#strawberry being a strawberry man in dark world real

[kuromispamton2000]

"i live between idiots...but they're my idiots...well expect Berdly, he invited himself"

[fics-lovebot]

enhypen fic recs

main masterlist

· · ♡ · · tysm to the amazing creative minds of the writers for giving me sevaral moments of joy reading your creations

i´ll be constantly updating this list so make sure to check it out often for new recs

pls remember to reblog if you like any of my recs❤️

divider creds: @kyejiz

LAST UPDATED: 14/10/2024

poly / ot7

their s/o falls asleep waiting for them - ( @heeliopheelia ) fluffFFYY

you take your engagement ring off during an argument - ( @heeliopheelia ) angst, love it

come back to me..please - ( @thinemoonshine ) text, angst, they want you back after they messed up but you´re over it. I read this when i want a lil angsty angst bc there´s a lot of begging and shi

leche of the sirens - ( @thinemoonshine ) dark romance, mature themes, revharem, obssesive and possesive behaviour, corrupt nobles!enha, siren!reader. GRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAA (insert that one pic of a werewolf ripping his shirt) THIS IS THE BEST THING I´VE READ IN A HOT MINUTEEEEEE!!!!! omg I literally DEVOURED this

you´re short - ( @nikrangdan ) fluff, crack, love itttttt

when you block them from your spam acc - ( @heeslomll ) text, fluff, crack, THIS IS SO FUCKFIJR FUNNY LMAO

"i wanna break up" prank hyung ver. , maknes ver.- ( @luvrseung ) text, crack, JAY IS MY KIND OF MANNNN, and riki LMAOOOO why is he like that.

makeup voiceovers - ( @kairoot ) fluff, crack, this is so creative omg, I love itttttttt

posessive - ( @kairoot ) text, fluff, crack, DKJSADKJHKASD so fun to read

dear husband - ( @atrirose ) fluff, you doing that one tiktoktrend where you call them husband outta nowhere, so cuteee

pretty boy - ( @atrirose ) fluff, tiktok trend where you call them "pretty boy"

exe.enhaboy_stopped_working.exe - ( @star-sim ) fluff, making them flustered. the Jay and Ni-ki ones are my favsss

is your girlfriend single? maknea line, hyung line - ( @star-sim ) fluff, crack, youtuber! non-idol bf! enhypen. when your youtuber bf finally shows you for the first time to his audience and the chat starts simping. PLSSSSSSSSSSSS READ IT, ITS SO GOOODDDD

"i want to break up" prank - ( @enha-stars ) text, crack. "wanna hear it in spanish? NOH" LDSJHFSJFDH WHY WOULD HE-

"we´d make a cute couple" - ( @sainns ) text, fluff, crack. NOT jay asking at what time u had a thought last night so he can be prepared lmao

“If you were walking past a strawberry field and you were very hungry, would you eat a strawberry?” - ( @luvrseung ) text, fluff, crack, heesung aint even know wtf he did lmao

hands - ( @cypherchii ) text, crack, enha legal line. "aint nobody looking at that", the sunghoon one .... no bc author is so real for that

another man paying for your nails - ( @joysbaereal ) text, fluff, crack, JAYYYYYY once again being the standard

a little less scandalous - ( @bywons ) fluff, suggestive, bad boy!enha

"i miss being single" prank hyung line - ( @joysbaereal ) text, fluff, very suggestive, sunghoon needs to chill out LMAO.

for their doll - ( @dioll ) fluff, enha hyung line. items the´d have in their car just for you, soooo cuteeeeee :(((((

i´ll be your bf - ( @chaconnenha ) fluff, angst, jealousy & possessiveness, minor suggestive, "you're not his girlfriend, and he's not your boyfriend, but.." I LIKE THIS

the other man?? - ( @thinemoonshine ) text, jealousy, crack, they are NOT about to let their girlfriend be in the same vicinity or presence of another man—especially, not one-on-one.

brought the heat back - ( @neos127 ) toxic!enha, highschool au, the sunghoon one was sexy ngl LFJSDFKJSH

sending them dirty texts while being surrounded by family - ( @heejake-hoon ) hyung line, VVERY suggestive. SDLFKJLDKJFH STOPPP I HAD TO PUT MY PHONE ASIDE WITH THE JAY AND SUNGHOON ONES,,"Be careful what you wish for, baby girl… you know damn well this dick doesn’t play fair." HAD ME TEARING UPPP

charmed by her - ( @xoamiiren ) noona!reader, younger bf!enha, BC WHY DID HEESUGN AND JAY HAD ME GIGGLING AND KICKING MY FEET

last added! give you the world (when you pout) - ( @okwonyo ) fluff, e.r NAURRR, NOT JAY CALLING HER "MY HEART" i lit threw my phone across my room, and sunghoon omg :(((( so fluffy

last added! experienced vs inexperienced - ( @p4ranormaluv ) "which enha member wants someone inexperienced and which want someone experienced?" i 100% agree with this take and gawddd i have a thing for swtich!jake

blinded by your lethal face card - ( @blairbliss ) fluff, KSHKDFJHSKH stoooop this had me blushing n shii

heesung

ex-bf! heesung texts - ( @fakeuwus ) crack, fluff, he´s SIMPIIINNGG

down bad - ( @boyfhee ) texts, crack, loser!hee, ITS SO FUNNY BC HE´S WEIRF AF UNPROVOKED SDFJS

hopeless - ( @star-sim ) FLUFF, emo!heesung, horrendously down bad! heeseung, cute sweet!reader. absolutely no one would have expected the dark, brooding, and rough heeseung lee to be hopelessly head over heels in love with the sweet, oblivious you. AAAAA THIS IS SO CUTEEEEEE

who r u? - ( @jlheon ) fluff, you and heesung are in situationship but none of the members knew your knew, so they make up all these plans to lowkey figure it out. this was soooo entertaining lmao, i loved it

jay

random texts with bf!jay - ( @enha-stars )

too sweet - ( @star-sim ) fluff, suggestive, badboy!jake, nerdy!reader, downbad!jake. Jay is scared he will hurt you in the future so he tries to break things off but at the end of the day he´s whipped LMAOOO, I LOVE ITTTTTT

say it back! - ( @star-sim ) FLUFF, non-idol! bf! jay, clingy cute!reader, whipped!jake, like fr, UGHHHHHHHH SO CUTE AND DOMESTIC

pics i posted on my ig story for my crush to see - ( @lattegyu ) ig stories, fluff, crack, smau, non idol!jay

pictures of bf!jay enha send you - ( @ddksoo ) text, fluff

last added! justice and mercy - ( @thoughtsofmetaphor ) god!jay park x virgin!reader, NAHHHH the potential rev harem this had is insaneee, i love it

last added! please be real - (@ja3yun ) ex!jay x fem!reader, OMG???? THIS IS THE BEST FUCKING ANGST I´VE READ IN A MINUTEEEEE, bREAK UP ANGST????? SING ME TF IN, plsssssss i was bAWLING my eyes out at 5AM!!

eat the rich - ( @enhypencores )chaebol!jay x fem!reader, wheeeewwwwwwww, i love this sfdlsdjfljkshd he´s so manly and possessive

jake

fuck buddy jake - ( @heeseungsbm ) smut, lowkey fluff bc he´s got a fat crush

texts with ex-bf!jake - ( @bywons ) fluff, CRACK, he´s down bad fr

pictures of bf!jake enha send you - ( @ddksoo ) text, fluff

pics i posted on my ig story for my crush to see - ( @lattegyu ) ig stories, fluff, crack, smau, non idol!jake

brought the heat back - ( @jayniks ) smut, idol!jake, giving him a bj while he´s on weverse live sdlkjlsd WHEWW

hello kitty meets batman - ( @star-sim ) fluff, angst, lowkey smut, dark horror creator youtuber!jake, downbad!jake, beauty vlogger youtuber!reader. fans had no idea their fav youtubers were in a long-term secret relationship. THIS IS SO GOOOOOODDDDDDDD plsss, i wish i could read it again for the first time

things we never said - ( @hoonigiris ) very angsty. it’s heeseung’s wedding, jake’s had too much to drink, and really, he just misses you. perhaps what happens after are the things he should never say. This is realllyy well written, i loved it

clingy bf jake - ( @onyourmarkks ) PLSSS i want him so bad :((((((( he´s so bf

taste of heaven - ( @moonstruck-muses ) vamp au, smut, fluff, angst, vamp!jake, human!reader. he´s keeping his true nature a secret. THIS HAS IT ALLLLL and the smut is so gewd too, pls i would love the see another part of this

last added! grwm to break up with my bf prank - ( @jaeyunwon ) fluff, LSDJFLSKJ JAKE WAS HEATED, so cute

sunghoon

texting bf!sunghoon - ( @heeslomll ) text, fluff, crack, HE´S SO UNHINGED LMAO

texting bf!sunghoon - ( @heeslomll )text, THEY ARE HORNY AFFFFFF

texts with ex-bf!sunghoon - ( @saursoob ) text, crack

sunghoon as your downbad bf - ( @jaeyunwrld ) text, crack, fluff

random ass texts - ( ( @saursoob ) fluff, crack, downbad!hoon

freaky bf!hoon texts - fluff, crack, very suggestive, downbad!hoon, mentions of pee kink,,,IKYFL

pictures of bf!sunghoon enha sends you - ( @enha-stars ) text, fluff

emergency contact - ( @hoonatic ) ANGSTYYYYYYYYY, fluff, exes to lovers. weeks after your breakup, sunghoon finds out that he’s still your emergency contact. i love it SO fucking MUCH plssss

the pussy eating competition - ( @karinasbaby ) smut, HELLO???? THIS WHOLE CONCEPT IS CRAAZZZYYYYYYYYY, bc WDYM there´s a competition of how many times a guy can make a girl squirt under 5 minutes??????? IM- it´s good yall

crush - ( @star-sim ) fluff, crack, non-idol! bf! sunghoon, sleepy!hoon, dumb!hoon. AAAAAAAAA i love it :( so domestic and fun and cute and :((((((

without words - ( @slytherinshua ) fluff, PLEASEE I NEED HIMMMMMMM :(((((((((( they´re so in love

sunoo

espresso - ( @star-sim ) dark academia au, downbad!sunoo, loser!sunoo nerd!sunoo, popular!reader, lots of sexual frustration. I LOVE ITTTTTTTTTT SMMM

please come back - ( @alvojake ) angst, fem!reader, car accident, death themes, this is perfect for one of those days you want to feel pAIN

jungwon

july jewels and music notes - ( @atrirose ) text, fluff, crack simp!jungwon. LOVE THIS, it makes me cackle

too much, baby? - ( @onlygarden ) smut, dom!jungwon, noona!reader, lowkey size kink, dacryphilia, overstimulation. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA WHAT IS THISSSSFHDFHSKDJ

xo (only if you say yes ) - ( @rinanextdoor ) fluff, popular!jungwoon, secret admirer!reader, PLSSSS i need to read the next parts, it´s so good. I can only IMAGINE to fluff

last added! act a fool - ( @thoughtsofmetaphor ) street racer!won x member's little sister!reader. nahhhh this needs a whole kdrama, reader is so cool

last added! not for sale - ( @thoughtsofmetaphor ) droid!yang jungwon, parts shop owner!reader, THIS IS CRAZZZZYYYYYYY, the way he switched up one reader after she was done fixing him i-

ni-ki

disclaimer: he may be 18+ but I don´t feel comfortable reading any smut about him, so there won´t be any listed in here

that's your bf - ( @jlheon ) text, on going smau, fluff, crack, onlinebf!niki, idol!niki. LMAOOOO niki is dumb asl, bc if i was talking to some guy online and he said his name was riki, and then he sends some old niki pinterest pics that can be easly reversed searched, I would also NAWT believe his ass

sweater - ( @star-sim )fluff, angst, hurt-comfort, non idol bf!riki, happy ending, he gets insecure bc he doesnt recgonaize the sweater you´re wearing,

boys night - ( @star-sim )fluff, crack, non idol!riki, where his six friends tries to help him text his school crush. I LOVE THISSS, such a fun read

random texts with bf!riki - ( @sainns ) fluff, CRACK, "if u were my ex i wouldnt get over u, i would start tweaking like austin mcbroom" LMAOOOO he´s so real for tar

pics i posted on my ig story for my crush to see - ( @lattegyu ) ig stories, fluff, crack, smau, non idol!riki

gamer!bf riki - ( @alvojake ) FLUFF, IM GIGGLING AND KICKING MY FEET RN SDKFSLHSJDFH this was so CUTE

necklace - ( @rikiislvr ) fluff, idol!riki, i WISH this would happen to me but i´m too broke to be frequenting the same stores as him alsjfha, need a part two asap plss

[newfallstrangeleaves]

Yandere in the apocalypse

Strawberries

M!Yandere X GN!reader Warning: stalking, mentions of killing. Summary: Continuation of the nightly visit story. The world has ended but that doesn't stop your yandere to prove (to nobody other than himself) that he can give you anything. He goes out of his way to get you something you want but things don't go as planned. Author's note: It was really nice to see the first part (and my first post) being so well received. Really thank you!!

Never will he be far behind. Always in the shadows watching over you. He truly is your guardian angel, undefeated protector, perfect boyfriend…

Though in a perfect world he would be close to you, show you how good he is to you.  But because of the friends of yours most of the time Aaron has to go unnoticed. But the times he does get close, he cherishes. 

The weather is nice and Aaron has spent the last 4 hours in a tree. Your group has made the decision to leave the city and head out into the wild. A decision he doesn't exactly agree with, for many reasons. Though your group has decided upon two night watchers now he dont believe for a second they could do a better job than him. 

Half of the group has split up from camp and gone out to look for food. You sit together with a girl with dark braids and a blond girl, who looks to be in need of a shower soon. The boy is there too, blissfully unaware of his surroundings and listening in on the conversation. 

“I LOVED to eat Moules frits, I could eat a whole bucket of those things.” The blond girl says. 

"Oh, you snob!” The braided girl exclaims. “Can you say something normal like a burger?” 

“But what is so weird about Moules frits? It's just Oysters and Fries! The blond pouts. 

“Wrong! It's Clams not Oysters, you idiot.” 

"You seem to know an awful lot about Moles frits, huh? Y/N, who do you think the real posh one is?” The blond looks over at you who throughout this whole conversation has just been smiling at the bickering. 

“Donno, seems like a tie, or what do you think Max?” You turn over to the boy who nods eagerly. You and Max exchange a look as the blond one rolls her eyes over dramatically, but the action prones a laugh out of the three of you. 

“What foods do you miss, Y/N?” Max asks when the laughing has died down. You think for a moment. 

“Well, not the canned potatoes that's for sure, or any other canned foods for that matter. I miss fresh ones, oh I know, I miss Strawberries!” You say. “And actually at this point I would be happy to have any shape, dried or fresh doesn't matter.” 

“Me too.” A voice from the bushes makes everyone jump.

Even Aaron is about to fall out of the tree. But when the other half of the group returns he swears over himself over the lack of awareness. But the conversation had made him think. If his love wants strawberries then she shall have strawberries. 

When night comes he sneaks down from his hideout. A week ago they passed a small community, odd people and overly religious. They had only really gotten a picture of them though three men who were out looking for a friend of theirs. The men had invited them back to their community but luckily your group had declined the offer. Good thing your group had caught their off vibes too and decided not to risk it. But when the both of your groups had parted ways and one of the men decided to turn back to you,  Aaron felt nothing good would come with a second encounter. So the man was killed and buried before sunrise. By then the group was up and away. 

But the men at the time had mentioned a garden filled with vegetables and fruits. Perhaps a tactic to lure you into their claws. But right now it's his best bet in finding Strawberries. 

Traveling alone ment moving at a much quicker pace. Perhaps he will be back to you in less than a week!

When he arrives he realizes the men weren't lying. If something they were playing it down by a lot.  Aaron could see “the garden” from a mile away by the size of it. The only problem he is facing now is getting in. It is surrounded by a huge fence, barbed wires, then on top of that they have built six hunting towers to guard from any intruders. 

He decides to wait until night time and while doing so he can feel his eyes grow heavier.

He wakes up (all stiff from sleeping in a tree) to the luck of a lifetime. Rockets are firing from the other side of the garden, somebody else is planning to break in too. He brings his handy pocket knife and while the guard's attention is elsewhere he takes the opportunity to run straight for one of the hunting towers. 

He just needs a little bit of luck to not be spotted now. Despite having two hunting towers at each side of him that could easily spot him he hopes their attention stays on the forest for intruders. 

The darkness hides him long enough to cut through the fence. His pocket knife pliers are weak, it takes time to cut through the fence. But not impossible. 

As he works up a hole big enough for him to fit through he can hear the guards discussing, the weak attack was quickly disarmed. But Aaron can sense them being on edge for anything else to happen. 

When he is through it's in and out. Their attention is not on the plantation but he still tries to hide amongst the greenery. It doesn't take long before he finds the red little berries. There are rows upon rows of them. They won't miss a few. When he is done collecting and placing the container back in his backpack, he turns to make his way out again. 

Just as he feels confident he is going to make it without getting spotted he gets just that. Spotted. He crawls through his hole as bullets start raining around him. His only option is to run and find shelter amongst the trees. He sprints as fast as he can, the trees approaching quickly. Just a few more steps. 

Then he feels one of the bullets hitting its target, a sharp pain shoots through his thigh. He lets out a cry of pain but with the adrenaline pumping his veins he doesn't stop. 

He pushes further and further through the forest even though he is not as fast as he would have liked, the people deciding to go after him seems to have given up the chase. Their voices grow more and more distant by the second. 

The following days are hard. He has to stop multiple times to not strain his wound too much. Worry starts to grow more and more each day. As he is slowing down you are walking further and further away. The fear something would have happened to you  while he was away grows stronger by the day. 

When the pain in his leg is unbearable as he is fighting to keep up a good pace he wishes he never left you. What if something has happened to you while he was gone? Why didn't he consider this before he left? How stupid he feels. 

He lets out a sigh of relief when he reaches a small lake and in the distance he can see your figure walking out in the water with your pants rolled up. So peaceful. Finally he can allow himself to rest and to heal. 

Mission accomplished too. He feels pride grow in his chest as he watches you. He can give you something nobody else can. He can't wait for your reaction. A smile only he could give you.

The next morning you wake up and the first thing you see is a small package with a note attached to it. 

“Whatcha got there?” Ginny asks as she frantically tries to brush through her blond curls with her fingers. 

“I don't know. Was here when I woke up.” You turn over the note and read what it says out loud. 

‘Got these for you. 

Until we meet, A.’

“A? There is no one here who starts with A.” Ginny says loudly. A ruckus begins amongst the ones that are awake. Their discussion is loud enough to wake up the rest.  

“What do I do with these?” You ask. 

“Leave them, it's not worth the risk.” Felice says and pulls her braids out from the shirt she just put on. “Come, you go with me from now on.” 

Aaron limps over to the spot you sat at as he is fighting tears. The anger and disappointment bubbling up in his chest. He wishes he could kill them, hurt them as they have hurt him. 

But all he does is pick up the berries. 

He knows revenge will come in due time.

[pedrito-friskito]

strawberry wine - joel miller x fem!reader

before - part one

series masterlist | main masterlist | read on ao3

it’s summer in austin, and you and joel meet for the first time.

a/n: the joel miller brain rot is real and your advocate is here to help! masterlist will be up shortly, special thank yous and shout outs to @psychedelic-ink @allfoolsinluv and @gnollengrom for letting me scream about this fic in your dms 🤍 I have thought of little else for the last 48 hours

word count: 3.4k

warnings: MY BLOG IS 18+, MINORS DNI - this part is not explicit but other parts will be, masterlist has further warnings, but no real warnings for this part except a lot of fluff?? and banter?? and I’m obsessed kthanksbyeeeee

✨I no longer have a taglist - if you’d like to be notified of new works/chapters, follow @friskito-library and turn notifications on!✨

You meet Joel Miller long before the world implodes.

It’s 2001, you’re fresh out of college, relocated to Austin, Texas where your parents have taken over an old hardware store that once belonged to your grandfather. Nowhere else to go and nothing else to do for the time being, you spend most of your time in the store, stocking shelves and chatting with customers, learning the different things the store keeps on hand, what has to be shipped in special order. It’s not much, but it’s something to do; you’re just happy to be back with your family after four long years at college. Sure, you came home for holidays when you could, but it wasn’t the same.

It still isn’t the same, not really.

The house you live in is foreign to you, not the same roof you grew up under. The people are the same, your parents clearly happy to have you back, your little sister overjoyed to have someone in her corner again. Austin is nice, the weather warmer than you’re used to after four years in Michigan, but it’s a welcome change. Summer seems to go on forever, and your weekends are spent basking in the sun, finding new places to explore, wandering the shops that neighbour the hardware store and beyond.

And then one day, everything changes.

You’re stood at the end of one of the aisles, fixing a stubborn display of plaster tubs that won’t stay upright, when you hear the bells over the door chime, announcing the arrival of a customer. You don’t stray far from the display, calling out a good morning! and returning to your work. Your sister is perched behind the register, flipping through an old magazine, and you hear the tell-tale squeak of work boots on the linoleum, the sound now all too familiar to your ears.

The boots move in your direction, but you pay the sound little mind until it grows closer. Most people who come into the store know what they’re looking for, and your parents had been careful to keep everything in the same aisles and shelves they’d been on for the past decade, so as to not disrupt the regular customers. From the corner of your eye, scuffed, dark boots step a little closer, and your eyes drag over from the display, taking in the man before you.

You try really hard not to let your eyes linger everywhere, but it’s hard. He’s…well, he’s hot. Dark hair, dark eyes, patchy facial hair that really shouldn’t work as well as it does. Long legs covered in dark jeans, a t-shirt that’s definitely seen better days and is straining against his broad shoulders and thick arms. It’s a classic look you’ve come to associate with every guy who works construction in Austin, but right off the bat, you know there’s something different about this one.

“Hi there,” he says, his southern drawl not as intense as some other folks you’ve talked to, but still there, coupled with a little quirk to his lips, an almost-smile that makes you instantly desperate to see the full thing.

“Hi,” you breathe out, curling your fingers around the metal shelving in front of you, abandoning the plaster display.

“I’m lookin’ for a quarter-inch drill bit,” he spits, nearly stuttering the request out. You’re stuck still for a moment, absolutely enamoured by the man before you. And it makes your own lips twitch, the way his cheeks flare red and he drops his gaze after a moment, rubs a hand over the back of his neck. “I’m also assuming you work here but I now realize you don’t have a name tag or anything so I’ll just—”

You clap a hand over your chest dramatically. “Shoot. Must have left the stupid thing in the back.” He lifts his head, eyes going wide, the almost-smile returning. “Follow me.”

He follows you like a little lost puppy a few aisles down from where you were standing. He’s taller than you, by nearly a head, those broad shoulders almost blocking out the harsh fluorescent lights overhead. You may or may not let your hips swing a little harder as you walk.

“Any specific brand you’re looking for?” you ask over your shoulder, coming to a stop in front of the pegboard that holds bits of all sorts of sizes. “Or just a quarter-inch?”

“As long as it fits in my drill,” he answers, and you turn to the board, scanning for the right size. You can feel his eyes lingering on you, and you’re basking in it. When you find the right one, you pluck it off the hook and hand it to him. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” you say, shoving your hands in the back pockets of your jeans after he takes it from you. “If it doesn’t fit, just bring it back and I’ll make sure you get the right one.”

The corner of his mouth twitches and he looks between you and the little package a few times, tapping it against the flat of his palm. His lips part, like he’s about to say something, but then your sister calls your name and your head snaps up.

“Come on up to the front when you’re ready,” you say, feeling a little bold and touching his arm as you step past him, “and I’ll cash you out.”

He watches you walk away, too.

“I need coffee,” your sister declares as soon as you’re within view of the front counter. “You want anything?”

“Nah, I’m good,” you reply, stepping behind the register, righting a cup of pens that’s fallen over. She slips down from the stool, flipping her magazine shut, and brushes past you, just as a now familiar deep voice reaches your ears.

“Thanks again,” tall, dark, and handsome says, approaching the counter with the drill bit and a tub of plaster from the display you’d been fixing in his hands. Your sister steps around him as he walks up, and turns to look at you over his shoulder, her jaw dropped, giving you two thumbs up. Your cheeks flare with heat, but you ignore it, taking the bit and the plaster when he sees them on the counter. “Are you new here?” he asks, and then rubs his hand up the back of his head, turning sheepish again. “Here being Austin, I mean. Haven’t seen you around before.”

You can’t help but grin back at him. “New-ish. Moved back at the beginning of the summer after I finished college. My parents took over this place after my grandfather died, and I can’t afford rent in the city, so here I am.” You ring up his purchase, tell him his total, and he fishes for his wallet, digging in the front pocket of his jeans. “For now, anyway.”

He presses his lips together as he pulls a twenty out of his wallet and hands it to you. “Maybe I’ll see you around again sometime.”

You punch in the right amount, letting the register drawer hit your hip as it shoots open. “Maybe you will.” You hand him his change, and as you press the bills and coins into his waiting hand, you offer your name with it.

“Joel,” he says by way of answer, and your chest puffs a little with the knowledge. “Miller. Joel Miller.”

Your grin widens. “Well, you have yourself a good day, Joel Miller. Hope I see you soon.”

He takes the bit and the plaster and takes a step backwards, walking directly into a display stand holding rolls of bright green and blue painters tape, sending it toppling to the floor. “Ah, shit, I’m sorry,” he grumbles, and you step around the counter, dropping to your knees, catching the tape as it rolls in a million different directions.

“Don’t worry about it,” you tell him earnestly, righting the stand and getting back to your feet. “Now I have something to do.”

“You sure?” he asks, straightening, his cheeks burning red. “I’m sorry, again.”

“Don’t worry about it, again,” you laugh, gesturing towards the front door. “I’ll see you, Joel.”

“See you,” he replies, tacking your name onto the end, and you have to ignore the way the sound of your name on his lips sends a prickle up the back of your neck.

You watch as he walks out the door, the bell ringing again as he departs, getting into a pick-up truck that has definitely seen better days parked at the curb. He scrubs a hand over his face as he starts the engine, and then turns and looks at you through the glass, lifting a hand in a wave before he pulls away from the store. You lift your hand to return the farewell, and your sister walks through the door a moment later, two coffees in her hands, pushing one into your grip even though you said you didn’t want one. You sip it anyway.

“Who was that?” she asks, bumping her hip into yours.

“Joel Miller.”

+

He comes into the store nearly every day for a week. Always looking for something new, another drill bit or packages of nails and screws, a hammer, rolls of tape. He’s a carpenter, you learn, and goes bright red when you hint that must mean he’s good with his hands.

Your conversations are always brief, but sweet. He asks what you went to school for, admits he never got past a high school education, laughs when you tell him he seems to be doing pretty well for himself despite that. He shows up one morning with coffees for both you and your sister, and a box of doughnuts, earning a squeal from your sister and a bright thanks Joel from yourself. One afternoon, he’s in a hurry, having run out of drywall screws, cursing that he left his wallet at the job site, and you wave him off, all but pushing him out the door with a new box.

Then Monday rolls around, and you find yourself watching the door, waiting for the bell to signal his arrival. Every time the bell does ring, you jump, stepping out of whatever aisle you’re in, checking to see who’s walked inside. 

“I’m sure he’ll come by tomorrow,” your sister says when the clock hits two and there’s still no sign of him. “He’s probably just busy.”

“I know,” you say, brushing it off best you can.

The rest of the day passes like molasses, the minutes ticking by so slow you’re half sure the clock on the wall is broken. You even go so far as to check the batteries, earning a laugh from your sister. You curse yourself for flinching every time the door opens, doubly so when your father arrives to take over for the evening and you jump so hard you drop the stack of sandpaper boxes in your hands. “Sorry, honey,” he laughs, helping you pick up the boxes. “Long day?”

“Something like that,” you reply, putting the sandpaper on the right shelf before heading for the counter to grab your bag. “See you at home!”

Your father waves without looking, but calls your name before you can walk out the door. “Someone’s at the house, just so you know. Your mother’s home, of course, but I hired a guy to look at the back porch, asked him to fix the light in the hallway too.”

“Shouldn’t you be able to fix that yourself,” you joke with a smile, “since you own a hardware store and all?”

He just waves you off. “Get outta here.”

You laugh, pushing the door open, the bells jingling above your head as you step through. It’s just before dinner time, the sun starting to hang a little lower in the sky. The inside of your car feels like a sauna when you slide into the driver’s seat, and you blast the air conditioning, turning up the radio loud enough you can hear it over the noise. It’s a quick drive from the store to your house, and you’re too distracted by the song that’s playing on the radio to notice the rusty pick-up parked at the curb.

If it makes you happy, it can’t be that bad.

Your mother is sitting in the kitchen when you walk through the door, calling her hellos, and you dump your keys and bag before bee-lining for the bathroom. The house is all one level, one bathroom shared between the four of you, and you flick on the light, turn on the shower, strip down quickly. The warm water is a balm for the long day, the tension that had been sitting between your shoulders melting away beneath the spray.

You wrap yourself in a towel afterward, collecting your clothes from the floor before flicking the light off again. You’re still humming the song from the radio as you open the door, wiping a drop of water from your cheek and—

“Joel?”

“Shit!” he mumbles, dropping the screwdriver in his hand. He’s standing right outside the bathroom, balanced on a step-stool. Fixing the light; you remember what your father had said. You’re instantly flushed, starkly aware of the fact that you’re basically naked except for a towel, dripping water and your underwear is basically dangling from your hand. “I’m sor—fuck!” The stool wobbles and out of instinct, you grab for him, planting your hand on his stomach. He’s reaching over his head still, and the bottom of your hand meets bare skin, his t-shirt riding up slightly.

“You good?” you ask, pressing your lips together as he balances himself. You move your hand, carefully bending your knees and picking up the screwdriver from where it landed on the floor. “Here.”

“Thank you,” he says softly, taking it from you, jaw working as he chews the inside of his lip. His cheeks are as red as your whole body feels. “Sorry, I’m—”

“I should go!” you say quickly, and side-step him, bolting out of the bathroom doorway and straight into your bedroom, the door slamming shut behind you. Your clothes tumble to the ground as soon as you’re inside, clapping a hand over your mouth as the towel nearly slips off of you. “Oh my god.”

+

You open the store by yourself the next day, your sister claiming she has the flu, your father with a golf game he can’t miss, and your mother with ‘far too many things to do around the house’. You don’t mind it; it’s usually quiet in the mornings, with the exception of the week of Joel, where he’d shown up at nine o’clock nearly on the dot each day.

Once your father got home last night, you’d all but interrogated him. Turns out, Joel had stopped by the store late the night before, walking in just before closing, and he and your dad got to talking. When the subject of the creaky back porch and the broken hallway light came up, Joel had offered his services, and your father had accepted.

A minute after you’ve flipped the sign from closed to open and unlocked the door, a now-familiar pick-up truck pulls up to the parking spot outside the curb. You inhale sharply, nerves and embarrassment in your gut, and you turn away from the door, heading towards the counter, you back to the door as it jingles open.

Joel Miller calls your name. You nearly freeze, but continue your steps until you’re safely behind the counter. You hear his boots squeak on the floor as he approaches, but you can’t bring yourself to lift your head until he’s standing right in front of you, saying your name again.

“Morning, Joel.”

“About yesterday,” he says instantly, a hand reached into the space between you, landing in a loose fist on the countertop. “I had no idea that you were—that it would—” He blows out a breath, ducking his head before meeting your eyes. “I’m sorry, is what I’m tryin’ to say.”

“Y’know, I usually make a man buy me dinner before he sees me half-naked,” you say, the line rolling off your tongue before you can stop yourself. Joel balks, and you clap a hand over your mouth, nervous giggles pouring out of you. “Oh my god, that was cheesy, I’m sorry. And it’s okay, for the record. I should have checked the hallway before I walked out.”

He laughs, you laugh, and the idea sparks in your mind. Your hands move of their own accord, reaching for a pen and a scrap of receipt paper. You scribble out your phone number, accompanied by a little smiley face after the last digit.

“Here,” you say, pushing the paper across the counter, nudging his hand with your own. “Why don’t you take this, and maybe we can see each other someplace besides the paint aisle or outside my bathroom.” When he doesn’t answer right away, that sick feeling of rejection crawls up your throat, and you nearly snatch the paper back. “Or we could just pretend it never happened.”

“Can’t do that,” he murmurs, and his voice is so low and inviting you can’t help but lean across the counter slightly. His eyes dart to the clock on the wall and he curses under his breath. “Shit, I’m gonna be late.” He grabs the paper, folding it up and tucking it into the pocket on his t-shirt. “I’ll call you later, okay?”

“Okay,” you reply, nodding, teeth sinking into your bottom lip as he touches his hand to yours, fingers glancing over your wrist before he pulls away. He steps backward again, eyes not leaving yours. Thankfully there’s no display in his path for him to topple over, but he only looks away when he reaches the door, that almost-smile you’ve been chasing since the first day you met spreading into a full-blown grin that sends butterflies shooting through your stomach. “Bye, Joel.”

“Bye,” he replies, your name a near-whisper afterward.

As soon as the door shuts, the tinkle of bells echoing, you slump across the counter with a squeal. The bells ding again a second later, and you shoot upright, schooling your face into a normal-looking smile and greeting the customer that’s just walked through the door.

+

It’s nearly ten o’clock that night, when your phone rings.

You’re lounging in bed, a book propped against your knees, Sheryl Crowe crooning out of your stereo. The robotic ring makes you jump, and you hit the answer button quickly, lifting the phone to your ear.

“Hello?”

“Sorry, I know it’s late,” Joel says, and you smile, sinking deeper into the pillows. “Had a long day, and I almost didn’t call, but I really wanted to.”

“I’m glad you did,” you reply, letting the book fall shut on your lap. “What made your day so long?”

It’s easy conversation, the two of you chatting for a good hour. He talks about the job site he’s been working at, his brother that works with him, how his truck nearly broke down when he went to leave, making him late to get home. The call only comes to an end when you’re both making each other yawn, mumbling apologies every time.

“I should let you get some sleep,” Joel nearly whispers, his voice so soft through the phone you barely hear it. “Didn’t mean to keep you up so late.”

“I’m sure you can make it up to me,” you quip, rolling onto your side, keeping the phone pressed to your ear. “But I like talking to you, just for the record.”

“I like talking to you, too,” he replies, and you can hear the grin in his voice. “Just for the record.”

“Are you making fun of me?” you ask, faking shock. He laughs.

“Nah, I just like the way you talk, darlin’,” he says, and the pet name makes you shiver. “I’ll let you go.”

“You didn’t ask,” you say quickly, and he pauses, dead air on the line for a moment.

“What?”

“I said you could make it up to me,” you tell him, rolling onto your back, glancing out the window at the moon, big and white in the dark sky. “That was your opening to ask me out.”

Another pause, and you’re holding your breath, chewing your lip.

“Have dinner with me on Friday?”

You hum, beaming into the phone. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Joel barks a laugh, the biggest one you’ve gotten out of him yet, and you smile harder. “You’re trouble.”

“You’re the one having dinner with me,” you shoot back, and he laughs again, softer this time. “Goodnight, Joel.”

You can tell he’s still smiling. “Goodnight.”

NEXT

[ayayiiie]

Make me love you

Song playing: Taeyeon - Make me love you.

Pairing: fuck boy! Heeseung x good girl! Reader. (Feat Enha)

TW: cursing, mentions of sex, drugs, smoking, throwing up. (Y'all is Heeseung very a bad boy in this one? :3)

Genre: hints of angst, fluff

Words: ~ 13k

Trope:

Lee Heeseung wants you real bad. So what? He needs to prove how much he's worthy.

- « Don't you want to claim me as yours baby girl? »

- « You will only bring me problems Lee. »

- « You don't know til you try. Look at me, ready to give my entire self to you. »

« Then.. Take me far away. »

하나.

« Shadows come from the light in the darkness 

In times that are even lonelier »

He was foully beautiful, has a disgustingly pretty smile and a diabolically angel face. He was as hot as Sukuna Ryomen, smart like Chrollo Lucifer, toned like Eren Yeager and flirty (and annoying) as Usui Takumi.

Every one of his steps scream power and dominance, people in town were obliged to recognize his god-like features.

Lee Heeseung was a piece of wonder. He was the personification of the Great Chinese Wall. Well, for others it means he was one of the seven wonders, his friends being the others six. For you he was illigible, like a void devoid of colors, feelings, words. Looking at him was like walking on the Great Chinese Wall. Infinite stairs, a never ending pathway, long exhausting adventure where you can get lost easily.

You never knew how to understand Lee Heeseung.

And people were here, yelling at you for not being liquified by his unbelievable visuals.

You were not attracted to Lee Heeseung.

And people were here once again, crying about you not having a good eyesight because who in the world would tell a big NO NO to THE Lee Heeseung ?

Despite his apparence, one thing you knew for sure was that he was the synonym of troubles. And that compensated his visuals. Lee Heeseung was a big red flag.

Vandalizing walls, driving fast past three in the morning, drinking heavily almost every night, skipping class (even though he always passed his exams with flying colors which confused you), smoking, sniffing drugs you never heard the name before, fucking some random women of every age everywhere.

Yeah, for you he was the worst of the worst, and you sure would not (in this peaceful life of yours) like to have an affair or everything as minuscule as it is with him.

You knew that Lee Heeseung had no interests in you either and it was perfectly perfect for you.

둘.

« The hand that was carefully held out

I couldn’t hold it, I’ve only hesitated but »

« Hey, did you heard that? Lee Heeseung has won the cars’ racing yesterday!

- Listen Young-Hee, you do know I don't give a freak about him right? This man screams problems.

- But don't deny he's attractive! Plus Seo-Hyun had a one night stand with him last week, are you realizing? THE Park Seo-Hyun?

- Please why do you look so interested about that? What is incredible about this?

- Oh please Y/N, we ALL know that Seo-Hyun has a purity ring given by her dad! She promised chastety and here she was, fucking with Lee Heeseung!

- And so? It's something between her, her father and Heeseung, what do I have to do about that?

- YOU COULD BE NEXT IN LINE! »

The strawberry milk you were drinking went out of your mouth to someone's shirt. Eyes widening in both shock and embarrassment, you quickly excuse yourself, not even looking up to cross eyes with them and lend them a tissue while repeatedly apologizing.

« I'm sorry I'm sorry, I didn't attend to do that! »

The bell ringing was a lucky sign for you to sprint directly to your class. As you both pant from the little course, you suddenly hear a loud chuckle from Young-Hee.

« Girl that's what I call being "purged"! she said in between laughs.

- Shut up that was embarassing! And it's your fault! You did it on purpose right?!

- I will keep doing it to see those faces you make! She laughs loudly, people staring.

- Hee! » you yell, trying to grab her arm. But she was faster and quickly went to her seat.

Let's say you couldn't focus on the entire class. Your mind was busy spacing out and thinking about the conversation earlier. Of course you knew that Park Seo-Hyun was the famous virgin of the campus, because everyone knew that. And the fact she wore proudly her ring was her way of showing her engagement !

« You could be next in line! »

This sentence keeps repeating in your head like a malicious mentra and you can't help but to imagine Lee Heeseung devouring you with his eyes. As much as you hated to admit it, he was indeed handsome. But that was a facade to you. Because deep inside, you kept telling yourself that he was someone bad, manipulative and who had no interest in women's feelings. That's what you hate the most. Your dad always made sure to show his love to your mom, so it sure was a big shock when you learn that some men were beating and mistreating their girlfriends or wives. The perfect image of love just crumbled down and you couldn't help but to be on your guard ever since. Especially with people like Lee Heeseung. People categorized you as the « girl talking to only girls » because you always talk with girls only. Not that you despise men, you just don't feel like talking to them and you were perfectly fine with it. Even if some dare to approach you, you woulk kindly answer them and then dash as fast as possible, avoiding the interaction like plague.

Indeed, you did not hate men, you just never knew how to talk to them.

Beside your big brother of two years older your dad and to any men in your small family, talking to the opposite genre was a real challenge for you. Sweaty hands, swifty gazes, mumbling and rosy cheeks. You hated making a fool of yourself and indirectly, men were making you this way. You discovered later that you had heterosocial anxiety. « Good » you told yourself ironically while rolling your eyes, this means talking to men was making you nervous.

But like all stories, there was an exception, a boy in who you could talk to without stuttering and being insecure about your side profile, about the way you would smile, all the mimicks you had. He was your childhood neighbour, Kim Sunoo.

Maybe because he looked less scary and more welcoming, or the way he would smile and his eyes would form two little crescents. Maybe because he seemed more boyish ? Kim Sunoo was the only boy you could talk without being feared of being judged. For you, he will always be the little boy who shared strawberries his grandma prepared for after-school snack. He will always be your super adventures’ companion in your garden.

So it sure was painful when Kim Sunoo transferred from public school to private. Being children, you did not keep in touch and never saw each other ever since. But Sunoo gifted you with a braided bracelet. It was synonym of you guys’ friendship as he too, had one. His mother would show you pics of him, he would send her some after he finished his class, in secondary school. His peace sign beside his wink and little smile would bring a grin to your face too, somewhat relieved he was doing so well.

As you were thinking deeply of your childhood friend, a hand came crashing on your face.

« Young-Hee! I swear you're a dead woman!

- Listen, it's lunch and I'm hungry, stop thinking about Lee Heeseung and let's go to the cafet! she crosses her arms with a devilish smirk plastered on her face.

- I wasn't even thinking about him, cut the drama. »

The walk to the cafeteria was filled with laughters and a warm mood. Tray in hands, you were searching for a place to sit. It seems like today was filled with students as the only places you found were in the middle of two groups, hastily chatting. Not even two minutes after Young-Hee and you started eating, a breaking sound was heard on the other side of the cafet.

« LEE HEESEUNG YOU FUCKING SON OF A BITCH ! » was heard by a female voice.

There, was standing Park Seo-Hyun, infront of a sitting Lee Heeseung. It looked like she threw her glass at him within her tray of food. You see how unbothered he looked, even with food and water all over his clothes. Seo-Hyun scoffed at his lack of reaction and quickly walk out of the cafet, her two best friends following her. Shrugging, you turn back and start eating like nothing happened.

« Oh my god, what do you think did just happen?

- Well, this is what happens when you go inside Lee Heeseung’s circle. That’s why I don’t want anything with him, you said, unimpressed while digging in your tomatoes (I’m sorry for those who don’t like them 😭)

- But don’t you want to know? I loooove gossips hehe…

- If you want to investigate it’s without me you already know that, you say, unbothered.

- But please, she said, a tiny pout on her lips and giving her best doe eyes.

- I really hate you, you know? You sighed while shaking your head.

- Yey! I love you bestie! » She smiles happily then proceeds to swallow everything she had in her mouth.

For you, it was none other than some childish things, without harm. At least, that’s what you expected.

셋.

« My heart already trembles, I keep

getting scared

On this night when you secretly held out

your hand »

After disposing your tray in the conveyor belt, Young-Hee excitedly locked your cubital fossa together and has speed towards the almost empty hallways.

« Where are we going? You tell just loud enough for her to listen.

- In front of their class, Heeseung and Seo-Hyun are classmates, didn’t you know? She said making sure to be discreet and to look everywhere.

- I’m not such a big gossip girl like you Hee, you know that, you watched her getting agitated.

- It’s not some gossip, it’s general knowledge Y/N!

- As if, you couldn’t help but to roll your eyes.

- Let’s hide here! » Young-Hee said as she sweeps you both behind a big pillar glued to the classroom’s wall.

Peeking through the marble, you quietly observe your surroundings. Seo-Hyun was in the classroom with her friends, talking angrily about something you couldn’t hear.

« This situation kinda stress me Hee, you said playing with your bracelet. The tropes were so lose they could ripped anytime. It was a habit of you to fidget with it when you were nervous.

- Shh, I’m trying to decipher what they’re saying », she shushed you, looking attentively at the girls.

You couldn’t help but to roll your eyes a second time. Young-Hee was really persistent when she wanted to be but you couldn’t blame her, she lifted up your moral numerous times with this personality of hers.

« I fucking hate his guts! He promised me so many things but at the end what?! I gave my fucking virginity to an asshole like him?! Screams Seo-Hyun.

- He doesn’t deserve you Seo, trust us, said one of her friends.

- But Chae I gave him my v card, my dad’s gonna kill me if he learn that.

- You can just wear the ring again, he wouldn’t know.

- The whole school knows it! No way he will not be aware!

- Seo, calm down first. Instructed Chae-Won.

- I can’t-

- Y/N! Hide quick! » whispered-yelled Young-Hee.

Panicked, you rapidly hide behind the pillar, pressing your body as far as you could.

« What’s happening? » You whisper to your friend, completely lost.

Hee only gave you her big eyes as a response and gestured you that someone was coming. You didn’t think two times about it and just nodded.

« What are you gonna do Hee? She’s super mad at you and look at you, you’re covered in tomatoes’ sauce. You both hear a man voice talking.

- Huh? She took my hoodie when we did it last week, I just want to take it back, and I need to change clothes too. You could recognize Heeseung’s voice at the same time steps were coming your way.

- You’re unbelievable man! Exclaimed the other guy with him, chuckling in disbelief.

- I know, Heeseung only replied. You could practically hear and imagine his smirk as they open the door.

- What do you want bastard?! Screams Seo-Hyun.

- Wow, I didn’t came to be assaulted. I just want to take my hoodie back, I left it at yours last week.

- Already threw it in the trash can. She spat bitterly.

- Ouch, » murmured Young-Hee.

You looked at Young-Hee but didn’t expect her to make a silly face so you accidentally snort without realizing you both could be in big troubles if they happen to know you were here.

« Hey, did you heard that? Said the friend accompanying Heeseung.

- Hear what Jake? Questioned Heeseung.

- I heard some muffles over there, let me check. »

Panic immediately took possession of your body as you hurriedly run and turn in the near corridor.

« Hey! Wait! » You hear from the other side as you run endlessly trying to turn in the maximum corridors possible to left him.

Finally arriving at the back of your school, you both pant loudly, trying to catch your breath.

« That was freaking close! For once Mr Hwang’s running class weren’t useless! Pant Young-Hee between each inspirations taking.

- Listen carefully Hee, you stand fully up as your hands were resting on your knees to catch your breath, last time. I swear, last time forever.

- But they didn’t catch us, I’m sure he didn’t even see our faces! » She exclaimed feigning innocence.

You frown. If Jake was running behind you, he must have seen two figures at least. Plus, girls. You subconsciously touch your wrist to feel your bracelet when nothing brush your fingertips. Imagining the worst, you look down only to see it gone.

« Shit shit shit, don't tell me it fell off while we were running? You mumbled.

- What happened? asks Young-Hee, concerned.

- My bracelet fell off when we ran Hee, I need to search for it, it's a gift!

- Wow, it's okay, let's go back and see if it's there. »

You then walk the opposite way, following exactly each corridor you took. You were stressing, losing the only memory of your friend was the last thing you wanted to face right now. And as you kept approaching the classroom, your fear only increased.

« It's nowhere to be found Y/N... said your companion, empathic.

- Maybe it just fell right next to the pillar? I will take a look, you finally sighed, feeling hopeless.

- Okay, I'll search in this area over there, » she pointed the opposite direction with her finger.

As you were searching, you failed to notice a stare on you, silently watching every move you made.

You finally concluded after fifteen minutes that it was lost and you couldn't do anything about it. To feel guilty and sad were an understatement to what you were feeling right now. This bracelet was your anti-stress and now it was gone.

넷.

« Make me kiss you

 Ma-make me kiss you »

The end of the day came up rather quickly and you were now packing your things in your backpack. Young-Hee bided you goodbye earlier because she has tennis sessions so today you had to walk back home alone. It was actually great for you as you long for loneliness and peace sometimes. It eases your mind, not that being with Young-Hee create headaches but she was a little bit too loud sometimes.

As you exit the hallway of your university, someone secretly hold their phone up and snap a picture of you walking away. Shuffling it back in their pocket, they act like nothing happened and watch your back disappears.

« So you’re like that huh?! Taking pic of someone without their consent?! » Screams a girl.

You abruptly turn around to see the scrap. There you see again Seo-Hyun and Heeseung. Looks like she was yelling at him for something he did.

« Does it concern you? Just because we fucked doesn’t mean we’re dating idiot, » he spoke calmly, his chin lightly raised alongside a brow.

Reminding you of your « mission » with Young-Hee, you can’t help but to approach the scene quietly, making sure you’re discreet. As you hide behind a spot you continue to listen.

« Then you shouldn’t have promised me so many things that night! Was it nothing to you?! She angrily tells.

- And what are these things? Because I don’t remember any actually, he answers casually. He was used to it.

- You told me you will make me feel special, that I’m not like the others and that I’ll be the only one! At this point she was just stomping her foot on the ground brutally.

- Oh. Yeah it was in the heat of the moment. Never actually think this way. Plus I was drunk so I didn’t really paid attention to what I was saying, » he said once again as if it really didn’t bother him to see her on the verge of beating him up.

*clap*

Your eyes widened at the loud clap your heard and you were sure it came from her hand entering in collision with his cheek. « Must have hurt » you told yourself in your head.

« Fucking asshole, I’m gonna denounce you for what you’ve done and also for taking a pic of Y/N in secret! » she lastly said before storming away.

You slowly realized what she said and confusion took all over your mind.

« Wait, what? He took a secret pic of me? » You wondered in your mind.

- Stop hiding. I know you’re here, you hear a masculine voice calling, broking your self-thought bubble.

- Oh shit, you mumbled, it was over now, you were discovered, umh, hi haha, I was just about to go haha, you said, the uneasy feeling slowly climbing in your whole body as you step out of your hiding spot, walking awkwardly like a robot with a grimace.

- Really? You do know it’s not really polite to listen to others in secret yeah? »

Lee Heeseung grabs onto your shoulder, the scene particularly comic as he turns your around.

As you face him, your eyes immediately locked together and you can’t help but to feel intimidated by his gaze. It was teasing, almost mocking and shockingly traversing your entire core. You feel naked under him and once again you remind yourself why you hated talking to men this much. Instead of his uniform’s shirt he was wearing a plain oversized t-shirt of color white, he probably changed clothes after receiving the food on himself at the cafet. His black hair were swaying by the wind, softly falling on his mischievous eyes. God he was perfect.

« So? Kitten got your tongue angel? He tilted his head, waiting for an answer.

- Don’t… call me that, it sounds naughty coming from your mouth, you said looking finally down, not supporting his gaze.

- Oh really? That’s what y’all say, he chuckled slowly moving forward, but y’all love it in bed.

- And you talk about me listening to conversations in secret but you are not so good yourself, taking pic like a creep of someone without their consent, » you spat, your tone harsher than you intended too and your eyes piercing his when you lift your head. As much as you wanted to deny it, your cheeks were already red and your heartbeat as quick as the speed of light.

In response, he smirks, clearly pleased by what he’s seeing and hearing in front of him. You tried not to take in details his black hair perfectly styled as well as his perfect face and soft creamy skin. You then notice how bad Seo-Hyun had slapped him as a red mark was clearly visible on his left cheek.

« I don’t really like brats but with you I think I can make some efforts, he shrugged and came even more close, I don’t want to be harsh with you baby it would break my heart, he whispered, his hand coming up to brush against your chin.

- Who said you could touch me? Delete this pic as soon as possible and leave me alone, you’re carrying troubles, you sweep his hand away and step back.

- And what if I don’t? What are you gonna do? His cocky grin never leaving his face.

- I… I will report it to the police! You stumble over your words, quickly regretting the way you look so weak in front of him.

- Will you? When you know that my dad is a powerful CEO? In fact, the most powerful of the country? » He retorts, a feeling of satisfaction filling him up when your eyes widen up.

You sigh then frown at him and quickly dash away, not wanting to talk further. It was infuriating you that he was always winning. You hated him so much.

« We can find a way if you’re willing to be mine! 

- Never!! » you shout loud enough for him to hear you, only to hear a laugh as a response.

- How would you react if I tell you that you’re the reason I bring troubles Y/N? » Heeseung finally sighed watching your silhouette ventures between the buildings.

You let out a scream after making sure nobody was around you.

« This freaking Lee Heeseung!! You and your bad mouth will go down in hell I swear! You angrily said as you stomp your feet.

- Pff. »

You turn around as soon as you heard something. Scanning your surroundings you search the source of the noise.

« Is someone there? You ask, unsure and on your defensive.

- Not at all, act like I’m not here, answered a voice.

- Are they dumb or dumb? I just yelled my frustration and you’re telling me to continue embarrassing myself? You thought, low key judging them. Where are you? Show yourself. » (Frozen enwnkzjwnz)

After a few minutes, a boy finally step out and came infront of you. He was wearing a white t-shirt and by the look of the small pink stain on it you immediately remembered what happened this morning.

« Oh, you said taken aback.

- Like you said « Oh », he laughed, thank you for customizing my t-shirt, I didn’t know it was a tradition in your uni, he looked down at it, a small smile on his face.

- Huh… sorry… you didn’t had any clothes to change? You nervously ask.

- Oh no, I’m new here and I needed to get my dorm’s keys after school so nope.

- I’m sorry you had to walk like this the entire day. Uhm… » you said, hesitant.

In fact you were hesitating, one part of you wanted to go home, feeling the urge to burry yourself alive because a male was talking to you but yet another part was feeling too guilty to just go and you feel like you had to forgive for what you’ve done.

« Yes? He looked at you, a soft smile appearing on his face.

- Do you want to go to the cafe shop with me? We can go and drink some chocolate milk? I want to apologize properly.

- Uh, it will be coffee milk for me, he laughed, but yeah sure, » he smiles.

You couldn’t help the dumbfounded expression on your face as you heard his answer. « Mr is picky I see. » you thought to yourself. Well, you thought you said it in your head but his laugh caught you off guard, WAIT DID YOU JUST ASKED A BOY OUT ?

« I heard you, and I personally do not think that I’m picky, I just have my preferences, » he says proudly, mischievous eyes looking straight right through yours.

You just shake your head, already embarrassed about the fact he heard your thoughts.

As you both make your way to the cafe shop, you learn that his name is Sunghoon Park. He was currently an ice skater and was preparing for his national competition. As a big fan of Yuzuru Hanyu, you couldn’t help but to feel interested in his career’s story.

« So you learned ice skating when you were 10? That’s quite amazing. Do you have any friends? You ask without really knowing how you could talk to him this easily.

- Mh.. only one, her name is Eunseo, she is the only girl who dared to come to me when we were young, he shrugged looking unbothered.

- Oh, were you the only boy? You keep asking, trying to match his walking pace, your voice weakening as you saw the unbothered look on his face, were you boring? Did you forced him to go with you? And what if he didn’t wanted to?

- In my club yes, it was kinda lonely back then before I met Junhwan, he notices that you were having a hard time keeping up with him so he slowed down, quickly scanning your smaller figure with a glance.

- I see I see, you nod rapidly, your eyes that were on him now looking in front of you, throat suddenly dry as the conversation touched its end.

- And you? What’re you doing on a daily basis? He raised an eyebrow towards you.

- Me? Haha nothing as interesting as you, I’m a simple girl, you try to brush the subject away, surprised that he kept the conversation on going.

- Really? Aren’t you working at an animals center? He opens the door for you as you were now arrived.

- How… how do you know that? You enter, waving a hand to thank him.

- A friend of a friend, » he grins once more, passing before you towards the counter.

« What in the world..? » you thought again, gradually joining him as your mind overflowed with thoughts, finding him kinda creepy.

While you guys took commands, you quickly paid for both drinks before he could do anything, muttering a shy « it’s on me ». Unfortunately for you, you missed the way his eyes shone as his heart skipped a beat. You then found a table in a corner, near a window offering you the view of a busy crowd. The more you were thinking of the situation you were right now, the more you’re nervous. Endless fears and thoughts invading your head as you look around in an alarmed state, your knees automatically shaking under the table.

« You seem to have a lot of thoughts in your head. Every time you’re quiet, I’m quite sure you’re thinking of something, he softly puts his chin on his palm as his elbow is resting on the table, his attention entirely on you, making things even harder for you to support the awkward atmosphere you were feeling alone.

- Yes, I actually think a lot haha, not you? Your gaze darting away from his stare.

- Depends, he responds, eyes not blinking and continuing to stare right into your orbits.

- Number 38! You perked, reacting to your command’s number.

- Will be right back, » you stand up and walk rather awkwardly feeling his intense gaze on your back.

You went to grab your drink and thanked the woman. On your way back, you notice a frown adorning Sunghoon's soft features as he was staring at his phone. Not wanting to bother him, you sat down quietly, sipping on the sweetness awaited, immediately calming your stress. He quickly put his phone back into his pocket before looking at you, eyes softening upon seeing your content eyes. You were zoning out, so did not notice his eyes staring at you.

« It's unfair really, he managed to mumbled, a grin evident on his face as he finally looks away.

- What is unfair? You barely heard what he said but did anyways.

- It's unfair to look this cute actually, he whispers, still looking around the cafe shop.

- W-what did you say? I didn’t hear you, you purse your lips, blinking in confusion. To be honest you did heard him, you just wanted to be sure and not be delusional.

- Nothing, a simple note to myself, » he shrugs and then stand up when his order is being called.

You couldn't help but wonder to what he said earlier, what does he mean by "unfair"? Anyways, you checked the time on your phone to see that it was late (or that you wanted to escape from this situation?), and that you needed to revise for a test coming soon. Sunghoon was just arriving when you stand up. He gave you a confused look and you quickly told him the reason of your departure.

« Already leaving? We have just arrived? He asks, incredulous, standing still with his drink in hand. (Sunghoon be like : 🧍‍♂️)

- I know and I'm sorry for that! I'll see you around! You say, in a sort of a rush.

- Wait lemme at least walk you, he tries to slow you down, but you were faster and have already left the cafe shop. Aish... This girl... » he tilted his head, disappointed in himself or in you he didn't know, but he for sure wanted to spend a little bit more time with you.

After all, you caught his eyes and with it, his cold heart.

다섯.

« Make me touch you 

Ma-make me touch you »

The following week was packed.

You finally let out a sigh of relief, it was now the week-end, you will have the deserved time to breathe. You were now in your room, on your bed, laying on your chest. You had just finished your night routine and was on the verge of sleeping when you heard something hitting your window. Panicked, you quickly turn off your bedside lamp, telling who-the-hell they're that you're sleeping and above all, that you want to be alone. In fact, you were scared it was a stealer or a serial killer and hurriedly hide yourself under your blanket as if it will protect you from them. Even though you tried to sleep, your eyes tightly shut, the noise wouldn’t stop, it was quite the contrary. Taking your courage in both hands, you quietly stand up and gently push aside your curtains before looking for the culprit of your peacefulness. Being shocked was an understatement as you saw none other than Lee Heeseung standing behind your gates, getting ready to throw yet another rock on your window before you furiously open the latter.

« Lee Heeseung! What are you doing at this hour? I'm trying to sleep! You whisper-yelled, not wanting to wake up your parents.

- Come with me! He offers you a big smile, waving at you.

- Is he crazy or what? You murmured to yourself, not believing his words. What? Why? Are you going to give me some candies and then kidnap me? You say ironically, I don't know you! Go to your home! » You finally pronounce your last words before closing your window.

« I wouldn’t mind kidnapping you though, » he mumbles under his breath as he smiles, heart racing.

Not even two seconds after it was closed, you hear knocking sounds again. Taking a deep breath, you tried to calm yourself, you were not one to be very patient, plus the lack of sleep these days were really working you up. Lee Heeseung or not, you were strangers and he was invading your privacy at this point ! It has to cease before your parents found him out and call the police. As much as you didn’t liked him, it's not like you hated him too and you just wanted to avoid problems. God knows what could happen to you if this story disclose around, his fangirls would grab your hair, make a pretty haircut (note the sarcasm) and throw you in the nearest dump while his father would probably kick you out of the country with your parents. So you decided to slip on an oversized hoodie, stolen from your brother (working overseas), and to step down your stairs in the quietest way possible. You needed to be extra careful because your mother was a light sleeper so even the weenie mistake would wake her up and you would then be in big problems. Reaching the entrance, you open the door without a care about your looks, after all, it completely went out of your head.

« What's your problem? Why are you here? You hiss, now infront of the fuckboy of the campus.

- Woah ~ so sexy, he whistles at the sight of your disheveled hair, oversized hoodie, slippers and your annoying face.

- Just answer the damn question Lee, you switch your weight on one of your leg, the foot opposed stomping against the fresh grass of your garden. Your hands were on your hips as you were glaring at him.

- Just wanted to see you, that's all, he lifted his hands above his shoulders, acting as if he was surrending himself.

- And why so? I don't understand, we are not friends, not even acquaintances even more, we don't speak to each other at all. How did you even got my address?! And most importantly : What do you want from me? Your frown deepening, your arms cross on your chest.

- I'm racing tonight, I need to bring someone with me. I thought of-, he began but you quickly dismiss him.

- Rejected. Did you really think I was going to accept? In your dreams, you scoff, not believing him.

- Come on, it will be fun I promise you, » he extends his hand, as if waiting for you to grab it.

The truth is, you heard from some classmates that racing with Heeseung was amazing. He would have excellent driving skills and it would have been a shame to miss it. Closing the distance between you and him, you raise your hand, almost as if you were going to accept his proposition, only to clap his hand down. His eyes, that were hopeful of you possibly agreeing, lose their light, like a sad puppy not getting his treat.

« I will say it one last time Heeseung, you look straight into his eyes, rejected. » You gritted, emphasizing on your last word.

You then turn around, not letting him the time to reply back, and enter your home. Not even two minutes inside and you're glidding down the door, your hands pressed against your chest, a futile attempt to calm your messy heartbeat. This interaction with this man was in no point good for you and put you in one hell of a state you couldn't even imagine.

Why everything was suddenly happening to you? And most of all, why did it has to be LEE FREAKING HEESEUNG?

That night, you couldn't sleep.

여섯.

« Make me want you 

Ma-make me want you »

The next morning you felt especially groggy. You didn't had much sleep and it was also the first day of your period. « I hate this world » you mumbled to yourself, already feeling the cramps coming. As you peacefully went out of bed to ready yourself, a notification caught your attention.

« #Lee_Heeseungs_new_chick »

Seriously? Was he going to follow you everywhere you were going? Would you believe! Now he’s even invading your notifications… You feel like Lee Heeseung was stuck with you for whatever reason and it pissed you off. For wanting him away it looks like the opposite.

« Are you ready Y/N? Hurry or you will be late, informs your father, peeking through your door, ajar.

- Yes I'm coming right now, is mom already gone? You ask, standing up and taking your uniform hanging on your wardrobe.

- Yup, said she has to go early today, » you hear his faint voice as he was walking down the stairs, his voice resonating in the corridor.

It was unusual for you, your mom never had to go early to work. But you shrugged it off, everything happens for a reason. You quickly do your morning routine then finally went out of your house.

As you arrived at the university, you couldn't help but notice how stares were directed at you for a reason you ignore. Being self-counscious, you found a restroom and checked if you had anything on your face or your clothes, only to notice that everything was perfectly fine. What the hell was happening?

The only way to know was to ask Young-Hee as she always keep herself updated. And you didn't had to search for her for too long as you could pratically hear her yells from the other side of the hallway.

« Y/NNN! Oh my god why didn't you tell me? She grabs your hand and pulls you towards a quieter side of the hallway, where nobody could hear you both.

- About what? You ask, like a lost puppy.

- You and Lee Heeseung are dating !Congrats! She cheerfully says.

- Wait- what?! No way in this freaking world! I do not like him and you know it! You offer her your most disgusted-shocked face, making her laugh.

- But the whole campus is aware! She then take out her phone from her bag's pocket.

- And why am I not aware then? What's happening?

You noticed that everyone were looking at you with weird eyes, you panicked a little, looking repeatedly on both side of you.

- Look! » She shows you her screen.

You couldn't believe what you were seeing right now.

It was a picture of you and Heeseung last night. The picture showed the moment you just taped his hand down to refuse his proposition, but it gives the impression of you two holding hands. Who would take a picture of you and him this late at night? One of his fans? Or maybe he planned this all along? You were confused and soon a striking pain started to pounced in your head. Good, you were having a headache because of all the ruckus. Not to mention the pain of your cramps too, you knew how bad they were particularly during the first few days.

« Are you okay? Worriedly ask Young-Hee, seeing you squinting your eyes in pain.

- Having a headache and period cramps are the worst I swear, you mutter under your breath, taking a big inspiration only to wince when you feel the contractions.

- Today's really not your day ma girl, she shakes her head, going through her bag to find a potential pill that could helps you.

- Let's go in class, it's about to start, » you take her extended hand that was giving you the med and walk to class, steps galloping in fear of being late.

Mrs So was already in the classroom, spreading her books and belongings and not even after being seated, she began her lesson. You quickly ate the med while rummaging through your bag to pull out your belongings.

« Pssst Y/N, »

It was one of your classmate, in whom you never really spoke. The way her eyes glinted in curiosity was slowly freaking you out. You knew what she wanted to know.

« No, we aren't dating, don't misunderstand the pic, you respond drier than attended and not even sparring her a glance making it look even more rude.

- Okay okay sorry for wasting your time, you could hear the sarcastic tone with an eye roll, not that you really care. What a boring girl you are, why would he choose you instead of me? »

You silently sighed, it's not your fault if his flirty ass was in front of your house at 1 A.M. But maybe you shouldn't have approached him and just should've shut him down and go to sleep like nothing happened.

« Ladies at the right, stop talking, warns Mrs So.

- It's Y/N, she can't keep her mouth shut, she said, voice filled with sarcasm.

- Huh? Are you talking about you?

- Tch, what are you five?

- Yup five times smarter than you, you proudly smile, the whole class hyping you.

- YOU-

- Mrs Park, this is your last warning, stares Mrs So.

- I'll kill you Marilyn Monhoe, she lastly whisper.

- At least I'm hot, » you quietly say, hearing the snickers of some of your classmates.

Internally, you were screaming because how in hell someone spotted you with THE Lee Heeseung? This just made you exasperated and more determined to have less contact with him...

Days had passed and you were avoiding Lee Heeseung like plague. The latter did not understand your behavior as he was secretly longing for you.

Following you with his eyes each time you happened to walk by him. His friends, except one were looking at him with a grin, they knew oh how much Heeseung wanted to own you, well the reason was unknown to them, but the way he was devouring you with his eyes spoke enough for them to know you were his prey.

In fact, Lee Heeseung has been infatuated by you the day he saw you rejecting one guy. The latter was known for being a real playboy in disguise, playing the Prince Charming to get girls. We could say he and Heeseung were sworn enemies, competing over who could catch more girls. So when you turned the guy down, it only created a spark in Heeseung, the desire to win you invading his brain. If he could have you, he could brag about it to the loser who failed, gaining yet a tingle of pride. At first, winning you and throwing you like an old rag was all he could think of, yet what he didn't expected, was the fact you were *actually* attractive and interesting. He felt like you were an unpolished gem, a precious diamond that didn't showcase its spark yet. In his head he was the miner, you were the diamond, he had to polish you, to make you shine.

일곱.

« K-kiss you, t-touch you, w-want you »

« Make me love you »

Soon enough, seeing and thinking that Lee Heeseung's attention on you was finally finished, you lowered your guards and peacefully lived your life, knowing the only person you needed in your social circle was Young-Hee.

*Ding*

The sound of your phone makes you freak out as you take it out of your bag. Speaking of the devil, Hee has just send you a message, claiming she was feeling sick and won't be able to come in class.

« Is this for real? The exact moment I think about her, she's sick, this girl I swear, » you sigh.

Young-Hee was the type of girl who got rarely sick, so it feels empty to eat alone in a classroom. You thought that it could bring you peace and to be honest, you didn't want to be looked at for eating alone. So here you were, eating alone in a classroom, just minding your business.

« Oh, did I just caught a fish eating alone? » a voice resonated in your ears, breaking the pleasant silence you were in.

Immediately perking your head, your gaze falls upon the ice skater. His tall frame was leaning against the door, his arms crossed with one hand holding a drink.

His eyes had looked you from toes to head, analyzing every details and to be fair, made you slightly uncomfortable. His grin and teasing eyes just made you feel self conscious and you looked away, a slight blush creepig up your face.

« I didn't expect you to be here... What brings you here? you ask softly, resuming on eating your lunch.

- I saw you eating alone, so I thought I could keep you compagny, are you okay with this? » he says, already making his way to take the chair in front of you, pulling it so the back could rest against your desk. He finally plopped down on the chair, facing you directly, propping his forearm on the top of his chair.

- Well... looks like you already eased yourself here, beside, who am I to tell you no? You suck in a sigh, his intense gaze was just urging you to hide in a hole and to never get out of it.

- We didn't get to finish our conversation last time, so why not catching it up now? he asks, looking at the window, the sun rays shining on his handsome face, did he thought he was in a drama? Even the breeze was a paid actor as it made your hair and his leisurely dancing.

- Hum... I'm kinda an awkward girl, you may go on your way...you mutter, dumbfounded as to why someone like him would want to have a conversation with a girl like you, trying to escape guys like death.

- It's okay l'm awkward too, » he chuckles to himself, his head lowering slightly as he does.

Gosh he was beautiful, what did he ate to be this handsome?

« Sung- », a voice called but immediately stopped.

Lee Heeseung was there, and the scene before his eyes was like a bad dream. His close friend, Park Sunghoon is having a face to face conversation with the girl he's trying so hard to catch the attention. Heeseung wondered why it looks easy for his friend to talk to you, he did not understand at the moment why you weren't hostile towards him. If one day Heeseung was being told he got jealous over one of his friend, he would have just laughed it off, shaking his head while mumbling some incoherent things on how it is impossible for him to feel that way.

« What is it hyung? » asks Sunghoon, clearly aware of his senior's intentions with you.

« Well... I didn't expect you two to be together, his eyes were locked on your figure, long time no see Y/ N, » he smiles at you, closing the distance between you three. You couldn't be in a more embarassing situation. Firstly, the tension could be felt from miles, secondly, you never asked to be talked to, and finally, how can it be so hard to be alone these days?

Feeling uneasy, both by their intimidating gazes and their presence, you shakily release a sigh.

« I don't know what I did to you guys... what do you want from me? » you ask, on one hand, not wanting to know their answer, and on the other one, craving to know what their full intentions were.

« Didn't I told ya already? I want you to race with me, » he says nonchalently, shrugging his shoulders.

« And I was clear about it, I don't wanna do it, » you sigh, not really knowing how to formulate your words so he could give it up.

« Racing with Heeseung could be dangerous, that's why I'm never riding with him, » says softly Sunghoon, his expression betraying his voice. But it ceased when his attention finally focused itself on you, the older man glaring at him.

« Don't act like you are not riding like him, » your brows creased, not impressed.

« I don't do cars races, I swear on my lovely dog, » he lifted his hands up, claiming his innocence.

« I don't wanna drive with either of you two, you sigh, closing your eyes, what did I do for you two to want me to ride with you? There's plently of girls in the campus! »

At this point they didn't know if you were really clueless or if you were doing this on purpose. It was as clear as water that Lee Heeseung and Park Sunghoon were hitting on you. We couldn't really blame you: never got confessed, never got a boyfriend, never had male friends after Sunoo so yes, what is love anyways?

Heeseung thought for a while, trying to find a way to make you agree. When the idea comes to him, he smiles brightly and stand in front of you, looking down at you with a smirk.

« How about I buy you those pretty pencils from this one shop near the campus? I noticed that you have a lot of them, » he smiles, proud.

Touché, you felt blocked, because as much as you want to deny it, you always had a things for books and stationery stores. You took care of the esthetic of your belongings and it didn't go unoticed by Lee. Gritting your teeth, your head became fuzzy as well as your thoughts, the tentation was high but a side of you keep reminding you that he was Lee Heeseung, the campus' playboy. You failed to catch the smile of Sunghoon sightly faltering. Freak, Heeseung got a step ahead, and you, who were usually direct to reject him, was now hesitating.

The first time Park Sunghoon came visiting the new city he was gonna moved in, he didn't thought much of it. His introvert character made it hard for him to open up to people. Only on his friends he could lean on and they were everything he needed. Sunghoon didn't planned on falling in love. Indeed he was known for being quite the heartless and cold guy, ignoring confessions and not showing a bit of interest in the opposite gender. His sister and mom were enough for him, he didn't need other women in his life than his family. But fate worked against him when he saw a young girl from his age, crouching near a dog while patting it. His eyes traveled up to see the longstanding crusty letters that formed the two words « Animal center » written on an old building, dilapidated enough to imagine it was there for many years. The girl was standing just behind the opened gate, talking sweetly with the dog in front of her. She looked like she was the happiest on Earth, in her own bubble as her soft chuckles resonated in the silence of the street. Sunghoon was too stunned to speak a word, clearly dazed by the scenery painted in front of his eyes. The golden hour made it look even more beautiful than it was already, melting his icy heart the more he was watching you.

« HUM... Can I help you? » Sunghoon heard a voice calling out to him, stopping him from his dazy state and regaining consciousness. The sight of you was nowhere to be seen as an old granny, smiling softly at him, stood a few meters away from him, eventually blocking him from seeing you.

« Oh, hum, n-no... I was just passing by... » he answered, caught off guard and blushing from embarassment. He quickly bowed before hasting his steps out of sight. At this moment, he believed that he could never see you again.

So the day you splashed your milk onto his shirt, his anger immediately turned into surprise when he saw your face, the image of you patting the dog inked in his brain. He hadn't got the time to speak a word that you were already dashing out of his sight, handing him a tissue while looking down and walking past him.

« How long does a racing lasts? » You ask, reclaiming again Sunghoon's attention on you.

Watching as Heeseung heaved a sigh alongside a sly grin, his face showing nothing else but satisfaction and victory.

« It's tonight, midnight, I will pick you up at 11:30 PM » Heeseung smirks, eyeing you with fancy eyes.

« I didn't ask when it was, I asked about the duration, you sigh, besides I didn't even agreed, you stated and raised a brow at him.

- Yet. If you really wanted to refused you would have already told me no, he smiles, knowing he won, so tell me, are you coming or not? »

Gritting your teeth, you looked everywhere besides the two men in front of you, one eager to know your answer, certain you will say yes. The other, praying you will say no, his eyes not leaving yours.

« Y/N- », begins Sunghoon before getting cut of by Heeseung.

« Come on! First and last time I ask you to! »

« I really hate you... » you mutter enough for them both to hear.

« Shit… » thinks Sunghoon, completely devastated you agreed.

여덟.

« Every day, I enter into a different world

I was a butterfly, attracted to the temptation 

I’ve fallen into a sweet scent

How do I look ? »

Here you were, waiting for Lee Heeseung to come pick you up, your hands tightly grabbing the strap of your purse. Soon enough, you catch a glimpse of a car's headlights. Stopping just in front of you, the driver's door opened to reveal Heeseung. His hair was up, showing his forehead, wearing a dark blue baggy jeans, an oversize black t-shirt with a leather jacket. His looks were complimented by earrings and necklace. And on his face, a smirk was plastered. You could tell he loved what he was seeing.

« Here we go, Mrs Y/N, » he smiles, opening the passagenger's door for you, and you oblige, sitting inside his car. His car was impressive, a black Alfa Romeo Giulia quadrifoglio. « Perfect for his car's racings », you thought to yourself as your eyes wander on the illuminated dashboard. As much as your heart was beating loudly, a part of you was telling you that Lee Heeseung has made a special propose for you to drive with him made you feel unique, until the other part of your brain reminds you that the seat you're currently sitting on had tons of women on it. It gave you chills and a little frown make its place on your face as Heeseung finally eases himself beside you.

« Are you comfy? he asks before stopping himself when looking at your face, I feel like I just kidnapped you while you agreed to come with me. » He chuckles while you refused to look back at him, a small pout on your lips.

« Nothing, hurry so I can go home as fast as I can, » you mumble while looking at the window.

« Alright, received loud and clear. » He smiles before pressing his foot on the pedal, the car dashing at top speed.

You suppress a loud gasp when he does, firmly gripping anything you can grasp. Your heart that was already beating real fast feels like it could explose anytime. You could not even apprehend what was happening at the moment, the city flashing at an incredible speed, soon reaching the small-town.

You try not to pay too much attention on the way he has his left elbow on the ledge of the window, his fingers grazing his lips and the other hand, firmly seizing the steerwheel. Gosh why was he still attractive after all the troubles he did to you?

« Liking the view my lady? » he says, snapping you out of your trance.

« I would be pleased if I could get another one right now. » You answer without missing a beat.

All you recolted was his laugh filling the tensed silence.

« I can say you give your trust easily Y/N, he stated with a grin, you really do look like those children who are seen being proposed some candies by a total stranger, he looks at you for a few seconds before looking back at the road, fallen into the trap. »

«I-, » you tried to answer back but couldn't say anything as it was true.

The rest of the trip was spent in the silence as a soft music played in the background. You were feeling uncomfortable. Mainly because you were not expecting to spend a soiree with a man and mostly Lee Heeseung.

You finally arrived when you see an infinite amount of cars alongside cheerful people, suddenly feeling self-consicous about the situation you're in right now. You didn't think about the fact that Lee Heeseung was very well known in town and so, that everyone surely already knew it was him by the sight of his car. As Heeseung parked right in front of a crowd, he turns his head to look at you. « Just be natural pretty, you will mak’em all speechless » he whispers smoothly, you took a deep breathe, nodding quickly before going out of the vehicule.

« Yo man, came with your new chick? Whistle a man upon seeing you, his eyes roaming up and down your silhouette.

- Yup, m'racing with her tonight, » grins proudly Heeseung, glancing back at you with a glint in his eyes while you roll yours up.

You then noticed how people were staring at you, mixed reactions coming up as you try not to pay attention to it. However, in the corner of your eyes, you notice a familiar body. Park Sunghoon. He was standing alongside the rest of the band. His eyes were fixed on you, a frown visible on his features. This made you uncomfortable. To be honest, everything made you self-conscious and anxious. This wasn't something you were used to, all the ruckus, this seems like another world to you and the dryness in your throat wasn't helping.

« Everyone! I'm gonna list all the races of tonight! » announces a slender men wearing a pair of sunglasses even though it was pitch dark, his long hair hiden behind a red cap.

Soon, everyone turned their attention towards him, listening actively to what he was saying.

« And for the last race, we will have Lee Heeseung against a new opponent! Tonight signs his first participation! Please, welcome Park Sunghoon! » he screams happily as he gestures towards the said man, standing not so far away from you, screams soon invading your ears as your eyes were fixed on him.

You notice the way his face remains close, not a single emotion discernible except for determination. And as your eyes cross each other, a firm grip on your hip made you look up, a low angle-shot of Heeseung's side profile entering your vision.

« Stop staring at him and focus on me. He says lowly only for you to hear.

- And who are you to order me that? You answer him, an eyebrow arched, surprising yourself at the way you could respond with confidence.

- Consider tonight like a date. He grins, finally looking down at you, his eyes flickering between your lips and your eyes.

- ...Tch. » You sigh. You really felt into his trap.

When your turn finally came, your hurriedly walk to go to Heeseung's car, but not before a hand gripped your forearm, yanking you slowly back.

« Can we talk real fast before going? You recognize his voice, it's Sunghoon.

- Okay... but quick. You nod along before isolating yourself with him, Heeseung watching afar not really liking what he is seeing, but the crowd around him make it impossible for him to reach out to you.

- Fuck. » He curses under his breath, feeling his blood boiling in his veins.

Being now a few meters away from all these people, Sunghoon halt his steps and turns around, his eyes immediately falling on your delicate features.

« Listen-

- Sunghoon-, you both started at the same time. He quickly gestures you to keep going as you heave a sigh, why? Why are you participating in this race ? Weren't you the one saying it was dangerous? You frown, your arms crossing against your chest.

- I know, I'm sorry I just... I just.. I think I just can't trust Heeseung hyung with you. He spoke, his words faint as if he was searching for his words. Thanks for the darkness of the sky, you couldn't decipher his red cheeks and ears nor even the way his eyes were looking everywhere but you.

- And why so? » You tilt your head, ignoring the reason behind this reasoning.

Your eyes were fixed on his face as he looks right back at you, determination written on his face.

« Because I… »

You were now in Heeseung's car, your heart beating crazily against your ribcage.

« What happened with Sunghoon? the driver asks, tone colder than a few hours ago.

- Nothing concerning you, you answer slowly, the name of the other man making you anxious.

- Y/N, what did Sunghoon told you? » Heeseung repeats, his voice a bit menacing as he places his car on the left side of the track, a gorgeous woman standing at your right with two flags in her hands. Soon, another vehicule stops just beside you. Not wanting to face Heeseung, you look at the window only to meet Sunghoon's fierce gaze. Your cheeks reddening, you quickly look in front of you, breath stuck in your chest.

« Well, if I win, you better tell me, he scoffs, foot on the pedal, pressing it hardly, both cars' motors roaring up.

- No, you frown, your hands clasping against the belt.

- It wasn't a question, » he finally says as a loud sound comes from an air horn signalling the start of the race.

Your words got stuck in your throat as the car dash at an alluring speed, your hands quickly grabbing the door's handdle to keep yourself steady.

« Fuck you Lee Heeseung for pulling me in this shit, you curse, feeling like your heart could explode anytime.

- The pleasure is mine baby, he smirks, shooting a glance in the rearview mirror, seeing as Sunghoon was close behind you, I can't believe it's his first time, you don't drive like this on your first time, he chuckles lowly, accelerating.

- Well, don't blame me if I end up barfing in your car, you say, breathless as he took a sharp turn on the left, your head almost colliding harshly against the window.

- Mark your territory pretty, » he only chuckles loudly.

It was a close race, one you couldn't tell who will win. And to be honest, you were more on the verge of throwing up and dying than to take care on who was winning. The only thing you could do was to focus on your breathe, cursing here and there and wondering why on earth did you accept to accompagny him, for what? Some dumb stationnary things you could buy yourself?!

In no time, you heard another loud bang of air horn, concluding the end of the race. Your eyes previously closed, opened slowly to reveal the crowd cheering for you.

« Did you win? You ask, voice weak and wet.

- Yup, I won baby, » the playboy declares, quickly opening his door as people were cheering loudly for him.

He quickly blend into the crowd, happily celebrating his victory as you got out of the vehicule, running to a secret corner to throw up. Coughing, tears in your eyes, you felt a striking pain in your head.

« I hate this man so much... kof kof... » you blabber, wiping your mouth with the hem of your hoodie.

You hurriedly dash out of the car once the latter stops in front of your house. The ride back was silent as you had closed your eyes all along, not answering the winner even once.

« Hey, Heeseung spoke, after stepping out of his car too, hands in his pockets, he makes his way towards you, a grin evident adorning his face, care to explain what had happened between you and Sunghoon now that I won?

- No. And after this night, I think I hate you even more, you spat, tiredness written all over your face.

- All right all right, what did I even do this time? he smirks, coming closer to you, his scent invading your nostrils as the wind carries his perfume.

- I... I freaking threw-, » you said before feeling another wave of vomit climbing back up your esophagus, your hand clasping against your lips.

Seeing your state, Heeseung couldn’t help but laugh out loud, his bright smile making you blush.

« It’s alright, just throw up, » he snickers as you walk fast away from him, crouching down near the drain in front of your house. Soon enough, you throw up once more, feeling breathless and thirsty. You then feel two warm hands tying your hair up in a makeshift ponytail, then a delicate hand massaging the back of your neck.

« I’m sorry I had to put you through this, but I had to win, » he smiles, his eyes inked to the back of your head as you cough, a few tears escaping your eyes.

Lee Heeseung, apologizing? This does not goes together very well. But why does he sound so sincere? Did he really meant those words?

« And for what? What did you won? » You ask, spitting not so gracefully in the drain, feeling well aware of his eyes on you, at this point you couldn’t care because your head was throbbing so painfully that receiving a bullet in your skull was the only solution you could think of.

« I was wishing for a chance with you actually, he said unbothered while you choked on your own saliva.

- Are you kidding me? You say, your throat so dry you feel like all the water in your body left you when you threw up.

- Nope, I want you. » he said, crouching down next to you, his fingers cupping your jaw to make you look at him. His thumb coming up to wipe off the saliva at the corner of your lips, the movement making you dizzy.

In the breezy night, it felt like only you and Lee Heeseung remained on Earth as time seems to have stopped. His eyes were hypnotizing you, your breathing stopping as you contemplate each other. For a second, your mind sure felt bewitched by his pupils. You felt like you were drunk, was it the effect of your periods? The fatigue? The stress? Or was it simply because of him?

« Make me love you… you breathed out, quietly.

- Mh? He only hums, slowly approaching his face closer to yours.

- If you so want me… then try to make me love you… you whisper, your ears and cheeks turning crimson as your heartbeat pounded furiously.

- Are you allowing me to? Because once I start, there’s no turning back, and… I will not accept any complain coming from your pretty lips » he mutters, his eyes closing slowly.

On the contrary, your eyes opened wildly, is he really going to kiss you? Like, right now? Your thoughts invaded your brain and without thinking twice, you quickly pushed him away, both your hands on his toned chest before getting up and running towards your house.

« I threw up! You say embarrassed as you fidget with your purse while searching for your keys.

- Wouldn’t have bothered me… » he mumbles to himself as he chuckles, a smirk plastered on his face as he watches you, hands in his pockets.

아홉.

« Farther, a little bit farther, high in the sky

I’ve come a white star as I fly away

Never seen it before 

(Such warm eyes) »

You sigh in relief as you remember that it was Saturday.

« Finally alone! » You huffed softly, stretching out on your bed as birds are chirping.

Thanks to your great organisation, you already did all your homework too, so the weekend will be pretty chill. As you were humming contently, memories of what happened last night flew in your head and you quickly hide your tomato face in your cushions, screaming your frustration out.

« Are you okay girl? A deep voice asks.

- Huh? You’re back?! You instantly lift your head up to look up at your big bro, standing against the door of your room.

- Yup. Why did you screamed like a dead hen? Did you realized you’ll be single for the rest of your life? He grins mockingly.

- Shut up you cow! You spoke back, yeeting a pillow in his direction which he avoids easily.

- Breakfast’s ready, move yo ass down. » He smiles, satisfied before going down the stairs.

Fortunately for you, the breakfast went smoothly, catching up with your brother and spending time with your family is something you particularly enjoy.

« Someone threw up in the drain just in front of our house, if I catch them I’ll send them to Hades! Rumbles your dad as your face turn pale and you gulp down.

- If only you knew Dad… you thought to yourself, once again remembering Heeseung’s lips near yours.

- Hey, why are ya red like this? Smirks your brother, teasing you for the ninth time.

- Eggs are hot, you try to dissuade him, glaring.

- They’ve been on your plate for an hour what do you mean they’re hot? Liar. » He replies back, an eyebrow cocked, not believing you one bit.

You just snort and keep on eating, missing the way your brother’s stare remained on you for a bit longer than usual, examining your face.

**Buzz buzz**

The table trembles slightly as your phone vibrates. All eyes on you as you check your notifications. Some messages from an unknown number. Well…. Not so unknown if you’re being honest because you knew exactly who it was.

« Answer, grins your brother.

- No phone at the table. Strictly orders your mom.

- Mom, your daughter is probably seeing your future son-in-law, snickers your brother which earns a small kick from you under the table, ouch! Why so violent sis?

- The day my daughter will have a boyfriend will be the day your father will stops snoring, your mother chuckles as your phone keeps vibrating, Y/N answer the poor boy.

- …, you watch every member of your family before sighing, okay…, » you mumble, taking your phone and walking away.

You then isolated yourself in the kitchen, a groggy voice reaching your eardrums.

« Hey beautiful, he greets you, the raspy voice being a clue of his recent awakening.

- What? You answer drier than intended, making him chuckle.

- Do you feel better? He asks, his eyes closed as your voice soothe his heart.

- Yes… thank you… for holding up my hair…, you mumble shyly, suddenly embarrassed about the fact you actually threw up before a human other than your family.

- Are you free? I want to see you. His tone sounded so pleading, you thought for a second.

- …Let’s buy what you had promised me, you whisper softly, unconsciously smiling.

- All right, will be here in 20, » he says, making a kissing sound before hanging up.

Your cheeks flushed when you realized he sent you a flying kiss. Before quickly shaking your head and slapping your cheeks. « Get your shot together Y/N! » you think to yourself.

« It was cheesy sis, sneers your brother peeking through the door, I actually can’t believe my sister has a date like right now, by the way can you run some errands for me? I will send you by texts. Thank you! He quickly says before disappearing.

- This kid I swear, I wonder if I’m not the older sister sometimes. » You roll your eyes up before quickly preparing yourself.

« Is it a date? Is it not? » After all, Heeseung did promised to buy you some stationery items, right? So he was just fulfilling his promise, right? So why couldn’t you stop the speed of your heart nor the unstopping back and forth thoughts in your head? Twenty minutes flew by in an instant and you were nervously waiting for him in front of the gates.

A loud roaring takes your attention as you search for the familiar car of last night. Here you see Heeseung’s impressive car, stopping in front of you.

« Tut-tut-tut, before you go lemme do a small check, cut off your dad, surprisingly standing next to you, I gotta see who is taking my daughter away from me.

- Dad it’s not a date..! You mumble between gritted teeth as you watch anxiously the way Heeseung got out of his car to come to you.

- That’s what your mom told her dad on the first date with me, he scoffs before examining Heeseung from head to toe.

- Good morning, I’m Lee Heeseung, » the latter says, extending his hand after bowing politely to your dad.

Your dad only shakes the younger man’s hand, his grip strongly engulfing Heeseung’s one. He puts some more pressure on his grip before Heeseung tightens his too making your dad chuckles shortly.

« 11 PM, not one second more, » he just said before turning his heels away and going back home.

You scoff at what he said, rolling your eyes up.

« I‘ll be home earlier than that, » you shake your head in disbelief.

Lee Heeseung could only smile as he opens the door for you, before going to the driver seats and driving you two in direction of your favorite shop.

열.

« Deeply place me in your universe

(I’ll close my eyes) 

Take me far away

And make me love you »

8 PM, you couldn’t believe your eyes as you saw the time. Did you just spent a whole day with the man you thought hated from your deepest guts? The day flew by so quickly you did not even noticed it. And you hated to admit it but you had a great time with him. It almost felt too real to be true.

You were sitting on a bench, facing a lake as some shopping bags were at your feet, a respectable distance between you and Heeseung.

**Buzz buzz**

Your phone vibrates as you were staring at the female duck and her children swimming in the water.

« Ayo sis, I’m sending you what I need, just go to the 24/7 store! Thank you! » was the text your brother sent you before a list followed right after.

« - Cigarettes

- Lighter

- Candies

- Lube

- Condoms- »

You cough out loud, almost throwing out your phone in the lake as you saw the two last items he needed.

« Is everything okay? Heeseung asks with a small frown upon seeing you coughing badly.

- Y-yeah…yeah yeah… you chuckle it off, looking elsewhere but him.

- Do you want to go home? I will drive you-

- No actually I need to buy some stuff for my brother you can go ahead, I’ll go home alone, you smile sheepishly.

- Your dad’s gonna kill me if he ever learn I let you go home alone, Heeseung responds, and he was right, besides, I do want to drive you home, » he smiles softly, grazing his eyes over your features.

You could only sigh. Secretly noticing how the Lee Heeseung you knew in college wasn’t the same one standing in front of you.

« Well… why should I be shy since you saw me spitting out my intestines? You finally say before standing back up on your feet. Let’s go, » your turn to face him, his eyes staring up at you.

You didn’t noticed the awkward feeling right away but now it was eating you up as you were in the aisle presenting every brand of condoms that existed.

« Did I miss a hint from you? Smirks Heeseung, a box of condoms in his hand as he fixes the product.

- Stop it, I already want to bury myself alive right now, you whisper lowly, checking your surroundings like a psycho every two seconds, checking if someone is witnessing you.

- Should I help you out? These ones are great, he said, pointing a particular brand on a shelf.

- God, I didn’t have to know! You bite down on your lower lip, heat quickly spreading across your cheeks and your chest.

- And for the lube, take this one, » he says softly, ignoring your words, his body suddenly behind you as he reaches for a box of lube, the proximity making you breathless.

It seems like you stopped working as you couldn’t answer him nor move. So Heeseung took the matter in his hands and grabs the necessary items in one hand and your own hand in his other before leading you to the cashier. He then puts down the items that were quickly scanned by the young lady, eyeing you not so secretly.

« 28080.55₩, announces the lady.

- W-what?! Twenty thousand freaking won for some condoms and lube?! You thought to yourself before a little sound comes from the POS machine, indicating that the payment was done.

- Thank you! Have a great night! Bow the cashier before you couldn’t even process anything.

- Let’s go, » says Heeseung, grabbing the plastic bag and your hand, leading you outside.

You only snapped back to reality once the cold wind hit your face.

« Why did you paid for it?! And why did you choose the most expensive ones?! Twenty thousand won for condoms and lube were not worth it!

- If we want to do it correctly, the price is not important, he grins, tilting his head curiously.

- It’s not for me! You blush furiously, looking away and walking towards his car, let’s go home now.

- Should we eat a bit before I drive you home? He offers.

- …Then let me pay for it, you suggest after taking a few seconds to think.

- Alright princess, » he smiles as you both enter his car.

Like promised, Lee Heeseung let you pay for the dinner. You didn’t know if he was doing it on purpose or not, but his menu was cheaper than you, almost making you believe that he didn’t wanted you to pay a crazy amount.

« Are you sure this will be enough? You only took some fries and a soda… you mutter, looking down at his tray.

- Don’t worry, just eat, he shakes his head, plopping one fries in between in lips, slowly munching on it as he stares at the window.

- Here… you extend your untouched burger close to his mouth, your lips in a thin line. Hurry before I take it out. »

Heeseung looks at you with wide eyes before a warm smile spread onto his lips, holding onto the eye contact as he bites in the burger. His hand engulfs yours placed on the burger as he munches slowly. You then noticed how his fingers are long and slim, bigger than yours.

« Liking the view? His words seemed oddly familiar, reminding you of the scenes that happened earlier this weekend, finding it odd how everything changed in only a week.

- It’s not too bad, you answer boldly this time, keeping the eye contact.

- Want to see more? He grins.

- Nope, no more, don’t cross the line, you suddenly stopped him, his eyes going wide, a shocked expression before he burst out laughing, what? You ask, in disbelief.

- Nah you’re just cute, » he says, his chin on his palm, watching you endearingly as you eat your burger.

You stopped in front of your house’s gates, turning around.

« Thank you, I guess? » You say in a sigh.

Heeseung comes close to you, taking the bags from your hands and putting them down.

« I’ve never in my life waited this long, he mumbled, hands clasping around yours.

- For what? You ask a bit incredulous, palms sweating as the unusual feeling creeping in your chest comes again.

- After everything I’ve done to you, you’re still clueless of my intentions? I even said it to you multiple times already, he chuckles, incredulously.

- It doesn’t change the fact that you’re a playboy Heeseung…

- Do you want me to stop? He grins, a loving beam in his eyes.

- And what if you do? You answer back, looking up at him, getting lost in his eyes.

- Then I can have you for myself, he whispers, leaning dangerously close to you.

- I don’t know… you speak softly, voice fainter and fainter.

- If I give you something you longed for ever since, will you let me kiss you? He stares deeply in your eyes, searching for any hints of rejection, none besides hesitation.

- Depends… » you say, not really sure what he meant by that.

He fiddles with something in his pocket before a too familiar stringed bracelet comes into your field of view: the one your childhood’s friend gifted you, your anti stress.

« How…

- It fell when you were escaping Jake the other day, he gave me this and I knew it belonged to you when you came back searching for it, he whispers as he ties it back around your wrist.

- Thank you… for the day… for the bracelet, you trail off, not taking your eyes off from the simple but precious accessory on your wrist.

- It’s okay… he murmurs, his finger lifting your chin up, so is that a yes? You’re not going to reject me now, right? You didn’t threw up nor-

- Hurry up before I change my mind! You hiss, blushing and hitting his chest lightly.

- I love you. »

His words caught you off guard as his lips meet yours in a sweet kiss. Warmth spreading everywhere in your body as you felt butterflies in your stomach. Kissing Lee Heeseung was so easy, he made it so easy by taking the lead, kisses intoxicating your trail of thoughts.

His gentle bite on your bottom lip made you gasp, his wet muscle quickly claiming yours in a burning tango.

From his point of view, Heeseung sneakily slide his hands on your hips, grabbing them firmly as he practically presses his body to yours. His eyes half opened to see the way your eyes fluttered or the way your cheeks flushed. His heart couldn’t take any more of it, pounding in sync with yours.

« Gosh you make me go insane Y/N… he whispers against your lips, heavy breathing as you both seems in a trance, forehead finally joining.

- I hate you…you lie, looking away.

- You’re so sneaky Y/N, » he chuckles, ready to capture your lips for another kiss.

A loud gasp emitted from behind you as you quickly step away from Heeseung, turning around to see your brother.

« Sorry to interrupt but… Lil sis, do you have my condoms? »

« K-kiss you, t-touch you, w-want you »

« Make me love you »

END.

Your Highness!

We are delighted to see you here!

After a long break, our Queen had finally decided to wake up and had works her magic again!

She charged me to inform you about her ongoing activities! Lots of things are happening so we are hoping you will enjoy them!

Apologizing for taking so long to come back, we wish you a happy day.

- Butler of the castle.

[peachywritess]

Unmei | OT7

bangtan (OT7) x fem!reader

01 - what i need...

☁️ unmei – 運命 (うんめい): a noun meaning 'fate' or 'destiny' in Japanese. ☁️ genre: royal!AU, OT7!AU, reincarnation!AU ; smut (eventually), angst. ☁️ Unmei will deal with very delicate and quite dark themes, so please if you are a minor, DO NOT interact. I will always put a trigger warning at the start of every chapter, so if you feel unconfortable DO NOT read. ☁️ ☁️ author's note: hello lovelies, author here! "unmei" has been in my head for a while, and i kept thinking about shaping my thoughts into words; i do realise that this story, per se, is quite ambitious but i really hope you will enjoy reading it. ☁️ chapter's TW: panick attack, mentions of death (side character). ☁️ word count: 3,5k

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☁️ taglist @shabbamadapot @jnghs

! disclaimer - This story is a work of fiction. I do not own BTS and the description of them in this story does not want to reflect nor portray them in real life.

Crystal chandeliers, shining glasses of the finest wine, and chords intoning classical melodies. Fingers intertwining as gowns kept swaying, strangers chattering about politics, war, and sometimes about passions, literature, and secrets… 

Overly-dressed up women, whose make-up was classy and whose voices were soft, whispered into each other’s ears as young men passed by.

The high society, the aristocracy - the world you were fated to be born in and to live in.

The corset you wore was too tight on your abdomen since you could not eat more of the cake. You always finished dessert - and the sponge cake had strawberries inside, so this was very unlike you. You were sitting down - back straight and shoulders relaxed as your mother had taught you - while the other young women danced in the hall. You could also see your father talking to another short, long-bearded man, and you had hoped the topic was indeed not you.

That was the first, and probably the last, time you had agreed to accompany your father to a Grand Ball; he perfectly knew you didn’t fancy celebrations or big events, but he had insisted so much over the past month your mother had begged you to go with him.

“Just this once, darling. You know how men are, especially your Father!”

You had convinced yourself it was part of her plan to finally get rid of him for a night. Even the Queens needed a day off, and you were aware of your father’s antics: the King was really needy, and loved being taken care of… Just like a boy.

Nevertheless, you could no longer lie to yourself: you strongly suspected something else had led your father to this event. You had just turned twenty-one years old, so you were still too young to marry, weren’t you?

A few months before your birthday, your father had requested to speak to you about an important topic concerning the crown, and you knew that he wished for you to find a man to marry, so that you could inherit his place on the throne. However, as soon as the word arranged left his lips, you had already stormed off. You were not going to spend the rest of your days with someone you barely knew, and didn’t like.

After that discussion. your father never brought up the matter publicly, but you perfectly knew he had already informed your mother about it. To you, it wasn’t fair: they had married for love, and not for the crown. Their marriage was not decided by someone else aside from them, so you thought you deserved the same treatment they got when they were young.

What your father did not know was that you already loved someone. You knew that if he ever found out about your relationship, he would be furious, but since your teenage years, you had become cunning and knew how to lie.

Knowing how to lie and avoiding getting caught were two plus points, especially for a princess whose life got constantly suffocated by people who wanted to pry into your privacy. Not that you had one, of course.

Kim Taehyung. He was your bodyguard, the person you trusted most in the world. Just imagining his face sent shivers down your spine, certainly not with a negative implication. From the first day your father introduced you to him when you were only sixteen, you had fallen head over heels for him.

For most of your time together, your love had remained hidden, mainly because, in front of everyone's eyes, Taehyung remained formal and silent. However, when you were alone together - although it happened rarely - he revealed his true colourful identity: he talked about art, how much he loved to paint and how you, in his eyes, were the perfect subject to depict.

"If only I could, I would paint you. That way, even when we are far apart, I would be able to admire you as many times as I want."

Taehyung was an extremely gifted and articulate speaker. He always used the perfect words for every situation, and his voice, so deep it made your heart flutter, made it easy for him.

Maybe it was the way he squinted his eyes every time he laughed or the way his gaze was always focused on you. But you knew you loved him.

What you didn't know, however, was whether he loved you.

You sharply inhaled, moving the remaining piece of cake with the silver fork, debating whether to eat it and feel sick or leave it there.

“Is this not to your liking?” 

A male voice suddenly awoke you from your thoughts, and you turned your head in order to connect it to a face. Your heart skipped a beat when you finally saw him: he was beautiful, really. And not the kind of beauty that intoxicates you, that weighs you down, but a beauty so delicate that it leaves you speechless for a moment.

“I hate it.”

You replied, batting your eyelashes repeatedly, as it would have been impolite not to answer him immediately. A proper young lady never stutters - you could hear your mother’s stern tone in your head. 

Instantly, you noticed his dark-brown eyes, and you swore you could lose yourself in them.

His full lips curved into a heart-shaped smile - different from the ones you were used to seeing, those fake, mechanical laughs - and his eyes shrank to pretty half-moons. 

“The Ball, or the cake?”

His question was innocent, yet you could hint at a spark of curiosity in his gaze. You took a brief moment to admire him: his dark hair was neatly combed back, and he wore a slightly unbuttoned white silk shirt and black trousers that seemed to fit him a little tight.

He did not let you answer, allowing himself to sit by your side without asking any permission. You were breathless for seconds that seemed to last almost too long as his hand gently grasped your wrist, with such delicacy that you seemed not to feel his touch.

His fingertips squeezed lightly, until he brought the back of your hand to his rosy lips, but without making any contact with your skin.

The only contact that never ceased, however, was that of his eyes on you. Your ears seemed to stop hearing the music and the room all around seemed to have emptied out completely as the man in front of you consumed you with his eyes.

“Jimin, Park Jimin.” He announced, and his name echoed into your head. “It is an honour to finally make your acquaintance, Princess.”

“You already knew who I was.” 

You let go of your grip on your fork with the hand you still had free, before making a brief bow as you lowered your gaze.

“Oh no, Princess. I ask you not to bow to me."

You furrowed an eyebrow before a small smile appeared on your lips. You knew it was rude to smile like that, but his words reminded you of a quote in a book which your mother read to you as a child.

"You remind me of someone." You murmured, retracting the hand Jimin still held close to his lips. Thus, you remembered the gesture and your cheeks blushed.

"Someone you like?"

Your smile became bigger, but you tried hard to hide it by bringing a hand towards your lips.

"Park Jimin, did you by any chance come here to court me?"

"Would that be considered a sin, Princess?"

The air in the hall became strangely heavier. Either the presence of that unknown prince had caused a strange effect on you, or the corset was really so tight that it took your breath away.

Out of the corner of your eye, you glanced at your father who - at the same moment - looked in your direction, pointing at you with open arms.

"My daughter! My beloved child, she always precedes me in everything!"

He pronounced this aloud and, as his timbre was very deep, the words were heard by many in the audience. The man next to your father, the one he had been talking to all evening, stood a few steps behind him as they both approached the table.

"King Park, this is my beautiful daughter, Y/N." He gave the man a resounding pat on the shoulder as soon as he was close enough. "And I guess this young man is your son, Jimin."

You remained in complete silence as your eyes moved between the two men. You were confused by the situation, yet when you turned to Jimin, he did not have the same expression. He seemed... relieved, by their presence.

"It is an honour, Your Highness. I was fortunate enough to meet your daughter before the appointed meeting, I hope it is not an inconvenience."

Appointed meeting, those words echoed in your mind.

"Of course not, why should it be? That is something to celebrate!"

Still sitting far too composedly, you watched them talk as though you were not there to hear them. You felt like a ghost trying to participate in a conversation,

You parted your lips slightly, attempting to speak.

However, the dark blond-haired boy next to you interrupted your attempt. His voice was calm, and the words he used were always well thought out as if he had studied a script.

"I would be grateful, Your Highness, if you would allow me to ask your daughter for a dance."

As he said this, you couldn't help but keep your eyes locked on him. His attitude was certainly that of a prince, but there was something about him - something extremely mysterious - that you still couldn't pick up on.

"I-"

The words came out of your mouth automatically, but you still had so many questions on the tip of your tongue that remained unanswered.

"But, of course, Prince Jimin. Y/N would be pleased, wouldn't you, my daughter?"

No, you were definitely not pleased. At that very moment, you just wanted to run away. Like a lost puppy, you looked for a familiar face in the surrounding hall hoping to see Taehyung. As you looked for help that would never come, the three men kept watching you, waiting for an answer.

You had two choices: say no and disappoint your father, then endure his complaints on the long ride home, or say yes to give him five minutes of satisfaction.

Your approval wouldn't have led to consequences, would it?

"I would be delighted." You lied, batting your long eyelashes several times, something you had learned to do to show interest. You knew men liked that.

Your father gave poor King Park another resounding pat on the shoulder, inviting him to leave the two of you alone.

Jimin seemed satisfied with your response as he gave you a sincere smile. You did likewise, before rising from your chair - which had become uncomfortable - allowing your dress to regain its shape. Your thighs had gone numb from sitting for at least two hours watching the guests dance, so - as if you had suddenly forgotten how to walk - your legs gave out.

A pair of hands grabbed your hips, making sure to hold them firmly, and when you looked up, you found yourself dangerously close to the blond man's face. Your hands rested on his, grabbing his fingers to loosen their grip on you. You noticed that these were incredibly cold and not too big - not like Taehyung's.

"Forgive me, I shouldn't have. Are you alright, Princess?"

"I'm fine, I apologise, I don't know what came over me." You took a step back, moving further away from the man, as if you weren't going to be dancing together anytime soon.

An awkward silence fell between the two of you. Your face was slightly lowered and your eyes stared at the shiny floor tiles. You could not imagine the expression Jimin might have had: was he perhaps impatient? Or, like you, was he feeling embarrassed?

"Don't you think it's better to put embarrassment aside, Princess?" Of the two, Jimin was the first to break the silence. "After all, we have to get used to each other's presence."

You raised your head abruptly, and your pearl earrings tinkled from the movement. Your heart drummed in your chest and your insides twisted. Repeating the phrase in your head, you tried to understand its meaning.

"What does it mean?"

Your voice came out broken, it happened to you whenever you felt anxious.

"Come on, Princess, don't play dumb. Our wedding is only a few months away now."

Your breath began to get shorter and shorter, as if someone was tightening the strings of your corset increasingly tighter, and a hole was opening up in your chest. You felt as if your lungs were being torn from your chest and the world around you was spinning all too fast. Jimin's face contorted into a worried expression and you could see his mouth move, but every sound was muffled.

"I must… I must go and freshen up."

You didn't know what tone you had used, and you didn't even know if the prince had heard your words, but within moments you had already drifted off, disappearing into the crowd of people. To the unfamiliar eye, it would have been difficult to recognise you. But those who knew you well - on the other hand - would have found you instantly.

Regardless of your appearance or posture, you entered a hall with few light sources, the majority of which was in darkness. Your right hand was resting on your chest, clutching the hard material of your corset, and you wished you could just rip it off.

Soon, a veil of tears blurred your vision even more, causing everything around you to become less clear. You did not even apologise when your shoulder bumped into someone else, continuing undaunted on your way.

The person you had hit, however, stopped and turned their gaze, watching you flee. They continued to watch you until you turned a corner, disappearing into the darkness. Having found a quiet place, you slid down a wall until you found yourself sitting on the cold floor. The room you were in was dark - the dim light of the moon coming from the one large window. The room was empty, only for a few abandoned paintings leaning against the walls.

A thousand questions tormented your thoughts. The idea that your father had given you away to a stranger made you nauseous, and the more you thought about it, the more the cake you had eaten rose up in your stomach. You brought your hands to your mouth, choking back a sob, while your breath was still too short to allow you to think clearly.

You were alone. You felt completely abandoned to a cruel fate, a fate you had not chosen but had to undertake - whether you wanted to or not. Disbelief gave way to anger, and anger soon became disappointment.

Your father had sold you and most likely felt no remorse. You ran your hands through your hair, forgetting the fact that it had been carefully arranged, therefore ruining your hairstyle.

Breathe, Y/N, breathe. But even though you kept telling yourself to calm down, it was impossible. You wished you could escape, hide your identity and finally live the life you had dreamed of.

But your Red Thread of Fate had been tied to the Crown since your birth.

"Y/N!"

A familiar voice resounded in the room and all was silent for a few seconds until quick footsteps approached. The figure knelt right in front of you and - without hesitation - grabbed both your wrists so that your gaze focused on them. Your eyes immediately locked onto a dark-brown pair, looking at you intensely.

"Y/N, it's me, Taehyung. It's me."

Serenity. Kim Taehyung brought serenity into every place he stepped.

You watched his face fully illuminated by the moonshine, and took it all in. His black hair was slightly wavy and fell over his face, framing it perfectly.

If Hell had his face, then you were ready to burn for Eternity.

"It's all right, love. I'm here."

Taehyung didn't waste any time sitting on the ground, picking you up by the hips so that you were resting on his legs. An arm firmly wrapped around your shoulders while a hand gently caressed one of your cheeks.

The warmth of his body caused a feeling of cosiness in you, yet your chest still felt like it was about to implode. "I- I can't breathe."

He instantly seemed to realise what the problem was, because his eyes focused on your chest. Suddenly, his hand reached down all the way to your breast until he grasped some of the threads that bound your corset from the front: he pulled with such force that the seams tore and - finally - all the pressure released. Like a newborn child, you began to breathe, and after a few seconds warm tears wet your cheeks.

You were incredibly scared, still in shock. But Taehyung held you close, gently, almost fearful of breaking you like a porcelain doll. You felt his warm breath in the crook of your neck and his scent intoxicated you completely, making you forget everything.

Your breasts were partly exposed, but you could never feel embarrassed in front of him. Not in front of the man who had seen every last detail of you, not in front of the man who had explored every inch of your body.

"Please don't let me go."

Taehyung hummed and continued to hold you in his arms while giving you a concerned look. His eyebrows were furrowed and you knew he needed an explanation as soon as possible. But Taehyung was also aware that you were still unable to give it to him.

"I won't ever let you go. But now I need you to calm down, hm?" He said softly, as if he was talking to a child. His hand reached for yours, grabbing it gently, and bringing it close to his face.

"Do you remember how many moles I have? Do you want to count them?"

Serenity. Taehyung brought serenity, and every word he spoke to you came from the heart. Ever since you knew him, he had always been affectionate and attentive towards you. He knew you better than anyone else.

So, of course you knew the answer to the first question.

You smiled, heart beating fast but not out of fear. With the tip of your index finger you began to trace every spot on Taehyung's face, his skin always soft and flawless.

"One. You touched the small mole on the tip of his nose, near the right nostril.

"Two." Then it was the turn of the mole under the lid of his right eye, the spot you found most distinctive.

"Three." You murmured, as your heart beat faster and faster. You knew very well where the third mole was since it was your favourite. So you brought your face closer to his, so that your noses brushed against each other, before placing a tender kiss on his lips.

Taehyung's lips were never dry, touching them was always pleasant. Kissing him was always pleasant.

"Good girl."

His voice was hoarse as he moistened his lips and bit the lower one. You were so fragile, so exposed before him. All this delicacy, he wanted to destroy it. And Taehyung felt like a lunatic because a rarity like you was only to be protected.

But you provoked mixed feelings in him. Your bare breasts, your smooth skin, your eyes full of innocence and love for him.

Taehyung wanted to break you.

"You look so pretty right now, dove."

He hummed, almost like he had never thought such nonsense until that moment. "You would be even prettier if you told me what happened to you."

Your smile disappeared, and the perfect world that had been created began to crumble. You sat up, hiding your exposed chest with your arms.

"Taehyung, I..."

You spoke quietly, afraid of the reaction the brunette would have had. He wouldn't have blamed you, because he knew how much your position as heir to the throne made you suffer, but knowing Taehyung, he would have stepped back to make it less difficult for you.

The thought of not being able to see him again killed you.

Before you could say anything else, a man you recognised as one of your father's guards burst into the room. Your first reaction was to move away from Taehyung as quickly as possible, but the man seemed upset for a reason worse than that: his breath was short and his face completely pale.

"Princess Y/N, we've been looking everywhere for you!" He spoke without ever taking his eyes off you. That's when Taehyung removed his jacket, placing it on your shoulders.

"What's going on? Is my father looking for me?"

"Princess, I- I'm sorry…" He stammered in a slurred voice. "His Majesty, your Father, he…"

You were silent, waiting for him to finish the sentence as the man beside you loosened his grip on your shoulders.

"He… Has been assassinated, Your Highness."

©️ peachywritess 2023. All rights reserved.

[colourprinter]

I'm here to announce the Our Underland AU, a cross AU between Our Wonderland and Undertale

If you're here for the art then here it is! Details and ideas on the AU below the read more!

Soooooooo, first thing's first, this is an Our Wonderland AU and follows the rules of Our Wonderland, it can and will get dark and horrific. There's no dust, there will be blood.

THIS CONTAINS OUR WONDERLAND (through to the end of act 5) AND UNDERTALE SPOILERS

The basic idea is that after Iggy falls into Wonderland, he wakes up on a thick growth of common strawberries and explores an underground of faces he recognises that don't recognise him.

I will note that I'm missing a character for Alphys, I'm out of the main crew and Cecil and Jerry already have roles

Note that "humans" and "monsters" are instead "the fallen" and "the sealed" as there are at least 5 humans going around. The fallen are the only people to remember that this is Wonderland and have a wish still avaliable to use, of course this means the sealed want the wishes themselves.

I've done my best to work with the wishes when putting characters in places and I have mentioned the wishes from the end of act 5 as well. I also remember seeing a post where if Iggy was to stay in Wonderland for too long, he would become an actual emotionless void which is played into a bit

Possible character swaps:

Iggy -> Frisk

Protagonist

The last of the fallen

Dressed in Frisk style clothes

The more he kills, the more hollow he feels

The top of his hair can reprisent a glowing halo or as it becomes more stained with blood from fighting, devil horns (this might be too edgy though and might be changed)

Grows numb as he gains LV, almost as though someone else is moving his body for him

Wish: Not made yet

Sadie -> Chara

The first fallen

A passing voice that sometimes lays on Iggy's ears

Will start seeing the murder route as a way to achieve her goal if it is taken

Wish: ???

Hunar -> Torial

Keeper of the ruins

Guides the fallen through the ruins (yes, even a 30 year old Iggy)

This Hunar is not real

Wish: N/A

Genzou -> sans

The judge, promised Hunar to keep the next fallen safe

He can see

He will judge Iggy's actions towards the end

He will fight at the end of a murder route, still dodging but without the warping around

Wish: I wish I could see Iggs again

Cecil -> Papyrus

Aspiring royal guard, trains under the royal guard captain

Plays the straight man to Genzou's jokes

Despite his attitude, he wants to see the best in everyone and bring that out

Wish: N/A

Orlam -> Undyne

Head of the royal guard

Basically in charge given the rulers are pretty absent

Has an army of rabbit guards at his beck and call

It's Orlam in wonderland, I don't think I need to get more into it

Very determined to get the wish at any cost

Dispises Genzou for reasons he doesn't understand

Wish: I wish I could make the rules for once

??? -> Alphys

I really got nothing for this right now

Might merge Mettatons' and Alphys' roles, Gidget is smart enough

Jerry -> Muffet

Leader of a splinter rabbit group trying to make a living

Jerry's rabbits replace the spiders of the underground

Wants to claim the wish to live a comforable life for himself and those under him

Wish: N/A

Gidget -> Mettaton

The most stunning star of the underground

Extremely outgoing

Has a ton of adoring fans

Plays along with [Insert Alphys replacement here] to get close to Iggy

Despite everything, finds it hard to feel truely happy

Wants to claim the wish to fix that emptyness

Wish: I wish I was the most beautiful person in the whole world

Bucks -> Asgore

The hermit queen

Outside of people taking freely given goods, rather hostile

The previous 7 fallen have died by her hand

Spends her time chopping wood and tending to her isolated area of the castle

Wood that is left over after being chopped is freely given away

Wonderland's exit sits past her area of the castle

Doesn't care for the wish, she holds 6 already, she wants to be left alone

Wish: I wish she was dead

Kiddy Kruse Flower -> Flowey

A strange flower that stalks Iggy, trys to take control at the end of things

Not a replacement for Asreal, Sadie was the royals' only child

Speaks in rhyme all the time

Not rooted to one place now

Appears to want to take something from Iggy that isn't his wish

Wish: N/A

Tomato head creature -> Monster Kid

A fan of the head of the Royal guard, wants to see him in action

Can't talk, tons of warbling

Won't actually eat your guts this time

Orlam will save anyone who obsesses over him this much

Wish: N/A

Status of the fallen's wishes

Sadie - Used after her death, wish is unknown

Fallen 2-7 - Held by Bucks

Iggy - Unused

I hope you enjoy reading throught this, it's been fun to write and has comepletely overtaken my thoughts for a full day so I had to get it out of my head.

If you have any ideas or suggestions, please send them, I'd love to hear people's ideas on this

[memphisnovels]

Evermore

Chapter 26. Giselle

Previous chapter

Masterlist

I hope you all enjoy this update, very sorry they have been so few and far between! I'm hoping to be back on track now and the updates should be more consistent <3

pairing: Pietro Maximoff x OFC

warnings: Canon typical violence, mentions of PTSD, Nadia knows how to hold a grudge, supportive + protective Pietro

I sat at the breakfast table, turning over a single piece of strawberry with my fork. Pietro was going on assignment in a week, the assignment that we were supposed to be going on together, the assignment that I was taken off of. He didn’t know that yet. I’d tried to tell him more than once, but the timing just never seemed right. He was struggling with the article he’d read in the newspaper and everything it had brought to the surface. I could see it in his eyes, there seemed to be a thin intangible cloud over him now, a shadow over his eyes that hadn't been there before.

The cold metal between my fingers had become warm from the grip I’d maintained around it. Everything felt like it was falling apart and these stupid fucking visions refused to let up. Steve reassigned the mission a week ago and I’d barely slept since I was beginning to think I was incapable of it now. Maybe I’d never sleep again. Most of my time was spent avoiding the others, I’d go to the training room late, when everyone had turned in for the night and I’d eat meals separately. It wasn’t a matter of anger, well not entirely, I just needed to be alone. Pietro had been having more nightmares than usual as well, they were usually about Sokovia but sometimes they were about Strucker’s experimentation. It made my stomach twist and churn, the thought of him being in pain but at least it gave me something else to focus on. When we were talking, or even when I was just listening, I only thought of him and what he felt; it was a nice break.

The sound of the chair across from me scrapping against the floor caught my attention. Dark facial hair filled my line of sight. “So, what now?” I chose to ignore his words. “You’re just never going to speak to me again? Instead, you’ll spend your days skulking around the compound mad at the world?” Anger simmered in me, but I simply looked down at the strawberry that I’d been poking at with my fork. “I’ll be honest, I’m a little disappointed. I know you can do better than the silent treatment.”

“It isn’t the silent treatment; I just have nothing to say to you.”

“Or anyone else it seems.”

I stabbed the strawberry. “Don’t you have a home to go to?”

He shrugged. “Yes actually, I’m going there now, just saying goodbye and all that.”

“Goodbye,” I spoke, not an ounce of warmth in the tone as I stood from my seat and dumped my now empty plate in the sink.

“You’re being very childish right now; it’s not making me regret my decision.” I clenched my hands at my side but before I had the chance to say anything voices filled my head.

“You’re a child.” The word seemed to drip with venom.

I clenched my fist tighter, forcing my feet to move beneath me and carry me from the room. My head felt like it was spinning as the voices continued, muffled, jumbled incoherent but maddening, nonetheless. Flashes of light blinded me; the door was thrown open hands grabbing me. There were gunshots all around me and I could feel the way my heart thumped against my chest. I shook my head, it’s not real. I had to cover my ears because they were so loud. Another pair of hands grabbed me then, shaking me roughly. The covers were being ripped off of me and the light from the door was still blinding me as a large figure loomed over me. I grabbed the side of his neck pulling him down and slamming my knee into his stomach, before elbowing him in the side of the head and falling to the ground to punch him but before I could move my arm was grabbed by someone else within seconds I was pulled from the man. I thrashed in the hold, but they pinned me quickly. It was then that the shouting cleared in my ears, finally coherent. It was a familiar voice, actually more than one. When I opened my eyes, I saw red hair and frantic eyes above me. Nat pinned me down, calling me again and again. My chest was rising and falling rapidly; body still tense. I saw Pietro at her side uninjured, with an immensely concerned expression on his face. When I looked to the side, I saw an unfamiliar man holding out a United States government clearance badge, his other hand covering his nose that was nose pouring blood all over his white button-up. My body loosened, fists unclenching. Jesus Christ, what was wrong with me? When she felt me go limp, Natasha let me go, pulling me to my feet as she stood.  

“Are you okay?” She asked, just as Pietro stepped forward to take my hand.

“What the hell is going on here?!” Steve spoke, emerging from the kitchen flanked by Sam and Tony. I swallowed heavily.

The bleeding man pointed accusingly at me. “She attacked me.”

“You shouldn’t have grabbed her like that!” Pietro immediately snapped stepping in between the agent and me.

“She’s psychotic.” Steve grabbed Pietro before he could launch forward at the man and that was when Tony intervened.

“Let’s all just take a beat here-”

“It was my fault.” I intervened, all eyes on me now. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled, glancing at the man who was dabbing at his nose with a handkerchief. He didn’t seem particularly forgiving. I pulled away from Natasha and walked quickly down the corridor.

Pietro was in front of me when I turned the corner, eyes furrowed with concern. “What’s going on, Nadia?”

When I swallowed it, it felt like there were shards of glass in my throat. “Please, I just need to be alone, Pietro.” He furrowed his eyebrows opening his mouth to continue. “I’m okay, or I will be… just let me be alone for a while. That’s what I need. That’s what I want.”

A long moment passed between us, it was evident that he didn’t want to leave me, that turning away was a war for him. “Will you please come and talk to me later?”

I nodded, turning and stopping for a beat, one step in front of him. His fingers grazed mine and I had to walk away, or I wasn’t sure I would.

The door to the study hit the wall when I threw it open, stopping only a few feet into the room.

“I want them gone. I want you to get rid of them.”

Wanda looked at me with slightly wide eyes, a little startled by my abrupt appearance. “Get rid of what?”

“Everything.”

She closed the book then and placed it aside. “Okay.” Her eyebrows were furrowed. I dropped into the chair across from her. “Could you maybe be a little more specific?”

“I don’t understand what I’m seeing but I feel like I’m losing my mind, I want whatever it is gone, if I have to forget it then let’s do that. Whatever it takes just get rid of it.”

It was late when I went to talk to Pietro, part of me expected him to already be asleep, perhaps I’d hoped he would be. I could hear Wanda’s voice echoing through my mind as I walked down the hallway.

“This won’t be easy. I’ve never really done something like this before, so it is going to take a while. I don’t know how to select the root of the things you’re seeing without filing through the rest of your mind.”

Uncertainty was evident in her gaze when I looked at her. “Whatever it takes,” I repeated the phrase to her, the same one I’d been saying to myself over and over.

Pietro wasn’t asleep when I entered the room, though he didn’t look far from it. The circles around his eyes were darker than normal and his eyelids were drooping. He livened up ever so slightly when I entered the room. “You look tired,” I stated plainly, wringing my fingers together.

He shrugged. “I am.” I remained planted in my spot as if he might forget I was there at all if I were still enough. “We still need to talk about what happened; you know I won’t let it go until you tell me what’s going on with you.”

“He just… He got me at a bad time, Tony and I were arguing and then that agent startled me. I shouldn’t have reacted like that but I’m fine.”

“He startled you?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

There was silence for a long while, Pietro’s eyes never leaving me as he assessed each freckle and twitch. “He startled you?”

“That is what I said, Pietro.”  There was no real bite to my tone, despite my words.

“Yes, I know but I think you’re full of shit.” I raised an eyebrow at him, and he ran a hand over his face. “When has anyone ever been able to sneak up on you before? You said it yourself the only reason I’ve ever had the element of surprise with you was because of my enhancement. Now you want me to believe that some idiot in a suit managed to take you by surprise?”

I shrugged at him this time.

“That’s all you have to say, really? He caught you at a bad time, that much is obvious and if it was because he touched you, I’d understand reacting but… but what happened was not you, Nadia.”

“Well, maybe you don’t know me as well as you think you do.”

He shook his head. “Don’t start this again. Not tonight, please.” His words were gentle, exhaustion heavy beneath them.

“Fine. You’re right, I’m sorry but I don’t want to talk about this now. I know that is not what you want to hear but that’s the truth. I’m tired and today has been a complete shitshow so I’d really like to just go to sleep and it’s pretty clear that you need the sleep just as much as me.” I crossed my arms over my chest and exhaled deeply. “So, you can either let it go for now and just accept that it was a bad day or stay up and keep festering on it all night, either way I’m going to bed. My bed.”

His jaw tightened and he looked away from me, out toward his window where pale moonlight filtered around the side of his half-open curtains. I was half out the door by the time he spoke again, it was quiet, resigned though there was an undertone of displeasure, perhaps even irritation in it. “Goodnight, Nadia.”

…

My heart was thudding in my ears when Wanda sat down before me. She’d asked me if I was sure no less than 10 times since I’d stepped foot in the study. I told her I was, but there was a small, niggling voice at the back of my mind that seemed to call out to me. Waving its hand frantically to get my attention. She rubbed her hands together for a moment before stopping and looking up at me. “Nadia, are you sure?”

I swallowed heavily, silencing the voice before responding. “It’s fine. Just do it.” Whatever it takes. I gripped the sides of the chair slightly as I felt her enter my mind. It was a strange itch of discomfort behind my temples and then things were pulled forward.

For a while there was nothing. Nothing but her concentrated face before me, red tendrils emanating from her hands that hovered either sit of my forehead, the strange beams dancing across my flesh. “Tell me what you see, and I’ll try to move through quickly until I find the right area.” Her eyes were glowing red, and it was not lost on me just how ludicrous it seemed to invite her into my mind after I’d spent so long guarding it from anyone who might try to take a peek. After I’d been so disturbed by her looking in last time. At some point I closed my eyes, the darkness a strange comfort to me.

In support group, I’d heard people talk about associating a certain smell with a memory, like the aroma of freshly baked bread reminding them of being back at their grandmother’s home in the winter months. I never really understood that until now.

It was petrichor like rain and the faint smell of smoke. A splash of someone’s boots in the sludge and I was no longer sitting before Wanda in the study.

The only word to describe Moscow in the bowels of winter was frigid. A flash of blonde hair caught my eye between the trees. Yelena. I pressed my back to a flaking trunk, boots sliding slightly against the frozen ground. A single deep breath and closed eyes allowed me to focus on each distinct sound around me, the crunch of snow beneath her footfalls alerted me to her location. I waited patiently until I was sure she was close before launching outward. With my legs wrapped around hers we tumbled to the ground, we tumbled and sparred until she managed to get on top of me, pressing my face into the bitter snow.

I clenched my hands into fists, shutting my eyes tightly.

“This isn’t it. This is real, a memory.” In a second, I was out of the snow.

Cold, spindly fingers ran across my shoulder blades. A measuring tape was wrapped around my waist tightly. Matron Katerina scribbled numbers on her sheet, a consistent look of discontent present across her features.

I shook my head and Wanda pulled me out.

The smell of cigarettes and the prod of a wooden cane against my spine. “Stand up straighter,” Saskia said. The sharp burn of the cane against my calves had me shaking my head again.

“It’s the Red Room, this isn’t it.”

“Okay,” Wanda spoke. “Do you want to keep going?”

“Yes, it’s fine.”

Freshly baked bread seared my flesh as I hobbled toward a train headed anywhere other than Russia. I felt death creeping upon me as I lay, barely conscious, in the train car the rise of the sun and rocking of the vessel over the tracks were the only things anchoring me to reality.

When I shook my head, I was suddenly in the apartment in Berlin with Anna, a cold sweat spattered across my forehead which she soothed with a bowl of cool water.

I stretched my arms as much as the restraints allowed. Anna had insisted upon taking them off, but I’d refused, not trusting myself when the red was still living at the precipice of my mind. Abeni was resting in another room after a particularly trying night.

I shook my head yet again. It went on like this for what felt like hours. I relived meeting Nick Fury, the Red Room, Abeni’s treatments, and my S.H.I.E.L.D. assignments. It was all my memories laid out before me and nothing of the visions that had been slowly deteriorating my sanity for weeks now.

My back slammed into the hospital wall as Steve bunched my shirt in his hands. “Tell me what happened to Fury?”

“I don’t fucking know.” I seethed.

“Oh really, because it doesn’t seem like much ever takes you by surprise, Pimenova.”

I glared at him, not flinching as he accused me of being a double agent. “Let. Go.”

I shook my head and then it was a metal hand clenching around my throat, slamming me through a flimsy wooden table.

My eyes were narrowed, confusion seeping through me as I realized he was not here to drag me back to the Red Room. “Who the fuck are you working for Barnes?” He seemed to falter when I spoke. Some peculiar flash of recognition tainted with confusion passed over his face, his hand loosening just slightly on my neck but it was enough for me to slam my foot into the center of his chest and slip away.

When I was pulled out of the memory the next one had me pausing, Pietro’s face above mine as he restrained me in the snow, that cheeky smirk present even before we knew each other.

“You are very pretty. Although, you’re quite mean and you seem to have some anger management problems… that might actually make you more attractive. It’s hard to say.”

I shook my head slowly, fingers tightening around the arm of the chair. “It’s too recent.” The way I spoke you’d think I was realizing it in real time. Wanda pulled me from the memories letting me just sit with her in the room for a second. I took a deep breath, swallowing down my hesitations. “If we’re going to do this you have to go back… All the way.”

She looked unsure but nodded nonetheless, slowly bringing her hands back up. My eyes darted between them, the red enveloping me until I let my eyes shut again. There was darkness and quiet and then… nothing. I waited and waited but it never changed. I opened my eyes to see Wanda’s own closed, eyebrows knitted together, exertion clear on her face. “What’s happening?” She shook her head, eyelids creasing as she closed them even tighter.

“I’m trying to go back but… I can’t.”

I asked her what she meant.

“It’s like your mind won’t let me pass, like there’s an invisible fence blocking me out. Nothing else was hard to access, they were all right there, even the older memories there wasn’t resistance.” She opened her eyes, dropping her hands to her lap for a moment. “Let’s try this a different way. Just try to focus on opening your mind to let me in, we can go through the steps together, you unlock the doors and I’ll come through. Does that make sense?”

“Not even slightly.”

She sighed heavily. “Just close your eyes and relax, we’ll figure it out as we go.” I followed her instructions, letting my back rest against the seat and trying my very best to let the tension slip from my muscles. The darkness was engulfing me, and I sat wondering how the hell to open my mind to her. I let out another deep breath, letting the grip I’d maintained on the arm rest loosen. The one thing I could remember from my stint of seeing psychiatrists, ordered by Fury when I was a new recruit, was to imagine my body was melting into whatever surface I was sitting on. It was supposed to help me soothe the rage I was filled with… or something. Dr. Stanley had said to let my arms go limp and then focus on letting my legs drop once my body was effectively melted stop focusing altogether and let yourself be completely untethered and uncontrolled for a moment. I tried it, letting my shoulders drop. Still, there was nothing and a twinge of frustration ran down my neck but then something changed. I heard something so faint and I distinct that it was hard to tell if it was a sound from the compound or if Wanda was getting somewhere. I chose to keep it to myself until I’d deciphered what it was. Then another sound erupted, like music maybe, but it was only a second and then it was gone. I heard Wanda tsk and mutter something in Sokovian. “I still can’t get through, it’s like I’m rebounding off of a wall each time. I don’t know where it’s pushing me, but it almost feels like it’s redirecting me, like a magnet pulling me in another direction.”

I shut my eyes tighter. “Keep trying… Please.”

She did. For a long while there was still nothing; until there wasn’t.

The stage, a tight leotard and tutu skirt, shoes that made my toes ache, and music, loud, booming, classical filling my ears. Swan Lake; Dreykov in the front row watching. I twirled and twirled until my feet went out beneath me and when I hit the hard floor I was in a different dress, white and flowy with cap sleeves and tulle. I smoothed a hand over my hair, realizing it was pinned back, flowers at the top. My heart was thumping against my sternum, the only thing I could feel. A cold sweat broke out on my forehead as I looked out toward the audience but there was only darkness and when I blinked it was as though the whole scene glitched, a scratching sound, and suddenly the picture shifted before coming back into focus. I moved slowly to my knees, standing up to move closer to the lip of the stage. But it was as though an invisible wall had appeared, fencing me in and keeping me in a square at the center of the stage. A loud sound echoed through the otherwise silent room, it was only then that I realized there had previously been no sound, not just a quiet room but as if the entire scene were on mute. Suddenly sound exploded around me, classical again but a different tune. This was not Swan Lake; I was supposed to dance Swan Lake, that was Dreykov’s favorite; that was the ballet I had to perform. The music continued, so loud it drowned out my racing pulse and thoughts. I squinted to see who was in the audience, but I could not make it out. My next blink had everything shifting again, the static sound, the glitchy vision, and then I was no longer on the stage but watching someone else twirl around and around. She died in the ballet and that’s when I realized what I was watching.

Giselle.

I was standing in the space between the first row of seats and the stage, watching intently as the dancer moved across the stage. It was like I couldn’t speak; I’d open my mouth and no words would come out. She stopped right before me, right at the edge of the stage and I reached out to her as far as my arm could go but before I managed to touch her a black-gloved hand snatched my wrist and pressed it against cold metal. When I looked up Giselle was gone and only a grey static-filled TV screen remained. It sat on a trolley that was shoved out of the way and replaced by a man in black-framed glasses. The man who had been haunting me. He narrowed his eyes, inspecting every inch of my face before standing back to his full height and fiddling with my hair. I was completely still, afraid to move, though I wasn’t entirely sure why. When he bent down again I saw his eyes, dark grey, or maybe they were brown, it seemed to change each time I looked at him. He opened his mouth but what came out was garbled, inaudible. When I didn’t respond he stood, disappearing from my line of sight, which was very little beyond what was directly in front of me. I attempted to turn my head but there was resistance.

When he returned things got a little fuzzy.

“Tell me your name.” Then the static was back. I didn’t hear myself respond. Giselle returned to the screen music filling my ears. As hard as it was, I fought to cling to the image, fought to stay in it.

“Tell me your name.”

“Nadia Morozova.” I heard it this time. Clear as day. The voice was small and barely even sounded like me, but I knew it was.

“And where were you born?”

“Russia.”

“Where were you born?” His voice was like ice, and it made me shrink into my chair.

“St. Petersburg.” I clarified.

“Where are your parents?”

The static came back then. I gritted my teeth as a deafening ringing began in my ears. Gripping the sides of the seat as it continued. I wasn’t entirely sure if the sound was happening in my mind or in real life. Giselle was twirling across the screen before me again. I was hypnotized by the liquid movement of her dress, curving to her every maneuver.

“That’s it!” It was Wanda’s voice then. “I’m getting through hold on to what you’re seeing, Nadia.” Her words sounded rough like she was in pain. I gripped onto the image with everything I had, fighting to stay there.

“Tell me your name.”

“Nadia Morozova.”

“Where were you born.”

“St. Petersburg.”

Giselle was spinning so fast it seemed almost impossible. The music was getting louder and louder to the point it seemed like it was going to blow my eardrums out.

“You’ll keep watching until you get all the answers right.”

I gripped my head, the music was becoming unbearable, and I was getting dizzy.

“Where are your parents.”

The leotard was too tight, I wanted it to be Giselle again, why did I have to dance?

“Subject 114…”

“My name is Nadia Morozova; I was born in St. Petersburg on the 7th of November, and I am an orphan.”

The man in the glasses injected something into my neck before grabbing ahold of my chin and inspecting my face, perhaps looking at my eyes. It made my head get fizzy and heavy.

“What is your name?”

“My name is Nadia Morozova.” I couldn’t breathe. “I never knew my parents.”

The man was gone, and I was staring up at the familiar black ceiling, the Red Room. I struggled against the body that lay beneath me, the girl’s arms cutting my air supply. I knew I was stuck, but I refused to tap, searching for a way out instead. My vision was greying, becoming cloudy.

The more time went by, the less there I was. Soon they were different arms, tight around me in a different way. Arms that had no intention of causing me harm, arms that were warm with comfort, that warded off the bad. My head rested against someone’s chest movement disorienting me. Rocking, I realized eventually, we were rocking side to side.

“Stars shining bright above you.” It was back again only this time it was different, quieter, a soft hum against my ear. “Night breezes seem to whisper, ‘I love you’” A kiss was pressed to my temple. I had to squint as the sunlight dappled brightly through leaves, warming my skin, whiteness all I could see. There was a breeze that traveled through the strands of my hair, and I could smell… Jasmine and sandalwood. A strand of blonde hair dusted over my cheek tickling my flesh. Not my hair, I realized as I looked back. Things became jilted then, unsteady and barely there.

“I’ve got it, you’re right there, I think I can get rid of it,” Wanda spoke up.

“What’s wrong, darling?” Soft, adoring, a voice I’d heard before. The American woman who sings to me in dreams. I was small in her arms, but I still couldn’t see her face.

“I’ve nearly got it… I’m going to pull it out at the root.”

“He’s just… intensely passionate about what he does, he always has been. He loves his work.” The warmth from her chest radiated onto me. A smooth hand moved up and down my forearm. “But he doesn’t love it more than you. How could he? You mean everything to him, you and-”

“Stop!” I shouted. Barely even registered what I was saying. The moment faltered. I stood so abruptly I was surprised the seat stayed upright.

Wanda looked startled, her eyes turning back to their normal shade. “What happened? Are you okay?”

I ran a shaky hand through my hair, swallowing heavily. “I’m fine, I-” It was as though I was out of breath and still struggling to bring air into my lungs. “I just don’t want to do this anymore. Sorry for making you work so hard.” I braced myself on the back of the chair.

“Don’t be sorry. You seemed pretty sure that you wanted me to get rid of it all, what changed your mind?”

Another voice entering the room startled me. “What the hell is going on?!” Pietro. I hadn’t even heard him come in. His eyes were wide with what appeared to be a mixture of disbelief and utter concern. He saw the red tendrils creeping around Wanda’s hands. “What exactly were you getting rid of?”

Wanda stepped forward. “I was just trying to help.”

“Help?! Really?” His chest heaved; eyes wild as he glanced between the two of us. “How exactly is wiping your mind helping?”

She narrowed her eyes at him, but I saw her wringing her hands.

“Just stop, Pietro! I’m the one who made this decision. It’s my responsibility. So, if you’re going to yell at someone, yell at me.”

“Oh, I’ll get to you.” He spoke pointedly before turning back to Wanda. “Right now I’m still waiting to hear what the hell you were thinking.”

I rolled my eyes heavily, glancing at Wanda who gave me a knowing look before slipping out of the room. Pietro watched her leave, exasperation evident across his features. “You need to take it down like 80 percent.”

“No! Not until you tell me why you would do something like this.”

“Because I’m losing my fucking mind, Pietro! Do you not get that? I can’t sleep or train or just have a day where I’m not overcome with these strange… things.” My eyes were stinging as I watched him, my heart still thumping against my chest, exhaustion making a home in my bones.

“What are you talking about? The nightmares?”

“It’s more than just that now.” I shook my head, laughing humorlessly. “Steve reassigned the mission because he doesn’t trust me to get it done. Honestly, I don’t trust me either right now.”

A tear steamed down my cheek and before I had time to process it Pietro had engulfed my face with his hands, standing before me now with eyes so soft they looked like they were melting.

“Why didn’t you tell me that?” He shook his head. “I-I didn’t know any of this, I just thought… you have nightmares, we both do I never thought that things had gotten so bad. I had suspicions that you were keeping something from me after what happened the other day, but I didn’t... Why didn’t you tell me?”

Another tear followed the first and I let it, allowing my clenched fists to loosen. Slowly I moved them to slide over his arms, his hands still holding my face, stoking my cheek tenderly. “I didn’t tell you…” I closed my eyes for a long moment, swallowing heavily. “I didn’t tell you because I was scared.”

“Scared of what.” His voice was soft, quiet; just for me.

“Scared because I don’t know what’s happening to me. Because I might really be going crazy, and I know you think I’m not but you’ve always been too nice to me.”

He shook his head again, forehead pressing to mine. “You deserve everything I am to you and more, Nadia. You are not going crazy, and even if you were I meant what I said to you.” Another tear. “Steve does trust you, of course he does, we all do. Especially me. It’s okay that you’re scared but we will figure it out together, you can’t just go doing things like this.” He gestured around the room and then smoothed his hand over my temples and hair. “Please just… I need you to just talk to me about these things you can’t put yourself in danger like this, I-I…” He was stumbling over his words, struggling to get them out and his eyes were glassy now. “I need you to be okay, Nadia. I can’t lose you too. I can’t do it.”

We were so close that our air was shared. I furrowed my eyebrows at him, unsure what he meant but when I saw the look in his eyes, the immense fear and the sadness that had, evidently, been with him since he was young, I brought my hands up to his cheeks, mirroring the way he held me.

“You’re not going to lose me. I’m not going anywhere. I just need my mind back.”

He nodded against my forehead. I let my eyes fall closed still resting in his embrace. There was near silence around us for a long while, the only sound our breaths. My mind whirred as I went over and over the things I’d seen. I was utterly terrified, struggling to speak it aloud, lest I breathe life into the thought. But then Pietro’s grasp was gentle and solid all at once, warm and safe and I exhaled again.

“I don’t think they’re just visions anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“I remember the Red Room. I dream about it, I can see it in my mind. I remember it because I lived it.” My hands dropped from his cheeks and his fell from mine, moving down my arms to hold my hands. “The other things I don’t remember as clearly but they’re still there with my other memories.” The second the words left my mouth my heart was racing again, and I felt panic set into my chest. I took a deep breath and instead of shutting my eyes, I looked at Pietro.

He was seemingly taking in my words, nodding gently. “So, we’ll figure that out too.” His thumb rubbed back and forth across my cheekbone and somehow it lessened the twisting, white-hot feeling that had been setting into my stomach. There was silence again for a moment before he spoke up. “Does this mean we can sleep in the same bed again?”

I laughed gently. Wrapping my arms around him in a tight embrace, needing to feel his presence here, now, more than ever.

[bridenore]

HD older fic recs : post HBP

Here are a few recs for older fics that were written between Half Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows came out. Posted in alphabetical, order as always.

Agnus Dei by SilentAuror [20k]

Post-Hogwarts. Mystery abounds in the Auror Department, and two of the Aurors find themselves experiencing a friendship more intense than it should be.

Allegiance and Sedition by SilentAuror [98k]

The war is in its fifth year, and Harry finds himself caught up in the confusion of friend versus enemy, spy versus traitor.

Avocados and Pears and Slytherin Sweaters by Ms Semicolon [6k]

In which Draco discovers the Real World.

Bagels and Barbecues and Strawberry Ice Cream by Ms Semicolon [1k]

Sequel to Avocados and Pears and Slytherin Sweaters

Bite Me, Hate Memes by pir8fancier [44k]

Draco Malfoy is incensed to realize that someone is trying to usurp his position as the premier Harry Potter hater.

Black, in the Smothering Dark by @lol-zeitgeistic [101k]

Harry Potter is rescued from the Dursleys and spends the summer with his god…father? This is the prequel to The Hush of War. Beta’d by giesha_kitten/laureen.

The Hush of War by @lol-zeitgeistic [351k]

Voldemort has made a bargain with Harry to stop killing muggles and muggle-borns (when at all possible, of course) in exchange for Harry’s cooperation. While Harry thinks he’s using the time to find a way to defeat the Dark Lord, he will realize that Voldemort is always one step ahead, and so long as he isn’t killing anyone…what’s the big deal? He has bigger things to worry about now, anyway. Includes dementors, pureblood culture, the prophecy, what exactly happened with Lily’s sacrifice, magical breakthroughs, children Death Eaters, and portraits of family. Final pairing: H/D. Sequel to Black, in the Smothering Dark.

Bond by AnnaFugazzi [173k]

Yet another one of those Harry And Draco Are Forced To Be Together By Something Beyond Their Control And Then Stuff Happens Leading To Twoo Wuv stories. Because every HD writer has to write at least one.

Coins by Inell [5k]

Coins make a certain jingling sound whenever they are tossed onto the top of a wooden bureau.

The Copper Cauldron by Newshound [150k+]

Draco thought his life had ended after being imprisoned in Azkaban.  It  will take the love of the man he regards as his greatest enemy, the   faith of his most trusted confidante, and the hope imparted by a  beloved  child to convince him that his life has truly just begun.

Double Edged Sword by @romaine2424 [554k]

Harry thinks his life has been planned out, but the night he comes of age changes everything.  Now there are decisions to be made and a path to be chosen, and the choices before him will change the lives of everyone he knows.  But when destiny calls, Harry finds himself ready to listen.

This is an epic story of the love between Harry and Draco.  Join them as they journey through their life together, through the good times and the bad, facing obstacles both external and internal, and see how they come to be who they were meant to be.

Eight Days in November by @emmagrant01 [8k]

Harry hides Draco form Death Eaters during the war. A lot can happen in eight days.

Hands Open by mizBean [5k]

Harry likes to remember.

In Which Harry Potter Discovers a River In Egypt by Kestrel_Sparhawk [23k]

A missing roommate, a mysteriously familiar male prostitute, murdered Muggles, and an angry boss are all making life difficult for Auror Harry Potter. And that’s before he discovers that the reason he’s avoided having girlfriends for three years is not just because he doesn’t like publicity.

Leave Your Field to Flower by @emmagrant01 [12k]

Draco Malfoy is like all the other Survivors of the disaster – except for one called Harry Potter.

The Longest Night by coffeejunkii [3k]

Draco discovers that waiting doesn’t equal hoping, and that some wishes do come true.

Resistance by SilentAuror [25k]

Everyone but Harry seems to have forgiven Malfoy his past, and tensions are thick in the Auror Department.

Seven Days in June by fourth_rose [46k]

The war is over, the survivors are moving on. The hero is finally   allowed to go on leave – and meets an old enemy, who is working in a   Muggle profession in a city without magic.

Seven Days in June - the DVD extras by fourth_rose [9k]

Extras for my Harry/Draco fic "Seven Days in June" (post-Hogwarts,   written before book 7) - missing scenes, little future ficlets,   alternate POVs, and so on.

Spinner’s End by SilentAuror [18k]

The war is in full swing when Harry is forced to spend an unexpected stint in Spinner’s End.

Stain of Silence by Brummel [28k]

After the war, Draco serves out his sentence in Harry Potter's house.

The Last Dance by Brummel [3k]

James Potter, 5, ruminates on his father's birthday and associated issues.

That Which Divides Us by oldenuf2nb / @dianacopland [126k]

Three years after what would have been their seventh year at Hogwarts, the war between the forces of light and Voldemort’s minions grinds on. But even within the ranks of the Order of the Phoenix there are vast disagreements over what is good for ‘the Chosen One’ and his volatile relationship with Draco Malfoy has many on edge. Sometimes even the best intentions can reap disaster.

Their Kind of Forever by furiosity [34k]

The final part of Harry’s Auror training forces him to walk the line between truth and lie, between the wizarding world and the Muggle world, between the life he thought he’d have and the disappointing reality. And through it all, he finds unexpected solace in a most unlikely person’s company.

Things That Change by eutychides [84k]

After Hogwarts, everything changes.

War Wounds by SilentAuror [30k]

Some wounds take longer to recover from than others. HP/DM, with background HP/GW. Themes of alcoholism, love triangles, and dubious fidelity.

A Wave in Windless Water by reposoir [57k]

Harry, Hermione, and Ron work together in Godric’s Hollow to find and destroy Voldemort’s horcruxes. With the unexpected arrival of Draco Malfoy, Harry has the burden of both the horcruxes and new worries weighing him down.

Woman Scorned by pir8fancier [1k]

Pansy is a little too smug for her own good.

The world of the living by fourth_rose [17k]

A traumatised war hero and a convicted criminal under the roof of an eccentric journalist make for a rather odd ensemble, but Luna has never had a problem with oddities as long as they make sense.

I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I did!

[fivepointpalettes]

Pallets like this v

With long names and such!

My sincerest apologies for how long it took to compile this list. I tried to pick out the ones which were either significantly longer, or were... particular, one way or another, for lack of a better word. I tried to avoid song lyrics and such, but with some of them I couldn't help myself. 

Hope you find these sufficient! 

Looking through my older posts, this type of longer caption was a relatively recent development, but I nonetheless tried to pick ones that might work for you! I originally tried to sort them by topic, but there were so many... you can probably guess the point at which I have given up. I’m sorry. There were just so many. 

Sorry I didn’t Realize People Like You Have Feelings 

She Was A Girl He Was A Traffic Cone 

You Must Have Real Self Confidence Mortal To Attempt Flirting With Something All Holy 

Just Friends But We Kiss Sometimes 

Let Your Tender Hands Rip Me Apart 

Let Me Be Your Unreliable Narrator, Baby! 

Focus On Me (Ignore The Blood) 

I See You Everywhere See You Everywhere See You Everywhere 

Prove That You Love Me And Reanimate Me 

Stand Still As The Darkness Grows Roots In Your Mind 

The Lack Of Self Esteem I’ve Felt Since I Learned How To Read Or Write 

Not Great With People But Pretty Good With Milk 

Lost In Your Eyes Never To Be Found 

I Saw The End Of The World In Your Eyes 

I Touch You And My Hands Burn My Hands Burn My Hands Burn (What Have You Done) 

What Are You Doing In My House / Now Now I Don’t Usually Make It A Habit To - Stop Yelling - Break Into People’s Homes But As You Can See Sometimes I Do 

Well First Of All I Am Positive What You Did Is A Criminal Offense / And Second Of All Why Didn’t You Invite Me 

Once Again I Am Forced To Ask What In The World Did You Bring Into Our Home / What Do You Mean What Did I Bring It’s Very Clearly A Radioactive Waste Barrel Don’t Pretend You Don’t Know That 

What’s A Little Murder Between Friends 

Hey Quick Question Are We Really About To Commit Arson? 

Does This Taste Expired To You Too? 

It’s Even Smaller On The Inside If You Can Believe That 

Only One Thing In This Room Is Edible And Good Luck Figuring Out Which One It Is 

Your House Has No Anomalies But I’m Reporting You For Bad Taste In Art 

I Think I Know What A Rat Looks Like 

How Many Rains Will It Take Before The Ceiling Starts Leaking 

I’m Sorry I Chewed Through Your Walls But You Must Understand I’m Calcium Deficient 

Please Be Mindful Of The Evil Yoghurt Demon In The Freezer 

Who Put Strawberries In The Bathtub 

Who Put Strawberries In The Bathtub Again 

This Is The Third Time Someone Put Strawberries In The Bathtub Who Keeps Doing This Please Stop 

Of All The Things You Could Be Doing Why Are You Romancing Soda Cans 

Soda Cans Are Great I Love Accidentally Spilling Liquid On Myself 

It’s Not A Good Cake But It’s Not A Bad Cake Either (As Still It Is Cake) 

Scallops Reside Where My Brain Should Be 

Date A Girl Who’s Secretly A 20 Meter Long Man-Eating Centipede 

Being In Love And How It Sucks Sometimes 

Wish We Could Go Out For Coffee But You Hate Me And I Hate Coffee 

Do You Remember When You Told Me That You Love Me When You Told Me That You Love Me When You Told Me That You 

I Loved You I Did So How Did We End Up Like This 

This Will Hurt You More Than It’ll Hurt Me - And That’s Okay! 

I Need You To Understand That I Really Do Want What’s Best For You - And That Simply Isn’t Me 

Father I Do Not Wish To Consume The Cough Syrup 

The Doctor Tried To Check My Heartbeat Only To Find Out I Don’t Have One 

American Girls Scare Me 

I’m Always At Least A Little Bit Scared Hopeless And Frustrated 

The Annoying Whisper In The Back Of Your Head 

The Shadow Out The Corner Of Your Eye 

Can You Help Me Find What’s Wrong With Me 

Too Old To Die Young And Too Young To Just Die 

Plunge Head-First Into A Worldwide Panic Attack 

Unexplainable Excruciating Pain That Started Suddenly And Will Never Go Away 

Wasting Your Life Feeling Like An Underperforming Tool In Someone Else’s Hands 

An Unhealthy Relationship With One’s Own Identity 

Men Like Us Aren’t Supposed To Feel These Things 

Men Like Us Die Alone Because We Think We Deserve It 

My Body Is A Craft Store 

My Lungs Are Full Of Ink 

The Tall Faceless Lad Out The Corner Of My Eye Who Watches Me Sleep While Pointing At The Door 

Peeling An Apple Just To Eat The Skin 

Biting Into A Rubber Ball Like An Apple While Maintaining Full Eye Contact 

For Sale A Set Of Gold Teeth Never Used 

I’m Just A Normal Functioning Member Of The Human Race And There Is No Way Anyone Can Prove Otherwise 

Visual Representation Of The Sound A Rainbow Makes 

The Man Whose Hands Are Always Covered In Melted Butter 

The Girl In A Blue Dress That Lives In Every Village Ever 

The Boy With A Mouthful Of Chalk 

I’m A Weirdo Who Likes To Eat Chalk 

The Magical Princess’s Strawberry-Scented Battle Axe Of Infinite Bloodshed 

Although You Are Yeay Smsll And Your Kind Have Existed In The Universe For Only A Shore Tihe You Are An Inportant Part Of Sohething Yery Large And Very Bcavtiful 

A Friend Is Someone Who Belieuse In Gon Euen When Gon'ue Ceased To Belieue In Gonrseif 

How To Completely Disapp8ar Be Found And Never 

Your Smile Toasty As Yarm As Spiver 

My Face When Face When My F When Facle The Fwhen Thface Mey Face Face When My 

The Breathing Part Of Who Knew By The Correspondents 

Can You Imagine If Los Angeles Was A Real City 

Tower Cranes Are My Favourite Animal 

When I Was A Small Child I Held An Iguana Once 

Ed Sheeran Is My Enemy He Looks Like A Hot Dog 

I Hate Citations Why Can’t You Just Trust Me 

A Classmate Of Mine Once Borrowed One Of My Pens And Then Decided It Was Such A Good Pen He’s Just Gonna Keep It 

Sconce Doesn’t Sound Like A Word To Me But It Is One 

Spells Mom With An O To Confuse People Trying To Guess My Nationality 

The Parasocial Relationship I Have Formed With The Duolingo Cast 

Sorry That Your Rant About How The Game I Like Ruined The Whole Series Forever Didn’t Make Me Like It Any Less 

For The Longest Time I Was Convinced That Pocky Was A Wooden Stick Covered In Chocolate And People Were Eating It Purely For The Anime Aesthetic 

My Girlfriend Said I Eat Corn Weird Which Now That I Think About It Would Explain Why I’m Consistently Covered In Butter 

Wishing To Rant About Fanfiction But Not Wanting To Show How Much Of A Nerd You Secretely Are 

The Eye Lips Eye Emoji Face Fills Me With Unbridled Rage 

When I Was A Child I Was Afraid Of Eating Mars Bars / Because I Thought They Had Fish Food In Them 

The Frankly Terrifying Clip Art I Found When I Googled Champignons 

Doctors Say You Need A Consistent Amount Of Sleep To Be Healthy So I Consistently Sleep For 4 Hours A Night 

Whether You Qualify As A Beach Or Not Depends On The Amount Of Sand You Have Consumed In A Lifetime 

Only The Floor Candy Can Sustain Me 

I Am Irrationally Afraid Of Paper And Plastic 

Tainted Love But The Clapping Is Replaced With The Law & Order Sound Effect 

Softer Cleaner And Fresher Clothes For The Low Cost Of Your Firstborn Child 

What Will It Take For You To Give Up Your Humanity And Become One With The Night 

The Price Of Wisdom Is Bad Grammar 

The Eternal Dance Set To The Sweet Melody Of My Out-Of-Tune Guitar 

Been Hiding From Myself Since The Last Time I Died 

Don’t Aspire To Be Average You Can Go So Much Lower 

My Heart Was Stolen By A Blue-Haired Angel With Piercing Eyes And A Penchant For Singing 

Lonely Sewer Cryptid Looking For Love 

With All Due Respect Sir This Is A Plum 

You Call It Birth I Call It Escapism 

Falling In Reverse Just Means Getting Up 

The Privilege Of Being Born Somebody Else 

The Act Of Balancing A Bottle Of Juice On Your Head 

My Favourite Ride In The Theme Park Is A Bench 

They Stole My Blood Today 

Me And My Lungs Love You 

On The Outside I May Look Like A Regular Man But On The Inside I’m A Japanese Spider Crab 

My Head Is Full Of Froyo 

Seychelles Flag But The Colours Are Out Of Order And Now Also Inverted 

Slam-Dunking A Toaster 

Chugging A Bottle Of Body Wash 

Grandma Stop Touching The Stove \ No Need To Confirm It’s Not On 

I Found God Inside An Apple Core 

Some Days I’m Afraid I Will Cut My Eyes By The Sight Of Glass Shards 

Look At Her Go Biting Everyone Who Comes Near Her Like A Champ 

I Apologize If You Found Finding This Place Difficult But You Must Understand I Am Currently Evading Detection And Arrest For Crimes Undisclosed 

God’s Gift To Women (Promptly Returned) 

Getting Hunted For Sport With Your Good Friend Bates 

So Good At Sleeping I Could Do It With My Eyes Closed 

Your Teeth (Hand Them Over) 

An Overemotional State Projected Upon The Unsuspecting Public 

What If You Could Glow In The Dark 

You’re As Beautiful As The Light Reflecting Off The Teeth Of The Moon 

Why Are You Sleeping In The Algae Pond 

Write Your Love In The Blood Coursing Through My Veins 

Please Relieve Me Of The Dreams Plaguing My Every Waking Moment 

And If You Thought It Was A Threat It Might Have Been 

Find Yourself In The Patterns On The Wall 

The Horrifying Ordeal Of Having Loud Neighbours 

Putting On A Show To Seem Alive / When I Don’t Feel Alive 

Time Has Stopped Passing A Long Time Ago 

Once Again A Cold Rainy Winter Gives Way To A Cold Rainy Spring 

Here’s Cheers To The Man Who Stole My Heart Away 

Please Stop Eating Bugs It’s Weird 

You Made Me The Villain Of Your Story Darling Now Own Up To It Won’t You 

If Someone Tries To Shoot You Simply Tell The Bullet To Leave You Alone 

She Drowned Jupiter In Her Martini Glass 

The Sort Of Love You Only Feel When Drunk 

It’s Past My Bedtime And I’m Thinking Of You 

Say The Apples Seem Strange This Year 

The Man Who Looked At Me So Sweetly In Soft Flavours Of Deep Beige 

Oh Baby Don’t You Know Our Sort Is Locked Out Of Heaven 

There’s No ‘You’ In 'My Cup Of Tea' 

You Have To Stop Making So Many Enemies 

Now We’re Cooking With Lasers 

Middle Of The Night Yet You’re Wide Awake Thinking About Waluigi 

You Have This Power Inside And It’s Frightening 

You And Me And The Aquarium Between Us 

I Don’t Know What This Is But It’s Not An Avocado 

Wish Me Luck Honey (I Couldn’t Ask For More) 

All The Things You Did Before You Did Them 

You Ought To Stop Eating Spiders It’s Creeping The Guests Out 

It Sure Is Wet In Here I’ll Tell You What 

I’ve Been Chugging Poison Waiting For The Day You Inevitably Take Me Up On My Offer And Take A Proper Bite Out Of Me 

Keep All Body Parts On The Inside Of The Vehicle At All Times As Failure To Comply May Result In Having Them Unwillingly Removed 

Drowning In A Coffee Cup (What An Awful Way To Go) 

Do The Trees Bite Where You’re From 

My Overconfidence Is Astounding And It’s A Surprise I’ve Never Been Killed 

I Understand Where You’re Coming From But Where Did You Get The Gun 

Have You Found Yourself Or Your Loved Ones Suffering From A Case Of Empty Eyes 

We Wouldn’t Be Here If SOMEONE Didn’t Spill Ketchup On The Sheets 

Tastes Like Hot Sugar On A Sharp Knife 

As You Can Tell By The Yellow Filter We Just Entered Mexico 

You’re Telling Me He Died From The Mould? And What Did The Mould Do, Stab Him? 

One Of These Beans Tastes Like Cola And The Other Tastes Like Black Mould 

Next Time Maybe Don’t Go Into The Forest At Night Hm Buddy? Just A Thought 

Well That Was A Little Unnecessarily Brutal Don’t You Think? 

Tender Words And Hellish Screams 

Too Cool To Sleep At A Reasonable Hour 

For A Place Called Silent Hill It Sure Is Horribly Noisy 

Smoke’s Water And We’re Water Therefore We Are Bleach 

Your Love Tastes Like A Heart Attack 

Pixy Stix and Broken Bones 

You Smell Like Nonsense With A Hint Of Melancholy 

Crying Because Cats Are Cute And Deserve The World 

I’m Sick But The Bags Under My Eyes Are Sicker 

I Live In A Room With No Windows 

I Haven’t Left The House In Months 

Don’t Stand So Close To The TV Lest The Static Claims You 

Forever Dizzy In This Lonely World 

Day 243 The Wall Effigy Started Talking To Me 

I’m Not Happy Unless I’m Miserable 

Summer Lasts A Week At Best But My Dedication To Sweater Vests Is Eternal So Look Me In The Eye Little Teacup And Melt If It Bothers You So Much 

Chicken Nuggets Heat Up Faster On The Higher Shelf Of The Oven Because Of Their Proximity To God 

It’s Summer (Hot Weather Turns My People Violent) 

You Can’t Just Ask A Guy Why He’s In Love 

Seeing The French Everywhere Might Be A Side Effect Of Something And I Have Yet To Find Out What But It Could Be Asbestos 

Remember When We Would Stay Up All Night Reading Fanfic On Our Phones 

What Do You Know About Being Divine 

Couldn’t Believe When You Said You Were A Deity 

When I Was A Child I Thought / That The Word Rainbow Had Eight Letters / And That One Of Them Was D 

Who Needs Sleep When I Can Just Drop Dead For A Rest 

I Don’t Check My Email In Fear Someone Tried To Contact Me Via Email 

I Saw A Bumblebee Today And It Was Huge Really Absolutely Massive 

Mid-Performance Chainsaw Solo 

I Want To Drown In Your Swimming Pool 

Feelings Of An Almost Human Nature 

Can’t Let It Slip That There’s More To Me Than Little Old I 

Manual Therapy For Anxious Hands 

A Sense Of Failure Wasting Away And Never Living Up To Your Full Potential Unable To Get Things Done And Putting Everything Off Because You Are Scared Of Progress 

He To Whom The Cake’s Dedicated 

You’re Quite Pleasant But The Pleasure Is Mine 

What Dropping A Large Bag Of Coal On Your Foot Feels Like 

I’m One Of Those Annoying People Who Would Rather Use Fifty Commas Than Shorten The Sentence 

Seeing The Future In The Tear Stains On Your Cheeks 

Do You Ever Feel Crowded In A Lonely Room 

I Want To Eat Eggs Whole Shell And All 

Adopt Your Enemies To Establish Dominance 

I’ve Existed For Thousands Of Years Before Gaining Sentience 

You Are A Dream In A Crowd Of Nightmares 

Get Your Shoes Off My Bed You Animal 

Do Not Invite Me To Your DnD Party Unless You Are Ready To Accept The Consequences 

Too Good For Heaven Too Bad For Hell 

I’m Not Above Eating Off The Floor 

I Distinctly Remember The Time He Stayed With Us 

I Know I May Look Like A Real Person But I Am Actually Not A Real Person At All 

When It Comes To Near Death Experiences I’m An Expert 

Your Skin Smells Like The Last Days Of Summer 

I Never Learned How To Write 

God Wouldn’t Have Wanted This / But This Isn’t About God / It’s About Our New Dish Soap / Now Available In Supermarkets Near You 

Do You Remember Your First Time Tasting Water 

You Know How Sometimes An Unwanted Guest Comes Over And You Do All You Can To Make Them Leave While Remaining Polite 

Fizzy Brained Children Are So Troublesome 

I Forgot What The Antagonist Of Legend Of Zelda Was Called And For A Good Moment Thought It Was Gandalf 

You’re The First Descendant In A Line Of Workaholics Utterly Convinced Your Willingness To Sacrifice Your Own Health Determines Your Worth As A Human Being And Promptly Working Yourself To Death To Provide Unto Others What You Never Had A Chance To Understand You Deserved Yourself 

I Am The Mirror In Which You Can See All The Evil In The World 

So Far Throughout My Life I Got Mildly Electrocuted On Three Separate Occasions 

Asking My DM Friend To Put A Light-Emitting Crab In Our Game 

Leaving The Fridge At 3 In The Morning 

Pepsi Makes My Teeth Go Numb 

Peach Yoghurt Tastes Better With Whipped Cream 

Thinking About Him (The Enlightened Prophet) 

There’s A Strange Man Hiding In The Fruit Aisle 

My Brain Operates On Frequencies You’ve Never Even Heard Of 

The Curious Desire For Overwhelmingly Vivid Symmetry 

My Computer Chair Broke So Now I’m Stuck Here Leaning To The Right 

People Ask Me How I Manage To Think Of You Everyday And To Be Completely Honest I Never Know What To Say Because It Feels So Natural 

Pepsi Running Through My Veins 

What Flavour Is Your Mind 

Sorry My Dad Said I Can’t Join Your Cult Today For I’m Grounded 

Squirrels Ate My Will To Live 

Being Told I’m Allowed To Make My Final Class Project About Any Topic I Want Awakens A Demon Inside Me That Makes Me Subject My Classmates To Only The Finest Of My Obscure Interests 

Standing In Front Of Me She Quickly Undressed Confessing Her Desire To Cause Me Physical Harm And Needless To Say I Was Baffled But Nonetheless Intrigued 

You Love Them Now You’ll Hate Them Later 

The Only Thing Greater Than My Ego Is My Impostor Syndrome 

Don’t Try To Tell Me How I’m Supposed To Breathe 

Why Is There Fish Bait In The Fridge Again 

You Scream Ancient Curses In Long Dead Languages And Perish Surrounded By Friends 

The Subtle Taste Of La Croix And Gentrification 

The Cons Of Being My Friend Greatly Outweigh The Pros 

You Are Who We Say You Are Because Public Opinion Beats Self Worth Every Time 

Angels Lost Their Charm When You Walked In 

Some Days I Feel Like A Lobster On A Skateboard 

Make Yourself Comfortable We’ll Be Falling For A While 

Bleed Your Soul And Blind Your Eyes 

You Can Stay At My Place But You’ll Never Find Me There 

Had A Dream Today That Hastur Was A Canon Character In Deltarune (I Woke Up With Enough Adrenaline To Bypass Anxiety And Respond To My E-Mails) 

Murder And Other Expressions Of Love 

You Locked Me In A Cage And Threw Away The Key And When You Found Someone Better I Was Left To Gnaw On The Bars For My Freedom 

What Do You MEAN There Was A Fire 

Cough Syrup Flavours According To Tumblr User Darkangelofglory 

A Little Weirdo Driven By Consumption 

Does A Straw Have One Hole Or Two 

I Want That Coca Cola Limelight 

Clouds Did Not Exist Before 1997 

More Dish Soap Than God Intended To Exist 

Some Days The World Is Too Bright To Function 

Sometimes I Look Up The Last Minutes Of A Movie I’ve Seen Before Because I’m Not Ready For The Emotional Investment Of Going Through The Plot’s Ups And Downs But Crave The Gratification Of A Happy Ending 

My Companion Looked In Horror At The Scene Unfolding Before Our Very Eyes Before Finally Saying Out Loud What We’ve All Been Thinking / Did He… Did He Steal Her Teeth? 

Give Me Salvation I Swear I Won’t Bite 

Your Love Has Brought Me To The Point Of No Returning 

I Can’t Get The Bees Out Of My Teeth 

Open The Fridge Dear (I Promise I’m Not In It) 

Please Don’t Lick The Walls 

Two Egg Yolks Six Teaspoons Of Sugar And A Tablespoon Of Cocoa 

Go To Sleep In The Morning And Wake Up At Noon Only To Go Back To Sleep Till Evening And Wake Up Full Of Regret And With A Headache 

The Infinite Game Or The Inevitable Disappointment Induced By The Terminality Of Things And Its Ability To Ruin One’s Enjoyment Of The Thing In Question 

If A Mushroom Can See Itself As A God So Can You 

I Sold My Lungs On The Black Market 

This Man Shoved His Face In a Tub Of Soap Bubbles - What Happened Next May Surprise You 

A Sort Of Soft Paste Which Tastes Like Perfume 

I’ve Nothing But Contempt For Fahrenheit 

The Little People At The Bottom Of The Ocean 

When I Grow Up I Want To Be Fruit Juice 

You’re Being Hunted (By Me) 

He Kinda Looks Like He’s Sucking On A Brick 

Crying Over A Chicken Nugget 

Slide-Whistles You To Death 

All The Personality Of A Collapsed Lung 

The Burning Fragrance Of Cleaning Supplies 

The First Time You Scraped Your Knee Falling Off A Bike 

Go Ahead And Floor It Luv 

A Toast To Our Special Little Brand Of Sin 

Dunks You In Tea LOL 

Sipping Sunflower Oil From A Wine Glass 

Even The Mushrooms Mourn Losing You 

You And All Your Money That You’ve Stolen From The Poor 

Where Do You Get Off Poisoning My Tea 

The Man Of Wine And Cigarette Smoke 

[classicallyyours]

good morning - m.o

drabble - WC: 901 Gender Neutral, but he calls u Doll once I love him so dearly, I fear

Once a month, Osamu wakes you up at the crack of dawn to make you both breakfast. It started as a simple, accidental morning when he caught you making eggs at 5am because it was your first sleepover together and your nerves had kept you up all night. He had laughed and kissed your head before joining you at the stove. The two of you crashed hard for a mid morning nap soon after. This particular morning, neither you nor Osamu wanted to face the day. The previous night had been messy and left the both of you tearful and angry. You hadn’t been spending much time together, with Osamu picking up later shifts at the shop, and you getting up earlier and earlier to start your days. It blew up in a fight, which brought you to today. His alarm that he sets for this one hour every month blares through the room. You almost don’t get up. Your eyes peel open, still mildly stinging from your silent tears and exhaustion. Not like you had slept much anyway. You shift and shuffle to face him, and hear Osamu grumble as he turns the alarm off. He huffs a sigh, and the two of you make eye contact in the dark of your room. His grey eyes are cold and tired, but begin to fill with warmth when you scooch in to cuddle his chest. His arms wrap tightly around you, and the two of you murmur apologies amidst the dancing shadows on your bedroom wall. Real sleep is about to overtake you when his alarm sounds again. Snooze. He hit snooze, not off. He keeps an arm around you while he slaps around to turn off his phone for real. His voice is gravelly and molten when he speaks. 

“Well, we gettin’ up or what?” 

It gives you familiar chills, and you respond with a nod and a kiss to his chest. 

“Carry me out there?” Your voice is innocent but laced with trouble. You know how he is in the mornings, especially with you. The poor man can’t say no to a single thing you say. Instead of teasing you back, he just kisses your forehead, and reaches over to find and hand you a sweatshirt that he discarded on the floor. He knows you’ll be cold soon. You gratefully pull it on, and hold your arms up for him. He silently picks you up, easily, effortlessly, and keeps you close as he sets you back down on the cold kitchen floor. You whine. 

“What about the counter?” 

He chuckles, getting out ingredients for pancakes. “I’m tryin’ to make us breakfast, not kiss y’a black and blue.” 

“Why not both?” You grin cheekily, something you learned after spending so much time with both of the Miya twins. He narrows his eyes at you, stealing a chaste kiss before buttering the pan. 

“Maybe when it’s not 5am. Don’t think I have the brain power for both right now.” At the realization, he turns to you. “Can y’a start a pot of coffee Doll?” You nod, getting out the grounds and mugs. While waiting for your caffeine savior, you rustle through the fridge for some fruit, and chop it up to go with your pancakes. You feed a strawberry to Osamu, giggling as he kisses your fingers along with the bite he takes. He winks, finishing the last one as coffee is poured. The two of you go to your balcony, sitting close to stay warm in the dewy, chilly morning. The sun rises right on time. The both of you say thanks, and eat without much conversation. His eyes are trained on you, on the grey sweatshirt you wear with the maroon letters Inarizaki VBC printed on the front, and his heart feels so full. He wonders why he ever took extra shifts when it meant being away from you, and sights like this. 

“Can you believe that there was a time I didn’t know y’a? And now yer wearing my clothes and eating my breakfast,” he laughs. His voice is still lined with the last few minutes of sleep; the coffee hasn’t kicked in yet. You blush, remembering your first meeting 8 months ago. You, a traveling food reporter and blogger looking for every new spot to try around the world, stumbled into the shop starving. Osamu thought you were the most ethereal thing he had ever laid his eyes on, but maybe that was the lunch rush talking. You stumbled through your order, and he stumbled through his interview with you after you ate. He forgot to ask your name when you left, and he spent the rest of the night until he had to get ready for work searching for you online. Your article popped up two days later, and he framed the positive review. While he saw your name on the piece you wrote, it wasn’t until it fell perfectly from your lips that he never forgot it. The rest was history. You smile warmly at the memory. 

“Well what can I say, you have really comfortable sweaters.” 

He laughed warmly and kissed your hand one, two, three times. 

“I love you, endlessly.”

“I love you more.”

“Can we stay in today? No early routines or late nights for either of us?” 

“Oh Samu.” You kissed his hand. “That’s the best thing you’ve said all week.”

[junelover505]

I have stitches in my mouth; I yearn to be heard

TRIGGER WARNING!!

existential dread, but it's not too bad! This is part of a series that's for mature audiences however, and the chapters will progressively get darker and darker.

So as always: Minors DNI!! And read with caution!! 

            A little something to set the mood :)

Between blacking out and coming to; transportation:

Juniper bears an indiscernable hollowness in her heart. The lonely soul found itself in emptiness as terrifying as it was familiar. 

Is the void a mirror or a window?

What constitutes your existence? 

Is it just your belief? Your perception of your own self? The very act of thought?

Cogito ergo sum. 

Juniper always believed that when a tree falls down and no one is around to hear it's echo, then it is mute.

Why think when you can be seen.

Juniper is always seen.

Where is June?

  CHAPTER 1: Cogitare; cogitare; the only thing you can do as it begins. 

"Je pense ,donc je suis."

"I am thinking, therefore i am."

June always thought it was just: "i think, therefore i am."

The memory was something she recalled from when the teacher brought up some other philosopher's interpretation of the sentence, and upon discussing the belief of a mistranslation, everyone turned to the only student fluent in french for confirmation.

It very well could have been; as the french present tense is rather vague ,and capable of being used in the absolute; whereas the English simple present is much more restricted, and not necessarily indicative of an active continuous action.

That class started with the teacher's attempt to establish a scenario of consistent doubting of all that you know.

--Passed down information, folklore stories, word of mouth anything without tangible scientific proof.--

Discarding all that had a chance of doubt, until all that you had left was certainty. 

--Anything that you simply couldn't prove yourself, all that you can't see or experience through your own perception.--

As long as it had even the most minute chance of being false; it is then factually not real, or wrong ;so that what is left is what we can know beyond the shadow of a doubt.A

And as all can be cause for doubt, it also includes your very own senses and your very self.

June moved on to daydreaming by that point of the class, because how can you have doubt in so much? What would even be left for you to doubt? you'll have nothing. might as well be nothing, as nothing will be left.

How can you even doubt all your senses simultaneously for that long, all that you've known and what's been ingrained in you. Something so fundamental is literally 70% of what built you, your perception, and how you process the world that you just simply decided was not real.

You cannot look at fire, put your hand in and feel the burning in your palm, then deny the fact that it simply is a flame before you ,crying deception while blisters form at your skin.

Well ,the strawberry Blonde understood such train of thought when she saw a moving tree that turned out to be a man from the woods, outside a rundown motel window.

She doubted her sense of sight ,when she saw the 'man' turn out to be a live mannequin as tall as if not taller then the highest branches, in a black suit and bright red tie.

She doubted her sense of smell ,when the scent of copper mingled in with that of pine trees after running to look for it. 

She doubted her sense of touch, when she stepped on a dying, beaten body in the woods.

She doubted her very judgement when she didn't try fighting harder when the killer grabbed at her like she was some type of stress plush and he was but a scared child.

Now, at this moment where time seemed to stand still and she lost all reference that she's long relied on; she doubted her very existence after blacking out without a second's notice; upon standing before that creature, the moment that blood covered man had let go of her and she failed to run away in time; leading June to find herself in endless darkness for a reason that she has yet to come to understand.

Empty black; an all consuming nothingness. A void. An abyss.

Did she die? Maybe a heart attack. 

no. 

Those hurt, her diet is good, she had no genetic heart issues from either side of her family.

Did she pass out? 

Shouldn't she then be unconscious? Unaware of even where she was and safe from knowing that such a void existed.

What was she supposed to do if she suddenly stopped existing? Was this it? 

Without her sense of perception; without that man covered in blood and soot, what other proof did she have of still being alive; of being real?

He was least lucky enough to ask her to confirm they saw the same thing when they faced the tall mannequin; she had no one to tell her if she herself could be seen.

She was alone; without the perception of herself or that of others to rely on.

Can she truly remain when she had no way of grounding herself with her self despite having no body an no way to impact what is around her corporally?

If there wasn't a world for her to interact with any longer, and be perceived in ;then she could only conclude that she was simply taken away from reality itself; akin to a grey hair plucked out from a scalp filled in black.

That is how she felt at least. One moment, she was awake and afraid, doubting all her senses and all that she'd known, facing a one in a million scenario that seemed to have come straight out of a block buster shelf, and like a snap everything went to an all consuming black.

She was no longer real. She could not have been.

She had just ceased to exist, she is now nothing. As nothing is all that is left and the only thing she could conceive.

So she was simply nothing? That's all it could be.

A conscious concept doomed to roam about in a forever nothingness with no one but the empty shell she's never bothered to know until now. Except there was no shell of flesh; just a dull obsidian.

Wasn't that who she was before?

An empty nothing, the lack of a person.

Was that all she'd ever been? How shed been seen? Just the silhouette of a a void, a nothingness cut out from the fabric of reality and ever moving in stopmotion-like gestures ;only craving to prove she was made of tangible matter upon her interactions with all that is in smooth sultry gestures; but pathetically failing each attempt and creating a show of pitiful submission to whatever creator willfully made her believe she was made in the image of meat to be ferociously consumed? 

Desperate and hungry in her own right, but never allowed satiation.

She could not feel the air entering her lungs no matter how hard she tried to breathe.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

Over and over, she tried to take in a desperate breath but felt nothing fill the area she assumed her lungs should have been in.

Where were her organs supposed to be in? The rest of her.

There was no way to tell up from down ,the left from right ,the north from east, the front from the back.

Her lungs, her shoulders her feet her stomach, the ever growing source of her aching.

There was no use in trying to hug herself as she felt nothing.

She saw nothing and felt nothing, knew nothing and so she might as well be nothing.

She'd been stuck like this for so long.o

How long?

She never will she know a reality beyond this one, where a lack of existence will forever be her mirror as a nothing; a less then nought.

She was doomed. How much time had passed? It felt like hours ,days, ages without any stimuli other then her own physically unfelt terror and an all consuming famishment for a corplorality she'd lost, bordering onto manic obsession.

Ages of trying to create sound through cries and screams without a voice box to speak of, no throat to go sore ,and no ears to deafen let alone hear.

All encompassing carnal anguish and restless terror of a nothing, a horror that is not to be anatomically felt.

She had no heart, to feel its breakneck unrhythmic thundering in her ribcage, creating rapid thought clouding pulsations in her ear; no blood to feel its rapid pumping through her system; no vision to cloud over and blur and tunnel into everything and nothing at once.

She had no mind left to loose, but endless time to mourn the flesh she's once took for granted and had the audacity to despise in the past, thinking of it as a curse that will ruin her until she would have no consciousness left to realize it was gone ,when she's 6 feet under.

This was hell itself. 

Her hell was her very own all consuming emptiness she'd long felt within personified. Her filthy all blackened soul laid bare before her and she had eternity to make peace with such a fate.

Eternity; days ,weeks ,months. Time was not real and she had no way to count it, but her thoughts were so disgustingly clouded as she ruminated on her lack of existing.

Her new normal.

So much began to blur and mush together before separating back with only the sheer desperate carnal thirst her mind had for stimulation that made her take the time to rearrange her dusted memory closet.

And over whatever chunk of uncountable time had passed ,as her very mind felt like it was dissipating and fizzling out; she realized that her new curse of lucidity was the only thing she had left in this dark abyss, was slowly giving out on her as well.

She did have a mind, awareness, at least she had thought. And that might be all she would ever have.

What if that could just as easily be lost as her body and all else?

Wouldn't having a mind mean she was at least something within it's own right? She must at least exist in some form as her consciousness was concrete.

The very fact that she thought she simply ceased to exist was proof she did . And that despite feeling like time no longer existed beyond her vaguely guessed perceptions of its passing, it still technically should have still been passing.

You cannot doubt the active moving concept that you are as you'd need to exist to deny it.

Therefore she herself as an active, conscious concept , is simply incapable of denying her own existence, as the ladder act was paradoxically the antonym of the concept she was denying.

Therefore ,she had to be real, this new normal still had something of her old normal within it, there might be more to dig out.

Maybe her consciousness ,and therefore existence was just temporary? 

After all, you'd never know if you are simply dreaming, you just wake up.

So maybe there was a way out of this nightmare that was beyond accommodating to it, or trying to look for traces of her body through recreating the basic functions with no flesh to function ,or raking through her blurred and unreliable memories for concrete examples of her existence ?

 It would explain the eternal aspect of her reality and the rapid fizzling of the small traces left of her that were not linked to her corporal 

She didn't know how long shed been stuck in this abstract state but it was far longer then she could bother keeping track of all at once ,despite her mind's hunger for entertainment that was not its own self.

She was still real; right? She wasn't completely faded yet as she could still think. 

She had just concluded that she was.

But maybe she remembered wrong. 

This state felt timeless, but the proof of her existence was not a timeless final fact. 

It's only a certainty if she was actively thinking of it, reflecting upon it; doubting it; desperately holding onto her fastly fleeting identity as it slipped like sand through her fingers. 

God what she couldn't give to feel sand in her fingers ,under the nail bed that she would later scrub off with cooling water and lathered soap.

The more she tried to guesstimate her time spent in the abstract ; the worse it got, in the form of an ever heavy sense of despair, pushing her to stop halfway through trying to count passing mississippies before starting over again in some type of sick self inflicted torture.

It's s not like she had anything left but her consciousness in this dark and unfeeling , all encompassing void.

She just had to make sure she was real; that she wasn't fading. Focus on your existence, that you are in fact real.

It's the only thing she's yet to try, and she could at least feel it was slowing down the dissipation of the fastly fleeting "I" that she was.

She had to stick to the basics and keep her mind in one easy and discernable track.

"cogito ergo sum"

She was real. Real and not a nothing.

She was June.

"i think , there for i am"

She was june. And she was real. Even if she was stuck here for centuries more. At least she was real. She was; 

And she will keep telling herself and make sure it remained as such.

"I am thinking, therefore I am"

She was Juniper Eve Laine. And she was real. She still existed. She was actively existing. And by whatever cruel god that created her, she will keep existing if she has a hand in it.

"I am."

"I am."

"I. AM."

But did certainty equate the truth?

If she was so sure she existed, did that make it fact?

A gasp finally filled her lungs.

[fair-night-starry-tears]

Meet Vander Von Kandite! The Prince of Golden Orchid Labyrinth. He is a spoiled and arrogant prince who wants to be recognized the most powerful adventurer. There is a ranking system that proves your grade in the adventurer guild. However, Vander was ranked C and started lies that he was an S class adventurer. As he had the strength and power. He bribed the guild to give him an S card or he will call his father and tarnish the guild by force. Which was done quickly.

But Vander didn’t like Ryu as the man was a ranked S sorcerer so easily from the test. The man rumored Ryu is a dark class sorcerer, and let it boil more and more until it was nothing. He didn’t regret tarnishing Ryu reputation nor feel empathy for him. Vander is by far the reckless adventurer who doesn’t understand the world. And people in his team who knows this, takes advantage of his obliviousness and his bad nature. Egging him on or lying they want help. Which the King of the said kingdom has a good reputation. And Vander will blindly obey to keep face of reputation. He actually is economically smart and knows when to cave to a proposal. However, he lacks communication due to being raised in a weird way with maids and butlers being his guardian.

he is at his mid twenties with Ryu. but if you ask him how his parents are doing, he will say "just fine." and believed the maid and butlers are his real parents since his own never talk to him. Just see him a trophy. but their terrible influence gotten Vander and he turned out a mixture of asshole and weird socially

@adrianasunderworld @mangacupcake @writing-heiress @the-weirdos-mind @skboba-stars @nproduction626 @rose-tea-and-strawberries @anxious-twisted-vampire @yukii0nna @achy-boo @abyssthing198

[darklinaforever]

I need to talk about it. Literally.

I once had a dream inspired by Saurondriel / Haladriel and I kind of put it aside, but it turns out I dreamed the sequel last night so I need to talk about it and externalize.

Especially because I think it would make a great story / duology to write.

The setting is obviously set in a fantasy universe, with three different peoples.

We have the people of sky. The people of the earth. And the people of the sea.

The 3 peoples have very specific characteristics. As :

People of the sky have usually hair golden or silver. Golden for men. Silver for women. It is said that they are the first People to have been created within the world by the creator, who generously endowed them with the gift of eternity like him, although they can still die from various wounds and varied. Also being the most powerful, almost considered gods by the people of water and earth with whom these individuals from the sky hardly interact. There has been so little interaction between this people and the other two over the years from litteraly the creation of the world, that the only traces of their passages in the terrestrial and marine world have almost become legends / tales for these peoples, although they know their real and tangible existence.

Sea People have their hair generally black, dark brown or light brown (although there is an exception, one of the female mermaids, quite mysterious and considered a witch, surprisingly and strangely has red hair). Their hair obviously turns white as they age. They have fish tails that can transform into human legs only during the full moon. They are not immortal, but can live for centuries and centuries, with very, very slow aging. Their life is in fact so long that in the eyes of earthly people, they are almost immortal.

People of the earth have usually red hair. Then there are variations like auburn, strawberry blonde, and different variations of blonde. Their hair turns white as they age. They are not immortal but live for more than a century. The average mortality of their people is generally between 150 [250] and 160 [260] years. Although obviously there are exceptions, with the oldest having managed to reach almost 200 [300] years old.

In this story, for various reasons that I have forgotten, the people of the sea and the people of the land never really got along.

But one of the main reasons for their great mutual hatred is due to a love story between members of these two respective people, who ironically also happened to be the leaders of these two factions, went wrong and which resulted in consequence of being able to prohibit any union between these 2 universes which are the ocean and the earth.

Except that since then, a woman from the people of the sea and a man from the people of the land have in turn fallen in love and their forbidden union this time gave rise to a child who will be our heroine.

Unfortunately, both parents died due to a tragic chain of events caused by their two factions.

But their baby, our heroine, has obviously survived and became the representation of the hope of new peace between these two peoples who wished to redeem themselves from the past tragedy that they had caused and which had therefore given rise to the death of parents, who each in their community had been loved and important.

I'm not going into details here of who they were as a person and figure in their respective communities because that is not the point.

The heroine is therefore capable of living among the people of the sea and the people of the earth and grows up walking between the two with various figures who take care of her, notably among the people of the earth, the former his father's best friend who will be a very important and ambiguous character.

Despite the peace that both camps seem to aspire to through her, there are still tensions, and some would in fact want her to completely choose a people in their own right, leaving the other behind.

Finally, a stranger will come and wreak havoc on the people of the sea and the earth who happens to be a member of the people of the sky.

He is coded a bit in fallen angel mode / Lucifer type, and he and the heroine will form a strange and close bond mixed with emotional understanding and great attraction.

In my memories, he is first an antagonist who after fight them then makes people believe in a desire for redemption to better want to bind himself to the two people and deceive them in order to dominate them later, which partly works and causes even more disasters destruction and conflict in the romance because of the feelings of betrayal that the heroine will feel from having been fooled since she will have originally pleaded his cause with her peers in order to give him a chance at redemption.

But ultimately, it is in the hope of defeating him that the people of the sea and the land will definitively make peace and a war will take place to fight and hunt him.

During the final battle, while the troops of each side are in the middle of combat, the heroine will try to distract our romantic antagonist in the hope of saving time for her camps and for them to win.

This distraction will consist of making people believe that she accepts the offer he originally made to her to join him / become his Queen, and the two will finally make love.

The distraction works and the man of the sky is defeated but not dead, hidden somewhere sleeping ready to return one day.

The heroine happens to be pregnant with his child and it is with one of her close friends that she decides to raise the baby.

Throughout this first part of the history, we suggest reasons and traumas that would explain the behavior and desires of the man from the people of sky who wanted to conquer the 3 kingdoms to put them under one and the same banner and rule them.

The sequel reveals the darker sides of the sky people, not really explored in the first part, which focused much more on the people of the sea and the land with the people of the sky quite mysterious and which apart from our antagonist had no other members who appeared.

Our heroine lives quite far from the people of the sea and the earth with her friend and her daughter whom they raised together and who the more she grows up, the more she feels the call of a dark and unstable power that she needs to learn to control.

When she learns that her father is the equivalent of the Dark Lord of this world, she will first seek to deny this fact, but will then put it into her head to find him after having been treated to visions of the past showing her passages of the loving relationship between these two parents, giving her hope that some goodness persists in her father and she also hopes that he can help her learn to control her powers that no one else can really do help manage.

It is she who will allow her parents to reunite and finally allow true redemption and understanding in the male character from the people of sky who was originally the antagonist.

The heroine and the man from the sky people, following a combination of circumstances which will put our heroine in danger of death, they will link their lives to each other, making it so that she will not be able to die, as long as he, the more powerful being of the two, will live. But if she dies in any other way, he will follow her too in the death.

Ultimately, the story will tell the definitive union of the three people in order to bring true balance to the world.

Because in the end, the antagonist was not really wrong in what he said about the fact that their world was corrupt and that all people needed to be united instead of divided.

He simply used a bad method with a certain radicalism that had to be changed and tempered, which will be the case later thanks to his daughter and the woman who loves him.

Just like our heroine who had a speech very opposite to her own, also a little too extreme.

While the best thing was for them to unite symbolically (their ideas in particular) to help the world get better.

And their union finds a balance through their children / daughter which is a perfect mixture of their best and bad sides.

I point out that obviously, while the guy is coded in dark mode, our heroine is coded in light mode. In particular, she has a pearl that can shine in the deepest depths of the ocean to guide her in the darkness.

On the other hand, I don't really remember if in the end, they rule together as a family, with their daughter as the ultimate queen of this world. I believe this is the case, but since in dreams nothing is fixed, it also seems to me that I had another chained version where no one governed. But I personally like the idea of ​​them ruling as a family in the end. Together, they represent a little of the history of all peoples with their successes and failures ready to give rise to a new, better future.

Everything I say must seem vague and messy, but that's normal, it literally comes from a dream where everything is not very clear and or obviously I have to rewrite certain details.

And I'm already thinking of things that would give more meaning to these bits of stories that my head has already given me during my sleep.

But really, I can't help but think that if developed, it would make a crazy story.

[elpida]

the end of her world - @wiinestories - eden & ben

"I can't stay, work tomorrow, but make sure you lock the door behind me okay?" Ben asked, taking his coat from the hanger in the little hallway by the front door. "I wont forget." Eden laughed a little. "It's raining, take an umbrella?" she pointed from her open plan kitchen to the basket holding the umbrellas. She always had spares. "It's not that far I'll be fine. Hey Eden?" he wanted her attention and she turned to give it. "I'm real proud of you, for leaving that asshole... and if he comes giving you any trouble?" he raised his brow, pushing a hand through his dark curls. "If he comes giving me any trouble... then I promise I'll say something. You'll let me know that you get home okay?" he rolled his eyes at her. "I'm meant to look after you." she moved over, throwing her arms around him with a giggle. "And you do! I just want to take care of you a little bit too."

Ben left her apartment and about two minutes passed before a loud and echoing gunshot rang through the air. Eden had the overwhelming feeling that something wasn’t right, it sounded far too close for comfort. It felt like a silly fear, something that’d never happen but it was the little voice in the back of her mind nagging her to check that pushed her to call him. Nothing. No answer. No answer the second time. She sent a string of texts frantically.

Eden: Ben? Eden: You’re still walking home right? Eden: Can you let me know you’re okay? Eden: Just look at your messages. Eden: Ben, look at your messages. Eden: Please.

She waited, hoping to see ‘sent’ change to ‘seen’ but it didn’t. Her gut twisted and it didn’t stop, that nagging feeling didn’t go away. In a single moment Eden was across her apartment, pulling her shoes on and running out into the rain. It was not like her big brother to ignore his texts, definitely not his calls, whether he’d seen her minutes ago or not he always answered her calls.

Her feet pounded against wonky paving slabs, calling his name in hopes he might hear her and turn around but as Eden rounded the corner she was met with a sight that would haunt her for the rest of her days. Ben, the boy that’d protected her with every ounce of his being since her first breath, the brother that’d fixed every scraped knee and scratch and the man that sat letting his little sister cry on his shoulder over boys that did not deserve her, lay on the pavement.

She collapsed beside him, a heap desperately cradling her him and ignoring the crimson. Eden was wearing a brave face or at least trying to but Ben knew her far better than that, he knew her inside out, knew what she’d say before she’d speak, knew each of her habits. He knew everything, even the particular way she liked strawberries to be cut.

“I’m here.” Eden breathed out quickly. She didn’t know what she was meant to do but hold her hand over his chest, pressing into the wound to try and stop the flow of blood. “I’m here Ben, I’m going to make this okay.” she wasn’t sure at what point the tears had fallen but she felt them hot on her cheeks. She looked at the few onlookers across the street, people that did nothing. “Someone call and ambulance then! Do something!” she didn’t just scream, she shrieked at them until her voice rattled.

“Eden.” Ben breathed out slowly, his voice so much rougher than usual and to that she shook her head frantically. “No, no I don’t want to hear it. You’re going to be fine, okay? You have to be fine.” She cried, panic starting to set in because what more was she meant to do? If it was possible to take his pain, if she could transfer that wound to her own chest she would, if it’d save him, if that was the cost, she’d wish for it harder than anyone could wish. Ben was dying in her arms and there was nothing she or anyone else, could do.

“Eden, listen to me.” He demanded. “Look at me, not that. Stop looking at that.” He reached and took her hands, hands stained in the thick of his own blood and he simply held them as tightly as he could. Her vision distorted by a million emotions. “I’m already gone, I am already gone so listen to what I’m saying. Don’t be scared, don’t you be scared for one minute okay? You are my brave, fearless little sister. You have been through too much to be frightened now and it doesn’t matter whether I’m here in person, I am with you. I will always be with you, remember? I’ll always have your back, that won’t change. I want you to live a good life and then when we meet again, because we will, I’ll hold you to it… I want you to tell me all about it. I want to hear that you knew love, that you were happy.”

One of his hands moved up to cup her cheek and keep her eyes on him and not the wound. He didn’t want her last memories to be of the blood, he wanted her to hear him. “I can’t Ben, I can’t do this without you, not any of it. Who am I meant to turn to when it all goes wrong? Who do I have if not you?” she should have told him to stay, to sleep over. She’d give anything, anything in the world, to be able to go back ten minutes and make him stay. She’d lock the door, she’d barricade it to stop him from leaving. Eden just wanted to have ten minutes back and she wished she could bargain for those minutes, what were ten minutes after all? That was the awful thing with wishes though, they’re not real, they do not come true.

“You can do this without me and you will, you’ll be amazing do you know that?" he paused just for a breath. "Did I ever tell you… how proud I am to be your brother? The day you took over that bakery I told every person that came in that you’re my little sister.” He huffed and it was meant to be in jest but it just ended up in his face contorting in pain. “You’ve always been so full of wonder Eden. Just like with the ducks, you used to love feeding the ducks. I took you every weekend. We should’ve done that again.” His hand started to falter, falling down from her face and she instantly took his hand to keep it held up to her face. She could feel his breath growing ever more shallow.

“We can have more memories like that Ben, we’re meant to be teasing each other when we’re using walkers, stuck watching daytime tv in a nursing home, remember? I have five years on you, I’m meant to be zooming around those halls winning every race we have, you remember when we promised that? You were fifteen, I was ten. We laughed until my tummy hurt.” He huffed again, it was painful and she could see that it.

“You just have to stay with me a bit longer, that’s all. You just have to stay.” she begged. “You’re going to be that quirky old lady one day, but.. But you’ll be eighty and I’m always going to be thirty five.” That hurt her more than anything, the sinking realisation that Ben was going to die in her arms and he’d always remain thirty five in her memory, no matter how old she got. Eden was going to get older and Ben never would.

“I love you, tell me you know that I love you, that I always did. I’m the luckiest girl alive to have a brother like you, okay? I’m the the luckiest girl alive to have Ben O’Connor as my big brother.” His eyes felt heavy and she could see it, but she needed to know that he’d heard her so badly. “Don’t be scared.” He repeated with a slow and wavering breath. Her head moved down to rest against his, forehead to forehead, her own raven waves resting against his tight dark curls. “But I am scared, so please don’t leave me Ben. Please don’t leave me on my own, yeah? Just stay, stay just a little longer.” Eden swallowed, brushing his hair out of his face with her thumbs, smearing cold blood onto his face. “Ben?”

The silence that took over was enough to shatter her soul.

“Ben?” she questioned again but she knew, she couldn’t feel his shallow breathing anymore, just the weight of his body in her arms and resting across her knees. Her arms tightened around him and when she went back to being on her knees, she held his head and upper body into her, hands in his hair, cradling him into her shoulder like she could keep him safe. If she held onto him long enough, maybe he’d be okay.

“Hug me back, just hug me back once more.” She pleaded. The quiet tears turned into audible sobs, louder… louder again because all she could sit there and think was that she was never going to hear his voice again, never going to see that stupid grin when he was taunting her, never be able to cry to him when things got tough, never feel the strong arms hugging her and making everything feel better ever again. She would never have her brothers kind words, love or support ready to catch her again. "No, no no no- no-" For the first time in her life, she felt truly alone.

“I don’t want to be on my own, please. I can't do this on my own.” The audible sobs turned into screams, gut wrenched and truly from the pit of her soul. She cried out until her voice gave out. She tilted her head back and took her gaze heaven bound. Eden was desperate enough to beg to Gods that she did not believe in, to bargain and plead with them to just bring him back.

----

Cade Sabelle turned up as quick as possible when he heard what happened. He dived out of his car, saw her just on the floor and the paramedics must have just arrived because they'd taken him from her eyes and she just sat.. sat staring down at her hands at the blood on the pavement. "No- God no.." he rushed to her, taking her hands, hiding it from her view. "Eden? Eden I'm here, look at me, Eden talk to me.." she didn't look up until Cade was leaning so that her eyes had to be in his line of sight. She was sore with tears that'd ran out, her eyes red, swollen from crying. Her mouth opened but she had no words, nothing she just shook her head. "We're gonna wash this off yeah? Eden its.." he choked up himself. "It's gonna be okay."

[tmrsdiary]

THE GLIMPSE OF US | TOM RIDDLE FF

Summary; Year 2023, Y/n successfully shifts realities to the world of Harry Potter and especially at the year that Lord Voldemort attends at Hogwarts. To her this is a game that she is going to play for a half and year. But, a prophecy is going to be a twisted turn to the whole scenery. Now Y/n needs to be someone who she is not in order to gain the trust of the one and only Tom Riddle. Is she going to make it or her fate ahead of her will lead her to a failure?

WATTPAD

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

The chaotic midnight passed and the universe brought another day with the shining stripes of the Scottish sun hitting Hufflepuff's dorms, waking the one by one the students. Grace Johnson poked Y/n's body to wake her up for breakfast, while Charlotte had already left the dorm followed by the Slytherin troublemaker, Theseus Lestrange. Of course, the two of them had something like an affair, but an affair full of intrigue and aimless quarrellings. They were exhausted from it, but the endless self-masochism by arguing like enemies with each other was keeping them close from time to time.

However, Charlotte was a person that could be fooled easily. You could say that the strawberry blonde girl was controlled merely by her feelings that the young heir of the Lestrange family was causing her whole existence without even mind to have second thoughts.

Theseus was manipulative and the definition of toxicity was in his veins as much as the pure blood ran in there. She couldn't tell what the thing that got her closer to him was, but maybe the interest that he showed to her like no other man was enough to make a click in her heart. He was a true gentleman, with fluffy dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and the brightest smile she had ever seen in a person.

At the time, Theseus was apologizing to Charlotte for not being on his time on their previous date claiming that had some duties to take care of.

Either way, Charlotte Macmillan and Theseus Lestrange were not a good match.

At the other side of the castle, Y/n had woken up watching Grace's form taking care of her thick curly hair while talking about the recent gossip that she learned the same day.

Grace Johnson as her house chaser was popular among the other pupils and always was welcomed to every group to sit and keep company telling the most interesting stories. However, she was enough overloaded for her own good with burdens that she was hearing from other students. Y/n from the other side was listening to her forgetting completely that she had shifted only to meet Tom Riddle.

Her new reality felt almost too real.

She put on pride her Hufflepuff uniform ambling side by side with Grace Johnson to the Great Hall hoping to find at least two empty seats for them at their House table. As they entered, the strong smell of fresh eggs and pumpkin juice filled Y/n's nostrils beefing up her appetite. The room was full of chanters from students that were chatting with each other and the ear-piercing sound of glasses and plates.

Ahead of her, four tables resembling the four houses of Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft.

Starting from the right, Hufflepuff, the house of loyalty and fairness, maybe it hadn't the most talented students, but it had the students that everyone needed in their lives to cope with the bad times; hard-working friends and with its yellow color symbolizing the sun and hope.

The following house right next to Hufflepuff was Ravenclaw, the house of Rowena Ravenclaw, a royal-blue tone hulking in their flag, in which the students with extraordinary wisdom had been sorted there. At the time most students were studying with their breakfast beside them, not sharing another word as the other tables did.

Third in the row. the red-colored table with the bravest students stood the most approachable of them all. Gryffindor house had a tradition of owning the most capable Quidditch players, winning every year against every house. Students that hold bravery in their heart like a lion.

The contrary, however, with the last and neighbourhood house was quite noticeable as you could see closely some nasty looks that both of them were giving to each other. The emerald color of the snake characterizes the House of Slytherin; a house for pure-blood families with cunning heirs who had the ambition to achieve great things in the feature.

At the Slytherin table, Y/n could spot her friend chatting with Theseus Lestrange intensely, again, and beside him his group of friends; Michael Avery, Antony Rosier, Theodore Nott, and another man that was sitting with a bored expression on his face looking at the void drift on his thoughts, looking ethereal under the bright light of the Scottish sun with enchanting handsomeness, Tom Riddle.

She could feel her breath stuck in her throat as she observed the Slytherin prefect, the boy she desired to meet. The Slytherin boy had midnight dark hair and his skin was pale as the moonlight that was glowing on the cold nights of January. Better than the books, even better than the movies.

Y/n noticed that the boy was scribing down in his notebook, more like his journal, with attention paying no mind to the loud chants around him as if they were not there. The girl's stare became intense and it followed him even when she sat down at her table with Grace next to her. The power of the state hold something that didn't pass unnoticed by the boy, and as if everything around him didn't bother him, this stare was the reason made these two pairs of eyes start an endless dance that resembled much the ode of the famous ballet by Tchaikovsky, Swan Lake. The slow pace at first, doubtingly of where it ends, but then gaining dynamic and potential into something great.

Tom Riddle looked through her pupils, trying to understand why this girl with the Hufflepuff attire had the right to stare at him with this curiosity. The state felt familiar to both of them, although Tom had never seen her, however, Y/n could sense the same fear as she did one night, in her reality, ago. His eyes could glow even in the morning hours like the serpent he was and she could feel an allure feeling crawling into her chest as the loud music of the orchestra become louder.

She broke the gaze turning her head to Johnson listening to her story avoiding completely the furrowed eyebrows that Tom Riddle had in his expression. He never missed students in this castle, yet anyone that knew him would never dare stare at his magnificence and continue after catching them. His puzzled look turned to his fellow follower, Rosier, who was eating peacefully his breakfast and talking joyfully with Avery about the upcoming Quidditch game.

"Rosier, who is she?" his eyes found Y/n's form at the end of the opposite table from them.

Michelle Avery bowed his head to the side muttering to Riddle "Isn't she Y/n Greenhouse?"

"I do not recall her," Tom responded trying to find one single memory of this girl in his head but the only thing that was there in her "binder" was emptiness.

"Oi, Lestrange, what's your girlfriend's friends name?" the boy questioned to make sure that he didn't have mistaken the girl's name, showing also a playful grin on his face when he pronounced the word girlfriend to Theseus.

"A git like him could never have a girlfriend," spatted with a high-pitched voice Charlotte was influenced as always by Lestrange's childish behavior. "Y/n Greenhouse and Grace Johnson, why do you ask?"

"Nothing, just curious," Rosier said and turned his head to Riddle "What about her, my lord?"

Tom blinked a few times throwing away his thoughts and replied with coldness "I have never seen her before that's all,"

Michelle shrugged his shoulders speaking to them with a low voice "She is a friends with Jonson, so it is hard to not know her or even remember her," he paused "I mean everyone knows her,"

Tom Riddle however didn't have any thought of her not even when Avery mentioned, hearing the conversation, that she had been several times to their table looking for Charlotte or the fact that she was one of the best students among the others of the Hufflepuff house (in Tom's opinion this was debatable as "this house had only failures")

He gazed at the girl and saw her enjoying the delicious breakfast without sharing any other stare.

...

The sun could be compared to a clock's index rotating around the highest point of the school, the astronomy tower, bringing the peaceful sunset light into charge hitting the marbles, and creating a wonderful enviable scenery in front of Y/n's unbelieved eyes. The muggle was astonished and couldn't believe that her plan had succeeded— she was home, the place she was dreaming of since she first saw the movies; the place that she was sensing as her true destination since she read the Philosopher Stone. She was one of those kids that were waiting for the imaginary Hogwarts letter to arrive at their house in the hope that the magical world of Harry Potter was real. Little Y/n couldn't understand the difference between imagination and reality, but right now the grown version of herself could understand the power that the human mind has; creating an alternative universe that could stay there for eternity.

Y/n would tell everything to her Marisa when she woke up, for the time being, there were six months left for them to meet again, and in her reality some hours until then. Marisa Scott was her friend since childhood, growing up in the same neighborhood, with the same interests and the same psychosynthesis.

Marisa had short hair in the color of the night-blue sky and her eyes grey like the gloomy weather of a November day. She was spiritual, being fond from a young age of her grandmother's charisma, and as she had spent most of her life next to her she was excellent at handling these things. The young girl had respect for magic and didn't ever cross any boundaries that would harm her or any other around her. Being gifted with this charisma was a blessing and a curse at the same time, without showing respect to its ability could function like an atomic bomb, counting backward to your downfall.

The air became colder and she was one hundred sure that the temperature was about to hit under zero. The goosebumps stopped as soon as her body welcomed the castle's warm breeze and Y/n sighed and took the road to the library leaving the Astronomy Tower.

The library was crowded with students, most of them being in the seventh year, and she could tell by the lunatic looks plastered on their faces as they were surrounded by books with their hair resembling a caricature that someone had drawn. Deep down in the library's corridors, she found a quiet place to sit. Behind her was a bookshelf in which she recognized some muggle books and poems and decided to pick one to keep her mind away.

With her arrival at Hogwarts, someone would want to explore every inch of the castle, every corridor, and every ancient history that this building was hiding. But, then, the solitude, the calming aura was begging her to stay in her place and enjoy the journey.

Her hand roamed through thick covers and stopped at a book with a cream cover that was standing out from the other books. She reached her hand, expecting her hand to collide with the hardcover, but instead, her hand collided with another one with slender and crimson, perhaps from the cold, fingers.

She didn't need to turn her head to see who it was. however, her curiosity got her and her head snapped meeting Tom Riddle's gaze. Fuck the Wattpad books, maybe Tom Riddle was always destined to creep out of nowhere and surprising of nowhere.

He flattered a charming smile, fixing his composure to fool the girl more, little did he know that the strange woman knew him like an open book. He hold the velvet cover in his hands and turned it to meet the title "Les fleurs du mal, am I correct?" his french accent rang into her ears and he handed her the book. What I macabre coincidence, Tom Riddle was the Devil's seed who grow up like a flower, a moonflower, that was hiding behind its beauty a poison ivy.

The girl breathed heavily "Charles Baudelaire, indeed. An extraordinary poem collection, isn't it?" the witch responded bracing his fingers with her hand as she touched the book.

"Precisely. I understand why they call him one of the cursed poets, you see not everyone finds the truth behind this world," Tom Riddle could say instead that this world was made for wizards to rule, with a pioneer himself; the great Lord Voldemort.

But of course, he had to show another persona to the world, it would be such a pity his plans go waisted because he couldn't control his outbursts.

He continued his monologue, however, "People with great minds always seem lunatic and got distanced from the lame sheep which is called mass,"

Indisputably, Tom Riddle was scarier when he was talking to Y/n's eyes. The way the words flew out of his mouth revealed the wild and unforgivable nature he had since childhood. Maybe the mask he was wearing couldn't hide the evilness of his soul.

Y/n could swear that in this scene the perfect song for a background would be Mad Hatter by Melanie Martinez, an artist from her time that was judged by the meanings of her songs and mostly for their content.

All the best people are crazy, and Tom Riddle was crazy.

"I prefer creating my truth for this world, it's in my hand to live through the dark or the bright side,". she said and Tom raised an eyebrow. The girl seemed to hold no fear against him, her body didn't even tremble from it. It felt like she was talking to a normal person, not to the future ruler of the wizardry world. And with another shot, Y/n disturbed him even more "Excuse me, but I don't catch your name," playing a game with Tom Riddle's mind was dangerous, perhaps the boy should have a sign in front of him with the phrase Do not attempt to get close.

If a stare could kill Y/n would be dead with her head chopped splitting her brains out on the oak wood table, but again Tom Riddle knew how to maintain his composure "I thought that my persona was known for everyone here," he gave her his hand "I am Tom Riddle," his name left an acidulous taste in his tongue, disgusted by the muggle name that his mother gave him.

"Y/n Greengrass," the girl shook the boy's hand twice this day.