#suddenly remembering it had my childhood dogs in them...

[atlasllm]

:s

[heavenlyheesire]

i could take away your hurt

WHO : rockstar!jay x fem!reader

GENRE : fluff, childhood best friends to lovers!au, ft. the boys of enhypen (lmk if there's anything I missed)

SYNOPSIS : in which your four best friends start a band and you happen to have the biggest crush on the frontman aka your childhood best friend

WC : 7349 words

˗ˏˋ  ur listening to :: 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER's heartbreak girl ˎˊ˗

1:55 —————————•—————— -3:18

♪ i'm right here when you gonna realize that i'm your cure ♪

Growing up with four boy best friends was indeed something you wouldn’t brag about. Especially when those four boys were your neighbors. And still are. Even though the members have moved out of their parents’ houses and lived in a rented house together, there wasn’t a day that passed when one of the four came by their parents’ place to annoy the living shit out of you. 

Heeseung, the eldest of the five, lived to the left of your house. You remembered when you first moved to his neighborhood and he had introduced himself to you the minute you stepped out of the car. He was excited to finally have someone to play with since his older brother didn’t like his company so much. So after two weeks of unpacking and getting the house settled and completed, Heeseung came over to hang out with you. The first thing you guys did together as kids was play a game of basketball. Which in turn, led you guys to become buds with Jake. 

Jake, the third oldest of the five, lived right across the street from you. He was in the front yard with his dog, Layla, when he saw you and Heeseung playing. Happy to finally have new friends in the neighborhood, he went inside to tell his mom he was gonna be across the street with Layla to play with some kids. Running over with Layla in tow, he shyly asked: “can I play with you?” You turned to Heeseung and he nodded his head. Jake smiled brightly and grabbed the ball to shoot in the hoop. Two weeks later, you, Heeseung, and Jake were playing fetch with Layla in his front yard when you met Sunghoon. 

Sunghoon, the youngest of the five, lived right next to Jake and across the street from Heeseung. He had been at the park that was five minutes away from the neighborhood with his mom, little sister, and dog, Gaeul, when he needed to go to the bathroom. Walking back to his house with Gaeul leading the way, he hummed a song his mom had on repeat that morning. He looked to the right of him and saw you, Heeseung, and Jake playing with a big fluffy dog when the dog suddenly barked at him, making the three of you turn in unison. You had softly told him, “your dog is so pretty, what’s its name?” Sunghoon blushed a little bit and said while looking at the ground, “her name is Gaeul.” You smiled at his shyness, “come hang out with us.” He looked up and nodded. A month later, Sunghoon introduced you guys to his cousin, Jay. 

Jay, the second oldest of the five, lived to the right of your house and happened to be cousins with Sunghoon. The day you met Jay, you and the boys were sitting in Sunghoon’s game room playing on the Wii when his mom had called you all for lunch. Walking downstairs with your belly’s empty and hungry, you sat at the table ready for whatever Mrs. Park had conjured up. She had made cheese tteokbokki, which was devoured within minutes. After sitting at the table, full and satisfied, the doorbell rang. Sunghoon had gotten up to answer it and came back with a boy around your age. “Guys, this is my cousin Jongseong, he just came back from visiting his family in Korea” Sunghoon informed the gang. Jay looked at the boys and smiled at you then said: “you guys can call me Jay!” There was a series of okay’s from the other two boys but you just stared and slightly nodded. 

That was all you remembered from hanging out with them. You got home that night, got ready for bed, and stared up at the ceiling, thinking of Jay’s boyish smile. And that was the moment you knew you were infatuated with him.  

Years went by and you all got older and that bond between the five of you grew stronger. 

You were there for each other for your first heartbreaks, your first kisses, your first relationships, and everything in between. But for every first Jay had, you wished it was you in those moments with him. Even after all those years of being best friends since the ripe age of 7, of sharing secret glances, slow dances in the living room, and holding hands during scary movies, you were still best friends, but oh how much you wanted to be more. The way Jay was always there for you, how he held you when you cried and was your shoulder to lean on. It all made you warm and fuzzy inside and made your heartache. 

At the start of your guys’ senior year of high school, you had realized your crush on Jay was getting you nowhere. So you decided to get into a relationship to hopefully get over this little crush on him. And you did, although, there was a small part of you that hoped you and Jay would end up together someday, somehow. 

Laying around in Heeseung’s garage with the door open, the five of you decided to play Guitar Hero. Jay was on the guitar, Sunghoon was on the drums, and Jake, Heeseung, and you were on vocals. The game counted down from five, and Sunghoon hit the drums to signal the group. Jay followed strumming his guitar and Heeseung sang into the mic “I've been roamin' around, always lookin' down at all I see, painted faces fill the places I can't reach.” Jake continues the next lyrics, “you know that I could use somebody, you know that I could use somebody.” You looked at the four boys and shyly sang next, “someone like you and all you know and how you speak, countless lovers under cover of the street.” You passed the mic around and went back and forth singing the lyrics. 

Jay looked at you letting loose and having fun for the first time in a while and he felt his heart swell with pride. You looked so happy being with the four and all he wanted in that moment was to always be the cause of it. The cause of your smile, the cause of your laughter, the cause of your overall happiness. Something in him had always felt different about you. Maybe, it was the fact you had known each other since you were seven, or maybe it was because you were the first female who had found him cute, besides his family of course. Whatever it was, he had known from that fateful summer day ten years ago, you were someone he wanted to hold onto for as long as he could. 

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he focused on the red, blue, green, and yellow dots passing on the screen in front of him. Excitement filled the veins of the five as they were nearing the end of the song. Jake, Heeseung, and you sang your final line together, “I've been roamin' around, always lookin' down at all I see.” Sweat dripped down your guys’ forehead as it was 100 degrees outside, you all drank out of your water bottles. “Hey Seung, I’m gonna go get a water bottle from inside, I finished mine '' you panted. Jay hurriedly got up from his spot on the couch and held out his bottle, “you can have mine, I’m not thirsty.” You grabbed it out of his hand, “are you sure, because you look like you need one.” Jay smiles and looks at the ground shaking his head, “I’m good, seriously, you take it.” 

You all look towards the screen waiting for the game to load your final score. A couple of seconds later, a big 100 pops up on the TV and you all jump up and down and land yourselves into a big bear hug. Smiles and laughter could be seen and heard from you all. Once you separate from the hug and lay on the big couch in Heeseung’s garage, Sunghoon stands up and looks at the four of you with a devilish grin. Jake looks to the left of him then the right and back to the boy in front of him, “oh no, I don’t like the look on your face.” Sunghoon rolls his eyes at that but says “it’s nothing bad, but what if… we started a band?” Everyone looks around and smiles, excited for what was to come. 

It’s been three years since you got into a relationship with your boyfriend. He was sweet and kind, but oh so frustrating. He never understood your point of view on anything and tried to control everything you did. You argued day and night over everything and anything. It was a never-ending battle between the two of you. None of the boys liked your boyfriend, they thought he was entitled, narcissistic, and controlling. You know you should listen to them, but sometimes you felt like he was the best you were ever gonna get.

“Jongie~, my heart hurts, I can’t believe he said that to me,” you said over the call. Jay puts his phone on speaker, “wait, what’d he say again? I didn’t quite catch it, love.” Love. Love. It was things like that made you wonder if he felt the same way about you that you once had for him and maybe still do. You scoff remembering what your boyfriend had told you an hour ago, “he said I shouldn’t be friends with you and the guys anymore because apparently and I quote ‘the boys have the hots for me and are only friends with me because they wanna sleep with me’ what an asshole huh.” He sits up angrily, “he said what to you?” Nodding your head, you respond to your best friend “yes!! Like who in their right mind tells their girlfriend that her best friends only want her around to hopefully fuck her? That is so fucked like damn, good to know he thinks of me as just a hole.” He rolls his eyes just thinking about your boyfriend, “you’re not, he’s just a bitch, I don’t know why you stay with him when he treats you like shit.” You sigh and look away, “Jong, we’ve been over this a thousand times already.” “And yet, I still don’t understand why, you’re an amazing girl, you’re beautiful, gentle, kind-hearted, selfless, any guy would be lucky to have you,” he tells you as if he doesn’t say these exact words every week to you when you and your boyfriend fight. This time you roll your eyes, “I just… I don’t think I’ll ever deserve anything better than him.” Jay stayed silent, letting his brain process your words and he was confused. How could you, the most gorgeous and angelic person he’s ever gotten the privilege of knowing, think so low of herself? He finally says “you should, just, leave him” and be with me Jay thinks. He lets that thought linger in his mind before letting it go. The silence between you two is comfortable, although a bit heavy. Letting out in a soft sleepy voice, “thanks for being a friend Jongie… I’ll call you tomorrow at 10.” He hums in response and the call ends. 

Thanks for being a friend. 

It was something you always said at the end of every call that infuriated both of you. Jay hated that you only thought of him as a friend and you hated that you had to bury these old feelings for your best friend. As you both lay in bed waiting for sleep to whisk you away, you thought maybe one day, someday. 

Walking into the studio, Jay goes to grab his guitar, “you guys ready to practice?” A round of yes is heard from the boys until Heeseung says “ hey, where’s Y/N? She’s always here to tell us if we sound good or not.” He tunes his guitar before responding, “she and her idiotic boyfriend got into a fight, again, so Gaia and Sunoo took her to go shopping to get her mind off it.” The boys all groan out loud wishing their best friend was there with them. Jake speaks up, “at least she’s with them instead of that tool… are we practicing the new songs Jay wrote today?” Sunghoon shouts from behind his drum kit “yes we are, Jay I don’t care what you think, we need to practice those songs.” Jay shrugs his shoulders, “fine, we’re performing them tomorrow anyway, might as well.” Gasps are heard from everyone around the room, “are you sure about this Jay, Y/N’s gonna be at the show tomorrow” Jake utters. Sunghoon follows up “yeah and you wanna perform the songs you wrote about her?” Jay stops strumming his guitar and thinks okay maybe adding those songs to the setlist without telling them was a bad idea. He starts tapping his foot on the ground, “you guys are reading too much into it, I just thought maybe we could perform something new for the fans.” Murmurs from the boys put Jay at ease and once everyone’s ready and gives a thumbs up, Jay counts them in, “okay… 1, 2, 3…” 

… 

Knocking on your door startled you from the book you were reading. The door to your bedroom opens and Jay pops his head in. He laughs at you holding your chest and your heavy breathing, “did I scare you angel face?” You grab a pillow from your bed and launch it toward him but he dodges it, “that isn’t funny Jong, I almost had a heart attack.” Jay laughs even harder, falling onto your bed and crushing your poor dog, Cheshire. A scared bark rings out from under him and he immediately gets up. His eyes wide, he looks from you to your dog, “Chessy I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.” Petting her chocolate brown fur, he looks up at you and mouths the word sorry. You mouth back it’s okay. “Why are you at my house anyway? It's 8 pm and you have a show tomorrow” you question your best friend. He looks around the room trying to come up with an excuse, “uhhh, my mom needed help with something around the house and I thought I’d come to visit you and Chessy over here.” He grabs the small dog and hugs her, but she jumps out of his arms and runs out the door. You laugh at this, “you do know she doesn’t like you, right?” He nods at you and smiles. You grab this hand to inspect his calloused fingers, running yours over the rough skin. The light music you had on in the background played into the comfortable silence around the both of you. “Are you excited for the show tomorrow? Seung told me you were playing some new songs, can I hear them early?” You excitedly asked the handsome man sitting right next to you. He roughly shakes his head “nope no, that’s not happening, you get to hear them tomorrow with the rest of the Novas.” Whining out loud, you say “oh come on, I’m Blood Moon’s best friend and first fan, don’t I at least get some special treatment?” Jay scoffs “you get to watch our rehearsals, but I can tell you the titles of the songs, that is if you want to know them.” A minute of silence goes by without Jay telling you anything. You jump out of the blankets and stand on the bed, “out with it Park!!!” Jay smiles at your excitedness but still waits for a couple of beats. Frustrated, you slap his toned bicep, “Jongseong~, tell me already!” He puts his hands in the air, “okay I surrender, now stop hitting me… the new songs are Just Saying and~ Heartbreak Girl.” 

The venue Blood Moon was performing at was big, the biggest stage they’ve ever played to date. The four boys were hanging in the dressing room, getting their nerves under control, but a particular frontman was panicking. “Jay, please sit down and drink some water,” Heeseung tells the younger boy. Sunghoon speaks next, “everything is gonna be alright cousin, chill out.” Jake leans out from the bathroom shouting “and please stop pacing, it’s making me anxious!!” Jay sits on the small couch next to the mirror and huffs, “what if she doesn’t like the songs? What if she figures out they’re about her and hates me forever? Guys, what if she figures out I’ve been in love with her since we were seven?...  I can’t do this, I can’t go on.” He suddenly starts breathing heavily and the three boys hurry over to the couch. Jake responds, “listen, she’s not gonna hate you, you’ve been best friends forever and she won’t break that up because of some silly songs okay.” Sunghoon yells out the open door to the dressing room, “can someone bring us a bag of ice!?” Heeseung reassures Jay, “Jong, it’s gonna be okay, you have to trust us and you have to trust yourself.” 

After a few minutes, you walk in with a bag of ice in one hand and your phone in the other. Your hand angrily typing, you say “here’s that bag of ice you wanted.” Heeseung jumps out of his seat, walks to you, and gives you a hug, “you’re an angel, give it to Jay and put it on his chest please.” You look around wondering what happened to your best friend that he needed ice. You spot him on the couch and sit next to him, “what happened Jongie?” Jay grabs the ice from your hand and places it on his racing heart, “just nervous for the show is all.” The ice helped to calm his growing anxiety and nerves down. Looking towards the rest of the boys on the other side of the room, they nod their heads. You ask him “are you sure? You’ve never been this nervous before a show though.” He laughs, “well, there’s a first for everything.” You laugh along with him until your phone rings. Looking down at the screen, you roll your eyes and angrily type out a message again. Scoffing out loud and laying back on the couch, you rub your eyes. Jay notices your off behavior, “what happened to you?” You sigh out loud and fold your legs to your stomach, “Just a stupid argument with he who shall not be named.” Not again Jay thinks but keeps that thought to himself. Jay utters “what about this time?” You sigh, “he wanted me to hang out with him instead of coming to your guys’ show.” He doesn’t say anything, thinking about what you said. Lost in his thoughts, he doesn’t notice your loving stare directed towards him. 

The argument with your boyfriend has made you realize a lot. Being with someone who only ever wanted to fight over stupid, meaningless things was truly so frustrating to everyone around you as well as yourself. You realize why be with someone who treats you like a trophy when the guy who has always had your best interest in mind was right in front of you. Maybe it was time to come to terms with your ever growing feelings for your best friend and confess, even if it ruins the bond you cherished so deeply. The day was full of firsts for everyone. 

… 

“Okay everyone, you’re on in five, please be ready and by the stage” one of the stage managers yelled from the hall. The boys were scrambling to their feet and jumping in front of the mirror for their finishing touches. Shattered yells of “do I look good” and “let’s go” are heard from the boys. You shake your head at your best friend’s antics, “you all look fine, now hurry up to the stage, I’ll be in the front with Gaia and Sunoo cheering you on!!” Jay looks at you one last time before jogging over to the door and giving you a hug, “thanks for being here for me, uhhh, for us.” Smiling at his small slip-up, you hold him against you tighter wishing this moment would last forever. 

The crowd cheers and screams. An uproar of fans shouting Blood Moon over and over again. It was exciting to finally be able to see your best friend’s band perform again after a couple of months. The lights went down and everyone in the arena shouted and jumped for joy. As the music for “Flicker” played, suddenly everyone went silent. Jake sang first and everyone instantly fell in love, “It feels like we’ve wandered every day in search of each other”, Jay continues, “and been facing each other across different spaces,”, Heeseung goes on “from a far distant place, yeah, yeah,”, and Jake finishes off the first verse, “across countless nights.” The song continues on with loud chants and cheers from thousands of Novas in the crowd. They sang along and enjoyed the music as the show went on. You were in awe of the boys’ performance. 

They once had pestered you about joining in on the fun when they first started, but despite your love for music and singing, you knew you could never perform on a stage without the feeling of utterly throwing up. So you settled on being the bands’ number-one fan and supporter, which the boys appreciate so very much. 

The music slowed and the lights brightened. Jake had been cocky about how passionate their fans were but no matter how many Blood Moon shows you’ve been to, Novas’ energy and sheer love for the band always managed to shock you. It was heartwarming to know so many people listened and enjoyed the music your best friends were so devoted to making. 

“Welcome to the Under the Moonlight Tour, we are Blood Moon,” Jay says into the mic, “how we feeling so far?” Novas everywhere in the arena shouted and hollered for the boys, ready for the rest of the show. The four boys on stage laugh and hold their hearts, overwhelmed with the amount of love and support they got back. Sunghoon grabs his mic, “guys, they’re already this excited and it’s only been four songs, I wonder how they’re gonna feel when we perform the next song.” 

Sunghoon hits the drums causing the lights to go down again and the rest of the four follow. The music to a song you know all too well playing all around the arena. It was the first song Heeseung had written and the first song the boys had ever shown to you as a band; although the song was a little cringy to you at first, it quickly became one of your favorites and held so much meaning to the five of you. It still upsets you that they never put it on official streaming services, but you’re sure you can make the boys cave in one day. 

Dancing along to the lyrics beside Gaia, your girl best friend, and Sunoo, Gaia’s boyfriend. Sunoo was holding her in his arms and singing the lyrics to her while they enjoyed each other’s company. You wanted what they had but with the boy on stage who always looked for you in the crowd. After the show, I’ll tell him you think. 

Heeseung stopped playing his guitar and turned to the front row, looking for someone. Once he had you in his sights and locked eyes, he sang, “but now who knew, that she’s in the crowd of my show.” You roll your eyes at him but sing along to the music. “Nothing to lose, she’s standing right in the front row, the perfect view,” Heeseung continues “she came along on her own, and there’s something that you should know.” He points at you then Jay, smirks and winks right back at you, leaving you flustered. Out of the four boys, Heeseung was the only one who knew about your crush on Jay. More like forced it out of you when you were twelve years old at the annual summer party your neighborhood hosted. You did however suspect Jake and Sunghoon caught on to your feelings for Jay, and if they did know, they never said anything to you, thank goodness. The song continued with everyone being super hyped because them playing “Try Hard” only happened once in a blue moon. 

“Try Hard” ended and although everyone was bummed, they were equally happy to have experienced it live. Jake played his bass still and talked into the mic, “they really liked that one huh?” He laughs at his joke and continues, “we’re glad you liked it, it’s one of our favorites too, but I’m gonna slow it down even more, uhm, this next song, a very special song, it’s about a girl named Amnesia and it goes something like this.” They start playing the chords and all around the arena, Novas start to quiet down and sing along softly. 

Jake wasn’t lying, it truly was a very special song. You remember when they first played it for you. You, the boys, Gaia, Sunoo, and his two friends, Jungwon and Riki, were having a bonfire late at night on the beach. It was chilly and the breeze caused your skin to form goosebumps and the fire to burn even brighter. Jay and Heeseung had brought their guitars along and lightly started to strum them. It was a soft melody that left you feeling nostalgic and somewhat sad. They sang the lyrics into the open air and you were in awe. You had no idea they could write a song so emotional yet so beautiful. Toward the end, you got teary-eyed and snuggled closer into your sweater paws. Sunghoon turned to face you and chuckled, wrapping the blanket he had around the both of you and giving your head a soft peck, which in turn caused Jay to frown and look at the sand beneath his feet unbeknownst to you. 

All those memories came flooding back and before you knew it, you were crying. Gaia turned to her right and saw your tear-stricken face. She immediately grabbed your face and wiped your tears away. You smiled at her sweet actions and hugged her in return. Turning back to the stage, you see Jay looking at you so you give him a tip-lipped smile and a thumbs-up. He goes back to rocking out on stage but making sure to keep an eye on you. 

Every emotion known to man rushes through Jay as the next few songs fly by. He knows what songs are coming next and he wasn’t prepared for it at all. He has no idea why he’s so nervous. He’s performed for big crowds and important music industry people; however, no one as important as you. His hands were clammy and his voice a little shaky, he tried to shake it off, tried to make the anxious feelings go away. He looked at his fans, at his brothers on stage with him, nothing seemed to work. But the moment his eyes landed on your figure, like a weight lifted from his shoulders, everything was lighter. Everything vanished from his vision and it was only you and him in the arena as if a spell was cast on the two. So mesmerized by you, that he forgot where he was altogether. 

Heeseung’s next up to talk, “so Novas, as you know we all write songs together, BUT these next two are written purely by our sexy leader Jay, so let’s give it up for him!!” The crowd cheers and you cheer along with them. Jay gets shy and turns toward Sunghoon’s drum kit to hide his blush. He drinks some water and says into the mic, “question for all our Novas, can you keep a secret?” Thousands of yes’s are shouted into the air, startling the boys on stage. Jay laughs, “okay good, because the next ones are new and have never been played for anyone before, so let’s keep this between us.” 

“You got a boyfriend and he's a total loser, all your friends tell you that he's got no future, but they like me, just saying” Jay starts, “he barely takes you out and if he does he's late, and when the check comes he always makes you pay, I'd never do that, just saying.” 

Gaia grabs your hand and you start dancing around to the beat when your phone rings in your pocket. Pulling it out, you look at the screen and see it’s your boyfriend, so you hit decline. Going back to the show and trying to ignore your phone until it becomes unbearable. “What is it that you want now?” you say into the phone once it’s up to your ear. Your boyfriend scoffs on the other end of the line “don’t even start with your bullshit already, not when you ditched me for those losers of best friends you have.” It’s unbelievable how you’ve put up with this for three years straight. Rolling your eyes, you ask again, “what?” He says with a matter of fact tone, “I want you to leave the show and come be with me. Now.” At his ghastly request, you hang up the phone and return back to the show just in time for the final chorus. “You should leave him, ‘cause it really makes me sick, just saying, just saying, you don't need him, I'll help you get over it, just saying, just saying, when you change your mind, I'll be waiting 'cause I'm better than him, just saying, when you change your mind, I'll be waiting, just saying, just saying.”

Barely catching the final lyrics of the song, you look towards Gaia, “was that song about what I think it’s about?” She slowly turns toward you, “if you’re talking about your shitty, short dicked boyfriend, then yes.” Suddenly everything made sense. The compliments, the stares he thinks you didn’t notice every now and then, the protectiveness, the way he absolutely hated your boyfriend. Did he have feelings for you or were you just reading in-between the lines and hearing what you wanted to hear?

Jay looked in your direction, scared to see your reaction only to find you with a confused look on your face. He was terrified and worried you wanted nothing to do with him after this show. Despite his anxieties, he held it through and kept going. Continuing into the next song, Jake sings the opening lyric, “you call me up, it’s like a broken record, saying that your heart hurts that you'll never get over him gettin' over you, and you end up crying and I end up lying 'cause I'm just a sucker for anything that you do.” Gaia turns towards you and smirks, “oh this song is 100% about you, for sure.” You scoff while hitting her shoulder in disbelief, trying to listen to the music. Jay walks up to the mic and sings, “and when the phone call finally ends, you say ‘thanks for being a friend,’ am I going in circles again and again.” The next few lyrics have you shocked. 

“I dedicate this song to you. 

The one who never sees the truth.

That I could take away your hurt, heartbreak girl.

Hold you tight straight through the daylight.

I'm right here, when you gonna realize that I'm your cure?

Heartbreak girl.” 

All you could think to do was stare with your mouth wide open in shock. 

You stare at the man who’s been by your side your whole life. The man who watched you go through the different phases in your life. The man who never judged you for those phases but instead supported you. Were you truly that blind to never notice his affection for you? You tried to focus on the lyrics, tried everything to focus on your best friends, but all you could think about was your racing heart. Your eyes found Jay’s and suddenly, everything was alright. Something inside of you felt like everything would turn out okay. You smiled at him and your heart did a little flip. Feeling your phone buzz in your pocket, you quickly grabbed it. The message your boyfriend had sent completely did it for you. 

HIM : what the hell is your problem? ur acting

like such a bitch right now, i just wanna spend 

time w you and you dont even care wtf 

It was the final straw. You couldn’t put up with it anymore. All the nonsense fighting and the stupid arguments. There was no point in being in this relationship if you were unhappy. 

YOU : We are over. Don’t contact me anymore. Bye. 

Shoving your phone back into your pocket, you look up only to find Jay staring at you with concern. Suddenly, all those negative thoughts and insecurities about your now ex-boyfriend faded as soon as you saw his chocolate-brown eyes. Your mind occupied with Jay and Jay only. You lightly shook your head and melted into a smile wishing for time to speed up so you could finally confess your feelings to the man who’s always held your heart. 

...

The show was winding down to its last song and although the fans were sad, you on the other hand were buzzing with excitement and nerves. 

Sunghoon grabs the mic and says “I wanna say thank you to every single person that is here, you rule!” Jay speaks next, “thank you for listening to our music, thank you for coming down today, and thank you for being awesome in general! Thank you very much!” Jake yells into the mic, “give it up for you guys!” Heeseung laughs, “last song we’re gonna play is a cover of Barbie Girl!” which makes everyone in the arena shout. Jay turns toward you and says “this is Orange Flower You Complete Me, thank you so much! Sing along if you know it! Good night!”

Heeseung and Jay strum their guitars, Sunghoon hits the drums, and Jake strums his bass and sings the opening line, “I was, I was far, I was falling before you shined on me, it was dark, it was dark, it was dark before you woke me up.” Sunghoon continues, “you have a flower in your hand and you smile brightly at me, yeah.” Jay follows up next, “the curse is gone, so I’m yours right now!” 

Dancing and singing along to your favorite song from their new album with your best friends without a care in the world is truly a moment you’ll never forget. Something about those times when it’s only happiness and joy and nothing else that makes you want to freeze time so you can always feel this way. The song goes on with you shedding a few happy tears and taking in the uproar your four best friends have made. It’s crazy to think just three years ago they were practicing in Heeseung’s garage horribly to performing for thousands of fans. 

“In full blossom, I feel you yeah, like the flower language of love, only you fill me up” Jay sings ending the song. The crowd cheers the loudest they ever have, startling the boys a bit. They grab some water and stand in the middle of the stage. Holding hands, they take their final bow of the night. They all say into the mic, “we’re Blood Moon, we love you so much, get home safely!” The four boys wave goodbye to their fans and start their journey to the dressing room. 

As the house lights came on, Gaia grabbed your shoulders and hugged you. She clears her throat, “good luck babe.” You chuckled at her words and hugged her tighter, grateful for her support. Pulling away from her embrace, you give her a smile and nod your head, “thank you, Gee, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Sunoo comes up behind Gaia and takes hold of her waist, “hey honey, we gotta go soon.” 

Gaia nods and smiles as Sunoo gives her a forehead kiss, “okay Sun, I’ll meet you in the lobby, I’m gonna walk Y/N back to the guys’ dressing room.” He nods and waves goodbye to you. Walking to the entrance of the arena, he calls out, “good luck Y/N, go get your man!!” You turn to your best friend and she laughs. “You told him!?” you question the girl next to you. Gaia chuckles, “he overheard us on the phone once!!” 

Walking down the corridor to the dressing room, your palms get sweaty and your insides start to turn. Never has a hallway been this long before. Never has your heart raced this fast before. Never has your mind thought this many thoughts before. Never have you ever doubted yourself this much before. 

What if it’s all just a big misunderstanding and he means all those things as a friend?

What if he was directing all those things to the girl behind me?

What if when I confess to him he’ll realize he doesn’t actually want me? 

What if it’s all some ruse to humiliate me in front of our best friends? 

Gaia shakes you back into reality, “girl are you okay?” Blinking the negative thoughts away, you nod and shyly say “yeah, just a tad bit nervous is all.” The girl in front of you playfully rolls her eyes, “you got this, I love you, tell me everything tomorrow!!” Gaia embraces you again and you whisper “I will, now go get back to YOUR man.” You watch her as she happily skips back to her lover and wish you could feel that way. 

Letting out a breath you didn’t know you were holding, you stare at the closed door of the dressing room. You close your eyes and gather your thoughts, trying to prepare yourself for what’s about to come. Lightly knocking on the door, you wait until you hear a faint “come in”. 

Your shaky hands grab a hold of the doorknob and slowly enter the room. Closing the door behind you, you turn around and see your four boys. Somehow, when the four boys who were laying on the couch came into your vision, all those nerves and doubtful thoughts went out the door. 

The four boys stand up to greet you, “Y/N!! We hope you enjoyed the show, thank you for coming!!!” You smile at their excitement and respond, “you guys did so good, I’m blown away by your performance every time I see you live!!” Their faces turn shades of pink and red and they start murmuring thanks. Making eye contact with Jay, you shyly smile at the ground. 

Jay clears his throat, “um hey Y/N, could I talk to you? Privately?“ The words you’ve dreaded to hear since they played Just Saying not too long ago. You look up at your best friend and slightly nod. Shuffling is heard from the 

back of the room as well as coughs. Jake looks around before scratching his head and says “we’re gonna go help pack up the equipment, see y’all later.” The younger ones follow Heeseung out the door with Sunghoon closing it shut leaving you and Jay alone for the first time that day. 

The two of you stood in a comfortable silence, neither of you wanting to speak up first. 

Choosing to break the silence, you utter “you and the guys did so good out there tonight, I’m so proud of you!” Jay smiles at the ground blushing then looks back at you. He responds “thank you, love, I’m glad you decided to come tonight instead of hanging with your boyfriend, as horrible as that sounds.” You shake your head and laugh at his statement. Shakily, you say, “ummm he’s not my boyfriend anymore.” 

Jay’s heartbeat picks up and he internally smiles. Never has he been so excited and elated to receive such devastating yet amazing news. He pretends to ponder on what you said, “oh is that what happened during the show?” You nod your head at him, trying to work up the courage to tell him how you really feel about him. There’s another moment of silence between you two. Jay scans your figure then your face and decides to just take the risk. 

“Fuck it,” Jay says under his breath. He grabs your waist, pushing you against the cold door of the dressing room, his hands tracing your curves, and smashing his lips on yours. Shocked at first, you stood there not knowing what to do until he bit down, nibbling at your lower lip. You finally come to your senses, moaning into the kiss, and move your lips against his.

Fireworks set off in your stomach and you thought your heart might just explode. It was like something you’ve never felt. You’ve kissed plenty of guys before but it never felt like this. It never felt like you wanted to give up everything and run away to a far-off place with them. It never felt like floating on top of cloud nine into heaven. Heart swelling with so much happiness and joy, you couldn’t help but shed a few tears. 

Jay pulls away from your soft plush lips, resting his forehead on top of yours, relishing in this moment. Suddenly, the both of you hear shuffling from the other side of the door. The sound of deep huffing and puffing as well as Heeseung shouting “just put us all out of our misery and admit it already!” You laugh along with Jay and your other best friends through the door. His eyes still closed, breathing in your sweet scent, he finally says the five words you’ve longed to hear since you were seven: “I’m in love with you.” 

Full of emotions, you couldn’t help but burst into tears again. Jay, concerned about your reaction to his love confession, grabs your face in his hands and hurriedly lets out “oh my God, why are you crying?! Does me being in love with you disgust you that much!?” Shaking your head, you laugh, “no, you dumbass, it’s because you love me back but I spent all of this time thinking you’d never love me that way!” 

This time Jay shakes his head, letting out a little laugh in disbelief. “You really are so oblivious, huh? For years, I have yearned for you, in secrecy and silence. I’ve loved you since the moment I first laid my eyes on you all those years ago... It’s you. It’s always been you.” 

All you could do was smile at him with tears in your eyes. Wrapping your arms around his neck, you bring him closer to your body and lightly peck his lips. Bright smiles on both of your lips, you run your fingers through his hair and jokingly say “so, am I your heartbreak girl or were you talking about some other bitch?” He rolls his eyes at that, throwing his head back, “you’ll always be my girl, my heartbreak girl.” You nod your head at that and snicker, “are you sure?” Jay catches your drift and smirks down at you, “how bout I show you?” He grabs your waist, pulls you towards his body, and molds his lips onto yours for the second time. Your body melts into his as you smile into the passionate kiss almost as if this is where you were meant to be: wrapped in his arms, without a care in the world. 

As the two of you walked to your neighborhood park, hand in hand, you looked up at the sky. The moon and stars were shining brighter than they ever had. Looking back at your best friend, you remember you once looked at him as a friend until you realized you loved him and he loved you in return. You smiled to yourself knowing the heavens approved of your newfound love and would grace the both of you with its angelic love and light for as long as you held and cherished each other until the end of this life and onto the next one. 

an :: this is the second fic I've written on here, so if you could let me know if you enjoyed it, I'd appreciate it sm !! constructive criticism is always welcome, BUT remember to use kind words and send them through my asks box PLEASE AND THANK YOU !! <3

hope you had an angelic time & drown in heaven again soon !!

© heavenlyheesire ..

[sky-high-standards]

Yandere!!Fairytale characters Dark reverse Harem x reader Part 2

Ik I've been neglecting a part to for so long but here it is.

part one here

You fell into the ocean and all you could hear was a voice it was so beautiful and so sweet and..obsessive?

you woke up on a very familiar shore and sat up only to be tackled down by a big gray sheep dog who seemed very happy to see you and due to almost drowning you were extra confused.

???: Maxine? where are you girl

Then a man with dark hair and Caribbean blue eyes spotted you and the dog. Maxine? why does that sound so familiar?

??: Oh sry about Maine ma'-Y/n?

You had no idea how this man knew you but then you remembered.

Y/n: Eric?

He then beamed and hugged you it was eric another one of your childhood friends you two always played by the beach with Maxine and Eric would always say how when he became king you had to be his queen.

flashback

A much younger eric and you playing by the shore making sand castles while Maxine lied in the sun.

Eric: Y/n, Y/n look at my sandcastle!!

Y/n: Oh its so cool.

Eric: cool? It doesn't look cold y/n.

You shook your head.

Y/n: nevermind

Eric then smiled at you and laughed

Eric: Y/n you're very strange y/n when I'm big I'm going to be a king and you're gonna be my queen okay.

Y/n: No I wanna be in charge and you're the strange one.

You huffed and eric then pouted.

Eric: No Y/n you have to be my queen if you're my queen I'll tell the servants to make the moats full of chocolate.

he smirked when he saw your eyes light up.

Y/n: Oh okay I'll be your queen!

Eric: pinky swear?

he said sticking out his pinky finger.

Yn: Pinky swear.

and the moment you interlocked pinkies a promise that eric would never forget was made.

present

As Eric helped you up he brought you back to the palace but you couldn't help but wonder who saved you but little did you know you're savior carefully watched the two of you from under the water

Under the sea

???: Floundra she came back...she finally came back.

A voice excitedly said.

???: I knew she'd come back to me she must love me why else would she fall into the ocean she was practically telling me to save her an act of love!! that's so cute of her.

the voice said in a lovesick and happy way his sea blue eyes practically had hearts in them just thinking of you with a blush as red as his hair dusting his cheeks. but he then snarled.

???: But that repulsive man just had to come too trying to steal her from me I cant have that now.

Floundra his best friend looked at him concerned and worried not just for him but for you too ever since he was a sea wee he'd watch you and Eric play together longing to be a part of your world but this longing soon became a lovesick obsession she'd seen the way he'd look at you blinded by love and delusion she knew he'd go through any length to be with you but after you suddenly disappeared he was devastated and the obsession died down which Floundra was relieved about because she knew if you stayed there longer he would've done something horrendous to have you.

But the moment he saw you again helpless and almost drowning he was euphoric he'd never been so close to you, you finally came back to him he wanted to drag you down to the bottom of the ocean and keep you but unfortunately human lungs aren't for the water so he pulled you to the shore and saved you while happily singing to you and caressing your body the sunset made your skin glow and his emerald green tail shimmer in the light he wanted to stay there forever but he had to come and that mangey mut too so he went back into the ocean and watched from afar with jealous eyes watching Eric help you up.

Floundra: Arien are you okay

He just stayed silent watching Eric take you away the look on his face was blank which was strange for someone as go lucky and puppylike as Arien but it was the kind of cold stare that would run a chill down your spine.

Arien: If I don't act soon she'll be gone forever. I need to get rid of that human Floundra.

In the palace

You got washed up and brought into the old room you used to stay in pacing around wondering how to pass this story and just on time a purple light flashed and your fairy godmother came.

Godmother: I'm glad you made it my dear.

You sighed a sigh of relief happy to see her.

Y/n: Whats my task for this story Godmother?

Godmother: Well my dear you have to keep Eric alive.

At that your heart drops.

Y/n: w-whats going to kill him.

Godmother: That can't be revealed yet my dear...

She smiles gently then continues

Godmother: Keep him away from the sea at all times my dear.

And in a poof of purple light she was gone you groaned the fell onto the bed pondering what danger awaits Eric and when you'd be sent to the next story.

Eric's pov

She came back Maxine she finally came back I knew she'd never break her promise he said looking at his pinky dreamily and she came just in time for me to be crowned king I always knew she was destined to be my queen

He said as Maxine sat Infront of him wagging her tail.

Under the sea

Floundra: Eric don't do this this is a bad idea.

She desperately said swimming by Arien who then gave her a cold and furious look.

Arien: Quiet Floundra

He then swam to the entrance of the sea warlocks cave Ursule Arien swam in determined and motivated and then he saw Ursule sitting there staring right at him with his signature persuasive yet sinister smirk.

Ursule: I year you've been having trouble with you're love life my dear.

Arien: I want you to turn me into a human.

Ursule: oh~ that eager are we?

Ursule laughed and made his way to his spells before he turned to Arien and smirked.

Ursule: you do know you have to pay a price for my help.

Arien: I'll do anything to have her.

He said in a determent voice to which ursule looked intrigued by and checked his spells where your face appeared looking into the ocean.

Ursule: Oh she is quite a catch very beautiful you have a taste for gorgeous things I see.

Arien glared at his comment.

Arien: what price do I have to pay.

Ursule: Well Angelfish you will need a human heart if you want to win hers I'll make you human for Three days but by the third sunset you'll need a human heart and her love.

Arien: She already loves me.

Ursule: Sure she does Angelfish~Ooh and one more little thing, I need your voice.

Arien looked at him irritated and furious.

Arien: How will I tell her I love her without my voice.

Ursule: If she loves you as you say it'll be child's play to show her your love so sign the contract my boy.

A magic contract appeared in front of Arien with a pen to which Arien eagerly signed then suddenly he was human and Floundra quickly helped him to the surface.

Back in your room

You sat on the bed looking out the window staring at the ocean when a figure in an old ships sail stumbled across the beach.

You were intrigued and climbed through your balcony to see who it was as you drew closer you were seen and the figure attempted to run towards you only to fall as if unable to use his legs.

You quickly went to help him.

Y/n: I'm sir ate you alright.

The strange man suddenly leaped onto you nuzzling his face into the crook of your neck as you pushed his face away you got a better look at him he had the most beautiful sea green eyes and soft looking scarlett red hair he was undoubtedly handsome even dressed in an old sail.

As you pushed the clingy man off Eric came along with Maxine

Eric: Y/n!! Y/n where have you gone...oh there you ar-

Eric stopped mid sentence when he saw the man on top of you glaring at him to which Eric immediately tried to separate you two while Maxine growled at the man.

Eric: What do you think you're doing with her?

Eric coldly spat out and the man who was visibly irritated opened his mouth to speak but the closed it scoffing.

Y/n: Eric it's okay he didn't do anything wrong.

You say then turn to the strange man.

Y/n: what's you're name?

You said it do sweetly hid heart melted you were finally here looking at him with those beautiful e/c eyes that were only supposed to look at him.

He opened his mouth to speak but the clutched his thought gesturing that he couldn't speak.

Y/n: oh you can't speak you poor thing Eric we have to help him.

Eric was visibly against this but wouldn't dare upset you so he simply nodded grumbling under his breath and he could've sworn he saw the man smirk.

You three then go to the palace with new company and he soon got dressed cleaned and was seated at dinner.

Y/n: Sir did you have an accident? Is that why you can't speak?

He slowly nodded.

Y/n: Are you okay with me calling you Red until we find your name?

He eagerly nodded and stared into your eyes giving you the most adorable smile but you could sense something was wrong about it...

Okay I accidentally posted this y'all tell me what your suggestions are and tell me if I should continue love you my lovely single pringles.

[komotionlessqueenmm]

Cherrywood

(2-2)

Short story # 19

Gif NOT mine.

Summary - After seeing the state of your orchard, Daemon makes you an offer he believes you cannot refuse. But when you decline his offer, he is left to wonder what it would take to make you agree. And if perhaps it would be easier to just take you away.

Year posted - 2024

Rating - SFW

Reading time (roughly) - 17 minutes

"So sweetling, mind telling me where I am?" Daemon asked as he sat at the table within the cottage, happily accepting the morning meal (Y/n) placed before him. "Cherrywood orchard, my childhood home." She explained with a small smile, proud of her homestead. "That name sounds familiar." He mused in thought. "The cherrys from my orchard are often sent to the Castle in Kingslanding." She sat across from him, a small plate of food before her. "Ah yes Cherrywood orchard, the home of the best cherries in all of Westeros." Daemon hummed with a charming smile. "I wouldn't go that far." (Y/n) smiled faintly, trying to ignore the blush creeping up her neck from the Prince's intense gaze. "Oh but I would." He teased playfully, his attention snapping to the whimpers coming from another room. "Leo I nearly forgot about him!" (Y/n) hissed as she rushed across the cottage.

Daemon watched with amusement when (Y/n) opened the door leading to the whimpers, only for her to be barreled down to the floor by an excited sheepdog. "Leo calm down it's okay. Yes yes I know I know." She mused to the excited dog, as she got back up from the floor, dusting off her skirts. She intended on taking him outside, but hesitated when she suddenly remembered the crimson dragon, who lay just beyond the walls of her home. "M-my Prince... I well I." She stammered, trying to figure out how to put together her words, but failing measurably. "What is it sweetling?" He asked, rising from his seat, and approaching her. "Well... I need to go out and assess the orchard after the storm, and Leo always joins me in the orchard... But your dragon... I'm afraid of what he might do." She admitted, and Daemon smiled softly. "He will do you, nor your loyal pup, any harm. I will accompany you to ensure it." He offered her his arm, his well tailored clothes a stark contrast to her plan dress that she'd made two summers ago. "O-oh alright." She stammered again, not used to the attentions of a man, let alone one of such nobility.

Exiting the cottage, (Y/n) made sure Leo heeled behind her, so as to not tempt the mighty beast, who lay in wait. And when they stepped outside, Caraxes attention was drawn to them, seemingly contempt and as docile as before. Much to (Y/n)'s relief. "He's incredible, isn't he?" Daemon mused aloud, breaking away from (Y/n)'s side to approach his loyal dragon. "Yes... Albeit a bit terrifying." (Y/n) admitted, signaling for Leo to run off to the barn, where he could be with Zero and out of sight of the dragon. "You shouldn't be afraid, you have nothing to fear. He proved that last night when he allowed you to bring me here." The Prince said, placing his hands against the dragons muzzle affectionately. "Perhaps, but still he is like nothing I've ever faced before, and that frightens me." She again admitted to how she felt around the creature, yet still standing her ground and refusing to run away like her body begged her to.

"Come here, you should meet him properly." Daemon offered his hand to her, a warm and comfortable smile on his face, which eased her anxiety a little. "If he eats me, I'll never forgive you." (Y/n) stated as she stepped forward, her words drawing a laugh from the Rouge Prince. "I understand." He said with a grin, taking her hand once she was within reach, and pulling her to stand directly beside himself and Caraxes. "Don't worry, no harm will come to you." Daemon assured her, noticing the fear on her face. "Just relax." He added as he took her hand, and slowly moved it to rest against Caraxes snout. The dragon blew air from his nose at them, much like he had the night before. Only this time he was far more relaxed, knowing that his master was well again. "He likes you." Daemon whispered close to her ear, having stepped closer to her until his chest pressed against her back.

"What makes you so sure?" (Y/n) asked without thought. "He usually only ever does that to me." The Prince stated, moving her hand to rub gently across the dragons scales. "You hear that rumble?" He asked her in a hushed tone, the smile evident in his voice. "Yes." She whispered, entranced by the beast before her. "He's purring, like a great big cat." He said with amusement, making (Y/n) chuckle softly. "He really is the most incredible thing I've ever seen." She breathed out dreamily, her fears completely washed away, and replaced with pure awe. "He's even more incredible when he flies." Daemon mused, his lilac eyes turning to observe (Y/n) more closely. "I imagine so." She smiled, enraptured with the feel of Caraxes scaled beneath her hand. Suddenly the moment was broken by the loud caws of a flock of nearby crows, drawing (Y/n)'s attention back to her homestead.

"I really should see what damage the storm has done to my orchard." She stated, slowly pulling away from Caraxes and Daemon both. Her cheeks a flush of pink, only having just noticed how close the Prince had gotten to her. "Yes, of course." Daemon agreed, following her and commanding in valyrian for Caraxes to stay put. When they neared the orchard, the Rouge Prince noticed the way (Y/n)'s breathing had hitched. And when he noticed several of the cherry trees broken and destroyed, he understood her sudden change in mood. And wondered silently what this would mean for her. "Oh no." She breathed out in a soft whisper, picking up her shirts slightly before jogging further into the orchard. Daemon chased after her, intent on keeping her within his line of sight. "Gods be good, nearly half the orchard is destroyed!" (Y/n) said as silent tears rolled down her cheeks, Daemon pulled her into his embrace, trying to sooth her.

"It will be alright." The Rouge Prince said in a calm tone, his hands tightening around her waist, when she pulled back to look him in the face. "No it won't be alright. This is all I have, this is my entire livelihood. Without a full orchard I cannot provide the Red Keep with cherries, or the other settlements my produce is shipped off to." Her throat tightened as the realization of it all came crashing over her. Causing her to bury her face into Daemons chest, much to his satisfaction. "What can we do to fix this?" He asked as his hands rubbed soothingly at her back. "New trees will have to be planted in early spring next season, and it will take four to seven years before they will bare fruit that can be harvested." She hiccuped a little at the end. "Deals that have already been made with several settlements will have to be broken, and their coin returned to them. I can still provide the Royal Castle with Cherries, but as the years go by the orders get larger and larger for the Castle." She pulled away to look into his lilac eyes. She looked like that of a broken child, weeping for things that cannot be fixed.

"Why not leave this all behind? Come with me, forget about this life, and the struggles that come with it." He offered her with a charming smile, certain that she would take his offer in a heartbeat. "That is kind of you my Prince, but I cannot just abandon this place. It is my home. I was born here, and I will die here like my family has." She smiled through her tears, and Daemon had to force a kind smile, annoyed that she didn't simply take his offer. "What happened to your family?" He asked, intent on changing the subject for a brief time. "My mother died of a fever when I was barely a woman, and the following year my father was in a farming accident while helping an old family friend. He later died from an infection we could not battle. My elder brother was murdered a few years ago by a thief attempting to steal from our home. I held him in my arms as he bled out... I witnessed all of their deaths." She frowned deeply, remembering their faces in their last moments all to well.

"I buried each of them, below a great willow tree, where I hope to be buried one day. Once more reunited with them all." A few more tears escaped her glossy eyes, and Daemon wiped them away with his thumbs. "But who will bury you, if their is no one left?" He asked in a soft tone. "I'm afraid I do not know." She shook her head, her piercing eyes staring into his own. "Sweetling... This is no life for a beautiful woman such as yourself. You should be wrapped in fine silks, drinking wine, and not worrying or wanting for anything." He placed a gentle kiss against her forehead, hoping he could still charm her into accepting his offer. "I am merely a common woman, this is my destiny, and my place. I am not a noble woman, and I do not belong to a prominent house. And all I want is a warm hearth, dry shelter, and a meal in my stomach. It's all I can ask." She leaned into his touch as he held her face between his strong hands, hoping not to upset him by rejecting him for a second time. He gave her a tight lipped smile, trying desperately to keep his temper in check.

"You are a fine woman, and you deserve the world. I hope one day you will have that." He let go of her face, and took a small step back. Already brewing a plan within his depraved mind to get exactly what he wants. "Besides you said so yourself, my cherries are the best in Westeros. I cannot simply give that up because times are hard." She smiled sweetly. 'Fuck the cherries, you should be mine!' Daemon thought to himself, but only smiled kindly at her. "Well there is much work to be done, and I need to send word to the settlements about what has happened to my orchard." (Y/n) stated with a sad look upon her pretty face once more. "I will assist you." The Prince offered, seeing it as the perfect opportunity to coax her into being swayed by him. "Oh my Prince, you shouldn't bother yourself with such things." (Y/n) said in a soft tone, making him smile at her. "I insist, it's the least I can do, after all you saved my life." He said smoothly, smirking darkly when she ducked her head in embarrassment. "I suppose you're right." She mumbled as she nervously toyed with the cuff of her sleeve. "Just tell me what you need done, and I'll see it gets done." Daemon said in a charming way, pulling one of her hands up to place a small kiss against her knuckles, again smirking when she blushed deeply.

"V-very well... We'll need an axe from the barn, and Zero will have to be put into his harnesses and hooked to a wagon, to haul all of the wood back to the house." (Y/n) stated as she began walking towards the barn, with the Prince hot on her heels. For several hours they worked tirelessly, cleaning up the debris of the destroyed cherry trees. Daemon chopping the wood into smaller pieces with the axe, while (Y/n) hauled those pieces to the wagon and stacked them accordingly. Barely into the work, the Prince had decided it best to remove his leather tunic, and work in his loose white top. Which became wet from his sweat as he continued to work, the garment sticking to his broad back, and occasionally his chest. And often times (Y/n) found herself staring at him in such a state, mesmerized by how elegant he still looked in such a state. Much to Daemons pleasure, he would smirk and even wink whenever he caught her staring at him. Certain now that should he ask her again, she might be more inclined to accept his offer. When the wagon was full, (Y/n) made note of how much more wood needed to be cleared out. "We should take this load back, and then take a small break." She said to the Prince, trying not to stare when he turned her way.

"Alright." He smiled charmingly, before picking up the hem of his shirt to wipe way the sweat on his brow. (Y/n) audibly squeaked at the sight, averting her eyes quickly. Daemon chuckled softly at the sound, greatly amused by her shy nature. When he approached she grabbed Zeros reins and began leading him back to the barn, where the wood would be stacked and stored for the winter. It wasn't the best wood to burn now, as it was still green. But by winter it will have dried out, and would burn wonderfully on cold nights. "I cannot imagine you would have made so much progress on your own." The Prince mused as he walked beside her. "No I don't imagine I would have." She agreed with a small smile, shivering a little in a good way, when she felt the Prince place his hand against the small of her back. "It is a wonder you do not have a husband already." He said casually. "I do not get out much, my time is mostly spent here. And the men I have met are either already married, or have no interest in a woman such as myself." (Y/n) admitted. "They are fools not to be charmed by you." Daemon said. Making the young maiden blush deeply, like he had so many times in a single day.

"That is kind of you to say." She mumbled shyly, making him grin. After they'd unloaded the wagon, (Y/n) let Zero out into the pasture to graze and relax for a while. Then they went inside to rest themselves, and eat a small meal to keep up their energies. "You truly are a magnificent creature, it is no wonder Caraxes allowed you to help me." The Prince mused as he sipped the glass of cherry wine she'd offered him. "You are to kind." (Y/n) ducked her head, trying to focus on the food before her. A simple meal, one of salted meat, bread, cheese, and half an apple. The same before the Prince who seemed more occupied with watching her. "Did you make this wine?" He asked before taking another generous sip. "Yes I did, four summers ago. It has been aging since today. I hope it is to your liking." She said meekly, peering at him with curiosity. "The best wine I've had in some time." He praised. "Thank you my Prince." She beamed at him with a smile, clearly proud of her work, and proud she'd pleased him. "Is there anything you cannot do?" He asked playfully, and she thought for a moment. "I cannot play any instruments, never had the time to learn." She concluded, making Daemon chuckle.

"You are a wonder." He mused with a grin. "You give me to much credit." (Y/n) said with a warm glow about her. "And you cease to amaze me." He countered, with a wink. "I should go feed Zero and Leo." (Y/n) stated suddenly, clearly growing flustered by his praise and flirting. "I would like to join you." He said as he followed her. "You don't have to." She insisted, but he only smiled at her, following her outside. Once outside he couldn't help but grasp her arm, turning her attention back to him, hoping he'd charmed her enough to have swayed her mind. "Are you certain you would not rather live a relaxing life with me in the Red Keep?" He asked her in a soft voice. Though when her smile fell, he felt anger bubble in his chest. "I am sorry my Prince, but as I've said, my place is here." She offered him a sad smile, which was quickly replaced by fear, at the deep scowl that had overtaken his soft demeanor. "I have been noticing but kind to you, and yet you deny me?" He hissed, his anger becoming evident. "I will ask you one more time." His grip on her arm tightened painfully. "Come with me." Though it sounded more like a demand than a request. "N-no please let go of me!" (Y/n) stammered as she tried breaking away from him.

Caraxes stirred from his place, becoming alert as he watched the two. "That is the wrong answer." The Rouge Prince hissed, before striking (Y/n) so hard she fell unconscious. He caught her in his arms before she could fall to the ground, gently cradling her in his arms. "You are coming back with me, whether you like it or not." He muttered to her, as he brushed her hair out of her face. Afterwards he mounted Caraxes with her securely in his arms, taking flight but merely hovering over her homestead. "Dracarys." He ordered Caraxes, who set ablaze her home, what remained of the orchard, and even the barn. Leaving the dog and horse to fend for themselves in the pasture, before flying back to Kingslanding. The trip was short on dragonback, and once inside the dragonpit Daemon dismounted Caraxes, with (Y/n) still in his hold. Everyone he passed gave him questioning looks, but no one dare ask him who the woman was, and why she was here.

Hours later (Y/n) began to stir awake, groaning softly at the dull pain in her head. But as she nestled within the bed, she realized it was much different from her own. Plush and luxurious compared to her bed, the blankets feeling like fine silk and linen. When she cracked open her eyes, she observed a fine canopy above her, something her bed did not have. And suddenly everything came back to her, and she was filled with fear. Sitting up quickly she tried rushing out of the bed, only to be pulled back by her ankle, and falling to the cold stone floor. She had screamed momentarily, thinking someone had ahold of her, but she quickly realized it was in fact a metal cuff around her ankle, which was chained to the bedpost. Tears welled in her eyes as she realized that the Rouge Prince had kidnapped her, and taken her prisoner. Silently she pulled herself up, and curled up in a ball on the bed. Wishing that she had never met him, that she hadn't saved his life, and that she was back at home. As she sobbed quietly, she didn't notice the chamber door open and close as someone entered. Nor did she notice when they approached the bed. It wasn't until the bed dipped that she looked up, finding Prince Daemon smiling down at her. "You're awake!" He mused as he brushed her hair aside, and it took everything within her not to choke on the sobs escaping her throat. She tried to move away from him, only to be reminded of the wretched chain, when he pulled it harshly to get her back to his side. Oh how the gods have forsaken her.

Buy me a coffee sometime? ☕️

(Click the coffee for my Kofi link, IT'S NOT NECESSARY BTW.)

<- Part one

A nice dark twist for this story, and I hope you enjoyed it! I know I definitely did!

[denwritesandcries]

Lose on losing Dogs – Shauna Shipman

Pairing: shauna shipman x fem!reader

Summary: There she is. The first person you met when you moved into the neighborhood. Your first friend, your first crush, your first kiss and your first heartbreak. Your first grief is very much alive and looking at you in the eye now.

or, shauna comes back.

Word count: 1,2k.

Content: post-crash, angst, reunion, reader and shauna had something going on, hurt/barely any comfort, the consequences of the accident, traumatized teenagers.

Note: They’re both broken and traumatized your honor.

English is not my first language.

Thirteen months. Four hundred and fifty-five days.

It's been 13 months, 2 weeks and 7 hours since you've last seen Shauna. Since you've seen any Yellowjacket, actually. Since the crash.

Now you're standing outside her room, staring at the door silently like an idiot after showing up at her parents' house wearing pajama bottoms and looking just as much of a mess as they do. Damn.

Her mother looked at you with so much relief when she saw you on her porch that she just rushed you inside immediately, looking like she might cry at any moment because “you’re the first person to come see her who isn’t one of those tv parasites.” And well, you didn't say anything. What could you say? Last time you saw her was at her daughter's funeral.

Shauna is back, you think.

You've finished school, graduated. Left town. Started college. You got your own life now and still there wasn't a single day where you haven't thought about her. Remembering her. Mourning her.

And now she's back. Alive.

It still doesn't feel real, even though it is. You just have to open the door so you can see it for yourself. Why can't you open the door?

“Mom,” comes her voice from inside the room, probably having sensed your footsteps prowling the hallway, “I told you to leave me alone.”

The sound is so strange and yet so familiar that it makes you choke on air, feeling your eyes sting from the tears you've been holding back since climbing the stairs. Without wasting another minute, you step forward and open the door, not realizing what you're doing until your sweaty hand turns the handle.

The first thing you notice is that the room is cold, the curtains are closed, one of the dressers is visibly dusty as if no one has been there for a long time. A room inhabited by a ghost. The last thing you notice is the bundle of blankets in the middle of the bed, with a mess of brown hair scattered around the edge, and a barely touched plate of food on the desk.

Clearing your throat, you take a deep breath. “Shauna,” you call.

You see the exact moment she registers your voice and freezes, even though you can't see her face.

She remains still and curled up and you shift your weight from one foot to the other, nervous and embarrassed. Maybe she doesn't want to see you. What made you think that you of all people would be the one she wanted to come visit her after coming back from the dead and a freaking accident? You can still remember the screams and hurtful words directed at you the last time you two saw each other. Maybe it would have been better if you hadn't come.

“Shauna,” you try again, sounding as desperately as you feel, “It’s me. I came to see you– To see how you are.”

'Liar', replies a voice – very similar to Shauna's on that fateful night, the night before the crash – 'if you really wanted to see me or know how I was doing, you would have come the day the plane landed, like everyone else did.’

I was in another city, you think. Shauna spent weeks in the hospital. Nobody let me see her. They didn't let me see any of them. I came as soon as I heard that she had been discharged and returned home.

‘And yet you woke up and spent hours walking in circles around your childhood bedroom, car keys in your hand. You almost left.’

You startle when the pile of blankets suddenly moves again, revealing the shape hidden beneath them and then you're finally face to face. Shauna Shipman. Your Shauna. The first person you met when you moved into the neighborhood. Your first friend, your first crush, your first kiss and your first heartbreak. Your first grief is very much alive and looking at you in the eye right now.

She faces you in a way that is impossible to avoid. God, she seems so thin, hair wildly messed up, big, deep brown eyes with dark circles beneath them, pupils so glassy it hurts to look at it, and Shauna looks lost, kneeling in the middle of the bed, like it's impossible to believe that you could be there.

Shauna calls your name, sounding so incredulous and so incredibly sad that being two feet away from her seems absurd and you cross the room in a blink, sitting on the edge of the bed and reaching out to pull her against you, before thinking better and deciding to grab her hands instead. She shudders.

“You came,” Shauna says. Her voice sounds hoarse and worn, you imagine she hasn't used it much at home or in the hospital. “I didn’t think you would come.”

You can feel scars on her hands as your fingers move to rub circles over the skin, and a brief glance makes you aware of old, yellowed bruises on her wrists.

“I did,” your voice breaks. “Of course I did.”

She seems completely different from that girl you were in love with and dumped you so long ago. The aloof, almost cold girl you argued with when you caught her fucking Jeff in a car when you were walking home from a stupid high school party. This sure doesn't look like the girl who screamed “What, do you think we're girlfriend and boyfriend or somethin'? I've never said we were exclusive” when you tearfully told her you loved her the night before the whole disaster happened.

But her eyes are the same. Intense, painful, hazy. And still difficult to decipher completely. That's what makes you hug her back when her lips tremble and she launches herself against you in a thrust that throws you back a little. She melts and sinks into your touch like she wants to be a part of you, just like she used to do before.

“It was horrible,” she groans against your neck.

Shauna cries. She cries badly. She cries ugly and loud, tears wetting your neck and shirt incessantly, as if she has desperately needed it for a long time. She clings to your shoulders as if you were her lifeline. She's sniffling and whimpering like a child.

You hold her silently, having no idea what to say, running your hand gently down her back to calm her and trying to ignore the fact that you can feel her spine and ribs through the old sleep shirt she wears.

You also have no idea how many hours have passed before her crying subsides to silent sniffles, but when you look out the window you can tell that it's already night outside, even with the curtains closed. It doesn't matter, you would hold her forever if Shauna asked, especially if she continued trembling like that.

The room is completely dark and silent when she finally speaks again.

“Jackie's dead.” She mumbles, voice completely defeated, zoned out as if she weren't really here.

“Oh, Shauna,” you mumble back, feeling your own tears spill as well. “I know. Everyone is dead.”

Everyone is dead, but she is still here.

You squeeze her as tight as you can in your arms, as if you can stop her from disappearing again. Shauna whimpers against you and sniffles harder, her nails on your shoulders scratch and draw some blood, the sound of her crying filling the room again even with her face hidden in your chest. You kiss her forehead and she keeps crying, but she's still here so everything is fine.

At least enough to not give up completely.

[forget-you-morelike-fuck-you]

Eyes of a Stranger- E.M.

Did anyone ask for a Soulmate!AU? No! Did it bring me joy to write? Of course! Here you go my thirsty friends! Love you!

You move across the country to start looking for your Soulmate. Enter: Eddie Munson.

Masterlist

TW- Cursing, drinking, super fluffy fluff at the end

Pairings- Soulmate!Eddie x Reader

Word Count- 4,891

There’s a gap in your vision. There has been since you were born. It’s one of the facts of life. Everyone is born without their full color spectrum. There’s some chemical imbalance that prohibits it before the right time, and you hate it. You always have. Everyone talks about how beautiful brunettes are, or how delicious chocolate looks melting in a fondue pot, or bread, or even your childhood dog, but you can’t see it, and no matter how hard everyone tries to describe it to you, it never makes any sense when you look and see shades of grey. 

Your parents told you the stories of how they met, how their vision suddenly became full technicolor the moment they locked eyes on each other. How the colors finally swirled into place, completing the puzzle they’d spent their whole lives wondering about. It was one of your favorite bedtime stories, and you remember begging to hear it over and over again until their comforting voices lulled you to sleep.  

They were some of the fortunate ones. It’s not entirely uncommon for people to go their full lives without finding their soulmates. The world is wide, after all, but people can find love elsewhere, even if it’s not with the person they were meant on a cellular level to be with.  

As you grew, you found some small comfort in that fact, allowing yourself to explore the world past the missing warmth of brown that people describe. You let yourself have romantic partners no matter the color of their eyes, explored the nuances of casual and more serious relationships. How could you ever miss something that was never there, anyway? Of course, underneath that lies the crippling fear that you wouldn’t be one of the lucky ones. Sure, there are stories of people finding soulmates even in their last few years of life, but it doesn’t bring you any ease to think that there is someone out there, waiting for you, and the more time you spend apart is one less moment you’ll spend together.  

So, as you near your 23rd birthday, you decide to leave your hometown. You’ve spent your whole life intentionally meeting the eyes of nearly everyone you’ve come across, hoping to find the person that will make you whole, to no avail. It’s time you find new eyes to search.  

There are so many places, so many people that the only way you could ever decide on where to go is to not decide at all. You taped a map to the wall and threw a dart. First, it landed in America, then, on the American map, it landed in Indiana, and on the map of Indiana, it landed on a little town called Hawkins. “It’s as good a place to start as any,” You mumble, taking the dart out of the wall. The goodbyes to your family and friends are hard and tearful, but they know just as well as you how important this is. A couple of your friends had already found their soulmates, and every time you saw them together, your heart ached for their happiness.  

The journey to Hawkins is hard and long, moving all your belongings, finding an apartment with a rental agreement for just six months—if you don’t find your soulmate there, you’d move on to the next place—and a job that could support you while also giving you the opportunity to see a lot of people in a day. But you did it, and a few days after leaving home, you’re settling into your new apartment in the heart of Hawkins Proper. 

It’s small, and the plumbing creaks when you flush the toilet or turn on the shower, but it’s yours for the time being, and that’s enough for you. You arrange your sparce furniture the best you can to make it feel homey, and figure if things go well, you can always get more. The job you found is nice, and the people you work with are kind and funny, and soon you’ve made a little home for yourself in this strange, new place. 

“Y/N!” Your coworker, Steve shouts from across the Family Video. You look up from the shelf of movies you’re stocking over to where he stands behind the counter, his arms laying on the surface, shaggy bangs falling into his face as it always does when he doesn’t put a whole bottle of Farah Fawcett hairspray in it. 

“What’s up?” You call back, glancing between him and the movies as you put the cassette tapes back in their proper spaces. 

“I’m going on my lunch. You want something from the Dairy Queen?” You ponder his question for a moment, your mouth quirking as you think. 

“Yeah, can you get me an Oreo blizzard? And a chicken strip basket? I have cash in my purse,” You raise your eyebrows at him, and he gives a solemn nod. 

“I got you. I’ll be back in ten.” Steve turns and starts toward the back exit, and you go back to your work stocking the tapes, emptying the basket of returns as you meander from shelf to shelf finding the proper places. 

You hear the doorbell ring, and you raise your head, looking toward the door to the customer coming in. “Welcome to Family Video!” You greet. The man walking toward the horror shelves, and he looks over his shoulder in your direction and gives a nod. His eyes are obscured by a pair of dark sunglasses, which always irks you only because you won’t have the opportunity to look into his eyes.  

You walk back toward the counter to prepare to check the man out when he’s finished his selection when he looks back over to you. His dark, shaggy curls flop over part of his face as he calls out to you. “Do you guys have Pet Semetary in yet?”  

“Uhh, let me check,” You go over to the computer and type in the title. When the page loads, you let out a noise of recognition as you look back over to the man. “Yes, we do. But it’s still in the New Releases. Let me go find it for you,” You make your way around the counter to walk over to the New Releases wall, scanning the titles with your eyes, hands on your hips until you spot it. You bend over to pick it up and bring it back over to the counter, where the man is waiting for you to return. 

“Thanks,” he says, giving a small smile. He looks to be about your age. The hands he has rested on the surface of the counter are littered in heavy silver rings, and he’s clad in a faded, moth-eaten Iron Maiden shirt with an acid wash jean vest over it. There’s a small hoop in one of his nostrils, which glints lightly under the fluorescent lights hanging above you. The mostly black curls that hang around his face are highlighted grey where the light hits, so you assume it must be brown. He’s handsome, for sure. His relaxed features give him a refreshing air about him, like you know he’d be an easy friend to have.  

“No problem. Will this be all for you today?” You ask, your customer service voice lilting in the air. He pouts his lips for a moment, looking down at the candy selection below the counter before picking up a king size Reese’s and placing it and sliding it toward you.  

“This too, please,” he says, his pretty smile returning to his boyish features. 

“Sure,” You scan the candy and place it in a plastic bag with the movie. “Can I get your name please?” You ask, moving over to the computer to pull up his profile. 

“Oh, hey Munson. What’s up, man?” Steve comes from behind you, having returned from his break, and you look over your shoulder to his award-winning smile as he offers a hand to the man to clasp. 

“Harrington,” he says in greeting, a breathtaking toothy smile curling at his lips as he takes Steve’s hand in a light slap. “You know, just hanging out,” He shrugs. “What about you?” 

“Oh, you know, I’m just... here,” Steve lets out a small laugh. You watch the interaction, waiting for the two men to finish to complete the transaction. Steve looks over to you and gestures in your direction. “This is Y/N, she’s new in town. Maybe she should come out with us next time we go out to the bar. She needs more friends,” Steve jokes, and you hit him lightly in the shoulder, scoffing. 

“Oh, shut up, Steve. It’s not like I’m a loner. I’ve got you and Rob,” You justify. 

“Yeah, only me and Rob. There’s a whole wide Hawkins out there still to discover, Y/N,” You roll your eyes and shrug off the arm he’s casually rested over your shoulders at that and settle your gaze back on Steve’s friend, who holds a hand out for you to shake. 

“I’m Eddie, nice to meet you,” You take his hand and shake it briefly, a friendly smile forming on your lips. 

“Nice to meet you, too. I’m Y/N L/N,” He gives a quirk of a smile as your hands leave each other. Steve tuns to you, his hand on your shoulder as you look away from Eddie’s face to listen to him. 

“Well, I put your lunch in the break room, if you wanna go ahead and eat. I can finish taking care of Eddie if you want,” You give a nod, moving out of the way for Steve to take over the computer. You give one more small wave to Eddie. 

“It was nice to meet you!” You say. 

“Yeah, you too,” he says. “And you’re definitely welcome to come hang out with us sometime. We usually go chill at the Hideout at least once a week so, you know, you can get the details from Stevie, here,” You can see him quirk a playful eyebrow over his dark sunglasses as he reaches over to clap Steve on the shoulder. A chuckle passes your lips at the nickname, but even more at Steve’s dry reaction to it. 

“Okay, thanks,” You turn to Steve. “I’ll be back in 30 Stevie,” You give Steve a playful bump of your hip before turning and walking toward the back. 

“Yeah, ha ha, whatever, dude,” He scoffs, feigning annoyance. You give another laugh as you push the door open, the smell of your lunch wafting through the otherwise stale air of the back. 

The end of the day nears, and you and Steve are cleaning up the store preparing to close when he mentions Eddie again. “So, I think we’re gonna go out Friday night if you wanna come with us. It’ll be chill. Just some drinks, maybe some pool. Then we usually go to Benny’s after for some burgers. You in?” You shrug, pushing the dust mop across the floor. 

“Yeah, sure. Not like I’ve got anything better to do,” Your eyebrow quirks in thought then as the silence comes back over the store. “Can I ask you something?” 

Steve looks up from where he’s wiping down the counters. “Sure, what’s up?” 

“Has Eddie... has he found his soulmate?” You try to say it casually, but Steve lets out a taunting sound, his elbows going to rest on the surface of the counter as he wiggles his eyebrows at you. 

“Ahh, you like him?” His sugary tone makes a heat break out on your face, and you roll your eyes, trying to brush it off. 

“Not necessarily,” You try to defend yourself. “I just don’t like it when people come in with sunglasses. It’s a pet peeve, I guess. I just don’t like the not knowing part,” You hear Steve scoff from across the store as you reach the far wall with the dustmop, turning around and starting back the other way. 

“Well, no, he hasn’t found his yet. What color are you missing?” He inquires.  

“Brown,”  

“Oh really? Eddie’s eyes are brown.” Steve muses. You scoff at that. You may find Eddie attractive, but what are the freaking odds that the first place you’d moved to would be the home of the one person on the planet you’ve been waiting for your whole life? 

“Come on, Steve. There are 7 billion people on this planet. What are the chances, really? I was just curious,” 

“It happens every day! Everyone’s got someone out there, Y/N. Why couldn’t it be Eddie? Hell, why couldn’t it be me? Or Robin? Or Keith? Just because the chances are slim doesn’t mean they’re zero,” It’s almost like he’s reminding himself of that, too. You’re not the only one that struggles with not having their soulmate. Steve is nothing if not a romantic, you’ve learned. You’ve caught him more than once smiling at the store TV on a slow day, with what as well should be heart eyes while watching some sappy romance movie. You can only imagine that he’s wishing that it were him with his soulmate. You definitely do, from time to time. 

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. But that doesn’t change the fact that the chances are incredibly slim. Like, one in 7 billion slim.” You wouldn’t mind if it were Eddie. You wouldn’t mind if it were anybody. Maybe it’s your quarter life crisis talking, but you’d throw yourself into the arms of anybody who made you see brown. It’s all you’ve ever wanted. 

You used to imagine what your soulmate looked like as a kid. It was actually a school assignment once, in first grade or so. An art project. You remember your parents had it hung on the fridge for a long time, sloppy first grader scribbles with big grey circles for eyes and pink hearts littered around the piece of paper.  

Friday is busy. People like to rent movies in preparation for the weekend. All day it’s person after person as you, Robin, and Steve rotate around the store putting movies away, stocking candy and popcorn, and checking customers out at the register. You’re over near the 18+ section putting away the Z movies when you hear Eddie’s voice over the din of people milling around the store. “Hey, guys. We still on for tonight?” You glance over at Eddie, who’s in a black and white t-shirt that looks just a tad too small—a blessing for you as the sleeves hug his generous biceps, black ink peeking out from beneath— and torn jeans today. There’s a chain hanging from his belt loop and as your eyes look to his face, you see he’s not wearing sunglasses today. Maybe you’ll be able to look and finally put your nagging thoughts to rest. 

“Excuse me miss, can you help me?” You turn to look at the middle-aged lady who’s gently tapped your shoulder, taking in her blue eyes as you stand to talk to her. Like Steve said the other night, there’s a chance your soulmate could be anyone. 

“Of course, what can I do for you?” You keep your attention on her but flick your eyes toward the counter, where you see Eddie still talking to Robin. Just a peek. Just one, and you can stop thinking about it. The lady’s voice pulls your eyes away at the request for the location of a movie, and you dutifully show her the way, taking glances where you can, only to see the shaggy mop of curls obscuring a proper view of Eddie’s face, which you know has that pretty smile as he laughs at a dumb joke Robin threw his way. When you reach the right shelves, you have to bend down to get the movie she’s looking for, and you hand it to her quickly. As you turn back to where Eddie and Robin were standing, talking, laughing, just a moment ago, you find the spot empty. Damn it. I’ll see him later, you think, shrugging it off as you make your way back to the basket of movies waiting to be put away at the back of the store. 

The last dregs of the day give you a bit more energy as the store gets increasingly quieter as less and less people come in in the final hour of open time. There’s more laughter among the three of you, joking and talking about your plans for tonight.  

“So, do you want us to pick you up?” Steve asks, looking to you as you sort through new returns.  

“Yeah, that would be great!” You give him a smile. “Can you pick me up at about 10:30? We’re meeting Eddie at 11, right?” 

Steve nods, tying up a trash bag to take out to the dumpster. “Yeah, that’s cool,” He says. 

“Oh, and you don’t need to wear anything super fancy or whatever. It’s a pretty seedy dive bar, we’re going to, so jeans is fine,” Robin adds. You nod appreciatively at the advice and take a moment to write down your address on a stray post-it to hand to Steve. 

“Here you go, and my phone number is on there too, just in case you need it,” Steve takes it, looks at it for a moment, and then stuffs it into his pocket for later. 

“Awesome. Well, if you want to go ahead and clock out, Robin and I can finish up here. We’ve just gotta finish counting the drawer and take the trash out.”  

“Thanks! I guess I’ll see you in a bit, then,” You wave to both of them and make your exit to the back of the store to where your car is parked and drive home to your apartment. You decide to take a quick shower to strip the layer of grime accumulated from your work day from your body, letting the warm water carry away the stress down the drain. After that, you dry your hair roughly with your blow dryer before making your way to your tiny bedroom closet to look for something to wear.  

You know Robin said not to wear anything fancy, but you do want to look nice. There’s a 1 in 7 billion chance that Eddie is your soulmate, but even if he isn’t, it would be nice to have someone as good looking as him flirt with you for the night. You decide on a hand me down pair of bellbottoms from your mom that makes your butt look incredible and a simple black halter top. You pair it with a nice long necklace that trails down your cleavage, just to give a path for Eddie or whoever to look down and some small gold earrings. You want to do a nice neutral makeup look, but browns are obviously a difficult color to work with, so you make do with orange and peach tones. 

You’re only waiting for about 10 minutes until you hear a knock at your door, and you open it to a smiling Robin. “Hey! Are you ready?” 

“Yeah, let me just grab my purse,” You walk across the room to the kitchen counter to your waiting bag, already packed with your essentials for the night before walking back, key in hand to lock the door behind you.  

The drive over to the hideout is short, and Steve pulls into one of the only parking spaces available. “I thought you said this was a seedy dive bar?” You say, an eyebrow quirking up at all the cars littered around the lot. Steve makes a face in the rearview mirror as he puts his car into park. 

“Yeah, but it’s still one of the only bars in town. There aren’t many places to choose from on a Friday night,” You let out a scoff at that, but shrug it off as you click your seatbelt off and open the door to get out. 

You follow Steve and Robin into the bar, handing your IDs to the bouncer to look at before he gives you a curt nod and lets you through. The bar is pretty packed. It’s not very big, so it seems even more crowed as groups of people hover around the pool tables and high tops around the edges. There’s a small wooden stage near the front, and the light is off. There’s no one playing tonight, you guess. 

“Hey! What do you want to drink? First round’s on Steve!” Robin shouts over the din of the other patrons.  

“Rum and Coke?” You suggest. You don’t really drink much, so it was just the first drink that came to mind. Robin nods in acknowledgement and shouts your order to the waiting bartender. You look around, your hands fidgeting with the strap of your purse over your shoulder as the nerves set in just a touch. You make brief eye contact with anyone you can, trying to pass the time before Robin bumps your hip with hers, hands occupied with drinks. She hands you yours and you take a big gulp, grimacing at the taste. Okay, maybe you won’t order this one again.  

“Steve saw an open table at the back, let’s go!” You nod and follow her through the crowd, taking special care not to bump anyone and spill your drink. Finally, you reach the four-seater table pushed almost completely to the back wall, and you climb into your seat, pushing your purse against the side that’s on the wall to the side.  

“So, what do you think?” Steve asks expectantly, arms gesturing to the scene around you. You give a laugh and an incredulous shake of your head.  

“It’s exactly what I expected, but also the complete opposite at the same time,” Steve shrugs. 

“Yeah, it was for me, too,” He laughs. Just then, Steve’s eyes look over your head, and he stands and waves his arms above his head. “There’s Eddie,” He explains as he sits back down. You heart beats hard in your chest suddenly. Chill the fuck out, Y/N, it’s not a big deal, You think to yourself as you take another big drink from your cup. 

A few minutes go by, and Eddie still hasn’t made his way to the table, you assume because he’s busy getting his drink, so you take a brief glance back and see him, drink in hand, a flirtatious smile on as he talks to a pretty girl standing over by one of the pool tables. She laughs at something he says, her blonde ponytail swinging. You can feel a heat fan over your cheeks as you turn back around, and you try to continue your conversation with Steve and Robin casually.  

Come on, be serious. You don’t even know this guy. He’s just some cute dude that happens to know your friends. It’s not your business who he flirts with— 

“Hey guys!” A shiver shoots up your spine as you feel the sudden warmth of a body right behind you. The unexpected closeness of Eddie as he comes to sit in the chair next to you makes you lose all the nerve you had spent all day building up. “Sorry, it took me so long. I just ran into Chrissy,”  

“Don’t worry man, you’re good. You remember Y/N, right?” Steve gestures to you, and you give him a small smile, looking toward his face but directly at him, looking away quickly to take another drink. 

“Of course, I do. I couldn’t forget a face like that. How’ve you been?” He asks, voice lilting sweetly. You nod exaggeratedly as you swallow, pulling the cup away and setting it down a little too harshly on the grey table, his casual flirtation nearly making you choke. It does nothing to calm your nerves.  

“I’m good! You know, just... hanging out.” You can’t help the awkward overtone to your voice as you avoid eye contact. You glace over at Steve and he shoots you a “Buck up, buttercup!” look. 

“Y/N’s on a soulmate journey!” Steve exclaims suddenly, practically forcing you to confront your fear of looking at Eddie. Your eyes widen to the size of saucers, immediately regretting telling him when you had that conversation the other day. You bow your head low to try to hide the raging heat spreading over your entire body.  

“Oh, really? How’s that going? Where have you been so far?” Robin asks excitedly. “You know, I’ve actually been thinking about doing something like that, but I barely have any money to support myself, let alone to galivant across the country just to look at people,” She says. You lick your lips and nod, intent on keeping your eyes on Robin’s though you can feel Eddie looking toward you with interest. 

“This is actually the first place I’ve been. I’m only gonna be here for six months, then I’ll move on to the next place,” You explain. 

“Well, why Hawkins? This seems like a pretty nowhere place to start,” Eddie asks from beside you, and you shrug. 

“I didn’t really pick it myself. I just threw a dart at a map. Well, several maps,” Your eyes flick up as you remember looking everywhere for a proper map of Indiana before finally settling on a small, printer paper sized one you found on the internet.  

“Ahh,” You let your eyes wander over to Eddie’s hands, which lay on the table, decorated fingers wrapping loosely around his drink, which appears to just be whiskey on the rocks. “What color are you missing?” He asks casually. You freeze up, just for a second, your lips trying to catch up with the short circuit happening in your brain. 

“B-brown... What about you?” You’re tempted to peek, but you want to wait for his answer. You don’t know which answer would make you feel more at ease, but you’re on the edge of your seat in the moment it takes him to answer, and you take another drink to help calm the quick thrum of your heart in your chest, feeling a bit disappointed as you drink down the last dregs. 

“Oh, me? I’m missing Y/E/C.” He says. You can feel his eyes on you, and your quick glance to Steve and Robin give you encouragement, both of them practically begging you to look at him, and you take the leap. 

You look up to Eddie’s face, letting your eyes meander up his face until your eyes settle on his. They’re a rich black color, and you’re so close to looking away, the dejection building in your core when it happens.  

Your parents were right, the color really does swirl into place. You watch, mouth falling slightly open as the black transforms into this warm, dark color you can’t describe. How could you? It’s the first time you’ve ever seen it. Brown. This is brown. You let out a little laugh as more brown starts settling into the scene around you. The tables, the bar, the water stains on the plaster ceiling—all different shades of brown, and it’s immediately the prettiest color you’ve ever seen.  

“Oh, my god.” You manage to mutter. It’s all so overwhelming you feel like you could cry, but Eddie’s gaze on you keeps you steady. His smile widens, pure joy glinting in those beautiful eyes. 

“I had a feeling, but... I didn’t think it was possible,” Eddie breathes as he scans over every feature of your face. You scoff, thinking about all the time you’ve spent over the past few days thinking about him. 

“Me too,” You laugh. You reach a tentative hand forward, and Eddie takes it midair, guiding it to his face. You feel your skin vibrate as you touch him, your thumb gently swiping over his cheek. Your reverie is interrupted by Steve and Robin, who start yelling across from you. 

“WE’VE GOT SOULMATES OVER HERE!” The whole place erupts in applause, and you and Eddie giggle as the whole place starts chanting, “KISS! KISS! KISS! KISS!” There’s a hint of hesitation, but then a playful glint in his eyes as Eddie looks back to you. 

“Would that be okay?” He asks, brows furrowing as he reads your reaction. You give a little nod, briefly pulling your bottom lip between your teeth. 

“Might as well. Looks like we were made to,” You muse, batting your lashes flirtatiously. Eddie gives you a quick toothy smile before settling his hands on your face, and it’s like time moves to a standstill as your lips touch, gently at first, to test the waters, but then you slot your mouth onto his fully as the electricity streaks through your body. His lips move perfectly against yours, and everything around you becomes white noise as you throw your arms around his neck, pulling him closer. 

As you part, you’re both grinning like love drunk idiots, giggling as your foreheads rest against each other. “A dart on a map, huh?” Eddie muses. You shrug, laughing again at the sheer insanity of it all. 

“Yeah. A dart on a fucking map!” Eddie’s lashes barely brush yours, his warm, sweet breath fanning over your face. 

“Thank God for that fucking dart, then.” His lips search for yours again, and you meet him in the middle with a smile that has your cheeks aching.  

1 in 7 billion has never seemed better. 

[nikibogwater]

Everybody sit down and strap in, 'cause I have a doozy of a tale to share.

I've had anxiety for literally as long as I can remember. I've had periods of my life where it was so intense it became legitimately life-threatening (don't worry I promise this is going somewhere funny). And this was really bizarre because I have zero childhood trauma. Like, my family life is so idyllic it's almost comical. Therapists would do abuse screenings on me and look utterly baffled when I told them everything was fine at home. They'd interrogate my parents just to make sure I wasn't lying. I have one friend who I'm fairly sure believed I was just severely gaslighting myself when I said my family was great, school wasn't too stressful, and I've never lived in a dangerous neighborhood or experienced poverty.

Anyways, despite no one being able to figure out where my disorder was coming from, my doctors were able to help me manage the symptoms so that I would like, not die, and actually be able to finish high school. Which was awesome. Now fast forward to late 2021. My big sister (who has also had intense anxiety her whole life which no one could figure out why) is finishing up her doctorate and getting her physical therapist's license. Somehow, during all her studying and schooling, she finds out about this thing called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, which explains literally everything that was going on with us. EDS is a connective tissue disorder that kinda fudges up your body in a whole bunch of little ways, including dysautonomia (episodes of very fast heart-rate that kick your body into fight-or-flight mode), and hypermobility (unusual flexibility). It's a spectrum disorder, so the severity of symptoms vary from person to person, but we definitely checked almost every box on the diagnostic list. My sister went to see a specialist, and yep, she was diagnosed EDS positive. She immediately calls my mom and goes "I know what's wrong with Niki" (thanks, sis, that's real encouraging lol). Initially we're like "okay Katie, that's nice" because honestly this kind of sounds like jumping at shadows, but I go in to see the specialist anyways just to make sure.

One consultation and diagnosis later, and suddenly my entire life makes perfect sense.

Now we get to the funny part. See, the diagnosis stuff happened in early 2022. So by the time late 2023 comes around and we're looking for a new dog (I promise this is relevant), we've been riding that chronic illness diagnosis for a while. Once again, my sister, ever the proactive one, decides she's going to help us get a new dog. She scours the adoption website, sends us photos of the cutest dogs available, and helps us make a decision. This is how we got Beverly, who has been an unstoppable force of chaos in our lives ever since we signed the papers (but she's also really cute so she can get away with it). Now on top of being a very excitable and anxious pupper, Beverly's got a weird little gimp in her hindquarters, which makes her sit all splayed-out and funny-looking, and while it doesn't seem to be causing her pain, we take her to a vet to get it checked out. Vet finds absolutely nothing. X-rays are taken and examined. Still nothing. At this point, they go "well, we could try a CT scan of her brain, which would run about $5,000, and maybe we could find something--" but my parents are already packing this dog into the car like "well that is a HARD nope." So we decide, look, Beverly seems happy and healthy, and those gimpy legs don't seem to bother her, so we'll just leave it be until it becomes clearer what's wrong with her because we do NOT have a cool $5,000 to throw around here.

Readers more astute than my family and I will likely have already figured out where this is going.

This morning, my mom is looking at Beverly sitting in her funny sprawled-out way, and something in her brain goes "wait...weird physical symptoms with no tracible cause that vets can see..." She does a bit of googling. Can dogs have EDS/Hypermobility? Yes. Yes they can. And the listed symptoms describe Beverly to a T.

So not only is my sister the one to finally figure out what's wrong with me, she also unknowingly got us a dog who has the exact same chronic condition as us. Meanwhile my poor dad, who is the only Normal Person in our house, is coming to terms with the fact that he is apparently just fated to always love chronically ill people and animals, and there's absolutely nothing he can do about it.

[nanaosaki3940]

Korean Manhwa/Webtoon Recommendation List (Romance-Fantasy Genre)

I recently got into the romance-fantasy (rofan) genre of Korean manhwa/webtoons and wanted to make a recommendation list about it. This is a recommendation list but I want to briefly talk about some newly released rofan manhwa that I really liked.

(My recommendation list will be divided into different categories so you'll be able to understand what kind of stories they are...)

So recently, I got into these newly released rofan manhwas:

The Wicked Ladies in Waiting 

The Promise Isn't Mine 

Turning the Mad Dog into a Genteel Lord 

Fallen to Paradise 

I Swear We're Just Friends 

Please Don’t Reply!

High Society 

The Wicked Ladies in Waiting

Yulia, who was born an orphan, was killed in exchange for falling in love with the Young Master of the Marjoram Family and was left on a snowy mountain. But when she opened her eyes, at the same location as any other day, she was rescued by the Commander of the Imperial Army, Carus. She was hit by a curse of being unable to die, and this is now her 8th life. After realizing that she would be stuck in the loop forever if she didn't take down the Marquis, she became a servant (2nd prince's lady-in-waiting) within the Palace to utilize the Royal Family’s power to demolish the Marjoram Family in her 8th life. I really love both the FL and the ML here. At first, the ML was suspicious of her when she revealed the truth to him in her 8th life that she had regressed back to the past 8 times, and each and every time she died in various ways, she encountered the ML and he somehow always tried to save her each and every life (even though he doesn't have the memories of his previous 7 lives like the FL). To make him believe her, she offered him help by predicting some future events that were going to occur later on because she had already seen or known about those events from her previous 7 lives. In this way, the FL saved the ML and his comrades' lives in this 8th life, and because of that the ML believed her regression story and offered to help her lifetime. Their relationship progressed well from suspicious strangers to trustful allies. Although we haven't seen much of them yet, I'm still waiting for some romance and fluff to happen in their relationship. The 2nd prince whom she works for and the 1st lady-in-waiting who is her colleague are also interesting characters and have immediately become the FL's good friends and strong allies just like the ML. The FL is strong, smart, and lovable, and the whole revenge plot is really interesting. You would love to see her succeed in her missions. Highly recommend this manhwa/webtoon.

The Promise Isn't Mine

When her twin sister Leyla, the Holy Maiden, suddenly disappears one day, the ordinary Elena finds herself having to marry Crown Prince Kyle, a man infamous for his ruthlessness, in her stead. After a dreadful marriage ceremony, Kyle demands that a certain promise be fulfilled, to Elena’s confusion. Elena and Kyle are actually childhood sweethearts btw. They've both been in love with each other since their younger days. The ML immediately realized who she was, but she didn't recognize him; although she does vaguely remember him from her past, but doesn't know that the man she married is the same boy from her teenage days. I can't wait for her to realize who he actually is; that he's her childhood sweetheart. Also, it's kinda funny how the ML and FL look like Iske and Ruby from "How To Win Over My Husband". However, this ML is a whole lot different from Iske since the ML is genuinely nice, kind, and caring towards the FL from day one. And not to mention that he's still in love with her and immediately recognizes her after meeting her so many years later again. Highly recommend this series.

Turning the Mad Dog into a Genteel Lord

Diarin, a priestess without any noteworthy family background or connections, always gets the toughest assignments. So when her boss tells her to help Ceres, a war hero, reintegrate into society, she decides to stop being a pushover and get as much as she can out of it, including a juicy promotion. But upon reaching Ceres’ manor, she’s greeted by a growling hound instead of a human. Tasked with the impossible job of turning the mad dog into a proper gentleman, she dedicates herself to caring for him. But his unexpected obsession with her was never part of her plan. This one is my No. 1 personal favorite at the current moment!! You can tell by the pictures how funny and hilarious this series is. I won't tell you guys anything more. Just go and read this one as quick as possible!! STRONGLY recommend this series!!!

Fallen to Paradise

Ange, the daughter of Duke Glaster, believes her life is all planned out as she is set to marry Philip Cardiner, the rightful heir to the throne. However, her plans are disrupted when Philip's brother, William Cardiner, schemes against him and removes him from the line of succession. In order to secure his power, William forces Ange to marry Aiden Fitzroy, an illegitimate child born between the emperor and a commoner. Will Ange learn to love the humble stranger she was forced to marry? Another hilarious yet very cute manhwa!! At first, the FL didn't like the fact that she was getting married off to the illegitimate son of the emperor and that the ML lived in the countryside and was also a farmer. The ML also found her a nuisance in the beginning because of her whining and throwing tantrums, but as time went on and they started to understand each other, they began to fight less and tried to get along. Romance also started to blossom between the two as they went on with their lives in the countryside on the farm by planting crops and vegetables and raising cows and pigs. I love how the FL, who was the Duke's daughter and was once the next crown princess, is now just a military officer/farmer's wife, and yeah sure, in the beginning, she used to complain about everything and anything, but she quickly went through a major character development, and now instead of whining and throwing tantrums, she tries to understand her husband and even willingly participates in the farming works. The ML was cold at first and found her annoying, but eventually he also later tried to understand her and her situation and started warming up to her. Very cute manhwa!! Highly recommend this!!

I Swear We're Just Friends

When Rienne transfers to the elite Alena Academy, she never expects Karcion, the most popular mage in school, to recruit her into his club and she definitely doesn't think he'll fall for her! But the grumpy Karcion soon makes it clear how much he adores her, and she starts finding him too cute to ignore. Still, he's a future duke and she's a commoner, so Rienne knows his feelings won't last. Can Karcion magic his way out of the friendzone? Or will Rienne prove they're just friends after all? A typical high school setting kinda story with enemies to lovers troupe; the only twist is that it's a historical fantasy story, not your typical modern high school romance. The FL is a cool smart girl and I loved her from the start. Meanwhile, at first, the ML is also shown to be this cool smart dude and is very popular in school but later it is revealed that he's actually a big tsundere crybaby and is very expressive when showing emotions which makes the FL want to tease him more and more whenever they interact. Since it's a high school romance in a historical fantasy setting, it has a different spin to it and has made the read very much enjoyable which was unexpected. Definitely check this one out! Highly recommend this series.

Please Don't Reply!

What’s worse than someone who leaves you on read? How about someone who doesn’t know when to end the conversation? Mira Hexen is cursed to always be the last one to reply for a whole year or she will be turned to stone. But that’s a bit difficult when you’re the chief of a company that produces a massively successful messaging device. Mira’s latest VIP client is Euryx Deyra, an extremely friendly duke who feels the need to respond to every little thing she says. If only she could just tell him to shut up already...! By reading the synopsis you can already tell where this story is going. Read only 4 chapters and found it really cute, funny, and wholesome. Definitely worth checking out. Highly recommend this as well!!

High Society

While scheming to get out of an arranged marriage, Cesare runs into Adele, a shoeshine girl from the slums. The two make a 3-month deal to help Cesare elude marriage. However, Adele is so different from the women he's met before that he can't help but be drawn to her. Okay, so this series might not be everyone's cup of tea since the ML is a super red flag, and the FL is kinda like a doormat. Sure she fights back from time to time, but since she's under a contract with the ML and he's the Duke of a powerful ducal family, she always can't say anything she wants to him. At first, the ML didn't care that much about her and didn't see her as a woman with whom he could have a potential romantic relationship but as time went on, he fell more for her beauty and personality, but there was a problem - the ML had already introduced the FL to the high society that she was his blood-related little sister. Now how could he have a romantic relationship with his so-called "blood-related little sister"? The thing is, the ML was trying to get out of this arranged marriage alliance that was set with this crazy woman from another powerful ducal family. But this marriage alliance was very important for political reasons and also to maintain a good relationship between those two families in the empire. But the ML didn't want to marry that crazy woman, so he found the FL (who was willing to help him out btw) on the streets one day, took her in, and used her as a shield to stay away from that marriage. How so? By offering the FL as the bride of that crazy woman's little brother. The FL would get married off to that crazy woman's brother while the ML won't have to marry that crazy woman anymore, and therefore with that, the alliance would still be made between the families without him getting married, of course. But what is he gonna do about this situation now that he's falling for the FL? Is he gonna let the FL go and let her get married to that crazy woman's little brother? Or is he gonna seduce her and make her his and only his?? The ML is super toxic and a huge red flag, but he's so fucking beautiful that I just can't, y'all!!! Like, look at his dimples OMG!!! Although the ML is super toxic and a major scumbag at times, the story is still super engaging not gonna lie. Highly recommend this to check it out!!

Also, here's the link to the photo gallery of Cesare Bonaparte, a toxic yet sexy and beautiful male lead - Link

Now the entire recommendation list I mentioned earlier:

Regression Genre (the FL goes back to the past):

The Fantasie of a Stepmother 

The Redemption of Earl Nottingham

Marriage of Convenience 

Baroness Goes on Strike 

Please Marry Me Again!

June Peach

Saving My Sweetheart 

My Sweet Enemy, Thy Name is Husband

I'm the Queen in This Life

I Am the Real One

The Contracted Grand Duchess 

The Villainess Lives Again 

The Taming of the Tyrant

Leveling Up My Husband to the Max

Why Are You Obsessed With Your Fake Wife? 

Adeline's Darkest Night

I Tamed My Ex-husband’s Mad Dog 

The Empress of Ashes 

The Tyrant Wants to Be Good 

The Duke's Bored Daughter is My Master 

Rewriting My Husband's Tragic Ending 

You Mustn't, Your Majesty! 

I Shall Master This Family 

My In-Laws Are Obsessed With Me 

The Villain’s Daughter Plans To Run Away 

The Grand Duke is Mine 

Seducing the Lady's Lover 

The Villainess Needs Her Tyrant 

Crazy Like a Fox 

So I Married the Abandoned Prince 

While I'm Back in Time, I'll Get My Revenge 

Are We Still in Love? 

I Accidentally Tamed the Duke 

I’m Done Being Your Best Friend 

I Tamed the Male Lead Who Tried to Kill Me 

The Villainess's Road to Revenge 

The Villainess Behind the Mask

The Crimson Lady

Please Obsess Over Me

Let Me Die in Peace!

Libera Me

What the Duke Picked Up in the Forest

Peony: Dreaming of the Dangerous Grand Duke

Reincarnation/Transmigration Genre (the FL is reincarnated/transmigrated into a novel/webtoon/otome game)

I Am the Villain (Sejji) 

My Little Tyrant

Secret Lady 

Not Your Typical Reincarnation Story

The Villainess is a Marionette

Author of My Own Destiny

Father, I Don't Want this Marriage

The Monster Male Lead Living Under My Bed

Behold the True Villainess

Beware the Villainess!

Villains are Destined to Die

I Fell Into a Reverse Harem Game!

I Met The Male Lead in Prison

An Extra Stole the Male Leads

I Will Become the Villain's Poison Taster

Elissa's Whirlwind Marriage

Fortune-Telling Lady

How to Win My Husband Over

The Villainess's Maker

Viola Tames the Duke

The Beloved Bashful Villainess

My Ray of Hope

Who Made Me a Princess?

The Heiress's Double Life

The Villainess's Blind Date Is Too Perfect

Why Raeliana Ended up at the Duke's Mansion

Writing My Male Lead's Happily Ever After 

Villain Duke's Precious One

My Sister Picked Up the Male Lead

I Bought Land, Not a Man!

Just the Male Lead's Friend

The Villainess Flips the Script!

I Met the Male Lead in Prison

The Viridescent Tiara

Philomel the Fake

I Married the Male Lead's Dad

The Villainess's Stationery Shop

The Rules of Rose Ivy Manor

The Tyrant's Only Perfumer

Your Ultimate Love Rival

I Hold the Tyrant's Heart

I’ll Become the Heroine in This Life

I Became the Tyrant's Dishonest Adviser

Divorcing My Tyrant Husband

Contractual Marriage to a Surly Duke

It Was Love at First Sight, Mr. Villain! 

Lia's Bad Ending

The Villainess Just Wants To Live In Peace!

How to Tame the Merciless Villain 

Grand Duke of the North 

The Monster Duke Mistook Me for His Wife

The Fake Saintess Awaits Her Exit 

The Terminally Ill Villainess Refuses Adoption 

Wicked No More 

I Became the Young Villain’s Sister-In-Law 

I Became the Villain's Mother 

I Became the Mother of the Evil Male Lead 

The Sea Captain's Bride 

Living as the Villain’s Stepmother 

The Rewards of Marriage

Flirting with The Villain's Dad

Childcare Diary With the Villain 

I Became The Stepmother Of An Irrevocable Dark Family

Beloved by the Male Lead's Nephew

I Ended Up Raising the Children of the Female Lead and Male Lead 

I've Become a True Villainess 

I Didn't Mean to Seduce the Male Lead!

Becoming the Obsessive Male Lead's Ex-Wife

My Personal Favorite Transmigration Stories:

Kill The Villainess

Charming the Duke of the North

The Strong Empress:

Remarried Empress 

I Abdicate My Title of Empress

FL as Knights:

The Age Of Arrogance 

The Night Without Shadows 

Runaway mothers:

How to Hide the Emperor's Child

The Vanished Duchess

Smutty or Spicy Goods:

Please Kill My Husband

Winter Wolf

Beast’s Flower 

Tempting My Salvation 

The Bondservant

Toxic MLs:

My Husband Who Hates Me Has Lost His Memories

Bitten By The Dog I Abandoned

The Mistress Runs Away 

The Problematic Prince 

Others:

I Belong to House Castielo

Obsidian Bride

It Was All a Mistake

My Secretly Hot Husband 

Taming the Marquess 

Royal Marriage

Lady Evony

A Royal Princess with Black Hair

When You're in Love

Raising My Fiancé with Money

Catherine's Key to a Happy Life 

Lips Upon a Sword's Edge 

Little Rabbit and the Big Bad Leopard

I Stan the Prince

Becoming the Lady of the Cursed Ducal House

Betrayal of Dignity 

My Beloved Oppressor 

Your Eternal Lies

What It Means To Be You

Lies Become You

The Psycho Duke and I 

From BFF to Obsessive Hubby

I Listened to My Husband and Brought In a Lover

My Husband Changes Every Night

The Elegant Sea of Savagery

My Unexpected Marriage 

Seducing the Monster Duke

The Duke's Cursed Charm

Here Comes the Silver Spoon! 

I Don’t Want to Be a Lady

Married to a Duke Called Beast

I Don't Love You Anymore

Disobey The Duke If You Dare

When Fate Finds Us 

Like A Wind On A Dry Branch 

The Price of a Broken Engagement

My Three Tyrant Brothers

Searching for My Father 

A Tipsy Marriage Proposal for the Emperor

The Villainess Empress's Attendant 

Trash Will Always Be Trash

The Last Straw

Carnephelia's Curse is Never Ending

To My Husband's Mistress 

Go Away, Romeo 

Ones that came out this 2024, but I haven't check them out yet (but I will do it very soon...):

A Beast Swallowed by a Flower

Traces of the Moon

I Was Tricked Into a Fraudulent Marriage by the Obsessive Villain

An Unexpected Proposal

No, I Only Seduced the Princess?

Until The Real One Shows Up

I’m Unmarried With a Time-Limited Lover

The Youngest is Trying to Prevent the End of the World

Reasons for Avoiding the Perfect Guy

Confined Together with the Horror Game’s Male Lead

I Became The Tutor of The Royal Twins

Till Divorce Do Us Apart

I Thought You Were A Time-Limited Husband

Now Come and Regret

The Villainess Captured the Grand Duke

Corrupting the Heroine’s First Love

[thebest-medicine]

Day 24: Pinned

Tickletober 2023 - My Hero Academia - Class 1A - lee!Bakugo, lee!Midoriya

[see my other tickletober 2023 fics]

[ao3 link]

A/N: first my hero academia fic??? neeed!!!! angry boy need tickled sometimes. god help whoever does it tho.

Summary: Bakugo is all three things: loud, angry, and ticklish. One of them is less obvious than the others, and he wants to keep it that way. 

Words: 1.4k 

…

Loud, angry, and ticklish — these were among the many words that could describe Bakugo Katsuki. Like his quirk, he was often explosive with his voice and his temper. Ticklish, though? That was a pretty well-hidden feature, and one that not many would be willing to try with him! Not that anyone had in a long time. 

Until today. 

The sound of tittering laughter and chatter, much too loud and too cheery to be school-related, drew an already grumpy Bakugo toward the common room of the dorms. It seemed to be the place to be, he realized, when he walked in and saw most of his classmates relaxing around the couch, laughing and talking.

“What the hell are you all laughing about in here?” Bakugo barged in, asking loudly.

“Bakugo! Come on, Sero was just telling us the funniest story about—” Ochaco waved him over.

Bakugo cut her off. “Why don’t you losers stop sitting around laughing and wasting all day and get some goddamn work done! Ugh, Icy Hot and I have been working twice as hard as the rest of you because of our extra classes, and now you’re all slacking off?! It’s gonna be way too easy for me to surpass you! Where’s the challenge in that!? Now get off your asses and stop slacking!!!” 

Everyone stared back at him, their giggling long gone.

“It’s Sunday afternoon Bakugo…” Momo sighed.

“Yeah, come on, even heroes need to rest.” Tsu added.

“It’s good for you to relax a little. We’re all still training super hard!” Mina assured her classmate.

“Shut up! You’re all just a bunch of slackers and losers!” Bakugo grumbled loudly.

“Would it kill you to relax? Maybe smile a little?” Kaminari asked.

Bakugo turned to look at him, glaring with fuming rage. 

“We’re not even doing anything to bother you, Bakubro, come on!” Kaminari bargained. “If you want to keep studying then go back to your room, you don’t have to sit here watching us relax if you don’t want to join us.” 

“I WANT YOU TO TAKE YOUR STUDIES SERIOUSLY SO THAT IT MEANS SOMETHING WHEN I KICK YOUR ASS!!!” Katsuki yelled back.

“Seriously, come on…” Kirishima sighed. “You know we’ve all been working hard, we deserve some chill time!” If he squinted, it almost looked like Bakugo was steaming with anger.

In the dorms, with his guard down, focused on arguing with his friends and surrounded by his classmates, Bakugo didn’t sense the approach of his childhood friend from behind until it was too late. 

With a wide grin on his face, Midoriya had managed to creep up behind the grumpy, yapping dog that was Bakugo. He remembered something about his friend from a long time ago, and though he hadn’t tried it in many, many years, he was sure it would help here.

It was a matter of moments between when Bakugo was yelling back at Kirishima and Kaminari and when he finally felt the presence of someone approaching from behind. He ignored it for a second too long. Midoriya’s voice was friendly as it chided. “Kacchan, why are you being so mean?” And suddenly there were accompanying fingers pinching along Bakugo’s sides. 

“—GET BACK TO WO-AHHIIHHH!” His rant cut off into a very un-hero-like squeal at the unexpected tickle. Bakugo’s face, which was already red with anger, ripened further as he slowly spun his head to look behind him at Midoriya. “What. The FUCK!!!” 

“What just happened!?” Kaminari asked, smirking.

“Was that you Bakubro?” Kirishima said in disbelief.

“Deku, what did you just do?” Ochaco laughed.

“Oh my gosh! Bakugo are you ticklish?” Mina grinned, wiggling in her seat.

“That’s so cute!” Tsu agreed.

“Wait what? I missed it!” Sero turned to face him better.

Bakugo growled. “Deku…” 

Midoriya’s eyes widened as he saw Kacchan shift his weight to launch an offensive his direction. “Wait! Kacchan, I’m sorry don’t kill meEE—” He quickly sped off with a squeal out of the common room and into the hall as Bakugo bolted after him as fast as he could without shooting out explosions.

“I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU, DEKU!”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know you would react so much!” Izuku laughed as he raced ahead of his rival and old friend. 

“SHUT UP AND PREPARE TO DIE!”

The rest of the class left them to it, not wanting to incur the wrath of a furious Bakugo as Midoriya just had. They were grateful to their classmate for allowing them to continue relaxing for a few more hours without having criticisms screamed at them. Bakugo had a point, but so did they. They would have to work hard but still relax hard, play hard. 

Down the hall, Shoji picked up the sound of a scuffle before everyone heard crash and tumble followed by the familiar sound of Midoriya’s laughter… though this time it sounded much more frantic than it usually did after a good story or funny joke. 

… 

Izuku didn’t know what he had been thinking when he’d tried to tickle Kacchan for a brief second in the common room of their dorm… He had been yelling at everyone and looked so angry, Izuku just wanted to distract him for a moment and maybe get him to relax or smile a little. He remembered having tickle fights with Kacchan when they were kids. It had been a long, long time. This time, he got the jump on him, just for a moment. It was in front of their classmates, so other people now knew Kacchan was ticklish. It made sense that he was so angry, he was angry a lot. But, it had been nice to catch a hint of his smile. Even if he had embarrassed him a little. 

Now that he’d done it, though, he realized too late the wrath he had provoked. 

Izuku sped down the hall as fast as he could, trying to race back to his dorm room in time to try to lock himself inside—though… Katsuki seemed mad enough that he might just activate his quirk and blow the door down. He didn’t make it far enough to find out, though. Bakugo crashed into him, shouting obscenities as he knocked them both to the ground. 

“Wait! Kacchan don’t! Not out here!” Midoriya yelped as Bakugo landed on him. He knew he was caught.

“Stupid Deku, see how you fucking like it!!” Bakugo growled, pushing Midoriya into the floor and kneeling over his thighs. He reached down, jabbing harsh, tickling fingers ruthlessly into Izuku’s sides. They squeezed up along his ribs and down to his hips. Izuku screeched out a laugh before flailing helplessly where he was already pinned. He tried to reach back behind him to grab or block a hand. 

“KACCHAHAHAN— I’M SORRYHEHEHE!” Izuku shrieked through his laughter. “IHIHIHI- I CAHAHAN’T BREHEHEATHE!” He cried, kicking into the floor. 

“Good! Die!!!” Bakugo answered, loud and angry, as he made a grab for Izuku’s wrist and hauled it up over his head. 

“NOHOHOHO— STAHAHAHAHOP!” Izuku cackled. 

Bakugo drilled fingers into his exposed armpit, and Midoriya felt tears welling in his eyes. Bakugo was ticklish, certainly, but Midoriya was… well neither of them had ever met anyone else so sensitive. How strange a trait for one determined to be the number one hero — to crumple and fall apart in the face of some simple tickling. Though, he wouldn’t call what Bakugo was putting him through ‘simple’. 

The way Bakugo saw it, the others may have seen that he was ticklish, but if he could make enough of an example out of Midoriya, no one else would dare try it again. He hoped. 

Midoriya’s other arm flailed and tapped out helplessly on the ground as Bakugo took advantage of every ticklish spot he could remember. The tickling hand even snuck down beneath him to claw against his stomach. “PL-PLHEEHEHEHEASE KACCHAN IHIHIHIHIHI CAN’T! CAHAHAN’T TAKE IT! AHAHA-STAHAHAHAHAHA—” 

Katsuki leaned in closer, still tickling viciously. “Never. Ever. Fucking. Do that again.” He paused for a second, his hand freezing against Izuku’s sides. “Understand me?” 

Izuku breathed in a few times, panting for air and giggling each breath out. After a few seconds, he spoke up. “Y-You mean like in front of people or just in general?” 

Bakugo’s face went red as he shouted, “IDIOT!” and started tickling anew. 

“WAHAHAIT NOHOHOHOHO!”

[two-white-butterflies]

cats and dogs | aem. targaryen

Description: He meets his future girlfriend while searching for his old one. Aemond adopts a puppy and sees a girl with her cats.

Type: social media au

Warning: Teen

"I want a small dog," he answered firmly - already beginning to look around the small animal shelter.

"I have a small apartment - it's not really built for those big canines." he explained, playing with the strings of his hoodie. His mother told him that it would help with his anxiety - but the thought of owning a dog made him anxious. It was like having a baby - according to his brother. "Are there any breeds that you're interested in?"

His lips pressed into a thin line; was he supposed to know about the breeds? The only dog breed that he was aware of was 'German Shepherd' because his uncle's dog: Caraxes, bit him as a kid. "Not really," he shook his head - while being led towards the darker parts of the room. There were a few dogs growling at him, some had missing body parts - but he was unfazed.

"There's a dog here - no one wants to adopt her, but she's a sweetheart." the woman cooed, leaning down to wave at Vhagar.

The chihuahua was growling at her, but it's face seemed to soften once he came into view. "She's a senior dog...loves treats," the woman chuckled nervously, chucking a treat inside the cage. "Would you like to touch her?" she inquired and he nodded automatically.

Vhagar felt like home.

The woman gently lifted the dog out of the cage, settling him down on the floor. Vhagar immediately ran towards her future-owner, nibbling on his shoe-laces. "She already likes you," the woman mumbles in surprise. He leans down to Vhagar's level - gently petting the dog's back.

When the employee was about to put her back inside the cage - she sprinted in the other direction. Navigating through the maze with ease. "I'm so sorry, she's not like this! I swear." the woman ran after the dog, but its speed was amazing.

"I want another kitty!" you giggled while pressing soft kisses behind the tabby cat's ear. "Oh my god, you keep doing this." Baela rolled her eyes, holding your black cat with her other hand. This was supposed to be a visit for getting Kaiser's papers, but now it was turning into another adoption. "Jacques is a cute name," you thought to yourself.

You turned towards the man - about to ask him if you could bring the kitten home, but a dog suddenly bumps your ankle. "- and who is this?" Baela squatted down to touch Vhagar, but she growled at the woman. "Little miss murder on her mind," she laughed at her joke.

"- i'm sorry about her, miss." a worker apologizes, gathering the dog around her arms. "It's alright, she's cute." you smiled - seeing another man fade into view - presumably chasing after the dog.

"Well, if it isn't Aems." Baela rolled her eyes playfully, surprised to see her cousin on the other side of town. "Spike," the man replied using her childhood nickname. The worker hands the dog to the man - the dog quickly calms down. "Are you going to introduce me or is this one of those, guess who's?" he raised an eyebrow.

For a woman who said the most controversial things, Baela had a lot of suitors. He wanted to know if you were one of them.

"I'm (Your Name)," you greet - unable to offer your hand because of the cat cuddled on your arms. "Aemond, I'm Baela's cousin." he introduced - trying to offer his hand, but remembering that he was holding a pet of his own.

"So, dinner at five?" Baela informed - catching you off guard. "I'll text you the details, please wear some makeup - Aemond." she rolled her eyes - taking the cat away from your hands and returning it to the owner. Baela, thank you.

She begins pulling you away before you get another word in.

'Sorry' he mouthed with a slight smirk. 'It's okay' you smiled in return.

your_dumpaccount: he's so handsome ackckckc

5 comments 10 likes

baelabutterfly: thoughts? - your_dumpaccount: i will kneel for, i will die for, i will serve - - baelabutterfly: GOODBYEEEEE 💀 too much info

rhaena_hotwings: wear protection kids - your_dumpaccount: i expected this kind of comment from bae

You couldn't stop smiling.

Dinner with him was amazing - but the ice cream after?

"Are you a vanilla or chocolate person?" he asked while taking a lick of his chocolate-mint ice cream. "Strawberry," you responded while wiping the cotton candy ice cream away from your upper lip.

"Why were you so sad when both were unavailable then?" he inquired, and you could feel the heat rise to your cheeks. He noticed. "It feels like a chocolate day," you hum, freezing as you realize that his eye was solely focused on you - the crowds were drowning out.

"Why did you buy cotton candy?" he asked again, finding you to be an interesting woman. You hate vodka - you ask them if they have gin, but you order a margarita. "I thought that you'd hate mint - you told me that your comfort food was this, so I thought that you'd want to share." you admit shyly.

He wasn't the only one paying attention.

"That's sweet," he whispers - reaching to wipe the ice cream away from your lips. He licks his finger after.

your_dumpaccount: boyfriend, lover, future husband JK, UNLESS?

9 comments 7 likes

baelabutterfly: bitch that's my cousin

rhaena_hotwings: r u in his house? 😭 sis i can see his mom's gf in the bg - your_dumpaccount: you should be thankful that she was there -- baelabutterfly: here we go again with the 'sex on the countertop' --- your_dumpaccount: that's so cringe, why would someone do that

your_tiktokuser: surprise guysz

918 comments 289k likes

smegmasmegol: NOT YOU SOFTLAUNCHING SOMEONE?

i_like_paninis: i want what they have

uasdasd99: sis is a model, influencer, cat mom and now a girlfriend??? can u pls bless us with 3% of ur beauty?

@nyctophilic0vitnir @bellstwd @pearlstiare @glame @bellaisasleep @yentroucnagol @marvelescvpe @fan-goddess

[fictionallystable]

Rating: Mature

Fandom: Call of Duty (Video Games)

Relationship: Phillip Graves (Call of Duty)/Reader

Characters: Reader, Phillip Graves (Call of Duty), Original Male Character(s)

Additional Tags: Author Has Played Call of Duty, Childhood Friends, Miscommunication, Mutual Pining, slight age gap, Civilian!Reader, Pre-Canon, Jealousy, Angst, Kissing, Time Skips, Slight OOC Graves, Brother's Best Friend.

Words: 1,990 | Chapters: 3/5

Authors: @orphancains & @collinnmckinley

Chapter 3: Happy Birthday.

Chapter Summary: Your parents invite Phil and his new pretty girlfriend to dinner, and things take a turn but not for the better.

A/N: Sorry for the late update. But here is Chapter 3, finally! We'll try to post Chapter 4 sooner than this one. Again, thanks for hanging in with us! :) (likes and reblogs are appreciated <3)

the fic can also be found on AO3

tags will be updated!!

In front of you a cake with light purple frosting and exactly thirteen candles sat on it . Your mom had ordered it and it was a special order for your birthday. You were excited to finally get into your teen years , and you were grateful your mom didn’t force you to invite your old classmates from school to your home, despite your father’s initial ideas. Instead, you sat at the table outside in your backyard, the same oak tree you always played under as a kid provided your family shade as you sat by the cake, whose candles you blew out just minutes before. You were content to just be with your brother, mom, dad, and a few cousins for the afternoon, rather than surrounded by strangers masquerading as friends. And now, you were excited to dig into the cake.

“ Wait wait wait- Before we eat,” Your brother spoke up, while your mom removed the candles with smoke still spiraling off their tips. “I wanted to give you my present.”

You gave him a confused chuckle. “Matty, you already gave me the present this morning, remember?”

“I have something else,” he said with a sly grin before jogging off back into the house. 

You looked up at your parents, as if silently asking them if they knew what he was up to. Your mom shrugged while your dad only huffed.

When your brother came back, your jaw dropped and you gasped. In his hand was a bundle of fur , but most importantly, the said bundle was moving and when you looked closely you recognized it as a small German Shepherd puppy. He couldn’t have been older than 2 months. In typical puppy fashion, he wiggled out of your brother’s arms to scamper toward you.

“I just picked him up from the humane society an hour ago.” He let out a breathy laugh.

When he let go of the puppy, immediately the fur bundle tried to leap onto your lap, sniffing your face and giving small kisses near your nose as you bent down to carry him. You giggled at the tickling of his whiskers against your skin. You cooed lovingly and caressed his head and felt his soft fur between your fingers. Purposefully, you sang the dog praises loud enough to drown out the sound of your parents trying to reprimand Matty for this ‘expensive’ gift and the “ Matty, we’re going to talk about this later ”.

You beckoned your brother to come over to you, and when he did you hugged him tightly.

Your brother knelt down in front of you. “ So? You gonna give him a name? ”

You furrowed your brow, still petting the dog. “Oh shoot ! Now I have to think about that don’t I… ”, your brother shook his head amused at your conflict.

Before you could begin brainstorming, you heard the door from the house open and looked up. You saw Phillip there, closing the door behind him holding a gift box. When he glanced at you, he gave a small wave and one of his soft smiles. You stiffened, but you waved back hesitantly. You didn’t expect him to come. Suddenly, you felt nervous, embarrassed. Scenes from the night of that disastrous dinner flashing in your mind, him kissing Marisa by the pool also invading your thoughts. But you tried to brush them aside. And when you did you felt a hint of the same joy you always felt when Phil appeared. As if feeling your emotions too, the new puppy sitting on your lap yapped and barked happily at the sight of the new human.

Your brother glared briefly at Phil. “Dude, you’re late.”

Phil ignored his comment, focusing instead on you and the dog on your lap. “Holy shit, Matty—” Phil’s cursing prompted a low grumble from your dad “—I thought you were joking when you said you were getting her a puppy ,” he said as he approached you. “And you actually got her a German Shepherd. Jesus, he’s gonna be as big as a bear when he’s fully grown.”

The puppy then lept back off your lap and landed on the floor, clambering up Phillip’s leg trying with his front paws. He knelt down and gave the dog a few pets as well. “Man, I don’t know if my gift can top this,” he said with a small laugh as the dog also l icked his face. You felt your heartbeat quicken a bit at the mention of him getting you a present. You were surprised he even kept your birthday in mind, let alone wanting to give you something after what had happened.

He stood back up and dusted the grass off his knees. “Sorry, I’m late. Had to meet up with someone real quick on the way , it took longer than I thought.”

“Don’t worry, Phillip, we were going to save you a slice of cake just in case,” your mother warmly added, to which Phillip thanked her.

He handed you the box gently and said, “I made sure to bring you something though.”

You felt your throat tighten and you felt your eyes wanted to water from the emotions flooding you. Regret, from the dinner. But also adoration for this boy who felt like a second older brother to you, but even more than that. You couldn’t find the words to describe it. Instead, you held the present, unwrapping the lilac and silver wrapping paper slowly. 

When you opened it, you felt your heart soar in your chest.

“Oh, my god…” you exclaimed, looking up at him in surprise. Phil had gotten you the artist kit that you had been dreaming about for months, but you could never afford with what little money you had saved. Your eyes shined with joy as you held the gift in disbelief. “I can’t believe you got this! You—you actually remembered!” 

He furrowed his brows for a split second, but he continued to smile and tenderly placed a hand on your shoulder. “Of course I did.”

Standing much shorter than Phillip, you had to crane your neck to look at him, but your heart fluttered when you saw the warmth with which he looked at you. Without a word, you jumped forward and wrapped your arms around his chest, hugging him tightly. With the hug, you could feel all the shame and hurt from the past couple of weeks melt away. He hugged you back, his larger arms making you feel safe. 

“ Oh, god! The dog is trying to eat the cake!,” your mom was panicking.

You pulled away from the hug and found that, yes, the puppy had its two paws on the edge of the table, his nose dangerously close to the slices of cake that your mom had put aside while she cut the rest.

“ So , what’s his name?” Phillip asked you gingerly but also choked back a laugh at seeing your dad scratching his graying head of hair in annoyance.

“I’m not sure…” you frowned at the thought, grabbing the dog and carrying him, you held him to your chest while he panted happily at Phil beside you. 

He hummed in return.

“Why not name him Bear then ?”

He blinked and mulled over this for a few seconds, but gave you a playful smirk. “Bear… Yeah, I like it.” 

The start of the school year was quickly approaching. You sat in your brother’s room as he was packing his bags for college and with a now slightly larger Bear chewing on a toy beside you. The next day, he was going to drive with your dad to College Station, where he was going to start his first year. You watched as he begrudgingly packed his clothes into bags, asking him questions about it. “Are you nervous?” “What classes are you taking?” and most importantly “How often are you coming back to visit?” You couldn’t deny you were going to painfully miss him. You were glad he had gotten you Bear to keep you company in his absence, but it wasn’t the same.

“I’ll try to drive back home every few weeks, okay?. And I’ll definitely be back for Thanksgiving.” 

When he started packing his video game discs, you froze for a few moments, before asking him. “Hey, is Phil going with you too?” You now wondered why your dad didn’t mention also driving him to College Station with Matty.

Matty stopped packing and looked at you with a small frown, puzzled. “No, of course not. He shipped out last week.”

It was your turn to frown now. “Shipped out? What does that mean?”

He grimaced . “ Oh, he never told you…” He paused and ran his hand through his hair in frustration now. “What the fuck, Phil,” he mumbled under his breath. With a heavy sigh he looked up at you with regretful eyes. “What I mean is… he left to start boot camp with the Marines a few days ago, Y/N.” 

You leaned away and stared in confusion “Wait, w-why would he…” you stammered, unable to finish the question. “He… left?” You felt your heart shatter but you were still so confused. A thousand thoughts ran through your mind. Since when did Phil want to join the military? He never did mention college to you, you suddenly realized. But when did he decide to just get up and leave? And why did he never tell you? 

Your brother sighed again, “Yeah, that’s why he got here late as fuck on your birthday. ” Annoyance flashed in his eyes for a brief second. “He was at the Marines’ recruiting office, getting the paperwork done, setting up dates and… finalizing his decision to join, I guess.”

Your eyes were watering. You fought so the tears that were gathering behind your eyes . “Why… wouldn’t he tell me ?” 

Matty opened his mouth to answer but he couldn’t find the words. “I don’t know, to be honest. I told him he should, but he didn’t say anything .”

You stood up from his bed and headed towards the door. Your heart ached at knowing Phil didn’t trust you with this information, or worse, you fear that he didn’t care about you anymore to tell you anything . “ Why did you keep this from me…?” you asked as you gripped at the door frame. You felt betrayed, ignored, small once again. You felt like the dumb little sister once more. 

Your brother stood up and gently held onto your shoulders. “Listen, if I know Phil like I think I know him, he’d surely have a reason.” ‘What reason would have been big enough for him to hide about his enlistment?’ “Don’t forget, he cares a lot about you.” ‘Does he?’

You felt like your knees would give up , you leaned into his chest slightly as you tried holding back your cries, but ending up staining his shirt with your silent tears . “I didn’t think… I didn’t think he would actually hide this from you . He said something about not wanting you to worry about it. ”

On the bed, Bear nervously whined seeing you in tears. Matty wanted to guide you back to his bed to sit you down, but you removed his hands from your shoulders as you started to leave the room. Bear trailing behind you. 

In your room, you sat on the bed as it became gloomy all of a sudden. Whenever something plagued your mind with concern or a wave of depression hit you, the atmosphere changes drastically in your room. Bear’s cold, wet nose poked your hand. You slowly raised it to gently caress the dog, feeling your cries grow into quiet sobs . Sniffling and your vision blurred from more tears gathering in your eyes, as you slowly laid down on the bed . Curling up on your side you cried into your pillow. You breathed deeply as you realized now: Phil could in a matter of months be in a warzone tens of thousands of miles away from home. The heartbreak and sense of betrayal that had stunned your senses were now inundated and replaced with fear. You didn’t know if you’d ever hear back from him. Knowing him, he maybe didn’t even have plans to come back to your town because his parents were never home. His house was never really his home.  

“Oh, god, please ,” you thought to yourself, “please stay safe Phil. ”

[naavispider]

Happy late Birthday! Speaking of birthdays did you know Na'vis don't celebrate them. The closet things they have as a birthday is when a Na'vi reaches to a certain age of maturity.

So basically, Spider has never celebrated his birthday. I could imagine the recoms having a conversation about someone upcoming birthday (Lyle, Mansk, Z-dog, etc.) and Spider will have no clue on what they're talking about. This shocks everyone, Quaritch the most. He'll really have it out on Jake as no one celebrated or gave him a single childhood wonderment. In the end Quaritch and the rest of the recoms will do a little surprise birthday event for him and it'll definitely impact on Spider a lot.

Spider headcanons 🎉🎂 birthday edition 🎂🎉

when he was a toddler, none of the scientists were really sure when his birthday was. The birth had been kept quiet by higher ups in the RDA, and no one was supposed to talk about it before the battle, so there was no written record of the birth.

Norm eventually decided that they had to find out somehow, so did some digging and found out it was a March birthday (I'm biased so what) going by Earth's calendar. It took him some time - he had to go through all of Paz and Quaritch's old video logs and diary entries, assess the calendar, pick out key events that could hint as to the exact date. Even today, he suspects he knows the date but there is no actual, written conformation of Spider's birthday anywhere. They celebrate it on the 25th - Norm's best guess.

As Spider gets older and more independent, the scientists start to forget more and more about his birthday. He's never had a cake, never had anyone sing to him. Some of the scientists he was closest to make him a card every year, but if it wasn't for Norm they'd never remember. So Spider never really sees the joy in it. For him, it's just a painful reminder of Paz, the woman he lost and longed for most in the world.

One year (when he was 14 or 15) Norm mentioned to the Sullys that Spider's birthday was coming up and that maybe they should do something special. Jake of course knew the importance of birthdays, coming from Earth, and enjoyed explaining the custom to his kids. Kiri made him an intricate feathered arm band, and Tuk carved him a simple but beautiful bead for his hair. Spider was overwhelmed and speechless. He thought that night that maybe, just maybe, he belonged with the Sullys.

The next year came and went and they forgot.

After Spider got captured by the recoms, Quaritch eventually decided to work out just how old Spider was, and in doing so, realised that his birthday was already coming up (the 26th). The kid would be 16. He didn't know why or how, but he knew he wanted to mark it somehow.

He confided in Wainfleet, who suggested that Quaritch just do something simple and effective. Something meaningful that would show Spider that Quaritch really cared about him. Quaritch knew this was the perfect time. He secured the knife that his human self had carved almost 16 years ago (though it felt like only a few weeks), and offered it to Spider on the evening of his birthday.

"What's this?" Spider asked, frowning as though it was some trick.

"Take the knife, kid. It's just something your old man made you after you were born." Suddenly Quaritch got rather self conscious and pressed the handle quickly into Spider's hand. "Happy birthday."

Spider's eyes widened as though he'd forgotten. Maybe he had. "It's the 26th," Quaritch said, trying to prompt Spider.

Spider frowned. "The 26th?" he said, confusion etched on his face. "My birthday is the 25th."

Holy shit. Understanding swept through Quaritch immediately. Of course, there wouldn't have been any formal confirmation of Spider's birth, so he couldn't actually blame the lab coats for getting it wrong. Even still, it was pretty sad that the kid hadn't even been sure of his own goddamn birthday.

Quaritch corrected Spider, and that opened the door to a whole load of questions. Mainly about his birth... and about his mom.

The recom spent the majority of the rest of that evening patiently answering any questions that Spider had, and Spider could have kept going all night. This was the most answers he'd ever gotten. He couldn't stop himself - it was like Pandora's box. For the first time in forever he felt connected to Paz, learning all about his birth - what his possible other names would have been, whether they knew if he was a boy or girl, how much he weighed, the fact that he had almost needed a c-section, how much Paz held him when he was born, what Quaritch's reaction was, what the RDA's reaction was.... Spider was taking it all in like water in a drought.

The other recoms all gathered round too - hearing Quaritch reminisce was comforting and entertaining to listen to. Some of them had even been there at the time.

Of course, the answers are all given through Quaritch's lens, and Spider didn't miss the details that the colonel skipped over (like the fact he obviously wasn't at the birth), but all the same he listened eagerly with stars in his eyes until eventually, he fell asleep dreaming of Paz.

[apinchofm]

Day Five - word prompt 'notebook'

Edwina and Friedrich being adorable and reflect on childhood.

"What is this?"

Friedrich was holding up a small, old yet well preserved notebook wrapped in pink ribbon he had found with others in one of the trunks. Their children had been 'treasure hunting'.

But he could not believe what he had found.

Edwina's eyes widened as he walked into , "Give that to me. Now."

He held it above her head, dodging every attempt

"Friedrich!"

"The old works of Miss Edwina Sharma." Friedrich said, having read the neat label on the inside, no doubt written by her mother, "I cannot believe you had so many diaries." He began flicking through as Edwina threw her arms up in frustration, her face warm with embarrassment.

"Can a child not be allowed to muse?" Edwina said.

Friedrich suddenly stopped on a page and looked up at Edwina who narrows her eyes, "What have you found?"

He chuckled, "Requirements for a husband."

"I was six years old and asked by my governess to do so. Then she told me I was being silly." Edwina told him, "I do not even remember what I wrote!" She did not even wish to think about it! It was probably similar to what Alexandra, who at five years old was determined to prove the existence of fairies, would write.

"Well, let us see if I fulfill said list." Friedrich said seriously

"Please, we do not need to." Edwina beseeched but he sat down on the chaise lounge, dramatically clearing his throat and stretching out to begin the dissection of his wife's six year old mind.

"So, he must be tall and handsome - that is describing me in much detail." He listed, making her roll her eyes, "He must like dogs - we have five, I think I am doing very well - and must, and I quote 'trick a jinn.'"

Edwina groaned in embarrassment, "I had read many a fairy tales in which djinn and evil yashas were slain by handsome kings."

"Does this disqualify me?" Friedrich quipped.

"Your service in the war is enough."

He grinned at the next word. "You wanted a prince." He said, turning the book around so she could see her careful, slightly messy cursive as proof.

"I was six!"

"Ambitious from an early age, I admire that, lieben." He chuckled but his smile sobered as he read the final words on the page.

"What else did I write?" Edwina asked, noting he has stopped, "Should my husband have the ability to magic up cake for me?"

"My appa must love him." Friedrich read out carefully and her smile faded.

She made her way over to Friedrich who pulled her into his lap, as she looked over the tattered notebook.

"He died a few months after I wrote that list." Edwina said quietly, smiling ruefully, "I used to dream about him - at my wedding. Or being a grandfather and reading to my children as he used to do with me." He never changed in her dreams, always the same as she grew older.

Friedrich kissed her forehead and tucked her head under his chin as she sighed.

"I wish I could have met him." Friedrich murmured, "That he could have met the children."

Edwina smiles, looking up at him, "He would have liked you. I think. Your library and observatory at the very least."

He chuckled, "He would be welcome to them as he is family. And my inability to kill evil spirits?"

Edwina chuckled, wiping a stray tear from her eye, "He would have to let that go. But your inability to produce deserts out of thin air...?"

Friedrich laughed, "I shall work on that for you."

[stxrshxpxd]

“make me kiss you”

pairing: 90s damon albarn x reader

word count: 1.378

warnings: none

prompt: reader is jamie’s childhood best friend and she finds herself enthralled by damon after a blur gig

requested by @stxrshaped <33!!

* * *

I had only seen Blur once or twice in a magazine and knew they were on the rise, but I was surprised I hadn’t remembered Damon more. Now that they were on stage and we were watching them from the side I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

Jamie was my old childhood best friend and we had fallen out of contact with each other for a few years, with me having to move away across the country just before turning seventeen. When he invited me to check out his mate Damon’s show I couldn’t possibly turn down that offer.

“You think he’s preeetty?” Jamie sing-songed teasingly in my ear. I laughed too loud and the blood in my cheeks simmered. He had definitely caught my staring and grinning.

“All the girls do,” he chuckled. “And, well.. Alex gets a fair share of them too.”

I had never been in the entourage of a band of this magnitude before. The audience was roaring left and right. Blur clearly had a bright future. You could feel it building by the minute.

“Don’t you get any?” I pouted playfully, referring to the girls Jamie was talking about. He laughed and shrugged.

“A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell.”

The show had ended a few minutes ago and I still wasn’t fed up looking at Damon. He had sunk down in an armchair with a warm beer in his hand and he was pulling on his sweat-soaked long sleeve, contemplating if he should take it off.

“This is Y/N. I told you about her,” Jamie said, sinking down on a sofa opposite Damon.

Damon looked up at me and I was suddenly aware of my body and the fact that it was just standing there in the middle of the room. The rest of the band had sat down with their beers and sweaty fringes and legs sprawled wide. Alex indeed had a pretty girl on his lap and wasn’t listening to the conversation in the room.

“Hi,” Damon said calmly through big eyes. You would think he had taken something with his pupils nearly cancelling out the pretty colour in his irises. Of course that wasn’t anything out of the ordinary with guys in bands. But his demeanour was completely normal, calm, nice, present.

“Hi,” I echoed, shoving my hands deeper into my jean pockets. I wished I could stuff my whole body in them. Damon wouldn’t break eye contact and his pupils only kept growing, along with his soft smile.

“Were you mates in school?” Graham asked and we all looked at him.

“Yeah, since we were like six,” Jamie answered, took a sip of his beer and then he handed me a bottle. I finally sat down on the armrest of the sofa, next to Graham. He was the only one without his legs spread. He hopped in closer to Dave and made space for me, crossing one leg over the other. We exchanged quiet smiles and I slid down on the leather sofa.

“Here,” Damon said loudly. I could tell he had been watching me intently and observed my friendly encounter with Graham. He was reaching his hand out towards the bottle in my hand. Without hesitating I handed it to him and he lined the cap up with the edge of the table. He gave the top of it a hard bump with the bottom of his own bottle, and the cap came right off. My beer had clearly been tossed around a bit because it fizzled up and some of it poured onto Damon’s hand. He reacted quickly, sipping some of the last overspilling beer from the bottle and when he handed it to me he licked the back of his hand clean. I thought about his mouth as I took a swig from the beer.

Half a moment passed and then Damon grumbled in discomfort.

“Ah, fuck this,” he muttered under his breath and stood up while opening and closing his sticky hand, grimacing at it.

“Y/N,” he said in a friendly tone and nodded his head in the direction he was going, out of the room.

Part of me felt like a dog being called on but I decided to push that feeling aside and follow him. I couldn’t understand why he had needed me to go with him but his charisma made it hard to say no to him.

Continually taking sips from my beer I followed Damon through a long hallway, lined with amplifiers and instruments.

“How come I’ve never met you before?”

“You have. Two years ago. I guess you just have so many girls at your feet, you don’t remember me,” I said and beamed a mischievous smile into his sweaty back as I walked behind him. I thanked my lightweight self, the beer already giving me some confidence. Damon waited a beat, slight panic oozing off of him for a split second, then he turned around with a smirk of his own and two dark eyes.

“Cruel.”

I laughed and leaned against the rough concrete wall, sipping my beer again, as he had stopped now and entered a small bathroom.

“I don’t have that many girls at my feet,” Damon stated soberly over the sound of running water.

“Jamie says so.”

“Jamie says a lot of crap,” he explained with a chuckle and met my eyes again, outside in the hallway.

“He says you and Alex are the big womanizers.”

“Now, Alex has a ton of girls at his feet, that’s true!”

We walked again but I noticed we were heading in a different direction.

“If you ask me, you’re the one they’re trying to get to but they settle for Alex cause he’s willing,” I shrugged as we walked side by side now.

“He is a big slut,” Damon laughed heartily. He had missed, or chosen to ignore, my attempt at flattery.

“You’ve really got us all figured out quick. Quite the people reader.. Do more of me,” he said eagerly, as he steered us out through a back door. We entered the black night outside and both took deep breaths in of the fresh august air.

“Um,” I laughed and thought for a moment. “You thrive off of attention I think... You’re very charismatic in a sort of calm way.. Kind of controlling and manipulative, but I don’t know if it’s in a terrible way.”

Damon was quiet for a second and he stared down at his dingy, once white, sneakers as we walked down a quiet street, in and out of soft circles of street lights.

“Well, Y/N, I haven’t ever heard anyone be described as manipulative in a positive way,” he chuckled lightheartedly.

“Hey, did you not hear me say you were charismatic?” I laughed and nudged his tricep with my fist.

“Thank you,” Damon chuckled and glanced up at me. “But, really, how am I manipulative?”

He had stopped now in the middle of a street light circle and I stood opposite him, watching the long shadows play on his soft face.

“You just led me out into the street in the middle of night and I just followed without hesitating.”

“That’s on you,” he pointed out, stole my beer from me and took a sip. Impulsively I sighed, annoyed. It felt like the two of us already had a well-rehearsed dynamic, despite being just a step or two up from strangers.

“What? Are you scared of my germs?” Damon rolled his eyes playfully inside the ovals of shadow there under his brow bones. “Please, I bet you imagined kissing me all night.”

I felt the hit, him having seen right through me, but I didn’t let it show.

“Right there! Charismatic and manipulative,” I pointed out, poking my finger into his chest.

“Manipulative?” he echoed.

“Yes, cause obviously that comment is gonna make me kiss you.”

“Obviously.”

Half his smug grin was hiding in the shadow as well and there were sparks twinkling in his eyes brighter than the light above us. Another sigh of playful annoyance escaped me before I morphed my pointing finger into a fist, squeezing his cold sweat into my hand as I pulled him by his shirt into me, pressing my lips against his.

[togglesbloggle]

Free Will is a Value Statement

When I was a kid, we had a dog.  It didn’t go well.

This particular dog- one of several in my childhood, and the only time it went awry- loved us very much, and we loved him too.  But when it came to strangers, he was very aggressive, and very dangerous, and not fully under our control.  We’d have to lock him up when there were visitors to the house, and even then it was less ‘barking’ and more ‘baying of hounds’, and unlike some animals he didn’t suddenly turn nice when he was in the same room with them.  And he was large, much too large for this to be safe.  Things came to a head when my mom was taking him for a walk and he started threatening a small kid playing in their own yard, and she came back terrified that if he ever got out, somebody would be badly hurt.

I remember quite clearly the conversation where my parents told me we couldn’t keep him.  They’d made the unfortunate choice to feed me cookies at the same time, to make the bad news go down easier; the net result is that there’s a specific brand of cookies that, to this day, I still can’t eat.  They just turn to ashes in my mouth.

(The good news is that, against all odds, it seems the ‘farm upstate’ that they sent him to was actually real.  They literally saved the receipts, so that when I got old enough to realize what that kind of story usually meant, they could give me proof that they hadn’t lied.  He did live what I believe to be a happy life in what was, more or less, a wild animal sanctuary.  Not all dangerous animals are so lucky, but sometimes, they are.)

The reason to dredge this up is to notice how unthinkable it was for any of us to call him ‘evil.’  Even when he was straining at the leash as hard as he could snarling and growling at a three year old, he wasn’t evil.  ‘Dangerous’, yes.  ‘Violent’, certainly.  But not that, not ever.

And that’s how it works, right?  We recoil at using the E-word for pets, young children, anyone that’s enough weaker than we are.  Evil-as-an-adjective is for peers and superiors, things which present a genuine threat to us.  You can watch this change for the natural world in real time- us moderns watch nature documentaries about predators avidly, and not as horror films, but our received culture still has ancient fairy tales about the ‘big bad wolf’ that date from before our conquest of Earth’s ecosystems.  What a difference a little power makes!  What was once a real and imminent fear, and a central figure in the atlas of evil, has withered away to a narrative archetype with no material referent, while the wolves themselves become objects of admiration and wonder, or a focus of conservation efforts, in direct proportion to our own sense of security against them.

And maybe you’re not the sort of person who thinks about evil much at all, which is honestly a pretty good strategy most of the time.  It can often obstruct thinking more often than it clarifies.  But even if you don’t, I’ll bet you still think about ‘justice’ a fair bit- and that follows the same rules, for about the same reasons.  The punitive and remunerative kinds of justice, anyway.  Was it some kind of punishment, to have that part of my family broken away when I was a child?  Was my dog’s loss and confusion something he deserved?  Of course not.  It was just- disharmony, I suppose.  We couldn’t find a way to put the world right, and so we suffered instead.

And yet when we reach a certain level of direct personal injury or threat of injury, especially by human causes- political enemies, alien people, angry mobs- then, almost without fail, we find ourselves reaching for this idea of justice.  (And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?) Show me, anywhere in the world, where a person has in all sincerity called for justice- and I’ll show you someone who feels weak.

Now, I can point at sentences like ‘my dog was not evil,’ and it should be pretty clear that I’m making a value statement, rather than expressing mundane factual belief in the same mold as ‘grass is green.’  That is, I’m not disputing any mechanism of action, or trying to explain why events occurred as they did.  I’m not giving you information you could use to prevent this from happening to you too, much as I hope you can.  I’m telling you how I feel, about what I want, about who I am.  I’m telling you about my grief.

Loosely speaking, you can imagine beliefs falling along a spectrum.  Don’t take this typology too seriously, it’s just a useful distinction to make for present purposes.  The first extreme of our spectrum is just the observational set of beliefs- the ‘sky is blue, grass is green’ category.  These are especially good for making plans that work, since they model a system that we usually want to work with in some capacity.  If you don’t want to fall off a cliff, it helps to have a good map. The second type is imperatives or value statements, beliefs about how to direct our efforts.  ‘Murder is bad’ is a belief like any other, but instead of telling us how to accomplish a goal, it tells us what goals we ought to have and what ends we should work towards.  (Moral realists will think of this second category as being a subset of the first; that’s perfectly reasonable but orthogonal to my point.).  Both types of belief are absolutely necessary for acting in the world: the means and the end, if you like.  

Here’s where I reveal my thesis:  When, honestly, was the last time you used the concept of free will to make a plan?

“People have free will” sure feels like a factual belief, from the inside.  It’s a description of who we are, right?  Like saying we usually have two legs, like saying the Earth goes around the Sun?  Only… it isn’t doing any of the things I do with factual beliefs.  It doesn’t make predictions, it doesn’t expand my capacity to act on the world.  If anything, ‘free will’ as a concept has a weird twisty negative definition (often something like ‘nonrandom indeterminacy’) that resists analysis of the reductive kind we usually use for this sort of thing.  

And if we look at how it’s positioned in the grand constellations of human thought, it’s awkwardly conjoined with a lot of the other things I’ve been talking about here.  Good, evil, justice.  I use my belief in free will a lot when I’m talking about culpability or praiseworthiness, when I’m deciding what to act towards, when to cheer and when to boo.  

I use it when I’m feeling weak.

Or, less personally, think about where ‘free will’ crops up in our court system.  And it does, in more than a few guises.  For example, altered states that compromise our volition are taken into account, and might even qualify as fully mitigating circumstances that tell the court not to punish the transgression.  (“I was not negligent on that construction site, your honor, I’m a diabetic and I was having a blood sugar crash.”)  In other cases, such as in murder charges, malice aforethought or planning the crime carefully might upgrade the sentence to be more harsh, whereas a crime ‘of passion’ might net fewer years in prison. (First-degree versus second-degree murder.)  What all of these have in common, notably, is in assessments of culpability, relevant to the question of how strongly the community wants to punish or condemn the situation.  But when it comes to the presentation of evidence, the chain of material observations that we use to establish confidence in the story of ‘what happened’, we invoke ‘motive’ instead- that is, we ask what benefits, inducements, insults, or other circumstances might have led the defendant to commit the act.  “Your honor, the accused is ordained with free will and is capable of choice,” is, notably, not considered sufficient to establish motive- but “your honor, the defendant was listed in the victim’s will as a primary recipient, and they were seen to have a large argument two days before the murder,” very much is.  Interesting discrepancy, no?  When we ask whether we should condemn others or show mercy, we care deeply about the defendant’s capacity to exercise free choice.  But when we ask material questions about what happened, trying to get a clear picture of the world as it is, we instead ask where the defendant is positioned in a causal web of material and social circumstances.

It’s hard, really hard, to reliably tell when our beliefs are about facts, describing things other than ourselves, and when they’re doing something else, paying rent in other ways.  But I notice, when I was a little kid crying in the car, I never once asked whether any of this was my dog’s fault.  It’s not that I didn’t know whether he had free will or not; it’s that it didn’t occur to me to ask.  I asked if it was my fault, certainly.  I’m sure my parents did too.  But we never asked if it was his, whether he’d decided to be this way.  That’s just not what ‘free will’ as a concept was for.

So, am I saying there’s “no such thing as free will” in the sense that I’m saying humans are fully deterministic and mechanistic?  Nah, not really.  To reiterate: I’m not saying that I have any confidence whatsoever that humans are deterministic, mechanical agents.  I think there’s plenty of room for consciousness to complicate the story of causality in ways I can’t anticipate; there’s every chance that human brains aren’t just billiard balls bouncing around in a universe running on linear algebra or whatever.  But I don’t think that ‘free will’ as currently discussed is in any sense an alternative to that model, either.  What I’m trying to say is that ‘free will’ isn’t really a claim about what the world is like at all.

The opposite of a belief in free will isn’t ‘I assert humans are chemical robots governed by deterministic electrochemical reactions’.  Instead, the opposite is ‘I am not angry at you for hurting me.’  Free will is a value statement.

Remember that ‘rate my dog’ parody account, and the central joke was that all the dogs got scores of like 12/10 or whatever?  And the punchline to it all, when somebody tried to call them out on the uselessness of a rating system that always stayed maxed out: “They’re good dogs, Brent.”  If I were at a high enough perch- strong enough, wise enough, safe enough- then that same optimism, I think, is the only part of my need for justice that would survive.  True power doesn’t rank humans from best to worst, or spend time blaming us for outcomes that cause suffering to ourselves or to others.  It doesn’t need to.

[melonthesprigatito]

You ever just suddenly unlock a memory of something from your childhood that lay completely forgotten in the back of your mind for nearly a decade?

I just had the cartoon Puppy in my Pocket: Adventures in Pocketville pop into my head today and I INSTANTLY got flashbacks to the summer of 2011. It was on every day at 3pm after My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I watched it every single day for that entire summer, I even dragged my parents home from whatever they were doing just so I never missed an episode.

I collected all these figures and this plushie of Princess Ava (my favourite character and the reason why siamese cats are my favourite cat breed) which I DIDN'T lose, by the way, I know exactly where it is, it's buried in my toy basket under a mountain of plushies stacked on top of it and I couldn't be bothered getting it for this one photo so have a stock image instead.

Genuinely one of my favourite cartoons as a kid.

So today I remembered it and out of curiosity, I checked to see if it had a TV Tropes page and it does. I was aware that the cartoon is Italian dubbed into English. This is important and ultimately led to one of the most horrific discoveries I've ever made in my life.

Puppy in my Pocket: Adventures in Pocketville was made by an Italian company called Mondo TV. That raised alarm bells for me when I read that particular part of the TV Tropes page. I remember hearing that name in several "Worst Animated Movies of All Time" lists on YouTube

So I clicked on the blue link to Mondo TV on TV Tropes to see what else they made and…

THIS WONDERFUL PART OF MY CHILDHOOD THAT BROUGHT ME SO MANY FOND MEMORIES

WAS MADE BY THE SAME PEOPLE WHO MADE THESE

The fucking SHIVER THAT RAN DOWN MY SPINE. I can't believe that the people who made Puppy In My Pocket also made the fucking animated Titanic movies (with talking animals, nobody dying because everybody got saved by magic whales, a dog that does a rap number in 1912 and Atlantis) and that one North Korean Lion King/Jungle Book crossover soccer anime 😭

I've seen the likes of Nostalgia Critic, PhantomStrider and Saberspark tear these movies apart!

Suddenly I'm 200% certain that Puppy in my Pocket isn't nearly as good as I remember and I've decided that I won't rewatch it because I want to keep those wholesome memories and not destroy them any further.

To say I'm distraught would be an understatement