#the next morning is awkward to say the least but they do end up confessing to each other

[morimementa]

Gaz and König go out drinking with the rest of the 141. Despite his size, König is a complete lightweight and asks Gaz to walk him home so he doesn't run into a wall or some such. Gaz, all too eager to spend more time with him, agrees.

They get home nice and safe and König asks Gaz if he wants to crash on his sofa. He's drunk, but he's not too drunk to worry about his friend's safety. While Gaz is tipsily putting blankets on the sofa, he notices the other man gazing at him with something like awe.

"Something on my face?" Gaz tries to cut the tension with a joke.

König is sitting cross legged on the floor, swaying slightly. His expression shifts to one of intense consideration. Impulsively, Gaz reaches out and steadies him. They're face to face, no masks, just each other.

"Gaz..."

"Yeah?"

"Promise you'll hold me like this when I'm giving birth to our child?"

And before Gaz can fully process that, König's fallen asleep.

(I had an idea for the most out of pocket accidental confession and now I bestow it on all of you.)

[retiredteabag]

Wishful Thinking

arranged marriage with Nanami… a continuation

pt. 1 - pt. 2 - pt. 3 - next part

〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰

You would have never imagined, but as it turns out, you’ve only known your spouse 48 hours and you’ve already begun to love married life.

In this time, lots has occurred, for one, you had to explain to your husband repeatedly that you really, truly, genuinely, had absolutely no opinion on where to spend the honeymoon.

He didn’t take too fondly to that…

--

"Please-" You had insisted, "Wherever you'd like! Whatever you choose, I'll be very happy with."

He had sighed, running a hand down his face, "I would much prefer to hear where you enjoy traveling."

You had confessed that you never really had the chance to leave the estate or school. Only on rare occasions were you presented the opportunity to venture outside, even when working as a sorcerer. You hadn’t even been on a school trips.

"Mountains or beaches?" He asked, the two of you were seated on the shared couch, his morning coffee in hand.

"I don't mind. I would love to see either."

He seemed to blink for a second too long, breathing in, he offered, "Do you have an interest in cities? Or do you prefer the countryside?"

You just smiled, "I promise you, I don't have an opinion either way, whatever you like."

"Alright... Do you care to fly, or would you like a cruise?"

The idea stressed you out a bit. Shrugging, before you answer, he grumbles your name, "What do you enjoy? Shopping? Hiking? Sightseeing?" He doesn't give you time to respond, "Eating? What cuisine do you like, by the way? That might help you decide."

You hold up a wobbly hand, "Woah...um can I be honest?"

Your husband sits up straight. Just a day before, you would have never even considered speaking so casually, but, just as you anticipated, he reasures you quickly, "Please do."

"Well... the things is, I would really just prefer you to choose..."

Nothing would feel worse than if said anything he didn’t like. You can tell your husband is a cooperative guy, he would likely just go with whatever you offered. The problem is that you want him to be happy. And frankly, you're not really sure what you like. Making a decision would be too much right now. You hardly know the things you enjoy yourself.

--

That same day, Nanami had requested you view him as a friend, any mention of your "wifely duties" and he would grimace. Eventually, through your easy back and forth, you were able to persuade him into telling you what part he played in this union the two of you shared.

"I... well, I'll speak freely as you have done... I took very little pleasure in Jujutsu society for some time." He huffed.

You had known this much, but as he continued, your dread mounted even more.

"The higher ups were not so fond of this idea-"

"But-" You interrupted, "Oh, I'm sorry, but, you're not from a clan, how could they have any sway in your decision?"

He just grinned, "You must not know, in your position, but the higher-ups have lots of sway in any sorcerers life, despite my...birth status."

"I had no idea..."

This, at least, was news to you. "They believed that an arranged marriage would keep you in the world of sorcery?"

He looked at you strangely then, "Yes, they were sure of that much. That is, marriage to a fellow sorcerer, and," He paused momentarily and cleared his throat, tugging at his collar, "The prospect of a child." He finished.

Oh.

There was an awkward silence between you two. Neither making eye contact.

Too uncomfortable…

Mmm, we have a nice coffee table...

Should you say something...?

You grin slowly, "We’re more similar than I thought."

He looks up at you and suddenly you are cold in the heat of his gaze. He hums low in his throat, "I'm very glad you think so."

--

After much prattling, and assurance on your end that you REALLY did not want to pick the location of your honeymoon, Nanami made a slight offering of an opinion. That being an “adventure train”.

"Oh! That sounds lovely!" You immediately respond. Just grateful he finally said something he could look forward to.

You had no idea what an “adventure train” entailed.

He squinted accusatorily, "Oh, please, I know you're just saying that."

"No, I'm not" you pout, "I love trains...on summer and winter breaks I would ride the train from Tokyo home..."

Chuckling he smirks, "Yes, well, this would be a little different from those trains” he calls your name, “honestly, I would like to hear about you." He settles comfortably into the sofa.

Suddenly confused by this, you start, “Oh... what would you like to know?"

"About you." Hes so matter of fact, "I want to know about the real you. Not....this person you are right now."

You straighten your spine, "What-" you scoff, "What are you talking about?"

He just laughs, it's deep and his chest shutters a bit, "I'm talking about how you just live by what other people want. You haven't told me a single thing that you enjoy since we've been together, which I must admit hasn't been very long-"

"Exactly!” You point at him. Almost stick your tongue out, then think better of it.

"Which hasn't been very long-" he restates, "But really, just last night you couldn't even tell me the kind of food you wanted-"

"Because I really didn't mind! I would have loved anything!"

"Precisely. I want to know-" He leans in close and you almost gasp at the suddenness of it, "What you like." He twists a hair out of your face and grins, "If I asked, I doubt you could answer me your favorite color."

"Well...I-"

He tilts his head and suddenly you feel accused. "You like them all, don't you?"

"There's nothing wrong with that." You smirk.

"No." He finally gives you room, leaning back and examining you now. “No, not at all. But I doubt you have anything you could name me that you would like right now, like for me to do, or say, like to be given, like to-" "I'd like-" You start, "For you to stop with all this nonsense."

"Very good...that's a start, I'm sure you would like that- you little people pleaser."

"I don't think there is anything...wrong with trying to make people happy." You stare firmly. You mean it.

It's strange, just a moment ago, you felt uncomfortable making eye contact, but now, your gazes rival one another.

"Just so long as you're not... making yourself into whatever you think someone wants to see. Just so long as you are being yourself." He hums.

Okay, this wasn't fun anymore.

You lose the fight, looking at your hands instead of those striking eyes. If you were being honest with yourself, you don't even know those things that he spoke of. What you like, what you think, who you really are. Is it so wrong to just try to be... what everyone else wants?

"I'm not lying though..." You look up once more, "I really would rather you just pick what we eat and where we go..."

"I believe you." He's not smiling now, "Really, I do. But what I would like is to learn of what you want."

There's a small flare inside of you that burns iron hot with his pushing this point, you extinguish it, finally saying, "I don't know what I want. I think I just…want what you want." You roll your eyes, shrugging our more. You know he must find you ridiculous.

Nanami purses his lips, the hand that was previously on your hair, is now on your chin. He looks so serious, yet somehow, kind.

"I'll teach you."

Your heart thumps.

It won't work, you think.

What you don't know, is that Nanami Kento is the most persistent and dedicated man to walk the earth and he, unlike you, does not so easily give up.

--

The next morning, while you riffle through the luggage you have packed for your multi-destinational luxury excursion, you recall that moment on the couch when he brushed his hand across your jaw.

He had been so soft. How could a sorcerer, one of his caliber even, have such a gentle hand?

You shudder.

Shaking your head, you zip up your suitcase, run a hand across your goose-bumped arm, and try to focus your energy on things other than your husbands hands, or his laugh, or his voice-

You shut your door to your room a little too harshly.

A form in the kitchen startles at the noise and quickly shuffles to the hallway,

The energy you had so determinedly focused on less appealing thoughts fades to nothing as Nanami makes his way toward you, a mug in hand.

His hair looks tousled in an annoyingly handsome way, he’s dressed casually, but it looks undeniably attractive, his shirt is loose everywhere and when he moves, it outlines his waist.

His waist? God. Get yourself together.

"Are you alright?" Nanami calls your name. His brows are taught and he’s bend towards you slightly.

"What? Yes, yes I'm quite well. I-I've just finished packing, see?" You pull your over-large suitcase in front of you.

"Oh..." He smiles, "Well done. Well, would you?

Huh? “…Would I what?"

"...Like honey…” he lifts the cup he hold in a large hand, “in your tea?"

My tea?

Oh god, you hope he hadn't already asked you that. (He definitely had.)

"Oh! Uhh is there already some in there?" You point to the steaming cup in his hand.

He grins, and it looks unbelievably feline in nature. "No, first you tell me if you like honey in your tea."

You scoff. He was still on about this. "I drink it both ways.” You raise your nose up at him.

He comes in close, suddenly appearing much taller than you remember, "Yes. I know you do. But how do you like it."

You reach for the mug but he doesn't let go, allowing you to grip his hand. "This is just perfect." You grunt, trying to pull the mug from his grasp. It doesn’t budge.

"So you don't mind that I sweetened it?" He looks at you, blond locks flopping into his face.

You grin, "Perfect." Your shoulders roll back, recalling how much you adored when a maid would add sugar to the tea pots back home. "I adore honey."

"Oh, good." He only then tugs his hand from yours, waltzing into the kitchen.

You follow behind in a very “lost pet” sort of fashion. It's only when he pulls a jar of honey from the cabinet and begins to spoon some of the golden nectar out that you realize he has played you.

You gasp. "Auh! You lied!"

He just grins. But you continue, "I like it both ways, really.” You cover your face, “really, a-and you don't have to make this for me, you know, I can do it myself."

He finishes stirring it and holds the mug out, handle facing you. He's leaned on the kitchen counters. He must feel very accomplished now, with that smug look covering his face.

"Don't worry, I'm well aware. Can't I do even this for you?" He gives you a funny smile. "I figured you liked sweets. You seemed to enjoy dessert the other night."

"You are a strangely observant creature Mr. Nanami Kento." You huff, taking the tea outstretched to you and sip.

It's delicious.

He hums, grinning, but you don’t see, "Is that right?"

You look up again and realize he's been watching you drink.

"Yes, you are."

He just chuckles, leaning further back on the counters.

"I was asking about the tea, honey."

He just laughs, leaving the kitchen. You take a deep breath, eyes closed and try to compose yourself. Somewhat peeved because, yes, the tea really was just right.

〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰〰・♡・〰

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[fear-less]

₊˚⊹˚ 𐙚 she ignored my letter!

pairing: james potter x f!reader

➥ In which, James writes you a love letter and hides it into your luggage carrying your clothes, not knowing he put it in a pocket you never open.

Warnings: angst, fluff, james pov, this inspired by awae (aka the best show ever)

a/n: heyyy... i had sm fun writing this, can't wait to write the rest of this bc i literally LOVE anne with an e and this is inspired by it ofc!!!! anyways, im barely writing now..smh, its cause im reading manacled and its literally heart breaking... im also editing on ae and its so hard so im slowly learning😭 but i want to finish this mini series by next week!!

series masterlist ! - divider creds: i-mmaculatus & dollywons

James had liked you for a while now. He wasn’t quite sure when it started—maybe it was the way you laughed at his jokes, always the loudest in the room. Or perhaps it was when he’d catch you staring at him, your gaze lingering just a bit too long, thinking he was too distracted to notice.

With the Christmas holidays fast approaching, James knew he had to make a move. He had to let you know how he felt. If you didn’t feel the same, maybe the time apart over the holiday would make it less awkward. But he couldn’t let another term slip by in silence.

Knowing your love for all things old-fashioned, James decided there was no better way to confess his feelings than through a handwritten letter. It felt personal, genuine—something you’d appreciate. But writing it turned out to be harder than he imagined.

He’d written and discarded at least a dozen drafts, each one crumpled and tossed aside in frustration. Finally, after half an hour of agonizing over the perfect words, he settled on this version. It was short, straightforward, and sincere:

Dear, (Y/N)

I don’t know how to say this without sounding like a complete idiot. I’ve tried a hundred times, and every single attempt has been worse than the last. So here’s the truth—I’m hopelessly in love with you.

You’ve probably guessed I’m not great at being subtle. But what I’ve never been able to say outright is how much you mean to me. The way you laugh, the way your nose scrunches when you’re concentrating—Merlin, you make it impossible to focus on anything else. I want you to know that you’ve made me braver, happier, better. If you don’t feel the same, that’s okay—I just needed to get this off my chest.

Yours, James

He sighed deeply, folding the letter carefully before slipping it into an envelope. Your name was written on the front in his slightly shaky handwriting. Taking a steadying breath, he tucked it into the inside pocket of his robes. He’d leave it somewhere you’d find it tomorrow, just before you both left for the holidays.

As he lay awake that night, James tried to figure out the best way to deliver the letter. Should he hand it to you directly? No, that was too nerve-wracking—he’d probably end up babbling like an idiot. Maybe he could slip it into your bag and avoid the risk of witnessing your reaction.

The morning was crisp, the kind of cold that painted your cheeks red and sent little clouds of breath swirling in the air. On the platform, the train sat waiting, puffing out plumes of steam that mingled with the frosty air. It was alive with the sound of students saying goodbye and dragging their luggage over the cobblestones.

James walked beside you, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He was doing his best to appear casual, though every step he took felt heavier with the weight of the letter in his robe.

“Let me take that for you,” he blurted suddenly, nodding toward your luggage.

You blinked, surprised by the offer, but your lips curved into a warm smile. “Oh, thanks, James. That’s really sweet of you.”

He shrugged, trying to play it cool, but his ears turned a telltale shade of pink at your words. “What kind of bloke would I be if I didn’t help you out?” he mumbled, his voice tinged with nervous humor.

The two of you chatted as you strolled toward the train. You told him about your plans for the holidays—how you were excited to see your family, how your mum always made far too much food, and how you couldn’t wait to decorate the tree. James listened intently, nodding and laughing at all the right moments, even as his mind raced ahead to the task at hand.

Then, his opportunity came.

You turned away for a brief moment, waving at one of your friends across the platform. James acted quickly, pulling the envelope from his pocket and slipping it into the outermost compartment of your bag. His fingers brushed the fabric for only a second, but it felt like an eternity.

His heart was hammering so loudly he was certain it could be heard over the clamor of the platform. He straightened up just as you turned back to him, completely oblivious to what had just transpired.

“Thanks again for carrying that,” you said with a smile, your eyes meeting his.

James gave a small, lopsided grin and shifted your bag on his shoulder. “Anytime,” he replied, his voice steady despite the storm of nerves swirling inside him.

As the train’s whistle blew, signaling it was time to board, James knew there was no turning back now. All he could do was wait—and hope that when you found the letter, you’d read it and understand the words that had taken him so long to say.

It had been days since you’d left for the holidays, and James still hadn’t heard from you. Each passing day only worsened the sinking feeling in his chest.

Did you not feel the same? Did you hate him for ruining the friendship? Or worse, were you so disgusted by his confession that you couldn’t even bear to send him a letter saying so?

By Christmas morning, the knot of worry in James’s stomach had become unbearable. He’d stopped pacing and pretending not to care. He spent the early hours staring at the window, waiting for an owl that seemed as though it would never come.

But then, just as the first rays of sunlight streamed through his frosted window, he saw it—a familiar owl perched outside, clutching a small envelope in its talons. His heart leapt with a desperate flicker of hope. Maybe you’d only just found the letter. Maybe you’d taken your time because you wanted to write something perfect.

James hurried to open the window, shivering as the cold air rushed in. The owl extended its leg, allowing him to untie the letter. “Thanks, mate,” James murmured, absently offering the owl a treat before it flew off into the winter sky.

His fingers trembled as he opened the envelope, eager to see your handwriting. But his heart sank the moment he read the first line.

“Happy Christmas, James!”

No mention of his letter. No response to his confession. Just a short, cheerful note wishing him a wonderful holiday and apologizing for not writing sooner. You explained that things had been hectic at home and promised to catch up with him soon.

James felt his chest tighten, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. The hope he’d been clinging to was slipping through his fingers.

You’d ignored his letter.

You’d chosen to act as though he’d never written it at all, as if he’d never poured his heart out on that piece of parchment.

James scoffed, his grip on the letter tightening. Fine, he thought bitterly. If you were going to pretend his confession didn’t exist, he could do the same.

He shoved the letter onto his desk, glaring at it as if it were the source of his frustration. Deep down, though, he knew the truth: he didn’t want to ignore you. He wanted to write back, to ask if you’d found the letter, to make sure you weren’t upset with him.

But pride was a stubborn thing, and James Potter wasn’t about to let his vulnerability show again—not now.

As the snow fell softly outside his window, James sat in silence, staring at the letter and wondering if he’d made a mistake by ever writing to you in the first place.

When it was time to return to Hogwarts, James made no effort to find you. Normally, he’d scan the platform, pretending it was a coincidence whenever his eyes landed on you. This time, he couldn’t bring himself to look.

He saw you anyway, just briefly—standing near your family, your face lit up with that familiar smile. His heart leaped in his chest, and his legs almost betrayed him, ready to stride over and say something, anything. But he stopped himself.

Instead, James turned sharply, mumbling a quick goodbye to his parents before heading onto the train. He didn’t want to see you—not now.

The walk through the train felt heavier than usual. He knew exactly where his friends would be—the same compartment they’d claimed since their first year—but it felt like an eternity to get there. When he finally slid open the door, the familiar faces of Sirius, Remus, and Peter greeted him.

“Oi, Prongs!” Sirius called cheerfully, but his grin faltered when James slumped onto the seat next to Peter with a loud huff.

James leaned his head back against the wall, closing his eyes. He could feel Sirius’s gaze on him, curious and probing.

“What’s got your wand in a knot?” Sirius asked, unable to resist.

“Don’t.” James’s voice was sharp, firm. It was rare for him to be in a foul mood, let alone snappish.

Sirius raised his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright. I won’t say a word.”

The tension in the compartment was palpable. The train rattled on, and the usual chatter of the four friends was noticeably absent. Sirius kept stealing glances at James, who sat brooding, arms crossed. Peter fidgeted nervously, while Remus flipped through a book, clearly uncomfortable with the silence.

Finally, about an hour into the ride, James broke.

“She ignored my letter.” His voice was low, bitter, but it shattered the quiet like a hex.

The others exchanged looks before Peter spoke hesitantly. “She really ignored it?”

“Yes, Peter,” James snapped, his tone sharp enough to make Peter flinch. Realizing what he’d done, James sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s fine,” Peter mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

“Maybe she didn’t see it,” Remus offered, his tone calm and rational. “What if it got lost in her luggage? Or someone else found it and hid it? Maybe you gave her another piece of parchment? There’s always a chance—”

“Moony, no.” James cut him off, his voice strained. “I double-checked. It was the right letter, in the right spot. And who doesn’t check their trunk full of clothes over the holiday?”

“Maybe she doesn’t,” Sirius said with a shrug, trying to lighten the mood. “You know, women can be unpredictable. Maybe she’s got a secret stash for random letters in her trunk.”

“No, she checks,” James said with certainty. “I’ve slipped plenty of things into her luggage before, and she’s always found them. She just doesn’t fancy me back.” His voice cracked slightly at the end, but he forced a small, bitter smile. “And it’s fine. I’ll get over it. I always do, right?”

The compartment fell silent again, the weight of James’s words sinking in.

Sirius leaned forward, a flicker of frustration in his eyes. “It’s not fine, James. If she didn’t fancy you back, that’s one thing. But ignoring you? That’s—”

“Don’t,” James interrupted quietly, his gaze fixed on the floor. “Don’t make it worse, Padfoot.”

Sirius bit back a retort and leaned back in his seat, muttering under his breath.

The rest of the ride passed more comfortably, but the shadow of James’s disappointment lingered. His friends cracked jokes and told stories, trying to lift his spirits, but even when he laughed, it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Deep down, James wondered if he’d ever stop wishing that you’d read his letter and felt the same way.

Hours later, everyone had gathered in the Great Hall. The enchanted ceiling reflected the dusky evening sky, and the buzz of students catching up after the holiday filled the room. Normally, James would sit with Sirius to his left, you to his right, and Remus and Peter across from him. It was a familiar arrangement, one you’d fallen into without question.

But tonight, James broke the routine.

He subtly nudged Peter into the spot on his right before sitting down, leaving the space where you’d usually sit conspicuously empty.

You walked in a moment later, scanning the Gryffindor table until you spotted your usual group. But when you approached, your steps faltered. Peter sat where you always did, looking apologetic but saying nothing.

Your eyes darted to James, silently questioning him, but he avoided your gaze, his attention fixed stubbornly on his plate.

Confused, you looked to Remus for an explanation. Out of all the Marauders, he was the one you trusted most to give you a straight answer. But Remus only shrugged, his expression carefully neutral, though the twitch at the corner of his mouth hinted at discomfort.

You scoffed, your chest tightening. First, James ignored you all through the holiday, and now he didn’t even want to sit near you? Fine. If he wanted to sulk like a child, you weren’t going to beg for his attention.

Without another word, you turned on your heel and walked further down the table, sliding into a seat beside your other group of friends. You forced yourself to laugh at their jokes and join in their chatter, but your mind kept wandering back to James.

At the Gryffindor table, James’s eyes flicked toward you more often than he’d admit. Every time he saw you laughing with your friends, his stomach twisted.

“Why is she acting like I’m the one in the wrong?” James muttered under his breath, jabbing at a piece of roast potato with his fork.

“Maybe because you’re acting like a prat?” Sirius replied, his tone laced with amusement as he leaned closer.

James shot him a glare.

“Look, Prongs,” Sirius continued, dropping the teasing. “She doesn’t know what’s going on. You didn’t even give her a chance to explain, and now you’re sulking like a first-year who lost his chocolate frog cards.”

“Explain what? She ignored my letter, Padfoot. What’s there to explain?” James hissed, though his tone lacked its usual conviction.

Remus sighed, setting down his goblet. “Did it ever cross your mind that maybe she doesn’t even know what letter you’re talking about?”

James froze, his fork hovering mid-air.

“Just talk to her, mate,” Sirius said, giving James a nudge. “Or don’t. But if you keep this up, you’re only making it worse—for both of you.”

James huffed, slumping back in his seat. The truth was, he didn’t know if he had it in him to face you just yet.

From across the hall, you caught the way James’s shoulders sagged, and for a brief moment, you considered walking over. But pride held you in place. If James wanted to act like this, fine. Two could play that game.

You and James hadn’t spoken in what felt like weeks. The once effortless connection you shared had been replaced with an awkward silence that weighed heavily on you. It wasn’t just James—it felt like the whole group of Marauders had grown distant, their usual antics and inside jokes missing their spark when you were around.

You couldn’t shake the feeling that you’d done something to upset him. But what? You racked your brain for answers, replaying every interaction from the past few months. James had always been one of your closest friends—why was he acting so strange?

Charms class was the hardest part of it all. You always sat beside James, sharing notes, exchanging whispers, and stifling laughs when Professor Flitwick wasn’t looking. Now, you sat in the same spot, the chair next to you glaringly empty.

You tried to focus on the professor’s instructions, but your thoughts were louder than his voice. Scribbling aimlessly in your notebook, you hardly noticed when someone approached your desk.

“Are you alright?”

Startled, you looked up to see a boy with a blue-and-bronze tie standing beside you. His face was vaguely familiar—you’d seen him around in class but had never spoken to him.

“Yeah—yes, I’m fine,” you stammered, blinking in confusion. Why was he talking to you?

He gave a polite, slightly amused smile. “Well, can you move your stuff? I’m sitting here now. We’re partners for the project.”

“Oh!” Heat rose to your cheeks as you hurriedly shoved your books to one side. “Sorry about that. I didn’t realize.”

“No worries,” he said, settling into the chair beside you. “I figured you weren’t paying attention—no offense. But I was, so I’ll explain what Professor Flitwick said.”

You managed a small smile, relieved by his casual tone. “Thanks. That’s… helpful.”

While he began outlining the project details, your focus wavered, glancing at James out of the corner of your eye. He was across the room, seated next to a loud and enthusiastic partner who seemed to be trying desperately to get his attention. But James wasn’t listening.

His gaze was fixed on you.

There was a flicker of something in his expression—jealousy, maybe? Regret? Whatever it was, it made your stomach twist.

You quickly turned your attention back to your new partner, nodding along to his explanation, even if you weren’t entirely listening. You felt James’s eyes on you the entire time, but you refused to look back.

Across the room, James’s jaw clenched. His partner waved a hand in front of his face, snapping him out of his trance.

“Oi, Potter! Are you even listening?”

“Huh? Yeah, sure,” James muttered, though his eyes drifted back to you moments later.

He hated this—seeing someone else sitting beside you, making you smile when that used to be his seat, his job. But he didn’t know how to fix it. The letter. The silence. The way he’d avoided you. It all felt too big now, too messy to undo.

Still, James couldn’t stop watching you, his heart sinking further with every laugh you shared with your new partner.

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[tragedybunny]

A Little More Than a Nibble - Astarion x F!Reader

Astarion wakes you up at camp looking for a late night snack. You both end up with something a little more. (Fluff, Angst)

Yes I'm on the Astarion train. How can you not love him?

This short is set before Astarion's act 2 confession

Something called to you from the dark, stirring you out of sleep. Fragments of the waking world brushed against your consciousness; a dying fire, a far off owl calling, a presence hovering over you. The cold influx of terror lasts only a moment as you realize the presence is not only familiar but expected at this point. “Are you awake darling?” Astarion’s voice exudes the beguiling charm that’s become so familiar to you, familiar enough you’ve started to catch the hint of artifice that lays behind it.

Sleep-heavy eyes drift open to find him kneeling down next to you, red eyes fixed on you. The deep slumber is hard to shake off and your answer is no more than a drowsy whisper. “I am now.”

“Oh apologies my sweet but I was just wondering if…” He lets the words hang for a moment, waiting for your mind to catch up, to finish the implication. Really though it could only be about one of two things since you’re the one in camp that’s been both fucking and feeding him. And with the ungodly hour, you can easily conclude which it is.

“No luck hunting?” He deserves at least a little teasing for waking you like this.

“Actually I was thinking about you and couldn’t get the taste of you off my tongue. Would you mind terribly if I had just a little taste, just a slight nibble?” Perhaps you’ve been too indulgent with him and he’s grown used to getting his way with you, a habit you really should put to an end. If only the mere suggestion of those teeth at your neck didn’t make you quiver with excitement.

Still, it won’t do to placidly let him have his way every time. “You say slight nibble, and I wake up woozy the next morning. I fail to see what I get out of this little arrangement.”

For a moment, you think you see the slightest hint of hurt at your refusal, before he swiftly resumes his flirtatious persona. “Why, you get my gratitude and affection. Both of which are undying, I might remind you.”

It’s not the honeyed words that convince you, it’s the ghost of an emotion, the possibility of vulnerability, that there’s something beneath the mask he shows everyone, even you. Not that you would really refuse, you’re too far gone for that. Life as the daughter of a noble house of Baldur’s Gate primed you for this, to fall for a man so wrong, and dangerous, and not at all anything you should want. Rebellion after years of complicity, years of forced perfection and crafted smiles, of doing everything expected of you. The Illithid ship had given you a terrible burden, but it had also been more freedom than you’d ever known in your life. Freedom that didn’t necessarily come with inbuilt wisdom. Silently, you throw back the covers, beckoning him into the bed roll beside you. With a satisfied smile, he gracefully slides in, body pressed against yours.

The first time you’d let him do this it had been awkward, sloppy almost, a fact explained by the later revelation you were his first. Now familiarity has led to comfort, intimacy of its own sort. Different than just sex, but no less thrilling. An arm around your waist, he buries his head into the crook of your neck, lips brushing up against it in a gentle kiss first that makes you shiver before the bite.

The sharp ice of those teeth piece your skin and drive into the blood flowing in your veins. Then you feel it, the echo of your blood flowing into his veins. It had frightened you the first time but now it sends a wave of bliss through you. An involuntary sigh escapes you and you know if his mouth wasn’t full, he’d be tormenting you for how much you enjoy it. Arms loop around his shoulders, pulling him tighter against you, as though you are begging for more. You are though aren’t you? You can’t get enough of this, of him.

Drifting away, you lose yourself in him, a sweet surrender to an inexorable pull. As promised though, he’s only taken a taste when he lets up, pulling away, and licking any drops from your skin. The control he’s starting to show is impressive, even if it leaves you yearning for the strange connection of his feeding. Knowing that he never lingers after any encounter between the two of you, you unwrap your arms which feel so much heavier now, letting him go. Unexpectedly, he remains, head now resting on your chest, forehead pressed to your cheek. “Not going to eat and run?”

“In such a hurry to be rid of me?” He murmurs, his face hidden so you don’t even have a chance of reading his expression.

You’re not naive, despite what the others might believe. There’s nothing more you expect beyond what already passes between the two of you. Even if you believe you could care for him, he’s not open to you that way. Still, even if the tone is nonchalant, you feel there’s a loneliness behind it he's not quite hiding all the way. “I didn’t say that.” He doesn’t ask directly to stay and you know he won’t, so you pull the covers over the two of you and put your arms back around him and without saying another word.

With a subtle shift, you feel him get near your throat once again before stopping himself. “Perhaps I should go.”

“You don’t have to, I trust you.” Tentatively, you reach a hand up and softly stroke it through his silver hair. First he tenses, and you wait for a reproach for being too tender with him, but none comes. A moment later and you feel the tension release and he relaxes again. Your eyes are heavy, your body desperately craving sleep, but you're afraid there will never be another moment like this, with him so close, and not pushing you away. So you fight to stay conscious, and keep your fingers moving gently as long as he allows it. Sleep comes to claim you again though, and just as the world fades around you, lips brush your collarbone and the arm around your waist holds a little tighter.

The dawn comes, and the camp stirs. When you find the empty space in your bed roll, you tell yourself your heart doesn’t break a little and get ready to get on with your day.

[yulin-pop]

⤷ ✧ 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠

order 86 | one-shot | Kalim | Gender Neutral

❀ NOTE: reader is shorter than Kalim, yk he’s cute or whateva this has been sitting in my drafts for a few months but i sucked it up and tried my best to finish it up

You knew things were a little too perfect when Kalim suddenly pulled you aside from the party. He lead you by the hand to the balcony where you could perfectly see the moon, which was the only thing illuminating you two in that moment. He took a deep breath and took a look at you.

He didn’t have to say anything, you were already flustered just by the atmosphere and you thought to yourself. “This better not be a confession.”

“—what I’m just trying to say is, I like you so… I want to be your boyfriend.”

You gave him an awkward smile and you could see the color in his face drain as you explain. “Can you give me some time to think about this..?”

Now you’re avoiding Kalim by any means necessary. Something must be wrong with you doing THAT to him. You don’t know who to go to about this for advice and as a result you dump it on the first person you see.

The next morning you see Deuce, he spots you as you approach and waves. You stomp over and grip his shoulders.

“Ohmyseven! LastnightKalimconfessedtomeandIwasjustsoshockedItoldhimIneedtimetothinkaboutitanditlookedlikehewasgonnacryIfeelsobadrightnowwhatdoido?!?” You blubbered out.

He pushed you off of him. “Slow down I can’t understand if you’re in hysterics?!”

He calmed you down enough to get a proper explanation of the events of last night and he was left with an impression.

“I feel bad but I don’t know what to say. It’s true I did need time but I can’t believe I just left him like that.” You had your hands on your head and pushed your forehead against the wooden desk.

Deuce pats your shoulder, “It’s okay you just need to tell him how you feel. But I’m not too sure about leaving him hanging like that but what happened, happened so…”

Ace leaned back into his chair and glanced over, “How do you feel about him?” Ace asks the hardest question.

“I have no idea.”

-

At the end of basketball practice you approach everyone with a water bottle. As you walk over to Jamil, he shakes his head.

“I don’t need water, thank you though.” He signaled to his water bottle sitting on the bench next to him.

You smile and lean in, using the towel around his neck to wipe off some sweat on his face. He cracked a small smile at you in response.

“Where are you headed after this?” You asked him.

He shrugged, “Back to Scarabia to help prepare dinner. Are you coming?”

“Ah… I’ll pass today.” You knew if Kalim saw you he would give you puppy dog eyes and pull you aside and ask for your response. Which you didn’t quite have yet. “I have too much homework.”

He blinked a few times and cranked his head your way. “Are you serious? You come everyday.”

At the very least you told him you’d walk him to the mirror room as an apology for breaking your dinner streak.

“Did I tell you I bombed an essay?”

“No, I thought you were a good student.”

“I am a good student! It’s just Mr. Trein.”

“You can rewrite it at least.”

“Yeah, speaking of which, can you read it over? I just wanna know what I did wrong.”

You turned your phone on and pulled the document up, Jamil’s taller figure leaning into you to read it as you two kept walking.

“I can’t read it, your hand is too shaky.” He put his hand over yours to steady the phone as you two walked.

You two walked in silence, reading over the essay. Jamil, in his peripheral vision, spotted a light pole you were going to walk into. With his free hand he pulled you by the waist closer to move you away from the pole. You exclaimed in surprise and turned to face Jamil after noticing the pole.

“You need to pay attention to your surroundings.” He scolded but you lightheartedly laughed.

“Jamil!” Someone called out with attitude, their voice you could never forget. You pushed Jamil off of you and faced his way.

“Kalim, you finished your practice late?”

“Yeah, we were learning a new song and lost track of time…”

You smiled at Jamil and backed away with a small wave you left without nothing but a glance to Kalim.

You had a lot to think about tonight, and a lot to talk about to Grim. You got home and immediately collapsed on the sofa where Grim half way asleep.

“Have you been napping since school finished?” You asked him.

“I was so tired…”

“I saw Kalim just now.” Grim glanced over, “I think he saw me and Jamil really close.”

He clicked his tongue, “I didn’t know you had a thing for Jamil.” He said in a surprised tone.

“That’s the thing, I don’t!!” You cried while grabbing him. “I love Kalim…”

“Okay then why don’t you accept his confession?!” Grim raised his voice and swung his paw at you.

“Kalim… as much as I love him I didn’t think it’d ever be reciprocated so I gave up on him. Now I don’t know what to do.” You confessed to him while resting your head down against the couch cushion.

You had been moping and whining about the predicament you put yourself into and you’ve more or less been saying the same things just different wording all day whenever you had the chance.

“I think what you should do is pretty obvious.” He says back to you. Your eyes flutter shut and you hum, questioning him for more.

“Just talk to him and tell him that.”

You fall silent for a minute and he assumes you’re just taking in all the information until he hears a small snore.

“Not here! Get changed first— or at least go to bed!”

You woke up early the next morning and laid there, thinking about the whole thing. He’s been waiting for over a day and you haven’t said a word to him since. Does Jamil know? Did Kalim question Jamil? Will Ace tell Jamil? Did he lose feelings now? Is he crying because of it?

Your worrying made your stomach hurt, realizing you hadn’t eaten dinner since you wanted to avoid Kalim. At least there were leftovers from a few nights ago.

You warmed up some lobster Kabsa, a bowl for you and a bowl for Grim. You had over an hour so you knew you could take your time with your meal. You sat down with him and poked your spoon into the bowl.

You two just sat in silence for a bit.

“I want milk.” He stood up and waltzed over to the fridge and got a cup. Once he returned he saw tears filling your eyes. Your eyes watered, once you blinked they all spilled out.

“Did you burn your tongue or something?!” He ran over to you in concern but you whined mid bite of your food.

“Kalim… We made this together last week…” You said with your mouth half full of rice, then swallowed your bite. All the good memories and times that made you fall for him replayed in your head. Every touch and every minute spent alone together hurt like a migraine to think about, given your sobbing.“What do I say to him?!”Grim put his paw on your hand with a sigh full of sympathy as you sobbed out.

-

“I did everything perfect. I mean it was dark, the moon was bright, and I held their hand.” Kalim stared down at his drum set. His two club members had their attention fully turned to their lovesick band mate.

Cater nodded his head empathetically, “How long has it been? Two days?”

“31 hours.” He sulked.

“Maybe it isn’t about what you did do, but what you didn’t do.” Lilia nodded his head along. “If you could redo your confession, what would you change?”

“I wouldn’t even do it if I’m just going to be ignored like this. And yesterday on my way home, I saw MC and Jamil and they were… Jamil had his arm around them and it looked like they were holding hands…”

The two of them audibly gasped in disbelief.

“How could they?!”

“This is messy.”

Cater and Lilia comforted him as he slouched over onto his drums.

“What should I do?” He asked them and the two looked at each other then back at him.

“Well…” Cater started then stopped, looking to Lilia for reassurance. “I don’t think they want you. Considering their response and how they acted with Jamil…”

“You should ask directly since you need to hear it yourself before giving up.” Lilia quickly silenced his negativity.

He went silent and slumped over again. “I miss MC, I miss saying good morning and having them over for dinner. I miss making dinner with them. Even after all this I still want to talk to them every day..”

-

“Thank you so much for rewriting my essay. I didn’t realize how much I actually had to fix.” You put down your pencil and Jamil nodded.

He was good at helping out during the study sessions, many other students also sat down with you guys and asked for help on their homework.

You noticed how tired he seemed, not that he needed to sleep but just of helping out with several different history, math, science, and language assignments.

You noticed the new necklace he was wearing was bothering him, he adjusted and constantly scratched around his neck.

“Damn necklace…” He cursed at it.

You smile, “Do you want me to get it off for you?”

“That’d be good, I couldn’t get it off myself so I gave up.”

You leaned into him and reached for the clip of his necklace to take it off for him. “Oh it’s one of these clips… give me a minute.”

You back faced the entry way and once Kalim walked out the mirror he rested his eyes on you. Then he saw Jamil.

Like last time, his heart hurt. As you pulled away from him, you smiled at straight at Jamil.

“Ah, Kalim you’re back late ag…ain?” Jamil paused as he walked up to you but he didn’t even look at him. With a surprised yelp, Kalim pulled you by the arm and tugged you away from him.

“We’ll be back.” He said firmly before pulling you out the room.

His hand held on to your wrist, he wasn’t forceful but he wouldn’t let you pull away, once it was in a quiet part of Scarabia away from the main livjng area, he let go of you but pushed you close to the wall. You weren’t sure what to say to him.

“Kalim—“

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me right now.” He admitted as he turned around with his hand covering his face. “What I said at the balcony, I meant it and I still do. But I see you and Jamil so…”

You objected his comment about Jamil but he gave you an empathetic stare.

“I don’t know why but I only want you to look at me… When you look at Jamil, I just want to take you away.” His face went pink while he confessed. He stepped forward and you stepped away into the wall. “Sorry there is something wrong with me. I can’t stop you from being with someone you love.”

You were always loyal to the crush you had on him, there was no other guy you felt so strongly about.

“I missed you, I didn’t talk to you because I was nervous but I regret it. Ive always known what I wanted but when I had an opportunity I ruined it.” You confessed to him, “I never thought I actually had a chance with you.”

Now your face was pink, you trailed off slowly and turned to face him again.

“Y-you’re giving me mixed signals what does any of that mean.”

“Don’t make me say it.” You shook your head.

“No, you have to say it.” He stubbornly said back.

When you unconsciously fiddled with your fingers and put them behind your back, he suddenly grabbed them and squeezed your wrists.

“Can you just tell me how you feel?” With how things were you were forced to look at him.

You opened your mouth to speak, looking around before settling your eyes back on him. He blinked for a brief moment but when he opened his eyes you were closer, way closer.

You went up in your tippy toes and pulled him into your lips. You didn’t realize how good it was, if you knew you would’ve done it sooner. It didn’t last as long as you imagined before Kalim pushed away and backed up into the other wall.

He covered his mouth with the back of his hand, his face was brighter than the red feathers in his turban and eyes wider than the distance between you two.

You clenched your fists and walked up to him. “Now you’re running away from me!”

“Because you kissed me so suddenly!” He pointed his finger at you defensively.

You two bickered for a moment before returning back to the topic. “Now I don’t have to say it, right?” You looked up at him still flustered.

He crossed his arms, “I want to hear you say it.”

Damn even now he’s still stubborn about it!

You scoffed and cleared your throat while looking to the side. “Kalim, I like you too…”

The two of you got butterflies in your stomached, too nervous and confused to make the next move.

“I—“

“Kali—“

“Go ahead.”

“No you go.”

You stared at each other intently, remaining silent again.

“Is it okay if I kiss you?” He stepped in closer again with his hands resting on your shoulders, moving up to cup your cheeks.

You didn’t give yourself a chance to reply, neither did he, your lips meeting together in unison.

[bambisnc]

     . . . ILLUMINATE

° ˖ ➴ or, new year's eve kisses w riize!

### . STARRING ⌢ OT7 ⋆ fluff. crack. + 0.8k // kissing + drinking mention ˖ ✧

🗨️ .. ⌞ XOXO ⌝ happy 2025 to those who celebrate !!! wasnt ab to write for riize ong. but idk its ab to be 1 year of this acc and they're the group i started out writing for so i couldn't not + also these're my FAV ot7 pics ever btw + [m.list]

౨ৎ ˖ 大崎将太郎 — ❪ OSAKI SHOTARO ❫  

“ planning to kiss at midnight but not being able to because there's Too Much Happening so ending up kissing after everything's over in the early hours of the morning ”

imagine the two of you being the hosts of a party and it being extremely .. chaotic, to say the least. i'm talking some random person screaming, someone tripping and falling down, someone just. drunk outta their mind the second midnight strikes 😀 ... leaving you to sort the Many, many conflicts occurring by yourselves. you and taro would find yourself alone with each other only at like maybe 5 am the next day and he'd be the absolute sweetest ever; would kiss your forehead softly, and thank you for being "so, so perfect f'me" as the soft morning light streams in. even if the moment wouldn't be picture perfect you wouldn't really want it any other way <3

          ⋅ ˚ ଳ ₊ ‧ others utc

౨ৎ ˖ 송은석 — ❪ SONG EUNSEOK ❫  

“ pretending to be a couple at a new year's eve party and kissing to drive home the point ”

you can pry fake dating w eunseok out of my cold dead hands. anyway. the setting can vary; it could be childhood friend!seok dating you to avoid awkward and way too intrusive questions from relatives you haven't even seen for like 10 years, or academic rival!seok and you dating at some official/academic party to idk flex on haters? etc. but the ending would mostly be along the lines of someone trying to flirt w you/him bc they don't really think you two of all people could Actually be dating so you end up kissing on impulse (and lowkey bc of peer pressure) but the kiss kinda ends up .. lasting way too long for it to just be fake? :/

౨ৎ ˖ 정성찬 — ❪ JUNG SUNGCHAN ❫  

“ partner yapping and making a scene (for example if they're like drunk out of their mind) right before midnight and you having to kiss them to shut them up ”

what do i even say man .. there's always gonna be this one guy who talks just a tad bit too much and lowkey causes a scene >.< the only difference is that this time it'll just so happen to be your cutie patootie bf. honestly he might just lowkey be playing it up for your attention which obviously you don't mind giving him <3 and when you inevitably end up cupping his face in your hands and softly pressing your lips against his, he'll only smile and be more than willing to shut up for you because well .. it's you!

౨ৎ ˖ 박원빈 — ❪ PARK WONBIN ❫  

“ them pulling off a whole entire gesture flawlessly and kissing you as their grand finale ”

let us go back down for a minute to our (my) roots straight into one of the Most disney things i can think of. performing in public to confess feelings/love to the person you like <3 imagine wonbin performing a whole ahh song and dedicating it to you at a party he organized (which is also mainly only for you) because why would he be lowkey when he can be grand n dramatic about it? of course if you're not comfortable he wouldn't like Announce it to everyone and draw unwanted attention to you 😭😭 but still let you know via means of his subtle gestures <3 and obviously you kiss him when he, (slightly out of breath), w all the earnestness of the world asks if "you liked it my love?"

౨ৎ ˖ 홍승한 — ❪ HONG SEUNGHAN ❫  

“ classic fireworks kiss ”

he deserves the softest fluffiest trope for sure. i see him kinda dragging you away from the other people at whatever get together/gathering you're at to take you to a quieter spot, a balcony perhaps or just a nice window with a good view of earlier mentioned fireworks. would tell you how much he loves you (probably even give u a littol gift,, for example, matching rings ...) and kiss you right after. it'd happen right as the fireworks set off and if someone was to take a picture it would literally top charts on uh pinterest idk? you get what i mean - it'd be perfect.

౨ৎ ˖ 이소희 — ❪ LEE SOHEE ❫  

“ kissing as a soft launch ”

bbg deserves the fluffiest trope x2 i feel like it wouldn't just be an impulsive thing; you both would have a rough, basic idea of wanting some way to show off each other <3 and what better time to do that than with the start of the new year? so right after the countdown, when midnight strikes, you'd kiss. and at first people wouldn't even really pay attention but then someone would be like "wait a minute......." and you guys would kinda just chill there holding hands, lowkey giggling. menaces, really; but at least you guys are cute ...

౨ৎ ˖ 이찬영 — ❪ LEE CHANYOUNG ❫  

“ who're you kissing at midnight? trope ”

yk the whole wanting to kiss your partner who you're dating in secret but still not wanting your relationship to be out in the open so you end up pulling some strings and (nicely) manipulating your friends to kiss e/o platonically so you can pass off you and your partner's kiss as just part of that (courtesy to popular sitcom friends s5, ep11). i'm thinking a little kiss on the cheek, and looking at e/o lovingly (.. sappy much ...) and none of your friends/family/whoever being any wiser because it's just a platonic thing right? :D if anyone was to look Closely though, your jig would be over SO fast trust .. >.<

𐙚 . regulars : @x0llaz @nicholasluvbot ⋆

  [@bambisnc] 2k24

[chrisgotitall]

omg imagine like the very first time mike confesses his love to reader, long before you became a couple.

they are best friends and know each other since the filming of challengers. josh calls her in the middle of the night not knowing what to do ‘cause apparently they went out together, mike is drunk as hell and he keeps babbling about how he wants to go to her house right now. so josh suggests that he should drive him over at her place because he’s a mess. she agrees because he’s her friend of course. josh helps her put him under the shower and then he leaves. she showers him with cold water so he can sober up and he just accidentally blurts out that he is and has been madly in love with her.

she’s obviously in love with him too but assumes he’s not gonna remember any of this in the morning. so she just tucks him in her couch and let’s him sleep it off.

he actually remembers what he said the next day and they kind of address their feelings towards eachother and establish their relationship!

“I know but he’s gonna come to your place either way, by foot maybe and he’s not in the condition to walk at all” Josh says on the phone, trying to convince you into making Mike come over at your place.

“Fine, come over” you say, sighing.

Mike was apparently drunk and wanted to come to your place for some reason. You tried to say no cause it’s late and honestly it was your first free night in weeks.

You see the lights of Josh’s car so you go by the door and open it leaning against it while you see him walking behind Mike, who doesn’t look good at all.

“What’s going on?” you ask.

Mike sees you, “Hi”, he says.

“I don’t know… he’s kept telling me he wanted to come here since his third drink” Josh says, “I have to go tho… I got work tomorrow, is it okay if he crashes here?”

“Yeah, sure, go” you say. Of course Mike is your friend, it’s the least you can do.

You let him in.

“On the couch, come on” you guide him to your couch and he crashes onto it.

“What did you drink?” you ask him.

“First it was just gin tonics… that I got in with the shots… tequila” he says. He sounds awful. He has his head on the rester, eyes closed. You go get him a glass of water to begin washing down the alcohol.

“Here, drink something nice” you hand him the glass.

“Tequila was nice,” he says. Even if he’s drunk like this he always finds his way through a cheeky joke.

“You should take a very cold shower now, since you’re apparently crashing here” you offer, “Can you walk to the bathroom?”

“I guess” he gets up but noticing he isn’t stable on his feet you decide to walk him there.

You turn around so that he can undress himself and get in the shower but that turns out useless because when you turn again you remember your shower box is in clear glass so you can see everything. You try to look anywhere else but you also have to be there so that he doesn’t hurt himself in some way. So it gets a little awkward. You bring him a towel and hand it to him when he’s done.

He sits on the toilet with wet hair and only a towel around his waist. You look at him and almost laugh at his condition, he’s not usually the type to end up like this after a night out, he’s pretty decent in his ways.

You give him the largest baggy clothes you have but needless to say they look tight on him anyway, especially the sweatpants.

You prepare him the couch for the night, trying to make it as comfortable as possible. He sits on the couch and you sit next to him.

Then he puts his head on your legs and closes his eyes. You start caressing his hair.

“I’m so in love with you” he says.

That makes you freeze for a second. You try not to make it evident by still caressing his hair.

He then drifts off to sleep so that ends there. You try to put his head on the pillow and get up without waking him.

You get to your bedroom thinking about what he said. He didn’t mean it. It was just a way to say thank you. Sure, it was just that.

The morning after you wake up and prepare breakfast for the both of you. When he wakes up you decide to pretend he said nothing mostly because you were hoping he didn’t remember anything and for a moment it really seemed like he didn’t remember anything from last night.

He approaches you from behind and puts a hand on the counter.

“I meant what I said last night”

You freeze just like you did just a few hours prior. You refuse to look at him but you continue to clean up the kitchen counter even if there’s nothing to clean.

“Mike…” you start.

“I am in love with you” he simply says.

You turn towards him, “I got it and I’m not gonna pretend I don’t feel anything either, but-” you stop. And you can’t continue.

“But what?” he asks.

“What about our friendship?”

“It will just turn into something greater… We’ll always be friends either way” he says.

“What about our working schedules? They’re crazy, we’ll never f-”

“Now you’re just inventing things” he says, “Tell me you don’t feel anything and I’ll drop it”

You can’t tell him you don’t feel anything, you can’t lie to him. So instead, you just pull him into a kiss.

"Is that enough of a confirmation?" you say.

"I guess" he says and reconnects his lips with yours.

[clarisse0o]

Camp Wiegman-Part 15

Lucy Bronze x Ona Batlle

Alternative Universe : Military School

Words: 6k

Masterlist

———————————————————————

Monday, November 9; 6:05 AM - Ona and Alexia's Room

I'm making my bed while Alexia is changing. We've gotten into the habit of taking turns to be quicker. We only have fifteen minutes, after all.

"How was your weekend, anyway? You didn't complain much about being alone, which is surprising."

I smile, remembering what I did. It's no wonder I didn't complain. What a weekend I had! I'd love to share it with her, but Bronze would kill me if I did. She took me to a skate park on Saturday afternoon. I taught her how to skate. We came to the topic while chatting at McDonald's. She confessed she always wanted to learn but never had the chance. So, we went there, and I taught her the basics. It was funny to watch, even though I must admit she did really well for her first time. It was a pleasure to go out with her. It was a great day. I could never thank her enough for what she allowed me to do. I straighten up once I finish the bed.

"Because it was cool. Bronze stayed, so she kept me company," I say as we switch places.

"What's with that big bruise?" she asks, pointing at my thigh with wide eyes.

I look up, surprised to see her at the door. I've gotten used to leaving the door open while getting ready so we can talk. I didn't expect her to invade my privacy. It's the first time she's done that. My cheeks heat up, finding myself in just my underwear in front of her. I quickly pull up my pants that I was about to put on to cover my bare skin. She doesn't seem to notice my discomfort. I'm very modest. It already took a lot for me to let Bronze help me in the shower. Being seen in shorts is one thing, but definitely not in my underwear.

"Oh, um... I hit the corner of the desk."

"The corner of the desk?" she laughs. "Did you see how big it is?"

I shrug, swallowing a smile. I would have preferred she didn't see it to avoid such questions. Thanks, Bronze, for this awkward moment. Besides, it hurts like hell! I haven't stopped changing positions during the last two nights to keep my thigh from touching the mattress.

"It's okay, I'm putting ointment on it. It's already starting to go away."

"Why are you wearing your sports outfit? Did Bronze punish you again?"

"No. I just want to run after breakfast."

"What?" she laughs. "You, run? Where's the real Ona Batlle?" she asks, pretending to look for me around us.

"Shut up!" I laugh. "I just feel like it."

"My God! Where's the Ona who wanted to leave on the first day?"

"Still here!"

I put away my mascara, and we leave the bathroom. We exchange a knowing smile as we get into position. It's right when Bronze walks into the room. She scans the room before stopping in front of me, frowning. Alexia snickers next to me.

"Where's your uniform?" she asks me.

"Miss decided to take up jogging in the morning," Alexia giggles. "You really trained her well!"

"Shut up, Putellas!" I retort sharply.

"Language, Ona!"

I roll my eyes. She'll never change her attitude towards me. Always annoying for such little things. I glance at Alexia, who surprised me by addressing my supervisor. She usually tries to avoid her.

"No, seriously," Alexia continues. "Do you beat her to make her do this? She's got a huge bruise on her thigh! I doubt a piece of furniture could do that."

Bronze turns to me, raising an eyebrow. She must understand what she's talking about. She gives me a silly smile before turning to Alexia, crossing her arms.

"Oh really? How big?"

"At least this big!" Alexia gestures a circle on her own thigh with her hands.

"It must hurt a lot."

The bitch! She's mocking me! She must see my change in attitude because she gets serious and ends the conversation.

"Okay, you can go eat. We'll see each other later. Oh, and Ona," she calls as I head towards the door. "I run after lunch too, if you'd like some company," she offers.

"Alright, I guess."

We exchange a smile before I leave with Alexia. It doesn't take long for her to burst into laughter.

"Oh, damn! You should've seen your face!"

"Stop. It's not funny."

"Oh, yes it is!"

She puts her arm around my shoulders to keep from falling over, laughing so hard. I shake my head, looking up, exasperated by her behavior. I still let her contagious laughter get to me.

"You're really a lost cause, Putellas!"

"No more than you. We make a good pair!"

In high spirits, we head to the cafeteria. The meal goes as usual, except that I leave earlier. I don't know why, but I felt motivated today. I want to take care of myself, and besides, I discovered through Bronze's punishments that running helps clear my head. So, with my earphones and phone in my pocket, I head to the football field. Bronze wasn't lying about running. She's already there. Maybe she does this every morning. I used to wish she could be in my place during my punishments, but I regret it bitterly now. It's clear she has no endurance issues. She has a pace I'll never match. I approach her to join her. She stops with a slightly labored breath. Good God, it's nothing compared to mine. I can compare myself to an ox next to her.

"What got into you to want to run in the morning?"

"I don't know," I shrug. "I just felt like it," I say, taking my phone out of my pocket.

"Uh-uh. You know it's forbidden outside your room. Put it away if you don't want me to confiscate it."

"How about a little exception...?" I try.

"No. The rules remain the same."

I sigh, putting it back in my pocket. Oh well. At least I tried. I wouldn't want her to confiscate it since I use it every day.

"Well, are we going or are you chickening out?"

"Go ahead, I can't keep up with your pace."

"I intended to match yours. Come on, let's go!"

I start running without complaining. Here we go for my first jogging session. Bronze matches my pace, running alongside me. She even stops when I can't keep going.

"I'm slowing you down," I say between breaths.

"I run almost every day, Ona. One day like this won't change anything."

"You're really crazy!"

"In the meantime, I can run for ten minutes without stopping," she mocks.

"Tsss."

I much prefer the supportive supervisor over the one who mocks me. I catch my breath before straightening up.

"By the way, how's your bruise?"

"Oh, well I'm using your ointment."

"How did Alexia see it? It's pretty high on your thigh, isn't it?"

"Yeah. We were talking, and she came to the door when she was ready. I'm used to leaving the door open, so..." I shrug.

"Oh, I see," she smiles. "I thought you didn't like being seen in that position."

"I do, but she caught me off guard."

"Hmm," she smiles. "Alright, let's do one more lap, then we'll stop. You'll be late for class otherwise."

I nod, and we resume our run. Once this lap is done, we each head back to our rooms. I take a quick shower before putting on my uniform. I was quite fast, surprisingly. I still hurry to the school buildings when I see the time. I'm on the verge of being late. I take advantage of the empty halls, with no instructors around, to run. I reach my hallway just as I see my classroom door closing. Damn... There's a 99% chance I won't be let in. I still knock on the door.

"Miss Batlle, what a surprise," my teacher says sarcastically.

"Sorry for being late."

"Go apologize to the instructors. I'm not allowed to let you in."

I sigh heavily. Same story as always. I'm getting fed up. I feel like I'm the only one treated this way.

"Just admit you don't want to," I grumble. "It would be easier to let me in than to send me away!"

"Batlle!"

Oh no... Just what I needed. I look behind me, where Bronze is coming down the hall. I bite my lip, watching her approach. I haven't seen her like this in a long time. She has every right to be angry. I just raised my voice in the hall. At my teacher, no less. If there's one thing she can't stand, it's when I don't listen or disrespect the educators. He didn't respect me either, but I doubt she'll care about that. She reaches us and looks at us both in turn.

"What happened this time?"

"Late, as usual," my teacher explains. "You should teach her to be on time."

"But damn! You just closed the door!" I burst out, gesturing wildly. "You haven't even started your lesson yet! Would it really kill you to let me in?"

"Batlle!" my supervisor shouts.

"No, but Bronze, seriously!" I say, turning to her. "He's had a problem with me from the start!"

"Apologize."

"Excuse me!?" I ask, stunned.

"I've told you before not to speak to an educator like that. Now apologize."

I look at her for a moment. Her words were firm. She won't let me go until it happens because she hates it when I act like this. I feel like a defiant child, as she says. She crosses her arms impatiently. It's a lot to ask. I'm not sure I can do it. But I know she'll get mad if I don't. Deciding to be better is tough. I roll my eyes, turning to my teacher.

"Please excuse my behavior," I concede.

My teacher doesn't hide his surprise. He certainly didn't expect me to do it. If someone else had asked, I wouldn't have. He ignores me and looks at Bronze behind me.

"Well, you have quite an influence on her. You're the only one. »

"The least you could do is accept my apologies," I grumbled.

"Ona, that's enough."

"What? It's true!"

"Enough, I said!"

I averted my eyes from hers, which were very cold, not forgetting to mumble. After more than a month, I still felt impressed by her. I crossed my arms, not caring if anyone saw me pouting like a child. It was certain that I wouldn't listen to my teacher. If Bronze had any influence over me, it was only because she took the time to understand me.

"Fine, I'll take her with me."

I sighed as I heard her. I was going to be punished again and miss two hours of class. I wanted to get my weekend pass, but it was ruined from the first day.

"And to answer you, sir, it's called mutual respect. You should try it; it works quite well when it's reciprocal. It starts with accepting the apologies of a young girl who put her pride aside to offer them to you."

I was speechless. I wasn't the only one, it seemed. I never imagined she would defend me in such circumstances. My teacher barely nodded.

"Hopefully, it won't happen again. Thank you for taking her with you."

I bitterly laughed and turned around without waiting for Bronze. I knew the way to her office. I preferred to get ahead to calm down before saying things I would regret. At least I was glad she managed to shut that poor idiot up with just a few sentences. I still couldn't believe Bronze had taken my side. No one had done that for a long time. After all, I was the one who always caused trouble.

"Old coot, what a jerk," I muttered under my breath. "He won't get away with this."

"Ona," Bronze called out to me.

I stopped when I felt a pressure on my arm. I turned around to face my supervisor who had caught up with me.

"What?" I snapped. "I promise I was on time! He closed the door just as I arrived in the hallway. He hadn't even started his class yet; he could have let me in! But no, as usual, he greeted me with one of his inappropriate remarks and didn't even acknowledge my apologies. I was being nice, I'm really trying, but how can I manage when they all despise me and talk to me like that? I feel like the worst student! It's no wonder I get upset after that!"

"Calm down, will you?"

I caught my breath after this long monologue. I had vented easily again. I felt lighter after talking but also uncomfortable when I met her stern gaze. I couldn't blame her. I knew she had no choice but to take me with her. I just couldn't stand being disrespected anymore. I was tired of being put down everywhere despite my efforts.

"I really wanted to have a clean week so I could go home this weekend," I admitted, lowering my head. "It's already ruined because of that jerk teacher."

"Watch your language!" she reprimanded me. "You really need to stop talking like that. If you had let me get a word in instead of getting angry, I could have negotiated your entrance. But your behavior left me no choice but to take you with me."

"Sorry, it was too much for me," I sighed. "He really annoyed me. They always annoy me by reacting like that. It's like they think I'm worthless!"

"He's close to retirement, Ona," she chuckled. "It's normal for him to be strict about the rules. They have orders not to accept students after the door is closed. I know you're not worthless. You've proven that to me, and now it's your turn to prove it to them. You won't do that by playing their game."

I crossed my arms and puffed out my cheeks. I was sad that she was right. Others' opinions mattered to me. I had acted like an idiot. I had really wanted to surprise Joan by coming home this weekend. I wanted to make up for my last return, which had penalized him. I walked by her side as she resumed walking. She patted my shoulder amicably.

"There's no point in sulking. You'll think twice before acting next time. Now I need to find something for you to do for the next two hours."

I smiled slightly. It felt like she knew my schedule by heart. Well, it's not very complicated given the number of hours I've missed to spend time with her.

"If you stay out of trouble for the rest of the week, I'll support your efforts so you can go out this weekend. That way, I can also have my weekend."

"Oh, thank you... By the way, are you okay?"

"Am I okay? Yes, why?"

"No, I mean... Regarding the recent event in your life... You know..."

I tried to make her understand without saying it. I knew she didn't like talking about private matters in public places. You never know who might be around. If someone knew I was aware of her romantic situation, it wouldn't be good. She frowned before understanding.

"Oh! Oh yes, don't worry. In fact, I don't really have time to think about it with you and the other students," she admitted to me. "It's like it didn't even happen. I'll think about it during my first free weekend. I'm supposed to return her things that she left at my place."

"I thought you were living together."

"No, not at all, and she doesn't have the keys to my apartment either."

"Why? You must be old enough to live with someone, right?"

"Well, my job doesn't allow me to be home much. She asked me to move in with her, but I didn't want to. I prefer having a place of my own to go to after leaving here rather than always going to my girlfriend's place on weekends."

"I understand."

"Well, we have two hours to chat while going through my files. We have some organizing to do, so let's get to it."

I sighed at her motivation. Well, I couldn't complain because she was really lenient with her punishment. I could have been doing laps around the field instead of going to her office. She must still be behind schedule because of my detox, otherwise, she wouldn't be working on a Saturday morning.

"Hey, Luce."

"Don't call me that here," she scolded me with a stern look. "And Luce, seriously? Only my close friends call me that."

"Sorry," I giggled. "I thought it sounded nice. I just wanted to say thank you."

She simply smiled. It's not like me to thank people, so I was glad she didn't make one of her joking remarks. I wanted her to know I was grateful. After all, I owed her a lot. We arrived at her office, which was empty for once. It was very rare. It was even the first time I hadn't seen Ingrid here. Bronze let me settle into my place while she turned on the lights and opened the shutters.

"Ingrid's not here?"

"No, she has the day off," she replied, turning around. "Get up; you’re not going to sit for two hours," she said, pointing to the storage cabinets.

"I like Ingrid," I commented as I stood up. "She's quite nice, unlike you."

"If you prefer, I can have you scrub the toilets. Then you'll understand what being mean really is."

I giggled, not expecting such a reaction. It seemed my little joke didn't please her. But her reaction was worth it.

"Oh, don't take it like that, Bronze. I was joking! You're very nice, and you're my favorite instructor. I'm lucky to have you all to myself."

"Stop sucking up."

"It's not sucking up; it's the simple truth."

"Hmm," she replied, handing me a binder. "Get to work, Batlle."

"So, the last name is back?"

"Shut up and organize."

"Wow, I really upset the commander."

I stopped when I realized she wasn't playing anymore. She left me to manage while she turned on her computer. Well, it seemed I would be the only one doing the organizing. I grumbled as I got to work. I didn't mean to be mean. I hoped she didn't take it the wrong way. She only gave me attention after half an hour.

"Do you have plans this weekend for wanting to go home?"

"Sorry?"

"You said earlier that you wanted a clean week to get your weekend pass."

"Oh, not really. I want to make my sister happy as she's waiting for me patiently, and it's also for you."

"For me?" she asked, perplexed.

"Yes. With everything you've done for me, I want to show you that I can behave well. And you deserve a weekend after being here for two weeks because of me."

"I don't mind being here with you. You make me forget my disastrous life. Being stuck here means I don't have time to think about it."

"Your life is far from as disastrous as mine," I chuckled. "A breakup shouldn't put you in such a state. Personally, I'm already dreading the confrontation with my mother."

I turned around when I got no response. I found her staring at me without really showing any emotion. I started thinking about our conversation the other night, at the climbing wall. Maybe I judged her too quickly. She must also have her past and her reasons for not wanting to get attached to people. We might not be so different after all.

"You'll manage to get over your fear of attachment when you find the right person," I said.

"And you’re saying that? You're in the same situation as me, and I know you don't mean a word of it."

"Me? It's true that I don't mean a word of it," I chuckled. "I preferred drowning in drugs to escape at the time."

"That's not very smart."

« It allowed me to forget. Plus, it’s pretty cool to get high."

"I find it stupid. Drugs don't make life better. They just trap you in a world you think is happiness."

I wondered how we always ended up talking about one of my taboo subjects. I had just come out of detox. All my recent questions started haunting me again. I still didn't know how I ended up like this. I raised my head when I heard her chuckle. She stared straight into my eyes, unsettling me even more than I already was.

"You're such a coward, Batlle. As soon as someone mentions something that touches you deeply, you run away."

"Yes, I'm a coward! So what?" I snapped.

"Nothing, I just wanted to hear you say it."

She smiled in amusement. I didn't need her to add to my frustration. I hated talking about topics that hit close to home. It's not hard to understand, right?! She got up and walked towards me. I ignored her and went back to work. I was surprised to feel her hands on my shoulders.

"Relax, Ona," she said softly. "I just want you to understand that I don't want you to touch drugs again. You deserve much better than wallowing in your past. »Here is the English translation of the provided text:

"What do you know about it?" I replied, lowering my head to my feet. "You don't know what I've been through or what drove me to do it. Besides, I just came out of another withdrawal."

"Withdrawal that isn't your fault. I know it mustn't be easy for you. I'm not asking you to talk about it, but I want you to know that I'm here if you ever want to confide."

"What do you know about it not being my fault? I don't even know it myself! I don't remember anything from that night!" I shouted, angry at myself.

"Who says it wasn't me? Who says I won't relapse one day?!"

I blurt out the questions that deeply distress me. I have tears in my eyes. I'm so afraid of the answers. Even though I feel like I can resist, everything was called into question the moment I found myself in that bathroom with that elastic around my arm. I don't know if I'm to blame, and it scares me. I realize I'm sobbing only when Bronze's arm wraps around my shoulders. She pulls me closer, pressing me against her chest.

"Shh, calm down. Why didn't you tell me about this earlier? You can't doubt yourself like that. If you don't have confidence in yourself, know that I have confidence in you. You won't relapse, I guarantee it."

"You shouldn't," I said between sniffles. "The others are right about me. I'm just a worthless nobody."

"Hey, I forbid you to say that. Turn around and look at me."

I shook my head. There was no way I was letting her see me like this. She sighed and came around herself. She took my binder from my hands and put it back in its place. I closed my eyes as she wiped my tears away with her thumbs.

"I don't understand how a girl like you can undervalue herself so much."

I shrugged, not knowing what to say. I felt ashamed for breaking down like that in front of Bronze. She surprised me by pulling me into her arms. I clung desperately to her T-shirt, letting myself lean against her shoulder. I would have preferred to hide my true nature from her, but it's no longer possible to show her the strong girl that I'm not.

"Alright, Ona, let's make a deal, just between us."

I pulled back slightly after recovering from my emotions. How could she talk about a deal in such a situation? She smiled gently and wiped my eyes again with her thumbs.

"If you come back here even once in withdrawal, I promise you that I will forbid you from leaving the school. No more permissions, no more outings with classes, nothing. You can say goodbye to your little sister and your best friend until the end of the year. Am I clear?"

I blinked several times. Was she threatening me? I was in shock. Of course, she was threatening me. She's not known for having pity.

"I told you," she continued. "I trust you. If I'm making this deal, it's so you can prove to yourself that you can do it and prove to me that I'm not wrong. Anyway, if you come back in that state, I'll make you regret it so you'll learn the lesson once and for all."

"Okay... It's a deal. No more drugs..."

She held out her hand to finalize our deal, as we always did. I stared at it for a long time before shaking it without much conviction. I had no choice but to accept. I didn't understand why she was so determined to help me. I'm not worth it. She trusts me. It's up to me not to disappoint her. With everything she's doing for me, I don't have the right. I promised myself to change, and this is a big part of it.

"Give me a pile, I'll help you finish."

I swallowed my tears and weakly smiled at her, handing her my stack of papers. I grabbed a new one for myself. This girl really wants to change me. She only wants what's best for me. It's up to me to put in the effort and succeed.

Monday, November 9; 9:30 PM - Ona and Alexia's Room

It's the first time we're ending the evening in our room, and that's not a bad thing. I'm lying on my bed while Ale is on hers. The others are in the common room playing foosball. We didn't feel like joining, so we decided to come up after dinner.

"And this morning with Bronze? We haven't talked about it since. Was she very angry about your behavior this morning?"

I knew the subject of Bronze hadn't come up yet today. They always ask me for a debrief of my day with her when something happens. It's surprising she didn't ask earlier. Besides, she witnessed the scene, unlike the others. The story didn't spread too much this time because the boys weren't informed in advance for once.

"No, it's fine... We... We talked for a long time," I said hesitantly.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah."

"About what?"

"About how I feel like the teachers despise me and how it infuriates me every time. She told me to behave in a way that would change their minds."

"She didn't get angry?"

"No, not really. She was understanding. I just had to do some tidying up, that's all. She makes me do that all the time lately. I think I'm helping her catch up on what she missed because of my week of withdrawal."

"It seems like she's calmer with you compared to the beginning."

"Hum, I don't know. I'm calmer too."

"That's true."

I smiled, thinking back to the beginning. I've come a long way in a month. Never in my life would I have imagined crying or talking about such a taboo subject with Bronze. I feel like she's the only one who cares about me.

"I'm afraid I won't get permission to go out this weekend because of this morning," I confided.

"There's a good chance, given that Wiegman didn't like your behavior last week."

"Bronze said she would help me get out if I don't break any more rules. I hope she succeeds... I would like to go out..."

"Really? Surprising!"

"Yeah... I'm glad. It would do me good."

"It looks like it's not just you who's changing," she laughed.

"What do you mean?" I frowned.

"Bronze is changing too since you arrived. She would never have done that before! I feel like there's a strong bond forming between you two. I'm sure she really cares about you deep down, and it seems mutual."

"It's just that she's starting to figure me out. She knows where to hit to make me react and to hurt me too. It bothers me sometimes, but it's very effective."

"It's good if she's helping you. The most important thing is that it's effective. That's why we're here, after all," she shrugged. "You seem to have a lot of respect for her now, and that's good."

Oh yes, I do have a lot of respect for her. No one has ever stood up to me the way she does. Just for that, I take my hat off to her. She's also the only one who trusts me, as she has repeatedly told me. That means a lot to me. It makes me happy that at least one person on earth believes in me.

"So you're going home this weekend?" she changed the subject.

"I hope so... It would be great for my brother. I heard he's taken over my role at home," I laughed, shaking my head. "I was the one causing trouble, and now it's him because of my departure, which he probably can't stand."

"Seriously?" she laughed. "Mini Batlle is rebelling. He needs to be careful not to end up here later!"

"He's only six," I laughed. "He has time to get a grip."

"Only six?! I thought he was older! How come there's such an age gap?"

"He's just my half-brother. He's adorable. I feel guilty that he's becoming like this because of me. That's why I want to go home more often."

"Aww! But he must be so cute then! Don't you have a picture?"

"I should have one," I laughed.

I took my phone out of my drawer. I've become very independent of it since I got here. I don't really need it because I keep myself busy in other ways. I saw some messages from Mapi, but I ignored them. I'll reply later. In the meantime, I searched through my photos. I didn't have many, and most were with Joan or Mapi. I had done a massive cleanup before coming here. Alexia sat on my bed. I showed her several photos. There was one where Joan was on my back. Several photos scrolled by until we came across one where Mapi was with us on my bed. I took the opportunity to tell her that Mapi was my ex since she didn't know yet. She admitted that I had very good taste in girls.If Mapi knew, she'd brag about it. She kept commenting on each photo, making me laugh with most of her remarks.

"Who would have thought you had such a big heart for a little six-year-old boy."

"Hey, I'm not made of stone either!" I retorted. "But I admit he's undoubtedly my weakness."

"It shows in the photos. He looks adorable."

"I'll introduce him to you someday."

"That'll be tough, but I'm glad you imply that we'll stay in touch."

"Of course we'll stay in touch," I said, smiling.

This comment seemed to please her more than I had imagined. We talked a bit more about our classes before taking turns showering. We just managed to be ready for bed by curfew. It's become a routine now. I can finally close my eyes after this action-packed and emotional day.

4

[lewkwoodnco]

Hii I wanted to request Anthony Lockwood×fem!reader with Invisible string, where they're neighbours for years, and used to play together as children. When Lucy joins the agency, she becomes friends with the reader, so the reader starts to be more around their house. Then Anthony starts interacting with her more, and they become friends, but Anthony realises his falling for her, so he starts to become awkward and shy around her she notices it and confronts him about it, then he confesses.

Invisible String - Lockwood x Reader

A/N: fluffy fluffy, though there is like the baaarest hint of angst which is kind of brief as long as you dont dwell on it too long + most of it gets resolved hehe and its made up for in the happy happy ending! yay!! personally i imagine the song she's humming at the piano to be invisible string heheh wc 5.4k

Lucy is waiting by their garden gate impatiently. They weren't running late for their job, but it was chilly out and she wanted to get in a cab before it got much colder. Lockwood walks out soon enough, holding a letter, but he walks to the fence rather than the gate. Over the fence, there's a girl pulling on her gloves as she walks towards her own gate, but Lockwood waves her over.

"What's this? Another lawsuit?"

"Not for me, at least. Our mail got mixed up again."

"Ah. Thanks."

They talk about their week for a while. Lucy watches Lockwood's polished exterior melt as his body language becomes more casual and fluid. The girl pockets the letter and the two of them look at each other for a while. He lamely gestures to her outfit.

"You look nice. Going on a date?"

"Yeah, with this guy in my pottery class."

"That sounds nice. Have fun."

"Thanks. You stay safe."

"I'll try."

Lucy walks over, looking at Lockwood meaningfully while he stiffens reflexively. "Who's your friend?"

"We're just neighbours." The girl smiles pleasantly, but Lucy doesn't miss the way he carefully watches her. They introduce themselves to each other. They chat a little, and Lucy picks up on her good-natured teasing of Lockwood appreciatively.

"So you must have known Lockwood for a while now, right?"

"Try ever since I was born. Our parents got on so well that we used to have dinner together every other day. And that was excluding brunch on the weekends. Trust me, I've had enough playdates with him to last a lifetime."

"Lockwood! You've never mentioned her, not even once."

"Well, to be fair, that was all years ago. We've been a little busy for the, um, last decade or so." There's a silence.

"Oh, there was that summer..."

"Yeah."

"Hmm."

"That had been nice."

An uncomfortable prickling accompanies the silence this time. She finishes fiddling with her gloves and looks ready to walk away, but Lucy recognises the suppressed look in Lockwood's eyes and tries to salvage the situation.

"You should come over sometime. We're doing some spring cleaning tomorrow, if you want to join."

"Luce. Let's not burden Y/N with chores."

"No, no, that sounds nice. I'd love to help. Though Lockwood never struck me as the spring-cleaning type."

"He's being coerced. We're holding his favourite rapier hostage."

Her lips twitch as she slices the envelope open. "Well, I wouldn't want to keep you from your job. Be careful. Mum sends her love." She says the last part more to Lockwood, who smiles with a warmth Lucy had seen little of. He watches her walk out, skimming the letter, and it isn't until George joins them that he looks away.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Their case is so exhausting and Holly piles so much work on him the next morning that he forgets that she's coming over. It isn't even until the afternoon that he realises she's there at all, when looking for someone to help him rip the stitches off some old curtains. He walks into one of the spare rooms, calling out for George, but he stops short when he sees an unfamiliar figure standing on the bed, peeling posters off the wall. She glances behind and he suddenly remembers the events of last evening.

"Oh - Y/N. Hello. Have you seen the others lately?"

"Lucy went out to get another scraper and I think George went down to the Archives. Holly just left for the post office."

"Oh. I see. Er, do you need help?" She turns around from the poster she was steadily peeling off, dropping it into the pile with satisfaction.

"Nope, that was last of them. Anything I can help you with?"

He hesitates, and she picks up on it.

"Lockwood, I don't have anything to do until Lucy comes home anyway. I don't mind, really."

He relents and she agrees to help immediately, poising to step off the bed. She pauses before making the step, looking at the floor nervously.

"...need help getting down?"

"No. Just...give me a minute." She tries to hold onto the bed's headboard but still suffers from some internal struggle in stepping down. The image triggers a decade-old dormant memory in him, of the time she had slipped from the picnic tabletop in her garden and twisted her ankle. Instinctively, he holds out a hand, which she grabs thankfully and is down so quick he doesn't even realise until she pulls her hand away. The feel of her fully-grown hand in his is a jarring yank back to the present.

"Still so afraid of heights?"

She shudders. "My ankle still twinges if I so much as think of making a small leap. Now, where are those curtains?"

They decide to occupy the couch in the living room, and it's a bit of a tight squeeze with the piles of linens towering around them, but they manage.

"So you take the seam ripper, like so," Lockwood fumbles with the comically small seam ripper but somehow slots it under a tiny stitch, "and you rip the seam. Just like that."

She rips the stitch on her curtain with greater efficiency than him. He looks mildly startled. She glances at the pile of curtains next to her, and then the one next to Lockwood.

"Looks like I'll be done with my pile first."

There's a pause as Lockwood processes her words and the glimmer of competition in her eyes, and then they both leap into action, tugging down yards and yards of fabric, painstakingly unravelling the seams stitch by stitch. It doesn't take long for them to start playing dirty. She tries to block Lockwood's vision by flapping the dusty curtains at him and he tries to slow her down by holding her curtains down. But by the time the rest return, they're too engrossed to sabotage each other so that Lucy finds them sitting in some weird contorted manner, ripping seams feverishly.

"I was only gone two hours! Both of you've done all that?"

She tries to shush Lucy, already feeling herself slow down as she tries to free up enough mental capacity to answer. She feels rather than hears Lockwood giggle in delight as he picks up his pace. Lucy shakes her head, walking out to the kitchen.

"Find me when you're done, I'm having tea." She groans, heavily enticed by the suggestion of biscuits and sweet tea after an afternoon of stringing her fingers to bits.

"Wait, wait, truce please, I want tea."

Lockwood reluctantly lets up, stretching under the sea of curtains around them. They part ways for the evening, taking breaks or helping out with other smaller projects, but they reconvene after dinner, though with significantly less fervour.

An hour or two past midnight, once his neck had started to ache too much, he looks over at Y/N, and realises she's fast asleep. He moves to shake her awake, but she looks so peaceful and alarmingly similar to the little girl he remembered her as that it gives him pause. Lockwood wasn't one for sentimental doting, but it felt nice to have a piece of his long-forgotten childhood in his home again, safe and warm.

He makes a quiet phone call to her parents before fetching a blanket for her. That night, the childhood memories he falls asleep to are warm and happy.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lucy wakes up from her nap in a delightfully warm haze. The house is quiet, likely because of everyone staying up late the previous night. She shuffles to the kitchen, but pauses when she hears a curious sound echoing in the hallway. She blearily follows it to the living room, where she sees Y/N and Lockwood sitting opposite each other at the coffee table, playing poker. She seemed to be trying her best to stop giggling, yet failing, while Lockwood berated her.

"Your poker face sucks, Y/N. I know more about your cards than I do mine."

She shakes with silent laughter, covering her face with her cards ashamedly as Lockwood joins in with the laughing. It's a weirdly surreal sight to see. Everntually, Lockwood's eye drifts and he spots Lucy standing in the doorway.

"Luce. Have a good nap?" Lucy grumbles some incoherent reply, pulling a biscuit out of the biscuit tin. She sits down and watches them shriek at each other (Lockwood was right, her poker face was downright terrible) as they finish the game, and Lucy can't help but smile over the idiots.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Where's Y/N?"

The first words out of Lockwood's mouth the next morning were arguably his most poorly-chosen yet, especially without any buffer from the relentless mocking of Lucy and George. One of them alone was bad enough, but with both of them joining forces, it made for a very weary breakfast.

"Cool it, she's my friend. Get your own."

"Then what does that make us, if not friends?"

"Neighbours." Lucy smiles innocently as Lockwood throws a dish towel at her.

The rest of breakfast passes up uneventfully, which makes the incident the first thing out of Lucy's mouth as soon as she steps through the door.

"Morning!"

"Lockwood missed you at breakfast this morning."

"Did not."

Between Lucy's smirk and Lockwood sullenly hiding in the shadowed hallway, she wasn't sure what to start with.

"Did too, he so wanted you to be there."

Lucy turns to Lockwood, daring him to contradict her. Holly steps out of the kitchen, straightening her pinafore, but doesn't pick up on the tension so she just smiles. His eyes dart between the three of them and some part of his body decides that panic is the best reaction of choice.

"DEPRAC wants to steal my papers," he says as some odd form of explanation, before disappearing into his room. Lucy snorts while Holly and her share a puzzled look.

"I think he's talking about our case report."

Whatever it was, it was being tucked away into his coat when she ran into him at the front door about ten minutes later. His smile is part grimace.

"Sorry about earlier." He stops talking, but looks like he wants to say more, so she patiently hovers. "About breakfast - I just feel bad for doing all this free labour, breakfast is the least I could offer-"

"Don't sweat it, I'm fine."

"Well, I'd feel a lot better if you popped by for a bun every now and then."

Her lips twitch. "Maybe I will."

There's a concerned look in his eye and his gaze that lasts a little too long to be comfortable, and it reminds her of the last time he looked at her like that. It had been near the tail end of the summer a few years back, late at night. She had been crying something awful on her front porch after a certain Noah Lewis had dumped her, and he was neighbourly enough to play a good samaritan in talking her through it.

It had started with a lot of unrestrained swearing and dragging of Noah Lewis' name through the mud as soon as she walked through the front gate, the kind that made her father peer out the window in alarm and then disappear back into the house. After a good quarter of an hour of this, her rage faded along with her energy, and she ended up crying embarrassingly on Lockwood's shoulder. "That's it," she had sobbed into his soft, forest green sweater that smelled like clean cotton. "I'm done with dating. It's the single life for me from now on." What flimsy grip she had managed over her emotions started to slip once more, as she burst into a new set of wails.

"Oh God, I'm going to die alone!" Lockwood rubbed comforting circles on her back as she clutched him tighter.

Looking back, she understood the smile on his face a little better, though a part of her still wanted to stay peeved at him for laughing at her misery. At least he had the decency to cold-shoulder Noah when he came around a few days later.

The memory occupies the back of her mind for the rest of the day, and it's still there when Lockwood returns. She doesn't realise it, but it makes her soften around him, though not noticeably so. By then, they've cleared up enough of the house to uncover the piano tucked away in the basement. Holly had spent the afternoon lovingly tuning it and polishing it up, but no one else seemed much interested in it.

After dinner, she sees Lockwood sitting at the piano, watching the keys as if he's too afraid to touch them. She joins him at the bench, taking in the sight of the glossy keys she could barely hear being played from her room when she was a child. Maybe that's what she's thinking about when she asks him to play something for her, and he obliges.

He plays a short piece that isn't extremely elaborate by any means, but it's beautiful and makes her want to rest her head on his shoulder. When he finishes, there's a short silence, and she tells him it was beautiful. She feels him smile against her head. Her fingers meander over the keys and she plays the occasional note as she hums some tune tucked away in the recesses of her mind. He picks up on it after a while, playing a more complete accompaniment to her stilted humming. She tilts her head where it rests on his shoulder to look at his face, and his hand slips on the note. She wishes to stay there forever.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Hey." The last one was from Lucy, and it earned her a reproving glare and there was this silent yet intense communication between the girls. It's the next day, and now they've started on the library, sifting through the masses of newspapers dating well back into the past century. Lockwood had just returned from helping George at the archives (all the dust and cleaning was making his allergies act up so he wasn't at peak performance, as much as hated to admit it). She finally looks away from Lucy with the air of washing her hands of her, looking up at a forgotten Lockwood.

"Your coat collar's turned up."

"He does that to look cool. And because you're here. Dunno if you've noticed, Lockwood, but the coat hanger's by the door."

"Ha-ha. I'm leaving for Satchell's soon. Just...wanted to see how you were getting on."

"Wanted to see how Y/N was getting on."

"No, no." But his voice is a little too high-pitched to be fully convincing, and Lucy bursts out laughing, and his annoyance evaporates his nervousness. "Just making sure you haven't bullied her to tears, Luce."

"I've been such an angel."

She traces the outline of Lockwood's coat with her gaze fondly. "I remember the morning you bought it." She leans conspiratorially towards Lucy. "Preened in front of me for a good ten minutes, shifting his weight around to look cool. He only stopped when he heard my dad coming out to get the paper."

"That's awfully patient of you. George and I just try to suffocate him when he gets too unbearable."

"Are - are you hearing this? Admission of assault."

'Oh hush, you big baby."

She smiles as she watches them bicker. Lockwood clutches his chest with an exaggeratedly injured look, and their eyes briefly meet. He looks away first.

"What can I say? When you're stuck with this...peacock of a neighbour, you're bound to be forced into being an adoring audience on more than one occasion. Comes in and disrupts my peaceful mornings."

"Someone had to appreciate it, and you're always up at the crack of dawn."

"So are you, but you don't sleep so it doesn't count."

Lockwood lets out an uncharacteristic bark of laughter. Lucy's eyes look like they're about to fall out of her head.

"Sue me for wanting to share first thing I bought with my hard-earned money with someone."

She chokes on her breath, barely holding herself back from a fit of giggles. Lucy looks as though Christmas had come early.

"Lockwood had a job? Like, a proper one?"

"Well, I don't know if I'd call it a job so much as a cosplay of being working class. But yes, he manned a frozen yogurt cart in the park a few summers back. First and last time i've seen him willingly sit out in the sun."

"Oh, please, at least I didn't spend my days making eyes at Noah Lewis."

She shrugs in mock ignorance in a way that Lockwood can't help but match her smile. For a while the only sounds that could be heard were of the girls shifting through the newspaper with inky fingertips, until Lockwood finally gets up to leave for the client meeting.

It's an uneventful trip and consultation, but looks promising enough in terms of commission. It's tedious enough to make him peckish for a mid-morning snack. When he returns, he walks into the kitchen to sneak a biscuit and finds her fiddling near the stove.

"Oh, hi. Lucy and I wanted some tea but I'm not quite sure I know how your kettle works..."

He fiddles with the plug a little, twisting the wire in ways that make her concerned for his safety, but eventually they hear the kettle hum cheerfully, and they silently wait for the water to boil. She fidgets, trying to make small talk.

"How's George's room coming along?"

"I told him to pick out his favourite biohazards. The rest would have to go."

The kettle starts to crackle louder now. She eyes it apprehensively but Lockwood doesn't seem to even register it.

"House looks...pretty much the same."

"Yeah."

"I like it."

"Thank you. But I'm glad we're doing this. The spring cleaning, I mean. Sometimes I wonder if it's too crowded."

"I like it. I think it's crowded with life."

He gives her a soft smile and when he looks at her, he's not as quick to look away as before. But then he remembers her outing last evening and carefully broaches the subject. After all, it had been a while since they talked about things like this, and she was by no means obligated to, but he tried.

"How was your...date?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes. It was alright. He's a nice guy. Patient. Down-to-earth Unlike someone I could mention."

Her teasing smile is back, and Lockwood feels as though a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. His features contract into a familiar melodramatic expression.

"I'm sorry I disrupted so many peaceful mornings."

A smile slides back onto his face as she scoffs and gives him a shove. "Very funny. You were plenty insufferable before your friends came along. You're lucky I wasn't as creative as them."

"Mm, so grateful."

More silence. "They seem nice, George and Lucy. I see why you spend so much time with them."

And not so much with me, she wanted to add, but she didn't want to cause unnecessary strife, so she just focused on keeping her tone light. But Lockwood still picked up on the subtle edge of bitternes.

"I thought you...moved on to other things in life. You don't stop to chat by the fence much anymore."

"You got so busy with your agency business. I didn't want to impose."

She glances at Lockwood's genuinely puzzled expression, his lips barely parted as she saw the cogs turning in his head, trying to reconcile the idea of their chats being an imposition. She feels awkward in a way she's never felt with him, even when it was just the fence in between the two of them. They went from close, to distant, to kind of close again for that one summer they were 16, and now...now she wasn't sure.

"I'm sorry I made you feel that way. I...I didn't mean to."

"Yeah, well...you can say hi more often. Or bye. If you wanted to." It was stupid; she knew she was being childish but she couldn't help it. Something still smarted inside of her when she saw the three of them traipsing off most nights, something she didn't quite understand.

"I always want to."

"Lockwood? You better not be withholding tea."

They get startled by Lucy's voice and take a step back. Lockwood fumbles as he pulls off the top of the cottage-shaped container, scooping out piles of teabags. "Look, plenty of tea. All the tea. Please don't tell Lucy."

She shakes her head, bemused, pouring water into their mugs just as Lucy walks in, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at Lockwood. Luckily, she gets distracted quickly enough and starts dumping sugar into her mug. She watches Lucy for a while until Lockwood fold his jacket over his arm, brushing her shoulder as he walks past.

"Hm?"

He stops by the door to the kitchen, a familiar easy smile on his face. He looks like home.

"Bye."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Why do you call him Lockwood? Surely you knew him when he was 'Anthony,' or - or was it 'Big A'? Please tell me it was 'Big A.'"

She had started to become a regular visitor at the breakfast table, which meant more time for Lucy to spend interrogating her on everything and anything about Lockwood. Even George had joined in briefly; it was too good of an opportunity to pass up for an enigma like Lockwood. All the while, he anxiously flitted around, on guard to brush off anything too incriminating.

He carries the kettle away, mildly peeved. "I think that's enough tea for you, Luce." Lucy makes a face behind his back and the girls share a muffled laugh.

"Oh, he hasn't been Anthony for ages." She smiles briefly, but gives Lucy's hand an intentional squeeze, her eyes asking Lucy to not press it. She doesn't realise how Lockwood has suddenly become much more interested in the paper only because she too is avoiding eye contact.

She remembers it like it was yesterday. Her parents had done their best to help Lockwood, but there was only so much they could legally do (not that it stopped her mother from sniffing disapprovingly at every inept social worker that walked up the garden path). It had been after Jessica's funeral, and for once they were both on the same side of the fence: sitting on the steps to the porch. He was wearing a suit that was a bit too big for him, not unlike his daily attire now, and the smell of burnt rubber hung in the air.

"I don't think I want to be Anthony anymore."

It was a decision that never confused her, not even for a minute. Anyone would have needed a reconstruction of identity after going through such traumatic experiences at an age as young as his. Adjusting to the change had been surprisingly smooth too; he didn't look much like Anthony after that day either. But it was bone-deep agony to watch time drip by, like lazy honey, and only being able to hope that he was getting happier.

Lucy picks up on the hint and starts asking George about the rooms they need to tackle today. Meanwhile, she walks past the kitchen window, nearly bumping into Lockwood. They breathe a reflexive apology and laugh lightly. Her eyes land on the angry red cut on his forehead.

"How's the-?"

"Oh, it's fine. Just a scrape. I've had worse."

"Aw, you poor baby."

Lockwood laughs weakly as she gently tugs at the skin near the cut, which at least seemed to be better than the previous night. When looks away she notices the pink tinge to the tips of his ears. She frowns at the slightly ajar window, closing it firmly. There still was a chill in the air from the frost that hadn't completely melted away yet.

True to his word, Lockwood comes home with a broken wrist a few days later. George is rather miffed and Lockwood insists that he's making it sound worse than it actually was, but that doesn't stop her from wincing when George claims he heard the snap of his bone from the floor below. Despite Lucy's insistence that he had survived much worse, she can't help but fret over him a little.

"I can pour my soup myself, you know."

"Yes, yes, you're a big strong man who needs no help. Now go sit down, I'll bring your toast." It might have been more convincing if she hadn't been absent-mindedly muttering, or even without the pat on his head, but he still took his seat at the table, not entirely unhappy. George had managed to wrestle him into his bed in the afternoon and his body finally succumbed to the beckoning of sleep, making him sleep through dinner. It was just the two of them in the kitchen, one anxiously watching the other sip their soup.

"Really, you didn't need to do this. It's no trouble on my wrist."

"Lockwood, the doctor said not to put any pressure on it. It is, by definition, trouble on your wrist."

He sighs, frowning at how she worries her bottom lip. "You're not...doing this out of guilt, or something, are you?"

She opens her mouth to deny it, to say how preposterous such a suggestion is, but her protests die on her lips. She takes a shaky breath.

"I was thinking about the days after...you know. How exhausted and lonely you must have been. How I didn't care enough to visit you more, to even cross that fence, unless it was to come running to you with my own silly problems."

"Y/N," he looks like he wants to smile but is trying not to for the benefit of the situation, and it rubs salt in her wound. "Of course you cared. You were just a kid, acting like kids do."

"I yelled at you about Noah when I was 16. 16."

"And I appreciated it. You gave me something more normal to be mad about. You made me feel like a teenager again." He reaches out and covers her hand with his uninjured one. "And I don't ever want you feeling like any of your problems is too tiny or insignificant to bother me with. I'm your neighbour, what else am I good for?"

She gives him a watery smile, feeling the tension that had been bunching around her temples all afternoon start to dissolve. He always knew just what to say, the ointment to every wound and scratch. He made it easier to live, easier to breathe.

"Wait, where's Lockwood?"

"Going down to Arif's."

"With a broken wrist?"

"He still has his left hand!" Lucy calls after her, but she's too busy scrambling for a pair of mittens and hurrying to the front door. Luckily, she catches him just as he's about to head out, and a smile cracks open on his face when he sees her.

"Everything alright?"

"You forgot your mittens."

He eyes the patterned woollens in her hands. "Y/N. I haven't worn mittens since I was...six, maybe."

"Obviously, since that's about how long they've been collecting dust in your old coat - which, by the way, is in no shape for the Salvation Army. You didn't set it on fire, did you?"

"Look, when it comes to fires, I may have an affinity for them but not necessa-"

"Fine. Just wear the mittens."

"I'll only be a minute! What's the worst that could happen?"

"Oh, yes, because a cold is exactly what you need on top of a snapped wrist and cut." She holds the mittens out expectantly, and he reluctantly takes them. They spend a few awkward minutes trying to figure out how to get them on without his cast getting in the way, and Lockwood nearly drops them when he gets startled by the brush of her fingertips on his palm, until she decisively puts them on his hands herself. When she looks up, his ears are tinged red again, as well as his nose.

"See, you're already getting cold. Are you sure I can't go to Arif's for you?"

They hear a scoff from behind, and turn to see George watching them. She looks at him questioningly but he ambles past her to the kitchen, muttering words under his breath she couldn't quite understand. Lockwood takes advantage of the pause in her fussing and steps out before she can continue protesting, but the sight of the mittens securely pulled over his fingers gives her some relief.

George turns his snigger into a poorly concealed cough.

"What now?"

"If you keep kissing his scrapes better, he'll throw himself off a cliff one of these days."

"George." Lucy admonishes him while she tries to settle the awkard swooping sensation in her chest.

"It's true and you know it."

Lucy nods awkwardly at her. "I mean...he's got a point."

When she thinks about it, it makes her feel funny in a way she can't deicide.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that evening, she's sitting on her porch, brooding, when Lockwood leans over the fence.

"Home so soon?"

"Thought I'd come here for some quiet thinking."

He nods affably, his flyaway hair gleaming in the setting sun. "You left your cards in the living room."

"Come on over," she says unexpectedly, possessed by a sudden desire to be close to him. It surprises her as much as him, but as she watches him walk out of his own gate, and strangely walk into her gate, the foreign sight reassures her with a distant sense of familiarity. She had been on so many crazy misadventures, but they all led her back to the same place: in his arms. Maybe the universe had grown hoarse from yelling at her to open her eyes to what was right in front of her.

He sits down next to her and hands her the cards. She looks at the quiet face of Anthony hiding inside the sallow face in front of hers, and marvels at how the same time that put her through hell as a child had somewhat healed his wounds. She puts them to the side and links her fingers in his, resting her head on his shoulder as their breath misted in the chill.

"Remember that summer at the yogurt shop?" She feels him relax against her as he hums in agreement. "You looked so fresh in your teal shirt."

"I wondered what you were doing, sitting under that tree all day. Was it really just to watch Noah all day?"

She shrugs. "Maybe. It was a weird sort of year. I had this restlessness in me...this desire to sit outside in the world and wait for things to start happening to me. For someone to find me and for my life to begin." She shifts, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. "Speaking of Noah...did you know he got married last year?"

"Someone wanted to marry Noah Lewis?"

"You say things like that as if I wasn't ready to have his children just two years ago."

"To be fair, you weren't the brightest two years ago."

"Anyway, they're expecting a child. Him and his wife. I even sent him a baby shower gift."

"A gift? What, TNT?"

She laughs into his shoulder, and she can feel him metaphorically swelling with pride. And when she stops laughing, there is nothing to distract her from the dull ache in her heart, the string that tugged at it as it desperately reached for Lockwood's. Lockwood, who invigorated her spirit and quelled her anxieties, who was the balmy breeze on a warm summer evening, who smelt of a pleasantly sharp soap. She stumbled and fell a million times with all the wrong people in all the wrong places, but now she felt as though she were being reeled home by the invisible string that permanently and irrevocably tied her to him.

She looks up at the sky, a thousand different shades of blue, purple and pink. The temperature continues to drop, but with Lockwood's arm wrapped around her after a particularly vicious gust of wind, she feels warm enough. She murmurs into his neck and feels the hair at the back of his neck stand against her lips.

"Isn't it just so pretty to think...all along there was some invisible string," she inhales, "tying you...to…me."

[car-sounds]

Your Heartfelt Confession

Solomon x (GN)reader

1499 words

Summary: You misunderstand Solomon's intentions after a confession, and Asmo helps settle the issue.

Hurt/comfort

“Solomon, I love you.”

The two of you have been dating for a while, even so this was the first time either of you have said ‘I love you’ out loud before. 

You’ve known that was how you felt about Solomon for quite some time but the warmth of snuggling up against Solomon and the shimmer of the moonlight peeking through his blinds made you feel like this was the right moment.

He feels the same right?

The silence he’s giving you says otherwise.

He moves slightly away from you and remains silent. Your not sure what to do, leave?, apologise?, try and talk out the situation?, you want to do one of those but your body feels frozen in place and your lips unable to get a word out for fear of not being able to keep the tears welling up in your eyes from falling once you start talking.

Both of you just sit in silence while you're still awake, luckily you feel your eyelids start to get heavy so you can escape the tense awkwardness you started, at least for a little bit.

—

You slowly blick yourself awake. Still inside Solomon’s bed just alone. You still have to get to RAD so you get ready with the things you brought with you for staying over.

Simeon is already up “Good morning, MC.”

“Good morning. Is Solomon still here?.”

“No, he told me he needed to leave early. You were already planning to eat with us, right?. Breakfast will be done in a minute.”

“Oh, ok. Thanks.”

Him not being with you in the morning is certainly not a good sign. At this point you're already mourning your relationship.

You try to put on your best smile to try and keep the others from worrying, maybe if you focus on smiling wide enough you won’t have any time to think about how the man you have fallen head over heels in love with doesn’t feel the same. 

There is no way Simeon and Luke can’t see your upset, they’re angels after all. But even if they weren't, your emotions are extremely obvious right now. Trying to maintain a conversation without bursting into tears is proving difficult right now, the angels tried to ask what was bothering you but after a while of your obvious lies of ‘everythings alright’ and ‘Don’t worry it’s nothing’ they gave up hoping that giving you your time would help with things.

First class of the day happens to be with Solomon, your brain is fighting with itself attempting to decide what’s worse, him attending or not attending class. Pushing down your worries and stepping into the classroom you keep telling yourself.

‘Whatever happens, happens.’

Scanning the classroom you spot him, sitting in the spot next to yours like always. 

He’s already starting to approach you “How’s my adorable apprentice and lovely partner doing?” ending that sentence with a kiss on the cheek.

Every part of that greeting confused you,

I know last night wasn't a dream, it happened you’re sure it did.

“...”

“Sorry, darling. I had a few things that came up this morning and I didn’t want to wake you up to say goodbye. Hope you’re okay with that.”

“...”

“Are you still feeling a bit tired this morning?” 

Class was about to start and Solomon went ahead and dragged you to your seats.

All you could think was ‘What is happening!’ 

You know what happened last night was real, so why was he acting like it wasn't.

—

You can hardly form sentences with all that you’re feeling. The rest of the day is spent ignoring Solomon as much as possible while you wait to talk this out in private and with a clear mind.

“Hey, MC. Are you busy after class?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I was hoping to try Cafe Lament's new menu items with you.”

“Is that all?”

That pettiness in you can’t be contained, was this man really trying to plan a date with you just hours after completely ignoring your declaration of love for him.

“Huh? Yeah, why.”

“Sorry, I’m busy.”

Your tone was cold, but you couldn’t hold back from being upset. He’s allowed to not feel the same way as you, you know that but the fact he’s ignoring how you are feeling is what’s making you act this way.

You know the reasonable thing to do right now would be to try and talk with Solomon about what happened last night, but the thought of trying that sounded very overwhelming to you in your current state. Still you wanted to get this off your chest. The only person you thought to talk about this with was Asmo, he knew the both of you well and has given you plenty of good advice in the past. A couple of days ago, Asmo had mentioned that he had done a collaboration with Majolish and was going to get the prototypes some time  today, so safe to assume he went home. 

Once you finally make it back home and finish changing out of your uniform, you head to Asmo’s room, praying that he’s in there. Thankfully he is,he saw your expression and immediately knew you were upset. Before he could even ask what was wrong you bursted into tears. 

“Mc! What happened, hon?” He asked while pulling you into his room to give the two of you more privacy.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He guides you to the chair by his vanity and takes out some tissues.

“Yes,” you have to take a pause to give yourself enough time to form a coherent sentence “it’s about Solomon”

“Oh, honey. What happened?”

“It’s nothing too bad but…” Even trying to talk about what happened is bringing you tears. “I told him I loved him and he didn’t even reply. Worst part is he didn’t even acknowledge what had happened today”

“What do you mean ‘it’s nothing too bad’ he should know better than to do that to you!” Asmo kneels down next to you and holds your hands to comfort you before giving his solution “If you feel comfortable with it, then how about I talk to him for you. How does that sound?” 

“...I think that could work…I don’t really want to be there just in case it’s something I don’t want to hear.”

“Alright hon, I can ask to talk to him tomorrow. How about right now we try out the things made for my Majolish collaboration?” All you could respond with was a  nod to him and an attempt of  the most genuine smile you could muster.

---

All of yesterday’s pamper got you feeling a bit better, even so you still have your feelings of heartbreak weighing on you. Asmo’s gone out, he asked Solomon to talk with him, all you can do is pace around your room, waiting for whatever the conclusion will be. This could be the end of your relationship and all you could do was wait around. Why did you get Asmo to do this without you around, it’s making everything feel more out of your hands than it would have been with you there. Sure it would have still ended the same but at least you could interfere or something, but that also wouldn’t be ideal. He should get to say his decision without me trying to get what I want to say out loud. It’s only fair, right? 

Well, it’s too late to question what the better option would be. Your phone buzzes, it’s a text from Asmo. He says Solomon agreed that you two should have a talk with each other.

It’s agreed that Solomon is coming to the House of Lamentation to have this discussion in your room. It’s only going to take a few minutes for him to get here. 

---

It took a lot longer than you expected to hear a knock on your door. Asmo was standing behind him, he offered to stay to mediate the discussion but Solomon turned that down. Once the door was closed and you two were both seated on your bed Solomon starts speaking “MC, I’m sorry for how I handled what happened. It’s just that I’m worried about accepting that I’ve fallen in love with you. It has nothing to do with who you are, I just have lost everyone I’ve ever loved due to my immortality and it's just difficult for me to let people into my life and express how much I care about them. I do love you, MC. I hope you know that I mean it.”

At this point, tears are running down your face. Solomon and you chose to sit a little distant from each other when you first sat down but as soon as he’s done talking you lean in to hug him for some comfort. All you have to say is, “Are you sure?” 

“Yes, yes I’m sure. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Masterlist

[fersauce47]

About the TikTok situation... no way.

So I haven’t posted that much in the past few days, I kind of took a break after the Bo Burnham situation went down. I made the Bo Burnham situation my thing for a few days, and now that’s fallen from its grace and has become old news. If the two masterminds do anything with the channel, (because that’s what they said they’d do) I’ll revisit it. 

On January 10th I said “So I downloaded TikTok the other day. I wanted to check out the hype before it got banned. It’s a fine app, I don’t think it deserves its hate. If it gets banned I’ll probably just go back to YouTube shorts or migrate to Instagram reels. I heard about this “Lemon8” thing as well, which is an option. I'll have more to say about this topic at a later date, that date being January 19th. Since I just joined TikTok, I don't have much knowledge about it. From what I've seen, it's a fine place. I like it. On January 19th I'll talk more about it, but Idk what I'd post.”

Here we are, 10 days later, it’s finally time to address the situation. IT’S BULLSHIT! I may be naïve, I thought the Bo Burnham situation was real, I thought that Tally Hall was gonna return, I thought that the ceiling really did say “gullible” but even I saw this one coming! People are really dumb enough to praise Trump for bringing it back? What the fuck is wrong with them?

Listen, the whole thing was a rug pull. A publicity stunt, if you will. FunkyFrogBait, who I love, was back on my feed this morning talking about “Hi, this is awkward… I guess we’re just back now? This is one of the most obvious publicity stunts I’ve ever seen.” and yeah, no shit! It’s not HARD to believe that there’s a lot of people who didn’t see this coming and thought that trump actually saved that shit, it’s just sad. Mfs are really out here praising Trump for taking Shou up on a win-win situation! He didn’t do shit! That’s like getting robbed, the robber giving your things back, and then expecting you to get on your knees and thank them oh so graciously for being so kind. No! Absolutely not! Bullshit!

12 hours? Are you kidding me? That’s all it lasted? I saw the notice late Saturday night and I said “Damn, I have a lot of things to say on Tumblr later.” and then I went to sleep, and the next day I was playing Pokemon Brilliant Diamond when I got the notification like “Heyyyyy, we’re back” and then I said “DAMN, now I REALLY have a lot to say on Tumblr.” wth? Like damn, at least let the mfs finish their job applications first, why so hasty?

Don’t get me started on all the TikTokers losing their shit. I saw an AngryAsian video about it, and I realized that, yeah, there were probably a lot of people who wanted to go out with a bang. Sucks to be them, when I left YouTube I just yapped for 20 minutes. It must be hard for all the people who confessed their deepest darkest secrets to the rest of the sailors aboard the sinking ship, but they deserved it. 

Everyone has been saying that they have a bad feeling about this, and I wholeheartedly agree. As Bo Burnham puts it, “There it is, again, That Funny Feeling.” I feel that the situation isn’t over, because that couldn’t have been all of it. It just couldn’t. 

No way it’s over and this won’t happen again. No way. The only way I can see this ending is if Shou sold TikTok to Trump or Elon, which I think is very likely. Even then, I’m sure that mfs will find another reason to ban it. I can’t say for sure that Trump won’t come out in a couple days and say “Actually, nvm, fuck your TikTok” and take it away again. 

Thanks to CerosTV for keeping me updated. He’s very helpful, check out his channel on YouTube and his TikTok. I think he has reels as well. 

But TikTok has grown on me. If it isn’t gone by February I’ll start posting. I’ll just be using my Tumblr rants as scripts though, so you wouldn’t be getting anything special at the moment. 

Let’s all hope and pray that this shit doesn’t go south very soon. I have a strong feeling that it will. Let’s just say, a funny feeling. 

[doeilovr]

[2:02 AM]

It was cold outside, you had your arms crossed in front of your chest in an attempt to feel at least a bit warmer.

You were waking down the street some time after midnight, the full moon and the stars were shining and you could hear waves crash softly in the distance.

Next to you, arm brushing yours every now and then, was your crush.

You've spent the entire summer with him, meeting for coffee in the mornings, going out for lunch, taking a swim or getting kind of drunk after work at night. It all happened at least once.

Another thing that happens at least once - having a crush. And so for this summer - for the first time in your life - you had a crush. And it was no other than Mark.

"So you will leave early tomorrow?"

Marks voice snapped you out of your thoughts.

"My friend is gonna take me to the airport at 12", you bit your lips.

This was your last night, the last time for you to see Mark for god knows how long. It hurt a bit.

"Ah, that's nice."

You hummed, feeling slightly awkward.

The thing about your crush on Mark was that Mark himself knew about it. You told him, you confessed.

And you talked it out, settling on being good friends, because Mark was still getting over a fairly recent heartbreak.

And you had cried days and nights. But it didn't matter anymore, you got over your pain and accepted the situation and Mark's decision. After all, what else could you have done.

"I think it's sad", Mark chuckled, "it's sad we're all leaving and this summer is ending."

You nodded, "yes I know."

You had almost reached your apartment, Mark having insisted on walking you home.

"I think we will probably not see each other for a while after tonight."

You glanced over at Mark and you weren't sure if it was because of the cold or if he was holding back tears, but he sniffled a few times.

"Do you still want to be in contact with me even after you leave?" Mark asked very carefully.

"What? Of course, I want to, if that's okay with you?" You looked at him, stopping in your tracks as you were now standing next to your front door.

"Yes me too", Mark smiled, "I would like that."

You smiled too.

"Alright, there we are, so, there is one more thing I want to say", Mark paused, stepped closer to you. "You are very lovely and I wish I could give you what you want and deserve. "

"Mark", you whispered. It hurt a bit.

Mark gave you a half smile, his eyes glistening. "But my heart is not well and before I can't fix it, I don't think I should give it away. You deserve a strong heart and all the love in the world."

Your eyes burned, "No, Mark. I just ask for you."

"Maybe when we meet again my heart will be fixed. And then, if you are still interested, we could try again."

Mark grabbed your hand and squeezed it.

You held back tears as you looked up at him. You understood it and altough you just asked for him to stay by your side, you understood that he needed space and time to heal.

There wasn't a lot you could say or wanted to say. Now you needed time, too.

You softly smiled. "Okay."

Mark smiled too and pulled you into a long hug. "I'll come visit you next month, as planned."

You stepped back and smiled widely. "I'll ask you again then. Is that okay?" Your eyes were sparkling with hope.

Mark chuckled softly. "Ask me again in a month, yes."

"Okay, I'll see you then", you waved at him and stepped back even further to where your door was. "Wait for me."

"I will", Mark nodded, watching you disappear inside your apartment building.

[leahseclipse]

Dar+ling (Emily Prentiss x f!reader)

Pairing: Emily Prentiss x fem!reader

Warnings: Nothing but an alarming amount of cuteness 🤭

Prompt: Person A finally confesses their feelings for B, who has wanted to do just the same for weeks

Summary: Emily finally gets the courage to confess their feelings to the reader, who has just wanted to do it too for a while.

Word Count: 1k

A/N: Doing this cute fic for @foxy-eva 's writing challenge 🥳🥳 congratulations for the 2k followers, I wish you lots of success for the future!!! (Btw this hasn't been beta'd lmao I literally wrote all of this on the Tumblr editor.......... 🫣)

It had always been absolutely no secret to everyone that Emily and I have always been quite close for the past few years, always hanging out after work, chatting for hours and hours in the break room, sitting a bit too long on each other's desks, and the list goes on and on.

We've never gone much farther than that. Not because we didn't want to, just because we didn't really talk about everything, the feelings matter, if we like each other as friends or not... It just never came up. I guess we didn't really think about it.

I've never dared to cross the line, I don't want things to end up awkward because I like her and she doesn't. But, what if she likes me too? For all I know, she could do, I don't see why not.

But, I've never asked her.

I really want to, though. The words are standing on the tip of my tongue whenever it's just the two of us, they're waiting to be said but... I don't let them out. I keep telling myself that I'll do it next time, but 'next time' ends up being delayed and on and on.

I just wish I could confess to her. Then I'd probably feel much better and everything would be fine. I really wish I could do it already. It's been weeks since I've been wanting to tell her.

I always stare at Emily's desk whether she's there or not, I just love to memorize every trait of her face, all the time. I can still imagine her sitting there even though she hasn't arrived to work yet.

I always look forward for the sound of the elevator, each morning. It might be my favorite sound after the sound of her voice. Elevator sounds being my favorite is a bit weird, but I like it because after that her arrival always follows.

And just when I turn my head, the elevator tings, and Emily is there. Her eyes meet mine and I wave at her quicky before standing up to walk up to her.

"Well someone's happy to see me today." Emily says as she opens her arms to hug me. We always sway from left to right, it's our thing.

"As always." I respond as we pull apart from each other and automatically start to walk towards our respective desks, even though she never sits at her chair first. She always goes for my desk, and I sit on my chair and look up at her in all of her beauty.

Even though we've seen each other yesterday, it's like we haven't talked in years. We chat for at least 30 minutes before realizing it's been that long.

I notice that she's been acting slightly different though, as if something has been on her mind. I wonder what happened, if I should ask about it or not while we talk.

I look around and notice that others have started to arrive. We greet them and slightly chat with them, and I start to think that it would be probably better if we moved somewhere else more private to talk.

"Hey, uh... Do you wanna go get some coffee in the break room? I haven't had any this morning and I'm starting to crave caffeine." I chuckle, and she smiles. She smiles.

We both walk away from the desk to the thankfully empty room, and I start to open up the cabinet where mugs are kept.

"Here, your mug." I say as I grab it and hand it to her, before I grab my own and close the cabinet.

"I'll pour it for you, here." She says and I set down my mug on the counter as she pours coffee in it.

"That's kind of you, thanks."

"You're welcome." She responds, and our eyes meet, just for a few seconds, then probably a bit more. It's like it's just the two of us, in a bubble, for a moment. Then she starts to chuckle, out of nowhere. It usually happens when we stare into each other's eyes for too long, I guess it's a nervous reaction. I smile to myself as she pours coffee for herself and sets the pot back on the holder.

We just stand there in silence as we drink our coffees, and neither of us seem to mind. Silent moments are precious too sometimes, I like them. Just standing by her is enough for me.

"Hey, uh..." She starts to talk but stops, as if she hesitates.

"Yeah?" I look at her but she has trouble to look at me. She seems nervous. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing bad. It's just... I've... Been thinking about something lately."

"What have you been thinking about?" I ask as we both set our empty mugs on the counter.

"You?"

"Me? What about?" I start to smile, out of nervousness.

"About the fact that I love you." I can see her exhaling a big breath after she tells the words, as if a weight has been lifted off her, and I think that I feel it too.

"You... You love me?"

"Yeah. I do."

"Well, it kinda turns out I do too." I say with a smile and she instantly seems relieved.

"You have no idea how bad I wished you did too."

"And you have no idea how long I've wanted to do this. It's been... Weeks."

"It's been way too long."

"Yeah." I say, before looking behind me to see if anyone else is near, but no one is. I can hear chatting nearby, everyone is probably too busy talking.

"Why did you-" Emily starts to ask, but I cut her off by pressing my lips to hers, just for a few seconds, because someone might come.

"You'll kiss me back tonight. They'll start looking for us any time now." I say after I pull away.

Emily is breathless as she puts her hands on my arms and says, "I might kiss you before, I'm known to be bad at waiting."

(Tell me what you thought about this fic here! ❤️ Don't hesitate to drop a request if you want ☺️)

Here's my masterlist if you want to check out more of my work!

[hyxnjnlvs]

Confessions

warnings: kookmin, smut (not too much in this one), stepbrothers trope, possessiveness, jealousy, homophobic parents, offensive words towards LGBTQ+, i think that's all.

Pairing: Jungkook × Jimin

POV: Jimin

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Kisses flew here and there, the smacking sounds our lips created were audible and surprisingly hot, his hands roamed all over my body, and he probably knew every single one of my features by memory, I lost count of how many times we've done this, kissing and doing it behind our parents' backs, and don't get me wrong, we're not siblings... at least not by blood, and because I'm sure siblings wouldn't do what we do, although well... some might... but I'm not going to judge when Jungkook, my mother's husband's son is in my room kissing me and with his hands roaming my body.

I'm going to stop with those details there, because the context of everything is necessary.

About two years ago, my father left my mother, why? She cheated on him, yes, with Jungkook's father, after the divorce, my father left without looking back, without even remembering that he was leaving me too... because they never asked me if I wanted to go with one of them, no, they just decided that I didn't exist in that problem, which left me with my mother, a few months later she married Jungkook's father, who by the way, had a good social status, he wasn't a millionaire, but he had money to waste, something that his dear son did, because he went out partying every Friday without fail and came back early in the morning as drunk as possible, one time he even came home high, something that I witnessed by accident, and I didn't say anything because honestly I wasn't interested in the slightest about what Jeon Jungkook did, we didn't get along, not at all, we just ignored each other and that was it, until my mother had the great idea of ​​going on a trip with Jungkook's father, and they left us alone.

Problem? none, just that Jeon Idiot Jungkook ended up that same day at the police station, why? it was Friday, he was partying and because he was groping and kissing a bitch with a boyfriend, he started a fight, which ended with the 3 of them at the police station and me going for him at fucking 2:00 a.m that same day, Jungkook was angry, and so was I, we fought because of what he did and how he was obsessed with partying and somehow we ended up kissing and having sex, and by the way it was the best sex I've ever had.

So the next day everything was awkward, more than it could have been, again, we ignored each other all day, until at night, he appeared in my room with an unfriendly face while telling me that it had been enough that we ignored each other all day after what had happened, so again, we ended up the same, a crazy and heated night, with the difference that the next day we didn't ignore each other, we spent the day like rabbits without rest or to eat, after all... our parents had left for a week, and although it was the most unexpected thing that could happen, it happened, and I don't regret anything.

Since then it was like that, and we have almost a year of doing it in secret while they are not there, and we usually see each other at university, because he has been there for 2 years, and I am just entering, Jungkook was 2 years older than me...

and that is how we got to the present, and how our "relationship" started...

And this was one of those days when our parents left us alone, because they went on a two-days trip, so here was Jungkook on my room, hands roaming through my body while his lips are on mine, his tongue exploring my mouth with desire, his hands letting behind a hot path on my body which I felt vividly.

"Jungkook..." I said between the kiss, and he answered with a hum while going down to my neck, placing wet kisses. "Don't you dare on doing a hickey or another mark... you know i don't like them."

"You're boring, i like doing marks on you." Jungkook protested while he stopped and looked at me.

"But I do not, i hate using turtle necks just to hide what you did! We're in summer, im not going to use turtle necks." I protested too, because c'mon, who uses turtle necks in summer? Literally no one with self-love.

"So when it's finally winter I can do marks? Because you can use turtle necks in winter." He spoke even with illusion, to which i sighed, rolled my eyes and nodded. "Don't roll your eyes, you make me want to be the one responsible for you rolling your eyes, but out of pure pleasure"

"Blah blah blah, is all I hear, if you want me to roll my eyes, make me do it, you just talk but I want actions, no words" I crossed my arms and smirked, knowing that my words will affect Jungkook.

And I know i did it when just threw me to my bed and started taking off my own clothes to take his own after, so he started kissing my chest, and i felt how his lips went right to my nipples. "Ah... n-no..." he cutted me off. "Shh" and while he was playing and sucking my nipples, my hands were through his hair, messing with it and gripping it, even pulling it when i felt so much pleasure.

His kisses went down and down until he reached the waistline of my boxers, he took them off, a shiver went through my spine when i felt the air which made me arch my back, just right then, Jungkook kissed my legs, thighs and inner thighs, all i could do was moaning at the feeling of his lips, when I suddenly felt his lips around my dick. "Ah! Jungkook-!" He was sucking, his head hoing up and down, my hands gripping his hair and pulling it out of pure pleasure when he stopped and a 'pop' sounded around the room.

I looked at how he stood up and kissed me again, I wrapped my arms aeound his neck to pull him closer, i could feel how he was teasing my hole with his fingers until he finally introduced one, which made me whimper. My hips rocked back and forth to feel more of him, after some minutes i felt how he started introducing one more, he teased me with just two fingers until it was not enough for me, i wanted more, i needed more of him.

"Fuck... i need you inside..."

"What do you need inside, Jimin-ah?" His nonchalant olne and as if he didn't know what I was referring to made me whine. "Tell me specifically what do you want..."

"Ah... damnit..." I didnt want to say ot out loud, but seeing how he refused to do something i did what he wanted, i said it out loud. "I want your dick, Jungkook! Inside, now!" I was desperated, in need of him.

A smirk spread through his face until he finally centrated his dick qith my entrance, introducing the tip and i moaned when he went deeper until he was totally inside. "Ah... fuck... you're always so tight..." He mumbled and stayed still a bit until i moved my hips so he could start.

And of course he did, he fucked me so good always, each thrust was making me see stars, and while he got faster my moans became louder, almost screams, it was me moaning his name and incoherent things. Suddenly he slowed the pace, now it was slowly but harsh thrusts right in that place, a few thrusts made me cum all over my stomach and chest, and some more for Jungkook to cum too, inside of me, because we forgot the condom this time.

He stayed a few minutes like that, inside of me, when he finally went out and I felt the emptiness inside of me, he took a towel from my nightstand and cleaned me and himself, then he went with me inside my bed and we cuddled, we stayed like that until both of us fell asleep.

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

A/N: kay, so this is my first fanfic, im sorry if there are wrong things in grammar, engliah is not my first language, also I really like kookmin so yeah, most of my fanfics will be about them, if y'all have another ideas, give thwm to me, or ships, im always open to new ships and i dont think this one will be too long, maybe 3 or 4 parts and an extra like super short and thats all. 🫶

[yingleis]

um... i saw your post and i don't really have a specific idea in mind but i do want to request fic(s) or shorts? feel free to discard this request though, just thought i'd try my luck to ask <3

- bai jiu and/or ying lei, the whole squad is fine too

- soft/funny

- absolutely no BE/SE

- if we're pairing anyone can we make bai jiu aged up, don't want tag: underage here

just missing them a lot lately :') anyway if you read this thanks!!! i hope you have a great day <333

this fic contains spoilers for the ending of FoF >_<

Notes:

post-canon, taking some liberties with their abilities

Aged up Bai Jiu, he's about 20 in this

can be read as platonic or shippy

It is well known amongst the townsfolk of Sinan Village that there are two mountain gods that inhabited Mount Kunlun.

Rather, the second deity was not truly a mountain god– his real form was that of a cypress tree– but he'd been the one to listen to their prayers and answer to the best of his abilities before mountain god Ying Lei returned, and so they worshipped him as such.

—

(half a century ago)

“Bai Jiu shanshen, are you not cold? You've been sitting here every day!” The little tree spirit says, materialising to sit next to Bai Jiu, unable to stay silent any longer.

They had been watching over this lonely mountain god day after day, witnessing him take his usual spot on the gate to Kunlun mountain every morning, and would secretly anticipate the arrival of whoever Bai Jiu shanshen was waiting for, only to be similarly disappointed when no one turned up.

Just who was so important that Bai Jiu shanshen would wait for them so patiently and without complaint?

(Even most demons knew now just where to visit, if they had grievous injuries that needed looking after).

“Don't call me that, I don't deserve the title,” Bai Jiu shanshen says quietly. “The actual mountain gods are Luwu daren and Ying Lei.”

Ying Lei? They had never heard of a mountain god named Ying Lei. Luwu shanshen, they knew. He was wise and kind, and always entertained their endless questions with a jovial smile.

But the tree spirit nods, anyway, acquiescing. Bai Jiu daren was older than them, so he would know more about the older mountain gods. “Then, Bai Jiu daren, who are you waiting for? I'll wait with you!”

“I'm waiting for a friend. My best friend.”

—

As always, it is when he isn't paying attention that these yaos choose to sneak up on him.

Bai Jiu reaches for the plum, marvelling at how much easier it is to pick the fruit now, as compared to when he was younger, where his limbs were too short to properly reach the branch.

They aren't quite ripe enough yet, he decides, and is about to climb back down the tree when–

“Who's there?”

No. It can't be. His foot slips, and he goes down with a yelp, landing in the soft snow in an awkward mess of limbs.

“Boy! Are you alright?” Ying Lei asks– it is Ying Lei, alright, with his nest of yellow hair and all too innocent eyes peering down at him.

Bai Jiu snorts. “At least you got my gender right this time.”

“Xiaojiu?” Ying Lei’s brows furrow in confusion. “You're not Bai Jiu, he's not this big! Confess now, who sent you to impersonate him? What are you doing on Mount Kunlun?”

“Silly mountain god, nearly a hundred years have passed, how could I not have grown up?” Bai Jiu argues, slowly picking himself off the ground. “If you need proof, then. You died to separate Li Lun from my body, even though you were scared of going into the afterlife alone and leaving us behind.”

Ying Lei pauses, lowering the branch he'd snatched up as a makeshift weapon as he follows Bai Jiu into the mountain god temple.

“A hundred years?”

Bai Jiu nods. Not quite, but almost.

“Then, you–”

“I'm part demon, part human and part deity, remember?” Bai Jiu says. He doesn't quite know how it works either, only that he still looked like someone in his twenties, according to Wen jiejie.

“No, I mean, you've been waiting here?”

“What else would I be doing?” Bai Jiu replies, pausing in the middle of the room he'd claimed as his in the last few decades.

Only that now, seeing Ying Lei again has made him nervous, uncertain about his decision. He had gotten Lord Luwu’s approval to stay here, but he doesn't know what Ying Lei would think of it– for him to stay in the mountain god temple on the assumption that Ying Lei wouldn't mind– was it overstepping?

“You could've been travelling the jianghu, becoming the best miracle doctor of your time, meeting new people, anything other than staying here in this lonely and cold place!” Ying Lei says, a hint of frustration colouring his tone as he takes in the shelves of medicinal herbs and pills Bai Jiu had amassed over the years.

“But I wanted to stay here,” Bai Jiu replies, pulling Ying Lei into a hug, as he'd imagined doing over the years.

(He'd felt it, the warmth of Ying Lei’s hug as he held his body after Zhuo daren’s sword pierced through his stomach.

How he'd refused to let him go afterwards, knowing that he would dissipate soon).

“Who else would welcome you back, if I wasn't here?” Bai Jiu says, burying his face into Ying Lei’s shoulder.

It was strange, how he was now at the right height to do that, when he'd barely reached Ying Lei’s shoulder the last time they met.

Ying Lei returns the hug, a solid, reassuring, and warm weight against him as he pats Bai Jiu reassuringly. “I'm back, Xiaojiu. I'm back.”

—

Extra:

“Bai Jiu daren, why does that yao have your hair ornaments?” The tree spirit exclaims, gesturing to Ying Lei circling the huge cypress tree in the yard.

The furballs, the tree spirit meant. Bai Jiu had started weaving them into his own braids alongside his bells after Ying Lei’s passing, his own sort of way to remember him by.

(Who else would remember Ying Lei, if not him?)

“They were never mine to begin with,” he says softly, watching Ying Lei reacquaint himself with his home, his heart warming to see those hair ornaments back in their rightful place. “They belonged to my best friend.”

“Your best friend?” The tree spirit echoes, lost. “Oh! That yao is who you were waiting for!”

Bai Jiu nods in agreement. Though–

“He's not a yaoguai, he's Ying Lei shanshen, and my best friend.”

[still accepting fic requests!]

[lythea-creation]

Hiba's Puppy - Hiba x fem reader (Part 2)

Part 1

warnings: none

word count: 912

-----------------

“Wait”, Hiba proposed with a slight chuckle. “That kinda sounds like a love confession.”

“You know what? Forget it”, I mumbled and turned to leave.

I had at least expected her to take me seriously. But apparently I did not know her as well as I had thought.

“It is?”, Hiba reassured. “(f/n), look, I ...”

“What is taking you guys so long? Are you okay?”, Tasneem interrupted her.

“Yeah”, I claimed and used Tasneem's appearance to flee.

Hiba had just been searching for a gentle way to let me down, which was absurd in itself. After all she was not one to take care of other people's feelings. So I must have seemed extremely vulnerable.

The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful as Tasneem had canceled the game after the call with Omar.

After playing some more games with less drama, we decided to go to bed. Now I was regretting settling my stuff right next to Hiba's because I had to lay down next to her after the awkward ending of our conversation.

I purposefully turned my back toward her to avoid looking at her.

But after a felt eternity I still was not able to fall asleep, the day spooking in my mind.

I almost cried out when a hand wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer. It could not be anyone else but Hiba.

I figured that she was asleep, but that quickly turned out wrong when she started whispering in my ear: “Hey, I know you're still awake. You've been ignoring me.”

I stayed silent.

“Why did you run away when Tasneem showed up?”, she inquired.

“We shouldn't talk about it here. What if anyone hears? It's already been bad enough for me”, I considered.

“They're fast asleep. Trust me”, Hiba proclaimed.

“What do you even want?”, I questioned.

“Finish our chat from earlier?”, she supposed. “I didn't get to say what I wanted.”

I could feel her breath on my ear and it was driving me crazy. Why did she have to be such a tease?

“Don't worry about it”, I assured her. “You don't have to let me down slowly.”

“I never intended to, anyway”, she noted. “I've been having my eyes on you for a while now, but I always thought you were with one of the boys.”

I could barely breathe at her words, struggling to process everything she was saying.

“So what do you say?”, she wondered.

I loosened her grip on my waist to turn around and face her. The sight of her was reminding me once again how stunning she was.

“You like me, too?”, I uttered, not sure if I could trust my mind right now.

Her eyes moved from my eyes to my lips. “Yeah”, she confirmed.

A bright smile captured myself, making her chuckle quietly, before she closed the gap between us to kiss me.

At first it was shy and hesitant, but it quickly turned more passionate and desperate as we had waited for so long.

When we parted again, Hiba was grinning at me, pulling me back into her arms.

The next morning I woke up in Hiba's arms. So it had not been a dream after all. I smiled at the memory of last night.

The others had already gotten up, leaving us behind to sleep in.

When I turned around to try regain the feeling in my arm I had apparently laid on for way too long, Hiba stirred awake as well.

“Who turned on the sun?”, she grumbled.

I could not help but laugh. “The others are probably eating all our breakfast”, I assumed.

“Don't care”, Hiba mumbled, burying her head in the crook of my neck.

Hiba was probably the worst morning person I knew. So I granted her a few more minutes before getting up.

“So you two have finally gotten out of bed as well”, Enas pointed out as soon as we entered the kitchen.

They were already finished with breakfast, just like I had figured.

“You two were so cute by the way”, Tasneem remarked grinning.

She pulled out her phone to show us a picture of us sleeping in each others arms.

“Give that to me”, Hiba demanded, snatching the phone out of Tasneem's hand before she could react.

“Hey, don't delete it”, she complained.

But Hiba had not deleted it. She had sent it to herself, which I only knew because I was able to get a peak.

Later that day the boys picked me up to hang out.

“You guys would be so dead if the night had turned out any different”, I enlightened them.

“What exactly are you talking about?”, Noor questioned.

“What do you think I'm talking about? Your stupid call! Do you have any idea how awkward that was?”, I ranted.

“Hey, don't make her angry!”, Yasser scolded him.

“Nah, you're all off the hook because Hiba's my girlfriend now”, I announced.

“She is? Congrats”, Safaa exclaimed and patted me on the shoulder. “Though I gotta say that I'm a bit jealous.”

“Watch what you're saying”, I warned him, but my serious attire was quickly replaced by laughing at his horrified expression.

No matter how much shit these guys were getting me into, I just could not be mad at them for long.

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Since it was requested, here's part 2. I hope you all like it!

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