#when inside the tardis there’s countless places kept

[seveneyesoup]

the tardis keeps all the rooms she’s had. whenever someone comes to stay, their room stays ready for them, tucked away. when they leave, it remains, something for her to remember them by. if they come back, it’s waiting for them like they never left. sometimes the doctor wanders late down the corridors, unable to sleep. sometimes they find themselves walking down a hallway like a memory and sometimes the doors are open. inside is a piece of the past intact, with the air still fresh, like their friend just left and might return any minute

[kanisema-blog]

My heart thumped a frantic rhythm against my ribs as I shuffled into geometry class, late again. My locker had decided to stage a mini rebellion, swallowing my backpack whole, and the only witness to my morning struggle was the disapproving gaze of Mr. Davis, our ever-stern geometry teacher.

That is, until a chuckle cut through the tense silence. I looked up to find Ethan, the boy with eyes the color of melted chocolate and a grin that could disarm a bomb, stifling a laugh.

"Everything alright there, Amelia?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Just a little locker malfunction," I mumbled, cheeks burning with heat. "Sorry for the interruption, Mr. Davis."

Mr. Davis mumbled something about tardiness, but his stern look softened when he saw Ethan's face. Ethan had a way of disarming everyone, even the most hardened teachers.

That small interaction, right there in the middle of geometry class, was the spark that ignited everything. Before that, Ethan was just another face in the crowded halls, a boy I admired from afar. But that day, a connection formed, a silent understanding that blossomed into whispered conversations during lunch and stolen glances across the cafeteria.

One day, as we snuck out for an unauthorized "bathroom break" (which really meant hiding on the roof to escape a particularly soul-crushing lecture on isosceles triangles), I blurted it out. "Every day is more fun ever since I saw you," I confessed, feeling the words tumble out in a rush. "Fear disappears when you are with me."

Ethan's eyes widened. Then, a slow smile spread across his face, chasing away the shadows I hadn't even realized were there. "That's… exactly how I feel," he admitted, his voice a husky whisper.

And just like that, we were officially an item. Our world became a whirlwind of stolen glances in hallways, whispered secrets during movie nights at each other's homes, and the thrill of holding hands under the bleachers during football games. We were young, awkward, and utterly smitten.

Ethan wasn't just funny and charming; he was my confidante, my biggest cheerleader. He believed in my dreams when I doubted myself, celebrated my successes like they were his own, and picked me up when I stumbled. He challenged me to be better, to push my boundaries, and in return, I did the same for him.

Our high school journey wasn't all sunshine and stolen kisses. There were fights, of course, mostly fueled by teenage angst and insecurities. But even during the stormiest of times, the memory of that day on the roof, our fears dissipating in each other's presence, kept us tethered.

Graduation day arrived in a flurry of tears, laughter, and bittersweet goodbyes. We were headed to different colleges, chasing different dreams, but the fear of losing each other was overshadowed by the promise of staying connected, of our love story continuing on a new chapter.

Years passed, filled with late-night video calls, cross-country visits, and countless texts filled with inside jokes and shared dreams. Distance couldn't sever the bond we'd forged, a bond built on shared laughter, quiet understanding, and the unwavering belief that no matter what life threw our way, we'd face it together.

And we did. We navigated the challenges of adulthood, supporting each other through career changes, family struggles, and the general chaos of life. The boy with the chocolate-colored eyes and the disarming grin became the man who held my hand through every triumph and every tear, the one constant in a world that sometimes felt ever-changing.

One day, on a visit back to our hometown, we found ourselves standing on the rooftop of our old high school, the place where it all began. The city lights twinkled in the distance, reminding us of the path we'd traveled together.

"Remember geometry class and the isosceles triangle fiasco?" I asked, a smile tugging at my lips.

Ethan chuckled, pulling me closer. "How could I forget? It was the day I fell in love with a girl who hated geometry."

He took a deep breath, his eyes searching mine. "And Amelia," he continued, his voice thick with emotion, "every day is still more fun since I saw you. The fear… well, it might not always disappear, but with you by my side, it feels more like a shared adventure."

Tears welled up in my eyes, a testament to the love story that began on a rooftop, a story that promised to continue, an adventure we'd face side by side, forever.

[herleaf]

While he continued to process the implications of Clara being there, all the memories of the past and what it meant for her to be there. Most likely in that giant, tragic mind of his, he was imagining the worlds that she'd been to and all that she had lost. He'd suppress the questions, wanting to stay in naivety, knowing answers would only lead to definitives. Blaming himself, stewing in that self-loathing that only he knew so well. What should she say?

Should she hint at her travels, mention that she'd sometimes been in the same place only moments after his TARDIS had left? That she had played the role of The Doctor the way that she had with those Cybermen all those years ago. When they had gone to save Danny. Sweet Danny, the man who chose to substitute his life for the life of a child. Her sweet, selfless maths teacher -- what would he think of what she'd become? Surely he would tell her that she was continuing her cycle, fearing the end. Possibly being selfish because perhaps the end had him in it...

and she would let him believe it.

She would say it was her fault, that she wasn't ready for the adventure to end. She would wax poetic, words falling from her a mile a minute, as her gaze would dart around just as fast. Trying not to look him in the eye because she was good at lying, so long as you didn't look her in the eyes. Her eyes would water far too much to feign honesty, her heart breaking when looking at someone she loved so much and see the sadness shine back at her. Sadness and hurt that was constantly being caused by her.

Shaking her head to bring herself out of her own self-revere, she began stalking around the cell, fingers running against the grout of the walls, knocking every few inches to hear if there was anything hollow, be it an escape or a place where they knew they could sonic their way out. Or, kick it. She didn't know what this Doctor's style was.

"Borrowed a bit of your wife's lipstick. Packs a hefty hypnotic punch. Plus, you'd be surprised how far batting your eyelashes and twirling your hair can get you." It was said so nonchalantly, but she knew the words would effect him. Did she want them to? Was she mad still, despite knowing it was the only way for them to go on, that he forgot her? He forgot his impossible girl, the one who he brought back from the dead. The one who he would live countless lifetimes to bring back, only to be erased so easily. He'd remembered multiple echoes of her, sought her out from era to era to figure out her mystery, so why didn't that empty feeling he told her about in the diner fuel him to look even for just moments more? God, she truly was selfish, pushing blame onto the Time Lord despite knowing the universe depended on it.

Dying millions of times to save the Doctor also kept the universe afloat but you never see her complaining.

No, this echo--no, this Clara--was cross with herself for taking too long. For staying around and doing what Ashildr--Mayor Me--had promised him. She was protecting the people the Doctor couldn't, but not against him. She was doing it for him.

All life is worth fighting for, after all.

Her fingertips grazed ever so slightly against her pulse point-- well, where her pulse point should be, out of habit. It was strangely her form of being pinched to confirm she was awake, feeling the texture against her fingertips being an ever-present reminder of why she was doing what she was doing.

"I also used this," Realizing that she didn't want to keep things from him this early into their reunion, she reached into the pocket that was inside of her blazer, pulling out a withered and decrepit looking sonic, "You told me it was useless but Ashildr said you were a liar. That you were scared. I said you were calculated. To be honest, we were both being completely stupid, going back to a time where I was, but when have you ever known me to shy away from the stupidly dangerous? If I ever did that we wouldn't have gone on half the trips we did."

Turning around to face him, eyebrows furrowed in the way that they did whenever he was processing a plan. Trying to figure out where his mind was going and in which directions she could pick up the pieces that his brilliant mind would gloss over, how it used to be. "Reversing the airlocks, it would work to disarm them but could far too easily be twisted into an act or terrorism that both could point fingers for. Bit too risky at such a pivotal time, could lead to massacres." Nose scrunches once more as her finger comes up to press against her chin in thought, "No, there must be a secret, sneakier way out of here. These bozos treat their cells like messed up escape rooms, seeing who is smart enough to plot a prison break. It's how you get intelligence -- or, for the ones who refuse to join and are disposed of -- weaknesses in the cells themselves. They want to find the best of the best and if they say no to an alliance the prisoners obviously weren't worthy. It's like a mouse trap, we just need to think like a bloodthirsty species that would watch escapes and misery for their own enjoyment. If we can both maneuver around the TARDIS, surely we can figure this out. We just need to think heist."

Shall we?

Always so ready to go, always within her element ; The Doctor knew that there was so much more to her than that. Brave, impossible, clever, and so, so Clara. Seeing her again brought back memory after memory. From the second he heard her voice on that Dalek Asylum, to the first time he had seen her in Victorian London (the sting of the loss of Amy and Rory still gripping his hearts). And then their first meeting, the mystery, and every adventure since. All of which that had accumulating in the 4.5 billion years he had spent in a confession dial trying to save her life, as well as landing him on Gallifrey for one of the last times before it's destruction.

He wouldn't apologise for those years, for the desperate attempt to try and keep her in this universe. But he would apologise for who she is now. For how she's still alive; because she had known. She had known that she should've gone back to Gallifrey, should've walked to her death with her head held high, but who can blame her for getting distracted on the way? For, undoubtably, taking one last trip around the universe? In the TARDIS that she had pinched from Gallifrey itself? Behaviour which she had gotten from him, a way of life that she had learned from him. Who can blame her?

It had clearly stopped her from returning in time. And that? That was his fault. The result of their friendship, the result of their travels and time together. But that was a concept, an idea, he wouldn't allow himself to think too much into - although the worry had been there from the day he had found out that Gallifrey had been destroyed again. Just because that worry was confirmed now, did not mean it was the time to beat himself up over it. Or to judge her in any way for her delay or her fate. The Doctor has enough weight on his hearts without that. And if nothing else, this regeneration of his had told him that sometimes there was such a thing as too much blame; too much trauma.

"Oh, so much to catch up on. You have no idea." On his end, Bill, Missy, Yaz, Ryan, Graham, Dan and Gallifrey - The Time Lords and The Master. He knows how Clara responded to The Time Lords, knows what she thinks of them, and it makes him wonder just how much she'd understand The Master's actions, once she finds out the reason for them. The Timeless Child, oh, and the not knowing or understanding what he is or where he came from. And The Doctor thinks he knows how she'd respond to that one, too. Because he remembers her. Every part of her. She'd tell him to get a grip, and that he's The Doctor. Always is, always had been and always would be.

And the thought of that made him smile, because even though she hadn't said it, even though he doesn't know what she'd actually say or do, she's still there. In his mind, making him feel better, even when she's also right in front of him.

So he's not going to lie. He's not going to hide. He's going to tell her the truth, about everything, in more ways than he had told anyone else. Because he thinks he needs it. And because he has no one else. And finally, because he still trusts her, with all of his being. So he'll have the opportunity to find out soon enough, what she thinks.

But for now they need to focus on getting out of there.

"Right - uh- air conditioning." And he turns his focus to the problem at hand, motioning to Clara as he moves back towards the door. "They're going to use the air conditioning system to spread a toxin all over this space station. It's the easiest way to take out their opposition; two political parties out in one sweep, we JUST need to find a way to get past them." The guards, who think they're protecting their political parties by locking them up. Something told The Doctor that they weren't going to listen to them if they tried to explain. A plan that never works, so what next? "How did you get in here? Actually - seriously - what did you do to get past them?"

[nafeary]

Napoleon, Theo, Dazai, and Jean reacting to College Student!MC Stressed by Deadlines

Requested by @hqissodelicate:

hey toni boo, sara/delicateikemenmemes here ❤ i've been Going Through It with school 😔 so i was thinking of how my boos napoleon, theo, dazai & jean would react to MC who's a (stressed, exhausted) student who got yeeted to the mansion in the midst of a bunch of deadlines? thank you boo & i hope you're drinking your water 💙😤

✧✎ A/N: I’m sorry it took me this long to finish... but this was super fun to write and it helped me get back into writing after such a long break due to school bs. I’m not too satisfied with Dazai’a and the haphazard scenario/headcanons mush, but I still quite like this I think. Thank you for the request dear! Take care and drink water, everyone!

Warnings: Stress and mild mentions of anxiety, and like one mention of sexual intercourse

Napoleon Bonaparte

“You’re just a chore, after all.”

You whirled around. “Don’t act like your job is going to be that hard,” you could only scoff in annoyance, “I’m going to be inside my room all day, anyway.”

At first, Napoleon was slightly confused by your statement. Wouldn’t you want to explore this new world at all? But according to code, he’d just smirk and go (sleep) do smth

And true to your statement, you did stay inside your room for the most part

It’s not like your quadrillion essays would write themselves

It’s not like your college would just excuse your tardiness

It’s not like—

“Nunuche, you sure you don’t need a break from... whatever you’re doing?”

Napoleon was quite suddenly standing besides you, trying to read the mess that you’ve created.

“And who gave you permission to enter?”

“Me, obviously. I did have the impression that you were in danger, judging from the amount of curses I perceived.”

You could have died from embarrassment. Of course he had to hear your yells of frustration, stemming from the fact that your laptop was out of order, that you had no idea how to use ink properly, and—

“Have you realised that you regularly zone out?”

“I suppose? But if you wouldn’t mind, I really need to finish...” you trailed off, gesturing to the papers in front of you.

However, at his inquisitive gaze, you decided to explain that these were essays that could very well decide how you’d pass university, and, upon further inquiry, elaborated how a modern student’s life looked like

He never interrupted you unnecessarily, only to ask questions when a concept was too modern for him to comprehend

Your cursed assignments certainly made your life in the past harder to enjoy, but it also brought you and the emperor closer than ever

Unable to access the internet—or visit the college library—you had no proper sources for you references (considering that Comte’s library had no modern content, naturally)

You also didn’t want to bother Sebastian, especially since him and Comte had shown so much understanding for your peril that they practically forbid you from helping him out around the mansion

Their reasoning didn’t make you feel less bad though

Hence, you only had one option left that could complete your last essay

Which oh-so conveniently encompasses the Napoleonic Wars, something you truly did not want to burden him with

“Napoleon? Remember those essays that I have to finish for my university courses?”

“Of course.”

You were twiddling your thumbs, contemplating whether your grades are worth revisiting unpleasant memories, aka the taboo of the mansion

Abruptly, he grabbed your cheeks with just enough force to turn you away from looking at your feet, but not enough to inflict pain. “If there is anything I can help you with, I’d never shy away from it.”

Begrudgingly, you inquired him about his reign with as little focus on the gruesome details as possible your professor be damned

And holy shit, he’s amazing at writing? And Not just cringey love letters? Panty Sniffer Napoleon brrrrr

As you grew closer, he’s spoil you with vitamin-rich snacks (going as far as asking Arthur and Sebastian for medical advice)

He enjoys carving cute shapes out of fruits and eggs because he knows that their and his adorable presence will prompt the perfect amount of distraction to allow a small moment of rest

Says that it’s his duty as your guard and boyfriend to take care of your overworking habits

Expect frequent complaints from your beau, ranging from “how could they assign so many essays? Aren’t students just humans, too?” to “‘Reasons Why Edison Is Better Than Newton’? Do they even know what they’re talking about? Tch!”

Theodorus Van Gogh

You gleefully indulged in his charades for the first few days. They were a welcome distraction from your college work, after all

But the procrastination was accompanied by guilt, your anxiety building up every second you spent helping Sebastian with the chores, and gallivanting around town with Theo

A week passed before your sense of responsibility finally kicked in. So when Sebas came to wake you up just as the sun peaked past the horizon, you were already scribbling away on some sheets you’d found in your drawers

“Ah, good morning, Sebastian-san.”

“Good morning... what are you writing, if I may ask?”

“Just some essays for my college courses...” you said, glancing dejectedly at your notes.

Now that you didn’t have access to the internet, and your laptop’s battery was all used up, it made your work all the more tedious, but you had to set your teeth and do this.

“Give me 10 minutes, and I’ll join you in the kitchen.”

He had wanted to argue, but you didn’t let him. And when he saw you leaving the house with Theo later in the afternoon, he could only shake his head.

You felt like you owed the art dealer, especially since you blurted out his secret the literal next moment, so you committed to helping him while also keeping up with your work

Although, him calling you dog wasn’t nice either—even though, according to Sebas’ explanation, Hondje wasn’t exactly the equivalent to mutt

That cycle continued for days. Helping out around the mansion, getting pulled around by Theo, and writing your essays deep into the night

Not to mention all the worries that pressured your shoulders further and further into the ground

You were missing so many group project deadlines, disappointing people that relied on you... it was safe to say that sleep did not come easy, if barely

Just before you arrived at your room after a late night art exhibit did your body decide to fail you, tripping over nothing multiple times.

It prompted Theo to call you out before you could even think of rushing past the door, steadying you with a hand more gentle than you had ever experienced it to be.

“Sebas informed me that you’ve been working yourself to death.”

You silently cursed the butler. “I haven’t—“

“Give me your laptop.”

Perplexion ran across your mien, wondering how he could possibly have remembered such a modern detail from your countless rambles. “It’s batt— it doesn’t work right now, so it’s not like it would stop me from working.”

Arguing with the devil was a mistake.

He snaked his arms around you, holding the door handle in place with one hand while the other still kept you upright. “I don’t care whether you work or not, I’m not your mother. And regardless of its abilities, hand it over, knabbletje.”

What other choice did you have but to comply?

He ordered—yes, ordered—you to go to bed right that instant

If you hesistanly ask him to do the same (we all know what a hard worker he is), he’ll just press a guileless kiss to your forehand, telling you not to worry about him

The next morning, you were already worrying for your baby’s safety within the sadist’s hands when the devil invited himself into your room

“Ever heard of knocking?”

“Morning to you, too, Hondje.” He sent you an overly handsome smirk, handing you the laptop tucked underneath his arms. “You won’t be able to use that spider web Sebas told me about, but writing should work.”

You stared at Theo in disbelief, all the while internally laughing at him misinterpreting the World Wide Web. Deciding to trust in him, you clicked the power button. And sure enough, it sprang to life. “What... how in the world did you...”

Leo overheard you and Sebas talking about solar energy sometime… hush, just run with it

He fell into the seat next to you, propping his chin upon his fist. “I didn’t do anything. Just asked Sebas whether there was a way for you to use this. Leonardo took notice and tinkered around with it. Don’t ask—ah!”

You threw your arms around his shoulders, pressing your face into the crook of his neck. “Thank you for taking care of me, Theo.”

Would you have lifted your face, then you’d have caught a glimpse of the vermillion shading his cheeks. “I didn’t do it to help you. I simply can’t risk having you become a liability at work. That’s all.”

Anyway, tsundere tendencies aside, you know what another big factor of dating Theo is?

King if you’re not allergic, understandably, if so, he’ll change his clothes before even thinking of visiting you

On days that you decide to be especially stubborn, he pulls you outside, all the whilst whistling for the jolly golden retriever

And as soon as he comes running, your mind goes brrrrr cute dog

Although, he’ll try his best not to distract you from work. He knows from personal experience that it’s a much bigger annoyance than help

Thus, he’ll certainly use his connections and amiable rip Shakes relationships with the residents to help you out with the research process

Also, with his superior memory, he knows what generally makes you happy and relaxed, so he’ll be his usual observant self to decipher just what would help you perfectly relax/finish your work

Hardworking boi, please love him

Dazai Osamu

Dazai is the type of person that doesn’t mind upsetting people and risking someone’s disdain if it supports that person in the long run

And he’s able to read people like books, so it shouldn’t be surprising that he knows you’re overwhelmed before you even realize it

You’ve been going to sleep too late and waking up too early? He’ll gently force you (if you’re 100% against it, he won’t do it ofc) to sleep beside him, making sure that you won’t rise with the sun for once

You’ve been exposing your wrist to heavy sprain? He’ll teach you some handy-dandy 5 Min Crafts techniques that are guaranteed to send your hands on a vacation

You've been suffering from writer’s block? Time to go on a lovely stroll through nature with your boo

Your shoulders and neck are hurting beyond sanity? He swears by hot springs, so the thermae is his go-to for when you need to relive some muscle kinks

He never fails to procure the perfect amount of bubbles and temperature. And depending on how comfortable you are with it, he’ll offer to wash your hair.

And since dude got Disney princess hands, you most probably fall asleep, but our man is there to hold you above the water

His bare thighs are an added bonus, sending your mind into spirals faaaar away from college work

After you’re done bathing, he’ll ask you whether you’d like him to braid your hair (if it’s long enough), and his Disney princess hands will not disappoint

In the beginning, it was incredibly vexing to have a security cam in the form of a handsome man always on the qui vive

But at some point, you started embracing Dazai’s overwhelmingly passive—you knew exactly what he was doing whenever he’d do something random—protectiveness

Especially since it didn’t only help you complete your work; on the contrary, you were always excited to spend time with the Japanese writer

But that didn’t curb your confusion at the whole debacle. Why was he this focused on your well-being?

So, you decided to confront him

“Dazai?” Once again, you were relaxing in his arms, his fingers threading through your hair lulling you into a dreamlike state.

He ticked his head to the side, pulling your entwined hands closer towards his heart. The sun streamed into the run at just the right angle, yet the golden light was not as bright as his vivid citrine orbs.

You sighed, unable to look at his stupid handsome face for too long. ”Why is it that you insist on taking care of me?”

“Someone has to, Toshiko-san.”

You’d have blurted out your feelings if it wasn’t for the sudden embrace you found yourself in. As guileless as it appeared, you knew he was trying to stop you from acting on your thoughts.

Deciding that you didn’t want to pressure him further (after all, you knew that he had a hellish first life), you accepted the unclarity of his feelings—even though his actions spoke loud enough for you to understand.

It was that day that you decided to repay him for all he’s done for you

And you wouldn’t let him yeet himself through a window in an attempt to evade the love sent his way this time

Even if it took decades, you wanted him to feel just as safe and loved as you did in his company

You were glad to have such a caring man by your side who helps you with managing you self care

You could only hope that he’d allow himself to be treated the same way

Please just take our love, boo. We love you

Jean d’Arc

Well fuck, how could he possibly help someone who’s stressed when he himself is a 24/7 McDonalds that only sells Chicken McStress?

Anywho, I feel like he’d be the complete opposite of Dazai when confronted with a stressed MC

He’d care just as much, of course, but he thinks that it would be better to give her space, since he himself understands the desire for solitude well

So yeah, I can see him not going out of his way to check up on you if you weren’t super duper close friends/lovers IF it wasn’t for his friend Napoleon

After all, it was him who gave your boyfriend a lil talk, convincing him that, perhaps even if someone needs space, they probably still need someone to look after them

Living with Jean is basically Ted Talks everyday

Anyway, he embarked on his journey to hopefully help you and and to relieve some stress that was wearing you down (according to the statement of several residents)

And, finding himself halting abruptly, our pessimistic little bean realised that he’s got zero idea what did help you attain bliss

So he opted for the next best option—things he knew that made his friends relax

Plan A

Hearing a few oddly reluctant raps on your door, you went to open it. As soon as you did, the beautiful man who’d captured your heart entered your vision, your eyes finding his amethyst ones immediately.

You two stayed like that for a moments, only breaking eye contact when he sighed and simultaneously thrusted a mug into your hand, already in the process striding back to his own room.

“Uhm… Jean? I’m a bit busy right now, but would you like to come in?”

His eyebrows furrowed. “Don’t you find it inappropriate for a man to enter your room, mademoiselle?”

“Jean,” you giggled at his archaic mindset, gently rubbing your thumb between his brows to even out the crease. “We’ve had sex before, you know. Of course you ca—“

Wrong thing to say. He stormed past you, vermillion cheeks practically leaving a trail.

Chuckling to yourself, you turned to the mug’s contents. “Hm? Hot chocolate?”

Plan B:

“If this doesn’t harbor your discomfort…” Your boyfriend reluctantly stood in your room’s corner, standing straighter than a rod.

Frankly, your essays have kept you entirely too busy, and you longed for the warmth of the French man’s feather-like embrace.

“On the contrary, I enjoy your presence.” And you went right back to scribbling away.

Jean frowned. “Haven’t you been writing stories since this morning?”

“They’re not stories… and, yeah? I believe so.”

Stepping towards your seated form, he extended his hand; you grabbed it without thinking twice. “Is everything alrig—whoa!”

With the ease of a seasoned soldier, he picked you up before haphazardly tugging you into bed with bewilderment maring your features. “You should sleep.”

“—what?”

He stared at you blankly, as if expecting you to fall into the land of dreams right that instant.

“Did something prompt,” you slipped your arms out from underneath the duvets, gesturing wildly, “this?”

It was hard to be upset with Jean, his clueless but genuine persona the reason why you fell for him, yet you couldn’t disguise the irritation coursing through your veins—you had work to return to, after all.

“I think you need to rest, mademoiselle.”

Your blinking made him avert his eyes, explaining quietly, “I am uncertain what supports your release of tension, so I thought that perhaps sleeping could help since it certainly does show affect with Napoleon.”

“Ah, and you made me hot chocolate since that’s what calms Mozart.”

After internally simping for his soft and wholesome dumbass energy, you pulled him to bed beside you, claiming that it would help you relax (but only after telling him that it was okay for him to ask for your preferences)

And falling asleep to the heartbeat underneath his broad chest is definitely a 5-star-resort vacation

He’d eventually ask his relationship advisor Napoleon whether it is okay to have you help them out with his reading/writing lessons (you

You, alongside Napoleon, steadily agreed, despite knowing that it was a ploy to keep you away from overworking

Please also love this boy, thanks

Tag List of the most wonderful sweethearts (just message me if you’d like to be added <3): @juminly @kisara-16 @sweetlittlemouse @thesirenwashere @nad-zeta @delicateikemenmemes

[bbhyeoliskooks]

I lovveeee your work!!! I have read like everything lol! You’re a great writer, can I request a slow dancing scenario??? Thank you have a great day❤️❤️

˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩ 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ✩•̩̩͙* ˚

➶ TXT’s Reaction to Slow Dancing with You

•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩

Genre: literally 200 cups of fluff and maybe a pinch of angst if you squint

Warnings: Unedited, long cheesy stuff but other than that, none !

Song: Domino

(Ahhhh ><, thank you so much ~! This is so sweet of you to say and I hope you have a great day too 🥺💞 i’m so sorry that it took so long but I worked really hard on this one ++ got super carried away so you’d like it ! And since you didn’t request a member, I just decided to do all five in scenario format so you can have all princes hehe~~ anyway, i hope you like this ! ps i rlly popped off on soobin i swear 🗿🗿)

•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩

˚⁺‧. Yeonjun: ˚⁺‧.

Yeonjun was the sweetest boyfriend one could ever ask for.

You wouldn’t have believed it back then that the boy you met at a store as a soon to be fellow classmate would be your boyfriend in the future, the one who gave you surprise kisses out of nowhere just because he wanted to. 

Well ever since you were children, you’d been best friends thanks to your parents chatting it up a storm whenever there was a party or if they met up randomly in the food aisles of Walmart. It was so boring that you would just rather choose to run away into the toy section to find some amusing things like slime or mud perfume, for example. You always hated waiting for them to finish talking about school and children by yourself as you searched for something fun to play with, and when you saw a boy your age with wide, sparkling eyes gazing at you as if you were a nice toy- that was the start of the roller coaster you could call of being Choi Yeonjun’s best friend.

Two years later after that incident, you could vividly remember the way he asked you to be his wife in the future with a cherry ring pop in hand. It was during recess and most of the other children never bothered with him during that time even if he was one of the popular kids. He was always talking about you, talking about how cool you were even if the two of you found some dirt and cherries from the tree to make mud potions with. Adorable five year old Yeonjun took your tiny hand into his and asked you to marry him due to the times you experienced together like running away from the teacher because she looked like a scary green monster or getting yelled at home together since you wandered off by yourselves. Now you couldn’t lie- the only reason you said yes was to eat it later when you got home. But years later, both of you never took it seriously, you had just assumed it was something silly children did in order to act like grownups. Because of this, you could say you truly grew up together and it was so fond to see how the two of you were in fate stuck together, hip by hip. 

High school was so much fun with him, and college was just the same. Besides studying, Yeonjun always made all of your moments in school happy no matter how sad you were. He’d walk and pick you up generously, even waiting after every single chore you volunteered to do for the teacher plus the clubs you attended to. That didn’t mean he kept whining about how much stuff you had to do. The complaining he had when you dragged him along to the library was quite the endearing bunch though, but you wouldn’t be able to give up any second you had of him. He was always right there, right beside your side where you always wanted him to stay. 

And as inevitable as it was, there were countless people whom you loved and lost, but every single time Yeonjun would thankfully be there for you, handing you tissues when you were a mess in bed, spiraling out of control thanks to what love did. Likewise it was the same for you and whenever Yeonjun had a problem with his significant other- plus they eventually broke off- you would always care for him and give him the love that they failed to give. You both figured that life would be fine together as long as you had each other... and maybe that was the push that finally brought you together.

Every single date and argument you had with him only pressed you closer and there was never a dull moment when the two of you were together. You were deeply and irrevocably in love with him and you knew down in your heart that he clearly felt the same way. Choi Yeonjun, although he wore you out whenever he asked for mint ice cream at 1am on a weekday, was the best boyfriend one could ever ask for. 

There was no doubt about it; who wouldn’t give up their entire life just to marry him? Maybe you would ask him or maybe he asked you but knowing him, he would definitely surprise you with the big news whenever you were ready. 

You opened the door after shopping by yourself for a few gifts for Yeonjun- after all, it was your four year anniversary. The front door creaked when you did so, and you winced at the sound which gave your presence away. Great, now the surprise was ruined... however, Yeonjun standing there with a grin on his face was more than good enough- perfect enough that you were left breathless in awe.

He was dressed up, adorned in a black suit that immediately reminded you of the time he first took you out on a date for a fancy dinner. It was perfect. A spotless black tie and everything, you knew he really did his best with the outfit so you would like it. His messy hair was the complete opposite of his tidied up suit, but you weren’t complaining. He still looked as dashing as ever and it made your heart stop in place when he shot you one of those sweet grins, filling up your entire chest with pure love.

You hastily dropped the gifts on the counter, frowning at the difference between the two of you. In a rush to get the presents after a long day of work, you were in your uniform- something that definitely didn’t suit your liking at all. Your anniversary celebration was supposed to be perfect, but here you were ruining it all with your tardiness and clothing. 

In response, Yeonjun’s eyes fell upon the many wrapped up gifts you had taken upon yourself to amaze him with, and you thought he was going to open them due to curiosity. Instead he just took your hand and pulled you to the living room where there was more space, his hand shuffling comfortably to wrap against your waist. 

“Let’s open them later, right now I just want to dance with the love of my life.”

The living room showed how much effort he put into the celebration. You admired the scenery, wondering how long it took for him to do it. With lit, rose scented candles, red petals of the same gorgeous flower sprinkled on the carpet, a soft instrumental of the song “Can’t Help Falling in Love” playing delicately through his speaker, you came to adore the boy in front of you so much more. His words said a lot about loving you already, but when you looked at his actions, it sized up to merely nothing.

“Jjunie, I look like a mess. Won’t you allow me to prepare first before we dance? You put all of this effort for me and I don’t even look good for it,” you muttered quietly, too quiet that you were sure he didn’t hear it. Oh but he did, and he was left feeling a bit somber about your confidence. In that moment he wished he was able to see how much he loved you regardless of your appearance. 

In doing so he pulled you closer, letting you lean comfortably on his shoulder as the two of you swayed gently back and forth. You melted into his embrace, holding him just as much as he did. The chuckle from his chest almost sounding mocking, and he in turn slowly shook his head for the answer. You sighed, knowing how stubborn he was about things like this but at least you gave a try.

Now Yeonjun was pulling you flush against his chest but still rocking you back and forth with him to the rhythm of the song. You hid your face into any part of him you were able to find, feeling embarrassed that he could still make you feel like a teenager in love. Every day was like this with him trying to make you turn into a burning tomato, but gosh did it still get all the heat explode in your face. 

His breath hitched against your ear, practically nipping on it delicately as if you were the most fragile thing on Earth. You shuddered when his voice conjured up a whisper.

“And what makes you think that? To me, you’re the most beautiful person ever and I wouldn’t think any less of it. You’re perfect to me- I’m in love with the prettiest baby there could ever be and I’m glad to call them mine.”

You bit your lip at his words, knowing fully well that it was genuine. 

“I know you tell me this every second with me, but how can I be so sure? Growing up with you was such a blessing and I’m happy as well to be able to receive it, but I’m sure you would fall for someone better.”

“Please, Y/N,” he muttered with sparkles in his eyes, “I only see you. I only want you. And I need only you in order to smile like I do every moment we’re together. I wouldn’t ever be able to get on with life without you, can’t you see? I’m nothing without you and you’re the only person who’s made me this happy.

“Everyday I’m more than grateful to be able to be with you and I know I don’t deserve such a beautiful person like you, inside and out. I still remember chasing you around the playground one Friday and pulling on your pigtails to the point where you cried. I never told you this but I swore to myself that I wouldn’t make someone I loved like you cry ever again like that. How silly was I to not know that the love of my life was in front of me at that moment?”

Saying this he leveled to the ground, bending down on one knee as you gasped in shock. What was he doing?

“I don’t ever want to lose you- I wouldn’t be able to afford it if I ever did. I just want to be with the one and only person who completes me. The one and only person who I can count on whenever I’m sick with the flu. The one and only person who takes me out to mint ice cream at 1am. The one and only person I could really call mine. The one and only person who I want to spend the rest of my life with.”

His hand shuffled in his pocket before pulling a tiny box out and he opened it, showing a tiny sparkling, ring with a resplendent diamond on the top. Not a ring pop, but a real one. You covered your mouth with your shaking hands, feeling a tear fall against your cheek. His eyes were glistening just like the first time you met him and your eyes were the same as his, tearing up because of his sincere words that were nothing less of the truth. 

“So to the person whom I love more than anyone I’ll ever be able to and my true first love... will you marry me?”

He waited for your answer but you just jumped up and pressed your lips against his, showing how much you needed him in a passionate kiss. 

“Y-yes,” you gasped with all your breath, “I’ll marry you, Yeonjun.”

•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩

˚⁺‧. Soobin: ˚⁺‧.

Soobin was absolutely intolerable.

If teasing you in class in front of everyone even if it was something he viewed as lighthearted, calling you weird in front of a person that you really liked and proceeded to tell the embarrassing stories of when you were both in freshman year, and even picking you up- quite literally- when you were getting a bit too close with another person, then that was it. 

You were so tired of the tricks he was pulling, laughing when you talked back with a frustrated tone or pushing him on the chest whenever it got too much. No matter how many times you told him to screw off after a bad or good day alike, he wouldn’t listen. He must’ve been deaf or something, that’s for sure- because the amount of times you caught him staring at you was just exhausting. 

And you could imagine it- almost every day at school was like this, and you certainly had enough. When will he ever learn to leave you alone? Just a day, you prayed with all your soul throughout the years of high school. Just a day. Please...? However, a life without Soobin was too much of wishful thinking and you knew it entirely deep down. But jeez, was it enough for you to go one day of class without him bothering you incessantly?

As you slid your outfit on for prom, you thought of the first time you met him.

It was a lie to say he was the most grotesque, disgusting person you’d ever laid eyes on. It was totally a lie. So much of a lie that God wouldn’t allow you into heaven for saying something so wrong. 

Yes, you had to admit it: Choi Soobin, your one and only enemy was just the cutest. 

Well at first... you thought he was adorable. Puffy, mochi cheeks that reminded you much of like a bunny’s munching on soft bread at the table in front of yours, you swore you could say back then that he was the one you were waiting for all your life in your teenage mind that is. He always shot you a kind smile that only radiated warmth and maybe if you weren’t too shy to say something, then the two of you could’ve been great friends or possibly something more. But as always you stayed next to your friends, wanting hopelessly that he would be the first person to make the move. That saying by itself was too much though. If he wasn’t such a jerk, then you were sure you would’ve already fallen in love with him by now. 

Events like this piled on you every week and you found yourself staring at him every lunch as he did the same. The eye contact felt like electricity whenever it happened. You were entirely entranced by the boy before you, gazing wishfully that you two would actually get to know each other. You were dying to know what secrets lied under those doe eyes and fresh handsome face, not even able to eat your lunch from how concentrated you were of him. Plus he wasn’t intimidating in the sense many people think, it’s just that you were afraid he was going to judge you when you obviously liked him that much. Every now and then you would catch yourself staring at him during the classes you had with him, and that already said a lot. 

Now here comes the worst part. The absolute worst part that wrecked your very important first impression of yourself to him. 

The story goes like this. You weren’t watching your step after finishing your lunch tray, thoughtlessly bringing it towards the garbage can right across the corner. And with that you weren’t looking who was in front of you, trying to throw his trash away in the opposite trash can on the other side of the room. Unfortunately, with him coming right at you and with you looking towards the ceiling at the ball somehow lodged under the pipes, you crashed into him food and all flying everywhere... and at the boy you tried so hard to talk to. 

Okay, so maybe you deserved all of this torment.

Soobin’s cheeks were so red when the tray made a clamorous sound of a clunk and all of the people in the room slowly realizing, started to laugh at the scene in the middle of the room. The glare he sent you gave you shivers down your back as you kept profusely apologizing, trying to wipe away the food on his uniform shirt to no avail. It was like hell to you, and you had never felt so embarrassed in front of a boy your whole entire life.

Soobin just furrowed his eyebrows at your shaky apologies, bending down to hand you your tray. Like a fool, your heart was pounding in your chest when he pushed the tray into your arms as you murmured yet another sorry. The napkins were useless. Obviously he wasn’t able to take it but out of all the chaos, you could hear him whisper something of “meet me in front of the school gate after school” into your ears. 

And you being the worst person you were after spilling rice all over him just had to do it out of guiltiness. For sure you didn’t know what you were getting into as soon as he opened his mouth, giving you a list of chores just for the fun of it. Getting a can of coke for him at the very top school floor because the vending machine there was somehow better than the other ones, buying him a new shirt even when he was just kidding about it, letting him do your hair for a day to go to school in was all you needed to do on the list, but the torment kept coming. He never let you live it down and at this point you were 

What you weren’t expecting however, was for Soobin to be right there at the dance floor, searching around for someone who wasn’t there. Your heart skipped a beat when you saw him in his raven suit, looking as handsome as ever with his entrancing smirk and grinning eyes. You hushed it down, beating your chest down with a hand when you abruptly heard a familiar voice tug at your ears.

“Ah, Y/N! Thank gosh you look terrible today. I guess I have no choice to be your date today, 

Who else could it be?

“Oh, it’s you,” you deadpanned, rolling your eyes when that endearing chuckle rolled by. What were you expecting? It wasn’t as if he was going to stop making fun of you just because this was supposed to be one of the memorable nights in your entire life. You begged to differ though. Awkward and stiff, you hoped that you didn’t stick out like a sore toe in all this fun. Many other students looked like they were having the time of their life, but they were a bit... sweaty and stinky? Mostly the boys but you weren’t paying much attention when Soobin was right in front of you. 

“And me- being your date?!” You asked incredulously, looking as if he had committed a crime. “Why me when you literally have the attention of people all over the whole school?”

When you said this his cheeks turned red before he swatted the tint away. Looks like you had an effect on him. You were sure you hit a nerve because he was stuttering now, unable to look in your eyes as if avoiding them would do the trick. You wondered what he was thinking of before his eyes flashed with an unreadable mischievousness. 

“Hey, don’t you think we should dance? This opportunity comes only once in our life. And you don’t know what may happen,” he suggested, tugging gently on your hand. You hadn’t even realized he grabbed it but just the feeling of it made your ears turn hot. Anymore of this and you would faint by the end of the night.

In no time, Soobin led you to the dance floor where everyone else was dancing. The music changed little by little and it was finally the time that every couple was waiting for. Grant that you weren’t a couple, but maybe one time you’ll let it slide. He must’ve planned this- to ask you by now; the smirk said everything. You rolled your eyes and just admired the several colors of light reflecting off the disco ball, letting an ardent smile engrave your face. That is, until he spoke up,

“Oh wow, I can’t believe you said yes. I thought you’d slap me because I asked,” he teased, bringing you along the rhythm of his feet.

You scoffed at him, glaring down at the floor and at his polished shoes.

“Well, I should’ve. But I’m not that mean of a person and I wouldn’t want to embarrass you again.”

His hand slowly slid down to your waist almost as if he was teasing you while you just rocked awkwardly, feeling the breath in your lungs deplete little by little from how suddenly gentle he was. You were so caught off guard, almost paralyzed in your spot from how casual he did this, like he had done it every single day of his life.

“Listen, I know you hate me and all, but don’t be so stiff. You know I won’t hurt you,” he whispered gently, taking you into his arms. Your heart clenched at the forbidden feeling called ‘oh my gosh you’re turning into the naive freshman who didn’t at first know Soobin’s colors,’ but your burning throat didn’t allow yourself to say anything. He’d just make fun of you if you opened your mouth to say something.

Instead you swayed along with him, listening to the sweet music the person in charge put on. The voice sounded familiar, sweet and melodic, drifting through the room of many people who stopped to look at the person responsible. You, however, was completely blind to this, only focusing on the fact that you were dancing with your sworn enemy. 

Soobin’s hands danced to your waist and you shuddered, biting your lips when he suddenly spoke up.

“Isn’t it a nice song?”

Was he kidding? The more you listened to it, the more you fell in love with it. It sounded soft, so sincere that you were left wanting more. But you couldn’t put your finger on who was singing, although it sounded so damn familiar. 

You just nodded, looking at his chest more so than his face. You were too shy to look at him straight in the eyes, those eyes that seemed to smolder you every time you made eye contact with him. It reminded of you before the time you spilled that cursed rice on him, but you didn’t want to think about those memories anymore. It’d only remind you of how perfect everything could’ve turned out and that you wouldn’t have to deal with a boy like him.

Somehow Soobin pulled you even closer, letting his hand linger on your cheek where it stayed. He treated you with the utmost carefulness, cupping your cheek softly like you were the most fragile thing. You melted into it instantly, admiring his warmness and how he could act this way so as to not ruin your night.

“Believe it or not, I wrote this song for you... I asked the DJ to put it on today. It’s funny to me that you can’t even hear your own name in the song. I thought my own voice would sound familiar to you, you silly goose,” he choked out, letting a smile adorn his face when the realization caught onto you. 

Wait... 

That voice...

Was Soobin?!

And he wrote it for you?!

You instantly connected the dots together, looking at him straight in the eyes now. He was kidding. He had to be. But this...? You weren’t able to comprehend that it was written for you due to the fact you thought he hated you. He hated you, right? With everything he was doing, it was so obvious! You ruined his image in the beginning of the year and if you were put into his shoes, you would’ve hated yourself too. But... but why did the song have to be so loving with cheesy lyrics and the most important to mention, your name! 

All this tugging and pulling on your heart- you couldn’t take it! You couldn’t take the signals he kept sending you and then pushing away like you were nothing!

You stopped immediately, making him pause as well.

“Why are you acting like this? Do you genuinely enjoy seeing me frustrated like this? If you do, then it’s not funny. You’re just the worst,” You cried desperately, tearing up as the taste of frustration lingered on your tongue. Explaining yourself when you were mad at him was the worst-- especially when you couldn’t help sobbing along at how upset you were when he said unbelievable, sweet words.

You were about to start on your feet, away from Soobin- away from someone you tried so damn hard to hate after everything he’d done to you, pushing yourself away from his embrace when he grabbed your arm.

Looking at him you could see how genuine he was under those sparkling, doe eyes gazing at you intently with a somber frown. It had seemed like he acknowledged that fact already, but it only made matters worse. 

“Y/N, I just... look, it’s so hard for me to say but I... I really, really like you, alright? I’m so in love with you and everything you do for the time I get to see you whether that be in class or at lunch. The way you look, the way you act, the way you carry yourself when things get hard... gosh, don’t you know what you’ve done to my heart? Why did you have to steal it so quickly when we made eye contact for the first time?”

He started leaning in now, but you were standing too still at the confession. It was stupid, but the tears in your eyes were preventing you from saying anything. He must’ve been kidding- he had to be! He had to be lying... he just had to, right? But the heartfelt words being spilled from his lips proved that he was more in love with you than anyone else and he was showing it right now. 

And at the most vital moment- just before touching your lips with his- he stopped. Robbed you of whatever was going to happen. Took away what freshman and present you wanted most. He was just close enough that you could feel his breath fan across your lips, almost mocking you of how close you were going to get him. 

“Is this okay?” He breathed impatiently, almost glazing his lips against yours to the point where you were considering making the move yourself. 

“Yes, yes it is, stupid. And gosh you have to know how whipped I am for you too,” you shakily blurted out, letting him know how much you really liked him as well. Your hands almost covered your big fat mouth from saying much more, but what was done was unfortunately done. 

That was it. He knew it now. The whole truth you were dying to let him know. You finally said it and the prolonged silence between the two of you made you want to take back your words, but the way Soobin reacted the moment you said that-

it was enough for him to crash his lips against yours. 

•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩

˚⁺‧. Beomgyu: ˚⁺‧.

“My dearest Y/N, what are you doing out here? Please come back with me to the castle; it isn’t safe to be here, you know that.”

Wait... when did he show up here?

And d-dearest? You had to be hearing things! 

Immediately you stopped hiding your sullen face in your gloved hands, slowly looking up to see the boy you were thinking of the entire time. In all of his dashing presence, you couldn’t help but notice there was a deep frown on his face. It was almost as if he was disappointed in you leaving, and the remorseful tone in his words made it crystal clear. But it didn’t make any sense at all... how could he be in the secret garden you always came to whenever things got rough? He wouldn’t have known anything about it, not unless he followed you here. 

You instantly got up from where you were sitting on the white angel bench, struggling to speak loudly enough for him to hear.

“P-Prince Beomgyu...? Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be there trying to find someone good enough for your betrothed? I thought you didn’t see me... leave...”

Ardently the prince suddenly smiled when you said this, shaking his head in amusement while you scrambled to find words that would fill the empty, comfortable atmosphere. He seemed to be teasing you with his adorable grin, eyes filling with luminous sparkles as the eye contact he kept making with you wouldn’t come to an end. It reminded you of the stars you always wanted to see from up close, the beautiful ones you had studied a few months before with the old books the queen had received years ago when she too was a princess. Yet, you hated how nervous he obviously made you and eventually looked away from his enamoured gaze that held nothing but love.

“I was looking for you, and I guess I looked right. Mind telling me why you’re here now, prince/ss?”

His soft voice warmed your ears all the more, its velvet low timbre echoing through the moonlight as he took a few steps towards you. He reached out his hand easily, waiting for you to take it but you just weren’t able to, not with what happened back there. The look on your face must’ve been priceless when you sensed he was coming closer and you instinctively took a few steps back, unfortunately tripping onto one of the rose bush vines and falling backwards.

Preparing to fall to your ultimate demise, you shut your eyes tightly- not caring if you died right then and there. It wouldn’t matter much anyway, right? What a pretty way to die, right there in front of whom you wanted to call your beloved. 

“Hey, be careful!”

In a split second, you felt someone’s arms wrap around your torso, their hands holding tightly around your waist so you wouldn’t fall. It felt way too familiar to you and you opened your eyes, gasping once you saw who saved you. 

Filling your ears again was the warm, tender voice of Prince Beomgyu who stared right down at you with concern in his expression. You looked up to him with wide eyes, wondering when he was going to level you to the ground as expected. However, it seemed like he wasn’t going to do just that yet; you could see the mischievousness in the smug smirk he was wearing. Then to keep you secure, he brought you closer towards him but didn’t dare to let go of his comfortable position over your waist. 

“You just proved my point,” he murmured, “Why did you come out here when you know it isn’t safe here in the first place, dear?”

The moonlight glistened across his face, showing radiantly his beauty as the heart caged in your chest performed several flips. It was always like this whenever you saw him... wherever, really, at the balls or whenever his family made a trip to Amaryllis Kingdom. Before shuffling away from him on your own accord your eyes flickered to his lips, exhausted to see how much you were entranced by him.

“Why did I come out here? And you’re calling me, your dear?! With all due respect, will you stop acting like you do not know?” 

You scoffed tiredly at his words, dusting yourself off as you pushed him away from you. The pent up frustration was clear in your voice and you almost felt guilty for him, if not for what he did back there. What was he expecting to say when you were angry solely at his actions? An okay? An agreement to go to the castle again when he was more interested in what your best friend had to say?

He shot an incredulous look at you, furrowing his eyebrows until they knit sourly together. “What are you saying? I’m flabbergasted here! Tell me what’s been going on so I can make it better!”

You shook your head back and forth rapidly, pursing your lips as he inched towards you through little steps.

“If you wanted to make it better, then you shouldn’t have avoided me like I was the plague! It’s been such a long time seeing you after the last ball, and I- I miss you terribly... I just don’t understand why you had to leave me to seek out my friend.” Your voice became as quiet as a mouse squeaking when you neared towards the end of your words, holding back at yelling at him when it really wasn’t his fault for finding someone better for his betrothed anyway. It didn’t mean it hurt any less still, knowing that you were so close to the chance of loving someone so sweet and caring like him. 

Beomgyu reached out to you tenderly and this time you took it silently without complaint, watching as he pressed a few kisses on the top of your hand. How could someone cause you to feel so many things in a minute, making your anger vanish the second he let those words fly out of his lips? 

“That wasn’t what I meant to do, prince/ss...”

In a crumbling motion, the rest of your resentment dissipated and dripped into the puddle right beside you. It slowly became into a sadness that even his smile wouldn’t be able to heal, showing you how you should’ve never messed with the entanglements and matters of love. It only indicated how much you were doomed to accept the fact that he would never be yours. 

“Enlighten me, please,” you begged now, ignoring how his blossom lips trembled upon hearing your despondent request. 

Instead he just took your hand into one of his, squeezing tightly so that you would listen. His lace sleeve brushed up against your arm as he went to cup your cheek, making you shudder along with the breeze that flew by the two of you. The warmness of his hand made you lean against it, sighing in relief at how long the desire to at least touch him was finally satisfied. 

“That never was my intention, Y/N. I apologize for making you feel like that, I truly am a fool not to notice. I was talking to your friend to know the things you wanted in an ideal prince. I thought I wouldn’t ever be good enough for you so that took way longer than expected... And I guess I’ve missed you for so long too that I was a bit nervous to face you, but I know that isn’t an excuse either. I’m so sorry for my actions tonight. I’ll make it up to you once we get back to the ballroom.” His thumb rubbed softly against your cheekbone as the desperation in his eyes caught onto you, letting you know how much sincerity there was in both his words and lips.

And yet, you couldn’t help but smile. He was always so caring like this, despite making everything out of humor, and maybe that’s why you fell in love with him.

“You should’ve asked me first, Gyu.” He cringed at the way you seemingly forget to mention his title before you continued again. “You know that you’re more than good enough for me. You’re simply... perfect.” You let the word fall off your lip and the prince again shot you another charming grin that had your heart pitter-pattering in your chest. 

“I know that now,” he teased, pulling you closer to his arms in an embrace. You wallowed in it for a few seconds, hugging him back as well. He laughed at this, letting his chin drop comfortably on the top of your head.

“Now come on, didn’t I say I was going to make it up to you? Let’s head back to the castle now, my love.” He started to lead you out of your secret garden and into the royal pathway, much to your despise. 

You weren’t sure what happened... It seemed like the happiness you just experienced crashed on your shoulders in waves, and you screamed unfortunately right in his ear.

“No!”

You dug your heels into the dirt, forbidding him to go any farther than what he was hoping. He quickly turned back to you after wincing from the abrupt pain, checking up on you worriedly after your outburst. 

“I don’t want to go back there,” you whispered, looking into his eyes this time. It felt like electricity to you- to know that he was right there listening to you, listening to your worries in order to let you know that he cared.

“Why?” He let his hand trail down to tuck a fallen hair strand behind your ear, and you felt all the more guilty for bothering him like this. It was enough for yelling at him needlessly earlier when it wasn’t what he meant to do, but now this? You caught sight of the mud on your ankles, knowing that the king and queen wouldn’t be too happy about it.

“Because... I hate it there. I know we’re royalty- you’re a prince and I’m a prince/ss, but I don’t want any other people looking at you. They don’t know who you’re going to choose as your betrothed yet- it just makes me anticipate whoever you’re going to pick!”

The expression on Prince Beomgyu’s face was absolutely endearing as he ruffled the top of your head, finding entertainment at your embarrassment. You cringed at how your crown almost fell off, trying to slide it back on as Beomgyu did it for you. 

“You’re so cute,” he chuckled, making all the heat in your face become prominent. This effect he had on you was always surprising, and you were sure he knew that from the confession you just made. You internally groaned at yourself. Why should you be shocked when he never misses the chance to say stuff like this?

“Then... how about we slow dance here instead? After all, I’m sure you can hear the blasting music from here,” he suggested, lifting a curious eyebrow for your response. 

True to his words, you could hear most of the strings from the castle below to your secret garden. You weren’t that far from the castle and both of you wanted to give it a chance, so why hold back now? You let him take not only your hand into the melody of “Clair de Lune,” but also your heart. 

He just smiled nervously at you, allowing you to wrap your arms behind his neck. A rush of nostalgia passed through you, reminding you of the time when you first danced together last year at the ballroom. All too familiar, his hands slid towards your waist and you giggled at the tickling sensation, wallowing at how close he was- enough to press a kiss to his button nose. It was easy to follow his swaying movements back and forth, but you were cautious this time not to trip into the thorny rose bushes. 

Beomgyu carefully twirled you beside him, admiring the way your attire followed you along as well.

“Wait, you do know one thing, right?”

You tilted to your head to the side. What he was taking about- you weren’t sure at all. But you let him continue, feeling his arms bring you closer to his chest.

“You do know that... I love you. So much and entirely so. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Prince/ss Y/N. I want to treat you well and make that beautiful smile of yours become a main part of our life together. I want to have children of our own with you and watch them grow up into princes and princesses or whatever they choose to be themselves. I want to love you for the rest of our life and announce you mine.”

He stopped dancing this time, leaning towards you with hooded eyes. You allow him to, choosing to shut your eyes as well. 

“Now tell me,” he whispered, laying a chaste soft kiss to your lips breathlessly, “will you be my queen when the time comes?”

You only nodded back, melting into the kiss as you took him into an affectionate embrace. 

“Yes, of course, my prince.”

Finally... at last, you found your Prince Charming.

•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩

˚⁺‧. Taehyun: ˚⁺‧.

Needless to say, you were in love with Kang Taehyun. 

You were so in love with the way he made extra time for you in his schedule even if he was busy studying. You were so in love with how he would pick you up despite your protests because apparently he felt unsafe when you weren’t with him. You were so in love with the way he took care of you whenever things got rough and comforted you through the little things like mood swings and disappointment when the waitress forgot to bring out your favorite cake. You were so in love with how he never rushed you into the relationship, promising to wait for you until you were ready. You were so in love with how caring he was towards you; every single day you spent with him made you feel as if you were on top of the world. 

Even curled up in his arms now, you could feel the love you had for him swell in your chest as you looked at the mesmerizing him. He was holding you so gently, so sweetly, letting sweet words fall from his lips in order to make you smile. It obviously worked because you were nothing more than a giggling mess, watching him like a fool to get you to smile. Honestly, he wasn’t that much for public affection, but when it was the only two of you... you were allowed to say that he was clingy and wanted to hold on tight so that you’d never leave. 

The white blanket from beneath you fluttered a little in the breeze and you shivered from how chilly it was. You should’ve brought a coat earlier like Taehyun had said, but it was the summer so it couldn’t have been that cold! You wrapped yourself in your arms, trying to get up if not for the deathly hug of Taehyun. Instead it only encouraged him to hold tighter onto you all the more, squeezing your arms tight in his embrace.

“I told you to wear at least something warmer, Y/N. Now you’re clearly shivering and I don’t want to give up my coat just for you,” he teased and that caused you to hit him playfully on the arm. 

“I didn’t ask for a coat! I love the weather when it’s like this... especially when I’m with you,” you shut your eyes and stuck your tongue at him. The boy just pretended to gag and that made you laugh at his silly reaction.

The birds chirping from up above caught your attention, and you noticed how freely they seemed to be flapping their wings. As corny as it is, maybe one day you’d feel like flying with Taehyun. You weren’t sure how you were going to do it, but you want to make him the happiest he’s ever been in his whole entire life. Hmm... a nice moment of quiet would be good enough for you to think of a solution to that problem. 

Although the silence was nice after that moment, you wanted to do something fun. It’s true that you were already happy since you had the day to spend with him, but this could be the cherry on top before you had to go home. Earlier you went shopping for what he liked and paid for it while he wasn’t looking, despite all of his complaints and tired that definitely hurt your ears. Then the two of you went for ice cream and you teased him about mint flavor before deciding to get the cone. It gave you an idea to have a picnic date with him, minus the food since you already ate lunch together. But it was more than perfect to be with him, really! 

“Taehyun,” you whined, “I’m bored! Don’t you think we should do anything better for your birthday? 

“But it’s pretty,” he pouted, “I thought you liked doing weird stuff like this, you weirdo.”

Rolling your eyes, you picked at the blanket beneath you, kneading it between your fingers as you thought of what to do. “I do, but there has to be a much nicer thing to make your smile wider, you weirdo.”

He let out a huff of amusement, nodding his head along to your idea. “Then what do you think will do that?”

You snickered at his mocking words, swatting his arm away from you so you could get up. He let a grunt of refusal as he let go before you took his hand into yours. He got up soon after with a pearly smile you wouldn’t ever be able to erase from mind. Something like that every day would certainly boost your serotonin if you had to look at it 24/7.

“Hmm... how about we dance?” You shyly suggested, watching his face morph into a sincere smile. It was cheesy, you knew that, but you were hoping Taehyun would at least say yes considering it was his birthday and you wanted him to have fun instead of just looking out into the blue horizon. Not that you were complaining about that though.

“Dance?” He couldn’t help but laugh teasingly at your request, like you had spoken in a language he couldn’t understand. “I know you’re cheesy and all, but dance?! That’s way too-” he gasped when you took him by the hand and started to tug him into a round of slow dancing.

Thankfully you had already set on some light music going on earlier when you had arrived, and it played loud enough so only the two of you could hear it. The one that you heard currently- was it “Sakura Kiss” but the strings version? You recognized it as you watched Taehyun pretend to cringe when you wrapped your arms around him. 

“You’re really weird, I have no clue why I even agreed to do this in the first place.” He stepped towards the back and you were careful not to step on his feet accidentally. Although, that would be pretty funny- not that you’re admitting it!

You just giggled at his words, and he slid his hands to your waist. It felt like sparks to you, pure electricity coursing through your veins the moment he pulled you closer to him. Actually, he was debating whether or not he should start to tickle you, but it would just ruin the moment. Little did you know that he actually wanted to go along with it, guiding you through the music so that you wouldn’t be too stiff when dancing with him.

“But you’re in love with this weirdo, huh?” He wouldn’t answer this one, you were sure. He’d say something about how corny it was and how you could’ve said anything else but that. 

Instead he let one hand come away from your waist before slipping into one of yours.

“Yes, I absolutely am.”

Not only was Taehyun’s wish of being happy on that day came true, but he also got to experience really flying with you even when it wasn’t possible. 

•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩

˚⁺‧. Kai: ˚⁺‧.

“What are you up to on a late night?”

Well, that’s what you were going to ask your best friend Kai until he so rudely crashed into your house at 1am through the kitchen window despite all of your whines not to do that since he could hurt himself and even worse- break the window itself. You shouldn’t have been surprised at this point when he peeked his head through the door of your room, but how could you not be when there wasn’t any racket downstairs as a sign he was making his grand appearance? And don’t get started on how the door just randomly creaked loudly, giving you a major heart attack that a thief entered your house! 

All of your grumbling and rambling about how he should just go home and rest in his very comfy bed that you somehow accidentally slept in before wasn’t enough for him to leave and he decided to join you in your journey of rewatching Cinderella. You were pleased to have a partner who could make you laugh along the whole experience, but you weren’t sure what he was doing up so late. As it was mentioned above the time just reached 1am and once you were done with this movie, it’d probably be closer to three. Not to mention that it wasn’t safe to come out of his house during the night even if he lived a few houses away.

“Kai, what are you doing here?! Don’t you know how unsafe it is to just randomly pop in to my house at what gosh knows in the morning?” You threw one of the pillows you were laying on towards him, purposely knowing that it was his favorite whenever he came by. Obviously you weren’t going to say you cuddled it to sleep when you missed the boy who didn’t get the chances to visit you, and hopefully he wouldn’t notice how worn down it already was after a few months of use.

Kai just jumped into bed beside you, reaching out a hand to ruffle your hair. 

“Ooh, looks like someone is worried for me~ don’t worry, I brought my favorite plushy to protect me just in case,” he winked at you but you ignored it, focusing on getting the movie on the TV screen instead.

“At least tell me a good reason. I might forgive you this once but it doesn’t mean I condone your actions.” Every time you said this, you forgave him when you really shouldn’t have. It only encouraged him to come all the more, and you knew that through and through. But still! He should really know how worried you get whenever he spontaneously plans his visits to see you! 

Kai just sighed, and you could imagine the disappointed pout on his face. Stealing another glance at him, you weren’t shocked to find out he was doing the exact same thing like you expected. After all, you knew Kai for a really long time not to notice these adorable little habits about him.

“I’m just bored. And Tobin really wanted to see you this time!” He proudly showed the bunny plushy in front of you, and it made you smile a little bit before quickly wiping the effect off. 

“Okay, fine,” you groaned, beckoning him to come cuddle up against you like he always did, “you can stay as long as you like but next time if you aren’t careful, I’m saying no.”

He gladly took the offer, clearly staying in agreement to your words as he snuggled beside you to wait for the movie to finally initiate.

“Ah, thank you, Y/N! I knew I could count on you to be up this late!”

Not even ten minutes passed by since he supposedly broke in like you called it, and heavy rain started to crash down onto the roof. It was nice for moods like this and the white noise of raindrops always managed to calm you down as well, but you were worried for when Kai wanted to go home. How would he get to his house without being soaked? It’d definitely create a wet mess. Well that is... unless he wanted to- no, you shouldn’t get ideas like this, assuming he’s uncomfortable with it! 

But there really was no loss in trying, right? You braced yourself for the hard rejection you knew that was coming. 

“You know,” you bashfully offered, throwing him another fluffy pillow from across the bed so he could get more cozy, “you don’t have to walk out in the rain like that once the movie is done. It’s raining cats and dogs out there. You can always just stay... with me.” You absolutely hated how your voice shriveled up to the end, showing how embarrassed you were to even ask him in the first place. 

He caught it easily, holding it tight to his chest soon after. “You’re acting like I wasn’t going to do that. Why not spend a night with my favorite person in the whole world? Let’s have a sleepover, Y/N~!”

Didn’t he know what he was doing?! And oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, you couldn’t believe it- he actually said yes! But of course, with a few pitter-patter comments here and there. 

What were you thinking? You felt all the hot blood rush to your face and you hid it with another pillow close by. Hoping he would’t hear anything, you just muttered how embarrassed you were to yourself but boy oh boy, he caught it all and grinned in endearment at how cute you were. You wouldn’t be able to see that smile on his face anyway, unfortunately not with the pillow you hid yourself with. 

...

You had been so tangled in the story that you didn’t realize Kai was more focused on you compared to the movie. He would look up to the screen sometimes, however he couldn’t help but look back at you more than the film for some reason. It didn’t mean you didn’t check up on him from time to time to make sure he was feeling completely comfortable. You knew fully well that he was staring at you but you decided to ignore it. At first you thought he was just spacing out, but it was way too coincidental to be true. 

The scene finally got to the part where Cinderella was dancing with Prince Charming, glass slippers and all. As a kid you were always fond of this moment because one day you wanted someone in your life like that. Whoever it may be, as long as they love you for who you really are then you’d be happy to call them your significant other. And yet, every single time you would always be faced with Kai in your mind whenever you dreamed of this. 

“What are you staring at me for?”

“Oh, nothing,” he taunted with a mocking voice before taking your hand into his. Then without a warning, he tugged you up from beside him, pulling you in front of the screen. You laughed at how sudden it was, and cautioned at him a little bit. 

“Kai! Gosh, at least give me a warning before you pull me up,” you whisper-shouted, being careful enough not to create too much noise. Luckily the rain was able to replace the sound of both of you getting up from the creaky bed, serving as another distraction for your parents not to know your best friend was in the room.

As you watched him in confusion, he made no sound grabbing your hands so they’d wrap just below his neck. You asked him what he was doing quietly a few times when he simply shut you down like that, his hands naturally trailing down to your waist as if he was planning something.

When he was done with the finishing dances of preparing the both of you, he noticed you were distracted in Cinderella and the prince dancing and leaned your attention towards him again by grasping your cheek in his right hand. 

“Come on,” he shot you another charming grin that sent your heart into a mayhem, “let’s slow dance.”

You gulped instinctively, nodding your head slowly. 

“O-oh, sure...”

You couldn’t allow yourself to say no. How could you say no when your heart was screaming yes and with him so close to you than he’d ever been? You weren’t the best at slow dancing when you had to cooperate with a partner, but he made it quite easy for you. Although, it wasn’t a big surprise when he could do anything he put his mind to. Kai was simply an excellent musician- he got the hang of the beat so you just followed his lead, letting him sway gently to the sweet song. 

The moment was magnificently magical, enough so that you wanted it to last forever. Eye contact was a bit much for you- especially when you were starting to have forbidden feelings for a friend who most likely doesn’t reciprocate the same ones- but somehow, you found the strength to keep looking at him without quivering up into a nervous ball. As the song played, you memorized every detail of his face as you could, counting his eyelashes to sketching how perfect his nose was in your mind. You were so lucky to have him in your life... you really couldn’t imagine a day without knowing he was there for you.

The rest of the song finished, but you knew he didn’t want to let go just yet. No other words were spoken but with his eyes that followed yours, you were able to tell how much you meant to him. More than a friend or just a friend? You weren’t sure at all, but you knew one thing. With the way he gazed at you- and perhaps you were deluding yourself when you thought this- it was clear to see that his stare was fill of enamor and love towards you and you only. He could’ve been watching the rain fall from outside and race against the windows, yet it seemed like he never wanted to look away either.

Your heart swelled in joy with this, but... at the same time...

When were you ever going to tell him these growing feelings? When were you going to let him know before you inevitably fell in love even deeper? How were you going to do it with all these insecurities of whether he likes you back or not weighing down? There were too many questions for you to really take. In all of this thinking while beside him- you couldn’t be for sure, however you weren’t going to rush yourself because there was still an eternity to spend with him right by your side like he promised. 

•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩

Posted: 4/8/21- 2:15am 

(OKAY SO LIKE IK I WROTE 9k WORDS FOR THIS SO?? IM SO SORRY IF YOU GOT BORED 😭😭 I ACCIDENTALLY USED ALL THE BIG BRAIN WRITING FOR THIS REQUEST OMG 🧍🧍 also peep me posting this at 2am when i said i was supposed to sleep at 11pm)

Tags:

[bbnibini]

PSISLY: An Obey Me!CYOA -- prologue/zero🔖

With darkness blanketing the starless sky in Devildom, it was hard to keep track of time without the aid of clocks conveniently placed in most parts of RAD. Truthfully speaking, you have been tardy and even missed class in your first days as an exchange student(much to Lucifer's ire). A demon's way of life was starkingly different from a human's-- you recalled the culture shock and the homesickness you felt before. It was hard to believe that almost a year had passed since then.

You've been through a lot, have been dragged to countless shenanigans by the demon brothers and even died in a few timelines or so. How you managed to even stay sane from all of that mess was a miracle. You'd even like to believe you made friends along the way.

True, most of the personalities you encountered weren't the most friendly bunch, but you somehow gained their trust, and now you began to dread ever leaving. It's only one or two months more before your exchange program will be over, so sometimes you couldn't help but wonder if the brothers feel the same way.

"Do they like me?" You had some suspicions, but dismissed them in a self-deprecating fashion. They were powerful demons and you were only human. While your birth origins had an interesting backstory, it didn't really mean much. Lilith was her own person, and so were you. The brothers made it perfectly clear to you that they know how to tell both of you apart, and you were thankful for that. The last thing you'd like is to be a vessel they can pour their grief and their pent-up feelings at. You barely knew Lilith in the first place, so how on earth can you be capable enough to heal their hearts? Nevermind being loved by them? Out of the question!

That was what you thought anyway, but they seemed to think otherwise; for now, you found yourself eating your words when you saw a suspicious looking letter in your locker.

Drawn on the corners of the envelope were pink carnations, while an elegant handwriting was placed on the centermost part of its back. It read:

" With Love, from Your Secret Admirer"

You felt your heart beat out of your chest. Your sweaty palm held the envelope with trembling hands as you looked consciously at your surroundings.

You shook your head and tried to rationalise.

"This is impossible. This must be a prank."

You were wrong, unfortunately. When you opened the letter and read its contents, it was definitely a love confession. The same pink carnations were seen at the corners of the stationery. Three words you thought you'd never hear in your life were peppered all throughout. You get it. Whoever sent this to you clearly meant it.

The question was...who?

You rarely check your locker as you had most of your school supplies and your books kept in a compartment under your desk. The only times you do is when it's time to change your uniform for the appropriate season. Putting school uniforms in a locker shouldn't be common sense--you knew it was unusual, that was why you put it in there in the first place. You don't trust your own memory and your motor skills so you hated to ruin your uniform before you even got to wear them. That was what happened when you placed all your uniforms in your closet before anyway.

...let's just say that whatever you put in that closet will never see the light of day again. Even with Lucifer's stern lectures, you couldn't seem to keep it tidy for even a second. Saying that, keeping your uniforms in a locker was even his bright idea.

...wait a minute.

Could it be? You shook your head.

While it's true that not a lot of people really knew about where your locker was, not to mention how often you open it, Lucifer...really?

He was the last person you'd ever suspect. If he had something to say to you, he wouldn't be so roundabout like this. Not to mention the handwriting in the letter is completely different from his penmanship. How do you know?

Well...ehh...he might have signed a few...documents for you to get you out of trouble...cough. But! That is besides the point!

Did he even have time to send this? He told everyone not to bother him while the student council was preparing for an upcoming school festival. Would someone so preoccupied and had the notoriety of being eternally overworked have the time to write a disgustingly sweet love letter? Some might say that he must have sent it at an earlier time but...

...the letter's stationery still had its scent so it should be written quite recently. Your assumptions of its recency were confirmed once you saw a cookie tin inside your locker. Inside them were cookies (duh) that suspiciously looked and tasted like the ones Barbatos offered you this morning. Still warm too... Wait...

Barbatos?! You felt your cheeks warm. You didn't expect that! True he was always nice and amiable to you, but you always attributed that to his occupation. As a butler, he had to be proper and courteous at all times. That was why it was so weird (at least in your opinion) that he would ever send you a love letter. Your relationship with him never really gave you that impression. It was pleasant, but not romantic. Still, you didn't dismiss the possibility that it could be him, even if that was highly unlikely.

Speaking of highly unlikely, Mammon had been acting suspiciously since yesterday. He...actually smelled a lot like the perfume used on the letter's stationery!.

.

.

.

.

Nah. Mammon. Really? Could he really write something so embarrassing like this? Not to mention the grammar used in the letter was quite highfalutin. Perhaps if someone was well-read however, writing a letter like this would be a breeze. Maybe Satan?

.

.

.

.

Okay, this is getting ridiculous. You're starting to suspect everyone.

Maybe, maybe focus on the impossibilities first?

It couldn't be Levi. You were with him all this time! In fact, he's currently waiting for you to get your uniform as we speak! The twins are also out of that list. You're quite sure they don't know about where your locker was located. You didn't mean to keep it a secret! It's just, there was a time when you didn't really trust Belphegor a lot so you were on guard with him. You had to keep your mouth shut in front of Beel too--it was inevitable since the two of them were really close. Saying that, it is not the case anymore! What happened with you and Belphegor is now water under the bridge! In fact, you're contemplating on sharing the cookies with them later.

Asmo couldn't be the sender either. While it's true that the stationery seemed like his style, he is also stuck helping Lucifer for the festival. He also didn't seem to be the type who'd resort his confessions to love letters. He'd always been open about expressing himself after all!

So that narrows it down to four. You opened the notes app on your D.D.D and wrote down the possible senders:

1. Lucifer - The person who suggested to place your uniforms in your locker. Is one of the only people who knows where and when you open the locker.

Contradictions-- The letter is only sent recently (meaning it was most likely sent this afternoon) , as it came with a tin of freshly baked cookies. Lucifer is too busy to send it. Handwriting isn't the same either.

2. Barbatos - The cookies in the tin looked and tasted like the ones he gave you this morning. He has plenty of time to put the letter and the cookies in your locker.

Contradictions-- He doesn't seem to see you in a romantic light. Does he even have time to date anyone when he's so busy serving Diavolo?

3. Mammon-- Has the same scent as the stationery in the letter. Acted weirdly since yesterday.

Contradictions-- The sender's manner of writing didn't resemble Mammon at all. Also, he doesn't strike you as someone who'd write a sappy love letter.

4. Satan-- The vocabulary used in the letter could only be written by a well-read person. The sender's writing style also resembled Satan's.

Contradictions-- Satan is also helping with the festival preparations. He isn't crossed out of the list however because he finished his work early and went to the library once he was done. The library and your locker are on the same path, so he would have enough time to send the letter and the package.

Satisfied with your notes, you exited the app and noticed a notification on your DDD. Someone was calling. You decide to....

💌 [ Answer it quickly ]

💌 [ Answer it after several rings ]

💌 masterlist

[ambientstars]

Could we please get 12 from the prompt list? ❤️

“I’m going to take care of you, okay?”

Thank you for the request! It may not be what you had in mind, but I still hope you like it :)

Gif credit: @thelvadams

Note: everybody say it with me! Fluff fluff fluff angst fluff! I apologise for the sloppiness of this, but sometimes my brain just doesn’t cooperate yknow?

-  -  -

The streets were busy, filled with countless creatures and species, all bustling about in their daily commutes, market shopping and socialising.

The Doctor had taken you to a planet you couldn’t quite pronounce, promising colour and vibrancy from not only the people who lived there, but also the planet itself. The grass sparkled, clear like diamonds and shining brilliantly under the turquoise sun. The air tasted sweet, faint traces of sugary sherbet on your tongue every time you took a breath.

Beside you The Doctor rambled on about the planet’s history and the life forms that inhabited it, but her words went in one ear and right out the other, your focus too captured by the way the pavement beneath your feet hummed a tune with each step you took forward.

The strangers around you smiled, greeting each other politely as they crossed paths. The atmosphere felt welcoming and warm, inviting you deeper into the intriguing world you had been brought to.

To your left were stalls of different kinds, selling everything from odd looking food you imagined were types of fruit to livestock consisting of animals that talked and hovered and danced. On your right stood a tall and proud building containing restaurants of all kinds of cuisines, all of them unfamiliar to you, it’s walls covered with glorious art, colours you’d never seen before enveloped each brick right to the edges.

Out of all the places The Doctor had taken you before, this was by far the best. Here you felt calm and delighted, and with so much to see and explore, you never wanted to leave despite the fact that eventually your real home would be calling you back.

“And that’s why they call it the-“ The Doctor stopped dead in her tracks, her arm reaching out in front of you as a signal for you to also stop walking. “Do you hear that?”

“No…” you listened out for something, anything that seemed out of the ordinary. But it was so busy around you, voices and laughter filling your ears, it was hard to make out just what The Doctor was talking about.

“Listen.” She twirled on the spot, focussing her ears in different directions until she narrowed down the location of the sound she was hearing.

“Doctor, I don’t hear-“

She took off running before you could finish your sentence. You forced your feet to chase after her even in your moment of confusion. “Doctor, wait!”

She continued running quicker than you’d ever seen her run before, darting from left to right, in between stalls and pushing past pedestrians in her way, mumbling a sorry to them as she stayed in motion.

Your legs began to cramp up, your chest heaving for a proper breath. You kept up as best as you could, almost losing her in crowds a few times, but ultimately spotting her in a different spot not even seconds after and following in the seemingly uncoordinated and unplanned path.

She came to a standstill once again and you almost crashed into her in surprise, your breathing laboured, but hers barely above average. She looked around in the new place you had found yourselves in, a different part of the endless market and still just as busy, watching The Doctor’s face contort into something of discomfort as she kept an ear out for the sound you couldn’t hear.

“Doctor, where are we-“

“There!” And she was off again.

You huffed in irritation, your burning lungs silently pleading to The Doctor to slow down and give them a chance. You followed, pushing through the pain of exhaustion, and found her crouched down in an alleyway behind what looked like a generator for the building it was attached to.

“It’s okay, I’m here now.”

She stood, a bundle of blankets in her arms. She slowly walked over to you, never once taking her eyes away from whatever she was holding, her expression soft and a small smile on her face.

“I’m going to take care of you, okay?”

The blankets moved and out popped an arm. The arm of a baby, it’s skin a shade of pink, it’s tiny and chubby hand reaching out to touch The Doctor’s face. You watched in awe as the timelord bounced in her spot, rocking the cooing baby back and forth, keeping it calm and content.

“So that’s what you heard? A baby?”

She nodded, finally looking up at you. “He was crying.”

You frowned, still confused. “But how did you hear him from so far away?”

She shrugged, returning her gaze back to the baby. “Parental instincts, I suppose.”

You opened your mouth to speak, to ask even more questions, but she began to walk off before you could.

She spoke to the baby as she made her way back through the crowd, asking him questions about what his family looked like and what his name was, all the while keeping an eye out for distressed parents looking for their son.

The baby gurgled back and she nodded in understanding, replying to him as she understood exactly what he was saying. You, of course, had absolutely no idea at all.

You twisted and turned through the market streets, searching for a clue as to who this baby belonged to. According to The Doctor he had been taken from his crate by someone who mistook him for goods at a stall and left behind when the thief had peeled back the blanket and realised their mistake. You assumed ‘crate’ was an alien word for cot, although you never could be sure with other planets and their odd ways of living.

“Here, hold Rax for a moment while I use my sonic to scan the place.”

“Rax?” You held out your arms to receive the baby, bringing him close to your chest.

“That’s his name.”

“How do you know that?” You looked at the baby now known as Rax, admiring his emerald green eyes, watching as they sparkled under the light of the sun. He gave a toothless smile and made grabbing motions with his hands, something that made you return the smile.

The Doctor span in a slow circle, her sonic buzzing with life and searching for the child’s parents. “I speak baby.”

You gave her an incredulous look, not that she saw it, and sighed. “Of course you do.”

She gave her sonic a once over and huffed when it came up with no answers. She took the baby back from you and set off in the direction of the TARDIS, leaving you to follow in tow.

-     -

You sat against the blue box, your eyes closed and your face pointed towards the sky, the warmth of the sun on your skin. Beside you sat The Doctor and her new best friend, the baby.

You’d been sat there for hours waiting for the crowds of the market to thin out as the day went on, deciding it would be easier to spot the parents with less people around, and the entire time the timelord had chatted away to the baby and laughing when he replied back.

You tried not to feel annoyed by the lack of attention The Doctor was giving you in favour of talking to a baby, but it was proving hard. After all, it wasn’t the baby’s fault you couldn’t understand it and join in on the conversation and The Doctor was completely oblivious to how she had shut you out, but after spending so much time travelling with her, just the two of you, you’d come to enjoy and crave her constant attention.

You hadn’t noticed before now that your entire life and all your feelings revolved around her, your entire being consumed by her. You wanted, needed, her approval on everything, your whole self subconsciously begging her to stay near, your mind twisted into thoughts of her and only her.

It was a wake up call for sure, but you mentally hit the snooze button. You’d come back to that another day, someday in the distant future.

The baby began to cry and was passed over to you once again, The Doctor announcing that he was hungry and going into the TARDIS to make him food. You sent a quiet prayer that her food would be edible and wouldn’t harm the defenceless soul in your arms. The Doctor was a lot of things, but a good cook wasn’t one of them.

She returned with a baby’s bottle filled with an orange liquid. On Earth babies drank milk, but here you weren’t sure if this was the normal thing to give to babies or if The Doctor had gotten it completely wrong.

“Where did you get a baby’s bottle from?” You quizzed, watching her cradle the boy and feed him carefully. “And what did you mean by parental instincts?”

“I was a father once.”

Your face must’ve been quite the picture if anyone was looking, your brain almost fizzing out in an attempt to process the information you’d been given.

“No, seriously.”

She turned to you and looked you dead in the eye, her face displaying no signs of joking around. “Seriously.”

“Don’t you mean you were a mother?”

She shook her head, her eyes returning to the baby to make sure he was drinking properly. “No, I mean father.”

“But you’re…” you gestured at her broadly. “You’re a woman.”

The Doctor used the corner of the boy’s blanket to wipe at his mouth, clearing away what had slipped from his tiny lips. “And before I was a man.”

“Okay.” You took a deep breath and decided to change the subject slightly, realising you were getting nowhere. “What do you mean was a father?”

“Look, there!”

The Doctor sprung up from her spot, her eyes focused on a creature made of what looked like pink pliable stone. She cried loudly and searched frantically for something, or someone.

The Doctor ran in her direction, clutching the baby tightly so that he didn’t slip from her hold. You stayed behind and watched from the TARDIS, your eyes fixed on the timelord as she handed back the baby and was immediately pulled into a hug that looked somewhat uncomfortable.

After she said her goodbyes and wished Rax and his mother well, The Doctor came back to you. She smiled at you as she went inside the blue box, heading straight for the console to fly you away.

You followed quietly, observing as she flicked switches and turned dials on each of the control panels. The machine came to life, groaning as she took off, taking you somewhere new.

“Doctor,” her eyes fell on you, ready and waiting for your question. “Why aren’t you a… father anymore?”

Her hands stilled for a moment. Her face remained soft, but her gaze was vacant as if she was remembering something. She shook her head and smiled with tight lips the way she does when she doesn’t want to talk about something, and continued her sequence of lever pulling and button pressing.

“Why are you still asking questions? And anyway, you need to tell me where you want to go next!”

You bit your lip to refrain yourself from pushing the topic further. She was clearly uncomfortable and not likely to talk, so you thought for a moment and gave your answer.

-    -

The fire in the library roared with life, it’s heat reaching you and The Doctor on the couch you shared. Your head rested on her shoulder as she read aloud to you a book she had chosen from her endless shelves of reading material, her hand placed on your leg as a form of comfort.

You sipped on your hot chocolate, the marshmallows bobbing against your nose, your eyes following each sentence as The Doctor spoke them quietly. The evening was peaceful and calm, uneventful for the most part compared to the pace of the day, but it was welcomed gratefully by the both of you.

Her thumb stroked the skin of your knee absentmindedly, her mind seemingly drifting away as her words began to fall into silence. You lifted your head to look at her face, the reflection of flames in her eyes as she stared into it.

She nodded slowly when you asked if she was alright, never looking away from the fire. She seemed distracted and somehow nervous, something you hadn’t seen in her before.

“You know, you looked good with a baby in your arms.” You nudged her playfully, smiling brightly to lighten the mood.

She finally tore her attention away from the fireplace and looked at you, a small smile of her own being offered back to you. “As do you.”

She kissed your forehead and returned to the book, picking up from where she had stopped. You placed your head back onto it’s spot on her shoulder and closed your eyes to focus on the words, relaxing at the sound of her voice.

[ethereal-twelve]

letting go - twelve x reader

Sorry for being inactive for a while! School has been getting to me lately. But hey, have this mess of angst.

Word count: 2 471

Warnings: Angst, fluff, more angst

Anyone who is interested in the language of flowers might want to sharpen their eyes ;)

She was leaning against the control panel when he returned to the TARDIS. [Y/N] appeared dizzy, but she had her back to him so he couldn’t be sure. His eyes darted to the small black device, carelessly discarded on the floor. A surge of dread shot through his entire body and he rushed to her.

He supported her (b/t) frame, his observation had been right, she was indeed having difficulties standing up on her own. He tried to catch her gaze, but when he finally did, he was terryfied to find that the bright (e/c) was starting to dim. It was as if he could see how the memories were leaving her mind.

And despite all of that, she smiled. It silenced all of his cross and harsh words, made his vision cloud and he had to blink quickly to see her clearly. She lifted her hand, which was a remarkable attempt, (he had to catch it mid-air because there was so little strength left in her body) and cupped his cheek, gently running her thumb over his cheekbone.

“Let’s not argue, “ her voice sounded so small he had to press his lips tightly together to avoid the escape of a pathetic sob.

He cried. It was silent, but the tears streaming down his face had no end to them. The Doctor had never looked like that in front of her. He wanted to tell her how she shouldn’t have, how he would’ve done it in her place. He wanted to, now, because the pain this situation was causing him was too much to bear. She wouldn’t die, but it would still feel as if she did. [Y/N] only shook her head slightly and her eyes started to flutter closed. He wanted to shake her, and he later assumed that he must’ve, but all of it was in vain.

“Doctor, “ she breathed “let me go.”

She fell into unconciousness. He pressed his lips to her knuckles, rocking back and forth, as if to calm a child. He had eased the both of them to the floor at some point and was now glad he did because his knees would’ve surely given out. He felt as if he would collapse any moment although he was already on the ground.

He hadn’t felt so utterly empty for a long time.

---

Living in a lighthouse was a dream she would never get tired of babbling about. She loved the idea of having the sea so nearby and the magnificent telescope she could have at the very top. Not to mention the view. God, she would’ve adored the view.

The dream was rather silly and unreachable, it’s not like she had the money to buy a whole lighthouse, not to mention the sum which would have to be spent on furnishing and heating, for example. The TARDIS always kept her room a few degrees warmer, knowing quite well how sensitive she was to the cold.

The Doctor liked to see her happy, not that he’d ever admit it. But now that she could no longer live on the TARDIS and he couldn’t make her laugh with his odd mannerisms or jokes, he needed to come up with another alternative. He would simply make her believe that, three years ago, she decided that her life was too short to waste. Moved into a lighthouse and concentrated on the things she throughly enjoyed. She used to draw often before, he knew that. When he wandered around in her past he often saw how she sketched in cafés. She had maps full of drawings, tucked under her bed. She didn’t have time for it when their adventures began. He made sure that she had a job which would pay well enough, so that she could have everything she needed. It was the least he could do.

---

“Sorry, is this seat taken?” he lifted his eyes and for a moment he couldn’t breathe.

He should’ve said that it was. That a friend would accompany him in mere minutes. A wife. A colleague. Anyone.

He shouldn’t even be there, he should’ve just suffered alone.

She gave him a small smile, tilted her head and a strand of hair fell on her face. She wore it differently now, he noticed. She looked more like her mother and he wondered whether it was intentional. Beams of sunlight carressed her cheek. A cup of tea was balanced on the books she was carrying. His throat went dry, he wouldn’t have to try too hard to make this feel as it did before. As if everything was alright.

“No, “ his voice was surprisingly calm, “not at all.”

He averted his eyes back to the book so he wouldn’t see another smile she would surely send his way.

The small coffee shop was unusually filled this afternoon. Muted chatter and gentle chords of music filled the air. He couldn’t help but study her discreetly. She absent-mindedly stirred her drink, already lost in her own book. A gentle smile adorned his lips, but he quickly willed it away.

“What are you reading?” she brought him out of his reverie.

Yes. Certainly should’ve stayed away.

He held up the cover for her to see. Countless alarms were setting off in his head. Telling him to leave. To run before she would be—

The heavy burden of his thoughts was silenced upon the excited sparkle that appeared in her eyes. How he had missed it.

“You like the stars?” she giddily asked, fiddling in her chair. She always did when she was thrilled.

“Adore them, “ he looked at her meaningfully when he said it, but she didn’t seem to notice. She was fishing another book from her messenger bag. It was easy to talk to her, just as it had been before.

---

“Would you like to come stargazing with me?”

Every Wednesday they met for coffee, he told himself it would be the last time. He never found it in himself to actually do that. It had gone on for far too long. But he needed to see her smile, needed to see her bright eyes and hear her mirthful laughter. He needed her.

“Sorry?” he had been lost in thought again.

“I mean, er—the sky will be clear tonight and I have a telescope, “ she appeared flustered now and a dust of pink covered her cheeks.

He really shouldn’t.

“Please?” a glimmer of hope flickered in her irises ever so sweetly.

“Of course.”

---

She plucked a thick volume from the shelf, flipped to one of the marked pages and quoted some witty line. He assumed it to be Brontë or Austen or some other author she enjoyed but was too unfocused to be sure. The Doctor watched her from the plush sofa, slumped in a cozy position with a book of his own. Something about quantum physics.

The sun was setting and he was momentarily entranced by her wavering shadow. He focused on her. On the way the sun illuminated her figure and caught her eyes for a second when she turned. It made them look brighter than before. Her voice was muffled to him as he watched the way she made enthusiastic gestures with her delicate hands. The sleeves of the jumper she was wearing were bunched up and bulky. It was his, he now realized.

He hadn’t kept track of how long this had gone on. After she asked him to observe the stars with her, he decided not to count. It would’ve just been another burden. He knew he shouldn’t. The fact that he had met her briefly had been bad enough. Now, he was fitting into her life as if he belonged there. He knew he didn’t. Not anymore. He knew he was being selfish. He couldn’t help it.  Not with the way her smile lit up her face every time she opened the door for him.

“I’m getting another headache, “ she complained half-heartedly and plumped down next to him. He stiffened, pretended to be invested in quantum physics. [Y/N] leaned into his side to peek at the page, “ ah, warm, “ the woman pressed herself snugly against him. She often did that now. Affection. He would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy it.

She curled into his side and he let out a soft sigh, smiling slightly to himself. It was soon wiped away. She had become too comfortable around him, perhaps even more so than before. The thought left a bittersweet taste in his mouth.

“I’ll take you to bed, you’ll be more comfortable there, “ he muttered after a while, she was drifting to sleep.

“You’re softer than the bed, “ her voice was muffled and his hearts might’ve fluttered a bit. He reached for a blanket and tucked it over the both of them, placed his book aside. He rested his chin on her head and brought her closer with an embrace, felt how a content sigh left her lips.

He would figure something out. He had to.

---

He could see why [Y/N] loved the sea. A storm was brewing up tonight, waves crashed against the coast and the lighthouse, the sky was covered with heavy clouds. The Doctor heard distant thunder and rain was starting to splash against the windows.

Her headaches were getting worse. Deep inside he knew they were caused by his presence. It was straining her mind. He hated himself for it. He had to go before it was too late.

He had heard soft steps approaching him but was still caught off guard when cold arms wrapped around his torso from behind. He stiffened but quickly relaxed. She rubbed her forehead against his back and he knew instantly that she was trying to make the forming pain dissolve.

He turned around, removing the clip holding her hair in a practised manner. Thin fingers were smoothed through her hair a few times before resting on her temples, rubbing small circles to relieve the pain. She had already closed her eyes, humming in appreciation. Slowly, he worked his way to the nape of her neck, massaging the sore spots on her shoulders. It brought her relief, if only a little.

“You should stay tonight, “ she mumbled, lifting her hand to rest on his forearm, the other remained on his back, “ you can’t go out in this storm.”

He didn’t reply, continued his work. He couldn’t stay. That would be stepping over a line, a line that had already been overstepped far too many times.

“It still might quiet down.”

“Will you stay if I tell you I’m scared?” her eyes suddenly snapped open. Recently, it had became harder to look her in the eye. But avoiding her gaze was equally difficult, maybe even more so.

“I know you’re not, “ his tone was a bit firmer, but the pale blue in his eyes remained soft.

“Please stay, “ she stood on her tiptoes to kiss his right cheek, “I don’t want to be alone, “ her lips landed on the left one.

“Perhaps you should find someone, “ he grumbled, the spots where her lips had been hot on his face, but he couldn’t pull away. His hearts were beating hard against his chest.

“Maybe I already have, “ her voice was a bit huffy. But she was staring directly at him. For a moment, he couldn’t breathe. Her eyes flickered to his lips and he swore that she was about to lean closer.

He stepped away. Hands behind his back, eyes on the sea.

“Well, that’s wonderful, isn’t it. Next time, you should invite them, “ there was a tightness in his throat that wouldn’t go away. She started to say something, but he didn’t want to hear it. He headed to her enormous bookshelves. Only clipped sentences were exchanged after that, and he did not stay.

---

She had probably just meant to tidy up a bit. No harm in that, except that it was. All harm in the universe, in fact.

He never even thought about hiding away her old sketchbooks. They were mostly landscapes anyway, or buildings. She loved sketching those. The Doctor didn’t know that while they travelled, she had become fond of sketching him. Sometimes just his hair or hands, but there were full body ones as well. He had no idea, otherwise, he would’ve removed them. They had jogged her memory.

After, he mused that the day had been unfairly nice, there wasn’t a single cloud sailing the brilliant blue sky. But maybe that’s how it was meant to be. His sunshine, it was only fair that the day would mirror the grandness that was her. Perhaps, that was exactly how it had to be.

Everything seemed normal at first, he let himself in, she had given him a key. He even hummed quietly, not that he would admit how excited he was to see her.

All of his thoughts were wiped from his mind when he entered her living room. There were loose leaf drawings and sketchbooks scattered on the ground. Her bright yellow vase was broken on the floor, pink camellias that he had brought her a day prior discarded on the carpet.

She was slumped against the glass door, clutching her head.

He already felt the tears coming and tried to blink them away as he ran to her. He knew what this was, tried to not concentrate on it too much.

He didn’t know what to say when he finally got her in his arms. There were far too many things and so ridiculously little time. He tried to file the things through his head, find the most important shard.

“Everything will be fine, “ she breathed, but it didn’t come through her lungs clearly.

He pulled her body against his, buried his face in her hair. A sob left his lips, an actual, heart-wrenching sob and he couldn’t keep the tears at bay anymore.

“Not with you gone, “ his voice broke.

Look at what I did, this is all my fault.

“Look at me, “ suddenly she was stroking his curls and he bit his lip to stay silent.

She lifted her hand and attempted to wipe his tears away, her eyes were focused again. On him. He felt a gentle tug and this time he didn’t turn away. He watched how her eyes fluttered closed as he covered her lips with his. For a moment, the only thing he could think of was the feeling of her. Her taste, her soft breath against his cheeks. The little hum she emitted when they touched.

“I love you, “ he whispered, frantically, when she pulled away.

“Doctor, “ she breathed one last time, “ let me go.”

[girls-love-girls1200]

53. Chaeyoung x Reader

•Her Rainbow Top•

Your footsteps echoed behind you as you walked through the empty hallway, fingers sliding against the cold metal lockers, Fleetwood Mack flowing through your headphones as your thoughts wandered freely.

The only reason you were at school on a Monday morning was to not cause any more stress to your already unstable mom, but there was no way in hell someone could make you actually go in class during first period, especially because you had AP chemistry.

The bathroom door creaked loudly as you entered, the smile on your face unavoidable when the first thing that greeted you was Son Chaeyoung kneeling in front of one of the stalls with a black permanent marker in her hand, busy sketching some sort of alien creature on the door.

“What are you doing here?”

The girl abruptly dragged the pen against the door in shock, her eyes widening before she realized it was only you, dimples showing, her eyes seemed to gleam,

“I really, really dislike chemistry”

Her blonde hair fell along her face, it was safe to say you and Chaeyoung weren’t friends, more like acquaintances, to be honest you only had a very small and exclusive group of friends at school but every encounter you had had with the girl in front of you for some reason had left you with butterflies in your stomach.

Kneeling down next to her you examined her little piece of art carefully, unknowing of how the other girl’s heart had sped up at the close distance, “You’re very talented.”

Her cheeks turned a dark shade of red at your words, her reply getting cut off due to the bell ringing, and as you both got to your feet you couldn’t help but check out her outfit, realizing once again how completely opposite you both were, her attention catching multicolored sweater against your plain black bomber jacket, her creative spirit and extrovert personality clashing with your much more secretive one, everybody at school knew Chaeyoung, she had countless friends and boys following her down the hallways, while on the other hand you just always hung out with Kai and Jennie, nobody else at school had ever joined your friend circle in fact people had the tendency to steer away from your infamous trio.

“Are you going to Bam Bam‘s party Friday?”

Her sweet fragrance swept passed you as you held the door open for her, getting a few curios glances from other students,

“Maybe, if I feel like it.”

Blowing a strand of hair out of her face she smiled widely,

“I sure hope you’ll feel like it then.”

A girl with cute bunny teeth whose name you couldn’t remember ran up to her, eyeing you suspiciously before grabbing Chaeyoung’s arm and pulling her away with her as you stood still, kids around you parting to avoid bumping into you.

“If you and Kai aren’t to busy fucking we could go out this weekend.”

You grabbed a fry and twirled it around mindlessly as your other hand played with Jennie’s fishnets, the girl taking a long drag of her cigarette before throwing it to the ground, brown eyes staring curiously at you,

“Don’t be jealous Y/N, you know you and I can still fuck whenever.”

It was safe to say you had a particular bond with Jennie, you had even had a short fling a while back but then realized that you were really better off as friends, that didn’t mean though that you couldn’t be there for eachother when you needed some more intimate company, the affection you felt towards Jennie and Kai was so strong, you knew you had found some friends for life.

A familiar hand slammed on your back, your fry falling on the floor, you turned around with an angry gaze to face your other best friend, a dopey smile on his face that you knew by now meant he had just had some fun,

“Of course we’re going to Bam Bam’s party, I have some very important business to attend there.”

Sitting down next to you he grabbed your tray dragging it towards him noisily across the metal table and digging into your lunch, eyeing him with slight disgust you rested your head on Jennie’s shoulder,

“I hope you washed your hands Kai.”

Some random radio station crackled through the speakers in your car, with the heating on blast you focused on rolling your cigarette, tobacco resting on your steering wheel, your thoughts wondering and every once in a while landing on Chaeyoung, you were on your third cigarette when the passenger door finally opened, Jennie jumping in, cheeks red from the cold, the heavy makeup on her face probably the reason for her fifteen minutes of tardiness.

“Can you believe it’s actually snowing?”

Lifting your eyes from your rolling you noticed the big snowflakes falling down in the night, smililng slightly at a thought that occurred, “You know what they say about watching the first snow together...”

The light punch on your arm was enough of an answer, so you put your tobacco and cigarettes in your fanny pack and you chucked it in the back seat, “I see you’re liking your birthday present.”

Your hands twisted the keys, starting the car as you leaned over and pressed a light kiss to your best friend’s cheek, “I love it, and you look stunning by the way.”

Turning her face towards the window she tried to hide the blush that was creeping on her cheeks.

She stayed in that position the whole drive while you complained about having been nominated designated driver for the evening, even when you already knew Jennie would disappear half way through the night and Kai had the tendency to take his business elsewhere when things started to get messy.

Luckily ,you managed to find a parking spot on the street of Bam Bam’s house, recognizable thanks to the loud music and constant stream of teenagers going in and out, you soon regretted having even stepped outside of your home, big gatherings of this sort weren’t really your thing, you didn’t like most of the people that went and everyone seemed to get black out drunk for absolutely no reason, but you reminded yourself that Chaeyoung was going to be present, and that was good enough of a reason to wrap your arm around Jennie and make your way to the huge house as the snow kept falling around you.

Making your way in you realized that the party was already in full flow, the air reeked of drunk teenagers in your opinion but Jennie just laughed it off, somehow she already had a drink in her hand, you ignored the stares as you made your way around, Jennie pulled you closer and let you know she had someone to see, before placing a light kiss under your ear and disappearing into the crowd.

Already feeling fed up you made your way to the back garden, the only people around were a few couples getting up to no good in the dark and a group of potheads passing a joint to eachother on the steps, making your way back inside you almost fell to the ground as your feet collided with something on the floor, as you looked down flustered you realized that what was on the ground was actually a someone. Kneeling down so you could look the guy in the eyes you realized he was still kind of conscious, “Are you okay man?”

Before he could answer a familiar voice filled the air, “Here’s my favorite girl!”

Kai was by your side in a second, his foot playfully tapping the poor boy on the ground a couple of times before pulling you to your feet and wrapping his strong arms around you, by the smell you could clearly tell he was high out of his mind,

“I’m so thirsty Y/N, oh and by the way I’m not going to need a lift home.”

Rolling your eyes at him you grabbed his hand and led him inside on a quest to find some water.

As you made your way through the sweaty crowd of hormonal teenagers your eyes landed on a familiar figure, the first thing you noticed was her super cute rainbow top, the second thing was a guy coming up to her and whispering something in her ear, as you started making your way towards Chaeyoung a strange feeling rose in the pit of your stomach when she leaned against the bulky guy, almost as if she couldn’t even stand, he wrapped an arm around her waist and started leading her away.

You managed to reach the couple just as they got to the staircase, yanking on the boy’s shoulder, anger cursing through your veins,

“What do you think you’re doing man?”

Shaking you off him he kissed his teeth at you and turned around, as Chaeyoung pushed against him, grabbing the guy by the collar of his white shirt you turned him around one more time before shoving him hard against the railing of the stairs,

“She’s so drunk she can barely stand you idiot, now get the fuck away from her you disgusting pig.”

your anger seemed to get the best of you as you spat venom at the stranger in front of you, while trying to calm your nerves you grabbed the drunken girl by the wrist before pulling her behind you, your head filled with all the possible scenarios of what would have happend if you hadn’t intervened, and you felt so disgusted that bile rose up your throat, without even noticing the fire in his angry eyes you pulled your fist back before slamming it in his face, just below his eye.

Before he could even retaliate a tall figure stepped in front of you, Kai looking at you in pure worry before grabbing the guy and throwing him to the ground like a dead weight,

“Get her out of here and I’ll deal with this idiot.”

Wrapping a supportive arm around Chaeyoung’s waist you made your way outside, ignoring the curios stares and cursing at a few drunken teens, opening the passenger door for the drunken girl you helped her inside as your fingers trembled due to the sudden adrenaline rush.

Slamming the door shut you felt so many emotions piling up inside you, not knowing how to correctly deal with it you just started kicking the wheel of your car, heart beating fast in your chest you kept going until you struggled to breathe, as you rested your hand on the snow covered hood you felt a sharp sting, your knuckles were a glaring red and they had already started swelling.

You hopped into the car, sighing loudly as you let your head fall on the steering wheel, your aching hand reaching blindly for one of Chaeyoung’s, her tight grip reassuring you slightly.

The girl next you in the meantime seemed to have sobered up considerably, and as you were going through your mini breakdown outside she had gathered her thoughts, immediately regretting getting absolutely plastered for no reason at all, she had taken a few deep breathes to calm down, so as she sat in the car holding your jittery hand between hers she couldn’t help but be shocked at how upset you seemed, moving one of her hands to the back of your head, her fingers gently played with your soft baby hairs as she knew how much it helped her calm down, even though her heart was beating faster than ever,

“I’m fine Y/N.”

Those soft words seemed to echo through your head as you slowly started to calm down, lifting your head to look into her cute worried eyes, “I just... I was so scared, I don’t ever want anyone to hurt you.”

The clear vulnerability in your voice caught Chaeyoung by surprise, finally she started realizing how much you actually cared as she pulled you in for a hug, she had fantasized about sharing a moment like this with you many times, but it had never occurred to her that she would be the one holding you tight.

Breathing in your sweet perfume the younger girl whispered a small thank you in your ear, as you regained your composure and turned the keys in the ignition, “Are you okay spending the night at my place tonight?”

You got an excited nod and the cutest dimpled smile in return, and with the snow still falling outside you made your way back home, Chaeyoung’s pretty voice filling the car as she hummed along softly to the songs on the radio. The thoughts in your mind gradually calming from a raging storm to a light shower, the girl sitting next to you didn’t seem to be so upset about what had happened back there and yet every time you thought about it the blood started boiling in your veins and your grip tightened around the steering wheel, you didn’t even know her that well but somehow you were ready to knock a guy out for her and that scared the shit out of you.

“I’m starving.”

Chuckling lightly at her words you put your indicators on as a 24 hour hour McDonald’s came into view.

An hour later you were sitting on your bed with Chaeyoung laying next to you, head resting on your thighs as she finished up her last fries, you had somehow managed to style two buns on top of her head and now she looked cuter than ever, wearing your soft green sweater and some random old gym shorts that were laying around in your closet.

“Kai just texted me.”

Propping herself onto her elbows she stared at you, an inquisitive look in her chocolate eyes, “The guy from the party is not gonna be seen around for a little while.”

Her eyebrows scrunched at your words, she hated violence, but she decided to not say anything and just nod silently for once, to be honest she just couldn’t believe she was sharing this moment with you, her crush since the beginning of the school year, “I think we should go to bed.”

Your whispered words interrupted her thoughts and her brain stopped working all together when you found yourself laying both on your sides, face to face, in the same bed, your smooth legs somehow had tangled with her own and she struggled to breathe as she felt your head slightly inch closer to you,

“When I saw that guy trying to take you upstairs back then Chaeyoung, I swear I saw red.”

Her heart started leaping in her chest as your index finger slowly traced the outline of her face in the dark.

If her brain had stopped working earlier, now her heart was about to overheat as she tried her hardest to breathe steadily, as if you wanted her to fail miserably you went for it, it took quite a bit of courage but you just had to, your lips fitting perfectly with hers as a a burning sensation spread throughout Chaeyoung’s body as she tried to savor the taste of your kiss by slowly responding to your touch and following your lead.

Pulling apart to breathe she tried to asses the situation but her brain still wouldn’t connect to her mouth as she blurted out the words that made your heart melt,

“I really like you if you hadn’t noticed Y/N.”

[foxcantswim]

Burning Up

This fanfiction is based on my dream I had! Yes. I had this exact adventure with 13 and Ryan in my dream. I don’t know what my brain gets up to sometimes.

The Doctor finally agrees to let the Reader and Ryan go Christmas shopping. It’s normal present day… Or is it? Trouble ensues. Can the Doctor save the Reader in time before it’s too late?

13th Doctor/F!Reader

Fluff, Angst… It gets sad(ish)

(I didn’t intend for this fic to be this long…)

-x-

“Yes! Fine! Okay!” the Doctor exclaimed as you and Ryan kept on pushing her towards the console, “We can go Christmas shopping but only for an hour max! I’m craving an adventure!”

“Make that two hours and we have a deal.” you replied, folding your arms. You knew that the Doctor could never say no to you.

Ryan added, “Don’t want to upset your girlfriend now do you, Doctor?”

The Doctor glared between Ryan and you.

With a groan, the alien turned towards the console, “Fine. Two hours.”  she muttered.

You stepped towards her and kissed her on the cheek, just before she set the location on the console.

-x-

“Boring old present day.” the Doctor said, opening the TARDIS doors.

“In case you’ve forgotten, Doctor…” Ryan started, “We had to fight giant spiders during present day. That wasn’t exactly boring, was it?”

“They were only spiders.” you said, walking out of the TARDIS.

Ryan gave you a look of disbelief as he stepped out next to you, “GIANT spiders!”

The Doctor laughed, exiting the TARDIS behind you, “Okay, okay. Clock’s ticking you two! Remember… Two hours.”

You nodded before grabbing the Time Lord’s hand. The three of you then headed around a nearby corner and there it was… The giant shopping centre. There would be plenty of places to buy a variety of different gifts here. Including one for the Doctor. Hopefully…

There were countless numbers of people entering and exiting through the giant glass doors, and once there was an opening the three of you entered.

Upon setting foot inside the giant building, you felt a shiver run down your spine. It wasn’t necessarily cold… You just fell off.

You decided to ask the Doctor about the feeling, “Doc-“

She squeezed your hand, “Nope. Nothing wrong. Nothing at all.” she quickly cut you off before dragging you further into the building.

Looking over your shoulder, you gave Ryan a look of worry. He nodded in understanding. You decided to shake the feeling off.

Afterall… It was only present day. Nothing weird could happen.

-x-

“It’s been one hour and you still haven’t bought anything.” the Doctor said as she looked at the range of clothes alongside one of the walls.

“I can’t choose!” you exclaimed.

Ryan nodded, “It’s hard to buy for you lot.”

“You don’t need to get me any-“

“Yes, we do.” you quickly cut the Doctor off, “Don’t argue. You’ve done a lot for us so we can at least buy you a present.”

A smile appeared on the Doctor’s face as she continued looking at the clothes, her hands found their way into her pockets.

“How about we check out the gadget shop?” Ryan suggested, already beginning to leave the current shop.

You nodded, “That might be best.”

The Doctor grabbed your hand, leading you out of the shop with Ryan close behind. The three of you slipped through the crowd towards the nearest gadget shop.

You definitely noticed that a few people were giving you and the Doctor weird looks as you approached the shop. 2018 and people still weren’t comfortable with this.

The Doctor leaned and gave you a kiss on the cheek as you arrived at the shop, “Try to ignore them, (Y/N).” she gave you a reassuring smile.

Nodding, you replied, “Yeah. Okay.”

Just as you were about to step into the shop, the Doctor’s hand gripped yours tighter, making you stop. You looked at her in confusion.

Ryan also expressed confusion, “What’s wrong, Doctor?”

“Yeah, Doc? What’s up?” you asked with worry.

She then pulled you away from the crowd, Ryan followed, “Something’s not right here.” the Doctor said, removing her hand from yours to find her sonic in her coat.

“Wh-What?” Ryan questioned.

“I just felt the temperature rise significantly.” she explained, “It’s not a huge jump but… It’s definitely making me feel uneasy.” she said, finally finding her sonic. She pointed it up at the high ceiling, scanning it quick before bringing it back down to look at the results, “Ah. That’s not good.”

You sighed, “I thought you said that this was normal present day. Nothing bad was supposed to happen!”

“It is present day! Just… Not our present day.”

“What?” you asked, confused.

The Doctor bit her lip, “It’s an alternate universe.”

“Alternate universe?!” Ryan exclaimed.

The Time Lord shushed him, “Yes. But I have no idea how we got here. We definitely didn’t enter this alternate universe via the Tardis.”

“So, you’re saying that we walked through some kind of door to get here?” Ryan wondered.

The Doctor nodded, “Exactly. But when could we have walked through a door?”

You and Ryan looked at each other before looking back at the Doctor, “Could it have been when we came into the shop? I did feel… off when we got in.” you said.

“Yes! Of course!” the Doctor agreed, “We must have coincidentally walked through the doorway as it was open. But it was only open for a fraction of a second.”

“That’s a hell of a coincidence, Doctor.” Ryan stated.

“It’s the only explanation.” she replied before looking around with a look of worry, “We need to lea- oh! Woah…”

“What? What’s wrong?” you asked, quickly.

“The temperature rose again. A lot.”

Ryan nodded, “Now that you mention it… It does feel a lot warmer now.”

“Yeah…” you said, starting to feel uneasy, “Can we get back through the door we came in?”

The Doctor shook her head, “It would be near impossible. We have to find another doo-“

The blonde was cut off by a loud explosion coming from somewhere within the crowd. Screams and shouts soon echoed throughout the building and running ensued.

The Doctor grabbed both yours and Ryan’s hands, running towards the source of the explosion. You looked up and noticed a hole in the glass ceiling. There was smoke coming from the location of the explosion.

Upon arriving, the Doctor let go of yours and Ryan’s hands. She had her sonic ready. There was giant rock on the floor, it was the same height as the Doctor. Smoke was emitting from the rock and a yellow light pulsed throughout the cracks.

The Time Lord aimed her sonic at the rock, “Woah! The temperature is through the roof! Exactly five thousand six hundred degrees Celsius! Definitely don’t touch this.” she said, making sure she kept her distance from the rock, “Five thousand six hundred degrees Celsius…” you heard the Doctor mutter to herself, “That’s the temperature of the surface of the sun!” she exclaimed.

“You mean…” Ryan started.

“That’s a piece of the sun?” you asked as you looked behind you, watching as the crowd continued to shout and run.

“Something like that.” the Doctor replied, “However…” she scanned it again, “There’s something alive in there...”

“A-Alive?” Ryan asked with worry.

The Doctor nodded, stepping back, “I think in this universe… This is the day the sun explodes. And something is here to finish off the survivors-“

Another explosion occurred a few metres behind them. Another rock.

“I think that’s our cue to leave, Doc!” you exclaimed.

“But how?!” she questioned, “We have no idea where the door is!”

“Look, we’ll find it! But we can’t stay here. Whatever those creatures are in those rocks…” you replied.

“They definitely won’t be friendly.” Ryan added.  

The Doctor nodded, “Yes. You’re right. When we find the door, we all have to go through it together. It will only be open for a short amount of time and it could potentially be the last door. We really don’t want to be stuck here.” she said as people still continued to run by.

As the Doctor grabbed your hand, you heard both of the rocks crack. A loud hissing sound came from within them.

“Okay, Doctor. We really should run.” Ryan said.

“Wait.” the Doctor said.

“Doctor!” you exclaimed, trying to pull her away.

“I have to see what they are!” she said, curiosity getting the best of her.

“Doc-“ she leaned over a put a finger to your lips, before she looked back towards the rock she had previously scanned. You tried to ignore the people pushing past you as your eyes remained on the rock, not daring to blink.

“I have to see…” she said, before quickly scanning her surroundings, “There’s an office to our left. As soon as that creature shows itself… We run to the office. Okay?” her eyes landed back on the rock.

You nodded which caused the Doctor to drop her finger.

“Got it.” Ryan whispered.

“Please…” the Doctor said, “Please don’t let whatever it is touch you.” she said as the rock began to crack even more, “Because without a doubt, that creature will kill you. I might be able to survive it. But not you two.” her hand tightened in yours.

You squeezed her hand back in reassurance, “We won’t.” you said.

It felt like hours before finally, the rock opened. A bright yellow light emitted from it briefly before the creature came into view.

Screams came from the crowds as some people noticed.

“Wow…” the Doctor said.

You noticed that the creature looked similar to a Krillitane. But it looked more stone-like. Kind of like a gargoyle. Its wings were bright yellow and a lava-like liquid fell from its mouth.

“Run.” the Doctor said, pulling you away from the rocks.

As the three of you ran, a number of other rocks fell through the glass ceiling. You all did your best to dodge the falling rocks.

The temperature was definitely rising fast.

The three of you finally made it to the office, Ryan slammed the door once you were all in. He then quickly blocked it with a nearby table.

“So much for a normal day Christmas shopping!” he said, gasping for air as he leaned against the table.

“Are you both okay?” the Doctor asked.

Ryan nodded, “Yeah. Sure.”

“I’m okay. Are you?” you asked the blonde, placing your free hand on her cheek.

She leaned down to peck you on the lips, “I’m always okay. Now!” she said, stepping back, “Door, door, door. We need to find a doorway. I could lock onto one with the sonic and try to bring it here. That should work.”

You tried to blank out the shouts coming from the other side of the door, “Is that our only way?”

“Unless you want to go back out there and find the doorway.” the Doctor suggested.

“I’ll pass on that.” Ryan replied.

You nodded, “Me, too.”

“Locking onto a doorway and bringing it here… Yeah. I can do that.” the Doctor tried to assure herself as she started to mess around with the settings on her sonic. She then looked towards Ryan, “I’d step away from the door, Ryan. One of those creatures could still get to us. They can easily burn through that door.”

Ryan immediately moved to the opposite side of the room, as far away from the door as possible.

“I need to open that door.” the Doctor said.

“Why?!” you questioned.

“Just for a moment!” she exclaimed, “I need to get a scan of the building in order to locate the doorway!” she managed to move the table out of the way, her hand came to rest on the door handle, “I need ten seconds max.”

You came to stand just behind the Doctor.

Ryan remained on the other side of the room.

The Doctor opened the door without warning, she pointed the sonic out and immediately began to scan the building.

You glanced over the Doctor’s shoulder. There were still so many people running. Running away from those creatures. You could see at least three or four of them, lava dripping in their paths.

Your ears caught one voice through the many shouts.

It sounded like a young child. You looked towards the source and saw a young girl, no older than eight, stuck under a huge pile of debris.

“Doctor, please… We have to help her.” you said, putting a hand on the door to stop the blonde from shutting it.

The Doctor shook her head, “No. We can’t.”

“Wh-What?” you asked in shock, “B-But… you always help, you-“

“Not this time.” she said, “I risk losing you… And Ryan.” she continued.

“No, Doc-“ you were cut off by the Time Lord quickly pulling the door shut, catching you off guard, “Doctor, this isn’t you. You have to save her.”

“This is an alternate universe.” she said, “We’re not even supposed to be here!” she aimed the sonic towards the far corner of the room, “I have a lock on the doorway. Once I open it, it will only stay open for a short amount of time so we have to go through immediately.”

You grabbed the Doctor’s arm, “You are not leaving the child.”

“What do you want me to do, (Y/N)?!” she questioned, “Even if I do go out there and save her, she won’t make it! None of those people will!” anger which was laced with sadness showed within the Doctor’s voice, “This is an alternate universe! If it was our universe then yes! I would do something. But the sun is going to explode and those creatures are going to finish everyone off!”

You shook your head, “They deserve a chance.” you said, trying to fight back tears.

A bright light suddenly engulfed the room before it dimmed it down. There was now a ball of light hovering in the air in the corner of the room.

“That’s the door.” the Doctor said, walking towards it, “Everyone in. Now.”

Ryan made his way over to the Doctor.

You stood still.

“(Y/N)?” the Doctor questioned, looking straight at you, “Once this door closes, that’s it. There’s no going back.”

“They deserve a fighting chance, Doctor. That little girl can’t die like that. She at least needs to be with her parents.”

“(Y/N). Now.” the Doctor said, sternly, “Don’t argue.”

“We need to leave, (Y/N)! We can’t save everyone!” Ryan tried to reason with you.

“If you go out there, you are never travelling with me again. I can’t have you putting the rest of us in danger.” the Doctor threatened.

“I don’t care.” you replied.

Ryan walked closer towards the light, “Please, (Y/N), we have to-“ he was cut off as his feet caught on a bag on the floor, causing him to trip. He shouted as his hand reached for the nearest thing possible… The Doctor’s arm.

He fell, pulling the Doctor with him.

“(Y/N)!” the Doctor shouted as she disappeared within the light.

-x-

“Ryan!” the Doctor exclaimed, worried and annoyed.

“I’m sorry! I-I tripped!” he replied. He hated having dyspraxia.

“No, no, no!” she said, standing up. She looked around and realised that they were in the TARDIS.

“W-We have to go back!” Ryan stated, standing too, “We can’t leave her-“

The Doctor shook her head, quickly turning and running up the stairs towards the console, “It’s a one-way doorway! It won’t stay open for longer.” she tried to hold back tears from welling up in her eyes.

“How long does she have?!”

“Not long. Not long at all.” the blonde’s hands moved across the console, “Please, old girl! We have to go through that doorway and get (Y/N) back!”

The TARDIS groaned, ultimately refusing.

-x-

You immediately made your way towards the office door, opening it. You didn’t think twice before running towards the debris.

Your ears filled with the cries coming from the creatures and people alike.

But you focused on the only person who was trapped. The little girl.

You quickly knelt, hands coming up under the debris, “Stay calm!” you assured the girl, “I’ll get you out!”

-x-

“I know you can’t do it, old girl.” the Doctor said resting her hand on the console, “I know you can’t…” this time she allowed a tear to fall down her cheek.

“I’m sorry, Doc-“

The Doctor cut Ryan off, “It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault.” she took a deep breath, her eyes looked down the stairs towards the doorway.

“Can’t you reverse it? So, we can go back through?”

She shook her head, “If I do that, I can’t reverse it back… If I manage to go through that doorway, I won’t be able to come back. And neither will (Y/N).”

-x-

It took a while, but you managed to get rid of the debris.

The small child quickly hugged you, “Thank you.” she whispered.

“Quick.” you said, “Go and find your parents. You’ll be okay.” you said as tears filled your eyes.

She nodded before sprinting away.

You watched her run, disappearing behind a corner. You then immediately stood and scanned the area for those creatures.

There was one lurking near the office door… But you had to make it back to the doorway. You had to…

-x-

“Five, four, three, t-two…” the Doctor said, her voice shaking, “…One.” a bright white light filled the console room.

-x-

You managed to throw a rock at the creature, distracting it. You jumped over it and towards the office door, you opened it as quick as possible before running into the room. Slamming the door shut, you turned towards the corner of the room…

-x-

As the white light faded, the Doctor and Ryan looked towards the doorway.

The doorway was gone.

“N-No…” the Doctor whispered, tears finally cascading down her cheeks.

“No. No way.” Ryan said in disbelief.

-x-

You sat in the corner of the room, your knees to your chest.

You hugged your legs tighter as you felt your breath catch in your throat.

You squeezed your eyes shut.

The sudden realisation of never seeing the Doctor again hit you hard. The woman you loved. The woman who you seemed to always argue with. You always appeared to be the complete opposite of a couple to everyone else. You always disagreed and fought…

But the love was still there. It was always there during the one year of being together. Even after fighting you always made up immediately. You would sit and talk for hours in the TARDIS library, cuddled up and apologising to one another.

You already missed everyone. Yaz, Ryan, Graham, the TARDIS… The Doctor.

You already missed seeing the Doctor’s eyes light up whenever she found a solution to a problem. Or whenever she saw something new and unusual.

And now that was gone.

That was gone.

-x-

“I…” the Doctor cleared her throat, “I can open the doorway.”

“You can?!” Ryan asked in shock, “Then do it!”

The Doctor walked down the stairs, “I can open the doorway… But it will be one-way.”

“Wh-What?”

“I can go there. But she can’t come here.”

Ryan shook his head, “No… There has to be another way.”

“I can’t leave her there to die alone, Ryan.”

“But you won’t be able to come back! That’s-“

“I have to go.” the Doctor said, “I have to.” she then placed a hand on a nearby wall, “I’m sorry, old girl. I’m sorry we have to part like this.”

The TARDIS hummed in disagreement.

“I have to go…” she said, leaning her forehead against the cool wall, “I’m sorry.”

The Doctor clearly heard the sadness within the TARDIS’ humming.

“Doctor…” Ryan said.

“I’m sorry, Ryan. I would never forgive myself if I left her there to die alone.” the Doctor aimed her sonic at the doorway.

-x-

The sounds of people screaming and shouting had died down. There was an occasional shuffle outside of the door, which you assumed to be a creature or two still lurking about.

It had become extremely hot in the room, you were starting to sweat.

You buried your face in your knees.

Did you regret saving that child?

No.

No, you didn’t.

Everyone deserves a fighting chance. Even if they are from an alternate universe.

Your thoughts remained on the Doctor as the temperature rose. You tried to focus on her face.

“(Y/N).”

On her uplifting personality.

“(Y/N).”

On her voice.

“(Y/N)!”

On her… wait… voice?

You quickly looked up and you were met with a familiar pair of beautiful eyes.

“D-Doctor?” you whispered.

You let your knees fall from your chest as you felt the Time Lord’s arms wrap around you. You immediately returned the hug and tightly wrapped your arms around her.

You tried to stop the sobs as she spoke, “I’m here, (Y/N). I’m here.”

“But-“

“I would never leave you.” she said, leaning back slightly. Both of her hands cupped your cheeks, “I would never leave you.” she then pulled you into a gentle yet deep kiss. Your arms instinctively moved up and tightened around her neck. She pulled away and leaned her forehead against yours, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I said that you could never travel with me again. You were right. You were right about saving that girl. It’s my fault we’re in this position.”

“I-It’s okay…” you whispered, pecking her on the lips once more.

The Doctor sighed, “We can’t get back, (Y/N). After the doorway closed, I could only open it again for a few seconds. But it was a one-way trip. There’s no other way back.”

You shook your head, “Wh-What? No. Please don’t tell me you came here just to-“

“Just to be with you.” she clarified, “I couldn’t leave you alone.” she took your hands in hers before kissing the back of them.

A sad smile appeared on you face, “Doctor…”

“I just couldn’t leave you here alone.”

You couldn’t stop yourself from pulling the blonde into a hug again, “Thank you, Doctor.” you paused, “A part of me is glad you’re here, Doctor.”

“Why?” she wondered.

“Because I wanted to tell you that I love you.”

A chuckle escaped the Time Lord, “I already knew that.”

You shook your head, “I haven’t told you that in weeks. I just want you to know that even though we fight a lot. I will always love you through all of that.”

The Doctor buried her face into your shoulder, “I will always love you, too, (Y/N).”

You sighed, “Who’s going to protect our universe, now?”

“I’m sure the universe will be fine without me.”

“I doubt that.” you laughed, “Will the old girl miss you?”

The Doctor nodded against your shoulder, “I’m sure she’ll miss the both of us.”

As if on cue…

A very familiar sound filled yours and the Doctor’s ears.

“No…” you whispered to yourself, “It can’t be…” you said as you pulled away from the Doctor.

The Doctor stood and looked around the room, “Come on, old girl.” she said as the sound continued to fade in and out.

“I thought you said that there was no way back.” you said.

“She shouldn’t be able to get here! It’s almost impossible!” the Doctor exclaimed, taking out her sonic. She aimed it towards the ceiling, “Come on, come on! Come to Daddy!”

After a moment of silence, you stood and spoke, “Don’t you mean ‘Mummy’?”

The Doctor looked over her shoulder at you, “I mean Daddy.” she winked.

You felt your face heat up before you reached up to wipe the tears from your cheeks.

“We really need you!” the Doctor exclaimed as she boosted the signal on her sonic.

Then there it was.

The familiar shape of the blue police box started to come into view near the office door.

“Thank you…” you whispered.

The Doctor then aimed the sonic towards the TARDIS, “You are brilliant!” she announced as the TARDIS landed, “Simply brilliant!” she pocketed the sonic and then turned to look at you. She unexpectedly wrapped her arms around your waist before picking you up and spinning you around in sheer happiness.

You put your arms around the blonde’s neck in response. As she put you back down on the ground, she placed a chaste kiss to your lips, “Lets go.” she simply said, “Back to where we belong.”

“Back where we belong.” you nodded as she moved to grab your hand.

“Me and you stick together.” the Doctor said, “Forever.”

You nodded as she pulled you towards the TARDIS.

You both placed your free hands on the door, “Thank you so much.” you said.

The Doctor nodded in agreement, “You are the perfect Tardis, old girl.”

The TARDIS hummed, she was definitely saying something along the lines of ‘I know’.

“Come on. Ryan must be freaking out.” the Doctor said.

Oh, yeah.

You sort of forgot about Ryan.

“That might be best.”

You both pushed the doors open together before stepping inside.

You were really looking forward to sitting in the TARDIS library and apologising to one another for hours tonight…

[fandom-imagines-stories]

Day Off

Tenth Doctor x Reader

Words: 1395

Warning: A ridiculous amount of fluff ahead.

Summary: You make a bet with the Doctor that he can't have fun without the TARDIS or space traveling of any kind. He accepts your challenge and the two of you spend the day doing actual human things. What could go wrong?

Notes: Nothing much for this one… hello! (One thing though, I’ve never been to London, so some locations are going to kind of be based on places I’ve been in the U.S.)

Imagines Masterlist

“Where to today?” The Doctor inquired, pressing buttons and pulling levers all over the TARDIS. You leaned against the rail, watching his enthusiasm with amusement. You, however, were exhausted and in the mood for a nice long day at home. You loved traveling with the Doctor and you wouldn’t trade it for anything in the universe, but there were some days you just wanted to kick back, relax, and catch up on your favorite show on the telly.

“Do you think we could just stay at my place today?” You wondered. His face fell into a frown.

“Is everything alright?” He wondered, walking around the console to you. You laughed and nodded.

“Everything’s fine. I just thought, maybe, we could take a day off or something.” You shrugged.

“A day off from what exactly?” He wondered, his face scrunching up the way it did when he was trying to figure something out.

“I just thought we could take a break. You know, do something fun without being in mortal peril.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” He exclaimed and you snickered.

“You know, I bet that I can be just as much fun as you without the TARDIS.” You challenged. He raised a brow.

“Oh really? Let’s make a wager, shall we? We can spend the entire day doing your dull human things and if I don’t have even the tiniest bit of fun…” He thought of what the stakes could be and grinned, “I get to pick the most ridiculous outfit out of the TARDIS wardrobe and you have to wear it for an entire day, no matter where we go.”

“And if you have fun?” You asked.

“Then you get to pick an outfit for me.” He held out his hand and you took it with confidence. He winked at you. “Alright, Earth Girl. Dazzle me.”

This was going to be harder than you thought. After traveling through time and space, normal things just didn’t seem as interesting. That didn’t stop you from planning a day full of different things, all you hoped the Doctor would enjoy. You’d seen the inside of that closet and you were not going to let him win.

“I was thinking we could go out for breakfast and spend the morning exploring.” You explained and he watched you with his famous smirk on his lips. Truthfully, he knew that he would have fun anywhere as long as he was with you, but he thought he’d indulge the bet and was eager to see what you had in store for him.

Breakfast was at your favorite cafe just down the street from your apartment. He kept up the facade of frowns and bored sighs as the two of you ate while you walked around. It was a beautiful day, with people bustling about, cars zipping by, and the next stop on your little adventure coming just around the corner.

“Is this what I think it is?” The Doctor grinned, but quickly faked a scowl.

“Well, you love creatures of all shapes and sizes, so I thought it might be fun to hang out with some furrier friends for a change.” You took his hand, beaming as you walked into the pet store. The man at the register greeted you with a big smile.

“Y/N!” He exclaimed. “I haven’t seen you in ages.”

“Hey Ollie.” He came around the counter and pulled you into a bone crushing hug. The man was the size of a lumberjack and he had a big heart to match. A lot of the animals in his shop were rescued puppies or kittens whose owners wanted to get rid of. You actually used to work here, before you met the Doctor. You’d told Ollie all about your adventures- he was into the whole space and time thing. Very few things phased him, actually, some of which included curly fries and haggis.

“Why are we in a pet store?” The Doctor asked, unable to hide the amusement in his voice. You shrugged and gave him a mischievous smile.

“I thought we could… check the new recruits and make sure that they’re okay for families to take home.” You flashed Ollie a grin and he rolled his eyes.

“You can just say you want to play with the puppies.” He opened up the back door and you were greeted by the sound of countless barks and meows. “Follow me.” You smirked back at the Doctor and took his hand, pulling him back with you. His eyes lit up. He was a sucker for the cute and fuzzy. There was a small room where people could meet the animals before they bought them.

“So? What do you think?” You asked. He shrugged.

“Not bad.” Ollie brought in a small chocolate lab and a black and white kitten. The Doctor couldn’t hide his enthusiasm as the cat crawled up on his shoulder. “Hello there.” He grinned and pet the kitten as you played tug-of-war with the puppy.

“That smile betrays you.” You pointed out. “You, Doctor, are having fun.”

“I’m not confessing anything.” He argued, but his expression definitely gave him away. The two of you continued to play with the adorable creatures, Ollie occasionally bringing in another pet. By the end, the Doctor was almost reluctant to leave without taking all of the animals back to the TARDIS. He shoved his hands into his trench coat pockets and turned to you. “Where to next?�� He asked as you called a black cab.

“Well, I figured we should do at least one touristy thing today.” The two of you got in the cab and he asked where you were going. You gave the Doctor a smirk. “The London Eye.”

You felt like you were on top of the world. Sure, it was nothing compared to the feeling of stepping into a different time or onto a different planet, but it would suffice. The Doctor stood beside you, neither of you saying anything. Just taking in the view.

“So…” You wiggled your eyebrows. “Ready to admit defeat.” He chuckled.

“Nope.” He stuck out his tongue at you and you groaned in irritation. He was impossible. As the compartment started to come back down towards the ground, you felt like you were running out of time.

The last thing on your list was simple. Spending the night back at your apartment, binge eating all the junk food you could find, and watching old sci-fi movies while lounging on your sofa. You laid your head on the Doctor’s chest as an explosion took over the screen. You grabbed a handful of peanut M&Ms and stuffed them into your mouth. Honestly, all of the planning had made you exhausted and it was beginning to be difficult to keep your eyes open. The Doctor had an arm around your shoulders as you hugged his torso, snuggling on your sofa and not really paying much attention to the movie.

You yawned and let your eyes flutter shut, listening to the constant beating of his hearts. He sighed blissfully and you felt him press a kiss to the top of your head.

“You win.” He whispered and you smiled in victory. “I must admit, I wish we could have brought one of those kittens back here. The TARDIS could use a pet.” You laughed.

“Maybe next time.”

“I’m not coming out.” The Doctor shouted. You crossed your arms over your chest, impatiently tapping your foot.

“We had a deal.” You yelled back. He peeked his head out of the door.

“I look ridiculous!”

“You’re the one who came up with this deal in the first place.” You shrugged. He sighed and stepped out. You burst out laughing. You’d chosen a pair of bright red plaid pants, a patterned shirt, and a fur vest.

“How long do I have to wear this?” He whined. You wrapped your arms around his neck.

“Oh come on now, I think you look handsome.” You snickered. He shook his head but couldn’t help but smile.

“You are going to be the end of me.” He leaned down to press his lips to yours. You pulled away from the kiss giggling like a schoolgirl. “What?”

“I’m sorry.” You laughed. “I just can’t take you seriously in that outfit.”

“Shut up.” He laughed as well and pulled you back in for another kiss.

Yes, that is a total reference to the outfit from Decoy Bride. You’re welcome

[revshoggoth]

The Chickens of Mars/The Girl in the Moon: Chapter 1

Moon City was a gorgeous place at night. A lot of enigneering and money had gone into making it that way, and it showed. Hiding under every perfectly striking vista was excessive planning, design, and illusion. In a way, the whole city was a facade to project the image of timeless wealth and neon beauty of the most uncannily unnatural kind. The majority of the loveliness extended only to the downtown and some of the wealthier, more respectable areas. It was a massive city, the biggest in the whole human spread, and it was made so as to draw your attention to the parts it wanted you to see. Sometimes the staggering amount of craft that went into the deception still managed to cause Midori Salo to pause and shiver a little, and she’d seen it all nearly every day of her life. Despite its uninspiring name, was home to many of the most widely respected (and well paid) artists, designers and general rich “visionaries” and their visions had demanded  jutting arrogant skyscrapers offset by many rounder, more soothing, complementary structures, and even those were super-massive undertakings, which lead to a city of sparkling bright light stacking on top of itself ever upwards that still managed to serve and reveal the infinite Earth-lit sky, and that was beautiful. It was also the last thing the Earth was really good for, and all Midori had ever seen of it.

She shrugged to readjust the too-many wine bottles she was trying to carry in her arms, bitterly deriding herself in her head for not bringing a bag or a cart or anything useful at all to the store. She arms were much stronger than they looked, but it was an awkward jumble she was having difficulty maintaining as she walked a little more than briskly, and she wasn’t about to slow down. She was already running late, and it was a big night for The Boss. More realistically he was her, and many many people’s master, but he preferred to go by just Boss. Not just to her, his little matchstick clone girl, but by basically everyone on The Moon. And his party needed more wine, even though he had more wine in storage than a bored army could drink in a year. He didn’t need more, her single armload wouldn’t make any difference, but she had been told to go get it, so she did. That’s what Midori was good for. Midori was a special girl.

Midori walked in a special way. She was afraid every second of her life. She held herself in a special way and inside she felt like...knew...that she didn’t belong to herself, so she didn’t really know how to stand. Her eyes were special because they were made in a lab, like she was, but had installed separately when she was 14 Old-Earth years old. They were beautiful eyes, better than real ones. The only memory she had of her old ones was them sitting on the surgical table next to her when she opened her new ones. She’d never seen any pictures of herself with them, so she was fairly certain she didn’t miss them. She was very fond of her current eyes. They were beautiful, though sometimes she was worried they said too much, which caused people to see what they wanted to in them. People frequently burdened her with what they thought they saw in her eyes and it made her uncomfortable. They were normally a bluish tinted slightly luminescent green, but when she was scared they would become less blue. When she was asleep they were dull gray, but nobody ever saw them like that

. The Boss has lots of clones on staff. That was common practice, but Midori wasn’t a regular worker clone, despite the tasks she was frequently given. She had a much higher purpose than that, and it kept her from having to deal with many of the occupational hazards that lead to a life expectancy among labor clones rivaled only by some of the Asteroid colonies for brevity. Clones were cheap, cheaper than robots for many applications. Most smaller machines, including the computer that acted as the gatekeeper to The Boss’s grounds, used bio-computers running off the augmented cloned brains of various animals, often chicken or dogs.

“Good evening...MIDORI SALO. Arrival time: 11:46 PM. Expected arrival time 11:30. DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS: not recommended.” The gate computer had always been kind to her. It rarely suggested any consequences for her frequent tardiness.

“Thank you,” she said in her pitch-modulated tones as she walked through the gap in the energy field separating her home from the less opulent world outside. It was meant to always sound pleasant and accommodating, but she’d had it long enough to know how to express how she really felt to anyone who paid attention enough to see. She knew a range of things: awkwardness, embarrassment, ashamed over nearly everything.

She was always sweet, if a little awkward, to robots and other machines. They had to be polite, it was in their programming, but they didn’t have to like anyone either, because nobody cared how their obedient machines felt. Most people couldn’t even recognize the limited range of emotions the AIs had because they didn’t know or care they were there. Midori knew better because she was the same as them. She was made up, like the city. Like the air on the Moon.

She thought about a lot of things but she didn’t usually speak very much except to seem pleasant or say things she had to say. Because of this she was well liked and was praised. She didn’t like it, but it didn’t seem to be in her nature to retreat. She always felt obligated to stay places she didn’t want to be, but that had to be fine. That was what she’d always known and she wasn’t the type to ever get what she wanted when she even knew what that was.

The Boss was rich enough to understand the value of flaunting a conspicuously nihilist aesthetic. The walkway to the dome was flanked only by one certain type of tree, one of the extremely few that could eke out subsistence in the dead lunar soil. They were each spaced just-so, perfectly distant from each other that anyone passing by them would be forced to wonder just how much some landscaper had been paid for being so ostentatiously tasteful. Apart from that there was only plain grayness surrounding the gently self-illuminated, perfectly straight path. The Dome was in the center of the perfectly round estate and was suitably massive. The surface was able to show any color or image the owner desired, and the Boss kept it pearly and white at all times.

The seamless door opened and she hurried inside. Her name flashed all around her on the walls in a stylized typographical ballet then turned to arrows as she scampered down the dimly lit hallway, directing her to the kitchen. “Silence enhancing” frequency tones played to accompany her every footstep and breath. The walls reacted with faintly pulsing dots of lights that seemed far away. The entire place was crafted to be a classy reactive experience, based on the trendy theory that if the environment is animated by the people in it, the people in it will be animated by the environment. Reciprocal Reactivity was the name of the concept. It was at least half malarkey, but it was very hip and very expensive so, of course, the Boss had it.

The kitchen exhibited no such frills. The Chef would have probably brained anyone who would try to put them in with a skillet. He had no time for such hoity-toity foppery. He demanded a clean, efficient kitchen with lots of equipment, lots of food and absolutely no gimmicks. Despite a quick temper, he was in no way a ‘mean’ man, and Midori had always liked him. He tried to look out for her in his way. He at least wanted the best for her. He was very serious and very passionate about his cooking, but he was sweet.

He was loud, though, “Salo, there you are! Jesus, put that wine down. Why didn’t you take a cart or even a bag? Fuck it, never mind. Listen, Goki has been looking for you. I think you’re supposed to be around for that whole...event thing.” He got less loud at the end and seemed careful about how he said it.

Goki was a new robot with an old brain, one that knew how to do everything The Boss wanted the exact way he liked it done, so he kept it around. It’s state of the art body, sleek and cutting-edge though it was, exhibited the same minimalism as the rest of the place, though there was an element of old-fashioned, functional ugliness to it. It was tall, red (An uncommon allowance of adornment, reserved only for Goki among the rest of the countless house robots), angular, covered in many useful appendages and with one big round blue eye-like sensor array on each side of its head.

“SALO! You are required in the BALLROOM for the CONTACT EXPERIMENT in 23 MINUTES.” Goki informed her in his static and authoritative way as soon as she found it, roaming the w\hallway with purposeful automated seriousness.”Take THIS. HRMMMMMN.” it buzz-hummed while it waited. While it made Midori wait. Eventually, a small white orb came zipping down the hallway and dropped a longish box into her arms. It contained a stylish, slightly modest and slightly distracting state of the art dress. It wasn’t the kind of thing she felt comfortable wearing, but it would probably look fine. She just wished it was up to her.

She took it to her room and changed. She checked herself in the screen in the wall and was pleasantly surprised at how much she liked it. It made her feel a small but more confident until she remembered what she was wearing it for. All of her ‘sisters’ would be there with her for the Contact Experiment. They would all share their horror, fear, and happiness that it wasn’t happening to them.

Moving lights all over the dress twitched all around over her as she made her way to the primary ballroom. They started as cute but the closer she got the more they became distracting, almost maddening. Every unpredictable blink caught her eye and even though she lived where it was always night and she was always surrounded by countless blinking lights in the sky and on every wall in the dome, the lights on her dress felt like a countdown.

As she got closer to the ballroom there were fewer robots and more Bozos, and they all stared as she passed. They all knew better than to try to touch her, though several had tried before. They were no longer around, but she could see in their twisted mutant grinning leers that many still wanted to.

The Bozos could usually do more or less whatever they wanted, and almost nobody would be able to do anything about it if they even cared enough to try. Like Midori, they were protected. They oversaw the whole of the remnants of human society. Part police part ghoulish morale officers. They were strikingly grotesque and exuded an engineered aura that caused the average person to pay little mind to them unless the Bozos wanted their attention, which was almost never good. Whatever trick: radiation, chemical or otherwise they used to maintain their shadowy non-presence didn’t affect her brain, so Midori found herself constantly cognizant of them. They didn’t bother her, but they were always looking at her, like the one who stood by the tall round door to the ballroom, permanent red smile arching over half up his tiny, blue spotted head, her yellow cruel eyes leering over his bulbous nose. He knew what waited for her inside, and seemed to be enjoying the feelings she was dreading.

The Primary ballroom was obviously huge and extravagantly simple in decor, apart from the hundreds of people standing around it, blandly garish in their finery, out to see themselves seen on such a momentous night, more important than the other parties. They were important people who she recognized, and her friends that she didn’t but knew who they were. Very few of them held any interest for her, she was meant to gather alongside her ‘Sisters’. The other clones like her. They were gathered on a gracefully curving balcony several stories up, with a good view of the Core- a massive glowing red orb of particle-wave matter, which sometimes seemed like dull Martian stone and at others seemed like an ethereal vision of red roundness. Alive yet stone.

Midori joined her ‘Sisters’ on the balcony,  and no matter how she tried to mingle- make simple talk with the 2 dozen girls that looked identically special, just like her, her eyes kept being drawn upwards towards the Core. The only one of her sisters she didn’t see there was her favorite, Justine. The only one she felt like she was really friends with. It made her fear the worst. She didn’t know very many of the sisters, she hadn’t had many chances to meet them outside of infrequent gatherings, largely for study and medical purposes. A lot could go wrong in the life of even a regular clone, let alone very important, very experimental and very expensive models like her line, and considering their importance to the operation of the ZIPP-0 bio-computer, a lot of data had to be collected. She and her sisters weren’t the first generations of their line, but they were the first line where more than 10% had lived past puberty without dying from pituitary and pineal malformations, or being harvested for system components. Midori had never met any of the prior generations of her line, but she’d never heard anyone say they were all dead.

Bic was the only other one of herself that she really knew at all. They’d met 3 years back. They were at least good acquaintances, and she wasn’t talking to anyone so Midori went and stood by her. She had different eyes, purple and a little bigger than Midori’s and had her hair up, whereas Midori kept hers down.

“Have you seen Justine?”

Bic shook her head. Midori could see she was biting her lip. This was a hugely important night, for everyone alive in the remaining human spread, but maybe most of all for the Sisters. This night was the culmination of everything they had been created for. All the ones that were still alive were there. The only explanations for Justine’s absence were either she was already dead, or she’d been selected. Midori probably would have heard something if she were dead, which made her incredibly anxious.

“You live here?” Bic asked. Midori nodded. “How can something so big be so boring?”

Midori laughed a little before catching herself. She lowered her voice, which never got very loud in the first place, “The Boss thinks boring is classy. Interesting things make him feel less interesting.”

“That probably makes sense to him.”

“I promise it does. I hope that matters.” Midori said, smiling. She’d forgotten how fatalistic and funny Bic was. She was surprised she hadn’t been culled yet for her attitude. It wasn’t far off from Midori’s, but Bic always tended to be more vocal about it. The Sisters very rarely spoke up or tried to make their individual personalities known. It never worked out for anybody except the people who controlled them and made them.

“What’s it even like to live with that guy?” Bic asked, meaning The Boss.

Midori took a big breath and thought. She had to. Nobody ever asked her about that, and she had a lot to say but was cautious about the parts she was willing to let out, “I’ve heard a lot worse about others. He’s...not always bad. For the most part, he barely notices me. He likes to talk. He’s very excited about the fact that he exists.”

“They all are. Mine is. At least yours has done something with his life. Mine just wants to die comfortably with as much of his mommy’s money left as he could. I don’t get it. I wish I could leave him. I hate him, but... there are worse things than hating someone. I just wish he wasn’t so useless. It wouldn't make me stop hating him, but he’d have something to...justify it? I’m sorry. At least “The Boss”” Bic chuckled bleakly as she said his name, “Has built something. At least he did something with his dad’s money, right?”

She was right, but it didn’t make Midori feel any better about him. Bic’s “caretaker”

was Bilfer Attims, whose mother had been made a fortune off a settlement from her mother’s death in an asteroid mining accident and had built an empire purchasing and mining the same asteroids. Bilfr was notoriously stupid, even amongst the people forced by economic classes into being his peer.

Midori looked up at the core and the hastily assembled rig of supports and catwalks effortlessly kept in place by hover-spheres. Purple coated, green visor-ed scientists and sciencey-student types hovered about, adjusting the impressively clunky and ungraceful machines that looked so out of place in the Dome’s simple clean arrangement. The area directly above the Core was blocked off by blue velvet curtains, and Midori knew that meant a surprise. One she was already fairly certain of and dreading.

Midori nervously swallowed and asked, “Do you think they picked Justine for the experiment?”

“Of course they did. She’s from the University. She knows that shit more than anybody. It had to be her, we never had a chance. We’re just spare parts.” Bic had never been comforting. Midori admired that about her.

The lights gently lowered and the murmuring of the crowd died out. It was time for the Contact Experiment, but this was The Boss’ house, and he had dumped an incredible amount of money into the project, so he got to give a speech first. He extricated himself from the crush of sycophants he’d been speaking to and took his place, drink in hand, at the center of the room. He was older than he looked, through his many surgeries and genetic rejuvenation procedures had left him in the strange state that so many privileged older people Midori had seen, with an older face, older eyes made to look artificially younger, leaving them dangling in a perpetual unnatural look. He pulled it off better than most, partly because he had excellent taste in doctors, partly because, despite all the things Midori despised about him as essentially her jailer, he had more self-confidence and a sense of personal flair than most of the soulless hangers-on and pleasers around him. Even a semblance of personality was enough to set him apart in the circles he moved in. Midori didn’t think he was even that interesting but compared to the aggressively fawning rich people who wanted a better rich person to latch onto he was a tall glass of water. His hair was as perfect as his suit was not, garish, burgundy paisley that absolutely defied the sense of tasteful understatement that defined the things he surrounded himself with.

He was smiling, and let his smile hang over the assembly for a while, taking in the moment and forcing it back on everyone else before starting his speech, “Tonight, friends, is a monumental night, and not just for us. For all humanity.” applause, “Now I don’t need to tell you that we’re standing on the edge of history. Our planet is dead, rendered nearly unlivable by an unknown event that came right out of the sky and wiped out most of our species, but you know what? We survived! Here we are, living on the Moon, something our ancestors saw every night but never dared to dream we could live on, in the biggest, most beautiful humanity has ever created. But we do. A lot of suffering and sacrifice was required, and there were a lot of people who said it couldn’t be done, who tried to stand in the way of development, advancement, progress, but where are they now? And where are we?”

Applause. The Boss gave a big smile and let them clap until, with a wave of his hand, they didn’t. He continued. “We’ve come a long way, but we can’t stop here! Our options are limitless, but only if we chase them to the ends of the universe! Of course, I’m talking about The Pig. “ there were a few chuckles in the audience. What a character they must have thought, using the vulgar slang word for The Hogsong, “we see it every day, of course. It hangs over us, always there, slowly becoming more complete. I happen to be old enough to remember when it was nothing but a bare skeletal sketch of what is now. Something you'd have to blink to see. Now, well you can see it through the roof even now.” Which was true. He'd probably even pulled a few strings to ensure it would be so close and so directly over his dome. “The largest most complex structure ever assembled by humans, last hope of an endangered species, a triumph of our ingenuity, you’ve heard it all before. Something that big and impressive, something made to contain a whole new society, needs a big impressive computer built to manage a world, to create an experience for the people in that world, and to manage the life functions of, eventually, up to 10 million people one day! Until it finds world's suitable for human habitation. Not just one, mind you. We used to have just one world. Look how that worked out. We need to spread out as far as humanly possible, and in doing so we will prove just how much is humanly possible!”

Massive applause for that. Midori looked over at Bic, who positively vibrated sardonic bemusement. It was inspirational. Midori kept faking a smile, but Bic made her feel like she at least didn’t have to put any effort into it. Less need to shave off another little sliver of her soul to animate the pretense of pleasantness.

“I am endlessly proud of what the brave researchers at Utopia University have done, as we all should be. The ZIPP-0 Bioplex solved the fundamental problems facing the creation of more than artificial intelligence, but something far above and beyond. Tonight…” He winked, “we get to find out if it works. I'd hope so. I've invested a lot of money into it.” They crowd laughed dutifully. “I’m told all the preparations are complete, it’s been a pleasure grandstanding at you for a while. But...before we go on let me speak sincerely for a moment. Tonight is the result of a lot of hard work by a lot of incredibly gifted, very well funded people. Their work is not only exemplary but extraordinary…”

While the Boss kept going on in self-aggrandizing platitudes, Bic turned to Midori and whispered, “We’re allowed to drink, right?” Midori nodded. “Do you mind?” Midori didn’t mind. She snuck down the stairs, trying to be as unassuming as possible, feeling nervous at being the only one who wasn’t paying attention. Then she realized that nobody cared. She slipped a bottle from one of the several catering stations. The robot didn't care. She slipped back up and handed it to Bic who took a drink. “Thanks.”

“I didn't realize how much I was going to want a drink until you mentioned it,” Midori said and took a sip, then a much larger one. The speech came to a close about 11 minutes later by her internal clock. The lights refocused onto the core and the catwalks surrounding it. The curtains vanished in a holographic glitter. Justine hung in the air with her hands across her chest. She wore a white plastic suit, probably Imploplex-7, with massive cables streaming out the back and terminating in two plumes out her back to massive clunky computing vats that scientists on the catwalks carefully monitored. Midori recognized the one standing closest to the ledge as Dr. Doug Smith from Utopia University. He was head of the Core Component department, and if Midori thought she had a father she'd probably think it was him, but she didn't. She zoomed her artificial eyes in on Justine. Her face was blank in the way Justine’s always was when she was trying to ignore something. Midori had seen it plenty of times. Her lips were pursed tightly. She was breathing slowly and mindfully. She was as calm as she could force herself into being.

Dr. Smith’s voice came amplified for everyone to enjoy, “Core status: 96% inert. Submerge the control medium.” A steel orb came down above the core and extended a long arm with a black orb on the end. It sparkles and vanished, it's matter sucked like pixels in a vacuum into the orb not didn't look natural. It looked like a display glitch in reality. There was no sound. The Core began to pulsate a deep, organic looking Crimson in its center.

“Control medium inserted. Interface activated. Core is stable. 89% inert.” some faceless voice described.

“Decrease field locks. Subject status?” Smith said, watching very seriously.

“Psychological dampers are at full. No contamination. Vitals optimal..”

“She’s ready. Release psychological buffers and begin the descent.”

The anti-gravity suspension rings that circled Justine began to slowly lower her down towards the core. She remained placed, but Midori could see her chest tighten in fear. She looked over to Bic, who was biting her lip, also fixed on Justine, as were the rest of the Sisters.

When she was halfway down to the Core, Dr. Smith waved his hands, slowing the descent, “Status?”

“Psychological contamination has begun. 13% at this point. Absolute borderline in 5 meters. She’ll be unsalvageable beyond that point.” another anonymous voice responded. A girl’s.

“Core status?”

“Nominal. Field restrictions at last level. Exo-Ego Field interfaces online. All meta-psychological systems ready for data flash.”

“Proceed 3.5 meters,” Smith said. The rings lowered her further until Justine’s bare toes were just over the core. Midori saw her struggling to keep her eyes closed, trying to contain whatever she was experiencing.

“Absolute borderline passed. Psychological contamination at 60%. Subject’s ego deterioration is 7% below optimal but within parameters.”

“Apply buffers at quarter power. Release Exo-Ego Field containment.” Smith directed. There was a loud snapping sound, and purple plumes that looked like solid electricity snaked up from the core and wove around Justine’s toes.

“Field released. It’s locked onto the subject.”

“Charge to control medium and initiate Exo-Ego submerge.”

“Engaged.”

The purple tendrils stopped writing and phased through her feet, becoming a purple orb of viscous energy between Justine and the core. Her face showed none of the plain defiant serenity it had before. Her eyes were still shut tightly but her mouth was monstrously wide. Whatever sounds she was making were not amplified for the audience, and even Midori’s enhanced hearing couldn’t discern it over the almost musical crackling squeal of the brightening core. More purple tendrils danced up around it and slowed, hovering around the orb.

“Subject has begun integration with the Core.” Subject. They never called her by name.

Justine clutched her chest tight enough to tear skin. She was screaming, words or shrieks Midori couldn’t tell. Large screens floating around the ballroom displayed various close-ups on the core, the scientists, readouts no one could understand, but none showed any sort of detail of Justine. That wasn’t what the audience was supposed to be looking at or caring about.

“Increase submersion speed by the second factor. She’s doing just fine.” Smith said. He and the girl’s voice were the only ones who even called her “she”. That didn’t make Midori feel any better about them.

The rings moved her down faster, but she never went past the orb. Instead, she seemed to be almost disintegrating, feeding the pulsing ball of energy. More snaking electrical tentacles came up and less phased through than they seemed to hungrily begin to absorb portions of her legs, but not biologically, almost like it was transmuting her into its digital self, but it still made the skin around the points of contact bubble up. More. Midori zoomed her eyes in. The resolution was much grainier, but it seemed like tiny arms, complete with fully fingered hands were growing out of the Imoplex suit, stretching longingly towards the places of her dissolution. Midori wanted to stop watching, so she took another drink instead. Not watching was not an option. Not yet. Horror had her too transfixed. Sadness had her paralyzed. She held the bottle out to Bic, who didn't even notice it there until Midori nudged her arm with it. She apologized and took a hefty swig. Midori could see it was getting hard for her to watch.

It was getting even harder for Justine. Midori looked back and saw she was down to her hips but still alive and still in agony, even more than before. It kept going until it was up to her neck, and then she opened her eyes. They had always been unique. They didn’t affect a natural look. They were dot-matrix LCD, with a slow refresh rate, a throwback stylistic choice in the style of an old Earth LCD display. There was something so unnaturally beautiful about them. Midori had always loved them. She saw them one last time, showing the truest and unnatural digital display of brokenness and hopelessness. Midori couldn’t  bear to see them like that, but they didn’t last long. Soon she was completely absorbed into the orb along with the suit. The wires which had been streaming from the back snapped and swung aside like dead weight.

“Subject dissolution complete. Control medium reads 100% retention.”

Dr. Smith took a big breath. He wasn’t smiling yet. “Close the Exo-Ego Field.”

There was a snap like tinkling, windchime thunder and a flash. The glowing orb shattered into countless sparks and sunk into the core, which began to hum and change shades to a deep, multilayered mostly opaque crimson.”

“Field closed. Control medium dived into the core. Exo-Ego integration commencing. Complete. Exo-Ego integrated at 95%.”

Dr. Smith nodded. “Operation is a success. ZIPP-0 is online.”

They applauded so much, the sound filled the whole ballroom and made Midori want to vomit. She looked to Bic, who looked back. All the composure and bemusement was gone from her face, replaced by ghastly, horrified blankness. Neither had anything to say. Midori took her hand and lead her down the stairs to the catering kiosk closest to the furthest of the ballroom's six balconies. They each grabbed a bottle of Martian wine and escaped outside while the people began to mingle and discuss the historic moment they’d both seen.

[skeezsbbygirl]

when we were young (01) | jeon jungkook

➡ Characters: Jungkook x Reader (feat. Jimin)

➡ Genre: soulmate!au ; angst ; slight fluff ; mention of hanahaki disease

➡ Word count: 3,974 words

➡ Prompt: Jungkook sacrifices you in exchange of true happiness. But it all comes down to one question, what really is true happiness in a world that was born out of a system who believes in soulmates?

➡ Warning: mention of self-harm ; light swearing

He showed up when you were fifteen.

It was during dinner when your mark appeared. A boy’s name suddenly spelled itself on your left wrist in cursive writing and in black glowing ink. Your eyes widened as you immediately covered your wrist with your right hand. You blinked three times, in hopes of only imagining things due to your lack of sleep from studying for exams but the mark still stayed there -- glowing in plain sight.

“(Y/N), honey. What’s wrong?” your mother called, her soft features painted with concern and curiosity. You shook your head and faked a smile, “Nothing. I think I’m gonna head to my room, thanks for dinner.”

“Did your mark appear?”

You stopped.

“What?” you turned to face your mother, “How did you know?” you continued. As opposed to your frightened and shaky state, your mother remained calm and collected as she ushered you to sit back down. “Come sit beside me and I’ll explain.”

“Show me your wrist, (Y/N),” she ordered as you settled beside her. You followed and offered her your marked wrist. “You’ve been assigned a soulmate,” she paused, her slender fingers carefully tracing the boy’s name on your arm. “Mom, what am I supposed to do with this? My friends don’t even have this,” you exhaled.

She gave you a soft smile, “Their marks will come at the right time for them but yours happens to be now.”

“What happens now?” you asked, eyes filled with thoughts and questions. “You wait for him. The universe chooses the time for the both of you to meet,” your mother answered, rubbing calming circles on your forearm. “Was it the same for you and dad?” you continued.

She nodded, “I even got it earlier than you did. I believe I was twelve when it appeared on my wrist.”

“What happens to people who don’t get their marks?” you frowned, heart aching at the thought of people being left all alone and miserable forever without the presence of their significant other -- or should you say destined significant other.

“Honey, everybody gets one. Some just don’t end up together and that happens when,” she trailed off, her eyes averting your gaze. “When what?” you pushed. “When one of the halves slash their wrist or when one of the pair dies and when this happens, your bond would be broken which would leave their partner with a disease,” she replied.

“A disease? What disease?” you asked. “A disease wherein you throw up flowers which depicts a meaning. But don’t you worry my dear, this case rarely happens,” she assured you. “Now, go and get some rest.”

That night you laid on your bed, your eyes never leaving the mark on your skin. It glowed in your dark room and the way it lit up gave you some kind of comfort.

Jeon Jungkook. It read.

You showed up when he was eighteen.

It appeared while he was washing up after a long day of lectures and classes. Jungkook suddenly noticed a glow coming from his wrist as he observed his reflection in the mirror. He wasn’t innocent to this whole ‘soulmate’ thing, his mom made him aware of this when he was only sixteen.

Jungkook was even considered a late bloomer, his brother got his mark at the age of fourteen. He smiled at the thought someone being made just for him and for you to even exist made him feel warm inside.

A day came when his friends started bringing out to the topic about their marks.

“Namjoon just got his surgery done,” Yoongi announced, sipping his black coffee and showing no grimace as the strong taste of bitter coffee hit his tongue. “I’m proud of him,” Taehyung chirped, “Have you gotten yours yet Kookie?” Taehyung turned to face him.

Jungkook eyes grew wide with Taehyung’s curiosity, he was still new to this and revealing your identity seemed too sensitive for him. He wanted your existence to be only known by him, only revealing you when the right time comes for the both of you to finally meet each other.

The youngest of the three shook his head as he tugged the left sleeve of his sweater, “Still no mark.”

He kept you a secret.

Jimin found you when he was twenty-four.

Fresh out from college and here you were, ten minutes late to your first job. You ran out of curse phrases on your way to work, probably due to the fact of the countless times you were uttering profanities. Hell, you didn’t even have time to sit down for a proper breakfast that morning.

Can’t these elevators go any faster? You mentally thought.

“I’m afraid they can’t,” a voice answered. Great, you just said that out loud.

You gave the stranger a small chuckle, “Sorry, I’m running late and this is my first day.” 

The stranger smiled, his eyes forming crescents in the process. “No sweat. I’m sure your boss won’t mind,” he assured. “I really hope so. I mean, I don’t want to lose my job at the very first day,” you replied.

Just before the stranger could ask for your name and initiate small talk, the elevator dinged which signaled your parting with him. “Nice meeting you but I gotta blast,” you beamed and hurriedly ran out to your floor.

He’s cute, you mentally thought and this time you made sure that it was only you and your brain who heard your compliment on the stranger.

It was safe to say that you were only fifteen minutes late. Surprisingly, the person who was supposedly in-charge giggled at your speech about being tardy. 

“Don’t worry about it, I was also late on my first day,” she grinned. “Now, hurry over to your desk and I’ll be with you in a minute. I just need to print out some files.”

Turns out, Jieun -- the woman who found your tardiness adorable -- was your boss’ assistant while you work for her. Your first day at work wasn’t so bad, yet your early encounter with the handsome stranger at the elevator still bothered your brain every once in a while.

“Hyung, she’s alive.”

Jimin couldn’t stop smiling all day, although his lips do feel like they’re going to fall off any second, his smile still remained plastered on his face.

“Who’s alive?” Namjoon asked, his attention immediately switching to the younger male who was panting upon his arrival. “Just breathe and stop smiling, it’e getting creepier and creepier by the second,” he added.

“(Y/N),” Jimin declared, rising from his seat as he ambled towards Namjoon, placing his shaky hands on the elder’s shoulders in the process. “What are you talking about?” Namjoon shrugged Jimin’s hands off of him as he sat on the couch that was across from Jimin’s humongous desk.

“She’s my employee, hyung,” Jimin pointed out. “Aren’t you assuming things too fast Jimin?” Namjoon cautioned, “She’s been gone for over a year and now she suddenly appears?” he continued.

“Says the one who nearly pissed himself while meeting Jin hyung,” Jimin teased, tongue darting out to mock the elder who sat in shock and embarrassment. “That was different and kindly forget about that,” Namjoon cleared his throat, barely reviving from his shocked state.

Jimin rolled his eyes and chuckled, “Good luck making Jungkook forget that. The bunny boy nearly pissed himself too.”

The frown on Namjoon’s face deepened, “Yeah, only ‘cause he was cackling at us.”

“Oh come on hyung, even Yoongi hyung laughed and you know very well that that man isn’t very expressive,” Jimin patted the elder on the back as he made his way back to his desk, taking a seat as his calves hit the chair.

“Enough about me. Tell me more about your mark’s sudden reincarnation,” Namjoon raised an eyebrow at him while crossing his arms in front of his chest. “Oh right, I bumped into her this morning. She was mumbling about the elevator’s speed,” Jimin recalled, only pausing to chuckle at your cuteness as he fiddled with his cuff links.

“Are you sure it’s her?” Namjoon asked, foreseeing the pain that the younger male would suffer from again if he comes across the fact that his soulmate isn’t actually you ‘cause from the way Jimin spoke about you, he was down right convinced that you were his (Y/N).

“My mark turned black again the moment she step foot inside the elevator and we were the only ones who were riding it,” Jimin insisted. “I thought I lost her,” he breathed out, fingers now combing through his golden locks.

With your sudden appearance, Jimin decided that he wouldn’t lose you for the second time around. He didn’t want to go through another round of prescriptions and therapy. It was hell without you.

A week passed after the elevator incident and you finally put a name on the stranger’s face. He turned out to be your superior. A young and promising entrepreneur who runs the whole company handed down to him by his father. 

The days that soon followed were hectic due to deadlines and a pile of documents waiting to be worked on but for the first time, Jimin called for you in his office.

“You called for me Mr. Park?” you gently opened the door that led you into his spacious office. “(Y/N), please do come in,” he smiled and motioned for the chair. You mumbled a small ‘thank you’ as you smoothed your skirt out and settled on the furniture.

“What can I do for you?” you asked, still confused as to why he would call you instead of Jieun, his assistant. Then it clicked, you were in trouble. You weren’t meeting his nor the company’s expectations.

“You’re not in trouble, stop troubling your pretty head,” Jimin announced while placing his paperwork aside, his full assiduity now on you. “How did-,” you were cut off by his soft chuckle which sounded like an angel’s. “Your eyes were turning sad and your eyebrows were furrowing,” he answered.

You were taken aback by his accurate observation. “I was just a bit confused. I apologize,” you muttered as you gave him a small smile. “It’s alright. I just wanted to talk about this month’s report,” Jimin replied.

“You’ve been working really hard this past few weeks” he praised you. “I’d really like it if you would take over tomorrow’s meeting. Maybe present new themes and ideas for our company?” he continued. “That would be an honor Mr. Park, thank you,” you exclaimed.

“The pleasure’s all mine, (Y/N).”

“Mr. Park has been looking a lot for you lately, mind telling me what’s up?” Jieun nudged you by the shoulder. You shook your head and chuckled. “It’s all work. Don’t worry, I won’t steal him from you,” you joked as you stapled papers while filtering them into brown folders.

“He is hot, I’m not gonna lie. I think he has his eyes on you,” Jieun replied, taking the folders from your hands. Before you could utter any more come backs at her, your eyes caught a glimpse of her wrist.

Park Jimin.

You gasped but you quickly put a hand over your mouth.

She has Jimin’s name on her wrist. Probably the reason as to why she has her guard up around you all the time. Your joke from mere seconds ago seemed to be an unknown truth.

“Way to go Captain Obvious!” Taehyung exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air for emphasis. “What?” Jimin laughed, head thrown back as he found his friend’s reaction comical. “I just told her to drop the honorifics,” Jimin shrugged, not knowing the cause of Taehyung’s sudden outburst.

“Have you invited her to dinner yet?” the younger of the two asked. “No, but I’m planning to,” Jimin answered. “You do know that your one hell of an assistant kept shooting lasers with her eyes at (Y/N),” Taehyung informed. “Jieun?” Jimin asked, “No, she’s harmless. I’ve been working with her for two years,” he continued.

“Are you blind?!” Taehyung half-whispered and half-screamed, but more of screaming. “Of course I’ve seen her wrist Tae, I’m not that dumb,” Jimin retorted back. “Has she seen yours?” Taehyung sat down on the lounge as he took another sip from his glass filled with whiskey on ice.

“She did, back when it was red,” Jimin exhaled.

Taehyung groaned, “She’s coming after (Y/N), you do know that right?” 

Jimin nodded and his beagle-like friend continued, “And you do know that the longer you keep her close to (Y/N), the more dangerous it gets.” 

The elder of the two sighed in confusion.

“Have you seen (Y/N)’s mark?” Taehyung echoed. “She has it in black but I’m not sure if it’s my name written on there,” Jimin shrugged. 

Despite the complicated occasions that has been happening, Jimin managed to befriend you regardless of the difference between your statuses. He was your employer for god’s sake and you were his employee.

Peculiarly, you and Jimin grew close within the time span of a month. At first, you were tense and guarded as he was your superior but nonetheless he made you feel comfortable. The both of you had chances to meet outside of work due to his demands of you having dinner with him, claiming that he needed to treat you as a friend.

“Dinner’s on me tonight,” Jimin announced as he grabbed his coat from the lounge. “You really don’t have to, really,” you declined his offer, shaking your head in the process. “(Y/N), please. You deserve this,” he pouted.

You sighed, “You do know that the girls are talking about me, right?”

Jimin’s eyebrows furrowed in concern. “What do you mean?” he asked. “It ranges from how lucky I am to be close with our society’s top entrepreneur who also happens to be a very handsome bachelor to how I’m using you to climb up this industry. Either way, it’s toxic,” you shrugged.

“Don’t listen to them,” he paused as he took your hands in his. “Trust me, this is the first time in years that I’ve felt connected to someone. I mean, besides my guy friends,” he continued, brown orbs screaming for you to stay and believe him.

“You’re too sweet. Fine, I’ll join you for dinner but the next one is on me,” you gave in.

You finally found each other when you were both twenty-two.

The drive to the restaurant was quick yet you and Jimin still managed to talk about a ton of stuff. As expected from your male companion, he never fails to please you with his exquisite and classy taste.

Halfway into leaving the restaurant, a voice called out for Jimin.

“Hyung!”

“Jungkook!” Jimin beamed at what you assumed was the younger of the two. He was dressed in the same way that Jimin was but he perfectly pulled off his suit without a tie. Instead of sporting a classic white button up, he was wearing a black one with two buttons undone.

“How have you been?” Jimin asked, “This is (Y/N) by the way,” he continued. The moment that you and Jungkook locked eyes, time stopped and everything seems to be happening in slow motion. A warm feeling made its way into your stomach similar to that of a butterfly’s tingle -- as how fiction writers would often describe it.

Jungkook felt familiar, his brown orbs and the child-like innocence sparkle in them brought you back in time. The way that his lips were curved and his smile, it reminded you one of a bunny’s.

“Nice to meet you, (Y/N),” Jungkook offered a hand for you to shake and you were quick to return the favor. “Nice to meet you too,” you smiled and that’s when it all made sense.

Jeon Jungkook.

Your eyes immediately fell on his wrist but unfortunately, he suit covered almost half of it yet it still glowed under his dark-colored sleeves. It emitted a light that couldn’t go unnoticed.

Jungkook seemed to catch up on your actions as his eyes soon landed on your mark. He blinked twice, making sure to confirm that it was indeed his name that was written on your wrist in black and bold cursive writing.

Shit, he cursed mentally.

This isn’t happening, not now and not ever. It was impossible. You were dead for almost two years now. He caught your gaze and right there and then he knew. You were made for him, not Jimin, but for him.

“Jungkook,” you barely whispered, both of your hands still connected and neither of you were letting go any time soon. Up until Jimin took a hold of your arm, claiming that he needed to get you home as it was already getting late.

“No,” you muttered but it was loud enough for Jimin and Jungkook to hear. “What?” Jimin was taken aback, eyes going back and forth between you and the younger male. “Hyung, why don’t we catch up?” Jungkook tried, as he was making up a thousand of excuses inside his brain just to get a hold on you without Jimin noticing.

“That’s a really good idea, but I better take (Y/N) home,” Jimin insisted. His grip now tight on your left wrist, he probably knew already.

“Hyung, please,” Jungkook begged. “We’re leaving,” Jimin announced.

Your gaze lingered towards Jungkook and he was staring right back at you. 

The ride back home was dead silent until Jimin decided to cut through it with a sharp knife. “Show me your mark,” he hissed, the car gaining an incredible amount of speed. “Jimin, slow down,” you turned to face him. His eyes were still on the road yet they were dark and furious.

“Do you want to lose me again?”

Jimin was twenty-two when he started throwing up lilies.

“Jimin, are you sure you’re okay? You don’t look good,” Hoseok exposed as he noticed the younger’s skin growing paler with every minute passing.

“Just a really bad headache I guess,” Jimin shrugged as he continued to sign and review papers on his desk with Hoseok -- who was preoccupied with reading a book -- by his side. “Hey, take it easy or you’ll go bald even before you turn sixty,” Hoseok joked, setting his book down to comfort the younger male.

Something felt oddly familiar with Jimin’s current situation and Hoseok was no stranger to this. He was diagnosed with a hanahaki disease when he was sixteen, falling in love with Namjoon wasn’t the easiest thing in this world for him but perhaps it was the purity and sincerity that came with his mark that allowed him to move on and start anew.

“Jimin, I thin-,” the elder was cut off by Jimin clutching his abdomen while bolting to the nearest bathroom. Hoseok ran after him.

“Hyung,” Jimin sobbed, taking in deep breaths as he continued throwing up white petals. “Calm down Jimin, everything is going to be alright,” he gently rubbed Jimin’s back. Hoseok’s eyebrow furrowed as picked one petal from the cold tiles of the bathroom.

Lilies?

“What is happening?” Jimin whined, still pale and breathless. “They’re lilies Jimin,” Hoseok exhaled. The younger male looked at him with eyes that screamed out a child’s fear. “Why the hell am I throwing up flowers?!” Jimin spat as he slumped down on the walls, hands over his tear-stained cheeks. 

“Something happened to her Jimin,” Hoseok confessed. “You’re throwing up lilies which only means one thing,” he paused, searching for any sign on Jimin’s face to continue. “No!” Jimin screamed, fists flying out to hit the marbled walls repeatedly. 

“Jimin, stop! You’re hurting yourself even more,” Hoseok warned as he took a hold of Jimin’s arms, hugging him close in hopes of comforting the other’s shaking and frail figure. “Let me go!” Jimin pushed the elder off of him, rising from the floor and ambling towards the cabinets right beside the sink.

“No, Jimin!” Hoseok shouted as he caught a glimpse of the blade that was on Jimin’s palm and it was dangerously getting closer and closer towards the younger’s wrist on which your name was written in dull, red ink.

With the threat in sight, Hoseok hurriedly sauntered towards Jimin. “Don’t you fucking dare, Jimin,” he spat, hands swiftly reaching out to grab the blade but missing it as Jimin was putting up a fight. “This is my mark, not yours!” Jimin screamed, “I don’t want any remains of her, I don’t want to live like you!” he continued with the veins on his neck threatening to pop any second from the anger.

Hoseok was pained to see the younger one this way and in an instant he saw blood. “Shit,” he cursed. “I know that you don’t want to live like me but I don’t want you to make the same mistakes that I did,” he continued, finally successful in grabbing the blade from Jimin’s possession.

“Hyung!″ Jimin cried out, his eyes bloodshot red with tears freely flowing from them. “I don’t even know what she looked like,” he weeped, his right hand gripping his left wrist as blood continued to flow from the cut that he inflicted upon his skin.

Hoseok breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Jimin’s wound, he missed his mark. The cut was merely centimeters below your name. “Everything is going to be alright,” Hoseok cooed, arms wrapping around Jimin’s body. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up,” he pulled the younger male by the arms and slowly walked him through the bedroom.

“I’m calling the guys.”

Jungkook’s mark turned red when he was twenty.

“Hyung, how is he?” Jungkook asked as he called Yoongi who just got back from visiting Jimin.

“He’s on medications but he still won’t eat. My parents are referring him to a therapist,” Yoongi answered. “Did hyung’s parents agree?” Jungkook replied, concern lingering in his tone. Yoongi sighed, “Yeah, they’re taking him over tomorrow.”

“Can I still visit him?” Jungkook requested. All he knew was that Jimin’s mark turned red and he almost slashed his mark open, luckily Hoseok was there to stop any further injury that Jimin might embed on his body.

Half an hour later, Jungkook was beside Jimin. The elder of the two lying on the bed with a couple of wires and needles attached to his body. “She’s dead Jungkook,” Jimin blurted out, voice hoarse and rough as he was screaming for hours non-stop.

“Who is she?” Jungkook asked, his right hand on his left wrist and his grip was tight. “(Y/N), my angel’s dead,” Jimin sobbed, his hands curling up into a ball as he tried not to break down in front of the younger one. “Did your mark appear yet?” he asked.

Y/N?

His (Y/N)?

Jungkook’s eyes widened once your name left Jimin’s lips. He couldn’t be talking about you, right? Last time he checked, his mark was still alive and glowing. He never really did ask about the other guy’s soulmates. Jungkook felt like as if he was invading their personal lives although they were tattooed on their wrist -- bare and bold to see -- he still managed not to ask nor peek.

Jungkook stayed silent and only nodded. “Find her quick before the universe decides to kill her,” Jimin spat bitterly, his cheeks were now stained with tears. 

As Jungkook loosened his grip on his left wrist, his eyes finally flickered to the place where your name was spelled out on his skin. A tear escaped his eyes as he caught a glimpse of the red ink imprinted on his wrist, replacing the once bold and black, glowing mark.

Your name was in red, no longer glowing. It was dead, just like you.

“I wasn’t even by her side,” Jimin whispered.

Neither was I, Jungkook thought as he wiped his tears.

Once again, he kept you a secret.

[ambientstars]

Can we please get the one with fire posted first? I’m curious! 🤔

A dance between fire and love (13th Doctor x reader)

Warnings: character death (and I guess fire? If that’s not obvious)

Note: I can only apologise for this. My heart hurts too and I’m gonna go sit in the corner now and think about what I’ve done.  -    -    -

Today was the day. The end of the world. It had been a long time coming, inevitable.

The Master had finally done it, beat his own record of truly horrific acts. He knew just how precious Earth was to The Doctor, so in his spite, he set the entire planet on fire and stole the TARDIS so that you, The Doctor or anyone else couldn’t escape from the now burning rock.

You and The Doctor took shelter in your home, more specifically your bedroom, the fire coming into view just over the hill. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.

The surrounding fields adorned by tall, proud sunflowers were engulfed in flames. The once green grass turned to soot on the burnt ground. The fire travelled quickly, making a path to the cabin. Who knew how long you had left? Neither of you wanted to take a guess.

The Doctor moved across the room towards your record player and silently looked through your collection, using her fingers to quickly and carefully move the sleeves along in search of the perfect song.

Despite your lack of time before the fire caught up to you, she took her time. She remained calm, composed, something that gave you a slight bit of comfort in your pounding chest.

“Dance with me.” She reached out her hand once she had chosen a record, her smile soft and the music light.

You knew that inside, she was scared. Scared for the destruction, the pain, the loss of her favourite planet, but most of all, scared of losing you.

It went without saying that although she’d most likely suffer some damage to her body, either externally from the flames or internally from the smoke, she would regenerate and go on living.

She’d be scared and alone on a planet turned to soot with no way out. No hand to hold or shoulder to cry on, no one to talk to or grieve with.

Sure, she could walk the world in search of parts to slowly build another machine, but even that wasn’t guaranteed to work and where would she go after that? Her home had been turned to rubble, just like this one was becoming, and her reliable ship had probably been dismantled by force by now, the poor thing.

After countless years and multiple attempts, The Master had finally succeeded in bringing her the worst torture she couldn’t even bring herself to dream of.

You took the offered hand and allowed her to pull you close, your bodies flush against each other. Her arms encircled you, holding you tighter than she probably meant to and so you held back with the same vigor.

The hot air gently whirl-winded around you as you danced in slow circles. Heads on shoulders, chests together, fingers entangled. Your feet effortlessly moved in perfect rhythm, never missing a beat.

You both had your eyes closed, but you could see as clear as day. The Doctor projected images into your head and you saw the precious memories, the countless laughs and every opportunity you had snapped up to be with each other, dropping everything to have each other close.

It was bittersweet, reliving the memories and enjoying the feeling they brought you, but also knowing that you’d never get the chance to make more.

Your adventures had been incredible. You’d seen the world from outer space, met species unknown to mankind and watched the stars die and fade, only for a new one to be birthed in its place to shine for an unfathomable amount of years.

The melody of the song began to fade against the crackling and the roaring of the wall of flames, now just outside the window.

You squeezed your eyes even tighter shut, willing your ears to focus on the words, mumbling along to keep the concentration.

The Doctor had played this song on board the Tardis before and just like now, she had asked you to dance. As uncoordinated as she was, when she let her body move freely, she moved with a smoothness that could only come from a soul completely fuelled by happiness.

You had danced with her for hours, staying close and moving slow. It was intimate and full of love, skin innocently on skin and smiles pressed into each other’s shoulders. You would miss that day the most, the day you really connected with The Doctor on a deeper level.

The glass of the window nearest to you shattered into small pieces, the wooden frame allowing the fire to enter your safe haven.

Both of you flinched at the ear splitting sound, but didn’t dare let go or lift your heads.

Hands gripped sides tighter, breathing became quicker and sweat began to bead on goosebump adorned skin.

The smell of burning overcame your nose, the polished wood of the cabin walls, the soft fabric of bed sheets and the chemical bubbling of plastic - all of it burning into cinders.

“Doc,” you whispered, not daring to bring your voice up to the volume of the destruction around you. “I love you.”

Salty tears stung The Doctor’s eyes as they welled up. Her throat tightened, the pain hardly noticeable over the ache in her heart. “I love you, more.”

You had spent many years joking around about where you would end up when you died, always hinting that you would be spending the rest of your afterlife with the big man downstairs, but here in this moment you were truly scared that it would come true.

The Doctor was pure, full of light and the only goodness you had known in this world of pain and ugliness, she was definitely going somewhere meant for angels, but would you be joining her? You silently prayed that you would.

“Was I a good enough person to get into heaven?”

Your movements slowed, the dance confined to a small corner that the fire hadn’t reached yet. Smoke was filling the air, the oxygen travelling to and from your lungs grew thick, irritating the soft flesh of your insides.

You knew that The Doctor didn’t believe in all that. She had travelled across the universe right until the end, she had gone in every direction possible and she made it very clear that all there is after life is darkness and sleep, no heaven or hell. Only stars and space, and the souls of passed ones between them.

“You know I-“

“I need to know.” Coughs forced their way up your throat, the metallic taste of blood tinged your tongue as the delicate lining of your oesophagus tore from the pressure. “Please.”

The Doctor could feel herself becoming light-headed, her concentration on the song, that had changed to something slower, slipping more and more with every second.

“Yes, of course!” She wanted to elaborate, describe all of your incredible qualities, let you know that wherever you went, she would go too - but her words failed her, her mind swimming in a smoky haze.

You decided not to argue, you didn’t want your last moments with your best friend to be used up disagreeing.

Your feet began to trip over each other, legs weakening, the dance uncoordinated, barely one step at a time. You both knew this moment was coming and accepted your fate, but neither of you were prepared for just how gut wrenching the feeling of slowly falling apart in each other’s arms would be.

You were the first to fall, your weak knees giving out. You hit the ground with a thud, your protective reflexes unable to do their job with the lack of clean oxygen in your system.

The Doctor quickly followed, bracing herself on her hands just in time to not hit her head on the floorboards. Even the body of a timelord couldn’t withstand the blaze of annihilation.

Her eyes snapped open in reaction, but her vision remained black as the room was completely full of thick, dark smoke, and in her surprise she inhaled the poison deeply, her lungs rejecting it with violent coughs.

Your hand blindly grabbed hers and she held on tight. Deciding she’d be more comfortable lying on the floor where she wouldn’t have to use up all her energy just to keep herself steady, she laid down next to you, the person she loved so dearly, your shaking hands keeping contact.

You couldn’t hear the music now, not over the roaring of flames and the cracking and crumbling of wood. You wondered briefly what The Doctor’s favourite song was and if you’d even be able to understand it.

The roof fell in on itself in the corner of the room opposite you, the force shooting settled dust and soot back up into the air. You watched absentmindedly as it floated back down again, feeling some fall onto your face and knowing that you were breathing it all in with every shallow breath.

“Look at me.”

You used all your strength in your rapidly weakening body to turn your head and look at The Doctor. Her face was almost unrecognisable with it covered in smoke residue and ash, her hair frizzy from the humidity of the atmosphere.

Under her eyes were wet spots and you knew that she had been trying her best to hold back tears, but a few had slipped past. The crease between her brows was deep with concern, but she smiled reassuringly anyway, her teeth sparkling white in contrast to the rest of her face.

“You’re gonna be okay.”

“You’re a bad liar.” You laughed a little, but it only encouraged a cough to tear at your chest, followed by another and another.

The Doctor patted your back to assist as if it would help, but you appreciated the gesture and it was nice to have her hand on your back again.

She moved hair away from your eyes, her thumb stroking your cheek ever so gently. “I’m sorry.”

Your head pounded and your insides burned, your body becoming useless and the taste of metal sat heavily on your tongue.

“Not your fault.”

She shook her head, rejecting the statement like it was a lie. “If I had just fought harder against him. If I had just kept you safer. If I-“

“Doctor,” now it was your turn to comfort her. “You couldn’t have done anything more.”

Again she shook her head, but this time remained quiet, her bottom lip between her teeth.

Your vision was starting to blur at the edges. “What will you do next?”

As she began talking, your hearing gave out. Your eyes fell completely closed and you couldn’t move your muscles. You wondered if you were even still breathing.

Already you missed her voice, her northern accent and the hundred words per minute. It would always bring you comfort in your hardest moments and right now was definitely one of them.

It was quiet now, peaceful. The darkness had taken you in, holding you close in a thorough hug that relaxed your soul and allowed you to fall limp against it.

You were calm at last and blissfully content. You felt as light as a feather and your thoughts were finally clear and free from pain.

It felt just like those last few seconds before falling asleep in bed. All cosy and warm, quiet and numb, your mind winding down into unconsciousness.

The last thing you remembered thinking about was The Doctor. How she had saved you from a life of evil and shown you the wonders of the universe, and that you could live a wholesome and fulfilling life just like you had dreamed of.

You hoped that whatever may come to her now, it was good. If you could feel in this moment, you knew that there would be a pain in your heart at the thought of her continuing to suffer and cry all alone, she was the last person who deserved that.

She didn’t believe in angels, said they were a fairytale, but you made the decision in your final moments before nothingness, that you would be her guardian and protect her for as long as she was still breathing. And even after then.

[bxebxee]

;D

i got an ask regarding jimin being a potential murderer as it relates to a prior draft and i feel terrible because i accidentally deleted it. I'm sorry!!!

News outlets follow the murder case with the tenacity of an obsessive fan. Your city is usually quiet since it's nothing but blocks upon blocks of governmental buildings, but these days it's crawling with reporters trying to get the inside scoop. Traffic is hell.

"You're late. Again," Manager Kim frowns when he sees you nearly twenty minutes past your start time.

You notice that Jimin is not at his desk, and it infuriates you more than normal. Your jaw ticks as you hear Manager Kim's sigh and make a note to write you up for consistent tardiness.

"This is unreasonable," you speak up, causing your coworkers to stop what they're doing immediately. "With this murder investigation, the traffic has been terrible, and all of us have been struggling to get here on time."

Manager Kim looks far from happy to hear your outburst but he doesn't cut you off.

"If you're going to write me up, then fine. Because I have been late. But if you do write me up, you should also report Park Jimin for his repetitive absences since he started working here." You drop your bag on your chair with a thump, and rummage through your drawer to pull out a small, brown, leather-bound book. Swallowing down the feeling of your heart beating at a rapid pace, you walk over to Manager Kim's desk and place the book in front of him. "I've kept note of some of Jimin's unsatisfactory attendance records," you explain.

Yes, you know it's downright juvenile and akin to stabbing a coworker in the back. But you've had it with the preferential treatment the newbie received.

"And if you don't report him alongside me," you tell the manager, "I'll go to upper management and file a complaint of unfair treatment."

Manager Kim opens the book and flips through the contents, reading through record after record of Jimin's late arrivals and absences. He recognizes your neat, organized handwriting and the labeling system that had benefitted the department countless times.

"No one likes a snitch," he tells you in a dangerously calm tone. "But if you really want to report him, be my guest."

The matter is closed.

Jimin shows up five minutes before lunch time without a word of apology. He doesn't greet anyone upon arrival, and no one acknowledges him either. The mood is tense, and it gets worse when you receive an email blast from upper management notifying all employees that the police would be conducting a department-wide inquiry related to the ongoing murder investigation.

"Why would they questioning us?" one of your coworkers asks, baffled and almost offended.

"Because," Jimin starts, tone carrying an edge that seemed to call your coworker five different versions of stupid without having to spell it out, "They obviously think someone from the inside is involved."

You grip your book of misdeeds when Jimin looks at you like he knows what you're about to do during your 3PM break.

[tenroseforeverandever]

After All This Time

Characters:  Tentoo; Rose Tyler; Hope Tyler-Noble; Wilfred Tyler-Noble; Original Child Character; Tentoo x Rose; Ten x Rose

Rated: General

Tags: Fluff: Hurt/Comfort; Family; Kid!Fic

Summary: She laughed her beautiful laugh that never failed to make him laugh too. And when her tongue poked out at the side of her mouth, he felt his insides turn to very manly goo, as they always had at the sight of that smile. “So, no regrets, then?” She dropped her eyes in sudden insecurity, and he felt a nervous little tug at their bond.

Notes: For 10/2.

I have another one in the works, but the ending is giving me fits. It’ll be late coming.

This little story is actually the epilogue of the very first story in my These Two Hearts series, called Regrets, Repentance, and Promises. That longer tale, a post GitF story (hence the references to France in this tale), has yet to be completed and posted. There’s a chapter or two left that just won’t get written… not yet, and another chapter or two I’m just not sure about.

But I love this little epilogue. It takes place years after the rest of that story ends. There are references to things that took place in the longer story, but I don’t think they really need any explanation. Just one note: the promise “…to hold [Rose] forever…” was originally made by the Time Lord in the aftermath of The Idiot’s Lantern adventure. If you are familiar with my little Pete’s World family, the Doctor and Rose’s children mentioned here (nameless) are Hope, Charlie, and Wilfred. Impulsive, also part of my These Two Hearts series, is also a chapter (NSFW) from the longer story. If I keep doing this, eventually the whole story will be posted, piecemeal! LOL I guess that’s one way to do it!

Happy 10/2!!!

Read at: AO3; FFnet; Teaspoon

After All This Time

Rose and the Doctor sat, curled together on the sofa in the TARDIS’ console room, rejoicing in the activity whirling around them, the soft murmur of voices speaking in a mix of Gallifreyan and English.  They gazed into one another’s eyes and the Doctor reached up and stroked Rose’s cheek, suddenly overcome with gratitude. “You’re so beautiful Rose. Thank-you for giving me all of this. For so long I never believed I could ever have this, that it wouldn’t be possible. I never could have imagined that forever could be this good.” He had long-since renounced his hesitation in expressing his feelings.

“Yeah? Don’t know that you deserve it though.” She smirked, allowing her love for him to shine in her eyes and flare through their bond.

“Oi!” he admonished, leaning in and giving her a kiss, which she returned with fervour.

“Yeeuck! Would you two get a room?” Their son’s voice caused them to start giggling and they deepened their embrace in response. “There are children here, you know!”

Rose broke away from the kiss, ignoring the pout on her husband’s face. “Oh, I think it’s time we turned in anyway. You lot have the old girl well in hand.”

“Gran! Gran!” A little voice piped up from the other side of the console. A bouncing little blond head came rushing toward them. “Where do you want to go for our adventure tomorrow? Oh, where do you want to go?” the little girl babbled. “There’s this amaaaazing planet that Mummy and Daddy took us to once where the dominant life forms look like they’re made of bubble-gum bubbles; or, weeeell, we could go to Datrooloon-Turg and explore around the crystal caves there. Did you know that they’re made from a special mineral that glows when–”

“Sweetheart,” Rose cut the little girl off, having become very adept at that particular practice over the years, “you choose the adventure and we will be happy to share it with you. For now, we’ll say goodnight, ‘kay?”

The little girl flashed a manic grin so reminiscent of the Doctor Rose could hardly supress a chuckle, and pulled her in for a hug.

Upon being released, the little girl cried, “Oi, you lot! Gran and Granddad are going to bed.”

“Urrgh, she sounds just like your mother,” the Doctor groaned under his breath.

“Shut up, you,” Rose growled good-naturedly. “She mostly sounds like you with her non-stop, little gob and her encyclopaedic knowledge of everythin’.  But they all got a bit of that, didn’t they?  Just to drive me spare…”

Soon they were surrounded by six loving sets of arms, their grandchildren, eager to wish their grandparents goodnight. The youngest, the only ginger one in the family, was delivered to their arms by his mum, their oldest child.

--oOo--

The next morning, the Doctor woke up as he had once only longed for: with his arms wrapped around his Rose, breathing in her sleepy scent, her once-golden hair tickling his nose, experiencing the peace and calm only she could provide. He pressed a kiss against her cheek. “Ready for a great adventure today, my love?” he huffed.

���Doctor?” She turned in his arms, stroking the silver hair by his temples, touching his mind with gentle caresses. “Do you remember you once told me, if the thrill of adventure ever became too much for me you would be happy just to hold me forever?”

He felt tears sparkling in his eyes. “I meant it.”

“I think… I think it’s time.”

“For me, too, love. This body just keeps getting older. I would be very content to hold you forever.”

“We’ve had a fantastic life, haven’t we? Years of adventures. Three amazin’ children. Six grandchildren, so far, and every one of them brilliant and brave.  And our TARDIS! She speaks to all of them the way she speaks to us.”

“She’ll look after countless generations of our progeny, Rose,” he crowed enthusiastically. “Defenders of the Universe, all of them! The Stuff of Legend! Ha!”

She laughed her beautiful laugh that never failed to make him laugh too. And when her tongue poked out at the side of her mouth, he felt his insides turn to very manly goo, as they always had at the sight of that smile. “So, no regrets, then?” She dropped her eyes in sudden insecurity, and he felt a nervous little tug at their bond.

“Never! This is a brilliant adventure! And all because I get to share it with you. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”

With a sober expression she asked, “Do you think he’s okay?”

The Doctor didn’t need to ask whom she referred to, although she hadn’t openly voiced her concern for years. “He’s all right.  He has the TARDIS: same old life; last of the Time Lords. And he’ll always have your love, and he’ll return it forever.”

She nodded. “Do you think he’d be happy knowing what we’ve created here?”

“Rose,” he assured her, “he would be so proud of you. He loves you more than life itself, always will. He gave willingly the one thing that anchored him, that gave him peace… to me, so that you could have a life you truly deserved. Oh, he knew you would’ve been happy travelling the stars with him forever, but he also knew that this life would fulfil you in different ways. He knew it would make you happy in the end. And, oh Rose, what a gift you have been to me.  You always were, of course.”

“It was so hard to accept, at first: you… him… both of you… makin’ those decisions for me without consultin’ me… after everythin’. God, do you remember how abominably I treated you those first few weeks?” She tucked her head against his shoulder in embarrassment.

“How could I forget?” he laughed. “But I always understood, love. And I had promised him I would never give up on you, on us. Just the way you told me… him, the day we bonded. Remember? ‘If two people really care about one another, they find a way to make it work.’”

“You promised him…? You never told me that! All these years, and you never told me that.” She frowned.

“Rose, please just know that you are the most-loved woman in two universes. No one else can say that.” He cupped her cheek. “I love you; he loves you; but we never deserved you.”

“Oh, I think you did. How could I ever have asked for more? You, all of space and time… I wouldn’t have changed a thing.”

“So, does that mean…? Rose, have you ever forgiven me?” He rubbed self-consciously at the back of his neck.

“Forgiven you? What–”

“France... Abandoning you… the hell I put you through.”

“Doctor,” he saw confusion cloud her expression, “have you been carrying that around with you all these years? You’ve kept this hidden from me. Why have you not shared this with me?”

He found himself unable to meet her eyes, sensing her hurt. “I had hoped, but… weeeell…” he tugged at his ear, “…I suppose I felt I didn’t deserve to have that peace, after everything I’ve done in my life, not to mention after everything I put you through. And it was a constant reminder I needed to show you how much I love you– that you deserved to know that– every single day of your forever.”

Tears welled in her eyes, and her lips trembled as she considered his confession. Then a sudden look of horror crossed her face. “Has he been worried about this too? And he’ll never know how much I love him and forgive him, and how much you… he… means to me. Doctor, I’ve long since…”

“He’ll be alright, really, love. He knows how much you love him, trust me. Rose, please don’t cry. He knows. You once traveled recklessly across dimensions to get back to him… me, after all.”

“Well, I was also trying to save the multiverse…” She rolled her eyes at him.

“Anyway, he’ll feel a bit absolved. After all, he…”

“He sacrificed his own happiness for us. That’s w’at you mean, yeah.”

He nodded. “I won’t lie, Rose. It won’t have been easy for him. But through the bond, he’ll have that little bit of you with him always: your undying love.”

“Yes, oh, yes, he has that! And… I s’ppose, this way, he’ll never have to watch me wither and…” She released her breath in a rush of relief, and gave him a watery smile. After a moment’s reflection, she whacked him in the arm. “You daft git! After all this time!”

He chuckled and breathed a sigh as he looked into her sparkling eyes. “Remind me again: how long are you going to stay with me?”

“Forever,” she whispered. She pressed her fingers to his temples, and he responded in kind, tenderly touching the tendrils of their bond, sharing their love: mind, body, and soul, as they had done now for so many years.