#they're not helping you and they never will
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honestly making three year timejumps between acts was the smartest decision character development-wise dragon age ever pulled. i don't think da2 has more character interactions/romance content than other games but i think the main reason kirkwall squad's dynamics and relationships with hawke and each other feel so fleshed out and real to me is that the game implies these people were spending time together during literal years. the plot itself moves very quickly but its structure creates an impression that the characters were still given enough time to breathe. like yeah anders' dramatic love confessions would feel hilariously out of pocket if it happened like a week after he met hawke but the guy was pining for a very long time. hawke's reunions with their sibling (whose personality also drastically changes in this time period) would fall flat if they were separated for like a month but they haven't seen each other in years. and i think da2 also conveys the passage of time nicely. character models might not change (would have been a nice touch tho but this game was made in less than a year) but they themselves change due to their circumstances that get progressively worse and this is also the reason why their questlines don't feel rushed. the quests are connected but the Next Big Thing doesn't happen the second you finish the previous quest. it takes time for danarius to get to fenris. it takes time for sundermount demon to ruin merrill's relationships with her clan and her keeper. and it takes time for the qunari and mage/templar conflicts to reach their breaking points and every companion is inevitably affected by it and it wouldn't hit half as hard if all these events happened in a year or so. yeah this is the shortest dragon age game but to me it feels the longest in the best way. i got to spend almost a decade with these guys watching their lives slowly and inevitably fall apart and it successfully devastated me
#been thinking about da2. the game ever. an accidental masterpiece#i know some people still feel like it's rushed and timeskips don't work for everyone but it's not the case for me. okay#and i know some people call kirkwall squad found family and some strongly disagree but.#i think they're not like. found family. in the proper way. but they feel like one because they've been hanging out with each other for#years despite everything. their off-screen interactions are constantly referenced. they visit each other! they help each other!#they might not Like each other. but they're staying together for some reason for such a long period of time#and atp you just can't say they dgaf about each other. because they do.#anyway. the dragon age game ever i've never moved on since i was 16 and i don't plan to#dragon age#dragon age 2
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True Feelings Chocolate - OB Students
SUMMARY:Â It is normal on Valentine's Day for friends or schoolmates to exchange chocolates with each other. However, the quality of the chocolate reveals how the person really sees you. And homemade chocolate is the greatest message of love that someone can receive on this day.
CHARACTERS: Overblot Students (Riddle Rosehearts / Leona Kingscholar / Azul Ashengrotto / Jamil Viper / Vil Schoenheit / Idia Shroud / Malleus Draconia) x Yuu (Reader)
TAGS:Â Fluff; GN Reader; Kiss
WORD COUNT:Â An average of 1.280 words per character.
COMMENTS:Â The number of words varies depending on how much the character is the type to hide his true feelings.
I also would like to be able to write more eloquent lines for characters like Malleus, but as English is not my first language this becomes a bit difficult sometimes.
(and yes, I'm thinking about doing this with other characters, maybe the freshmen, if a lot of people like and reblog this post.)
I hope you enjoy and Happy Valentine's Day đ
REAL WORLDÂ CONTEXT:Â You may already know this, but Valentine's Day in Japan is different than in Western countries. In Japan (from what I know and have researched) this day is not exclusively related to romantic love but also to friendship or simple connections between schoolmates or work colleagues.
Just like in the West, it is marked by the gifting of chocolate, but the quality of the chocolate differs: If it's a boss or colleague you're not friends with, they're usually cheaper, more common chocolates. The quality and even price of the chocolate increases according to the relationship with the person to whom it is offered. And a chocolate made by the person themselves is the most valuable of all and is usually, from what I understand, almost like a confession of love.
On Valentine's Day, it is women who offer chocolates to men, but in this case I just kept the logic of chocolates and excluded the gender thing.
Another thing is that since it is normal to give chocolates to friends as well, it becomes more discreet to give more special chocolates to a certain person and it doesn't draw attention to simply give chocolate to someone.
NOTE:Â Thaumarks would be the equivalent of US dollars.
The rules are clear: the quality of the chocolate represents the quality and importance of the relationship between the giver and the person to whom it is given. And a chocolate made by the giver is the most valuable of all. Which meant he could buy chocolates for his schoolmates, but not for you!
According to the rules and analyzing what he felt for you, your chocolate MUST be made by him and it had to be perfect! Or as close to perfection as he could get.
He has no shame, nor does he think twice before asking Trey for help. He had that smile of someone who wants to mess with him a little the entire time, but knows that wouldn't be a good idea... Okay, maybe just a little comment to see how he would react.
âSo... homemade chocolate for (Y/N).â He said as they waited for the chocolate to melt and Riddle prepared the molds.
Riddle continued with what he was doing, but he had blushed a little.
âThose are the rules.â he replies. "The quality of the chocolate should represent how the giver sees the person to whom it is given.â
âI know. I just never thought I'd see you making this kind of chocolate so soon.â
Riddle did not respond, probably because he thought the same thing.
What Riddle didn't know, because it was supposed to be a surprise too, was that you were also making chocolates for him. You made chocolate dipped strawberries. Knowing that Strawberry Tarts are his favorite food, this seemed like the best choice for Valentine's Day chocolates. Once they were ready, you placed them in a red box that you had bought at Sam's Mystery Shop and finished by tying the box with a bow.
The next day, Valentine's Day, you are preparing the boxes of chocolates to give to the Heartslabyul boys when there is a knock on your door. You open it and find Riddle with his hands behind his back.
âGood morning, (Y/N). I believe you know what day it is today.â
You confirm and say that you were just preparing the chocolates to take to his dorm.
âOh, that's a coincidence. Because I came here to offer you mine too.â He takes his hand from behind his back revealing a beautiful heart-shaped box with golden designs. âAnd...â in the other, a small bouquet of roses. He's blushing just a little bit
You take the box and the bouquet, and Riddle smiles when he sees your reaction. But before you open it, you remember and go to the bag where your chocolates were and take out his box and offer it to him. He wasn't surprised that you gave him chocolates, but he was a little when he saw that the box wasn't from any brand. You also take the opportunity to place the roses on the entrance table so you can open the box.
When you take the lid off you see several heart shaped chocolates with your favorite toppings, however, some of the hearts were a little bit crooked and some of the designs on the hearts seemed to have gone slightly wrong. You ask if he made them, unable to contain a small chuckle.
âY-yes.â he sulks a little seeing you laugh. âI picked the ones that looked best... the first ones burned.â
You taste one of them and feel your favorite filling on your tongue. You say it's very good and Riddle can't contain that sweet smile of his.
âTruly? I... I am so glad!â
And then he remembers the box you gave him. He opens it and sees the chocolate covered strawberries. You say that since he liked strawberry tart so much you thought he would like them. He looks at the strawberries with a sparkle in his eyes, picks one up and tastes it before giving you a cute smile again.
âIt's incredible how something so simple can taste so good.â he tells you âSo... were they made by you too?â You confirm, but then he asks: âYou... did you also make chocolates for the others?â he seemed ashamed to ask that.
You say no, that those were the only ones you made, all the others were bought.
âReally?!â he says smiling, but then immediately clears his throat to assume his usual posture again.
However, he realized what it means, that you felt the same way about him as he felt about you, and it made him chuckle. He holds your free hand, while the other still holds the box of chocolates, gets closer to you and kisses your cheek gently.
âYou said you were preparing to go to Heartslabyul.â He tells you with a tender look, as if he can finally look at you the way he wants and you deserve. âAllow me to escort you there then. And I insist on helping you carry the boxes.â
He will take you to Heartslabyul with your arm intertwined with his like a gentleman, while his other arm carries the bag with the chocolates that you will offer to your friends.
Ace and Deuce will argue and compete because they both bought you the exact same box of chocolates that were your favorite. Cater bought you the cutest chocolates he could find and wanted to take a picture of the two boxes together, the one you gave him and the one he gave you. Trey says he wished he had made the chocolates himself but, you know, rules and possible misunderstandings to be avoided, so he ended up buying some chocolates that he also liked as a sort of sharing of favorites.
Regardless of whether you would get chocolates back or not, you bought chocolates for Jack and Ruggie, and you wanted to follow the "rules" and make the chocolates for Leona yourself. But what chocolate would he like? He loves meat, but this doesn't help much. Or maybe it does... you search on the internet for chocolates for meat lovers and see what you can find.
But you didn't find anything, or at least nothing that didn't also involve wine. However, you noticed that dark chocolate was the most used, if not the only one, so you decided to use it and make the famous, perhaps even cliché, heart-shaped chocolates. Once they're done, you put them in the yellow box you bought at the Mystery Shop.
On Valentine's Day, you prepare everything to go deliver the chocolates to Savanaclaw.
Of course Jack also bought you chocolates, your favorite ones by the way. He struggled to keep his tail still when he saw how happy you were and the chocolates you gave him.
Ruggie seemed... struggling to give you the chocolates he had bought for you. He would have liked to have bought the cheaper chocolate, but he didn't want to give you a chocolate that meant you were nothing to him. So he had to spend a little more money and that was what was hurting him. However, his pain was eased by your chocolates.
Leona wasn't with them, so he could only be in his room. You go there and knock on the door.
âWhat?â You hear Leona's voice on the other side.
You open the door and enter his room. It's no surprise to see him lying in bed as if he had just woken up from a nap. He looks at you with his hands behind his head and smirks.
âOh, yeah, did you come here to deliver your friendship sweets?â he says mockingly.
âActually, yes.â you answer, walk towards him and stretch out your arm, handing him the yellow box. âThis one is for you.â
He glances sideways at the box for a second, but then lifts his torso and sits up on the bed. He picks up the box and opens it to find dark chocolate hearts. You tell him that you tried to find some kind of recipe with meat but didn't find much. However it seemed like dark chocolate was the best one to pair with meat so that's why you chose it.
âSo, you're saying that you did these little things?â Leona picks up one of the chocolates with a smug grin on his face. âLet's see how you did then. I must remind you that my palate is quite delicate.â He takes a bite and seems to enjoy the chocolate, but doesn't say anything.
Instead, he puts the box on the bed, gets up and seems to walk away from you. But then you notice that he's walking over to a chair in the corner of the room covered in clothes. He lazily removes one of the pieces of clothing from the seat and reaches for the white box that was hidden underneath. He comes back and hands you the box.
âGood enough. Here's your prize.â
You take the box and look at it. Itâs white with gold details, texture and embossing. It's also relatively heavy for a box of chocolate, and thick. You don't even recognize that brand. Leona laugh at your reaction.
âYou've definitely never seen one of these.â
You can't open the box with only one hand, you had to put it on Leona's bed to be able to open it with both hands. He complained like you expected him to, but then he just sat there watching you open the box and see what was inside, while eating more of your chocolates like they were snacks.
You open it, and inside the white box there is a wooden box. You remove the wooden box and see another wooden thing, like a square plate, with a kind of small wooden tongs. Leona is amused by your reaction. You took this out of the white box too, underneath is a booklet, and underneath that, there's a brochure. And after that there finally seems to be nothing left to take out.
âIf you're wondering which one is the chocolate, it's the wooden box.â He points to the first thing you took out of the box and take another chocolate of yours to eat.
You pick up the wooden box with a little golden square on the lid and opens it. You pick up a large square wrapped in gold paper. At the bottom of the box, in a smaller diamond-shaped hole with a single cocoa bean.
âThat is chocolate.â Leona casually pointed to the large square wrapped in gold paper.
You decide to see what that wooden thing with the tongs was before that. You pick it up, take the tongs off the top and remove the paper it was holding, revealing a gold square with engravings and what looks like a wooden frame around it. You read the title on the sheet of paper: âTesting utensil and plate.â And realizes that these are basically instructions on how to taste the chocolate using tongs and putting it on the golden plate.
You finally decide to search for those chocolates on the internet and you only had to type the name of the brand to see that the first result was: âThe most expensive chocolate in Twisted Wonderlandâ. You found that same box and discovered that it cost almost 500 thaumarks. Leona just laughs at your shocked face.
Before you could say anything, maybe even say that you couldn't accept a chocolate like that, Leona takes the golden square and unwraps it, revealing the chocolate, which by the color seems to be your favorite. He breaks one of the triangles that formed the square and places it in front of your lips.
âGo on.â He smirks. âOpen your mouth and say what you wanted to say.â
You open your mouth, but instead of talking you take a bite of the chocolate, as he wanted you to do. And it's incredible! He puts the rest of that piece of chocolate on top of the golden plate.
Knowing that the handmade chocolates were an âI love youâ message, Leona felt completely confident in doing what he did next. As you were standing, he also stood up, put one of his hands on your waist and pulled you against him to kiss you.
You already kind of knew that it was possible to receive some kind of chocolate from Azul. This tradition can also be seen as a way of strengthening ties or showing respect for colleagues. He would not miss the opportunity to be âgenerousâ to certain people whom he may or may not have selected as people of interest.
But no matter what kind of chocolate he would give you, you wanted to follow the rules and make yourself his chocolate.
You weren't sure which type of chocolate he would like best, so you decided to make a few of each, some dark chocolate, some milk chocolate, and some white chocolate. âBy chanceâ, Sam had some molds for sale that you could use to make chocolates in sea-themed shapes like shells, seahorses, starfish, crabs, etc. One of the molds was even of a cute little octopus. You also bought a beautiful lavender box to put the chocolates in.
The next day, Valentine's Day, you were preparing the chocolates to give to the Octavinelle boys when someone knocked on your door.
âGood morning, (Y/N).â Azul greets you with his charming smile and his hands behind his back. âWere you getting ready to go out? I hope I'm not taking up too much of your time. I'm sure you have a lot of chocolates to deliver today, knowing how many acquaintances you've made at this school. But let me be the first to present you.â He takes his hands from behind his back revealing a beautiful lavender box with the Mostro Lounge logo in silver.
He must have prepared several boxes of that for his... acquaintances (clients) as well. But you accept the box anyway and take the opportunity to give him yours. Azul doesn't seem too surprised that you give him chocolates too, but he is when he sees that there is no brand on the box. You open your boxes at the same time to see... the same chocolates, the exact same shapes.
âHave you also-â You two start saying at the same time and then stop when you realize you're talking over each other.
âThe molds in Sam's mystery shop.â Azul continued with a sweet tone. âYou bought them too. So... that means...â
âThese chocolates.â You say. âWere they made by you?â
âYes, they were!â He smiles proudly. âPlease, go ahead to taste them. Tell me what you think.â
You can see he used your favorite type of chocolate. You pick up one of the chocolates, take a bite and discover that it has your favorite filling. He can see that you loved it by your face, but he wants to hear your words and you only increase his pride with them.
You then ask him to try your chocolates. You confess that you didn't really know which one would be his favorite so you made some of each type. This makes him chuckle.
âDon't worry, they all look delicious. Let's see if the same applies to the taste, shall we?â He smirks before taking one of the chocolates to his mouth and biting into it.
He looked surprisingly intrigued and you didn't know what that meant. So you ask him if there's something wrong with the chocolates.
âNo, that's not it. Your chocolates are very simple, without any special filling or anything that improves the original flavor of the ready-made chocolate. So why...? Why does it taste so good if it's nothing special? Did you use something that my taste buds aren't detecting?â
It was wierd, Azul almost seemed insulted, like you were tricking him somehow. Or like he wanted to figure out the logical explanation for that flavor. You say you only followed a recipe and seeing that he seemed dissatisfied with this explanation you say that people say that something made with love tastes better.
âDon't be ridiculous." He says despite starting to blush a little. âFeelings do not change a well-made recipe or a cook's skills. It might make them lazier and less willing to do things properly." he says, clearly thinking of a certain someone. "But it doesn't suddenly make someone an extraordinary cook. That's not how it works. It doesn't make sense."
And then his subtle indignation gives way to a quite seductive smile.
âMaybe I should see how you do them to find out your secret. And in return, I can teach you how to make the fillings and stuff them. What do you think? Cooking together and teaching each other.â He gets closer to you and tilts your head with a gentle finger on your chin. âDoesn't that sound like a good deal, my dear?â
After this you tell him that you were preparing to go to Octavinelle to offer him, Jade and Floyd the chocolates. There was still the boxes to be delivered to the twins.
âOh, I wonder what you got for them.â
You say that for Jade you found some mushroom-shaped chocolates and for Floyd you bought some that said they all had different flavors but didn't say which ones, you realized that it was one of those sweets that you only find out if you were lucky or not with the flavor after tasting it.
Azul's mood seemed to improve when you said you had bought the chocolates and not made them. He also highlighted your excellent ability to choose gifts and added that you could be an excellent... business colleague. He liked the idea of a special personal assistant. He will accompany you to Octavinelle and insist on carrying him your gifts.
Jade loved the chocolates you chose for him, although it's hard to be sure even with all those smooth talking praises. For you, he asked his parents to send him some special Coral Sea chocolates. Azul asks you to examine that box and doesn't even hide his distrust towards Jade, who appears theatrically sad. He recognizes those chocolates with the box still sealed and knows that there is nothing wrong with those, so he returns them to you with more peace of mind.
Floyd was a little put off at first because the chocolates looked boring, but he soon became interested when you told him about the surprise flavors. He tried one that he said tasted like octopus and started laughing with great amusement. For you he bought shrimp-shaped chocolates and commented something about finding it funny to see it as a kind of cannibalism.
Kalim would definitely give you chocolates, but you had no way of knowing if Jamil would do the same. You already know how reluctant he is to call someone a friend, let alone give someone chocolates, that is not out of pure politeness, on a day like Valentine's. But either way you wanted to follow the rules and offer him chocolates made by you.
You weren't sure which type of chocolate he would like best, so you decided to make a few of each, some dark chocolate, some milk chocolate, and some white chocolate. But you didn't want to make just boring chocolate hearts. However, you didn't know if there was any filling he liked with the chocolates, so at Sam's Mystery Shop you try to find at least pretty molds. And you found heart molds with beautiful line art. That, and a pretty dark red box with a golden bow.
The next day, Valentine's Day, you were preparing the boxes of chocolates to take to the Scarabia boys, but they were faster than you.
âGOOD MORNING (Y/N)!â Kalim greets you enthusiastically when you open the door after hearing the knock on it. âHappy Valentine's Day!â He stretches out his arms with a huge smile and a huge basket of chocolates. It even had a heart-shaped balloon tied to it.
You need both hands to pick up the basket. You try to tell him that he didn't need to offer you so much, in fact he didn't need to offer you anything, but all that...
âDon't worry. I love giving gifts to my friends! And it's okay if you can't eat them all before the expiration date, I'm sure Grim can help you with that. There's enough for both of you in there. Hahaha.â
âOr at least we hope it's enough for both of you.â Jamil comments behind him. âBe careful Grim doesn't steal them all from you. And I'm sure Kalim would love to spend a little more time with you, but he has to go deliver the rest chocolates.â He frowns wearily and helplessly.
You can only imagine how many chocolates someone who treats practically everyone as a friend has to give away. But you ask them to wait just one more minute. You put the basket on the table in the hallway, take the one of the chocolate boxes you were preparing to take with you and hand it to Kalim.
Just like the chocolates he gave you, yours were also bought, except the brand you bought was much cheaper. But none of that mattered to Kalim, he was thrilled just because you gave him chocolate at all. But then he remembers and looks back at Jamil.
âWeâll open them in the dorm.â Jamil says. âI'll just try one and you can eat the rest. I know (Y/N) is trustworthy.â
Kalim celebrates and thanks him for allowing him to eat the chocolates. You wait for them to turn their backs to call Jamil in a whisper that you knew he would hear and Kalim wouldn't. He turns as Kalim walks to the gate and you hand him the dark red box with the golden bow. He looks at the box in surprise, glances at Kalim and thought quickly. He takes the box and says: âI'll text you.â before he turns and walks towards Kalim with your box in his hands.
If you had given him that box while Kalim was looking, he would have been super curious and happy for Jamil, maybe even started saying that he should offer you a box too and ask about it. And you knew how much Jamil liked to be discreet and not draw Kalim's attention to his affairs.
You had time to go to all the other dorms and deliver your friendship chocolates before he sent you the messages:
âI'm sorry I didn't thank you for the chocolates when you gave them to me. We only just finished delivering Kalim's chocolates, and he went to the Pop Music Club. I wanted to ask you if there would be a possibility of you passing through Scarabia today? I would like to thank you properly.â
You say you can and he asks if it can be in an hour. You don't ask him why, even though you're asking that to yourself, but you say yes and the meeting is set.
At the agreed time you go to Scarabia and you don't even need to tell Jamil that you have arrived, he is already at the doors of the main building waiting for you. And as if that wasn't enough of a surprise, when you approach him he holds out his hand for you to place yours on top and he kisses the back of your hand. He has a charmingly confident smile on his face. He leads you like a gentleman through the dorm hallways.
âI apologize again for being so curt with you when you gave me the box.â He says as you walk with one of your arms intertwined with his. âYou truly caught me off guard. I wanted to thank you at that moment, but I was so much more focused on being quick so that Kalim wouldn't... you know... intrude.â That was the least rude way of saying what he really wanted to say.
You ask him what happened after you gave him the chocolates. The box wasn't small, he wouldn't have been able to hide it from Kalim.
âWhat I expected.â he sighed. âKalim started making questions right away. But don't worry, you made the right decision by handing me the box when he wasn't looking. I hope he didn't bother you about it though.â
No, Kalim didn't text or call you after that. Jamil discreetly whispered a "excellent"Â with a somewhat sinister smile. You ask him if he liked the chocolates and tell him that, since you didn't know which was his favorite chocolate, you decided to use them all. He gives you a slight smile.
âI can appreciate them all. When they're done well.â he smirked. âThe shape was nice, probably because of the molds you used. The taste... was good enough.â
You look at him a little sadly, or maybe a little sullenly. He laughs.
âThey were good.â he says more gently. âBut I think you can do better.â The smug smile returns. âMaybe if I teach you a few things? Or if we cook together? I wouldn't mind that. I bet it would be... interesting to be your tutor.â He seems to like the idea, probably because of the hierarchy you would have (in addition to the one you already have).
You arrive at his room and he invites you to come in and sit on his bed.
âMy roommate is also at a club meeting.â He explains, as he picks up a box, that didn't look like anything special, from his desk. âHere.â he gives you the box and sits next to you. âI thought about making you chocolates too.â He can't look you in the eyes and tries to hide the blush that was starting to appear on his cheeks. âBut... I didn't want to give them to you without knowing... I made these when I got back to Scarabia, after Kalim had gone to the club meeting.â he points to the box on your lap. âI didn't have much time to get a nicer box, sorry.â
You open the box to find several heart-shaped chocolates made with your favorite type of chocolate. But the ones in the middle had letters that, the way they were arranged, formed the phrase âI love you tooâ.
âYou bought the ones you gave to Kalim.â Jamil says, still reluctant to look you in the eyes. âAnd made the ones you gave me. That's what it means, isn't it? ...Try it.â
You do so and take one of the chocolate hearts, bite into it and discover that it has your favorite filling. As you expected, the flavor is divine and you say this to Jamil when he asks you what you thought of them.
âI haven't tried them yet after they're done. Can I steal one from you?â
You say yes, but instead of his hand going towards the box, it goes towards your face, holds your chin to turn your head towards him and he kisses you.
You knew you were screwed. Vil is demanding about everything and anything. But you also know he can still appreciate someoneâs effort and dedication. Even if your chocolates donât turn out perfectly, which is most likely the case, you know heâll still be happy with your hard work and thoughtfulness.
Your real problems lie elsewhere: nutrition and healthy ingredients. Your best bet was dark chocolate, itâs the healthiest of all. But you couldn't just make boring plain chocolates, and making them in the shape of a heart wasn't enough. You search for healthy chocolate recipes for Valentine's Day and you find a recipe for dark chocolate with fruits and nuts.
It was a lot of work to remove the seeds from the kumquats, chop the almonds, dry the cherries and do everything as the recipe said, but eventually your heart-shaped chocolates with fruits and nuts were ready on time. You just had to buy the prettiest purple box you could find at Sam's Mystery Shop and a good red bow.
The next day, Valentine's Day, you took your chocolates to Pomefiore to deliver them.
Rook would be happy with any type of chocolate you give him. The simple fact that you give him a box or even just a bag on such a special day makes him beam with joy. And of course he also bought you a box of chocolates, your favorites, by the way. (Regardless of whether you told him which ones they were or not)
The best chocolates you can give Epel are the ones you know he likes but that Vil wouldn't let him eat. Even if Vil found out, it would be rude not to accept such a kind gift, so according to etiquette he would have to accept your gift. The two of you smile mischievously at each other. And yes, of course he also bought you chocolates. He asked his family to send special chocolates typical of Harveston just for you.
All that was left was to deliver the last box to Vil, but before you turned around to go to his room to see if he was there, he was kind enough to appear in the lounge at that moment. The way he walked towards you with his eyes fixed on you and that beautiful discreet smile made you feel like the most special person in the room.
You say he arrived just in time because you were about to go look for him, and you give him the pretty purple box with a red bow. He smiles in satisfaction and pick up the box.
âWell, I can't say I'm surprised to receive another box of chocolates today. And I see that this box is not of any brand. May I then assume that they were made by you?â His smile softens even more when you confirm, but even so he doesn't miss the opportunity to add a little smugness to it. âWell, let's see how you did then?â
Vil opens the box and is actually surprised by what he sees inside. He picks up one of the chocolate hearts and examines it.
âDark chocolate.â He says in an approving tone. âI see almonds, dried cherries and... are those candied kumquats?â The fruits were what surprised him the most and he looks at you in such a neutrally curious way that you don't know whether he approved of those chocolates or not.
You tell him that you know how much he values his good nutrition, so you tried to find the healthiest Valentine's chocolate recipe, and that was the recipe you chose. You add that you followed the recipe to the letter as if defending yourself in case he doesn't like it, but at that moment you see his shoulders relax, the smile return and his eyes look at you with affection.
âYou arenât the first one to give me handmade chocolates.â he starts saying and looks at your chocolates in his hands. âBut you are the first one who knows me well enough to know what I would actually like to receive. Except for Rook, but he's a strange exception. All the other boxes that arrived were of the sweetest and most caloric chocolates imaginable. I understand and appreciate the gesture but...â He looks back at you and gives you a small smile. âThey don't really know me, do they?â
He takes a bite of your chocolate and looks serious about tasting it for seconds that feel like minutes to you. You ask how they are and if they taste good, he looks at you seriously and then starts laughing when he sees your worried face.
âIâm sorry, I just wanted to mess with you a little. I would like to say that these chocolates are quite good, but to do so I have to add that they are, for the skills of someone who is not a professional cook. I don't think I've ever tried this kind of sweets before. Could you give me the recipe?â and even eats the rest of the chocolate he has in his hand, with an expression of clear delight.
Your instinct tells you that something is going on behind you. You look over and see Epel slightly uncomfortable with the way Rook is looking at you and Vil as if he was watching the most wonderful and touching romantic play in the history of theater. He doesn't say a word as if a single syllable could ruin the moment, and he looks like he wants to burst into tears with emotion.
You feel a gentle hand on the small of your back, you turn your head again and see that it is Vil pulling you slightly to invite you to go with him.
âI can imagine the work it took you to remove the seeds from these kumquats and candied them. Such thoughtfulness and well done hard work deserves a proper reward. Don't you think?â
His gaze alternates between looking at you sweetly and looking at Rook in a subtly threatening way, as if warning him not to snoop around. The same look could be given to any other student who looked at you with the same nosy curiosity.
Vil invites you to go with him to a place, you follow him and you arrive at the door of his room. He looks haughtily at the corridor and sees that no one followed you, or if they did they would be left behind in that same corridor. He invites you in, saying that he also has something for you. After he closes the door behind him, he goes to his desk and picks up a small, beautiful, heart-shaped golden box to give you.
âSeeing me enjoying your chocolates was a spectacle and proof enough of your value to the public.â he says referring to the other Pomefiore students who were in the lounge. âThey don't deserve to witness more.â
He makes a gesture encouraging you to open the box and you do so. There were few chocolates, at least compared to the ones you gave him, but not only were they beautifully decorated, they were also made from your favorite type of chocolate. Even if your favorite is the least healthy of all. You look at him in surprise.
âDon't get used to it.â he warns you, raising a finger. âI did less on purpose so as not to be so detrimental to your nutrition.â he pokes your nose gently âThis is a rare exception, you hear?â
Even though you know what his answer would be, you ask if he was the one who made them.
âYes, they look astonishing professional, don't they?â He smiled with the greatest pride, before returning to his regular speech. âI also thought about preparing something nutritious, until I thought about what you would like to receive and not what I would like to give. If I did what IÂ thought was best for you while neglecting your own tastes, it would not only be wrong but an insult. It would be the same as all those fans who offered me chocolates without knowing what I would like or even wanting to try. Those chocolates would convey the message that I like you but I want to mold you into the person I want you to be and that is both a lie and a blasphemy. I want to help you improve of course, but that doesn't mean I don't like who you are now. So I used your favorite chocolates and fillings regardless, but did it in small quantities. However, if you wake up tomorrow with a stomach ache because you ate them all, don't blame me, understood?â
If you hug him he will tell you to be careful so the chocolates don't fall out of the box, but he will hug you back, maybe just more delicately.
You taste one of the beautiful chocolates and they are delicious. The pride on Vil's face only increases when you tell him this. Catching you off guard, he gently holds your chin with his index finger and thumb and gives you a sweet kiss on the cheek.
âThis is my thank you for your gift.â he then puts his face right in front of yours, your noses almost touching âAnd this is my thank you for you.â and he kisses your lips.
âARE YOU CRAZY?!â Idia tells Ortho. âMe? Cook? For THEM? Do you want them to hate me for giving them food so poorly prepared that it could poison them? Should I check-up you? Your cause-and-effect conclusions seems to be miscalculating things.â
âI donât detect any abnormality in my data processing.â Ortho guarantees him. âBut that's what the rules of Valentine's Day tradition say. And I can even use quotes from your games and mangas to support my argument.â
âOI! Don't use those things against me, it's a low blow! Besides, like you said, those are games and mangas, or even movies, they're not real. Real life is not a fairy tale where you always conveniently fall in love with the right person who feels the same way about you. There is a much greater chance that you will fall in love with someone you don't deserve and end up preferring Prince Charming.â
âSo what?â
âW-WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'SO WHAT'?â
âYou don't need to declare yourself to them. You just have to offer them chocolates. If the feeling is not mutual, just leave it at that. But I'm sure that (Y/N) will offer you something. Especially knowing how much you like sweets.â
âOh yeah, sure, it's so much better to receive a friendzone chocolate than nothing at all. It must be the new trend to replace the bucket of ice cream to eat by the spoonful while crying watching a romcom wrapped in a blanket in the middle of the dark.â
âCome on. You know (Y/N), they would appreciate anything you did simply because you tried. They are the type to appreciate the effort and intention more than the end result. I've heard them tell how happy they were with a mere postcard from Malleus Draconia during the winter break.â
âThatâs because he's The Malleus Draconia. Anything coming from someone like him is spectacular. Even a curse would be a source of pride for someone to receive simply because he acknowledged their existence.â
While Ortho was trying to convince Idia to At Least Try to make some kind of chocolate for you, you were looking for molds for your chocolates at Sam's Mystery Shop.
And âcoincidence of coincidencesâ Sam had in stock molds in the shape of items from a mobile game that Idea loves. Funny enough, they were also sweets, items for the cards if you're not mistaken. But the problem arose when you saw the price: 130 thaumarks. Sam approached you when he saw your certainty in wanting to buy that item turn into doubt and consideration.
You told him you wanted to buy that, but it was too expensive for your tight budget. So, knowing that you're a trustworthy little imp, he lets you pay what you can for it and work a day or two at the store until you can pay the rest. But he wouldn't need you anytime soon, he'll tell you when he does. You accept the deal and get the molds in addition to the ingredients and the bright blue box with a black bow.
Knowing that he loves sweets, you decide to use white chocolate and milk chocolate. And you made a lot of them, enough to fill the box almost to its limit.
Meanwhile, the only way Ortho found to convince Idia to get you chocolates was by suggesting that he make some and buy others and wait to see if you would give him chocolates and what kind. If you gave him friendship chocolates, he would give you the box he bought; if you gave him chocolates you made yourself (as if), he would give you the ones he made... and the ones he bought too. âI'm terrible at cooking. It's better to play it safe if they come out inedible.â
The next day, Valentine's Day, you take your gifts to go to Ignihyde to deliver them to the Shroud brothers.
You give Ortho a cute heart-shaped power back. You tell him that you would like to give him chocolates too, but since he doesn't eat you try to find something equivalent. And even if it's not a very good charger, it's still a cute decoration. Ortho completely agrees with you and is very happy that you put so much thought into his gift. He gives you chocolate in return, a box of your favorites.
Idia is nowhere to be seen, but Ortho knows you know where to find him. You go to his bedroom door and knock on it. The door opens for you. As you might expect, he is sitting in front of his computer. He pauses the game he was playing, takes off his headphones and turns his chair to look at you.
âHey, um, you don't need to give me chocolates out of pity if that's the case. I don't need to get something just because my brother received a gift.â
You assure him that it's not out of pity, it's because you really wanted to give him those chocolates.
âI hope you didn't spend too much. I don't want you to regret it to much.â
"I may have spent a little more than I expected," you admit, handing him the box and placing it on his lap. "But I'll be keeping the molds.â
âMolds?! You didn't actually...â He stops to first check if what he thought you had done was true.
He opens the box and it takes him a few seconds to analyze those shapes well. You are startled to see him jump out of his chair.
âTHESE ARE GROOVY SWEETS! Where did you found them? Wait! You said you found molds? I didn't even know there were molds to make them! How much did it cost? This game is quite niche, it must not have been easy to find. Or cheap.â
You say finding them was easy because you simply saw them in Sam's Mystery Shop and recognized the shapes and the game logo. Idia asks you about the price again and you try to change the subject until he says that if you don't tell him he'll look it up online. And you finally tell him the price.
âAnd isn't that a little tight for you?â He doesn't seem the least bit surprised by the price. âI mean, the money you have comes from the headmage as far as I know, right? And I don't think he gives you much more than the bare minimum.â
You tell him about the deal with Sam.
âWHAT?! Oh, No! You won't get into debt because of me!â He says determined âI'll send Sam all the money you spent and what's left to pay for the molds. And if you don't tell me how much it was, I'll just send him, like, I don't know, a 500 thaumarks or something and you can buy whatever you want with what's left.â
You say he doesn't need to exaggerate so much, you could even accept him paying for the molds for you, but the rest was ridiculous.
âHey, I may not be a prince but my family is still quite wealthy, you know.â he says with a smug, which then turns into his cute smile. âYou must have had so much work making them, let me at least help with the expenses.â the smug returns âYou know I'm going to send him the money no matter what you say right?â
You sigh a âFineâ and ask if he could finally taste the chocolates. He takes one of the white chocolates and bites it. You even say that you thought about putting something else in them, but you didn't know what, however it seems that this wasnât necessary. He was eating the chocolate with such a cute smile, and the ends of his hair started to turn a slightly pink.
âDid you try them after they were done?â he asks.
You say you ate the first one you made to taste test it, but not the ones you gave him. He takes another one and brings it to your lips for you to eat. You open your mouth and grab the chocolate, it was good, but what you liked most was the fact that he fed it to you. After this episode of confidence, he becomes embarrassed again.
âI... um...â he then proceeds to speak in the speed of light. âOrtho made me make chocolates for you because it was like the rules of tradition or whatever but you don't need to eat them they definitely suck. B-b-but I bought better ones for you.â he picks up a relatively large box and returns to speaking at a more intelligible speed. âI bought the biggest box of your favorite chocolates they've ever sold.â
You accept the box, but still ask what he said about making chocolates for you.
âWhat? How can you still understand what I say at that speed? Don't tell me you're one of those people who puts a video on x2 speed or something.â You look at him disapprovingly, showing that you know he's trying to change the subject again. He sighs. âListen, I know the rules are that when you... really... like... someone you should make the chocolates yourself, just like... you... did. But what does it matter how or who does them, what matters is whether they taste good or not, right? It all ends in the same place anyway.â
âSo... these chocolates,â you point to the box you gave him âor any others would be the same to you?â
âWait! No! That's not what I meant! T-t-the ones you made n-needed to be made, t-they can't be bought.â
âSo, would you prefer if I had bought them? Surely they would be better made by a professional, right?â
âN-n-no! You are distorting what I... No, actually, that's exactly what I said... B-b-but that does NOT apply here, not to you, I just... I SUCK AT COOKING, OKAY!? I didn't want to give you something ugly, poorly made and with horrible taste. But fine! If that's what you want!â He goes to the closet and takes out a pink heart-shaped box to give it to you. âYou can have it. Don't say I didn't try to warn you.â
You pick up the box and open it to find cute hearts made with your favorite type of chocolate with sprinkles on top. They didn't look bad, they even looked well made. You pick one up and taste it, and it tastes good to you. You actually liked it and tell him that.
âY-you actually enjoyed that amateurish attempt at cooking? You feeling okay? Are your taste buds buggy? You don't need to say that just to be nice, you know?â
You assure him that you're not just being nice, that you really liked it. Of course they could be better, just like yours could be too. Maybe you should try doing them together sometime?
âFirst Ortho makes me cook and now you? Do you really like me or just like to see me suffer?â
He insists that you keep the ones he bought too because they were for you anyway. If you give him a kiss on the cheek to thank him he will get all flustered and the ends of his hair will turn bright pink.
You knew very well what kind of chocolates you wanted to make for Malleus: ice cream! But you didn't want to offer him a bowl of ice cream, so you search the internet to see if there was any type of Valentine's Day chocolate that involves ice cream and you find the ice cream bonbons, which are basically balls of ice cream, covered in chocolate.
The recipe you found was for vanilla and chocolate ice creams, which also seemed like the safest choices. You don't make a lot, but you can still make several of each type of chocolate and decorate them with white sprinkles on the dark and milk chocolate ones and rainbow sprinkles on the white chocolate ones.
Unfortunately, since they are cold sweets, you can't put them in a normal box, so you put them in a container and store them in the fridge.
The next day, Valentine's Day, you wonder how you're going to get those chocolates to Malleus. You don't want to ruin them and you're afraid it could take so long to find him that the chocolates will start to melt even if you use a container designed for cold food. At that moment, someone knocks on your door.
âGood morning, (Y/N).â Malleus greets you when you open the door. âHappy Valentine's Day. I hope you had a good night's sleep. I'm here to fulfill the tradition of offering chocolates to my loved ones.â He snaps his fingers and a beautiful black heart-shaped box with a translucent green bow appears floating.
Malleus takes the box and hands it to you with a slight but sincere smile. As you pick up the box and thank him, you remember that ever since you woke up you were almost certain to hear movement outside Ramshackle Dorm. And that's why you ask Malleus if he was there for a long time.
âI will not hide the fact that I arrived before you woke up, but it has not been that long. Only two or three hours perhaps?â
He tells you it's no problem, for him it's not that long, but you still invite him in since he's been out there for so long to you. The two of you sit on the lounge sofa and Malleus can't take his eyes off you, he's so eager for you to open the box. When you finally do, you find beautiful hearts of your favorite chocolate with detailed and delicate line art. Malleus was so happy with your reaction, especially if you say you feel sorry for eating them because they are so beautiful.
âIm glad you enjoyed the presentation so much.â he says with an amused smile. âBut please do not let that stop you from consuming them. Unfortunately, their edibility is ephemeral, so donât let your desire to appreciate its exterior prevent you from savoring its interior and appreciating it in its entirety. Furthermore, I truly wish to know your opinion about my cooking.â
âYou were the one who made them?â you ask.
âYes, it was I.â he confirms with a proud smile. âThat is why I'm rather looking forward to hearing your thoughts.â
You take one of the chocolate hearts and bite into it to taste your favorite filling too. It was delicious and Malleus couldn't have been happier about it. Then you remember your chocolates and get up to get them without telling him what you were going to do in the kitchen. You return with a modest-looking container for cold food in your hands and sit down next to him again.
You apologize for not having a box as pretty as the one he gave you and explain that you didn't know how you were going to get those chocolates to him since they had to be kept cold.
âThere is no need to worry about that.â he reassures you with a loving smile. âI completely understand your dilemma. Fortunately, you needn't to think about that anymore for I am already here.â
He gladly accepts the container and opens it.
âThey certainly look lovelyâ he says, smiling. âAm I right in concluding that your container dilemma indicates that you made them?â When he sees you confirm, his smile grows and becomes even more affectionate. âFrom the looks of it alone you seem to have done an excellent work. I'm looking forward to trying them.â
He carefully picks up one of the chocolates and bites into it, his eyes widen when he realized what the inside was.
âIce cream...â he mutters to himself with a charming smile and then looks at you lovingly. âIs this why you had trouble figuring out a way to preserve them while transporting them? You focused so much on doing something to my liking that you ended up neglecting the logistical aspect.â
You confirm and he laughs heartily.
âI believe you are as aware of the rules of this tradition as I am.â his smile becomes seductive. âChocolate made by one's hands should be a declaration of love, shall it not?â He takes your reaction as a confirmation.
He caresses your face before giving you a delicate, loving kiss on the cheek. You look at him and see his lime green eyes shining with the most love there could be.
After that he will offer to accompany you to Diasomnia so you can deliver your chocolates to the others. He will never leave your side again and will find any excuse to get so close to you that he will respectfully put his arm around your shoulder or waist.
Silver is too oblivious to realize what's happening between you and Malleus. As for the chocolates, he doesn't give you your favorites because he doesn't know which they were, but he gives you the ones he genuinely thought and hoped you would like. And even if they weren't your favorites, they were ones you really liked.
Lilia will have that smile every time he looks at you two and will try to mess with you a little. As for the chocolates, he said he would have liked to have made your chocolates himself but, you know, rules and misunderstandings to be avoided. (For a moment you shared Riddle's adoration for rules) So he offers you the most beautiful chocolates of your favorite type that he could find.
Sebek will enter into an internal conflict because he doesn't know whether to be jealous of you or happy for his liege. As for the chocolates, he doesn't give you anything too fancy, the chocolates even seem quite simple and basic, but âcoincidentallyâ they are your favorite type and with your favorite filling too.
If you would like to read more from me, you can find it in my pinned post: INDEX
*Sorry for the Cook Leona kinda bait, but let's be real, he would never even try to cook for anyone, not even himself, haha. Also, he is fully aware that he is terrible at cooking and he didn't want to give you poorly made chocolates when he could buy the best ones out there.
Did this get too long? Sorry đŁ
#Twisted Wonderland#twst#twisted wonderland x reader#twst x reader#twst imagines#twst fluff#Twisted Wonderland Fluff#Riddle Rosehearts#Riddle Rosehearts x Reader#Leona Kingscholar#Leona Kingscholar x Reader#Azul Ashengrotto#Azul Ashengrotto x Reader#Jamil Viper#Jamil Viper x Reader#Vil Schoenheit#Vil Schoenheit x Reader#Idia Shroud#Idia Shroud x Reader#Malleus Draconia#Malleus Draconia x Reader
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OPERATION CINDERELLA-SABOTAGE [HEARTSLABYUL]
in which he rescues you from your very short-lived wedding.
SUMMARY: due to a massive misunderstanding, a prince from royal sword academy is set to wed you at sunset. thankfully, your un-princely crush is here to save the day and crash this lovely wedding.
PAIRINGS: everyone x fem reader (separately)
WARNINGS: they're being a bit dramatic, characters are 18+, makeout (cater)
NOTES: this is echoes the ghost bride event, but listening to this prompted me to write out this scenario instead. i made this for shits and giggles, so have fun with this!
HEARTSLABYUL | SAVANACLAW | OCTANIVELLE | SCARABIA | POMEFIORE | IGNIHYDE | DIASOMNIA
There was no way you would be able to say 'no' now, not when there were hundreds of Royal Sword Academy students and even more members of a random royal family whose last names you cannot recall waiting outside that door. Aside from a completely oblivious Neige and Che'nya who was nowhere to be found, there was no one you could really ask for help to get you out of this mess.
You turn to your supposed betrothed with frantic eyes, shaking your head wildly. "I already told you, I'm not the one you danced with at the ball!" Your hisses fell on deaf ears. That damned prince from Royal Sword Academy was too busy making the 'goo-goo' eyes at you to even register what you were saying.
"I just happened to have the same shoe-size!"
Damn it, why did you have to agree to fitting some missing girl's shoe?!
Pierce Charmant, possibly the most delusional guy you have ever met in Twisted Wonderland, clung onto your calf with a stubborn expression. He had no intentions of letting you go, and neither did his five other guards that had blocked your way.
"You have to be her!"
"You don't even know my name!"
You were really counting on Grim to get someone, anyone, to stop this wedding. Yet, as you are walked down the aisle by the fair Neige, you are already planning out a divorce settlement plan. Based on the number of guests here, who had filled this entire venue from top to bottom, you would have guessed that this prince was rather rich. If it was to be an unhappy marriage, at least your wallet would be more than compensated.
You managed to convince this prince to send invitations to Night Raven College, but that didn't matter. He was so excited and in a hurry to marry, that your friends barely had any time to rescue you! There must have been so much traffic with the mirrors that they couldn't even use them! There was just no way that they'd make it in time now.
And so you consign yourself to readying some divorce papers within the next few weeks, and planning out how to avoid any more interactions with this guy while you were married.
You stood at the chapel's base, your expression exasperated than ever as you kept darting your gaze to the door. You've already tripped over the aisle a few times, fumbled the scripted vows, and even called for a bathroom break or two to stall.
And now comes the big moment that you were so desperately trying to avoid.
"Would you, Pierce Charmant, take the Ramshackle Dorm Prefect, as your lawfully wedded wife?"
The prince smiles so sickly sweet, and its the look of a man who won't change his mind.
"I do."
You grimace as the officiant faces you, just as blind to your annoyed expression.
"Would you, the Ramshackle Dorm Prefect, take Pierce Charmant as you lawfully wedded husband?" They didn't even use your name!
You pause, the image of your crush flashing before your eyes.
You would never see him again if you let yourself get married. Defiance returns to your face as you suck in a deep breath, ready to deal with the consequences of rejecting this delusional prince in front of hundreds of people.
"Iâ"
"I object!"
RIDDLE ROSEHEARTS
"Grim, please explain to me why I received an invitation to the Prefect's wedding... I am calm, Trey. I would just prefer to know the details before I go and fetch her myself... and may I ask one more thing? Yes, hoW IN THE WORLD DID THE PREFECT GET KIDNAPPED LIKE THIS?! DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO CALM ME DOWN, CATER. I AM PERFECTLY CALM."
Riddle calmly asked about your whereabouts, and it does not take him long to immediately get to work. As one of the better respected housewardens among the roster, it was easier to ask for a few favors that could get him to that damned cathedral fast. However, as the traffic did pile up to get to this accursed wedding, Riddle finds himself on horseback.
He does have this awful crush on you, but it never really crosses his mind. Even as he holds certain feelings for you, it's at the back of his mind. Riddle values your autonomy, and this marriage was a massive red flag. Surely, you cannot have possibly agreed to such a thing. It was just not in your nature. You would have protested, and the fact that you are not back in campus means that something is preventing you from speaking your mind. Riddle really respects you in this aspect!
Still, the idea of you marrying some prince who barely knew it was absolutely absurd. Riddle won't allow it, he absolutely won't!
The doors were flung open with a loud thud, revealing a red-head in a suit. Much to your surprise, Riddle isn't burning red with a fiery rage and threatening to have everyone's head off. He's stomping towards you and your supposed groom, fist clenched as he throws out an arm out of anger. He doesn't seem too angry, but determined.
"ENOUGH! SHE WILL BE COMING BACK TO NIGHT RAVEN COLLEGE WITH ME NOW."
Okay, maybe you were wrong about him not being angry.
His voice echoes throughout the entire cathedral, followed by several flinches at his sheer volume. Immediately, the crowd by the rows inch back a bit further as he continues to march forward, ignoring the guards that seemed to hesitate to approach him. Pierce raises a brow, almost annoyed rather than fearful of this disturbance.
"There seems to be a misunderstanding. You see, the Prefect is going to be married to me. You can sort out your affairs after the ceremony is over." Well, that didn't seem to help one bit, judging by how Riddle seemed to fume even further at this statement.
The housewarden comes to a halt, sucking in a sharp breath to calm his temper. The last thing he wanted to do right now was to frighten you.
He breathes out your name, sending a stutter through your heart.
"Do you truly want to marry this man?"
It almost makes you swoon, the way Riddle looks at you so earnestly as he asks for some affirmation. Had it been any other scenario, you would've taken your time to bore your eyes into his and study his expression. Instead, you shake your head wildly, racing down the aisle until you have hidden yourself behind him.
Riddle has the nerve to smirk at the shocked Prince. "And here, I thought princes had a code of conduct when it came to their ladies." He turned back to you with an assuring look. "I'll take you home, Prefect."
Truly, Riddle had no intentions of playing around. He had only one objective, to get you out of here. Just as he turns around to escort you out of the cathedral, a pair of guards had blocked the exit.
"No, I cannot let you leave!" Pierce cried out, ready to give chase. "Prefect, please! Give me a chance. You cannot possibly be ready to leave me for... this guy!"
Riddle's eye twitches as he cranes himself to look at the prince. "You have some nerve!" He clicks out, clenching his fists once more. Everyone feels the cathedral heat up, those closer to the aisles feeling beads of sweat form upon their temples. Even as you looked at Riddle so gently, a part of you was somewhat grateful that he was sticking up for you.
Just as his top was about to blow, you muster the will to tug on Riddle's sleeve. As quickly as his reddened face came, it disappears when he glances back at your soft expression. Huffing out a heavy sigh, Riddle clicks his tongue and marches towards the exit.
"Let's be on our way, Prefect. We shouldn't waste our precious time on these trifles."
Needless to say, no one really wanted to test the housewarden's patience as he escorted you out of that Cathedral. Riddle certainly doesn't waste time hoisting you onto his horse and galloping away, not giving the prince a second to try and retrieve you.
He grumbles about the entire ordeal, mostly questioning the absolute ridicule of the marriage. What kind of prince thinks he can get away with it? Riddle is certain to send a complain to Royal Sword Academy regarding their lessons on conduct if no one tries to stop him.
You could easily see Night Raven College from afar as you peeked from behind his tuft of red hair. Riddle is still rambling, a preferable alternative to losing his temper entirely. "That ruffian dares to marry you and has yet to learn your name! How uncouth!" He spat in absolute distaste, and he finds comfort in the way you giggle in agreement.
Riddle doesn't seem to take note of the way your arms are crossed around his middle, or maybe he does, and just chooses not to let his blush show. He cleared his throat, gripping the reigns a bit tighter. "You will find better suitors, Prefect. Just promise me that he wouldn't be so impulsive as that Prince."
TREY CLOVER
"Can you drive any faster, Deuce? No, I don't think we're late. Better safe than sorry! ... Suit, check. Speech, check. Myself, check. I've got everything in order, but... hah, I'd expect to do this type of thing a few years down the line, let alone object at a wedding at all. At least, it's the Prefect's wedding... That's such a weird thing to conceptualize at this point in time."
He really didn't have to be so dramatic about the entire thing, but Trey is really going all-out for this objection. Really, all he's done is seen movies where someone objects at a wedding and while he knows its entirely fictional, our boy here has to drive the point home; no one is marrying the Prefect today.
So that explains why he even bothered to dress up and rehearse a speech throughout the entire ride to the cathedral. He has Heartslabyul helping him out to secure an escape for you in case things went awry. Sure, Trey's Unique Magic won't come in handy but he's good with his words, and is relatively charismatic. He's earned that title of Vice Housewarden, after all.
All that preparation flies out the window when he sees you down the aisle, however.
"Trey?"
He's blinking profusely, almost flustered himself by how radiant you looked in that wedding dress. For a moment, Trey swears that he's had some sort of tunnel vision when all he seems to see is you. It strikes some envy in him when he reminds himself that this wasn't his wedding, and this wouldn't be yours either.
"Prefect..." Trey breathed out, struggling to recall the damn script he was supposed to follow. They are lost, just as he found himself lost in your sparkling gaze.
Screw the script, he was just going to have to wing this one.
He narrows his eyes onto the shocked prince, taking steps down that long carpet. "I've come to bring you back to Night Raven College."
Pierce raises a brow, glancing back at you and the intruder with suspicion. "On what grounds?" He questions snidely, uncertain of what to make of this new character. "If it is for anything trivial, then you may bother the Prefect later. You are obstructing a ceremony here, sir."
You recognize that dangerous glint behind Trey's eyes, and it only serves to make your heart race. Trey simply smirks, hiding away his hesitant exterior with a haughty farce. "I am afraid it cannot wait. I cannot allow the Prefect to be married without saying my piece."
He doesn't exactly know where all his bravado was coming from, but if he had to confess his feelings to you now, then so be it.
Trey looks at you, flashing a gentle yet sheepish smile. "Prefect, I fell for you. Hook, line, and sinker." You let out a dramatic gasp along with the onlookers, allowing a hand to fly to your parted lips. "I have harbored those feelings for a long time now, and I cannot bring myself to see you married without letting my heart be known."
Swallowing to himself, Trey's expression falters slightly, falling into one of softness. "Prefect, it is your happiness that I desire. No matter what happens, I will support your choice."
He didn't exactly have to tell you twice, not when you hurry yourself over to his side and latch onto his arm. You didn't have to feed his ego like that, but it isn't as if Trey had any room to complain.
Pierce is angered by the sight, glaring daggers at Trey with such envy and animosity. "Prefect, are you really leaving me on the altar?" As if to subtly annoy the prince even further, Trey hooks an arm around your waist and pivots you to turn. "It seems to be so, Prince Pierce. I fear that your beautiful bride will be stolen on this lovely afternoon."
You do not miss the way Trey smirks at your flustered expression. Just as he continues to walk you to the exit, you gritted your teeth at him. "Don't say such things!" You tell him as the heat rises to your cheeks. You hear him hum at your ear, followed by the slight press of his fingers on your hip.
"Why shouldn't I? You look beautiful in this dress," Trey murmurs in your ear, pushing the cathedral door open with his hand. "And I suppose that the prince hasn't coaxed this expression out of you. I almost feel sorry for him, that he never got the chance to see how lovely you are when you are putty in my hands."
Trey doesn't stop teasing you, even once you are back in Night Raven College. He wouldn't stop complimenting you either, aiming to have you as red as possible. He just can't help it. It's probably the high he got from confessing his feelings to you, or maybe it's the part where you're unsure if he was being sincere or not. Regardless, it was fun seeing you get all flustered because of him.
You are seated by the Heartslabyul's kitchen counter, snacking on some quick treats that Trey had prepared for you. He claims that it was a consolation for the fact you never got to taste your own wedding cake. Still clad in your grand wedding dress, you couldn't exactly care any less about the crumbs soiling the skirts. "You're no prince charming, Trey." You mentioned mid-bite, eyes glancing at the vice-housewarden who was seated across from you.
"What makes you say that?" He asks you with a slight smile, resting his chin on his palm as he shamelessly bored his gaze into yours.
You snort, rolling your eyes at his seemingly sweet disposition. "Prince Charmings don't tease the girls that they like until they're as red as Riddle." You huffed, digging your fork into the pastry. "You cruel man! You haven't stopped ever since you stole me from the prince!"
Trey chuckles, and you cannot keep yourself from gulping as he leaves his seat, sauntering towards you like a lion would his prey. "Oh? I suppose that I am no Prince Charming. I'm not a pure white knight either. If you think I am being cruel, I won't stop you, sweetheart."
Your heart stutters as he slides a finger underneath your chin, tilting your head so that your forced to look his way. Trey smiles at you, eyes twinkling with absolute mischief. "I highly doubt Prince Charmings steal kisses from their crushes either. For you, I will be kind. May I, sweetheart? I do not need your shoe size to know my feelings for you, at least."
CATER DIAMOND
"Gah, it just refreshed! They've just gotten past the walking part! Deuce, shortcut on your left! Sorry, I'm switching tabs between maps and the livestream! Prefect looks is such a cutie in that dress, it makes me so envious of the prince! Oh well, she really looks like she doesn't wanna be there anyways. I'm coming Prefect! I'll save you!"
There's just this image of Cater clinging onto Deuce on a blastcycle, raising his phone up for a signal as they attempt to maneuver their way through the streets. Everything just happened in such a rush, and Cater's scrambling to get to you. He isn't like Trey who bothers to prepare, but if anything, Cater will ramp up the dramatics to the maximum.
His real goal is just to get you out by any means necessary, and more preferably, without violence. So Cater will do what he does best; make a grand spectacle of the entire thing until the prince is forced to abdicate. Worst case scenario, he's going to drag you out the door and shove you onto the damn blastcycle.
If he has to play the part of your real paramour, then he hopes you'll forgive him. He's got the suit and the desperate look on his face ready to go!
Your jaw goes slack at the way Cater makes a dramatic run for the aisle, somewhat unused to that stricken expression on his face. You're almost concerned for him with the way he grips his knees, attempting to keep his balance as his eyes zone in onto yours.
"Prefect, you can't marry him!" It's too out of character of Cater, and you know better than to think he'd ever be this undone in public. "Is this what you really want?!" Before you could even reply, Pierce cuts in with a slight glare.
"And who are you to talk to my bride like that?" It is then when you catch wind of that mischievous glint in Cater's eye as he throws out his arm dramatically.
"I am the Prefect's sweetheart! Who are you to take my girlfriend like that?"
You have never heard the cathedral go so silent. You are utterly speechless, lips parted with absolute surprise. Clearly, judging by the way sweat had begun to form on the side of Cater's temple, you cannot help but think that this was all improv on his half.
Pierce turns to look at you, almost stricken by the ginger's declaration. "Prefect, is that true?" His voice trembles with fear. "Is that truly your... sweetheart?"
A part of you feels a bit sorry for what you were about to do, but you had to remind yourself that you had been dragged into a wedding on the same day you met this prince.
You are running now, sprinting to Cater's side as you clutch his hand in your own. Turning back to the scandalized prince, you nod firmly, playing along with the farce. "We've been dating for a long time now! And I'm in love with him!" You declare, sending gasps throughout the entire cathedral.
You glance up at Cater, mustering a smile across your features. "You came to save me!" He's almost surprised by the way you cling onto him even harder, but it only serves to sell the act even further. Cater smiles in return, holding you closely. "I'd never let you go, cutie. I love you too much to let you leap into the arms of another man."
Maybe the act is too good, too calculated. That is exactly what goes through your head as Pierce raises a brow in suspicion, narrowing his eyes onto the pair as if attempting to spot a mistake. "Is that so?" He murmurs until he crosses his arms, disbelief on his skeptical expression.
"Prove it."
Cater and you freeze up simultaneously, heads turning to glance at one another. He looked so caught off guard by Pierce's demand, and there's so many eyes on you both.
"You're both longtime sweethearts, right? I wouldn't want to split apart such a happy couple..."
Cater is staring at you, attempting to read your expression. It's difficult, especially when you look at him as your gaze gets even more glossy. He wouldn't want to do anything you didn't want to, and he's already readying himself to sprint out the door with you in tow.
"Prefect, you don't have toâmmph!"
You wasted no time in snaking your arms around his neck, pressing your lips against him with such boldness. He could feel you pour all your wants and longings into the kiss, the plush of your soft lips melding into his own. How could he not deny you his own affections, not as he cups your cheeks with his slender fingers and presses back against you.
He dares to go even further, pulling back for a slight gasp of air before diving back into you. Much to his delight, you aren't pulling away either, choosing to even entangle your fingers into his hair for leverage.
Then you hear a groan from the prince, followed by his pleas for you two to stop this display. It seems that he got the point now, at least.
Even as both of you exit the cathedral, Cater still maintains the image that he was your boyfriend. You don't exactly protest, and even then, it didn't seem to different to the way Cater had been treating you as a friend. He is still as clingy as ever, closing the physical proximities by having you hang onto his arm.
And you best believe he's snapping as much photos of you to commemorate the event. He's already updating his MagiCam account on his success, not to mention the pretty girl on his arm.
"Cater, what are you doing?" You asked, unable to hide the grin on your face as Cater sets up his camera against the tire of the blastcycle. You could see yourselves on the reflection of the device, followed by the grand beauty of the cathedral behind you both. He grins at you as he shifts at your side.
"What? It isn't everyday a cutie like you gets to look like a bride. We got the perfect backdrop!" He sings, sliding an arm around your waist as he strikes for a pose. You follow his lead, matching his energy with each shot.
"Careful! People are going to think we're dating for real!"
Cater smirks at you, leaning in closely to your ear with a sickeningly sweet tease. "Wanna make it official then, cutie? Can't have any random princes asking for your hand, not when you're dating me." He is not stranger to the way you blush, letting out a chuckle at the sight.
"Aw, cutie! Are you still thinking about the kiss? I didn't think you would be so bold about it." Pressing a quick peck on the cheek, he rests his chin on your head as he prepares for another pose. "Don't worry. CayCay's gonna initiate it next time!"
DEUCE SPADE
"Grim, which way?! I can't see the GPS! ... Don't I just have to go in there and yell 'I object'? It looks easy! I'll say it then drag Prefect out of there... Ha?! I need to prove that I have a good reason to get her out? Fine! I don't care, the Prefect needs me!"
Possibly the closest we will get to a legit Prince Charming. Perhaps Deuce is a bit on the rugged side, but he's possibly one of the most earnest and noble students from Night Raven College. He cares about you more than he cares about getting his feelings across, but that is not to say he won't be honest about it either in this confrontation.
He's not exactly sure on how to break up the ceremony. Grim and Ace are coaching him through what to say, and admittedly, the process seems too complicated. All he knows is that he has to run through those doors and convince the prince to not marry the Prefect by any means necessary.
"Deuce!"
He is the one to always come running at the sound of your name. Deuce had been someone you trusted during your stay here in Twisted Wonderland, and you never seemed to stop and think about just how attached that boy was to you. Sure, you held him closely as a friend and held affections for him, but the way he sprinted towards you was a testament to how much he cared.
"Prefect!" You are racing to meet him halfway, launching yourself into his chest. He catches you barreling into his suit, immediately wrapping his arms around you in a protective manner. Then he takes you by the soldiers, looking down at you with such concern and worry. "Are you hurt? Are you okay?" He fusses, earning a shy smile from you.
"I'm okay, Deuce. I'm okay."
"And what is the meaning of this?"
Catching sight of the infuriated prince, Deuce beckons you to stand behind him. Cerulean eyes narrow onto the groom with animosity, accompanied by the way his hands are itching towards his wand. "I can't let you marry her. The Prefect will be returning to Night Raven College with me." You can sense the nervousness in his tone, but Deuce remains firm in his words.
Pierce's eye twitches, and he scoffed in disbelief at Deuce's protective display. "I am afraid that cannot be possible. I am marrying the Prefect, and that is final." Clicking his tongue, Pierce rolls his eyes and holds out his hand for you to take. "Come, darling. I am not surprised that you have garnered the affections of an admirer, but I fancy you more than this one ever could."
Something in Deuce snaps as he lets out a cry.
"But I love her!"
You stiffen against his back, taken by surprise by Deuce's sudden confession. And the boy glares, and it almost so painful for Pierce to keep his stare, not when there was so much conviction and certainty behind Deuce's voice.
"I've loved her longer than you have, and known her much longer than that!" His voice cracks underneath the emotional turmoil bubbling within him. "Did you even stop to consider what she wants? Did you wonder if this wedding would make her happy in the first place?!"
You take note of how Deuce's fists are clenched pale, how his breaths had suddenly grown haggard. With a soft expression, you curl yourself onto his back, arms hugging him from behind in an attempt to placate him. His body stiffens against your hold, but he reaches to clasp your hands onto his own.
He is just thankful that you aren't seeing the way his eyes had begun to water at the thought of losing you entirely. "So please," He chokes out, expression twisted with a sort of agony.
"Please don't force her to marry you. She deserves so much more than that."
Thanks to the waterworks that Deuce had caused, the wedding was called off. There was just no way that the prince could marry you after Deuce poured his heart out to deter him from wedding you.
It's almost sweet, the way that Deuce lifts you onto the blastcycle and fixes the helmet onto your head. He encourages you to hold onto him tightly as he speeds away from the cathedral, all the more determined to settle you back into NRC.
By the time he's dropped you off at the Ramshackle Dorm, only then does he take the time to bask in how radiant you appeared in a wedding dress. Thinking about his crush in a wedding dress had never crossed Deuce's mind before, but this definitely gave him something to ponder about for the next couple of nights.
You are handing him the helmet, a shy smile surfacing across your features. "Thank you for saving me from that awful wedding." Deuce clears his throat, shifting his gaze as he takes the helmet from your grasp. "I didn't want you to do something you weren't willing to. It just isn't right."
He doesn't realize just how dry his throat as gotten when he cannot bring himself to keep his thoughts to himself. "I love you. I really do, and I wish I said it at a better time." He swallows to himself, letting the embarrassment burn into the back of his head as he recalls his declaration. It was only natural that 'like' would turn into 'love' after being your close confidant for this long, pining quietly during the months spent with you.
You cannot exactly blame him either, not when his feelings were entirely reciprocated. You shift on the balls of your heel, biting onto your lower lip.
And in a swift motion, you lean in to press a chaste kiss against Deuce's warm cheek. You pull away to bask upon the stunned expression on his face, only to give him a shy smile of your own.
"Would you be down to try confessing again tomorrow?"
ACE TRAPPOLA
"BAHAHAHAHA! THERE'S NO WAY THE PREFECT IS GETTING MARRIED. WHO WOULD EVER WANNA MARRY THE PREFECT? PFFFFT, GRIM, YOU'RE SERIOUSLY PULLING MY LEG HERE. YOU EVEN BROUGHT ME A FAKE INVITATION! AIN'T NO WAY THAT SHEâ Oh... Wait, really? The wedding is happening right now? ... Oh."
Ace thought you were just messing him again for that one time he said that no one would ever be interested in you. He simply said that to discourage you from trying to pursue a relationship with anyone else, but he didn't mean for you to prove him wrong like that! He never believes Grim until Deuce, Riddle, and the rest of Heartslabyul receive invitations to a wedding that was meant to start in 3 hours.
This is the absolute worst time to be in denial about his feelings. The Prefect wearing a wedding gown is one thing, but another is the fact that the groom is some pompous prince from Royal Sword Academy. Does that guy seriously think he was your type? No way! Ace knows you better than anyone on this campus, so this guy can buzz off!
A part of him did think that you were serious about marrying this stranger. In all fairness, Crowley's allowance pales in comparison to whatever Mr. Money-Bags had over there. He wouldn't blame you if you were marrying the guy for money.
Still, the last thing he wants is for you to be whisked away to who knows where. Ace would never see you again, and as embarrassing as it sounds, he did get very attached to you. Yes, a part of him wants to keep you to himself, but he also values your autonomy here. And if he knew you that well, he knows that you wouldn't want to be married off like this.
"Prefect, I'm here to pick you up."
You are actually surprised by how princely Ace looked in that moment. Dressed in a suit befitting a groom, you could help but feel your breath stolen away once his scarlet eyes were pinned onto yours. You could have been fooled then, and perhaps, Ace did turn into a prince as he marched down the aisle with his arm outstretched for you to take.
Ace never realizes the way a victorious smile creeps onto his face when you break out into a grin, taking the skirt of your dress as you make run for it. The crowd gasps as you crashed into Ace's chest, and he does not hesitate to take a protective stance in front of you. With a haughty laugh, he smirks at the baffled prince. "Who are you?!"
The redhead's arm wraps around your waist, pressing your body closer to his own. "Sorry about that, but I'll be taking your bride indefinitely! Trust me, you'll be severely disappointed after spending one good day with her!" He snickered, much to your horrified expression. You lightly smack at his chest, glaring at him with that pout that he adores so much.
"Hey!" You whine, and Ace simply beams at the prince who hesitantly steps forward. The redhead snorts, rolling his eyes at the crowd that are offended at his immature display. "I'm doing you a great favor here! If you kissed those lips, she'll turn into an ugly green ogre by sunset!"
"HEY!"
Pierce's eyebrows are furrowed as he looks at you, as if pleading for you to return to his arms. "You'd best return her, boy. We can settle this maturely." Ace does not like the way that these bodyguards are eyeing him, shifting closer and closer as he backed you both towards the venue entrance. He never falters, and neither does that shit-eating grin on his face.
"Sorry, buddy. The clock's struck midnight and all your magic tricks are fading!" He barks. Now, he knows that an escape must be made. The last thing he wants is to have another Eliza-episode. He looks down at you with a wide grin, clasping you arm with a firm squeeze.
Ace sneaks into his pocket, still looking at you. "You know something, Charmant? Maybe not all the magic has gone yet." His hand reveals the Ace of Cards, and it is immediately thrown up into the air.
As the card reached its peak in height, a burst of smoke filled the air, obscuring the magician and yourself from view.
You don't exactly need a signal to start running when your feet began moving on their own, dashing towards the door followed by the Ace's laugh and the prince's demand for guards.
Ace has no white horse, but he has Deuce with his blastcycle! Who knows how the three of you managed to fit on that bike, but you made it work! The guards couldn't exactly catch up in their cars, not when Deuce was dodging vehicles left and right to make this escape. Ace did take one final look back, sticking his tongue out at the defeated prince before you all disappeared around the corner.
Ace gives you his shoes, despite how oversized they may be. You complained about those glass shoes on you, and to 'shut you up', he's given you his runners.
When you make it back to Night Raven College and all the adrenaline has died down, Ace stays by your side the entire time when you explain the entire situation to Crewel and Crowley. He acts so nonchalant about things, even as you both walk all over the campus like groom and bride.
It's a rather odd sight; you in your wedding gown, and Ace right next to you as you both sit on the bench by the Great Seven's statues. Students wandering about at night had given both of you puzzled stares, but no one is ever surprised when they realize it's you and Ace, however.
"Wow, Prefect. Not even a thank you?" He glances at your slightly annoyed expression, throwing his hands up defensively in response. "I was kidding about the ogre stuff! Really!"
You could only roll your eyes at his words, huffing as you crossed your arms across your chest. When you refuse to speak, Ace sticks out his lower lip into a pout as he leans his head onto your shoulder. "Come on, don't be like that. Are you actually that upset about it?"
There is no response from you, not even a glance as your nose is turned away from him. Then Ace sighs, practically clambering over your lap just so that you are forced to look at him. "Prefeeeect, I said I was sorry! What? Do I have to kiss you to make me apology authentic?"
Only then do you look back at him with a raised brow, almost expectant. Ace blinks with surprise, a slight blush creeping to his ears. "For real? You're serious?" He exclaimed, much to your agitation. You sigh even louder as you shove him off your lap, hastily getting up to your feet to leave him behind.
"Wait! Prefect, I said wait!" You feel a hand on your wrist, twirling you back to face the redhead. Ace bites onto his lower lip, unable to keep the red from flooding his cheeks. "I really just said all that mean stuff to get the prince off your back, you know? I didn't think you'd take it so seriously."
And when he sees that smirk creeping up onto your features, he groans as he leans in closely into your space.
"Now look at what you've done! You had me all panicked over what?" You feel his breath tickling your lips, followed by the way his hands crawl up your neck to cradle your jaw.
"If you just wanted a kiss, you could've asked..."
#twst x reader#twisted wonderland x reader#twisted wonderland#twst#viaviavie writes#ace trappola#ace trappola x reader#riddle rosehearts#riddle rosehearts x reader#trey clover#trey clover x reader#cater diamond#cater diamond x reader#deuce spade#deuce spade x reader
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Bed Wars | J.WW
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+ summary:Â after spending countless hours building a house for your boyfriend... you're suddenly met with his bed placed right next to yours? what the hell man! + pairing: wonwoo x fem!reader + word count: 800~ + content: fluff, established relationship, they're just playing minecraft lol, reader likes to bicker.
[á°.á] happy valentine's day!!! thought i would post something small to celebrate since i didn't post for last year's valentine's day. also i would like to (unfortunately) thank @cherry-zip for bullying me into posting this on time! hope you enjoy, thanks for reading! <3 (borders made by @enchanthings !)
"Câmon dude,â you groaned, staring at the sight in front of you. âI made you a house for a reason!â
Wonwooâs response? Moving his bed right next to yours.Â
âWell, I want to sleep here,â he stated simply.
You let out an annoyed sigh, arms crossed. âLike, seriously? The colors donât even match!â
Wonwoo only giggled, enjoying your frustration with him. âWhat are you talking about? My purple bed goes perfectly with your pink one. Also, what if a creeper spawns in my houseâhow will you ever hear my cries for help?â
Your eye twitched at his insistence. God, he was so annoying. âNow, why would a creeper spawn in your house?âÂ
âYou never know, Iâve seen it happen before.âÂ
âFine. Iâll move out then,â you said, quickly destroying your bed and leaving the house. You werenât even bothered enough to take anything from your chests.
The two of you continued playing in silence for a few minutes. Itâs not like you were actually mad or anything⊠but it was fun to start a meaningless fight with Wonwoo.Â
In the meantime, you explored the surrounding biomes in hopes of finding a suitable place to make a new house. Well, more like a camp. (Your house was way too pretty for you to simply abandon.)
After a few more minutes of silence, Wonwoo began to message you in the game.
[gam3bo1: where are you :(]
[gam3bo1: i miss youuuuu]
[gam3bo1: answer me!]
âAre you mad at me?â He asked, turning to look at you from his monitor, eyes filled with faux innocence.
You scoffed. âOh, no. Not at all. I just love how youâre completely ignoring the fact that I built a whole house for you, and yet, you insist on staying in my house!â
Wonwoo let out a dramatic sigh. âWell, it's not my fault my house feels so⊠lonely.âÂ
You rolled your eyes as he spoke, but he didnât stop there. Who wouldâve known that he was going to be this pouty.
âLook, our babies miss you too.â He waved you down to look over at his screen.
To your disappointment, curiosity got the better of you. âThis better beââ Your voice cut off at the sight of your pets.Â
All of your in-game petsâthe dogs, cats, and even the random parrot you found in a jungle biome a few weeks backâwere all sitting obediently inside your home. Wonwoo had conveniently placed them all in front of his bed, having them turned to look at the empty spaceâwhere your bed used to be.Â
You narrowed your eyes upon realizing the little stunt he was trying to pull on you. âYouâre trying to manipulate me into going back home!â
Wonwoo gasped. âI would never do such a thing!â
After a few moments of pure laughter, you finally gave in. You could never stay mad at him for too long.Â
â...Fine, Iâll come back.â You huffed out, finally turning back to your monitor and making your way back home.
As you neared your house, something new caught your eye.
Behind your house, was a small, heart-shaped garden. The ground was tiled in a red-and-pink checkered pattern, carefully placed block by block. Peonies and roses filled the gardenâs corners, their colors nicely decorating the huge heart in the middle. In front of the heart sat a small seating area just for the two of you.
âOh.â
âI made it while you were ignoring me,â Wonwoo said, his voice suddenly next to your ear.
Your fingers hovered over your keyboard. It was⊠annoyingly cute.
You continued to move around, stepping onto the checkered flooring and admiring the little details he had placed all around. It was cute.
â...You built me a garden?â you asked softly.
Wonwoo hummed. âI might have had help from a few tutorials, but yeah. I wanted to make a spot for us.âÂ
And unsurprisingly, your stomach did an embarrassing flip.
Wonwoo went back over to his desk, quickly moving his player to sit on one of the chairs in the garden. Following him, you sat down in the chair in front of him, and before you could even say anything he beat you to it.
âI just thought our shared house could use a little extra love. You know, since we obviously live together.â
You groaned, covering your face with your hands as Wonwoo laughed triumphantly beside you. He just had to ruin the moment!Â
âNow câmon, letâs go to bed,â he said as he pressed âSave and Exitâ. By the time you reached the main menu, Wonwoo was already pulling you away from your desk.
âIâm never building you anything ever again,â you muttered, body betraying you as you leaned into him on your shared bed.
âYeah, yeah,â he murmured into your hair, pressing a soft kiss to the top of your head. âAnd yet you still let me sleep next to you.âÂ
You wanted to argue, but sleep was already pulling you away. âMhm, whatever helps you sleep at night.â
#svthub#thediamondlifenetwork#kyeomofhearts#seventeen#svt x reader#wonwoo x reader#svt#svt fanfic#svt fic#jeon wonwoo x reader#wonwoo fluff#wonwoo imagines#wonwoo scenarios#wonwoo fic#wonwoo fanfic#jeon wonwoo#wonwoo#svt fluff#svt imagines#svt scenarios#seventeen x reader#seventeen fluff#seventeen imagines#seventeen fanfiction#seventeen fanfic#seventeen scenarios#seventeen fic
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What do they find sexy about you ? 18+ mdni
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Pile 1
read by @winisayswhat đ«¶đ»
Dayum gworl , you're so self aware lmaaooooo, it's giving IAM SEXY AND I KNOW IT SONG VIBE , This is the pile that host a private victorias secret ramp walk for themselves every night loll! You might wear some really sexy lingerie , decked uo with greatttt hair ! I see lots of libido from both the sides , you like being worshipped damn , you might wear some really good perfume . Your future spouse just wants to merge his body with yours cause you look so damn alluring , you are giving 'Queen of heaven " vibes , the might go gaga over your melons and cherries , they will suck them like a ripe fruit , it'll be like a baby sucking desperately in their mums buds ! You are the prize gosh you're SO SEXY ! Some bondage or blindfold might be involved , you guyssss loveeeeeee foreplay ! Your spouse will never get enough of you, you somehow always manage to make their buddy erect , also omg your man will grunt and moan alot as you do the deed , they'll grip your dips tightly while leaving love bites and marks all over you, you'll whimper under their touch ! I see you having many orgasms , and the look you have while having orgasms turns on your man for a second round ! Your man will know how to do foreplay and turn you on, the type of man who'll worship the ground you walk on ! There might also be oral sex involved , your man might also be mighty bulky with beard , and you're a damsel in distress with a small frame compared to them ! Some kind of kink there ahhahaah!
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Pile 2
read by @winisayswhat đ«¶đ»
I'm seeing a DEEP attraction between you and your future spouse. They're like sooo drawn to your SPONTANEOUS nature, your ability to light up the room with your presence and aura. Your warmth and energy are like a MAGNET, pulling them in and making them feel alive.You might be a virgin or atleats less experienced than them ! It's giving *i am gonna be your first and last one *They loveeee your personality, they look at you like a baby with sparkly personality that's got them hooked. They're als attracted to your INTELLIGENCE, your creativity, and your passions. They admire your strength, your resilience, and your leadership qualities. You're a TRUE BOSS, and they can't get enough of that.And let's talk about the chemistry between you two. It's like the universe itself is conspiring to bring you together. They feel a deep sense of trululu lmao and destiny when they're with you, like they've finally found their missing piece.Theyre gonna to be the one to initiate the deed , the type of guy who might like the thrill of teasing a girl who isn't often teased , you might get shy or freeze when they initiate proximity, they might like the view from behind đ, when you bend or are doing house chores . If you're a working woman, you being focused and ignorant will piss them off! They'll do anything and everything to gain your attention. You might have a greatttttttt cleavage and lips, your eyes maybe very doe types , like an invitation for your spouse to *ahem ahem *. They love it when you're unaware about how hot you look ! It's like you're not being braggy about it . They'll like to hold and grab your waist time to time , in bed they live when you ride them, they're gonna be so intense ,gosh don't get me started , you get them possessed during the deed , your body and eyes make them go gaga , they love it when they make you loose control . The way your lips part , the shivers during orgasm , your eyebrows cocked, eyes half closed rolling back wanting to stop yet asking for more ! Gosh it's like badboy x innocent girl trope !
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Pile 3
Pile 3 : they find your silhouette sexy . They like your named body specially in the night light or like fairy lights . They find it sexy when you do some chores or work in body hugging tight dresses or suits . They may also find your love handles sexy like their hands will perfectly fit on your love handles. They find your open hairs sexy . They may also find you sexy when you act like hard to catch bird or when you get mad at them they gonna find it sexy . They gonna find it sexy when your cum flows out or just when your salivas mix with eachothers . They ofcourse gonna find sexual connection find you super attractive . They may also find it sexy when you let the intimacy build between eachother . They may also find sext when you let them dominate probably they have capricorn placements. Also this connection isn't just physical sexual intimacy it's far more stronger than that a soul level deep connection guided by divine.
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Pile 4
Pile 4 : I feel they find your curves sexy like the way you sit on couch the pillow position that makes you comfortable in while sitting. They may like to notice small details about you . They over all find your physical beauty sexy your hairs , your lips and lipstick on it , your eyes , your eyelashes. They're so in love with your beauty . They also find your dressing sense sexy . Like how your body fits perfect in the dresses you wear and how they make your curves highlight. They find your introvertness sexy . They find it sexy when you speak less and act like a old monk . They find it sexy when you act like old soul. You could be probably a old school typa lover or they could be like that too . They find it sexy when you give them advices on their important matters . They like to add your 2 cents too . They may also find it sexy when you're all covered up in those furry hooded dresses or like bear dresses thingy . They also find your dense nature sexy . They may also find it sexy when you get cold like it's their chance to make love or just cuddle with you .
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I hope you liked the reading . Thank you so much for letting me read for you . Wishing you best ahead . đBless you and have a nice dayđžđ°
Loads of love , jam\gemđ©·
Exchanges : open , collabs for paps : open
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#jamreadstarot#pisces#aries#horoscope#astro community#pick a card#vedic astrology#astro notes#astro observations#astrology#astro placements#future spouse#intuitive readings#18+ tarot#pick a photo#pick a pile#pick a picture#numerology#matrix of destiny#moodboard#valentines day#witch community#witchcraft#witches#witchblr#tarot deck#tarot reading#tarot cards#tarot#tarotblr
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just a taste đâËâčâĄ
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babydaddy!jj + babymama!reader
warnings: nipple play, lactation, mention of pregnancy
word count: 514
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jj couldn't help but stare at the way your enlarged breasts sat in the tank top you wore, your nipples peeking through as the faint drops of milk drench little wet spots.
if he was a farmer, he would have milked you dry by now, but he wasn't sure if you'd even be into the idea. though, seeing you waddle around with his infant inside you, stomach blown up with your hair messily sitting on your head as if you hadn't cared for it in days, he couldn't help but be painfully hard in his boxers.
as you sat in the bed, putting pillows behind you to prop yourself up, he gently settled beside you, rubbing on your stomach as he kissed down your neck.
as one of his hands settles on your hip, the other trails down to squeeze your sensitive breast, earning a low moan from your lips.
"j, what are you doing?" your breath was ragged as he massaged you, his eyes darkening as he settled on your soft expression, your eyes closed, jaw slack and your eyebrows furrowed.
"i been looking at these milkers all day--i want a taste mama."
he uses his strength to pull you on his lap, pulling your weighed down tits out of your top.
"god, they're so big~" he groaned, holding both of your tits into his hands. his hands squeeze you, his thumb circling over your nipples as the buds harden from his touch.
"youâre so fucking full, baby. so soft...i can't stop thinking about it--just one taste mama, please?"
"is this not weird j? i dont know..."
he's salivating so heavily, his tongue brushing over his lips as he stares as your leaking buds, small drips falling onto your tummy.
"baby, these were my tits first--worshipping whats mine is never weird. so, just relax, and let me have taste."
as your body eases, jj 's tongue swirls over the tender nipples of your breasts, latching on as he practically drools from the contact. as this happens, your body arches into him, your head thrown back as your jaw goes slack from the sensation of him sucking the drops of milk he could from your tits.
"f-fuck, jj slow down..." you whimpered, but his yearning for your juices overruled the pleasurable pain you felt from his sucking. jj begins to move his hips, his aching cock pulsating with pre-cum as he rubs himself against you, almost as if he's getting off from draining your tits.
"so sweet," he murmurs, his mouth latched onto the breast closest to him as his cheek lies on the plump fat of your chest, as if he's the child himself. his large hand massaging the other as he drinks up.
your soft sounds encourage him even more, his cock close to coming in his own boxers just off the sweet, milky taste of your liquid in his mouth. small dribbles fall down his chin as he looks up at you with desperate eyes.
you cursed under your breath as you looked down at him, almost as desperate as he is. "is it really this good babe?"
"mhm' mama, i have to fuck you now--wanna feel your milk on my tongue while i make you cum."
#i hope yall love this just as much as i do#gawd i need him to milk me#outerhills#outerhills favorites đ#jj maybank#jj maybank smut#outer banks smut#obx smut#jj maybank x you#jj maybank fic#jj outer banks#jj maybank x reader#jj maybank fanfiction#jj smut#jj obx#outer banks#obx fanfiction#obx#obx x reader#outer banks fanfiction#jj maybank x y/n
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. . . âą ËËË signed, with love
hockey player!vi x basketball player!caitlyn x cheerleader!reader, fluff, secret love messages, pining, reader is lowk a dumbass, use of y/n
word count; 1,899
summary; as valentines day approaches, you start to receive anonymous declarations of love, only to find out they're sent by the last people you'd suspect
a/n; happy valentines day!! this is my little gift to you all, and i hope you enjoy. i'm gonna go ahead and claim that it's a bit awkward because they're high-schoolers and NOT because i don't know how to write stuff like this jdhfsjhfdj
It was the week before Valentine's Day at Piltover High, and the excitement buzzing through the air was almost palpable. The annual holiday event was in full force, where students were able to send love themed cards to each other, be it anonymous or not.
The hallways were abuzz with giggles and murmurs as students speculated who had sent them cards, who might send them cards, and the reactions of those they had sent them to. Everybody seemed to be deep in the tradition, well, everybody except for you.
You weren't insanely popular, but you weren't not popular. A nice middle ground, some may say. You had been on the cheer squad for a year now, which naturally meant you were higher up on the pyramid of social status compared to the rest of the student body. This wasn't the problem, the problem was that you just weren't interested in anybody.
You told yourself it was a mixture of nobody being interesting enough, and just not having enough time to pursue anybody. If you weren't doing anything cheer related, you were studying. If you weren't doing either of those things, you were spending time with Caitlyn and Vi.
Caitlyn- easily the most popular person at school. Captain of the basketball team, tall and beautiful, and just so nice. Not that fake, only doing this to keep up appearances, nice either, like actually nice. And then there's Vi- breakout star of the hockey team, a little rough around the edges, but so fucking hot. Together, they were the very top of the food chain, everybody's favourite couple, and absolutely unstoppable.
You had been friends with them for a few months now, when you had cheered at one of Caitlyn's games and she couldn't help but watch you the entire time. She just had to talk to you after the game was done, and Vi was on board immediately. All it took was one conversation and it was like you three had been friends for years, and suddenly were inseparable.
The three of you had lunch together every day. Vi would walk you to classes, Caitlyn would walk you to cheer practice, any spare time you had outside of school was almost always spent with them. People had tried to joke about you being their third wheel, but the look that Vi had sent their way had them promptly shutting their mouths. You didn't mind, though. Never at any point did you feel uncomfortable or left out, and you were happy to see your best friends so in love.
What you didn't know, however, is that both Caitlyn and Vi were absolutely smitten with you. Their feelings were small at first, like a small sprout popping up in Spring. That was until you had gone on a week vacation and they realised how much they missed you, and THEN you just had to go and bring them both home a gift- a basketball keyring for Caitlyn and a hockey stick one for Vi- and suddenly the small sprout was a grand oak tree and they just couldn't keep lying to themselves anymore.
They had a long talk between themselves, discovered that they were both on the same page, and started to plan how they would approach the subject. They cared too much to risk jeopardising your friendship by just springing it on you, so they knew that it had to be perfect.
ââ âą
Your eyebrows furrowed as the small card slipped out of your open locker door, fluttering to the ground in front of you. You slipped your textbooks into the locker before kneeling down to pick it up, turning it over in your hands as you stood back up. It was cute, a little doodle of a steaming coffee cup with 'Words cannot espresso how much you mean' written underneath. No name. You let out a soft chuckle and a little shake of your head as you slipped the card into your bag, and didn't think much of it. Probably just one of the girls on the cheer squad sending them to the team.
And then there was another.
'If I could start my life over again, I would find you sooner so that I could love you longer âĄ'
"What the fuck.." you mumbled, looking around you to the other students filling the hallway, trying to see if anybody was looking suspicious. Nobody had ever shown an interest in you, not really, so to start suddenly getting valentine's cards was surprising to say the least.
Every day up until the 14th, there was a new card waiting for you. Every day they seemed to get more and more personal, and there was no doubt in your mind that they were meant for you and you alone. The girls on the cheer squad had no idea about it, but they were fawning over the cards that you had gotten, studying each one carefully. When you tried to ask Caitlyn and Vi, they had played it beyond cool.
"Wow, seems you've got yourself a secret admirer, huh? You sure you've not been out there flirting up a storm when we're not around?" Vi had teased you, causing your cheeks to burn as you snatched the card from her with a scoff.
"You don't recognise the handwriting?" Caitlyn had queried, even though it was no use. The messages in anonymous cards were written by the students handing them out for this very reason.
You got the final card on Valentine's day, and although it was the most simple and, well, least romantic, it still caused your stomach to do flips.
'Gym, after school today.'
ââ âą
Being on school grounds after hours was always slightly uneasy. The hallways were silent, your own footsteps echoing along the empty expanse of the building. You stood in front of the doors to the gym, heart racing as you wiped your palms on your jeans and shook the shake out of your hands. With a deep breath, you steeled yourself, and pushed the doors open.
The lights were off, the only source of light in the open room was coming from multiple candles scattered around the floor. In the middle of them was a picnic blanket with a hamper sat neatly on it, a couple of plastic cups tucked beside it. Both Vi and Caitlyn were sat on the bleachers behind, chatting away to each other before the sound of the door closing behind you caught their attention.
"Oh... uh, hi guys" you drawled, voice laced with confusion as you quickly checked over your shoulder before taking a few tentative steps towards them. "Sorry... I didn't mean to interrupt."
Caitlyn stood up, her varsity jacket hanging off her shoulders as she hopped off the bleachers to approach you. "You're not interrupting, don't worry. You're right on time, actually."
That increased your confusion tenfold, and it must have shown perfectly on your face as you watched Caitlyn busy herself with pouring drinks, because Vi's soft laughter was suddenly reverberating through the empty hall.
"Y'know, for somebody with your grades, you aren't all that smart sometimes" she teased, coming up to rest a hand on your shoulder as Caitlyn passes you both a cup of soda.
"Wha- but I don't-"
Your fingers wrap tightly around the plastic cup in your hand as the realisation hits you, and your eyes bounce between the two girls. Vi has a cocky smirk on her face as she sees the gears in your head turning, whereas Caitlyn looks a little nervous as she sips her drink, arms crossed over her chest.
"You sent those cards?"
"We did" Vi affirms, her hand squeezing your shoulder lightly. "Cait said the puns were too cheesy, but I think you liked them anyway, hm?"
You watched as Caitlyn rolled her eyes, even though a hint of a smile was ghosting on her lips. "We had been thinking of how to approach the subject with you for a while, and well, this seemed like the perfect opportunity."
You nodded, eyes flitting down to the picnic blanket on the floor. "And... you did all this.. for me?" you asked quietly, your voice hesitant and still coated with disbelief. Caitlyn took your free hand in hers and gently guided you to the blanket, sitting you down on top of one of the pillows as she sat in front of you, Vi doing the same to your side.
"Of course we did. You're special, Y/n. We care about you a lot, and-" she cuts herself off, playing with your fingers that she's still holding in her hand. "We were hoping you'd feel the same."
Vi clears her throat and shuffled a little closer, lifting a finger to your chin so she can turn your head to look at her. "What Cait is trying to say, is that we like you as more than a friend. This is our way of showing you that, and asking if you want to be something more."
Your heart stopped in your chest, and a warmth had spread across your face as you let everything sink in. It was like being doused in ice-water, the realisation that you did, in fact, feel the same way about them. Your lack of a love life wasn't because you were busy, or because nobody interested you. It's because they had already filled that hole in you, you just hadn't thought about it long enough to see it.
"Wow, I- honestly had no idea" you breathed out, your words coated in an airy laugh. "I mean, looking back at it, of course it seems obvious this is where it headed."
The three of you shared a laugh at that, and you lifted your free hand away from Caitlyn's to rub the back of your neck sheepishly.
"I don't want it to change anything though, not really. I mean, yeah, obviously things will change-" You blush at the thought of kissing them. "-but it won't get like.. weird or anything right?"
The two girls shared a look and set down their drinks, Vi gently taking yours out of your hand too, shuffling closer to you so they were sat on either side.
"Nah, not weird at all" Vi murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.
"We won't do anything you don't want to, love. We'll take it at the pace you want" Caitlyn affirms, her voice soft yet strong.
They both lean forward and press a soft kiss to your cheeks, and you let your eyes flutter closed as the feeling of being sandwiched between them. For the first time in a long time, you had never felt as at peace.
"Okay then" you whisper into the space in front of you. "I feel the same way, so.. I think we should give it a shot."
"Yeah, sweetheart? Wanna be our girlfriend?" Vi questions in that teasing tone that you love to hate, her lips grazing against your cheek as she speaks. You just nod in response, both girls crushing you in a bone tight hug as relief washes over them.
"Now then" Caitlyn starts after a moment of the three of you basking in each other. She pulls away only to flip the lid of the basket, pulling out various different snack items. "I prepared this specially, and we have a valentine's picnic to dig into."
#đ€ ssour-apathyy.#⧠katt scratch.#vi x reader#caitlyn x reader#caitlyn kiramman x reader#vi arcane x reader#caitvi x reader#arcane#caitlyn kiramman#arcane vi
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A Slow life
ft. sylus. Just comfort in general, they're married, your honor. mention of kids (they have one boy and twin girls mweheheheh) , tiny bit suggestive but fluff. 1.1k words.
Itâs late now.
After a long and exhausting day, Sylus made it up for you by drawing a hot bath, full of bubbles and scents you liked (and a few herbs that would help soothe sore muscles according to Mephisto).
Sitting behind you in the tub, Sylusâ large frame pressed against your back. His chin is resting on the top of your shoulder, with his arms wrapped around you as he holds you against his chest.
And you're fairly relaxed. too relaxed until you remember your little troublemakers, âare the kids back?â
âMm, theyâre back,â he murmurs, nuzzling his face into your neck, âtheyâll be asleep by now, itâs pretty late.â
Heâs just quietly holding you, enjoying the feeling of your body in his arms, the warm water surrounding you both, and you grab a flower petal that had been floating around you.
âYou alright?â
"Yeah, just making sure the twins looked after them, I should thank them somehow," you hum with a soft smile playing on your lips.
âIâm sure theyâd appreciate that,â Sylus muses, his hand gently rubbing your side, âIâm happy to hear you say that, though,â he adds while burying his face into your hair.
A hand snaked back up to his hair, "You're a cute dad, you know?"
âDonât know about that,â he huffs, but the sound is a little more embarrassed than usual, âyouâre a great mom, though,â his lips slowly trails over the slope of your shoulder. âOur kids are lucky to have you.â
You finally turn your head around, twisting your slightly sore body so you would be able to face him, and you're careful not to splash the water or precious petals out of the tub.
Your hands finds his face, then your lips follow.
He makes a low noise of surprise, but it quickly morphs into a pleased hum as your lips meet his. He gives a gentle pull at your waist, guiding you to shift until you're straddling his lap.
His hands smooth over your body, large hands roaming down your waist to settle on your hips, holding you snugly in his lap.
"Hey," it's hard not to smile, especially when you know that Sylus is only like this for you.
Sylus chuckles, âhey back,â he murmurs, he still holds you steady, hands moving to your hips to keep you from wobbling, but he also moves a finger to lazily feel the strands of your hair between his fingertips.
"We were supposed to relax."
âYou know how hard it is for me to relax while youâre in my lap?â he drawled.
You squint your eyes, "I can feel that, idiot."
âOh, can you?â He grins, âmm, my apologies,â he sighs almost dramatically, âGuess I canât help it, sweetie.â
Your pinch his cheeks playfully in return, "behave. we still might have to bake something for the twins."
Sylusâ lips turned down in an almost sulky look. The pinch actually makes him pout, something he would never admit to (that would take away from his big bad onychinus leader image.)
âIâll behave.â he grumbles, âfor now.â
"Be good. For now." you repeat.
Sylus raises an eyebrow, âIâm usually good,â his arms wraps around your waist again when he notices you leaning closer.
Your husband can be silly sometimes.
Your lips are on his skin, lazily whispering, "you bring me comfort."
He huffs a low laugh. but the way heâs holding you, he knows that you can hear the truth in his voice, even though heâs trying to sound sarcastic and witty. He knows that you could feel everytime he comforted you in a way.
He loves being your comfort. Being your safe place. Your anchor.
"But seriously I..." you rub your cheek against his shoulder, "you're everything."
âMm,â he hums. likewise, he wanted to whisper.
You blink slowly, and Sylus can already see the telltale signs of your drowsiness, âyouâre not allowed to fall asleep in the bath, honey.â
You lift your head up, "would you carry me out if I did?â
âOf course I would. â
"Dry me? Clothe me comfortably?"
âClothe you, tuck you into bed,â he hums, leaning back to grab the fluffy, soft towel he had prepared, and he brings it up to gently pat at your skin and hair.
âAnd get in bed with you,â he adds, his voice turning into a quiet murmur.
"Hold me tight?" you add on sleepily.
âKeep you safe, watch over you,â he carefully tries sitting you up, to carry you out so he could properly dry you.
You yawn, "and the kids..."
âIâd make sure they were okay, too. Then Iâd crawl into bed with you, hold you while you slept.â
âŠ
You wake up feeling surprisingly refreshed, and more importantly, well-rested. Sylus made sure you actually did sleep, and he held you through the night, just as heâd promised.
As your senses adjust, youâre first aware of the pleasant warmth seeping into your back. Heâs pressed up against you, as close as possible, an arm slung lazily over your waist.
"Sy.." you were about to mumble, but you still listen to how deep in sleep he was, so you let him rest, even sacrificing his arm under your head. what a loving husband.
His breathing is steady and quiet behind you, and every so oftenâparticularly if you start to moveâheâll tighten his hold on your waist, pulling you back snugly against him again.
"Sylus," you whisper, turning around slowly, carefully making sure not to bother him.
That is, until he feels the soft brush of your fingertips against his skin. Itâs a barely-there touch, but itâs enough to stir him, he gives a low groan, lips giving a small frown as his half-lidded crimson eyes follow towards your hand.
You giggle quietly, he's so adorable when he frowns in his sleep like that.
ââŠWhat are you doing?â He asks with a slight morning rough voice.
"Watching you."
âYou know thatâs a little weird, right?â He pretends to be annoyed, but if he was fully awake, then you'd see those pink hued cheeks.
"Go back to sleep, honey." you peck his forehead before gently stroking his hair, as if trying to lull him back to sleep.
Heâll deny it, but he loves when you play with his hair.
This is his favorite way to wake up. To open his eyes and find you there, your hand running through his hair, fingers tracing his scalp.
He leans into your touch as he gives another low hum of contentment, the sound vibrating against your neck.
#I offer you soft Sylus in this times of hardships#sylus x reader#love and deepspace#sylus lads#sylus x you#love and deepspace sylus#sylus love and deepspace#lads x reader#Lads Sylus#Sylus fluff#Sylus#lnds sylus#Love and deepspace x reader
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I'd also like to add for Horizon, specifically, they could use procedural textures for 99% of the robots and facilities and it would run leaner and look better,even on PS4/5 - get a good metal shader, a couple good flow shaders, and your base could be a single 7f7f7f pixel and the robot would look every bit as good. Likely don't even need displacement or other fancy layers - but instead they're sending 4k by 4k textures with dozens of mip maps that are spectacularly large given the percentage of pixels that ever factor into the actual display, even at 4k.
One thing there is NVidia, specifically, replaces shaders with less detailed ones, simplifies textures, etc. - this is what game ready means - and then on top of that, is going to use AI to synthesize lower quality frames to keep up rates. But I think the big issue is that they've been covering hard for optimization in the drivers - which means if I am a large company, rather than pay a programmer to optimize a shader, I can just use unoptimized garbage, and NVidia will find it and fix it
And tools like Unreal Engine and Unity often don't help - you go into the asset store and pull down a random texture, and it likely is not optimized. You feed them a PNG, and they likely don't optimize even that without third party add ones.
Another thing driving this is in engine cut scenes. Civ 7, as an example, has a massive, multiple minute video that everyone is going to skip after the first time. I've not checked files on it, but Civ 5 and 6 put OVER 20 COPIES of the video file, versus just using separate audio tracks for each supported language. And installs all of those files all of the time, with them also not using a particularly good codec.
If you're releasing in multiple languages, package them as free DLC, if you're not packaging different regional packages. This lets people not install gigs of audio they're never going to hear.
this is a controversial opinion and Iâm not a gamer but I donât need my graphics to be that good. I donât need to see every individual feather on a bird. my poor computer doesnât deserve to carry that weight either.
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Found You First
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Lee Jihoon x Fem!Reader
Genre:Â fluff & humour with a slight side of angst. kind of a slow burn.
Word Count: 17K
Warnings: adult language. alcohol and food mentions galore. Hoshi meddles and creates more problems for everyone involved. readerâs size is not specifically mentioned, but Jihoon and she fit into each otherâs clothes. one mention of âdaddyâ as a joke.
[best friends to lovers!AU]Â For years youâve hated Valentineâs day, convinced youâd never find a love worth celebrating. Maybe this year youâll see that what you needed has been right in front of you all along.
⥠This fic is a part of @camandemstudios Lonely Hearts Cafe Collab! Please check out the other writer's works as well! They're all so good and we've all worked so hard!! âĄ
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[Still donât know what to get your loved-one for Valentineâs day? Weâve got you covered!]
You stared at your phone, almost praying it would blow up and disappear along with the message. Unfortunately, you still needed your phone and the universe knew it. You sighed and deleted the message.
Maybe you wouldnât be so bitter every February if the world was a little kinder to single people. After all, at least half the people in the world must be single â whether by choice or not. And yet it seemed that everything in the world was keen on reminding you of how entirely single you specifically were, your sister included.
She all but wrestled the phone out of your hand. âThatâs it. Iâm signing you up for dating apps.â
âPlease donât,â you replied with only half your usual annoyance and enthusiasm. Maybe a part of you thought this was exactly the push you needed.Â
Already nose-deep in the app store, she didnât even bother to pretend to hear you.Â
âThis one has good reviewsââ she mumbled to herself as if it was her phone all along.
You only hugged a cushion to your chest and stared at the TV. Whatever romantic film your sister had chosen to watch today was not helping your problem.Â
âWhatâs the point? Maybe Soonyoungâs right.â
âWho?â She finally glanced up.
âSoonyoung.â
She blinked. âIs this Soonyoung cute?â
âCan you please stop trying to set me up with every guy you hear about?â You rolled your eyes. âHe said that the key to finding love is to first love yourself.â
âThatâs, like, basic philosophy,â she replied easily and turned back to your phone. âI need your email and a passwordâ Oh, wait, I can just make something up.â
You were fairly certain she wasnât listening to a word you were saying but you were past the point of caring. At least talking to a person who isnât listening is a (small) step above talking to the lonely snake plant on your windowsill.Â
âMaybe I should take some time to just find myself,â you contemplated out loud. âI could try a new hobby. Or a new style. Find new books to read. Maybe then I wonât even care that Iâm single.â
Still not looking up from the app she had newly installed on your phone, your sister hummed. âOne of my friends did say that fictional boyfriends are better than real ones.â
So maybe she was better at multitasking than you had thought.
You put the cushion away and leaned closer to her. âWhat are you doing on my phone anyway?â
Proudly, she turned the device for you to see. âTa-da! Your first ever dating app profile!â
A shiver of fear ran up your spine. âYou signed me up for a dating app?â
âAnd youâre not allowed to delete it until you find a boyfriend,â she declared. âAnd if you do, Iâll just download it again.â
âYouâre a menace.â
âWhatever,â she laughed and handed you back the phone, picking up her own from the coffee table. âOh, I should get going.â
You couldnât help but pout. âAlready? Why?â
She rolled her eyes and went to pull on her coat. âBecause, unlike you, I have a boyfriend who wants to take me out on a date. In fact,â she was practically beaming and you felt the ugly green tentacles of jealousy crawling up your leg already, âheâs taking me on a date every day until Valentineâs day.â
A pause. With a startle, you soon realised she was expecting you to cheer for her. You tried to find words that werenât as bitter as you were feeling. âOh, thatâs so sweet of him.â
It was the right answer. She actually squealed as she confirmed, âRight? Heâs such a romantic.â Her voice dropped to a conspiratory whisper as she leaned closer to you over the back of the sofa. âI think heâs going to propose on the big day.â
You almost sighed in despair. âI hope so! You deserve that ring.â
âYou are so right,â she agreed and opened her mouth to say something more when the door suddenly opened.Â
You tilted your head to see who had intruded. It was Jihoon, black hat covered in white snow and a takeaway bag in his hand. He blinked at the sight of your sister before smiling and waving. âHi. I didnât know you had visitors.â
âI do have friends other than you, Hoon,â you informed him. âAlso, I do have a working doorbell.â
He gave you a funny look. âAnd I have your spare key.â
It was clear you had made a mistake when you awarded him the honour. Now you were stuck dealing with him even when you didn't want to.
âIâll leave you two,â your sister announced and left, not before whispering something in Jihoonâs ear in the passing.
Jihoonâs ears turned red as he cleared his throat and set the takeaway bag on the table.Â
âWhat did she tell you?â you asked him with a groan. You knew your sister better than anyone â there was no way she hadnât told him something so embarrassing you wouldnât be able to look him in the eyes for weeks to come. âLay it on me.â
âNothing. It was nothing.â His reply was just a little bit too quick and wavering, but you decided to let it go this once. âI brought you some leftovers.â
You raised a brow. âLeftovers?â
âThey ordered too much food to the studio today, so I brought you the extras,â he told you almost timidly, gesturing to the bag like it was no big deal and had required zero thought from him. He was a strange man but maybe thatâs why you liked to keep him around. âCanât let the good food go to waste. Besides,â his eyes seemed sharp all of a sudden, âhave you eaten at all today?â
He didnât need an actual answer â you both knew the truth.
âIâll be sure to savour it,â you told him with a joking salute. âWant to join me for a movie?â
His nose scrunched up at the mention. âI wish. I promised to help Seungkwan set up for the party tonight.â
Right. The party. Seungkwanâs âJeonghanâs partyâ. In three hours. You had forced yourself to forget about it.Â
Jihoon pursed his lips in thought, brown eyes sparkling with mischief. âBut we could always pretend we got kidnapped by a serial killer.â
âSounds like too much work.â
âWe escape to Iceland, become anonymous sheep herders and no one ever hears from us again,â he then suggested, snapping his fingers for emphasis and raising his brows as he waited for your reaction.
But as tempting as that sounded⊠âSeungkwan would find and skin us in fourteen days flat.â
He groaned and threw his head back. âThen I guess we have no choice. We must commit a crime so vile they give us a life sentence.â
âHeâd just bring the party to the jailhouse,â you laughed. âAnd we wouldnât even be able to sneak out.â
He took a deep breath and straightened back up. âWell, Iâm out of ideas. Just plain suffering it is then.â
You glanced at the clock. âItâs not too late to fake our deaths.â
Jihoon snorted a laugh. âYou just said that pretending to get kidnapped would be too much work.â
âFaking deaths is different! Or! We could summon a freak storm that would leave us stranded here,â you suggested.Â
âHow?â
âIâm sure thereâs a good Youtube tutorial somewhere.â
He giggled at the idea. âYou really donât want to go to the party, huh?â
You could only sigh and wish for the plush green fabric of the sofa to swallow you whole. âThereâs definitely going to be so many couples there, all dressed in matching outfits and giggling and making out. And Iâll be all lonely and miserable, quietly downing all of Seungkwanâs wine.â
When you looked at Jihoon, he was smiling at you almost fondly. He was silent for a while. Then he spoke again, âIâll keep you company. Donât worry.â
âItâs not the same,â you whined like a little brat even as his promise made you feel a tiny bit gooey and soft inside.Â
âIâm sorry?â He just laughed again and shook his head, the remnants of snow falling onto the floor. âIâm bringing those muffins you like so much.â
You felt yourself perk up immediately. âMuffins? Why didnât you just say so?â
He laughed harder but said nothing else as he turned and left. You wouldâve been upset if you didnât know him better.Â
Your phone chimed with a new notification.Â
[Claim your Valentineâs day coupon now and surprise your partner with a free tour of the museum!]
You groaned but didnât delete the message.
[HOON: if you want to match with someone, Iâm wearing red today]
You groaned harder and shut off your phone.
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It wasnât that you actually disliked these parties. You quite liked them, really. Seungkwan had figured out the perfect balance of socialising, snacks and music. It was a joy to be present, hanging out with your friends as you forgot about the problems of the week.Â
The only problem was that ever since Seungcheol and Chan had introduced the idea of an annual friendly âParty Kingâ competition, the number of parties you were gently blackmailed to attend had doubled. And, frankly, your social battery was due for an upgrade that never came.
You suspected the same went for Jihoon.
Clad in his dark red hoodie, he joined you on the sofa the moment his eyes caught yours. Sipping his soda and softly singing along to the music, he completely ignored your personal space and made himself comfortable by your side.
âNo wonder you canât get a boyfriend,â Seungkwan joked when he walked past the two of you, a box of party games in his arms. His smile was blinding as he told you, âYour guard dogâs going to scare all of the guys away.â
You blinked in confusion. He nodded to your side. Following the gesture, you found yourself face to face with Jihoon. A groan left your mouth.
âWhat?â Jihoon wondered.Â
âSeungkwan says youâre the reason Iâm single.â
He didnât seem the least bit perturbed by the fact. âWell, if they want to date you, they have to impress me first.â
You almost felt a little fond of him, appreciating his protectiveness. But you also knew your Jihoon and you knew he wasnât finished yet.
Under your warning eyes, he took a sip of his soda before smirking. âGod knows you wouldnât recognise a red flag if it slapped you in the face.â
Glancing down at his clothes, you snorted a laugh. âYouâre literally dressed as a red flag yourself. I should be avoiding you of all people.â
âNo, Iâm just warning other people that you are a red flag,â he replied effortlessly, cutting your laugh short. Sensing he was now in real, actual danger, his eyes widened. âThat was a joke. Just a joke. Iâm sorryââ
You smacked him upside the head and shook your head. âDid someone mix alcohol into the soda? Youâre so mean today.â
He blinked once. Twice. Looked into his soda cup. And then cursed. âI knew it tasted funky! Yoon Jeonghan!â
You could only laugh harder as he jumped up from the sofa and ran into the kitchen with fury that could not be matched. Drunk words are sober thoughts they say. Which is precisely why you hardly drank anything at these gatherings.Â
Jihoon returned less than two minutes later, two unopened colas in hand. There was still an attitude to his foot stomps and a glint of annoyance in his eyes, but he opened one of the cans before handing it to you like he always did.Â
âNot even Jeonghan can tamper with closed cans,â he reasoned almost bitterly. âWho mixes vodka into soda?â
âLots of people,â you told him with a chuckle and a gentle pat to his shoulder. âItâs called mixing a cocktail.â
He rolled his eyes. âRude of them to not consider people who donât drink alcohol.â
âKind of like itâs rude of them to not consider the single people here,â you half-joked in camaraderie. âHave you noticed theyâve only been playing love songs tonight?â
Jihoonâs brows furrowed. âHave they?â
You nodded towards the speakers that were blasting Love Me Right. âThe last two songs were Lover and Steal the Show.â
He grimaced. âThereâs still 12 days left until Valentineâs day. Are they insane?â
âProbably.â You rested your legs onto his lap. âI guess Iâll just be extra bitter and lonely this year then.â
âNo shot at romance?â
You raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on your lips. âYou literally just said youâre wearing red to warn others how much of a red flag I am. And now you want me to find romance?â
âI have mixed feelings about you dating,â he told you honestly â a little too honestly, if the red tint of his ears was anything to go by. He cleared his throat. âI should start checking the drinks for alcohol before I drink them.â
Pretending not to notice, you took a sip of your cola. âI keep thinking about what Soonyoung said yesterday. About loving myself before I can find someone.â
âIsnât that just social media nonsense?â Jihoon wondered quietly, resting his free hand on your knee. His thumb rubbed little circles onto your skin, comforting you.
âWhat if heâs right?â you continued. âWhat if I love myself so little that I simply cannot be loved?â
Frowning, Jihoon let out a sharp noise of protest. The gentle touch of his thumb turned into a warning pinch between his fingers. âYou are loved! Who put this dumb thought into your mind?â
â... Soonyoung?âÂ
âIâll beat him up on Monday,â he half-heartedly promised, a heavy look still on his face. Softening his voice, looking straight into your eyes, he spoke, âDonât you dare think you cannot be loved. You are loved.â
âBy whom?â
He looked away and didnât say.Â
âWhatever,â you sighed once the silence became too much. The speakers began playing Die With a Smile. You sighed once more. âCanât they play something less romantic? Iâd kill for a dumb, mindless party song right now. Do you think you could ask Jeonghan to play something else? He scares meââ
But it seemed that Jihoon was still stuck on the last topic. âWhat are you doing for Valentineâs day this year?â
â... Aside from crying myself to sleep after watching To All the Boys Iâve Loved Before for the 15th time?â
âYou donât think you love yourself enough to be loved by someone else,â he echoed your earlier words, his eyes stuck on something in the distance, âso why not change that? Treat yourself to something good this year. No sad movies and ice cream,â he finally looked at you again, âjust do something youâve always wanted to do.â
You knew he was right â he always was right. âBut itâs boring to do that alone.â
âThen Iâll come with,â he decided after a moment of thought. A small smile appeared on his face. His thumb finally resumed its circles on your knee. It was sweet. Until he opened his mouth again, repeating the words playing on the stereo: âWherever you go, thatâs where Iâll follow.â
To the sound of his giggles, you snorted and slapped his hand away. âYouâre awful.â
âIâm seriousââ
âArenât you two just the cutest!â Jeonghan interrupted your banter with a childish pout on his rosy lips as he leaned against the wall across from the table. Soonyoung was smiling brightly at his side. âAre you dating yet?â
You wondered if he was done asking that at every party yet. Itâs not like it was ever going to change (no matter how much he, Soonyoung, and your mother hoped it would).
Jihoon sat up, narrowed eyes settling on Jeonghan as if he was the devil himself. âDid you mix vodka into the soda?â
âMaybe,â came the reply with a shrug and a wicked giggle.Â
âI could get you a boyfriend for Valentineâs day,â Soonyoung suddenly said, his brown eyes set on you. There was that glint of mischief again. You realised you feared this man more than you feared bears, and not for the usual reasons.
Even so, you laughed. âSoonyoung, if you were any good at being a wingman, Jihoon wouldnât be single right now. In fact, youâre, like, the number one reason why heâs single.â
Forgetting his own argument with Jeonghan, Jihoon seemed to take offense to your statement. He let out a noise of hurt before pinching your knee once again.
âAu contraire, my friend,â Soonyoung argued and leaned so close that you could smell the raspberry-flavoured liquor in his breath, âIâm going to be the reason he finally gets the girl.â
You raised a brow. âRemember, just last week you told a girl Jihoonâs not into women when she asked if he was single.â
âI was drunk,â he told you, wearing a mask of nonchalance. âI donât remember much from that night.â
âOr the time I got a girlâs number but you stole it and dropped it in the pool,â Jihoon pointed out with a smile that seemed almost venomous. You had no doubt heâd hold that mishap over Soonyoungâs head for the rest of their lives â you almost hoped he would.
Soonyoung had the decency to look a little deflated at the mention, at least. But even so there was no stopping him. Mumbling under his breath, he repeated himself, âIâm going to be the reason he finally gets the girl.â
You shared a look with Jihoon and mutually decided to forget this exchange.
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When you were sixteen, Jihoonâs dad let you in on a little secret. He had peeked out of the kitchen to make sure his son wouldnât hear and then heâd told you that Jihoon had set his phone up so that he would never miss your calls. He thought it was the most adorable thing, and so did you.Â
You hadnât even realised your phoneâs Do Not Disturb setting had an option to do so but suddenly you were giddy, excited to set your phone up in a similar manner. And when you didnât quite manage to figure it out, you decided to compromise and just make his ringtone the loudest one you could find. It worked just the same for you.
Youâve had many phones since then, but the ringtone never changed.Â
Though you were no longer sure if it was the obnoxiousness of the ringtone itself or the muscle memory of answering so many calls from him late at night, it never failed to wake you up when he needed you.Â
Once again you woke up to the noise, hand automatically reaching for your phone even though your eyes were still closed and your mind was still halfway lost in dreamland.Â
âJihoon?â you mumbled his name as if his ringtone hadnât been burnt into your memory.
The other line was silent for a moment. Then you heard a soft sigh. âSorry. Did I wake you up again?â
âNo,â you lied, dragging the vowel out as much as you could to loosen up your vocal cords. âWhatâs up?â
âCouldnât sleep.â
âNightmare, stress or boredom?â
â... All three?â
âYou have to pick one.â
âWhy?â
âBecause I said so.â
He groaned but it was soon followed by a soft laugh. âDo you remember when we were kids and I threw that ball into Mr Yangâs window?â
Weird change of topic, you thought, but Jihoon did love to reminisce. So you humored him. âYou mean the time he yelled at you so hard that you cried?â
âYeah,â he chuckled. âAnd then you told me he deserved to have his window broken. And you built a pillow fort in your closet for me to hide so my parents couldnât find and scold me.â
âIt had world-class security,â you joked. âBuddy and I were a trusty team.â
But it was like he hadnât heard your interjection, too lost in his own memory book.Â
âYou hid in there with me and hugged me when my mom came to get me,â his voice trailed off. He cleared his throat. âYou know, she wasnât even that mad at me. I only had to do the dishes for a week.â
âYou were just a kid and she knew that,â you spoke so softly that you wondered if he even heard you this time. The shared memory of the day ran in front of your eyes. It was a simpler time but even back then you had been ready to do anything for him.
Silence engulfed the two of you, only the gentle static of the phones reminding you of the other still being there. Ten whole minutes went by like this and for a moment you wondered if heâd fallen asleep.
âI should go to sleep,â you spoke low in case he really was asleep. âI have to wake up early tomorrow.â
He hummed. âWhy?â
âIâm going to a museum and I want to leave by 10. So I should get up before 9. And itâs already almost 3 am, so you knowâŠâ
âSince when is 9 am early?â he half-joked before suggesting, âJust go later.â
âIâm a woman of principles, Lee Jihoon. When I have plans, I see them through.â
He scoffed out a laugh. âLiar. Remember that novel you said you were going to write?â
âNo clue what youâre talking about,â you feigned innocence, âand you have no proof.â
His laugh sounded like he was sitting right next to you. You silently thanked the wonders of modern technology.Â
As you prepared to say good night, you heard his voice again. âYou remember the thing Soonyoung said yesterday? About finding you a boyfriend?â
You scoffed. âYou donât think he was serious about that, right? He was just joking, being Soonyoung.â
âRight. RightâŠâ He sounded distant again, like he was in a daze, as he spoke, âDo you thinkâ Have you ever wondered ifââ He groaned and you could practically see him scrunching his eyes shut in frustration. âNevermind, itâs dumb. Sleep must be sneaking up on me.â
You hadnât realised youâd been holding your breath. It came out in a not entirely genuine laugh. âMaybe we should both go to sleep.â
âYeah,â he agreed with a sigh. âYouâre right, like always.â
âAlways?â you teased.
â... Well, maybe not always.â
âYou canât take it back now,â you whined through laughter. âYou almost never compliment me or my choices.â
He took a breath like he was about to say something. But nothing came out. Only a sigh. Then the phone call ended without another word â the way Jihoon liked it.
You rolled over to your side, reaching to put your phone away again when it buzzed. The screen lit up with a message.Â
[Hoon: if I complimented you and all of your good choices, it would take forever.]
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Crawling out of the comfort of your bed on one of your few days off, you wondered if the art of loving yourself was really worth the effort.Â
As usual, half an hour was spent on reading the news and watching videos you werenât entirely interested in. Another half an hour went by as you stared at the ceiling and contemplated your life decisions until you finally found the willpower to shower, get dressed, and eat a quick breakfast.
By 10, you were starting to feel like a human-being again, so you grabbed your keys and bag, and you walked out of your apartment.Â
âYou said you wanted to leave by 10,â Jihoonâs voice nearly shocked you into running back to your room. He was the dictionary definition of nonchalance as he stood in front of your door, barely even lifting his head, trying to read something off his phone. âItâs already 10:04, slowpoke. Are you ready to go yet?â
You stared at him for a while. Why was he here? Had you invited him along? No, you were sure you hadnât. And then your jaw dropped as his words sunk in. âYouâre the reason I stayed up until 3!â
âAnd to make up for it, I already sacrificed my arm by cleaning the snow off your car. Youâre welcome. Letâs go.â
He never once looked up from his phone as he headed back down the stairs. You could only laugh in disbelief and lock your door before following after him.Â
âWhy are you here anyways?â you finally asked when the two of you reached your car which had, indeed, been brushed clean of snow. âI was going to go alone.â
Jihoon shrugged. âI was bored.â
âYou were bored and just invited yourself along?â You wished you had that kind of audacity.Â
The car seemed to be colder than the weather itself. You involuntarily shivered as you pulled the door closed behind yourself. Jihoon let out a noise of complaint as he settled into his usual spot in the leather passenger seat. Envy filled you as he adjusted himself and burrowed further into his warm fleece jacket.Â
In an act of something akin to revenge, you tossed him your phone. âRead the directions. If I miss a turn because of you, Iâm making you pay for my coffee.â
âYes, captain,â he joked and turned the heat up to the maximum. One could only pray that your carâs battery would survive the trip. âAre we making any stops on the way?â
âI wasnât going to.â You really werenât. It was just a 70-minute drive to the museum â adding to the duration really wasnât on your bucket list â but knowing Jihoon, not stopping for snacks was simply not an option. The deepening pout and his wide eyes were enough indication that you were right to assume so â he only ever used his cuter side to win. A deep sigh bubbled in your throat. Through gritted teeth you spoke, âBut I suppose we could squeeze in a quick stop.â
He let out the tiniest cheer and happily gave the first instruction: âWe need to go right, turn left at the intersection and thenââ A noise of curiosity. âA Hyunjin wants to know if you have any pets? I guess?â
You frowned. There wasnât a single Hyunjin you could think of. âHyunjin?â
âThatâs what it says,â he told you with a shrug. âHe also wants to know how you feel about⊠ferrets.â
You werenât entirely sure what that was about. âJust ignore it. Where to next?â
âUh,â he vocalised, âright again.â
âWhy did we even turn left then?âÂ
He chuckled. âIâm just telling you what the app says.â
âWhatever. Next?â
âJust keep going straight. We should reach the highway in, like, fifteen minutes.âÂ
Fifteen minutes straight through the busiest part of the city? You regretted your museum plans already. Shouldâve just stayed at home and watched Youtube the whole day. There was a sneaking suspicion that even if you had watched traffic camera livestreams, you wouldâve seen fewer red lights.
While you painstakingly stared at the lights, praying for them to turn green already, you noticed Jihoon happily scrolling through your phone. Your hand rose and somewhat forcefully landed on his thigh in a warning gesture. âStay out of my private messages, creep.â
âWhy would I want to read your private messages?â he half-joked and made a face that made you roll your eyes. âBy the way, your mom said to bring tiramisu cake to dinner on Friday.â
Defeated, you sighed. âTell her Iâve got it covered. Whatâs the occasion?â
âShe wouldnât tell.â
âYouâre chatting with her right now?â
He smiled at you like it was obvious. âSheâs my mother too.â
âStop. Thatâs gross.â
âAlso, whoâs Andrew?â he then asked, smile dropping.
Another name you werenât sure could be associated with yours. âWho?â
âAn Andrew Johnson,â he slowly read the screen. âHe wants to know what your favourite colour is.â His head whipped up just as you pressed the accelerator. âWhatâs with all these weird chats? You donât seem to know these people?â
Desperately, you tried to recall a Hyunjin or an Andrew. You had no recollection of either. And somehow the list only seemed to grow with Jihoon calling out a new name and question at what felt like every minute: âJongho just sent the cringiest pick-up line Iâve ever readâ, âJoshua wants you to know that you have a typo in your profileâ, âMinjae asked if you prefer walks on beaches or forest hikesâ.Â
Each notification made you more confused than the one before and soon you felt your brain would melt.
You finally had enough of the confusion when he said, âTurn right. I want a burrito. Also, Chanyeol says you look hot in your profile picture.â
âWhat profile picture?â you nearly cried out as you slammed the brakes in front of the gas station. âWhat is going on?â
Jihoon looked just as disheartened and puzzled as you felt, if not even more so. He unbuckled his seatbelt like it had been trapping him and threw your phone back to you for inspection like it was burning hot. He was already halfway through the door when you caught your bearings again. âYou want anything?â
âJust a coffee,â you told him, barely paying half a mind to the conversation as you scrolled through your notifications.Â
You barely noticed he left when you tapped on one of the notifications showcasing an unfamiliar name, a message and a photo of a handsome man. The screen opened on an app you had barely any recollection of ever downloading. A familiar âswipe left or rightâ homescreen made you groan and shut your eyes as you locked the phone and tried your hardest to pretend this wasnât real.Â
Minutes passed in blissful almost-ignorance. You felt at almost-peace. It was almost nice.
Until Jihoon arrived once again, two burritos, a water and a coffee in hand, and a scowl on his face.Â
âDid you figure out who those guys are yet?â he asked and for a moment you thought he sounded bitter.Â
You didnât have any sighs left in you, so you just grabbed a burrito and the coffee. âYep.â
He raised a brow while he silently took the burrito back and handed you the other one instead. âSo?â
You frowned at his actions. âDid you just swap theââ
âYou wouldnât like this one,â he said and took a pointed bite out of the burrito. âSo, the mystery men?â
There it was: the last sigh you could force out of yourself. It didnât feel anywhere as freeing as you hoped it would. âMy sister got a hold of my phone the other day and downloaded a dating app. I think she mightâve messaged a few guys she thought Iâd like.â
âYou donât seem happy about it.â You barely understood his words with his mouth so full of food.Â
âI donât really believe in dating apps working, you know,â you told him honestly and took a bite of your own burrito. Your eyes closed in bliss â you shouldâve trusted Jihoonâs judgement from the start. âThis is so good.â
âI know,â he replied with a knowing half-smile that disappeared as fast as it appeared. âIf you donât believe in the app, just delete it.â
âCanât.â
âWhy not?â
âMade a promise to not uninstall it.â
Your phone made the executive decision to light up with another notification just then. Jihoon tilted his head to read it and carefully voiced out the message: âSeungho says your eyes look as pretty as the starry night skyâ Okay, thatâs just cheesy.âÂ
Brows furrowed and nose scrunched up in disgust, he grabbed the phone, unlocking it with ease (you had only half a memory of ever giving him the password), and scrolled through the apps until he found the culprit.Â
âIâm uninstalling it,â he told you when he felt your curious eyes on him.Â
Your eyes widened at their own accord. âYou canât. I promised my sisterââ
âLucky for you, sheâs not my sister,â Jihoon says as he swiftly uninstalled the app and brought peace into your life once again. His frown turned into a proud smile as he handed the phone back to you. âYouâre welcome.â
You stared at him, dumbfounded, flabbergasted, confused. âDid you really justâ?â
âAnything for you.â He said it with the uttermost seriousness. âIf she tries that again, tell her sheâll have to deal with me first.â
Shaking off the odd wave of appreciation you felt for this man â your best friend, you reminded yourself â, you settled back down in your seat. You stared out the window for a while, slowly devouring your burrito.Â
Head whipping around to stare at him in disbelief, you jolted upright again. âWait, so my mom is your mom, but my sister is not your sister?!â
He was too busy enjoying his food (and accomplishments) to ever reply.
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The banners of the café were mocking you.
Bright reds and pinks snickered as you walked past. Papers cut into perfect little hearts flew past your head, giggling as if they were better than you.
âHappy Valentineâs day!â they all said, side-eyeing you while you resisted the urge to commit your first arson.Â
âWhen was the last time you ate something other than candy?â is all that Jihoon said in reply when you told him such.Â
You spared a glare at him. âWhatâs that got to do with anything?â
âNothing.â He shrugged. âYou just tend to get a littleâŠâ he hummed in thought, glancing up at the sky as if he was expecting a dictionary to drop from a cargo plane any second now, âimaginative when youâve had too much sugar.â
âIâm always imaginative.â
âIt was not a compliment.â
You rolled your eyes in response and opened the door. âYou can say what you want but I know for a fact that this whole holiday was invented to make fun of me.â
It didnât take much to figure out that the pensive scrunch of his nose, the narrowing of his eyes and the tilt of his head meant that he was holding back a question that would probably end with one of you in the ER and the other in a police car. You decided the look alone was enough to warrant slamming the cafĂ© door closed in front of his face and marched up to the register. His loud laughter taunted you as you did so; not even the thick walls of Soonyoungâs motherâs cafĂ© could muffle the sound.
You didnât bother to turn around to look at him as the bell chimed and Jihoon walked right up, taking his usual spot next to you, the remnants of laughter still on his tongue. âI will never get your deal with Valentineâs day, I swear.â
âThereâs no deal. Only hatred. Even loathing, if you will.â
âIâll make sure to ask Soonyoung to make your coffee as dark as your soul then,â he promised with a cheeky grin. The list of crimes you wished to commit on this day was growing by the second â he knew damn well to not come between you and your vanilla mocha latte.
âAnyways,â you sighed theatrically, âcanât Valentineâs day be over already?â
âI sure hope not,â Soonyoungâs bright voice sounded as he practically danced out of the backrooms, âour sales are always the best on Valentineâs day. So, what can I get you two?â
Why did everything have to be Valentineâs themed anyway? And so expensive? The new higher price of the chocolate muffins had you absolutely appalled.
Your bitter thoughts were interrupted by a nudge to your side. âWhat do you want?â
A new wave of confusion hit. âSince when do you ask that?â
âYouâre acting like I order at random,â he said with a roll of his eyes. âThey donât have your usual waffles.â
You were even more appalled. Absolutely horrified, really. âThey donât have waffles?! What kind of a cafĂ© doesnât have waffles?!â
âWe have waffles!â Soonyoung seemed offended by your best friendâs claim, a pout on his lips as he stood at the counter in his red apron (and was his name tag heart-shaped? (You couldâve sworn it was just a rectangle last week)).Â
Who were you supposed to believe? Soonyoung who worked at the café and was too earnest to ever really lie to you? Or Jihoon who sometimes lied to you just to have a laugh? You were leaning towards the former, and Jihoon could read it from your face.
He groaned. âFine, Iâll get you your pink heart-shaped waffles.â
The use of emphasis was not accidental and his brows rose in challenge, daring you to agree to his absolutely horrifying order.
âHeart-shaped?â You prayed he was joking.Â
Turning to face Soonyoung, you found yourself disappointed to realise he wasnât. With a bright, proud smile on his face, Soonyoung nodded. âWeâre switching up the menu for the holiday.â
Single and lonely as you were, you could think of few things less appetizing than pink heart-shaped waffles. Biting back a whine of frustration, you leaned your forehead onto Jihoonâs shoulder and mumbled, âJust get me anything but that.â
You realised your mistake almost as soon as you said those words. Eyes widening, you pushed yourself back upright and tried to stop him as he placed an order for cinnamon rolls and a Nuts About You praline latte with a wicked grin on his face. You both knew exactly what he was doing and he found great amusement in your misery.
âPerfectâ,â Soonyoung started, already clicking away to add your order.
You interrupted with a rather loud, âI do not want that!â
Jihoonâs lips quirked. âWhy not? Too nutty for you?â
âI just donât want it,â you declared, crossing your arms over your chest as you glared at him. âJust because.â
He pretended to roll his eyes before turning to Soonyoung again, âSheâll have a Cupidâs Special Never Bean Kissed instead.â
âWeâre no longer friends, Lee Jihoon.â
The stupid smile didnât leave his face. âYou donât want me to pay for lunch?â
Second mistake of the day. You groaned and his laughter filled the store as you did so.Â
âYour food should be ready soon. Are you paying together or separately?â Before you could answer, Soonyoung added â and you couldâve sworn his eyes glinted with something not entirely wholesome â, âIf you say youâre a couple, I can give you a 20% discount and two slices of cake for free. This goes until February 15th.âÂ
You and Jihoon stared at him dumbfounded.Â
He shrugged. âIâm not allowed to assume.â
âWhat about thisââ Jihoon widely gestured to the both of you, appearing equally baffled, ââsays âmight be a coupleâ?â
Soonyoung shrugged once more and put on a wide smile. âAre you?â
âNo!â
âWorth a shot,â he sighed, his smile never fading. âYou two could pull off being a couple though.â
âWhy are we friends with you again?â
âBecause you love me.â Your scrunched up face must have seemed doubtful enough because he soon added, âAnd my mom makes me give you employee discounts.â
âExactly why does he keep offering us the couplesâ discount every year?â Jihoon wondered under his breath two minutes later while practically throwing himself onto the chair across from yours. âHe knows weâre both single.â
âMaybe heâs trying to play matchmaker,â you joked, grabbing a cinnamon roll off the plate heâd placed on the table. âYou know, to set us up or something.â
Jihoon caught your eyes. A moment of silence passed as you contemplated your words.Â
Then he shook his head and huffed. âHeâs not dumb enough for that.â
âNo, youâre right.â You took a bite and almost moaned at the taste â Soonyoungâs mother had a knack for baked goods. âGod, this is so goodâ Besides,â you quickly returned to the topic, âI think he might have been right last time.â
Jihoonâs brows furrowed. âWhat?â
âYou know, the whole âyou have to love yourself to be loved by someone elseâ,â you reminded him with a shrug. âIâve been trying to do things for myself this week and itâs actually been so nice.â
âThings like what?â he wondered, grabbing a cinnamon roll as well.
âWell, the museum visit, for one. I got a text about it and thought âI donât have anyone to take with me, but I might as well go for myselfâ, so I went and it was actually really nice,â you pointed out. âFreeing, in a way.â
He blinked. âI was literally with you the entire day.â
âYouâre practically attached to me,â you joked with a dismissive wave of your hand. âIt doesnât count.â
âYour coffeeâs ready!â Soonyoung appeared at the table with two cups. He placed one in front of you, keeping the other in a flimsy grip in his other hand as he did so.Â
Before you could comment on it, the other cup dropped from his hand with a loud gasp and an apology.
âIâm so sorry,â Soonyoung was reaching for tissues before you could even comprehend what had happened.Â
Then you felt your suddenly cold button-up shirt press and stick to your skin. Glancing down, you cursed under your breath and reached for a handful of tissues of your own, starting to dab away at the spots of coffee on your white shirt.
âShouldâve known something like this would happen,â you spoke through gritted teeth as Soonyoungâs lips kept spilling apologies after apologies. âThis is why I never wear white.â
Jihoon sat frozen on his chair, wide eyes wildly switching between you trying to clean your shirt, and Soonyoung, practically on his knees, wiping the floor. Eventually, he settled on watching you.
Your desperate clean-up attempt soon slowed. It was no use. You didnât possess the magic necessary to get an iced americano out of the white fabric.Â
âCan I do anythingâŠ?â Jihoon asked softly.
âNothing short of finding me a new shirt to wear,â you told him with a laugh that had no joy in it. You still had four hours of work left and you were certain your boss would have a word with you for the accidental dress code violation â wearing clean clothes was, after all, written in bold on the first page of the employee handbook.
He frowned. âI could give you my hoodie to cover-up?â
You perked up at the idea. âWould you?â
He snorted a laugh. âIs that really a question?âÂ
Without another word, he sat upright and pulled on the hem of his black hoodie, revealing a grey t-shirt under it. It took him a few seconds and some noises of struggling (that you suspected he only made to cheer you up), and then he handed the hoodie to you.Â
It was warm to the touch and smelled like your best friend when you pulled it over your head. Your day was better immediately.
âIt feels like a hug,â you mumbled without really meaning to.
Jihoonâs breath seemed to get caught in his throat at that exact moment. He coughed twice before humming, âYou say the weirdest things.â
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Thursdays are movie nights. No matter the situation, no matter your feelings, Jihoon and you would buy copious amounts of snacks and gather at either of your apartments to watch a movie together.
âWeâre not watching The Lion King,â he declared while hauling your giant grocery bag up the stairs (heâd insisted it was easier to just stuff everything into a giant bag than to carry several bags; who were you to try and stop him?). âI donât feel like crying today.â
âYou never cry anyway,â you grumbled and supported the bag from underneath. There was just the tiniest tear in its side and you were growing wary. There was only one more flight of stairs to go.
He stopped and turned his head to glare back at you. âAre you suggesting Iâm a monster? Who doesnât cry during The Lion King?â
âYou,â you supplied with an innocent smile and pushed at the bottom of the bag to urge him forward. âIf you donât want to watch The Lion King, then pick something better. I dare you.â
âCaptain America.â
âIâm locking you outside,â you replied with a scoff. âYou can sleep on the doormat, or maybe Ms. Kim will be merciful and give you one of her dog beds.â
âCan you stop acting like you donât enjoy Marvel movies?â he wondered. âOr would that break your programming?â
As you arrived on your floor, you told yourself it was not worth the fight. You reached into your pocket to pull out the keys, ignoring Jihoonâs groans of exhaustion as you slowly and meticulously pressed the key into the hole. But when you began to turn it, the door handle tilted downwards and the door opened.
You blinked in surprise as Yoon Jeonghan gently ushered you out of the way so he could leave. He wore a pleasant smile as he opened the door wider to let you into your own apartment.Â
âWhat are you doing here?â you asked when you found your voice again.
He shrugged. âWanted to see if you had any of that good ramyeon.â When you lifted a puzzled brow, he victoriously held up three packets of your favourite ramyeon. âIâll be taking these. Thank you for being such a good friend!â
While you searched for words to say, he rushed down the stairs. He was still in hearing range when your brain kicked into gear and you called out, âHowâd you get inside?!â
âStole Jihoonâs key!â came a joyous reply from three stories below.Â
Beside you, Jihoon let out a loud groan of frustration, brows knitted and nose scrunched. âThat son of a biâ.â
âI was looking forward to that ramyeon!â you whined and stomped into your apartment, pulling your best friend after you by the sleeve.
Lost in noodle-grief, you burrowed into the sofa cushions as he placed down the bag and began rummaging through the two drawers you had so kindly surrendered to him and his clothes. You watched as he closed the drawers with a defeated short hum and opened your closet instead. It didnât alarm you â it hadnât in years.Â
âWhy are your shirts so much nicer than mine?â he suddenly asked, pulling off his crispy black button-up shirt to replace it with your favourite white t-shirt.
Momentarily you were brought back to reality just to reply with a short and simple: âBecause I actually pay attention to what I buy from the store?â
His head turned just to give you good-natured glare. It soon gave way to a mischievous smirk â one crafted to annoy you. âWhy would I do that when I can just borrow your clothes?â
âOne day Iâm going to take away your closet privileges,â you lazily vowed.Â
He stuck his tongue out. You always did bring the more mature side of him out.
As you turned on the TV â one that came with your studio apartment and would have been entirely useless if not for the movie nights â, Jihoon threw himself into the cushions next to you.
Taking advantage of your state of not-quite-being-there, Jihoon stole the remote. When you whined and tried to get it back, he laughed and pushed you away with his free hand. While you fought to get the remote, the TV began playing yet another Marvel movie.Â
The opening credits began playing and you only knew it was Iron Man because heâd made you watch this movie a thousand times. You wanted to argue but the movie nights had one unbreakable rule: once a movie starts playing, thereâs no changing it.Â
âSeriously?â you groaned and threw your head back against the backrest of the sofa.Â
Like the TV, the green sofa had also been in the apartment for as long as you knew. You had always thought it to be a rather cosy and perfect lounging spot. Slowly, however, you were realising it had its flaws, the worst one being that with Jihoonâs manspreading habit, there simply wasnât enough space.
âMove,â you nudged his leg that was leaning too close to yours for comfort. âHoon, youâre on my side of the sofa.â
He only nudged your leg back with a laugh. âSince when?â
âSince ten minutes ago,â you declared, pushing back harder. âAnd stop manspreading. Thatâs rude. Youâre taking up all of the space.â
âDidnât your mother teach you to be nice to guests?â he teased, leaning even closer with his whole body now until his chin rested on your shoulder.Â
You found yourself pleasantly surprised by his warmth. It was cold outside, you reasoned with yourself, of course you were enjoying any warmth you could get your hands on. Besides, it wasnât often that Jihoon burrowed this close to you. You were bound to find joy in his rare act of affection.
Your joy was short-lived though because it was only now that you noted (with slight to moderate annoyance) that he had stolen a coke from your fridge. You scoffed.
âYouâre hardly a guest. A parasite is more likely.â
As more and more of his weight pressed onto you, you groaned in pain. He only laughed at your misery.Â
âYou steal my clothes. You steal my space. You use me as your personal cushion,â you counted. âDoes your audacity have no limits?â
He paused, lips pursing as he thought for a moment. Then he smiled brightly. âNo.â
It took all your strength to push him off you. He had the gall to giggle the whole way, and you soon found yourself laughing along with him.Â
âYouâre awful,â you told him with an affectionate grin. Your efforts of moving him were in vain and he happily rested his head on your shoulder, occasionally slurping his (formerly your) coke. You tried really hard not to think of how awfully domestic this position wouldâve looked to a stranger.
âYouâre not allowed to complain,â he eventually told you. âYouâre the one that stole my hoodie yesterday.â
You gasped, appalled by his accusation. âYou offered!â
âI was practically blackmailed,â he spoke loudly as if announcing it to a theatre of people. âWhat choice did I have?â
âMaybe I need to do this self-love journey just so Iâll have someone who actually loves me and isnât faking it to be a drama queen,â you concluded with a theatrical sigh.Â
Jihoon laughed and nudged your side. âNo way. Youâre stuck with me no matter what.â
And you appreciated that. You really did. But. There was always a but.
âHow am I supposed to learn to love myself more anyway?â you wondered, leaning into the cushions as well as his warmth, angling your body to enjoy the benefits of both. âI socialised at Seungkwanâs party. I went to a museum. I feel like I love myself enough. What else can I do?â
âWhat do you have in mind?â
âSomething that says Iâm unapologetically me,â you said thoughtfully, trying to think of something. You werenât entirely sure it had anything to do with self-love. Really, it was probably more-so to avoid your loneliness on Valentineâs day. âSomething Iâll enjoy but find a little challenging, so when Iâm done with it Iâll feel pride.â
âYou could order your own coffee for a change.â
Dreams shattered, you let out a scoff. âI would but you never let me.â
âYeah,â he agreed readily, âyou always get the same thing anyway.â
âWell, what if I wanted to try something different?â
âYou snooze, you lose. Just be glad I pay for your lunch.â
âThank you, daddy.â
Silence. Long and awkward (just how you liked it) as you watched his reddening face with a wicked grin. This is what he got for being mean and useless. Finally, he ran a rough hand over his face and declared, âThatâs it. You can pay for your own lunch from now on.â
âOh no, how will I live,â you bemoaned, fully aware that heâd never let you pay for your own meals. âIâm still open to ideas though. I need something to do.â
Jihoon offered a mocking smile. âWell, you didnât like my idea, soââ
âPlease,â you begged, tugging at his shirt with one hand. âAnything. Please. Tell me to read The Odyssey. To start a charity. To paint an overcomplicated muralââ
Clearly uninterested in the topic at hand, he cleared his throat and rubbed his hands together. âIs it just me or is it cold in here?â
Now that he mentioned it, your hands were feeling a little freezing. Just a bit. And your toes felt like theyâd been on an ice block this whole time. You frowned.Â
âNo, youâre right,â you realised and jumped up to check the thermostat. It proudly showcased the number 10. You hurriedly set it to a higher heat. 10 degrees was not enough to keep you alive, you feared.Â
âSomeoneâs messed with my thermostat,â you told him as you returned to the sofa. âThis old building gets cold so fast.â
Jihoonâs brows furrowed in thought. âYou donât thinkâŠâ
âWhat?â you wondered, pressing closer to him in an effort to get warm again. The world off the sofa was far worse than you had anticipated and now you were forced to shiver as you waited for Jihoonâs natural warmth to reach you as well. You felt your eyes widen as the pieces clicked into place. âJeonghan?â
âHe was acting suspicious,â he confirmed as he wrapped an arm around your shoulder, effectively pulling you closer.Â
Though you found yourself wanting to purr in bliss, you told yourself he only did so because he felt sorry for you â you never were built for the cold climate. Making a mental note to fight Jeonghan the next time you saw him was the best distraction you had.
Minutes passed in silence, par the movie playing in the background. You werenât sure either of you were focused on it. But the rule stood and neither of you dared to be the first one to break it. So you remained right there, in his arms, unable to think about anything other than your vengeance plan and Jihoonâs embrace.
It was warmer now. Whether it was the doing of your apartmentâs heating or Jihoon holding you like you were his lifeline, you were too comfortable to contemplate. The soft chimes of dreamland were calling you now.
âYou know,â Jihoon spoke, voice low and gravelly, âthey say cuddling helps to preserve heat.â
You knew it was just a dumb excuse. You knew you shouldâve poked his side and made a joke about him using you for his personal gain. But as you pressed your cheek against his chest and wrapped your arms around his frame just a little tighter, you forgot all about it.Â
By the time you remembered to argue, you felt your eyes getting heavy and his heartbeat slowing down under your ear.Â
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You hadnât disliked Seungkwanâs parties all that much last week or the week before that. But this was getting excessive â even Seungcheol had said so, but Seungkwan listened to no one. Seungkwan, you see, had a goal and no one could dissuade him from reaching it.
âI think at this point they have no choice but to crown him the party king,â Jihoon mused, once again sitting by your side on the sofa as the two of you watched the party host gloat about his impeccable party streak. âItâs quantity over quality.â
Taking a sip from your soda, you hummed in agreement. âIf nothing else, they should crown him for all the effort alone. Have any of the others even planned any parties yet?â
âI think Seungcheolâs planning the Valentineâs day Party with Soonyoung.â
You nodded. âIâm definitely going to be sick for that one.â
âYouâre going to have to pick a different excuse,â Jihoon pointed out with a chuckle. âYouâve pulled the flu excuse four times already this year. Theyâre getting suspicious.â
âJoin me in becoming sheep farmers in Iceland?â
âIf Seungkwan would find us in 14 days, Seungcheol would find us in half that,â he told you and you werenât entirely sure he was joking.Â
You sighed. âDo you have to ruin all of my dreams?â
He laughed and nudged your shoulder. It was only recently that youâd noticed how often he did that. You hadnât seen him do it to his other friends, now that you thought about it. It was always him and you. Perhaps, you thought, you had finally discovered his love language.
You noted with glee that he did it again, this time so slightly you almost didnât feel it. âThank you, by the way.â
âFor what?â you wondered, unable to think of anything you had done to warrant those words.
The room seemed to get brighter, lit up by a radiant magical glow, as his face broke out into a wide smile. âFor staying sober with me. I think Iâd go insane here if you didnât.â
âNow youâre just being dramatic. Youâd live,â you told him and took a sip of your cola as you surveyed the room, taking note of your friendsâ antics. âIâm not entirely sure about the others, but you would live.â
He burst out laughing at your words as if it was the funniest joke in the world (it really wasnât; you had elicited far colder responses to far funnier jokes but you appreciated the enthusiasm). âYouâre probably right. But still,â he took a calming breath, a bright grin still on his face, âIâm glad to have you with me. I canât imagine you have much fun sitting here with a sober me when you could be doing drunk karaoke with Joshua and Jihyo.âÂ
You were about to tell him there was no place youâd rather be when Vernon appeared from what you could only assume was the shadows and gave the two of you that blank helpless wide-eyed look of his.Â
You and Jihoon sighed in unison.
âWhat is it this time?â he wondered, already adjusting his sleeves and flexing his fingers in preparation for whatever herculean task awaited him.
The reply was short and laconic. âThe fridge is being weird.â
Jihoon offered you a look that told you he couldnât have cared less about the decade-old fridge Jeonghan had wrestled out from some old ladyâs hands at the second-hand store. It wasnât his property. It had, in fact, absolutely nothing to do with him because he didnât live here.Â
âJust go,â you laughed and waved him away, earning a look of betrayal. âThe child wonât leave you alone if you donât help him.â
âIâm not a repair guy,â he told you with a mild glare before groaning once more and finally getting up. From his new higher vantage point, he could look right into your empty cup and roll his eyes as if he didnât want to say the words heâd utter next: âIâll get you a new drink while Iâm gone.â
You sent him off with a grateful smile and a plan to conquer the space heâd left behind. Your feet would thank you for the gentle stretch of being rested on the sofa and you could already practically hear the odes theyâd sing to you. But then, as fast as the spot beside you became empty, it immediately was filled again.Â
âIâm sorry if this upsets you,â a girl you vaguely knew by the name of Yeonmi spoke as she slumped into the free space Jihoon had left, slurring her words, âbut Iâm going to marry him.â
You quirked a brow. âWho? Vernon?â
âNo!â She pointed at your best friend. âHim! Jihoon!â
You suddenly wondered if you were hallucinating this entire interaction. You blinked once, and then once more, before turning your head to look. Certainly Yeonmi was drunk off her ass and had mistaken him for someone else! Or maybe you yourself were drunk â whoâs to say Jeonghan hadnât mixed vodka into the soda once again? Heâd done it before, more than twice.
But then you saw: Jihoon stood at the kitchen aisle. Laughing at what appeared to be the funniest joke in the world, he passed bottles of water around for his drunk friends. One by one, they accepted their bottles with grateful glee and promises to never drink again.Â
Then, whining something about how heâs not that drunk yet, Seungcheol tried to push the bottle away and your best friendâs grin morphed into a short-lived frown as he smacked him across the back of his head with the very same bottle and forced it into his hand. Just like that Jihoonâs smile returned as Seungcheolâs pout only pursed out more.
As you began to laugh at the scene, you suddenly remembered why youâd looked over in the first place. Brows furrowing, your head snapped to glare at Yeonmi once again. âYou want to marry him?!â
You werenât entirely sure why the idea irritated you as much as it did. Maybe Jeonghan actually had mixed something into the soda. You certainly had no other reason to be so irate by the concept of Jihoon marrying someone.Â
âAbsolutely,â Yeonmi mumbled, gaze stuck as if Jihoon was a beautiful mirage that would disappear if she took her eyes off of him. She took a sip of her cocktail, unaware of the scathing look of disapproval she was on the receiving end of. âIsnât he just perfect?â
Fighting to keep your irrational temper in check, you took a deep breath. âSince when do you like him like that?â
âToday.â
âWhat?â
Yeonmi must have taken the growing volume of your voice for a sign of excitement because she quickly added, âI think weâll get married tomorrow.â
âYou canât marry him,â you told her without as much as a scoff. It wasnât a joke. It was not a threat. It was a clear-cut fact of life. To you it was anyway.
Finally, Yeonmi tore her attention away from him and stared at you, blinking her saddened puppy-dog eyes. âWhy not?â
You didnât have a reason. Not a very good one anyway. âYou just canât.â
âBut I want to!â She continued pouting. You noted with glee that it was the alcohol talking. Sober Yeonmi would never do this to you. But sober Yeonmi was far gone â six beers deep gone. âWhy canât I marry him?â
Unfortunately, drunk Yeonmi was far less reasonable than you knew sober Yeonmi to be. You had to think long and hard about your words if you wanted to put this conversation to rest soon. âBecause heââ
âWhoâs marrying who?â Seokmin stumbled into the conversation and onto the sofa, settling right between the two of you like a rather ill-fitting puzzle piece. A drink in his hand, a backwards cap askew on his head, and a comically large tiger plushie under his arm (one you could practically hear Soonyoung already frantically searching for), he stared at you two in child-like excited wonder.Â
You almost had a spark of hope â could this be your saving grace? your ticket out of this conversation that was irritating you for reasons outside of your comprehension? â until you realised that Seokmin was almost certainly just as drunk â if not more â as Yeonmi. You pinched the bridge of your nose and groaned.
âIâm marrying Jihoon,â Yeonmi declared all too proudly, her pout turning into a bright smile that could rival the sun. For a moment you found yourself almost bitterly thinking she was exactly the pretty kind of girl your best friend deserved. Then she just had to open her mouth again: âTomorrow. Iâm marrying him tomorrow, for sure.â
Her words were met with a dramatic gasp and a matching bright smile. âYou are?â
âI am!â
âSheâs really not,â you mumbled from where youâd been pushed against the armrest by their celebration.
Then Seokmin froze mid-squeal-of-joy. He slapped a hand over his mouth. He loudly whispered, âBut you canât!â
Yeonmiâs smile once again dropped. âWhy not?â
âBecause Jihoonâs (Y/n)âs boyfriend!â He told her with such conviction that you began to wonder if you had missed a major life event of your own damned life.Â
You frowned. âWeâre notââ
âOh.â Yeonmi nodded solemnly. âYou are right. I canât believe I forgot that.â She paused before loudly whispering, âYou know, I heard theyâre actually married. Eloped in Vegas during spring break back in college.â
âI heard that one too!â Seokmin pointed out with inexplicable uncontained glee. âI heard he wrote a song and sang it to her at the proposal.â
âThatâs so romantic,â Yeonmi swooned, smiling like it was the cutest news sheâd heard all day. Her dreams of marrying Jihoon had disappeared just like that.Â
But you felt like you were living in a nightmare.
âWhat are you guys talking about?â you cried out, watching them in astonishment and horror. âThereâs nothing going on between us!â
âI mean,â Soonyoung joined in, leaning against the armrest like heâd been there all along, âyouâre practically married, even if the elopement thing isnât true.â
Yeonmi gasped. âItâs not?â
You ignored her.
âItâs okay if the spark goes out a little bit, you know what I mean,â Soonyoung attempted to explain? comfort you? Whatever he was doing, you wished heâd stop. âRelationships take work, you know.â
You felt your left eye twitch. âWeâre not dating.â
This was news to your friends â if their wide eyes and dropped jaws were anything to go by, anyways.Â
âButââ Seokmin started, slumping in his seat as if his whole world had shattered into pieces. âBut youâre Jihoon and (Y/n). Youâre practically always glued together.âÂ
âSo? Weâre friends. Best friends. You know this.â
âIf what you guys have isnât love, then what is?â he wondered, asking no one in particular it seemed. His gaze had frozen on the fairy lights taped to the ceiling. He looked close to tears and you decided youâd had enough of this and got up off the sofa.Â
It had been a while since youâd been out on the balcony anyway. It was nice and quiet and away from your nosy friends who clearly could not wrap their minds around the possibility of two friends not dating. The fresh air bit at your nose but you decided it was better than facing them again.Â
Looking out at the nightlife of the city below, your thoughts kept drifting back to what they said. Why had you felt so irritated at the idea of Jihoon being with someone else? He wasnât yours to keep, as much as you liked to joke about it. He wasnât your husband, he wasnât your boyfriend, not even a friend with benefits. He was just Jihoon.
You were just you and Jihoon. Thatâs what it had always been.Â
So why did the idea of being âjust (Y/n) and Jihoonâ suddenly sent a rush of rage and insult up your spine?Â
â(Y/n)?â a voice called out and you felt the subtle warmth of the apartment creep out through the opened balcony door. You turned to find Seungkwan standing right there, his kind eyes looking at you as if you were insane. âArenât you cold?â
âIt was stuffy in there,â you excused yourself and turned back to stare over the railing.
He hummed in understanding but couldnât stop himself from adding, âCouldâve just opened a window instead of standing out here without your jacket.â
You let out a short laugh. âI guess I wasnât thinking straight.â
Warmth surrounded you, the feel of a soft knitted cardigan following soon after. âBetter?â
âYeah, thanks.â
âIâm a little surprised Jihoon hasnât given you his sweater yet,â he noted under his breath as if he couldnât decide whether he wanted you to hear it or not. He cleared his throat and added louder, âSorry, Iâm sure youâve heard enough of Jihoon today. Seokmin and Yeonmi are a lot, I know.â
You werenât sure whether to laugh or cry. âYou heard them?â
âIâm sure half the party heard them,â he told you as if it was obvious before his expression melted into something more compassionate. âDo you want to talk about it?â
It was hard to choose. So you stayed silent instead. Seungkwan seemed to decide that was a yes.
âYou know, I think Jihoon holds you closer to his heart than he sometimes lets on,â he told you. âMost of us see through his facade by now, but sometimes I wonder if youâre still one of the few who canât.â
Great. Exactly what you needed: a double dose of âIâm an awful friendâ.
âYou know that keychain you have? That little cat he whittled out of wood back in high school?â He chuckled to himself. âHe spent a whole week making it, constantly texting the group chat if it was perfect yet. Perfect for what, weâd ask and heâd always say it was for you like it was the most obvious thing.â
He leaned against the railing with you. Just as soon as he did so, he cursed. Seungkwan stepped away almost immediately. His voice was suddenly much louder than before: âItâs so cold! Can you even feel your arms?â
A little dazed by the information youâd learnt, you shrugged. âI guess.â
âThatâs it,â he decided and grabbed a hold of your arm before dragging you back inside against your will (not that you were complaining; you suddenly realised it was indeed very cold outside). âIf you want to be cold, I can give you ice cream, but please stop trying to contact frostbite.â
You barely made it through the kitchen door before running into Jihoon. It was starting to feel like Seungkwan needed to find a bigger venue for his parties because you were clearly not able to find even a minute of peace here.Â
âThere you are,â he practically cheered at the sight of you, a wide grin breaking out on his face as if he hadnât seen you in days rather than mere 20 minutes.
You were painfully aware of Seungkwanâs knowing smile as Jihoon handed you a cup of soda. You took a small cautious sip â it didnât taste anything like alcohol. There went your accidentally tipsy theory. You let out a soft groan at the thought.
âYou good?â he wondered, hand reaching out to pat your shoulder. âSoonyoung said you looked kind of upset.â
âIâm fine,â you said. It was a lie â at least it felt like a lie. You always did hate to lie to Jihoon. But what else were you supposed to say? âItâs just been a long day.â
If he caught onto your false narrative, he didnât mention it.
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It was 2 am and you couldnât sleep. Your friendsâ words kept echoing in your head and no amount of âweâre just friendsâ could keep them at bay.Â
For a short moment, you almost reached out to him. Your fingers knew the path to Jihoonâs contact in your phone without you even thinking about it. It was only when your thumb hovered above the green call button that you realised what you were doing.Â
You found yourself scoffing. Exactly was your plan? To text him? To call him and tell him� Tell him what?
âHey, Jihoon, I just wanted to let you know that Seokmin and Youngmi and probably half our friend group think weâre married or at least dating and, honestly, not even gonna lie, I think it suddenly made me realise I might be and have been for a while sort of, kind of, maybe just a little bit or maybe even very much in love with you. Thoughts?â
You didnât exactly pride yourself in your ability to put together words (and you were certain Jihoon wouldnât have cared much for it if you did), but even you knew you couldnât tell him that. Certainly not at 2 am and definitely not after being his friend for so many years.
So you muted your phone, put on a ridiculously long historical movie you werenât planning on paying any attention to, and found a tub of ice cream from the deepest crevices of your freezer. It was you against your demons now. You werenât going to leave your apartment until youâd figured out how to look him in the eyes again.
Because Jihoonâs (Y/n)âs boyfriend. Youâre practically married.
The voices kept echoing in your head like annoying little mosquitoes, sucking on your lifeforce. It was nothing short of irritating; not because you thought they were wrong, but precisely the opposite.
You sat on the sofa, head heavy with foreign thoughts. Foreign thoughts that werenât all that unfamiliar at all â theyâd been peeking their heads out every once in a while ever since high school. But you had always acted like they werenât there: you brushed them aside, painted over them with other thoughts, and told yourself what you felt for Jihoon was just friendship.
Good old plain and very platonic friendship. Nothing else at all.Â
Your heart fluttering every time he laughed at your jokes? Friendship.
Your breath getting caught in your throat every time you saw him without a shirt? Definitely friendship.
The ugly jealous feeling in your chest â the very one that took over your entire being when Yeonmi said sheâd marry Jihoon? Friends get jealous all the time, donât they?Â
âThey donât,â the character on the TV said at that very moment, like a sign from the universe.
But youâre Jihoon and (Y/n). If what you guys have isnât love, then what is?Â
The voices kept on echoing. You squeezed your eyes shut and drowned your sorrowful realisations in stracciatella ice cream.Â
Spoonful after spoonful, your brain numbed and froze. But the knowledge had sunk deep into the crevices of your very being and you knew that no matter what happened, one thing was true: nothing about your feelings for Lee Jihoon was platonic in the slightest.
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Jihoonâs studio was a cosy and comfortable place. Dimly lit and full of his soft humming along to the songs he rarely let you listen to, it had become your safe space the day he showed it to you.Â
Never once had you felt out of place in it. But when he invited you to come keep him company this evening, you found yourself hesitating at the door for the first time.Â
It was as if you had forgotten how to act.Â
Did the you who felt only platonic feelings for Jihoon ever knock? Did you simply burst through the door and throw your keychain at his head when he was too focused on his work to notice? Or did you just sit outside the door until he suddenly remembered heâd invited you over and come searching for you?
Had your heart always sped up, doubling its pace when you stood in the hallway? Had you always worried your hair was a mess? Surely you hadnât. Suddenly you felt like a fool for putting on a lip stain.
You forced a deep breath of air into your lungs and knocked on the door. It immediately felt wrong.
The door opened seconds later. Jihoon greeted you with furrowed brows and an amused smile. âSince when are you so polite?â
You feigned a laugh. âHad to make sure you werenât rotting away in your chair.â
He rolled his eyes. His hand reached out and wrapped around your wrist before swiftly pulling you inside. âCome on, youâre probably freezing. How long have you been standing there?â
Silence filled the room as he led you to the sofa.Â
You realised under his confused gaze that the old you â the definitely-not-in-love-with-my-best-friend you â wouldâve argued. You wouldâve told him something silly to distract him from your tells of embarrassment. You wouldâve shoved him and he wouldâve laughed. He had expected you to.
Making your lips curl into another smile that wasnât quite sincere, you nudged him with your foot. âDid you miss me? Be honest.â
Another silence. You thought of how he shouldâve snorted a laugh and told you âyou wishâ before turning to his computer and telling you about his woes as a music producer. Instead, he frowned.
âAre you okay?â he asked.Â
Your mouth felt dry. âYeah. Why wouldnât I be?â
âItâs just,â he started, scratching the back of his head all the while watching you cautiously. You felt like a cornered stray cat as you sat on his sofa, still clad in your coat and hat. âYouâve been acting a little weird today.â
You wanted to laugh. You hadnât even interacted with him enough for him to come to that conclusion. In fact, there had been a conscious effort to avoid him until you could trust yourself to look him in the eyes and not burst into ballads about how wonderful he was.Â
âI guess Iâm just a little under the weather.â You still despised lying to him, but you told yourself it wasnât a complete lie. If nothing else, you were at least a little bit love sick and you werenât entirely sure yet whether seeing him was the cause or the cure.Â
His eyes blinked wide. âYouâre sick?â
Jihoon waited a minute, watching you patiently (though you could see a line between his brows that only appeared when he was particularly frustrated). Then he walked forward. You blinked up at him standing over your seated form, his brows knitted with concern as he held the back of his hand to your forehead.Â
âDo you have a fever?â he wondered and leaned his face closer on instinct, pressing his lips to your forehead like a mother would to her child. He pulled back before long, seemingly finally realising his error, and grumbled, âDefinitely a fever.â
Right. A fever. You were hot to the touch. Definitely a normal reaction to seeing your best friend for the first time all day. Nothing abnormal about that.Â
âItâs nothing,â you told him, still forcing a smile, and patted his hand. âWhat are you working on today?â
At the mention of his work, he seemed to perk up a little. His lips quirked in that way they always did when he was about to tell you a lie. âNothing interesting.â
âIâve known you for nearly two decades,â you told him with a scowl. âYou canât keep things from me.â
He scoffed and turned on his heel, returning to his usual seat at the desk. His eyes narrowed when he glanced back at you over his shoulder. âIâll keep all the secrets I want from you.â
âNo chance,â you teased, resting your head on your palm as you leaned forward against your knee. âYou're practically transparent.â
âKeep telling yourself that,â he told you with a chuckle and turned to the screen. Before long, his headphones were on his head and his head was deep in the music again.Â
Youâd never felt like you didnât belong in this room and you didnât feel like it now either, even as your chest threatened to burst open with all of your doubts and feelings. Your coat slid off your shoulders and you settled down on the sofa.
The you from before wouldâve unlocked your phone and watched something on it at an obnoxious volume just to annoy him (but had that ever really been the goal and not just a ploy to get his unwavering attention at any cost?), but you found yourself lost in your thoughts, overthinking every memory you had of him.
You thought back to how he always seemed to be pressed to your side on movie nights â giggling in your ear, repeating and mimicking the actors just to make you laugh, nuzzling his cheek against your collarbone like a cat showing his affection.Â
You thought back to the late night calls and how they made you so giddy despite the fact that you desperately wanted to sleep; to the protective glares he gave any man that looked at you and how a shiver went up your spine every time he crossed his arms over his chest while doing so; to the shirts and sweaters of his that you had unapologetically stolen to keep warm at night and breathe in his scent.
As you watched him â his head bopping along to the beat you couldnât hear, his lips pursed in an effort to not spoil the lyrics, his dark eyes flitting your way every so often â, you realised there was no room for doubts. There was nothing uncertain about your feelings for Lee Jihoon.Â
All this time, you had loved him for his laughter and his jokes. You had loved him for his yelling and his tears. You had loved him for his melodic voice and his silly 3 am ideas. You had loved him for the warmth of his hands when he taught you to play the guitar and the fond disappointment in his eyes when you failed your driving test for the first time.
There was nothing you didnât love about him.
Even now you noted with certain fondness that one side of his headphones was off his ear just enough so he could hear you and it made you love him all the more so.Â
The only thing you didnât entirely adore about this man was that he wasnât yours.
His eyes found you again and he quirked a brow. âWhy are you staring at me?â
âI think I just realised why I donât like Valentineâs day,â you told him without thinking. It was silly. Of all the millions of things you couldâve told him, of all the possible insults and puns and jokes, you told him the vulnerable truth you had only barely just graped yourself.
Jihoon swiveled his chair to face you, suddenly intrigued. âYeah?â
âYeah.â
His raised both his brows this time, staring at you with interest. You didnât shy away from eye contact â not now when youâd finally learnt to appreciate the shades of brown. You only smiled and watched him as he sighed in defeat and turned back to the computer.
âFine, keep your secrets,â he mumbled under his breath.
You werenât sure you had another option.
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While you had always hated Valentineâs day, Seungcheol and Soonyoung loved it with their whole hearts. Who wouldâve guessed that the two men who could strike fear in anyoneâs heart with just a look were hopeless romantics?
After spending hours contemplating if you wanted to be present at this event at all, you arrived fashionably late. Why they had decided to hold the celebration the night before Valentineâs day was beyond you, even if it was the reason that finally convinced you to go.
Welcoming you into their house brimming with roses and heart-themed decorations, Seungcheol handed you a red paper rose at the front door and sent you on your way with a wink.Â
âJihoonâs in the kitchen,â he told you with a smirk that said he could see right through you. You hoped you werenât as obvious to the others.
Taking your time to look around was just an excuse and it felt like everybody knew it. They gave you smiles and winks and claps on your shoulder as you passed them by with soft greetings. You couldnât help but feel nervous.
Looking for distractions, you craned your neck to look at the decorations. Heart-shaped balloons of red and pink and white floated against the ceiling. They were surrounded by pink and white party banners hung between the walls, cut into triangles with little hearts drawn in the centre, little fairy lights wrapped around the strings keeping them together. The floor was covered in rose petals. If Seungcheol and Soonyoung knew anything, it was how to go all out (and the amazed yet annoyed look on Seungkwanâs face told you he realised it could cost him the competition).
As you walked through the crowd, you realised that for once the pinks and reds hadnât filled you with frustration and anger and resentment. Instead, a strange feeling of bitter sadness filled your chest. The spot on your side felt empty even with tens of people pushing past you. Even when you were avoiding him, you missed him.
You decided there was no point in torturing yourself further. After all, you thought, wasnât being by his side but never being able to call him yours torture enough?
True to Seungcheolâs word, you found Jihoon in the kitchen. And you quickly realised why people had been greeting you the way they did. A laugh threatened to bubble out of you at the sight.
Jihoon stood on the kitchen island, surrounded by countless bottles of beverages, singing into a wood spoon. Eyes heavy-lidded in a way you hadnât seen them be since that one night he got drunk in an act of teenage rebellion in 11th grade, he swayed in his spot and sang love songs at the top of his lungs.Â
You dreaded to think what Seungcheol and Soonyoung might think of his actions. But when you looked around you found that rather than trying to get him down, Soonyoung sat on the kitchen counter across from the island, a whisk in hand, harmonising. People came and went, getting their drinks, and loudly cheered the duo on but didnât pay them much mind beyond that. Perhaps they didnât realise how unusual this sight really was.
Their rendition of a Bruno Mars song came to an end to the sound of a drunken applause and a few shouts for an encore. Jihoon waved away the compliments, nearly knocking himself off balance in doing so. As he lifted the spoon to his lips to start another song, his eyes met yours. The spoon clattered to the floor and his body followed not much more gracefully.Â
He called your name with such joy that you couldnât help but smile and open your arms as he practically tackled you in a hug. His face pressed against your shoulder so tightly that you worried if he could even breathe. âYou came!â
You didnât have any words to tell him, still too baffled by the situation at hand. Your eyes found Soonyoungâs and you raised your brows in question. He only smirked and shrugged innocently before practically dancing out of the room.
Drunk words are sober thoughts they say. That is the only reason why you hardly drank at gatherings; not at all because Jihoon once smiled at you all pretty and told you he was glad he had at least one sober friend to keep him company. But it seemed that tonight he was too drunk to appreciate the sentiment.
âI think Iâm drunk,â Jihoon mumbled after a while and pushed himself upright. You kept one hand on his shoulder to keep him from tilting further left than he already was. âBut it doesnât feel so bad.â
âYouâre going to regret this tomorrow,â you told him softly and led him to sit down.Â
Like an obedient puppy, he followed your command and sat on a chair, leaning his forearms on the back of it and his chin on the very top. His eyes watched you curiously as you found a glass and filled it with water. You held the glass out for him to take but he just stared at you with starry eyes.
âYou look pretty tonight,â he finally uttered when you raised your brows in question.Â
You frowned and pushed the glass closer to him, hoping heâd take the hint. âHow much have you had to drink?â
âDoesnât matter,â he told you, a smile appearing on his face but there wasnât any humour in it. It was hard to tell what emotions he was trying to convey: happiness? fondness? adoration? Whatever it was, it was making you just a little flustered. And then he delivered the final plow: âYou always look pretty.â
Your heart was positively working at three timesâ no, ten times its usual pace. You sucked in a shallow breath and nudged him with the glass again. This time he took it.Â
âSince when do you drink anyway?â you asked to change the topic.
For once he answered the question and shrugged. âSoonyoung thought that maybe I should give it a try again. You know, with all the rejection and everything.â His gaze fell to the tiled floor as he mumbled, âItâs actually been kind of nice.â
âWhat rejection? Who would reject you?â
He laughed but it sounded bitter. âWho indeed?â
âDid you ask someone to be your Valentine?â you realised and it felt like someone was trying to carve out a piece of your heart. âAnd they said no?â
Jihoon scoffed and placed down the water. His hand reached for a different cup, full of liquor you could practically smell from all the distance away. As he lifted the cup to his lips, he spoke, âWhatâs the point of asking if theyâre going to say no anyways?â
The room felt hotter than usual. You could hardly breathe. You hadnât even known Jihoon liked someone. Of course you had to find out merely days after coming to terms with your own feelings for him. Your love life was cursed and so was everything related to Valentineâs day.
You stayed silent to mourn the reality.
âYou know whatâs the worst part?â he then spoke again. It was hard to tell how drunk he was because he was hardly slurring his words. âI see her every day. Well,â he frowned, âalmost every day. Whatever.â He shook his head and took a long sip of the drink. âEvery day I see her and every day I think today is going to be the day I finally tell her. And then I donât. Because Iâm just her friend. Sheâs spent all those years telling everyone weâre just friends and I donât want to be just her friend. I want so much more. But every time I try to tell her so, I chicken out.â
You could hardly listen to his proclamations. Your eyes were burning, ready to shed silent tears. You wondered if heâd even notice if you did cry. The Jihoon in front of you was a side you hadnât seen before and you loved him just the same, even if this side was reserved for another woman.
Finally lifting his head, his eyes found yours. They widened. âAre you okay?â
Turning away to discreetly rub the tears out of your eyes, you nodded. âYeah, sorry. Must be allergic to something in the air. Maybe itâs all the pollen.â
When you turned back to him, he looked almost deflated. He looked down again and ran a hand through his hair. âMaybe youâre just allergic to me.â
The tears seemed to vanish at the absurdity of his words. â... What?â
He shrugged. âEvery time I say something nice to you, you start acting all weird. Avoiding me. Sometimes I think that if I confessed to you, youâd die on the spot.â
Whatever Soonyoung had been making him drink had to be incredibly strong. Every sentence he uttered seemed more absurd than the one before.
âI should get you home,â you decided with a sigh, resisting the urge to tug your hair out. Just because he was drunk didnât mean he could play with your feelings like this â knowingly or not.
He whined. âI donât want toââ
âYouâre drunk, Jihoon,â you told him firmly. âIf you drink any more tomorrow, youâll murder me in the morning for letting you get this hungover.â
Jihoon rolled his eyes and glared at you before pouting and looking away. âAs if Iâd ever hurt you.â
âYouâre drunk and youâre not making any sense and Iâm taking you home to sleep,â you repeated yourself and reached for his arm. You expected him to resist your strength as you pulled him up but instead his hold on your fingers tightened. He stood up and leaned forward, resting his forehead against your shoulder.
âI donât want to go home yet,â he told you after a moment of resting. âCan we just nap somewhere?â
You didnât have the willpower to fight. The little you had, he had shattered without meaning to. You went to hook your arm around his elbow â he didnât let you, only tightening his hold on your fingers.Â
Without much of a choice, you squeezed his hand and slowly led him to a guest room. Seungcheol and Soonyoungâs house had two of these, one on the first and one on the second floor. For a moment you headed towards the one on the first floor. Then your heart ached just a little and you decided you needed to get away from the people to let your heart break in peace.
The second floor guest room had floor to ceiling windows covered with white curtains. The streetlights shone through at an angle that you knew would annoy you if you tried to fall asleep. You suspected thatâs why they had designated it for guests rather than sleeping here themselves.
You practically shoved Jihoon onto the mattress to avoid any further complications. Instead of grumbling like you expected him to, he fell down with a series of giggles. You couldnât help but smile.
There was a single fleece-lined blanket folded on the foot of the bed. You placed it over him with care. When you went to turn around and find a place to sit â or maybe even go back downstairs to drown your sorrows in wine â, his hand shot up and grabbed a hold of yours.
âStay,â he spoke so softly you almost thought you hadnât heard him right. âStay with me. Donât leave. Please.â
âI was just going to sit down,â you told him gently, trying to pull your hand free.Â
He let out a whine. âSee? This is what I mean. Youâre allergic to me.â
Exhaustion was making your head ache. Or maybe it was all the tears that were waiting to be shed. You didnât have the energy to fight, so you sank down next to him, crawling to fit under the blanket with him. âJust go to sleep.â
His hand never left yours as he curled it to rest against his chest and placed his heavy head on your chest. Silence filled the room. You didnât dare breathe â who knew when you could have him this close again without feeling guilty or angry at the fates?
Minutes passed. You thought heâd fallen asleep when he whispered, âWhen other guys flirt with you or smile at you or tell you youâre pretty, you smile and thank them. When I do that, you avoid me.â
You wondered when the topic had shifted from his mystery crush to you.Â
âBecause weâre friends.â
âThere it is again,â he mumbled, glaring at the ceiling as if willing it to crumble and rain down on him. âFriends.â The word sounded like venom. âI pour my heart out to you, I write songs to you, I dream of you every time I fall asleep, but thatâs all I ever am. A friend.â
âItâs never bothered you before.â You frowned. Despite his harsh tone, you found yourself playing with his hair, and him leaning into your touch.Â
He let out a deep breath. âBecause Iâll do whatever it takes to be with you.â His head nuzzled closer to you, his breath tickling your skin. You thought you felt his warm lips press down before he whispered, âThe other guys will have to go through me if they want you for themselves. I found you first.â
Silence filled the room again, soon accompanied by his soft snores and mumbles of promises he wasnât conscious enough to actually make. You werenât sure you could sleep now or ever again, too busy putting the puzzle pieces together.
His words had mangled your heart in every way possible. And yet there was a glimmer of hope as you wondered what heâd meant by his words.Â
Drunk words are sober thoughts they say and now you found yourself wondering how much truth there was to his words.Â
He whispered your name in his sleep and you found yourself giving in to the wistful dreams of that being his truth. As you pulled him closer, you prayed you wouldnât have to wake up to another heartbreak.
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If you had thought the streetlights at night were a curse last night, then now you found yourself thinking that any and all kinds of outside light had been invented just to make whoever inhabited this room as miserable as possible.
The morning sun shone right into your eyes even through the curtains at 6 am. Even if you hadnât spent the entire night in a restless limbo between sleep and trying to solve the mystery of Jihoonâs words, you would've been upset to awaken to the horrid rays of bright sunshine.
The more you woke up, the more your world seemed to be upside down. Sometime at night, Jihoonâs arms had wrapped around you, tight and secure as they held you close to his chest. His lips were pressed to your temple. You almost wished heâd never wake up so you could enjoy this embrace for an eternity.
But another part of you didnât want to face the disappointment of him jerking away from you as heâd wake up, embarrassed to have ever cuddled you in his sleep.
You took a deep breath and slowly tried to detangle yourself from his limbs. Finger by finger, you pulled yourself free. You were just about to roll off his left arm when it suddenly curled and effortlessly pulled you back into his chest.
When you looked at him, Jihoon wore a frown and a pout. âYou were supposed to stay.â
âI did,â you whispered, unsure if he was really awake yet or not.Â
âStay longer,â he demanded almost childishly, wrapping his newly free arm around you once again. âItâs still early.â
Your brain was trying hard to convince you that he thought you were someone else. Then he mumbled your name again and you saw his eyes slowly flutter open. Instead of pulling away and apologising like you expected him to, he offered you a smile.Â
âWhat?â He chuckled, voice gravelly from sleep.Â
You hesitated. But you knew that if you didnât get answers, youâd drive yourself insane. âDo youâŠâ You swallowed. âDo you remember what you said last night?â
His brows furrowed just a little but his lips remained in a pleasant smile. âAbout what?â
âAbout the girl who youâve wanted to ask out for years but never did,â you supplied softly. âAnd about us being friends?â
The joy melted from his face. His eyes wavered. His lips quivered. He gave them a nervous lick before practically gasping for air. He remembered.
You tried to choose your words carefully, you really did. But they still came out all clumsy like they always did. âIs the girl me?â
He looked like heâd been caught in a crime. But his arms remained around you â you wondered if he was filled with the same selfishness youâd felt the night before: the urge to enjoy this feeling of closeness before it could get ripped away forever.
âHowâd you know?â he whispered.Â
âYou said something last night,â you told him carefully. âSomething that made me realise that maybe you feel ⊠the same way as I do.â
He avoided your eyes, looking around the room. Then his gaze snapped back to you, suddenly full of clarity. âThe same way?â
This was it, you realised. It was now or never. It was true love or losing your best friend. Except you werenât sure you could still be friends even if you didnât pour your heart out â could you look him in the eyes again and not think about the words he said last night?Â
âJihoon, I thinkââ The words were on the tip of your tongue, clinging to it like it was their last lifeline. It was hard to say what you wanted to.
His face, so devoid of joy just moments before, had lit up with hope. âYeah?â
âI think Iâm in love with you. I thought I could keep it a secret and not ruin our friendship,â you told him through nervous laughter, turning to look at the ceiling, âbut now Iâm not so sure I could have.â
âWhat made you change your mind?â he wondered as he looked at you with nothing short of awe.Â
âWhen you were talking about that girl last night,â you were still struggling to breathe, adrenaline pumping through your veins, âI was so heartbroken. I was going to cry all through the night. Then you said something that made me think⊠It made me think, or maybe foolishly hope, that you meant me. Did you?â
âDid I what?â
âDid you mean meâ?â
âI love you,â he replied before you could even finish your sentence. A smile appeared and you were filled with relief as he leaned his head closer to press against yours. âIâve been in love with you since 7th grade. I thought Iâd never get to tell you.â
âWhy didnât you tell me?â you demanded to know.
His breath sounded more like a hopeless laugh. âI didnât want to lose you. I thought there was no way youâd love me back.â
âClearly you were wrong.â
âYeah,â he chuckled and surged forward to press a gentle kiss to your lips as if he couldnât contain himself any longer. You savoured the feeling, pressing closer to him, tugging him closer with a hand on the back of his head. He pulled back and laughed again. âYou have no idea how long Iâve wanted to do this.â
âGood thing you can do it again as many times as you please,â you told him with a smile. âYou know, Iâve always hated Valentineâs day, but you have a real shot at changing that right now.â
The door burst open just as he matched your grin and began to lean closer. Startled, the two of you looked up. Clad in a tiger-striped onesie, Soonyoung stood at the door, eyes wide. Moments of awkward silence passed. Then his face broke out into a wide grin and he slammed the door shut. You heard the lock click just a second later, followed by an almost villainous laughter.
You exchanged startled looks with Jihoon. Then he shrugged and leaned forward to kiss you again.
âAll the more time to make up for the lost years,â he told you as he pulled you closer. âHappy Valentineâs day.â
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Author's Note: I both loved and hated writing this fic. If at any point, you found yourself thinking "huh, i wish the writer did more with this random crumb in this story that looks like it should've been a part of something bigger", i can almost guarantee you i had plans to do something with it and then forgot or abandoned the idea mid-way through.
Either way, I hope you enjoyed this fic at least moderately and if you did, please feel free to reblog with comments or leave an emoji-filled reply or maybe even send me an ask to let me know what you thought!
#lonelyheartscafecollab#seventeen scenarios#seventeen x reader#lee jihoon scenarios#woozi x reader#svt scenarios#svt x reader#seventeen fic#woozi scenarios#jihoon scenarios
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I need to know how you think Quinn would react if he caught his gf getting off without him. Would he restrain her so she couldnât do it again? Or show her what she was missing by not asking him to help? Or something darkerâŠ
Warnings: toy punishment. A tiny line of spanking. Q being controlling and upset.
He's warned you time after time that you aren't supposed to touch what belongs to him.
He doesn't want you watching porn or reading porn without him. If you watch it, he needs you in his lap, needs to see your every reaction. Needs to see what makes you whimper. Needs to make sure you're watching safe videos. Needs to be there to give you a little practical demonstration.
If you're reading, he wants to read the book to you. Needs you to hear the words coming from his mouth. Needs to speak the words directly in your ear, feeling you shiver, stoking the fire until he can feel you soaking him.
He doesn't want you using toys on your own. You're easily startled, you might overwhelm yourself, press the wrong button and he won't be there to slowly calm you down after you cum. You might use something too big for you, you're so incredibly tight and it takes him a while to warm you up himself before fucking you.
He doesn't want you feeling yourself up. Touching yourself. He doesn't want you to touch your own breasts, to skim your fingers up them. They're his. His to bite, to suck, to touch, to fuck. Doesn't want you to touch your adorable pussy on your own, doesn't want you soaking your own fingers. It's his. Only he gets to feel you.
He's made all of these rules incredibly clear with you - so why the fuck has he come home to this? To you spread out with that fucking vibrator against your clit?
Do you think you're being funny? Are you doing this on purpose to get a reaction from him? He went out for groceries. It's not like he's been on a roadie. Not like you have the excuse of being lonely.
If you think he's letting you get off, you're mistaken. If you think he's going to fuck you, you're mistaken. If you think you aren't getting punished, you're such as fuck mistaken.
You don't even notice he's there. Your eyes are threatening to roll back in your head. He wonders how long you've been at it, adjusting himself in his jeans, trying to ignore how hard he is, how tight they've gotten. He can't let himself get carried away. You broke the rules. Your cute little cat underwear taunting him. His innocent girl, such a needy fucking slut sometimes.
Marching towards you, flipping you onto your stomach, dragging you to rest your cute ass over the edge of the bed, rubbing his hand over the globes of your ass, spanking you directly over one of the kitties. Glaring down at you as you squeak.
Spanking you again and again and again, alternating sides, seeing your thighs squirm, feeling how hot your skin burns under his hand.
"Felt like being a little whore for me huh? Couldn't wait? You know what happens when you disobey me baby girl? Wanna test me?"
You don't deserve him treating you with care. Don't deserve how he warms you up. If you can't even follow a few basic rules, why should he?
He's searching through the drawer filled with toys he's bought you. Needs one to send a message. He could go light. Go easy with a clit sucker. Another bullet. But he's pissed. Grabbing one of the silicon vibrating dildos, eying you up.
He's ripping your underwear, brutally thrusting it into you. He hopes for your sake that you were touching yourself for a while. Just leaving it there. Turning the vibrations up to max, watching you scream into the bed. Your ripped underwear holding together enough to keep it in place.
"Do you really need me to have cameras in here baby? Need me to keep watch on my little whore 24/7? I'm supposed to be able to trust you. Now look what you're making me do."
You're sobbing, you're begging, you're claiming that you'll never do it again. Screaming at him to take it out, to give you a break. But you don't deserve that. Not after you've made him mad. Shown him you can't be trusted.
He's leaving you there. He'll come back in an hour or two. Cum or don't cum, he doesn't care. Scream all you want. Throw as many little tantrums as you want. This is your fault.
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#quinn hughes#qh43#quinn hughes x reader#quinn hughes x you#quinn hughes fic#quinn hughes imagine#quinn hughes imagines#quinn hughes blurb#quinn hughes smut#quinn hughes fanfiction#dark quinn
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I admit I'm on the fence about AI in general... well, on the I have never used it and am not sure if I ever should but I've got the deep fear of missing out side.
But in the context of learning, it strikes me as falling in the same landscape as a calculator or Excel. I use a calculator or (actually more commonly) Excel to do any math because I'm not particularly good at math and never really have been.
BUT
When I was growing up, you did NOT get to use a calculator until you knew how to calculate. This was not a thing to make us suffer or just make life more difficult.
I also had stupid tests where I had to solve 100 math problems in 3 minutes, and I'm not about to argue that was good for me, helped me, or should be inflicted on subsequent generations.
I had to learn how to calculate BECAUSE of the above. If YOU don't know how to calculate, then it is impossible to tell if the calculator gave you the correct answer or not.
Back when I used to post to r/excel, I used to get flack for not showing the "EFFICIENT" way to solve problems but instead would show things step by step. But this is the same thing. If you do things in a big complicated group, you either get the right answer or the wrong answer. If you do things step by step you can CHECK your answer step by step and see if they make sense.
Do I need to know how to do 87^2 in my head in 30 seconds or less? No. I really don't. But I do need to know what is going on and why it is happening.
87^2 = 7,569 is great for a calculator to do. The calculator absolutely can do it faster than most people can. But if I just plug in 87^2 and get 689, how do I verify it? How do I check? Can I even realize, hmmm, that doesn't look quite right. Are my functions all right?
Knowing what is going on is the insurance for that. I can probably catch that, oh, I was trying to use a clever trick and forgot some steps.
The answer isn't all that is important.
And yes, it absolutely can make you dumber. Like I got to hear a discussion between two lecturers I really liked. And one just went off on a tangent and the other was clearly wondering why the hell she was there, this isn't science. BUT because I knew the details of how they were both dealing with the basic problem they were talking about - current science not being able to successfully predict certain phenomenon without numbers to fudge the situation that represent things that can't be proven independently of the need to fudge the numbers - I was able to follow the miscommunication while they, themselves, could not. His tangent made perfect sense in the context of his field of interest and made zero sense in hers. And if all you have the answers with no information of how you got to them, there's zero way to connect "I think the Sun might be conscious" and "I think half of the standard model is based on incorrect assumptions." They were in fact talking about the same things and differing solutions but there's no way to align that without talking about the assumptions, which needs to be laid out in order to UNDERSTAND the answer.
And struggling with my FOMO on writing, there's the basic truth that the reason I fear like I'm missing out is in part because I AM an expert. I have a graduate degree in TEACHING creative writing. I know my shit. So if I ask ChatGPT or whatever to spit out a scene for me, I not only can tell if it is good or bad, I can explain WHY it is good or bad and what needs to be done to improve it. I have zero fear of amateurs asking ChatGPT to spit out a novel for them and getting a novel of quality that I will be competing with. I am scared of people with enough knowledge of how writing works and knowledge of how ChatGPT creating the equivalent situation of me doing long division on paper while they're plugging the equations into a calculator.
A calculator, used as a tool, by someone who understands what they're doing, can do calculations faster and with less errors than someone who also understands what they're doing but isn't using a calculator. But it's not the difference of one being able to do it and another not. It's a difference of speed and accuracy.
It's an entirely different set up when it's someone who understands what they're doing versus someone who doesn't. You can give someone who doesn't know what they're doing all the tools in the world and it will still take them longer and produce an inferior product because they can't understand what they're doing.
And that's the basic problem with using ChatGPT for education. Yes, it can give you an answer. But because you don't know how, you simply have to trust that it is the correct answer. With no way to double check, no way to gauge, and no way to adjust the workflow to better suit your needs.
It absolutely is shooting themselves in the foot. Because school is the point where access to help with process and WHY things work the way to do is easiest to get. It does simply get harder to find the farther away from educational opportunities you get. And when you need it to work isn't the best time to be trying to figure out what you're really doing instead of already having that education and skill under your belt.
It's also relying on the fatal assumption that tomorrow is going to look like yesterday. My earliest datable memory is June 1st 1982. The world is so profoundly different in February 13th 2025, that I am very comfortable promising you that the idea that you can depend on the world looking the same for your entire life WILL get you into trouble because that's simply not the way the world works. Certainly not now. The assumption that it is safe to use ChatGPT now because you will always be able to use ChatGPT is a set up for failure. Will there always be tools? Yes. Will you know how to get future tools to work the same way as ChatGPT? Probably not. I grew up using Dos and then Window's machines. These days, the programs are so different, I find it easier to use a Mac instead of learning the new way that Windows does things.
If you rely on a particular tool solving a problem for you in a way you don't understand beyond that tool giving you the answer, you will be relearning the tool every large iteration. And eventually it will be different enough that it will set you back. That you will essentially be starting from nearly scratch. And then what? If you don't know what kind of answer you should get, how are you going to know if you're using that new tool correctly because some engineer decided that it is more efficient to move in a different direction?
Even novels have changed over the course of my life. Every book I've read that was published in the last 15 years breaks fundamental rules I was taught back in the early 90's. The conventions that I would have insisted that ChatGPT follow have changed. But if I didn't know WHY those conventions existed how would I even know? How would I adjust? Why would it even occur to me that I needed to adjust? ChatGPT sure doesn't know.
That's probably fine if it's just something you're doing for fun.
But if it is your job? Getting things wrong can be the difference between keeping that job and going hungry. It is not a good idea to be utterly dependent on your tools. Tools are to make what you're doing easier, not to do the task for you all together.
Yeah, just don't. The grades are not as important as what you will be able to do (or not be able to do) later in life. And sometimes that later can be a LOT sooner than you anticipate. I watched a LOT of people wash out or nearly wash out of college because they didn't know the whys and hows of what they were doing academically. I saw straight A students flunk out because they just learned the cheat or because their schools were crap and only taught one way to do things or taught nothing at all and just let the cards fall. I had a good friend who came in with a 4.2 GPA and nearly flunk out because she wasn't taught basic skills I had gotten in middle school.
Which was intentional.
Because she was black and poor and I wasn't.
Her schooling was designed to fail her because the best way to make sure someone as smart as her STAYED black and poor was to let her fly without ever teaching her the skills to do better when she needed to. And she was damned smart. And she worked damned hard. And she pulled through and got a master's before I did. But she was in the extreme minority and had a lot of help and still slid through by the skin of her teeth. Most people in her position crashed and burned and ended up WORSE off than they started. Which is great for the powers that be because it makes them a demonstration of why you shouldn't even try. It shows that society is stacked against you. Because it is. Because it is designed to fail.
Understand that ChatGPT is the same set up. It will make things easier. For now. It will give you the answers. It will work. Until it hits the level it can't anymore. And that WILL happen. It is inevitable. And then you have no supports and you ARE going to crash and burn.
There is a reason that ChatGPT is cheap and being forced on everyone. It is controlled by the people who are being served by the current societal structure.
Are you being served? Are you sure? Because if there is ANYTHING about you they can benefit by crushing, washing you out, setting you out to sacrifice, they're going to do it. Anything that is free in our society is a tool to make YOU the product. And they're damn good at doing it. So think long and hard about using that tool when they have so much history and investment in making you crap out for their benefit. Don't rely on them to save you.
I just started grad school this fall after a few years away from school and man I did not realize how dire the AI/LLM situation is in universities now. In the past few weeks:
I chatted with a classmate about how it was going to be a tight timeline on a project for a programming class. He responded "Yeah, at least if we run short on time, we can just ask chatGPT to finish it for us"
One of my professors pulled up chatGPT on the screen to show us how it can sometimes do our homework problems for us and showed how she thanks it after asking it questions "in case it takes over some day."
I asked one of my TAs in a math class to explain how a piece of code he had written worked in an assignment. He looked at it for about 15 seconds then went "I don't know, ask chatGPT"
A student in my math group insisted he was right on an answer to a problem. When I asked where he got that info, he sent me a screenshot of Google gemini giving just blatantly wrong info. He still insisted he was right when I pointed this out and refused to click into any of the actual web pages.
A different student in my math class told me he pays $20 per month for the "computational" version of chatGPT, which he uses for all of his classes and PhD research. The computational version is worth it, he says, because it is wrong "less often". He uses chatGPT for all his homework and can't figure out why he's struggling on exams.
There's a lot more, but it's really making me feel crazy. Even if it was right 100% of the time, why are you paying thousands of dollars to go to school and learn if you're just going to plug everything into a computer whenever you're asked to think??
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If y'all thought I was crazy before now I'll show you how insane I can get.
You guys see this guy? Yeah? Okay. Once again I'm here to share my headcanon that this is Masky who's driving the car at the moment. I've been thinking about it A LOT.
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So, When Tim is talking to Jessica, that's him. That's him UNTIL he starts having a coughing fit unprovoked and pretty much safe from the operator.
After the coughing fit happens, and Tim seems to be feeling better, the camera glitches. It's not DURING the coughing, it's not BEFORE the coughing, it's AFTER the coughing.
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Now, Jessica didn't glitch it, the operator didn't glitch it, it was acting JUST fine before, so, then, what did it? Well, this is where Tim switches up with Masky yet again. But I have more than this to make my theory a little better.
So, when we see "Tim" drive the car later on, he's clearly holding in his cough, he never did that before, he always coughs freely without an issue, so why hold it back now? Then there's the pills.
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He doesn't take them. The camera is turned around and we don't hear him opening the bottle, we don't even hear the rattling of the pills. Nothing. The bottle is put away.
Masky also takes the pills, we know that, he has to - it's not like they're only for Tim, but I think it helps Tim to "keep" Masky away as well, at least a little bit.
And right now, what I think masky is doing, is, well, what he's always done ! Making Tim forget. Letting him leave all of it behind and move on, live a normal life like he always wanted to, and how he always tried helping him do. There's nothing left to drag him back, everyone who he considered dangerous is gone, Tim can finally move on.
But I have one last thing.
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Yeah. Yeah.
Everything is fine.
But Vero!! What about it? It's a normal phrase! WRONG!!! This is a callback to totheark. And I'm so serious. Brian uses "everything is normal, everything is fine, I worry about nothing, because nothing's on my mind." ABOUT THREE TIMES. Once in marble hornets, and then twice in the comic. And it's always to comfort himself and keep himself calm.
If Brian uses it, why wouldn't Masky? To comfort himself, and to comfort US. As he always did with Tim and Brian.
Everything is fine. There's nothing to worry about.
Thank you for your attention.
#marble hornets#slenderverse#creepypasta#tim wright#mb brian#mb tim#brian thomas#mb masky#marble hornets masky
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Quinn wanting to pamper us but he's not really sure what he's doing?
"Am I doing this right?"
Quinn's fingers clumsily prodded at your shoulders, hoping whatever he was doing felt okay. His latest injury of the season had him staying in Vancouver instead of traveling with the team. For several weeks, his mood hadn't been the best, and you had dealt with the worst of it. Now, he wanted to apologize for his behaviour, and treat you in a way where you wouldn't think he was just trying to buy you off.
He had made you dinner, which had been wonderful, even though you had offered to help him. Quinn wasn't having any part of it, and every time you'd try to, he'd insist you just have a seat. He knew what he was doing in the kitchen, but you felt guilty just watching him do everything by himself.
Now, however, he had decided to massage your shoulders as you sat in front of him on the floor, with him on the sofa. Though the sounds you were making made him wonder if he wasn't just causing you more pain. "It seems like I'm hurting you."
"No, no, you've just-- Ow!"
Quinn withdrew his hands immediately, "I'm sorry!"
"You don't have to stop. That's just a tender spot." You laid your head towards your right shoulder, hoping to alleviate some of the sharp tension that Quinn had triggered. "I'm alright."
"Are you sure?" He questioned, slowly returning his warm hands to your skin. "I never want to hurt you."
Breathing deep, you closed your eyes against the pain once more, hoping to hide it from Quinn, so he wouldn't keep thinking he was making everything worse. "Ye--yeah, I know.
"Baby, if you want me to stop, I will. I don't like making you feel this way -- doing more harm than good. How about I just make you an appointment for a massage tomorrow?"
Letting out the held breath you didn't realize you were holding, you felt like you had somehow hurt his feelings. "Quinn, I'm good. I've just got some-- really painful knots in my shoulders. They're going to hurt until I get them dealt with. You haven't done anything wrong."
Leaning down to kiss the inflamed skin, Quinn later let his fingers undo the scrunchie holding your hair in place. As the locks fell about your face, he coaxed you to lay your head back while he decided that a scalp massage would be a better option. Instantly, your eyes rolled closed feeling his digits work deep into your hair. He was slow in his movements; applying the right amount of pressure to take your breath away -- in the best way possible.
"Is this better."
Containing the urge to let a moan answer for you, you swallowed hard before answering, "You-- have no idea. Thank you, baby."
His soft laughter at your words made him feel better. "You're welcome. And thank you, for everything these past few weeks."
Words were beginning to be difficult for you, "Oh, it's-- it's no problem. I know things have been hard for you."
It was insane how good his fingers felt --how good he was with his hands-- and you could have drifted off to sleep had it not felt as good as it did.
"What do I have to do for you to do this more often?" You begged, your eyes still closed in bliss.
"Just ask me, that's all."
#đŁ hockey mom daydreams#quinn hughes#quinn hughes x reader#quinn hughes imagine#quinn hughes fluff
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đ„âïžCumplane Secret identity AU???
Peerless cucumber becomes so notorious that he starts getting Airplane notices semi-regularly. Airplane needs some extra cash so he starts doing vtube/voice change streams where he draws PIDW characters, comics, monsters etc - he's a talented baby what can I say, and he gets a decent stream following, offering sneak peeks at his creative process - but he really doesn't want his face and ID as an erotica writer out there thank you!!!
Peerless Cucumber is absolutely ridiculous in his chat, ubiquitous, always there the second he starts streaming. Constantly dropping huge donos to ask ridiculous lore questions that literally go on for minutes... riding herd on other chatters and policing people... Eventually him being "worst mod" becomes a meme, and Airplane mods him mostly as a joke.
They start messaging, and weirdly it's not hellfire? Modding the channel is the first actually constructive thing Shen Yuan has done, like, ever. It turns out that when he has actual responsibility, he takes it pretty seriously? He's more reliable than anyone, especially himself, could have expected him to be? Everyone still clowns in him and calls him "worst mod", "everyone tell the mods they suck" but it starts to be affectionate, because he actually helps detoxify the community a little? (Only HE is allowed to be toxic on airplane's channel!!)
He decides to take a media and communications degree because social media is the only thing he's ever been good at. He sees a guy with a PIDW sticker on his laptop in his lectures, and they become study buddies! It's great!
They talk about their shared appreciation for PIDW probably more than they should. Study Buddy is pretty chill, he teases Shen Yuan for his BingGe obsession. Shen Yuan doesn't want to be a dick, so he doesn't really slag it off as much as he would online? And Study Buddy LIKES talking about the monsters and how cool Bing-gege is!! Maybe they talk enough that Shen Yuan figures maybe there's a reason he was never into wife plots? Maybe he's actually just... Not into... You know.... Girls? That way??? And Study Buddy is super chill? And maybe it's okay to talk about that stuff???
Meanwhile he's still chatting with airplane, who gets invited to attend a con to be on some kind of panel. He asks cucumber-bro along because he's shitting BRICKS, and he wants someone there who will, like... be in his corner?
Turns out Shen Yuan already has tickets because he and his study buddy were planning to go!
Oh, and look at that! He and airplane are booked at the same hotel! It's convenient!
They decide to meet in the lobby.
Shen Yuan and his study buddy go to their separate rooms to freshen up and rest, with a plan to meet for breakfast. Thirty minutes later, they're both back in the lobby.
Both of them are "waiting for someone."
Both of their "someones" are running LATE.
Shen yuan messages Airplane.
Study Buddy's phone buzzes.
Their eyes meet.
No fucking WAY. this is the guy who talked him through his LBH inspired GAY AWAKENING!! The friendly and supportive "bro" he has COMPLICATED FEELINGS ABOUT??? And that's AIRPLANE?
He literally spent five minutes TALKING ABOUT LBH'S MUSCULAR CHEST AND STAR STUDDED GAZE... to AIRPLANE????
Has he really spent MONTHS coming to the terms with the fact that AIRPLANE is kinda....
Could Bingge maybe portal in with Xin Mo and drag Shen Yuan to hell, because he can't deal with this đ« đ« đ« đ« đ«
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getting into trouble
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Summary: Dating Wanda is always getting you into troubleânot the bad kind, mind you. After all, Mommy Wanda is always so loving, honey-sweet words tumbling past her lips even as her hands roam freelyâbut that's where the trouble lies, with reassurances murmured into your ear while she wrings orgasm after orgasm out of you.
Tags: wanda maximoff x f!reader, 18+, smut, overstimulation, multiple orgasms, oral sex, cunnilingus, fingering, mommy kink
WC: 1,365
A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIZZIE OLSEN!! also, detka = baby. hope y'all enjoy this one as much as i enjoyed writing it <3
It always starts out the same way. Well, actually, scratch that. It never really starts the same way, but it always ends up producing the same result.
That is to say, Wanda Maximoff is possibly a danger to societyâdefinitely a danger to your sanity and composure.
Of course, there's nothing all that special about the day that leads up to this moment. It's been a good day, and Wanda came home from work even-tempered and content, especially upon learning that you had already made dinner.
After dinner is when the trouble starts.
It's always an innocent invitation and a soft smile that get you into the same old situation. You end up on the couch, watching an old sitcom or a modern rom-com with Wanda. It's her favorite way to unwind, and, unbeknownst to her, despite your pretense of reluctance, her taste in films and TV shows is growing on you.
She picks The Proposal, one of her all-time favorites, for tonight. You end up nestled in her side, leaning into her shoulder and breathing in the smell of vanilla as Wanda watches the flickering screen.
Soon enough, her hands begin to stray, and that's the hidden danger behind cuddling up to Wanda Maximoff. She always starts soft and gentle, her calm demeanor masking a darker desire. Her hand lands on your hip, thumb rubbing comforting circles over your skin. Eventually, always without you noticing or realizing, her hand ends up nudged between your legs, pinky creeping up toward the apex of your thighs.
"WanâŠ"
"Shh, my love. I just want to feel how soft you are. I promise. That's all," she reassures, cooing softly down at you.
Never once has she kept that promise.
Her hand always manages to slip up and over the edge of your waistband, fingertips trailing over your skin until she's managed to work her index and middle finger down into your panties and over your sticky cunt.
And that's when she's really caught you. She knows you can't stand being teased, can't ever handle the thought of her pulling away after working you up. And that's how it goes every single time.
"Mommy⊠please." With tears welling in your eyes, you plead with her, already desperate for more.
And that's when Wanda knows she has you, knows with full confidence that there's nothing you wouldn't do now to come around her fingers, on her tongue, any which way she wants.
"Yes, detka? What do you need?" Caring and cruel all in one.
"Need more," you can't help but beg, and the trap snaps shut.
"My darling girl," she always coos, fingers rough where they're pressed to your clit, rubbing in tight, sharp circles until you're digging your heels into the couch cushions and tipping your head back to whine to the heavens.
"So lovely for me like this, detka." Satisfaction oozing from her voice when you shiver apart in the first orgasm of the night.
And when you inevitably whine at the overstimulation, she retreats, softly pulling away and promising she'll just be a moment, she just wants to clean you up is all. Wanda likes to slide to kneel as gracefully as possible, floating down between your legs before pulling your pants and underwear down to join her on the floor.
"Just relax for me, pretty girl," she murmurs, and even though you know what's coming next, you always listen, melting back into the couch cushions as she leans in for a taste.
She's not wrong, at least not at first. Her mouth is always gentle, careful. In the beginning, anyway. She's slow and cautious, lapping steadily over your leaking cunt until you're keening high into the air. But she never stops. She just keeps her hands on your thighs, pinning you down even as you try to squirm away from her overzealous tongue.
"Oh, detka, just a little more, hm? Be good for mommy."
And you always want to make mommy happy, but your nerves are sparkling with stimulation, glittering with overwhelming pleasure.
"Mommy, please," begging for her to stop, begging for more. It doesn't matter.
"I've got you, sweet girl."
Even as she murmurs sweet nothings against your clit, teeth grazing softly over raw nerves, she doesn't stop. She keeps her voice low and steady, even as she presses the length of her tongue into you, hands firm when she helps you rock your hips forward and down onto her face.
"Just let mommy make you feel good, detka."
The second orgasm never comes easily, but she refuses to stop until she gets it. Her tongue is a desperate, fierce thing, lethal in her efforts to make you come again. Even as the pain of overstimulation bleeds back into euphoria, you can't stop squirming, wriggling in her grasp. But Wanda is nothing if not thorough, and she remains steadfast, fingers digging into your hips as she moans into your cunt.
"You always taste so good, pretty girl. Why don't you come for mommy, hm? Be a good girl and come."
You're always shivering, twitching uncontrolled as she rolls your hips down against the flat of her tongue, as she seals her mouth over your clit, sucking so hard you nearly black out, eyes wide as she drinks in the sight of you falling apart again. She always moans when she tastes you gushing into her mouth, and then it's back to kitten licks and soothing assurances that she's just going to clean you up.
For your third orgasm, sometimes she uses her mouth again. Plenty of times, she eats you out for hours on the couch. If it's a weekend, she'll keep you up until the sun peeks over the horizon. On weekdays, like tonight, she likes to feel you around her fingers, likes to wring out at least another two or three shattering, world-ending orgasms until you're convinced you won't be able to stand up tomorrow morning.
Again, it's always a careful, gentle build-up. She leans up for a kiss, switching her mouth out for her fingers, soft and sweet where they dip just at the opening of your cunt.
"Just want to feel how warm you are, detka," she soothes.
"You're so lovely like this, I just can't help myself," she excuses, just before she stuffs you with two fingers, curling them cruelly, battering the sensitive spot just behind your belly. When you curl in on yourself, whimpering and whining as your nerve endings burn themselves raw, she just murmurs sweet nothings against your neck, lips mouthing softly at already-bruising skin.
"Come for me, detka, just one more, yeah? Just one more, my love," she murmurs, thumb rubbing your clit raw as she stretches you open. With your nerve endings screaming at the unrelenting overstimulation, you give in to her, crashing and burning with another orgasm as she scissors her fingers open, an edge of a grin at the corner of her mouth even as she whispers into your ear.
"Oh, my sweet girl, my darling, you've been so good for mommy," even as her fingers continue thrusting, rough and unyielding where they coax yet another orgasm out of your ruined cunt.
"You have another for mommy, don't you? Just one more, detka," she murmurs, offering it up like a fair trade, sounding more and more reasonable with every passing moment that her fingers fuck into you.
And if you ever whine, a complaint of too much, she pulls away gracefully, offering soft apologies as she slides to her knees yet again. "It's alright"s and "just let mommy clean you up"s sweet on her tongue as she spreads your thighs open yet again.
Her promises are nothing more than empty words, a fact both of you are well aware of. Yet, when Wanda murmurs her nonsensical, hollow oaths against your feverish skin, it feels like something forever-binding, holy and intangible.
When you come crashing down to earth under the hold of an all-too-real orgasmâagain and again and againâyou can never bring yourself to hold it against her. After all, you've always had a knack for getting yourself in trouble. And if it makes Wanda happy, well, that's worth all the trouble in the world.
#wanda maximoff x reader#wanda maximoff x fem reader#wanda maximoff x female reader#wanda maximoff x y/n#wanda maximoff x you#wanda maximoff#bambiblurbs
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