#that was also the same time i learned i had DID :(

[angelesca]

a soon-to-be-husband's plan for successful marriage! w.c. ~900

requested by: @kimura-uzuri lots of kisses as per the request, suggestive, all of them are idiots in love and mega pathetic (just how we like 'em amirite) added some extra characters & stretched the prompt, but the core remains the same - hopefully you don't mind :)) (!! written before playing 3.1! only seen some bits and pieces)

anaxagoras's "all according to calculation" love letter!

to my dearest, if you were to reject me, i think i'd cry with my one eye since our fateful encounter, i've found myself... happy agitated, with these bothersome feelings aglaea said it was "love". hah. what does she know?, aroused by, simply, your presence in my orbit. it nags endlessly, claws at my throat when i breathe, these insignicant matters should afford me no pleasure... yet, the heart is no longer a master of itself, desperately wrestling from your grip, but inevitably chained to your smile that is interwoven with my memories. i also cannot forget how you suplexed me after our first kiss my lips spring and curve at an accord of their own when you spare as little as a glance at me. to who else can be ascribed such a feat? congratulations i guess a scholar's instinct is to question in the face of adversity. and questions must be accompanied by answers. as i write this to you, i have finally sumrised the truth. why i feel what i do, i must acknowledge it now... i adore you. i am eternally yours-- i must spend my life with you. ... *unintelligible scribbling*

anaxagoras looks up from his page, staring at you. "did that work?"

work? it didn't even try. "what? what are you- why did you read me a whole love letter? i didn't even know you had it in your bones to write sappy romance."

anaxagoras's eye twitches. he took that to heart. his formula for the perfect proposal is breaking, time to move onto plan b.

you throw your hands on your hips. "what's with you?" kiss. "you just came home after-" kiss. "-being away for so long." kiss. "is something wrong with your head?" kiss. "stop that! it won't distract me from your failure of a proposal."

"tch." anaxa clicks his tongue, slumping defeatedly like a child who got caught red-handed. so much for his perfect plan. well, when all else fails, there's only one final strategy: "well? are we getting engaged?"

you sigh. "you could've said that in the first place..." kiss. "..."

little did you know, that was a display of anaxagoras's restraint. the power of a scholar comes from more than their words, you learned the hard way, sore in bed the next day.

phainon's "super special, totally epic °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°" checklist!

1. i miss my partner so much... (´-ω-`) must return to okhema 2. buy a ring (maybe ask aglaea?) (ugh, i can't let mydei know or he'll tease me) 3. ??? 4. become husband!!! (☆ω☆)

step 1. miss my partner... check. duh. ┐(‘～` )┌ return to okhema? check.

step 2. buy a ring. check. aglaea, with a stifled chuckle, gladly helped the clueless phainon pick out a ring perfect for you. after all, someone who pairs an orange shirt with purple pants could hardly be trusted with picking out an engagement ring. successfully avoided mydei's keen eyes.

step 3. ???

phainon stares at you. "???"

"???" you stare back.

"???????????" phainon took the third step too literally. what is this doofus doing?

realising that his plan is falling apart, phainon panics. "c-c-c-c-can i k-kiss you?" his lips unconsciously push together, pouting, as if practicing his kissing on your ghost.

you frown. "why are you asking like it's our first time doing it?"

"oh, right..."

you playfully roll your eyes. "come here, you."

phainon skips over, brightened, lowering his head for you. you press kisses on them. then, ten more for good measure, because, well, phainon and kisses just go well together, clicking like a puzzle.

"haha, that was nice." phainon's cheeks were red as tomatoes, pressing his hands on them like a youthful maiden in love. then, he latches onto your arm, intertwining. "let's settle down soon. i'm so tired of fighting bad guys all day," he mumbles.

"settle down? like family?" you ask.

"whatever you desire: children, dogs, cats, potted plants. i'm okay with anything you want, as long as you want it," phainon beams. "i just want to start a new life with you!"

beneath all the sweet words, phainon feels that he forgot something integral... something something... become husband... well, whatever. as long as you're happy, phainon can't think of much else when you're calling out his name at night. ( ‾́ ◡ ‾́ ) the neighbours are tired bro...

(days later, you found the engagement ring left in his pocket before taking his clothes for laundry)

mydei's "conquer and overcome all adversities" (is he still talking about proposing?) goal!

1. propose

mydei holds out his hand. "let us form a legal, committal union under a contract."

your jaw drops. mydei had just returned home and these were his first words after being apart for so long? "s-sorry?"

mydei huffs. "you know what i mean."

"you mean a marri-"

COUGH COUGH.

...?

you scrunch your eyebrows. "you want to marr-"

COUGH COUGH.

... mydei is blushing, eyes glossy. how could one word have such an effect? scratch that, how has he made it this far into the relationship? romance was certainly not in the kremnoan dictionary.

you take a deep breath. "mydei, you can just say the word."

"the word."

you sigh. this was too slow. "fine. i agree."

"agree?" mydei looks at you expectantly.

"to establish a legal contract that binds us together."

"oh," mydei smiles. "well, let us make haste." he swings you over his shoulder easily, as if carrying feathers. now, it's going too fast - he really can't set a pace.

"hey! what the-" by the time you realised, you were already at an altar, face-to-face with your husband-to-be. never in your life have you witnessed your body being covered in so many marks the night after the wedding, and your lips were definitely bruised.

you sternly warned mydei, and what is repressed comes back stronger, as he hugged you 24/7, stealing your waist instead of lips. a kremnoan warrior always stays conquering, even when proving his eternal love for you.

a/n: i just found out there are anaxa chibis but its too late im afraid. pea head anaxa for life who's with me also here's some behind the scenes! originally i wrote this for phainon's step 3:

phainon gets on his knees and- oh, oh my god- "PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE-"

"phainon???" his name barely leaves your mouth as a breath, for you can hardly construct words, let alone a sentence.

LMAOOO it was way too much. anw ty again! i had fun writing it! sorry this was kinda short, i wrote this up as quick as i could. but if you'd like me to re-make the request bc it was too silly, lemme know xx

[woefully-undercaffeinated]

Hi, former tech support guy here who also studied neurology and built a brain from scratch. There are a few reasons that this happens:

The thing that you ask them to push/select/click/etc is something that they've always seen every time they use their device, and it has never once been relevant, so their brain edits it out. I guarantee your brain does the same thing when you're browsing through your phone's app list or settings menu; when you actually go looking for it, your brain will actively resist letting you see it because it's been blocking it out every time you look.

They learned to use this device later in life and did so by memorizing a set of tasks in a set order, rather than understanding what those tasks actually do; this means that things outside of those task lists are completely unknown.

They've pushed a random button or menu option once and had it go very wrong, and learned that you never push buttons if you don't know what they do. Common offenders here are accidentally hitting the 'input' button on a TV and causing a blue screen or static, accidentally changing the language on a phone or computer, breaking a speaker by playing it too loud, and getting a virus by clicking on an ad that said "click here".

The interface changed, and what you're describing is not what they're seeing.

Please remember that the exact same thing will eventually happen to you, and be gentle with people who go through this. A few ways to help them past these blocks:

Tell them "there is no self destruct button" and otherwise reassure them that a single button push or mouse click will not irrevocably damage their device or cause other harm. (If this device is actually dangerous, instead ask them to go get help).

Find things that they regularly interact with, have them point to them with their finger, and then tell them to move their finger to the left/right/up/down. They'll find it. Importantly, don't tell them to navigate to these things with their mouse or remote -- they'll select them by instinct, which is a problem if they're a 'close' or 'quit' button.

Look up the manual for the device, don't just rely on your memory -- the interface may have changed.

why does my mother suddenly fail kindergarten whenever she tries to do anything on the computer

[muqingslover]

[ is that angst I smell? The menu for tonight offers the LADS boys and how they are post-breakup with you! yum! the reason for the break-up is open bc it's besides the point. Also, how do we feel about this layout? ]

Rafayel

Now playing: The cut that always bleeds by Conan Gray

Part of him had always expected this to happen. The ugly and resentful side of his heart that never believed in the so called "love" you held for him after the horrible things he went through and in the end he was proven right.

How many more reincarnations would he have to live through until you finally learned to love him? Or maybe this was his punishment for sacrificing the lives of his own people for someone who won't even look his way.

Personally, I don't think he's a weak, whiny baby most people describe him as. I firmly believe Rafayel can be resentful and angry, he just keeps it hidden so you won't see it. This time however? Oh you're seeing all the sides of him.

He wouldn't ever hurt you, absolutely not, but he will raise his voice when he questions why you were doing this to him, why were you forsaking him again, when he's given you everything he possibly could.

"Why is it never enough for you?! Why is it so damn hard for me to be enough for you?! Answer me!" The tears streaming down his face are something he doesn't even realize until his eyes begin to sting. How many centuries has it been since he had last cried?

For months he'd stay locked inside his studio and no one is allowed to visit, not even his aunt is able to help. The paintings he had of you were all ruined but Rafayel still found himself sketching your face like clockwork each time he stood in front of an empty canvas.

He feels angry, betrayed and he's just so, so hurt. I believe that depending on the reason behind the breakup it could very well be his last straw and will lead to him returning to the sea for good.

One day he's just gone without a trace and he's never coming back.

-----------------------------⁠☆⁠⁠☆⁠⁠☆⁠------------------------

Xavier

Now playing: The loneliest by Måneskin

He can't believe this is happening. Like, you choosing to break up with him was never even an option in his mind. Xavier would immediately assume it was his fault and beg for you to let him try and fix whatever went wrong.

His entire world shatters when you walk out the door and somehow it hurts so much more than when he held you in his arms as life left your body.

For months he would take part of the same missions you did, visit the same spaces, take the same train and do anything he could to be apart of your life. The silence between the two of you is suffocating but, surprisingly, Xavier is the one who makes the effort to make conversation about even the simplest of things.

His emotional state would completely drain him. He is so exhausted but he can't sleep at all. Not when he knows you chose to not be by his side.

Nevertheless, Xavier would keep trying, trying and trying and then some more. He brings you things he tried to cook in hope it'll make you smile the same way it did before only to end up throwing it away in a bin after you declined it.

Eventually his exhaustion would catch up to him and lead to a fatal mistake while out in a mission. He is stubborn, but there is only so much he can do when his own body is running into the ground.

"Can you see the sky from where you are?" He would ask during a call you received in the middle of the night in which, unknown to you, would be the last time you ever heard his voice. To Xavier however, he was relived he was able to hear your voice while under the same sky one last time.

-----------------------------⁠☆⁠⁠☆⁠⁠☆⁠------------------------

Zayne

Now playing: Promise by Laufey

The breakup itself is so quiet and calm. The two of you discussed things and he accepted it. Zayne would always, always, respect your choices. If being by his side was not something you wanted then he will let you go without any claw marks.

It was too awkward to be around each other so what follows are weeks of radio silence. He throws himself into his work, but he can't find the focus to properly do his job. His mind always go back to you— Were you okay? Were you thinking of him at all? Were you eating and sleeping well? Who was by your side now?

He breaks the no contact rule first to check on you and although he isn't sure if what he feels is genuine relief when he sees you doing well at least that's...closure. You're happy and healthy, even without him, and he couldn't ask for more than that.

Zayne feels as if everything around him turned dull and grey. His heart frozen in time after you left and he is nothing more than a husk that functions on autopilot until his body breaks down.

He feels cold regardless of the temperature now that you're not here and he believes it is what it is. He tried, he truly did his absolute best, but he can't take away from your happiness.

The two of you will return to being friends after a while and he will continue to support and care for you like he always did. To you, the moments you shared will soon be forgotten while Zayne he will forever remain frozen in those warm memories.

-----------------------------⁠☆⁠⁠☆⁠⁠☆⁠------------------------

Sylus

Now playing: The Moon will sing by The Crave Wives

His hands gently cradle your face as he asks you to please talk to him because there's nothing he wouldn't do for you. Except sometimes there are are things he simply can't do and that's something he would be forced to accept.

Sylus would ask to keep contact even if it's just for the sake of business and uses any and every excuse to see you or hear your voice. If he can't be wanted then he will be needed and if he can't be needed then he is okay with being used as long as it's by your hands.

In truth, he wouldn't ever give you up regardless if you fell for someone else or years pass. He will be frustrated and hurt at times, but he can be patient. He will wait until it's his turn to be deserving of your heart again.

Though that does not mean he will do absolutely nothing. Sylus would tell you every day that he still loves you and it doesn't matter what you say because he won't ever feel disencouraged.

"I'm not expecting anything or pressuring you. I'm only reminding you that my love for you won't change even if you're not by my side." His voice is like a gentle coo as his hand comes to pat your head, playfully ruffling your hair so you would drop the serious expression on your pretty face.

-----------------------------⁠☆⁠⁠☆⁠⁠☆⁠------------------------

Caleb

Now playing: In my room by Julia Wolf

The biggest CRASH out.

First, he knows you want to break up before you even gather up the courage to bring it up and he finds a way to stop you from saying it every. single. time.

"Caleb I think—" "Oh! I completely forgot! I got these tickets to the show you wanted to go! C'mon, c'mon! We'll be late!"

He is in strong denial after you finally manage to say it. He'd claim you're just confused about things and that it'll pass as long as you give it some time because you don't truly mean it. You need him, how could you ever think otherwise?

He will keep calling and texting you non-stop— He begs you to talk to him and rethink your choice. You're obviously making a mistake so please stop this already.

It would take a lot to make him stop. Unless you had an ironclad reason to not come back to him then he would keep going. When he does stop though? Oof.

Caleb could only endure the torture and damage done to him mentally and physically all those years because you were his anchor. His entire life is centered around you and now that you're gone he'd lose all of his motivation.

The last time you hear from him is through the news you'd receive about the colonel who took his own life.

"Please keep me close to your heart." Your eyes read the words on the letter while your other hand clutched the necklace he left for you. Would you grant him this one last, selfish wish of his?

[aewon]

do you feel the same way i do about you? pt 2

sunghoon x fem reader genre: fluff wc: 3316 warnings: kissing (like one kiss lmao) talks of counseling (a school counselor) reconciliation, talk of feelings/feeling revelation, if there’s more lmk i don’t think there’s any cursing

note: this is also a repost from my other account @/wonkizz, if you recognize it from there, i did not steal it. also not proofread.

pt 1

Sunghoon has been agonizing for weeks since you ended your “friendship”.

He knows he’s wrong, he’s been wrong all these years, indirectly treating you the way he did.

When he told his friends about what happened, they berated him severely.

“It’s on you to fix it,” Sunoo had said.

He’s been effectively blocked on everything, having no way to contact you. Not to mention, you’ve been great at avoiding him.

He hasn’t caught a glimpse of you since that day.

All he wants is to fix things, but he knows that won’t happen unless he fixes his own behavior and thoughts first.

He’s been talking to a school counselor. Someone who’s there to listen to him rant about how terribly he treated you and how bad he feels.

The counselor, being one to not take sides, at first commended him for recognizing his wrong behavior, but then reconfirmed his thoughts.

He was a bad friend to you, to put it plain and simple.

After talking to the therapist for a few hours, acknowledging how he was wrong, what he can do to change that behavior and how to talk to you, if you’ll even allow it, he knows what to do.

He could go to your apartment, but there’s a slim if not no chance of you opening the door for him.

Instead, he’s chosen to write you a letter.

Sunghoon pours his heart into it, acknowledging all his wrongdoings and essentially begging for forgiveness. He knows he might not get it, but he has to take a chance.

You don’t know what to expect when you see an envelope addressed to you with Sunghoon’s name on it.

Your first thought is to throw it away. That would be the easy thing to do, but a part of you, a big part, wants to see what it is.

As you sit on your couch, envelope in hand, you take a deep breath before opening it.

Inside is a letter, with Sunghoon’s messy handwriting that you used to get on him for.

You start reading, anticipating.

Dear Y/N,

I know you may throw this letter away, but if you choose to read it, please read to the end.

I’m writing to you to apologize for everything.

Not just for what I said at the party, but for our entire time together.

The way I treated you, from the beginning, is not how any friend should be treated.

The reality is, we weren’t real friends. At least, not in my eyes.

To you, I was a friend. To me, you were someone who went along with my every word and whim. I liked the attention, I liked how you did whatever I wanted. I liked the fact that I was everything to you.

I treated you terribly, that’s a fact. I never acknowledged your feelings and instead pushed them aside. I pressured you into situations you were uncomfortable with and never did the same for you. I never really embraced who you are. I chose to overlook you and never treat you with the same respect you gave me.

But the truth is Y/N, you’re a good person. Better than me in ways I might never understand.

I did a lot of thinking and talking over the past couple of weeks without you.

I don’t deserve your forgiveness, nor do I deserve a chance to prove myself to you. But I’ve learned how wrong I was, and I want nothing more than to change that.

Maybe I’ll never really make it up to you, but I want to try.

If you choose to ignore this letter, I understand.

But maybe, if you feel like it’s in your best interest, we could try to be real friends.

I don’t want to say I miss you, without really knowing you.

I want to know the real Y/N.

The one who isn’t pressured to go to parties and be someone she’s not.

I want to know your favorite color. Your real hobbies, how you like spending your time.

I want you to be able to come to me with secrets you’ve never told anyone. I want to be a real friend.

If you’ve made it to the end of this letter, and you want to give me that chance, I’ll be here.

I’m so sorry.

Sunghoon.

You can feel the tears falling from your eyes, dripping down your face, onto your thighs.

You weren’t expecting that. You thought at the very least, Sunghoon might try to apologize, but this was the last thing you’d expect from him.

You take time to truly think about what you want, what’s best for you and your well-being.

Is it viable to give Sunghoon a chance?

Will he hurt you again in the long run?

Part of you is saying yes, while the other says no.

Night falls and you go to sleep, thinking about the very near future and what you’ll choose to do.

Sunghoon is sitting with his friends, when there’s a tap on his shoulder.

You’re standing there, holding tightly onto your bag strap.

He sits up so quickly, he almost falls.

“Hi,” you say.

Sunghoon gathers himself, “Hi.”

“Can we talk?”

He nods immediately, getting up to follow you to a quiet corner.

He stands there, towering over you as you look up at him.

“I got your letter. I read it,” you say, playing with the ring on your finger.

“Okay. How do you feel?” He’s so nervous, he’s chewing his lip like he’s going to bite it off.

“I feel…conflicted, if we’re being honest. Part of me wants to give you that chance, while the other is scared of being hurt again.

Sunghoon nods, “I understand. You have to do what’s best for you. I can’t predict what will happen in the future, but I’d be an idiot to hurt you again.

I’m not going to pressure you into anything, I’m thankful you’re even talking to me.”

You laugh a little bit, which sounds like music to Sunghoon’s ears.

“I want to give you a chance, Sunghoon. But you have to understand that if at any point I feel things aren’t working or you’re reverting to past behavior, I’m gone?”

“I understand. I wouldn’t expect any less,” he responds. “Let’s start over. Hi, my name is Sunghoon,” he says, holding his hand out.

You take it, shaking it and smiling up at him, “Hi, Sunghoon. I’m Y/N. I have class but I’ll text you, okay?”

Sunghoon smiles, his fangs poking out, “I’ll look forward to it.”

You leave and Sunghoon almost jumps for joy.

He knows he can’t mess this up and he doesn’t plan on it.

You end up texting him later that night, asking if he wants to hang out this upcoming weekend.

Sunghoon immediately responds, accepting eagerly.

When the weekend comes, neither of you have class. You decide to meet up at a cafe on campus.

He’s already waiting for you by the time you arrive.

“Were you waiting long? You ask.

He shakes his head, “I just got here!”

Sunghoon offers to pay, which you try to decline but he insists.

You order an iced white chocolate caramel macchiato while he orders an iced americano.

“Is that drink your favorite?” He asks.

You nod, “I love it so much. It’s pretty sweet but I have a sweet tooth.”

Sunghoon told himself he’d remember everything about you, not wanting to look bored or make you think he’s not listening or interested.

“How are your classes going?” He knows you’re a psych major, thankfully.

“They’re going well. We got to do a clinical at a psych facility recently.”

You talk for what feels like forever, and Sunghoon doesn’t miss a word you say.

His attention is solely on you.

You see it and you feel it, his eyes on you, even when you look away.

You already like how this is going and just hope it stays this way.

A week passes and you feel closer to Sunghoon than you even have. That day at the cafe solidified a good beginning for this new friendship.

You and Sunghoon text everyday. You feel like you actually have a friend, someone who’s actually giving back what you give them.

Today, Sunghoon invited you to a hangout at his friend Jay’s place. He knows you weren’t entirely comfortable the first time you met them, so he doesn’t pressure you to say yes.

But, sometimes, things in life have to change.

You decide to go, wanting to find more friends outside of Sunghoon, which he encouraged.

Sunghoon picks you up at 8, and you’re there by 8:15.

Jay greets you both warmly at the door, as does everyone else when you step inside.

You sit in between Sunghoon and Jungwon as you all have dinner together, prepared lovingly by Jay.

The boys all ask about you, and at one point, when you’re occupied with food in your mouth, Sunghoon answers for you.

Some might find it rude, but you find it endearing.

He’s truly trying, and that’s something you’ve always wanted. It might be the bare minimum, but it means everything to you.

After dinner, you all decide on a movie to watch.

Choosing action, as you find romance movies to be boring, you watch intently, not relaxing Sunghoon has his eyes on you.

Sunghoon thinks you look beautiful. You’ve always been pretty, something he’s acknowledged in the past, but really looking at you, he thinks your beauty is one of a kind.

“Stop staring,” Jungwon whispers from beside him.

He wants to defend himself, but he can’t. “I can’t help it.” He whispers back.

He thinks about before, when you admitted having feelings for him. It’s something neither of you have acknowledged since that day, but Sunghoon can’t help but think about it and feel bad.

Despite how he treated you, you still found a way to look at him in a good light, enough to catch feelings for him.

Could he see himself with you? He’s not sure, but the thought lingers in his mind while he watches the movie.

Late at night, he drives you home from Jay’s and walks you to your door to make sure you get in safely.

“I had a great time, Sunghoon,” you say, smiling up at him.

“I’m glad, I had a good time too. I’m happy you like them, they’re knuckleheads but they’re cool.”

You laugh, “I couldn’t agree more. I’ll text you tomorrow?”

He nods, “Sounds good.”

As he lays in his own bed, his thoughts are full of you.

Weeks pass and it’s safe to say that you and Sunghoon have fully rebuilt your friendship.

It feels real, genuine, in a way it didn’t before.

You acknowledged the pain he caused you, but it has been taken over by the recent happiness because of him.

You hate to say it, you thought you lost all feelings for him, but alas, you haven’t.

You know it’s wrong, he doesn’t see you that way, even now, but you can’t help it.

The real Sunghoon, the kind and caring one, is more than you could ever want.

On Sunghoon’s end, he’s been thinking about you more and more recently. It feels like he’s teetering on the edge of having romantic feelings for you.

He feels like he wants to admit it to himself, but at the same he’s scared. What if it’s just in his head? What if they’re not really romantic and he’s setting you up to get hurt by him again.

What should he do? Should he be honest?

He decides to go to the counselor again, hoping he can help him sort out his feelings.

The counselor, Mr. Shin, is very understanding of Sunghoon’s dilemma.

“You feel like you might have romantic feelings, but don’t want to hurt her if they’re not. It’s completely understandable, Sunghoon. Navigating romantic feelings can be hard. I feel like your best option is to be honest with her about what you’re feeling and see how she reacts to that.”

Taking Mr. Shin’s advice, he asks to meet you at your apartment. It feels better doing it in a private setting than a public one.

“What’s up?” You ask, having gotten him a bottle of water while he sat on your couch.

“I have something to talk to you about.”

Your brow raises in confusion, “Okay?”

He faces you, “I've been having thoughts recently, pertaining to you. I’m confused and my counselor who I talked to told me to be honest.”

You start to get nervous, not expecting him to be so serious, “What kind of thoughts?”

Sunghoon takes a deep breath, “Romantic ones? At least, they feel romantic. But I haven’t been with someone in a long time and I don’t know how to dictate if my feelings are real or not. I don’t wanna hurt you again.”

You’re surprised, this was the last thing you expected.

“This isn’t like, out of pity is it, because of what I said?”

Sunghoon shakes his head vigorously, “No! It’s nothing like that. My feelings are genuine, I just don’t know if they’re really, truly romantic. I…I don’t know what to do.”

“Well,” you take a deep breath of your own, “what do you think about?”

Sunghoon relaxes a little bit, you don’t seem to be upset. “I think about your smile. How bright it is and how much I smile thinking about it. I think about the fact that you’re so smart, it’s like talking to a dictionary in a good way.

I like how passionate you are, especially about the things you love. Psychology for one. Your love for the food network is another. Everytime you ramble, you apologize but I don’t think there’s anything to apologize for. I like hearing you talk.”

He continues, “I like the fact that you are so open-minded. Where others would close off or reject something, you’re always supportive. I think I like everything about you, Y/N. I just like you.”

You don’t say anything for a moment, and Sunghoon is worried he’s made you upset, but instead you start laughing.

“That’s all very sweet Sunghoon. And I’m glad you were honest with me. I like you a lot, too. But if you’re not sure about your feelings, we could go on a few dates? If you see something for us romantically in the future, fine. If you don’t, that’s okay, I won’t be upset.”

“Are you sure?”

You nod, “If things don’t work out that way, we can stay friends, no hard feelings. I’m okay just being your friend.”

Sunghoon leaves that night feeling relieved.

The next day, you set up a date to go out.

Sunghoon tells you he wants to plan it, telling you just to dress sophisticatedly.

You’re inclined to tell him not to go all out, you don’t need a super fancy first date, but you decide against it.

If he wants to, you’ll let him.

By the end of the week, you’re dressed and ready for Sunghoon to pick you up.

The three knocks on your door tell you it’s him.

You open it and almost groan at how good he looks.

He’s dressed in black and white. White dress shirt, black blazer and slacks. Nice dress shoes.

You had to buy a dress for yourself, choosing a red v-neck dress that covers enough but shows off your body in the right way.

Sunghoon is just staring at you in awe.

“You look amazing,” he finally says.

“Thank you. You look amazing yourself.”

You lock your door and he takes your hand, leading you to his car where he opens the door for you. Typical gentleman.

The drive to the restaurant, you assume it’s a restaurant, is short? Should you call it that? You arrived after half an hour.

The place looks fancy and you just pray you don’t embarrass yourself.

Sunghoon leads you inside, hand in yours, as the host leads you to your table.

It’s in a quiet part of the restaurant, not in the back but not dead center either.

When you’re given the menu, your eyes almost bulge out of your head.

A steak costs 30 dollars. 30 fucking dollars.

“Are you crazy?” You whisper to Sunghoon who sits across from you.

He looks up in shock, “What’s wrong?”

“A steak is 30 dollars! A bowl of pasta is 20, why would you spend your money on that?”

He smiles, “Aw, you’re worried about me spending my money. Don’t worry about it, I can afford it.”

You tilt your head, “Even so, you really didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to. Please let me,” he says with a slight pout. Damn him.

You sit back, “Fine, but I’m not getting anything too expensive.”

“I can deal with that. But you better not get a damn salad.”

You huff, “Fine.”

You end up ordering a bowl of carbonara while Sunghoon gets a rib-eye.

The food comes quickly, and you use two of the napkins to keep your dress protected. Not that you’re a messy eater, but you never know when it comes to sauce.

You both take your time eating, talking about recent school work and classes.

“We did another clinical at a different facility, it was..should I say validating? It’s just really proven to me that this is what I want to do with my future.”

Sunghoon nods while you talk, “I’m glad you’ve found something you truly love. It’s hard sometimes, but you’re the most passionate person I know. Whoever’s psychologist you become in the future will be able to trust you 100%.”

You smile, “Thanks for saying that.”

“I wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true.”

You ask Sunghoon about himself and you end up going back and forth the entire night.

It was perfect, at least to you.

You’ve been on very, very few first dates. This was the best and you tell Sunghoon that.

“I’m glad I could make you happy, pretty.”

Pretty? That’s new. And it makes you ecstatic.

The next few days consist of you and Sunghoon hanging out almost everyday. Some days, you call them “impromptu dates” just doing something at your apartment or his.

You introduce him to your favorite competition shows on the food network and soon, you’ve gotten him immersed in them as well.

You feel yourself fall for him more and more everyday.

It’s like he’s tugging a string on your heart that brings you close to him.

For Sunghoon, he’s never felt this way about someone before. Someone he’s felt so connected to.

If he wasn’t sure of his feelings before, he’s certain now.

You’re hanging out in his apartment, comfy in sweats and a t-shirt, Sunghoon donning the same.

He made ramen that you’re both shamelessly slurping up.

“I like you, a lot,” he says out of the blue.

You turn to him, mid-slurp and he starts to laugh.

“Stop,” you whine after swallowing your mouthful.

“You looked like a deer caught in headlights, if deers ate ramen.”

You put your bowl down with one hand, the other pushing his chest as he laughs.

“But I mean it, Y/N. I like you so much.”

He’s serious now and you look into his starry eyes.

“I like you too, Sunghoon. I’d say these past few weeks have been the best of my life.”

You stare at one another before he leans in, capturing your lips in his.

Your hands find his shoulders as his cradle your waist.

He pulls you closer to him, caressing your exposed skin.

Your lips move together like butter, soft and smooth.

When you pull away, he chases your lips, making you giggle.

“Someone’s eager,” you whisper, his face still close to yours.

“You have no idea.”

Safe to say, you don’t sleep that night.

AEWON 2025

[anomaliex]

Pretty privilege is real because if Riz started handing out business cards again it'd be well (or at least less badly) received because he's hot now. This is extremely funny to me. Honestly anything relating to Riz having stumbled ass backwards into being hot (He's not even trying. Fabian is furious slash lighthearted abt that one.) and not really caring about it all is peak comedy. To me.

Like think about it. If you're his age or younger and this Goblin kills someone really well because that's what he does, and he adjusts his tie and pulls a business card out of his vest and he's covered in tattoos (and if it's after combat I guess there's a decent chance he's a little bloody too) and his hair is dishevelled but looks good now and he hands it over casually because he learned how to social interaction at some point and has +9 to persuasion and just goes "Riz Gukgak, private eye." What the fuck. That's not "kid that's gonna get bullied" anymore this is cool now. Only hot people are allowed to do insane shit like give out business cards without being in an appropriate setting. I think it helps that he's actually licensed now lmao but you get the point. Also somewhere here I have to acknowledge that if you're not a small creature it might be less cool. But it probably works on some medium folk still. My point still stands it's like, the vibes aren't cringe failure anymore.

Fig or honestly Gorgug randomly brings this up while they're chilling and then they have to test it out and force Riz to do it several times and he plays along at least for a bit because he loves his friends and Fabian swoons as dramatically as possible and they don't let it rest (and hey that might have honestly flustered him a little bit and The Ball is not supposed to be able to do that. What the fuck happened.) Riz does not understand what the big deal is but apparently the cringey thing he did in middle school is suddenly cool now and he could "get some" (ew) if he wanted (he absolutely does not). He can't decide if his friends are just crazy (not unlikely) (Adaine isn't being weird about it but she's also not saying the others are insane so that's a bad sign. Gorgug isn't being weird about it but he agrees. Oh no.) or if he can never hand out a business card to anyone under the age of twenty again (not that he was planning to I think he had a bit of a career shift. But. Y'know.)

Honestly I think Riz in general had a little trouble after the whole vibe change because now people's perception of him is different, and therefore he has to interact with them differently to get the same reactions. There is a point to which he can't get the same reactions. Like, adults he doesn't know seem to think he's a little less trustworthy now (it's hard not to believe some obvious nerd loser is being earnest. It's harder to believe that the tatted up cool guy has the same attitude) and he has to deliberately proof he's a good boy (mostly). People his age are less inclined to brush him off but also take his bluntness as either a challenge or weird flirting or maybe both when it was just him being blunt and awkward before.

He clocks it after a few times and adjusts, and all it really takes is a slight tone adjustment because it's not like, a huge difference, but it's weird that there's a difference at all. He didn't really think rolling up his sleeves and wearing his tie a little looser and bedazzling himself with rings and bracers would make him seem that much less like a social loser but apparently it does. It helps that he has expertise in persuasion but at first he doesn't realise his "I need to learn how to be palatable" self-training screwed him over in a weird backwards way.

Riz is a weird guy. Social cues are more like, clues to him. That he has to rigorously watch out for and piece together like a puzzle. He can absolutely do it, and he excels at it nowadays, but it didn't come to him naturally and took him. A while. In middle school he definitely didn't get it. What's instinct to others has to be a conscious thought process for him, idk, have i mentioned that he's autistic. I know this, trust. I kinda lost the point idk man.

Being autistic and aroace and falling into some weird niche of attractiveness and also being weird and awkward as shit but "cool now" is hard. Suddenly people approach him in different ways than before and sometimes he doesn't even get it until his friends tell him because it was something completely new and then he has to learn new clues for those specific settings because apparently it's different at a party than at school. All in all weird experience socially. But Riz enjoys puzzles so maybe this can be enrichment or something, who knows.

[sirfrogsworth]

I use AI upscaling to help with my photo restorations. And it is the one use of generative AI that I think has serious merit. I use Topaz so it is ethically trained on licensed images. It helps me preserve memories and give people photos of their loved ones with a clarity they have never seen. They get a much better sense of what their grandpa looked like when he was young.

But AI upscaling is not a push button solution. And I don't think it will be for a long time, if ever. It's part of a larger workflow. It doesn't save me time or effort. In fact, it adds quite a bit of time to the restorations.

Sometimes I have to upscale the background and people separately. Often I have to adjust the contrast and detail on people's faces so the AI renders them accurately. I have learned how to set things up for success before the AI does its thing. And sometimes there is a lot of trial and error to get a non-nightmare result. Each try can take several minutes to render. There are several algorithms to choose from, several intensity sliders, and once the upscale is at a place I am happy with, I have to use traditional techniques to make the people not look like wax figures. I use things like custom film grains and LUTs to make the pristine AI result look like an old photo again.

In other words, I care about the photos I'm restoring.

I saw people talking about restoring Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It's a very difficult problem due to how the show was produced. The live action was captured on film—which can be re-scanned at a higher resolution. But the digital effects were all done on analog 480p video tape. Not only would they need to be re-rendered but they would also have to be recomposited. Odo's shapeshifting is especially tricky. There isn't an economical way to remaster the show. TNG was only possible because they filmed practical assets for most of the VFX. They still had to redo all the compositing and it was very costly just to do that.

AI could be the answer. But only if the studio is willing to see it as a tool to be used in conjunction with artists and not a push button solution. Every frame needs to be checked. Different scenes will need different techniques to upscale them properly. And some scenes will just need to be cleaned up manually with traditional tools.

Upscaling to 1080p or 4K is often a mistake. The more extra pixels you try to add, the harder it will be to get a natural result. I think 720p would be a happy medium to shoot for. Combined with modern TVs traditional upscaling you will get a good viewing experience.

There are already fan upscales that are decent. I would say they managed to get the equivalent detail of maybe 600p. If you remember playing games on an old CRT monitor, going from 640x480 to 800x600 is actually a decent bump in detail.

Even though the files are outputted at 720p, it doesn't look quite as sharp as native 720p video. It's complicated to explain, but the short version is... detail and pixel resolution aren't really the same thing. Even if the file is upscaled to 1080p or 4K, that doesn't mean it has equivalent detail.

Which means we use a really shitty metric to give people a sense of how much detail a video will have. Ks and Megapixels are near useless these days.

Do your 200 megapixel phone photos really look sharper than my 24 megapixel DSLR photos?

My point is... detail is complicated.

And AI is currently unable to handle all of that complication without supervision and care.

In any case, the fan upscale of DS9 is definitely superior to the DVD versions. Feel free to seek that out (use a VPN). And because fans did it, the upscales were done with great care. They didn't push the tool beyond its limits and they reviewed every episode to make sure no nightmares snuck in.

I really don't know how to prevent studios from cheaping out and just running content through an upscaler with no care or supervision. But I also don't think fans should outright reject AI as a solution. It can be done well if they let actual artists leverage the tools and do it correctly.

[wannabe-fic-writer]

Be Mine - Chapter 3

Summary: A first date turns out to be more amazing than you anticipated.

Warnings: Language, Smut: brief thigh riding, oral, praise 

* * * * * * *

“Y/n!”

The sound of your name draws your attention across the room and up to the counter. The barista stands at the other side with two plates and a drinks tray in front of her.“ Large black coffee, iced caramel latte, a danish and a croissant?”

“Yes ma’am.” You nod in confirmation before she slides the order over. After thanking her, you stuff a generous tip into the jar before taking the food back to your table.

“One black coffee,” you take the drink from the carrier and set it down,“ and a chocolate croissant.” Sliding the plate over as well, you then take your seat.

The sweet, sultry voice of the woman across from you sounds.“ Thank you,” she says with a happy smile, that’s quickly covered by the pastry as she takes a big bite. 

A smile of your own forms at the sight of her doing a small little dance as she chews. This isn’t the first, nor will it be the last, time you’ve seen her get giddy over the pastry.

When you were given a chance to prove your intentions and genuineness to Natasha not but a month ago, you did not waste it. You met her at the bistro twenty minutes before the planned time and made every second afterwards count.

There was nothing particularly fancy about the bistro, which you both were thankful for. It allowed for a relaxed environment which made you both less nervous. While it was never said that it was a date and neither of you implied it, you knew the importance of that time together, you knew it was the end or beginning.

Luckily for you, Natasha greatly enjoyed herself. She didn’t tell you until the end of your time together but it was also pretty obvious.

You made her laugh more than she had in months, you made her feel comfortable, heard, and free. Something about being with you that day allowed her to not be worried. She wasn’t looking over her shoulder every five minutes, she wasn’t trying to be somebody she wasn’t. She was just Natasha and you loved every bit of it.

She allowed you to ask your questions and get to know her while she did the same. You shared many interests and some habits were similar, but there were also things you didn’t have in common, though they weren’t dealbreakers.

By the time you were dropping Natasha off at her apartment, she was happy to admit that she enjoyed herself and that she wanted to see you again. And she did.

Almost every day from that moment on, you and Natasha met up at a coffee shop, bistro, or diner. You had breakfast or lunch together, or simply a coffee. You talked for hours before realizing that you were late going into work at your own company. 

After work, if you had the time, you were at the club just to see her. Obviously the people close to the two of you noticed the shift. Melina and Bucky never used to see you that often and Steve knows your schedule first hand so your outings were not missed by him. 

In truth, the three of them were entertained by you and Natasha. Especially when it became glaringly obvious that you like each other in a more than platonic way. Melina had joked with the men about having never seen Natasha blush until now and Steve was more than willing to inform them that the redhead left you quite tongue tied which was rare. 

Nothing was stopping the two of you. You saw each other every time you wanted to see each other, you talked every day be it face to face, over the phone, or through text, and you learned more and more about each other constantly. The more you learned, the more you liked.

“You working tonight?” You try to sound casual when asking, eyes trained on your danish as you pull the flaky pastry apart.

Natasha sports a knowing smirk when you look up, green eyes shining with amusement.“ I get the feeling you know the answer already but.. no, I’m not.”

“Good. I think my boss is letting me go early today,” you joke, making her giggle,“ I was hoping I could take you to dinner.”

“Sure. Where?” The way she shrugs makes it clear she misses the implication of your request.

“Natasha,” you reach a hand across the table, stopping her distracted movements and drawing her eyes to yours. Giving a small smile, you speak as softly as possible,“ would I be right in assuming that you’ve enjoyed the time we’ve spent together?” She nods.“ And um, would I be right in saying that I’ve noticed you’re as attracted to me as I am to you?”

The flush of red that rushes up her neck settles heavily on her cheeks and she ducks her gaze from yours.“ Uh, yes. I’m-” she sighs,“ I’m very attracted to you.” You swear you hear her add ‘more than I should be’ to the end but you don’t comment on it.

A smile forms on your face at her admittance and your thumb strokes over the back of her hand.“ I’ve been attracted to you since the moment we met, these last few weeks with you have only turned that attraction into something more and I want to keep exploring this feeling.”

“Really?” Her voice is light and the look in her eyes could only be described as happily surprised.

“Yes really.” A small chuckle falls from your lips.“ You’re incredible, Natasha, and intriguing and if I didn’t have to get to work soon I’d list the million other things I think of you.” Her blush deepens.“ I want to take you on a date. ALL BALANCHINE IV will be at the New York City Ballet tonight. I recall you saying you love ballet.”

Wonder fills her eyes and takes over her features, her hand squeezing yours softly.“ You remember that?”

“How could I forget it? You spent all our time together that day talking about it.” Smiling as you recall her sharing her interest with you over a coffee, you say,“ I loved seeing how passionate you were about it. And then I thought maybe you’d be interested in going to a show. I don’t quite understand ballet but I hear it’s beautiful and with how you spoke about it, well, how could I not be interested.”

A response doesn’t come immediately. In fact, it goes so quiet between you two that everything else seems exceedingly loud: the hissing of the coffee machine, the clattering of mugs and plates, the ding of the cash register, and the abundance of chatter from other patrons.

Then, ever so softly, she says,“ okay.” Your gaze snaps to hers, eyes so wide she can’t help but giggle amusedly. Chuckling, she nods.“ Yes, I’ll go on a date with you.”

“Great, that’s perfect. I-” Just then your phone vibrates incessantly, the alarm reminding you that you’re due at work in 30 minutes. You huff, hating that your time with Natasha is over already.“ I’ll pick you up at 7. The show then dinner?”

Natasha watches as you scarf down the last bite of your croissant, then rise to shrug your suit jacket on.“ Sounds good.”

“Perfect. I’ll see you later tonight.” Without a thought, you lean down to press a kiss to her cheek, your hand gentle as ever on her arm before it’s gone along with you.

* * * 

Fortunately, the promise of seeing Natasha again tonight gets you through the day. The meetings that drag on are half spent daydreaming about seeing the gorgeous redhead again and, in between paperwork and calls, you imagine how well the night will go.

Things between you and Natasha have been really good so far and, with the addition of your efforts to actually woo her, you get a good feeling that you’ll be taking the next step in your relationship tonight and it all starts in less than an hour.

“I can’t do this anymore.”

Gaze snapping up from the mirror in front of you, you look over to your door where a familiar blonde storms into the room, a deep frown on her face as she glares at you in an accusatory way.

Adjusting your vest, you turn to her fully. Your expression makes it clear you know exactly what she came to you for.“ Yelena, always a pleasure. To what do I owe this visit?”

“Ever since you had that nanotech shipment sent, Stark has been all over my warehouse, sticking his nose in my affairs.” She grits out, hands slapping down on your desk as she leans forward a tad.“ He came waltzing in today trying to call shots,” her accent drips heavier as her frustration rises.

With a heavy sigh, you move to stand at the opposite side of the desk where you proceed to put cufflinks on.“ I know I said it would be a one time thing but I came across a very lucrative deal with Miss Udaku and I couldn’t pass it up.”

The blonde grits her teeth.“ I very well can’t have the mayor’s son come into my warehouse and start poking around.”

Her words make you sigh. Despite her attitude, she makes a very good point. While you know Tony would never rat you out to anyone, just his being at Yelena’s warehouse could pose complications. Mixing your businesses was never in the plan anyway.

“I know, I know.” Not wanting to develop a headache mere minutes before you’re meant to go pick Natasha up for your date, you opt out of going back and forth any further.“ I will speak to Tony, okay? He won’t be looking into anything he shouldn’t be-”

“Thank you-”

“But,” you stop her before she can celebrate any further,“ I can’t just stop the shipments and since I don’t have anywhere else to send them from, your spot is my only option.” She groans and you hold up a hand.“ However, Yel,” you tilt your head to meet her gaze,“ if you can maybe convince the owner of the warehouse beside yours to let us use his spot for a bit, Tony will be out of your hair.”

Her green eyes narrow as she studies you for a moment. Then she huffs, arms crossing over her chest.“ Fine, I’ll pay him a visit.” Plopping down in the plush leather chair behind her, she finally observes you which brings another frown to her face.“ What are you dressing up for?”

“I’ve got a date, Belova.” Admitting such a thing to the younger woman wasn’t a problem. She, much like Bucky, was one of the few people you actually trusted. That you actually cared for.

Yes, she can be a pain in your ass more often than not, but you’ve found that at times, the relationship felt more so like you were dealing with a younger sibling than an employee. She handles her business, to the point where you very rarely have problems coming from her end, but she had no issue bugging you and making life just that tad bit harder.

On top of that, you know that if you ever needed her, she’d be there. No questions asked.

“Ooooo. Who’s the lucky lady?” She now smirks, curiosity present in her eyes.

Shaking your head, you give yourself another once over in the mirror, hands smoothing out the lapels of your suit jacket, before replying.“ That is none of your business.” You grab your wallet, keys, and phone.“ Come on, I’ll walk you out.”

Groaning, she heaves herself up and trudges to the door.“ You are no fun, Y/ln,” she purposely bumps her shoulder against your arm.

“Likewise, Yel, likewise,” you retort while nudging her with your elbow.

Together, you walk through the top floor to the elevators. On the ride down, there is no shortage of teasing at your expense from Yelena. Despite not even knowing the woman’s name, she had a lot to say about your date. Most of the comments had to do with her feeling sorry for the woman who agreed to spend an evening with you or how you were likely desperate to finally have female interaction outside of work.

When you finally part in the parking garage it’s with a sigh of relief, the woman’s cackling laughter fading with each step she takes away from you.

You would never admit it out loud, and certainly not to Yelena but, you are nervous. She wasn’t wrong in saying that you’ve solely interacted with women at work. On top of having not been on a date in more time than you care to get into, Natasha is gorgeous and intimidating in a way that only adds to your nerves. 

You want tonight to go well, yes to show Natasha a good time, but also in hopes of this not being your only date. If you blow this, it’s possible you’ll lose Natasha and that’s the last thing you want.

Starting the car, you take a deep settling breath as the engine purrs to life, then, with the calming songs on your Lo-Fi playlist filling the car, you pull off.

The drive helps in calming your nerves, enough that your heart isn’t racing but not enough to keep your palms from sweating. On the way up the path to the red brick apartment, you wipe your hands on your pants, taking yet another deep breath before pushing the buzzer to her apartment.

Her voice sounds mere seconds after.“ I’ll be down in a moment,” she says so you nod and take a step away from the door.

True to her word, she comes down a few minutes later and your eyes are instantly glued to her. 

Through the glass door, you watch as she descends the stairs, adjusting the bracelet on her wrist. 

She looks absolutely breathtaking: clad in a scarlet red dress that hugs her curves and stops just above her knees and a simple pair of black heels that make her legs seem like they go on for miles. Your eyes trail back up, catching sight of the silver chain bracelet on her wrist then the matching necklace that holds a singular diamond in the center, before finally landing on her face. 

With lipstick the same color of her dress and pink blush that makes her cheekbones and jawline pop even more than usual, plus the already alluring color of her eyes, you swear she quite literally makes your heart skip a beat.

A perfectly arched brow quirks up as her head tilts down, eyes searching your face.“ Y/n?”

The sound of her voice snaps you from your thoughts. Shaking your head, you focus on her eyes before speaking.“ Sorry I just- Natasha, you look incredible.”

Natasha rolls her eyes in a way that is becoming very familiar to you. The action is accompanied by a small smirk on her lips and a glint in said eyes that speaks her thanks before her lips do.

“Thank you,” she murmurs, gaze dropping from yours bashfully.

You smile at the reaction you elicited from her. More often than not, Natasha maintains an air of confidence and intimidation so when these moments of softness or vulnerability arise due to you, it makes you feel good.

“Shall we?” You ask while holding your hand out.

She takes it and doesn’t let go until you reach your car where you open the car door for her, waiting to ensure she’s safely inside the vehicle before shutting it.

As you round the car to get in the driver’s seat, Natasha’s mind, unfortunately, slips to a place of uncertainty and doubt. Doubt that you actually like her, but that all you really like is her body. 

This whole thing could be some elaborate scheme to get into her pants, a plot to bed the woman and make yourself feel powerful by trying to dominate her. That’s, of course, what every other man who had asked her out has wanted. 

For the most part, Natasha trusts that you’re honest with her when you say that you really like her, that you genuinely want to get to know her because, well, people could say anything.

While you wouldn’t outright say you just wanted to fuck her, you could hide it under the simplicity of wanting to take her on a date. You could lure her in with a lavish night out, likely going to some pretentious party where you could show her off like arm candy while flaunting your wealth and connections. You’d attempt to get her drunk off champagne and wine before making your move. 

It’s, sadly, a tale as old as time. Especially given her line of work and her past. 

But then, the logical part of her brain takes over. 

You aren’t taking her out to some party to show her off, you aren’t flashing a bunch of cash or wearing your most expensive clothes (the simple black tux you’re wearing is nothing compared to the Armani suit she saw you in the first time you met), and you haven’t made a single pass at her.

In fact, you made tonight about her more than you. The ballet show is clearly for her, since you personally admitted to not knowing much about ballet. Dinner would be at a restaurant she chose, you text her earlier in the day to ask where she wanted to go so that you could set a reservation. On top of that, you’ve been nothing but a gentlewoman so far: opening doors, offering a hand when getting out of the car or simply walking up stairs, walking on the sidewalk closer to the street, or guiding her through the crowd at the show with your hand at a respectable position on her back. Even when you hold her hand during the show, you keep it up on the armrest as opposed to resting it on her thigh.

Natasha was already very attracted to you and your personality did nothing but draw her in further. Tonight though, was on an entirely different level.

You’ve been so respectful and attentive and it’s beyond attractive. It’s sexy as hell. 

So much so that, by the time you’re at dinner, sitting across the table from each other, she has one thing on her mind: she wants you.

She can’t help but watch the way the veins in your hands slightly appear each time you grip the knife to cut into your steak, the way your tongue rolls over your lips after you’ve taken a bite, or how your jaw flexes when you chew.

It seemed every move you made set her alight, heat pooling low in her belly that inches lower with each moment that passes. A part of her, a very quiet but still present part, is considering dipping off to the bathroom and letting you have your way with her.

“Nat?” Your questioning tone pulls her from her thoughts, which were milliseconds away from getting very inappropriate. Or rather, more inappropriate.

“What?” She asks, unable to mask her confused expression, giving away the fact that she wasn’t listening.

A soft chuckle sounds from you, your lips curving into a small smirk.“ Sorry, didn’t mean to start going on about work, I know it’s a rather boring topic.”

“No, no, it’s not.” She rushes to say, heartbeat picking up just slightly at the thought that you’d shut down because of this.“ I want to hear about it, I wasn’t really sure what you did at your day job.” Her tone is joking, hinting at the fact that she knows a bit about what kind of work you do after hours.“ I just got lost in thought.”

That piques your interest, your head tilting slightly as an eyebrow raises.“ What were you thinking about?”

Luckily for Natasha the heat that rushes up her neck doesn’t go any further and she’s saved from being caught blushing. Still, in a very suggestive tone she says,“ maybe you’ll find out later.”

She only mentally admits that she’s dying for you to know what her thoughts were but that would absolutely not happen until after this date. 

For the time being, she gives you her undivided attention, finding that you sound fairly passionate about your work. The stuff you deem “boring” you don’t go too into detail about, but you practically go on tangents about the parts of work you do enjoy, such as your dealings with international partners. She admires that you seem so happy to be able to use the technology your company manufactures to help those who need it.

Still though, in the back of her mind, she can’t shake her desires.

Which is why, when you pull up outside her apartment, she invites you in for a night cap.

You can admit that you had a slight idea of what Nat’s apartment would look like, centered around the things you’d learned she likes or her style. When you step foot into the apartment you find that you were partly right.

It’s a decently sized place, beige and white being the primary colors while pops of black or green are mixed in via pillows, pictures, and paintings. Somehow it’s clean and messy at the same time. Overall it feels lived in by Natasha, bits and pieces of her personality and interests standing out to you: the well stocked and put together coffee section in the kitchen, the collection of Bond films on the living room bookcase, makeup strewn over the bathroom counter, a figurine of a ballet dancer on the tv stand.

You smile softly as you take it all in, eyes roaming over every surface while you cross through the space to sit on the couch upon her inviting you to make yourself at home, before she dips into the kitchen.

It’s after you’ve shed your jacket and loosened your tie that Natasha comes back, two glasses in hand filled with whatever she made.

“It’s just vodka and cranberry juice,” she informs you after she’s kicked her heels off and sat down,“ I usually drink the stuff straight but I wasn’t sure if you could handle that.”

Her teasing tone elicits an amused huff from you, narrowed eyes rolling over her form. She’s chosen to sit close, facing you with her feet tucked under her bottom, one arm resting on the back of the couch as the other holds her drink on her thigh.

The position leaves her legs even more exposed than before since her dress has ridden up and with her slightly leaning towards you, a single glance down would yield the view of her ample breasts. At this proximity, you can feel the warmth of her body, hear every breath she takes, smell the mix of vanilla and rose that you’d been getting hints of all night, and it all was intoxicating.

“I can handle vodka, Romanoff.” You respond back, shifting to face her as well. With subtle intent, you let your fingers brush the soft skin of her arm when you move yours to rest on the back of the couch beside hers.

Another benefit to being so close is seeing and hearing her reaction, the subtle shiver that rolls over her at the contact and a sharp inhale.“ I’ll have to see how true that is some time, tonight though, I’d like to remain clear headed.” The implication of her words is made clear when her own fingers run up the length of your arm and stop just at the collar of your shirt.

You sip your drink at the same time that she does, eyes darting down to watch her lick the remnants of liquor from her red lips.“ You say that like you have something else planned for this evening.”

“Planned? Not at all,” her lips have been curved into a teasing smirk since she sat down,“ in fact, what I have in mind is far from how I saw this evening going.”

“Do tell.” You prompt.

Her fingers finally make contact with your skin, your neck to be specific. The feel of her nails lightly dragging over your skin and the backs of her fingers grazing your jawline causes a slight shiver to roll down your back at the same time that heat courses over your whole body.

The way you’ve subconsciously started leaning forward makes you think that she’s put some kind of spell on you. Then again, you feel like you’ve been under her spell all night, completely entranced by everything she does: the way she walked, the way she talked, the way she laughed, it all pulled you in, left you near breathless. The rate in which your feelings for her were deepening has multiplied in this one night and it doesn’t seem like that’ll be slowing down anytime soon.

“I could tell you,” green eyes peer up at you through long lashes,“ or I could show you.”

Before the statement has even ended, you’re nodding.“ Show me.”

Moving swiftly and effortlessly, Natasha sets her glass down then takes yours from your hands to set it beside hers, then she swings her leg over your lap to straddle you. Before you can do it yourself, she takes your hands and places them on her hips, her own slipping up your shoulders and to the back of your neck.

“Since the moment we stepped out of the ballet, I haven’t stopped thinking about having your hands on me,” her voice is like a siren’s song as she inches closer to you,“ having your lips on mine, or anywhere else on me.”

You can feel her breath against your lips, her fingers playing with the hair on the nape of your neck. At this rate, your heart is pounding in your chest. You’re sure that Natasha can feel how keyed up you are just from the way you’re gripping her hips. The slightest movement from either of you would result in your lips touching.

“Tell me you want me as bad as I want you,” she whispers,“ please.” It’s almost a whimper the way she says the word and you practically growl when you surge forward.

Lips crash in, probably, the most heated kiss you’ve ever had in your life. Her lips are pillow soft and taste of cherries. While you hadn’t admitted it before, you knew that once you kissed her you’d become addicted and you were right. Everything about the kiss left you wanting more before it even ended.

She parts with an audible gasp, chest heaving against yours as she works to catch her breath, but your next action of attaching your lips to her neck makes that task nearly impossible. Still, she tilts her head back to offer you more skin to kiss and mark, her fingers slipping into your hair and gripping lightly when your teeth graze her skin.

In the seconds that follow, you become a tangle of limbs, clothes gradually getting tossed throughout the room, kisses landing on every bit of skin that you can reach.

Despite your intense desire to feel and taste every bit of her, you pull away. She practically whines in protest, hand slipping down your body to tug at the top of your suit pants.

“Sorry, I just, I want to be sure that you’re sure,” you say between labored breaths,“ I didn’t- tonight wasn’t about sleeping with you. We don’t have to do this if you don’t want. I’m perfectly fine with finishing our drinks and watching a movie or I can go home-”

“Y/n-”

“I don’t want-” 

Her lips are on yours before you can finish your thought. Nimble fingers hold the collar of your unbuttoned shirt as she guides you to hover on top of her again.“ I want this,” she almost desperately grips your shirt,“ please.”

Nodding, you press a kiss to her lips unlike the other ones you shared before. You want her to know that this was more than just a quick fuck for you. You want her to feel how much you like her. You want this kiss to convey everything you’d been feeling for her since the moment you saw her. 

God does it work. Natasha is sure that she’s never been kissed like this, she’s never felt this much from something as simple as a kiss. Every time she read a romance novel and the protagonist described feeling butterflies in their stomach or their toes curling, she never understood until now. 

Natasha’s toes actually curl, she actually feels a fluttering all throughout her stomach, all of which makes her more desperate for you. She’s dying to feel you everywhere, to feel everything you have to give her. At this second, she won’t admit that she means that both physically and emotionally so she sticks to the physical side of things.

In the same second that she pushes your shirt off your shoulders, fingers smoothing over the muscular contours of your body, her hips cant up off the couch effectively grinding her core against your thigh. 

The fabric of her panties slide against her as she grinds against your thigh again and this time she registers how badly she needed this. She’s dripping, so much so that her panties cling to her uncomfortably and she feels her slick on her inner thighs, her core starting to ache from the lack of stimulation.

She cries out when you press your thigh against her more firmly, her hands clutching your shoulders, leaving a delicious sting behind as her nails dig into your skin. 

You become focused on marking the newly exposed skin of her breasts, leaving her with just the pressure of your thigh to pleasure her and it’s not nearly enough. So, she whines and tugs at your hair.

“What is it, baby?” You ask after pulling away, eyes scanning over glossy green ones, briefly admiring the red marks you left on her chest as your fingers trail up and down the sides of her thighs.

“Need more.” She pouts, hips still wildly rocking up into you.

“Awe,” you mockingly pout back,“ this isn’t enough for my needy girl huh?” Flexing your thigh, you press it against her clothed cunt again, enjoying the desperate state she seems to be in.

In truth, Natasha had been fighting it, the urge to give in to you. To submit. Her past sexual encounters were all led by her. Despite how “powerful” the people she’d been with claimed to be, behind closed doors they yielded to her. She always had control, always steered things in the direction she wanted.

With you, from the moment your hands were on her, she started to slip. Her body urged her to let you please her as you saw fit and bit by bit, her mind followed suit. A part of her isn’t sure if she can trust you enough to fully let go but then you kiss her softly and you look at her just as soft.

“Please give me more,” she whines again,“ need you.”

Whatever restraint you had before vanishes with the uttering of those words. A hand easily slips from her outer thigh, up to her panties and you moan at the feeling of the drenched fabric.

“This must be so uncomfortable for you, baby,” a finger presses against her clit through wet fabric.“ How about I fix that for you.”

She groans at your words, head dropping back against the couch as you slink down her body, pulling her panties along with you. The feel of your lips and fingers on her inner thighs makes her lift her head again, green eyes meeting yours right as your tongue darts out to lick her arousal from her thighs.

The tangy, sweet taste of her spreads across your tongue and you know that you’ll need more so, you dive in. Mouth latching onto her dripping cunt without hesitation, you swipe your tongue through her folds, taking in every drop of arousal that spilled from her. 

Her moans fill the air, accompanied by the sound of your tongue lapping at her cunt but it's all muffled for you, given that the redhead has wrapped her legs around your head. With her thighs pressed against your ears, you only faintly hear her but you couldn’t care less. You’re surrounded by Natasha: sight, taste, touch, sound, smell. It’s all her and you love every second of it.

The instant you slip your tongue inside, her hips jolt off the couch. She shamelessly grinds against your face as you curl your tongue repeatedly in an effort to push her over the edge.

“Please,” she utters for the umpteenth time tonight,“ ‘m gonna cum. Don’t stop.” The desperation in her voice and the throbbing of her clit make it obvious how close she is. 

Opening your eyes, you look up at her, noting the way her brows pinch together as she chases her high. She’s trying so hard to reach her orgasm, exerting herself more than you would like her to. So, you take her hips in your hands, halting her movements as you shift gears. The frustrated cry that bubbled from her lips quickly turns into a moan when you suck her clit into your mouth.

“Oh! Fuck!” She slurs, thighs tightening around your head.

Your tongue flicks over her bundle of nerves and, with another harsh suck on her clit, you watch her start to fall apart.

The first sign is the sharp inhale of breath, her abdominal muscles flex, and she freezes. Gently rolling your tongue over her incites her to tip over the edge she met. Her thighs quiver on either side of your head, her breath coming out in a wanton moan that you’re sure her neighbors can hear, and the final wave of her arousal spills out onto your chin and her thighs.

You don’t release her from your hold until she starts to writhe underneath you, hips wiggling away from you as the pleasure rolls into overstimulation. Gently licking up her slick, you pull away just enough to kiss her inner thighs.

“Did so well for me, baby,” you speak softly to her, hands caressing her heated skin as you sit up.

The corners of her lips rise slightly at your praise, one of her hands reaching down to take yours, fingers lacing together. 

“Loved hearing those pretty little sounds,” you continue in between kisses pressed against her collarbone and neck.“ And you taste so good. Sweet as candy.” 

A cute giggle falls from her lips as her breath finally regulates, then she’s tugging on your hand to pull you closer. The second you’re close enough, she pulls you into a kiss that is equal parts soft and heated.

She moans at the taste of herself on your tongue, her free hand slipping down your back and resting at the dip just above your butt where she then pulls you closer. Her intentions are made clear when she presses her hips up against yours.

“Relax sweetheart,” you whisper against her lips,“ I’m far from being done with you tonight.”

[strrykais]

(❤︎) ── eyes are the window to the soul

after your break up with chan, things were okay until the semester started and now you cant seem to escape him, not that you really want to ..

𐀔𓂃 kais note: part 2 to these four walls! definitely not proof read! can also be read without reading these four walls! 3.1k words

warnings : unprotected sex (dont do that!), oral (m. receiving), nipple play, swallowing, chan slight sub! and anything i may of missed idk

back to library | req? yes / no

Nobody really ever tells you that mourning a relationship you never thought was gonna end, hurts like hell. Its been about two months since you and Chan stopped talking, after he refused to start a relationship with you. It hurt that he never gave you a true reason. 

It took you days to get his smell out of your apartment and it took you the whole summer to not purposely stay up waiting for him to magically appear. It was hard, hours upon hours stuck in this room where you shared fond memories but that was all they were.. Memories.

It was the start of your senior year of this magic school and you were excited to graduate and continue on your journey into becoming a professor. You clutched onto your books waiting outside the bathroom for a certain brown haired boy to walk out. 

“Han jisung, come on, we are gonna be late for potions.” shouting into the bathroom hoping he could hear you, when no response came out. You huff readying to march in there when you run into a hard chest. You froze, you know this smell it took you days of open windows and nights of washing to finally get this smell out of your mind. But chan’s smell always put you at ease, and that was the last thing you wanted to remember. Pushing yourself back from his arms you continue to face the ground, hoping it would swallow him up whole.

“You cut your hair.” Chan's voice was soft, almost like he was imagining you there. He slowly reaches out, wanting to feel like you are really there.

“What's going on?” jisung pops up startling you both, Chan clears his throat mumbling a small bye. Your eyes never leaving his figure till Jisung cleared his throat.

“Was that him?” 

“Yes.” you turn to head to your class, hoping jisung understood and wouldn’t question you more than you would like.

It's been about two weeks since you actually ran into Chan, you never had the heart to go up to him, and he never had the balls to try to talk to you. But you could feel it, the eyes watching you, waiting as if they were waiting for the right time to pounce. It was frustrating you felt him watching you, you knew it was him because no one's eyes made you feel all tingly from head to toe. 

It was one of those days where you felt him constantly around, you didn't see him but you definitely felt him. No matter where you looked you just couldn’t seem to find him. Sighing you quickly get out your chair making your way to the back of one of the book aisles hoping he would follow you. You hide behind a shelf, waiting till you see a familiar set of curly hair.

“Chan, why have you been following me around these days?” you pop up from behind him causing him to jump up a little. You try to cover your small smile with a cough, but Chan noticed. Ever since he saw you outside the bathroom, you never left his mind. In all honesty you haven't left his mind since that night 3 months ago. He has been trying to gather the courage to come up to you but every time he would try to take a step he could only remember the way your face fell when he told you he couldn’t have a relationship with you. The way hope of you two seeped out your eyes only for him to be the reason you no longer look like you once did. 

“I haven't been following you.” Chan scratches the back of his neck, an easy tell that you learned meaning he is lying. Now that you were catching him off guard, you finally had a chance to really look at him. He looked the same for the most part, his hair a little longer but still as curly and messy on his pretty head. You couldn’t really tell but it looked like he had been working out, if only you could see what was under that jacket. Wait, you shouldn't be having these thoughts anymore. Shaking your head to rid them, you finally looked up into his eyes. His eyes were always your favorite, no matter how many white lies he has told you, his eyes always told you the truth, which is why looking at them made your heart flutter. They always held the stars, they held everything that you wanted and more. And right now they held a sense of longing, a sadness that you wanted to wipe away.

“Stop following me if you have nothing to say to me. I can feel you all over. It's annoying when I'm trying to work.” you picked at the end of your sweater trying to keep your hands busy, too scared that they might reach over for his like they did all those nights ago. 

“I. ive been trying to find the right words but every time I think they are okay and enough for you I stop and think, am I enough for you? Can I ever be enough for you.” His voice was soft, almost like he never actually meant for those words to be said. Before you could answer him the clock tower bells rang out. 

With a breath of relief glad to literally be saved by the bell “bye chan.” you say as you gently push by him. 

You were upset the rain ruined your night out, now stuck inside instead of bar hopping with your friends, you just decided to curl up and watch a movie. Gathering some snacks and your blankets you set up camp in the middle of the couch. A few moments pass by when a sudden knock at your door gathers your attention. Pausing the movie you make to the door, swinging it open to reveal a rained soaked chan.

“Chan?” 

“I'm sorry. I don’t know how I ended up here.” 

You know you shouldn’t, you really shouldn’t but the way he was shivering like a dog, and the way his eyes were practically pleading for you to let him in, made you side step pushing the door wider for him to come through.

Chan always felt your apartment was his second home, hell he liked it more than his actual home. He looks around, noticing the blanket mound on the couch and the movie on pause. He couldn't help but look around hoping that you didn't change anything since you two stopped talking. Chan was brought back to the nights you both would laugh in that same spot at some dumb movie you wanted to watch. He didn't mind it, just seeing your smile was enough to get him through the horrible plot.

“You know there's a spell to conjure up things… like I don't know, an umbrella?” Chan watches as you cross your arms over one of his band t-shirts, he gives a small smile towards you. He was glad you still had it actually. 

“The wet look makes me look more sad and pitiful, I'm pretty sure you wouldn’t have let me in if I was dry and had an umbrella.” you watch him as the corner of his lips come up in some sly way. Groaning, you head into the bathroom grabbing a towel and chunking it towards him.

 “Dry up, you are getting my floors wet. I think I have some of your clothes here from.. You know.” you rush upstairs trying to put some distance in between you two, hoping that this buzzing feeling will go away now that his eyes are off you. Rummaging through your drawers you quickly pull out some clothes, hurrying to get him dry as possible. 

Once chan was changed you both somehow ended up on opposite sides of the couch waiting on him to say something as to why he was here. Your body was aching to feel him, you really couldn't understand how this close proximity was messing with your senses. His scent mixed with the rain was making you feel like you were drunk. You kept your eyes closed trying to ground yourself when you heard chans whisper of a voice calling out.

“I'm sorry for the way I left. It was extremely douchey of me to not give you some type of explanation or even an excuse. It wasn't right of me to play with your emotions like that.” glancing over you already see him staring at you.

“If you're here to just give an excuse now chan you can leave, ive come to terms with it. Really. Im fine now” 

“No, I wanted to tell you that.. I.. um i” 

“I think you should leave.” you get up starting for the door when his hand reaches out grabbing at your wrist to stop you. 

“I miss you, and I'm not talking about the sex. I miss everything about you. Everything reminds me of you and I feel like I lost myself when I walked out that room. I lost so much sleep standing out your window trying to stop myself from popping in. YN i’m sorry, people got into my head, my parents got into my head. Telling me you would never be good enough for me, I would never be happy.” hand still holding your wrist he stands up cupping your face with his other, “i let it get to me and i let it make me lose the only true happiness i ever had. And then I realized, would I be good enough for her? Can I even make her happy? Can she truly love me for me?” he lets go of your wrist other hand reaching to cup your other cheek, mouth inching towards yours, his breath fanning over your lips. “Im sorry, and if you have it in your heart please, ill even get down on my knees, please forgive me and lets really try it. Let's date.” 

Chan didn't dare make a move, he watches you process everything from his words to his facial expressions. Chan was trying everything in his power to not kiss you, he didn't want to cross a line that he was scared you drew. 

You knew he wasn’t lying, his eyes said it all. He wanted you, he needed you. That was all it really took for you to press your lips onto him, chan wasted no time in kissing you back tilting his head to try to kiss you deeper. Chan hands are hot on your skin, one falling to your waist rubbing small circles into his shirt. And the other firmly at the nape of your neck. A soft moan leaves your mouth, giving chan enough access to lick inside. You pull away, panting out of breath as Chan takes this opportunity to kiss around your face, on your cheek, to your nose, a soft one to your forehead, and one below your ear. Chan knew that was a sensitive spot, he could feel the way your body reacted to it. His dick growing harder in his sweats. 

“Baby we should probably stop for tonight.” Chan pulls away, he knew he wasn't gonna have restraint towards you, he never did. 

You took this time to plant kisses onto his neck, sucking leaving marks all over the exposed skin, but it wasn't enough pulling back you reach for the hem of his shirt hoping he got the idea that you didn't care. You needed chan, badly. You needed him for months and your fingers and your toys could never manage to hit the spot you knew he could. With chans shirt off you kiss down his collarbone leaving small marks. Chan was letting out small groans letting his head fall back, enjoying the way your lips felt on him. Chan was caught off guard when you started to rub him from outside his sweats. A huge imprint of his dick formed so beautifully it had you foaming at the mouth. 

“Take them off and sit back down.” You said, Chan wasted absolutely no time in ridding himself of his clothes. Chan really never let you take the reins but the way he was looking at you with his lustful eyes was making you feel even more needy than you have ever been. You place yourself in between his knees watching him watch you gently rub your hands on his thighs. You watch as chans dick bobs up and down, dripping with precum, waiting to be touched.

“Baby please.” his voice was whiny, this was new chan never begged much less use this type of tone with you. It only filled you with more pleasure imaginable. 

“Please what baby?” you say reaching out one hand grabbing his shaft as the other continued to rub softly on his upper thigh. 

“Please your mouth, please use your pretty mouth.” his head rolled back as you slowly started to rub him. Leaning over you let your saliva drip out your mouth falling right on the tip of his dick, chan moans out. Hips thrusting up into your hand, needing some type of relief. 

“Okay baby.” you say before placing a kiss on his tip before wrapping your mouth around him. Chan missed this, missed you. A moan so sweet escapes his lips as he reaches out finding your hair, gripping to keep him from melting in an instant. 

The sounds of your lips wrapped around him, were so sinful but they were mixed with the angelic moans of chan. It only fueled you more to continue to push down taking in more of him. You hollowed your cheeks, bobbing your head up and down using your hand to pump whatever couldn’t fit into your mouth. Chan started seeing stars when he felt your tongue lay flat on the bottom of his dick licking up and down against his vein.

“Baby” his grip on your hair tightens as he thrusts up trying to make your rhythm still letting you be in control. “Fuck baby.. If you… god if you keep sucking me like that im gonna.. I'm gonna cum.” his strained voice and moans fall short on your ears as you really wanted him to come in your mouth.

“Baby please, I'm not gonna last. You need to stop if you don't want it in your mouth.” he head flops to the side as he watches you pick up speed, spit falling out your mouth and tears running out your eyes, “fuckkk….” was all he could muster when you felt him push your head as deep as you could go, gagging when he pushing you farther down where your nose hit his base.

Chan releases you as your mouth makes a popping sound slurping up all his cum into your mouth. Chan takes you in with a dopey smile on his face. 

“Let me see.” you sit back on your heels, tilting your head back letting him see the mess he made in your mouth. “Okay swallow my pretty girl.” Chan sees your throat slightly move up and down then watches you open up to show you swallowed it all. “Good girl.” he reaches out, swiping the little bit on cum out the side of your mouth, bringing it to his lips and licking it away. “Should I show my pretty girl how much I miss her and what she does to me when she's being so good for me?” 

“I just need you to fuck me. Please chan.” you say standing up, chan helps you take off your shirt, leaving you in your underwear. As you reach down to take them all chan stops you. “No, keep them on, they are cute.”

“Im trying to fuck you and you are calling my underwear cute right now?” you straddle on top of him, slowly grinding your wet panties over his hard dick. You moan into his neck as he rubs his fingers over your wet spot, dipping his fingers inside your panties. 

“Did sucking my dick make you this wet? Such a naughty girl.” 

You felt your face get hot but you buried deep into chans neck inhaling him in. 

Chan pushed your panties to the side aligning himself with your hole, he turned to you pressing a kiss into your temple. “You ready baby?” he sees you nod into his neck, "I need words my love.” 

“Yes chan please.” you moan out feeling him drag you over the tip of his dick. 

Chan was definitely losing patience as much as he wanted to savor the way your walls wrapped around him like you were made for him, chan immediately started plowing straight into you, you squealed out by the sudden force but the pleasure was so palpable that you were letting out the most pornographic moans. You were thinking it was because you haven't been with anyone but chan, but you knew that wasn't the only reason. You felt this sort of connection with him, and it wasn't just during sex it was almost as if you were more than two people, almost like you were one. 

Chan didn't stop trusting in you at a relentless pace, hand gripping tightly at your waist as the other pushed up your bra, mouth immediately wrapping around your nipple, rolling around on his tongue. The new sensation was bringing you all sorts of pleasure, chan can feel you tightening around him signaling you were close. 

“Come on baby, i can feel you squeezing me so tight, fuck you feel so good.” 

“Chan.. im so.. Im so” your panting so hard trying to focus on your words.

“I know baby i know, just cum for me love.” Chan presses a kiss onto your shoulder before sinking his teeth into your soft skin.

You moaned out, as you felt yourself fluttering around his dick, chan groans spilling into you, his breath fanning against your skin cooling it down. Chan pulls you out his neck to plant a kiss on your lips. “You are so perfect and everything to me. Please don't leave me ever.” he watches as your eyes flutter open, showing the prettiest color in the entire world. Glazed over so filled with love. He never wanted this look to leave your eyes ever again, he would never let this look leave those eyes.

“If I remember correctly you left me.” you murmur out, lips holding a playful smile. Chan rolls his eyes pulling you into a tight hug, dick growing hard inside you. 

“Up for another round?” you laugh as he quickly lays you down onto the couch.

© strrykais ⋅ i tagged those who asked for part two! sorry if you wished to not be! i just wanted you to know its here finally !! >< please let me know if you want to be removed!

🏷️: @supertopsecretleebit @betweensupernovasandstars @modesttiger @miraitstan @karasusrealwife @crying497 @blackkflamecandle

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[thecraftybaroness]

This time, Emmrich saw a worn-out and sleeping Rook. A small writing thought I had with some tender thoughts and falling asleep beside one another.

Rook is Loved As Well

The candle on the table had burned low, wax pooling and cooling in uneven rivulets down its base. The Library in the Lighthouse was quiet, save for the faint rustling of paper beneath the slow rise and fall of Sabriel’s breath.

Emmrich stood at the stair leading down to the Eluvian having just returned from spending a few days in Nevarra. What he saw caught his breath somewhere between fondness and quiet sorrow.

She had fallen asleep at the table again.

She was seated on the floor. Her head rested on the curve of her arm, cheek pressed against a missive she had likely meant to finish. The ink had smudged faintly beneath her fingers, caught between the act of turning a page and the pull of exhaustion. Around her, documents and reports lay scattered, some marked with careful annotations, others abandoned beneath the weight of sleepless nights.

She always gave everything. Every ounce of herself, every breath, every moment. If she could not be wanted, she would be needed. And if she could not be needed, she would have the fires of her life be used until there was nothing left.

He knew.

He understood.

For these recent years, he had thought his life would be spent in service to something greater. The potential for lichdom had extended the sense of that timeframe out beyond into forever. With that path closed to him, he thought he had made peace with it—or at least, he had convinced himself he had. He would make the best of however much life he had remaining. Love, a future beyond duty—those were things reserved for other people. Younger people. Luckier people.

Not him.

Not her.

Not until her.

Until she had turned toward him in the aftermath of battle, blood-streaked and weary, but still standing. Until he had seen the way she carried the weight of others, how she knew when to push and when to stay silent, how she remembered the smallest details about the people around her—not just as soldiers, but as people. Until he had realized, with a slow, aching certainty, that she had done the same for him.

And somewhere in between the quiet conversations and sharp-edged banter, between the unspoken understanding and the rare moments she allowed herself to lean against him—he had begun to want.

It had terrified him, at first.

But gods, he loved her.

Not just her strength, but her kindness. Not just her sharpness, but her warmth. The way she could hold the weight of the world on her shoulders but still remember to check if someone had eaten. The way she could bring their group together, make them laugh, make them feel like they belonged. The way she gave, and gave, and gave, as if she did not know how to do anything else.

She was the kind of person people followed into battle without hesitation.

She was also the kind of person who would kneel beside a wounded friend and stay there, steady and unmoving, until she was certain they were alright.

How could he not love her?

How could anyone not love her?

Emmrich handed his gear and staff to Manfred who quietly nodded and carried them up. 

Emmrich exhaled, running a hand through his hair before stepping forward. He reached out, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face. She barely stirred, but something in her expression eased, as if even in sleep she knew she was safe. That he was home. 

His expression softened.

With practiced care, Emmrich slid an arm beneath her shoulders, the other beneath her legs, lifting her carefully. She made a small, indistinct noise, her head tipping against his chest, but she did not wake. She trusted him. She had learned how, even when resting.

And gods, he loved her for it.

He carried her up the stairs to her room, moving slowly, mindful not to wake her. The blankets were cool beneath his hands as he pulled them back, settling her down with the same quiet reverence he reserved for the rare moments he could protect her—not in battle, not in strategy or sacrifice, but in something as simple as rest.

Kneeling beside the bed, he reached for her boots, carefully unfastening each buckle before sliding them and her socks off. The callouses on her feet spoke of long hours spent on the road, of relentless motion, of a lifetime spent walking forward with no space to stop. He pressed his fingers lightly along her ankle, soothing a knot of tension before tucking them beneath the blankets.

Still, she slept on.

Emmrich sat there for a moment longer, watching her breathe, watching the way her fingers twitched slightly before settling, the way her face—so often sharp with focus—had softened into something defenseless in sleep.

She gave so much to others.

Maybe, just maybe, she was learning how to let them give something back.

Rising, he moved through the familiar motions of peeling off his coat and traveling gear. Pulling off his own boots and donning a set of sleeping clothes he had started keeping in her room. He slipped into bed, if one could call it a bed, beside her. The cushion dipped as he shifted closer, careful not to jostle her, but allowing himself the quiet comfort of her warmth.

Sabriel stirred, just barely. A slow, sleepy sigh. A shift toward him, as if even in unconsciousness she reached for him.

Emmrich breathed, something small and aching and full settling in his chest.

Gently, he slipped an arm around her, drawing her close, tucking her against him. His fingers brushed lightly, instinctual, protective.

She let out a slow breath, relaxing into the warmth of him, and in that quiet surrender, he felt something loosen in his own chest.

You don’t have to burn yourself away to be loved.

It was not spoken, but it did not need to be. It was there in the hush of candlelight, in the quiet press of arms around her, in the unspoken promise that had settled between them long before either had dared to give it words.

And as the last of the candle burned down, Emmrich let himself sleep, steady beside her.

- - -

This is a companion fluff writing to one I wrote here where Rook wants to make sure Emmrich knows he is deeply loved:

[marrymepickering]

Adding onto this as someone currently studying to become an athlete trainer and whose goal is to be one at the highest professional level.

Look at it from a reverse view- How would you feel if someone treated you differently because you didn't have a lot of money or a high social status? One thing I've learned from being a student athletic trainer, witnessing care from the high school level to the professional level, is that everyone is treated equally. Sure, the one that are the most sick or injured get treated first, but healthcare professionals are supposed to treat them all with the same humility and respect.

I have had multiple conversations with athletic trainers in the NHL and the ECHL about this similar topic. Yes, they are at a high level and yes, they are being paid to perform. But if you look at how athletes are pushed by fans, teammates, and even themselves (especially during championship runs), it can be damaging in more than one way. An athlete's mental and physical health are at risk in these kinds of situations and can ultimately make their job and my job (as an athletic trainer) ten times harder. Not that I'm trying to make this about myself or take away from the main point, but treating athletes like your own personal circus can effect those who work closely with them as well.

"Oh well they chose to play a professional sport!" Okay, so? Does that make them less human? How would you feel if your boss told you that you were never allowed to take a sick day or something similar? Wouldn't feel too good, would it? So why do we treat professional athletes the same?

I'm also someone who is very committed to finding out how CTE can be studied and potentially caught/diagnosed before death. There needs to be changes made in how fan and organizations treat their players, but there also needs to be an improvement in equipment research. If you can make a helmet, glove, shoe/skate, etc. just a fraction safer than it already is, then that's one step in the right direction. (I did right a short essay about how to make the sport of hockey safer is anyone would like me to post it)

I bring a kind of “athletes are human people and not commodities” energy to sports fandom that guys who talk about sports on tv and the internet don’t really like

[butterflydm]

Some mid-morning thoughts on WoT 3x01-3x03

(I woke up to eat and take my morning meds but will try to sleep again afterwards if I can manage it - I took a half-day off work so that I can sleep in, so we'll see how that goes lol!)

Let's see what else my brain can think of while it has a little more sleep in the bank. Still have not rewatched the episodes yet. Spoilers through The Gathering Storm (if you know, you know).

I am not going to try to split these up into episodes, because I see that even last night, I totally failed at that (Rahvin's reveal is in the opening of 3x03, not at the end of 3x02, I think). We're not even trying until I do individual rewatches of the episodes.

I am feeling more charitable about Randgwene not being broken up yet, because there really wasn't any time for a break-up in those episodes, they were packed. Does it startle me every time they sleep in the same general area of each other and touch each other's faces? Also yes.

It's interesting (to me) that these romances are the place where I'm having the hardest time separating book expectations from show expectations -- Randlayne & Avirand's interactions thrill me because of how book!accurate the vibes are; Avilayne hooking up so quickly is a mild disappointment because of how unlike their book relationship it feels (I did want canon Avilayne but I wanted a slowburn and for them to really intimately get to know each other first); Randgwene still being together feels like I am suffering through an eternity of slow torment (slight exaggeration).

It's interesting to me because I've had such an easy time shaking off other adaptations that were made, so this one aspect having a harder time to shake really does stand out to me. Is it due to my invest in the polycule -- both of the changes that I'm having a difficult time with directly impact the vibes and timing of the polycule, so maybe it's that. idk.

I was thrilled at our tiny glimpse of Ryma, safe (?) in the White Tower. She made it out! <3

I love how much of an Elayne-focus we got in ep2! Not quite as extensive as the Nynaeve & Egwene focuses in their respective s2 episodes but she was a huge huge part of 3x02 and I feel like we learned so much about her and her family.

Starting with! The politics of Andor being more cutthroat immediately reminded me of how the nobility of Seanchan and the Imperial family operate. I gasped when she ordered the throats cut of all the noble heads of house but definitely understood why (politically) -- the men can't inherit the Lion Throne. Ouch that all three of those ladies had male family members ready to stab them in the back to save their own lives. I'm guessing we're also setting up a contrast to how Elayne will go about her own Succession.

Elaida crowning Morgase -- I feel like we can tick off that box on the "unexpected ship vibes" bingo!

I really liked the way they protrayed the family dynamic of the Trakands (and they did introduce Galad "of House Trakand", I'm pretty sure, so he is at least officially a Trakand in the eyes of Andor) and it was so insidious how perfectly Gaebril felt like he fit right in with them.

But yes: Galad -- the overprotective big brother who follows the rules too hard and stifles Elayne. Gaywn -- the fun middle brother that Elayne is more willing to trust because he's more relaxed and not always making her follow the rules. And Elayne -- our sheltered baby princess who is overcompensating by being a party girl now that she's had a taste of freedom.

The show also continues to make sure we know that none of these kids are virgins, lol.

Giving Sheriam's plot of Verin re: the Gray Man! Oh, I see what the show did there! They've definitely made Verin Suspicious. And Elayne and Nynaeve are duly suspicious of them. And everyone else.

And our kiddos did, once again, sneak out in the dead of night. And Siuan doesn't even have a clue where they really went, because Amico and Joiya are both offering other locations, on account of being lying liars who lie, and Elayne and Nynaeve don't feel like they can trust anyone in the Tower! So she will genuinely not have any answers to give Galad and Gawyn (and Galad has clearly already been reading some iffy material when it comes to Aes Sedai. I can't remember what the Whitecloaks special textbook is. But probably that). But Siuan also very much is the person who set them on their course, so she does bear responsibility as their 'leader' too.

I like that Min & Mat still haven't fully settled their issues and now she's had Yet Another traumatic viewing about her (putting the hanging from s2 into her little intro video was a secret sneak peek!). There's a lot of interesting meat going on in that to unpack. Oh! We definitely get our Min x Elaida space on the Unexpected Ship Vibes Bingo! That scene they had together was fantastic! Elaida in general was great but I really want a rewatch before I pick out anything in particular.

Mat's storyline continues to be the one that throws me the most curveballs, as always! They held back both the duel and the doorway longer than I had expected. I'm guessing there's a doorway in Tanchico for Mat to go through, given Min's viewing. I really enjoyed his storyline throughout the three episodes. After s2 had his emotional focus much more on Rand, it does make sense to branch out and put more weight on his relationships with some of the other Emond's Fielders (Nynaeve here, but also Perrin doing his best to try to save Mat's family).

I do find it interesting that the show hasn't made any space for Mat & Egwene to interact, especially after Egwene went on the offensive in the 'make up talk' with Rand in 1x07 about how she would TOTALLY die for Mat if need be. I mean. Maybe she would because she would die for any of them (much like Moiraine said she would have healed any of them to brush off Rand's thanks to her after she healed Mat) but they definitely are the least close out of all of the EF5. Which makes it even more interesting that Rand made fantasy!Egwene so fondly exasperated by Mat in his dream in 1x08. Rand really wishes that his bff and his girlfriend got along better.

Speaking of girlfriends!

Lanfear doing the duel tempting of Rand alongside the tormenting of Egwene really shows off both that she is very skilled in TAR and also shows us that however soft she pretends to be with Rand (willing to lie out before his feet if he says "rug", you might say. haha thrilled that particular petty bitchy line made it into the show), she is a horrible fucking person. And she's been doing this all along, it sounds like! Egwene dreams about Renna EVERY NIGHT!

It does look like we might still get our on-screen sister-wives relationship in the show, but with Bair-Rhuarc-Lian instead of Amys (for production reasons, I believe. Apparently Bair was cast first and then they hit their character limit? I don't recall the details). We'll know for certain when/if we go to Cold Rocks Hold.

Perrin's plotline feels so much like the books that I feel like I have little to say about it! I enjoyed it! I like that the apple orchard is his family's graveyard in general but that we are explaining away the absence of some actors (Tam, Abell... someone else?) by having them having safely spirited away the Aybaras to protect them from the Whitecloaks.

Very glad Faile was introduced in 3x03 and we aren't waiting until 3x05! I like their vibes already. I mean, I think I only really had an issue with them with a. the domestic violence in TSR (but we've already passed that point here) and b. the constant jealousy (we don't have Perrin's internal monologue, so we won't get this) and c. the silliest 'triangle' in the world with Berelain-Perrin-Faile (remains to be seen). Cut those things out and I find them very charming!

I find that the super-book accurate things, I don't have as much to say about!

Okay, I'm going to try to get some more sleep before I need to get ready for work!

[yeonmuse]

SYNOPSIS — Park Sunghoon doesn’t usually like involving himself with those at Chaconne academy, but when he finds out his little sister’s music teacher attends and she starts getting a little too close she forces him to let his guard down. Now he’s gotta juggle new people and new emotions entering his life and she’s got to face her past in order to hold tight to him and her future.

ᥫ᭡ f!reader x Park Sunghoon ── 𝒢enre. Uni au. fluff, angst non idol enha. feats. ot7 [reqs are closed] ᝰ.ᐟ 𝓁ibrary 🎻

⍣ ೋ AUTHORS NOTES . Strong angst themes, slow burn but mostly fluff. I’m not sure where this idea had come from considering I have 4 unfinished series out right now but I wrote this in 4 days so lets fucking go i guess??? Includes Choi Yeonjun, Bae Jinyoung, Kim Sunwoo, Jung Wooyoung, Shen Ricky, Xu Jiaqi and Asaya Jurin. Wc is 4.1k

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | ENDING

After what felt like the longest weekend ever you’d finally be starting your official first day. It had been nice getting to know Jurinand the others but now it was time to actually get to work, you were sure your father had worked hard to get you into the school and you wouldn't waste the opportunity. While you were making your way down campus, heading towards building A you tried your best to follow the steps you’d previously taken with Sunwoo. You had eventually made it to the entrance when the man himself had also been entering the building the same time as you.

“Well look at you made it all the way here without me i'm impressed.” he teases

“Yes yes, once I finally seemed to learned that it’s literally just a straight shoot from the girls dorms.’’ you being annoyed at yourself for finally having come to that obvious realization earns a laugh from him.

“Well after you then.’’ He opens the door allowing you to slip inside, you’d found that you both had been heading in the same direction so it only made sense that the two of you would walk together. You’d been completely invested in the conversion, so invested you failed to recognize the person blocking your path in the hall. Before you knew it your body collided with a broad back sending you straight to your ass, though some people did choose to mind their business and just pass up the two of you in the hall a few onlookers observed the scene.

‘Fuck this is so embarrasing.’ you thought to yourself as you looked up to apologize to the person you’d bumped into only moments ago, your eyes widened as they landed on none other than Park Sunghoon, the guy you'd met only yesterday. As Sunwoo helped you up you stood up dusting your clothes. At first you said nothing but neither did Sunghoon, you’d been too busy struggling to find the words to say. Sunghoon on the other hand, as shocked as he was to see you, just chose to remain as stoic as ever. Last night he’d told himself that maybe you weren’t so bad, that maybe you were someone good for his sister ( maybe also good for him) but seeing you here at this school of all places he was starting to think he was wrong.

“I’m sor-” before the words could properly leave your mouth both him and his friends had already walked away, leaving you standing in the middle of the hall watching him leave like an idiot.

“Well you met Sunghoon. I wouldn’t dwell on what happened just now too much, he acts like an ass with everyone here.”

But dwell you did, you spent the entire day thinking about the interaction. Did you say something wrong friday night? Or maybe it was that he didn’t remember you? You’d spent the entire day thinking about what you could have possibly done wrong for him to just completely ignore you and walk away.

Eventually the time came for your next lesson with Yoari and she’d been excited to see you, her brother on the hand not so much. You’d greeted him as you caught him walking up the stairs when you entered the house. A greeting he had simply chosen to ignore which made you slightly disappointed.

“I want to show you what I practiced.’’ Yoari instantly takes your hand into her own and drags you to the scene room where the two of you had practiced days prior. Yoari had practiced so much over the weekend while you were gone she had been more than excited to show off everything she learned from you. You found it endearing, not only did she learn fast but it was obvious that she had a passion for music, it reminded you a lot of yourself when you were younger. Taking a momentary pause as you spotted Sunghoon making his way into the kitchen, you allowed Yoari to take a short break, pushing yourself up from your seat and you decided to join him in the kitchen. When you’d stepped in and opened your mouth to speak you realized you hadn’t exactly thought through what it was you wanted to say to him, so you simply stood there in silence until he decided to break it himself.

“Shouldn’t you be with Yoari?’’

“Well yea but I just- I didn’t know that you went to Chaconne..? Earlier I didn’t mean to-”

“You should get back to my sister. My parents pay you to teach her not to talk to me.’’ and with those words he left you standing there.

That night you went home feeling worse than when you had arrived there. You weren't sure what you had done to piss off Sunghoon but it bothered you nonetheless.

Eventually Jurinand Jiaqi joined you where you sat in the living room with a pout on your face and bowl of ramen in hand.

“What’s got you so pouty?’’ Jurin questions as she takes a seat next to Jiaqi, flattening out the face mask on her face before taking a handful of Jiaqis popcorn.

“Do you guys know Sunghoon?’’

“Uh as in Park? Sunghoon Park?’’

“Yes? I teach his little sister music and I thought that he was warming up to me a little before I left their house Friday, but today we bumped into each other in the hall and he just completely ignored me like he didn’t even recognize me. Then today when I went over for Yoaris lesson he just completely shut me down.’’

“Oh honey, he’s like that with everyone. You’re no different than anyone else on this campus he completely ignores.” Jurin responds before stuffing her mouth with popcorn.

“What do you mean?’’

“Other than Jake and Jay he doesn’t talk to anyone, no matter who flirts, no matter how many party invites he gets he doesn't accept. He’s been like that since he came to the school. Don’t know if he’s one of those loner types or if he’s just a dick but it’s not even worth figuring it out. I wouldn’t think too much about it’’

-

A week had gone by since then, you’d go to Sunghoons place every day for the lessons. Yoari had grown so used to you coming over and being there that she’d often stand right outside the door and wait for your arrival. Your lessons had become the highlight of her days and yours as well. And though Sunghoon wouldn’t admit it he’d gotten used to you being there as well. Though the atmosphere between the two of you had been quite tense lately, Sunghoon would occasionally come down to eat with you and Yoari or watch her play, you’d even see him crack a smile every now and then at the smallest of interactions between you and his sister. Even though Sunghoon was still completely unsure about you he knew one thing for sure, you made his sister happy and for that he was grateful to you.

Sunghoon had now been so accustomed to you having been there that he even let Yoari convince him to wait outside with her, five minutes turned to ten and ten turned to twenty. Eventually Yoari realize you weren’t coming and Sunghoon was finally able to convince her to come inside. Seeing the disappointment on his sister's face, Sunghoon wasn’t sure what to think. Right when he had begun to warm up to you again you’d bailed.

-

The next day at school Sunghoon had found himself unintentionally looking for you, he’d only been snapped back to his senses once Jake and Jay had arrived.

“Were you expecting someone or something?.....Did you finally ask out Yuna?’’ Jay can’t help but snort at Jake's instant need to jump to conclusions.

“I was looking for the two of you you idiot.’’

“Oh how sweet he missed us.’’ Jake teases, making kissy faces at Sunghoon at which Jay just shakes his head and Sunghoon pushes his face away.

“Anyways are we still on for tonight?’’ Jay interrupts, pushing Jake off to the side.

“That depends is your cousin Jungwon still coming down from seoul.’’

“He’ll be down with a few friends of his, Niki and Sunoo I think.”

“Well yeah we’re still on, other than my sisters music teacher my parents will be gone so the house is ours.’’

“Your sister has a music teacher? Why didn’t they just ask you or Jay?’’ Jake questions earning a shrug from Jay.

“Some bullshit about wanting me to pay attention to my own studies.’’

“Well is the teacher hot, wait is she on the older side. You know what it doesn’t even matter if she’s both?’’

“Dude?’’

“What? For all we know she could be old and wrinkly.’’ While Jay and Jake continued to go back and forth their voices had eventually drowned out into background noise as Sunghoon got lost in his thoughts once again. Thoughts of you and how you had already disappointed his sister once yesterday night.

He’d expected his sister to already be waiting outside the door as he arrived home, yet she wasn’t. In fact she wasn’t home at all. He found his mom sitting at the island counter of the kitchen, laptop placed in front of her and phone to her ear as she munched on a bowl of grapes. As he stood on the other side digging his own hand into the bowl his mom gave him an adorning smile before finishing up her call.

“Hi sweetheart, how were your classes.’’ Sunghoon shrugs in response, giving her the same answer as usual. “They were okay.’’

“Wheres Yoa, I thought she had a lesson?’’

“Of course your father didn’t tell you, He took your sister out to get a few things for yn.’’ Sunghoons brow furrowed in confusion.

“What?”

“Yn called in sick yesterday, we told her to take a few days off until she was feeling better and Yoari wanted to get her some things to cheer her up.’’ There Sunghoon was feeling like a complete asshole, He’d been ready to judge her again, thinking she simply just bailed on Yoari when in reality she wasn’t even feeling well enough to show up.

Now there Sunghoon stood outside your dorm, his sister's hand in his after having been forced to cancel his plans and take his sister to give you all the things she had bought and made for you.

-

You had been locked in the confined space of your room, as Jiaqi wouldn't allow you to step out of bed to do anything other than pee. The last two days have been completely miserable for you. Stuffy nose, sneezing and coughing, headaches, fevers and throwing up almost non stop. You’d felt so terrible for having to call and cancel on Yoari but Jiaqi and Jurin had refused to let you step foot out of the dorm the moment they found out you were sick.

A knock at the door followed by Jurins loud screaming down the hall woke you from your sleep.

“I got it, it might be Yeonjun and Wooyoung with the-’’ She stops mid sentence upon seeing none other than Park Sunghoon outside the door.

“Did they bring the movies.’’ Jiaqi asks, making her way to the door only to freeze on an instant upon seeing Sunghoon.

“Hi is yn here!?’’ Yoari asks, pulling Jurin and Jiaqis gaze off of Sunghoon and onto her.

You hadn’t known if the sick brain had finally gotten to you and you were full on hallucinating or if you’d actually heard what sounded to you like Yoaris voice coming from the living room. Poking your head out the doorway, only then did you realize that not only was Yoari here but so was Sunghoon.

“Yn!’’ Before they could even be invited in, Yoaris hand slips from Sunghoon and she runs inside immediately running to you, catching each of you by surprise. You and her sat in your room for an hour, Yoari having shown off everything she made for you and brought you to feel better. She had even gotten Sunghoon to record videos of her practicing in just those two days you hadn’t been there. Sunghoon on the other hand just sat on the couch quietly unsure what to say to you or the other two girls that had also been watching the videos of her playing. It went without saying that although they couldn't say the same for her brother, the girls were completely smitten by Yoari. Another knock at the door interrupts them, this knock being who all of you assumed to be Yeonjun and the others. As Jiaqi gets up to let them in Sunghoon found that as the perfect excuse to leave.

“We should get going Yoari, we should let her rest.’’ he interrupts, earning a pout from Yoari who hadn’t been done telling you about how she’d learned two new songs while you were away.

“But i’m not dome showing her.’’ At that time the others came flooding in, all of them seemingly just as confused as Jurin and Jiaqi had been when they first saw Sunghoon standing outside the door. Jurin gave a look that said I’ll explain this all later before looking at Sunghoon.

“You and Yoari are welcome to stay, we were just about to eat dinner and watch movies, today's disney night, since Yeonjun won Uno last night.’’ Sunghoon was confused as to what the correlation between the two topics had been but he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Before he could open his mouth to refuse his sister interrupts.

“Can we please!?’’ He couldn’t say no to her, he could never tell his sister no, no matter what it was she asked of him. So that was exactly how he ended up spending his night eating and watching disney movies with you and your friends, a night he’d actually come to enjoy.

Eventually everyone had returned to their dorms, Sunghoon finding himself being one of the last ones there and the only one awake. Jurin and Jiaqi had passed out on the floor and as his eyes fell upon you he found you fast asleep wrapped in the blanket Yoari had gotten you. Yoari had been clinging to your side, her head resting on your shoulder as she slept peacefully. It was then that Sunghoon realized he was royally fucked. He could no longer avoid being close to you because you were starting to mean something to Yoari, and though he didn’t realize it yet you’d soon mean something to him too

🔖 @jwonistic @bubblytaetae @pkjay @heesallure @planetmarlowe @dreeki @butterflywonz @lillotus17 @squiishymeow @river-demon-slayer @sol3chu @st4rryst4r @firstclassjaylee @right-person-wrong-time @riribelle @gaytron3000 @heesunghooney @i03jae @blackhairandbangs @sunooqvrlsx @addictedtohobi @enaile23 @ivyvioletcarson @kristynaaah @starbyeol1512 @tinyteezer @jkslvsnella @brianashiftz @starbyeol1512

[monbons]

WIP Wednesday

Thanks for the tags @artsyunderstudy, @bookishbroadwayandblind, and @bachusekart. It was lovely to get your updates today.

Honestly, I probably shouldn't be posting because I have so little to show for my efforts recently, but I thought perhaps putting out "please cheer me on" vibes into the universe would help motivate me.

STITCHES After what I think is almost three weeks now, I have finally (mostly) finished tooth-fairy Baz, and he is lovely. I just need to add some earrings when they arrive in the mail and then stitch his head on.

I've also cut out all the pieces I need for this Baz's Simon, but I haven't started sewing because my hands have been giving me trouble. So, he's just on hold until it doesn't feel like I'm being stabbed in the wrist whenever I pick up a needle and thread.

SENTENCES In fic news, I have two WIPS currently. The first is a very messy friends to lovers AU with cheerleader Simon and soccer player Baz. My Simons tend to be lovely and sweet and my Bazs are always angsty vampires. Neither is true in this fic, and it's been harder to make progress than I expected as a result. But, here are some sentences anyway, Baz POV talking to Dev.

“Seriously, what did you see?” I strain to peer around him, but nothing seems out of the ordinary. Agatha and Penny are standing next to a couple of milk crates filled with purple and white cheer poms. Trixie is wrestling with the portable speaker—a chunky black cube the squad rolls with them everywhere. Keris has a clipboard and she seems to be taking attendance amidst all the girls I don’t recognize. Then, my eyes finally spot the one anomaly. The one person wildly out of place. Amidst the sea of skirts is a singular boy. A boy with bronze curls and blue eyes and billions of freckles. More freckles than he had the last time I saw him. An impossible number of freckles.

My second WIP, a Dark Rise AU-ish thing, is in the colorful post-its planning stage still. I have a very rough outline of the main plot, but there is an incredible amount of backstory to reveal and I am currently trying to figure out where and how to do so. I think I may need dual timelines and several POVs I've never written before, including the CO adults. Find some Malcolm below.

MALCOLM I wish you could see him, Natasha. Your son. He is bold and brilliant. Top of his class. A fine magician.  The best of you. The best of me.  I tried to protect him. To hide him in plain sight.  I taught him to be cautious. Stoic. Discreet.  I insisted he never reveal the inner workings of his heart. I provided a template for him—a guide he could follow—with my own.  One cannot be vulnerable when one remains indecipherable, Basil. Be unreadable.  Unknowable. Or be undone. He is a magnificent student, Natasha. The very best. He didn’t just learn; he excelled. He kept everyone at arm’s length. (Including me.)  I tried, Nat. I tried.  To keep him healthy. To keep him safe. I failed all the same.

(If you have read C.S. Pacat's Dark Rise series and the unicorn horn scene has been branded into your brain the way it was in mine, then please know that this fic is me attempting an AU just for that scene. The brain rot is SO real.)

Anyway, head pats are appreciated. Hellos and high-fives.

@alexalexinii, @argumentativeantitheticalg, @aristocratic-otter, @arthurkko, @artsyunderstudy

@best--dress, @blackberrysummerblog, @brilla-brilla-estrellita, @bookish-bogwitch,

@confused-bi-queer, @cutestkilla, @drowninginships, @emeryhall, @facewithoutheart

@harrie-leithillustration, @hushed-chorus, @iamamythologicalcreature, @ic3que3n, @ileadacharmedlife

@katatsumuli, @larkral, @letraspal, @martsonmars, @messofthejess

@mooncello, @noblecorgi, @orange-peony, @prettygoododds, @raenestee

@rbkzz, @rimeswithpurple, @roomwithanopenfire, @run-for-chamo-miles, @shrekgogurt

@skeedelvee, @stitchyqueer, @supercutedinosaurs, @talentpiper11, @technetiumai

@the-beard-of-edward-teach, @twinkle-twinkle-up-above, @theimpossibledemon, @thewholelemon, @valeffelees

@whatevertheweather, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @youarenevertooold

[arlakos]

Can we also just talk for a second about how Ladybug has chosen people for a miraculous based on nepotism? Because I SERIOUSLY need to mention this.

For all the (rightful) flak Fu gets as a Guardian, at the very least he chose individuals who would have little to no connection to him and chose to keep himself at a distance; that way neither hero could possibly lead Hawkmoth back to him on accident, especially in the event that Hawkmoth would try to go after the other miraculouses. Ironically, he probably should have stayed as far as possible, because it was only when he let Ladybug get close that he ended up being found out.

Ladybug however? She choses anyone she considers a friend, and its ALWAYS DONE ON A GODDAMN WHIM. The only people she didn't choose were Chloe and Felix, but neither counted because she lost or didn't have their miraculouses to begin with. Chloe got eventually replaced with Zoe, who I have to mention got chosen because she was friends with Marinette for two episodes. Aside from those two, all the people she chooses to be hero are all people she considers friends first, taking no time to decide if the person was the correct choice to begin with. If anyone were to find out who these other heroes were, they could easily be linked back to Ladybug herself, possibly compromising her identity...

Oh wait, they already were exposed back in Miracle Queen. In front of Hawkmoth no less.

I cannot stress this enough: Had Hawkmoth been allowed to have an actual brain by the writers, he would have already figured out who Ladybug is by the start of season 4 based on all the people she chose to be heroes. I mean, most of the heroes in season 3 were all people that were in Marinette's class, and even the people outside the class have positive relations with Marinette. Remove any possible suspects based on whether or not they have been akumatized, and the results would have been obvious. Of course, the writers know this, so they have to dumb down his intelligence to make any advantage he has meaningless.

And EVEN IF it could be logically argued that Hawkmoth would have never found out who Ladybug actually is, (disregarding the kids show rating) what would stop Hawkmoth from just targeting the exposed wielders? He already did it with Alya in season 4 and could have easily did so again with the powers of both the Butterfly and the Peacock Miraculous. Just have a sentimonster follow a miraculous wielder and have them ambush Ladybug when she goes to give them a miraculous. Or he could just ... you know ... threaten their lives to blackmail Ladybug into giving her miraculous. You think harming a child is gonna stop him? He already tramatized his son in a bad timeline (twice!).

People say Adrien needs to earn the right to hand out miraculouses. I say that Ladybug should be banned from handing them out based on her track record. She's a nepotist, and (although it may not be conciously) she wants to be surrounded by people who agree and trust her without hesitation. It really says something that the only wielder she didn't choose or allow onto the team is the same on she constantly keeps in the dark for her own piece of mind.

If Cerise manages to learn any of the miraculous wielders identities, it would only be a matter of time before she could connect the dots. Not like the writers would let her BECAUSE OF COURSE THE WRITERS ARE HACKS.

Saying that Adrien has to "earn the right" to hand out Miraculous is hilarious on account of the fact that, well. Marinette didn't either actually. She didn't pass a secret test of character or something, she brought Fu a book. A book she didn't play any part in retrieving, mind you—it was Tikki who did all the literal heavy lifting while Marinette was more concerned with seething about Lila. If we were to follow this take to its logical conclusion, Tikki is the one who should be handing out Miraculous right now. Tikki 4 Guardian 2K25!

[bloodydeanwinchester]

Hej |˶˙ᵕ˙ )ﾉﾞ

Can I ask a possibly dumb question about Supernatural?

You see I haven't actually watched the show, I'm just on tumblr and ao3 enjoying people ramble about the good bits of the story and one quite common theme of fix-it fics for the episode that shan't be named is Dean retiring (more or less willingly, usually with Cas) while Sam and Eileen keep hunting. And I've been wondering why is that, considering Dean is generally the hunting guy, meanwhile Sam is the one that wanted to and actually got out (twice?).

My apologies if I'm bothering you about something that should have been obvious (⁠-⁠_⁠-⁠;⁠)

Have a nice day 🌻

hi! no worries, it's not a bother at all! i always appreciate it when someone sends an ask with a question like this in a genuinely curious and nice way (rather than some i get where people just tell me how im wrong). also apologizing in advance because im pretty sure this is gonna get a little long

now having not watched the show before, i can totally see where you would have gotten this idea that dean is the one who wants to be a hunter and sam is the one who wants to get out. it's a pretty common fanon belief but im honestly not sure why so many people believe it. maybe because in the pilot dean is the one who is hunting and comes to stanford to pull sam out of his "normal" life back into hunting? or it could be because dean says at least a few times that he wants to go out in a blaze of glory? whatever the reasoning, it's simply not true!

one thing we learn over the course of the show is that dean, especially in the earlier seasons, is putting on a performance of who he thinks he supposed to be, who others expect him to be. so i think the only reason that dean is "the hunting guy" is because he has spent a lot of his life being that guy for his father and/or his brother. his dad raised him to be a weapon so dean became a weapon. he was told that his job was to protect sammy so he did everything he could to protect sammy. and as for sam wanting to have a normal life, i think there's a pretty good argument that he at least partly wanted that because it wasn't what his father wanted. and sam spent most of his life right up until john died fighting with him. not hunting and instead going to school was sam's rebellion against their father.

and there's also a lot of people who believe that "dean dragged sam back into hunting" in season 1 but if you watch the pilot you'll see dean wants sam to stay to help him look for their dad. but when sam refuses, dean brings him back to stanford. it isn't until jess is murdered and sam sets off on his quest for revenge that sam leaves stanford for good. and the only times that sam ever actually gets out of hunting after stanford was when he was grieving losing dean in season 8 and post series. i doubt sam would have stopped hunting in either of those instances had dean still been alive.

i could be wrong about this, but i'm not sure we ever see sam express a desire to get out of hunting after season 1? in season 2 he really dedicates himself to hunting out of some mixture of grief over their father's death and guilt at having spent so much of their time together fighting. and in season 4 we see sam say that he doesn't want to go back to their old lives. season 5 we see sam express that the apple pie life isn't what he wants anymore. while in the same episode dean seems to be saying that maybe he does want it (middle two gifs).

and as for dean, as early as 1x06 we see that maybe this isn't really the life he wanted after all. when the shapeshifter becomes dean (and as a result is able to see into his thoughts) he tells sam:

in contrast to sam leaning into hunting after their father dies, in season 2 we really start to see dean show that he wants to get out:

2x09 dean says he's tired of the job/life/weight on his shoulders.

2x10 dean expresses that he's sick of the job and being a hunter wasn't his destiny (because he doesn't believe in destiny).

2x20 dean's djinn dream is a world where he got to have a normal childhood and a life where he never became a hunter. and even though the dream has its issues, he ultimately only leaves because he's figured out it's all a lie:

and throughout the series there are lots of moments where dean says he wants a family/wants to get out but doesn't think he'll ever get to or where he criticizes the way their dad raised them as hunters. and in 13x23 he says that if the world was safe he would want to retire.

i have less examples that come to mind from the later seasons cause it's been a while since i've watched them, but i think there's plenty of evidence throughout the series to support the idea that post series dean would retire with cas and sam would keep hunting with eileen.

[yaut-jaknowit]

Heyyy, this is my first time ever requesting or even sending this, so please bear with me, I'm trying my hardest to make it understandable and not seem rude T^T. I wanted to know if you were up to writing a continuation of the one-shot/ask "Stangers, T'a'yta (Male Yautja) x AFAB!Reader". You could possibly write about their growing relationship or maybe a scenario where the differences in their culture collide and or something....honestly it's up to you T^T. Reading it made me so flustered yet also happy, iykwm. I've also been trying my best not to spam you with likes, since I've been reading almost all of your Yautja stories, and now took the courage to send you a request about, yk. Sincerely, K.

Strangers Part 3

Pairings: T'a'yta (male Yautja) x AFAB!Reader

Word Count: 4640

Summary: T'a'yta invites you to hunt with him. Not to disappoint him, you go with him to hopefully impress him. But you aren't anywhere close to being fit enough for this. You try... and fail. T'a'yta tries to push you without realizing it. It doesn't go far.

Author Note: I totally forgot I had these stored away! Whoops!

Part 1 | Part 2

Masterlist

Ao3

Dating a Yautja is something you never expected to ever be an option in your life. Let alone finding one so kind and caring such as himself. T’a’yta is the kindest, sweetest male Yautja you’ve ever come across. Most of the ones you’ve met are either stoic or just don’t want to talk or look at you. Which you’re fine with. Honestly, any Yautja scares you, besides Ze’se and T’a’yta. That’s because you know them and they could protect you. But being around a random one alone, you keep your distance. Rules or not, they can kill you easily.

Not to say this isn’t a slow process. The two of you were from different species, different cultures. It’s all a learning process. Thankfully T’a’yta was more than adapting to the situation, learning the ways of how humans dated and how to ‘woo’ one per se. Bless his sweet heart. He does try. You do as well. Learning about how Yautjas court each other. It included lost of bones and skulls. You weren’t expecting all of his… trophies he had in his ship. He had offered to you to pick one. Nervously, you had chosen a simple looking one. Even it held a story of harrowing dangers.

That did interest you on their hunts. The dangers they willingly face just for a skull to be added to their collection. As a human, that was incredibly impressive. The stories he’s told you are nothing short of impressive. All of his near death experiences, to the scars he’s adorned with. There was a reason he was an elder. He’s clearly earned that title outright.

A message pinged on your phone. The spatula was set down on the counter. You flipped your phone over and smiled at the text message. T’a’yta greets you with a ‘good morning’ text. Then… asked if you had plans for the next week. The entire week. Confused, you told him you were. That got your brain immediately start to roll of ideas that could possibly explain what he wanting. You picked up the spatula and continued to stir your pasta.

The next message froze you in your spot. T’a’yta wanted to go on a hunt with you. He wanted to take you off planet to hunt with him. That both scared and excited you at the same time. Fear was a natural reaction in the face of the unknown. The fact that T’a’yta wanted to take you off planet in the first place. You stared down at the screen, spatula hovering over the pot of softly boiling water.

It was an opportunity. An amazing one. You’ve never been off planet before, never really having the want to. It was scary to go somewhere you haven’t been before. But this… with T’a’yta. He’d keep you safe while out there. You trusted him that much. You sent a message back and told you would love to go with him. Then, you finished up with your dinner.

Next week came. At a space port in your city, you met T’a’yta at his ship. The second time you’ve been on it, it was still amazing to look at and exploring. T’a’yta met you at the ramp wearing a simple loin clothe and some pieces of bones decorating his tresses. You smiled up at him with a small nod.

“Hey, Tay!” Said Yautja fluttered his mandibles with a short purr. You walked up to him and wrapped your arms around his mid section. For a moment, T’a’yta froze in his spot before returning the gesture with a warm hug. You wanted to sink against him and enjoy his warmth. Instead, you grudgingly peeled away. “Thank you for giving me an opportunity to hunt with you. This is such a cool idea for a date.”

He dipped his head with a grunt. “I too. I am glad you’ve accepted this. I have had this planned for sometime. It lined up perfectly to have you join me.” The brown Yautja turned and guided you up the ramp. You followed after him with a bag of necessary supplies.

Your eyes scanned over the interior of his space ship. You were more than excited to be able to go out into space in this thing. With T’a’yta at your side to teach you, you were going to learn so much under his guidance and care. “So, where is it you’re taking me?” Hopefully, it wasn’t either a freezing cold or sweltering hot planet. None of which you could easily survive on.

“It’s called Ket,” he answers and shows you to his room. Where you are able to store all of your staff. “It’s similar to earth for atmosphere. A biomask will still be needed though. There is oxygen but not lots of it.” You store your bag next to the nightstand. “The part of Ket we will go has a jungle-like biome, but the trees are large. Think of the redwood trees.” Your eyes sparkled at the notion of getting to see such massive trees.

“Really? That sounds amazing!” you cheered and spun around to free him. “Is there something we are specifically hunting?” Of course, it had to be something dangerous if he wants it. T’a’yta planned this before even dating you. Knowing this could be something that could kill you, did frighten you some. You brushed off the fear the best you could before beaming up at T’a’yta.

“Lighets. Small but agile creatures. A venomous bite that can brin down on Yautja in under a minute.” You couldn’t help the gasp that left you. “Yes, dangerous but I will not let you get hurt. Wait until you taste their flesh. It’s a hot thing on the market right now. Not many willingly go hunt them.” As a human, it doesn’t seem reasonable to go hunt such a dangerous creatures if they could easily harm or kill you. It would be safer to just stay away. Yet, here you are with T’a’yta, about to join in on the fun.

“Do you have a picture of one?” you asked. T’a’yta nodded his head, tresses sway with the movement.

“I have something better.” The brown Yautja jerked his head towards the door. You bounded after him with a pep in your step. He led you out of the bedroom, down a ladder, and into his trophy room. You marveled at the amount of skulls once more. He’s alive for six human lives at least, this probably isn’t all of it either. Or has he gotten rid of some?

T’a’yta picks a skull off of the wall then turns towards you. It was smaller than you were expecting. It rivaled between a coyote and house cat-size. Something this small can bring down a five hundred pound beast with one bite? You shuddered at the thought of it getting to you or T’a’yta. It scared you.

“That could bring you down?” you questioned with a small voice. His bright blue eyes narrowed a fraction, almost missed.  You timidly stepped up to him and ran a finger over the pearly white skull, feeling the smooth texture.

A grunt left him with a simple nod of his head. “Yes, but I know how they attack. Once you learn that, it makes hunting them easy.” That made sense.

“Okay but… I’ll let you know that I don’t have any gear. No armor or weapons,” you told him and titled your head back to look at him. “I didn’t know what to get.” T’a’yta se the skull back and shook his head.

“No need.” Your brows furrowed, eyes following him walking up to a wall. T’a’yta pressed a hidden button. A secret door opened up on the wall. It revealed a compartment with a set of armor that would fit armor. “Once you accepted, I contacted a close hunt brother and had this designed for you. It is yours to keep.”

Your eyes widened. A gasp escaped you. “What? No. You can’t be serious! I-I can’t. It’s too much,” you sputtered and took a couple of steps back in shock. Armor?! He got you armor for this hunt. That was too much for you to accept without paying him back. “Tay, how-“ he cuts you off by taking one large step forward and grabbing your chin.

“No, it’s not too much. I gift it to you.” He tugs you close to him as he bends his back to crowd into your space. “I told you I would keep you safe. This armor will do that.” The skull is set off to the side. T’a’yta uses that newly freed hand to curl around the back of your neck and tugs you even closer. His forehead presses to yours.

If you are to go on this hunt with him, it would be stupid not to take the armor. Not that you think he would let you go out there without anything to protect yourself with. “Fine, but I will find a w-“ The hand pinching your jaw slid up just enough to pinch your lips together. You huffed and glared at him.

“No.” The nearing elder made his statement clear. A pout took over your features. He finally lets go of you to take your hand and led you over to the armor.

A metal mask meant to cover your lower part of your face sat on the top of everything. The armor had beautiful designs etched into it. A mix of white and sky blue danced across the metal. You were astonished by the gift, still not believing he was giving this to you.

Finally, you turned towards T’a’yta with tears starting to well in your eyes. “Thank you.” Then, you wrapped your arms around him and held him close. “Thank you so much. I can’t wait to go hunting with you.” A planet with large trees that would tower over you like the redwoods in California. Jungle might be a downfall though. The humidity and heat. Your face scrunched up at the thought.

From there, T’a’yta guided his ship off the planet and heading towards Ket. You were perched in his lap, only one seat in the cockpit. One of his muscular arms is wrapped around your torso to keep you locked in place. You watched as the planet grew smaller and smaller until he turned the ship and shot off through space.

Nearly a day later, the ship rocked slightly and touched down on Ket. You were immediately rushing towards the cockpit and skidded to stop behind T’a’yta’s pilot’s chair. There through the window was the untamed jungle that held creatures that could easily kill you. It wasn’t terribly too off from the jungles back on earth besides the massive trees and large foliage. It made you feel like this place was meant for giants. And you had just stepped into their territory.

“Holy shit. You weren’t kidding about the trees!” you gasped, eyes wide with excitement. T’a’yta chuckled then swiveled in his seat and stood up. He walked out of the cockpit. You followed after him with a pep in my step, nearly skipping. “How long do you think it’ll be for us to find the lightets?”

T’a’yta goes into the trophy room where the armor and weapons are stored. “That’s the fun part about hunting. We will have to find tracks then follow those. Hopefully they’ll be fresh as well.” Expertly, he grabbed his own gear first and adorns himself quickly with it. His hands moving from muscle memory. Then, the large male turned towards you.

“The armor may feel weird at first but it should be comfortable.” T’a’yta went through the same motions with you, a bit more slow this time. He took his time to ensure each piece was comfortable and secured on your body. He ensures you are safe before stepping back to admire the work.

The one thing that may take time to get used to is the mask. Nothing was wrong with it. But you’ve never had to wear something like this for some time. It’s a little heavier than you expected but it had something to filter out everything besides oxygen. You shook your head side to side and found it not restricting as much as you thought. Then, you gazed up at T’a’yta.

“Well? How do I look?”

Those bright blue eyes scanned over every inch of your exposed skin. His hands cupped your jaw. “Stunning.” Your cheeks flushed with heat. You were thankful to have the mask on to hide most of the blush. A small giggle sounded from the back of your throat. From nervousness and embarrassment.

“Oh, you don’t have to flatter me. You already do plenty for me.” Once more, T’a’yta leans down and presses his forehead to yours. The touch soft and gentle. Fuck, he’s so sweet to me.

A low purr erupts from his throat. He lets his hands wander down the sides of your body to grab your hips and pulled you close. “I need you to stick close though. Do not stray.” He made a note of that since you do like to wander off. And that’s just in the streets of your city where it’s not terribly dangerous as here.

You nodded your head. “I understand, Tay. I won’t let you leave my sight, okay?” Neither of you wanted you to get hurt so the best thing to do was stick close to each other. Even if that means he has to carry you at times.

Soon enough, the two of you were embarking out into the wilderness of Ket. Though the air was filtered via the mask, you were able to catch the sweat scents of the jungle. Or others that made you want to turn your nose up. Apparently, it was all because of the plants nearby.

From fallen down trees to creeks, T’a’yta helped you along. Either by carrying you or encouraging you to make your way across. At times, you had gotten scared from a giant insect that appeared out of nowhere. It’s wings and body helped it camouflage into the surrounding foliage. An undignified squeak left your lips as the moth-like creature fluttered into the air.

Immediately, T’a’yta spun around, hands at the ready. His body relaxed as he chuckled, seeing what scared you. “Little one, it’s just a zebeler. They are harmless.” You placed a hand on your racing heart and watched the insect flutter away.

“Sorry, it just scared me. It came out of nowhere!” you walked up to him and took a deep breath to help calm yourself.

He grunted and patted the top of your head before continuing. What else do these lands hold? Besides zebeler and lightets. One was just a simple insect while the other could take down a full grown Yautja. There was such a difference between the creatures.

Further along, the two of you stopped along a creek. The water cool and refreshing in the sweltering heat and humidity that made you sweat uncomfortably. Your hands dipped into the water. Water was scooped up and poured over your head. The cool temperature helped sooth the heat that nearly boiled you alive.

Next to you, T’a’yta scooped up some of his own and poured it into his mouth. Luckily for him, his immune system could fight off any bacteria in the water. While, your own couldn’t. A waterskin and handheld filter was necessary for you to travel with him.

Then, he paused, head slowly turning to his right. Your eyes immediately followed his towards a set of small paw tracks in the mushy mud. They, at least, looked fresh. You think? T’a’yta looks back at you to make sure you were following his gaze. You nodded.

“Those had been made in the last three hours,” he whispers and stand back up. You followed suit and stalked over to the tracks. T’a’yta stops at your side and knelt back down to show you something. “See how far the toes are spread with the slight indents of claws. That’s what a lightet’s track looks like.” The size was no bigger than a Pitbull paw size. You made sure to imprint that memory forever.

The tracks go back up the bank and into the foliage. You followed after them until the thick plants blocked your route. T’a’yta came up behind you and offered you a hand. Confused, you place your hand in the palm of his only to bite off a yelp. He hoists you onto his back with just a fraction of his weight.

Once he makes sure you are situated securely, he plants his feet, lowers his weight, then launches high into the air. A scream desperately crawled at your throat. Somehow, you are able to fight it back. Instead, you buried your face into his neck and held onto him as tight as possible, maybe even choking him out in the process.

His sharp talons dig into the bark. Deep grooves carved a few inches down in the tree until he found his perch. With a grunt, T’a’yta began to climb even higher, to the lowest branch on the tree to perch for a moment. His head turns towards you. You can’t see his eyes due to the biomask that covers his entire face, but you know he’s looking at you.

“Ready?” he asked with a teasing tone in his voice. Your brows furrowed together.

“Ready for w-ah!” T’a’yta sprints down the branch until the very last second and launches himself off of it with incredible speed. The only thing you could do in the moment was hold on for dear life. A pathetic cry leaves your lips. Your nails dug into his scaly flesh, not even doing enough to mark him.

This went on for some time. For the exact time, you don’t know. All you felt was the wind rushing through your hair and the sudden rise and falls of gravity. A feeling that made you want to puke all over T’a’yta. Your stomach twisting inside of you as you held back the vomit that wanted so badly to come out.

After what felt like ten tortuous years, T’a’yta came to halt and helped you slide off of his back. Your legs were unsteady and weak, forcing him to keep you in his arms. You trembled against him, trying your best not to puke all over his feet. T’a’yta’s hands go to your chin and tilted your face up.

“What is wrong?” he asked, concerned.

It took a few moments to finally push down the lump in your throat. “Please… don’t do that again. Tha-“ you gagged and turned away from him, holding it back. “That was horrible.” His shoulders dropped.

“Did I do something wrong? Had I gone too fast? I apologize, I thought you would like being up high. You can see better up here.” In a sense, he was right. The height gave you an added bonus on the prettiest of the jungle. Yet, his movements had been way too hard on you.

“The speed.” You took a pause to catch your breath. You were bent over, hands on your knees. “You… next time, we’re walking. Okay?” It was a bit harsher than you meant but you hated puking. Plus, you were still up here with only him to catch you. That thought popping in your head made you freeze to the spot. Your gaze slid over to the edge and saw you were so far above the ground that the death would nearly be instant.

A yelp left you as you scuttle backwards into T’a’yta’s hold and spun around to face him. You clutched to him like a life line. His arms instinctively encircled you and brought you flush with his chest. “P-please get me down from here,” you begged him, eyes clenched shut.

His arms tensed for a moment before he hoisted you up into his arms. With one arm wrapped around your torso and your legs snagging his waist, T’a’yta begin the climb down. Not for a second do you dare look down or even around. The height and lack of anything besides T’a’yta to catch frightened you down to the bone.

Once the two of you were back on solid ground, you let go him hesitatingly and took a deep breath. It helped settle your quaking nerves. At your side, T’a’yta timidly reached out.

“Are you okay to continue? If you wish to return to the ship, I won’t blame you,” he tells you and peels his biomask off of his face. Concern swirled in his baby blue eyes. His mandibles twitched. You sighed again and walked over to him. Your hands cupped his jaw. One of your thumbs rubbing along the wrinkly skin.

“I’m fine. I want to keep going. I just… don’t want to do that again please. Unless it’s necessary, okay?” you explained to him in a soft voice. The rapid beat of your heart was beginning to slow down. His presence helped with that.

T’a’yta watched you close. His eyes darting between your two until he found what he was looking for. The tension in his shoulders was released. He nodded his large head. “Alright.” He turned and nuzzled into your touch, eyes hooding over for a moment before he pulled away. The biomask was reconnected and slipped back over his features.

With that settled, the two of you set off again after the tracks on foot this time around. The foliage around was unforgiving as it snagged on your fragile, exposed flesh. You continued to push onward until T’a’yta stopped in his tracks and lowered himself down. You did the same thing, trying to quiet and slow your breathing.

Moments passed until you saw movement through the leaves. There popped out a lightet. Your eyes widened at the sight. It was an orange with stripes of cobalt blue. Though beautiful, you knew it was deadly. Even a lone one.

Another pops out. Soon enough, a group of five gathered in that area. It was a group of all males. Meaning T’a’yta had fair game on which one to kill. You on the other hand would stay back watch from a safe distance. The last thing T’a’yta wanted was you to get hurt or even killed by one of them. It was for your safety and well being in his mind.

Not that you were extremely disappointed. Watching the hunt and just being with T’a’yta was what this was really all about.

For a moment, T’a’yta glanced back at you to make sure you knew to stay. You gave him the slightest of nods. He refocuses on the lightets on hand. His body coils up tightly, preparing for the hunt ahead.

Then, he darted forward at the right moment. His hands snatched up one of the creature’s by the neck. The other free limb forces the creature’s head to twist until a small snap was heard. You could help the small hiss and flinch at the sound. The lightet goes limp in his hold. Dead.

Oh.

The other animals began to go after him with angry yipes and howls. You watched with bated breath, scared out of your mind for T’a’yta. These things could take him down in one bite. And you would be useless to help him. Even the small knife at your waist couldn’t do much against the four of them.

T’a’yta easily dodged each attack with either defensive move or an offensive swing. The sharp talons that ended on each other his fingers raked across expertly on one lightet that had grown too close. Blue blood sprayed across the green foliage and stained the animal’s fur. It gave a painful cry and slunk away, hissing at T’a’yta with rage.

But, he didn’t stop.

Even as the numbers dwindled to three, they continued to fight on.

A gasp left your masked lips. Your hands flew to the metal mask covering your mouth. One had gotten so close to biting T’a’yta. Long claw marks decorated his back now, leaving a scar he would later flaunt about. He growled and whipped around. His massive hand gripped the lithe creature’s neck and snapped it with ease. Though it had almost gotten to him, you felt sorrow for the lightet’s death. Only slightly.

Two left. Both lightets glanced at each other before bounding off into the foliage. T’a’yta stood there, hands flexed at his sides for at least another minute or so before relaxing. His posture straights up as he glances over to you in the bushes. He motions for you to come out then goes over to the closest lightet he killed.

Expertly, a knife is pulled out of his belt and wields it. You are rooted in the spot.

“Little one, come here. I want to show you how to clean a kill,” he calls over to you without looking towards you. He seems to be proud of his kills as he admires the lightet motionless on the ground.

Yet, when you don’t move towards him, he finally turns his head towards you. A lump grows in your throat. Your name is called by T’a’yta. “Don’t fret, it can’t harm you. It’s dead.” He makes a motion of picking up its head and showing its lifeless eyes towards you.

This was a mistake.

That set you off. You stumbled backwards. The heel of your foot catching on a root. A yelp passed your lips as you fell backwards. T’a’yta says your name in haste and rushes after you. His large body kneels down at your side and helps you sit up. He crowds into your face until you pushed him away.

You scrambled back a little bit to put some space between the two of you. T’a’yta waits there while watching you carefully.

When you finally take a moment to calm down and realize your terrible reaction, you lowered your head and pushed up your shoulders. “Oh god, I-I’m sorry. I thought… I thought I could handle all of this. But, I don’t know.” A few seconds past until you realize what you said sounded like you wanted to break up. You popped up on your knees.

“Wait! Not like that.” The sorrowful posture he once held changed. “I mean, the hunting. I’m fine with the skulls but seeing it happen.” Your whole body shuttered. The thought was cool but seeing it in real life was different. “I’m sorry.”

A chuff came from T’a’yta. The giant brown Yautja knelt closer to you. “No need to apologize. You have done nothing wrong. This is a learn experience for all of us.” That was true. No road was smooth. There will always be a bump or two. He raised a hand slowly, waiting for you to make the choice to either stay or pull away. He cups your cheek.

“Now I feel bad. You got me this amazing armor and I probably won’t use because I can’t handle hunting.” Tears pooled in your eyes. T’a’yta scooted closer and gripped bother of your cheeks. He careful wipes away the tears falling down.

His head shakes side to side, making his tresses sway with the movement. “Do not. If you would like, I can help train you with fighting skills. Or you can just wear it for fun. You don’t have to wear just for hunting.” You brightened up at his offers.

“That’s true!” A small smile cracked across your features behind the mask. But he saw the way your eyes crinkled.

“Alright, are you okay to go back?” he asked you once you’ve calmed down enough. You nodded your head. T’a’yta helps you off of the ground then goes to gather the lightets. He does his best to shield them from you before guiding you back through the jungle. All the way back home.