#this au began from a certain someone wishing to see his country again in act 3

[octonerd]

resting on the corpses of them (WIP) this is far from done but is my first little piece of fanart for my new AU! for name's sake we'll call it the Escapism AU as our main character refuses to let go off the life he could've had.

This story follows Siffrin a proud member of the northern star clan as he grows up and travels the island of Universus Parvum , or in Vaugardian called "the Little Universe". Come along as Siffrin struggles to find his place in the world and huh..I dont think i cant remember the rest.. Oh wait nevermind! Our story is meant to follow Siffrin the Salvator Gauli- my bad, I meant the savior of Vaugarde traveling with his family to save all of Vaugarde from the dastardly king. [or maybe it was actually the first one, teehee! ] [Come watch the universe's favorite comedy fail his family on two different stages~]

[zombiedumbie]

00. TIME MOVES SLOW WHEN YOU'RE ALL ALONE, AND TIMES MOVES SLOW;

I've been thinking about writing a fanfic after reading this one (btw this is a recommendation). it would be basically the opposite: I have a headcannon that Law would be considerably rich due to his family of doctors. So, the person who would live in all the luxury would be our dear aspiring doctor. Added a touch of drama 'cause I love a little pain.

This is just one chapter because I wanted to know if you guys like the idea, so if you'd like me to continue, please let me know.

2302 words.

modern au, she/her reader, use of "y/n", angst (?), law is 22, grief, implicit and explicit drug use, swearing, post-traumatic stress. mdni!

Grief is a complex set of emotions that humans deal with after the loss of something fundamentally important to them. Grief isn't always triggered solely by death, but also, as mentioned earlier, by the painful farewell to something significant. Today, it is understood that grief has 7 stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance; not necessarily faced in that order.

However, when grief stops being a loss and turns into a disease, it's called pathological grief.

In this way, Trafalgar D. Water Law has lived the last 12 years of his life.

Law was sprawled on the bed of god-knows-who, with his shirt unbuttoned and his head spinning. The noise he could hear was his heavy breathing, as if his ears were inside his dry throat, while his eyes moved agonizingly slowly around the unfamiliar room.

The memories of how he got there or what was happening had long escaped his mind, but he was certain of one thing: He needed water, and perhaps a shower. Maybe he should call Rosinante, despite promising him that he wouldn't do it again.

Determined to reach the kitchen, Law dragged himself out of bed, his feet hitting the floor as steadily as he could manage — which wasn't much. He was almost halfway there when he stumbled over a blazer and fell to the ground like a bag of bones, shaking the room.

He began to mutter, wondering who would leave a blazer in the middle of the room like that. The blazer was his. The door creaked open with a muffled sound due to the music, and Law felt someone touch his back.

"Damn, I thought someone was having a pretty hardcore fuck here", the voice was familiar, Law looked up to see who it was. "I was going to ask to join, but it was just you", Sabo smiled, looking at Law with that same psychopathic smile as usual.

Sabo was one of those boys whose parents always warned to stay away from, as he could become a criminal or an addict in the future. However, as he grew up, Sabo silenced everyone when he was accepted into one of the best universities in the country, becoming one of the smartest people anyone had ever seen around him; even though he often seemed to hate it all. In the end, he settled for studying International Relations at the state's best college, against everyone's wishes and only following his own reasoning.

However, he still acted like a crazy fuck. And that's why he understood the whole situation when he saw Law's red eyes. "Damn, that was strong, huh?", he helped Law to his feet.

"F-Fuck off", Law groaned as he stood up, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment from his deplorable situation. "I-I want water", the words came out unconsciously, as if his body was speaking for him.

Sabo laughed, helping him walk out of the room. "Come with me, I'll help you", the blonde shouted over the music. They practically stumbled down the stairs to the ground floor.

The silver decorations and the low light of the place, combined with the loud music and the large number of people there, made Law even dizzier. The only thing he could look at to help his mental confusion was the huge glass window that overlooked a large and well-maintained garden, which, unfortunately, was filled with people here and there.

Sabo guided them to a corridor beside the stairs. The corridor seemed to stretch and then shrink several times as they walked to the door at the end, which Sabo pushed slowly before entering with Law.

It was the kitchen that Law had longed to reach in the last 3 minutes. The light was bright compared to the rest of the party; there were some waiters hired for the night, along with some people Law had seen around.

The kitchen was filled with the most expensive appliances. The stove had so many burners it looked ridiculous, the refrigerator seemed as wide and tall as a cabinet, and all the utensils were neatly arranged, highly polished and gleaming. Not to mention the extensive marble countertops and the golden details in the corners of each piece of furniture; there was also a long glass wall that displayed the image of the distant nighttime city, as bright as day due to its ever-lit lights, divided by the scenery of a quiet beach.

Given the attention to detail in this kitchen, it was possible that whoever the owner of this house was, they never had to set foot in this kitchen.

"Oi, Sabo", Kid spoke. Kid was a red-haired guy with painted nails and lipstick on his lips, holding a blunt between his fingers and blowing smoke through his teeth. He was dressed in the rest of his waiter outfit, his apron now tucked into the back pocket of his pants and his black dress shirt open.

"Who's this guy?", Kid, another one of the waiters, asked, watching Sabo lean Law against the wall next to the door. "Damn, he's messed up, huh?", he said as he saw the man bow his head.

Law was pitifully leaning against the wall, slightly leaning forward, head down, and too weak to move his hanging arms. His vision was a blur of his tattooed arms covered with a lazily rolled-up white dress shirt on his elbows and his shoes now dirty from who-knows-what.

Sabo laughed. "Go easy on him, he's new to this stuff", Law wanted to protest, but his tongue felt too heavy in his mouth. Sabo left his blazer on the counter and opened the refrigerator for water.

Maybe he was too high, but he still felt a gaze burning his skin. He slowly turned his head to look at a girl sitting on the floor, her back against the wall, wearing a waiter outfit similar to the others', now looser; and it was her who now held Kid's blunt.

The girl looked him up and down as she brought the cigarette between her index and thumb to her lips, there was a certain pity in her eyes, but Law chose to ignore it, no matter how irresistible her figure might be.

"His name is Law", Sabo added, handing him a glass of water.

"No way!", Kid said, laughing. "The Trafalgar Law? Man, you're like Batman!", Law grunted.

"Shut up, Kid. Are you eating shit or what?", the girl on the floor said, scolding Kid.

"No parents and being taken care of by a guardian? Sounds like Batman indeed", Law mumbled with difficulty, receiving the glass of water from Sabo.

The atmosphere in the kitchen grew heavy. Everyone remembered the Trafalgar accident; it was news for a few days, and the only survivor was the eldest son, Trafalgar Law. Post-traumatic stress kept him at home for a few years, where he dedicated himself to studying to continue his parents' legacy. But here he was, incredibly high for the first time.

It had been a series of unfortunate events that led him to that party that day.

But, in short, he wanted to experience a little of what he had missed due to his years at home.

Law banged the glass on the counter in front of him; he felt like he should say some things to this Kid guy, but his head was so confused that he felt, for a moment, like he was somewhere else. "Go... fuck yourself...!", Kid seemed to turn as red as his hair, but Sabo immediately cut both of them off with a laugh.

"You're even funnier like this, Torao!", a voice came from the other side of the kitchen along with a laugh. It was Luffy, one of Law's "friends," a title he didn't really want to call him. "You should get high more often", Luffy tapped his back a few times.

Trafalgar, already annoyed at being so high and also by Kid's well-thought-out comment, seemed to get more irritated by Luffy's presence, who was laughing too loudly for his taste. He pushed himself off the counter and walked awkwardly to the kitchen door, struggling a bit to open it due to its weight, and then staggered down the corridor.

The man staggered, getting lost in the huge house, with no idea what he was doing. The suffocating feeling of not being in control made him want to cry; he felt like he was sleeping, in a senseless, noisy dream. It was too hot, too stuffy, too noisy, too crowded. Moments passed like blurred flashes, too confusing to decipher; until he seemed to "wake up" from his dream.

Law was lying on something soft. He felt a cold breeze hit his body like an uncomfortable embrace. When he finally opened his eyes, the night sky was painted before him, he could hear the sound of the music more clearly now, though a bit more distant compared to the waves of the beach, and amidst the electronic rhythm and the crashing waves, a voice seemed to speak to him.

"I hate working for these spoiled brats, they all think I'm their damn housekeeper and should do whatever they tell me", Law turned his head to see who was talking, finding the same girl from the kitchen, sitting cross-legged with her back to him in the sand, smoking a cigarette angrily. "Damn, I'm here just to serve drinks, not to make the porridge that your housekeeper makes every night before bed!", Law ran his fingers through the sand, feeling the fine grains caress his palm. He heard her venting, but he didn't understand a single word.

She turned around and looked him deep in the eyes before speaking: "You woke up, finally. How do you feel?", she smiled.

"Like I've been run over", he was honest. He still felt out of it, but conscious enough to know what he was doing.

"Huh, wait until tomorrow", she said as Law sat up. He now noticed that she was wearing his coat. "You asked me to call someone named Cora-san, but I couldn't find his contact on your phone", she reached out, handing the device to Law. "Sorry about that."

Law rubbed his eyes, confused. "What... What happened? Where's Sabo?"

"You don't remember, do you?", she smiled, and Law, fearing what he might have done during this blackout, blushed violently. "Don't worry", she laughed. "Sabo carried you to the kitchen to get some water, but then Kid started talking crap and Luffy started annoying you until you left the kitchen. Sabo was going after you, but... I think her name was Koala, she stopped him and started arguing with him. I found you sitting on a couch next to the bathroom...", she stopped, pondering whether she should continue.

Law raised an eyebrow.

"You... were crying. Like, a lot. I brought you some water, but you said you didn't want to drink anymore, and then you started talking...", she sighed. "Anyway, you asked me to call this Cora-san and gave me your phone, and then you said you wanted some fresh air. I brought you here, and you ended up dozing off in the sand".

Law widened his eyes and cringed at the thought of what he might have told her. He didn't remember any of this, which made him want to disbelieve what he might have done, but since there was no other version of this gap in his mind, he just abstained.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone anything", she said when she saw his worried face.

"... Thank you", he said, grabbing his phone to check the time; it was almost dawn. He swallowed hard before unlocking the device.

He heard her chuckle softly and looked at the city on the horizon, finishing her cigarette. "Of course".

For some reason, his heart squeezed in his chest. That girl he didn't even know the name of had just helped him in a terrible moment of drunkenness for no reason, and as much as he could easily doubt her word, he trusted that she wouldn't tell anyone about his outburst.

His golden eyes fell on her again, watching her hair being carried by the cold morning breeze. The ever-present melancholy lingered in his mind as he dialed Rosinante's number on his phone; his finger hovered over the call button. "What's your name?".

She paused to think for a moment before answering. "Y/N", she turned her face towards him. The sun had just started to rise, and the sky was a bit brighter now.

He wanted to thank her for helping him, for being so kind to someone she barely knew, for caring enough to stay with him until he woke up; to say that he appreciated what she had done and apologize for causing trouble. But all that came out of his lips was: "Why did you help me?".

And all she replied was: "Because I wanted to."

He mentally slapped himself for sounding so ungrateful, he tried again to thank her, apologize, but she kept talking. "People don't always have a reason for doing what they do..." she seemed to notice the confusion in his eyes. "You were in a vulnerable moment, I couldn't leave you like that", and she gave one of the gentlest smiles Law had ever seen.

He swallowed hard as he remembered Rosinate.

"OOOOIIII, Y/N!", someone shouted in the background, she turned her head to see Kid calling her. "WE'RE LEAVING!!", she got up and brushed the sand off her clothes.

"COMING, JUST A MINUTE!!", she shouted back. "My ride's leaving. Nice to meet you, Law. Don't forget to call Cora-san", she took off the blazer to return it. "Call me if you need anything", then she turned and started running back towards the house, shoes in hand.

"Goodbye...", he said, but then he realized something. "I DON'T HAVE YOUR NUMBER!", he shouted, his eyes filled with the image of the girl now running away.

"YOU THINK!".

Law wanted to shout back, but something clicked in his mind. His fingers touched the screen of his phone to open the "Contacts" app, sliding his finger to find a new contact saved as "Y/N :p".

[taeyongdoyoung]

summary: as someone who’s been tormented for being a nerd, you’ve never viewed your friendly teasing towards your best friend seonghwa as bullying. but that is until he completely changes his style and image in school, confronting you about your past behaviour, so you have no choice but to admit the real reason why you’ve been making fun of him...

pairing: popular boy!seonghwa x nerd!reader

genre: high school!AU (the characters are 18 for the spicy parts huehehe), best friends to fake dating to lovers, angst, romance, smut, fluff

warnings: friendly teasing, clichéd/unrealistic portrayal of high school dynamics, hwa does kabedon on yn like once, seonghwa’s a bit of a tsundere, fake dating, hints of possessiveness, slightly problematic remarks, yn is briefly hwa’s slave?! (no, i will not elaborate), bullying, mean girls, insults, hair-pulling, kicking, death threats, some swearing, self-blame, power play, overuse of pet names (princess, baby, little girl, etc.), sir kink (i won’t apologize lol), begging, yunho being nosy (yes, that’s a warning), mention of hypothetical collars, insecurities, making out, loss of virginities, lots of kissing, soft dom!hwa, eating out, fingering, blowjob, consensual protected sex, dirty talk, praising, aftercare, crying, hurt&comfort, a lot of dorky references (cuz that’s me, after all), jumping off a balcony (don’t try this at home!), happy ending

author’s note: will i ever stop bullying poor hwa’s kermit hoodie? no. jk, i lov him so much, he’s so talented & gorgeous no matter what he wears ;-;

disclaimer: all jokes aside, i do not in any way condone bullying and this work is entirely fictional for entertainment purposes! i’ve been physically and emotionally tormented in school and though i have not talked much about it, i do not wish such an experience to anyone! treating people with kindness is cool and i hope everyone spreads more love! ❤️

word count: 9.4k

Having been best friends with Seonghwa for four years now (ever since your first year in high school), you couldn’t help but making fun of every little adorable thing he did. And honestly, you admired his patience when it came to putting up with your incessant teasing. Diligently cleaning up everything after him? You’d call him a neat freak. Not being able to drink coffee? You’d call him a teacup loser. 

So, when he started wearing that green hoodie of his to school, you couldn’t resist the temptation to call him Kermit the frog. And at first, it all started as a joke. But then the nickname kinda stuck and you just kept addressing him as Kermit, even if he wasn’t wearing the delectable green hoodie. And at one point, you could tell that poor Seonghwa was not a huge fan of the whole thing. But he never called you out on it or told you to stop. He never teased you back for being a hopeless nerd who studied 24/7 and read books for fun. So, you kept going.

Until the summer before your last year in high school arrived. Sadly, Seonghwa was going to be out of the country for the whole vacation. You were going to miss him terribly, you realized. You had become so used to seeing him everyday that you couldn’t imagine how you’d last three months without being able to see his pretty face all the time. You’d occasionally text him memes and ask him what he was up to. But as the summer was coming to an end, his replies became less and less frequent, more and more concise. You kept wondering if you’d done something wrong. It couldn’t be the Kermit thing, you began telling yourself. After all, it was normal to tease your best friend every once in a while. Right?

When the first day of your last year in high school came, you were nervously anticipating the moment when you’d see Seonghwa again. Summer without him had been so boring and you couldn’t wait to hug him again and find a new thing to joke about.

The second you saw him, you instinctively knew there would be no more joking around. Seonghwa practically walked into the school hallway like he owned the place. He’d completely changed his style and overall image. Gone were the dorky hoodies you secretly loved so much. Instead, they were replaced by a black leather jacket. Gone were the casual sweatpants he looked so good in. In their place were dark jeans that made him look kinda dangerous. And the whole confidence with which he carried himself was just totally different. 

If you had known that a summer abroad could change a person so much, you would have tried harder at convincing him to stay in the country. On top of it all, he was now hanging out with a bunch of popular a-holes that you had never talked to before. Honestly, you couldn’t even gather the courage to approach your best friend. He looked so distant and unfamiliar that you couldn’t help but feel a little hurt. Especially when you heard him laughing at the cool kids’ jokes. That should have been you...

You remembered when you were the one making him giggle, as if it was a century ago, when in reality it was just a couple of months. You kept sighing during the whole day, not daring to even talk to him. If he wanted to still hang out with you after his sudden “change in status”, he would, you kept convincing yourself. But he didn’t. In fact, he ignored you the whole day, making you feel like shit.

Just as you were leaving the school building in a hurry, mentally prepared for an evening of crying your eyes out and eating ice cream, you felt a hand grabbing you tightly. Turning around, you were surprised to find Seonghwa’s eyes staring back at you.

“Hi, princess,” he greeted you calmly.

“H-hi, S-seonghwa,” you responded dumbly.

“What? No witty comeback?” Seonghwa scoffed, smirking.

“What are you talking about?”

“Aren’t you gonna bully me and call me names again? Kermit? Teacup loser? Neat freak? What’s it gonna be this time?” he spat out, pushing you against the school wall and extending his arms to touch the cold bricks so that you would feel trapped.

“Bully you?” you whispered in disbelief. “H-hwa, I wasn’t...I didn’t m-mean...”

“Oh, yeah?” he mocked your stuttering self. ���Then, why did you say all these things, huh?”

“You know why,” you replied.

“No, I don’t. So, tell me right now or I swear, I can make your existence a living hell,” Seonghwa threatened.

“Because I like you, you idiot!” you cried out. “I like you so that’s why I’ve been teasing you. Because if I didn’t, I would have to admit how attractive I find all your habits. How adorable it is when you used to tidy your desk and how sexy you looked in that damned green hoodie. There, I said it. Are you happy now?”

You were so frustrated with the way he ignored you all day only to accuse you of bullying him that you ducked your head swiftly beneath his arm, simultaneously bending your knees, and, thus, successfully escaping from Seonghwa’s ambush.

“Y/N, wait!” he called after you, but you were running too fast and luck was on your side, as the bus arrived at that exact same moment, allowing you to get on it, before he could.

You couldn’t sleep much that night, tormented by the fact Seonghwa had confused your friendly jokes with bullying and how foolishly you’d confessed your feelings for him. You were certain that your affections were unrequited and now that he had this whole new position in the school hierarchy, he would undoubtedly make fun of you for them. You were even considering transferring to another school to avoid the potential embarrassment.

In the morning, no sooner had you finished breakfast in the comfort of your room than you heard loud honks. They were unlike the ones in your dad’s car so you couldn’t help but wonder what jerk had decided to park in front of your house and make your day even worse.

“Sweetie,” your mom informed you a bit after. “Your friend Seonghwa is here. He said he’ll drive you to school today. As promised.”

“He did?” you mumbled in confusion. But maybe because you weren’t ready to talk to your mom yet about what happened yesterday, you lied. “Ah, that’s right, I almost forgot.”

Hurriedly, you grabbed your bag and practically sprinted downstairs. You were curious to see what he wanted. And that’s exactly what you asked the minute you entered his car.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Aw, no good morning for me, princess?” Seonghwa pouted and God, you hated how cute you found him after the way he’d treated you the previous day. “What does it look like I’m doing?” he rolled his eyes, starting the engine. “I’m driving you to school.”

“I can see that. But why?” you hissed.

“Well, someone got up on the wrong side of the bed,” he groaned. “If you’re so insistent on finding out, I’ll tell you. Ever since you told me how you felt yesterday, I’ve been thinking...And I’ve come to the conclusion that you have two options. Option number one is to enjoy your hellish last year of high school. You’ve had your fair share of teasing me so I’m definitely going to enjoy telling everyone about your little crush on me. It’s going to be so much fun to embarrass you in front of the whole school.”

What the fuck was wrong with him? Seonghwa was supposed to be your best friend! Why was he suddenly acting like you were worth less than a dirty rug? Was it possible that he had changed so much in the span of three months? Or was he always like that? Had you been blinded by his good looks? No, that definitely wasn’t the case. Seonghwa was the sweetest guy you’d ever known. How did he get so...cold? Cold enough to chill your bones.

“And what’s option number two?” you grunted, already anticipating the worst.

“So, there’s this annoying girl in our class I want to avoid at all costs. Just because her parents are doing business with mine does not mean I’m into her. Option number two is for us to pretend we’re dating in school. Considering how much you like me, I’m assuming it won’t be very difficult for you to pretend. If you agree, that is.”

What a jerk...You shared your sincere feelings with your best friend and that’s the first thing that crossed his mind? To use you in order to avoid some random girl? If it was any other guy, you would have said no. If you weren’t desperate for even a fraction of Seonghwa’s time and attention, you would have said no. If you weren’t so pathetically whipped for him, you would have said no.

“I’ll do it,” you said. “For how long do you need me to be your fake girlfriend?”

“Just until graduation. Then, we’ll fake break up and each go our separate ways. How does that sound?”

It sounded terrible! You wanted Seonghwa to be a part of your life forever. But with the way he was treating you, you weren’t confident he felt the same way anymore.

“Sounds great,” you lied, because you couldn’t give him the satisfaction of hearing your thoughts. You’d never be perceived as weak again.

The second you walked into school, Seonghwa’s arm wrapped possessively around your shoulder, everyone’s eyes were on you. It was like high-schoolers had no better thing to occupy their time with but to gossip around the latest dating news. If you weren’t enjoying his company so much, you would have found their reactions pathetic. And somewhat unnerving.

“When did you two lovebirds start seeing each other?” one of Seonghwa’s popular friends Yunho asked.

“Oh, you know what they say. A girl and a guy can’t stay just friends for long,” Seonghwa responded.

You internally rolled your eyes. Your best friend before the summer would have never said such a thing. Whatever the reason for his current behaviour was, you would get to the bottom of it. And right now, you felt like going along with this whole fake dating thing was your best chance at unraveling the mystery.

For the first day of your little arrangement, everything seemed to be going fine. Everyone was staring at you two but you didn’t mind. All you cared about was him. However, soon enough Seonghwa started asking you for weird things.

“Carry my bag for me.” / “Get me a drink from the vending machine, will you?” / “Bring me a snack from the supermarket across the street.” / “Oh, and for my friends, too, doll.”

Seriously, it was getting infuriating. You no longer felt like you were his bestie. You didn’t even feel like you were his fake girlfriend. At this point, you had practically become his slave! Running any errand and carrying his stuff for him. But what was the alternative? If you refused to play your part in this pretend dating scheme, he could easily turn against you and make fun of you in front of the whole school. So, you kept your mouth shut and swallowed your pride.

One evening, around a month after the fake dating agreement had started, you had stayed in the library a bit longer to prepare for an upcoming assignment. By the time you were out of the school building, you supposed that Seonghwa had already gone home. Frankly, the only nice thing he was intent on doing for you was driving you to school and back to your place most of the days.

As you were making your way towards the bus stop, you had the strangest suspicion you were being followed. Not daring to turn around, you started walking faster. But unfortunately, your attackers also sped up and soon enough, you were surrounded by a group of angry faces. Their leader was obviously Eunhee, the most popular girl in the whole school. And coincidentally, this was also the girl whose parents were doing business with Seonghwa’s parents. The very reason you were fake dating your best friend in the first place.

“Well, if it isn’t the little bookshrimp,” she mocked you, sticking a sharp nail into your chest. You didn’t bother correcting her that the right term was bookworm. You were already in enough trouble as it was. For some reason, teasing Seonghwa had been easy because you meant well and you were sure he wouldn’t hurt you. Not really. Because he knew how badly you’d been bullied in middle school. But now that you were met with so many threatening figures, you froze rightaway, unable to defend yourself.

“Just l-leave me alone,” you stammered.

“Aw, aren’t you a little pathetic shrimpie?” Eunhee cooed and started pulling your hair harshly and kicking you onto the ground. The other girls were holding you down so that you wouldn’t fight back. “Did you seriously believe you can steal Seonghwa from me? We’re meant to be together and if you stand in our way, I will fucking kill you!”

“S-stop, you’re hurting me!” you exclaimed sorrowfully. You tried your best to shield yourself and push her away but her loyal minions were preventing you from doing so. Just as Eunhee was about to slap you across the face, you witnessed as her threatening hand was stopped mid-air by the interloper whose features you couldn’t quite discern in the dark. But whose voice you would recognize anywhere.

“You think you’re so brave?” Seonghwa yelled at Eunhee and her friends. “Ganging up on her like that? Six against one? You’re the pathetic ones.”

“Hwa, we were just trying to teach her a lesson. She should learn her place, after all,” Eunhee tried to explain.

“A lesson?” he scoffed. “You dumbasses can’t even pass Calculus and you want to teach the smartest girl in our school a lesson?” your heart melted with warmth at how highly he thought of you. “Oh, that’s rich.”

“You won’t tell my dad, right?” Eunhee was suddenly on the defensive. She’d probably be in big trouble if he found out how his precious daughter was behaving in school.

“Get out of my sight right now or I’ll tell the whole country,” Seonghwa threatened through gritted teeth. (Later on, he actually did tell her dad about the incident and Eunhee, along with her followers, were suspended from school for two weeks. Oh, and their rich parents cut off their money, which was pretty impressive an accomplishment). And so, the vicious girls scattered like roaches in daylight. Pulling you onto your feet, Seonghwa grabbed your hand and started walking towards his car which you somehow hadn’t noticed parked nearby. Getting inside, he started the engine immediately but his hands were clutching the steering wheel so hard you were feeling a bit scared. You had never seen your best friend so angry. Well, maybe the only other time that came close was when you were telling him about your past experiences with bullying...

“Are you mad at me?” you asked sheepishly.

“At you?” he chuckled harshly. “Why would I be mad at you? You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I don’t know...”

“Why didn’t you fight them back?” Seonghwa inquired.

“I tried, but I was reminded of middle school and just...froze. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, I’m not blaming you,” he replied calmly. “I was just wondering. Cause I know you’ve been going to self-defense classes. And I thought you were making progress. I mean, the last time I came to watch, you were pretty good.”

That was before the summer. Of course it was. Still, you were touched by the fact that he remembered. Despite acting like he didn’t care, you instinctively knew he did.

“I mean, I was,” you said. “But I panicked.”

Seonghwa let go of the wheel with one hand and placed it on your bare knee, rubbing calming circles around it. You two were alone so you were certain this was no longer the fake dating thing. This was just your best friend being there for you when you needed him the most.

“If anyone tries that shit again, just tell them you’re my girlfriend, alright? They have to be idiots to mess with you,” he spoke angrily.

“Fake girlfriend,” you reminded him sadly.

“That’s none of their business,” he replied, but didn’t correct you. Oh, how badly you wished to be his real girlfriend. To show him how much you cared for him.

“Why did you change so much over the summer?” you suddenly asked, while Seonghwa was driving you home.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Seonghwa responded harshly. “You don’t like my green hoodie and you also don’t like my leather jacket? There’s really no satisfying you, is there?”

“I didn’t mean your clothes,” you mumbled. “Just...your overall attitude towards me. Before the summer you used to let me squeeze your cheeks and sit in your lap and now you seem so...unapproachable. I’m just saying, we were closer when I was your best friend than we are now that I’m your fake girlfriend.”

Seonghwa stopped the car abruptly, making you blink in shock.

“I changed because I was sick of you treating me like a little boy and I wanted you to start seeing me as a man,” he admitted but without looking into your eyes.

“W-what are you saying?” you swallowed nervously.

“Nevermind.”

“No, you have to talk to me, Hwa!” you insisted desperately. “If you still consider me your best friend, be honest with me. Please.”

“This,” he gestured vaguely at you as he finally met your gaze. “This is exactly why I changed so much, Y/N. I don’t want to be your best friend anymore.”

His cruel words hurt you more than anything you’d ever experienced in your life. More than all the bullying, the slapping and getting pushed against a wall. Losing your best friend was your worst fear. But you had promised yourself to never be weak again. So the second he said that, you pulled the handle of the side door, attempting to get out of his car. Before you could do that, Seonghwa grabbed your hand, effectively keeping you in place.

“I want to be your boyfriend. For real this time,” he elaborated.

You stared at him in utter confusion.

“But...when I confessed, you acted like you didn’t care. Like I meant nothing to you.”

“Forget how I acted. I only offered the fake dating shit because I wanted to get closer to you again. Make up for the lost time during the summer. Do you honestly think I give a fuck about what Eunhee thinks or says about me? I just used that as an excuse. I’ve told her I’m not into her hundreds of times. And yes, maybe I have changed. Not because I don’t care about you. But because I do. You used to gush about Count Dracula and Darth Vader so much that I thought if I became the bad guy, you’d finally notice me. I wanted so terribly to impress you and make you stop seeing me as your adorable best friend that I got too lost in the feeling of holding power over you...Too lost to notice you liked me all along, didn’t you?”

“I did,” you whispered teary-eyed. “I do,” correcting yourself. “H-hwa, I’m so sorry to break it to you but-”

“If you reject me, I won’t be responsible for attempted murder,” Seonghwa interrupted you jokingly.

“I’m so sorry to break it to you,” you repeated with a sly smirk. “But no matter how hard you try to change, I will always see you as my adorable best friend. And though I have to admit I did stop teasing you temporarily, that was only because you suddenly started behaving like the dangerously sexy king of the high school. Can you blame me for feeling a little intimidated? I know I’ve said this before but I didn’t think me teasingly calling you Kermit would go this far. I never meant to hurt you, Hwa.”

“I know you didn’t, princess,” Seonghwa whispered, gently stroking your cheeks.

“And yes,” you smiled shyly, leaning into his touch.

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, I want to be your real girlfriend. It would be a dream come true.”

“Yeah?” he chuckled, as if the very idea seemed amusing to him. “How badly do you want it?”

“So badly, I would do anything for you, sir,” you uttered the last word without thinking much, your brain somehow recalling a time when you two had discussed how you’d enjoy being called by a potential significant other. In retrospect, that wasn’t really a thing best friends generally talked about.

“Sir?” Seonghwa grinned, leaning his head against your forehead. “Keep that up and your real girlfriend status will be confirmed.”

“I want to kiss you so much,” you were on the verge of begging. Oh, screw it. “Please, please, let me kiss you.”

He didn’t respond, just connected your lips with his own softly, taking his time with you. It was pure magic. You had thought about kissing your best friend thousands of times. But nothing compared to the reality. Parting your lips further to let his tongue in, you physically couldn’t prevent yourself from moaning into his mouth, overwhelmed by how good it felt. How insanely intoxicating he tasted. How you were burning alive and it would be the sweetest death imaginable.

“Not if I kiss you first,” Seonghwa said once he broke the kiss apart. “Oh, wait, I just did.”

What the hell...had just happened? Sneaking a peak at the time, you were suddenly panicking by how late it was.

“Holy shit, my parents are going to kill me!” you exclaimed. “Can you please drive me home?”

“Sure thing, princess,” he laughed, increasingly amused by your flustered self. “That’s exactly what I was intending to do anyways. I’m not in the habit of keeping little girls past their bed time.”

“Shut up, I’m not a little girl!” you complained. “I’m just a few months younger than you. Asshole.”

“Hey! Is that any way to speak to your devoted boyfriend?” Seonghwa scolded you teasingly.

Oh, God. You loved the sound of that. Your best friend was now your boyfriend. It still felt unreal.

“I’m sorry, sir,” you mewled apologetically, already knowing how to make him weak for you with just one tiny word. “And thank you for taking me home.”

“Anytime,” Seonghwa smiled. “See you tomorrow, baby.”

You could get used to it. Reaching forward to open the door for you, he whispered in your ear:

“I’m taking you out on our first date. Doll yourself up for me, will you?”

You nodded, your heart beating too fast to actually manage a verbal response. After you got inside and suffered a brief interrogation from your parents (using the library+extra assignments excuse), you hurried up the stairs, took a quick shower and then went to bed. No sooner had you closed your eyes than your phone buzzed with notifications.

Kermit the Frog: You still up?

Kermit the Frog: For fear of sounding lame, I moss you already

Kermit the Frog: *Miss...damn autocorrect

You chuckled upon seeing his messages. Whatever demon possessed you to still keep that nickname in your chat, you knew you had to change it immediately. If he saw it on your first date tomorrow, you would never hear the end of it.

You: I’m awake, yes

You: And I moss you too 😉

You purposefully misspelled the word to tease him. After all, it was only in order.

Boyfie 🐸: That obnoxious Kermit nickname better be gone by tomorrow

He texted as if he’d read your mind and you gasped in surprise.

Boyfie 🐸: Or we’re having our first couple fight!!

You: How did you know?!?

Boyfie 🐸: Not my fault you keep your phone unlocked sometimes

Boyfie 🐸: I’m not kidding, change it right now 😡

You: Changed it already

You texted him back quickly, sending him a screenshot.

You: Can I at least keep the frog emoji? 🥺

Boyfie 🐸: NO!!! REMOVE IT OR WE BREAK UP 😡😡😡

You: Damnit, Hwa, your angery Aries is showing...okay, fineee

You sent another screenshot of the now changed emoji.

You: Happy now?

Boyfie ❤️🖤💙: Much better, princess 🤗🤗🤗

Boyfie ❤️🖤💙: Now go to sleep, we have early classes tomorrow

You: Wow, so bossy. Okay, sir, I’m going

Boyfie ❤️🖤💙: Good night, my baby 😘

You: Staaahp, ohmygosh. And good night, Hwa 🥺

The next morning you ran outside faster than The Flash as soon as you heard the oh-so-familiar honks. When you saw Seonghwa waiting there to pick you up, your heart did a backflip as you excitedly took the passenger seat.

“Good morning, boyfriend,” you greeted him and kissed his cheek. “This still feels so strange.”

“Well, you better get used to it, doll. Wow, you really cleaned up nicely today,” he complimented your pastel pink dress. “Not that you usually don’t! You’re always gorgeous, I just meant that you’re especially gorgeous and...nope, that also sounds wrong. Okay, I shut up now.”

“Relax,” you giggled. “It’s fine. I appreciate the effort. You don’t look so bad yourself. Oh, who am I kidding? You’re practically sex on legs 24/7. I think it’s time for me to shut up now.”

“You’re so cute when you get flustered. Anyone ever tell you that?”

“Just you,” you admitted.

Once you walked into the school, it was like everyone noticed the subtle change in your dynamic. Because Seonghwa did something he never did before. He carried your bag and gave you his leather jacket! And Hwa’s friends were immediately onto you like bees to honey.

“I mean, I knew you guys were dating,” Seonghwa’s friend Yunho observed. “But I never saw the chemistry before, to be honest. Until now. I mean, come on, Y/N was like a loyal puppy, always following Hwa around.”

“Hey, don’t give him any ideas!” you joked.

“Too late. Already ordered the collar,” Seonghwa winked.

“Kinky. Can’t tell if I’m into it or want to cut off my ears,” Yunho grinned. “Probably both.”

“Nice chat, but we gotta head to class, Yu,” Seonghwa said because his friend was in a different class.

“See you for lunch?” Yunho suggested.

“Can’t. Already made plans with this little girl,” Hwa tilted his head towards you.

“Whoo, enjoy, then!”

“It’s not what it sounds like!” you groaned, feeling uncharacteristically embarassed.

“Isn’t it?” Seonghwa smirked mysteriously and pulled you towards the room you had class in.

“Nothing involving collars and puppies, I assure you!” you yelled (perhaps a little too loudly), twisting your head, not wanting to give Yunho and the rest of Seonghwa’s friends the wrong idea.

When your classes for the day were over, Seonghwa led you towards his car once again. You were a bit nervous to make a good impression on your first date. Even though it was silly. Your best friend of four years had surely made a first impression a long time ago.

“Where are we going?” you asked to break the awkward silence.

“It’s a surprise, princess. Can you be patient for me?”

“I can,” you promised dutifully and placed your tiny hand on top of his. “Anything for you, sir.”

Seonghwa lost focus on the road for the briefest of moments in order to give you a warning look. One look and that was all you needed to keep you quiet and obedient. Eventually, you realized where he was taking you. Though you hadn’t been to his place for a couple of months now, you couldn’t forget how the drive to Seonghwa’s home looked.

“I dressed myself up and we’re just going to your place?” you hmphed in playful annoyance. “So much for our glamorous first date.”

“Don’t underestimate the power of my cooking skills. Shit, I sorta ruined the surprise, didn’t I?”

“Aww, you were planning to cook for me on our first date? Hwaaa, I’ve only had you as a boyfriend for less than 24 hours and you’re already pulling out the big guns! I don’t mean to push my luck but if you’re cooking now, I’m trembling to witness our one month anniversary.”

Seonghwa rolled his eyes.

“You’re very ambitious to think you can put up with me for an entire month.”

”Hwa, sweetie, I’ve put up with you for four years.”

“Not as your boyfriend, you haven’t.”

“We’ll talk again in 30 days,” you vowed enigmatically.

“Here we are,” Seonghwa announced once he parked in front of his home. “My parents are currently at work so you don’t need to worry about...well, anything, really.”

“What’s the supposed to mean?” for some reason his words made you even more worried.

“Nothing, I just meant you can...like, be yourself. There’s no one to impress.”

“There’s you,” you pointed out. “Don’t forget your parents already know me. And besides, you’re the only person I care about impressing.” 

“Not to stroke your ego, but you’ve already impressed me. After all, you’re the only one who’s had the audacity to compare me to a freaking muppet and survived.”

“Point taken,” you chuckled.

“Come on, let’s get inside,” Seonghwa suggested and the two of you entered his house. No matter how much you begged him to let you help with the cooking, he was insistent that he would do all the work. Said something about making up to you for the times you had to carry his bag or buy snacks to him and his friends. When you argued that you also had some making up to do for all the times you teased him a little too insensitively, he said that you agreeing to be his real girlfriend was enough to satisfy his wounded heart. Seeing that there was no point in arguing, you gave up and occupied yourself by mindlessly scrolling through social media. About an hour later, Seonghwa finally deemed his culinary masterpieces ready to be eaten. He allowed you to at least help set the table which you considered a small victory. The second you tried the first meal, you were so overwhelmed by the exquisite tastes that you spoke without thinking much.

“God, I wanna marry you.”

Seonghwa simply chuckled, amused by your unexpected reaction.

“Did I say that out loud?” you whispered, completely mortified, covering your mouth in embarassment.

“I’m afraid so.”

“Shit, I’m such a mess,” you mumbled.

“No, it’s fine. I take it as a compliment. Now, eat up before it gets cold. If my wicked plan works, you’ll have bought me a wedding ring by the time dessert arrives.”

“Truly wicked. I’m in danger,” you laughed and kept enjoying the various meals Seonghwa had prepared. 

Once the plates were empty, you felt so full and warm you couldn’t possibly move. And no, that wasn’t an exaggeration. Seonghwa had to physically carry you to the couch so that you two would re-watch Star Wars: Return of the Jedi together, warmly cuddled up under a blanket.

Suddenly, you were possessed by the urge to speak your mind and be as honest with him as possible. After hiding your true feelings for four years, now that you were finally given the chance to be yourself, you were feeling uncharacteristically brave.

“You know, even though I was messing around earlier, I had indeed daydreamed about marrying you back in our first year of high school. You were the first boy who ever treated me like I wasn’t the walking joke of the universe. The first who ever hung out with me not as a prank but because you actually saw me as a friend. When I started teasing you about your cute habits, I hope you know I never wished to hurt you. I just wanted to show you that I notice and appreciate every single detail about you. So, yeah, I really like you, Hwa. Have liked you for a long time.”

Seonghwa had paused the movie the second you started talking. And now that you were done sharing your thoughts, he seemed unable to say anything. The silence was a bit awkward so you interrupted it once again.

“I’m sorry, that was silly. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable so early in our re-”

This time, he interrupted you with a kiss, pulling you into his lap, just like the good old days. You smiled into his mouth, wrapping your arms around him.

“It wasn’t silly. I appreciate you saying all that,” Seonghwa reassured you. “And for the record, I know you meant well with all the teasing. In a sense, a part of me even suspected that you liked me back. But I was also feeling a bit insecure. I kept thinking that you could do so much better than go out with dorky Kermit guy who has an obsession with tidying up, you know? That you deserved someone else. But I couldn’t allow anyone else to be that someone. So, I changed myself.”

“Maybe you did change a little. But in my heart, you’re always going to be my Frog Prince Hwa.”

“I hate you so much,” he rolled his eyes.

“Naw, you don’t.”

“Fine. I hate that you’re right.”

Things between you and Seonghwa were going great. It had been three months since you two started dating for real. He was super attentive and caring towards you. However, you were a bit bummed out since not much changed compared to his behaviour as your best friend and as your boyfriend. Sure, you did start kissing each other and occasionally making out (which wasn’t exactly a best friend activity). But there was one thing that still had not happened. And the more time passed, the more anxious you felt to bring it up.

One evening, you had miraculously convinced your parents to let you have a sleepover at Seonghwa’s place. After insisting that nothing out of the ordinary was going on between you two and even if something unusual did happen (which you highly doubted but secretly hoped for), you were going to use protection (and no, you were certainly not referring to Seonghwa’s collection of action figures who carried weapons).

As you and your boyfriend were enjoying your snacks while watching TV from the comfort of his bed, you couldn’t help but finally raise the question that had been tormenting your mind for a while now.

“S-seonghwa...do you not find me attractive?”

“What the hell are you asking me that for? Would you be my girlfriend if I didn’t find you attractive?”

“Well, I don’t know. I’ve never dated anyone before so...I was just wondering if there’s a particular reason why we still haven’t...taken things to the next level?”

“The next level?” he chuckled. “Relationships aren’t video games. And to answer your question, the reason’s actually the exact opposite of your concerns. We haven’t done anything more than making out because I find you ridiculously attractive. And it’s taking every last inch of my self-restraint to not pressure you into something you’re not comfortable with. I just wanted to wait until you’re ready.”

“Ready? So you knew that I haven’t...with anyone...yet?” you purposefully left out some words because you were feeling incredibly shy discussing this with Seonghwa.

“Of course I knew, princess. You’re my best friend. And my girlfriend.”

“Well, that’s a relief, at least. That you’re not repulsed by my...inexperience.”

“Why would I be when we’re in the same boat?”

“We are?” you whispered in shock.

“Why do you look so surprised?” Seonghwa laughed. “I’ve had the biggest crush on you since forever. Did you honestly think I would just screw anyone else?”

“Well, it’s not like you didn’t have options,” you pointed out, referring to all the potential love interests swarming around him like bees. “Unlike me.”

“Are you regretful, little girl?” he inquired, running a lazy finger across your cheek. “Jealous?”

“No, I just...want to be the best for you, sir,” you confessed nervously.

“You’re already the best I could hope for,” Seonghwa responded and kissed you hungrily, burying his hands into your hair.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” you curiously needed to know. “That you haven’t either...”

“It’s not something that comes up in everyday conversation?” he pointed out. “What was I supposed to say? Hi, bestie, let’s have lunch together. Oh and by the way, I’m a hopeless virgin pining over you?”

“You’re right,” you laughed. “It would have made things awkward.”

“Now, unless you have any other pressing issues, I suggest we go back to kissing.”

And without giving you the time to argue, Seonghwa devoured your lips rightaway, gently pushing you down so that your back hit the sheets. Then, he started slowly taking off your jeans. Anxiously trembling under his vigorous touch, you placed a hand against his chest. He immediately noticed and put a temporary halt to his ministrations.

“We don’t have to do this right now,” he comforted you with all the seriousness in his voice.

“No, I want to, I swear,” you nodded eagerly.

“Princess, you’re literally shaking,” Seonghwa remarked.

“What’s wrong with me?” you sighed.

“There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re perfect. Tell me to stop if you feel even the slightest hint of hesitation or discomfort and I will, I promise.”

“I know you would, Hwa. I trust you. But even if I’m a bit nervous, I want to do this with you. Please?”

“Well, I can’t deny you since you’re asking so nicely,” he grinned and continued where he left off. “Can I get rid of these?” Seonghwa inquired, carefully pushing your panties to the side.

“Yes, you can do anything to me.”

“Oh, sweetheart, you really shouldn’t have said that,” he chuckled darkly and tore your underwear savagely. You couldn’t even gather the energy to complain about the ruination of your new pair, you were far too turned on by Seonghwa’s aggressive nature to care. He didn’t waste any more time, grabbing your thighs to hold them in place, he began licking your pussy with his tongue and stimulating it with his long fingers. It didn’t take long for you to start squirming beneath his touch, helplessly moaning his name. He didn’t cease his merciless movements until you reached your orgasm. When your breathing finally eased, you gathered the energy to speak again:

“I thought you said you’ve never done this before? How were you so...so...”

“So good?” Seonghwa smirked confidently and bit his lower lip. “I mean...I’ve seen videos. Read some things here and there.”

“Honestly? I think you’re a god.”

“You’ll have to stop complimenting me so much or I’ll develop a god complex,” he joked. “What do you want to do next, baby?”

“I want to suck you off,” you mumbled.

“Who taught you such dirty language?”

“Hey! I read, too,” you pouted and assuredly made your way towards the carpet next to his bed.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Seonghwa asked.

“Aren’t I supposed to kneel in order to pleasure you, sir?”

“Princesses never kneel,” he instructed and got up from the bed, urging you to lie down with your head hanging from the very edge of the bed and make yourself comfortable. “Open up that pretty little mouth for me, will you?”

You did as he asked obediently and even went the extra mile to stick your tongue out. Unbuckling his belt and throwing it to the side, Seonghwa was quick to follow your wishes and let his cock spring free from his jeans. Your mouth went dry at the sight of his monstrous size. Seeing your worries if it will fit reflected in your eyes, he expressed his concern for you:

“Are you sure about this?”

“Please, please, I need you,” you whimpered without thinking, eager to have a taste. Without making you wait any longer, Seonghwa pushed the tip of his cock inside, gently letting your cheeks get used to the unfamiliar feeling. Slowly, he went deeper, allowing you to acquaint yourself with the stretch. When you kept blinking at him in anticipation, he realized you were ready for more and began moving faster, fucking into your mouth at a steady pace. As he neared his high, his motions became less controlled you were sucking more intently, impatient to swallow every last drop of him.

“Shit, I’m going to-” he attempted to break away, but you managed to wrap your hands at the back of his legs in order to keep his cock inside your mouth. 

Seconds later, he released his cum and you began drinking it thirstily. When you had made certain that no drop was wasted, you finally let go of his legs, allowing your boyfriend’s dick to dangle freely outside of your mouth.

“You’re fucking incredible,” Seonghwa praised you and placed a soft kiss on the top of your head. “My incredible girl.”

“I’m only yours, sir,” you mumbled, way too affected by him.

“You like this, don’t you?” he mocked you teasingly.

“Yes, sir, I want to belong to you,” you whimpered and turned around to pull him back into bed.

“Your wish is my command, princess,” Seonghwa smiled fondly and took a mysterious package out of the back pocket of his jeans. Soon enough, you realized what it was, as he started lining up the condom on his cock.

“Oooh, I brought one of those, as well!” you exclaimed in surprise.

“You came here on a mission, didn’t you? Wicked little thing,” he tsked in fake disapproval.

“It’s not my fault you’re walking around like an Adonis,” you defended yourself boldly.

“You’re one to speak. Freaking goddess,” Seonghwa complimented you and slowly began unbuttoning your shirt you had somehow forgotten you were still wearing. “Is this okay?” he asked softly, always making sure you were feeling safe.

“More than okay,” you consented. Left in nothing but your baby pink bra, you unintentionally shivered at the sudden cold air surrounding you. Soon after that, Seonghwa undid the clasps and you were now only wearing your birthday suit. Feeling a bit timid, you self-consciously covered your breasts and broke eye contact with your boyfriend.

“Hey, hey, look at me,” he pressed the palm of his hand against your cheek. “Do you want to stop?”

You weakly shook your head and somehow managed to gather the strength to look into his beautifully dark eyes once again.

“Then, let me see you, yeah?” Seonghwa nudged your hands away gently. “You’re so beautiful, baby.”

You blushed at his sudden praise and allowed him to have a look. But seconds later, you were getting a bit impatient.

“Please, Hwa, I want you so much.”

“Anything for my princess,” he chuckled and coaxed his tip at your entrance slowly. When you gave him a sign he could go deeper, his movements became bolder. “Fuck, you’re taking me so well.”

“M-more, sir, I swear I can do this,” you begged as you were beginning to unravel beneath him. As he fucked you faster into oblivion, you were no longer thinking straight and his name was the only word you were capable of uttering. Over and over again. Until you both came, blissfully lost in each other’s arms.

“Here, let me clean you up,” Seonghwa offered sweetly, picking you up with little effort and carrying you to the bathtub. 

When he started shampooing your hair, rubbing body lotion into your sensitive skin and covering your neck with soft kisses, you couldn’t stop your tears from falling, touched by his infinite tenderness and by the sheer intimacy of the gesture.

“Darling, are you crying?” he questioned you upon hearing your hiccups.

“N-no,” you lied but it was useless, because it was quite obvious you were, in fact, bawling your eyes out.

“Did I hurt you, my sweet princess?” Seonghwa asked in concern.

“How...how could you think that?” you whimpered. “You’ve been nothing but kind and caring towards me. It’s just that...this is the first time I’ve felt so...special, so worthy, so...”

“Loved?” he offered the word you had been seeking for but had been too scared to utter out loud.

“Y-yeah,” you confirmed shyly. “Is it too early to say this? I’m sorry if it is but...I love you, Seonghwa.”

He simply stared at you in disbelief for a couple of seconds. This time, you were once again the one to break the deafening silence.

“You don’t have to say it back. I just...I wanted you to know. It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way but-”

“I love you too, baby. Of course I do,” Seonghwa reassured you. “And I’m not just saying it, I don’t feel obliged to say it. As my best friend, you know me better than anyone else. And you know I don’t do things unless I want to. So, believe me when I say this.”

“Fuck,” you uttered and only started crying harder in his arms.

“Shhh, you’re safe with me, sweetheart. I would never harm you,” he comforted you and stroked your hair lovingly, putting all your worries and self-doubts at the very back of your head.

After you were all dried up from the bath and had put on your boyfriend’s shirt while he was still in the shower, you were feeling uncharacteristically confident. Confident enough to look for something you hadn’t seen for a while. You had been wondering if he had it hanging around somewhere in his wardrobe. And after a short period of rummaging you found your treasure. The green hoodie. The Kermit hoodie. You smiled mischievously as you changed into it. It still smelled like him, you beamed. Back when he was simply your best friend, the amount of times you had fantasized about him lending it to you should have been illegal. So now that you had been promoted to his girlfriend, you simply couldn’t let such an opportunity pass you by.

Once Seonghwa got out of the shower, water droplets running down the divine skin on his bare chest, you were too busy staring at him in all his beauty and glory to notice the angry look on his face.

“How did you even find this? It was hidden so well in my wardrobe,” he scowled.

“Don’t be mad,” you pouted adorably. “I look so cute in it, right?”

“Cuter than me, that’s for sure,” Seonghwa rolled his eyes and tickled your belly.

“That’s impossible, you make the cutest Kermit,” you giggled, enjoying how easy it was to get on his nerves.

“You’ll never let me live this down, will you?” he groaned.

“Never ever, my stunning Frog Prince,” you vowed and kissed him quickly, taking him by surprise. His eyes widened in shock and he seemed too flustered to continue scolding you.

“You’re in luck today. Nothing can ruin my good mood,” Seonghwa was determined.

“Great,” you grinned gleefully. “Cause from now on, I intend on making all your days filled with joy.”

“From now on?” he chuckled sarcastically. “Oh, princess, my days have been filled with nothing but joy ever since I met you.”

And indeed, both Seonghwa’s days and yours were nothing but pure happiness ever since you decided to make your relationship real. And despite his foolish statement that he no longer wanted to be your best friend, you had somehow managed to convince him that he was both your boyfriend and bestie and that was perfectly okay. As if in the blink of an eye, spring came which meant that the whole school was in nervous excitement about the upcoming prom. Generally, you weren’t the type to get overwhelmed about such a trivial topic. But now that you were dating Seonghwa, the most popular guy in the school, you couldn’t help but worry a little. What if he wanted to go with someone else? Someone equal in “status”? Your worries and insecurities further intensified when he started asking questions in a weird way.

“I need your help,” Seonghwa blurted out over lunch.

“Shoot.”

“Okay, so, I have this friend. And he really likes this girl and wants to ask her to prom. What do you think would make her happy?”

You blinked in surprise. You knew that when people pulled the “I’m just asking for a friend” card, they were most likely talking about themselves. Was he seriously thinking of inviting another girl to prom? You tensed a little but tried really hard to remain neutral in your answer and actually make an attempt to help your bestie.

“I mean, all girls are different,” you reasoned. “If you describe her to me, maybe I’ll be able to give a more appropriate suggestion.”

“She’s a bit like you. You know, kinda bookish and-”

“It’s alright, Seonghwa, you can say it. I’m a nerd.”

“Well, yes, but...”

“It’s not exactly a slur,” you chuckled coldly.

“I know, but that’s what your bullies in middle school called you. I didn’t mean to sound insensitive,” Hwa put his hand on top of yours in a gentle, comforting manner.

“It’s fine when if you say it,” you smiled. “I won’t get offended.”

“I was going to say my friend’s crush is intelligent like you but, oh well.”

“That does sound better, I admit,” you giggled.

“She’s also a bit shy and introverted so maybe she wouldn’t enjoy a public promposal. Crowds tend to make her nervous,” Seonghwa observed.

“Seems like you didn’t need my help after all,” you scoffed playfully.

“No, I do! I still haven’t come up with an actual way to propose. I mean, for my friend.”

“Right. Your friend. Well, he can’t go wrong with some poetry under her balcony. If she has one, that is.”

“I’m pretty sure she does.” Seonghwa smirked. “Alright, thanks.”

He jumped from his seat, not even having finished his lunch.

“Wait, where are you going?”

“I gotta prepare my friend’s promposal,” he shrugged and disappeared from your sight, leaving you a bit crest-fallen. If he was intending on asking you, he wouldn’t have turned to you for help, right? That would sorta ruin the element of surprise, wouldn’t it? And yet, you knew that Seonghwa wasn’t the type to care about people’s opinions and randomly ask a more popular girl out because of public demand. And he definitely wasn’t the kind of person to just date you for kicks and then ditch you at prom. Despite those very logical reasons, you couldn’t help but feel a little anxious.

A week later, you realized all your worries had been for nothing. It was a Sunday morning and you had just finished having breakfast with your family. You were leisurely reading on your bed when you heard some suspicious noises coming from your window. You looked up from your book and you could swear you saw tiny rocks hitting the glass! You jumped up angrily, half-expecting to find a bunch of neighbour kids pulling a prank. But you were surprised when you spotted your boyfriend standing under your balcony. Wearing his iconic green hoodie.

“What are you doing here?” you whispered, though a hopeful part of you already knew the answer.

“But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,” he recited diligently in a song-like manner.

You couldn’t help but chuckle at his overdramatic acting but it was the effort that touched you immensely.

“And none but fools do wear it; cast it off. It is my lady, O, it is my love! O, that she knew she were!” he continued sweetly.

You were so in love with this man it was insane.

“Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, Having some business, do entreat her eyes To twinkle in their spheres till they return,” Seonghwa kept going.

You couldn’t resist the urge to leap off the balcony. It was just the second floor so what could possibly go wrong? Other than a scraped knee and a bit of a limp. God, you were such an idiot.

“Shit, are you okay?” Seonghwa asked in terror and wrapped his arms around you.

“The excruciating pain is worth it if I get to hug you like this,” you grinned, leaning against him for support.

“Why couldn’t you just walk down the stairs like a normal person?”

“And what’s romantic about that?” you joked. “Jumping off a balcony makes for a much better story.”

“You’re impossible.”

“Only for you, my sweet Frogmeo!” you teased and kissed his cheek.

“Wait, I wasn’t finished!” Seonghwa exclaimed excitedly, not bothering to act offended about your obsession with him and that Kermit hoodie. “There was something about cheeks, I swear.”

“See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand!” you helped him out dutifully.

“O, that I were a glove upon that hand, That I might touch that cheek!” he finished proudly and placed his palm against your cheek.

“Only you could possibly mix Romeo and Juliet with The Frog Prince and somehow make it work,” you praised him.

“Does that mean you’ll go to prom with me?” Seonghwa tilted his head to the side adorably.

“Of course I will, baby,” you responded happily.

“Thank God, ‘cause learning that monologue drained my soul and brain,” he whistled playfully.

“You know, you had me worried there for a second,” you confessed reluctantly, because you didn’t want to keep any secrets from your doting boyfriend.

“When?” Seonghwa asked in confusion.

“Lunchtime. A week ago. When you asked me for advice. I thought that...”

“That I would ask someone else?” he correctly guessed your suspicions. And you nodded. “Have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?”

“No, you’re perfect. In fact, too perfect. It makes me feel like I don’t deserve you.”

Seonghwa smiled sadly and kissed the top of your head. But he wasn’t angry with you. Just wanted to erase those silly thoughts from your mind.

“You deserve so much more, princess. But I’ll try my best to give you all I can.”

“As will I,” you promised and mischievously pulled the drawstrings on his hoodie, making his face squished adorably.

“If this is the best you’re capable of, I dread to see your worst,” he shook his head in amusement.

“Prince Frogmeo and the Nerdy Princess,” you sighed wistfully. “That would make a hell of a fairy tale, wouldn’t it?”

“How about Kermit the Frog whoops the Princess’s ass for being a brat?” Seonghwa threatened jokingly.

“You know what? I wouldn’t say no to that,” you giggled and started running away from him. “If you catch me first!”

Prom night arrived and despite all the preparations and excitements around it, it was nothing special in itself. What made it special, however, were the moments you spent with Seonghwa. Just dancing and talking seemed to be enough to make your heart leap with joy. And the smile never left your face the entire night.

“School’s really ending, huh?” you spoke aloud without thinking, while you were swaying slightly to the music in your boyfriend’s arms.

“This isn’t the end of us. We’ll go to college, we’ll grow up. The best is yet to come, darling.”

“You know what I meant,” you replied, a hint of sadness tinging your tone. “In college, I’ll study Literature, you’ll study Music. We’ll no longer be able to sit next to each other in class or exchange notes or hold hands under the desk.”

“We’ll do all sorts of other things,” Seonghwa responded cheerfully, trying to think positive. “We’ll have study dates in college, we’ll visit new restaurants and make more memories together. Just because high school is over, doesn’t mean we are. I’m not giving up on my best friend ever.”

“Your girlfriend,” you corrected him playfully.

“My best friend,” he repeated. “You were right. Being in love with each other doesn’t nullify our friendship. Both are equally important to me. You are the most important to me.”

“God, Hwa, how can you say such things so easily?”

“Is your heart fluttering?” your boyfriend and best friend teased you, swirling you around while dancing. You were met with his beautiful dark gaze again as he murmured: “Hi, princess.”

“H-hi, S-seonghwa,” you chuckled in response.

And you were finally home.

The End

[prettywordsyouleft]

Forsaken | Part 1

Summary: As one of the Forsaken, Jinyoung had no right to covet anything as his own. When he stumbles across you standing in the middle of the village he had plundered, the memories of old make him risk it all, clutching at the past in hopes for a better future.

Pairing: Park Jinyoung x reader

Genre: warrior au / star crossed lovers / angst / romance

Warnings: death, kidnapping, cursing, a myriad of emotions - this is a really sad love story.

Index: Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15

It was a mistake to let his emotions take hold of him. In the face of danger, Jinyoung had been taught to follow orders and leave nothing to chance. He had men he had to account for despite the many lives he left to their ill-fate. It was a crooked way of thinking, though he often tried not to do such a thing when carrying out a task for the Rebellion. The more he thought, the harder it was to walk away from the sins he committed.

It had started with petty crimes, taking money from those in power. He had been able to cope with such requests, anything to keep his head above water.

Or better yet, still upon his shoulders.

For a man who had no home or family to call his own, Jinyoung was far too selfish to survive. So pulling off stunts as he had meant he steadily rose in the ranks to the front line.

He remembered his first proper test as a commander for the Rebellion as if it were yesterday. The screams of those who lost their homes, their deaths haunting him in his slumber for weeks after. It didn’t grow easier with each plunder, though he had grown colder.

He was able to sleep some nights.

Yet when he saw you standing there in the face of danger, stricken by fear and uncertainty, Jinyoung had moved faster than he should have. You were a variable he hadn’t ever expected to cross over in these parts of the country, believing you were still nestled in the township he had left you behind in.

It was him who was meant to be but a ghost to you and yet here you were, fractured images rushing to his mind as he strode through the fires, through the travesty towards you.

Your voice calling his name in his mind urged him to move faster, almost running to your side, barricading you within his arms when a part of a porch began to fall around you. The shock seemed to put you in a stupor, long enough for Jinyoung to tie his mask around your eyes, shielding you from seeing anything more.

You were from a world of light. The idea that you had seen the darkness thus far made him desperate to remove you. He hoisted you up, surprised that you didn’t fight him any. You weren’t limp in his arms, rather, your hands clung to the collar of his shirt, making Jinyoung clamp his eyes shut, trying to avoid the memories that flashed through his mind.

Did you know it was him already? You were too complacent and he was shaking as he carried you to safety. What was he even doing? You believed him to be dead, like he was meant to be all along.

Those of the Forsaken were just like that. Someone who had nothing surely shouldn’t have you.

His hands tightened around you with this thought, coveting you, keeping you for himself. The selfish need to have something more as his own, someone he craved regardless of the consequences meant he placed you down on the cart alongside some of the trinkets that had been taken from the homes before they were set alight. Jinyoung almost laughed at how ridiculous this was.

Still, you were worth more than anything that they had found here.

“Boss, we don’t take prisoners.”

Glancing at his subordinate, Jinyoung glared. “She’s no prisoner.”

“But-”

“BamBam’s new, he doesn’t get it,” another mentioned, his eyes dark, regarding Jinyoung as if he could read all of his thoughts this way. Jackson then smiled grimly. “Shall we set off? There’s nothing left but ruins now.”

Jinyoung looked down at you, cowering and coughing as you shook. He took off his coat and threw it over you, covering you completely. With you out of sight, he took the first controlled breath since he had arrived at this damned place. Nodding to his second in command, Jinyoung moved to the horse tethered to the tree beside him. “We can return to base now. Our mission here is complete.”

“Don’t you wonder what life will be like ahead of us?”

Looking at you, Jinyoung shook his head, a smile spreading out his lips. “No, why should we?”

“Well, they say we’ll live for a lot of years, if we stay healthy that is. I want to live a good life.”

“Aren’t you now?” he wondered and you grinned at him. “I thought you said you couldn’t be happier now if you tried.”

“Since meeting you, life sure has been different,” you agreed, leaning in closer, your hand reaching for the collar of his shirt, anchoring yourself in preparation for the heady experience of kissing him. Jinyoung licked along the bottom of his lip with bated breath for the same moment to come crashing upon him. You inched closer. “Saving you was the best thing I’ve ever done.”

Jinyoung shook his head, dislodging the memory from going any further than that. Looking to the cart where you had remained hidden, he wondered why you had to reappear in front of him now in this part of his life. He had never thought of the future, knowing from his upbringing, having one was impossible to hope for.

Still, he hadn’t wished for this kind of life for either of you. Or for you to cross paths again.

“Will you speak of her to me?” Jackson asked as he rode alongside Jinyoung, casting the man a hard look. “She’s that girl, isn’t she?”

“That girl is long dead to me.”

“Yet you take someone hostage like this? You know the risks you just took with us all,” Jackson continued, tilting his head to the side. “You wouldn’t-”

“Will you tell of my deceit?” Jinyoung pressed and was relieved to see the man shake his head immediately. He then grew annoyed. Jinyoung didn’t want to be in a situation where he should feel relieved after what they had done earlier in the day.

“Still, you owe me-”

“Owe you?” Jinyoung asked, smirking even. “The term of owing you-”

“Fine, fine! I won’t even ask!” Jackson cut in hastily, throwing one of his hands up in the air. “I’ll never speak of my debt in life to you again!”

Jinyoung chuckled. “If you keep my secret, I will see us as even.”

“What will you do with her?”

That, Jinyoung didn’t quite know how to answer. He had acted on impulse, the youthful version of himself mustering up more strength in that moment than the man he had become. Now you were a weight he would have to carry for the rest of his or your existence.

However long that may be.

As he searched for any signs of regret, he didn’t find them. Swallowing, Jinyoung shrugged in response. “What should I do with her?”

“It depends on her worth. We could trade her,” Jackson offered and Jinyoung laughed.

“She has no assets that we could use to our advantage in a trade.”

“Can she cook?”

Jinyoung smiled as another memory came to mind. “Some.”

“Then she can feed our men! Surely you can admit that Youngjae is no good at feeding us.”

“I normally step in to help salvage what he brews,” Jinyoung agreed, chuckling with his friend. His humour eased off, his eyes flickering back to your hidden form. Would your future be secure at the camp? He sighed.

Whatever it would be, Jinyoung knew he would carry you without complaint. You had wanted a good life, and whilst he knew that would be far from the cards now, you would still have a life.

And he hoped being alive would be enough for you. For now, at least.

The rest of the journey was spent singing along with his comrades or talking up ahead with Jackson. Jinyoung knew you had grown alert to those around you, despite making no attempt to move. It intrigued him, he had not once shackled you to the cart, and yet you acted as if you were tied down, unable to escape even if you tried.

However, he didn’t trust himself around you just yet, moving away so he couldn’t even look over his shoulder to check on you. He was in the company of men who thought highly of him as their leader. The last thing he needed to do was show a vulnerability that could lead to an uprising within his own battalion.

By the time the camp came into view, Jinyoung was exhausted. He threw his leg over the neck of his horse and leapt down from its back, landing with more of a thud than usual. It was early morning and most of those who were stationed here would be still asleep. It was the perfect time for Jinyoung to grab you and take you into his home, away from prying eyes and unnecessary questions.

He was more than certain you would have many of your own once you came to your senses.

The mere thought of you recognising him sent a surge through him, ending the squabbling over what to do with you between Yugyeom and BamBam, his order silencing that of his team. Jackson patted him on the shoulder before tasking his comrades with collecting the booty they had come away with.

Jinyoung moved you swiftly towards his home. His heart pounded with every step, your body slumping into his side effortlessly. Keeping his gaze forward and his grip tight around you, he soon had you out of the light and deep within his home. No one else would enter such a place without his command to do so, and yet he was still frazzled, laying you down and then dashing around the room for supplies, for some sense of order.

It was when he realised that you had succumbed to your exhaustion that he too sunk down to the ground, sitting in the middle of his room and staring over at you.

“Why did you spare me?”

“Spare you?”

He nodded. “I stole your compass, did I not?”

“Should I cut your hand off then?”

“Perhaps,” he offered, hesitant of your complacency. He watched as you tilted your head to the side, a smile soon growing upon your lips.

“Everyone needs saving in life. Don’t you?”

“I shouldn’t. I’m not meant to be saved.”

“Really? Why not?”

He rubbed at his neck awkwardly, not knowing why he was telling you, a complete stranger and one that he had just stolen from none the less, about himself. It was a rule he had long kept ever since he had been labelled a Forsaken. “No one cares for me.”

You blinked a couple of times before reaching out to hold his hand. “Well let’s change that, shall we? I’ll care about you.”

“Who are you to show me that?”

“Me? Why I’m Y/N. And who are you?”

“I don’t have a name.”

“That’s so absurd, why wouldn’t you have a name?!” you exclaimed, your brows knitting together when you realised of his situation. You smiled instantly. “Ah, I see. Well, why don’t I give you a name?”

“You-you would?”

“Of course! Everyone should have a name.”

“Why?”

“How else am I meant to call for you?” you answered with a giggle and he smiled for the first time. You mirrored his gesture and then placed a finger to your mouth in thought. “Hm, how about Jinyoung? After all, I found you here at the Jinru Bridge.”

“Where do you get the young part from?”

“Because we are young, silly! And I hope you can feel the freedom of being young forever, Jinyoung.”

“Are you sure that’s a good name for me?”

“I like it,” you said with a pout, offended that he seemed unimpressed with your choice. He shook his hands dismissively before smiling at you again. “I’m Jinyoung?”

“Why don’t you go stand over by that tree,” you offered and he frowned. You laughed and ushered him off. Jarringly, he obeyed your request and jogged over to the tree. Before he could do anything else, he heard you call out his new name, instinctively making him turn to look at you.

You grinned as you called out his name repeatedly, his heart now jumping around in his chest as he laughed in response.

It was then that he realised he had finally met someone who might actually care for him for the first time in his entire existence. He felt warm, and as you continued to smile at him, he knew he would do anything to remain at your side.

_________________

Part 2

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More Than Friends ||

Chp. 35

Masterlist

CEO!Jaehyun AU x Reader

College Student!Jaemin AU x Reader

Summary: After a complicated relationship with the infamous CEO, you want nothing more than to live your life as a normal college student; however, Mr. CEO just can’t let you go.

{ Previous / Next }

Slowly tearing your eyelids open, you found yourself wrapped up in Mark’s bed. A bead of sweat began to roll down the side of your face. The heat aggravated you, so you flung the bedsheets off you. The first thing your mind went to was your phone. You found your bag on the bedside table and dug desperately for your device. 

A numerous amount of notifications flooded your screen when you turned it on. You saw all the texts your friends sent filled with concern, but you couldn’t help but scroll through the many hate comments on your social media. A wave of online news mentioned you and Jaehyun, most of them containing harsh and negative criticism. 

Your eyes began to water, suddenly, a stream of tears fell down your face. Sadness and insecurity took over you, feeling helpless as a heavy flood of tears soaked your skin. 

Gold digger

Slut

Whore

These words repetitively hit your eyes and shot at your heart. You didn’t understand why everyone hated the two of you together. The more comments you read, the more useless you felt. 

You did this to Jaehyun. You turned a perfectly fine man into a scandalous bachelor and crushed his life. 

The dizzy feeling started to come back to you and you felt like you were surrounded by mirrors in a bathroom all over again. You thought to yourself: No, I can’t do this anymore. I’ve ruined everyone I love. My parents, my ex-boyfriend, and now Jaehyun.

More tears fell down your face as you read the texts Jaehyun sent. You battled with your emotions and logic, and finally, you took the courage to officially end both of your pain. Typing your final words to Jaehyun, you pressed the send button.

I won’t let anyone get hurt because of me anymore. Just like the others, it’s only right to let Jaehyun go as well. I’m certain. But why does my heart feel this way?

You shook your head, ignoring the aching of your heart. Gently moving your limbs, you tried to touch the slippers lying on the hard floor beside you. The bed creaked and almost immediately, Mark zoomed pass the door and offered you his help. 

“Watch out little girl. You just fainted, stop trying to move so much,” he warned you with concern.

You smiled weakly as you stood up.

As soon as Mark made eye contact with you, he knew something was wrong. He asked with worry, “Y/n what happened? Did you cry??”

Turning away from Mark, you wiped your tear-stained face. You told him softly with exhaustion evident in your voice, “It’s nothing...”

Mark walked you to the living room couch and sighed as he went to grab a glass of water for you. The room was dead silent, the only noise was the water hitting the bottom of the glass cup. You turned towards the kitchen and stared at Mark, waiting for him to say something. Handing you the glass, he hesitantly said, “Jaehyun and Jaemin found the culprit, and the reporters bombarded Jaehyun,” he let out a huff of exhaustion and continued, “including the chairman of Starship.”

His final words sent a sharp dagger towards your heart. Guilt started to eat you out alive. You chewed at your bottom lip and mumbled towards the floor, “I really did ruin everything for him...”

Mark caught your words and glared at you, “Are you serious right now, y/n?” He started angrily lecturing you, “After all that you went through, you’re still thinking about others? Don’t you see that none of this was your fault?? You need to start thinking about what’s good for yourself, how great of a person you are, and how you do not deserve to be put on the spot like that.” He shook his head and chuckled a bit to himself, “Shit if liking each other is a scandal, then more than 80% of the world is scandalous. Society is dumb, and you need to understand that your relationship did nothing to harm him or you. If anything, the relationship made both of you a better version of yourselves.”

He sat down next to you and grabbed your shoulder, “Listen here dummy, I don’t want to ever see you cry like this. Seeing you in this wrecked up state kills me too.” He then looked down at his feet, softly saying, “So just know whatever I do is because I want you to be happy, ok?”

Completely ignoring Mark’s question, you asked him, “Who was the culprit?”

He scoffed, “Did you even hear anything that I just said?”

You asked him again, this time with more seriousness, “Who. Did. This.”

Taken aback by your reaction, he replied, “That rich chick, Emily Ahn.”

You furrowed your eyebrows, “Are you serious...what is wrong with her?”

Mark looked at you with confusion, “You know her?”

Laughing, you replied, “Oh yeah. She made out with Jaehyun and then poisoned me.”

He looked at you as if you were crazy, “Wait and you’re still alive, how? And you’re so calm about this, why?”

“Becaus-” Suddenly the door opened and you both turned around to see who the guest was. 

When you saw the familiar, wavy brown haired boy, you looked at Mark with shock. 

“Oh my god, y/n. You scared the shit outta me. Are you ok?” Your brother dropped his luggage and ran in the direction of the couch, enveloping you into a tight hug. 

“I-I’m fine... Why are you here? Weren’t you in LA?” You asked him, startled by his sudden appearance.

Mark confessed guiltily, “I was worried about you and Xiaojun was freaking out on the other end, so I had to tell him. Sorry...”

Your brother replied sarcastically as he unwrapped his arms around you, “As if I’m going to stay there when the media is bashing on my baby sis.”

Mark sighed and told Xiaojun, “Hyung, she just woke up. Just give her a break before we dive into the haters' situation.”

Your brother’s eyes softened when he looked at you, “Do me a favor sis and don’t look at your phone, yeah?”

You rolled your eyes, “Dejun, really? You don’t have to baby me, I get haters from my photography job all the time. Plus, you guys are a bit too late.” You waved your phone in the air and sighed, “I’ve seen everything there is to see.”

He sighed and gently placed a hand on your arm, “Are you ok sis..”

Mark tried his best to cover for you, knowing your brother gets too overprotective of you. He stood up and assured Xiaojun, “Please, do you actually believe your sister is that weak? She’s the strongest person I know, those haters don’t affect her. You got nothing to worry about.”

Even though you noticed Mark sounding a bit off, you gave him a small smile. You were grateful to have Mark on your side. He may be blunt at times, but no matter what, he always supports you and lifts you up at your lowest points. It’s been hard finding someone other than your brother to be there for you, especially since he’s always moving all over the world.

However, Xiaojun wasn’t dumb. He knew his little sister all too well. He also had Soyeon fill him in on everything that he missed. He knew that his sister acted tough and cold-hearted, but in fact, she is actually the kindest, most soft-hearted person in the world.

It might have seemed that he had always carried out his duty as an older brother, but supporting himself and you, his little sister, at the young age of 6 was nearly impossible. He wouldn’t have made it out sane if you hadn’t shown such consideration to his mistakes and personality.

Your brother was a person who likes to constantly move around. Never had he stayed put in one place, ever. Despite his tendencies, you followed him and supported him in everything he did. That’s how you discovered your passion for photography. You wanted to document every place you’ve been to and every memory you shared with him.

Xiaojun sighed as he thought of all the torment you been through. Yet, you still stay strong for him. He didn’t deserve you and he knew that, but it was his god-given gift that he could make sure you lived a life without worries. He got up and told you, “Let’s go sis. We’re getting far away from here.”

You chuckled a bit, missing your adventurous brother, “Ok, where to?”

He pulled you up and pushed you towards the front door, “First, we are revisiting our special place. Then, we are going to your house to get your belongings and passport.”

Stopping to turn towards Mark, he shouted, “Bye lil bro! I’ll keep you updated!”

Mark let a chuckle of relief, “Have fun, you two.”

~~~

You felt a wave of relief wash over you after leaving the playground that you’ve both often visited as children. Catching up with Xiaojun and his adventures made you realize why your brother does what he does. At times, you wished you could live like him. Whenever he felt upset or unhappy with himself, he’d look for self-improvement and content by visiting other countries and meeting new people. It was his way of coping with the abandonment of your parents.

But you were different. You always longed for stability. Yes, you wanted to live independently and free from commitments, but the longer you got to know Jaehyun, the longer you realized that stability can be offered even through the horrors of commitment. He made you realize that maybe your parents were just lost. They couldn’t offer you stability because they didn’t understand it themselves.

You felt stable with Jaehyun. You felt like everything bad in the world would disappear as long as you’re with him. However, you were afraid he wouldn’t feel the same way, especially after last night’s debacle.

Water started to fill the brim of your eyes as you closed your suitcase and headed to leave your apartment. You made Xiaojun wait in the car and hurriedly left, afraid you might bump into Lucas.

Your heart felt heavier and heavier as you got closer to the airport terminals. A part of you wanted to stay and run back to Jaehyun, but the memories of the ballroom and the media made you walk faster towards the gates. You told yourself that you can start over if you just follow Xiaojun. You can meet new people and start a new life where it doesn’t involve ruining the career of the man you love.

———

• This was rather short but still angsty. This isn’t soft hours, it’s sad hours *cue the evil cackling* •

• Stream BOOM 💥 •

[selenesushiart]

Mistletoe

Summary:  Christmas 1904. The US Legation was holding a Christmas party this year. As a child in America, Eugene celebrated Christmas by going to church in the morning with Joseph. In the army, the officers celebrated with partying, drinking and dancing with the ladies. Eugene was the only Asian there and was usually the odd one out. This year in Joseon, things might different or ending up the same with him ending up as a lonely foreigner and not fitting in. Little did he knew, a certain noblewoman decided to attend the party that day.

A/N:  I do not own the TV Show, Mr. Sunshine. It belongs to TVN & Netflix. This work is purely for fun and its Christmas time so why not.

 I have a Mamma Mia AU I'm working on. I'm still debating should I post it or not. Please comment below if you want me to.

 Thank you to @lukeswerrthing and @softwjs for being a total inspiration and posting your work here. I know I wouldn’t share this if you guys didn’t post yours here too. 

“I still don't understand why Mr. Allan wants to hold a Christmas party at the legation,” said Eugene as he adjusted his bow tie for the third time in his office. That evening Eugene wore a gentleman's suit with his top hat and bow tie which he had to custom made here just for this occasion.

Apparently, the US Legation was holding a Christmas party this year. As a child in America, Eugene celebrated Christmas by going to church in the morning with Joseph. Then he offs running errands on the streets earning extra cash. In the army, the officers celebrated with partying, drinking and dancing with the ladies. Eugene was the only Asian there and was usually the odd one out. Kyle, bless his soul, tried to accompany him, but he too would be whisked away to a somewhere else.

This year in Joseon, things might different or ending up the same with him ending up as a lonely foreigner and not fitting in. He wishes to sit this party out. Unfortunately, Eugene as the acting consul and the marine captain, he had no choice but to attend.

“Tension is high right now. Especially the fact that the US army will be here to stay. We need to improve the diplomatic relationship between the people of Joseon and the foreigners here. To show we are friendly,” said Major Kyle “ and what better way to do that than to hold a party!”

Eugene rolled his eyes. “We all know what's the US intention here is for. They don't even celebrate Christmas here. What if they don't like it? ”

Major Kyle kept quiet for a while. He looked out the window. Guests are slowly starting to come into the legation. “Yes, but a little party won't hurt anyone.” Kyle wrapped his arm around Eugene's shoulders and dragging him out his office. “Come along now, Captain Eugene Choi,”

“Yes, sir.”

That evening the legation was decorated with red, green and white ribbons. Lanterns were lighted up and hung from the rooftops. They couldn't find a Christmas tree. So they took the tree at the middle of the legation and decorated it with ribbons and candles. Boxes of presents were placed under it, probably for the children coming in later.

Rows of tables filled with food are placed to one side. Gwan So was setting things up, carrying trays of food from the kitchens and arranging them there, Do Mi following him at his tail.

“Looks good, Gwan So,” said Kyle.

“Thank you, sir,” he replied. Then Gwan So looked nervously at the tables. The tables were piled with the usual food you come to expect at Christmas: mashed potatoes, pies, cakes, roast vegetables…

“It just that I couldn't find a turkey like Mr. Allan wanted. So I asked the chef to find the biggest chicken they have in the market,” said Gwan So. He pointed at the average-sized roast chicken, “I just hope he couldn't tell,”

Major Kyle laughed, Eugene suppressed a smile. As they walked to the entrance, Eugene turns to Gwan So. He asked in Korean “So who has Mr. Allan invented tonight?”

“Most of the westerners in Han Seong, some noble families, and officers here in Joseon,” he replied. “ Also Ms. Stella and her students from the English school.”

Eugene stumbles “Excuse me?”

“Here they are now!” Said Gwan So pointed to the entrance.

The English teacher, Ms. Stella bowed the gentlemen.

“Merry Christmas, I'm Stella from the English school here in Han Seong. And these are my students.” Said Ms. Stella, as she gestured to her students behind her.

Major Kyle and Captain Eugene both introduced themselves and gave their wishes. The students each introduced themselves to the men but their names glazed over Eugene's mind. He was distracted and kept eyeing around hoping to see a certain noblewoman.

Finally, he asked, “Are any more of your students coming, Ms. Stella?”

Ms. Stella looked around her students doing a headcount and then turns to her teaching assistant and asked “ It seems like one of them isn't here. Where is she anyway? I thought she's coming today, ”

The teaching assistant answered “She may be on her way here in her palanquin. The traffic tonight is a bit heavy.” Then she turned around and said, “There she is!”

Eugene saw a palanquin carried by four men entered the legation. The men put down the palanquin at the door. The Lady stepped out of the palanquin. Eugene's heart skipped a beat. She wore a beautiful hanbok with a white top and a bright red dress. Silver jewelry was pinned at the side of her hair. She walked towards them with her servants accompanying her. She greeted Ms. Stella and her classmates and turned to the men.

“Major Kyle Moore of the US Marines Corps, ” Kyle introduced himself.

He took out his hand. Ae Shin gave hers in return to shake it. Then he did something she didn't expect. He flipped her hand and brought it to his lips. “I'll say, my lady, you look like an angel fallen from the sky, ”

Confused, she turns to Eugene for translation.

“He said you look like a goddess who came down from the heavens,” He translated to Korean.

“Ah.” Ae Shin exclaimed “ Thank You,”

Eugene cleared his throat, Kyle finally let go of her hand and flashed a brilliant smile. Confused, she turns to Eugene for translation.

“He said you look like a goddess who came down from the heavens,” He translated to Korean.

“Ah.” Ae Shin exclaimed “ Thank You,”

“I see you two have met,” said Kyle.

“Yes, A few times,” said Eugene. He gave Kyle the cold shoulder. He switched to Korean and said to her “I hope you don't mind my friend, he's a flirt.”

She giggled, “No harm done. Tho I much preferred it coming from your lips,”

Eugene's face got even redder. He reminded himself that he needed to be professional tonight as a host. He coughed and then gestured the group inwards. In perfect English, he said “Please enjoy yourselves this evening. We have some food and drinks prepared.”

“Thank you, Captain.” said Ms. Stella “Come along now girls,”

The students began shuffling around following Ms. Stella’s lead. Ae Shin gave a small smile at Eugene's direction. And then she and her entourage followed her teacher and classmates into the dining area.

“I think she has an interest in me,” said Kyle smiling. Next, to him, Eugene slapped his shoulder “ No she doesn't,”

Kyle laughed.

“E for Eugene,” The teaching assistant said in a sing-song voice next to Ae Shin.

They were lining up at the buffet table to get some food. Ae Shin did not recognize any of the food on the table. She can only guess what the food made of. Is that chicken? What is that lumpy stuff with the green peas? In the end, Ae Shin picked up the sweet treats brought here from the bakery.

Ae Shin turns toward her threaten to lift up her plate of food “Stop it.”

Apparently, the teaching assistant never forgot Ae Shin's little slip-up and had been teasing her about it ever since.

“Come on… Is he the guy asked you to do love with him,”

“I don't know what you are talking about, He's a stranger, I know nothing about him,”

“He seems interested in you from the way he was looking at you,”

“Well, I'm not,” Ae Shin lied.

“Right. You're engaged to Master Kim,” she said, “A shame. Captain Choi is good looking and has a high position in the military.”

As the party went on, Eugene stood to one side. He chatted with a few of the guests but never got engaged with the conversation. His focus was on her, the Lady Ae Shin. He stood from afar, occasionally looking for her in the crowds. To him, she was brighter than the evening star and as far as one too. The flame that he dare not step into.

“You know, you should ask her for a dance,” Kyle said next to him.

“Who?” Eugene asked.

“That noblewoman, you're courting. You should ask her for a dance.” Kyle said again.

Music was playing in the background. A romantic melody to dance to. The gentleman started inviting ladies to dance with them. Mostly the westerners were dancing with their wife while the bachelors asked other women to join them too.

Eugene wanted to. God only knew how much he wanted to. But during all those time they spent together, they were never public. They ate separately, spending time together in remote places where no one can see them. They belonged to a different social class, different countries. Them being together was controversial. The fact that she was engaged to someone else publicly did not help.

“I don't know,” Eugene said. “This is Joseon. They aren't public with relationships,”

“It just a dance. Everyone's doing it. It doesn't have to mean anything. Where's your Christmas spirit Eugene?” Kyle said.

Eugene laughed, “Dancing is a spirit of Christmas?”

“You get the idea.” Kyle retorted. “Well if you're not going to do it. I think Officer Robert will.”

Kyle pointed to Officer Robert’s direction with his beer bottle. Knowing Officer Robert, he would want to dance with the most beautiful lady in the party. And that would be the Lady Ae Shin. Since they were off duty, Robert and his comrades were goofing around each other. One pointed at the Lady's direction and clapped Robert’s shoulder to encourage him. Much to Eugene's horror he started to walk towards her direction.

“Hold my beer,” Eugene said and handed it to Kyle. Eugene never paced this fast in his life. When he finally reached them, he saw Officer Robert chatting her up.

“Excuse me, Officer, ” Eugene said to him.

The Officer was surprised to see him.

“Yes, Captain?” he asked.

“Major Kyle wishes to speak with you,” said Eugene.

“But sir I am in a middle of something, sir,” he said.

“Now, Officer,” Eugene commanded. Not daring to offend his Captain, Officer Robert immediately stood up straight. He gave a salute and marched away.

Finally, Eugene could focus on the star of the night. She looked up at him with a face of innocence her eyes were bright. A little pout appeared on her lips.

“Yes? Captain,"

“Will you...will you like to have a dance with me?” Eugene asked.

“A dance?”

“Yes. With me. Do it with me,” Eugene confirmed and reached out his hand.

Beside her, the teaching assistant gasped. Ms. Hamman gripped her mistress’ arm warning her not to. But Ae Shin was lost in his eyes, in his sincerity. The logic part of herself warned her not to, they were in public. What happens if words got out…

But her heart, oh her heart… was making millions of excuses all to spend this beautiful night with him. Not just stealing glances at each other for afar. She wanted to be in his arm, to be whisk away to some faraway place.

Unconsciously she reached out her hand and accepted his.

“My lady!” someone said in the background.

The voice was muffled to her ears like she was underwater. Dark and murky. The only source of light was Eugene's bright smile. Her warmth, her sunshine.

Eugene guided her to the dance floor. They stood to face each other. He was so close she could hear him breathing.

“I don't know how to dance,” Ae Shin exclaimed.

“Don't worry. Just follow my lead and try not to step on my toes,” Eugene said.

He guided one of her arms to wrap around his shoulder and then he placed a hand on her hips. He held her other hand and extended it. And then he moved to one side. She followed.

Just like that, they were dancing. People started to point at them, whispering. Even so, Ae Shin didn't care. Everything seems to fade away when she was with him. The crowds, the noise, the music all disappeared. All she saw was Eugene, his soft eyes, strong jawline and his strong arms holding her oh so gently.

“You're a fast learner” Eugene pointed out.

“Well, I have a good teacher. Do you dance with many girls in America?

“No. Not many are willing to dance with an Asian man. Interracial relationships are illegal there,”

“I'm sorry to hear.” Ae Shin said and slowly back away from him. “ Not much different from our current situation I guess. I'm sorry, maybe we should-”

Eugene gripped her tighter. He pulled her so close their chests met. She could feel his heart beating.

“No. It's okay. Technically we're on American soil. So the laws don't apply here, ” Eugene said.

“But still. What happens if people found out. About you, about us, ”

“They won't. Even so, you're worth risking for.”

She leaned her head into his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. They moved slowly to the soft music, Ae Shin trusted Eugene to guide her through the dance floor.

She spoke softly “Please don't ever risk yourself me. After that incident with that Japanese soldier, I was so worried. I.I.”

“I'm glad you do. I can't make any promises. But I can promise this. I'll be careful if I do so. I want to have the best time with you while we still can.” Eugene's hand gripped hers tighter.

“You reckless man,” was the only thing she could say to him.

Eugene laughed.

Snow started falling lightly from the sky. The dance was paused Mr. Allan began on his Christmas speech. Eugene wasn't listening much to it. Ae Shin was standing next to him, Eugene wanted nothing to spend time with her privately without the prying eyes of the visitors. He laced his hand with hers, she hitched with surprise. Eugene placed a finger on his lips, signaling her to be quiet. When no one was noticing, they away out from the crowd. They walked together around the legation, avoiding crowded places and just enjoying each other company.

Ae Shin laughed at his jokes and rolled her eyes when he teased her. She never felt so happy and carefree before. Being with Eugene was like that, she able to let down her guard and facade. As a noblewoman from pretentious family, her aunt constantly drilled in her that Ae Shin had an image to uphold.

Hui Seong saw her as a beautiful flower. Dong Mae saw her as his savior who was an ignorant noble. Eugene saw past that. Since that fateful night on the rooftops, Eugene viewed her as the most unique woman in the world.

He looked past the layers Ae Shin hide in. Eugene was curious, he started to poke around, peeling layer by layer. She got curious too. Ae Shin wanted to know more about this strange foreign man. She studied English so that she could learn his name. She let him peel into her heart.

Once she discovered his origin, she realized the hard steps he took to be with her even just for a little while. He made her realized her fight for Joseon wasn't just for herself or to preserve it but to create a safe place for the people she loved to live in. He didn't just peel off her layers, he brought her into the sunlight too.

They walked under a tree. It wasn't decorated like the other trees in the legation with lights and ribbons but at its lowest beach hung a bunch of small plants tied together by a red ribbon. Ae Shin looked up and pointed at it.

“What is that thing hang up there?” she asked.

“Mistletoe,” Eugene answered.

“I know. Why is it hanging there?”

“The soldiers probably did it as a joke. In the west, people who stood under a mistletoe must embrace each other with a kiss,” he explained.

“You westerners have such weird customs,” Ae Shin said. A thought appeared in her mind. She closed her eyes facing him.

Eugene looked dumbfounded, “What are you doing?”

Then he realized it. The mistletoe was hanging on top of them. Ae Shin was tip toeing. Eugene's face grew hot.

Embarrassed, Ae Shin turned around and started to walk away. “Clearly you don't want to,”

“Wait-Wait-” before she could walk any further, Eugene grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. She looked up at him with an annoyed expression.

They were still new in their relationship. There were so many things they hadn't done, wanted to do and didn't dare to do. Eugene didn't want to overstep any boundaries she might have.

He cupped her face with his hand, “You sure about this?”

She nodded and closed her eyes again. Eugene hesitated, his hand held her waist tightly.

He wondered if he should take another step into the flame. He questioned if he would get burn. Eugene looked at her again more closely. The answer came to him. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. It was short and as light as a feather. They parted, Eugene gave Ae Shin a dazzling smile. She blushed down to her toes. Not wanting it to end, she gathered up more courage. Ae Shin rose higher on her tips toes and grab his face, pulled Eugene in for another kiss. And then another and another... Eugene pulled her closer to him deepening the kiss, all he could think was fireworks.

The end.

[whimsical-ness]

Felon | 02

◇ Link to Masterlist

◇ Baekhyun & Kyungsoo series: 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | ?

◇ Genre: Cop! Ksoo, Criminal! Baek, Crime! AU, inspired by Dhoom 2

◇ Summary: As your life takes a dangerous turn when you get caught between a criminal and a cop, you begin to question how thin the line between good and bad really is.

◇ Word Count: 3.2k

◇ A/N: The robbery scene in this chapter has been taken from the film Dhoom 2, just to clarify! 

“Are you absolutely certain?” asked Kyungsoo for what felt like the 10th time that day.

You rolled your eyes at him. “For God’s sake, Kyungsoo, how many times do I have to say yes before you believe me?”

“I’m just concerned,” he replied, sighing. “I don’t want to put you in a dangerous situation. We can’t predict how this guy will react to our provocation.”

“I’ll be fine,” you assured him, squeezing his hand. “But I’m touched that you care so much.” He snorted in response. “Y/N, I care more than you think. Just because in public I may not show it—”

Just then, Jongin poked his head into Kyungsoo’s office. You immediately sprung away, pulling away your hand from his.

But Jongin seemed unbothered. “The fake letter has been successfully forged,” he announced. “Signed B and everything.”

Kyungsoo stood up, clearing his throat. “Good. Let the news channel know and tell them we need it to be broadcasted to the public tonight. That should give Mr. B a sufficient amount of time to plan his next move.”

“Alright,” replied Jongin, with a nod of his head. “Y/N, you ready?”

You shrugged. “As ready as I can be. Let’s just hope he takes the bait, huh?”

Kyungsoo pursed his lips. “Oh, he will. His ego’s at stake.”

“How are you so sure about him?” you asked curiously. Kyungsoo shook his head. “I just have a knack for pinpointing personality traits,” he said. “And I’ve narrowed it down to cockiness and pride in our mysterious Mr. B. He’ll show up. I’m sure of it.”

Jongin whistled lowly. “This is gonna be one hell of a sham.”

It definitely was.

Within the next few days, the tables were set and the plan was in full motion. The fake letter had been broadcasted to the entire country, prompting everyone to think that Mr. B really was targeting the National Museum. 

There was no way he hadn’t seen the news by now. If his personality really was how Kyungsoo presumed it was, he was going to be there.

The plan was for the robbery to go down that Thursday evening. You were to infiltrate the museum on your own, since going there with the entire police force by your side would look suspicious and would be a dead giveaway of a trap. 

Once you were inside, it was up to you to make your way to the exhibit where the sword was. Kyungsoo had briefed you thoroughly on the layout of the entire museum, and so you were well aware of where you needed to be, and when. You had to be there before Mr. B was, at any cost. The whole plan depended on it. 

From there, well, it was a matter of luring him out to where Kyungsoo would be waiting with the police, ready to catch him in the act.

On paper, it didn’t sound too bad. But you knew it was going to be much harder. One slip in your act could give you away, if you weren’t careful, and then the entire plan would end up a monumental waste of time. 

Which is why, quite understandably, you were nervous. Though you didn’t admit this to Kyungsoo.

Because he seemed to be more nervous than you, even though he wasn’t the one who was going to have to fool Mr. B face to face. He wouldn’t stop going over the details with you, even though you had now basically memorized the entire plan of action. When you told him so, irritated, he managed to twist his nagging into an adorable comment about how he was worried for your safety.

You were never really going to be able to wrap your mind around Do Kyungsoo.

And then, finally, it was D-Day, and you hated that your stomach was churning with anxiety. It didn’t help that the other members of the police force were looking at you with blatant uncertainty on their faces. Though none of them said a word, you knew what they were thinking. That you were going to let them down.

Still, your tried not to let that affect you as you got ready, stepping into and zipping up a sleek black jumpsuit. You’d always wanted to wear one, and you grinned, despite yourself, as you looked in the mirror. And then as the final part of your ensemble, you pulled a black mask over your hair and face, leaving only your eyes uncovered. 

“Can I come in?” came a voice from the either side of the door. You unlocked it and couldn’t hold back a laugh as Kyungsoo jumped slightly. 

“You scared me,” he said, shaking his head. “In that all-black get up you look as though you’re an assassin or something.” “Don’t worry Kyungsoo,” you replied. “No one’s getting killed tonight. Unless someone messes up. That someone being me.”

He sighed then, and reached to pull the mask off your face, leaving your hair ruffled and messy. You blinked in surprise as he gently ran his hand through your hair, tucking it behind your ear and twirling a strand around his finger. “Please just be careful,” he murmured softly. “It doesn’t matter if something goes wrong and we don’t end up catching him. But if something happens to you...”

You snorted. “Oh please. Don’t act as if you’re not going to be disappointed if this doesn’t work. That the only thing you’re worried about is my safety, of all things.”

Kyungsoo frowned. “Of course I’ll be disappointed if we fail. But it’s nothing compared to how I’ll feel if you get hurt because of this. Because I’m the one who got you into this mess.”

You held a breath as he leaned forward, your stomach erupting in butterflies as he pressed a soft kiss to your lips. “I wish you’d stop say things like that,” he mumbled against your mouth “Because I care about you so much. And the most important thing to me right now is that you end up safe when this is over.”

You swallowed, pulling away from him. “Kyungsoo...”

He cleared his throat, turning away from you. “It’s showtime.”

Your heart thumped as you walked into the isolated museum, which had been shut for the day. The security team had been told to clear out for the night, since the police were there instead, and so you were the only one there.

From here on, you were on your own.

The National Museum was located on the outskirts of the city, at the top of a large hill that overlooked the rest of city below. It’s massive architecture meant that only such a far-our location had been suitable for its construction.

But it also meant it was an easy enough target, for a thief as skilled as Mr. B.

Even so, it was going to prove very hard for him to show himself that night. Kyungsoo, Jongin and the rest of the force had surrounded the outside completely. The elevated position of the place meant that the police could see for yards below, and you couldn’t possibly see a way for him to manage to get past them and inside. 

But then again, it would be a mistake to underestimate him. 

You padded through the dark museum halls, keeping silent. You felt almost as though you were intruding on sacred land, as if the ancient artifacts and looming marble statues around you were placing a curse on you, on your life.

You avoided looking anywhere but straight ahead, until finally, you neared what could only be the exhibition. You pushed open the glass door with your breath held, your eyes widening automatically as you took in the glittering riches that were displayed around the room.

From deep red silk, to gold bracelets and amulets, from a lavish set of silverware to a elaborate headpiece dripping with jewels, the exhibit felt like something out of a dream. Your lips parted in awe as you gazed at the surely priceless pieces, your imagination wandering to Ancient India and the emperors who must have reigned in their worlds of luxury and unparalleled glory.

And then, your eyes caught onto arguably the most beautiful treasure in the room. The glittering golden sword, suspended in what looked like mid air, right in the centre of the space. As if in a trance, you moved towards it, its beauty rendering your mind blank. Its sheath was carved with intricate floral patterns, shimmering stones and jewels adorning the sides. 

How strange, you thought, that a weapon meant for war was crafted so delicately. It looked much too beautiful to even touch, let alone be used to cut down the enemy. The thought of blood running down it’s glinting blade sent goosebumps across your skin.

Hesitantly, you lifted your arm, your fingers reaching out to touch it, the desire to hold it in your hand too strong for you to think straight.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Your heart stopped as you whirled around. A slender figure was leaning against one of the glass displays. Fully clothed in black, face masked leaving only a pair of dark brown eyes gazing back at you.

It was him. Mr. B.

Your mind began to spin. How had he got inside? How had Kyungsoo and the others completely missed him? And how had even you not heard him enter the room? 

Wordlessly, he walked towards you, his eyes fixated on the sword behind you. You swallowed, not taking your eyes off him. You weren’t going to be fooled twice.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” he mused, glancing at you. “I don’t blame you for wanting to touch it. To want to feel the jewels with your own fingers, to feel like royalty yourself.”

You said nothing, staring at him. His voice was smooth, like melted honey, and your heart skipped unevenly.

“But, you see, it’s not something you can just touch. There’s more to it than meets the eye.” Your eyes must have given away your curiosity, because the next thing you knew, he was flicking out a pair of sleek black glasses, offering them to you. 

Unconsciously, your head lifted to glance at the cameras you knew were on the ceiling. But you realized with a start there was no tell-tale red light signalling that they were working.

“Oh, don’t worry about the cameras,” he said smoothly. “I’ve disabled them. No one knows that we’re here right now, you and I. Except for the two of us, of course.”

Gingerly, you took them from him, slipping them over your eyes. You blinked when you realized you could now see something that you hadn’t been able to earlier. Thin strings of an eerie green light were completely encasing the seemingly unprotected sword, forming a cage around it. 

“Infrared beams,” he muttered, clicking his tongue. “If you touch them, the police outside are alerted by an alarm..”

You swallowed, handing him his glasses back.

A bell went off in your head. This was probably exactly what you needed to do to get Kyungsoo in here. Your brain was working furiously. Even if no one could see you right now, grabbing the sword would set off all the alarms and would bring the police right in. Mr. B would be trapped, then. There would be no way out. 

But why did it feel as though there was something you still didn’t know?

As if he had read your mind, he spoke again. “What’s the big deal about the alarm, right? It won’t be too hard to grab the sword and make a run for it, before the police even show up. But there’s another thing you’re missing.”

He pointed then, to the stone pillars lining the wall. Your eyebrows knitted in confusion. Weren’t they just ancient relics just like everything else in the room?

“They’re electromagnetic stunners. You’re not going to be able to get out of this room conscious if you try to touch the sword.”

You bit your lip, at a loss for words. What the hell were you supposed to do now?

“Ah, but then how do we steal it?” he went on as if he’d read your mind, his eyes glinting. “I’ll show you.” 

Within a blink of eye, he was pulling a coin out of his pocket, and flinging it towards the sword. You gasped as it cut through the invisible beams, prompting the clamorous ringing of the alarm. 

He’d done it himself. He was going to get himself caught.

But something told you it wasn’t going to end so easily. 

You jumped as you heard pounding footsteps approach you, swallowing as you saw Jongin fling open the glass door, his gun in his hand. Kyungsoo was right beside him, his eyes darting between you and Mr. B. Could he tell who the real one was?

Mr. B himself looked unbothered by the interruption. “Put your hands up,” commanded Kyungsoo. “Both of you. Or I’ll shoot.”

Your heart hammered in your chest. Mr. B’s eyes narrowed in the slightest.

And then he was reaching forward and grabbing the sword, and you screamed as he sprung at you, pushing you to the ground with a thud. You squeezed your eyes shut as you heard the buzz of the stunners, accompanied by yells as the police were undoubtedly struck by the electricity, sending them falling to the ground.

Kyungsoo.

You grunted, shoving at Mr. B’s shoulders to get him off you, but he held you down, refusing to budge. It wasn’t until you aimed a punch to his face that he ducked sideways, letting you push him away and sit up, your breaths uneven. 

Jongin and Kyungsoo, along with a few others of the team, were now lying unconscious on the ground. You bit the inside of your cheek, so hard that you could taste blood. But before you could get up and reach for Kyungsoo, Mr. B was grabbing your hand again, pulling you to your feet so forcefully that you thought your arm would be ripped off. 

“And now,” he said, his voice low. “We run.”

And the next thing you knew, he was pulling you with him, and sprinting out of the room, your feet helplessly following behind him. His grip on you was too strong, and you gave up trying to pull away from him, your chest burning as you ran, your mind a mess as you thought about Kyungsoo and the others. 

Kyungsoo had been so worried about anything happening to you. But he’d been the one to get hurt. And you hadn’t been able to help him.

The breath caught in your throat as Mr. B dragged you to the massive terrace of the museum. Was he going to push you off?

He let go of your hand then, and pushed the sword into your hands as you stared at him, too bewildered to make a run for it. 

Your eyes widened as he grabbed onto a harness attached to the railing of the terrace, his hands swiftly clipping the rope onto his belt. “Hope you aren’t too scared of heights.”

Your lips parted in surprise as he pulled you towards him, the sword now nestled between your bodies. You grabbed his waist without thinking, your eyes fluttering shut in fear. 

“Hold tight.”

And then he was jumping off the railing, and your heart jumped to your throat as you fell, down, down into the darkness, too afraid to think, too afraid to scream. You didn’t dare to open your eyes, your body stiff in panic, as well as surprise when he clutched you tighter, his arms keeping you secure against him, not letting you fall.

It wasn’t until you hurtled down into a cluster of bushes that you let a scream fall from your lips, wincing in pain as your knees hit the dirt hard, the force of the fall thrusting you forwards and onto the ground. 

You gasped, pulling the mask off over your head roughly, taking deep breaths as the cool night air filled your lungs. You had just jumped off a building with a wanted criminal. And you were still alive. Nothing felt real.

You froze as you heard a low chuckle from next to you, as he stood up and dusted his pants off, his hand still tightly holding the sword. 

“Y-you—” you sputtered, unable to form coherent sentences. 

“And it seems like you have a voice after all,” he observed, his eyes twinkling. You swallowed, realizing that he could now see your face in its entirety. You shouldn’t have taken the mask off. 

His was still on, though, and you hated that you could still only see his eyes. “Mind telling me why you were trying to steal under my name?”

You bit your lip and stood up. “Do you have a problem with it?” you asked, trying your best to keep your voice steady. 

He shrugged. “Well yeah. Duh. Considering you’re such an amateur, I don’t really want my image being ruined, you know?”

You gaped at him. 

Even though you couldn’t see his mouth, you knew he was smirking.  “You’re welcome, by the way. Since I saved you from being caught and all.”

You laughed in disbelief. He quite literally, had no idea what he was talking about.

“Don’t do it again, though. I’m letting you off the hook, this time. Oh, and I’m keeping the sword too,” he said, and raised a hand as if to say goodbye.

Your mind was spinning. You couldn’t let him get away. Not after you’d come so far.

“Wait!” you protested. “I can explain.” You swallowed down uncertainty when he narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“I just...I wanted to get your attention,” you fibbed. “I wanted to meet you.”

“Why?” he asked, and you could hear the surprise in his voice. You spoke without thinking, then, the words rushing out of your mouth before you could stop them.

“To ask if I could be your partner. To help you steal.”

Now it was his turn to laugh in disbelief. “You’re kidding, right?”

You shook your head, jutting your chin out determinedly. You weren’t going to let this end here, so easily. You were going to make sure that he was caught. One way or another. 

Even if it meant you had to go undercover for much longer than Kyungsoo had intended.

“Every thief needs someone to have his back,” you offered. “Together we could do so much more, don’t you think? Aim higher, steal bigger.”

“You’re wrong,” he said. “A thief is always better off alone. That way, there’s no chance of betrayal. The only person he’s accountable for is himself.”

“You can trust me,” you said, offering your hand. “We can shake on it.”

Mr. B shook his head slightly. And then he was leaning in, and you nearly took a step back as he gazed at you intently, his dark eyes unwavering as he spoke.

“I don’t trust anyone.”

And then he was walking away before you could stop him, his arm raised in farewell, as you were left staring at his retreating figure, wondering whether you’d dreamed the whole thing.

A/N: I had way too much fun writing this, and so I hope you had fun reading it too😄 I would love to know what you thought, so let me know in the comments or my ask!!

[moricatlibrary]

The Right Choice

A tragic modern AU wherein Eren never came out or came to terms with his feelings for Armin and married Mikasa on the grounds that “that’s what you’re supposed to do”. 

Short romantic drabble (with a happy ending ;3). Enjoy if you can^^

Eren slipped away from the party and slunk down the hall for a chance to be alone for a moment. His stomach was still nauseated from his wife, Mikasa, whispering in his reluctant ear to drink as much as possible while here. Eren definitely wasn’t a drinker but when it’s the only way you can manage to have sex with your thirsty wife, you do what you must. His childhood friend, Armin, had invited his closest friends over for a little dinner party that night and the air was otherwise filled with warmth and cheer amongst the guests, and Eren in particular felt that same special feeling in his heart that he always felt when he looked at Armin. A feeling he’d felt from the day they met all the way until now. A feeling he only felt with Armin. But he’d never admit to himself just how good it felt to be around him, no matter how close they were. 

Indeed there were a lot of things he wouldn’t admit to himself, leaving him with an overstuffed closet of secrets in his mind as he indifferently chose to do the “proper” thing instead… He quietly turned into the doorway that lead to the cozy master bedroom and glanced all around. Ah, Armin’s room… It was every bit as colorful as he’d imagined. Filled with geeky toys and posters and collectibles from his favorite anime and manga, as well as photos and trinkets and souvenirs from his travels around the world. Everything Armin dreamed of as a child, he made a reality as an adult, never straying from those things he loved that put the stars in his eyes, and the joy in his life. Eren envied it so much… It was everything his bedroom wasn’t. His bedroom was empty, grey, big, cold, and so lonely… even with Mikasa sleeping right beside him, which if he could be honest, only made him feel even more alone. Armin had posters of the sea and his favorite action heroes on the walls, sea shells and geodes on every shelf, and incredibly valuable looking action figures on the bookcase in front of Eren. It was enough to bring him to tears, choking up from the nostalgia as he admired it all… everything he missed dreaming about and everything he craved in his boring empty life. Everything Armin was.

He wiped his eyes on his sleeve before poking around at a very pristine figurine of Kick-Ass, the hero he and Armin were obsessed with in their youth. It was beautiful, clearly a treasure.

“That was an exclusive figure from a manga convention in Japan. I’m very proud to have it.” spoke the golden voice of Armin, whom had quietly appeared in the doorway a few seconds ago.

Eren smiled upon seeing the face of the man who so often occupied his mind. And smiled also for the image of Armin in Japan, having a good time, and indulging in its wonders, just like he’d always dreamed… and he wished he were a part of that so badly… “It looks great. Bet it was a fun trip.”

Armin happily walked over to join Eren’s company and brushed the dust off of the figurine’s head. “It was… Pretty lonely though.”

Eren was a bit confused. “Didn’t Marco go with you?” he asked, surprised that the laughing freckled otaku in the kitchen with the others wasn’t Armin’s default travel buddy for at least a convention.

But Armin nodded no. “Traveling is pretty personal to me. And Marco’s only interested in manga. He’s not the kind of person I’d want to take there with me.”

“Oh.”

After adjusting his figurine to face them at the best angle, Armin accidentally leaned into Eren’s body and to his surprise, Eren simply let him. Not a second later, Eren caved into the nostalgia and brought up old memories of their nerdy childhood playtime, excitedly revisiting the world of “Kick Ass” that they loved so much as kids. He brought up a faulty reference to an old issue of the manga, something Marco would’ve cringed over, and asked the enthusiastic Armin to remind him of how it really went, which Armin excitedly narrated from accurate memory. Laughter started to fill the room, pure and happy, filling Eren’s empty body with spirit and life again for a moment, especially for remembering how they used to act out various scenes from the story together. And before they knew it, they’d begun acting one out right there. Armin began blushing and smiling in a way he hadn’t done in so so long, and naturally enough, so was Eren. In the midst of the action followed by Kick Ass’ final blow, the pair had found themselves fallen on Armin’s bed, which bounced them to the rhythm of their heartbeats. Eren smiled up at Armin from underneath his warm body and the pair sighed and relax for a moment, with Armin crashing gently into Eren’s chest, comfortably at ease in his arms. And dammit if it just- didn’t feel SO right. So comfortable, so warm, so safe… Armin beamed at the feeling of Eren’s warm… friendship hug… a sensation that just couldn’t be matched. He raised his head up, letting his blond hair curtain around his happy red cheeks, and their gazes met… Feelings welled up inside them, warm and special feelings that gushed throughout them, flowing through their bodies and pulsing in their chests as their beautiful smiles reflected one another’s mirth. They remained like that for only a couple of seconds, which feel like ages, and something in Eren’s eyes glimmered…

But at last, Armin broke the silence. “Come on, Eren. Let’s get back to the party. Your- wife must be wondering where you went.”

Ah, right. Eren was married… and he hadn’t been drinking like she wanted either. Armin used to swear he’d never lie to Eren, valuing their bond and trust above all else. But the truth was, he really just sent him back to the party so he could cry alone in his room for a minute… It hurt so much. It never hurt any less. Eren was his dream, and yet that dream amounted to nothing. He never dated anyone, choosing to remain alone rather than burden someone with the feeling of “second choice” knowing his heart would always belong to Eren. A stubborn and probably stupid choice to endure and yet Armin was certain dishonestly settling for another forever would’ve been worse for him than the pain of just living alone. Damn that smile of Eren’s, and that flutter in Armin’s thudding heart whenever Eren was close to him. Damn the curse of being in love with your married, straight best friend. Damn it all…

Eren finally joined up with the rest of the party in the warmth of Armin’s kitchen, where Mikasa pulled at his ear like a mother would for scampering off. She then handed him a glass of sparkling champagne before returning to her stuffy conversation with Jean about their work. Eren lifelessly stood there, frowning at his reflection in the glass of Armin’s golden champagne, feeling like a mere shell of himself. Empty, cold, lonely, and mourning where his life had landed him…

Later that evening, the dinner party concluded and everyone went home, smiling at one another and looking forward to seeing each other again. Armin barely looked at Eren again for the rest of the party, and that was the end of it.

Two weeks later, rumor had it that Eren filed for divorce. Meanwhile, Armin was actually heading to China for part 1 of his summer vacation touring his favorite places in Asia. He arrived at the airport and went through customs and everything else with the same empty, lonely feeling he always had when he did it… He stood in the gate, ready to board and just waiting for the go ahead from the flight attendant, only to hear some voice calling his name from behind. He turned around and there was a rough looking Eren, disheveled looking like he’d either just gotten out of bed or slept on a couch, running towards him, as fast as he could, desperately trying to get to him before he boarded that plane. Armin couldn’t really believe what he was seeing. Eren running faster than he’d ever seen him run, trying to reach him? He simply stood there waiting to see where this would go, and suddenly Eren’s arms were around him, hugging him tighter than he’d ever been hugged in his life… The gust of wind from Eren’s sprint then brushed over his face and through his hair like a force of magic, and the next moment Eren took Armin’s face in his hands to speak to him through the big ugly tears in his eyes.

“I love you… I always have. I’m so sorry I never came forward about it. I want to see the world with you. I want you to fill me with thoughts of magic and-and fun from those mangas and animes you always talk about, I want you to hold me close and whisper your thoughts in my ear and tell me about the world, and– maybe if you feel it in your heart, tell me that- you love me too… Your voice is the only one I ever want to hear it in. And I wanna kiss you under the sac- sacka- uhh…”

“Sakura?” Armin said sheepishly.

“YEAH! Yeah, you always know what I’m–” Eren sniffled, so overwhelmed with emotion. “Under the sakura trees and tell you "I love you” in every language… I– didn’t think this through… Sorry, this isn’t exactly the ideal confession, you being in the middle of leaving the country and me in the middle of a divorce but… What do… Do you… Mmm..“

Armin was moved to tears too, and was utterly speechless. He caressed Eren’s face just to feel if this was actually real, drying his tears and rushing at the feeling of Eren’s warm wet cheeks genuinely under his hand indeed. Instinctively, he leaned in slowly and Eren did too, as naturally as breathing. And finally, they kissed. Like they’d always wanted to do in their hearts for as long as they’d known each other. And it was every bit as electrifying as described in those cliché romance stories Armin loved which Eren finally brushed off as myths when he started dating Mikasa. Their lips remained meshed for a long minute or so before Armin finally brought himself to pull away and ask, "Eren… Will you go on this trip with me?”

Eren’s eyes glimmered with life, an image Armin hadn’t seen since their childhood and never with this intensity. He couldn’t say yes fast enough, and raised Armin up in his arms to swing him around and hug him tight.

When Armin’s feet landed on the ground again, he began rambling his logic about the reality they were in, just as he habitually did. “Well, I mean, this trip will have to be cut short since you’re in the middle of a divorce, we’ll probably only get 2 weeks or so before we’ll have to come back and settle some things, which I don’t mind one bit since I get to be with you-” but while the glowing Armin rambled away, Eren simply took his hand and walked with him to the counter to buy a last minute ticket to China, with a grand sparkling grin on his face… This was the first time he’d ever felt truly happy in his life.

They spent a wonderful two weeks alone in China, never minding a thing in the world but each other. Holding each other tight, drunk on sweet kisses and tight cuddles, they swore to never let go of each other’s hands for as long as they’d walk this earth together. And with the beauty of the world Eren at last got to see below their hotel balcony underscoring Armin’s beautiful bright eyes in the light of the sunset, Eren didn’t have a single regret about choosing him.

And they lived happily ever after.

[secretagentspydetectiveninja]

The Misadventures of Prince Kim - chapter 27

(aka the royalty AU story)

(I really should start naming these chapters already -_-)

[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26] [AO3]

School felt surreal. The only royal classmates not in quarantine were Alix, Chloé and Lila, and at least three quarters of the nobles were not in attendance either. Many of the teachers weren’t even there. The corridors were so much quieter and emptier than usual. The mood everywhere was so sombre, almost like the remaining students were in mourning for their flu-stricken friends. No communication was allowed between quarantine and the rest of the school due to fears of contamination, so it really did feel isolating.

A few days after classes started, the royal class’s trade/production lesson was interrupted due to the sudden arrival of Adrien. Not even going to his dorm, he had come straight to the classroom with his backpack still attached, out of breath, looking exhausted and terrified.

“Adrien!” Chloé squealed, leaping out of her seat and running over to him so fast her elaborate rococo wig almost fell off. “What are you doing here? I thought your father said you weren’t coming back to school…”

Adrien hugged Chloé. “He didn’t want me to come back, but…” His voice was trembling.

“Wait, do you mean to say that you ran away from home?”

“He ordered Nathalie to lock me up in the palace! I couldn’t live like that, it was awful… I was going mad… and where’s Kim? I have to warn him – I have to tell him – his country–”

“Kim’s in quarantine,” Chloé said gently. “He caught the flu. Most of the school has. You know about the pandemic, right?”

“Yes I had my vaccination already. But can I go see him at least?”

“They won’t allow you to. The quarantine doors have been shut and won’t be opening for at least a month. Why, what were you going to tell him?”

“I know why it’s not safe for him to go home.” Adrien wiped a few tears away from his eyes. “Sorry, I’m just… I’m t-trying not to cry, but… I’m so scared… I had to take the train alone without a ticket and I got chased by a g-gang and… I just know my father will have sent guards after m-me… I can’t run any further because the transport is all closed due to the pandemic… and now so many people are ill with the flu…”

“Aw Adrien!” Chloé wrapped him into another powdery, perfumed hug. “We’ll protect you from your father’s guards, don’t worry!”

Adrien pushed her off him. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Chloé! I want to be here at school with you but if g-guards really turn up here looking for me… are you really going to hide me from them? Against direct orders from my father?”

“Absolutely.” Chloé turned to face the other two and Lady Caline. “You’ll help me, won’t you?”

“Heck yeah,” Alix said, cracking her knuckles somewhat ominously. “We’re not gonna let you be kidnapped by a bunch of goons and forced back into house arrest. That sounds horrifying.”

“And what about you, Lila?” Chloé crossed her arms and glared at Lila, tapping her foot.

“I’ll help too,” Lila replied. “Adrien, whatever I caused between us last time… I’m sorry. But know that I do care about you, and I’m not letting anyone take you away against your will. Even if that person is your father.”

“So there you go!” Chloé said, turning back to face Adrien. “We’ll do everything we can to keep you hidden until your father cools down a little.”

Adrien burst into tears and buried his face in his hands. “You’re… the b-best friends ever…”

Lady Caline cleared her throat. “This is all very noble of you, I must say. But I’d just like to point out that… well, since you are royalty, your viewpoints may come across as representing your country’s stance on a certain issue, so if you refuse to hand over Adrien then that might be seen as an act of aggression towards the Agreste Empire, and they may retaliate…”

“Well they can’t take Adrien away if they never find him in the first place,” said Chloé. “If guards do turn up here looking for him then we just have to keep him hidden until they go away. That’s all.”

“And how do you propose that will work? Many people at this school, including nobles and teachers, would willingly betray Adrien to the guards for a sum of money or other bribe. Or even out of fear or loyalty to the Agreste Empire. You see, the people who don’t know Adrien very well do think of him the same way they think of his father, which is of course very inaccurate, but it means they might not want to hide him…”

“Then I will order them to help hide Adrien,” Chloé huffed, straightening her wig and standing up as tall as possible. “I am an Imperial Princess and they should all obey me. And if not me, then… a certain marquise and pharaoh can help back me up, right?”

Lila and Alix nodded.

“I guess we really are a girl gang now!” Lila said. “The Imperial Prince Adrien Protection Squad.”

Adrien giggled a little through his tears. “A girl gang? Like… those groups of g-gangsters that go around mugging people in the middle of the night?”

“We’re not going to mug anyone, of course,” Chloé said. “That would be so peasant-like of… uh, I mean, it wouldn’t be very proper. Nothing against peasants, of course. I mean commoners. Nothing against commoners. Anyway, from observing my father, I have learnt that threats of violence are very effective without ever having to carry out the violence.”

“So you’re going to threaten people?”

“Not necessarily, since illusions of threats are good enough too. All we have to do is make sure Alix’s pet snake is with us whenever we talk to anyone, and no one will dare cross us at all. In fact, we don’t even need the snake – Alix herself is scary enough to do the job just fine.”

“What do you mean I’m scary?” Alix snapped, curling up her fists. A second later she burst into laughter. “Okay yeah, you’re right, I am scary… you should have seen all your faces just now, I can’t believe you’re all still terrified of me…”

“Yes, well, use your scariness against the weak-minded nobles, not us,” said Chloé. “Anyway, keep a lookout for the guards. The moment they arrive is when we have to start keeping Adrien extra safe. That will probably be a few days away. Until then, our mission is to make sure no one in this school is going to betray Adrien. Is all of that clear, Imperial Prince Adrien Protection Squad?”

The other two nodded.

“We need a secret handshake or something,” Lila suggested.

“That sounds rather childish…”

“But we’re a girl gang! We ought to have matching leather jackets and everything!”

“A leather jacket would certainly not suit the kind of clothes I pride myself in wearing, thank you very much…”

Lady Caline cleared her throat again. “If we’ve finished discussing what to do with Adrien for now then can we get back to the lesson?”

“Of course,” said Chloé. She took Adrien by the arm and guided him to a seat, and the lesson continued.

Over the next few days, the Imperial Prince Adrien Protection Squad began their duties. News of Adrien’s arrival had already spread quickly through what was left of the nobility, much like the pandemic that had taken so many of them out, so there was a lot of work to be done.

“Imperial Prince Adrien is a wonderful person!” Chloé said to Mireille rather enthusiastically, accidentally backing her into a corner. “If those terrible, awful guards come and take him away, we’d be robbed of such a great classmate! You’ve seen him, right? How precious and sweet he is? How could anyone wish harm on him like that? Please, oh please don’t turn him in if they ask for him! Please help us protect him! Have some humanity!”

Mireille looked up from where she was crouched to see the three rather fearsome royal figures standing over her, watching her every minute reaction. Imperial Princess Chloé seemed to be trying to put on a pleading, innocent expression, but still somehow looked as if she was ordering someone’s punishment. Marchesa Lila stood on one side, snapping her fan open and shut with surprising veracity, trying to put on a winning smile but looking somewhat unhinged. And then there was Pharaoh Alix, with that dangerous little smirk all the nobles were wary of, and that even more dangerous cobra wrapped around her arm, hissing and snapping its little jaws…

Mireille knew, logically, that these three would not do anything to hurt her. They were just her fellow students trying to stop their friend from being taken away.

But they were royalty. As such, they had a kind of power and influence that they didn’t even realize. It was clear they were trying not to just intimidate her into helping them hide Adrien from the guards, simply trying to be nice about it first, and yet…

They really were intimidating. Just the fact that these were three of the most powerful people at the school, and they had Mireille backed into a corner… Even if she had wanted to disagree with them, she wouldn’t have dared.

Obedience through fear was not the best way of ruling. It caused uprisings. What would these three be like as leaders? Wait, the pharaoh technically already was a leader! How were the citizens of her country doing? Were they afraid of her too? And the other two, would they always use intimidation and force to get what they wanted?

“Well, are you going to help protect Adrien or not?” Chloé said, with barely restrained impatience.

“Yes!” Mireille’s own voice came out more like a squeak.

“Good. Make sure you tell all your fellow nobles too. Of course we will also be doing that, but…”

Mireille nodded. The three royals turned away and walked off, probably going to terrorize someone else next.

Quarantine really should have been boring, considering that there was nothing really to do there. Kim had indeed caught the flu and was suffering from all the common symptoms: blocked up nose, coughing, throwing up, aches, tiredness, headaches, a very high fever…

And he simply would not shut up.

Of course, Kim was usually quite a talkative person. The kind of person who would say things without thinking, always making it clear what was on his mind. But in this state, so ill and tired he was almost completely out of it, he seemed to have stopped censoring anything he was saying at all. It made things so much more entertaining.

The best part was, it seemed that everything Kim was saying or doing was so much more affectionate than usual. These inner thoughts of his that he usually managed to keep hidden… they were so sweet. Mostly nonsensical, but sweet all the same.

“Max, you’re so cool!” Kim said suddenly, in the middle of the night. Max woke up with a jump from where he had dozed off in the chair next to Kim’s bed.

“Kim, you really should go back to sleep…”

“I can’t sleep, I just had a dream that there were these spiders in the room and they were crawling everywhere and I was throwing up spiders and… oh my gosh, it was awful… wait, was it a dream? Was it real? I don’t know. But you saved me, Max, you somehow magically opened a window in the corner of this room – which was somehow upstairs – and you threw all the spiders out…”

“It was a dream.”

“But you’ve saved me from spiders before, right? You’re so brave and awesome!”

Max couldn’t help but smile. “Kim… you’re brave and awesome too…”

“Yeah, but you’re also really smart. How cool is that? I must be the luckiest person in the world because someone as cool as you always hangs out with me! And you’re always so nice all the time… well you’re nice to me anyway… and you saved me from the spiders… oh wait that was a dream, right? But still, you would do it if it was real, you’re the Spider Slayer… the Spider Man… that’s you, Max…”

“You should stop talking,” Max said, a little reluctantly. “You said your throat is sore, talking will make it worse.”

“But I want to talk to you! You deserve to know how cool you are since no one else ever tells you. People just aren’t nice enough to you. I don’t get it! Why doesn’t everyone in the universe want to be your friend? You should have a million friends. Not just me and Alix. And everyone should be nice to you. If they’re not, I’ll fight them.”

Max didn’t even bother hiding his huge grin. “Oh Kim, I’ve missed you so much…”

“Same! I mean I missed you, not me. I was thinking about you like all the time in these holidays. Because you’re the best and I love you.”

That was just too sweet! Max tried to say something nice back, but his brain felt like it was melting right through his skull. He settled for giving Kim a pat on the arm. Kim, however, used this as an excuse to pull Max into another hug. He had been doing that a lot lately.

“Max, I’m so happy you’re here… thank you for going into quarantine with me… even though you’ll miss school and stuff… it means a lot to me…”

“It’s no problem, really!”

“I hate being ill. I hate it so much. But with you here it’s kind of easier to deal with, I guess. Just like my whole life actually… I wanna go home. I miss home so much it hurts, and I’m sick and tired of everything, and I just… Marinette was a great help, though. She’s awesome. Is she friends with you too?”

“I think she’s friends with almost everyone.”

“Good, because she’s such a good person. Like a helpful sister. She was always taking my mind off everything and keeping me distracted with fun stuff like tennis matches, village tours, bicycle races, awesome stuff like that. She tried to set me up with someone too, did you know that?”

Max shook his head.

“Well yeah, she did. There were these twins working there called Bluebell and Redbell and she suggested either one of them but… I don’t really know them well enough, I guess? I just wasn’t interested. More important things to think about… like you!”

“Kim you have a fever again,” Max mumbled, trying to pretend he wasn’t internally freaking out over every single thing Kim said about him.

“Fevers are good though, right? You said that the body raises its temperature on purpose to kill germs or something. That means fevers are a good thing. Yeah, those germs don’t stand a chance! My immune system is gonna kill every last one of them!”

“Hey, you remembered what I taught you!”

“Of course!” Kim nodded. “You’re the best teacher ever. Alix says so too, by the way! We one time were having a competition to see who could remember the most facts about like… atoms and stuff I think? I can’t remember now, I wasn’t concentrating…”

“Yes it was about atoms, I was there too. Remember?”

“I can never remember anything from back then, I was too busy trying to… uh…” He let go of Max and buried his face in his hands. “I was trying to impress her because I was an idiot. But it’s okay! I’m so over her like that! She’s my friend and I like her platonically. Definitely. Platonically, in a friendship way. And I was not thinking about her a lot this summer. Well I was, but friendship-ly. Yeah. Friendship.”

“Kim, it’s okay if you still–”

“N-nope! No way. She’s my best friend too and I’m not making it weird. Even if she is pretty hot. Not that I think she’s hot! Well yeah, but… I mean that from a platonic point of view. Friends can think stuff like that, right? It doesn’t mean anything if I’d like… make out with her if she asked… not that she’d ask, but… totally platonically, though…”

Max sighed. At least Kim was trying to move on? That counted for something, not to mention being far too relatable in all the most painful ways. “Kim, you should go back to sleep,” he said.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right…” Kim pulled Max into another quick hug. “Thanks for listening whenever I’m rambling like this. I’ve always been told that I talk too much when I’m ill and it’s all really stupid stuff so uh… well it makes sense to me right now. But if you have no idea what I’m talking about then just ignore everything I said. I’m such an idiot sometimes.”

“But you’re a lovable idiot, remember?” Max ran a hand through the floof of hair on Kim’s head, now droopy without hair gel keeping it up. “And don’t worry, everything you’re saying makes sense to me. You can ramble as much as you need to. I’ll always be here to listen.”

Kim took Max’s hand and held it tight. “You’re too good for me, Max, you really are… and you’ll protect me from spiders when I’m asleep, right?”

“Absolutely.”

“You’re the best. Goodnight, Max.”

“Goodnight Kim.”

Kim turned onto his side and closed his eyes. He hadn’t let go of Max’s hand yet, something that made Max so warm inside that he felt like he was the one with a fever instead.