#you can't change things out of the blue without explaining why or caring about what those changes affect

[storywriter007]

(Part 2) Part 1 - You're Not Her - Percy Jackson x Fem!Reader

summary: in which y/n realizes this relationship is no longer worth fighting for

warnings: cursing, character death, toxic relationship, throwing things

genre: angst

word count: 1.1k

-> heroes of olympus masterlist

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y/n laughed as a smidge of vanilla ice cream was put on percy's nose.

"not funny y/n." he said, irritated, wiping it off.

"sorry, won't happen again." she said back, shocked at the mood change. "wanna go for a swim?" she asked, trying to change the topic.

"no, i want to stay dry." he said, plainly.

"do you want to do anything?" y/n laughed.

he looked at her with his sea green eyes.

"what do you think." he said.

"alright per-sassy-eus." she shrugged.

they stared the the lake in silence until a little girl came running.

"y/n! y/n!" she shouted, running towards her.

y/n wrapped her arms around the seven-year old.

"hey serena! what's up?" she asked, smiling.

"me and lily and kayla and a bunch of other girls are making friendship bracelets!" serena said excitedly. "c'mon! hi percy!"

"hey serena." he smiled. "i like your bracelet."

"i have two of them, they are matching!" she grinned. "you can have one."

she slid the blue one off her wrist and gave it to percy.

"now we're best friends!" serena said, returning to y/n and tugging on her hand.

y/n looked at percy.

"percy, i'm gonna go." she smiled, kissing him on the cheek.

"yeah, ok." he shrugged.

"love you." y/n said.

"mhm."

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y/n got to the arts and crafts table and sat down next to her good friend, olivia.

"they got you too?" liv laughed.

"yeah." y/n smiled.

"y/n! why didn't percy say love you back?" serena asked.

y/n felt hurt, but she couldn't show that, not to this little girl. olivia stared at her, waiting for the response.

"he's just a little shy now-a-days." y/n chuckled.

"but he's your boyfriend!" serena's friend, lily spoke up.

"boyfriends can be shy." y/n explained, wondering whether she was lying to the kids or herself.

"but he always say i love you to annabeth!" serena's other friend, kayla added.

"i guess he's just a little more reserved after what happened with annabeth. that changes people." y/n smiled.

"he's still my hero though!" serena smiled.

"him and jason are my heroes!" lily added.

"kayla, who's your hero?" they asked.

"my hero is reyna!" she said confidently.

y/n chuckled.

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y/n and olivia sat on y/n's bed in her cabin.

"what were the girls going on about today?" liv asked.

"percy, and they were right, and they had good points." y/n sighed, tired of hiding it. "we've been dating for almost a year now, and he's just so negative."

"what do you mean?" liv continued.

"i mean he always gets mad at me, he never wants to do anything with me, and it feels like i'm just someone to look at when he's bored." y/n explained. "i get it, things are different for him after annabeth died."

olivia nodded, placing her hand on y/n's for comfort.

"they'd been friends forever, they went through hell together, they'd been in love, and he couldn't save her at the battle. but it's been three years, and he confessed to me. he said, 'i know you've like me for a while and i think i do too.' i remember the day liv." y/n continued. "and things have changed for me too. piper and hazel are always casting me dirty glances, jason and leo and frank avoid me if i'm in anywhere near ten feet to them. i've been slut-shamed, compared, and bullied because i'm dating him."

y/n began to feel tears well up.

"i just want him to talk to me and hang out with me without feeling like he's being forced to do it." she finished.

"y/n, i think this is something you have to tell percy." olivia responded. "you can't keep going like this, it's going to kill you."

"i don't want to hurt him and what if he just freaks out on me? i care about him." y/n countered.

"just talk to him." olivia encouraged. "he's a good man, he'll understand."

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"you're not understanding me!" y/n said, sadness filling her voice. "i-i'm not telling you to get over what happened, i'm trying to tell you that you can talk to me! i'm trying to help you percy!"

"help me! help me! you want to help me by bringing up her name?" he screamed.

gods, he was scary.

"i'm trying to tell you that it feels like you don't even like me, much less love me! it's like i'm a burden to you!" y/n shouted back. "and i understand you're hurting, but why am i a victim of your grief?"

"fine!" he said, throwing a candle across his cabin. "i'm sorry that my girlfriend, who i loved for longer than i've ever known you, is dead and that it makes me upset!"

y/n ducked, avoiding the glass shards. fear ran through her bones.

"and i'm sorry you have to go through that, but it sucks for me too! piper and hazel give me these glares, like they hate every vein in my body. leo, jason, and frank run from me like i'm a disease! and i've told you and you don't do shit to stop it, you encourage it if anything!" y/n yelled.

"they've got every fucking reason too!" he yelled, throwing a picture frame of us across the room.

"what's the reason! tell me, what's the reason!" y/n shouted.

"because you're not annabeth!" he yelled, with every bone in his body as tear welled up in his eyes. "you're not her, she would've never done whatever shit you're doing."

y/n stood still for a minute as the words replayed in her head.

you're not her, you're not her, you're not her.

tears filled y/n's eyes.

it's like percy finally understood the gravity of the situation as he looked around in shame.

"y/n, i didn't mean that-"

"no, no, percy, you did. you really did, because otherwise, you wouldn't have said it. and you wouldn't have followed every action to prove it." y/n chuckled. "i'm sorry i'm not annabeth."

percy took a couple of steps forward, but stopped instantly when y/n backed up defensively. y/n pointed to the glass shards around the room. they stood in silence.

"you're a bad man, percy. throwing shit and telling me i'll never be enough. i wish every little girl and boy could see their so-called camp hero right now. i wish they could see what a fucking monster he is." y/n said, her voice now low and quiet.

she turned around, and walked out of his cabin.

“y/n, can’t we talk about this?” he shouted out.

“oh i tried talking to you percy.” she chuckled. “but, you can always go down to annabeth’s gravestone and talk to her."

[nomoreusername]

Smile

Newt x gender neutral reader

Summary:When Newt notices you hiding your smile he quickly makes everything better again.

I looked into the little piece of broken glass as I thought about what they said. It was only meant to be a joke. I wasn't supposed to actually believe them.

But I did. I've been looking at my reflection and seeing what it looks like when I smile. Despite not caring about their words at first it seemed to be nothing short of true now.

My smile was ugly. It was far too toothy, too wide, too much. I've been trying to find a way to fix it, trying to change it, but nothing was working. It was still so hateable.

That left me with one desperate option. Avoid smiling as much as possible. If I do I try to hide it behind my hand. It looks ridiculous, but apparently so do I when I grin.

"Hey,"Newt said, walking in. I shoved the piece of glass under my bed.

"Don't you know how to knock?"I snapped, feeling my face flush with embarrassment.

"Not with you,"He pointed out. That was true, but right now I can't stand anyone seeing me. Practicing how to smile is a hard thing to explain. Especially, to him.

"Out,"I instructed, pointing at the door. He was visibly confused as he left. I guess I would be too.

"I wish I could fix this,"I sighed, pulling out the broken glass one last time. If only.

♡ - - - ♡

I nodded my head as Minho kept telling his story. It was admittedly kind of funny. I felt myself start to smile but managed to stop it just in time. I covered my mouth with my hand just in case it happened again.

"Are you alright, love?"Newt whispered in my ear.

"Yeah,"I shrugged, leaning back. He didn't look convinced. If anything he looked more concerned. He can't be though, right? I technically haven't done anything bad or wrong.

"Hey. Follow me real quick,"He whispered again, standing up. We slipped away from everyone without a word. Nobody seemed to notice.

"Where exactly are we going?"I asked as we walked away from the others.

"Just trust me. It'll only take a minute,"He promised. I wasn't sure if I believed him but didn't stop walking.

Eventually, he turned by the cliff and sat. He looked back at me expectantly. I joined him.

"It's pretty, isn't it?"He asked, looking at the sunset.

"Extremely,"I agreed.

"It's enough to make anyone smile,"He added. I didn't say anything this time.

"It always made you smile. How come you aren't?"He questioned. I fixated on the ocean below me to avoid looking at him.

"Y/N, how come you don't smile anymore?

"I do,"I mumbled.

"Barely, and anytime you do it's not yours. I want to see you smile from ear to ear."

"Why?"I asked before I could stop myself. I cringed at my words and wished I could take the back.

"Why? What do you mean why?"

"Why do you want to see me smile?"I whispered.

"Because I like seeing you happy, and I know you're happy when you wear that bright, perfect grin."

The only sound for a while was the crashing of waves against rocks. What was there to say?

"You don't think your smile is perfect, do you?"He asked quietly. I didn't say anything which was an answer in itself.

"Y/N, do you remember how we met?"He asked out of the blue.

"Of course I do. You were the third person up in the Glade. I helped you out of the box and showed you around,"I reminessed.

"And do you remember how scared I was at first?"

"Yeah. Alby and I were worried you were never going to leave the box."

"And I might not have. There was one thing though, that told me everything was going to be okay,"He stated, pausing so I was left with a burning curiosity.

"What was it?"I wondered.

"You. You held out your hand and flashed me that brilliant smile. Suddenly, everything was okay because you were there. I didn't even know my name, but that if someone could have such a genuine smile I would be okay,"He admitted.

I looked at him and searched his face for any sign of a fib. Then, I realized who I was sitting with. Newt's a lot of things, practically all of them incredible, but a liar is not on the list.

"See? There's that contagious smile,"He remarked, making me recognize that I was practically beaming. It's so hard not to when I'm around him.

"Now don't you ever hide that amazing smile again. Good that?"He checked.

"As long as I have you then yeah. Good that,"I agreed.

"Good. Do you want to go back to everyone else?"He offered.

I didn't say anything as I placed my head on his shoulder which was another silent answer.

Right there I was perfectly content in that one simple moment. It was just the sunset, me, and the one person who never fails to make me smile.

[drafthorsemath]

Brotherly Love

Synopsis: Crosshair can't sleep and Tech appears to him as a force ghost. Lots of comfort.

A/N: I need some kind of conclusion for my brain. Whether you accept the finale and that Tech is dead, I think I need to get this out of my system to grieve.

Word Count: 846

It was nearly pitchblack in the bedroom, save for a sliver of a moonbeam shining through the window. Pabu was quiet this time of night and usually Crosshair found comfort in that. Tonight though, he was struck by sadness. He thought of Tech and the nights they'd spend together as cadets. Crosshair's eyes would hurt from the bright lights on Kamino after long days of training. Tech would turn off the lights, get into bed with him, and read to him. Crosshair smiled as he thought about all the different things Tech read. History, science, even the occasional holonovel. He would always find comfort laying next to his brother and hearing his voice. He wished he could hear him again now.

Crosshair sat up in bed and sighed as he looked out the window. He could swear he felt Tech's hand on his shoulder; steady and comforting as it always was. He sniffled and leaned into the sensation, only to realize that it wasn't just a figment of his imagination.

"Tech?!" Crosshair jumped up and turned to see a kind of blue light around what he could have swore was his brother. "What the kriff?!"

"Yes," Tech replied, examining his glowing limbs with curiosity. "I could ask the same thing."

Crosshair reached out to try to touch him. He felt a presence and yet could see through him.

"Is it really you?" Crosshair asked.

"Of course it's really me," Tech replied with an eye roll.

"How are you doing this?" Crosshair asked.

"I am unsure," came the honest answer. "However, matter is never created nor destroyed. It simply changes form. For whatever reason, this is the form I am currently taking."

Crosshair sat back down and without warning, sharply inhaled and let out a sob. Tech put his hand back on his brother's shoulder.

"I've missed you," Crosshair said, trying to compose himself.

"I'm still here," Tech said. "I've always thought of you before I fell and I've been with you since. I cannot fully explain the latter part."

"This is the first time I've seen you like this, though," Crosshair noted.

Tech nodded. They sat in silence for several minutes. Crosshair somehow understood now. All those times he felt like Tech was with him and he tried to suppress the feeling for fear it wasn't true when in reality, his brother had never left him.

"Tech?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry," Crosshair looked into his brother's familiar eyes and couldn't help but let a tear slip despite his best efforts. "I'm sorry I didn't leave the Empire sooner. I missed out on time with you. I should have done better."

Tech shook his head and pulled Crosshair into a hug.

"I am just glad you came home," Tech said. Both men felt relief. Relief that there were no hard feelings between them and that they cared for each other as they always had.

After awhile longer, Tech asked, "Shouldn't you be getting some rest?"

"I don't want to wake up and find you're not here."

"I'll still be here, Crosshair. Even if you can't see me and I promise I'll do my best to show up so you can. There has to be some interesting science behind this and now I have an infinite amount of time to try to figure it out."

Crosshair chuckled. That was so like him. Then, even though Tech had changed form, Crosshair could sense his brother had a question as easily as if they'd both been there in the flesh.

"What is it?" Crosshair asked.

"Are you going to get a prosthetic for your hand?"

"I'm not sure yet. I still have my left hand and Echo's given me some tips on getting by."

"If you do get a prosthesis I would be happy to help you optimize its utility."

"Can you even hold a spanner?" Crosshair asked dryly.

"I'm sitting on your bed and just gave you a hug. If I can do that, I do not see why I cannot use tools to fix something."

"Fair point," Crosshair replied with a grin. "I'll let you know."

Without a word, Crosshair and Tech both laid down as they had done when they were cadets. Instead of reading, they talked about their brothers and Omega. How much time it took them to truly relax on Pabu after the intensity of all that had happened. How Omega was growing, having something of a childhood, and how her piloting skills were improving all the time. They were both filled with pride in her.

It took awhile, but Crosshair finally let himself sleep, still feeling his brother right next to him. When he woke up in the morning, he startled a bit. He couldn't see Tech anymore. His eyes searched his room, but Tech was no where to be found. Had it been a dream? Was his brain taunting him? Just as he wanted to curse these mind games, he felt Tech's hand on his shoulder again and took a deep breath. Tech was still there. Crosshair would never have to be alone again.

[itsabouttimex2]

I loved the reactions to the lady bone demon defendant! But what about LBD reacting to it? Platonic of course, but would she try to manipulate them? Perhaps get them to join her willingly or by force?

Descendant of the Lady Bone Demon: Part Three

(Part One) (Part Two) (Part Three)

Maybe they should've seen this coming. Maybe there were a few warning signs they didn't pick up on. Looking back on it now, it's pretty obvious, isn't it? All those little things should've added up a long time ago.

The way the room grew silent and tense when you walked in, no matter how how exuberant it had been prior. How you manage to sneak up on everyone without even trying, as though you had no presence. The wide berth that strangers give you, even though they can't explain why. That last one had been particularly strange for your friends. They hadn't understood why people would treat you so coldly, not back then.

They understand now.

Just because someone loves you doesn’t mean that they want the best for you.

The man that Megapolis calls their ‘Mayor’ has somehow become your most enduring caretaker thus far. Everyone that came before him had either given you up after a few scarce months of guardianship, disappeared without a trace, or succumbed to some kind of sickness.

Frequently, the blame had been put on you. If a child gets passed through foster home after foster home after foster home and never acclimates to any of them, there’s a conclusion that many will draw- the child isn’t trying hard enough.

Never mind how many of your guardians would leave you locked outside for hours on end, well into the freezing cold night.

Never mind how often they ‘forgot’ to properly feed and clothe you, pocketing the allotted care salary for themselves.

Never mind often you weren’t allowed to explore the temporary houses outside of your own room, kept away from areas meant for ‘real’ family.

Never mind often how you were fed box-mix macaroni-and-cheese while your foster family ate real meat and vegetables.

Never mind any of that, of course.

The problem was obviously you, your ‘families’ had decided. And so had their friends and extended families, and even the system that threw you from one miserable little home to the next, leaving you with no one and next to nothing. All that you owned you carried around in a disposable plastic sack, never bothering to unpack and try to settle in.

You’d be gone in another month or two anyways.

Until you had been introduced to the mayor of Megapolis, that had been all the life you had ever known.

With one hand firmly on your back, he leads you into his house, a discreet building hidden away in quiet part of the city. It stands proudly above you, an ancient building refitted time and time again to suit the ever-changing trends of time. The walls are painted in elegant grays and a variety of tastefully selected blues, providing a clean and refined atmosphere.

It wasn’t often that you could truly call a temporary home clean. And this was certainly the first time you could apply an adjective such as ‘elegant’ to a building.

So many houses run-down from lack of care, pet urine long-seeped into fraying carpets, worn cots covered in dust and packed six or eight to one crumbling room.

His arm shifts down your back and to your wrist, holding tight. With such unnervingly wide eyes and the rictus grin he sports, you should be scared.

You should be scared that he’ll hurt you. But you’ve lived a life that’s proven to you a single fact: getting hurt is inevitable.

No matter how much you come to trust someone or how long you live with them- there’s no love or kindness. Just an always-ticking clock, counting down until the moment they break and throw you out quicker then they would toss trash.

But there’s no bruising grip this time. No harsh shoves. No unkind words. No molded side room that smells of bleach and detergent.

“Welcome home, Y/N!” he calls out with a much too loud tone, grinning ear to ear. “I hope you like your new room!”

It’s… actually nice. Not ‘for your standards’ nice. It’s ‘hotel’ nice. ‘Lavish guest room’ nice.

The longer you spend basking in the pleasantly smooth greys and blues of your new room, the more welcoming they feel.

“Thanks,” you manage to say, hoping that you weren’t ‘too late with gratitude’ as you had been so many times before according to many, many caretakers.

“Why, of course!” The grey-clad man pats your back with far too much force, pushing you inside with a stretched grin. “Please, get comfortable! I hope you’ll enjoy your- hopefully- very long stay!”

The door slams behind you, but doesn’t lock. That’s good, you think. You could leave, if you wanted to. You weren’t just trapped in here until your case worker came and asked for you.

And you think that might be the case when he knocks on the door hours later, probably to hand you a metaphorical eviction notice and throw you out because he got ‘unnerved’ like everyone always does-

And you are instead invited downstairs for a hot drink.

How could you say no?

The fireplace is hot, stoked by old papers strewn between the logs inside. If you looked closer, you’d see the names of your previous caretakers and case workers, printed onto them in neat lettering, all in a short, succinct list. And you’d notice the big ‘missing persons report’ stamped in bright red.

But the tea is warm and sweet, and the ‘Mayor’ has his arm around your shoulders as he holds you a little too close-

And you’re naive and desperate enough to consider this safe.

The Lady Bone Demon watches from within. She’s an ever-present force creeping through your veins, ice-cold and unearthly. Her power courses your blood, pumping slow. She feels through your hands. She sees through your eyes. She hears through your ears.

There’s no escape from her.

Carefully, the Lady sows and reaps your suffering. From the confines of your flesh, she makes note of all that brings you to tears, all that brings you to your knees.

In pulses, she strengthens you. Where you walk, crystals grow, smothering flowers and grass in your unknowing wake.

In waves, she activates the powers lying dormant in your veins. Bones buried deep underground shift and stir, waiting eagerly to heed your call.

In surges, she unleashes her presence, staining your eyes the color of a deathly cold ocean. All but a select few retreat in droves, leaving you to wonder what you’ve done to deserve your loneliness.

It is nothing short of cultivation. Within you blooms a small seed of her power, and she stokes it from the inside. The bud of cold blue slowly blooms, rooting deep through your blood. In time, she weaves those roots further and further into the fertile soil of your flesh, ensuring that they may never be pulled free without the utter destruction of your life.

A flower; unremovable, of crystalline sinew and careful tending, a slow and creeping overtake of your life woven by hands unseen. A growing mote of power to be plucked and consumed, taken as part of a greater whole when the day finally comes that you bloom.

And what a wonderful sacrifice you shall make for her cause.

[seospicybin]

ONE OF A KIND.

Felix x reader. (s,f)

Synopsis: When you live in a small island there’s nothing more exciting than meet a new man in town, Felix. It’s getting more peculiarly nostalgic as if you feel like you’ve known him for years. (12,7k words)

Author's note: Last one of my One series and I'm sorry?

Out of all the days in the week, your favorite is Friday.

Not because you're working a 9 to 5 job and the next day after that is the weekend.

You like Friday because you like how everyone seems to be more relaxed on that particular day. It's a day you choose to do everything you wanted to do.

You wake up to the sound of the waves crashing from afar and the sound of the wind-chime you hang in your window, you look out to see the glimmering surface of the sea blinding you.

As the smell of the ocean fills your nostrils, you can tell that it is going to be a good day.

The warm shower washes your sleep away and you pick your favorite summer dress from the closet. Blue like the sky with tiny white roses dotted the fabric and it fits you perfectly.

It's always sunny on this island, it's so small that you can go anywhere with your bike and you know it like the back of your hand, but that's why you like it.

It feels like your small private island.

The first thing to do is visit your sister's bakery for breakfast.

Your choice will always be the cinnamon roll and just from the smell alone, already make you salivate. But what makes cinnamon rolls taste so good and leave you wanting more is the sweetness of the glaze which is made from cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, warm butter, and vanilla extract with a hint of salt.

It's sweet and savory, the perfect treat to start your day with.

"Coffee?" Your sister offers.

"I'll get it myself," you say, going behind the counter to prepare a cup of coffee for yourself.

"Be careful, it's hot!" Your sister warns like she already knew you're about to touch the wrong side of the coffee pot.

You chuckle at the sheer luck, "thank you!"

Carefully, you pour the hot coffee into your cup and before you can get it to the table, a customer enters the place and walks up to the counter to order.

Your sister is in the back kitchen, probably getting a fresh batch of bakery out of the oven. It's not a loss to help her even though it's your day off.

He smiles as soon as you face him, a kind smile, not a flirty one, but one that you rarely get especially in the morning when people haven't gotten caffeine in their system yet.

"Good morning!"

"Morning!" He greets back without looking at you.

"Can I help you?"

He looks at you for a few more seconds as if to wait for you to offer something else than coffee or bread.

After a moment, he finally comes up with an order, "I'd like a cup of latte."

It surprises you how his voice doesn't sound like it belongs to him. It's deep and low, in contrast to his pretty features and slim figure.

"One latte!" You repeat and add it to the till machine.

He saunters to the display counter filled with all kinds of bakery goods and a selection of cakes.

"And... one pain au chocolat," he adds.

A chuckle escapes your mouth.

"Something funny?" He asks with a confused smile.

You feel bad for the way you behaved, making it seems like you make fun of him, "I'm sorry, it's just that people usually called it a chocolate croissant," you explain with an apologetic smile.

"It's the first time someone addressed it by its French name, huh?"

"I'm sorry. I feel bad for laughing," you apologize again with your head down, can't look him in the eyes.

"That's alright," he assures you.

"Anything else?"

"That's it!" He says.

You calculate everything and inform him how much he should pay, take the money and hurriedly hand him the change.

He waits by the end of the counter for his order and you make sure that you get it right, you don't need another embarrassing moment to share with him.

You slide the tray with his order to him, "Enjoy!" You keep it short then run to the back with your coffee and cinnamon rolls.

You're planning on spending the morning drawing a thing or two before you start cycling around the island.

"May I sit here?" Someone asks.

You glance to see the man who spoke little French earlier with his coffee cup in hand.

You consider it for a little while but he doesn't seem like the type to chat a lot, you shrug and gesture for him to sit.

"Thank you," he mutters with another gentle smile and sits across from you.

With the morning sunlight shining through the window, you can see the freckles on his face, like God sprinkled the stars on his face.

He pulls out a book from his bag, you can't see the title since he puts the book down on the table, reading it quietly with his eyes and the beautiful eyelashes that rest along his eyelids.

That makes your head wander off without you intending to. You remind yourself to hurry up and take out your journal from your bag. Nothing makes you feel more excited than a new, clean page.

You look around for anything to draw and see magpies perching on the tree across the street.

In the middle of it though you wonder why your journal seems so empty despite you feeling like you have drawn a lot of things in it.

You take a bite of your cinnamon rolls and a sip of your coffee after.

"You like drawing?" He suddenly asks.

You are too busy drawing and didn't notice he has been watching you. It's too late to hide it now, you decide to let the journal open, then answer him, "yes."

"I like that one," he points to the drawing on the previous page.

You smile and look at it, "it's a drawing of the sunset on the hill."

"The hill?"

You nod, "have you been there?"

"No," he shortly answers.

You take a look at him again and get this feeling that he feels so oddly familiar but you swear you have never seen him before.

"Have we met before?" You dared yourself to ask.

He pauses for a moment and closes his book, "No, I'm new in town."

He puts his book into his bag, "why?"

You awkwardly chuckle and rub your chin nervously, "I don't know why but I feel like I have seen you before."

"Ah!" He nods, "maybe you have seen me around before."

"Maybe," you vaguely answer but that's plausible since it's a small town anyway. You decide to pick up your pencil and continue drawing.

"How long have you been living here?" He asks out of the blue.

"All my life," you answer.

"That means you know everything about this island?"

"I guess I can confidently say yes to that," you answer with a polite smile.

He sips his drink, "Actually, I haven't gone around much," he says.

He leans forward on the table, "I wonder if you can show me around?"

You snort in response.

And just like he knows you thought he was joking he quickly adds, "I'll pay for the service, of course!"

He is serious and he's willing to pay you just to be his tour guide for the day. You make a quick observation and assess it in your head, that he seems smart, polite, and warm, as warm as the morning sun feels on your skin that morning.

There's no harm in taking a sudden job offer, consider this killing two birds with one stone even though you're not that keen on killing animals for that matter.

"Why me?"

He shrugs, "because you are a true local, there's no one who knows this town better than a local," he eloquently answers with that kind smile.

You call it a kind smile because there's no hint of malice in it, just pure kindness like he was born into the world with a smile like an angel.

He's a decent man with no intentions to harm you, that kind smile assures you that.

You chuckle at his remark, "then you should hire the chief, not me."

"I've seen the chief, he's not my type," he jokes with a low laugh.

"And I am your type?" You joke back.

"A beautiful girl like you is my type," he innocently answers like he's prepared that answer beforehand.

You laugh at how straightforward he is and that is enough proof that he's not from this town.

"I can show you a few places," you say while calculating how many places can you visit in one day.

"A few places is enough," he says.

You close your journal and put your pencil back into its case, "can you ride a bicycle?"

He props a hand under his chin, "as far as I remember, yes," he answers.

After telling him that the two of you will be riding the bicycle, you're going to the back of the shop to borrow your sister's bike to lend to the new guy in town.

It comes to your realization that you haven't introduced yourself to him, you bring the bike to him, then introduced yourself.

He holds his hand out at you with that sweet smile on his face, "I'm Felix," he introduces himself.

The moment your hand touches his, you get a funny feeling that resembles something like reuniting with an old friend. You clearly mistake it and decide to laugh it off.

"Get ready!" You quickly hold the handlebars of your bike.

"So, what is our first destination?" He asks, following you and walking the bike to the front of the bakery.

You get on your bike and look over your shoulder at him "we're going to see the stars," you answer with a sly smile.

"Stars? But it's only 9 am!" He says, perplexed.

You ride your bike at a much slower pace since you're guiding someone for a trip around the town and the first destination is close enough that there's no need to rush.

"The observatory?" He asks with a raised eyebrow.

You nod and parked your bike on the available spot, then help him with his.

The head of security of this place is a regular at the bakery, you know his order by heart, half a dozen of glazed donuts and a cup of coffee with two sugars and cream.

He always reminds you to come to the observatory and you're more than happy to come here every day but let's not be inconsiderate because this man works there and you may get him in trouble.

"Don't get your hopes up, we're not going to the observatory," you tell him as he follows you to enter a building.

"But we're going to the planetarium," you add before he gets disappointed, pointing to the other building in the vicinity.

Someone stops you from entering the place with your hand already holding the handle of the door, "I'm sorry miss, but the planetarium only opens to the public on the weekends," he says.

If you haven't seen him before that means he's probably new security. You softly laugh and calmly explain, "I understand that you don't know me but can you tell Mr. Park that it's me coming to the planetarium?"

He stands between you and the door to the planetarium, "I'm sorry, miss, I can't allow you," he persists.

You glance at Felix and it's obvious that you're not the only one uncomfortable about this. It's your first destination and it's already getting embarrassing that you feel like wanting to shrink into a microscopic size.

"Can you at least try and call Mr. Park first, please?" You plead one more time.

"There's no one named Mr. Park in here," the new security says.

You scoff in disbelief, "he's the head of security here," you almost snap but remind yourself to keep calm. It was only yesterday that you packed him a half dozen of donuts and a coffee to go.

Felix has a right to be confused by this but he looks just as upset as you, he steps into the matter and says, "I think we can surely make a phone call to confirm."

He then takes the security aside and you can't hear what they're talking about because they're out of your earshot.

After a moment, they're walking back to you and the security pushes the door open.

"Not more than an hour," he warns as he lets the two of you inside.

Felix grabs your hand leading you inside. Even though the matter is solved, you can't stop feeling embarrassed because of it.

"So, what are we going to do here?" He asks.

You keep looking down at your feet, suddenly feel stupid for taking him here just because you know someone from the inside, "I don't know why I'm taking you here," you meekly say.

"Well, it must be because you find this place interesting," Felix says.

For someone who has just met you roughly an hour ago, he puts his faith so much in you. You don't know whether he's overly chivalrous or you should be suspicious of him.

"It's a bad idea to take you here," you sigh, regretting your choice for taking him here of all places you know on the island.

He gently grabs your elbow and says, "come on, we don't have much time!"

That makes you realize you've been wasting time contemplating your choice. Since you're already inside anyway, there's no use to fret.

You start walking and showing him around with both of your footsteps echoing in the empty planetarium.

You skip right to the place you wanted to show him, to the dome where there's a projection of stars on the dome. Mr. Park has shown you how to turn the projection on, you're not forgetting to turn the lights off before joining Felix in the center of the room.

"We're going to be standing here?" He awkwardly asks.

You shake your head and pull him by the hand to sit down next to you.

"Oh okay, we're sitting," he says as he gets comfortable sitting on the floor

But then you lay down on the floor and Felix follows suit, slowly laying his body next to you. In a second, the ceiling of the dome is filled with countless stars and they're the closest he has ever seen yet they're still out of his reach.

"What's your star sign?" You ask.

"Virgo."

You scan the projection to find his constellation and look between the Leo and Libra constellations.

"There!" You point to the constellation that forms a lazy Y shape.

He looks to where you point at the ceiling of the dome and gasps, "oh, that one?"

"It's the second largest constellation in the sky," you explain.

"Oh, wow!" He exclaims in awe and sounds truthfully fascinated by it.

You turn to look at him to know if he's enjoying this little amusement that is personal to you because you never show it to anyone else before.

Notices that you're looking at him, he turns his head and smiles at you.

"Beautiful!" He softly says.

And you can say the same thing about the constellations his freckles made on his cheeks.

You look away thinking you'll weird him out if you look at him for long, "yeah, it's beautiful."

With the absence of lights, the stars look more vivid and the dark that surrounded the two of you, makes it feels like the two of you floating in outer space.

Just the two of you.

-

The sun is shining so brightly but the winds are a bit cold for a summer day.

You're not complaining though because it helps you not to sweat a lot, it feels refreshing that the wind slips through your hair as you keep pedaling your bike.

Once in a while, you look over your shoulder to make sure you don't go too fast and leave Felix behind.

"You're supposed to take me to a gift shop at the end of the tour," Felix says but doesn't look like he's complaining at all.

You chuckle, "It's so that we don't have to go back and forth..."

You stop explaining as he keeps staring at you, it's the eyes that tell so much more than just a stare, the eyes making you feel embraced.

It almost feels like he sees someone that he hasn't seen in a long time.

But that's only possible if the two of you had met before.

"Are you sure we never met before?" You blurt out as you park your bike outside the gift shop.

Felix chuckles and parks his bike next to yours, skipping on answering your question.

The gift shop sells handmade products that are made by the locals, ranging from t-shirts to little figurines made of glass.

You let him look around the shop before taking him to the second floor where there's a room with dozens of wind-chime hanging around the room.

"It's where they make wind-chime," you say.

There's a big wooden table in the middle of the room, cluttering with materials from seashells to feathers and tools scattering around.

"Have you ever made one yourself?"

You nod, "I have one in my house."

"I'd like to see," he says.

You chuckle because he takes your answer as an indirect invitation to come to your house. You'll never get used to his bluntness but you don't mind it either. It surprises you how much you tolerate him even though he's a stranger you've just met hours ago.

"Yeah, sure," You joke because it's the only proper way to respond to that.

When a gust of wind blows in, the wind-chime clink together and collectively make chiming sounds that filled the room with music.

They keep swaying in the direction of where the wind blows.

"Do you want to try and make one?" You ask.

"I'm bad at DIY," he answers with a grimace.

You laugh at how honest he is, there's no pretending in everything he says or does which is very rare. When you meet someone new, they usually hide behind their facade of what kind of person they wanted to be perceived as.

Something about Felix convinces you he has no fear of showing his true self to you.

That scares you a little but at the same time, keeps you intrigued.

Felix takes a few pictures with his phone before going back to the first floor where he continues looking around the shop for something to buy.

You wait for him by the cashier while looking at the beaded bracelets on the counter when all of a sudden a little girl comes to you and hugs you.

"Hi, hello," you greet with a confused tone.

She doesn't say anything but wraps her hands around your waist and looks up at you.

"I'm done looking around," Felix comes back while clutching a few things in his chest and sees the little girl hugging you.

You shake your head at him, "I have no idea," you lowly mutter to him.

Felix puts down the things he's going to buy on the counter and squats down to be at the same eye level as the little girl.

"Can you please tell your mom that I need to pay?" He sweetly asks while fixing the little girl's hair endearingly.

The little girl still not saying anything but nods at him.

"Good girl! Now go, go, go..." he's cheering for her as she gets inside the house to get her mom.

You tip your head to the side even more confused than before, "how do you know she's the daughter of the owner?"

He shrugs, "well... that's the only thing that makes sense," he vaguely explains while uneasily looking at a cart of postcards.

A few minutes later, the owner of the gift shop comes out with the little girl trailing behind her.

"I'm sorry for making you wait," the owner says and immediately packs Felix's things while counting them.

"I don't know you have a daughter," you say because as far as you remember, the owner of the giftshop lives with her brother who made all of those wind-chime and they're both not married yet.

She awkwardly chuckles and answers, "she's my... uh, little cousin."

You nod and take a look at the girl again, how she shares an uncanny resemblance with the owner, "she has your eyes," you pointed out.

She takes Felix's credit card to process the purchase, "yeah, many people said the same thing," she sheepishly says.

Then she returns Felix's card and hands him his things, "thank you!"

Felix smiles at her while putting his card back into his wallet, he then turns at you, "shall we go?"

"Sure," you say.

You smile at the owner and wave at the little girl before exiting the gift shop.

-

After having a quick lunch at a food truck by the beach, you take Felix for a short walk to the ice cream parlor for desserts.

"They have the best ice cream on the island," you brag to him while pushing the door to get inside.

"Oh yeah?"

You turn around as Felix enters after you, "and it's my treat," you say.

The ice cream parlor is a place to go especially after spending time at the beach and you know the owner well, you have been a regular since you were little.

And on Friday, they always give an extra scoop of ice cream.

"Hi, can I take your order?" The girl says in her pink and yellow uniform that matches the interior of the ice cream parlor.

"In a minute," you say and give time for Felix to choose a flavor from the selection displayed on the counter.

"They're all looking good," he says with wrinkled brows like this is a life-or-death decision to make.

"What would you recommend?" He asks you.

You point to the display counter, "Cookies and cream or the... peanut butter?" you recommend but to be honest, you're indecisive too when it comes to ice cream.

"They're all good," you add.

He laughs because you're only making it hard for him to choose.

"What are you having?"

"Chocolate chip cookie dough," you reply.

Seeing that he still needs time to decide, you order first while taking out your wallet from your bag, "I'll have one chocolate chip cookie dough on a cone."

She takes your order and types something on the computer.

"Do I get an extra scoop?" You ask.

"I'm sorry?"

"I get an extra scoop on Friday," you point to the poster on the wall for the promotion. It's clearly written extra scoop on Friday in bold fonts.

"Yes, but it's not Friday," she calmly explains.

Felix grabs your elbow and once again, steps into the matter that you guess he's about to solve.

"And I'll have the butter pecan," he adds and pulls out his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans.

"Hey, I'm paying," you remind him and hurriedly pull out your card from your wallet.

He looks at you and smiles, "I'll just cut it from your pay later," he simply says.

Felix hands the cashier his credit card and says, "and don't forget the extra scoops."

The cashier looks at him with a baffled expression but after a moment, she takes his card from him.

In the end, you get your extra scoop but something is tugging at your chest. When you look back at all the strange things happening today, it's like you know you missed something but you can't pinpoint what it is.

"Are we going to watch the sunset at the beach?" Felix asks as he walks beside you.

You softly laugh seeing the ice cream on the corner of his mouth, you grab his arm and turn him to face you.

"Stay still for me," you order and take a napkin you brought.

You slowly dab his mouth with the napkin and can't help but notice that he's looking at your lips, you hand him the napkin after and look away.

"I have a better place to watch the sunset from," you say.

The bike ride to your next destination is going to be a tough one since the road is steep and bumpy.

But if you want to make it there for the sunset, you have to keep pedaling even though your legs are screaming in pain.

You both eventually stopped pedaling and get off your bikes, deciding to walk them for the rest of the journey up the hill.

Felix fortunately puts all of his trust in you, he doesn't complain or keep asking where you're taking him, which is normal if he does.

Surprisingly though, he's very calm about it.

You put the bikes next to a tree and you take out a bottle of water from your bag, handing it to him.

"Thanks!" He mutters to you and impatiently uncaps the bottle to drink it.

You take another one from your bag and take a big long gulp before start walking to where you're going to watch the sunset.

"What is this place?" Felix asks while taking another sip of water.

"Ruins of a castle," you answer.

There's a crease formed between his eyebrows in a curl of a question mark.

You softly laugh before explaining further, "not exactly a castle but there used to be a birdwatching tower here."

You lead him climbing up the stairs that remained from the ruins and stopping by the concrete barrier, looking out at the sea that seems to be one with the sky.

Felix stands next to you, taking in the breathtaking view in silence while you're observing him.

"You don't seem to be impressed," you say and you've never been this blunt to someone you recently acquainted with, somehow with him, it feels like okay to do that.

He smiles and takes a long deep breath, "which one do you think matters the most? The place or the people you're with?"

Instead of answering your question, he asks you with a new one that got you thinking long and hard.

Your head starts to make scenarios in your head. One is that you go to a beautiful place but you come with your least favorite person to be with and the other one is you go to a horrible place but it's with someone you love.

If you compare those two, the latter seems to be a better answer.

"The people," you answer.

Felix's head is tilted up to see the sky turning golden as the sun is going down with the day and after a moment, he finally turns his head to look at you.

"I really like this place," he says.

He stares into your eyes as if the reflection of the sunset in them is more stunning than the one happening at the end of the horizon.

Then he leans in a little closer at you, "but I like the person I'm with more," he finishes with a soft smile with his eyes filled with warmth. Even with the daylight almost gone, he's luminescent and bright, how come you've never seen such a face?

However, this feeling and this moment you're sharing right now are almost nostalgic like it has happened before.

Is this what people called as fate? Everything about him puts the pieces right in their places.

"Do you want to go see the wind-chime at my house?" You blurt out the question as if he wouldn't get that the wind-chime is just an excuse.

A smile rises on his face as the sun set for the day, "sure."

-

Before it gets too dark, you slowly ride your bikes down the hill and take a few shortcuts to your house.

You arrived just in time as the sun fully disappeared and the moon has taken its place in the sky.

You turn on all of the lights in the house before letting him in and quickly excused yourself to the bathroom, aware that he can see all the beads of sweat on your face.

You wash your face, apply lip balm, brush your hair, and spray a little perfume before getting out of the bathroom. You may still look exhausted but at least you smell nice.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I haven't offered you a drink," you say the moment you see him standing there in the living room, looking out at the back garden with the view of the sea.

"That's okay," he says.

You go to the kitchen and suddenly forgot where you put your things in there, "water? Soda? Juice?"

"Anything will do!"

You take a glass from the top cabinet, "a glass of anything then!" You joke as you open the fridge to get a carton of juice.

His laugh is deep and echoing in the house, "do you mind if I take a look around?"

"Oh please, make yourself at home," you kindly reply and watches him making his way out to the back porch.

You bring the glass of juice in your hand knowing that he must be in your little studio and find him looking at your drawings.

"Here you go!" You give him his glass of juice.

"Thank you," He doesn't waste time taking a sip and puts the glass down on the table.

He then continues looking at the drawings you put on the wall and doing it so attractively, you get to see his side profile of sharp jaws, a small nose, and lips.

"Your drawings are beautiful!"

His deep voice is enough to get you out of your reverie, you immediately mutter your gratitude, "thanks!"

"You're a great artist!" He praises once again.

It's the way he delivers the praise that got your heart palpitations, "I'm not an artist yet but I got a scholarship to attend an art school this year," you don't want to brag but this kind of opportunity doesn't come often.

"In fact, I'm leaving next month," you add with an excited laugh, still can't believe it yourself.

Felix's gaze turns a shade dimmer like he has just heard something awful, "wow, congratulations!" He says but the excitement isn't there.

"Thank you!" Yet you sincerely thanked him for it.

You remember you haven't asked him his intention on this island, "how about you?"

"Huh?"

"Are you here for a vacation or do you plan on staying?" You ask out of curiosity.

"Or do you like my sister's pain au chocolat too much?" You add a joke at the end to not make it seems like you're pressuring him to answer.

He smiles and turns to face you, "I'm staying."

"Permanently?"

"It seems like that, yeah," he answers.

It's too early to assume that he was sad to know that you'll be leaving soon when he only started living on the island but you can't help it either.

"Well, you'll love it here," you tell him, and deep inside you got inexplicably sad that you only met him now.

You both exchange a gaze that elicits the same emotions, of something tender but sorrowful. How do you even have these sorts of feelings toward someone you know barely hours ago?

It's a mystery but you like how you can comfortably look into his eyes and drown yourself in them.

Felix breaks the eye contact first and asks, "so, where's the wind-chime?"

You slightly got a bit jittery, "it's uhm... it's in the other room," you can't find yourself saying the exact location but leads him there.

You both go back inside the house and turn to the right to enter one of the rooms.

Once he stepped inside, Felix calmly walks up to the window and pushes it open to let the air in.

The wind-chime sways and makes clinking sounds, "yours is beautiful," he compliments.

"I bet you know the wind-chime is just an excuse," you shyly say.

He sheepishly smiles and nods.

You approach him and stop right next to him, looking at his face under the pale moonlight that adds a mystifying glow, and makes him appear like a mythical entity.

"Can I kiss you?" You know your curiosity can only be answered with a kiss.

"I swear to you I've never done this before," you start to blabber because that's what you do when you're nervous.

"But you feel so oddly familiar to me like we've met and known each other for years, I just wanted to—"

Before you can finish your sentence, he leans in and closes the gap between your bodies.

It's like the stars aligned the moment your lips touched, it's ethereal and just right.

Your eyes are still closed when he pulls away and you try so hard to find a name for this peculiar feeling, one that resembles a feeling of coming home.

"Is it bad?" He asks with his hands still cupping your face as you stay quiet for a good minute.

You open your eyes and slowly shake your head, "kissing a stranger," you lowly mutter.

You jerk your head back in confusion, "I've never done that before..."

Felix softly chuckles, "yeah, you told me."

You touch his face and swipe your thumb over his small lips, "can we kiss again?"

Strange that you don't see any signs of confusion on Felix's face, "of course, yeah," he answers while laughing.

You're the one leaning in this time and gently place your lips on his, feeling his warm soft lips against yours for a few seconds then let go.

"Interesting..." you sigh in a perplexed tone.

Felix drops his hands to hold you by the waist and you like how he feels around you, safe and comfortable.

You look at his face and laugh at this funny thought that crossed your head, "can we do more than just a kiss?"

Felix once again doesn't seem to be surprised by the question but cracks a laugh at you, "is that what you want?"

You laugh again while burying your face in his chest, drinking in his natural scent mixed with sunshine and sea breeze.

Then you shyly nod without looking at him.

"We can do that," Felix says with his mouth close to the top of your head.

After a while, you look up at him and do not hesitate to kiss him, "maybe after a few more of this," you say between kisses.

And he caters to your wants, returning the kisses with the same passion while holding you close.

"Should we go to bed?" You ask.

Felix doesn't answer but takes you to your bed, patting the space next to him.

However, you choose to sit on his lap and straddle him, kissing him again only to be the one who breaks it again, "I can't believe I asked you that," you say with a low laugh.

You plant a long kiss on his lips and sigh, "I swear to you I am not the type to ask someone I barely know to have sex with me, I—"

You pause to catch a breath from your constant blabbering.

Felix brushes your hair to the side and endearingly cups your jaw, "are you nervous?"

You put your hands around his neck, "a little."

"Do you want to continue?"

"Yes," you answer rather too quickly but you're way past embarrassing yourself at this point.

Felix sweetly smiles as he puts all of your hair away to the side and holds them there, "you're so beautiful."

It's the sincerity in his voice that assured you that his compliments aren't just empty words, they are genuine.

You want to adore him in the same way, one hand slips in his dark locks, and the other trails his defined jaw, you use the chance to play connect the dots with the freckles on his face.

"And you are so, so beautiful," you mutter back as earnestly as possible your voice quivering along with your heart.

The kisses he places on your lips next feel softer and longer than the previous ones but they hold intensity in them, hungry and a little possessive as if someone will take it from him.

And the next kiss is explosive as if this one unlocked the insecurities in both of you, setting them free.

Felix starts to take the dress off of you, exposing your skin to the cool night air and raising goosebumps all over your body.

"I have to warn you that I might be bad at it," you say as Felix puts your dress away.

"At what?" He asks back.

"Sex," you meekly answer.

He takes your hands and put them on his chest, "I'll be the judge of that," he calmly says.

Somehow your hands know what to do and start working the buttons of his shirt, impatiently parting it open after seeing the muscles he hides underneath that shirt.

He helps by taking it off of him and putting it aside, drawing you close to him again, kissing you hungrier than before.

You both collapse onto the bed and tangled your bodies like two slithering snakes, touching and kneading, lips endlessly attached.

More pieces of clothing are off until there are none but mere skins and limbs on the white sheet.

Felix sinks his mouth onto your neck and kisses you there, wet kisses that make you flutter on the inside. Like you aren't intoxicated enough, he slides his mouth down your chest and hovers there, taking your breast in his mouth in turns.

Your soft moans fill the space and echo in the room, your hand slips into his silky fine hair. 

You tug a little harder at it as he sucks harder on your nipple that Felix lets out a yelp.

"I'm sorry," you quickly apologize.

You gently rub his scalp with your fingertips to soothe the pain, "it's just that... they're so sensitive," you meekly admit.

Felix uses his index finger to rub your nipple in circular motions with his eyes looking at you through his lashes, "are they?"

You bite your lower lip to stop yourself from moaning and nod, "If you keep doing that, I may—" your words got cut off as Felix tugs your nipple between his teeth, then takes a mouthful of your ample flesh in his mouth.

Felix lets go with a popping sound, leaving your breast swollen and wet with his saliva.

He hastily kisses your mouth then brings his mouth close to your ear, "you know what?"

You turn your head to the side to look at him and mutter, "what?"

He presses his mouth into your other ear, "I can't wait to be inside you," his hot breath tickling, sending a shiver down your spine.

You feel the knot inside you ever so slowly tightening the more he aroused you.

Felix's hand is reaching for the drawers on the bedside table and you guess he's looking for condoms.

"It's on the second drawer," you tell him while watching his hand pull it open and take a condom out of the box.

It's probably a common thing that people keep condoms close to the bed, you reckon since Felix seems to know where you put them.

He sits on the edge of the bed, tears the wrapper open, and put the condom on, crawling back onto the bed once he's done.

He's smiling so sweetly as he hovers above you, placing small fluttering kisses on the side of your face. A hand glides down your body to part your legs open.

You capture his lips for a long, lingering kiss before letting him go, spreading your legs open for you.

Felix gives his cock a few pumps, wetting it with your essence as he rubs his length down your slit repeatedly.

He then put your legs over his and aligns his cock with your entrance, he holds your thighs as he slowly pushes in.

You grip the sheet underneath you and lowly moan as he keeps pushing the remaining length deeper into you.

The hand that holds your thigh, clawing into the flesh and making crescent marks on the skin.

With the last push of his hips, his cock is fully sheathed in your tight walls and he lets a low growl of satisfaction.

Felix lowers himself on you and places a kiss on your lips, taking a moment together to adjust to being inside each other.

You wrap your legs and arms around him, absorbing the heat his slim body emitting, feeling him skin to skin.

The quietness in the room only adds to the intimacy, there's nothing but the sound of your breathing and your body against each other.

Felix slowly thrusts into you but it's the stares deeply into your eyes that make you feel vulnerable under him. A hand holds the side of your head and brushes your hair to the side with such loving.

He softly smiles before speaking, "you're so quiet," he says and your eyes flutter shut as he places a long peck on your lips.

He cups your jaw and holds your gaze, "Is that good or bad?"

You lowly chuckle, a little hesitating to give him an honest answer but he needs to know.

"Good," you shortly reply.

He raises an eyebrow at you with his head slightly tipped to the side.

"Too good to be honest," you shamelessly admit.

The sweet smile returns to his face although he's deep inside you and fucking you like no one ever did to you.

He kisses your open mouth with his tongue invading yours, tasting more of you.

The moment he lets go, you gasp for air and feel a little lightheaded.

He wipes the mess around your lips and gives you a long peck after.

Felix is back kneeling on the bed, hands gripping your waist as you arch your back for him, giving him the right angle to thrust into you deeper.

He picks up the pace and you can feel yourself slipping away, drunk in pleasure. Your hands seek his but ended up holding his forearms.

"Oh my—" you start mumbling incoherent words and moaning at the same time.

Felix seems to be enjoying the sight as he lowly grunts through his gritted teeth, he lets go of your waist to hold your hands, intertwining them with his.

"You're so beautiful, my love," he murmurs.

Did you hear it right? Did he just call you that? 'My love'? Isn't it enough just by fucking you that he needs to call you that and makes your heart flutter in a heating moment like this?

Unexpectedly, Felix only lets the moment lasts for a while, he lets go of your hands and pulls out of you.

You let out a whine at the sudden emptiness and your eyes snap open, confused at this abrupt stop when it's getting really good.

It seems like Felix isn't as annoyed as you, he flashes you a sly smile and makes space on the bed.

He puts his hands under your thighs and holds them up, parting them open to sink his head in between.

A moan escapes your mouth as his hot mouth touches your dripping cunt and Felix makes out with it, using his tongue and lips.

It's messy but inexplicably hot, he licks you up and down your slit then drags his tongue to your clit to suck so hard on it.

You almost clamp him between your legs but he lifts his head at the right time. Felix makes a trail of kisses on your inner thigh while his hands knead the flesh.

It's like he knows how to touch you the right way, there's not one that you find uncomfortable. It's only possible if you had sex a few times together, it's either that or he knows how to please someone.

Next thing you know, he's back hovering above you, kissing you, all over your face and neck. He lays next to you and turns your body to face the other way with your back against his chest, then he holds his arm out to be your pillow which you gladly rest your head on.

He's peppering your neck and shoulder with wet little kisses and one hand makes its way to your wet core, fingering you even though you're already dripping down your thigh.

When he deems you're wet enough for him to penetrate again, he enters you once again from behind.

You can clearly hear his low groans as his mouth is so close to your ear.

"You feel so good," he murmurs into your ear, lips grazing your ear shell as he speaks.

"Gosh, I can feel you tightening around me," he adds.

Well, guess he knows that you like how he softly speaks into your ear and the deep voice doesn't help but make you even more aroused.

You curve your hand around his face and bring his head closer, turning your head to meet his hungry mouth for your lips.

Felix starts moving once again, a hand pulls your leg higher and thrusts deeper into you.

The knot inside you keeps tightening as well, your hand keeps holding his hand as Felix maintains his slow yet intensely hard thrusts.

"Close, mmh?" He asks you along with a sloppy kiss on your cheek.

Unable to provide a verbal answer, you stifle a nod at him.

Felix wraps your body with his arms and holds you so tightly as he picks up the pace of his thrusts, harder and deeper.

"Let's cum together, yeah?" He tells you.

Still, you can't force your foggy brain to form a verbal answer so you nod again. You can only grab his chin to kiss him again and moan into his mouth.

You cum almost at the same time not long after with your bodies sticking together like you are two puzzle pieces that fill each other's nooks and crooks.

When you think about it, it has been a long tiring day, tiring yet fulfilling, and now you feel so tired.

Felix kisses you and holds you close, cuddling you under the cover without pulling out yet. You like how each kiss gives you the same tingling feeling that you giggle like a schoolgirl. When his mouth is back on yours again, you kiss him back wholeheartedly until your heart aches.

"That was so good," you praise him with a shy smile.

"And you said you're bad at it," he says while clicking his tongue.

Just like your body can't find another time to interrupt, your stomach grumbles and you realize you haven't had dinner yet. You close your eyes in embarrassment as if that would hide you from him.

Felix lowly chuckles and kisses your cheek, "I'll go clean up and cook dinner for us," he says.

He kisses you again to finally get up from the bed and goes to the bathroom, leaving you on the bed alone still high in pleasure.

You allow yourself to lie for a minute before getting up as well, putting on a t-shirt. Since Felix plans to cook dinner, a thought runs into your head, you doubt you have something to cook in your fridge, so you hurriedly go to the kitchen to check the fridge.

You don't remember doing grocery shopping and stocking your fridge with a lot of vegetables, you give up on trying to remember things and shrug it off.

It's a relief that there's something for Felix to cook besides the packs of ramen in the top kitchen cabinet.

It takes Felix a long time in the bathroom and you figure he must be looking for towels or something, you jog back to your bedroom to tell him.

You knock his bag off the dining table on the way there and the contents scatter out of its bag, book, pens, wallet, notes, keys, everything.

"Oh no!" You immediately squat down to pick up the things on the floor, putting them back into his bag.

The book is the last thing you pick and it's the book he was reading at the bakery shop this morning, you turn to see the cover.

It's your favorite book from a Russian writer and Felix comes out of your room.

"I accidentally dropped your bag," you quickly explain before he gets the wrong idea.

"You're reading my favorite book," you blurt out of excitement.

“I think... if it is true that there are as many minds as there are heads, then there are as many kinds of love as there are hearts.”

You proceed to recite your favorite quote from the book with a smile on your face then flip open the book.

The smile fades as you recognize the handwriting on the first page, of your initial so you wouldn't lose your copy of the book.

You glance up at Felix whose eyes turn dim like a candle in the wind, "Is this mine?"

He doesn't answer but takes a few steps closer to you.

"Stop right there!" You snap at him with your hand outstretched to stop him from coming close to you.

"H—how do you have my book?" You ask him and lift the book right at him.

Felix seems to struggle to stay where he is, he keeps wanting to get close to you but resists the urge. He takes a deep breath, then says, "I can explain everything."

He takes a careful step towards you but you take a step away from him, maintaining a big gap between you.

"Don't come any closer!" You snap again and hold the book by the spine, ready to throw it at him if he tries to get close to you.

"Give me a chance to explain everything," he pleads with his arms reaching out to you.

His plead means nothing compares to the fear you're feeling right now. Not knowing who he is yet he has been keeping your book in his bag this whole time and you have no idea how he gets ahold of it. On top of that, you feel betrayed because he has been nothing but nice to you.

"Just tell me how the fuck you have my book?" You raise your voice and aim the book at him, something slips off from between the pages of the book and onto the floor.

It looks like a pamphlet from an art exhibition and you're about to glance away from it until you see it, a picture of you on the pamphlet.

"What is this?" You ask Felix.

"Why my picture is on this?"

He looks so sad rather than panic with his hands staying on his side with his face drops, "Let's sit down and I'll explain everything to you, please?"

You refuse to reconcile with him, you put the book down on the armrest of the sofa to read what the pamphlet says since it has a picture of you.

It has your name on it then a short biography of you, you skim the part you already know about your life, then to the part where it gets strange.

"... known opulent colors and dynamic compositions, she's considered to be one of the best artists of the past decade. With just a few confident lines, she could convey gestures and emotions.

Her love for drawing started at a young age and in her early 20s, she planned to move to the capital city of art after accepting a scholarship to the prestigious art school that's also an alma mater to many talented artists.

A month prior to the plan, she got into a terrible accident that caused severe brain damage which got her diagnosed with amnesia anterograde, a type of memory loss that occurs when one can't form new memories. She permanently loses the ability to learn or retain any new information.

Ever since she wakes up living the same day over and over again, that is August 21 when the tragic accident happened.

But what remains different from her day is the drawing she made that captures the beauty of the island she lives in through her eyes.

Every drawing shown in the exhibition is taken right from her personal journal and has been carefully selected by the person who discovered her talent, a retired dancer, Felix Lee.

This drawing series proves two things: that there are no boundaries in art and just like the title of the exhibition itself, her talent is one of a kind."

It's like reading about a life that isn't yours. You refuse to believe it and throw it across the room. That is not you, someone has been pulling a prank on you.

"I would have known if I got into a tragic accident? What brain damage?" You laugh it off while pacing the room.

"You got hit by a car when you were on your bike, you were on your way to the castle on the hill," he speaks with his eyes closed as if it hurts to tell you that.

"No, that didn't happen!" You shake your head in disbelief and try to block him from messing with your head.

Felix remains where he is but looks terribly sad, "you have a scar on the right of your head to prove it," he meekly says.

"No, I don't!" You strongly deny his words.

He just stares at you with those sad and dim eyes, the ones that you hate to see on him.

"If this is some kind of joke to you, just know that it isn't funny!" You look him dead in the eyes as you warn him.

You know he's lying but you have to prove it yourself, your hand reaches for your head and slowly traces your scalp for any kind of...

There, you feel it, the indentation of a scar along the side of your head. You didn't feel it until you acknowledge it, it stings that your eyes start to water.

"What is this? I don't—" you keep denying it because you don't want it to be true.

You break down onto the floor as tears roll down your face, "I don't understand. I never got into an accident, I swear, I—"

Felix comes to hold you and you don't have any energy left in you to stop him, so you let him. You let him hold you so tight as if he wants to squeeze the sadness out of you.

"It's okay. It's not your fault," he says to you and tightens his hold around you.

"I don't believe it!" You deny still even though now you know that it's true and it hurts so much like a ton of bricks falls onto your head at once.

Felix lets you cry into his chest until you calm and your body stops shaking, he brings you a glass of water, then sits across from you.

He explains everything about how you got into the accident and what caused your memory loss, how have you been living. Everything starts to make sense, the familiar feelings, and the people, how this island stays the same but feels so strange to you.

"Are you the Felix Lee? The one who discovered me?" You ask while holding the glass of water in your hands.

"Yes."

"What are we?" You ask.

The question seems to surprise him, maybe it's too personal or too complicated for him to find a definite answer. You think of another question to ask him.

"Since when did you know me?"

"Last year." He answers.

"You've known me for a year?"

He nods.

"Did you know right away about my condition?"

He shakes his head and leans forward, clasping his hands in front of him, "I met you at your sister's bakery shop."

"Just like today?"

He nods again, "that's pretty much how we met," he confirms.

"Then?"

"You didn't recognize me the next day and we had a little argument, at one point you're about to splash me with your cup of coffee," he awkwardly chuckles.

You cringe hearing that from him but that's one of the things you'd likely do.

"Then your sister explained to me about your condition," he adds.

This is the part that intrigues you, he has the option to leave and remains a stranger to you. But why? He said it's been a year since he knew you yet he's here.

"Then why are you still here?" You ask.

"Because I fell in love with you," he shortly replies as if it's an obvious and the only right answer. As if those words won't make your heart aches from hearing it.

Tears start pooling in your eyes again, "why don't you fall in love with someone else?" Your voice breaks at the end of the sentence.

"Because they're not you," he answers.

You can't believe that he's been doing this for a year when he can have a life out there, and falls in love with someone who can make new memories with him every day.

"Why?" You croak as tears caught in your throat.

Felix's eyes are glossy and they're shining under the lights, "Because I love you and I want to be with you," he reaches for your hands and holds them.

"But I—" you pause to catch a breath, "But I won't remember you—" you can't finish your sentence as you start to sob.

Felix comes to your side and holds you again.

"I'll keep forgetting you every day," you say again and let it sink, in how tragic it is to not be able to remember him.

He holds your face in his hands, wiping the tears on your cheeks with such loving, "But you do remember me," he says.

But that only hurt you more, how you can't remember him and how it's frustrating to you. You kept saying how he feels familiar to you but can't remember who he is and that he's been by your side for the past year.

That explains the feelings you have for him, that it's there and it's real.

"And I don't want to forget you again," you sob into his chest.

It seems that it's not the first time Felix finds you like this and that's sad. Why did it happen to you? Who should you blame for this? The driver who lost control of his car? God?

All you know is blaming anyone or anything won't solve anything but make you suffer.

You're lucky you have someone who stays by your side and tries to remind you of him.

You look up at him and hold his face, "I wish we met the day before the accident," you say.

He shakes his head, "No, I wish you never had to experience all of this," he corrects you.

You kiss him with all of your heart and yes, you do remember him. This kiss, these lips, these hands that hold yours, and the warmth of his embrace.

It's him, your heart remembers him.

-

To put it simply, you have all of your memories from the earliest you remember until the day of the accident stored in your brain.

You just can't retain any new memories and your slate is wiped clean every night when you go to sleep. You wake up every day thinking that it's the day of the accident, August 21.

You can't believe that the whole town is keeping this from you but you also understand why they chose to do that, they don't want to hurt you with the harsh truth of your condition.

You believe that Felix has the same good intentions, he just wanted to protect you.

"Breakfast for dinner, huh?" You say as he serves you a plate of food in front of you. It consists of sautéed veggies, a baked potato with cheese, bacon, and toasted mini waffles.

"Is this my favorite of your cooking?"

"No," he replies.

Felix makes himself a plate of dinner too then sits next to you at the dining table, "your favorite is the grilled cheese but we had that yesterday," he adds.

When you think about it again, it's sad that you can't remember anything that you like about him. Just anything about him for that matter. You also understand that it takes a lot of patience to be with you and you're so grateful beyond words for him.

You take his hand and hold it there on your lap, "So I guess Mr. Park is no longer working at the planetarium?" You ask while taking a spoonful of food.

"He moved out of the island a few months ago," Felix answers.

"And the child at the giftshop is the daughter of the owner?"

He nods, "her name is Nana and she likes you very much."

You smile while chewing your food, "and what day is it?"

"It's Monday."

"You paid for the extra scoop?" You guess again.

He nods again.

You shove another spoonful of food into your mouth, "I think this is my new favorite cooking of you," you say.

Felix chuckles in response.

"What?"

"You said that to everything I cooked for you," he answers with a sheepish smile.

Apart from your memory loss, you know yourself well that when you compliment someone or something, you mean them.

"Well then that means I love your cooking," you conclude with a smile.

He brings your hand close to his lips to softly kiss your knuckle, "thank you," he mutters so sweetly.

After washing the dinner down with a few glasses of wine, you're snuggling with Felix as he holds you close on the bed, looking out at the night sky through the open window.

You rest your head on his chest and listen to his steady heartbeat, "Did our days always end like this?" You ask out of pure curiosity.

Felix removes the strands of hair from covering your face and gently kisses your forehead, "not always."

"No?" You ask with sad eyes.

"There are good days and bad days, days in between," he vaguely answers.

"Some days are like today, some days you didn't and sometimes, I just let you be," he explains while caressing your cheek with the back of his hand.

There's a possibility that you hurt him on one of those days too but he chooses not to let you know.

"It must be hard for you," you feel bad for him, for being stuck in the endless cycle to try and make you remember him.

He shakes his head, "as long as you're happy," he says.

You put your hand across his chest and hold him, feeling him as a whole person with a beating heart that loves you regardless of your condition.

You tilt your head up and look at him, you probably have done it more than a hundred times already but your heart flutters still.

You place a soft kiss on his lips because words can't truly fathom how thankful you are for him.

You pull away from the kiss with a smile while admiring his pretty face from up close, wiping your thumb over his lips.

He holds the side of your face affectionately, "you seem to have another question for me," he narrows his eyes at you.

You get flustered even though you haven't said anything, you lay on your stomach and prop a hand under your chin, nodding at him.

"You can ask me anything," he says with his hand on the arch of your back.

"Did the sex always this good?" You shyly ask.

Felix gets flustered as well that he closes his eyes and scrunch his nose, "I think so, yes," he answers.

You keep nodding while smiling, you hover over his body and have him pinned under you.

"That's all I need to know," you say before lowering your mouth for a kiss.

Felix puts his hands around your waist and holds you still, "are you sure you only need to know?"

He certainly knows you well.

If the sex is always that good, it would be a missed opportunity to not have another round with him. Adding to the fact that he's not a total stranger to you changes everything significantly.

You feel a lot more confident, comfortable around him, and safe.

And he's just so... oh, he's so gorgeous, you wonder how this man comes into your life. What is the possibility of a star falling onto your lap just like that? You're so lucky.

Felix intensely looks at you with his half-shut eyes, shifting between seeing his cock going in and out of you and the way you bounce on his cock.

You lean back with your hands on his legs as support and your feet are on each side of his body.

Your breasts move along with every movement you make on top of him and Felix allows himself to fondle them with his hands.

His other hand steadily holds your waist, gripping it so hard you're sure he's making a mark there.

"So good, my love, oh..." he murmurs as he pinches your nipple between his fingers.

You slow down the pace and roll your hips in circular motions, making him feel you whole.

He squeezes on your breast as a groan escapes his mouth, "the way you clench around me, baby," he sighs with eyes closed.

You fondle your breast together with his hand, giggling at how he looked so intoxicated by the pleasure you brought to him.

You continue rolling your hips, back and forth, slow and steady, feeling his length inside you, nudging the sensitive spot repeatedly.

"I don't think I'll last long this time," he says with a mix of delight and desperation in his voice.

You take both of his hands and clasped them with yours, using them as a support as you pick up the pace of your movement.

You hear him cursing under his breath plenty of times already but that only makes you want to please him more, picking up the pace because you can feel that he's so close to his release.

You're enjoying yourself by pleasing him, whining in pleasure, and touching yourself.

A moment later, you can feel his cock twitching inside you as he fills the condom with his seed. A mix of grunts and moans spilled out of his parted mouth.

"And you said you're so bad at it, huh?" He breathlessly says to you.

You chuckle then lower yourself on top of him, sloppily kissing him on the mouth.

He takes a fistful of your hair in his hand as he kisses you back so hard that your lungs burn from running out of oxygen.

The night is getting late and it has been a very long, fulfilling day. The exhaustion got to you and your eyes start to get heavy while Felix held you close with no gap left between your bodies.

"You're sleepy," he says while brushing your hair with his little fingers.

You widen your eyes to prevent them from drooping, "I'm alright," you lie.

He gently pats your head then kisses it, "it's okay, you can rest now."

You shake your head and bury your face in his chest, "If I do then I'll forget you," you sadly say, feeling a lump forming in your throat.

He places his two fingers under your chin and tilts your head up, forcing you to look at him.

"That's okay," he assures you with a tender kiss on your lips.

He holds your gaze and the warmth oozes out of his brown eyes, "I'll make you remember me."

He gives your lips a quick peck on the lips, "tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, for the rest of the week, for as long as I live..."

He takes your hand and kisses it, "I promise that I'll make you remember me," he finishes.

The tears just start to flow out of your eyes and roll down your cheeks, your heart hurts so much like someone stabbed it repeatedly.

"Why did you do this?" You speak between your low sobs.

Felix sadly smiles but his eyes remain kind and warm, "I told you, I want to be with you."

You dive into his arms and into the safety of his embrace where nothing can hurt you. You'll soon forget how his body feels against you, his gentle touch, and his intoxicating lips that always entice you to kiss.

Then a pair of hands that always knows how to wipe your sadness away and protect you from harm, hands that know how to please you and put you at ease.

For the first time you feel so sure about everything, this moment and this person, this feels right because he's right.

With steadfast conviction, you look into his eyes and say those words that are meant to be said to him, "I love you." You dare to let your heart wide open because you know he wouldn't break it, and it does feel like you have said it for the umpteenth time. You don't remember it but your heart keeps the count.

Your brain would soon dismiss him from your memory but your heart will remember him as the one who says, "I love you too."

-

Felix likes watching you sleep with your hands folded under your head, lost in your peaceful dream.

He would stay the night up, guarding you against the bad dreams that might invade your sleep and admire your beautiful face that you're so unaware of.

When the dawn breaks, no matter how much he wants to stay, he knows it's his time to go.

He allows himself to have a moment to take a long look at your face, caressing it so tenderly like you would break if he touches you the wrong way.

"We'll meet again today," he whispers into your ear then gives a long, lingering kiss on your forehead.

"I love you," he finishes with another kiss on the back of your hand.

He lingers by the doorway to see your sleeping figure under the cast of bluish light, where he questions himself if this is right to keep doing this.

He refuses to give up just because that's easier. He has faith that in that caged heart of yours, you remember him.

He knows his answer would always be to stay with you then blames himself for letting the doubt take over him for a second.

He opens your journal to rip the pages of drawings you did that day and put everything back into your bag. He gathers his things and makes sure that he left no trace of himself in the house.

On the way out, he meets your sister who's going to help him put things back into their place like it's August 21 all over again.

"How was she?" She asks while holding the copy of the same dress you wear every day in one hand.

"She remembered me," Felix answers.

She lets out a sigh of relief, "That's good," she comments.

"You'd better go home and get some rest," she adds.

Felix nods and takes your sister's bike with him, going back to his cottage not far from your house.

He compiles the drawings you did into the collection he has saved in files, email the gallery director if she's interested to display new drawings of you.

He rests for a few hours before getting up and getting ready for a new day.

You always come to your sister's bakery shop around 7.30 and Felix comes a few minutes late on purpose.

When he enters the bakery, he sees you already sitting in your favorite spot in the bakery and silently drawing on your journal.

Felix orders himself a cup of coffee and a pastry from your sister.

"She looks bright this morning," your sister says as she hands him his orders.

Apart from your swollen eyes, your sister is right.

You are as radiant as ever, your smile is scintillating and the morning shining through the window adds a glow to your heavenly presence.

He takes slow walks to your table and he tries not to startle you by clearing his throat to make his presence known.

You look up at him, wide-eyed and curious.

"Good morning!" He begins.

"Morning!" You greet back with zero enthusiasm.

No matter how many times he received this cold expression from you, he believes he'll never get used to it.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" Felix asks and careful with the way he says it. He doesn't want to come off as if he wants to intrude on your day, he just wants to be a part of your day, no matter how small it is.

He did this a handful of times already, sometimes you accepted him, sometimes you rejected him, and a few times, you didn't even let him in at all.

He's prepared for both the best and the worst of outcomes.

He feels your eyes scanning him for any signs of red flags and then looks down at your drawing.

"You may sit," you answer without looking at him.

This is categorized as a good result, it's better than you flatly rejected as you did a few days ago.

Felix doesn't want to rush things so he pulls out his book, sips his coffee, and tries not to notice how you quietly glance at him.

He bites into his pastry and that seems to evoke your curiosity.

"What are you having?" You ask but keep your eyes on your drawing.

"Oh it's a..." he pauses to think of a clever way to answer you and one that would make you laugh.

"Pain au chocolat," he answers.

You snort in response.

"What?"

"That's not a pain au chocolat," you say.

"It isn't?"

You put your pencil down and drink your coffee, "that's a chocolate croissant," you correct him.

"I thought it was the same," Felix says with utmost surprise even though he heard it before.

" They are made from the same dough but pain au chocolat is shaped in a cuboid piece rather than a croissant," you explain and take another sip of your coffee.

"Ah!" Felix exclaims.

"I've been misinformed this whole time!" He says with an irritated sigh.

"That's okay, the internet can be misleading sometimes," you sneer.

"How do I know your information is legit?" Felix dares with a sly smile.

You cross your arms in front of you, "my sister owns this bakery," you say with a smirk.

The mischief in that curl of your lips, he likes it on you.

"So that proves your pastry profiling skill?" He leans forward and raises an eyebrow at you.

You got quiet for a while then all of sudden, burst into laughter.

"Pastry profiling— What?"

Gosh, seeing you laugh makes his heart full and he wants to keep doing that: making you happy.

Felix points to your journal, "are you drawing sketches of pastries, huh? Let me see!" He jokes.

"No, I'm not," you say while still laughing.

The laugh dies down after a moment and it's the first time you look into his eyes that day, "How come I've never seen you here before?"

"I'm new in this town," he answers.

You put your journal aside and lean on the table, "and you are?"

"I'm Felix, nice to meet you!" He introduces himself and holds out his hand at you.

You seem to hesitate at first but confidently take his hand and shake it for a few seconds, "Nice to meet you!"

And that's how another day begins.

Another day of trying to make you fall in love with him all over again.

-

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[minkshame]

I did want to reshare the SPARE CHANGES PLAYLIST complete with tracklist and key lyrics... under the cut

SECTION 1 (TORD):

Half a World Away (R.E.M.) - My hand's tired, my heart aches / I'm half a world away

Leaving New York (R.E.M.) - You might have laughed if I told you (it's pulling me apart)

Dirty Imbecile (The Happy Fits) - When my heart starts beating, lungs stop breathing / All my fibers say to run away

Don't be Seen with Me (Oppenheimer Analysis) - I kept things under strict control / Resisted all diversion

How to Disappear Completely (Radiohead) - That there, that's not me

You've Got to Hide Your Love Away (The Beatles) - I can see them laugh at me, and I hear them say / Hey, you've got to hide your love away

Heart in a Cage (The Strokes) - See I'm stuck in a city, but I belong in a field

Back to the Old House (The Smiths) - Cause I never even told you / Oh and I meant to

Promise (Laufey) - And I should get a cigarette / For how much restraint

No Time to Explain (Good Kid) - It's been a while I've been out on my own / I'm in denial about living life alone

SECTION 2 (EDD):

I Guess He'd Rather be in Colorado (John Denver) - I guess he'd rather work / Out where the only thing you earn is what you spend

Give you My Lovin (Mazzy Star) - Cause you see, rain reminds me of you / And everything has turned to you

Hopelessly Devoted to You (Olivia Newton-John) - I know I'm just a fool who's willing / To sit around and wait for you

I Don't Wanna Be Okay Without You (Charlie Burg) - And I can hear so clearly all the words I wish I'd said / You're stuck in my head

Mamma Mia (Austin Weber) - Yeah, I've been brokenhearted / Blue since the day we parted / Why why did I ever let you go?

Livin' With a Heartache (The Beach Boys) - I'm no good alone, you know-a everyone sees / That you left me alone with nothin' but a heartache

Oh Love (Delaney Bailey) - And I don't want to turn back time anymore / But I do miss when I thought that I was loved

Duvet (bôa) - But you know that it means so much / And you don't even feel a thing

I want you (Mitski) - We're starting over / And I love you darling

SECTION 3 (GENERAL):

The Less I Know The Better (Tame Impala) - I was doing fine without ya / til I saw your eyes turn away from mine

Pork Soda (Glass Animals) - Why can’t we laugh now like we did then? / How come I see you and ache instead?

Spare Hearts (Exit Mouse) - I know you’re afraid / Of making a big mistake / But you’re just what I need / Spare me the fear

Les maudits mots d'amour (Le rouge et le Noir) - Mais dans l'ivresse de tes bras / Tout le reste vole en éclat, / Vole en éclat.

SECTION 4 (LOW POINT):

If I can't be yours (Loren & Mash) - I realize / We're not the same / And it's making me sad / Cause we can't fulfill our dreams in this life

Memento Mori (Red Vox) - Could it be, the presence of memory / Is all we are, all we'll ever be?

I Know It’s Over (The Smiths) - And it never really began / But in my heart it was so real

Sparks (Coldplay) - My Heart is yours / It's you that I hold on to

Turtles All The Way Down (Sammy Copley)- And I’m aware / That it’s not fair / To bring you here then send you on your way / You had so much to say / And to ask

Door (I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME) - If I'm out of line / Just show me the door / I promise you I / Won't come here no more

SECTION 5 (HAPPY ENDING):

Scary Love (The Neighborhood) - No one has ever cared for me / as much a you do

It's Been a Long Long Time (Harry James) - You'll never know how many dreams I've dreamed about you / Or how empty they all seemed without you

Those Eyes (New West) - I close my eyes and all I see is you / And the small things you do

Heart to Heart (Mac Demarco) - To all the days we were together / To all the time we played apart / In each other's lives

Another Believer (Rufus Wainwright) - And give me just one more chance, one more glance

Home (Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros) - Man oh man you're my best friend / I scream it to the nothingness

Genesis (Jourma Kaukonen) - And there I found myself with you / When breathing felt like something new, new / Along with you

[messenger-of-stupidity]

Hi welcome to random things that I think the Reverie characters do, including their listeners but I'm really tired and can't remember all the pet names given.

(and this time I'm gonna proofread it. <- that's a lie)

LES GO

Jacob - he's already a goofy dude with his whole red flag business. But aside from that, he doesn't like those mint things that Olive Garden gives you. (Totally not self projecting) and instead chooses to toss them to other tables without alerting the patrons eating at that table.

Jacob's listener - they don't like the color blue gray that mold is. You know that color? Yeah they have a violent reaction when they see it. I'm talking about swearing like a sailor, throwing a shoe at whatever had that color, ect. Their assistant wore a color similar and they locked him out of their lab until he changed. They want funding to develop a super weapon against the color.

Dion - he constantly puts the box of cereal on top of the fridge. No one knows why he does this, he just does and he refuses to explain. It's very frustrating.

Bodyguard - he doesn't finish movies. He will watch almost all the way through but at the last ten minutes he exits out of the movie claiming boredom. Also infuriating.

Bunny - they leave mugs and cups out. Once they're done, they will just set it down. Sometimes they use it again the next day depending on the previous contents. They always claim that they'll use it again, but more often then not they complain they can't find it before grabbing something fresh. Dion is constantly and rightfully complaining whenever they blame him for the cabinet where they keep the cups and mugs being empty.

Gage - he always buys gag gifts. He also buys genuine gifts but he won't give it to you until a week and a half after your birthday or whatever. He waits so you think his genuine gift is the joke one.

Bug - they can't match their socks for the life of them. Like every time they get a new pack of socks, they somehow always wear mismatched ones. They don't know how it happens but they say opposites attract. It's making people think they do it on purpose. They don't, that's just copium.

Neo - Neo can get competitive. Like reeeaally competitive. This foxy boy will quite literally nearly cause himself injury to "win". He has to open the door first because then he won the race to. (he hides it behind being polite but thats not his main focus) he will eat his food the fastest, nearly choking on it. He will win cuddling even if it's the last thing he ever fucking does.

Darling - they have canine behaviors. Which doesn't seem like a big deal. Until they're sitting in front of a closed door complaining and knocking on it because they're curious. Or when they sprint away full speed with something in their hands (or mouth) that they shouldn't have. Or that they have a specific spot on the couch or bed or table or floor or counter or fridge or blanket or chair that is their spot and no one else can be in that spot. Or when they grab things that smell like people they care about (most often Neo when possible) and just carry the items into common or public areas. Sometimes the person is still attached to the item.

Desmond - he has a bag of bags and a box of boxes. No one knows why since he barely uses them, but everyone is too scared to ask.

Newbie - they obsessively dig holes. And they don't refill them. They've gotten told off a few times for just leaving holes in the work yard but they just can't stop. They also regularly send pictures of the holes to Desmond like "LOOK WHAT I MADE 💪🤩" what he doesnt known is that this was in his front yard 😈

Law - he gets really into princess tea parties. Like, intense. He knows all the drama between the dolls and sometimes he'll try to instigate more drama. These tea parties have extensive lore now. Also he religiously watched great British bake off.

Sweets - They collect pumpkins. And hear me out on this. Every fall they go with Law and his kid to a pumpkin patch. Photos are taken and Law lets his kid get one pumpkin to bring home. Sweets never grew up with that kind of opportunity so one of these trips they decide to try it. And now they have a pumpkin. Suddenly their eyes are opened and it's pumpkin everything! They get several pumpkins each year. They have pumpkin decor they decorate with. Pumpkin (the color... Or pattern) clothing. Pumpkin spice becomes like crack. They really really like pumpkins. Just wait until they find out about the glory of fresh pineapples... Their home will look like a swingers without them realizing it.

Casey - he can't be allowed to go into Michaels. Not because of anything necessarily bad, but he just loses any and all impulse control. He'll go in with the intention of just getting a few things and suddenly he renewed his membership, has three signs, four fake vines, two picture frames, and seven full rolls of ribbon. (He originally went in for tye-dye for a date idea with Honey. He forgot to buy it and now needs to go again. He'll end up buying the materials to make a DIY wreath)

Honey - dating a florist is fun. But they now have flowers everywhere. Some are in pots, some in vases. Some are pressed between the pages of a book. Some tied in colored mesh baggies for sachets (I think that's the word I'm thinking of) and placed in their dresser drawers. It makes their clothes smell of the flower. They sometimes forget to change them out and next thing they know their clothes smell of rotting plant and need to go through the wash. But they're happy to have it, officially handing out the little gifts to even random strangers they meet in the street.

Cyril - he collects action figures. I have an angst hc connected to this, but I want to keep this fluffy for the most part so I'll just leave it at that.

Rival - they get heated if someone peels off that plasticy cling cover wrap thingie. The one that is placed over device screens or something? Yeah they're obsessed with that shit. If you peel it off before they can they will give you the silent treatment until they get the chance to peel it off something again.

Roman - Dissects pinecones. This dude will find the pine cones that are opened up and will meticulously start to pick the shards (?) Out and try to create towers with them. He'll never admit it but he's traveled back in time to find the same pine cone and repeat the process if he messes it up.

Pip (I think that's what the listener is called?) - they throw cotton balls at people they don't like or people they want to get the attention of. No one knows how they just have a bag or pockets full of cotton balls but they do. And they will throw one at your head with the force of a thousand spartan warriors.

Ellis - They really really like black out poems. (Those ones where you color over a sheet of text to only show certain words and create a poem out of it) which can be a problem considering where they work. The urge to just grab a book and start making a black out poem is so strong. They need to keep their hands busy for fear of giving into the urge.

Ellis' listener - they try to catch the dust that you can see floating through sun rays. The ones where if you stare long enough it's like you're hurtling through space and the dust is the stars. Anyways, they like to catch that shit and present it to Ellis. Ellis humors them and "thanks for catching the stars for me"

(and the tag because I'm slowly getting less scared of being perceived but mostly because Altair is so fucking nice omg and therefore it makes it a bit less scary. @reverieaudios )

[honeysider]

https://www.tumblr.com/honeysider/739803375060811776/youre-pathetic-in-every-respect?source=share I'm actually interested in what you think the answer is. I'm not saying this to antagonize or bait you, I really want to know. As someone who has seen third parties fail and fail again when trying to breach into bipartisan leadership (don't get me wrong, I don't like either party) it's hard to see how leaving things to the masses (who will most likely vote for Trump) or up to a third party that probably won't win; I'm quite literally at a loss of what to do.

Here's how I see things, personally. You can't fix things in one or even two elections, and you certainly can't fix things by voting for the same party over and over again. This might get rambly.

Like, I wont even get into the viability of elections as a means of engineering political change because I'm assuming you dgaf about that (not a dig, most people consider all the other political stuff like on-the-ground work to be too much for them). I'll explain it in a way that made sense to me when I decided to not waste my time voting in presidential elections.

I do not believe in The Democratic Party or Biden's specific policies as vehicles to advance either my self interest or the interests of others in the country. The lesser of two evils argument doesn't even cut it anymore. Biden is enforcing Trump's old immigration policies even going so far as to continue building the goddamn wall. He doesn't support universal healthcare. He crumbles against any kind of pressure that isn't only rhetoric, basically threw up his hands and gave up when student loan forgiveness was attacked by the courts, and supports the genocide against Palestinians financially. He is mostly indistinguishable from a Republican, save for the theocratic aspects.

Why would I vote for someone I don't believe in?I might go vote for Cornel West because simply put I believe in more of his policies than Biden's, if I vote at all.

And that's the main thing that bothers me about the vote blue no matter who philosophy. You're never supposed to vote for who you believe in. In the primaries you are expected to unite around the Most Likely Candidate To Win The Election, not the candidate who you agree with. I remember when people screamed at Bernie voters because they were voting for the democratic socialist, not any of the mainstream moderate front runners and he started winning states. Pundits and analysts and party activists had a meltdown until the Democrats managed to wrangle everything around Biden.

So point 1, I will only vote for people I believe in. If the Republicans win as a result of enough people doing the same thing, the Democrats should have pushed a better candidate.

And that leads to point 2, Blue No Matter Who doesn't perpetuate a regrettable-but-tolerable lesser of two evils situation. It enables democrats to be as evil as their opponents, just no further than their opponents. The Democratic Party Platform used to include Universal Healthcare, and now it's literally been erased from the platform. Democrats have had three terms between Bush and now and we have only now pulled out of Afghanistan, and we still have troops in Iraq? What? Guantanamo Bay is still active? "Enhanced interrogation" is still being used? The Patriot act is renewed every time it comes up without a yell or a peep? Power is being increasingly centralized in the executive branch? All the big controversies from my childhood are still mostly unsolved today due mostly to Democratic inaction and ineptitude with a dash of Republican malevolence.

My only tool is abstaining from the process. The only thing Democrats believe in are election victories. If you just give them votes no matter who they run they won't care about seriously pursuing real beneficial policy. Let them lose elections until they get the picture.

And look. I know its hard and its scary to imagine Trump in the white house again. But Biden's doing like 99% of his policy anyways, so really all you're voting for now is a facade of political professionalism, not for what you actually believe.

So don't vote, withhold it until Democrats get a clue and get more involved or at least more knowledgeable about state and local politics.

If you want to hear about the Revolution and stuff there are better people to talk to than me tho lol

[o-kaythislooksbad]

ailesswhumptober day 30: poison / delirium / "you're not making sense"

chapter 2 / 3 of we should get our act together | rated t, no archive warnings apply

english, it turns out, is venom's seventh language. it's the only one eddie is fluent in - his spanish is passable, his mandarin is laughable - but the symbiote has decided to flood eddie's brain with their native language in the hope that he learns through osmosis.

eddie does not, ending up instead with a headache so severe that he dry-heaves over the sink for half an hour before passing out on the couch. 

he drifts in and out of nightmarish sleep, and by the time he finally feels well enough to stand up and find food, it's all he can think about. food, water, then back to sleep. 

eddie slams the cupboard doors open, anxiously searching for his bowl. 

there are at least five of these dishes in the sink.

eddie jumps, bumping his head against one of the doors. "dammit, venom! how can you sneak up on me like that?" the symbiote doesn't reply, and eddie sighs as he continues his hunt. "where is it?" he mutters.

you seem distressed. your heart rate has elevated significantly.

"yeah, 'cause i'm certain i put my bowl here and now it's gone!"

there's a small silence, then: are you referring to the blue one?

"venom," eddie's voice shifts to the low tone he uses on informants when they don't hold up their end of a deal. "what did you do with it?"

i put it into the garbage bin last ni-

"what?!"

if you would allow me to explain...

"oh, you'd better have a good explanation, or i'm turning the stereo up until the neighbor gets pissed and turns his stereo up." 

it'll piss off the rest of the tenants as well, but eddie doesn't care. the blue bowl had been his since he was a toddler, moving with him wherever he went; he ate cereal out of it when he didn't know how to cook, then burnt macaroni and cheese when he was still learning. it held his loose change and keys in his dorm, then paperclips and erasers on his desk at the bugle. eddie even let mister belvedere eat from it on the occasions when his usual bowl was in the wash. 

his head hurts and he just wants a snack and a nap and to be rid of the ever-present, invasive thing that has wormed into his life and declared it to be theirs. 

the bowl was damaged. it had to be discarded.

"you're not making sense, parasite," eddie says through gritted teeth. "you know damn well that it's still usable, and plenty of other crap here definitely belongs in the bin but you left them here." he gestures to the small pile of takeaway cartons beside the microwave, the socks with more holes than fabric underneath the couch. "why did you do that?"

hot tears spill from eddie's eyes, but he's too tired and worn out to wipe them away.  

no, eddie. you are not making sense. your tears serve no purpose. it was only a piece of plastic.

he leaves the cupboards open as he drags his feet back to the living room and falls onto the couch. edward, if you can't sit at the table and use your words, you're going to bed without supper, his father's stern voice echoes through his head. stop crying, edward, before i give you something to cry about.

oh, venom attempts a whisper. oh, eddie. i did not know it was so important to you.

"no shit." eddie laughs humorlessly. "with all your poking and prodding, i figured you'd already seen this."

along with all the other crap, eddie adds silently. i can't keep anything secret from you.

i understand that you want your privacy -

eddie scoffs, because what he wants is no longer relevant. - but i only want what is best for you. that bowl did not seem like a safe utensil.

eddie scratches at his wrist, the one where venom has left their mark. it doesn't belong there.

why are you doing that? venom bristles. 

"you said… you said the bowl went in the bin 'cause it was broken." his voice is small and timid, yet it's too big for how he feels. "you didn't want it, and you don't want me."

venom wraps themself around his hands, preventing eddie from digging his nails any deeper into his skin. 

"leggo," eddie whispers, trying to shake venom off of him. "don't touch me."

something in his voice must register to the symbiote as genuine hurt and fear, and they quickly release him.

i am so sorry, eddie. it was not my intention to upset you. 

"but you did. just go 'way."

[3416]

i feel really similarly re: your answer to the ask about leafs fans. one thing that genuinely annoys me to no end is how people don’t seem to realize that a lot of the hate/negativity that surrounds the leafs is literally a direct byproduct of other fanbases seeing how awful “fans” of the leafs themselves talk about the team and its players 😭 like uncles will complain about all the disrespect the leafs get but if supposed fans of the team constantly broadcast themselves ripping into players then why wouldn’t fans of other teams think they have a free pass to repeat the same talking points lol. steve dangle making an entire career off exactly that and still being popular within the fan base speaks for itself. it’s just irritating that every single widely held (obviously baseless) criticism about the players like about mitch and his character or jt not being captain material or the core not caring etc etc etc literally began from fans themselves like that’s so sad to me lol

that's extremely well put and 100000% the case, lol. i totally agree. and it's why the divide in fans annoys me so fucking bad. all the neutral people who are like 'you can't tell people how to be a fan and ultimately we all want the same thing' are also obnoxious bc like. these people who are actually hateful and constantly negative use the length of their 'fandom' to explain why they're fed up and it DOES contribute to the way other teams fans view us and makes it hard to be a fan out loud and it EVEN impacts how players perceive toronto as a market (elliotte on a show last night admitting that the marner debacle has made players be like... ehh not there! abt toronto is so funny). anyway it's like........ once again, i fully believe engaging in sports and hobbies in general is a choice, whether it was something shown to you as a child or you discovered it yourself later. plenty of people who have been fans for the same lengths of time have managed not to become ugly and over the top about it so lol. i know some people manage to detach themselves from players but ultimately.... you're here to root for players as much as the team. you buy jerseys with their names on it and you spout facts about their individual play to other teams fans to defend your own. athletes are human beings, and i think that's a much more interesting and grounding way to interact with sports than the barbaric and annoying ass way so many men do. nothing's going to change about it, but i think toronto media in general needs more neutral to positive voices (fuck you steve dangle fr.) bc they get accused of having homer broadcasts and yet. every time i listen to either the american or the canadian ones during leaf games, the leafs are never getting the benefit of the doubt and they can never do anything right, lmfao. and maybe that's been shaped by their playoff failures of late but i don't care. we're here to have fun, and i want to be able to be positive and believe in this team and its core players (who are going to end up the best to ever do it in blue and white regardless of the playoffs btw) every offseason in a place without 49023492 idiotic comments telling me they can't win a certain way. like. you've lost the plot if part of your thing as a sports fan isn't blind belief. that is quite literally what it is... every year 31 teams lose and still have a fanbase at the end of it, lmfao.

i'm aware of how celeb culture and parasocial relationships impacts all of that too. i feel it in myself, the weird urge to be defensive over some of these guys i know that i don't know, but on the other hand, i fully think that the people who are overtly negative have their own little parasocial thing going on where they make up their own narratives and personalities for these guys they don't know either. i've fully seen a couple twitter users insinuate bc they, a toronto/ontario native themselves, have never heard about a positive interaction with mitch marner first hand that must mean he is actually the devil (they never say they've heard negative things either LMFAO.. like they don't know him or know people who know people who know him and say he's decent so he must be rotten bc hockey circles are small and blah blah blah). it's just so................ it's all bc toronto's a huge market and hockey is the thing to talk about 24/7.

[lunarwritesthings]

Were We Ever Friends?

Paring: Platonic Ryan Ross x Gn!Reader

Fandom: N/A

Request: Yes, by anon

Summary: Time can cause things to change, especially friendships. What could happen when two people that were friends meet again after years

Note: The idea for this fic came from the fall out boy song "hold me tight or don't" and an anon that said Ryan would fit

Life, something that changes without waiting for people. Everyday life and time are something that can work against people, so what happens when two old friends meet again but with life creating a large amount of distance between them?

Ryan wasn't the best at keeping relationships. It's not that he didn't try, it was the opposite. He tried his hardest but he wasn't the best at answering messages. He lived a very quiet life after being in bands. Ryan also preferred to talk in person rather than over the phone but sometimes life and schedule don't let that happen.

You and Ry had known each other for years and were best friends. Everyone could tell even if they didn't know you and him. Some people thought that you were dating. You and Ry never cared about what other people thought about your friendship.

As you and Ryan got busier with life you became distant. The arguments due to stress didn't help either. It wasn't intentional but with one particular fight and life it happened without much notice from either of you. In situations like this the brain can either be your friend or your enemy.

In your case, your brain was your enemy. Any free time you have was used to overthink the situation and worry that someone or something such as the arguments that could get quite heated had caused the distance. You wanted to talk to Ryan and discuss what happened and see if you and him could find a solution but you were unsure how to start that conversation and your mind would replay the last fight.

The hesitancy led to years going by with only more distance forming between you and Ryan. The only difference from the previous years is Ryan was fully aware of the distance and he knew it was life mainly that caused it but knew the final argument didn't help considering how heated it got.

However, that was not the main thing he was worried about. Now he didn't ignore the situation because he knew how you thought in this kind of situation. He was your best friend after all.

Once Ryan had realized what had happened he immediately started to make a plan that would hopefully help fix the situation. He was determined to get his best friend back, even if it took a lot of time and patience. He didn't care. you were important to him and he wanted you back in his life.

You had thought Ry had just moved on with his life. You couldn't blame him it had been years of silence from both sides. Over the years you had accepted it. Things happen and can't always be prevented, but little did you know.

Randomly one day you got a text from Ryan. It was shocking for a few reasons, but more importantly Ryan had texted you saying he wanted to meet with a time and location. Ry had a plan and wanted to talk about something. You still care about him, so you quickly got ready so you could meet up with him.

The address in the text led you to a park. While getting out of your car you could see Ryan waiting for you at one of the picnic tables. You made your way over to the table, but once Ryan saw you he quickly got up and waited for you.

Once you were close enough Ry greeted you and asked you to sit down. You sat down and went to say something when Ryan beat you to talking. You were not prepared for what he was about to say.

Ryan need what you were going to say hence why he stop you before you could talk. "I know you're wondering why I texted you out of the blue asking to meet up, and I promise I'll explain everything if you will let me. If you don't I understand and you can leave, so what do you say?" You weren't surprised that Ry had given you the option to leave he was never one to force anyone to do anything.

You want to fix the situation regardless of all the thoughts going on in your head, so you let Ryan know you were staying and he could explain, but you had one question to ask him first. "Were we friends? I mean at one point we told each other everything we were confidants but the arguments seemed to have those things used against us, especially at the end."

This made Ryan pause for a moment while he was thinking. "I promise you that we definitely were friends. I saw you as my best friend and as a sibling. I don't blame you for thinking like that though I know it is partly because of your overthinking but with how the arguments went it's understandable to think and feel that way."

You felt better knowing Ryan understood. You were shocked that he saw you as a sibling because he never told you that before. Looking at him you could tell he has more he wants to say so you motion to him as a way of telling him to continue.

This sent Ryan into a speech that seem like he practiced to make sure everything was explained but also to make sure everything was said in the best words.

"First I would like to apologize for us becoming distant. You didn't do anything wrong even though I know your mind says differently. What happened is we both had our lives getting busier and it caused us to have less free time them before. It definitely didn't help that I suck at answering messages, but I don't blame either of us for what happened. I know it's been years but I was making a plan that would hopefully fix the distance. Now this is just part of the plan and I will talk about the other part but that can wait. I'm more worried about you and how you've been because I know this hasn't been easy for you and again I apologize for this."

Ry stayed quiet letting you process everything he had just said. He knew it was a lot to take in after years of not talking. Once you process everything you got up and hugged Ryan. He didn't even hesitate to hug back. It was obvious you need this. Ry, let you stay in the hug until you move away.

You moved just enough so you could look at him, clearly having something you wanted to say. "Just promise me that this won't happen again." Ryan immediately hugged you again and said that he promised.

It was almost forgotten that he had more to his plan until you remembered him. "Hey, ry? Not to interrupt this but didn't you say there was more to your plan?" Ryan chuckled knowing that you were right.

Ry nodded "I did, but I'll admit that I forgot for a moment. Anyways, I will start this off by saying it's totally alright if you say no. I'm not going to force you to agree, but I was wondering how you'd feel about moving in with me. I know you don't like your current place and that you dislike living alone. Not to mention this would make it where I'd see you every day so it would be impossible for the distance to happen again, what do you say?"

This caused you to smile. Ry truly was determined to make you happy but also determined to make sure that this situation never repeated. "I'd love you. If it means I don't have to lose my best friend again I'm going to accept."

Of course, Ryan was extremely happy that you agreed. You and him spent most of the day packing your stuff and moving it to his place.

Life tried to change and separate the best friend, but no matter the challenges they always found their way back to each other. Now they can face new challenges with the other by their side.

They may never realize it but they had found their soulmate. It was them against the world.

[thethistlegirlwrites]

♔ : Finding the other wearing their clothes

♖: Having their hair washed by the other

♗: One falling asleep with their head in the other’s lap

.♙: Sharing a bed

For Rory and Emmett (and, no pressure on this, Sierra and Shay too)

AHHH thank you for more asks! (Sierra and Shay will be in another post because LONG)

Emmett's absolutely positive there was a blue shirt folded up on the chair in the corner last night. But it's not on the chair, on the end of the bed, or even tossed into the hamper in the other corner (he wouldn't put it past himself to accidentally throw a clean shirt in there and fold up the grimy one on the chair). He's starting to wonder if he's beginning to lose his mind when Rory walks in, a steaming mug of tea in each hand. Hands that are nearly covered by the sleeves of his shirt. "Tea?" He takes the mug she hands him, and immediately sets it on the table beside the bed. "Why do you have my shirt?" "It was on top of the stack," Rory says, shrugging. "And I was too sleepy to dig for my own." She takes another sip from the already half-empty mug in her hand. "Besides. Your shirts are soft and my back likes them." Emmett is really glad he didn't take a drink from his own mug. He might have choked on it. It's true. He can't stand coarse material against the whip scars. if he has any choice in the matter, he picks out cloth that's soft and doesn't catch unnecessarily on the rough edges. He's willing to bet Rory just chooses the cheapest thing she can find. She's painfully practical. "You can keep it," he finally manages. "I've got other ones." Rory regards him quizzically. "Wait, are the lichen spots bleeding? Did I get blood all over your good shirt?" She really doesn't know how to accept a gift as something given without strings attached or some agenda. "No. But it looks better on you than it does on me." Rory rolls her eyes. "No, but fine. Now drink your tea before it gets cold."

"Did you want to dye it again?" Rory asks, twisting one finger in the grayish-brown strands of hair near Emmett's forehead. "Because if you do, we should do that before we wash it." "No. Everyone around here knows us well enough now. And I think it's getting more evident that it's dye." Emmett hadn't really counted on the way the sun fades and changes the color. He also hadn't counted on the fact that it can genuinely burn you, even if your skin is naturally somewhat tan. But that's another story and one he does not care to remember in much detail. Rory nods. "They don't have to know exactly what happened to know you've been through something traumatic. They can explain it away any way they choose, but everyone knows we left a bad situation." Emmett nods. "Sorry about this." "About what? Your shoulders hurting when you lift your arms anywhere above them?" Rory laughs. "You've washed and braided my hair plenty of times. And I've dyed yours." Emmett doesn't think he'll ever get used to the fact that Rory is completely unbothered by doing things for him when he literally almost killed her. He'd deserve it if she gave him the cold shoulder for the rest of his life. "Okay, then, washing it is." Rory rolls up her sleeves and fills the sink basin with warm water. Her fingers are gentle, working along his scalp, and the warm water feels good. "You've got sawdust in it," Rory says with a chuckle. "A lot of it." No wonder he felt constantly itchy. He'd managed to wash it off his back, but not before it irritated the whip scars on his shoulders. "Hazard of the job," He replies, but his own voice feels lost in the steady rush of water, the soft crackle of soap bubbles under Rory's hands, and the bone deep exhaustion settling in. "Don't fall asleep on me in here. I can't haul you all the way to the bedroom," Rory says, and he can hear the smirk in her voice. "I won't."

Emmett runs his fingers along the uneven bumps of Rory's rough braid. She'd flopped down on the couch next to him about half an hour ago, clearly narrowly avoiding landing on the floor instead, then sort of tipped over, laid her head on his legs, and proceeded to doze off. Carlo's doing homework at the table, and Emmett was reading a book, but he was a little afraid of hitting Rory in the head with it while turning a page, so he'd set it down on the couch beside him and instead started fiddling with her hair. Even before he got his gift under control, it was one of the safe things he could touch, and they've fallen into a rhythm of him running his hand over her hair, almost like petting a cat, when she's having an off day. When the damage he did to her heart flares up. He's pretty sure he's never going to see her struggle without feeling a crushing weight of guilt that he's the one who did this to her. But they can't go back and change the past. All they can do is move forward. All he can do is show her, every single day of the rest of their lives, that he's sorry for the hurt he caused, and that he'll do whatever he can to make it right. Somehow, miraculously, it seems like that's enough for her.

"Do you move in the night?" It's a perfectly reasonable question to ask someone you're planning on climbing into the same bed with. Unfortunately, Rory is well aware that Emmett isn't asking because he's afraid of getting a heel in his shin or an elbow to the jaw. He's almost certainly worried that if either of them roll up against each other in their sleep, his Gift might use that touch to steal her heart. Again. Still, she thinks he should know the answer to that. "I didn't when we were on the floor at your house." "That wasn't exactly normal circumstances." "Fair. But I don't. At least not much. I stay on my own side of the bed at least. You?" "I don't move much either." He smiles, more of a grimace really, and rubs the back of his neck. "Theresa always stole more than her half of the bed. If I moved, I'd have rolled right off on the floor." It might be the first time Rory's heard him talk about his wife that wasn't a terrible memory of how she died. "Then we should be fine." Rory nods to the multiple layers of blankets on the bed. "We can arrange those so one of us is under one more layer. That should keep our skin apart even if we do shift." Emmett nods and peels back most of the blankets, then slips into the bed. Rory slips under the extra blanket. She glances across the room to where Carlo is curled up on the smaller bed that the owner of the inn moved in when he saw the couple with their child paying for a room. The owner's cat is nestled behind his legs, and she can hear it purring from here. Blizzard, looking betrayed at the feline presence, is perched on the headboard. She settles into the somewhat stiff mattress with a sigh. "You're sure this is okay?" Emmett asks. His voice sounds strained, like just the proximity is making his gift snarl and leap, aching to get at her beating heart. "If it is for you." There's a long moment where the only sound is their breathing. "Yes."

From this ask game

[imaginesofstardewvalley]

could you do a really fluffy piece between a male farmer and Alex, where the latter finally comes to terms with and confesses his feelings for the former. any location or general scenario would be cool :3 (also it'd be great if the feelings were reciprocated, so not one sided pls) x

Feelings (Alex X Male!Farmer)

The sunset in the distance shined brilliantly over my farm, my recent hard work and nearly blinding me. A sudden voice rung out, tearing my gaze away from the natural sight, Alex walked over towards me while waving, I waved back “hey! Come sit next to me” I patted on the porch of my house, he obliged and sat crossed legged by my side. He grinned “thanks for inviting me” I picked up a can of a drink from the cooler next to me, earlier in the day when I had a break I picked up a bunch of stuff I knew he liked, he told me about the drink once and it’s stuck in my mind ever since. I told him “it’s no problem” I paused as I held out the drink to him “here” if it could be possible, the giddy smile on his face became bigger. I noticed a faint blush on his cheeks as he accepted the drink “this is my favourite!” he opened the can and took a sip as I told him “yeah, you told me so I thought I’d get some” he didn’t meet my gaze as he seemed to look anywhere else “wow I can’t believe you remembered” to tease him I joked “I’m not a goldfish, you know”

I looked back over to the farm and his gaze followed, the beautiful blues and oranges blended together creating a lovely scene. Alex spoke up “so how was your day?” I replied quickly “busy. Since the season changed today I had to get the crops, plant em and then water them. While also doing my other chores” without missing a beat he asked “did you take a break?” I shrugged and drunk some of the drink “yeah, that's when I got these snacks” I gestured to the cooler next to my thigh I looked over to him but he was already looking at me with a dejected face “man, you spent your break buying stuff for me? You should relax more often” I shook my head and turned away from him “Alex. I promise you I’m fine I know when I’m too exhausted” I paused for a second, he's not aware how much I wanted to do this. I then added “plus what am I doing now?” He tried to hide his smile by turning away from me but I saw it, I laughed and put my hand on his shoulder “I’m perfectly fine, ok?” He looked at my hand that rested on his firm shoulder, he seemed at a loss for words as he continued to stare. Worried I took my hand back and he finally spoke “yeah I know...just want to make sure. You’re always working hard” I smiled, knowing he cares for me is wonderful, he's always checking up on me and making sure I'm ok, which makes me feel really loved but I'm sure on his side it's completely a platonic thing.

"Have you ever been in love with a man?"

Well I've had similar conversations with straight men before but they've usually never phrased it that way. Genuinely shocked by the sudden question I struggle to find the words before I bluntly spit out "yes" he doesn't say anything, his facial expression remains the same, I get the hint that he's waiting for me to explain further "when I still lived in the city I had a couple of boyfriends, one was serious the other not so much" he nodded and looked to the sunset and asked me "were they out?" he turned back and I nodded. He gulped and he started pulling on each of his individual fingers, is he nervous? "I can't think of anyway to ask this subtley so I'm just gonna be straight" we both laughed under our breath at the irony of the subject mattter and that comment, he sighed before coming out with "would you date someone who isn't out?" I took a sip of my drink and thought about it, relationships where one person is out and the other isn't can get messy, quickly. On the other hand, if there was something potentially there? Why ignore it? I put the can down "if I really liked the person and I thought it could go somewhere, then yes. I think so" the implication if what he was asking me hit me all at once

Why is he asking this?

Does he think he's gay?

Is there someone in town he wants to date is out? Who is that?

Is it me?

I finally met his eyes after having an internal debate with myself, if theres a chance he likes me back, I need to know. "Alex, why are you asking this?" he resumed to playing with his hands "because I think I like you, and I mean like like you" once he started talking, he didn't stop "like the way you're on my mind constantly and the way I think you look handsome isn't the way I think about my friends. It's different, I've never felt this way about a woman before and I have tried but it didn't work because obviously you can't force yourself to like someone you don't like" I'm scared he isn't breathing with how fast he's talking "but I don't want to admit I like you because I'm not sure and I don't want to somehow lead you on but I'm also not out and I'm scared to be out-" I interuppted him "Alex I think you just admitted it" he took a breath in "but I really like you and I'm sorry if you don't like me back and I have made things awkward between us" I shook my head "you haven't, not at all" I placed my hand on his, in hopes to calm him down "in fact, I like you back and I was trying to ignore that" I laughed and gestured to the cooler of his favourite snacks "clearly not doing a good job of it. But I thought I was being silly for liking a straight guy" he smiled softly "so we both like each other then?" I giggled "that's what I gathered" he sighed softly and his gaze stayed focused on my face, his eyes darting to each of my features, lingering as if he is trying to memorise them. Almost instinctively we both inched closer together, is this what I think it is?

"Alex?"

"Yes?"

"Can I kiss you?"

"Yes"

I placed my hand on his knee and moved my head closer to his, tilting as our lips tocuhed. They were soft, the kiss moved slowly as I felt his hand touch my cheek then as quickly as it happened it ended. He spoke under his breath "I've been waiting for this moment" so have I so I didn't hesitate, I went back in and the kiss was harder as his lips parted, making the kiss more passionate than before.

"MOO"

I tore away from him to see a cow standing outside my house "oh god I didn't close the gate" he laughed "come, I'll help you" we both stood up and made our way to the barn.

[honeybeewhereartthee]

My Darling Dolls

Chapter 36

Previous | Current | Next

- MC -

"Ok, we can remove it now.." Toujou says as he carefully unwrap the bandage on your eyes.

"Finally..." You sigh as you can finally know where to chase the dimwit who did this without tripping over the things carelessly laying in the ground.

"Open your eyes slowly..." You hear Toujou says.

You slowly open your eyes and saw colorful balls of fluff floating around. Certain blue one float close to your face and rubs its head(?) against yours.

You reach out for it as you suddenly saw the image of Kanata but you get smacked again by Toujou. You glare at him and he seems surprised to see your eyes.

"Your eyes looks so clear, like water." He commented a compliment. "Not interested." You rolled your eyes and look at brown-green fluff that tagged to the blue fluff earlier.

"Hmm..." You look down and saw yellow-green, dark red-blue, Green-lavender and purple-blue fluff on your lap.

"Why do you have to poke my eyes..." You mumble.

"There's a layer in human eyes that shield you all from seeing the unknown. Because the fear of the things one cannot explain in human knowledge is far too scary isn't it?" The little kid says.

"Not only your depress you also talk like an old soul." You mumble.

"Oh I am old." He chuckle. " I'm not a little kid ok? I'm way older than a kid. Call me Ai. My full name is far too long."

"Ai like love? How cringe." You mumble.

"Ai or AIce is fine." He chuckle. "love is indeed cringe sometimes. There's many event in love story that you could have heard such sequence of event from another love story. But everything repeated, even there's a minor change and the time have change." He pokes one of the fluff toward you.

"Each things continues to repeat yet every single time everyone still made the same mistake..." He then look in far distance.

"Some did manage to change it ... But it's too late already at those time. Well at least they did their best. Good for them." He chuckle as he stood up and got more ice from the snow ground outside but he pause

"Hey where's that landlord of ours?" He suddenly ask. You look around and realized indeed that person is gone.

...

"Stop picking up stray kids." You mumble as you look Toujou whos holding a baby in his arms. "Ahaha. This one isn't a stray ok? Its my child~"

"...you have a child?" You look at him confuse. Even Aice look at him confuse

"I just discovered it too. Someone knock on the front door and I saw a basket with this little bun cover with thin blanket. It's so pitiful... And so cute!" He says as he show a kid who is a carbon copy of him.

"...and you keep insisting about holiness of marriage and shit." You mumble. "I am married." He says in matter of fact.

"... Where's your wife then?" Aice ask him.

"She and I have an argument and very nicely left the house while being pregnant a month or so after I pick you up." He says. "I just discovered she pregnant now that I base the months. Ahaha." He laughed.

" We have twins." He says with a grin. "The letter said, I can keep the other one and she keep the beautiful one." He show the beautiful handwriting of his wife. Nicely saying that he is a fucking bastard and take care of the one who look like him.

"How come your very chill about it?"

"My wife can't marry anyone because annulment or divorce thing you said isn't implement in this year or anytime soon... So they aren't legally married if she ever tried to marry someone else. Ohohoho." He laugh victoriously and his baby chuckle with him as well.

"..." - MC and Aice. What a shameless bastard. Shameless for a wrong reason.

...

- Kanata -

"..." Certain first darling doll state at the water and look up to the beautiful starry sky. "Ah... I " remember " something." He smiled. "Do you " remember " it too, "Mayoi"?" His green eyes stared at the fellow who's seating on the side of the fountain, working on the pattern again.

"... remember what?" He ask after a long silent. He wanted to take a fresh air outside but he saw certain someone in the fountain.

"Before we become "dolls". We are "souls". "Memories" of that time become less "vivid"... I always "notice" "souls" who gain "vessel"... Forget stuff... Before they gain their doll form.." He splash the water to Mayoi who let him do what he want.

"... I "remember" the "reason" why the first "dolls" are "good" than others.. the first doll of the first "dollmakers"" he hummed. He suddenly become daze for a moment and flatter his gaze to the water.

" Things are "predestined"... Before we ever meet them. We all "fated" to meet before we were ever been "made"..." He chuckle softly as he remembers a far off memories. Mayoi stare at him and to the pattern his holding. "I just want MC to come home soon..." He cried as he hug the pattern, the knots is almost haft done.

"Don't worry... We're always be together... Even if we "part ways" we will "meet" and be "together" again..." Kanata says with a soft smile as he comfort an old friend.

...

🫧 Tag List: @valeriele3 @emikoisdead @allimili

🫧 👀

[the-writer-nerd-ro]

I finally got around to writing my second Sara and Hunter story! I really love these two

You can find the first story here and the A03 postings of that one and this one here and here

The Grind Never Stops

"Would you be willing to attend parties and dance with me so I could charge double for my services?" Sara Pena asked as they sat across from each other at a cafe table on what Hunter had considered a date and what Sara had considered a business meeting.

"Uh…"

"I'd give you a cut of the profit."

Hunter considered this. On the one hand, this would mean more money in her bank account and more time with Sara without an H, on the other hand, she would have to go to parties and, an even more terrifying thought, dance in public.

"I'm not really a great dancer," Hunter said.

"Dancing isn't really about being good," Sara said.

Hunter took a sip of scorching hot coffee to swallow a remark that might be misconstrued as mean.

"But," Sara added, "if you're genuinely worried about it I wouldn't mind showing you a few things."

"Yeah. Let's do that," Hunter said, unable to showcase how genuinely excited she was to spend more time with this delightful weirdo.

"Perfect, it's a date."

Hunter wanted to point out that she had thought that this was a date but that all they'd done was talk about SaraPenaPartyForHire.

Instead, she just said, "Uh-huh. Let me know when you can squeeze me in."

"I'll check my schedule and let you know ASAP."

Sara looked at her empty boba cup and frowned, "I should probably get going. The grind never stops."

That was actually the name of the coffee shop they were at, something Hunter would have found humorous if Sara had made the joke intentionally.

"Have fun with your grind," Hunter said, watching Sara leave, consumed with the desire to recapture that flickering candle spark of the first night they'd met a few weeks ago.

Had Sara forgotten about that spark? Had it even been real? What could Hunter do to make the dancer kiss her already?

"She doesn't want to kiss you, idiot," Hunter muttered to herself. Why would she?

"She does want to dance with you, though…" Maybe that was how Sara showed affection.

That jolted Hunter out of the second-person perspective, "I need to find an outfit.

Deviating just slightly from her all black aesthetic, she found a beautiful lace dress in navy blue. Sara was going to take one look at Hunter in this dress and swoon.

Sara took one look at Hunter in her new dress and frowned.

"You can't dance in that."

"What?"

"It's gorgeous, obviously, but way too restrictive. Dancing is about passion and movement. Don't worry, I have some clothes you can borrow."

Hunter didn't know how to explain that she and Sara were not exactly the same size. Hunter was more dead-granny-sized, whereas Sara was tall and toned, a powerhouse of a person.

Unable to articulate this concern, Hunter found herself wearing Sara's ill-fitting clothes, feeling more awkward than alluring, which had been the vibe she was going for.

This was not the vibe at all.

But if Sara noticed the mangled vibes she didn't say anything. She was too excited about their dance lessons, which took place in a dingy little dance studio that Sara apparently rented by the hour.

"Alright, we'll start by warming up."

Sara led Hunter through some stretching exercises while Hunter tried to keep her borrowed pants from falling down.

It got worse when the actual dancing started. Sara was so mesmerizing, she moved like she didn't have a care in the world. She moved like there was no one in her way. Hunter moved like her pants were about to fall down. In the end, the best she could muster was a side to side sway, which, frankly, she could have done in her dress.

"You're doing so good," Sara said earnestly, taking Hunter's hands and twirling her.

Hunter had tried her hardest to keep her pessimism in check but she let out a bitter laugh now.

Sara stepped back, frowning once more.

"Is something wrong? Do you want me to change the music? I have better music."

"The music is okay," Hunter said.

"Then what's up?"

Hunter shook her head, looking away. "It's stupid."

"Hey," Sara said, a little loudly, cupping Hunter's cheek so Hunter would be forced to look at her. "You're not stupid. Don't ever say that again. Just tell me what's wrong and I'll fix it."

Hunter looked up at Sara, as enamored as the day they first met.

"I wanted to make this romantic and it's not."

"Oh. It’s not?" Sara dropped her hand, looking troubled.

"Never mind, it's not important. Forget it."

"No, I should've… You know what I thought when I first saw you?"

"Why is that weird girl filming me?"

"No, that I was gonna go talk to the cute girl filming me to either hustle or flirt. I got so caught up in the grind that I forgot to flirt and now you're unhappy."

"No, that's not it at all," Hunter said quickly. "I'm not unhappy, you're so vibrant and full of life, I didn't think… I didn't think I was enough for you. Especially when you have this great career that you love… So I tried to be more for you, romantic and enchanting and optimistic but I can't."

"Hunter… I know what I want and what I don’t want and I don't want you to change a single thing about yourself. I just need you to be honest about how you're feeling on a regular basis because sometimes I miss social cues. And I don’t want to miss something with you."

"Honest I can do, just as long as you don't mind blunt…"

"I like a girl who speaks her mind."

"Okay then. I want our next date to be about us. Not SaraPenaPartyForHire."

Sara nodded seriously and offered Hunter her hand, which Hunter took.

"I'm just really glad you want another date after I ruined our first two."

"You're worth a few bad dates," Hunter decided. "Maybe I was wrong. Maybe this one is romantic after all."

As Sara leaned down to kiss Hunter, and Hunter tiptoed to meet her, the ill-fitting pants began to slip.

"Or maybe not," Hunter said, "but it was worth a try."

"I'll get you a belt next time. And we'll have a redo on that kiss, I promise."

And, though the kiss had been a bit awkward, Hunter was no longer anxious about their blossoming relationship. The spark, awkward as it could be at times, was still burning bright. That was enough for both of them.

[jytan2018]

Not American, but I am Malaysian and we're also pretty much stuck with two evils over here.

Listen, I get what y'all are saying about voting for the lesser evil and harm reduction and all. But y'all need to start engaging folks with more empathy here, because it's not just young, baby leftie moral purists who think of politics as a trolley problem that aren't voting for Biden. It's also real people who have been screwed over/watched their loved ones get screwed over because of Biden's policies.

Elections used to be simple. If Candidate A's policies aren't your thing/actively harm you, you go to a different candidate; if you think ALL the candidates don't represent you, there's an option to voice that disapproval on the ballot and demand better candidates/policies. Either they EARN your vote fair and square, or they lose it.

But in countries with two party systems, suddenly every vote is about the big picture and every voter is now a soldier being sent off to fight a senseless war where they KNOW they're probably going to die even if their side wins, but the generals are too busy winning the war to care about who they're sacrificing. Marginalised people can't talk about the reason they hate a lesser-evil candidate without getting guilt tripped and dismissed as just selfish people who don't care about the rest of the country.

Some of you act like you're rational adults at the mall, explaining to your petty children that they can't buy that colouring book because you need those five dollars for the electricity bill. But you know what you actually sound like to people who have already lost faith in Biden, and are desperately looking for any path to change besides voting?

Y'all sound like other soldiers barging into the infirmary, shaking the wounded by their shoulders and demanding they go back out and fight. These wounded folks are already out of commission! They don't care that you're wounded just like they are! They don't care that your side desperately needs the firepower to reclaim strategically crucial points!

All they know is that they're in pain, and instead of offering painkillers or even a kind word, your immediate reaction is to go, "But we're losing."

You can lecture marginalised folks about the big picture and the greater good all you want, but it won't change the fact that you're essentially telling them, "Yeah, yeah, I get it, you're suffering. Now go get Blue Grandpa enough votes to win, and then maybe he'll do something about your situation". Even when you tell them that you acknowledge their suffering, it feels hollow because they know the next thing that comes outta your mouth will be, "but here's why you're wrong and should vote for Biden anyway."

Again, I know Biden is the lesser evil by a mile, and I know how important it is for Trump to lose. I'm not even from your country, but I've felt obligated to keep a close eye on American politics since 2016 because every time Congress breathes wrong, the rest of the world feels the hurricane forming. I am well aware how fucked everyone will be if Trump wins.

But I am begging y'all to stop thinking about war and start thinking about hope.

If you believe direct action can help mitigate the worst of Biden's policies, then get out there and do some direct goddamn action. It doesn't matter if it takes ages to start working, they just need to see that you're doing it.

If you can think of ways to help people with what little resources you have as an individual, instead of uselessly screaming, "Vote Blue No Matter Who", then DO IT.

If you can give these people a reason to believe that voting won't be the most important decision they'll make for the next four years (it kinda is, but the point is to make voting one of many paths to change and not THE only path), then maybe they wouldn't be so torn up about voting for a guy whose whole campaign promise boils down to a measly, "The other guy's boot will crush your neck faster".

Seriously, there's a reason morale can make or break an army. Get out of the damn infirmary and give your comrades something to fight for instead of just yelling at them to pick up their guns, even if it's just telling them "I'm sorry things are so fucked, it's okay to feel angry and betrayed" without acting like they're personally responsible for all your political problems.

i am begging all of the 20something usamericans on this website to understand that “disillusioned with us politics” is a constant state of affairs. you still have to vote. you still have to keep the needle as far left as you can. there is literally no other option and every election has echoes of consequence. please please please just fucking vote