#truly It has never sounded so upbeat n fun!

[swan-of-sunrise]

Taking Care of Business (Chapter Thirty-Nine)

Summary: After Bo-Katan and Din uncover the culprit behind Plazir-15′s droid malfunctions, they are granted permission to access the Mandalorian mercenaries and (Y/N) does her best to encourage the Nite Owl.

Pairing: Din Djarin X Fem!Reader

Word Count: 3.3k

Warnings/Disclaimers: None

A/N: This one’s a little shorter than I originally anticipated, but I still had a lot of fun with it! Thank you for reading, I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter Thirty-Nine The Mercenaries (Previous Chapter)

When (Y/N) was a little girl, her mother would often regale her with bedtime stories about the elegant balls once held at Naboo’s royal palace in Theed, where beings of all shapes and sizes dressed in the finest clothing the planet’s seamsters and seamstresses could offer and danced all through the evening. She always dreamed of attending such a soiree but she never truly believed that she ever would, so it came as quite a pleasant surprise when she and Grogu were invited by the Duchess and Captain Bombardier to a ball celebrating the happy couple’s wedding anniversary. (Y/N), dressed in a beautiful sea-blue gown embellished with sparkling jewels and with her hair carefully styled into an elaborate updo, and Grogu mingled with Plazir-15’s citizens, the former learning all that she could about the planet’s unique culture and the latter practically preening under all the attention he was receiving from their gracious hosts and the other attendees.

As the evening went on and both Din and Bo-Katan were nowhere to be found, a worried (Y/N) decided to try contacting her husband through his comm and learned that the Mandalorians’ investigation into the planet’s malfunctioning droids had become more complicated than either of them originally anticipated; they’d visited the Ugnaughts that worked far below the city, chased down a rogue battle droid and gained some insight on the problem after a visit to a droid bar named ‘The Resistor.’ They were heading to the city’s morgue to examine the battle droid’s remains for more evidence when (Y/N) called, and Din confirmed that they were still far from solving the planet’s ongoing droid problem.

“I’m sorry that this has taken so long, alor’ad. I know I said we’d be back soon-”

“It’s all right, sweetheart, I understand,” (Y/N) soothed, glancing over her shoulder at the glittering assemblage inside the palace before leaning against the railing and watching Grogu play with a frog that hopped onto the balcony. “How’re you holding up, Din?”

She could hear Din quietly sigh on the other end. “It’s hard to not think about what happened to my parents, of course, but knowing that you and the kid are safe gives me piece of mind, helps me focus on the task at hand. We’ll get to the bottom of Plazir’s droid problem, and then we’ll finally have access to the Mandalorian mercenaries outside the dome.” The sound of a door sliding open echoed through the comm and Din muttered a quiet curse. “I have to go now, alor’ad, we’ve arrived at the morgue.”

(Y/N) fiddled with the sleeve of her gown and forced an upbeat tone as she replied, “All right, well…be careful, Din, and we’ll see you soon. I love you.”

“Ni kar’tayl gar darasuum, ner cyar’ika alor’ad.”

The next morning, Din and Bo-Katan were still busy investigating the droid malfunctions, so (Y/N) took advantage of her circumstances and asked the Duchess for permission to access the planet’s vast records in the hopes of finding any information on Jedi Master Kelleran Beq; while there was nothing in their records about the Jedi who’d saved Grogu’s life, there was still plenty of information on the history of the Jedi Order and their exploits throughout the Clone Wars, so (Y/N) spent her morning reading in the palace’s great hall while the royals and their guests played garden games.

“Okay, let me get that for you, m’lady. Your toss, lovely.”

Looking up from her holopad, (Y/N) watched as Captain Bombardier handed a furled pill-bug to the Duchess and when her gaze lowered to see Grogu sneakily peeking out from behind the folds of her elaborate gown, she giggled and hid her amused smile behind her hand. The Duchess sized up the glowing rings positioned around the artificial turf before tossing the furled pill-bug into the air; just as (Y/N) suspected, Grogu raised his clawed hand and used the Force to send the pill-bug flying, where it bounced off two crawling pill-bugs and through four rings. The crowd cheered and Grogu cooed in delight as the Duchess and Captain Bombardier clapped in happiness. “A Quadro-blast! I’ve never seen such a streak! Wasn’t that splendid, Captain (Y/L/N)?”

“It was a wonderful toss, Your Majesty,” (Y/N) complimented from her seat near the artificial lawn and gave Grogu a subtle wink when he looked her way.

The sound of the doors opening drew their attention away from the game, and (Y/N)’s brow furrowed in confusion when she saw Din and Bo-Katan escorting a handcuffed old man into the great hall. While (Y/N) slowly got to her feet, the royal couple cautiously approached the Mandalorians and Captain Bombardier tilted his head to the side in perplexity. “What are you doing with Commissioner Helgait?”

“We found the cause of your ‘malfunctions.’”

The guests gasped in shock and the Duchess held a hand to her chest. “Is this true?”

“I’m afraid it is, M’Lady.” Commissioner Helgait ducked his head in visible regret at the stunned tone in her voice.

Captain Bombardier shook his head in exaggerated disappointment. “Despicable.”

The old man let out a humorless chuckle. “If that isn’t the Quacta calling the Stifling slimy…”

“I beg your pardon?”

“This planet is unrecognizable since he arrived!”

“…I had a feeling you hated me.”

Ignoring the exchange between her husband and her head of security, the Duchess pursed her lips and fixed the old man with a saddened look. “I’m disappointed in you, Commissioner. You served my family well, but Captain Bombardier is the love of my life and I know his heart is true.” She rested a hand on her husband’s shoulder and flashed him a tender smile that he was quick to return; (Y/N)’s own eyes flicked over to Din, and she felt herself flush when she saw that the visor of his helmet was already angled towards her instead of the drama unfolding in the great hall. “Sure, he’s made some mistakes in the past, but who here among us has not? Is there no room for a little bit of forgiveness in a galaxy so vast?”

Commissioner Helgait nodded once and cast his gaze downwards. “I am sorry to have disappointed you, My Lady. Perhaps someday, I can earn such forgiveness from Your Grace.”

“Perhaps. As for now, you must live in exile on the moon of Paraqaat.” With a wave of the Duchess’ hand, four constable droids escorted the disgraced head of security from the great hall and after heaving a weary sigh, she turned to face (Y/N) and the two Mandalorians. “And as for you, Lady Bo-Katan Kryze, Din Djarin of Concordia and Captain (Y/N) (Y/L/N) of Naboo,” (Y/N) released the breath she’d inadvertently been holding when the Duchess used her preferred name instead of her legal one. “I grant you audience with our deployment of Mandalorian privateers. I also give to you three our highest honor, the key to Plazir.” She reached for an oversized key resting on a silver platter held by a servant droid and offered it out towards them. “You will always be welcome in our domed paradise.”

As (Y/N) moved to stand beside Din, Bo-Katan smiled and stepped forward to receive their honor. “M’Lady. M’Lord.”

“Captain (Y/N) (Y/L/N), I bequeath to you Plazir’s humble collection of Lomiya Corrik’s design sketches, personally commissioned by my family many cycles ago.” The Duchess smiled at (Y/N)’s stunned expression and handed her a leather-bound portfolio. “Although they held an honored place in my family’s collection, I hereby declare that they rightfully belong to the House of Corrik and its descendants.”

Swallowing the lump in her throat, (Y/N) clutched the portfolio to her chest and bowed her head in a sign of respect. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

The Duchess looked down at Grogu, who was still standing at her side, and accepted the sword that one of her guards offered her. “And to this little one, I grant knighthood.” As she gently tapped the tip of the sword against his tiny shoulders, Bo-Katan fought back a smile and (Y/N) beamed with pride. “You are now a knight of the Ancient Order of Independent Regencies.” Both royals looked up at the trio and the Duchess’ eyes gleamed with thankfulness. “Go in peace, brave travelers. Until our paths meet again.”

“M’Lord. M’Lady.” Din stepped forward to scoop Grogu up into his arms and after resting a gloved hand on the small of (Y/N)’s back, they turned and walked out of the great hall. “A Jedi padawan, a Mandalorian foundling and now a knight; the kid’s collecting titles quicker than the galaxy can come up with ‘em.”

(Y/N) chuckled and while they stepped into their hyperloop pod, she reached over to caress one of the cooing child’s large ears and gave him an affectionate smile as Din placed him in his floating pram. “Of course he is, who can resist this cute little face?” He giggled when her fingers tickled the patch of skin just beneath his chin, and she looked over at her husband as the pod started moving. “So, did that head of security say why he was making the droids malfunction like that?”

“He was a Separatist.” (Y/N)’s smile fell as she watched Din shift in his seat and stare down at his boots. “He wanted to use the droids to disrupt the planet and collapse their society in the name of democracy.”

Exchanging a knowing look with Bo-Katan, (Y/N) rested a hand on the side on her husband’s beskar helmet and gently coaxed him to look over at her before placing her hand flat on the center of his chestplate, directly over his heart. “But you and Bo-Katan stopped his plan before anyone was hurt; you saved the citizens of Plazir, and you saved the innocent droids that Commissioner Helgait hijacked to carry out his bidding. I know that that wasn’t easy for you, sweetheart, and I’m proud of you.”

Din’s gloved hand moved to cradle her cheek and guided her closer to rest his forehead against hers in a brief but meaningful Keldabe Kiss. “Thank you, alor’ad.” After a long moment, he pulled away and looked down at the leather-bound portfolio resting on her lap. “I’m glad that you were able to reclaim a piece of your mother and had the opportunity to see first-hand the lasting impact of her artistry. Can I take a look at her design sketches?”

“Now approaching landing field three.”

(Y/N) opened her mouth to grant him permission but when she caught sight of Bo-Katan staring pensively out at the vibrant green fields surrounding the domed city, she carefully tucked the portfolio into her satchel and nudged her husband’s boot with her own as she replied, “Maybe later, after we…um, talk to the Mandalorian mercenaries.”

Din nodded and when (Y/N) patted his knee, he cleared his throat and addressed the troubled Nite Owl seated across from them. “They’re Mandalorians. You’re their leader. They’re going to follow you.”

The anxious look remained on Bo-Katan’s face as her eyes flicked down to stare at her gloved hands. “I’m not their leader anymore. Axe Woves is.”

“Then what’s your play?”

She sighed and glanced back up to meet their gazes. “I’ll know when I get there.”

“Well, no matter what you decide to do out there, Din and I believe in you; there’s no one who’s better equipped to unite both factions of Mandalorians, Bo.” (Y/N) gave Bo-Katan an encouraging smile, and her heart warmed in her chest when the Nite Owl slowly returned it with one of her own. The hyperloop pod came to a stop and after stepping out onto the platform, they descended the many steps and walked across the vast field to where the Mandalorians established their base camp at its center; dozens of helmetless warriors stared them down as they slowly approached, and (Y/N) mumbled under her breath to Din, “At least when your covert stares, you can’t see all the judgmental looks they’re giving under their helmets.”

The Mandalorian huffed out a quiet chuckle and when the three of them stopped a handful of yards away from the base camp, Axe Woves straightened his back but remained seated on his cargo box and took a sip from his cup as he exchanged a glance with Koska Reeves, the Mandalorian warrior who’d helped them rescue Grogu from Moff Gideon. “Have you come back to join the mercenaries?”

Bo-Katan shook her head. “I’ve come to reclaim my fleet.”

“It’s no longer your fleet, is it?” Axe chuckled, gesturing around at the many ships and warriors that surrounded them. “I’m now in command, and grown quite fond of it.”

“Then I challenge you, one warrior to another.” (Y/N) and Din exchanged a look and Grogu anxiously cooed as the grin slipped off of Axe’s face and the Mandalorian mercenaries murmured amongst themselves; the Nite Owl’s stony expression remained unchanged as she stepped forward and harshly continued. “Do you accept my challenge?”

Setting his cup down, Axe slowly got to his feet and clenched his gloved hands at his side. “I do.”

There was tension in the air as the two Mandalorians stared each other down and the helmetless warriors seemingly held their breaths as they stood completely still and waited in anticipation for the challenge to begin. In the blink of an eye, Axe fired a missile from his vambrace and while Bo-Katan used her jetpack to avoid the weapon, Din whisked (Y/N) out of the way and used his beskar-clad body to shield her from the small-scale explosion; (Y/N)’s eyes widened in awe as she watched the Nite Owl slam her Mandalorian opponent onto the ground with a powerful kick to his chest, and she could feel her husband’s arms tighten around her waist when Axe drew his vibro-blade and engaged Bo-Katan in hand-to-hand combat. Both Mandalorians were perfectly matched, slashing and twirling around one another with deadly precision, which made (Y/N) nervously bite her lip even when Bo-Katan managed to knock Axe down a second time.

“It’s okay, kid,” Din comforted Grogu after he hid his face away in his clawed hands to avoid watching Axe fly straight into Bo-Katan and slammed her into the hull of a Kom’rk-class fighter transport. “Bo’s got this.”

They slashed at one another with their blades and each managed to land several blows, the scuffle escalating when Axe fired another missile and Bo-Katan tackled him to the ground; she roughly dragged him to his feet and held her vambrace’s blade to his throat, spitting out, “Do you yield?” With a strangled yell, Axe ignited his jetpack and flew them both into the air, where they landed harshly on the top of another Kom’rk-class fighter transport. They exchanged more blows and Bo-Katan toppled over the edge, but she quickly ignited her jetpack and fired her whipcord to wrap around the Mandalorian mercenary’s ankles, pulling him over the edge and watching him land on the grass below. Axe rolled onto his knee and fired his vambrace’s flamethrower but again, Bo-Katan was quicker; she activated her shield gauntlet to block the flames and flew through the air, tackling Axe onto the ground and pressing the tip of her blade against the exposed skin of his neck. “Do you yield?!”

“You’ll never be the true leader of our people,” Axe spat out, his eyes flicking over to where (Y/N) and Din stood and his lips curled into a sneer. “You won’t even take the Darksaber from him. He’s the one you should be challenging.”

“Enough Mandalorian blood has been spilled by our own hands!” With one final shove, Bo-Katan stood and retracted her vambrace’s blade as she looked around at the assembled Mandalorian mercenaries. “Mandalorians are stronger together.”

Axe picked himself off the ground and let out a mirthless laugh. “But a misguided zealot possesses the blade. One, I might add, who has not one drop of Mandalorian blood in his veins.”

(Y/N)’s hands clenched into tight fists and she angrily started forward, but Din’s halting grip on her waist and Bo-Katan’s sudden words stopped her dead in her tracks. “Din Djarin took the Creed and chose to walk the way, just as our ancestors did. He is every bit the Mandalorian that they were!” Her husband shifted uncomfortably beside her and she placed a soothing hand on the unarmored part of his arm. “Certainly as much as any of us…”

Shaking his head in frustration, Axe held his hands out and scoffed at the Nite Owl’s argument. “But according to our ways, the ruler of Mandalore must possess the Darksaber.”

“Then she shall have it.” (Y/N), Bo-Katan and the Mandalorian mercenaries all looked over at Din in surprise; the Mandalorian stood tall as he patted (Y/N)’s hand and crossed the field to where Bo-Katan and Axe were standing and without a single ounce of hesitation, he unclipped the Darksaber from his utility belt and held it out for the Nite Owl to take. “This belongs to you.”

Bo-Katan, although visibly touched by Din’s selfless gesture, shook her head and gently replied, “It’s not a gift to be given, no matter how well intended.”

“It’s not a gift,” He countered before turning to address the assembled Mandalorian mercenaries, all while a confused (Y/N) exchanged a look with an equally-baffled Bo-Katan. “While exploring Mandalore, my wife and I were captured and this blade was taken from me. Bo-Katan rescued us and slayed our captor. She defeated the enemy that defeated me; would this blade then not belong to her?” The Mandalorian mercenaries murmured amongst themselves, but none of them spoke up until Din repeated his question. “Would it not belong to her?”

After a long moment, Axe sighed and gave him a relenting nod. “It would.”

A smile tugged on the corner of (Y/N)’s lips as she watched her husband turn back to face Bo-Katan and once again held the Darksaber out for her to take. “I return this blade to its rightful owner.”

The Nite Owl slowly lifted her hand and wrapped her gloved fingers around the hilt, the look of uncertainty etched across her face slowly morphing into self-assurance when Din made his way back to where (Y/N) stood with Grogu’s pram and the other Mandalorians followed Koska’s lead in deferentially bowing their heads. With the barest hint of a smile, Bo-Katan took a deep breath and ignited the blade, staring down at its luminous glow and recognizing the culmination of nearly a thousand years of Mandalorian history in that moment.

“And you claim that you’re not one for politics,” (Y/N) teased when Din reached them and placed her hands on her hips as she arched an impressed brow. “I have to say, that was a political maneuver worthy of the New Republic Senate.”

“Coming from a former Rebel, I’ll take that as a compliment.” The Mandalorian patted a babbling Grogu on the head and handed over his silver sphere. “I never wanted the Darksaber, or the right to rule Mandalore. Bo-Katan is the leader that can reunite both factions Mandalorians, and I’ll be satisfied doing anything I can to ensure that her quest succeeds and our people can live a more peaceful life.”

With a tender smile, (Y/N) looped her arm around her husband’s elbow and stretched to press a kiss onto the beskar covering his cheek. “We both will.”

Din nodded and the two of them watched as the Mandalorian mercenaries offered their respects to Bo-Katan and acknowledged her claim to leadership of their faction. They were one crucial step forward on the road to reuniting the divided Mandalorians, but it was clear to each of them that they still had much more work ahead of them. Now we’ve gotta convince the mercenaries and the covert to get along and resist the urge to kill one another, (Y/N) thought to herself with an inward sigh, but if anyone can successfully squash generations of conflict and infighting, I suppose it’s us.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mando’a Translations:

Alor’ad-Captain Ni kar’tayl gar darasuum, ner cyar’ika alor’ad-I love you, my darling captain

A/N: Like I said last week, we’re having work done in the house and it’s been difficult finding time to write, but I’ll hopefully have the next chapter up on time! Thank you all so much for reading and commenting! Oh, and I’ve created a Spotify playlist of all my favorite music from the world of Star Wars, so if you’re interested in checking it out the link is down below!

Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2KuSKJhVOPPvxdJ9YHeo4M?si=2977ff31bf0c4bdd

Chapter Forty

Taking Care of Business Masterlist

Tagging: @remmysbounty @sinon36 @seninjakitey @thatonedindjarinfan @ginger-swag-rapunzel @mostclevermiss @momc95 @welcometothepedroverse @sarahjkl82-blog @elinedjarin @ccomandercody @crowleysqueenofhell​  @goldielocks2004 @wondergal2001​ @groovy-lady​ @impala1967666​ @fluffy-canada-pancakes​ @icee228​ @siimiasoi​

[serenityseventeen]

Vernon (최한솔):

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“A First Kiss”

synopsis: You haven't kissed someone on the lips before and for the first time, you reveal that after losing the hongsam game. However, Vernon reacts strangely, and a few days after, comes to your house saying that he wants to be your first kiss.

parts: "A First Kiss" - 1 | "A Second Kiss" - 2

genre: romance, fluff

characters: mutual friend!vernon x virgin kisser!reader, ft. Jeonghan (+ mentions of Seungkwan) & robot vacuum

word count: 1.8k?

a/n: Not SEVENTEEN related but YOUNG K of Day6 is going to serve in the military after his first solo album... I have been a myday for around 3 years now and Day6 used to be my favorite group before SEVENTEEN came along...😭😭 + HANSEOKSOL Vlive getting deleted- I am so sad that I didn't see it! It seemed to be a very funny Vlive like all the other HanSeok Vlives lol.

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

“Do you think you're a good kisser?” Jeonghan said, with a smug smirk.

You couldn't believe this was your punishment for having lost the hongsam game. At first, it was just a normal game, the loser would have to drink a shot of alcohol, but everyone decided to make it more fun by letting it become a “truth or dare” kind of game as well.

You were the unlucky winner and the question was a lottery winning ticket.

Every one of the SEVENTEEN members and your friends were staring at you, anticipating your answer. You knew that they were all curious about the question but the truth was...

“I've never kissed anyone.”

Vernon, who was drinking some water, upon hearing your answer, began to choke. Everyone was silent.

You looked down the ground, embarrassed while fidgeting with your hands. After living for so long, you haven't even shared your first kiss with anyone.

However, Vernon broke the silence with an annoyed, seemingly disappointed tone. “How on EARTH has nobody ever kissed you!?”

You looked up only to see him covering his mouth, his ears turning red. “I mean- I-”

“Is that a confession?��� Jeonghan teased.

Thanks to Vernon, one of your mutual friends, the atmosphere grew upbeat again. Everyone continued playing the game, including you, and they did a great job of making you forget you even revealed that you haven't had your first kiss yet.

After the little gathering you had with your friends, you began to wonder, why did Vernon react like that? It wasn't like him to suddenly speak out in the middle of silence. Usually, Vernon was quiet but playful, but from the way he sounded, it seemed like he truly could not believe it. It sounded like he had expected someone to kiss you already, like you deserved a kiss.

It was hard to explain and you couldn't get him out of your mind even after days passed.

-

Of course, you have gotten close to kissing before. With your exes, a few of them did want to kiss, but you never went through with it. It was either, one, you didn't feel ready, two, you didn't feel it was right, or three, you didn't want to. Kissing wasn't a way to define a relationship and it seemed like your exes thought it did define a relationship, even after they said they were okay with not kissing. You just never found the opportunity again.

So, here you were, not knowing how to kiss, not knowing what a kiss felt like, and watching kiss scenes in dramas, movies, animes, all over again. You wanted to kiss someone, there was a small desire in you, but you didn't know anything so, you couldn't do anything.

“Should I study kissing?” You asked yourself while watching a Korean drama and munching on snacks, being a couch potato. You looked over at your robot vacuum for an answer but it just continued sweeping the floor. “So that maybe, when I do have the chance to get my first kiss, then I'll be unexpectedly good at it?”

The robot vacuum paused for a moment, turned to you, and started cleaning in your direction. If you didn't move your feet that were dangling off the couch and resting on the smooth floor, the vacuum would have tried to clean your feet up as well.

You took that as it saying, “Shut that nonsense.”

“Right...?” You nodded pitifully. “Maybe I'm just unlucky to be living for so long without a first kiss. Even people get their first kiss in middle school nowadays...”

Just as you were sulking about being a kissing virgin, the doorbell rang. You were a bit surprised since you weren't expecting any of your friends over since they all were quite busy spending the weekend with their significant others.

You quickly wiped your mouth with a napkin and combed your hair back with your hand, quickly checking your appearance in the mirror as you passed by, toward the front door.

When you checked who it was, you were a bit surprised. It was Vernon.

“Vernon? What are you doing here?” You asked.

Your eyes were a little wide from shock. Of all people, you didn't expect it to be Vernon. You two weren't close, only mutual friends. He was friends with Seungkwan, who was one of your greatest friends.

“Sorry I came unannounced,” Vernon had his hands stuffed in his pockets and he couldn't meet your eyes.

Just then, while staring at his handsome face, you recalled that night when you revealed that you haven't had your first kiss, along with his peculiar response. Even after remembering that event, you decided not to bring it up.

Vernon looked up at you. “I want to be your first kiss.”

Your brain froze for a second. “What...?”

Vernon blushed. “I know it's strange- it's hard to explain- I can just- I can help you learn to kiss...?”

You stood there blankly, your eyes wide open.

The chance to kiss someone came around rather quickly but you didn't know if you should accept this offer.

“Look, I know it sounds strange... I don't even know what I'm doing- actually, forget it... I must've been out of my mind...!!” Vernon pulled his hair and pressed his lips together, evidently blushing from embarrassment. “I'm sorry, Y/N, I-”

He was your only chance and your inner desire to get a first kiss acted up. You kept reminding yourself that it's okay to not have a first kiss yet at your age but you were also getting a bit impatient, waiting for that first kiss to come.

Just as Vernon was walking away, mumbling under his breath, wanting to pull his hair out for doing something so weird, you called out, “Wait!”

Vernon turned around.

You gulped, feeling yourself blush as well. “If you're willing to... I accept your offer.”

-

“Look, it's completely okay that you haven't kissed before, okay? I just- I'm doing this out of... I... it's way too hard to explain but I guess it's a personal desire...?” Vernon gulped. You two were sitting next to each other, on the couch in front of the TV, awkwardly.

“So... you're saying that you want to kiss me...?” You asked, not looking at him, your body facing the front. Your heart was beating so nervously. You didn't know what to do at all.

“Is that what I'm saying??? I- I don't know,” Vernon bit his lip. “Nevermind, I- let's forget what I said.”

You let out a breath. “I don't know why you suddenly decided to come and kiss me, we aren't dating or anything... but-”

“I want to be your first kiss, I told you that...” Vernon replied, not letting you finish.

“I was going to say that if you don't want to kiss me, you don't have to,” You looked down at the ground, fidgeting with your hands. “I know that I've missed all my chances to have a first kiss with the people I loved and I... I guess I'm just unlucky, unfortunate, and unattractive, which is completely fine, right?”

You let out another breath. “I've survived years without kissing anyone.”

Vernon gazed at you. He wanted to tell you so many things, that you weren't unattractive even though being unattractive is okay, and that he wanted to be your first kiss because he wanted to be yours. However, you two were just mutual friends and this encounter would probably make you two awkward and nothing more.

Vernon knew he shouldn't have come but his head was telling him for the past few days that he should be the one to leave an impression, and that way, maybe you two could grow closer.

“Look at me.”

Again, he was acting out of his control, which was usually not like him. Vernon was known to be self-composed and calm, but you, you could flip his emotions upside down.

You turned your head to Vernon.

Softly, he said, “I'm going to kiss you, okay?”

His large, warm hands were placed on your neck like in the movies and dramas you watch. All you had to do was say okay, then, you would have your very first kiss.

Gently, you nodded.

Vernon nodded after you, signaling that he was leaning in. Your heart was thumping out of your chest every millimeter that he got closer. You clenched onto your couch and Vernon moved his hands to massage your jawline, providing bits of comfort as if telling you that it was going to be okay.

You closed your eyes and waited for the kiss to arrive.

The moment was short but for you, it felt like everything was in slow motion.

Vernon kissed you gently, allowing your lips to lock with his for a short three seconds before he pulled away.

You didn't know how you felt about the kiss. The moment that his lips landed on yours, it felt like your heart was going to explode. You didn't know what to do in response to his soft lips touching yours and so all you could do was savor his sweet taste and smell against your lips, and feel your body warm up. It was like fireworks were bursting out of your chest.

Vernon quickly stood up, leaving you frozen on the couch, blinking dazedly.

“I'll... I'll get going now.”

When you heard the front door shut, you turned to look. Through the living room window, you could see Vernon getting into his car, but not driving right away.

You looked away in fear that he'd see you.

You brought your fingers to your lips, feeling the lingering touch of his lips on your fingertips.

Vernon was doing the same.

It was your first kiss. You didn't know if you should smile or jump around in joy. It was like a state of shock but also pleasure. Your emotions were bursting and you didn't know what to do.

Vernon couldn't control his breathing. He was afraid that if he decided to drive now, he would get into a crash. He couldn't stop thinking about you. Though you allowed him to kiss you, Vernon didn't want to kiss you just to please himself. He wanted to kiss you when the two of you liked each other, that's why the kiss was short-lived.

Vernon threw his head against the steering wheel, grinning like a fool in love.

Even though you didn't fall for him yet, he was still happy. He knew that he just needed a bit of courage, and then maybe, he wouldn't have to hide all these feelings.

You, on the other hand, couldn't take your hand off your lips.

Your robot vacuum was now bumping into your foot, but you didn't even realize it. Your head was in the clouds.

All you could think was, I want to do it again, with him.

I want to kiss him again.

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request:

© serenityseventeen

time finished: 8/16/21 - 3:17 pm

[husbandohunter]

Windblume Memories [Genshin Impact]

Synopsis: “The annual Windblume festival held in the name of romance and freedom! Why not celebrate it with your lover?”

Characters: Kaeya, Diluc

(A/N): A self-indulgent headcanon because Mihoyo has yet to give us more moments with our husbandos. Just imagining them having fun and enjoying, mah heart~~ And no Mihoyo, if you bother giving us their quotes why can’t you just give us a hangout already (cri cri)

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{Diluc}

“I do know how to play music. Is it so strange?"

• As the most eligible (former)bachelor of Mondstadt, it wouldn't be a surprise if he actually knew the ways of an instrument. But here you were, comepletely awestruck while looking expectantly at your fiance.

• "Diluc you're so perfect I love you!" -you probably

• Back in the days when he took his etiquette lessons, Diluc also learned how to play the violin as well as the piano but the lyre was a traditional instrument of Mondstadt so he focused on that the most.

• His repitoire would lean more to the soft and solemn pieces. (Like his soundtracks HA)

• Diluc is quite shy when you ask him to give you a performance but the way you just plead, he can't say no

• If you don't know how to play an instrument, he'll be more than glad to help you. He's an excellent teacher due to the vast amount of patience he has (thought can't really say the same for other people) and could spend hours elaborating on the same place you've been stuck at.

"Why is this song so slooooow?"

"You're being too hasty, love."

• You're worried if he's bored but Diluc reassures that he isn't. Seldom does he have the opportunity to spend time with you like this so he makes sure to treasure every moment (Even when you're about to break the goddam lyre out of frustration).

• But when you do manage to make it to the end after several attempts, albeit still terrible, there would be the stupidest fat grin on your face while chanting, "I did it! I did it!"

• And he'd praise you as a soft expression graces his features, "You certainly did."

• Soft man I cri

"It takes a long period of training to become a battle-ready archer. These games are only enough to pass the time."

• "No Diluc, I brought you here to have fun not to have this as a training session."

• This man can do pretty much ANYTHING and literally win you any prize. You want that stuffed toy? Consider it taken.

• Perhaps the activities weren't challenging enough. Whether it'd be wind gliding or the peculiar wonderland house, he's got the reflexes for it all.

• Since Diluc is so battle oriented, he treats the games as such. You call him a worry wart after falling into the pit just because you steped on the wrong stone: "Diluc I’m fine. Its just a game." He’ll grab you out of pure instinct and apologize shortly after when you pout at him

• Eventually Diluc learns to loosen up while still keeping an eye at your stance. You figured it would probably be best if you two stuck with something more light and carefree. In a nutshell, anything but the peculiar wonderland house.

• At the end of the day, the two of you are exhausted from all that workout. While closing up Angel's Share after a long night, Diluc catches you falling asleep at the front bar and gently drapes his coat over your shoulders.

• His initial plan was to wake you up since the ideal place to sleep would be the Dawn Winery but Diluc didn't have the heart to wake you up. He simply sits on the stool beside you while leaning down to memorize your serene look, thankful to have been able to experience what it's like to live in a city of freedom again.

{Kaeya}

"Oh dear, is this what they call a height advantage? I suppose I can go a little easy on you all to make things a bit more exciting."

• You gave him that look where you weren't quite sure if he was lying or telling the truth. Could the Cavalry Captain be afraid of heights? You'll never know.

• So regardless, you guys decided to fly together which at first was meant to be a competition of who can collect the most flowers. You managed to land safely with the highest score while your boyfriend was still behind, trying to avoid the dusty balloons.

"Seems like I went a little too easy on you," he jests. You roll your eyes.

"Alright, let's go for another round then."

• This time you had a different idea. Just a few seconds before the game started, you took him by the hand and jumped straight off the platform. The whole time as the two of you were soaring through the air, you held him tight.

• "Now it shouldn't be so scary anymore!"

• The surprised expression he had lasted for a moment before melting into a smile, "How very cunning of you, darling."

• Your security gave him the chance to admire the scenery from the skies, it was a breathtaking view. How your hair whips beautifully against the wind and your pink-tainted cheeks from the cold, breathtaking.

• Though, holding the other meant you had to collect the flowers with one hand and one arm which proved to be very unproductive. Even once the both of you landed within the garland of windwheel asters, Kaeya was still holding your hand.

• Kaeya often treats fearful situations as thrilling experiences but the outcome in the end turned out to be more favourable than he had initially planned it to be. Though if you’re a novice windglider beware, this man will let you go at random times just so he can see your reactions. 

"What an interesting diversion. Since everyone's in high spirits, it would truly be a shame if I didn't pitch in a little!"

• You were extremely curious of Kaeya's musical skills since his nature tends to lean towards the frivolous side. Unexpectedly, his tunes and playing style sounded melancholic as well. Most likely due to the fact of growing up in the Ragnvindr household.

• Since he hangs out at the bars during late nights quite often, Kaeya would know how to play a few tunes he picked up along the way. He would love to give you a full on performance! Anything for his sweetheart~ Though keep staring and you might find him teasing you about it after.

• Honestly Kaeya also makes an excellent teacher. His way of wording makes everything so easy to understand which is helpful to avoid silly mistakes. He teaches you very simple lyre pieces, brushing his fingers over yours every once in a while to help you adjust the right position.

• You think he's doing this on purpose to get you bothered but Kaeya simply feigns ignorance.

• But if you do know how to play a lyre, it would be a session where both of you share your songs. Out of all of them, there was one song that stuck out the most:

You felt a sense of longing in the tune Kaeya played. Far too slow to match the upbeat atmosphere of Mondstadt during the day and not as romantic as it would be during the night. Instead, it seemed to reflect the emotion of sadness, like hands reaching to a far away land which turned out to be nothing but a mirage.

"Where did you learn that piece? I never heard it before," you comment shortly after he finished.

Kaeya hums playfully while shooting a grin to match, "I composed it myself."

"Is that so?" You learned to not take everything at face value when talking to your lover, "Then where did you draw your inspiration from. It doesn't seem like you'd create it on a whim when your expertise lies in swordsmanship."

"Aha just when did you become so keen sweetheart?"

"Since I started dating you."

"Touche."

There would be a momentary pause and during times like these, it was easy to tell that the subject was related to his homeland. Kaeya always found it hard to bring up the topic, even before he met Crepus, music was one of the very last traces that tied his life to the scarce warms days of Khaenriah.

"What's the song called?"

Thankful that you changed the subject, Kaeya answers, "Frozen Dreams. At least, that is what I can remember."

"Frozen Dreams?" You pondered quietly, "I wonder what that title means."

"Do you like it that much?"

"Of course, that piece must be very important to you right? I would like to learn it," You pump your fists determinedly, I would like to learn about you as much as I can.

He looks at you, lips slightly parted at your genuine declaration. Although you may be tenacious when it came to his secrets, Kaeya did not doubt that it was also one of the quirks he loved about you most. With a small chuckle, he complies your request, “It would be my pleasure.”

Sometimes its best to leave the words unspoken. Perhaps another day when Kaeya feels ready to tell you everything, for now he will revel in the present where the intagible feelings of music and emotion do the speaking.

[helloalycia]

The Wrong Lifetime – Seven // Wanda Maximoff

chapter six | story masterlist | main masterlist | wattpad | chapter eight

author’s note: hope y’all like this one 👀

The Maximoffs were just as a good at throwing a party as my own parents were.

Celebrating a new book that was published at Pietro's business, they threw a party in their back garden big enough to host half the town if they wanted to. Actually, now that I thought about, half the town was probably there.

We were invited to celebrate along with them because we were 'family' now, as Oleg and Iryna pointed out, so I found myself standing in their garden getting a drink under the night sky and trying to blend in with the snacks table so I wouldn't have to mingle. Parties still weren't my thing, clearly.

People-watching was more my forte. It was amazing the things people did when they thought nobody was looking. One guy coughed into his hand and wiped it on his pants – I reminded myself not to shake his hand – whilst some woman checked if her teeth were clean on the back of a serving tray.

My gaze raked the garden, indifferent to the men who attempted to get women's attention with a boyish grin and terrible pick-up lines, or the women who lifted their dresses a little higher than necessary to steal a man's attention. I spotted my parents talking to some guests whom I'd never see before, then there was Wanda's parents laughing alongside Pietro as he told a joke to some important looking people.

Eventually, my eyes fell to the remaining Maximoff, who was looking especially beautiful tonight. A deep lilac gown adorned her figure and she wore it like it was uniquely made just for her. She probably didn't even realise, but all eyes were definitely on her; a simple stride around the garden had people turning heads to see who the lilac beauty was. Y/B/N was the most envied man of the evening, with every guy here wishing they could have Wanda on their arm.

I'd wanted to tell her just how truly stunning she looked tonight, but I hadn't been able to pull her away from my brother's side for even a second. Everywhere he went, she went, too. I'd caught her eyes maybe three times tonight since she was so involved with whatever she spoke about with the people who worked for Pietro. I didn't take it personally of course, but it didn't make me feel any better.

Y/B/N had his hands all over her, probably suspecting just how many people were checking her out tonight, and I hated the way it made me feel. Envy and jealousy came over me and it wasn't pleasant. His hand was permanently fixed on her waist, at times moving suspiciously lower and making me roll my eyes. Occasionally, he'd lean over and whisper something in her ear making her flush – involuntarily or not, I didn't know. Wanda was a good actress, appearing as the perfect fiancé to him and couple to everybody else. Or, at least, I hoped it was acting.

"Pretty ladies shouldn't be standing by their lonesome," said someone with a Sokovian accent, but sadly not the one I wanted to hear.

"Pietro," I said with an amused smile, turning to face the man of the evening. "Congratulations on the new published book!"

He smiled appreciatively. "Thank you, Y/N. How are you finding the party?"

I glanced around, disguising my discomfort with a nod. "It's great."

He chuckled, as if suspecting that was a lie, before changing the subject. "So, the book. Have you read it?"

Glad that this was something I could actually talk about, my shoulders relaxed and I nodded. "Yes! I bought it yesterday as soon as it was published. I've only read the first six chapters, but what I've read is beautifully written."

Pietro snickered, raising his brows. "Only? That's further than anyone here has read."

I smiled bashfully, eyes veering elsewhere with embarrassment. "I guess I just have a lot of free time."

He hummed with amusement. "And you must really like reading... Wanda mentioned you write, too. It's nice to know it runs in the family."

Certain my cheeks were flushed, I nodded. "Yeah, our dad, he taught Y/B/N and I how to write when we were kids. That's where my love of literature began."

"And what do you like to write?" he asked, intrigued.

I shrugged, the grip on my glass of champagne loosening as I grew comfortable. "I don't know... short stories, drabbles, novels. I mainly deal with themes of love and romanticism. We're so intent on leading our lives with what other people want that we rarely take time to think about we want... I write about that."

Swallowing, I looked to Pietro, hoping I wasn't boring him. He was a publisher after all, besides my soon-to-be brother-in-law. His opinion was important to me.

"I must admit, Y/N, my interest is piqued," he admitted, watching me with an inquisitive gaze. "Do you have anything I could read?"

"It's probably better than it sounds," I said dismissively, knowing this was just small talk.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "I doubt that. You shouldn't say such things. You never know, you could be my next signed author."

I tried not to laugh. "Nice try, Pietro."

He smiled widely. "What? I'm serious!"

Tilting my head towards him knowingly, I sighed. "We both know that can't happen."

He was grinning now, clearly entertained by my unamused expression. "Says who?"

I motioned around us with my drink. "Says everyone? The world we live in?"

He began to list authors on his fingers as he said, "Jane Austen. Emily Bronte. Mary Shelley. Louisa May Alcott. Dare I name more?"

"Okay, okay, I get it," I said, pushing his hand down and rolling my eyes at his smug expression. "But I can promise you that all of those women fought tooth and nail to get published. Their families probably weren't as accepting as they wanted them to be. There's still people now who talk about how unprofessional and lacklustre their works are. They didn't have it easy. Still don't. And don't even get me started on the reputation side of things for you... d'you know how much backlash you'd get for signing a woman?"

Pietro shrugged, sipping his drink, before saying casually, "I only care about talent, Y/N. And if you have even a quarter of the talent your brother does, then I'm happy to go from there."

I quirked a brow, trying to gauge if he was pulling my leg or not. But the kind eyes looking back at me suggested he may not have been. Either way, the idea of actually being published – something I'd been dreaming of since I was a kid – was enough to raise my suspicions and make me shake my head.

"Thanks for listening, Pietro," I said conclusively, hoping he got the hint.

He nodded, accepting my word, thankfully. "Anytime. Hopefully this isn't the end of this conversation, though."

I cracked a smile, knowing it was but giving him the benefit of the doubt. He pursed his lips, glancing around briefly before attempting to hide an amused smile.

"What are you smiling at?" I teased, nudging him in the arm slightly.

His eyes met mine, sparkling with mischief. "You've probably not noticed, but as we've been speaking, almost everyone in this garden has looked our way."

I cocked my head with confusion, smile still present. He nodded subtly, eyes flickering to the right, so I followed his gaze and inconspicuously looked around. He was right, as murmurs of gossip escaped people's lips, their eyes trying to get a good look at the two of us. Even our parents were looking our way, no doubt discussing our future wedding affair.

"Wow," I breathed out, trying not to laugh as I looked back to him. "You'd think they'd have something better to do."

He leaned in, muttering, "Wanna give them a show?"

My eyes flickered between his, seeing that roguish charm of his come to life. I couldn't resist his mischievous attempt to piss off our parents, so of course I nodded with a stifled laugh.

"Care to dance, Miss Y/L/N?" he asked, a little louder than he needed to, attracting more attention.

I grinned, grateful for the idiot that was Pietro. He was already making my evening ten times better than it was.

Resting my hand in his outstretched one, I nodded. "Thank you, Mr Maximoff."

I barely had chance to put my glass down before he led me to the area before the live band that was strumming a lovely upbeat ballad. We joined the other couples that were also having a dance, unbothered by their nosey stares.

Bowing dramatically, he smiled and I curtsied before resting a hand on his shoulder and the other in his. He rested a hand on my waist respectfully before a grin spread across his lips and he began to dance me around everybody else, way too fast for me to keep up.

"Pietro!" I exclaimed between fits of laughter, trying not to trip over my feet or his.

"You said we could dance," he answered simply, before spinning me around.

My eyes went dizzy as he dipped me, making me laugh joyfully. For the first time all night, I was having fun. When he pulled me up, his eyes motioned to the left of us.

"D'you think our parents have already picked the wedding venue?" he teased.

"Definitely," I said with a nod, before shoving him back slightly. "But you, mister, need to slow down. You're like a speedster with the dancing. We should call you Quicksilver."

He laughed, continued to dance me around but much more slower this time. "I like that. You're clever. I can see why Wanda has taken a liking to you."

I knew he didn't mean it like that, but my heart dropped to my stomach anyway. A hearty chuckle escaped his lips as he noticed my expression. Thankfully, he didn't question it and we continued to make a fool of ourselves for a few more songs before taking a break by the snacks table.

"You're an idiot," I told Pietro as we caught our breath, but a delighted smile was on my lips. "You know you've probably convinced our parents that we're a couple now, right?"

"Hey, you're the one who started to fluff my hair like you loved me!" he retorted with humoured eyes.

"Because you're just so darn cute!" I mocked him, before moving forward and going in to fluff his hair yet again.

He attempted to smack my hand away as he said, "Hands off the hair, Y/L/N! I styled it perfectly!"

Grabbing my wrists, he held me back and I tried not to cry with laughter at the expression on his face.

"Such a child," I decided, pulling my hands away. "Whatever happens from here on out is definitely your fault."

He scoffed, as if ready to refute that fact, but before he could say anything, my brother's voice was heard.

"It's nice to see you actually conversing with people for a change, but maybe not my publisher."

Pietro and I turned and saw Y/B/N and Wanda approaching us. My brother seemed entertained by Pietro and I, looking between us with pre-conceived ideas that we may have already fancied each other, just like everyone else had tonight. Wanda, meanwhile, was watching me with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"He's good company, what can I say?" I joked, returning my brother's smile.

"Oh?" He raised a brow, knowing look in his eyes.

I rolled my own, trying not to laugh at his insinuation. There was no point trying to convince him otherwise.

"I was just giving Y/N here the best evening ever since she was moping around in the corner," Pietro explained nonchalantly, making me smack his arm.

"I was not moping!" I defended myself.

He shrugged, ghost of a smile on his lips. "Whatever you say."

I gave him a playful glare before focusing my attention to the couple before us.

"As lovely as it is to see whatever this is," my brother continued to make things awkward as he motioned between us, "I came to get Pietro. Someone from the press is here and has questions about the book."

At the mention of this, Pietro straightened up and neatened his bow tie, flashing my brother his most confident smile. "Lead the way, Y/B/N."

After assuring Wanda he'd be back in a second, Y/B/N let go of her waist and guided Pietro to the members of the press. Glad that he'd finally left her side, I looked to Wanda with a soft smile.

"Hey," I said quietly, glancing around before saying what I'd wanted to say all night. "You look radiant tonight, Wanda." 

Unexpectedly, she crossed her arms and pressed her lips together firmly. "How was your dance with Pietro?"

Her green eyes, literally green with envy, watched me with distaste. It didn't take long for me to recognise that familiar jealousy entwined in her expression because it was probably the same way I looked when she was with my brother. For some reason, this made me smile with amusement.

"He's a very good dancer," I said, half truthful and half trying to poke fun.

She wasn't amused. "Yeah, everybody saw. You've been all over him."

I covered my mouth, trying very hard not to laugh. "I mean, he's pretty funny to be around. I can totally see why everybody wants us to get married."

Her jaw clenched as she narrowed her eyes at me.

"C'mon, it's a joke," I said lightheartedly, nudging her in the arm. "You know that."

After internally debating whether or not to believe me, she relaxed her shoulders and unclenched her jaw. "I know."

"So, what's the problem?" I asked, raising a brow and smiling playfully.

She rolled her eyes. "Nothing."

My smile faded as I searched her eyes. "C'mon. What is it? You know you can tell me."

"Forget it, Y/N," she muttered, avoiding my eyes.

Realising she was still clearly bothered, I sighed dramatically, hoping to lighten the mood. Making sure my voice was low enough for only her to hear, I said, "I only danced with him to annoy our parents. Same with him. He's clearly not interested in me and neither I with him. That's why we get along so well." Teasing her once more, I added, "If circumstances were different, I'd like to think we'd be good friends. He's quite handsome, though I think the good looks are a Maximoff twin thing. Maybe if–"

"I'm in love with you!"

I paused, blinking, unsure if I'd heard correctly. Her cheeks were flushed as she looked to me with exasperation.

Glancing around to make sure nobody was attracted by her outburst, I swallowed hard. My heart was pounding in my ears as she said what I'd been struggling to accept for the past two months.

"What?" I breathed out, raising my brows with surprise.

She licked her lips, realisation replacing her look of admission. Opening her mouth to say something, she stepped forward, but my brother returned with an oblivious smile on his face and interrupted the moment.

"Wanda, the journalists want a picture of us for their article," he said enthusiastically, returning his arm around her waist and tugging her close, making my skin crawl.

Her gaze lingered on me for as long as she could before looking up to my brother with a halfhearted smile.

"Sure," she agreed reluctantly.

My brother nodded at me before leading Wanda away. She gave me one last look, her eyes trapped with unsaid words, before leaving with him. My mouth went dry as Wanda's words echoed in my mind. She was in love with me. And I knew I was in love with her, too. I had been for a while.

But wouldn't admitting that make this whole thing a lot more complicated?

—

"Will you stop shaking your hand? It's very distracting."

I stopped shaking my hand and gave my mum an apologetic glance before facing the door again. I was extremely eager and nervous to see Wanda again, as I hadn't been able to see her for the rest of the party last night.

Her words were permanently resounding in my mind all night, making it difficult to fall asleep. The reality of our situation had dawned on me and I knew that even though everything would become more difficult between us, I had to tell her that I felt the same way. The last thing I wanted was her panicking that I didn't. Because these last two months loving her in secret were better than anything I'd experienced in my life.

Iryna and my mum had made plans to hang out today, including Wanda and I in the plans without actually telling me until this morning. I didn't mind though as I was hoping it could be an opportunity for us both to finally speak.

The front door opened to reveal Iryna with a bright, inviting smile. She exchanged greetings with us both and ushered us inside instantly. There, waiting, was Wanda, looking as gorgeous as ever. A calm suddenly enveloped me as I looked to her, my heart fluttering in my chest more so than usual. She loved me and that thought alone made me feel giddy inside.

"You must come upstairs to the closet with me," Iryna insisted before I could utter a word to the brunette. "I've been very silly and impulse-ordered a bunch of new dresses. Of course, the only way to fix that is to try them on."

My mother laughed alongside her and the two of them looked to Wanda and I questioningly. I smiled their way, glancing at Wanda, before following them upstairs. Maybe later.

I spent the next hour trying on clothes against my own will, modelling them for Wanda and our mothers awkwardly. Ecstatic, our mothers threw their opinions out at me, but I was barely listening because all I could seem to focus on was a quiet Wanda. I couldn't read her mind for the life of me – she was getting better at hiding how she truly felt.

Wanda also tried some dresses on, still not as enthused as she usually was, but neither of our mothers seemed to take notice. I sat on the lounge sofa alongside them, eyes unable to look away from Wanda as she modelled the dresses. I had no words, my mind hazy and tongue tied as she stole my breath away for the millionth time. She was ethereal.

"...what do you think, Y/N?" Iryna asked, forcing me to look away from Wanda and to her. "She should keep this one, shouldn't she?"

I hummed in agreement, looking back to Wanda, who was avoiding my eyes. "She should. I don't think I've ever seen a dress so perfect for someone before."

Our mothers didn't seem to think much of my comment, but Wanda finally looked up, not ignoring me for the first time since I got here. I offered her a small smile, hoping she could see what I'd been wanting to say to her since last night. But she looked away, chewing on her lip and looking down.

"I'm gonna change," she mumbled, before turning to go back behind the curtain.

A sigh escaped my lips as I leaned back against the seat. I'd just have to find a spare moment.

Iryna and my mum proceeded to try on a bunch of dresses before we called it a day and were ready to eat lunch.

"I want you to have these, Y/N," Iryna told me as we all stood up, motioning to the pile of dresses on the arm of the sofa. "It's my gift to you."

I raised my eyebrows. "Oh, Iryna, you don't need to give–"

"Don't be ridiculous," she cut me off with a wave of her hand. "You're family now. Anything for my daughter-in-law."

I smiled awkwardly, not missing the eye roll from Wanda, before nodding. "Thanks..."

She looked to her daughter. "Wanda, medovyy (honey), can you help her pack them away and meet Y/M/N and I outside on the patio for some lunch?"

Wanda, having no other choice but to say yes, nodded and forced a smile in her mum's direction. "Sure, mum."

Our mothers fell into conversation as they left the room, finally leaving Wanda and I alone. I released a breath, grateful for the privacy, and looked to the Sokovian in question.

"You okay?" I asked slowly, wanting to find a start before erupting straight into my feelings.

She nodded, nibbling on her lip. She looked like she wanted to say something more, so I watched her patiently.

After a pause, when I thought she may just stay quiet forever, she spoke. "If what I said last night was out of line, I'm sorry."

I shook my head, a smile curling on my lips. "It wasn't. I'm in love with you, too."

Surprised, she finally met my gaze, eyes swirling with confusion. "You are?"

"Of course I am," I said quietly, stepping forward and taking her hands in mine. "I didn't mean to make you jealous last night. Pietro and I were genuinely just hanging out as friends."

She shook her head, eyes flickering between mine. "It doesn't matter about that. Forget it."

I still felt guilty, adding, "I know, but it does matter. I don't want to–"

She pressed her lips to mine quickly, cutting me off. Her fingers tangled in my hair as she tugged me closer with her other hand, making me gasp when my body touched hers. I kissed back, closing my eyes and moving my lips against hers in perfect sync.

I probably could have kissed her all afternoon, but the sound of the door opening made us both jump apart, startled. It was just a servant who was coming in to clean up the room. When she saw us, she gave us a small smile before moving around the room carefully. My eyes fell to Wanda's excited ones, and I smiled at her before nodding to the dresses.

"We should sort this out before they wonder what's taking so long," I told her, moving to pack them.

She nodded, grabbing my hand and squeezing it gently before helping me. We packed the dresses in no time before joining our mums out on the patio where they were sat with our lunch. I tried to keep my eyes off Wanda as our mothers spoke to us about God knew what, but it was hard when all I wanted to do was kiss her over and over, telling her just how much I loved her.

"...nice to see you both getting along lately," Iryna was talking, and I only zoned back in when I realised she was looking at me.

I blinked. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

Wanda stifled a smile as my mum gave me a disapproving look from across the table.

Iryna didn't seem to mind as she chuckled. "You and Pietro," she continued. "You both seemed very comfortable at the party last night."

I settled on a polite smile. "He's a gentleman. Very nice to be around, I guess."

Iryna smiled knowingly, exchanging glances with my mum before patting Wanda on the forearm, getting her attention. "How does that sound, dear? Your brother and Y/N together?"

I shook my head instantly, realising how she'd taken my words. "That's not what I meant."

Humming in response, Iryna continued to look to her daughter. "You may have to start sharing your new best friend with Pietro."

Remembering Wanda's jealousy last night, I spared her a glance of concern, hoping she wouldn't let this get to her. She was smiling, but her eyes were dimmed with dismay.

"Uh-huh," she played along with her mother's words, before using her fork to pick at her food.

As our mums began to talk about it, I found Wanda's hand under the table and laced my fingers in hers, hoping she'd know I only cared about one person and it was her. Though she didn't look up, her hand tightened around mine and she didn't let go.

The rest of the lunch went by as expected, though the more Iryna and my mother mentioned the wedding, the more Wanda and I grew uncomfortable. It was so much harder to hear about it when I knew my feelings were growing stronger for the brunette every day. By the end of the meal, my mother was happy to go back home and said I could stay to hang out with Wanda, which of course I did.

After bidding her a goodbye, I let Wanda drag me upstairs and to her bedroom, though the door closed when she spun around and pushed me against it, immediately kissing me. Before I could even question what was happening, she pulled away and looked at me through a half-lidded gaze.

"I don't want to share you with my brother, ever," she rasped out lowly, before licking her lips. "I don't want to share you with anyone."

She breathed out, her breath mingling with mine. Her hands rested on my waist before she reattached our lips, moving hers slower and more thoughtfully against mine.

I closed my eyes, grabbing her face and holding her gently, letting her slip her tongue between my lips and play with mine. Then she sucked on my lower lip, teeth nibbling gently at the sensitive skin, and made my insides go warm and fuzzy.

When she let go, she trailed kisses down my jaw and to my neck, having me at her mercy.

"Wanda," I moaned, hand moving to the back of her neck as I tried to regain some control of the situation, but the longer she sucked at the exposed skin, the more my knees wanted to buckle.

Already lowering my dress to my shoulders, her hand untied the back of it and I flushed at the contact of her fingers against me, not used to the feeling but also not opposed.

"Wanda, are you sure?" I asked between bated breaths, attempting to get her attention by tugging at her dress.

She pulled back, hand rising to my jaw and caressing it with her thumb as she looked between my eyes. Hers were dark, clouded with an arousal I hadn't seen before.

"I am," she said with certainty, before asking, "Are you?"

I swallowed hard, the warmth in my core growing hotter as she stared at me with lustful eyes and swollen lips. "Yes."

She gave me a slight smile before pressing her lips to mine again, allowing me to wrap my arms around her neck. I heard her lock the door behind me as I undid the top of her dress, struggling to do so without breaking contact from her. We moved to the bed clumsily, trying not to stumble over our discarded dresses, before I laid her down and straddled her.

Leaving a trail of open-mouthed kisses down her neck, I felt her fingers grip my waist, keeping ahold of my body on hers. I shivered as her nails scratched gently against the skin and grew warm when she lifted herself up gently to get more comfortable, her clothed centre rubbing against mine.

Taking a breath, I pulled away and hovered over her, revelling in the beauty that was Wanda Maximoff. Her cheeks were dusted pink as she opened her eyes, green eyes sparkling desperately as they flickered between mine.

"I love you," I told her softly, leaning on my elbow and caressing her forehead.

She smiled, nails trailing up my back and sending shivers down my spine. "Ya tozhe tebya lyublyu."

I tried not to laugh as I tilted my head with confusion. She smiled a little wider, hand reaching for the back of my bra.

"I love you, too," she translated in English, hint of amusement in her eyes, before she managed to undo the bra strap.

I rolled my eyes at her attempt of mockery before chasing down her lips once more. Everything about the woman before me was absolute perfection and I was glad I could finally share how I felt about her without having to hide it anymore.

The potential consequences of our actions was not my concern right now... all I cared about was treating her with the respect and care she deserved.

[slkw]

Completely and Utterly (Peter Pevensie x Reader)

Part 2 Part 3 

summary : (Y/n) showed up in Narnia not unlike the Pevensie siblings did during the Golden Age and has been living in Cair Paravel since. Peter and (y/n) have been in love with each other for a while, but are both stupidly oblivious to the feelings. However, will a ball and a shared dance make them acknowledge what is truly there?

y/n - your name

n/n - nickname 

This is my first piece of writing that I have ever posted or really shared with anyone so I hope you enjoy this and if some people do I might make a part 2?? :)

I slowly walked down the grand staircase, the train of my crimson ball gown following closely behind me. As I glanced up I could see Peter at the bottom of the staircase waiting for me with his hand out for me to take. I could not help but smile at the gesture.

This was my first ball in Narnia. I was terrified but the mere sight of the oldest Pevensie sibling make my heart slow down a few paces. Once I reached the bottom of the staircase my left hand reached out to hold Peter’s and my right one hoisted up my dress.

‘You look beautiful,’ Peter said. I blushed and bowed my head.

‘As do you.’

Peter was wearing a loose white shirt, that clung tightly to his wrists with dark black trousers. He looked like a god. His hair fell over his face perfectly and his dimples were very evident as he wore a large smile.

I snapped out of my thoughts as I linked arms with Peter, and he began walking me into the bustling ballroom. The room was packed with people dancing and laughing. The music from the orchestra bounced off every wall, reaching the tops of the high ceiling.

Peter placed his hands delicately on my waist as we begun to dance. However, the music quickly changed, and he grinned at me as the pace of our danced increased. My heart raced as adrenaline coursed through my body. Everything around us vanished and it felt as though it was only him and I alone in this huge ballroom.

Unknown to us – everyone had stopped dancing, and all eyes were on us. There was now a large clearing in the middle of the hall, and we danced quickly around the room, passing the other three Pevensie siblings on the way, all of which sported large smirks.

I was completely and utterly entranced. His blue eyes shone, eye contacting never faulting. As the song came to a stop, so did we. We then stood in the middle of the ballroom, completely breathless and utterly in love (however, this was not known to either of us).

The hall broke into an applause, snapping us from our trance. We both blushed bright scarlet with embarrassment. Peter bowed; I curtsied. The orchestra began playing another song as the applause died out. This song bared a steadier and slower rhythm.

‘That was amazing,’ a voice from our left said.

We both turned our heads to see Edmund standing there – grinning. ‘If you would not mind Peter, may I steal (y/n) for this dance?’

‘Of course,’ Peter replied, slightly hesitant but nevertheless, he gave Edmund my hand.

Edmund and I began to dance. He leant forward and whispered in my ear, ‘You like him, don’t you?’

I stumbled over my words, attempting to deny it. However, my attempts were not convincing, and I eventually confessed.

‘I knew it, I think everyone does. Well, except Peter. He’s too in love with you to notice.’

Edmund gently spun me as I replied, ‘What – Peter cannot possibly be in love with me. He would have said something. Right?’

‘Dear (y/n), you are just as oblivious as him. Yes of course he is in love with you. Have you not seen the way he looks at you?’ Edmund teased.

‘Like what? He looks at everyone the same.’

‘Not you, he looks at you as though you might vanish into thin air if he looks away.’

I was at a loss for words. He actually likes me. The High King of Narnia likes me. My face was completely flushed red, almost matching my dress. Edmund could not help but smile at the blush painted across my face. We continued to dance gracefully, as the conversation topic switched from Peter to castle gossip and the likes.

 However, all while Edmund and I were immersed in our dancing and conversation, Peter was watching us both like a hawk. Although he would probably hate to admit, he was in fact jealous. From his point of view Edmund had his hand on my waist while I blushed and laughed along with him. Peter was completely oblivious to the fact that the blush along my cheeks was caused by himself. The thought of him being in love me with continuously ran through my head, along with the dance we had just shared.

Once again the song came to an end and this time it was replaced with an upbeat song. Edmund walked me over to Peter and Lucy who stood drinking out of golden rimmed goblets.

‘Where’s Susan?’ I questioned.

Peter nonchalantly nodded his head over towards Susan who was dancing with the Prince of the Lone Islands. I smiled and giggled at the sight of the lovestruck Susan. I turned back towards Peter and Lucy, Edmund’s arm still interlocked with mine. Peter looked unusually upset and I shot him a look of worry, to which he just brushed off. I ignored this action and slowly released my arm from Edmund’s and curtsied low in front of Lucy to meet her height and said, ‘Queen Lucy the Valiant, would you give me the honour of having this dance?’

She giggled and curtsied back, ‘Why yes of course.’

She took my arm and walked into the middle of the ballroom once again. I took her small hands in mine and began to spin her around.

Edmund walked over to Peter all while watching Lucy and I mess around in our ball gowns. ‘What’s the matter Pete?’ Edmund queried.

‘It’s nothing,’ replied Peter, attempting to keep up his High King façade and not let his feelings through.

‘Would it be anything to do with (y/n)?’ Edmund shot back.

Peter just glanced away and made up an excuse of having to attend to the guests to avoid any further questions on him and (y/n). Edmund was left smirking at where Peter stood moments previous.

 As the night came to an end, all the guests left Cair Paravel, and I retired back to my room. I untied to back of my dress and let it fall to the ground, pooling by my feet. Stepping out of the dress, I slipped on my nightgown. The sounds of the waves crashing against the shore was distant but comforting. The events of the evening played on repeat in my head, however, I was still unsure of why Peter was so dismissive of me after the ball.

Exhaustion began to take over me, but due to not wanting to sleep just yet I opened the glass door onto the balcony and let the cool air fall over me. I walked out onto the balcony and took in the sight of Narnia sleeping. The stars laughed amongst each other as they shone down onto the castle and the trees rustled silently with one another. A dark silhouette came into view from the corner of my eye. I turned my head to see Peter also standing silently on his balcony a few along from mine. His white shirt billowed in the wind as his hands gripped the edge of the stone balcony. He looked so beautiful in the moonlight, I could not help but stare. I quietly coughed to grab his attention and when his eyes met mine, he was unable to conceal the small smile on the face. I motioned for him to wait there and dashed back into my room. The dressing gown that laid on my bed was quickly wrapped around my body and I was running down the hallway, not actually processing what I was doing.

 Pushing his door open, I could see him still standing on his balcony waiting for me – just as I had asked. At the sound of the door being opened, he turned around. I stepped out onto the cold stone, a nervous smile beginning to form on my face.

‘Hi’, I said, my voice wavering slightly.

‘Hi’, he repeated.

We then both stood there in silence, taking in the view of Narnia, just as we both were doing separately moments before. ‘Is everything alright?’ I questioned breaking the silence.

‘Yeah, I am just a little tired – that’s all.’

‘Peter. You don’t need to lie to me.’

Nothing was said back, and we continued to stand in the quiet. I rested my hands against the balcony and leaned over the side, looking down on the courtyard below. From the corner of my eye, I could see him staring at me, with a look on his face I could not describe. Nonetheless, it made me blush.

‘I enjoyed tonight,’ he spoke.

‘As did I,’ I replied.

Without warning, he placed his hand over mine. My heart skipped a few beats as I turned to face him.

‘Do you like Edmund?’ Peter blurted out, finally admitting what had been on his mind most of the night.

‘No, what would make you think that?’ I queried.

‘I don’t know, it’s just the way you look at him,’ he said.

‘Edmund is like a brother to me, nothing more. He is fun to have around and we share the same interests. He has really made me feel welcome in Narnia.’

‘Have I?’ said Peter, changing the subject.

‘More than anyone actually.’

After this was said, a deep blush made its way onto Peter’s face; I giggled at the sight and took his hand into mine. My eyes could not help but flicker down to his lips. ‘You look tired (n/n), you should sleep,’ Peter said.

The use of this new nickname made my heart jump in my chest. I bowed my head, attempting to hide my crimson face. At the sight of this, Peter lifted my chin upwards with his hand, causing us to make eye contact.

‘I should probably go back to my room then,’ I said, the tension between us making my legs feel as though they would give way any second.

I took my hand from his and made my way to the oak door that separated his room from the hallway.

‘Wait,’ he said just as I was about to turn the doorknob, ‘you could stay in my room for the night.’

‘Only if you want to,’ he added.

I did not know what to do or say or think. Did Peter Pevensie really ask me to stay in his room for the night?

‘I – I, I would love to’, I stammered out.

He motioned toward the bed and I got in, pulling the covers up to my chest. I laid my head against the silk pillows and closed my eyes. At the sound of buttons popping, I opened them again to see Peter taking off his shirt. I could not help but stare. His back muscles were quickly exposed as they flexed with movement. His eyes met mine as he nervously said, ‘Is this okay?’

‘More than okay.’

As my eyes fell closed in exhaustion, I felt him get in beside me and his arms pull me into his chest. I could hear Peter whisper something into my hair, but I drifted into unconsciousness before I could reply. I am still not sure, but it sounded very much like the words, ‘I love you.’

[getofy]

the karasuno first years and the kind of music i think they listen to...

genre: headcanons | wc: tba | characters: tsukki, yams, kags, and hinata | cw: none | no spoilers!

a/n: i fr NEVER post. that’s my bad guys. take these headcanons i made while i was procrastinating as my apology </3. i have fics and hcs in the making but like,,, school gets in the way. anyways, ily. pls enjoy! hehe >_<.

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TSUKISHIMA KEI -> MALE MANIPULATOR MUSIC

click here for my tsukishima kei male manipulator playlist!

DISCLAIMER: i do not associate him with the manipulative/toxic side of the male-manipulator persona, only the music part.

ex. boys don’t cry by the cure | i won’t share you by the smiths | watching him fade away by mac demarco | c’mere by interpol | it’s only sex by car seat headrest | black madona by cage the elephant | the joke isn’t funny anymore by the smiths

yeah you cannot look me in the eyes and tell me this man is not a music SNOB. like hello???? HE CARRIES HIS HEADPHONES EVERYWHERE.

tsukishima listens to the most ALARMING music a man can listen to and he is proud of it

like,, radiohead? yep. neutral milk hotel? STAPLE.

he likes being on aux

he genuinely thinks his taste is SUPERIOR to everyone else’s

and what can i say? it definitely is...this kind of music is so good bro

and no, this is not me feeding into the fanon toxic tsukki thing

it just truly gives off such *him* vibes???

LIKE TELL ME HE WOULDN’T DO HIS HW WHILE JAMMING OUT TO THE FRONT BOTTOMS!!! THATS RIGHT! YOU CAN’T!

literally idc this is SO canon in my mind

he likes super niche bands as well. it’s his thing.

music is a very important aspect of his life, and this kind just happens to suit him the best.

he def shames people for their taste in music too lol, but justifiably so since his taste is TOP TIER!!!!

“you listen to the radio? interesting...”

i hate him

he’ll put you on GOOD songs

would def dedicate a song by the cure to you

btw, he prefers the cure to the smiths

my little male manipulator vball bf <333

honorable mentions: lofi, folk-rock, whatever yamaguchi decides to play when he’s on aux (he’ll pretend to hate it but he doesn’t), also he definitely stares into the void w/ ricky montgomery playing softly in the background, also!! he had an emo phase so every once in a while he’ll relapse and binge the entirety of MCR’s discography

YAMAGUCHI TADASHI -> BEDROOM POP

ex. daft pretty boys by bad suns | oh klahoma by jack stauber | are you bored yet? by wallows | hot rod by dayglow | oh, honey baby by mustard service | generation why by conan gray | loverboy by a-wall

yams has a very diverse music taste because of tsukki, but i think this is what he gravitates towards the most. he enjoys upbeat tunes w/ depressing lyrics. and ngl i can’t blame him bc..same.

he’s the kind of guy that wouldn’t make fun of ur music taste if it was different from his (unless tsukki is with him)

idk just overall enjoys the way bedroom pop sounds!! he likes indie music and stuff like that :>

fairly proud of his music taste

i feel like he wouldn’t want to have aux though just bc he’s afraid of people judging him????

same yams, same

yeah but he totally has little dance parties in his room to clario

he’ll 100% listen to dayglow to hype himself UP before games

oh baby :((( i love him so much

misc: him and tsukki send each other songs and it’s adorable

KAGEYAMA TOBIO -> RAP?

ex. element. by kendrick lamar | u-rite by they. | idk i don’t listen to rap

okay i literally have NO CLUE what this man would listen to LOL but like,,, rap seems...fitting? after all, he IS a student athlete. as the sister of one, i can say with confidence that this is what most of them listen to.

i really can’t imagine kageyama caring too about what he listens to so i doubt he’d put a lot of thought into his music taste??

idk he’d just listen to popular stuff and vibe tbh

he wouldn’t be partial to any kind of music but this suits him the best i think

actually i take that back! i don’t think he’d willingly listen to songs with a slower tempo UNLESS he was trying to focus

stuff like classical would fs bore him

he’ll just go for whatever makes him feel empowered/hype before a game/workout, as well as whatever’s catchy

i don’t hc him to be a guy who’s super big on music so yk ://

he’ll just put on whatever he’s feeling ig

the type to respond with “oh i just listen to whatever” when asked what kind of songs he enjoys

doesn’t care abt being in aux or not

but like if he’s with hinata/tsukki he’ll want to be just to spite them

tsukki is appalled by kags’ nonchalant attitude when it comes to music

misc: his music taste would be so pitiful guys pls. Help him. HELP THIS POOR MAN!!!!!! he’d probably enjoy whatever music u put him on so long as ur nice abt it.

HINATA SHOYO -> “WHATEVER’S ON THE RADIO”

ex. fr whatever is on the radio/whatever is playing/feel-good music/rap

hinata is also not the kind of guy who is super particular about what he listens to. i think before games he’ll listen to rap/upbeat stuff to get hype (similar to kags), but overall, he’ll just listen to whatever comes on

this terrifies tsukishima. Yeah.

hinata is such a positive person that i feel like he’ll bop his head to anything with a nice beat :]

it just,,, makes sense to me idk

he’ll go on aux fs and play some nice throwback songs tho

whatever you play, he’ll like

i don’t think that he would be opposed to slower stuff tbh

that being said, he def has a playlist called ‘good vibes 🌴🔥’ filled with songs people have recommended to him that he thought were extra-good

he’ll let it play while doing hw

tbh his and kags’ brains r so full of volleyball i doubt they’d think abt trivial things like this haha

misc: in the timeskip, he listens to really calm music he can meditate to

*do not repost my work without proper credit and my explicit permission

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[thepremedthatwrites]

Hello!! Can I request a Peter Pevensie imagine where the Pevensies are visiting the readers kingdom and Lucy wants the reader to show them the best thing to do at readers kingdom. So, the reader wakes them up in the middle of the night and takes them running around the town and her Peter have a bunch of fluffy moments?

Running Around

This was a lot of fun to write!  I decided to use a kingdom in a book I’m working on just to add a sense of variety in the nations used in my writings, plus I feel it makes it a bit more interesting.  Anyways, I hope you like it!

I paced back and forth, the overflowing greenery of the garden brushing the fabric of my dress.  As I turned on my heels, I saw a dark hooded figure making their way to me.  As it got closer, the outline of a small frame and feminine curves came into view.  The figure removed its hood to reveal a mop of reddish-brown hair and sparkling eyes.  “Are you ready?” I questioned, my voice echoing throughout the garden.

“What exactly are you planning?” the young Queen replied with.

“You said you wanted to see the best of my kingdom, did you not?’

“I suppose I assumed you would show me during the day.”  I shook my head.

���The night is when Afodilia truly comes alive,” I said, smiling.  “The moonlight rejuvenates the people, the cool night air waking up their instincts to live without regret.”

Lucy shifted her weight between her feet, the noise of crickets and the rustling of the plants filling the air.  “Alright,” she finally said, the moonlight revealing a toothy grin.  “I would like to ask you for one more thing before we leave.”

“Anything.”

“May my oldest brother join?  He’s been so caught up in his paperwork and duties as High King this entire trip and I would like for him to relax and enjoy himself for once.”  I paused for a moment.  I had been infatuated with the High King since the moment he stepped foot into the castle.  His charming good looks were almost negligible when I saw the way he cared for his nation.  Watching him be willing to do anything for the safety and wellbeing of his people was admirable and (though I would never admit it out loud) attractive.

“Of course,” I said, already feeling my heart start to race at the idea of spending so much time with Peter.

“Great.  You get Peter.  I need to do some last-minute things before we leave.  I’ll meet you at the front gates.”  Before I could protest, she was already halfway to the door leading back to the castle.  I let out a sigh before following her and heading down a long corridor that led to the sleeping King.

I was surprised when I heard someone mumble “come in” as I knocked on the door.  It must have been somewhere near two in the morning, a time where most people were fast asleep.  I gingerly opened the door, sticking my head in before my body followed it.

“Hello Your Majesty,” I said softly.  His head snapped to me, his eyes tired and posture slumped over a desk.

“Princess (y/n). Is there something wrong?” he asked, shooting up from his chair.

“Oh no, everything is fine,” I replied, pausing as I thought how to word the next sentence. “Lucy wanted to see the kingdom.”  Peter let out a soft chuckle, the mention of his youngest sibling causing him to relax and the sparkle to return to his eyes.

“Lucy always loves to learn the new culture of any kingdom we visit. I’m sure we can find someone to show her around.”

“Well, I actually volunteered to do so,” I said, rocking back and forth on the balls of my feet. “I was going to show her now.”

“Now?” Petter questioned, his eyebrows raised. “Don’t you think it’s a bit late?”

“That’s exactly why I’m showing her now.”

“The night is a dangerous time for a young Queen and Princess to be out and about.”

“Maybe in Narnia. But in Afodilia, the best things happen at night.”

“You say that like you’ve been in the streets before, well after your parents had retired for the night and when the day soldiers had been replaced with the night shift.”

“Perhaps I have,” I replied, a mischievous smile starting to form on my lips.

“That doesn’t make it any less dangerous.”

“Then perhaps Lucy and I need someone like High King Peter the Magnificent who has battled giants and fought alongside Aslan to protect us.”  Peter let out a sole laugh that seemed to rattle throughout the bedroom, a smile now on his face.  He walked towards the wardrobe that sat in the corner of the room, flinging open one of the doors and grabbing his cloak and Rhindon before turning back to me.

“Lead the way, Your Highness.”

“I never saw such a busy market this time at night,” Lucy said aloud, not really caring who heard her, her head moving around as she took in the sight. The usual night sounds of owls and crickets were drowned out by the sound of buyers bargaining for lower prices and sellers advertising their goods. I stopped at a small table that showed off a variety of produce, giving the seller two gold coins for an apple.  I smiled as the vendor’s eyes lit up at the sight of the gold.

I turned to see Peter watching me. I gave him a small wink before taking a bite of the apple and continuing to walk along the different tables and stands. “An apple is not worth two gold coins.” I heard someone say. I turned to see Peter at my side.

“No, but I have more money than I could count. Overpaying for a fruit won’t kill me and it helps my subjects,” I replied with, taking another bite of my apple. I turned to see Peter watching me causing me to chuckle.  “Have you never seen an apple before?”

“Of course I know what an apple is,” he said, rolling his eyes. “It’s just that your love for your subjects is admirable.”

“Oh please,” I said. This time, it was my turn to roll my eyes. “What I’ve done for my people is nothing compared to you. I don’t even know how to use a sword let alone defend my people from any physical threat.”

“You don’t need to fight a war to be a beloved monarch,” he said, shaking his head.  “I would be honored to have you as my Queen.”  The words seemed to have slipped out of his mouth before he could stop it, his lips forming a thin line once he had finished speaking. I felt my face warm at his words.

“Thank you,” I said, rather unintelligently as my brain failed to come up with something witty to say. My hands fiddled with the apple as I looked towards the ground not able to bring myself to look Peter in the eyes.

“(Y/n), look!”  Lucy’s voice seemed to snap Peter and me out of the remnants of the conversation as we both turned to her. In her hands were an array of jewelry that seemed to be handmade.  “Aren’t they beautiful!”  Lucy seemed to have already bought a good amount of jewelry, a collection of bracelets on her wrist as she struggled with the clasp of a necklace. I chuckled as I walked over to her, helping her with the clasp.

“Let’s go somewhere else before you spend all your money here,” I said. Peter nodded in agreement, an amused smile on his face.  I grabbed Lucy’s hand before pulling her away from the stand and towards the streets.

“Where are we going now?” she questioned as we started to walk down the cobblestone path.

“To the tavern,” I replied with, Lucy’s eyes widening at the words.

“I don’t think a tavern is the most appropriate place for Lucy,” Peter said, making me jump slightly as he had been so quiet I almost forgot he was there.

“Peter!  I’ve fought wars and went through rigorous training.  I think I can handle a tavern.”  Lucy crossed her arms as if to accentuate her point.

“I don’t know…” Peter started.

“Where were you before anyway,” Lucy cut in. “You were gone for a few minutes and now you just reappeared. What were you doing?”

“Let’s go to the tavern,” Peter said quickly, obviously wanting Lucy to drop the subject.

“Okay!” Lucy exclaimed, jumping up in excitement before skipping the rest of the way to the building. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the young Queen as we neared the building. Upbeat fiddle music and loud conversations spilled through the doors and into the quiet night. Lucy didn’t hesitate to run into the building, leaving Peter and me in the dust.  Peter opened the door, gesturing for me to go in first.

“Thank you,” I said, nodding at him before walking into the tavern, Peter right behind me. Lucy had already seemed to have found her way to one of the wooden tables, a drink in her hand as she told a story to the faun next to her with animated gestures.

“Looks like Lucy’s already made a new friend,” Peter chuckled as we made our way to a more empty table.  Two drinks were almost immediately placed in front of us as we sat down.

“She seems to befriend everyone she meets,” I added, a smile on my face as I watched Lucy joke and converse with the other patrons.

“I used to worry that the war would change her. But she’s still the same as ever.”  I sat in silence for a moment, imagining the King and Queen as frightened kids, discovering this magical world for the first time and having to fight in a war.

“Is it hard?” I questioned.  Peter looked at me, the puzzled look on his face pushing me to elaborate.  “I mean going from some ordinary guy to the High King of Narnia.”  Peter’s shoulders seemed to slouch as he studied the liquid in his cup.

“It gets hard sometimes,” he said, swirling his cup around.  “It isn’t really the King stuff that I get stressed about though.  It’s my siblings.  Before we left, I promised my mother that I would keep them safe.  What if I already failed that promise?”

“Peter,” I said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder.  His muscles seemed to relax at the physical contact.  “I see the way your siblings look at you.  They love you unconditionally.  No matter what happens.  And you certainly have not failed.  Look at Lucy, she’s having the time of her life.  You have done as good as a job if not better as any parent could in raising your siblings to be respectful, charismatic, and wonderful people.”  

“Thanks,” he said, smiling at me.  I felt my heart start to race at the sight of his soft lips curled into a smile.  “That was the first time I actually talked to someone about how I felt.  It felt nice.”  I smiled.

“Maybe instead of burying yourself with work you could have fun and talk to me instead,” I replied, chuckling as Peter rolled his eyes.

“You do realize that I have responsibilities, right?”

“Just because you have duties to fulfill doesn’t mean you can’t have fun.”  My face lit up as I heard the beginning of an upbeat song being played.  “C’mon Mr. serious.  Let’s dance.”  I grabbed onto his hand before dragging him to the crowd of people dancing along to the happy tune.  I laughed as Peter struggled to keep up with the beat, tripping over his own feet as I danced around him.  “Does His Majesty not know how to dance?” I questioned playfully, raising an eyebrow.

“I don’t usually dance at balls,” he replied, a sheepish smile on his face.

“Nice to know you actually are human and not a god sent down from the heavens.”

“What makes you think I’m a god?” Peter inquired.

“You’re perfect at everything except for dancing,” I started, chuckling.  “And you’re extremely handsome.”

“So you think I’m handsome?”  He let out a hearty laugh as I felt my face warm.

“Of course,” I replied quickly, feeling myself already start to stumble over my words.  “I mean, just because I find you attractive doesn’t mean anything.  It’s just a fact.”

“Actually, beauty is subjective which means it’s not a fact.”  I stopped dancing for a moment, my brain completely focused on how to get myself out of this predicament.  “And for the record (y/n).”  I felt my heart start to race as I waited for his response.  “I think you’re quite attractive as well.  One might even say beautiful.”  I felt my face warm again, only this time it wasn’t from embarrassment.  The sound of bells snapped me from my daze.

“Oh no,” I said, looking around the tavern for Lucy.  “We have to get back.  It’s getting late and we have to seem somewhat awake tomorrow.”  My eyes landed on Lucy who was now dancing with a group of fauns and dwarves.  I walked towards her, Peter right behind me.  The closeness of our bodies caused my heart to beat even faster as I called out Lucy’s name.  

“I’ll see you all later!” Lucy shouted back towards the group she had been dancing with.  “Peter, Afodilia is amazing!  We have to come to visit again.”  We had now left the tavern, the cool night air refreshing after being in such a warm room.

“Agreed,” he said, stealing a glance at me.  We were halfway back to the castle when Lucy let out a yawn.  “Tired?” Peter asked, chuckling softly.

“Only a little,” Lucy replied with.  With no hesitation, Peter scooped up Lucy in his arms, carrying her the rest of the way back.  I followed Peter to Lucy’s room, both of us tucking her in and wishing her a good night.

“I knew she was going to make me carry her,” Peter chuckled as we neared my bedroom door.

“If I remember correctly, she didn’t ask to be carried.”

“She was implying it heavily though.”  I let out a laugh as we came to a stop.  “I had a wonderful time tonight,” Peter said, his voice softer than before.  

“Me too.”  I took a deep inhale as I looked up at Peter, realizing just how close we were.  

“I, um, got you something,” Peter said, rubbing the back of his neck as he reached into his pocket.  He pulled out a gold chain with a single rose charm on it.  “I saw it on that stand Lucy was at before and I thought you would like it.”  He leaned in towards me, placing the chain around my neck.  My face was almost pressed against his chest, the smell of the firewood from the tavern mixed with a hint of rosewood.  As he pulled away he paused, our noses almost touching as he brought his hand to my cheek.  I was worried that he could hear my heart beating, my chest rising and falling heavily from the new surge of adrenaline.

“Thank you,” I whispered, not quite trusting my voice.  

“May I…” Peter started.  I already knew what he wanted, not waiting for him to finish his sentence to nod vigorously.  He closed the gap between us, lightly pressing his lips against mine.  It wasn’t much, just a quick peck, but it filled my stomach with butterflies and I felt dizzy as he pulled away, my eyes still slightly shut.  We stood silently for a moment, looking deeply into the other’s eyes.  “I should probably go,” Peter said, breaking the silence.

“Yes,” I replied, my hand fiddling with the rose charm.  “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“Good night (y/n).”

“Good night Peter.”

[taikiscigarette]

–  𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀.

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑(𝐒) : 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐚𝐡𝐲𝐮𝐧. + 𝐠𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐚. 

𝗪𝗖: 𝟐.𝟕 𝐤

𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁: 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐢 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬!𝐝𝐚𝐡𝐲𝐮𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫! 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫? 

𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚~ 𝙞 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧! 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮.

“ princess dahyun has once again skipped out on her lessons! the king requests her to be brought to him at once! she cannot have gone far! “

the shouts of the king’s guard reverberated throughout the marble walls of the castle as hurried footsteps of guards and maids can be heard echoing the loud orders. while those within the castle run around looking for the missing princess, a young woman is sat hidden away within the floral and fauna of the castle gardens. it had become a safe space for dahyun when she found herself not wanting to participate in her mother’s unnecessary lessons. her mother told her that a ‘princesses must act like one, and you, my dear, certainly do not act like one.’ so, she started to enroll dahyun into lessons that she liked to say would turn her into a proper princess. but none of that interested dahyun, if she had to change who she was to fit the standard image of a princess she didn’t want the title at all. and she knows she sounds privileged when she talks about not wanting to deal with the life of luxury, but no one ever saw the countless scolding’s that she would get if she made a face at a comment a suitor made. never saw the way her mother forced her to sit with her back completely straight for two hours to show her the proper way to sit. no one except you. your family had been the gong family’s gardeners for a few generations now, and you had found yourself quickly gravitating towards the princess as soon as you had started tending to the garden. her upbeat personality was enough to draw anybody in, and her smile put the sun to shame. she was light personified, how could anyone look at her and not see anything but perfect? but it was clear that her parents saw the complete opposite. as a princess, she was a failure in their eyes. she didn’t let any suitors disrespect her or say that she was less than they were. she didn’t understand why she couldn’t do her own laundry or run her own bath and compared to her brother she was anything but royal. you knew when you had arrived at the castle gates for your work that she had once again slipped away when it was time for her to do her lessons. and you also knew that she would be in the castle gardens. you knew that you would probably get in trouble for keeping her hiding spot a secret from the king, and your job or perhaps even your reputation would be stripped away from you. you would probably be disowned and lose everything, but when you see her look so at peace with the bunnies and the camellia flowers you feel any resolve you had crumble. 

“ princess, you know the king and queen are going to scold you again for skipping your lessons. “ 

dahyun only hums happily as she pets the small bunny in front of her again. “ i told you, you don’t have to call me princess! just call me dahyun. “ she completely disregards your warning as she swings her feet off the side of the bench. her shoes had been discarded some time ago, she always said that they gave her sores and that she didn’t want to wear them when she’s relaxing. you put on the gardening gloves as she begins her rant.

“ i just don’t get it! i tell them constantly that i shouldn’t have to fit into the perfect image of a princess and they just brush it off! why should i have to change everything about me just to fit what other people want? i want to be able to go in my own gardens without the guards going into a frenzy. for god’s sake, i can’t even do my own laundry! “ she lets out a small huff. “ sorry for the language but- all i want to do is live my life without people telling me how i should act or what i should do. you’re the only person who’s never told me how to act. i truly do treasure you, you know? why can’t i just go work in the gardens with you? wouldn’t that be fun? “ 

you let out a small sigh as you cut an overgrown vine. “ you already know the answer to that, my lady. we’ve talked about this before. i’m already risking. . . everything by not telling the king that you hide away here. can you imagine the way he’d react if i let you work in the gardens? you’re a princess, your hands are not to be soiled with commoner work. “ 

as sad as it is to admit, it’s the truth. those born into royal lineage do not have to worry about doing commoner work. their work is strictly diplomatic, and of course all of the king and queen-ly duties that need to be done. and for the princess and prince, their job is to marry into another royal family. prince minho was already arranged to marry to truly solidify his rule as next king, and princess dahyun is currently having meetings with potential suitors. the best match that has been selected is prince gabriel cabrera. he’s a good man, funny, charismatic. everything a prince should be. worthy of a woman like dahyun. it’s no secret that you have had a crush on dahyun since shortly after you started working for the family. you knew it would never be allowed, a princess marrying a commoner? not only would it ruin her reputation, but her family’s name would also be a word of shame instead of pride. but even knowing what you do, you can’t help the shared glances and giggles you share with dahyun. you know you need to stop before it turns into something else. yet here you are letting her rest her head on your shoulder as the two of you grow into a comfortable silence. the only noise being the occasional snip of the vines. 

when you arrive to work in the garden the next day the castle was oddly silent. usually, the maids would be whispering amongst themselves as they dusted the statues. but there were no whispers, no guards talking about what happened on their shift. regardless of the silence, your job was to work in the garden and that was it, not gossip. it was only a few hours through your gardening session did you hear movement coming towards you and the sound of sniffles approaching. setting the watering can down and looking up from the camellia flowers you were watering, you grunted slightly at the impact that smacked against you. you were lucky enough that years of garden work made you at least just strong enough to not fall over, but you did take a few steps backward as you look to see dahyun clinging to you. you felt your heart tug slightly as you see and hear the tears fall down her face. before you were able to even ask what was wrong, words began to pour out of her mouth. 

“ they arranged an engagement, without even asking me! i told them i didn’t want that and yet just this morning i was called into the throne room to be told that i am to wed gabriel! “ she takes a shaky breath as more tears cascade down her cheeks, “ i don’t want to marry gabriel. . . he’s a nice guy, a good friend even, but. he’s not you. i mean, gabe isn’t even interested in me that way! i’ve seen the way he looks at his retainer jakob! “

you can only watch her with a pained expression as you pull her away from you. “ princess. . . i believe it’s time for you to return to the castle. “ 

she blinks up at you, her brows furrowing in confusion as she stutters for a bit. “ what do you-- what do you mean? y/n what do you mean? “

you simply shake your head as you take a step back, putting your things back into your bag. you can feel her stare as you begin to walk towards the gates, and it breaks your heart to know that you cannot dry her tears. but in the end, she’s now an engaged woman. even if they both do not feel what a husband and wife should, you were not going to be the cause of a royal feud. after all, if a commoner was found in a princesses bed you would surely lose your head.

the month passes by unbearably slow without dahyun coming to visit you. from what you heard, dahyun was forced to attend the lessons that she used to hide away from. the maid’s had mentioned that dahyun seemed quiet lately. she never talked back like she used to, and she always looked out the window as if she was looking for something. however, anytime someone asked her if she was alright she would flash them a smile and assure them that she was quite alright. you knew that it hurt her when you pushed her away when she needed you, but what else were you supposed to do? tell her you would fight a prince for her love? you loved dahyun, but it was just unrealistic for the two of you to be together. she would go marry prince gabriel and you would continue to work as if nothing had occurred. as you let out another sigh you fail to hear the footsteps approach you, too engrossed with your own thoughts. it was only when someone cleared their throat behind you did you jump slightly, almost ruining the flower bush you were working on. 

“ oh my! “ you quickly bow as you see prince gabriel standing before you. a million things were running through your head as he stood before you. did he find out that you and dahyun were kind of seeing each other on the side? or maybe he didn’t like the flowers you had decided to grow or--

a small laugh pulls you out of your thoughts as you slowly tilt your head up to see gabriel laughing with delight, a smile on his face. 

“ if i didn’t know any better i would have said you saw a ghost! “ he settles down after a bit before he reaches out his hand, “ i am prince gabriel, but you can just call me gabe. “ 

after gabe calmed you down by saying he wasn’t going to have you executed, you learned that he came by you ask you about your feelings for dahyun. turns out, dahyun had mentioned her growing feelings for her gardener to him before and after their engagement was announced she stopped talking about it. and he knew it wasn’t just because of the engagement because he told her about his romantic escapades with his retainer jakob. so he came to investigate himself. you did feel a bit ashamed admitting the situation to him, especially since dahyun even told you that he wasn’t in love with her. but gabe didn’t get angry with you. if anything he understood. he was having a similar problem with jakob. they knew what they felt for each other, but he was a prince and jakob was a retainer. it was his job to marry royalty. but it was at that moment that he said that did he come to a realization. he didn’t say anything to you, just quickly rushed off with an apology. and all you could do was blink at him as he ran off. 

ever since that day prince gabriel had stopped by, you heard the maids talk about how princess dahyun seemed to have her glow back. you weren’t sure what caused the sudden change in her mood, but you weren’t going to complain. as long as she was smiling that was all that mattered to you. the days till dahyun’s wedding continued to dwindle as the energy in the castle began to rise even more. as you finally started to accept the fact that dahyun was going to be wed off and you would no longer see her around the castle, a letter arrived from the royal courier. dread-filled you the entire way to the castle. usually, the flowers would bring you comfort on days where you needed it, but not even the vibrant garden eased the pit in the bottom of your stomach. as you knelt before the king you could feel multiple eyes on your -- the king, queen, princess dahyun, and prince minho, and along with them was prince gabriel and his retainer. you couldn’t think of anything you had done wrong, but as the king stared down at you, you couldn’t think of any other reason he would’ve called you into the throne room. 

you swear the only noise in the throne room was the beating of your heart and your heavy breathing, and it was only when the king spoke up did you hold your breath of him to speak. 

“ y/n. as you know, your family has served the gong kingdom for centuries now. you grew up knowing exactly how the job was to be done. that skill and knowledge is something we had wished to keep with us. “ 

you can only look at him with a confused expression, “ my lord? “

he raises a hand to silence you. “ however, we do understand your value. which is why when the cabrera had specifically requested for you for a price, we accepted. you will accompany princess dahyun’s retainer to their kingdom. do you understand? “

you glanced at gabriel as he and dahyun shared a knowing look as you were dismissed. you had planned to ask them about it, but as it was your transfer to cabrera kingdom was sooner than expected. you had barely enough time to pack your gardening equipment and a few sets of clothes before a carriage came to pick you up. 

you hadn’t seen dahyun the following week either. of course, you didn’t think you would considering it was her wedding week, but you still had hope. it was quite some time until you finally saw dahyun. it was only in passing and she only spoke briefly, but what she said was something you couldn’t ignore. she had quickly whispered ‘ meet me by the camellia flowers tomorrow at dawn ‘ before she had slipped away. 

you did as she said and the following morning you found yourself by the camellia flowers. at first, you thought perhaps she was pulling a jest of some sorts, but when you heard the familiar patter of footsteps you turned around to see her smiling softly at you.

“ you came. i. . . thought perhaps you wouldn’t. “ 

“ of course i came, you know that i cannot deny a request from you. “ 

dahyun only smiles even more as she takes a step forward and wraps her arms around you. 

“ princess dahyun you know we can’t--”

“ hush. gabe and i actually had this all planned out. you see, that night when i found out i was to be engaged i was so heartbroken. gabe was a good guy, but not the one i loved. and i was not the one he loved. however, we both knew that it was his duty as heir to the throne to be married to royalty. but then one day gabe told me that he had actually spoken to you and he came up with a brilliant idea. “

she pulls away as she looks at you and by the lord’s above you swear the sun started to shine once more. 

“ we get married to stop the suitors from coming, and everyone here already knows about gabe and jakob. they’re not really the best at keeping it a secret. so. . the marriage was just a front. no one will question it, and we both can be with the ones we love. “

you can’t stop the overwhelming warmth you feel at her words, and before you can think twice about it you pull her into a kiss. 

and with the camellia flowers blowing ever so softly in the wind, two lovers who were never meant to be giggled softly under the gaze of the sun. 

[hi-hey-haechan]

Can I request 22 and 37 from the prompt list with Renjun

(She also requested 79, as well). Thank you for requesting! Renjun has been bias wrecking me so hard lately.

Prompt list is here

22: “Mine.”

37: “Could he make you feel as good as I do?”

79: “You don’t need to cover up the hickies.”

Warnings: fingering, orgasm denial, and also, this one is I wrote is even worse than usual. I’m sorry :(

A disadvantage of being Renjun’s girlfriend was being forced to attend the company parties. Now, you did love Renjun, and his fellow members were incredible, but large crowd gatherings made you anxious.

“I’ll be next to you the entire time,” your boyfriend promised, as you walked up to the company building. He was holding your hand comfortingly, showing you were going to be okay. “Think about it: all you gotta do is get through a few hours. Then, we’re gonna go home and cuddle.” Renjun was so sweet, and his words made you feel safe, calming you down. Renjun’s presence often had that effect on you. He squeezed your hand as you entered the doors to the building.

There was at least a bunch of food. That was the one good thing about attending these parties. Plus, the lobby, which was where the party was held, had some very comfy couches. This time, however, there were already multiple people who were sitting on the couch. You glanced around the room, trying to figure out which wall to stand awkwardly against.

“Come on,” Renjun gave you a bright smile, “let’s dance. We can’t just hug a wall the entire time.”

“Says who?” you asked, but he had already grabbed your hand and pulled you out to the dance floor.

It was supposed to be a fast dance, for the songs were upbeat and fast-paced. Your idea of dancing in public was essentially jumping up and down on the balls of your feet. It saved you from humiliation. With Renjun, however, he grabbed your hands and twirled you, until you were smiling and giggling and somewhat happy to be there.

He was smiling, too, and his grin was so cute and sweet and sincere. Were you actually having fun at a company party? Maybe.

Until he was called away, along with the rest of his fellow Dream members. “I’m so sorry,” he told you, as the smile ran away from his face. “I promised you I’d stay by your side, and--”

“Renjun,” you told him, adding a fake smile, “it’s okay. Go. They need you.”

He quickly kissed you, holding you close for a second, before following after Jeno and Chenle.

Welp, back to my wall, you thought to yourself, making it a goal to remain fairly hidden until Renjun came back.

That was, until Lucas came over to talk to you. You knew he was good friends with Renjun, but you didn’t know him too well. Plus, you knew he wanted very badly to be in NCT Dream with the others.

“Hey, sorry, I just couldn’t help but notice that you were without a partner on the dance floor.” Lucas flashed you a sincere grin, in which all of his intentions were clear: to make a friend, and nothing more. You decided to trust him.

“Renjun had to go have a brief meeting,” you explained. “Hence my presence in this large group of people.”

“You want to dance?” Lucas asked. “Nobody should have to be on the dance floor alone, even during a fast dance like this.” His tone of voice was kind, as were his eyes.

Renjun wouldn’t be jealous, right? It was just a casual dance. Besides, being with one person who made you feel safe enough was arguably better than being a wallflower. So you obliged.

It wasn’t as comfortable as dancing with Renjun. You felt a bit anxious for no reason you could comprehend, but when your boyfriend was with you, that anxiety disappeared completely. Despite not being completely in the moment, you still had to admit that dancing with Lucas was fun. He was a good dancer, and he made the occasional joke about a song or something that made you laugh.

Your mood grew a bit lighter over time, and you found yourself actually enjoying this dancing.

“Y/n?” Renjun’s familiar voice sounded, and you turned to him and smiled. However, he wasn’t sharing the same bright grin. His eyes were on Lucas, a grim expression on his face.

“Oh, you’re back!” you exclaimed happily. “Lucas decided to dance with me until you returned.”

“Well, I’m back now,” he said, his voice devoid of some emotion.

Lucas smiled at you and said, “That was fun. I hope you two have a good night!” He walked off, and you turned back to Renjun.

“How was your meeting?” you inquired.

“Fine. It was about our comeback. Why the hell were you dancing with Lucas?”

You were surprised by how straightforward he was being, but also because he seemed kind of cold. “Because he noticed I was alone on the dance floor, so he asked me to dance, and I accepted. There was no flirting, Renjun. It was completely platonic.”

“Mhm, and how do you know that he thought the same thing, that it was ‘just platonic?’”

“He didn’t try to do anything. Look, can we move on? Please?”

The hurt expression on your boyfriend’s face was painful to look at. You knew how insecure he could feel, especially regarding the other members. Clearly, he was jealous.

Instead, Renjun wondered what Lucas’ intentions were. He wanted to yell at him, “How could you?! You danced with my girlfriend!”

Out loud, however, he grabbed your hand and looked at you straight in the eyes. He kissed you, right there in the middle of the dancefloor, and it actually lasted more than a few seconds. It was a sweet kiss, but you felt like Renjun was kind of hiding how he truly felt. When you two broke away, his voice was anything but soft when he said in a low voice, “Mine.”

He grasped into your wrist, leading you off of the dance floor. He didn’t say anything; he just dragged you with him to the bathrooms.

They were actually really nice bathrooms. They were very clean, and was plenty of space. Only one person was allowed in there at once, but that was actually better.

Swiftly, Renjun pinned your body between the sinks and him. He kissed you, and his lips were harsh against yours, as though he was trying to tell you something, just by your kisses. You sat up on the bathroom tower and continued to kiss.

“I don’t like sharing what’s mine.” Immediately following that statement, you both blushed. “I’m sorry. You obviously don’t belong to me; you’re your own person. But I’m the only person who gets to flirt with you, and make you feel as good as I do. I think I need to remind you of that.”

When he began to kiss your neck, you blushed, realizing his intentions. He was going to “remind you,” as he’d said, right there, in the management’s bathrooms.

His lips were warm against the expanse of your neck, and his arms were around your waist, keeping you in place as he kissed your neck. He began gentle and sweet, his kisses making you seriously smile, enjoying the closeness of your two bodies.

That was, until his mouth grew rougher. He opened his mouth and bit down on the skin. He pressed a line of kisses up and down your neck. He was hungry, as though you were his last meal, You released a few sighs at the feeling of his hot mouth nipping the skin of your neck, sucking there, and definitely leaving marks.

What really caught you by surprise was what he did next. His hands traveled down your body, over the chest area to the hem of your dress. It wasn’t too short, but “if Lucas was looking at you like that, looking at you the way I am right now, then he’s looking at beauty that I’m lucky enough to be in love with.”

His hands went under the waistband of your tights, dipping to your clothed core. A gasp escaped your mouth, and you looked into Renjun’s completely innocent eyes, which contradicted where his hand was. Slowly, Renjun dragged his fingers over that area, sort of tracing a stripe on your panties. Already, it felt amazing, and already, your underwear was a bit wet, due to the pair of lips that were kissing your neck.

“You’re wet,” Renjun said, pushing a finger under your panties. “Is that for me, or for Lucas?”

He decided to tease you for some time. He first pushed down your tights and underwear, leaving your sensitive area fully exposed to him. His fingers traced the outer lips, collecting some of your arousal, but never actually touching the area you needed him the most. He eased the tip of his finger inside of you, before quickly withdrawing it, continuing to touch everywhere but your clit and your hole. “S-stop teasing me,” you sighed sharply, from the pleasure his teasing was bringing you, though it wasn’t enough.

Painstakingly slowly, he slid a finger into your hole. He continued to kiss your neck, too, so the sound of kissing and the lewd sound filling the room. He let you rest your head against his shoulder, trying to hold in your moans. His fingers were long enough to hit almost any spot inside of you.

“Renjun,” you moaned out quietly, your voice muffled in his shoulder. His thumb began to slowly rub your clit, knowing how much that would affect you. You felt full, just from one finger that was thrusting in and out of you extremely quickly. Before you knew it, he added another one. This stretched you out a bit, and you took both of his fingers well. You shut your eyes and continued to whimper your boyfriend’s name.

Quickly, you were already in heaven. The small risk that came along with this was someone catching you, and that was honestly unlikely…

“D-don’t stop, oh my gosh, Renjun,” you mewled into his shoulder. Your thumb moved faster in circles around your clit, trying to bring you to your edge faster.

“Lucas, could he make you feel as good as I do?”

“N-no,” you managed to get out, exhaling. “Only you could. Please keep going; I’m so close.”

Despite having begun this situation not too long ago, you were already feeling your climax approaching. There was a string in the bottom of your stomach that was being pulled tightly, signifying that you were close. The sound of his fingers inside of you was audible in the room, squelching and turning you on even more. Renjun added a third finger to you, stretching you out even more. You let out a moan of a decently high volume. You felt incredibly full, his fingers hitting your g-spot at each curl.

“R-renjun, I’m gonna--” And just like that, his fingers were gone. You felt so empty, clenching around the nothingness that replaced your boyfriend’s fingers. “Please, please let me cum.”

“Only good girls get to cum, and you were dancing with Lucas. You can cum when we get home,” he replied, his voice simple, despite how cruel his words were.

“Fine, then. And how am I supposed to hide all these hickies? Everyone’s gonna see them.”

“You don’t need to cover up the hickies,” Renjun said. “I want everyone to see that you’re mine to kiss and hold and flirt with, and not anyone else. Especially not Lucas.”

[playingbaseballwithyourson]

A Comprehensive List of Why REFLEKDOLL is One of the BEST EPISODES

1. I mainly come to this show to watch Ladybug and Chat Noir bitch at each other for a solid 15-20 minutes and, my god, does this episode deliver.

2. “You’d better get going before you lose your clown costume.” I C O N I C.

3. For real, confirmation that Ladybug sees Chat as as much of a goddamn clown as the entire fanbase, it’s great. 

4. I know people get on this episode because the ladynoir banter is apparently “”mean-spirited””? But honestly like, banter between friends CAN sound this mean-spirited from an outward perspective while all the friends involved in it are totally fine and in complete understanding that it’s all just joking and in good fun. Ladybug really starts tearing into him (jokingly) and Chat still finishes the sequence by bouncing away yelling “SEE I WAS RIIIIIGHT!” in an upbeat, teasing tone. Like, they’re fine. This is just how they talk to each other as friends and it’s clear neither Ladybug nor Chat Noir take their banter very seriously. (Honestly my banter with my friends can be far more scathing than anything in this episode. XD)

5. Watching Juleka and Luka interact... It’s pure. It’s good. :’3 Just an all around good scene. It’s also nice to follow up on how Juleka’s been dealing with her issues since Reflekta, even though it does turn out she’s made very miniscule progress.

6. Alya’s galaxy brain moment of inviting Adrien to help Marinette with a fashion shoot: Makes a lot of sense and is a great way to capitalize on both the love square’s hobbies to get them to hang out more! It’s the single part of this episode that isn’t a contrivance! 

7. Adrienette look cute in the matching outfits. Sorry but they do.

8. Okay, the thing that is truly great about this episode is that everything about it is a massive contrivance to make the kwami swap happens. ML wants it’s fucking kwami swap and it’s going to bend over backwards to make it happen, and it is NOT shy about it and it is NOT sorry. And honestly?? I FUCKING LOVE THAT. Does a kwami swap make logical sense for it to occur without the heroes having planned for it? No. Are we going to do it anyway? YES!!!! BECAUSE A KWAMI SWAP WOULD BE FUCKING FUN!!! That’s what’s great about ML, and this episode is a great showcase of ML’s priorities as a cartoon (which is probably why this episode rubs some of the fandom the wrong way). A kwami swap is illogical, but it’s fun as fuck, so the show is going to do it. That’s the priority above all else. FUN. AND IT PAYS OFF!

Seriously, everything is a contrivance. Why akumatize Juleka again? Reflekta’s power can handicap the kwamis’ abilities to find their humans in the commotion. Why have Marinette and Adrien change for the photo shoot? Get them to take their miraculous off. Why have them keep the kwamis in the car instead of in their pockets? So they can’t find their own kwamis right away. This episode is jumping through flaming hoops to make this happen and it’s fucking gold. Might there have been a much more natural way to have a kwami swap? Yeah, sure, most likely. But literally WHO EVEN CARES cause this episode starts out fun and ends fun, and it works well enough that I don’t give a flumpty. Hell, I appreciate it even MORE for not being shy about its priorities in this episode. Kwami swap fun? Then kwami swap will happen. Fuck everything else.

9. “Are you okay, Marinette?” “YEAH. HE’S TOO HOT. I MEAN--” This is a top tier Marinette flub.

10. I recognize I’m a minority on this, but I fucking love Mayura. She is a goddamn queen. So gosh darn fabulous with the long coat and the fan. I just love it whenever she shows up so I’m glad she’s here. Makes the villains a touch more intimidating in this episode since there’s two, which pairs well with Marinette and Adrien being somewhat off their game due to the kwami swap.

11. Literally any time Tikki and Plagg interact together is great. 

12. Adrien telling Marinette to hide in the car... TTToTTT <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

13. No one ever believes me when I say Marinette is pure chaotic energy but she HECKING IS! When she finds Plagg with the cat ring, this girl does not waste a goddamn second. Will swapping powers probably mess them up? Yes, but FUCK IT PARIS IS IN DANGER AND WE NEED HEROES NOW SO GIMME THAT RING. SHE JUST DOES NOT WASTE A GODDAMN SECOND TRANSFORMING. SHE CAN TAKE ANYTHING AND ROLL WITH IT. I LOVE MARINETTE.

14. Also Ladynoire’s design is fucking choice.

15. Okay, go onto youtube right now, look up Mister Bug’s transformation sequence, and look at the way he puts on his mask.... I know right??? :D

16. This is a very personal thing, but I love seeing Adrien powered-up without the cat eyes. This is the only time you ever see it, and trust me while I fucking love the cat eyes, it’s a really eye-catching change to see him with his normal eyes here! Think about it, Ladybug has never seen her partner’s real eyes until this episode. It’s cool! (Marinette with the cat eyes, on the other hand, is neat as well, but I don’t think she wears them as well as Chat Noir.)

17. Adrien smacking himself with the yo yo.

18. I’ve said this before but I find it absolutely adorable how, when swapped, Marinette and Adrien base their new names off of each other, rather than making up new ones from scratch. Mister Bug? It’s Ladybug, but boy. Ladynoire? It’s Chat Noir, but girl. Seriously that’s adorable.

19. ADRIEN USING LUCKY CHARM AND GETTING EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTED IS ONE OF THE SINGLE FUNNIEST MOMENTS IN THE ENTIRE GODDAMN SHOW. I’M SORRY BUT IT IS. IT’S FUCKING HILARIOUS. JUST ADRIEN BY SHEER LUCK SCHOOLING MARINETTE WITH HER OWN POWER, AND THE COMPLETELY OFFENDED LOOK ON HER FACE AFTERWARDS-- IT’S PEAK ML COMEDY.

20. I’m not the first one to make this comparison, credit goes to @buggachat on that, but Marinette in this episode is like the parent trying to teach their kid how to drive but ends up flipping their shit the second their kid touches the gas pedal. And it’s fucking funny. X”D Marinette has a strong sense of responsibility along with an incredibly specific way of how she likes to do things as Ladybug. Her process is you battle the akuma, gather info about your opponent, use lucky charm at the exact right time that only she knows in order to take them down, and then capture the akuma and/or amok. Her routine is pretty broken in this episode, since it’s now Adrien who needs to do all those things, so that combined with Marinette’s acute awareness of Adrien being a Child Who Causes Problems On Purpose has her veerrryyy on edge this whole episode and it’s just fun to watch. Her asking Adrien if they should switch back, correcting him every time he mis-speaks about how to do Ladybug correctly. It’s not a side of Marinette we get to see every day!

21. Additionally, getting to watch her relax for once in a fight since she’s now in the canonical clown costume is wonderful. I love Marinette. I want good things for Marinette. Relaxation and fun are good. She’s got a lot on her shoulders so this episode is nice, especially with the s3 finale in context.

22. Yknow, I can very happily buy that chataclysm doesn’t work on sentimonsters, since it’s already been established that Miraculous magic can protect from chataclysm. (See: Miraculer)

23. I’ve written already about why Mister Bug wasn’t actually bad with the ladybug miraculous, so I’ll only touch on a couple of those points again. But it is weird to me how people cry about Mister Bug being shit at the ladybug miraculous when he’s so clearly not? He just has a lot of stuff to think about that he usually doesn’t have to worry about cause it’s not his job. When to use lucky charm, HOW to use lucky charm, when to use miraculous ladybug, capturing the akuma once it’s released, capturing the amok. He just quite literally never has to put thought into any of that so it’s pretty understandable that he doesn’t have a handle on it just, automatically. Meanwhile, Marinette doesn’t have a ton of extra things to think about with the cat miraculous, AND she’s canonically naturally talented with handling different miraculous, so it’s very believable that she’d be fine? I get people don’t like that cause they have a problem with Marinette (and any WOC) being competent in general, but she’s just a talented girl. We see her take and roll with anything to stop the villain in every episode of the show, so there’s not actually a reason for her to notably struggle with the cat miraculous. But hell, she actually DOES make things worse by chataclysming Reflekdoll, which might have not happened if she paused before just rushing in and using her power (after proudly declaring she is now the Team Clown). But it’s understandable that she didn’t predict the sentimonster to react how it did, and I can see Adrien making the same mistake, so eh. 

24. But my point is that in terms of this discourse, I think this episode is fine. It’s about Ladybug and Chat Noir learning that they’re both quite good and very comfortable in their default roles. She’s great at handling her job and he’s great at handling his. That’s a perfectly fine lesson for this episode, and it’s not super necessary for them BOTH to learn that their partner’s job is actually super hard! The episode starts with them teasing each other about their roles, and it ends with that little bit of conflict between them being eased away due to their experiences from the kwami swap. Chat Noir is still a clown, Ladybug still is too concerned with her usual responsibilities to spend a lot of time clowning with him in fights, and that’s okay. They both learn to relax about it. It’s a good lesson for them to learn about each other, and it feels natural for the show to spend some time exploring their dynamic as partner heroes! 

25. I actually fucking love how it’s established that the lucky charm works differently for different people. This episode BASICALLY CANONIZES that Marinette’s lucky charm is so insane because SHE HERSELF, IS SO INSANE. Adrien thinks much simpler (which I’ve written about how that’s not a bad thing in previous posts), so his lucky charm is just: You need a mirror? Okay, here’s a mirror. And it’s actually very fun and interesting to me that his ability to use his lucky charm was handicapped specifically becuase he’s only ever watched Marinette use it. Marinette’s lucky charms always yield wildly complicated plans, and that’s the exact thing she’s shouting at him the whole episode, so he expects it to be complicated and thus can’t figure out how to use the mirror. It’s only when they sit down and realize that they’ll have to think on Adrien’s level instead of Marinette’s that they figure out what to do with it! Marinette’s spent the whole episode basically backseat driving for him (understandably), so the fact that the resolution is her meeting Adrien at his own spot and working on his level instead of hers- It’s a good way to wrap the episode up! 

26. Duuzu.

27. dID HE JUST DAB?!?!

28. Oh my god he did. And people actually hate this episode, smh.

29. Marinette flirting with Chat Noir will always give me life, and we get so much of it in this episode! Her calling him Bugaboy is this perfect combo of flirtatious and teasing that’s just very on-brand ladynoir. It’s perfect in this episode for literally so many reasons that I don’t even have time to list them cause this essay is already really long.

30. Adrien and Marinette interacting with the others’ kwami? Wholesome. Marinette and Adrien reuniting with their kwamis? Very wholesome. They’re both so attached to their kwamis in different ways, and they’re also together with their kwamis practically every waking moment of their lives. I can imagine being apart from them even for a little must’ve been a touch anxiety inducing, so it’s nice to see how sweet everyone is when they’re reuniting!

31. Adrien says at the end that he’s not cut out to be Ladybug and honestly y’all... That’s okay. Adrien has his role and he’s incredibly good at his role, and Ladybug is incredibly good at hers. They’re both SATISFIED with their roles. He’s not upset when he says he’s not cut out to be Ladybug, not even a little. He very happily takes Plagg back and steps back into his usual territory. Again, he wasn’t bad at the ladybug miraculous. It just came with more to think about than he really wants to, things that Ladybug is very HAPPY to think about, and if their dynamic already works, then he’s perfectly happy to focus on his part and leave her job to her. That’s great!!!

32. Juleka getting to do the fashion shoot... Yay. :’D I just want good things for Juleka.

In conclusion, this episode is pure unbridled fun from start to finish. It’s chaotic, it’s got top tier banter, it’s a phenomenal change of pace from the rest of the series. I actually love watching this episode with folks for the first time because seeing the look of complete shock and glee on their face as Marinette grabs that cat ring from Plagg is just FUN! And at the end of the day, this episode is a statement on three things:

- Marinette is a talented girl. -Adrien is great at his job. - And ML as a show’s priority will always, first and foremost, be fun.

And none of those are a bad thing. 

Hope you enjoyed the essay! :D

[ofpaperhearts]

▷  currently  playing  ——  THE FAÇADE  a playlist for Elliot King. n. a false appearance that makes someone or something seem more pleasant or better than they really are.

!! anxiety & depression tw throughout playlist !!

obnoxiously long tracklist & descriptions that may or may not make sense under the cut!

▷  currently  playing  ——  TWO  by  SLEEPING AT LAST.

it’s okay if you can’t catch your breath // you can take the oxygen straight out of my own chest // i know exactly how the rule goes: // put my mask on first // no, i don’t want to talk about myself // tell me where it hurts // i just want to build you up, build you up // ‘til you’re good as new // and maybe one day i’ll get around to fixing myself too

Okay, so there’s not a doubt in my mind that Elliot’s an enneagram type two, which is what this song is all about. The entire song really captures how he wants to take care of others and give his love to them, and then if there happens to be anything left, he’ll take care of himself, but it’s not a priority.

▷  currently  playing  ——  BEAUTIFUL LIGHT  by  UPPERMOST.

I don’t fully know how to describe it, but this song just makes me feel upbeat and hopeful and I feel like those are the types of vibes that Elliot tries to put out into the world. This is a song that works very well for him when simply looking at him on the surface level.

▷  currently  playing  ——  I JUST WANNA SHINE  by  THE FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS.

so don’t give me dark days, i already had those // i’m just trying to figure out how to be myself right now // i don’t wanna lay low, hiding in the shadows // so i wake up, i get out of bed // stay up, stay out of my head

This song is probably more how Elliot perceives himself. Like despite having his own stresses and hardships, he still strives to make the most of his life and keep up and optimistic view.

▷  currently  playing  ——  MESS IS MINE  by  VANCE JOY.

bring me to your house // tell me, “sorry for the mess”, hey i don’t mind // you’re talking in your sleep, out of time // well, you still make sense to me, your mess is mine

This song just goes back to how he wants to give an receive love by taking care of others.

▷  currently  playing  ——  PLEASER  by  WALLOWS.

indecisive feelings of enjoyment // hold the thought, i think i need a moment // i’m aware there’s somethin’ i should tell you // but my voice annoys me // bite my tongue off with a smile // i can’t feel it anymore // ‘cause recently the line is blurred // between depression and bliss

This whole song is basically about being a people pleaser (which Elliot is to an unhealthy degree) and struggling to figure out to please someone (which is something that would cause Elliot a great deal of distress to be perfectly honest).

▷  currently  playing  ——  OH KLAHOMA  by  JACK STAUBER.

tears falling down at the party // saddest little baby in the room // fears, tell me fears, don’t get me started // i get a little grey hair for every scare you share

Honestly, Elliot could be either person in this song. For the most part Elliot would see himself as the person in this song that’s trying to console the other (possibly at the expense of their own mental health), but he could just as easily be the other person if he actually asked for help/comfort whenever he’s going through something.

▷  currently  playing  ——  HARD TIMES  by  PARAMORE.

all that i want // is to wake up fine // tell me that i’m alright // that i ain’t gonna die

Upbeat songs with sad lyrics just have an Elliot vibe to them. I think songs like this reflect that happy/put together front he puts on for everyone, even when he isn’t doing so great.

▷  currently  playing  ——  FAKE HAPPY  by  PARAMORE.

hey, if i smile with my teeth // bet you believe me // if i smile with my teeth // i think i believe me // oh please, don’t ask me how i’ve been // don’t make me pretend

Same reason Hard Times is on here. The lyrics definitely hammer the part of putting up a front for others home more.

▷  currently  playing  ——  WAY LESS SAD  by  AJR.

i’m a-okay, i’m a-okay // you say it but you just don’t mean it

I think the mix of putting up a front and trying to remain optimistic even in life’s harder moments just fits Elliot.

▷  currently  playing  ——  WONDERFUL LIFE  by  SMITH & BURROWS.

you know it feels unfair // there’s magic everywhere // look at me standing // here on my own again // up straight in the sunshine // no need to run and hide // it’s a wonderful, wonderful life // no need to laugh and cry // it’s a wonderful, wonderful life

There’s something about the softness of this song that just gives me Elliot vibes. But I think beyond that, it’s the mix of optimistic and pained lyrics that make me think of Elliot whenever I hear this song.

▷  currently  playing  ——  BLUE KNUCKLE  by  NIGHT BEDS.

i’ve been working like a surgeon // on some courage // lift my burden // i’ve been hurting // have you heard it

I just feel like the bits of this song that I relate to him scream, all the self-sacrificing I constantly do doesn’t make me as happy as I thought it would, but I’m not entirely sure how to change that without some help.

▷  currently  playing  ——  FREAKIN’ OUT ON THE INTERSTATE  by  BRISTON MARONEY.

i’m sorry i haven’t been myself // and something’s got me down // what it is, i cannot tell

1. He’s so concerned with others that I don’t think he necessarily knows how to pinpoint why something would bother him. 2. High anxiety hours.

▷  currently  playing  ——  FALSE CONFIDENCE  by  NOAH KAHAN.

and i wonder why i tear myself down to be built back up again // oh, i hope somehow, i’ll wake up young again // all that’s left of myself, holes in my false confidence

Themes of being hypercritical of oneself and insecurity which is something Elliot struggles a lot with under his surface level happiness.

▷  currently  playing  ——  COLD LOVE  by  RAINBOW KITTEN SURPRISE.

and if i cry in your arms // just some other shit, just some other shit // just some other things that i’ve been dealing with // i’d die in your arms, bury me while playing this // bury me saying “you were all i ever needed” // and hold me like we’re dying from liquor that we drank // in hotel rooms, to feel warm in cold love

Originally, I only wanted to include this song for the first part of the lyrics I put here because it’s the same dismissive attitude Elliot has when it comes to taking care of himself. But the more I thought about it, I think Elliot is the type of person to find himself in doomed relationships because the give and take is never equal resulting in ‘dying/cold’ loves.

▷  currently  playing  ——  ALMOST HOME  by  MXMTOON.

i was just a kid // dreams were looking big and then i had to grow up // no one ever says // all the love you give might not be enough // broke my heart in two a couple times // before it hurt too much // i was such fool

I feel like Elliot was a relatively carefree child before becoming increasingly more and more concerned with how others saw him and feel like that’s kind of reflected in this song? Like growing is usually very different from how one imagines it when they’re a kid.

▷  currently  playing  ——  MELODY X  by  BONAPARTE.

you keep the light on // you keep the light on // you keep the night light on // hold your broken dream up high // oh, you know you try // oh, you know you try // it’s the worst case scenario lullaby // something’s gotta change (something’s gotta change)

Another song acknowledging how hecking hard life is and trying to remain hopeful in spite of it with a hint of being aware that something needs to change in Elliot’s life for him to really be happy.

▷  currently  playing  ——  NO ID  by  ANDREW APPLEPIE.

and suddenly you realize // that everything you’d ever told yourself were lies // and believe me i can sympathize // cause everything i ever thought i was made me cry

Overall, this song is about self-acceptance and growth, which is something Elliot is still working on. And it’s more so on here as Elliot being the person the singer is watching struggle with these things.

▷  currently  playing  ——  PRETENDER - ACOUSTIC  by  AJR.

i’m a good pretender // won’t you come see my show? // i got lots of problems // well, good thing nobody knows // oh, i’m insecure, i’m insecure // i think i like what i’m supposed to // like what i’m supposed to

Back on that putting up a front for everyone else because he thinks that’s for the better/expected of him bs!

▷  currently  playing  ——  BRAIN, BRAIN, GO AWAY  by  UNLIKE PLUTO.

through the night my mind is racing // my inner voice and i debating // on everything i should be changing // can’t decide so i keep maintaining // i gotta contain my overactive mind

This song is on here because big anxiety hours and how truly exhausting it is to deal with.

▷  currently  playing  ——  MIND IS A PRISON  by  ALEC BENJAMIN.

sometimes, i think too much, yeah, i get so caught up // i’m always stuck in my head // i wish i could escape, i tried to yesterday alone with my thoughts again // guess my mind is a prison and i’m never gonna get out

Same exact reason why Brain, Brain, Go Away is on his playlist.

▷  currently  playing  ——  NUMB  by  MARINA.

i can’t open up and cry //  ‘cause i’ve been silent all my life // i feel numb most of the time // lower i get, higher // i’ll climb, and i will wonder why // i got dark only to // shine, looking for the golden light // oh, it’s a reasonable sacrifice

One of the main reasons this song is included is because of a comment made on the lyric ‘oh, it’s a reasonable sacrifice’ and how in this song it seems to imply sacrificing one’s well-being to impress others is fine and if that’s not Elliot’s biggest mood than I don’t know what is. But in addition to that, a lot of the other lyrics touch on internal struggles he deals with and trying to overcome them.

▷  currently  playing  ——  NOBODY  by  MITSKI.

and i don’t want your pity // i just want somebody near me // guess i’m a coward // i just want to feel alright // and i know no one will save me

1. This is the type of song that sounds like “ooooo fun” but then you listen to the lyrics and it’s like “BOOM SADNESS” which is kind of Elliot’s song aesthetic if that makes sense? 2. Despite having people in his life that he’s close to, life can still feel very isolating when he’s not open about everything he has going on. 3. This song is an enneagram type two’s biggest fear so it just makes sense being here.

▷  currently  playing  ——  IT’S CALLED: FREEFALL  by  RAINBOW KITTEN SURPRISE.

called to the devil and the devil said, “hey! why you been calling so late? it’s like 2am and the bars all close at 10 in hell, that’s a rule i made” // anyway, you say you’re too busy saving everybody else to save yourself // and you don’t want no help, oh well

More on the idea that life can be very isolating when you struggle in silence and Elliot’s “gotta help everyone else over myself” mentality.

▷  currently  playing  ——  MINDLESS BLISS  by  UNLIKE PLUTO.

always staying up to the sunrise // i can barely close my eyes // all i’m looking for is a good night // just for one night, just for one night // but i am wide awake, surviving day to day // i’m half alive in my own way // and i’m struggling with all the carrying

More big themes of anxiety and struggling with it.

▷  currently  playing  ——  WAVES  by  DEAN LEWIS.

and it takes control of the person that i thought i was // the boy i used to know // but there is a light in the dark // and i feel it’s warmth // in my heart, in my hands // but why can’t i hold on?

Life’s always changing for better or worse and growing up you can think life is going to be one way just for it to be something completely different and I think Elliot can relate to that sentiment a lot.

▷  currently  playing  ——  KEEP  by  MOTHER MOTHER.

i write it down, but to read it doesn’t work // take it to town, but to be seen doesn’t work // smack it around, but that only make it worse // i make it worse // i meditate for a day, but it doesn’t help // get down and pray, i gotta say, what a living hell // i could escape but i know that all too well // it doesn’t help

Wanting to cope with things, but struggling to do so in a way that works which is a big Elliot mood.

▷  currently  playing  ——  DON’T WORRY, YOU WILL  by  LOVELYTHEBAND.

trying to stay positive // not an easy way to live // laugh right through the pain // she said i can’t find a thing i don’t like about you // and i’m like don’t worry, you will

More themes of being hypercritical of oneself, silently struggling, and putting up a charade to get others to like you or to please them.

▷  currently  playing  ——  GOODBYE  by  BO BURNHAM.

am i right back where i started fourteen years ago? // wanna guess the ending? if it ever does // i swear to god that all i’ve ever wanted was // a little bit of everything all of the time well, well, look who’s inside again // went out to look for a reason to hide again // well, well, buddy, you found it

Full disclosure, I only know this song from TikTok. But anyway! I just felt like the lyrics in the last bit of the song were super fitting: the fear of being back right back where he started before he got a little better at putting himself first, struggling to balance everything he wants/needs, dismissing his problems in favor or something lighthearted like a joke, looking for reasons to keep things to himself, etc.

[asthmark]

❝ hotel soteria ❞ [ i ]

summary → After an assassination gone wrong, you and your partner are in critical need of a hideout and what better place than Hotel Soteria — an exclusive safe haven for the worst of the worst. But, the longer you stay, the more you become exposed to Korea’s biggest and baddest outlaws and begin to learn what the criminal life is truly all about.

warnings → mentions of death, blood n guns n stuff

word count → 3k (kind of short i’m sorry!!)

You had done something bad.

Your crimson-soaked clothes, disheveled hair, and bruise littered skin confirmed it. You ignored the blood that dribbled down your upper lip and what you were sure was a black eye forming. You shut your eyes, trying to focus on the sound of gravel beneath the tires of the car rather than the pain. You were so exhausted you had begun to doze off, before the boy in the driver's seat spoke up.  

“How you holding up back there?”

You twist your head slightly to make eye contact with Lucas through the rear view mirror and simply groan in response to his question.

You see sympathy wash over his face. “Don't worry. We'll be there soon.”

You have so many questions for him. Where exactly were you going? Why was it taking so long? Was it safe?

You're out before you can ask.

When the car door opens, you jolt awake. You crane your neck to look up at the shadow towering above you.

“C’mon, we’re here.” Lucas extends his arm out to you.  

You take his hand, finding yourself to be incredibly stiff. You both cringe when you hear your bones crack as you move ever so slowly.

When you step out of the vehicle after what seemed like an eternity, the first thing you notice is how dark it was. You had fled the crime scene a little after sunset but you could now see the yellow moon illuminate the sky.

"What time is it?" you ask, your voice hoarse.

"It's around 11. Why?"

"It's just… these past few hours have been a blur," you respond. You wince as Lucas puts your arm around him so you can use his broad shoulders as support. “We should stick to robbing banks.”

"That’s probably true... but, hey, we're not dead." He chuckles dryly.

You look at him and he flashes you that charming smile of his. It makes you feel better for a second. Then you notice the dry blood on his temple and the cut on his bottom lip.

You frown. "Are you okay?"

He nods, reassuringly but you don't fail to notice his limp as you both walk. He catches the way your eyes dart down to his injury. "Don't worry about that. I'd say we got off pretty easy this time.”

You have to agree with him there. Once your covers had been blown, you expected more police sirens and handcuffs but the current situation you find yourself in is oddly serene. Just you and him walking beneath the stars.

"Where are we going?" you ask after a moment of silence.

His answer is simple. "Hotel for criminals.”

You go still, trying to process what your partner has just said. He senses your confusion and continues explaining.

“I heard about it through a friend. Apparently, it really comes in handy when you need a hideout.”

“And it’s not just some government scheme to lure in delinquents or something?"

“It seemed legit to me. I had to pay for memberships and everything.”

"Memberships? Lucas, this whole thing sounds sketchy."

"Well, we need a place to stay. We shouldn’t spend the night at just any hotel, the cops could track us down. This place is our best bet. And look, if it is all a scam, we'll just kill 'em." Lucas offers you a bright smile that made it seem as if he were talking about something much more upbeat instead of murder.

You finally relent. "Alright. If we're gonna get caught I'd rather it be now. So, where is this place?"

You and Lucas walk and don’t stop until you reach a complex that looks to be so run down you believe it’s abandoned. The only thing that indicates that it’s the place you’re looking for is the sign that hangs above the front door.  

You read it aloud. "Hotel Soteria. Sounds… fancy."

The two of you shuffle up to the front steps, equally unsure of whether or not this was the right choice.

"Before we do this… any other ideas?" Lucas asks, his voice dropping to a whisper.

You shake your head. "Like you said, you already paid. We have the memberships. No backing down now."

Lucas seems to agree because after taking a deep breath he twists the knob and swiftly steps inside. You glance behind you, surveying the dark that engulfed the streets, then follow.

Dust is the first thing you notice about Hotel Soteria. It's everywhere. On the floor, on the portraits that litter the walls and on the front desk that is placed right in the middle of the lobby.

"So much for fancy," Lucas murmurs, lingering behind you, too busy observing the framed photos.

You make a beeline for the wooden surface. A shiny, metal bell sits atop it next to a computer and a landline phone. None of these items are dusty, though. They've been in use.

Lucas steps forward to tap the bell and you jump slightly; the ding sound cutting through the eerie silence of the hotel and startling you. The noise echoes until it fades and you're once again left with nothing but quiet.

"Do you think they're closed?" you ask, turning to face your partner.

"We never close."

You and Lucas turn around in unison to face the desk and the man that has suddenly appeared behind it, pulling out your guns and aiming them at him in record time.

The man does not seem fazed in the slightest. In fact, he seems almost bored with the two of you, his cat-like eyes narrowed into an unamused stare. “Well, good evening to you too.”

“You're the guy I talked to over the phone.” Lucas lowers his gun at hearing the man's voice more clearly. “Sorry. Force of habit.”

The man seems to remember him as he smiles ever so slightly. “Ah, Lucas, right? I'm pleased to see you got here safely.” The man then turns to you. His smile has dropped and been replaced with a look of pure disgust at seeing how you still have your weapon up. “Would you mind?”

You reluctantly lower it but not before mumbling, “This place is so sketchy.”

The man scoffs, having heard you. “What did you expect? Five star ratings? This is a place for criminals. If it bothers you so much you can go elsewhere.”

“No, no. We’re fine.” Lucas punctuates the last word by nudging your arm and shooting you a glare for your comment. He attempts to move the conversation forward. “So, uh, can we please check in?”

The man doesn't hesitate to deny him. “Nope.”

“Nope?" Lucas repeats, incredulously. “What do you mean? We paid for the membership. You have to help us."

"Actually, I don't have to do anything," the man says, smiling smugly. "Especially not when you're violating my rules."

Lucas furrows his eyebrows. "You didn't tell me anything about rules."

"You didn't ask."

You sigh. “We're tired and we’re injured. Just tell us your rules so we can get this going.”

The man clears his throat. "First of all, no weapons are allowed."

You glance at Lucas, a displeased expression on your face. He pays you no mind, opting instead to listen to the man, carefully.

"Secondly, no disrespectful words or harmful actions are allowed against the staff." You notice how his eyes flicker to you when he says this. "Third of all, your membership must be paid for in full and in advance. Fourth of all, no video or photography is permitted. Lastly, there is zero tolerance policy against killing or physical altercations of any sort. That should be a given but I've figured out you can never be too sure." He sighs and you can only imagine all the awful things that had happened in the hotel for him to have to establish that as a rule. "Violate any of these rules and your membership will immediately be terminated, no questions asked. Are we clear?"

Lucas nods vigorously.

The man's gaze shifts to you. "I asked if we were clear."

"Crystal," you respond.

He smiles once more but it lacks emotion. “Perfect. You can leave any weapons or firearms right here.”

Lucas obeys, pulling his gun from his holster and placing it on the desk. You copy his action, biting back a complaint.

The man nods, satisfied with your cooperation. “They will be returned once your stay ends. Now, Yangyang will escort you to your room.”

As if on cue, the sound of footsteps are heard and another man appears—if you could even call him that. He looks more like a boy to you, if anything. You wonder what he’s doing working at a place like this. Was it possible that he had a criminal record of some sort? If he did, he certainly did not show it. He had a warm smile on his face, a stark contrast from the cold faced man at the front desk. He makes a motion for you to follow him and leads you up a set of stairs, away from the lobby. For a moment, it’s only the sound of footsteps and creaking but surprisingly, he decides to make conversation.  

“What did you guys do?” he asks. His voice seems childlike, like a nosy little boy.

“Huh?”

He chuckles at your answer. “Well, you’re not here for fun, right? You’re running from something.”

Lucas chimes in. “Police.”

Yangyang makes a face, as if the mere thought of any legal authority disgusts him. “So, what was it then? Why are they after you two?”

“Killed a guy,” your partner answers, nonchalantly.

“Ah, good ol’ murder. You guys don’t seem like the type to just go on killing sprees, I’m guessing there must’ve been a pretty good pay to do the job.”

You nod. “That’s the only reason we did it. Robbing banks just wasn’t enough anymore.”

“Well, for people in your line of business, Hotel Soteria is the right place to be. Perfect getaway spot to lay low until the cops get off your back. Only people who know about this place have memberships and besides, there’s no photograph evidence of what goes on inside.”

Lucas smirks. “Guess those rules do come in handy.”

The young boy nods. “That’s the only way the hotel has lasted as long as it has.”

“Handing over my gun to that guy was still the toughest thing I’ve done all day,” you huff.

Yangyang laughs. “Even over killing that dude? Wow, Ten must’ve been really bad to you.”

“Ten?”

“The angry guy at the front desk,” Yangyang explains. “He’s not that bad, I promise. He just cares about this place a lot. Too much, almost.”

Quiet falls upon the three of you. Luckily, you don’t have to endure any awkward silence as Yangyang hands you the key to your room.

“Enjoy your stay. If you need anything, don’t be shy, okay?”

You and Lucas both nod your heads and with that he disappears down the hall. Lucas wastes no time unlocking the door.

You expect a run down room but once the lights are flicked on, you find that it’s rather well kept. The beds are made neatly and there’s not a speck of dust, unlike the lobby that was covered in it. Lucas flops on to a mattress, not even bothering to get under the sheets. He tucks his hands beneath his head and contentedly sighs.

“I’ve been waiting for this.”

You smile and make your way over to him. “It’s been a rough day.”

He nods then scoots over to the edge of the bed. You only realize he’s making room for you when he pats the space next to him.

You can’t help but smile. “Lucas, there’s two beds.”

He mirrors your grin. “Doesn’t matter.”

He opens his arms towards you and you can’t deny the urge you feel to climb into his arms and stay there until the mess you’ve found yourself in is all over.  

So, you do.

His arms envelop your figure and you just about melt into his embrace. You can’t ignore how tightly he holds you and you feel almost embarrassed at how much you enjoy it. Of course, doing what the two of you did for a living hardly left any time for tender moments like these so when they did happen, your relished in it. You feel yourself begin to doze off faster than ever before and you credit the man holding you entirely.

“I can’t believe I’m cuddling with someone capable of murder,” you mumble, tiredly.

Lucas’ ears pick it up and he chuckles, his chest rumbling against your back. “I could say the same thing.”

You smile and that’s exactly how you fall asleep.

When you wake up, it’s still pitch black.

That’s nothing new for you. The jobs you and Lucas did usually required you to wake up before the crack of dawn. With the dark working as your cover, it made sneaking up on your target a million times easier. You’re about to dismiss the disturbance in your sleep as pure habit and close your eyes once more when you hear talking. You could tell it wasn’t just a conversation between a couple people because of how incredibly loud it was—it had to be a large group.

Before you can stop yourself, you’re slipping out of Lucas’ grip and climbing out of bed. You stop once you reach the door of your room, pressing your ear firmly against it. You listen carefully, seeing if you can pick up anything that’s being said. The sound is still muffled, almost like it’s far away and you assume it’s coming from downstairs. Without a second thought you grab your key off the nightstand, giving Lucas’ unconscious figure a quick glance. His snores fill the room, your movement thankfully not causing any disturbance in his sleep.

With that, you leave the room.

Darkness engulfs you as soon as you step into the hallway and you almost instantly regret leaving the comfort of your bed and Lucas. You know it isn’t too late to turn around and find your way back into his arms but you realize how much clearer you can hear the chatter from downstairs and your curiosity gets the best of you. You try to walk as quietly as possible to the end of the hallway although you’re sure that even if you stomped the entire way no one would notice since the commotion is getting louder and louder with every step you take. Finally, you reach the top of the stairs and you wait there, leaning against the wall and tuning into the conversation.

“—such short notice.” You recognize the voice as Ten’s.

“Well, forgive me. I can’t usually find the time to call you in the middle of a heist. I’d get my brains blown out before I even finished dialing your number.” This voice is new but right off the bat you can tell they hold enough sarcasm to rival Ten’s.

“All I’m saying is a heads up would have been nice,” Ten responds and you can almost visualize the annoyed look on his face. “Nearly all the rooms are booked.”

You hear a string of groans and complaints. Just how many people were down there?

“You’ve gotta figure something out,” the same voice from before says. “We did some real damage this time, Ten.”

He scoffs. “That’s certainly nothing new.”

“We need to stay here, it’s the only place we’re really safe.” The person clears his throat. “Please.”

A chorus of agreements follow, multiple other voices pleading with Ten. Then there’s a pause. Even you hold your breath, wondering what he will say.

“Fine. I guess I could work something out.”

There’s immediately cheering and excited shouting following this statement.

“I knew you’d give in.” You can tell that the same guy who had been bargaining with Ten moments before is the one to say this. Everyone simmers down, as if they need to listen attentively to his every word. Was he perhaps some kind of leader?

“Is that so?”

“You could never turn us away. Even if you wanted to.”

“Of course not. But you know just how much I love to see you beg, Lee. Consider it giving you a run for your money.”

He scoffs. “You’re one to talk about money. One membership here is worth Johnny’s entire closet.” This comment produces laughs from the group. You guess this Johnny guy had some expensive taste. “At this point I think you’re a better con man than all of us combined.”

“Don’t be so dramatic. Stealing and lying is your second nature.” The brutal bluntness of Ten’s statement gains a couple chuckles. “And if you really had a problem with paying for so many memberships, you would stop adding member after member into your little gang.” This really seems to crack them up and even you find yourself smiling a bit, imagining the large group crammed downstairs and having to deal with Ten’s relentless sass (which you had experienced first hand).

“You just keep getting bolder and bolder, huh?” There's a pause and you almost begin to think he’s going to snap. Instead, the voice goes from smug to surprisingly genuine. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Right back at you. It’s a shame that Mark setting off security alarms is what brought us together.”

“Hey!” someone—Mark, you assume—protests. “It was an accident!”

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s just get you into your rooms. You already know the rules, drop your weapons and you can go right ahead. And Yuta, if I find out you smuggled any firearms in again I will make sure the police know your name, okay?”

Yuta huffs. “And I’ll make sure they know you work the front desk at a bad guy hotel.”

“Excuse me? Did I misunderstand or did you just threaten a harmful act against a staff member?” You can hear the teasing tone in Ten’s voice. You know he must love having authority over every person that sets foot in the building thanks to the rules he established.

“‘Course not, sir,” responds Yuta in an overly polite, purposefully high pitched voice.

“Well, in that case, enjoy your stay at Hotel Soteria, boys.”

a/n → omg!! finally part one is out!!!1! firstly THIS IS NOT MY CONCEPT and is based loosely off a film called Hotel Artemis which i have actually never watched but i remember seeing the commercials for it on tv and being like “wow that’s a really cool concept :-)” secondly i’m not sure how many parts this series is gonna have or even what direction it’s going in all i know is that i want to introduce all of nct bc i enjoy giving ppl criminal backgrounds lol anyway feedback is greatly appreciated and i hoped u liked it 

[labyrinthof-fan-fiction]

Spring is Here

Geraskier 50s!AU

Summary: Jaskier seeing Geralt in the club for the first time. And damn if his song choices for the night weren’t spot on. Companion to my previous one-shot (When Your Heart’s on Fire) Smoke Gets in Your Eyes which can be found here.

A/N: My hand slipped, my brain slipped, Vic Damone’s album That Towering Feeling! and crooner Jaskier will be the end of me. That Towering Feeling! Released in 1956. ‘Spring is Here’ is the inspiration today. Fun facts about Vic: Born Vito Rocco Farinola in Brooklyn. His favorite singer was Frank Sinatra (same). He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Warnings: Smoking and Alcohol Consumption, probably some swears. (yes I write half the warnings before actually writing this.)

Disclaimer: I do not own The Witcher, Geralt, Jaskier, ‘Spring is Here,’ or ‘Young Love’

Word Count: 1,791

Jaskier sighed as he made his way to the club, crisp spring air swirling about him. Another night, another show. Singing at Club Mythe paid the bills, and he loved it. The creative outlet of having his own set to change at will soothed the ache in his heart, not to mention having the best backing band in the city. He couldn’t count the amount of times they had pulled together his harebrained sets. But they always did, even if Steven, his pianist and bandleader wanted to throttle him on a daily basis.

This week they had the good fortune to have Antony, a violinist, available. And Jaskier was so happy to have a violinist available, this gave him the chance to dive into the heart wrenching love songs he had been craving. Sure, he could do this regularly, but there was nothing that pulled on the lovesick soul’s heartstrings more than a mournful violin.

Jaskier had been in a melancholy mood for weeks now, Club Mythe was one of those magical places in the city. You know the kind, secret and hidden, a sanctuary for the lost and downtrodden. A place where all the broken souls found themselves and found each other. Jaskier had felt envy making a new home in the pit of his stomach as he watched the couples in the room every night. The pairs in the corner of the room, whispering and kissing, oblivious to the world around them. The duos who spent their nights on the dance floor, wrapped together with cigar smoke swirling around them. Jaskier loved watching the dancers when he sang. Something about the atmosphere made them seem other worldly, and it was not just because of the people who made up the couples.

He often wondered how Andy was able to keep the place open. How he managed to slip under the nose of the law. Men and women dancing together wasn’t that groundbreaking, men dancing with men and women dancing with women an entirely different story. He had his suspicions of how Andy managed it, but he never asked questions. There were questions and things that he dared not ask or touch, because he knew it was smarter that way. He had enough skeletons in his closet, and he wasn’t about to become one in someone else’s.

He entered the club through the side entrance, nodding to Andy, who was stacking boxes of whiskey. He made his way through the club to the backstage area and tossed his overcoat onto the chair in front of the vanity. He noticed Steven’s jacket on the chair, but no Steven. He glanced around noticing Antony’s violin case in the corner. No Steven, no Antony. “Bastards.” He muttered, there was no doubt in his mind the two were hiding in a part of the club that he was not going to try to find. They’d come back in when they were done, with swollen lips and red faces. Jaskier always had a laugh at their expense, how they thought that anyone in this club, in this band would give a damn was far beyond him. But he was always left with a bit of jealousy and sadness. It was obvious to anyone who came across that pair, that they were truly in love. And Jaskier truly wished that he had someone who loved him as equally as those two loved each other.

He moved to look into the mirror. Straightening his pink bowtie made eye contact with himself. He picked up the comb he kept at the mirror and pulled his hair back into a slight pompadour style. He would never get the lift that Angie, the drummer, did, and they had the same length hair. He sighed and began humming to warm his voice up. He pulled the set list from his pocket, glancing over the tunes, occasionally running through the tough spots on an open vowel. To most he probably seemed insane, but he was a singer, and slightly insane. He heard footsteps and turned, Steven and Antony were walking back together, hands entwined and swollen lips. They had not heard Jaskier and he let an evil smirk come across his face, “Young Love.” He belted out.

The two men pulled themselves out of their rose colored stupor to look at the man in front of them. Jaskier winked at them and returned to his humming, how those two idiots kept thinking that no one knew what was going on between them was beyond him.

“So Jask, are you sure about this opener tonight?” Antony asked, threading his hands behind his back nervously.

Jaskier looked over at the man, “Why?”

“Isn’t just a little….sad to start with?” Antony managed to spit out.

Steven started laughing at the violinist, “Antony, my dear, there is no hope in trying to get Jaskier to change a setlist.”

Antony blushed, one hand coming up to rest on the back of his neck. “I know, I just thought….”

Steven reached up and placed a hand on the other man’s shoulders. “Don’t worry, Jask just needs to put himself out there, then he’ll get upbeat.” He glanced over and winked at the singer.

Jaskier rolled his eyes, “It’s the first day of Spring, ‘Spring is Here’ is a perfect opener.”

“And Jaskier has to remind all the fine patrons of this lovely establishment, that he is looking for someone to play backseat bingo with.” Steven said, dodging Jaskier’s arm that reached out to slap him. “C’mon let’s go get warmed up on stage before Andy opens this place up.”

Jaskier folded the set list and placed it in his breast pocket and follow Steven to the stage. Antony lingered to take his violin out. Jaskier made his way to the microphone adjusting the stand, he had been off last night, Bobby had been in for him, and he never seemed to remember to return the microphone back to how Jaskier preferred it. Antony made his way out and put the violin under his chin, Steven began to play chords as Antony began to twist his tuners. Jaskier settled in, waiting for the instrumentalists to finish.

“So what do we want to start with?” He asked.

“Let’s give ‘Spring is Here’ a quick run through.” Antony said, “That’s the most intensive one for me.”

“Start from the beginning then stop when we feel fine?” Jaskier asked.

“Sounds good.” Antony answered, rolling his shoulders and bringing the violin under his chin. He made eye contact with Jaskier, took a sharp intake of breath and began.

The trio finished their rehearsal, Jaskier had to admit, while the full band was exhilarating, there was nothing better than a small group of musicians who connected on another plane of existence.

Andy was wiping down the bar, “Can I let people in now?”

“Yeah, we’re good.” Jaskier answered, stepping away from the microphone.

“See you boys back in an hour.” Andy said, stepping away from the bar and nodding to Benny the bouncer.

The trio made their way back to the dressing room, Andy had set out their preferred drinks. Steven, straight scotch, Antony, beer, and Jaskier, water. Jaskier had done one show with alcohol in his system and it was almost his last. Now he waited until the end of the show to enjoy himself. The hour passed quickly, Antony and Steven wrapped in conversation, Jaskier wrapped in jealousy, he was happy for the two, truly. But he was lonely and ready for someone in his life, it just seemed that no one wanted him.

“Please welcome the house band, Mythe and Legends.” Andy announced.

The trio made their way onto stage as the group in the club greeted them with applause. Jaskier winked into the crowd, placing one hand on the microphone he settled himself on stage. Antony took his place next to him, he brought the bow up to the strings and gave a sharp intake of breath to indicate the beginning. He began with a quick paced scale, with trills. Once his introduction finished Jaskier began.

“Spring is here! Why doesn't my heart go dancing?

Spring is here! Why isn't the waltz entrancing?

No desire, no ambition leads me,

Maybe it's because nobody needs me.”

Jaskier found his eyes wandering about the bar. Regulars littered the tables around the dance floor. Few of them had their eyes on him, they were too wrapped up in each other. He felt a tug in his heart as he continued singing.

“Spring is here! Why doesn't the breeze delight me?

Stars appear, why doesn't the night invite me?

Maybe it's because nobody loves me.

Spring is here I hear.”

Jaskier’s eyes wandered to the bar, and that’s when he noticed him. This man was not a regular at Club Mythe. He sat at the bar, silver hair pulled back from his face, light brown eyes shining across the room. He wore a black suit, but he was not comfortable in it. His tie was loosened around his neck and the first two buttons were open. A glass of whiskey or scotch, Jaskier couldn’t tell from this distance, in his hand. It was this moment that Jaskier thanked God for instrumental interludes. The man’s wide stature took up a large space at the bar, surrounded by couples, the man remained alone. This peaked Jaskier’s curiosity.

“Spring is here! Why doesn't my heart go dancing?

Spring is here! Why isn't the waltz entrancing?

No desire, no ambition leads me.

Maybe it's because nobody needs me.

Spring is here! Why doesn't the breeze delight me?

Stars appear, why doesn't the night invite me?”

Jaskier hummed in harmony with Antony’s playing. His eyes never leaving the man at the bar. The man seemed to be intent watching the few couples on the dance floor, he glanced away from them and up to Jaskier. Amber meeting hazel. Time froze as they locked eyes. The dancers and band fell away until it was just the two of them. Jaskier smiled at the other man, who blinked a few times, then quickly glanced away. Even through the distance Jaskier saw the faint blush spreading across the other man’s cheeks.

“Maybe it's because nobody loves me,

Spring is here I hear.”

Jaskier kept his eyes on the other man, who took a deep taste of the drink in his hand then glanced back at the singer. As the instrumentalists brought the song to close, Jaskier tilted his head in the man’s direction. The man in turn raised his glass in a slight acknowledgement of the other man. It was this moment that Jaskier decided, he was not going to be singing songs about not being loved for very much longer.

[bobdylanrevisited]

Highway 61 Revisited

Released: 30 August 1965

Rating: 10/10

My favourite album of all time. Released just five months after BIABH, this is another unforgettable record which defines the 1960s. Unlike the previous album, this one is almost entirely electric, minus the closing song, and it was clear that Bob couldn’t be further from his folk roots. This is, for me, the pinnacle of music and song writing, and whilst I consider many of his albums to be masterpieces, this is the one that truly makes him a god in my eyes. He would tour following this release, with so-called fans hatefully booing at the sight of a drum kit or an amplifier. This only confirmed to Dylan that he had to continue revolutionising his sound, and if these people didn’t like it then he must be doing something right. 

1) Like A Rolling Stone - Judas! How dare he open with one of the greatest songs ever recorded. A needling, accusatory, schadenfreude attack of ‘Miss Lonely’, which relishes in a fall from grace. There’s been much speculation as to her identity, but it’s the refrain of ‘How does it feel?’ that will get under your skin and stay with you. The angry snarling of Dylan is both exhilarating and intense and it never gets old, the song sounds fresh every single time you hear it. Alongside the perfect lyrics, the crashing guitars and Al Kooper’s irregular organ chords give the track a uniquely jarring sound, and it’s breathtaking. It’s no wonder it’s often voted the greatest song ever made, and Dylan has enjoyed playing it live ever since, in many different styles. But nothing will ever top the Free Trade Hall 1966 performance, which is the greatest moment in musical history. If you haven’t heard it, go and listen to it immediately and prepare for your jaw to hit the floor. Oh, and don’t forget, play it fucking loud. 

2) Tombstone Blues - Dylan parades historical and pop culture figures in this fast paced song, which has been analysed as being about the Vietnam War or the absurdity of the zeitgeist. Another track that has remained popular in live sets for decades, it’s a brilliantly worded piece that is both amusing and confusing. The screeching guitar solos from Mike Bloomfield are pure rock ‘n’ roll and elevate the song to another level, although the whole band are phenomenal throughout the album. It’s just another brilliant track that couldn’t be further from his earlier work, but cements Dylan as a rock star. 

3) It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry - Although many quick tempo versions were rehearsed, this final recording was reworked by Dylan over a lunch break, because he’s a fucking genius. To create this beautiful song in under an hour is ridiculous, and it’s a lovely, bluesy tune which is less angry and cynical than many other songs on the album. The Newport Folk Festival 1965 version, which is hard to hear over the screams of those feeling betrayed, is great, but the Rolling Thunder Revue 1975 version is truly magnificent 

4) From A Buick 6 - Whilst this is the weakest song on the album, it’s still an incredible blues track with some brilliant singing from Bob. The lyrics aren’t as deep as the other songs, it’s basically about a woman who gives Bob life and potentially will cause his death, but the instrumentation is fun and it sounds like everyone is having a blast playing it. It’s a great tune that is a fun couple of minutes and there’s nothing wrong with that. 

5) Ballad Of A Thin Man - Poor Mr. Jones, probably Dylan’s most fully formed and completely repugnant character. This is my favourite track on the album and probably my favourite Dylan song (I know I say that about a lot of songs). It’s a brutal, depressing, bleak assassination of someone who has wronged Bob, with haunting piano that echos around the menacing words that send shivers down your spine. It’s most likely aimed at the reporters and the media who misunderstood Bob, or pretend to be cool and up to date with the culture, and here Bob unmasks them and publicly annihilates their fraudulent disguises. As with much of this album, it has remained in his live sets since release, but again no performance ever topped the Free Trade Hall 1966 one, the booing made Dylan’s words and delivery even more sinister and shocking. 

6) Queen Jane Approximately - Another needling song in the same vein as ‘Like A Rolling Stone’, though this one is more sympathetic to the subject. However, it is once again a classic track which sounds absolutely beautiful. Potentially about Joan Baez, though Dylan claims it actually about a man, it’s a fantastic piece that is both mellow and devastating at the same time. 

7) Highway 61 Revisited - The whistle on this song is iconic, as is the screamed refrain which is basically impossible to not shout at the top of your lungs with each listen. Biblical lyrics and dark imagery are contrasted by the upbeat tune, and it’s interesting that in reality, Highway 61 leads back to Dylan’s birth place, potentially making himself the true subject of the song. Another example of his advances in storytelling through references and metaphor, this is a deep and vivid song that Dylan still belts out on tour to this day. 

8) Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues - Despite being a brilliant song, which creates an atmosphere of tiredness and surrender, the story Dylan tells here is both fascinating and, not surprisingly, fantastically written. Starting in Juarez and returning to New York City, the protagonist must fight off women, booze, drugs, and the police on his journey, and it’s a riveting tale. As there is no chorus or refrain, this could easily be a Kerouac short story, but it really works as a track you can lose yourself to. You’ll be wrapped up in your own imagination of the events, described in an incredibly personal way by Bob, as if he’s telling you this story directly. I know I’ve mentioned this a lot, but the Free Trade Hall 1966 version sounds like it’s not of this world and should be mandatory listening. 

9) Desolation Row - This is the true showcase of Bob’s skill with the english language, an 11 minute acoustic song, which is more like an epic poem of old. Again peppered with pop culture references, it was released during a period where 3 minute love songs were topping the charts, and shows how much Bob was challenging the notion of what music could be about, and really mastering it as a literary art form. It begins with infamous lynchings from Bob’s birthplace, before moving on to fairy tale characters, biblical figures, authors, poets, scientist, and the victims of the Titanic, to name but a few. The lyrics are so engrossing, and the delivery is almost hypnotic, that the 11 minutes feel like mere seconds, as he paints a tapestry in your mind that is exciting, vivid, and yet tinged with a bleakness as no one is happy in the song. It’s an incredible way to end the album, though you’d wish it went on forever. 

Verdict: Obviously, I consider this the definition of perfection. For an album that largely focuses on sadness, feeling lost, anger, and cynicism, no other record makes me feel as joyous as this one. It’s the culmination of everything that came before it, from the dense verses of ‘A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall’, to the audience rejection of ‘My Back Pages’, to the new sound on ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’, and it comes together to create this perfect album. It’s unfathomable that a human created this, it seems more like a gift from the universe made especially for me, and I implore you to listen to it on repeat. Each time you’ll discover something new and your favourite song will change numerous times. Bob’s next outing would be of a similarly astonishing quality, and whilst he was touring the world to a chorus of jeers, he was about to record another album that would continue to push the boundaries of popular music. 

[glumvillain]

GlumReviews #10

If you’re like me then the year 2001 was just a shitty year to be alive.  George Bush was president,  Now That’s What I Call Music was on it’s 7th volume, Freddy Got Fingered and Bridget Jones’ goddamn Diary.  The internet had transformed the landscape of music and the industry was pivoting to serve a customer base that no longer wanted to pay for the music they so enjoyed.  Pandora internet radio would not be a public option until 2005.  The ancient technology known as just the plain ol’ radio was a large factor in determining one’s career success.  Yes, you could spend years touring on underground circuits garnishing a cult following from small town to small town, but nothing quite beats a radio single that can be played simultaneously for an entire nation.  In other words, the general public still played a determining factor for your determined breakthrough.

It is with this in mind that I present to you the case for Nickelback’s 3rd studio album Silver Side Up.  One cannot deny the societal connotations that come with just mentioning this band, and in my opinion, that horse has just long been laid to rest and I invite you to open your mind musically for just one second, as I have forced myself to in this series of truly eye-opening reviews.  Taking the title as Canada’s most commercially successful band among many many other prestigious honors of a similar nature.  Surely an entire generation doesn’t consider this band laughable and just a shitty shitty representative of rock music, especially in the year of our forsaken lord 2001? 

Is Nickelback a prime example of male mediocrity failing upwards into superstardom? or is there a valid claim for their status as a “pussy band” (which sounds kinda cool to me tbh) among rock n roll aficionados and real cool dudes in the scene?  We plumb the depths of a road at least 10 million have previously plumbed.

1.  Never Again

I’m gonna have a difficult time saying this is a “shitty” band whenever their first song addresses something that (excuse the pun) hits so close to home.  As an intro track they open up with a pretty heavy song about domestic violence “He’s drunk again, it’s time to fight/ She must have done something wrong tonight/  The living room becomes a boxing ring”.  Told from the point of a view of a child growing up to see his mother abused at the hands of his drunken father.  It’s a heartbreaking song that has a satisfying ending for those of us who don’t like to dwell too much on the downsides of life. Especially if one chooses to escape through music, but sad music in sad times is a personal habit I partake in.  This is a great song, content wise.  Kinda weird to have it set to such an upbeat sounding song but I guess it goes to serve the rage of a child being helpless in the face of his abusive father.

2.  How You Remind Me

Does the lead single of this album really need a review? Yes, because this review is about taking a second look at shit you take for granted.  This song is just poetry.  In the fact that it’s just a perfectly executed song, lyrically.  Being non-cryptic and just flat out honest about ones feelings.  There’s thousands of songs about being down in the dumps or heartbroken and I can see why this is easily one of their biggest hits.  It’s a song that doesn’t care about your preconceived notions of masculinity or what rock music should or shouldn’t be.  Some people were put on this planet to make one song to connect the world to each other, and I think this is Nickelback’s song.

3.  Woke Up This Morning

Now I wouldn’t exactly call this metal, but it’s too heavy to be pop-rock.  But it easily straddles these fine picket fences of being almost too heavy for their own lyrics at times.  There’s noticeable flavors of southern rock sprinkled throughout the album which I can see having a blue collar/WWF crowd appeal.  Again another song consisting of being absolutely honest with the listener “I felt like shit when I woke up this morning, I’ve been a loser all my life I’m not about to change”.  

4.  Too Bad

With the events of Track 1 in mind, this song takes a remorseful shift into the story of the father.  Now racked with guilt, the song title lays it out pretty evenly.  It’s too bad.  It’s too late.  Despite the behavior of an antagonistic and toxic father, they made it out on their own without the breadwinner of the family.  At the expense of the mothers time and love, at least they still had clothes on their backs and food to eat.  Another heartbreaking but heartfelt song that is one of the first songs that I’ve reviewed in this series that actually gave me chills.  

5.  Just For

This is the typical male violent fantasy that could lean either way.  It’s either about a girl he lost to another man, or given the past material in the album being about his mom, it could be pertaining to his relationship with his father.  However you feel personally about this band, understand that lead singer Chad Kroger opened his soul up on a record which is rarely an experience put forth in an album.  Now arguably you could tell me that’s what all bands do, and yes I’m inclined to agree.  But it’s rare that it’s not wrapped up in sarcasm or a false sense of confidence.  Usually such displays of anger and torment are disguised with metaphor and mystery.  There’s none of that at play here.  And usually I’d call that dumb music for a monkey brain audience.  But this is just some of the most sincerest lyrics you could listen to.

6.  Hollywood

Now listen I know I said all that stuff about his lyrics being pretty straightforward?  Well I’ll eat my own words on this song, as I can’t really pickup the metaphor he’s laying down...correct me if I’m wrong but is this song about being in a mental hospital or going to a methadone clinic?  Don’t beat yourself up if this track isn’t your cup of tea, I didn’t really vibe with it like other tracks.

7.  Money Bought

Pretty straightforward song about a woman whose living off of her parents just being an all around Samantha .  Songs like this I could really do without, heavy strong riff but if there’s one production complaint I have is that alot of the mixes are too guitar heavy and the drums get washed out.

8.  Where Do I Hide

Feels like a continuation of the previous song with the too loud guitar mix, the lyrics themselves are pretty boring and not really worth going over as I can’t figure out if he’s making an outlaw fantasy song or something about his dad again. There’s a decent little guitar solo but I wouldn’t say to go out of your way to listen to this song.

9.  Hangnail

I’ll give them this, they can kick out some pretty good riffs.  But like good standard rock riffs.  I couldn’t tell you they have their own sound musically.  I think their sound is largely wrapped up in the lead singers voice.  You could convince me it was 3 different bands if 3 different singers sang their songs.  This song feels like a weak follow-up to “How You Remind Me”, and if that’s the case it really missed a mark in my opinion.

10.  Good Time’s Gone

Nothing says “album closer” like acoustic guitar strumming away into a swaying jam.  Definitely leaning more country western than most of their songs, but with a hard rock kick to it.  It’s a nice revamp of energy from the previous couple of songs that just felt to get a little weaker as the album progressed.  Kroger gives a powerful vocal performance to lead us out and I can’t help but think to myself, dear god I just listened to a Nickelback album several times today.

So where do you land on the spectrum of hate for Nickelback?  For me, personally I see absolutely no reason why Nickelback is more hated than say Three Days Grace or Papa Roach, both of which have garnished their own cult followings respectively.  No, I believe this to just be a meme that society has taken and ran with it by constantly making Nickelback be the butt of some non-existent joke.  Are they the best band ever? Fuck no.  Should people be mocked or made fun of for listening to bands they enjoy? Double fuck no.  Because music becomes your personal experience, and we should let others bask in what little, small things bring them joy.  Why gatekeep listening to music?  Music is supposed to connect others and bring about the feeling of belonging, the act of belittling others for their choice in music isn’t only pointless, it’s just downright disrespectful of a persons identity and personal choices.  And with that being said, Five Finger Death Punch is REAL garbage music.

I refrained from mentioning that this album was actually released on September 11th, 2001.  Not wanting that to factor into my writing but it’s at this point that I argue the case that Nickelback was a relic of a time before shit got worse in America.  Without 9/11 in the narrative of some of these tracks I feel like they don’t hit as hard and yeah, in some fucked up way I’m saying that if it wasn’t for 9/11 itself, I don’t think they would have had a breakthrough.  As audiences scrambled to tune into something different I’m sure the radio offered some form of escape from a world ravaged by national news.  I give the album:

⭐⭐⭐/5

This album begins pretty lively and begins to fizzle out about halfway with track #6, saved only by the ending track.  This was a decent album and if you’re curious to check it out, I recommend tracks 1-5, then just skip to 10, the album makes more sense that way.