself.

[thelittleboyfromloveactually]

Worth it

Jj maybank x reader

Promt: 1. “Don’t touch me!” And 7. “I can’t see you get hurt!”

Promt list (angst)

Warnings: physical abuse, blood and injuries, yelling, angst, cussing (these topics can be triggering to some!!!!!!)

Word count: 1837

@dylansslutt I hope this is what you wanted!!! Thank you so much for requesting! I really enjoyed wrighting this and I hope it’s a fun read! Requests are still open! Love ya!

6 years ago I moved from New York City to outer banks, North Carolina. I was the weird new girl from the big city. My family wasn’t rich, not even close. Infact money was the reason we moved here. My dad lost his job because of an alcohol problem and my mom was a police officer. We couldn’t afford to live off just her mortgage, so when my mom got a job offer here in obx we couldn’t turn it down. Here it was cheaper, there was a school for me to go and my mom grew up here so she had some friends. But me, I had no friends, not one. That was until my second week at school, this little blond boy, jj maybank came up to me. We were ten at the time, him and his friends were going to go to the beach later and he said I could come. Because I didn’t have any other friends I wasn’t in any place to turn down this offer. Ever sense then jj and I have been best friends. I didn’t know jj the best out of everyone but I guess that intrigued me. Last year my parents went through a divorce, my dad was losing it, his addiction was getting worse and worse. My mom moved us out leaving my dad with 10,000 dollars to get help. It was hard, even though he was an alcoholic he was still my dad. Jj was there for me the whole time, became closer than ever. Jj knows everything about me, my past, my home life, my favorite ice cream flavor, my favorite place everything. I know as much as I can about jj, I know that his dad beats him, he spends a lot of nights on my couch, I know that he plans to drop out of school and travel and surf. He’s my best friend but the problem is, ever sense that day that he came up to me, I’ve had a crush on him. He didn’t like me that way though and even if he did, “no pogue on pogue macking”.

Today is my 17 birthday, and here that means only one thing, a keger, a big ass keger. I love parties but there’s always trouble at *these* parties. I would prefer to just get drunk and hang out at John b.s place. So I’ve spent the entire morning trying to talk them out of it.

“I swear to god kie!” I yelled

“Don’t even try Y/N!” She said

“Come on you love parties!” John b added

“No, I love small parties, remember the last time we had a keger?! Ya know you almost *drowned*!!!” I said

“It is her birthday guys” Sarah said, Sarah my by best girl friend, I haven’t known her for long but we immediately bonded.

“Oh come on!” Said John b

“Fine, Sarah is right it’s Y/Ns choice” kie said

John b sighed “fine, I’ll call and tell jj”

A few mins later John b hung up the phone

“Alright jj said he’ll be here around 4:00, he says happy birthday, he’s sorry he is not here” John b said

4:30

“Here should have been here 30 minutes ago” John b said

Everyone was laying around John Bs living room, sweating their asses off. We had been waiting for jj, he wasn’t answering his phone. Normally we would just leave it alone but jj never missed my birthday.

“Should we try calling again?” Sarah asked

“We’ve called 15 times, and I texted him” I said shaking my head

It was silent

“I’m going” I said as I stood up

“No the fuck your not!” John b said standing up and blocking my way to the door

“Yes I am! He could be hurt!” I said trying to move John be out of the way

“Y/N you know what he said!” John b said

Yes I did know, the pogues had a list of rules, but jj also had his own

Never go to JJs house

Never under any circumstance break rule number one

“I don’t give a fuck about what he said!” I yelled, when your mom is a cop you pick up on some self defense. John b was in my way, and i would never hurt him…..but jj may be hurt, I had seen first hand what his dad could do. I ducked down and swiped John Bs legs making him fall.

“Wtf Y/N?!” Kie said

“Sorry guys” I said as I ran toward the door. I pushed it opened and ran to my car. Kie and Sarah came running after me yelling my name. I ignored it and started toward JJs house.

About 5 minutes later I pulled into the driveway. Well the kinda driveway, it was more like a clearing with rubble and weeds. There was a car there, jjs dad's car. My stomach dropped at the sight. I took a deep breath

“It’s gonna be fine” I said as a opened my car door and stepped out

I walked up to his front door, my hand was shaking as I went to knock. Why was my hand shaking? It was gonna be fine, right? I knocked, but JJ didn't open the door, his dad did. He looked drunk, he had a cigarette in his mouth, he was dirty and he had an old cut on his face. This was a bad idea, jj may not even be here.

“Uh um hi s-sir” I Stuttered on my words

“Who are ya?” He said look around me

“Um I I’m Y/N, jjs friend, is he here?” I said looking into the house

“Ah you're his little slut girlfriend, ya here to break up with him? Not surprised” he said stepping closer to me

I stepped back, I could defend myself against him if I needed to, I reminded myself, “actually no sir, I’m just his friend, is jj here?”

“Ya he’s here, what do you want with him?”

“Where is he?” I ignored his question

“How about you come with me little lady and I’ll buy you a drink?” He said and grabbed my hand

I ripped my hand out of his and punched him in the face

“You little bitch” he yelled holding his now bleeding cheek, he swung his arm again to punch me. He hit me right in the eye.

Then suddenly he came at me and I dodged him and pushed him past me. He was definitely drunk. I ran inside and closed the door, my hands were shaking even more, I tried to lock it and luckily I was able to. Then I heard a car start in the driveway, the car sounded older. Not mine, but jjs dads. I let out a breath of relief and turned around to look at the house. The coffee table was filled with beer bottles, there was glass on the floor and a broken picture frame. I needed to find jj.

“JJ!!! JJ!!!” I yelled his name, I could hear the crack in my voice when I yelled.

I made my way through the small, dirty house and to his room. The door was locked

“Jj?! Please open the door!” I said as I rocked on the door

I was about to say something again but the door swung open

“What do you want?!” Jj yelled as he slammed the door frame

I jumped, almost tripping over myself. Jjs face was bruised and bloody. He was shirtless, his chest was covered in bruises. I looked up at him, I was confused. I saw his face soften when he saw me, he looked surprised, then he got angry again.

“Y/N?! What the hell are you doing here?!” He said stepping closer to me

I was at a loss of words, I was already shaky but when Jj yelled it set me off.

“I um I-I” I started but was cut off by jj

“Fuck Y/N, did he do this to you?!” Jj yelled

“Jj please stop ye-“

“That son of a bitch! I swear to fucking god” he began walking out of the hallway toward the door

I stood up “JJ STOP!” I yelled grabbing his arm

“Don’t touch me! Why can you fucking listen Y/N?! I told you to stay away! And what did you do?! You didn’t! You didn’t fucking stay away! And now” he paused calming down and catching his breath “now you are hurt, and it’s my fucking fault! I swear I’m going to kill him” he said moving his hand over his lips and looking down

“What did you expect me to do Jj?” I was trying to stay calm “you didn’t show up and that scared me, I came to make sure you were ok, and obviously you aren’t, I can’t sit my and watch you come to school with black eyes and bloody lips”

“Fuck you Y/N! You had one job!”

Fuck being calm “you know what Jj I came because I care and because I am your fucking friend ok?! It’s ok to let people care about you! It’s ok *to* care! You don’t need to push everyone away!” I yelled back at him

“I do care Y/N! That’s why I don’t want you here! I can’t see you get hurt!!!” He yelled grabbing my hand

“Well, I’m completely fine so” I said taking my hand out of his and crossing my arms across my chest

“Your not fine”

“I am!”

“Nope”

“Yes! Yes I am, and why tf is it so important to you that I’m hurt, you get hurt, so does John b, and Kie, and rafe, but he definitely deserves that-“ I was cut off from my blabbing

“Y/N I care because I love you alright?! Calm down” he said

“W-what?”

“I’-I’m” he started moving his head as if he was trying to think of what to say, I looked at him, studying his features, then I decided I was going to kiss him, ya ya I was going to kiss him. And I did, my lips met his in one quick movement. He seemed surprised at first but then his lips moved into mine. It was a passionate, needed kiss, but amazing never the less. His tongue moved, asking permission that was granted.

We broke the kiss both trying to catch our breath

“Wait Y/N-“ je started

“I love you too jj, I have forever” I said smiling

“But what about the rules and stuff, I mean I don’t follow rules like ever but” he was cute when he was confused, I began giggling at his attemp

“What? what is so funny?” He asked

“You are adorable,” I said kissing him again

It’s funny, I never thought that I would be here, kissing jj fucking maybank. We we’re definitely gonna get some crap from the rest of the pogues but it was definitely worth it.