#talked about how their names are some destined to be together sign

[poisonousquinzel]

"the only reason Harley's called Harley Quinn and not Harleen Quinzel or some other moniker is because the Joker manipulated her into thinking the similarity in her name and the name of a specific type of clown meant they were destined to be together and that means she's intrinsically tied to him forever and can't exist as a character on her own because her origin is tied to him" ass take has gotta be the worst one I've seen as of late,,, like really can't lie it's stuck in my head lol 😭

i wish i could go about life misunderstanding characters this much and thinking that one who's been a canonical domestic abuse victim since her og origin episode / comic, who is partly (story wise) inspired by a real life dv victim who survived

In the afterword, artist Bruce Timm shares that their Harley was based in part on a real-life friend who was stuck in an abusive relationship: “I’m happy to report that the ‘real-life Harley’ did finally break away from her ‘Joker’ and has been happily married to another man for several years now.”

[Source]

is a character who's "girlbossified" when she's allowed to grow past and outside of her abuser himself,, and that that means idk writing her without him dilutes her character and takes away everything interesting and flawed about her? that she should never be written without him / without her world revolving around him, due to him being the catalyst in her origin?

The Joker's part of her origin because he was the root cause of her fall, the villain, the bad guy, the abuser. that doesn't mean she's required to be forever tied to him?

This isn't even a problem in the actual comics or anything. It's just absolutely 100% not.

No one even pretends Joker isn't intrinsically tied to her story, or more specifically her trauma. No one in real life and no one in their universe.

Tim Drake literally mentioned The Joker in like the last chapter of her (2021 - ) comic ffs!!! 😭

"Did the Joker make you want to do that? Do you wanna unpack that, Harley? Do you wanna talk about The Joker?!"

Harley Quinn (2021-) #42

But it's almost like people grow and heal and evolve. Her codependency and shit are flaws that are not permanent and are things she (can) and is working on.

She's riddled with flaws and they've gone nowhere! she's just trying her best to stay afloat and better herself bit by bit because she isn't Dr. Harleen Quinzel anymore, she can never walk into a medical building and apply and expect them to not know who she is upon a singular search in the system.

She's just Harley Quinzel now, she still has the skills and experience and schooling, but she also has a long serious criminal record, severe mental health issues and is living in a city that rightfully does not trust her. She can't go back, she can't get her old life back, and she can't go back to being Her, The OG "New & Improved" Harley Quinn who's world revolved around 1 person and him alone, because she would die.

He'd kill her, maybe not immediately, but he would be the death of her.

And she knows that. It's a lose lose.

The only real option she has is to lay down and die or to survive. To float and swim bit by bit until she finds stable ground.

Until she finds a way to live with herself again.

Harley's "obliviousness" is a coping mechanism that we literally see her dealing with since BTAS.

A warped world view that does in fact make her actions more complex,, and makes the aftermath / come down all the harder for her as she has to grapple with the internal traumatic response to Everything with Joker while also dealing with the world she's waking up to and realizing the real reality of her actions and the actual pain it left behind. It's literally been in her character plain as day since her First Personal Comic from 2000!

It's something taken seriously and something she knows, regardless if she even remembers the crime, that she has a responsibility to take accountability for. She almost lets Clown Hunter execute her because she was involved in his parents death, even though she doesn't remember the night, she trusts Batman enough that if he says she was there, she was. And she's going to own up to being there. She starts a therapy group for ex clowns post Joker War, she's become a (court ordered) professor and during all of these arcs Joker and his influence on her and her life are mentioned and acknowledged and present.

He's not been removed as an intrinsic aspect of her story, but he is no longer the center of her world and that is a good thing.

It's almost like character growth after 30 goddamn years is something that happens.

And! you know who else is intrinsically tied to Harley Quinn's character just as much as The Joker?

Poison Ivy and Batman.

Her three primary connections since the Beginning, since the original series that everyone wants to pretend was so so different about her than it ever was, was Joker, Batman and Ivy.

And a primary goal (Harley wise) for 2/3 people she's been connected to since Batman The Animated Series has literally been to get her away from the 3rd. They've just successfully helped save her in most universes now, even when she's the one who pulls the trigger in the end.

It's been over 4 years since I made this blog and I still cannot wrap my head around this fandom's deep seeded hatred and disdain for actual character development.

"Sorry", but that's just such a disgusting take built on misinformed foundations and idk a personal rage for bad guy characters not being bland, predictable one note entertainment for the rest of their miserable existence in comics until they're shelved for being fucking boring one note d-list characters?

[notsoverymerry]

Boyfriend (j.yh x reader)

<jeong yunho x fem!reader>

summary: You can't believe you're dating Yunho. Others can't either.

genre/warnings: smut, unprotected sex (please use protection!), fluff, use of pet-names a/n: let me know literally anything about this :) word count ~3.6k

You were dating Jeong Yunho; you really were. 

You went on dates, held hands, kissed, and said the cheesiest, most sweetest, tooth-rotting things to each other. All the time. And yet, none of the boys had caught up. By some mysterious miracle or rather an ominous curse, guys and the staff have considered you two to be just really good friends. You could've screamed love proclamations at each other from mountaintops, and nobody would take that seriously. His habit of calling you his little bro, or some variation of that, as a pet name did not help in the slightest.

At first, it was funny. Just at the beginning of your relationship, when you intended to keep your fondness away from prying eyes and wanted to enjoy exploring each other in this new, intimate side of things, having people consider you pals was great. You can recall Seonghwa making a few remarks about how cute you would look together, but it was dismissed rather quickly. The first time it happened, you totally saw Yunho's ears go red, him stammering out something about friendships and trust and members making you uncomfortable. 

At the end of your third date, you were sure you wanted this man next to you for life. He took you to the aquarium. It was a cliché, but it's something you have always dreamed of. You love animals, love to learn new things, and you think you love Jeong Yunho. He looked dashing in just a pair of blue jeans and a white sweater; your heart definitely skipped a beat when he smiled, hands reaching to greet you in a short embrace. It skipped a beat again when you heard him laugh lightly at some joke you made. And again, when his hand brushed against yours as you walked to your destination. Stepping into a room with tiny fish specimens showcased in various tanks, blue lights now illuminated his frame and those round sparkling eyes. Your heart doesn't seem to work correctly. 

Few hours went flying. You took pictures. Half of them when he wasn't paying attention. You told him he looks like the prettiest starfish they have and didn't miss his cheeks darkening with blush even in the dim lights. Not too long had passed before you started to point out funky ones to each other, exclaiming, 'You!' and laughing. After a particularly accurate comparison of you to a dwarf puffer ('Dwarf puffers are aggressive, sensitive, and active' the sign read), he reached and intertwined your fingers, not a single hint of trying to hurt you with that juxtaposition, his eyes full of adoration, a huge smile on his face. You could have just kissed him.

He insisted on ice cream later in the evening. You were just heading out the shop when you bumped into Mingi. Faces red but happy, Yunho's arm hugging you to his side, a small bag of sweet treats in his hand. It took a second for Song Mingi to take the sight in. And another second for him to smile and greet you, to ask how's it going and where you're going to go.

''Oh, my girlfriend and I are just going to relax somewhere in the park nearby.''

You couldn't help the giggle that escaped your lips. Girlfriend. You can definitely get used to being called his girlfriend. And then it happened. Cue Mingi's cluelessness, or the fact that he's just tired from their hectic schedules. 

''Man, it's great that you can be so close with each other and aren't afraid someone will mistake you for a couple. If you could act a bit better, maybe you'd even get a discount sometime!'' With that, he was gone. 

There was a little tradition your small company liked to keep. Board games. 

Every once in a while, when everyone wasn't busy, you'd spend an evening playing, talking, lightly drinking, and overall just relaxing. Adult life could take a really boring turn, the one that only had 'road work ahead, and so should you' sign. Bills, taxes, colleagues being stressed and mean, and yada-yada. Idol life was probably even worse. 

There was some catching up due, and this Saturday night seemed just the perfect opportunity. The lot of you chose a game, lo-fi music was put on for background, and the living room area was cleaned so up to ten people could comfortably sit in a circle. Drinks were cold and ready to be handed out. 

You took a seat in between your beloved Yuyu and Yeosang, a dear friend of yours who got you in the group. You'd expect him to know your heart of all people. Although when you told him about your new boyfriend, all he did was laugh and say that was a good one. 

Bewilderment washed over you in a tidal wave. It showed up on your face, swimming behind your eyes and overflowing in a strangled sound from your lips. And you, Yeosang? With your confused and hurt whimper, the topic was brought to everyone's attention. 

''Did you guys know y/n likes Yunho?'' Maybe it was the alcohol, but you heard more laughter. 

''Oh? But y/n likes all of us, don't you?''

''Well, yes, but—'' you were not going to finish that sentence. He heard what he wanted.

''See?'' Wooyoung looked so smug; if your brain wasn't so busy being confused, you'd be infuriated. Right now you looked like there was a loading circle turning in your head. Hopefully you won't bluescreen. 

''Are you guys pulling my leg?''

''Are you? Seriously, you and Yunho.'' There came a playful nudge to your side. 

You wanted to protest, to ask your boyfriend to back you up, but turning to him, you saw his eyes creased by a smile. He shook his head slightly, as if trying to say that it's fine and they will catch up to it eventually. He knew it was going to take them a while. And with his hand lightly caressing your back, your anger dissipated, replaced by a warm feeling inside your chest. Was it always so hot in here?

''Just relax, little pal. I got you.''

A while has passed before you decided to be openly affectionate, at least around those closest to you. 

It was a day off for the both of you. You planned on going out, but upon seeing your boyfriend's tired eyes, you opted to offer a quiet night in. Weather seemed to agree with that, given that it started raining against the broadcast's best predictions. 

You were met with Hongjoong, who opened the door and let you in. When you entered their living room, you saw Yunho, still in sweatpants and a big shirt, holding a steaming mug. 

''Hey.'' He said, ''Isn't it my favorite little dude!''

''Hello, honey.''

The warmth in your voices could melt the arctic icebergs. You took a few moments just to look at each other, gentle smiles tugging at the corners of your mouths. 

''Oh, hey, bro! I'm also in the room, where's my sweet greeting?''

It was San, a pout already present on his sleepy face. 

''You'd get it when you have a girlfriend.''

The day was spent in the comfort of their couch, with soft cushions and comforters draped around. None of you cared for the cancelled plans, not really, when all you ever wanted was to be in each other's presence. That was enough. Several movies were watched, hot tea keeping the cozy atmosphere company. You were cuddled with Yunho, feeling warm and giddy. That's when Seonghwa made another comment about how cute the two of you were. 

''But I don't want to make you uncomfortable, y/n. Don't take this close to heart. We know there's nothing romantic going on.''

It was as though they were doing it on purpose.

''It's okay, Seonghwa; we are together. Like, I love him and all that.''

Your voice was steady, your face was serious, and yet…

''Of course you are,'' San almost scoffed. ''But that behavior is exactly why you can't get a date these days. People see Yunho and don't dare approach you.''

A light chuckle could be heard from the room; Yunho also couldn't contain his. The more blunt you were at stating your relationship status, the more oblivious band members became. 

''Little broski is saying she doesn't need a date. She has me. Right, darling?''

Yunho was being honest. You nod at him, darting your eyes back at your friends in hopes of seeing the realization there. Yet, his playful tone and charming smile did nothing to convince the others. It's not like you've been actively trying to make them believe you were an item. Though now it seemed to irritate you a bit. Was it really that hard to imagine you and Jeong Yunho together? Were you not good enough in their eyes? Or was it his habit of calling you bro? You never knew. 

''Why is it so hard for you to believe we're dating, though?''

You voiced your thoughts, needing to know the answer now.

''Y/n, love… You'd date a reputable scam artist before Yunho; we know that much. You'd probably even date Hongjoong first if-''

''I can hear that!''

That was the captain's answer from the kitchen.

''A reputable scam artist?''

That was your confused reply. What does that even mean?

''And what is so wrong with dating me? I'm handsome, I'm charming, and so, so funny! A real treat. I could also be a scam artist if I really wanted to.''

A strangled sound tore from your chest.

''See? That's a laugh.''

There was another. He was not at all interested in proving them wrong.

You couldn't believe your luck when you showed up at the dorms a week later and no one was there. 

Yunho had called you, asking you to come in, some mischevous spark laced in his tone. It turns out, the boys had work, and those who didn't decided on spending the day outside. There was undoubtedly a need for shopping for essential items, as well as just a bit of fresh air and relaxation for those workaholics. Well deserved. Yunho needed it too. So when he asked if you could just cuddle him a bit and maybe cook something easy later, you couldn't find it in yourself to deny this request.

His bed? Soft. His body? Warm. Hands? Big and strong and held you against him perfectly. You were happy. You basked in the feeling of his chest pressed against your back, like puzzle pieces, you thought. You traced the veins on his arms, switching to play with his fingers from time to time. This feels nice. This feels so right. How could his members not see this? You were practically made for each other. You decided to bring it up.

''Why do you think our friends don't take us seriously?''

He let out an amused hum, his breath fanning over your neck. 

''I dunno. Maybe they all want you, just can't take the fact I already hogged you for myself.''

He hugged you tighter. In all honesty, that was distracting. How could you think about other guys, about anything else, really, when your big and strong boyfriend held you so tenderly against himself? The thought of him wanting you and caring for you as much as you did for him should melt your heart. Instead, with the way his fingers played with your shirt, caressing your skin where it had rode up, it sent hot waves someplace else. Were you cruel enough to ruin this perfect cuddle session with your dirty thoughts? 

''You're here, love?'' His hand went up to cradle your face. 

Turning to him, you couldn't avoid looking at his lips. So pink and soft. You know just how nice they feel against yours. Your eyes had darkened already, the feelings you had for this man had your head all dizzy. Without much thinking, you moved forward, connecting your lips in a sweet kiss. You felt his breath hitch. A tiny sound tried to escape his throat, but your mouth didn't let it. His hands moved to your waist again, holding you even closer.

You put your hands in his hair. You just couldn't resist massaging his scalp and tugging gently, soft locks slipping through your fingers. And god were you rewarded with another sound from him, right into your lips, chest reverberating against yours. He stopped kissing you; for a moment he just needed to look at your face. Rose hue on your cheeks and blown eyes — no doubt he looked the same. 

''I see,'' he chucled. Hands roaming your body, skimming your sides. ''You're so amazing. I can't get enough of you, my little bro.''

There it was again. The way he said it was ethereal. His voice so soft and perfectly low, his eyes dark and full of adoration. But it was the bro part that got your mind out of the gutter. Only for a moment, though.

''I want to make love to you so badly,'' you started. He sucked in a breath. His eyes fixated on your face, jumping over to your lips for a second. ''But please, stop with the bro thing. You can put that mouth to better use.''

''I'll be good,'' is his promise. 

With that, he leaned in to kiss you again. This time pressing into you harder, needier. You couldn't control yourself any longer, too. With a soft moan, he moved even closer, almost getting on top of you, his weight pressing you into the mattress. And it feels, oh, so good. You bite on his lower lip carefully, anything to hear his beautiful sounds again. You let him take the lead, tongue gliding over yours. He moans at the taste. 

Tongue keeps rooling over yours; he lets his hands slide under your shirt. He kneads your breasts, then moves his hands over to grab at your hips and thighs, and back under your shirt again. You feel on fire. You want him to touch you everywhere at once; you want to touch him even more. You're the first to give in, reaching to help him take his t-shirt off. 

He's gorgeous. Hair a bit messy, lips glossy and red from the kiss. He pants a little, and you reach to glide your hand over his abs and chest, circling over his nipple. You can hear a tiny pleased sound leaving him, but it's not enough. He reattaches himself to you right away, mouth finding your neck. He kisses, bites, and licks at your most sensitive spots. You take him back gladly, hugging him close and moving your hips to meet his. He seems eager to do the same, another perfect sound leaves his lips. It's a groan, and it's right into your ear, and it makes your head spin. 

''God, you feel amazing.'' He breathes out, and you can't take it anymore. You want him, you need him with you, on you, in you. Your clothes get swiftly discarded, that eagerness earning you a quiet snicker. You don't care; your brain is in a fog, Yunho is the only thing on your mind.

''Please, touch me.'' you ask, settled in his sheets and looking up in his eyes, dark pools filled with lust to the brim. 

He obliges, positioning himself at your side. ''How do you want it, baby?'' He asks, but his hands are already on you. He groups your breasts once more, bringing his mouth to suck at your neck, moving down until he can lick your nipple. He plays with you as he pleases, kneading your skin and ghosting over the area where you want him the most. ''Please,'' you whine. 

''What? Isn't it good when I touch you here? Or maybe here?''

He moves his hand to massage your thighs so close to your hot core, playing with your inner thighs, pinching slightly. You start to buck your hips involuntarily. Oh, but then he moves it over your belly to your nipples again. You tug at his hands and whine again. With more and more whimpering coming from you, he surrenders. 

Long fingers find your sticky folds to roll through them. The sound you let out makes his dick twitch in his underwear. When he finally pays attention to your clit, you feel exstatic. You look at him, at his concentrated face as he plays with you. You're lost in this feeling, lost in him. His fingers enter you suddenly, and you try to say something, but no real words come out. All you can think of is how good he feels inside of you. Your fingers can never do what his long ones can. They strech you a bit, just enough to feel this sweet pressure and leave you wanting more. Just enough to reach that gummy spot there that makes you see stars behind your eyelids. 

''You look so good like this, fuck.'' He praises. His voice brings you back to reality. ''So fucked out already, and I barely even done anything.'' 

You want to protest, to say that you are not fucked out yet, but the way your walls clench around his fingers is a dead giveaway. You are losing your mind a little. Can he really blame you, though, when he's the one pressing on that spot inside of you, so, so well. You can't really say anything, the only sounds escaping are your moans. Yunho thinks your voice sounds like honey, so sweet and thick with arousal. He bucks his hips against you, breathing deeply.

You reach for his cock, still trapped in his sweats and boxers. Suddenly, the fabric is just so frustrating. He lets out an airy laugh at your feeble attempt at touching him, taking his fingers out. You mewl at sudden loss pathetically. 

''What's wrong, love? Do you miss me already?''

He leaves your side not even for a minute, but it feels like forever. With a teasing grin, he discards the rest of his clothing and finally climbs back to bed, now on top of you. It's great. He's big and pinning you down and pressing to you just right. 

You want him inside, so you try to shift a little, make it more comfortable for him to finally fuck you, but he doesn't budge. The look you're giving his way is comical. You're flushed and needy, and there's that throbber almost visible on your forehead again. Your boyfriend doesn't give you time to ask, diving into another heated kiss with you. Your moan is bordering on a sob when he opts to fuck your mouth with his tongue instead of fucking you like you desperately need him to. 

When at last he's lining his cock up with your slit, you think you're actually going to cry. He's so hard and so big, the stretch feels euphoric. Pleasure overtakes and your eyes flutter shut as he slowly bottoms out. 

''Keep your eyes open. Look at me, baby.'' 

His words come out in a mix of a moan and a growl. You swear you could come just listening to him, hand-free and all that. You open your eyes, and the sight is breathtaking. He moves inside of you, your walls feel hot and tight and like the most expensive velvet. You can see all of that in his eyes. He feels so good, and you're the one making him hiss and groan in pleasure, his mouth forming the perfect O's and stuttering muddled praises. God, you love him.

You can't keep thinking about it for much longer. The pace he's set becomes a bit faster and sloppier, and he reaches his hand in between your bodies to put pressure on your clit. With it comes his strangled warning, '' 'm close, honey.'' And you can feel it, too. His dick hits that spot in you just right, and with your clit stimulated, the familiar feeling is building in your stomach faster and faster. ''Me too,'' your eyes close without you realizing it, and with a cry of his name, you come all over his cock. A string of curses follows, and you feel him twitch, hips stilling, and warm liquid fills you up. 

You take a minute to come down to earth again, and so does he. Leaving a chaste kiss on your cheek, he rolls over beside you, still panting a little. 

''Fuck. My baby, you did so well.'' 

You're not sure how it is possible to feel so giddy and syrupy after being so unbelievably horny just a second ago. Guess he has that effect on you.

''It was amazing, Yuyu. I love you, so much.''

''I love you too.''

He drapes his blanket over the both of you, snuggling closer, stroking your hair with your head on his chest. You want to say more cheesy things to him. Just as you open your mouth, though, there's a knock on the door, and Mingi's figure pops in, hand covering his eyes.

''Are you guys done? Please tell me you're decent; I do not want to see y/n's boobs or worse!'' 

You yelp, tugging the covers to your chin. Both Yunho and you decide to speak.

''We're decent.'' 

''When did you come back?!''

''Just in time to hear the closing credits.''

Mingi is now taking in the scene. Clothes scattered on the floor, Yunho's disheveled look, you trying to hide in the blanket. Lovely.

''I am traumatized, by the way.''

''What's that supposed to mean?''

''We brought beef, by the way. Wanna join us in the kitchen?''

You're lost. You don't know if you should feel embarrassed or offended. Mingi doesn't bat an eye at your barely covered form. At least that's what it feels like.

''Let us maybe get dressed first?'' Yunho chimes in, hugging you to him to try and cover himself a bit too. 

Mingi leaves, and you let out a breath you didn't realize you were holding. You start to shift a bit when the door gets burst open once again, followed by, ''Wait, so you are actually dating?!''

[akutasoda]

"it's always the wrong thing when it's me saying it"

--dan heng was one of your best friends, although maybe it should've stayed that way between the two of you. you weren't destined to be anything more than, but knowing that would drive you both further apart than ever imagined.

--warnings - gn!reader, thought to be unrequited love, fluff, angst no comfort, poor communication, maybe ooc, wc - 1.7k

--a/n: killing your wife emotionally and mentally @lowkeyren + @mitsvriii ^^ made sure he suffered plenty!

life on the express was as good as you could ask for.

traveling all across the galaxy, witnessing its beautiful sights and even helping people along the way. and all with a group of people that were the light of your life. it was truly a dream. there was never a dull day, one that you couldn't enjoy and that was really all you could ask for.

each of your companions had such a unique presence that worked so well together.

himeko was always the more mature yet so calm with whatever antic had been concocted up by namely march and the nameless. whereas welt was still just as mature yet was always too tired to deal with those same antics.

march was like a bundle of joy. her positivity was always contagious, it always got her out of the antics she engaged in. the nameless was no different, their monotone attitude still assisted march in whatever she had planned. yet they were still reasonable and even incredibly kind.

and then there was dan heng.

the silent guard of the express. when you first boarded the express, you clicked with everyone but him immediately. he was a lot more reserved and didn't immediately try to get to know you like the others.

it was really only after he noticed how much you and the other members of the express had bonded that he made an effort to try and get to know you. dan heng was wary. he wanted to see how the others perceived you before he made his own judgment.

some may say he was trying to find something to get you kicked off the express but he wasn't trying to be negative, at all. he could argue that welt was more cautious than he was but atleast welt was more present while you adjusted to life on the express. if dan heng was asked to help you with something, he would but otherwise he wouldn't go out of his way to talk to you.

eventually, however, he did come round to you. once the surface had been broken, it didn't take long at all for you to get just as close to dan heng as the rest of the express crew.

he was a rather calming presence to be around. the conversations you could have with him were endless, time spent with him was never wasted and even if he didn't mean to, he always made you smile.

---✩

it didn't take long before dan hengs “room” became your second room. from your first day on the express you were assigned a personal room like the rest of them, yours to customize how you want and spend your nights or days in.

but ever since your friendship with dan heng started to blossom, you found yourself accompanying him to the data bank - it was technically his room, the scruffy pile of blankets and pillows were really the only sign of someone actually living in there.

your evenings soon became reduced to sitting beside dan heng in the data bank, watching and listening to him as he inputted new entries or updated old ones. seeing all the the different experiences the express had was truly worth admiration.

the data bank was a permanent record. a library of all the things the express had been through and found, a permanent memory. and dan heng was in charge of keeping it organized and up to date - which he did diligently and perfectly.

some of the entries interested you greatly, in response, dan heng showed you them in full - compared to the ones that you weren't so keen on which he simply summarized for your convenience.

although more so lately, this time between the two of you had become less about looking through the databank and more into casual chatter between the two of you. more personal.

even the rest of the express where surprised with how much dan heng opened up to you - he'd known them longer and yet you seemed to know more about him. not that it was a bad thing. some of them, namely himeko, were just happy that he seemed to finally have someone he cared about that much.

somewhere along the line, march started joking about how you and dan heng were “practically attached by the hip” and she would be right. the joke eventually caught on with how if one of you were in the vicinity, the other wouldn't be too far away.

but it made you hyper aware. suddenly you started realizing just how much time you spent with the astral express’s guard. the times he made you smile, all the conversations you had with him, the warm fuzzy-

oh.

you had a crush.

a major crush. on dan heng.

the thought made you flush with embarrassment had anyone noticed? had he noticed? did he even feel a small fraction of the same thing for you? maybe you were just thinking too much into it…

but it was eating you up inside. dan heng didn't exactly seem like someone looking for a relationship and you hated thinking about it because it meant that your feelings would never be reciprocated. it hurt. hopefully you could push it all away, move on and just keep your friendship with dan heng - you didn't want to ruin anything, even at the cost of your own feelings.

however, that was easier said than done. every time you were with him, all you thought about was the possibility of him reciprocating your feelings - and it wasn't looking good for you. you needed to move on, there was no way, if dan heng was looking for a relationship, that he'd go out with you.

very quickly it became very apparent that you needed closure to move on. either your feelings would be harshly crushed or reciprocated. although the former was more likely…

but you wanted an answer, anything to help you move on.

---✩

it was late. you both knew that but you had a question plaguing your mind for far too long and you needed a good nights sleep soon. so you figured now would have to be the time to ask it.

“dan heng” you called out and he turned away from the data bank to face you fully, slightly tilting his head and letting out a short “hm?”

you took a deep breath, trying your best to fight pff the nerves, “would you… uh.. ever consider me, us, as something more than friends?”

you couldn't bear to make eye contact with him, the silence was so loud until he broke it “no.”

oh how you wished for the universe to swallow you whole right then and there. but he continued “why do you ask?”

“oh no reason” your voice tapered off toward the end before you abruptly stood up “goodnight dan heng” quickly walking away and back to your room - fighting the tears that threatened to spill at any time soon.

but what you didn't know, what you'd never know, was that he lied.

ages ago, before you even realized your crush, march kept teasing him about how close you two were. amongst her teasing came the blatant question “do you like them?”

at first, dan heng adamantly denied it. you two were just close friends, nothing more. march knew better however and she took great pride in teasing him, listing out all the instances were you two could've been mistaken as lovers - and then it hit him.

but he still refused. denied everything. there was no way he had a crush. it wasn't that he didn't want to have a crush on you, it was just the fact that he wasn't ready. dan heng couldn't bear to imagine the vulnerability that would give him. it was something he didn't want to think about.

so he pushed all his feelings to the back of his mind and tried to convince himself that it wasn't true. even if it hurt him.

a part of him hoped that he was thinking too much into it, that you wouldn't like him back, purely so he could get over it. he could move on and keep his friendship with you as is, removing the chance of that vulnerability ever getting out.

he loved you.

but he couldn't admit it. dan heng could go on and on about you, talking about you like a lovesick fool but he wouldn't. he couldn't.

he wished he could. to have that confidence to admit it to you but he hadn't.

he'd refused your advance against his better wish, and now he'd hurt you. pushing you away forever.

---✩

“are you sure you want to do this?” himeko stared at you, the sadness in her eyes evident

glancing over through the window of the express’s parlor car, you smiled and nodded. you had to do this. to let go “i'm sure”

some may say leaving the express was a dramatic reaction but you had actually found somewhere you'd like to go but didn't want to leave the express - that was until dan hengs brutal rejection. you couldn't face him anymore and it was too awkward to even be on the same train.

himeko sighed “alright, please take care-”

“and stay in contact!!” march interrupted practically barging himeko out of the way.

dan heng watched, silently, from the doorway connecting the parlor car to the personal rooms. he had so much to say, so much to get off his chest and tell you-

no. he needed to let you go. even if it hurt him because he only ever hurt you.

rest of the "series"

taglist - @little-miss-chaoss, @frankiesteinn, @https-sourlimes

[kingofpopmj]

Can’t Go On Without You By My Side

Summary: You visit your boyfriend of two years on his BAD world tour. The excitement of witnessing him perform live is quickly tainted the moment she walks in.

Pairing: Michael Jackson x Reader

Warnings: SMUT

Requested: no

*Y/N's POV*

Michael and I were finally able to plan for me to visit him on tour. I was lucky enough to get a week and a half off of work and we were determined to make the most of it. Michael had insisted on picking me up from the airport even though he was technically supposed to be at the venue. We arrived about ten minutes after the show was scheduled to begin, but thankfully, no one called us out on it.

I stood off to the side, watching Michael completely own the stage. The way he mastered his onstage persona was breathtaking. His smile was so bright. I took a moment to discreetly admire his outfit, clinging to his body tighter with each passing song.

“He’s sexy, isn’t he?” A breathy voice sounded from beside me, interrupting my silent gawking. I guess I wasn't being as discreet as I thought.

“Um—” I looked to my left, making eye contact with a very tall woman. She was beautiful. A tight black dress clung to her body so tight it almost looked painted on. I know exactly who this is.

“The correct answer is yes. He can do it all, if you know what I mean.” My hands clenched into fists with such force I could feel my rings digging into my skin. “He’s absolutely the sexiest man alive. I’m so exhausted, he kept me up all night this past week. That's not a complaint by the way. He is so worth it.”

I couldn’t put together enough words to form a complete sentence. Quite frankly, all my focus was on holding myself back. I couldn’t catch a case right now. Michael might be cheating on me and this woman is certainly a whore. That was that. I couldn’t change fact. If I went off and beat the living shit out of some groupie it would ruin the rest of my life. I couldn’t let the anger control my behavior. He betrayed me, but I refuse to let him see how much it really broke me.

“I’m so sorry, I get all misty watching him. Don’t we all?” She laughed, squeezing my shoulder, little did she know she was dangerously close to losing those boney little fingers. “My name is Tatiana, and you are?” She held out her hand, batting her eyelashes so hard I thought she’d fly away. At least I hoped she would. Maybe over a large body of water, perhaps shark infested waters.

“Hi, I’m Y/N.” She let out an exaggerated gasp, slapping her palm against her mouth.

“You’re the girlfriend! Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry.” She quickly ran off leaving me standing there alone with this feeling in my stomach that I couldn’t describe.

I glanced around the immediate area, seeing no one else near me felt worse somehow. I don't know many people here other than Michael. I became distracted as he sang Rock With You, little did he know he was moments away from getting rocked. Y/N, no, stop. I release the tension in my hands, shaking it off, trying to let go of the violent thoughts swirling in my mind. Besides how therapeutic it was right now, it wasn’t productive. I need some air, a drink, a hitman? No. Air, I need air.

The clicks of my heels echoed through the halls as I headed towards an unknown destination. I'm probably lost, but that’s a problem for future Y/N.

*Michael's POV*

As Rock With You came to an end, I noticed Y/N disappear behind the curtain. Exactly, two songs have gone by since then and still no sign of her. During the brief outfit change after Thriller, before intermission, I notice Greg, my music director mouthing something to me.

"What?" I mouthed back, scratching my forehead. He's terrible at this.

"Your girl." Okay, I got that. I nodded, shrugging slightly as if to say and what about her.

"Mad."

I couldn’t play charades any longer, as the lights dimmed and the band took over the stage I snuck behind the large equipment to get closer to him.

"What happened?"

"I saw Tatiana talking to her. She did not look too happy after that brother."

I nodded slowly, processing his words before walking off. I should be taking advantage of my break, but I couldn’t relax not knowing where my girlfriend was.

“There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you. What are you doing all the way back here?”

"Nothing I just needed some air." She said lowly, avoiding my eyes.

"Are you okay?" I moved towards her, cupping her face in my hands. The look in her eyes answering my question, but I wanted to hear it from her.

"Yeah, well, no, but it can wait until after the show."

"Are you sure?" I asked and she nodded in response. "Now, can you please come back with me? I perform better knowing my beautiful woman is watching me."

She accompanied me as I changed into my next outfit. She helped me slip into my coat, but my excitement was short lived, because I could sense her sadness. What is going on?

"I love you, baby." I watched closely as she struggled with her response, she began biting on her bottom lip, her eyes growing glossy. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Her voice cracked and she quickly turned away from me.

"I know you Y/N. You're hurting and I'd like to know what's going on so I can help."

"S—She—" Y/N broke down right, her body was shivering as she tried to compose herself. I felt less than helpless.

"Who?" I tried comforting her, but she brushed me off, moving away from me all together.

A quick knock on the door, signaling that intermission was coming to a close and I needed to get back out there.

"I'll let them know I need more time. I'll be right back."

"No!"

"You're crying. Y/N, baby, I'm not leaving you."

"I'm alright. Please, can we just talk about this later?"

I didn't want to agree, but she wasn't asking, she was practically begging. I intertwined our fingers, keeping her close as I weaved my way through the backstage area.

"Please, stand here and watch the rest of the show. It would mean the world to me." I smiled at her and kissed her temple as I hugged her.

"I'll be right here." She reaffirmed my confidence. Then, she grabbed my collar, pulling me into her lips. Her tongue was pure magic. Normally, I'd be embarrassed about public affection, but with the way I'm feeling, I'd love to feel every inch of her right here, right now. I didn't care who was watching.

She pulled away and I desperately chased her lips as she giggled at my neediness.

"You have to go."

"There is no way I'm leaving your side after that."

"You don't have a choice."

"I will be back. Very, very soon."

*Y/N's POV*

I watched the second half of Michael's concert the way I should've watched the first half. I enjoyed myself dancing and singing along to my man's voice. What Tatiana said hurt me, but I felt so foolish when I thought logically again. Michael isn't that type of person. I didn't need to talk to him about this, because once the anger and hurt wore off I was able to come to a conclusion on my own. She's lying. She has to be.

"You're still here?" This damn witch. "I'd be halfway home by now if I found out my boyfriend stepped out on me."

There was so much I wanted to say, but I chose to let her words go in one ear and out the other. The last thing I want to do is let her know she ever got to me.

"Well, that's my cue. Enjoy the show." She winked, walking pass me and flipping her hair.

I was forced to watch as Tatiana strutted across the stage with my boyfriend chasing after her. This was one of my favorite songs and now I couldn’t even enjoy it. I felt my blood begin to boil as she shamelessly flirted with him in front of the crowd of thousands.

She was getting closer and closer to him. She was doing this on purpose and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it.

Why is this song so long all of the sudden?

"What the hell is she doing?" I heard Frank DiLeo grumble from behind me. I jumped a bit at his tone, but tried to play it off.

"Everything okay?" I asked softy.

"Hey darling, yeah she was supposed— what the hell! Get her off the damn stage! Now!"

I turned my attention back to the stage and I wished more than anything I wouldn’t have done that. I tried to blink as if that would change the view, but it didn’t.

I was stuck in that horrible moment as the worst thing I could imagine was confirmed. I had a front row seat to my own humiliation and I had no idea how to escape.

Before I knew it, she was walking towards me. "So happy you could be here to see what a real power couple looks like." She stopped in front of me, crossing her arms. "Sorry honey, he's moved on to bigger and better things."

I felt my cheeks heat up as I became uncomfortably aware of how many eyes were on us.

"Tatiana, that's enough. Get away from her." Frank shouted, shooing her away like a toddler.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

We stood in silence as Man in the Mirror blasted through the speakers. It wasn't until Michael's long passionate goodbye to his fans, wrapping up the concert that Frank slung his arm around my shoulder.

"Darling, you know she's full of it right?"

"I'm not sure."

"Michael and I have to take care of some business. I won't keep him too long and I'll send him your way after."

I knew that was his way of telling me it was private business that I couldn’t be around for. I hugged him before heading off, I wasn't really sure where I was going, but walking felt better than sitting with my thoughts.

"Baby! I'm so sorry. Frank told me what happened after—"

“I need to get out of here before I do something I regret.” Michael reached out, taking a firm hold of my hand, he pulled me down a short hallway and into his dressing room.

“I’m sorry you had to see that.” He finally spoke, shutting the door behind him.

“You’re sorry I had to see it?”

“Yes.”

“What does that even mean?”

“Y/N—”

“Does that mean you do it often?”

“No, that’s not—”

“You go around kissing other people when I’m not around?”

“Y/N, I’ve never—”

“I know they’re everywhere, throwing themselves at you, but I never thought you let them get to you.”

“Stop!”

“What!”

“I’ve never cheated on you!” He shouted in a tone I had never heard before, the look of pain present in his eyes. Shit.

“That’s not what people are saying.” I muttered, suddenly I felt so guilty.

“People? What people?”

“Who do you think! She said you two—”

“That’s a lie! I only see her during performances. That’s it. Y/N, I would never do that to you.”

“How am I supposed to believe you after that? She kissed you and you let her.”

“No, no, no! I didn’t let her! I wasn’t even paying attention to her. When I’m on stage, I’m there to perform. Why would I spend weeks planning for your visit just to betray you?”

“She was so awful to me, the things she said, then, she went out there and—”

“Got herself fired.”

“Michael, I’m pissed, but I’ll get over it. I don’t want this to affect business. You don’t have to fire her.”

“I already did.”

“Michael—”

“I only want to work with people who respect me and my loved ones. She won’t be missed. I don’t care to have people around me that I can’t trust.”

“I’m sorry I yelled. I’m so sorry I accused you of—” Michael shut me up, gripping my hips, pressing my body against his and kissing me sloppily. His hand claiming a possessive hold of the back of my neck, deepening his touch.

"I love you." he spoke into my mouth, his hot breath sent shivers down my spine. I felt myself tremble as his fingers explored my inner thigh, pushing up my skirt to give himself more access.

"I love you." I said, slipping my fingers around his belt buckle. He smiled knowingly, pushing me back, my ass collided with the counter and I felt myself crumble at his roughness. The cold countertop causing me to let out a moan. He pulled away for a moment, reaching behind me and clearing off the counter in one swift movement. "Such a gentleman." I purred in his ear as he picked me up.

"Only for you." A smirk on his face as the sound of nylon tearing filled my ears. "I love how sexy these look on you. I'll have to replace them." His long fingers slipping pass the freshly shredded fabric of my panties and teasing me one finger at a time. He watched as my head leaned back onto the mirrored wall, he chuckled as I struggled to find something to grab onto.

"Michael!" I was fighting to breath feeling him knuckle deep inside of me, hitting the right spot. "Fuck! Deeper!" I begged for more. Contrary to my needy cries, he pulled back, leaving me feeling empty as he unbuckled his belt, letting his pants fall to the ground. I took this opportunity to tear his shirt off, throwing it across the room.

Michael pushed my legs apart, admiring how much I yearned for him, he slowly pulled me towards him with a strong grip on my legs. My bare ass slide across the counter painfully slow until I finally felt his hard tip press against my entrance.

"Always so wet and ready for me." He slammed into me, giving me no time to adjust which threw me further over the edge.

"Harder!" I yelled as he pounded into me with such intensity I swear I could feel him rearranging my guts.

"Baby, I want to cum inside of you." His voice smooth, making me even more wet.

"Please!" The walls were shaking as we continued to devour one another.

"You're fucking perfect." He whispered against the bare skin of my chest, I felt him everywhere. My eyes rolled back as his dick massaged all the right places.

Suddenly, the door swung open violently, causing me to panic and try to cover my exposed chest, but Michael stopped me. He grabbed my wrists trapping them behind my back in on of his hands as he increased his speed again. My moans escaped my throat against my will as tears of pleasure rolled down my cheeks. At this point, my entire body was shaking, Michael's tongue rolling against mine elongating my high further.

"What the fuck are you doing!" A voice shouted, causing my head to snap in the direction of its origin. Tatiana.

"You feel so good wrapped around my dick." He declared as he sucked on my neck. It was impossible to concentrate on anything else but his lips. "I'll never get tired of fucking this perfect pussy." Michael didn’t stop. He spoke clearly and confidently as he fucked me with purpose.

"Get the fuck out of here!" Tatiana yelled.

"Y/N!" Michael whimpered, his seed spreading within me, causing my legs to tingle. He gazed deep into my eyes, beads of sweat trailing down his face. "I fucking love you." His hand gently curled around the side of my neck, pulling me back into his sweet mouth.

"What the fuck!" Another shout from the demon herself. I paid it no mind. Looking back at Michael, his long dick still twitching inside of me.

"I love you baby." I smiled, wrapping my arms around his neck, leaning into his neck to leave my mark. Tatiana stood there staring at us in shock, so naturally I challenged her stare. I waited to see if Michael would break focus, but he didn’t.

“We are busy in here. Close the door on your way out.” Michael said sternly between breaths, not even sparing her a glance.

The door slammed shut seconds later and it was only then that I took the time to look around the dimly lit room. Make-up and personal belongings littered the floor. Various unfamiliar items surrounded us, leading me to believe that I was made apart of one very well thought out, very devious plan and it turned me on.

"Michael?"

"Yes, my love?"

“This isn’t your dressing room, is it?”

“Nope.” He smiled triumphantly, planting tender kisses all over my face.

“You’re so sneaky.”

“You’re my girl. That’s never changing.”

“You quite literally marked your territory.” I giggled as he caressed my collarbone, watching as goosebumps formed.

“Oh, Y/N, baby, I’m just getting started. We’re gonna be here all night.”

“Let’s see what you got rockstar.”

“Baby, don’t make me carry you out on that stage and give those lovely people an encore they’ll never forget.”

“A girl can dream can’t she?”

I winked teasingly as I positioned myself onto my knees, looking up at the man I love, confident I was about to give him the best head of his life.

[stuffeddeer]

thinking about extremely whipped and easily jealous pm dazai with a big crush on reader who keeps talking to chuuya. he assumes this means they have something that he and reader doesn’t have and gets sad about it. he goes to the bar just to vent about it to chuuya who spits his wine everywhere and tells him how stupid be is because y/n likes HIM more than any other person

extremely whipped dazai… anon you’re speaking my language

Dazai had been drinking more than usual, Chuuya had quickly noticed. While the two were quick to claim that they aren’t friends, it was common to see them sitting next to each other after a particularly long day sharing a bottle of wine and venting. Today was no different, the men relaxing in the ginger’s office on his expensive leather chairs, crowding around his desk. The bandaged man poured himself another heavy glass of the bottle Chuuya had been saving for a while, causing him to grumble under his breath.

“I dunno why you’re so angry…”

The short man scoffed at that, deciding to top off his glass as well while he spoke. “You purposely picked the bottle I was savin’,” reddened cheeks give away his slipping sobriety, “Don’t think I didn’t notice.”

“Wasn’t tryna hide it,” Dazai had let out a scoff of his own, chin resting on the hard wood of Chuuya’s work desk. He glared down at the many signed documents, huffing angrily at the signatures of his rival. “You owe me this, at least.”

Chuuya’s eyebrows furrowed pensively. Owed Dazai for what? “I don’t remember makin’ a bet with ya…”

“Not a bet,” Dazai let out a frustrated sigh. “Listen, you owe me.”

“And I’m askin’ for what!” Chuuya’s hat slipped off of his head as he stood up suddenly, the wine in his glass sloshing as he glared down at the usually-taller brunet.

Dazai chugged the rest of his glass. He’d never been a wine-guy, much preferring a nice scotch to Chuuya’s choice of alcohol, so he stuck out his tongue in distaste after the liquid passed his throat. The sight of Dazai’s disgust made Chuuya grit his teeth. If he doesn’t like it, then he should drink something else!

The two were completely plastered. With Chuuya being a lightweight and Dazai finishing off a few bottles on his own, it was destined to happen at some point. Because of their inebriated states, the shorter of the two misheard what Dazai had poorly slurred out after downing his drink. “One more time?” He asked, still unsure what made Dazai so angry with him.

Dazai’s cheeks flushed pink, and not just from the alcohol. How dare this slug make him repeat himself? “You heard me!”

“Did you say— “

“Yes!”

Chuuya’s mouth opened to an understanding o-shape: so he had said your name. “Okay, but, why do I owe you my expensive wines?”

Dazai grabbed the neck of the wine bottle before standing up himself, towering over the ginger. “Whatever! I don’t even wanna be here!”

“I’m not kicking you out, you moron! Just don’t know why you’re actin’ like this!” His hand reached out to grab Dazai’s shoulder, stopping him from leaving.

“You’re pulling them away from me,” he turned to Chuuya with a pout. “You two are always together acting all buddy-buddy. What do you have that I don’t? Why don’t they like me?”

Glass shattered on Chuuya’s nicely wooden office floor, swearing to himself as the wine within the glass splashed up on his shoes and the legs of his nice desk chair. He was too drunk to be embarrassed over dropping his drink, still shocked someone so smart could be so stupid. “D-Dazai, you’re a moron!” He sputters out, jumping away quickly to grab a broom.

“Yeah,” Dazai sits back on his seat with a sad and defeated smile. “I guess I am a moron.” He takes a big swig from the expensive bottle, finishing off the last few drops. The bandaged man’s eyes closed, letting the now empty bottle fall from his hand and onto his lap.

He barely notices Chuuya kneel back down by the desk, gently using a towel to suck up all the wine in between the broken glass pieces. Just as he begins to brush the shards to the side (he’d clean up properly tomorrow), he looked over to see Dazai’s somber look.

“I know what you’re thinkin’,” Chuuya sighs. “I’m not sayin’ you’re a moron for thinking you have a chance with them. You’re a moron for thinking I do.”

Dazai rolls his eyes. The last thing he wanted was Chuuya’s pity. “Hey,” he grabbed the empty bottle again, shaking it in front of the ginger’s face. “We’re outta wine.”

“We?” He scoffed in reply before continuing. “I’m bein’ serious, Dazai. They’re pretty much in love with you. We talk a lot because they’re nervous you’re gonna figure out their secret. Always tellin’ me about how perceptive and smart you are… Makes me sick, honestly.”

No one knows Dazai as well as Chuuya, and same with the inverse. Dazai knew Chuuya wouldn’t lie about something like this to him, especially after recognizing that he was being vulnerable for a tiny moment. Realiing this, Dazai’s heart fluttered. He turned to look at his rival with a glimmer of hope in his eyes, not saying a word as he silently pleaded for Chuuya to be telling the truth.

“Stop lookin’ at me like that, mackerel. They like you. Dunno why, but it’s true.”

Fumbling with his discarded coat, Dazai stands up abruptly. The wine bottle tumbles towards the floor, causing to Chuuya to panic and quickly catch it. “I need to see them!”

“Sit down, asshole!” He gently puts the empty bottle on his desk, letting out a huff of annoyance. “You’re shitfaced, y’know. Sober up. Talk to ‘em tomorrow.”

Dazai’s heart was beating out of his chest. How could he wait until tomorrow to talk with you? All he wanted in that moment was to hold you close - feel the warmth of your skin, bury his face into the crook of your neck, tell you how much you mean to him and how much you are his…

“Hey, drink some water, ‘kay? Whatever you’re thinking, remember they’re probably asleep right now.”

He groaned in annoyance. What does chibi know, anyway? Chin resting against the wooden desk once more, Dazai’s eyes shut in defeat. “Okay…

“...do they really like me?” He opened one eye for a moment, gazing over once again to see if Chuuya was being honest.

“More than they’ve ever liked anyone, apparently.”

A big grin pulled at his lips once Chuuya spoke, smile barely contained as his non-bandaged eye shut again.

[euphoricfilter]

缘分 (yuán fen)

pairing: jungkook x reader

soulmate au tiny thoughts/ headcanons

my new favorite chinese word is 缘分 (ping yin: yuánfen) which is the belief that destiny or fate plays a part in bringing two lovers together, or that a relationship is predestined to happen. and i think it’s so cute :(

so now i’m thinking jungkook soulmate au- possibly red string of fate type of story

☆ where jungkook works as a personal trainer, probably at some well known gym within the area. the pay had always been decent, enough for him to get by, and he got to do one of his many life’s passions so he’d never had a reason to complain

☆ the first time he meets you is in a convenience store, way past midnight because he had a client that had left late and barely anything for an overdue dinner, so he finds himself stumbling into the corner shop by his apartment

☆ he’d think nothing of the first meeting, a quick exchange; a few pleasantries and a polite smile. maybe the off thought, a meager worry that you’re working so late with no one to help you, and a wary walk home after your shift

☆ obviously he’d never expected to meet you again, especially not restocking cereal in the supermarket. your eyes would light up with recognition and he thinks his own must have done the same. galaxies reflecting in both your eyes, constellations that belonged to one another or fractions of stars whose hands were reaching out to be reunited

☆ the both of you would laugh about the second chance encounter. exchanging names, small talk about jobs, (you had 2 though were thinking of getting a third), and he found it endearing how much interest you had in his own life, genuine curiosity.

☆ and maybe that’s when he starts to think that maybe this was destiny, or the stars in the universe had aligned in such a way that surely your paths must meet at multiple crossroads, mapped out with fine ink that brought the two of you back together

☆ and maybe that’s why he doesn’t feel as bad for not asking for a way to contact you. because the smallest part of him believed that if it really were destined, surely you’d meet by chance again

☆ that doesn’t mean that jungkook doesn’t doesn’t play with what’s written in the stars. he starts walking home that little bit later, occasionally taking the alleyway towards the convenience store he’d first met you in hopes of catching a glimpse of you. activating reality squashing his dreams as you never seem to be working when he walks by anymore

☆ maybe a month later he sees you again. the moon barely visible behind the clouds, and a nice summer breeze tickling the bare skin of his arms when he sees you

☆ sat outside that very same convenience store, ice cream near melting as you kick your feet against the gravel path, shoes a little beaten up and eyes fighting to stay open.

☆ “jungkook?” you’d look up at him from where you’re sat, and he’d smile.

☆ and this time he took it as a sign to try and start something with you. either it be love or friendship, he would let destiny write the rest of your story for him

[thatchmanger]

I think Mizu/Taigen/Akemi is destined to be canon.

I know there is a lot of debate within the fandom about Mizu ending up with Taigen or Akemi, there is certainly strong evidence for both ships. But in all honesty I can't help but shake the feeling that the show might be setting us up for a polyamorous enemies to lover romance between the three leads.

Let me break this down.

Let's look at Mizu and Akemi first, obviously their first scene is super romantically coded, with Mizu's hard exterior slipping as they(I personally like using all he/she/they pronouns for Mizu) look upon Akemi's beauty first time, not to mention the slow lingering eye contact with romantic music in the background. Then there are their legendary brothel scenes that are just charged with erotic tension so thick you would need Mizu's sword to cut through it. with these and so many other moments you can definitely see the potential for an enemies to lovers romance. Over the course of their short time together they do come to care about each other, with Akemi feeling deepy hurt and betrayed when Mizu lets her get taken by her fathers soliders and Mizu coming to hate himself for that choice and coming in like a knight in shining armor to save her from Fowler(let's not forget how softly Mizu says Akemi's name in their last scene together)

I think Akemi is a woman that Mizu would easily fall for, as someone who struggled first hand with trying to be an independent but desirable woman in Edo Japanese society Mizu not doubt feels a strong connection to Akemi and her struggles. I think Akemi's strength and cleverness is a trait that mizu would find very attractive.

Next let's take a look at Mizu and Taigen's relationship where I think we honestly have some of the best evidence. Mizu and Taigen's story has all of the more blatant signs of an enemies to lovers storyline. with their story starting with Taigen as Mizu's childhood bully(something he clearly comes to regret once he gets to know them), then becoming her of greatest rivals when they are grown up. And yet despite all this hostility they are almost magnetically drawn to each other following their duel and soon come to form a mutual respect and admiration. From here they quickly come to care for each other with Taigen willing to endure torture at the hands of Fowler to protect Mizu who is likewise willing to put their quest for revenge on hold to try and rescue him and then save his life. They also have such great banter at times, which always a good sign in any kind of relationship.

And of course we can't forget about their famous wrestling scene where our boy Taigen gets a full boner from. This scene is great for their relationship cause it's the only time we ever see either of them just laughing and having fun despite everything they've gone through, a sweet little moment in a lifetime of hardship.

However my favorite moment from their relationship, and the best hint of evidence of a possible polyamorous romance, is when Madame Kaji is giving Mizu the hidden tour of the brothel. of all the pleasures that truly catches Mizu's eye the one she lingers on the most is a threesome between a woman and two men. It's in seeing the two men kiss that Mizu has an erotic flashback to her tussle with Taigen in the woods, possibly implying that they see themself and Taigen in that dynamic. This scene seems to be suggesting that Mizu is attracted to idea of having multiple partners and doesn't have a particular sexual preference(bi/pansexual Mizu canon?) The sight is so enrapturing that Mizu has to make a visible effort to focus herself and shut the peephole.

Of course we can't talk about a threeway relationship without looking into the dynamic between Akemi and Taigen. Even while Taigen is slowly starting fall for Mizu, Akemi is never far from Taigen's mind. He still cares for her and leaves Mizu as soon as he finds out she is in danger, showing that he still cares for her and wants to protect her. But even while trying to rescue Akemi it is cleat Mizu has left a clear mark Taigen's life, as we see when he is venting about them to Ringo in the way someone would about the person they care for deeply.

This might all be wishful thinking but I think the evidence is strong for these three to be an endgame throuple depending on where the writers take the story.

[theangelshifter]

EAH DR INTRO !!

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Basic ᓚᘏᗢ

Name : Chester (Chess) Cheshire

Age : 17

Prounouns : He/Him

Fairytale parent : Cheshire Cat

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Replationships ᓚᘏᗢ

(Not all, but the main ones)

> Kitty Cheshire : My sister!! She’s younger by a year and we get along super well.

> Gale Pan : (OC — son of peter pan) My s/o. How we got together (super funny story): Basically, I have a rep of being annoying and mischievous like my sister. Kitty and Gale were friends due to them sitting next to each other in a class the prior year. So, at the beginning of the year, Kitty made a bet with Gale. The bet was that he couldn’t room with me all year without going to change roommates or room with someone else. If he left before the year was over, Kitty would get $100 from Gale. If he stayed the whole year, Gale would get $100 from Kitty. I didn’t have a roommate planned anyways and Kitty agreed to give me half the money if I helped annoy him to the point he moved out, so I was totally into this idea. Him and I did not get along at all, but we never left because of the bet. However, over time, he and I got closer. We ended up becoming more like a couple, just without a label because we didn’t want to admit our feelings for each other. One day I just randomly spit it out, and that’s how it happened. (Kitty lost the bet…her exact words are, “I told you to annoy him, not romance him!!”)

> Lizzy Hearts : MY BEST FRIEND I LOVE HER!! I help her sometimes with her designs :)

> Maddie Hatter : A close friend. We hang out a lot and joke all the time.

> Briar Beauty : I LOVE HER. She’s one of my close friends and is always up for doing any of my crazy ideas

> C.A. Cupid : Close friend. She and I talk about love and romance a lot, and she and I vent to each other about relationship problems

> Raven Queen : Friends. We get along well and she likes talking to me. We share similar interests and views on destinies. We like to shit talk the headmaster a lot (I HATE HIM AAAA)

> Cerise Hood : Friends. I know her secret and so she’s able to be more of herself around me

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Extra/World info ᓚᘏᗢ

> Kitty is the younger one so I’m destined to sign the book. However, I don’t want to sign and Kitty does. So we’re both not liking the idea of having to sign the book. Luckily, we found out Briar didn’t want to sign. So when Briar (like how she does in the show) goes and finds the real copy, we help her get rid of it.

> Neverland characters exist

> I changed some of the timeline so that different things that happen all happen within one school year instead of two

[deadstoats]

The Stargazers

There is an old forgotten legend about The Universe and The Change being friends long ago. Moreover, The God of Change eventually fell in love with The Universe, with their constantly changing nature, with their love for evolving and progression. They wanted to impress The Universe, so The God of Change collected stardust all over the world to make a gift for The Universe. However, wheither it was because of God of Change skill issues, or laziness, or just because of their nature - but the creation they made was as changable and fickle as their creator, unable to hold their shape for at least some time. The Universe perceived this gift not as a tribute of respect and sympathy, but as an evil mockery, and in anger they threw the creature of Stars and Changes to the earth. Since then, the entities/gods themselves have disliked each other, because The Change is sure that the Universe offended them intentionally, and the The Universe is sure that The Change is mocking them.

The king is defeated, time flows as usual again - but what's next? Is the world now perfect again and… Of course not. There is still one big problem, and that problem is called The Land. The Land, the one that everyone has forgotten about and can’t remember, and even trying to pronounce its name causes pain. How long does this memory loss last? Is there anyone else left on this island? Did… did it even existed in the first place?

Some say they see a strange haze in the air in those places - but is there anything other than that haze?

A very few people can remember the Land. They say that The Universe itself is pushing them towards. The Universe itself wants them to return to their homeland. Thus, our four heroes find themselves on their own path. The Universe brought them all together in one way or another. Everyone has their own goals, everyone has their own motives. But everyone has one destination. The Land.

And here is our brave cast of characters for a new adventure!

The Wanderer - Orion. They are considered the leader of the group since they seem to have the most memories of The Land and because they had a hand in everything (chuckle). Even if their comrades have never seen their face, they have already proven themselves to be trustworthy. Oh, and they know REALLY a lot about space, stars, planets, constellations, buuuut… They remember little about themself, almost nothing. Even their scarf: they remember that this is the only thing left of the person who saved them from death, but something is wrong with this story. Oh, and the tale at the very beginning? They told it to so many people, but it looks like no one really know this story except Orion.

The Entertainer - Nova. Who brought the child here? Oh, it's not a child? Or it is a child? Who knows. They remember little about The Land, since they were kidnapped long ago and taken very far from home. They fled when the incident with The King happened, but… How do you return to a place you don't remember? They never speak, using sign language, pantomimes or writing instead. They also seem to have trouble recognizing human speech, so that they can hear everything but human voices. Despite their sad past, they actually love performing.

The Priestess - Celine. A true follower of The Universe belief! She knows a lot of things about religion, as well as many legends and tales about stars and cosmos and planets. She doesn't try to convert anyone to her faith, but willingly talks about it. Despite her sad appearance, Celine is not hostile to others, she's simply tired. The right side of her body looks as if it has been burned, and she claims that this incident happened a long time ago. Oh, and she's super strong! How could it be otherwise, if she needs to carry this huge combat prosthesis with her.

The Artist - Estelle. An eccentric happy-go-lucky young man who spent most of his life in Ka Bue; but clearly not all of his life, judging by the fragments of foreign landscapes and places in his dreams, full of unknown motifs and strange shadows… He is driven not so much by The Universe but by the love for art. He is very capable not only in art, but also in the Craft, capable of coming up with very complex Crafts both in battle and in daily life. Because Craft is also part of his art! But sometimes - it's too much. He's cheerful and carefree usually, but everything should be PERFECT when it comes to art. And if it 's not perfect - it needs to be destroyed.

A SECRET 5th CHARACTER!!! Nebula - a mysterious creature that appears only in Orion's dreams. Their appearance, their voice, their emotions - it's all constantly changing. They often guide Orion on their jorney or give them useful advices, and sometimes they just like to talk.

i was working on this for past few days so... yeah. and that's all for spoiler-free version ✌

[persephoneflouwers]

Hi doc, I'm desperately looking for ABO fic (Alpha Louis and Omega Harry ), I've been stuck with "Light, Spark and Fire" for months because it's so good, gimme a rec

I found just a few! You’ll see I have some favourite authors and I read all of their works haha anyway this is what I found for Alpha Louis x Omega Harry. Maybe this will need a part 2. Let me know if you want more.

ABO FIC

Say something (106K) by kingsofeverything ( @kingsofeverything ): At fifty years old and recently divorced, Omega Harry Styles isn't interested in dating. When his doctor suggests a heat and rut matching service, he signs up out of necessity. It’s the only use he has for an Alpha in his life. Twenty-eight-year-old Alpha Louis Tomlinson aims to change that.

Actions and consequences (95K) by HelenaAzure: Harry is a prince. Louis is a King. They are destined to be together. But things are much more complicated than it meets the eyes. Throw in a war, a life long secret born of deception, a quiet love, a treason of the highest sorts, a mysterious child of royal lineage and a considerate yet troublesome horse into the mix, and you get a legend which resonates through the pages of history

Face your fears (92K) by SadaVeniren ( @sadaveniren ): Harry is a single father, pretending to be a beta after his alpha mated him and left him. He’s getting by just fine raising the twins when Louis walks into his bakery. Too bad him and Louis will never be a thing.

Love in the dark (90K) by brightgolden ( @brightgolden ): Where Louis is an ambitious Advisor Council that is reluctant to find a mate, and his father takes the matter into his hand while Harry is the valedictorian in his kingdom destined for better things than an arranged marriage.

A distant hazy light (76K) by green_feelings: Life’s pretty ordinary for Harry. He lives with his best friend, got into university just like he’s planned, and manages to support himself just fine for an unbonded omega. If he sustains that lifestyle by getting paid to help alphas through their rut every now and then, that’s nothing to be hung up on. Until he’s hired by an alpha that turns everything upside down.

Si pudiera volar (70K) by softfonds: When Harry’s fiancé leaves him for his cousin, he looks the other way for the sake of his happiness. He’ll do anything to forget about him, including joining a monastery. It isn’t until his cousin’s former lover, a pirate, appears that he realizes everything is not as it appears, and an honest pirate might be the only person worthy of his heart.

Everything to lose (70K) by stylinsoncity: harry is a global popstar who's convinced the world he has it all -- a happy marriage to a devoted alpha, two beautiful children, two grammy awards, three platinum albums, and a budding film career. But some aspects of his image aren't as true as they seem. Like the fact he's been separated for over a year, uses meaningless flings to cope and occasionally forgets responsibilities or commitments to his family. He and louis once commanded stages together. They tackled any challenges to their future and no matter how hard things got, they always returned to one another. harry would always return to louis. until one day, he finds he can't.

Wolf boy (like no one else) 70K by cristalrush: the one where Harry leaves his old pack in hopes to find his soulmate. And that’s when he meets Louis, an alpha who doesn’t believe in soulmates.

I like the way you say my name (when you soak it in grace) 66K by louisismycat (tifamomet): Louis is transferred to a new city to temporarily cover for his counterpart while he is on maternity leave for the next six months. His new co-workers talk endlessly about Harry, the omega who he’s covering for. And Louis finds himself jealous of whatever alpha as snatched him up. Until he learns Harry is actually an unmated omega three months out from becoming a single parent.

Glitters in the sky, glitters in our eyes (59K) by softfonds: What happens when a Duke who will only marry for love and a courtesan who only sells it create a public ruse? Well, nothing boring for sure. An Edwardian AU.

Here’s your perfect (54K) by brightgolden: In the world where mates are assigned to everyone and deposited to their door when an agreeable partner is found for them, Alpha Louis has recently been given his. However, he is nothing like the type of alpha that the omega academy prepares Harry for.

The money mark (52K) by brightgolden: Where Louis is Harry’s first sugar daddy who dumped him over text and their paths cross, seven years later.

Eucalyptus (46K) by docklands: Harry didn't mean to get pregnant at all. When little Agnes comes along, his bachelor life takes a turn and he has to figure out how to single parent, with the occasional help from his best friend and co-worker, Zayn. Everything is running smoothly until Agnes starts acting strange, crying non-stop, sleeping at the most unconventional hours and not caring that she's ruining Harry's life. Agnes' new paediatrician, Louis Tomlinson, is enthusiastic, passionate about his job and a little too charming for Harry's lonely heart to take. More than figuring out what's wrong with her, Louis ends up revealing secrets about Harry's life he had never even dreamed about.

I sail with you (36K) by AFangirlFantasy: a classic!! Against his wishes, Omega Prince Harry Styles is arranged to mate with someone he doesn’t love, much less knows. Though he pleaded to his parents incessantly, they not only refuse to comply but force him to depart on a ship days later. Harry prays for fate to step in, to change what’s to come, however, the answer he is given is not exactly in the form he had hoped. Enter Will Tommo – deadliest pirate captain of all seven seas.

Chemistry is like candy to me (35K) by CuckooTrooke ( @larrydoinglaundry ): Harry is 8 months pregnant with a poor balance and traitorous nipples. Unfortunately for him, that is precisely when he meets a beautiful alpha in a packed London Tube. Fortunately for him, the said alpha might just be the best thing he has ever come across.

Rooms on fire (34K) by softfonds: Ten years ago, Louis helping Harry through a heat was the start of a romance that ended in heartbreak. Now, Harry's marriage is over thanks to his husband's very public infidelity, and Louis is fresh off a Golden Globe win. The last thing they both expect is to be cast in the same movie.

Leave your mark on me (32K) by kingsofeverything: When Chef Harry Styles’ unbonded Omega designation threatens to derail his career, he does the only thing he can, and goes in search of a black market bond.

English rose (32K) by harryanthus_annuus: Louis works on the 19th floor. It’s such a cliché to fall for the elevator girl, but no one resist Harry Styles

Want it flowing through my streams (30K) by screwstyles: Wimbledon ABO AU: Harry has just qualified for his first Grand Slam, and he’s prepared to make the most of it – that is, until his heat unexpectedly hits him only a few days before his first match. And it’s just his luck that Louis Tomlinson, the resident bad boy of British tennis, is the only person around to help him.

Tread lightly on my ground (20K) by fairytalelights: the one where Harry is having Louis' baby, but Louis doesn't know it's his.

Breathe me in, breathe me out (14K) by lunaheslwt: Louis is drawn into a quaint candle shop in his desire to find ways to soothe himself while struggling with touch depri. It takes him two more run-ins and with the lovely alpha sales assistant, and a drop, to figure out the source of the scent that imprints upon him and calms his omega. Idiots to lovers

It’s been ages (13K) by 2tiedships2 ( @2tiedships2 ): lots of pining. Lots of fluff

Come in and change my life (12K) by lightswoodmagic(sarah_writes): Harry and Louis become friends when Harry looks after Louis' cat during away games, until one night at a party changes everything between them. It's just a shame Louis' going to be away for the FIFA World Cup for three months.

I love this feeling (but I hate this part) 7K by lululawrence ( @lululawrence ): roommates, friends to lovers, usage of alpha voice for experimentation purposes lol it’s cute and fun

Lost in your paradise (6K) by SadaVeniren: Harry and Louis have a one night stand.

Scent partner (4K) by amomentoflove: The name of the company was horrible: Scent Partner. Whoever was on the marketing team should be fired immediately for green-lighting that name. But the instructions were simple. Alphas wear a shirt for three days and nights. The shirt gets sent to omegas nearing their heats to pick the alpha who smells the best to them. The company notifies the alpha and gives them the opportunity to say no. If both parties agree, they meet at a heat room for the omega’s heat. Everything is safe and consensual.

Baby, don’t apologize (2K) by Neondiamond: Harry being an asexual Omega means his Alpha Louis has had to spend his ruts alone for the past decade despite being mated. He’s not sure who feels most hurt by it.

[thatgirl4815]

Intimacy & Communication (Ep6)

Once again, there’s been a lot of talking, and a lot of talking within said talking, and now all hell has broken loose. Everybody is in shambles. I'm in shambles. We're all in shambles. And it will only get worse from here. 🥲

*Note: Since this meta is slowly becoming a series, you can find the other metas here

SandRay

I suppose we have Boston to thank for Sand and Ray’s communication issues; prior to this episode, I think they’ve maintained a reasonably healthy communication style—even if it was destined to implode at some point with the whole “We say we’re friends but we feel like more than friends.” I think Boston has just sped things along at an uncomfortable rate.

It’s interesting because Sand and Ray’s closeness is solid when they're alone, but the moment their relationship is known, it's immediately thrown into turmoil. It's also upsetting that Sand, someone we know to have a very direct approach to communication (not unlike Ray), is very closed off in Ep6. I'm thinking specifically of the Pool Scene (a label that should not be confused with the KinnPorsche Pool Scene™, whose name shall live in infamy).

It occurred to me while rewatching this scene that this is one of the only, if not the only, time we see Sand and Ray talk about anything but their relationship to each other. They haven't often mentioned the other characters because up to this point, the drama hasn't forced them to.

That fact alone gives this scene a certain chill. There's no sign of their usual flirtiness. And Sand is noticeably resistant to Ray's efforts to straighten things out since the fight with Boston. Sand is lost in his own anger, in feeling used by Ray and unwanted, and that reaction is reflected in every part of this scene. Ray clearly reads between the lines on what Sand says about Mew, and once again wants to speak directly about it. He knows Sand is bothered, even when he says he isn't. Whatever casual "We're just friends" comments Sand used before are clearly not at play anymore. Ray and Sand both know that Sand cares, long before Sand is direct about it--

This scene shows a bit of a flip in terms of how both Ray and Sand respond to each other, specifically when it comes to honesty. Ray is the one who has just blown up in anger, and he's the one lying, calling Sand a whore who only wants his money, who doesn't have honest dreams, etc. But Sand is direct this time. No jokes or flirts. It's an admission that both Sand and Ray have known about, but it's something that Ray needs to hear, because a) he hears it so little in his life and b) because the more lonely he feels, the more reason he has to get in his car and risk himself.

Excited to see where this goes with Sand comparing his relationship with Ray to Ray's relationship with alcohol next ep. In any case, I'm glad Sand is aware of the position that he is in. All of these characters are very cognizant of their situations.

TopMew

Top and Mew pose a stark contrast to SandRay in that they go from seemingly very solid communication and intimacy to very negative. My key takeaway from their plot line this episode is how Mew keeps his anger over Top's infidelity buried until they're in bed together. Which, from an entertainment standpoint, is just glorious. From a communication standpoint, it seems to bring everything full circle.

Sex has caused a lot of tension in Top and Mew's relationship. It's been a power play from Mew when he's withheld it, but last episode we saw that barrier finally break. But Mew takes back control here through the truth, and he effectively turns the tables on Top, calling back to the very thing he had hang ups about in the first place: sex.

We already know how Mew views sex. And we also know that Mew has gradually transformed Top's view of sex as something to build emotional intimacy. So for Top to have hooked up with Boston is like a slap in the face to all of that careful development. When Top had sex with Boston, the act alone seemed to confirm that Mew isn't enough for Top.

It's also worth noting just how quiet Top is in the last scene. He takes the blows, which is a good sign, compared to what we get from Boston. I compare this scene between Top and Mew with the one between Ray and Boston, where Ray admits to knowing about Boston and Top's hookup--Boston gets defensive immediately, rattling off excuses. But Top just takes the hits from Mew.

Top knows he was wrong. Boston knows that others think he's wrong, but I don't think he genuinely thinks there is anything wrong. He knows Mew won't get over it easily because that's just how Mew is--uptight, moralistic. Boston's own morals are incredibly loose, just like his approach to relationships. On the topic of morals, I'd say Boston and Mew's are on opposite sides of the spectrum.

BostonNick

Nick tries time and time again to be someone special to Boston, and time and time again Boston makes it clear that he doesn't care. From Boston telling Nick that he wants to spend time with him before he leaves, to harshly telling his friends that he isn't in a relationship with Nick--right in front of Nick--is just heartbreaking. (Seriously, the scene of Mew kicking Boston into the pool can't come soon enough.)

We get some insights into Boston's upbringing with the introduction of his father, who seems to possess a very similar mindset to Boston's. I could go on a whole other rant about this, but Boston approaches everything loosely because he thinks he won't face pressing consequences. He's going to leave the country, so if he screws some people over and makes some enemies, what's the harm? He'll be gone soon enough anyway.

I could also go on a rant about the glaring hypocrisy of Boston saying he can't be friends with someone who would record him...I go back and forth between thinking he's a cunning manipulator and a stupid college kid. Surely he must see the hypocrisy there...but if he does, he probably doesn't care (as with most things).

I've compared Nick to Sand before, but Nick has been shut down by Boston on countless occasions, and yet he still stays. For Boston, who has proven time and time again that he enjoys manipulating people, ruining relationships, recording his friends, and sleeping around. Nick knows all of this all too well. And yet.

Nick, I'm starting to lose some sympathy for you. Leave. Him.

[mebemilena]

You are my Candy girl and you got me wanting You

A/N:  life is tough sometimes and i got a few issues. There was this stray cat, we called him Sushi. He'd come to visit nearly everyday and i was preparing to adopt him. Sadly, he passed away. Little guy was run over by some irresponsible shithead. He wasn't living at my house yet and i'm not okay about it , i wish i had done something sooner. We took him to the emergency vet but he didn't make it. I feel so small sometimes. 

I didn't want to leave more fanfiction on the wait because i love writting, but i've been feeling sad and tired about everything. Thank you for the kind messages though, I appreciate them. 

A/N 2: we don't celebrate valentine's day in Brazil, we have another saint for romantic relationships and marriage and it's celebrated around June 22nd, i guess. 

-

Summary:  you're working doing errands for a bakery on valentine's day. You're not amused but Maya likes you. 

tittle from Sugar, Sugar by The Archies (one of my favorites)

- 

You took your bike and went to the Firefighter station, your first stop. Wandering around Tamaha, you noticed there were more couples than you'd usually see. The stores seemed more pink and there were love songs playing everywhere.

"A box of donuts for Boonie!", you entered the patio yelling, hitting the small hornet on your bike.

Boonie came almost running to you, she grabbed the box and smiled. She checked it for any name on the outside but there was no card, no name nor anything that could identify who had sent it. She shrugged, opening the box. 

"Why are you grumpy? It's Valentine's day, smile!", she took a large bite of one of her treats.

You looked at Boonie frowning, you hated Valentine's day. Especially because the one person you wanted to be your valentine seemed so out of reach.

"It's a holiday created by Europeans to sell cards and chocolate.", you muttered just as Maya arrived. Maya and her leather jacket, riding that motorbike and looking like the woman of your dreams.

She parked the vehicle and took off her helmet, her eyes landing on you instantly, a smile trying not to appear.

Maya walked towards you and Boonie, greeting the two of you. "Why do you look upset?", she signed to you, accepting one of the donuts Boonie offered. You huffed and replied slowly. "i don't like today. Valentine's day.", you signed.

Boonie smiled at herself, she's been helping you with ASL vocabulary lately. You nearly begged her to teach you so you could impress Maya during class, but she talked you out of it. "It's a pretty great opportunity for you to spend more time together. Ask her for extra classes!", she had said. But she did teach you a few more signs and of course you could practice with her too.

Maya contemplated for a moment, she finished the donut and cleaned her hand on her jeans. "We can study love words today, and i'll teach you how to ask someone on a date.", she started. "I can teach you how to flirt too.", she smiled, confident, not knowing you were already charmed. 

For the first time in a few weeks you understood all of what Maya signed. You couldn't reply how you wanted to, but you did understand and that made you blush.

-

You and Maya planned on practicing your daily vocabulary at a bakery store, eating cake. But first you had to go to Skully's store, him being one of your errands' destinations. 

"Oh, someone remembered me on Valentine's day?", the old man nearly giggled as you handed him a small package, a few decorated cupcakes inside. "Is it from pokni?", Maya asked, making Skully blush and smile. He nodded, not trusting his words as another wave of giggles left his mouth.

You smiled at the old man's antics, a bittersweet feeling spreading on your chest.

-

 Maya noticed you were too quiet. You barely looked around, your eyes on the floor while you pushed your bike around. The two of you bought some soda and pretzels for lunch and sat at a bench to eat and chat.

Maya sighed, she looked around and could finally notice the amount of couples and flowers around Tamaha, her eyes stopping at a couple on the other side of the street. She looked at you and back at them, nudging your shoulder with her own.

"I know you are upset" , she signed. "But it's just a day. You don't need a valentine to celebrate.", she signed to you. "But if you want one, I can be it. Though I like to be with you many other days too.", she smiled, that big smile that showed most of her teeth. 

Your heart danced inside your chest, you could feel the vibrations all over your body. Thump-Thump. Thump-Thump. You kept staring at her, thinking of an answer.

"I understand what you say, but i don't know reply.", you finally signed to her, watching her face turn into a half-surprised expression.

"Someone's finally studying more?", Maya mocked you, nudging your shoulder with her own. Again. 

You noticed she does that as an act of affection.

"I don't need...", you started, trying  to remember the signs. "C-H-O-C-O-L-A-T-E", you spelled , your hands moving slow. "I have something. More. Candy", you continued. "I have you.", you signed, nervous.

Maya laughed but she understood what you meant, leaving the opportunity to correct you for later. She took a caramel candy from her jacket pocket and gave it to you. "Not chocolate.", she told you with a smile, leaning to give you a kiss on the cheek. 

You sighed, your big smile matching Maya's.

"Happy Valentine's day, Maya.", you signed, linking your arms together as you ate the pretzels and watched the couples walk around town from your bench. 

[greatbritishsimchallenge]

"Father, may we talk?"

Cassian didn't respond but took a seat at his desk and looked up at Henry expectantly. Cassian could feel his son's discomfort and immediately tell what was coming.

"I believe Edith and I have found you a good match for marriage. Her name is Lady Catherine. She is incredibly wealthy - the sole heir to the Newcrest estate - she still has sufficient child-bearing years, and she is said to be very beautiful."

Cassian frowned, "If she's so perfect then why the fuck would she marry me?"

Henry cleared his throat, "Like you, she has a... complicated... past. Unlike you, her past was revealed and she has been summarily shunned from polite society."

"What did she do?" Cassian enquired, intrigued.

Henry immediately became flustered, "I'm not sure that matters. She has since undergone a great transformation - Edith and I know her from our circles at church. She is now a respectable, God-fearing woman..."

"And yet you say no one else will marry her because of her reputation. If I'm going to be the one to give her chance, I should at least know what I'm giving a chance to."

Henry sighed, "Did you ever hear the nickname.... the Princess of Newcrest?"

Cassian frowned as he thought back, "I think I remember hearing about her around the time I was married to Regina... didn't she have an affair with the King, Queen and their adult children simultaneously?"

Henry cleared his throat uncomfortably, "Umm... something like that. Anyway, it is quite unjust that most in society fail to recognise how she has changed and learned. She is most worthy of a second chance."

"And I'm willing to give it, am I?" asked Cassian grumpily.

"Yes - you are," Henry replied firmly. "For you have done far, far worse. Indeed, if I may say father, she believes she is being given the second chance when we both know that it is you who is the fortunate one here."

Cassian said nothing but tightened his lips.

"There are also some... caveats... to the marriage to which you must agree before she too will agree to marriage," continued Henry.

"Very well. What are they?"

"First, she feels that, as the sole heir of the Newcrest estate, she must remain in her titled homelands. Upon marriage, you would move to Newcrest."

"You want me to leave the place I've called home for most of my life?" asked Cassian, a low tone of anger clear in his voice.

"The second," continued Henry, raising his voice a little as if to speak up over his father. "Has regards to faithfulness, a very important quality to Lady Catherine. She would require that... you wear a chastity belt."

"You fucking what?"

"To which she would hold the sole key... to ensure your loyalty and faithfulness solely to her. In return, she too would wear a chastity belt to which you would hold the sole key."

Cassian said nothing, but Henry could feel his father's anger building.

"Third, she would like a legal agreement drawn up that would specify some key behaviours of the marriage, such as how much time you are required to spend together, and the frequency of relations required in order to produce an heir. I have read all the stipulations myself and had them checked by our lawyers, and it all seems very conventional. She simply wishes to ensure the marriage is destined for success."

"And will I get to read these stipulations?"

"Of course. You are required to sign your agreement."

Cassian stood up and went to pour himself a drink.

"Father, this marriage will do a great deal to restore our family's financial status; as the sole heir to the Newcrest estate, she is one of the wealthiest women in all England. Finding someone willing to even consider marrying you has not been easy and, while this may be a very different relationship to the type you are used to, I do also believe it will be good for you."

Cassian downed his drink and poured himself another.

"In all her requirements - is meeting me one of them?" he asked.

"Oh, erm..." Henry was surprised by Cassian's question and took a moment to reflect back over his meetings with Lady Catherine. "No, actually. That didn't come up. I suppose she must have been satisfied with the information we provided. But I can suggest it, if you'd like?"

"No. I think I'd rather meet this one at the aisle, when it is too late for me to walk away," Cassian poured himself another drink then added, "I have one request of my own, before I go ahead with all of this."

"Yes, father?"

"I want to see Isabeau. I want her brought here, to Brindleton."

"Father, Aunt Isabeau has her own very busy life in Champ les Sims and -"

Cassian turned to shoot his son a warning look.

"As you wish," Henry replied, immediately backing down. "I will write to Aunt Isabeau immediately."

Start (Iron Age) | Start (Roman Britain) | Start (Anglo Saxon) | Start (Medieval) | Start (Tudor)

Previous | Next

[buckysgrace]

12. Photograph

Part twelve to Every Little Thing!

CW: Angry words lol

Then

“At least you got to pick the color,” Daphne mused as she gently helped him plop down onto the sofa. She winced, holding her hands out before she was sure that he was alright, “I like blue.” She told him as she sat down to his left, trying to make his mood better.

“I can’t even finish the season,” He whined, trying not to wince as she slowly popped the recliner up. She moved to wiggle a pillow underneath his foot next. He shook his head, feeling a little bit awkward. She really didn’t have to go through all of this, “It sucks.”

“You get out of class early,” She said, smiling brightly as she moved to sit next to him. She wiggled a little closer, crossing her legs that had grown longer this summer, “And everyone will be talking about it. I’m sure Ana will notice.” She said a second later, grumbling a little like she had just thought about it.

“That really bothers you still, huh?” He teased her, enjoying the way her cheeks burned brightly. He was fairly certain that Daphne had developed a bit of a crush on him over the summer, but he didn’t do anything to point it out. He was sure that he’d already had a crush on her for the longest time.

“Everyone knows that she wants to sleep around with the whole Senior class,” She shrugged her shoulders, but refused to meet his eyes, “I just don’t want you to be associated with that.” She said a little softer, but he didn’t believe her. He could clearly tell that there was another reason for it.

He watched as she settled back in the cushions, like she was trying to bury herself into them. She wasn’t supposed to be over here, not when there wasn’t another adult around. He was beginning to believe that rule had more to do with Roy than with him. 

Her parents had been nice, supportive since he’d gotten hurt. Roy had been anything but that. He was disappointed, angry. He had told Gator that this was bound to happen, it was destined to happen to Gator. He hated when Roy talked to him like that.

Things hadn’t been the same since his mom left and had grown even worse since Nadine had left. Roy had been rougher, harsher at times. Gator hated his own thoughts, but often he wished for one of them to come back just to take Roy’s anger off of him.

Daphne made it better. She was the highlight of his day, of his night. He was upset that he’d no longer be able to sneak into her room, but slightly hoped that he’d be able to convince her to sneak out. She was always too afraid. Ruby still told her stories about creatures that lurked at night and he was fairly convinced that Daphne believed them to be true. 

“I get to sign first,” She said happily, changing her attitude as she leaned over with a sharpie in her hand. He watched the way her red hair dangled over her shoulders, brushing against her spine. He liked how long it had grown recently, “See.” She proclaimed as she sat back proudly, grinning from ear to ear. He looked down, cocking an eyebrow at how large she’d written her name.

“Way to save some room for the rest of us.” He said dryly, smirking at the way her cheeks heated up again. She brushed him off with one hand, shaking her head like it was a silly thought. 

“They’ll just know you’re mine,” She teased him as she curled up against his side, sliding easily against him like a puzzle piece, “What do you want to watch first?” 

Now

She’d gone silent on him again. 

He was perplexed, in complete disbelief over how she just managed to flip around completely after the last night that they’d had together. She hadn’t necessarily been ignoring him, but he could tell there was a difference in her tone over the phone. She wasn’t as lively, nor nearly as chatty as she had been before. She was distant. It made him worried. 

He stared at his phone again, trying to think of something to say or to ask. He wasn’t good with his words and he never had been. He always ended up saying the wrong thing, asking the wrong questions. He just wanted to know what he had done.

Can we talk later?

His heart flip flopped into his stomach, twisting tightly at her message that appeared on the screen. He opened it hastily, trying to read between the lines at her question. He wanted to be optimistic, but he just knew that something had to be wrong. 

What’s wrong?

He sent in response, just wanting her to fully get to the point. He didn’t want to wait. 

I think you should hear it in person. I’m sorry.

Her message was cryptic enough to make him panic. He thought that he already knew what was wrong, but he didn’t want it to be true. He was sure that he was being paranoid for no reason. He knew he had a few months left, but that didn’t seem to soothe his worries at all. 

He quickly dressed after his hot shower, a little disappointed that he hadn’t been able to wash away his nerves. He hadn’t messaged her back, sure that she would only tell him exactly what he didn’t want to hear. He figured that if he didn’t answer, then that meant that it couldn’t be true. 

“Have you spoken to Daphne?” Karen asked, looking a little smug as she held onto a secret on the tip of her tongue. He had attempted a bowl of cereal, but had been too busy stressing about what Daphne may say to even focus on eating. 

“No,” Gator paused softly as he rinsed his bowl out, “Not lately.” He said softly, already knowing that Karen was hiding something by the way she pursed her lips together. He looked away, hoping that she would get the hint. He didn’t want to know. 

“She got married.” She said quickly, almost spitting it out. He snapped his head towards her, his heart thumping roughly against his bones as he stared forward at her. His jaw slightly dropped as he thought about what she had just said. 

“What?” He asked her, knitting his eyebrows together as he prayed that he had heard her wrong. He didn't want it to be true. The thought of Daphne marrying Hugh made him feel sick. He wanted her all to himself. Hugh couldn’t make her happy the way he could. 

“Courtroom wedding,” Karen shook her head, tsking her mouth in disappointment, “I wonder if she’s pregnant. There’s only one reason to rush a wedding like that.” She said in dismay, like Daphne had done something to scorn her. 

“Karen,” Roy spoke up suddenly, startling both of them, “Enough of that.” He dismissed her, instantly making Karen’s lips close tightly as she began to scrub a little harder at the dishes. Gator’s feet felt heavy as he walked across the room, slow and roughly as he thought of the best way to approach Roy. 

“She really got married?” He asked, trying to sound as casual as he could. He didn’t want Roy to get cocky, to know that he had been right all along. If Karen was right, Gator knew that it would be another loss for Roy to dangle over his head. 

“There was some issue with Hugh’s immigration status,” Roy said simply, “She didn’t want him to leave. You were too late.” He added at the end, eyebrows raised in a cocky way like he was waiting for Gator to argue. He parted his lips, wishing he had some defense. He was just blindsided. He thought that he would’ve had more time. He certainly didn’t think it would’ve been right after the good night that they’d had together. 

“Did she leave for her honeymoon?” He hesitated for a moment before he asked the question, fearing what the answer would be. If she was truly gone, he’d probably never see her again. She had gone three years without him, she clearly didn’t need him. 

“No,” Roy shook her head, “But you leave her alone now.” Roy said sternly, like Gator was a child again. He pursed his lips tightly together, knowing that he couldn’t do that. Not right now. He needed closure. 

“I just want to congratulate her.” He lied, knowing full well that he wasn’t happy for her at all. He didn’t want her to marry anyone else. He was frustrated, bitter that he didn’t get the chance to work up the courage to tell her so.

He knew it was wrong, but he was angry that she thought that she could just find someone else at the same time. She knew that she was supposed to be his, that he was supposed to be hers. It had practically been written out for them from an early age. He wondered if she had forgotten, or if she just no longer cared. 

The walk to her house felt like torture. It was rushed but slow at the same time. He was anxious to confront her, but he was also desperate to see her again. He wanted this to be some sick joke, for her to say that she hadn’t meant this at all.

He didn’t bother knocking as he walked inside, feeling a little frustrated to see that the house seemed to be empty. He bent down, petting at Birdie for a moment as he tried to clear his thoughts. He didn’t want to confront her out of anger but the more he thought about the situation, the angrier he grew. 

“Is Daphne here?” He asked once he walked through the kitchen, noticing that Noelle was bent over the counter. She had books scattered around her as she bounced a pencil against a worn notebook. 

“They’re moving in,” Noelle replied with a bored tone as she looked up from her textbook, “Down the trail and to the left.” She pointed roughly with her pencil, giving him a brief glance before she turned away again. 

“Why did they rush the wedding?” He spit out, unable to help himself. He felt like he was losing his mind. He had thought that things were fine between the two of them. He couldn’t understand why she would just marry him. He wondered if she was trying to spite him. 

“Hugh was about to get deported,” Noelle sighed, looking like it was a whole ordeal to try and explain it to him, “They’ll have the ceremony later, don’t worry.” She brushed him off, like he was only worried about the ceremony.

He scoffed, shaking his head as he turned away and headed out the patio door. He walked down the path, his throat feeling tight as he took in the house for the first time. He had been doing his best to ignore it for the longest time, pretending that she wouldn’t be moving in it with someone else. It had always been their thing to eventually talk about moving out on a piece of her father’s land, of building their own place. It had been dreamt to life when they were young, before complicated feelings ever fell into the mix. 

It was only partially finished, but it was everything that she had wanted for her house. It looked to be two stories, a pretty white with a large wrap around porch on the front of it. He knew that she would want a wooden swing to sit out on. She had spoken of a garden too and of a large window in the kitchen so she could look out while she cooked. 

He stood a fair distance away for a moment, watching as she held her hands on her hips as she spoke to Hugh about something. He felt a knife twisting at his chest as he watched, venom forming in the back of his neck as Hugh rubbed a thumb across her cheek before he pressed his lips against hers. His anger turned to fury, red hot as it twisted and jumbled inside of him while he approached the doting couple. 

“Hey,” He walked forward, speaking a little louder than he meant to. Daphne jolted in surprise, her eyes wide as she looked at him in shock, “You wanted to talk.” He pointed out dryly, throwing the conversation her way in hopes that it would throw her off. His fury was steaming, boiling deep inside of him as he did his best to keep from exploding. 

“Yeah,” She breathed out quickly as she glanced towards Hugh, “I did. Um, yeah just give me a second.” She told him rapidly, holding her hands out awkwardly as she stepped away from him. She looked at Gator then, having the decency to at least look guilty as she walked off of the porch.

She was quiet for a moment as he watched her, like he could almost see the way she was already trying to plan her words. She clenched her fingers into fists, then released them as she licked at her bottom lip. She looked away from him, off towards the barn where the horses were beginning to trot back inside as the wind caught her fiery hair. 

He observed her, feeling like the world was slowly coming to a halt around them as she tugged on her fingertips. Her cheeks were flushed, her forehead slightly sweaty from the hot sun. She turned towards him, squinting as the sun blared down against his back.

“Um,” She inhaled sharply as she turned towards him, “It’s a nice morning, isn’t it?” She stumbled over her question, the lines on her face knitted together tightly as she rubbed at the side of her neck. He knew her pulse was probably racing, but he didn’t want to tiptoe around the subject any longer. 

“Why were you ignoring me?” He questioned her, looking at her in disbelief. The wind caught at his hair this time, blowing it around but he didn’t care. He just wanted her to dismiss the whole situation, to tell him that it had all been a sick joke. 

“I wanted to think about how to explain things,” She said softly, her shoulders sagging as the truth tumbled between them, “I didn’t want you to get mad.” She said softly as she rubbed at her forearm. He shook his head, wondering how he wasn’t supposed to be upset. 

“You married him?” He asked her, seeking out her confirmation. Her eyes were softer as she peered at him, her lips slowly curling down into a frown as she took a shaky breath. 

“Gator,” She breathed out softly, “I’m sorry. I had to. I-,” She began to explain to him, but he no longer cared about what she had to say. He didn’t want to hear it. She had ruined what they had, completely thrown it away. He couldn’t change anything about that. 

“You don’t have to explain anything,” He replied quickly, not wanting her to know how much it hurt, “You were just an easy fuck anyways.” He said, not meaning his words at all but his tongue felt venomous and hot. He didn’t want her to see how easily he was affected at the moment. It was humiliating to be on the other side of things again. 

“Don’t be like this,” She breathed out softly, her bottom lip quivering, “I didn’t want things to be like this.” She gestured roughly between the two of them, like she was trying to make a point. He thought that things would’ve been better had she just been honest with him. 

“Like what?” He snorted, still pretending like he wasn’t bothered at all, “Congrats. I’m sure you’ll have a very boring marriage.” He told her honestly, fully knowing that Hugh wouldn’t treat her the way that she wanted. The way that she deserved. That was on her now. Maybe that’s what she truly deserved. 

“Maybe things would be different if you could tell me why you were so upset.” She replied a little softer, her eyes looking like the bluest crystals as she peered up at him. He couldn’t tell if it had to do with the sun hitting off of her skin, or the fresh tears that were forming in her eyes. He shook his head, feeling angry once again. He didn’t think it was fair for her to point this back on him when she could’ve been honest too.

“I’m not upset,” He spit out, “I could care less about it.” He said again, covering his pain up with a laugh as he rubbed at his nose. He shook his head again as he turned away from her, realizing that this would probably be the last time he saw her. He knew he wouldn’t be able to see her, knowing that she would prefer Hugh each time. 

“I don’t think that’s true.” She laughed as well, but there was nothing cruel or heinous about it. It was sad, quivering like she was trying to choke back a sob. He could feel his chest heave at the sound, hating the way he desperately wanted to grab a hold of her and pull her close. He wouldn’t. Not this time. 

“It is,” He replied again as he pressed his own fingertips into fists this time, trying to control the way his emotions were growing into larger waves, “I knew you’d spread your legs just as easily as you always did. You’re a whore.” He shrugged his shoulders, the words continuing to burn his tongue as he spoke. He liked to tease her about being one during sex, but this was different. He was truly accusing her of being one this time. She was seeing someone else after all. 

“I am not,” She replied hotly, “Gator, I care about you. But what was I supposed to do? I told him yes and I still can’t tell for sure what you feel.” She sounded more frustrated as she finished the last of her statement, gesturing towards him again like she wanted him to reveal something. He stared at her, sure that she wouldn't be asking him to humiliate himself in such a way. It was far too late now. 

“I don’t fucking care what you do or what you don’t do,” He said at last, “You’re only good for what’s between your legs.” He told her, watching the way the hurt continued to grow and spread across her features. He thought that it was good. Perhaps they really would stay away from each other then. It would work out for the both of them, it was best. It would be easier for him, knowing that she hated him. 

“Why are you being so mean?” She asked, her voice trembling as the first tear raced down her pink cheek. He stared at it for the longest time, almost wishing he could take everything back and wipe her face dry. 

“I’m not,” He replied, a little sterner than he meant to, “You’re just acting like I’m supposed to care. I don’t. You can do whatever you want.” He told her again, even though in his mind it was quite obvious that he did care. If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t be here right now. He hated how exposed he felt right now, how she still seemed to realize that as she stared at him. 

“I care about you, Gator. A lot. You’re just so hard to read sometimes. I didn’t know if I rejected him if you’d even want to be with me.” She explained slowly, sniffling as she pushed her hair behind her ears. Her bangs danced around in the breeze still, giving him something to focus on rather than the heartbreak in her eyes. 

He thought her explanation was insane. There had been a time when he wasn’t sure what he wanted, but when she had left he had been sure that he had let happiness slip through his grasp. He thought he would’ve had a chance to get it back. He had been too late. He wasn’t really angry with her but rather himself. He ruined all the things that were good in his life. 

“I wouldn’t have,” He said at last, “You’re just a cheap whore. What did you want? After all this was said and done, what did you want from me?” He asked her seriously this time, still letting the burning words slip through his tongue to try and get the point across. Still, he wanted an answer. If she was never considering him, why did she want to get with him again in the first place? 

“I wanted you to-,” She paused as she looked at him, her blue eyes fresh with tears, “Gator, I love you. I’ve always loved you. I left because I couldn’t stand to see you with someone else. I didn’t mean to get us mixed up into this, but I thought maybe in the end we would end up together.” She laughed as she wiped at her cheeks, shaking her head like her own words were insane.

He froze this time, his heart hammering roughly inside of his chest as he hadn’t expected her to admit to that. His tongue felt awkward, his throat dry as he understood that she was telling the truth. He felt the same way. He had wanted the same thing at one point, but now it was too late. She was married to someone else already. 

“Why are you telling me this now?” He asked her, looking down at her in incredulity, “We’re never going to have a happy ending.” He admitted at last, knowing that it would be true. He would end up doing something wrong, making her unhappy in some way or another. He knew that Roy would always make him second guess the things he did, how he did them. He thought that she would eventually grow bored of him, like she already had. 

“It’s been years,” She laughed bitterly as she wiped at her cheeks, “I just thought I should say something.” She shrugged her shoulders but continued to look at him. He could see the desperation in her eyes, and knew what she really wanted from him. He wouldn’t give it to her. He’d already convinced himself that it was too late. 

“You shouldn’t have,” He spit out bitterly, still stunned that all of this had happened so quickly, “Because I don’t care.” He felt like that was the only thing he could say that would keep himself from falling apart. 

She looked at him for the longest time, her lips pressed together as he traced the tear lines across her cheeks. He wondered if Hugh had ever made her cry. He doubted it. He was sure that Hugh would be the husband that she needed, even if he didn’t buy her flowers. 

“Then why are you here?” She asked him at last, looking like she was desperately clinging to what his answer would be. He inhaled deeply, holding the air in his lungs for a long second before he released it. He was still angry. 

“I guess I just wanted you to know that I can do better.” He told her, staring at her blankly at the way her expression dropped. She looked at him like she didn’t know him, but then again, he really wasn’t sure if she did. So many things had changed since she’d been gone. He was a different person. 

“You should go home,” She said at last, her tears drying from her eyes, “I don’t want to see you again.” She proclaimed, promising him as she took a step back and left him with an ache in his chest. 

[thetruearchmagos]

I would like to hear, if you are agreeable, about someone you don't talk about much. And I am going to ask nice things about them because I don't think you know those things.

🧁 - When is their birthday? How do they celebrate it, if at all?

✨ - Tell something that makes this oc feel happy!

🧶 - Do they do any arts, crafts, or creative hobbies?

Well, thank you kindly for the Ask! And for your kindness in specifying your questions, you were entirely correct.

With all that said, I think I'll go with the (tentatively named) Lin Youzi, former travelling young artist and future Admiral of the Fleet of the United Commonwealth Navy!

🧁 - When is their birthday? How do they celebrate it, if at all?

Absolutely no clue, but since it's come up I declare the answer to be the 1st of June! Compared to a lot of my cast, Lin has a pretty well rounded social and personal life outside her job. If she can arrange for leave, expect her to spend a lot of time with her husband, probably involving some form of sight seeing around wherever it is she's been deployed to.

✨ - Tell something that makes this oc feel happy!

I think Lin's the sort of person who really enjoys picking up new skills, or alternatively keeping on top of old ones. This mostly takes the form of learning how to play the hundreds of musical instruments that the cultures and peoples of the Worlds have created over the centuries, but for your sake I'll add that, owing to her roots with the once semi-nomadic clans of Xindai, Lin grew up a skilled horserider, and has kept that talent sharp whenever the chance came up.

🧶 - Do they do any arts, crafts, or creative hobbies?

As hinted above, hell yeah! While Gustav takes up the literary side of things, Lin is a born and bred musician. Once they completed college she would elope with her future husband, brought together by their love of music and shared desires to escape the lives they seemed destined to take on in the country. This leads to what I've started calling the 'itinerant bard' phase of her life, basically living out of a van and playing wherever they could to make ends meet, before financial pressure and changes in how they saw their lives unfolding pushed Lin to sign on with the Navy; and the rest, as they say, is history.

As a side note, she would find a chance to take her musical skills into the service, earning a reputation as an excellent performer in her own right and in leading Navy bands and orchestras. Her husband would occasionally find the chance to perform as well, in between what odd jobs he could pick up, and once Lin makes her name and rank the two would become something of a novelty act with the occasional two piece performances.

Tagging @athenswrites @nerdexer @hessdalen-globe and @the-ellia-west for the character stuff!

[someforzari]

Coloured Sky

Niki x black!gn!reader

Genre: fluff

A/N: My first work where the skin colour was specified, I hope its up to your standards.

Ep.1 | Ep.2

You started listening to kpop in 2019 but it was more of a casual liking in 1 or 2 groups, rather than the only thing you would listen to. So when the group 'Enhypen' came out you peaked a huge interest in them. You biased Niki for his cute persona and how he always found a way to lighten the mood.

In little time, you found yourself listening to them often and even buying an album now and then. When all of your friends started talking about going to a concert together, you suggested Enhypen's upcoming tour.

"_____, we're not made of money and plus that's in New York, only you have a place to stay there, what will the rest of us do?" Jen retorted looking at the price.

"She's right, _____" Another friend agreed.

Sighing, you knew you had to meet them at some point in your life and why not now since it was your gap year before starting college, but seeing how you had £50 to your name, you knew that wasnt happening anytime soon. You chose to go to New York anyway since you had already bought plane tickets to see your family there, texting your mum to tell her.

"Guys, I have to go pack my bags but I'll talk to you soon. Love you bye." You said leaving the café. A quick wave of goodbyes surging through your friend group.

Time skip: 11:34pm, Thursday 28th March

"Yes mum, I've packed everything. I know the trip is overseas, look, I'll be fine. I'm staying with aunt shay, I'll be alright." You explained to your mum, holding the phone between your ear and cheek. "The plane leaves at 4pm tomorrow. No, I'm getting a taxi. Look, I have to go I'll update you soon. Bye."

Putting your passports and luggage near the doorway and setting your alarm to 8am you crashed on your bed and slept soundly.

Time skip: 8:13am, Friday 29 March

Brushing your teeth slowly due to drowsiness and scrolling through instagram was a normal part of your morning, your eyes widening upon seeing a new post from Enhypens official account. It was a picture of Niki and Sunoo at the airport, nothing special except that the destination was New York. That left some excitement for your day, dreaming about running into him unexpectedly and becoming his friend. Of course, you knew your delusions were just that, delusions. But you were free to imagine, right?

Stepping into your room to double check that you had packed everything, you noticed that your nails looked terrible and decided to get them done later. A decision that would save you from embarrassment later on.

The nails you picked weren't too over the top, just french tips with a few charms. Looking at the time on your phone, you gasped. 2:09pm. You were going to be late for your flight. At your apartment, a taxi was already waiting for you as you had planned, pulling the luggage into the boot and sitting in the taxi, you sighed and hoped you'd make it in time for your flight as the airport was an hour and a half away, hopefully there wouldn't be much traffic.

Timeskip: 5:43pm, Saturday 30th March

"Yeah, I'll manage." You said as you left the house to go explore New York City.

Living in the UK, you never experienced anything close to New York, sure, London was just as busy, but the nightlife couldn't compete. Plus, you lived in Whitehall of all places. It was cold, and even though winter had finished, the sun still set by 7.

It was amazing. The street signs with vibrant colours and cute little pictures of cartoon characters and animals, the shops with the latest iconic trends and the souvenirs were so creative.

Looking around, you didn't notice the shouting and running around. It was New York, this was normal, right?

Wrong. You would've been able to look some more, if only someone didn't bump into you and both of you fell.

"Who the hell...?" You mumbled holding your ankle and looking at the person.

Niki Rishimura. He was the man who had bumped into you, making you fall and hurt yourself. The throbbing pain in your ankle was forgotten as you stared at him with your mouth wide open and eyes wide.

"I'm so sorry! Are you okay? Is your ankle hurt?" He asked frantically, clearly worried.

You couldn't even answer, you just sat there, staring at him. Once the state of shock took over, you were quick to reassure him that you were fine and asked him if he was hurt at all.

He offered to get you coffee as an apology. Being a modest person, you refused at first saying there was no need, secretly hoping he would take you anyway. Him being the absolute angel he is, he insisted to treat you to coffee and you agreed. He reached out for his phone and asked for your number, you blinked a few times in confusion but not wanting to pass up this opportunity, you typed in your digits as fast as your sore hands could.

"I'll text you later, I have to go now." Niki said smiling sweetly at you and picking up a call from his manager.

You couldn't believe it, you had just met Niki Rishimura and gotten his number! And, you were going to see him for coffee! The whole way back to your aunt's house, you smiled and some people even looked at you like you were insane, but they wouldn't understand. You couldn't wait.

@microwvdstrawb3rri3s